OK, I know I said I wouldn’t be posting much this week, and I won’t, but I wanted to post this and get some thoughts on it. After a few of you weigh in with your opinions, I’ll post what I think. It’s Slash (former GNR guitarist) with Cypress Hill and Fergie doing a new version of the GNR classic “Paradise City.”
Say what you want, but be careful how you say it. I will delete/unapprove any comments that are racist or contain obscenities. And don’t hate on another commenter. I want to hear what you think of the song, not what you think about what someone else thinks of the song. And be sure to actually listen to the song before posting.
Long before he was the surly right-fielder for the New York Yankees, Paul O’Neill was the surly right-fielder for the Cincinnati Reds. I never liked O’Neill. He never gave me a reason to like him. He was a decent player, not spectacular, but his personality was very off-putting.
I don’t really have anything else to say about O’Neill. I’m sure he may be a really nice guy once you get to know him. But I don’t know him.
Posts will probably be infrequent this week. Lots to do in places where there is no internet. I’m afraid. Hold me.
I still have issues with this dude changing his name. Two issues, really. One with him, because who in their right mind wants to have a number as his name? And one with the NFL. Back in the late 1980s, when they started restricting end zone dances, the acronym NFL took on a new meaning: No Fun League. And it’s still that way. If the dude wants to put “Ochocinco” on his jersey, let him. It’s not offensive, and it’s not hurting anyone. Just let him do it. Don’t make him change his name legally. Come on…
The Bengals are off to a great start, but they need Palmer and Ochocinco to keep it up and not get lazy. Can’t get complacent. If the Bengals don’t do something postseason-wise this year, there will be a lot of unhappy fans.
Cartoon Network has Boomerang, so why can’t Nickelodeon make a “Nick Classic” channel? It would be so cool to see some old Nick shows back on the air. I know it’s wishful thinking, but I would love to share some of these with my kids…
Project Baseball 1976 posted a pretty awesome link yesterday…Can you name the 1976 NL Opening Day lineups? Make sure you’ve got 10 minutes to devote to this, but it is pretty spectacular. I got 42 out of 120, which isn’t bad considering I was less than a year old on Opening Day in 1976. I got all the Reds, 5 Dodgers, and at least 1 for each of the other teams. I should have gotten more, but the brain just doesn’t work under pressure.
Sparky Anderson was the skipper of the Big Red Machine, the man who kept the team running smoothly. Nicknamed “Captain Hook” for his reputation of pulling a pitcher as soon as he got in trouble, Sparky only played one season in the bigs himself. As a manager, he twice won the Manager of the Year award, in 1984 and 1987, both with the Tigers. Had the award existed in the 1970s, there is no doubt he would have won at least once in that decade with the Reds.
In 1979, Sparky guest starred in an episode during the the second season of WKRP In Cincinnati, one of the greatest sitcoms of all-time. Carlson hired Sparky to do a sports talk show, but the staff at the radio station soon discovered Sparky was a terrible on-air personality. Carlson ends up firing Sparky, to which Anderson replies, “I must be crazy. Every time I come to (Cincinnati) I get fired!”
Kids America aired from 1984-1987, stationed out of New York but syndicated on a couple dozen public radio stations. I have some very fond memories of this program, and was even put on the air a couple of times. Here’s my first ever appearance on radio…
This is probably the thing that got me into radio in the first place. The show didn’t last long, but I loved it. Kathy O’Connell, one of the hosts, is now with “Kids Corner” on WXPN-FM in Pennsylvania, which can also be heard online. I’ve never listened to the program before, but I probably will now that I have discovered it.
Information on the cancellation of Kids America in 1987 can be found in this New York Times article.
On Dec. 15, Mr. Orfaly and Ms. O’Connell told their listeners they were going off the air for what they described as complicated reasons that had to do with money. Since then, WNYC has received hundreds of letters, expressing more indignation than sadness, according to the general manager of WNYC radio, Wally Smith. Many children have sent in money to try to keep the show on the air.
I’m kinda depressed after reading that.
Does anyone else remember the program?
EDIT: I just found another article by Googling Larry Orfaly’s name (he was one of the hosts). It links to the Ocala Star-Banner on Google News Archive Search, and it’s a newspaper from 1986. This is the first time I’ve seen this Google/Microfiche thing. Check it out!
EDIT #3 (and the last one): I really should have Googled before posting this entry. If you Google Larry Ofraly, there are tons of sites that mention Kids America. I’d like to find a site that is actually a tribute to the show and nothing else, but I’ll be happy with whatever I find. Here’s a page from New York Magazine back in the day.
Tony Mullane is one of the 2010 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famers, but you have to go way back in history to learn about him, playing 1881-1894. He pitched for the Reds 1886-1893. Mullane taught himself to throw left-handed because of an injury to his right hand. After healing, he was able to switch-pitch because he didn’t wear a fielding glove. He was suspenced for the entire 1885 season for switching teams too frequently, a penalty that likely cost Mullane 300 career wins.
One of the most interesting things about Mullane statistically came before he signed with the Red Stockings. In 1882, while playing for the Louisville Eclipse, he led the American Association in strikeouts with 170; two years later, with the Toledo Blue Stockings, he came in fourth despite nearly doubling that total.
Mullane ended his career with a 284-220 record, a 3.05 ERA, and 1803 strikeouts. After retiring from baseball, Mullane went on to become a police officer in Chicago. He died in 1944 at the age of 85.
Before there was Larkin, before there was Concepcion, there was Roy McMillan. Two-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop for the Reds, McMillan was known more for his fielding than his offense. When the Gold Glove was instituted in 1957, it was for all of baseball and McMillan won it at the shortstop position. The next year (and each year after) the award was given to a player in each league at each position, McMillan winning the NL award in 1958 and 1959.
In 1957, McMillan was one of seven Reds voted to start the All-Star game by fans. The only non-winning position was first base. Commissioner Ford Frick believed the ballot box stuffing needed to be corrected, so he removed one Red (Wally Post) from the roster, and placed another (Gus Bell) on the bench, replacing them with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. As a result of the ballot box stuffing, players, coaches, and managers were given the responsibility of selecting the starting lineups until 1970 when the midsummer classic came, ironically enough, to Cincinnati.
McMillan has been a member of the Reds Hall of Fame since 1971. He passed away in November, 1997.
It’s just too great to be gone. And I refuse to let it die.
Thorzul’s Halloween (Nightmares on Cardboard) contest was awesome, as always. I would have liked to have seen the non-winners as well as the top four, but even limited to these it was pretty awesome. (Maybe these were the only entries? I’m not sure.)
