At first, I thought I'd do a little write-up on these. However, rock albums have been so overanalyzed over the years, I thought it'd be redundant. Readers should check them out rather than taking a critic's or a fan's opinion! So, here are my picks for the Top 10 Albums of the Sixties:
1. Sgt Peppers- The Beatles (1967)
2. Pet Sounds- The Beach Boys (1966)
3. Revolver- The Beatles (1966)
4. Tommy- The Who (1969)
5. Highway 61 Revisited- Bob Dylan (1965)
6. Blonde on Blonde- Bob Dylan (1966)
7. Abbey Road- The Beatles (1969)
8. White Album- The Beatles (1968)
9. The Doors- The Doors (1967)
10. Let it Bleed- The Rolling Stones (1969)
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Top 10 Moments in Minnesota Twins History
...and one from the Old Senators....
Senators: 4 Giants: 3 (12 innings) 1924 World Series Game 7: Walter Johnson atones for stinking it up earlier in the series and Bucky Harris’ bad hop single wins the future Minnesota Twins first World Series. The Senators never won another series. The franchise won its next title in 1987.
Twins: 6 Yankees: 0 (April 11, 1961): Twins win first game since move from Washington beating the mighty Yankees and Whitey Ford. Ford went 25-4 that season.
Minnesota: 2 Washington: 1 (September 26, 1965): Jim Kaat beats Senators 2-1 to win pennant. Ironically, the Twins used to play in Washington.
1977: Rod Carew makes a run at .400 and finishes at .388.
Twins: 9 Tigers: 5 (1987 ALCS Game Five): Twins win first pennant since 1965.
Twins: 4 Cardinals: 2 (1987 World Series Game Seven): The Twins win a thrilling Fall Classic in seven games. Frank Viola goes 8 for the win and is the series MVP. It is the franchise's first title since 1924.
Twins: 4 Braves: 3 (11 Innings) 1991 World Series Game 6: The Puckett Game: Hall of Famer Kirby Pucket demonstrated how a single player can take over a game. He made an amazing catch and hit a game winning walk off forcing Game 7 vs. Atlanta.
Twins: 1 Braves: 0 (1991 World Series Game 7): The Jack Morris Game: Jack Morris pitched 10 shutout innings vs.the Braves. Before the game, most people put their money on John Smoltz. However, those that watched Morris' career and knew the game understood that the Twins held the advantage. The Twins win 1-0 in 10 innings. Morris is the MVP.
2006: Joe Mauer became the first catcher to lead the AL in hitting. Two national league catchers have won batting titles. Bubbles Hargrave in 1926 and Ernie Lombardi in 1938 and 1942. To date, he is the only catcher with three batting championships.
Twins: 6 Tigers: 5 (12 innings) October 6, 2009: The Twins come back from 3 down with 4 to play to win the Central. In the one game playoff, they beat Detroit in an exciting 12 inning contest. The Tigers led by a run in the 10th and the Twins tied it. In the 12th, Detroit loaded the bases, but failed to score. Brandon Inge was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, but the umpire ignored this. The Twins scored in the 12th and moved on to the ALDS.
Senators: 4 Giants: 3 (12 innings) 1924 World Series Game 7: Walter Johnson atones for stinking it up earlier in the series and Bucky Harris’ bad hop single wins the future Minnesota Twins first World Series. The Senators never won another series. The franchise won its next title in 1987.
Twins: 6 Yankees: 0 (April 11, 1961): Twins win first game since move from Washington beating the mighty Yankees and Whitey Ford. Ford went 25-4 that season.
Minnesota: 2 Washington: 1 (September 26, 1965): Jim Kaat beats Senators 2-1 to win pennant. Ironically, the Twins used to play in Washington.
1977: Rod Carew makes a run at .400 and finishes at .388.
Twins: 9 Tigers: 5 (1987 ALCS Game Five): Twins win first pennant since 1965.
Twins: 4 Cardinals: 2 (1987 World Series Game Seven): The Twins win a thrilling Fall Classic in seven games. Frank Viola goes 8 for the win and is the series MVP. It is the franchise's first title since 1924.
Twins: 4 Braves: 3 (11 Innings) 1991 World Series Game 6: The Puckett Game: Hall of Famer Kirby Pucket demonstrated how a single player can take over a game. He made an amazing catch and hit a game winning walk off forcing Game 7 vs. Atlanta.
Twins: 1 Braves: 0 (1991 World Series Game 7): The Jack Morris Game: Jack Morris pitched 10 shutout innings vs.the Braves. Before the game, most people put their money on John Smoltz. However, those that watched Morris' career and knew the game understood that the Twins held the advantage. The Twins win 1-0 in 10 innings. Morris is the MVP.
2006: Joe Mauer became the first catcher to lead the AL in hitting. Two national league catchers have won batting titles. Bubbles Hargrave in 1926 and Ernie Lombardi in 1938 and 1942. To date, he is the only catcher with three batting championships.
Twins: 6 Tigers: 5 (12 innings) October 6, 2009: The Twins come back from 3 down with 4 to play to win the Central. In the one game playoff, they beat Detroit in an exciting 12 inning contest. The Tigers led by a run in the 10th and the Twins tied it. In the 12th, Detroit loaded the bases, but failed to score. Brandon Inge was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, but the umpire ignored this. The Twins scored in the 12th and moved on to the ALDS.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
History Shorts: The Code of Hammurabi (1790 B.C.)
The Code of Hammurabi is not the oldest law code, but it is an important one. The code is one of the foundations of western law. Instead of standardized punishment for all offenses, the code attempts to make sure that the "punishment fits the crime." It establishes the principle of "an eye for an eye." The code recognizes class differences and even establishes rights for women.
A translation of the code:
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM
Because of Hammurabi, we have the great Jack McCoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDJX2EB7OSI
A translation of the code:
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM
Because of Hammurabi, we have the great Jack McCoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDJX2EB7OSI
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Top 10 Anaheim Angels Moments (1961-2010)
These are my top 10 moments in Angels history: (In Chronological Order):
Ryan’s first no-hitter (May 15, 1973 at KC): Nolan Ryan was coming off two subpar starts when he tossed his first no-hitter. California won 3-0. The Royals lineup featured Amos Otis, John Mayberry, and Lou Pinella. Ryan walked three and struckout 12.
Ryan K’s 383 (September 27, 1973 vs. Twins): It took extra innings, but Ryan surpassed Sandy Koufax's strikeout record of 382 for a season. Later, Koufax cracked that Ryan also surpassed his walk total by 91.
Ryan k’s 19 (August 12, 1974 vs. Boston): Ryan continued racking up amazing strikeout totals when he punched out 19 Red Sox in 1974.
Angels win first division title (Sept. 25, 1979): After 18 years, the Angels finally advanced to the postseason by winning the AL West. The team included AL MVP Don Baylor and future Hall of Famers Rod Carew and Nolan Ryan. The team rallied to the Obama-esque battle cry: "Yes We Can!"
Witt’s perfect game: (Sept. 30, 1984 at Texas): On the final day of the 1984 season, Mike Witt tossed a perfect game. Because it was the season's last game between two teams going nowhere, few noticed at the time. Witt beat Charlie Hough 1-0 while striking out 10 and allowing no base runners.
Edmonds’ catch: Edmonds made one of the greatest catches ever in KC (June 10, 1997): Perhaps the greatest catch I have ever seen. Image at:
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/18-june-10-1997-jim-edmonds-makes-catch.html
Angels win first postseason series: Pummel the Yanks in the ALDS (2002): Anaheim experienced several postseason heartbreaks. In 2002, they FINALLY won a series by defeating the New York Yankees. Yankee pitching could not stop the Rally Monkey and the defending AL Champs went home for the offseason while Anaheim won the World Series.
Adam Kennedy hits 3 homeruns and the Angels win their first pennant (2002 ALCS): George Brett, Bob Robertson and Adam Kennedy?? Those are the names of players with three homers in an Championship Series Game. Kennedy's performance helped propel the Angels to the World Series.
World Series Game 6 (2002): Down 5-0 in the 7th, the Angels come back to win. Bonds and the Giants never recover.
World Series Game 7 (2002): Beat Giants 4-1 for their first title. Perhaps there is some justice in the world as Barry Bonds is denied a World Championship despite being so close.
Ryan’s first no-hitter (May 15, 1973 at KC): Nolan Ryan was coming off two subpar starts when he tossed his first no-hitter. California won 3-0. The Royals lineup featured Amos Otis, John Mayberry, and Lou Pinella. Ryan walked three and struckout 12.
Ryan K’s 383 (September 27, 1973 vs. Twins): It took extra innings, but Ryan surpassed Sandy Koufax's strikeout record of 382 for a season. Later, Koufax cracked that Ryan also surpassed his walk total by 91.
Ryan k’s 19 (August 12, 1974 vs. Boston): Ryan continued racking up amazing strikeout totals when he punched out 19 Red Sox in 1974.
Angels win first division title (Sept. 25, 1979): After 18 years, the Angels finally advanced to the postseason by winning the AL West. The team included AL MVP Don Baylor and future Hall of Famers Rod Carew and Nolan Ryan. The team rallied to the Obama-esque battle cry: "Yes We Can!"
Witt’s perfect game: (Sept. 30, 1984 at Texas): On the final day of the 1984 season, Mike Witt tossed a perfect game. Because it was the season's last game between two teams going nowhere, few noticed at the time. Witt beat Charlie Hough 1-0 while striking out 10 and allowing no base runners.
Edmonds’ catch: Edmonds made one of the greatest catches ever in KC (June 10, 1997): Perhaps the greatest catch I have ever seen. Image at:
http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/18-june-10-1997-jim-edmonds-makes-catch.html
Angels win first postseason series: Pummel the Yanks in the ALDS (2002): Anaheim experienced several postseason heartbreaks. In 2002, they FINALLY won a series by defeating the New York Yankees. Yankee pitching could not stop the Rally Monkey and the defending AL Champs went home for the offseason while Anaheim won the World Series.
Adam Kennedy hits 3 homeruns and the Angels win their first pennant (2002 ALCS): George Brett, Bob Robertson and Adam Kennedy?? Those are the names of players with three homers in an Championship Series Game. Kennedy's performance helped propel the Angels to the World Series.
World Series Game 6 (2002): Down 5-0 in the 7th, the Angels come back to win. Bonds and the Giants never recover.
World Series Game 7 (2002): Beat Giants 4-1 for their first title. Perhaps there is some justice in the world as Barry Bonds is denied a World Championship despite being so close.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Congressional Losses for the Party in Power since 1896
Why 1896? I wanted over a century of data. Why 1914 for the Senate? That is when Senators were first elected by popular vote. The data is restricted to elected presidents. If a president served two terms, the figures are for their first midterm. For example: Reagan was elected in 1980, the results are for 1982 only and not 1986.
McKinley (1896): 1898: H: -19
TR: McKinley Assassinated
Taft (1908): 1910: H: -57
Wilson (1912): 1914: S: +5 H: -61
Harding (1920): 1922: S: -6; H: -77
Coolidge: Harding died of a stroke
Hoover (1928): 1930: S: -8 H: -52
FDR (1932): 1934: S: +9 H: +9
Truman: FDR died in office
Eisenhower (1952): 1954: S: -2 H: -18
JFK: (1960): 1962: S: +2 H: -4
LBJ: Kennedy Assassinated
Nixon: (1968): 1970: S: +1; H: -12
Ford: Nixon resigned
Carter (1976): 1978: S: -3 H: -15
Reagan (1980): S: +0; 1982: H: -26
Bush (1988): 1990: S: -1; H: -8
Clinton (1992): 1994: S: -8; H: -54
Bush (2000): 2002: S: +2 ;H: +8
McKinley (1896): 1898: H: -19
TR: McKinley Assassinated
Taft (1908): 1910: H: -57
Wilson (1912): 1914: S: +5 H: -61
Harding (1920): 1922: S: -6; H: -77
Coolidge: Harding died of a stroke
Hoover (1928): 1930: S: -8 H: -52
FDR (1932): 1934: S: +9 H: +9
Truman: FDR died in office
Eisenhower (1952): 1954: S: -2 H: -18
JFK: (1960): 1962: S: +2 H: -4
LBJ: Kennedy Assassinated
Nixon: (1968): 1970: S: +1; H: -12
Ford: Nixon resigned
Carter (1976): 1978: S: -3 H: -15
Reagan (1980): S: +0; 1982: H: -26
Bush (1988): 1990: S: -1; H: -8
Clinton (1992): 1994: S: -8; H: -54
Bush (2000): 2002: S: +2 ;H: +8
Friday, September 10, 2010
History Shorts: Domestication of the Horse (2000 B.C.)
Sometime around 2000 B.C., mankind domesticated the horse. The animal became the primary beast of burden for humans lending its labor for transportation, war, and agriculture. It took about 4000 years before machines finally replaced the horse. Despite modern cars, tractors, and other machines, some communities still rely on the animal for survival.
This clip plays on the relationship between humans and the horse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGZwmelwnBU
This clip plays on the relationship between humans and the horse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGZwmelwnBU
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Top 10 Detroit Tigers Moments of All Time
1901: Tigers score 9 in the 9th to win first AL Game: Tigers trailed 13-4 in the 9th and won the game 14-13.
1935: Goslin’s single: The Tigers lost four World Series since joining the American League in 1901. In 1935, they broke through for their first title. Goose Goslin walk-off single in the winning run in the 9th inning of Game 6.
1945:Greenberg’s slam: Greenberg returned from World War II and hit a Grand Slam in the 9th inning of the final game of the season to propel Detroit to the World Series. Tigers beat the Cubs in 7.
1968: McLain wins 30: Denny McLain became the first pitcher since Dizzy Dean in 1934 to win 30 games. In ‘68 Tigers fashion, the team scored in the 9th to win the game. No one has won 30 since. Steve Carlton won 27 in 1972 and Bob Welch won 27 in 1990.
1968: Horton to Freehan: The Tigers trailed the Cardinals 3 games to 1 in the 1968 World Series. In Game 5, Willie Horton threw out Lou Brock at home to stymie a Cardinal rally. The Tigers rallied and won the game keeping the series alive.
1968: Lolich wins 3: Mickey Lolich won Game 2 of the 1968 World Series and even hit a home run. He benefited from timely hitting and Horton’s throw to win Game 5. In Game 7, he shut down the Cardinals giving up only a meaningless solo home run. Lolich won the World Series MVP award with three complete game wins in the Tigers World Series victory.
1984: 35-5: This is unfathomable. The Tigers started the 1984 season with 35 wins in their first 40 games. 25 wins would have been good. As a result of their start, they lead the AL East from wire-to-wire and made their first postseason appearance since 1972.
1984: Goosebusters: The Tigers led the 1984 World Series 3 games to 1. In Game 5, San Diego kept the game close and hoped to survive to force Game 6. They brought in Rich “Goose” Gossage to keep the game close. Lance Parrish launched a home run off him. In the 8th inning, Kirk Gibson launched a three-run shot off Goose clinching the championship. Prior to the upper deck shot, Gossage refused to walk Gibson.
1987: The Comeback: The Tigers trailed the Toronto Blue Jays by 3 ½ games with 8 games to play. Kirk Gibson hit a dramatic game tying home run the following game and the Tigers rallied for a 13th inning win cutting the lead to 2 ½ games. Detroit went 5-2 in their final seven games. Toronto went 0-7. Detroit swept Toronto in the final three games of the regular season. In Game 162, Frank Tanana shutout Toronto 1-0. Larry Herndon hit a home run for the game’s only run.
2006: Maggs!: Detroit stunk for a decade. In 2003, they lost 119 games. In 2006, they returned to the postseason for the first time in 19 years. After beating the Yanks in the ALDS, they lead Oakland 3-0 in the ALCS. Detroit trailed early in Game Four. Magglio Ordonez hit a homer earlier in the game. In the 9th, he launched a three-run walk off home run to send Detroit to their first World Series since 1984.
1935: Goslin’s single: The Tigers lost four World Series since joining the American League in 1901. In 1935, they broke through for their first title. Goose Goslin walk-off single in the winning run in the 9th inning of Game 6.
1945:Greenberg’s slam: Greenberg returned from World War II and hit a Grand Slam in the 9th inning of the final game of the season to propel Detroit to the World Series. Tigers beat the Cubs in 7.
1968: McLain wins 30: Denny McLain became the first pitcher since Dizzy Dean in 1934 to win 30 games. In ‘68 Tigers fashion, the team scored in the 9th to win the game. No one has won 30 since. Steve Carlton won 27 in 1972 and Bob Welch won 27 in 1990.
1968: Horton to Freehan: The Tigers trailed the Cardinals 3 games to 1 in the 1968 World Series. In Game 5, Willie Horton threw out Lou Brock at home to stymie a Cardinal rally. The Tigers rallied and won the game keeping the series alive.
1968: Lolich wins 3: Mickey Lolich won Game 2 of the 1968 World Series and even hit a home run. He benefited from timely hitting and Horton’s throw to win Game 5. In Game 7, he shut down the Cardinals giving up only a meaningless solo home run. Lolich won the World Series MVP award with three complete game wins in the Tigers World Series victory.
1984: 35-5: This is unfathomable. The Tigers started the 1984 season with 35 wins in their first 40 games. 25 wins would have been good. As a result of their start, they lead the AL East from wire-to-wire and made their first postseason appearance since 1972.
1984: Goosebusters: The Tigers led the 1984 World Series 3 games to 1. In Game 5, San Diego kept the game close and hoped to survive to force Game 6. They brought in Rich “Goose” Gossage to keep the game close. Lance Parrish launched a home run off him. In the 8th inning, Kirk Gibson launched a three-run shot off Goose clinching the championship. Prior to the upper deck shot, Gossage refused to walk Gibson.
1987: The Comeback: The Tigers trailed the Toronto Blue Jays by 3 ½ games with 8 games to play. Kirk Gibson hit a dramatic game tying home run the following game and the Tigers rallied for a 13th inning win cutting the lead to 2 ½ games. Detroit went 5-2 in their final seven games. Toronto went 0-7. Detroit swept Toronto in the final three games of the regular season. In Game 162, Frank Tanana shutout Toronto 1-0. Larry Herndon hit a home run for the game’s only run.
2006: Maggs!: Detroit stunk for a decade. In 2003, they lost 119 games. In 2006, they returned to the postseason for the first time in 19 years. After beating the Yanks in the ALDS, they lead Oakland 3-0 in the ALCS. Detroit trailed early in Game Four. Magglio Ordonez hit a homer earlier in the game. In the 9th, he launched a three-run walk off home run to send Detroit to their first World Series since 1984.
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