Quotes of the Month: March 2015

Quote of the Month:
"Just give me two hours, and you're going to have 50, 60, 70 years of memories. Two hours, can you sacrifice, and reach down and give me two hours, so that you can have a lifetime of memories for you, your family, your kids and your kids' kids? That's the memories I'm talking about!"


-Tom Izzo

Stupid Quote of the Month:
"Well, watch out, you know that Michelle Obama looks like she's from the cast of 'Planet of the Apes,' the movie."


-Rodner Figueroa

　
"They are going to eat him! Sisters . . sisters!"


-Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe when a group of nuns mobbed the Pope

　
"As long as you can go in some neighborhoods and it is easier for you to

buy a firearm than it is for you to buy a book, there are neighborhoods where it

is easier for you to buy a handgun and clips than it is for you to buy a fresh

vegetable, as long as that's the case, we're going to continue to see

unnecessary violence."


-Barack Obama

　
"If Selma taught us anything, it's that our work is never done."


-Barack Obama

　
"Poor people have been voting Democratic for 50 years, and they're still poor."


-Charles Barkley
"What I dream is that for one election ... every black person in America vote Republican."


-Stephen A Smith

　
"Get over your temper tantrum, Mr. President."


-John McCain
　

"The interesting thing about Mulder is nominally he is law enforcement but he never solved one case in nine years. So he’s the worst F.B.I. agent of all time."

-David Duchovny

Frank Robinson: Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1982

Born: August 31, 1935

1953: Signed by Cincinnati Reds

Debut: April 17, 1956 (Reds)

1956: NL Rookie of the Year

Late 1950s: Attended Xavier College

1958: Won Gold Glove

1961: Reds win Pennant

1961: NL MVP (.323, 37, 124, 117 runs, .404 OBP, .611 SLG, 1.015 OPS, 333 TB)

1965: Traded to Baltimore Orioles

1966: AL MVP (.316, 49, 122, 122 runs, .410 OBP, .637 SLG, 1.047 OPS, 367 TB)

1966: Won Triple Crown

1966: Only player to hit a ball out of Memorial Stadium

1966: Orioles win World Series

1966: World Series MVP

1969: Orioles win Pennant

1970: Hit back-to-back Grand Slams

1970: Orioles win World Series

1971: ASG MVP

1971: Orioles win Pennant

1971: Traded to Los Angeles Dodgers

1972: Traded to California Angels

1974: Traded to Cleveland Indians

1975: Became player-manager for Indians (186-189)

1975: First African-American manager (homered in first AB as manager)

1975-7: Indians Manager

1981-84: Giants Manager (264-277)

1982: Elected to Hall of Fame (89.2%)

1988-91: Orioles Manager (230-285)

1989: AL Manager of the Year

1999: Finalist for All Century Team

1999-2002: VP of On field Ops for Baseball

2002-2006: Managed Expos/Nationals (385-425)

2003: Statue in Cincinnati

2005: Presidential Medal of Freedom

2007-present: Various executive positions with MLB

2012: Statue in Baltimore


Accomplishments:
2x World Champion

2x MVP

14x All Star

1971 ASG MVP

1966 World Series MVP

1966 Triple Crown

1966 Batting title

1966 Babe Ruth award

1966: Player of the Year

1956 ROY

1958 Gold Glove

1989 Manager of the Year

2x Player of the Month

.294

586 HR

1,812 RBI

1,829 Runs

2,943 Hits

528 Doubles

204 SB

.389 OBP

.537 SLG

.926 OPS

5,373 TB

198 HBP

100+ Runs: 8x

208 Hits (1962)

30+ Doubles: 7x

51 Doubles (1962)-Led League

20+ HR: 17x

30+ HR: 11x

49 HR (1966)-Led League

100+ RBI: 6x

20+ SB: 3x

Hit .300: 9x

.400 OBP: 6x

.500 SLG: 14x

.600 SLG: 3x

1.000OPS: 4x

300 TB: 8x

Led league in Runs: 3x

Led league in OBP: 2x

Led league in SLG: 4x

Led league in OPS: 4x

Led league in TB (367): 1966

Led league in HBP: 7x

Led league in IBB: 4x

Led league in SF (10): 1961

Postseason: .238, 10 HR, 19 RBI, .887 OPS (8 Series)

Sci Fi History: The Brotherhood of Mutants (1964)

Magneto formed the Brotherhood of Mutants in order to promote and permeate mutant superiority over humanity. The group’s goals have morphed from world domination to thugs to terrorism thereby matching the era. They have been continually thwarted by the X-Men. In a sense, they are the evil version of the civil rights movement.

Sci-Fi History: The X-Men (1963)

The X-Men arrived in the Marvel Universe at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. They were mutants with a X-gene, hence the name X-Men. This extra gene provides mutants with all sorts of powers. Each mutant possessed a different mutation. As a result, Magneto controlled metal, Wolverine was indestructible, Cyclops shot lasers from his eyes, etc. People feared the mutations leading to bigotry and oppression. At the same time, Stan Lee tied the X-Men to the nuclear age. It is hinted that mutants received radiation exposure that created the x-gene. Lastly, the main villain, Magneto, was a concentration camp survivor adding an interesting twist to his crusade against humanity. As a result, the X-Men tied together the civil rights movement, World War II, the Cold War, nuclear anxieties, and the holocaust.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZAhqEiq4cA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi43Vr2yJqI

Cap Anson: Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1939

Cap Anson Timeline:

Born: April 17, 1852

1866-67: Sent to boarding school at Notre Dame

1868: Spent one semester at the University of Iowa. He was expelled for bad behavior.

1871: Began playing pro ball

Debut: May 6, 1871

1875: Managed Athletics for 8 games (4-2-2)

1879: Named Captain/Manager of the Cubs leading to his nickname “Cap”

1880s: He pioneered new managerial techniques including using a third base coach, signals, and a pitching rotation (2 starters). He was also pioneered Spring Training.

1880-82: Won NL Pennant three consecutive years (no World Series)

1883: He refused to play an exhibition game against the Toledo Blue Stockings because their catcher, Moses Fleetwood Walker, was black. He backed down when told his team would not be paid if they forfeited.

1885-86: Won back-to-back NL Pennants

1887: Baseball officially segregated. Anson is partially to blame, but does not deserve to be singled out for the action.

1888: Began an on-again-off-again acting career

1890s: He claimed to have invented the hit-and-run

July 18, 1897: Collects 3000^th hit

1897: Fired as Cubs’ manager. At the time, they were called the Colts. After his firing, they were called the “Orphans” since they lost their “pop.”

1897: Record with the Cubs: 1282-932 (.579) and 5 Pennants

1898: Managed the Giants briefly (9-13 record).

1899: Opened a pool hall in Chicago. It was successful, but he was forced to sell in 1909 because his other ventures failed.

1900: Tried to form a rival major league, but it failed.

1900: Published his memoirs

1905: Chicago City Clerk

1907: Ran for Sheriff, but lost in the primary.

1907: Purchased a semi-pro team, which lost money.

1908: Formed a semi-pro football team, they won a title, but lost money.

1909: Filed bankruptcy

1921: Retired from Vaudeville

1922: Became GM of a golf club

Died: April 14, 1922.

1939: Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his second ballot by the Veteran’s Committee

Late 20^th and early 21^st century: Debate rages as to Anson’s role in the segregation of the Major Leagues in 1887.

Accomplishments:
.334 career average

3435 career hits

First member of 3000 hit club

2075 RBI

Played record 27 seasons

.394 career OBP

2x Batting Champ

Led league in games played in 1890 (139)

Scored 100 runs in a season: 6x

Led league in hits in 1881 (137)

582 doubles

Led league in doubles: 3x

Led league in RBI: 8x

100 RBI season: 6x

Led league in walks in 1890 (113)

4x OBP Leader

OBP of .400 or higher: 8x

Slugging of .500 or higher: 7x

2x OPS leader

OPS of .900 or better: 7x

4592 total bases

1881 Total base leader (175)

As a Manager:
1295-947 record (.578)

Won 5 NL Pennants

Greatest American Bracketology Elite 8

Elite 8
Early America
1. George Washington- vs. 2. Thomas Jefferson- (Washington wins; had a big lead and held on)

Antebellum through Civil War
1. Abraham Lincoln vs. 3. Andrew Jackson- (Lincoln landslide)

Recon through WW2
7. Theodore Roosevelt- vs. 12. Albert Einstein (TR landslide)

Modern
1. Martin Luther King Vs. 2. Ronald Reagan (King wins; Reagan led, King took a big lead, Reagan rallied, but fell just short.)

Sweet 16: Greatest American

Early America
1. George Washington vs. 5. James Madison (GW wins)
2. Thomas Jefferson vs. 3. Alexander Hamilton (Jefferson wins)

Antebellum through Civil War
1. Abraham Lincoln vs. 13. John Quincy Adams (Lincoln wins)
2. John Marshall vs. 3. Andrew Jackson (Jackson wins)

Recon through WW2
1. FDR vs. 12. Albert Einstein (Einstein wins)
6. Henry Ford vs. 7. Theodore Roosevelt (TR wins)

Modern
1. MLK vs. 4. Dwight Eisenhower (MLK wins)
2. Ronald Reagan vs. 14. Richard Nixon (Reagan wins)

Greatest American Bracketology Round 2

Round 2

Early America
1. George Washington- 8. Lewis and Clark (Washington wins)
2. Thomas Jefferson- 7. John Adams (TJ wins)
3. Alexander Hamilton - 6. Thomas Paine (Hamilton wins)
4. Ben Franklin - 5. James Madison (Madison wins)

Antebellum through Civil War
1. Abraham Lincoln- 9. William Lloyd Garrison (Lincoln wins)
2. John Marshall-10. Frederick Douglass (Marshall wins)
3. Andrew Jackson - 6. Henry Clay (Jackson wins)
13. JQ Adams - 12. Joseph Smith (Adams wins)

Recon through WW2
1. FDR- 9. Andrew Carnegie (FDR wins)
2. Thomas Edison - 7. TR (TR wins)
14. JP Morgan - 6. Henry Ford (Ford wins)
4. JD Rockefeller - 12. Albert Einstein (Einstein wins)

Modern
1. MLK - 9. LBJ (King wins)
2. Ronald Reagan- 10. Robert Oppenheimer (Reagan wins)
14. Richard Nixon - 6. Jonas Salk (Nixon wins)
4. Dwight Eisenhower - 12. George Marshall (Ike wins)

Greatest Movie Battles

Now for something different...here are my top 10 movie battles...

1. Omaha Beach (Saving Private Ryan): Actual Omaha Beach Vets claimed it was too real.

2. Battle of Stirling (Braveheart): Completely inaccurate; but Mel gives a great speech.

3. Pearl Harbor (Tora Tora Tora): The defining moment in perhaps the defining World War II film.

4. Little Round Top (Gettysburg): Out of Ammo? Affix bayonets and charge! The Rebs won't know what hit them!

5. The Death Star (Star Wars): No one had ever seen anything like this before. Now, the ending might be considered cliche.

6. Germania (Gladiator): Does a great job showing the Roman Tortoise and Roman Discipline; Shows how they could conquer.

7. Ft. Wagner (Glory): As the dead are buried, they are all shoeless...symbolic of the whole film.

8. Helicopter Raid (Apocalypse Now): Flight of the Valkyries, Robert Duval, Napalm, Surfing; an allegory for the entire Vietnam War.

9. Helms Deep (LOR: The Two Towers): The greatest land battle in fantasy/sci fi movie history

10. Battle of the News Crews (Ron Burgundy): Brick killed a man with a trident!

#67 Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke was a soul singer that strung together 29 Top 40 hits over an eight year period. He was innovative and ahead of his time with songs such as “You Send Me.” He tapped into the dance craze with ‘Twistin’ The Night Away.” Cooke also defined the Civil Rights Movement with “A Change Is Gonna Come.” He was gunned down in a Los Angeles hotel by the hotel manager. Cooke took a woman up to his hotel room, she stole from him, and he chased her through the hotel. The manager saw a naked black man chasing a woman through the hotel and shot him. Cooke was 33.

Rock n Roll Moment: A Change is Gonna Come became a defining song in the Civil Rights Movement.

Essential Sam Cooke: Portrait of a Legend: 1951-1964 (2003)

Sam Cooke’s Top 10:
You Send Me
Chain Gang
Twistin’ The Night Away
Another Saturday Night
A Change Is Gonna Come
Shake
I’ll Come Running Back To You
Wonderful World
Bring It On Home To Me
Cupid

What Could Have Been...

Two presidents could have been amongst the greats. They racked up impressive legislative victories and reformed government. One helped usher in the Second Reconstruction while the other changed the Cold War paradigm. However, their own obsessive compulsive behaviors led to tragedy. LBJ got bogged down in Vietnam which cost 58,000 American lives, his programs are directly responsible for the deficits that followed in the 1970s and 1980s, and Johnson lost the South for the Democrats which guaranteed GOP ascendancy over the last 40 years. Richard Nixon was forced to resign because of Watergate and some have argued his China policy led directly to recent Chinese ascendancy (I guess the Chinese had nothing to do with it). In the end, those two mistakes (Vietnam for Johnson and Watergate for Nixon) will cling to these two men's legacies forever and overshadow their real contributions.
Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969): Won 1964 election with 61% of the vote
Civil Rights Act (1964)Medicare/Medicaid
Urban Renewal
War on Poverty
Education Reform
Voting Rights Act (1965)
Conservation
Clean air and water
Fair Housing Act (1968)

Richard Nixon (1969-1974):
Re-elected with 60% of the vote
Opened China
Ended Vietnam War
Detente
School Integration
Created the EPA and OSHA
Conservation
Clean air and water
Setup the GOP takeover of the South

Both men had impressive records. However, poor choices led to unequaled unpopularity and historical oblivion.

The Daisy Girl

BOOM! That is the sound of LBJ's demolition of Barry Goldwater in 1964. It's also the sound of the now infamous "Daisy Girl" ad. In it, a little girl is picking peddles off a flower. The next moment, she is vaporized by a mushroom cloud. The implication: Goldwater would lead America into a nuclear conflict with Russia. The Dems even co-opted Goldwater's campaign slogan "In your heart, you know he's right." They changed it to "In your Heart, you know he might." Goldwater's policies would eventually get Ronald Reagan elected president, but in 1964, they seemed extreme. Ironically, LBJ would be the one to lead the nation to war unnecessarily.
The 1960s were the halcion days of liberalism and Goldwater was a reaction to it. During his nomination speech, he said "extremism in defense of liberty is no vice." Richard Nixon said he knew the election was over at that point. The Dems turned that diddy around on Goldwater. They said that now even Goldwater knows he's an extremist.
Most of the negative campaigning was probably academic. Lyndon Johnson was the incumbent president in 1964 and was running as the heir to Kennedy's "Camelot." The nation was still in mourning over Kennedy's death and LBJ played on that sympathy.
As a result of Goldwater gaffes, skillful Democratic portrayals of Goldwater, and public sympathy following JFK's death, Johnson won 61%- 39% in the popular vote and 486-52 in the electoral college. Goldwater won his home state of Arizona and the Deep South. The South was angry at LBJ's passage of the Civil Rights Act. It was the beginning of the end for the Dems in the South.
Goldwater remained in the Senate until 1987. It was Goldwater that got Nixon to resign in 1974. It was Goldwater's libertarianism that helped lead to the rise of the right and Ronald Reagan.
Johnson served as President until 1969. His Great Society made him the last reform president before George W. Bush. Like Bush, an unpopular war combined with policies of debatable results, made LBJ very unpopular. Unlike Bush, he decided not to run for re-election.

I Like Ike!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008Subject: I Like IkeTime: 4:44:00 PM EDTAuthor: cicero390 Edit Entry Delete Entry
Both parties approached Dwight Eisenhower to be their candidate for President in 1952. Harry Truman was stepping down and the GOP was desperate to win back the White House for the first time in 20 years. Ike decided to be a Republican. With that, the Republicans won the elections in 1952 and 1956. Ike was too popular to beat.
The Democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson both times. He was a boring intellectual. Stevenson campaign ads featured the candidate droning on and on...he bored people to death. By contrast, Ike's ads were quick and to the point. In both elections, Ike won big.
Eisenhower served two successful terms in office. He ended the Korean War, built the national highway system, integrated Little Rock High School, and balanced the budget. Additionally, he kept much of the New Deal in place. He left office extremely popular. Had he been healthy enough to campaign in 1960 for Richard Nixon, or had he not been limited to two terms by the Constitution, Kennedy would have stood no chance.

Give 'em Hell Harry!

Harry S. Truman became president upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt. His first term in office saw the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. Truman took firm steps to stop Soviet expansion and ensure Democratic governments would not fall to the left. As 1948 approached, he considered stepping down in favor of Dwight Eisenhower. Ike turned down the Democratic and Republican nominations for president, so Truman decided to run himself.
Truman angered many in his own party. The left did not like the strong anti-communist steps the president took. They despised Truman's hard line stance against the Soviets. So, they bolted and formed the Progressive Party. This was a precursor to the modern Democratic Party. The Progressives nominated former Vice President and mystic Henry Wallace. Their platform called for making nice with Stalin and attacked the Marshall Plan (which saved Europe from starvation).
If losing the looney left was not bad enough, Truman also lost the South. Southern Democrats liked to oppress African-Americans. Truman stood for Civil Rights and desegregated the military. The South bolted and nominated Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for president. The Dixiecrats stood for segregation and white supremacy.
The Republicans were delighted. The Democrats had split into three camps. They figured they had it won. All they had to do was not lose. The GOP nominated Thomas Dewey of New York. Dewey gave FDR a run for his money in 1944. The Republicans employed the same type of strategy the Detroit Lions use at the end of ballgames. The idea was to not say or do anything to lose the election.
While Dewey grew complacent with his conservative campaign strategy, Truman went on the attack. He attacked the GOP mercilessly and effectively. His whistlestop campaign tours are now legendary. Thousands flocked to hear him speak. At one stop, a voter yelled "Give 'em Hell Harry!" Truman attacked a "Do-Nothing Congress" for being obstructionist and promised a Fair Deal for all. In reality, there was little difference between Dewey and Truman on issues.
Everyone thought Dewey would be president. The Democrats split into New Deal, New Left, and Dixiecrat camps. Truman's base would be split three ways and Dewey would cruise to victory. Truman won. How did this happen? Dewey failed to respond to Democratic attacks and failed to run an aggressive campaign. Voters saw Truman and had his message beat into them. Truman got 49% of the vote to Dewey's 45%. It was the greatest presidential upset ever.
In his second term, Truman would become bogged down in Korea and end up being the least popular incumbent in the modern era. Dewey would serve three terms as New York governor and then withdraw from politics. Henry Wallace would go back to his farm. Strom Thurmond would be a United States Senator for the rest of the century and live to 100 years old. After his death, news broke that Thurmond had fathered a biracial daughter.

The Compromise of 1877 and End of Reconstruction

After eight scandal ridden years and a great depression, Grant was done. The Republican Party feared they would lose the 1876 election and searched high and low for an honest candidate to be the standard bearer. They found Rutherford B Hayes of Ohio. He was a solid, honest governor with no ties to the corruption in Washington D.C.
The Democrats also searched for an honest man and found Samuel Tilden. As governor of New York, he destroyed one of the most corrupt political machines in history. With the American voter tired of the corruption in Washington and the continuing Southern issue, the Democrats felt confident going into the general election.
In 1876, the American voter was sick of Reconstruction. Reconstruction was the period after the Civil War in which the North attempted to reform the South and give African-American freedmen their rights. The White South resisted fiercely. Parts of the South were so violent, it makes 2008 Iraq look safe. By 1876, Northerners wanted to live and let live. They were sick of the South, sick of the violence, sick of the corruption in Washington and wanted the troops home.
In this environment, Tilden won the popular vote 51%-48%. However, two sets of returns came in from Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Under fair (i.e. safe) voting conditions, the GOP should have won those states easily. However, Democratic shenanigans and violence resulted in disputed results. A committee was established to determine a winner.
The committee had 15 members. Each party had seven members. The fifteenth member was an independent. That independent quickly resigned. The Democrats and Republicans cut a deal. The independent was replaced by a Republican and Hayes was president. In return, Hayes would pull the troops from the South.
The Compromise of 1877 left the Southern African-American population to the Democrats. In short order, their lives became even harsher than under slavery. It would be a century before the Second Reconstruction of the 1960s.