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The 1970s saw the beginning of the mascot craze in professional baseball. Before the 1984 season, the San Francisco Giants polled their fans about having a team mascot. The survey indicated that 65% of their fans preferred having no mascot whatsoever. Undeterred, the lowly Giants decided introduced a mascot--but with their own special twist: They created an 'anti-mascot.'
The creature they unleashed was the infamous Crazy Crab (see photo below). The idea was to poke fun at traditional mascots. Local television commercials depicted manager Frank Robinson having to be restrained from attacking the crustacean. One critic said the mascot looked like "a wart with distemper." Giant fans were encouraged to boo and hiss the phony mascot, who was portrayed by actor Wayne Doba. The prodding worked all too well. With an awful 96-loss season soothing no souls, Crazy Crab became the object of hatred and abuse--an easy target for disgruntled fans. The crowd would hurl all sorts of things at the beast, both verbally and literally. Even the players got into the act, dumping drinks and other things into the suit. Broadcasters Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, both Giant players during the year of Crazy Crab, were asked if they ever had trouble with him. Their response: 'No, we used to drill him with the rosin bag daily, so he was scared of us.'
The nightmare for the bug-eyed object of derision ended after just one season. The Giants would not attempt another mascot, 'anti' or real, until 1997. Nevertheless, as late as 2010 there was an unsuccessful Internet campaign to resurrect Crazy Crab.
Tags:
baseball
San
Franciso
Giants
crab
mascot
Added: 22nd September 2011
Views: 656
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
 
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LOS ANGELES — Emmy-winning character actor Harry Morgan, whose portrayal of the fatherly Col. Potter on television’s “M-A-S-H” highlighted a show business career that included nine other TV series, 50 films and the Broadway stage, died Wednesday. He was 96.
His daughter-in-law, Beth Morgan, told The Associated Press the actor died at his home in Brentwood after having pneumonia.
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Harry
Morgan,
Col
Potter,
M*A*S*H
Added: 7th December 2011
Views: 338
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Posted By: Cliffy |
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After hours of sleep, I have come here today to give a game or two. Maybe more? I got the time.
I know there are always people like yourself always interested in this or that sort of thing.
And, I feel so happy to know that there is a location where I can go and be with friends.
Besides, I am tired of hiding under my blanket, warming my feet for the coming days of the winter months. Speaking of days, I have overly fatigued myself from the 25th. I kinda overdid it opening packages and an array of paper bags.
Now, I need to put the cornball joy back into myself with games among other things.
UPDATE: Solved by Eric.
*E*
Tags:
88
Nostalgia
Game
Film
Know
it?
Added: 29th December 2011
Views: 276
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Posted By: Electricland |
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Johnnie Ray is almost forgotten today, but he was a huge singing star in the early 1950s. At the peak of his career, Ray's income was $35,000 a week. Born in Oregon in 1927, Ray had top 40 hits until 1957. Despite being skinny, pigeon-toed, half-deaf and effeminate, this highly emotional performer was the most popular male singer of the pre-Elvis Presely era.
Indeed, when Elvis first started out, he was often introduced on stage as "the new Johnnie Ray".
Known as "the Prince of Wails" for his distinctive singing style, Ray is mostly remembered for his lip-quivering early 1950s hits such as Cry; Please, Mr Sun; and The Little White Cloud That Cried. His live performances, in which he sometimes played the piano, were wildly unpredictable. It was not uncommon for Ray to break into tears or flop to the stage floor while belting out a tune.
His 1954 recording of Such A Night was the first chart hit to be banned by the BBC for its "suggestive" lyrics. Several American radio stations followed suit. Nevertheless, it still ended up topping the British charts.
Ray had an interesting personal life: He became deaf in his right ear at age 13 after an accident at a Boy Scout camp and prominently wore a large hearing aid for the rest of his life. He was twice arrested in Detroit for soliciting sex from men. The first arrest was in 1951 just before he became famous. (He quietly pled guilty and paid a fine.) The second arrest was in 1959, but he was acquitted by an all-female jury. He is rumored to have had a long affair with newspaper writer Dorothy Kilgallen (of What's My Line? fame) that began after his first of two mystery guest appearances on the show. Ray was a heavy drinker who was hospitalized for alcoholism in 1960. He died in 1990, at age 63, from liver disease.
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Johnnie
Ray
singer
Added: 17th January 2012
Views: 1855
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Storytime continues: Anyone here or there looking for that Kevin (the lead) to follow through on his big one from then will have to wait a lot longer. What was he waiting for! Seems that just recently, he had tried it all over again. It didn't work out. Too much time had passed by for a 2nd chance. And topping it all off, he had made a series of mistakes that were a real loss for himself.
Did you know that "Dexy" (the word) is what was known as a pill used for diet purposes, out of a once evidenced way of life that was known as the "Northern Soul Style". This was from the decade before the 70's. The 1960's. Did you know about that? Then, it was all too common for a community of people in that area to get their kicks from it. It was usually in clubs and on the streets for that sort of thing. It was all tough, living a tough to get by dire Birmingham, England. That was the reality in the later part of the Seventies, as these few managed change by waiting for a form of fate to intervene. To have something going for themselves collectively as a apparent group waiting for a chance. But, the only thing they really had was motivation from Kevin at that time, and a theater picture that made them find themselves with a proper look for people who would believe in them. Also, they were caught up in their own countries soul scene from the then 1960's. And with that, they had received a lot of positive feedback for their unique wardrobe, which was inspired by the picture called "Mean Streets". I had to think about that one. So after some time, a few them with Kevin had enough of the pressure to follow up with something new. This was because, they had no say on what they should do. In other words, nobody was listening to what direction to take from Kevin. Kevin had a difficult time with it. All were on opposite sides, but at some point, it was suggested, back in early '82 to change to an Ireland-inspired folk, gypsy and soul, all scruff appearance. It worked. It was unlike anything then. It seemed to have worked immediately. But as we have come to observe, the breaking point was about to come. Some of them were too overwhelmed with it and left. Matching that again would pass by. The opportunity was just not there for them, even though they tried a few years back with a few other newbies. One mistake could be said, changing themselves repeatedly wasn't really what they wanted to do. Their clothing, they became like a fashion show. As told, Kevin had missed his chance with a loss of confidence among other things. These were the most important factors to all of it. *E*
Tags:
London
1982
Bananarama
sister
Fiddler
Number
One
Hit
Johnnie
Ray
1950s
Kevin
Rowland
England
Worldwide
Added: 18th January 2012
Views: 597
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Posted By: Electricland |
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Disco Demolition Night--one of baseball's most ill-conceived promotions--caused a rare MLB forfeit on July 12, 1979. It occurred at Chicago's Comiskey Park between games of a Thursday doubleheader between the hometown White Sox and visiting Detroit Tigers. Popular Chicago disc jockey Steve Dahl had been fired from radio station WDAI when he mentioned--on the air--that he listened to the album-oriented rock of rival station WLUP rather than his own station's fare--predominantly disco tunes. Dahl was subsequently hired by WLUP, known locally as "The Loop."
The 1979 White Sox were a mediocre team struggling to attract decent crowds, so the team's management was willing to try anything to try to draw new fans. Dahl, in conjunction with Mike Veeck (son of then-White Sox owner Bill Veeck), devised a promotion: Anyone who brought a disco record to the ballpark would be admitted for just 98 cents. The records would be collected, placed in a large crate in center field, and blown up by Dahl between games. Dahl hyped the event on The Loop, hoping that 12,000 people might show up--double the typical Thursday attendance at Comiskey Park. The turnout exceeded all expectations. An estimated 90,000 people turned up at the 52,000-seat stadium. When the box office stopped selling tickets, thousands of people still got in by climbing over walls.
It was an atypical baseball crowd to be sure. Broadcasters Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall commented on the "strange people" wandering throughout the stands. When the crate was filled with records, stadium staff stopped collecting them. The "fans" who still had records soon realized they were shaped like frisbees. A few began to throw records from the stands during the game.
After the first game, a 4-1 Tigers' win, Dahl, clad in army fatigues and a helmet, proceeded to center field. The crate containing the records was rigged with explosives. Dahl led the crowd in chants of "Disco sucks!" prior to triggering the explosion. When detonated, the explosives tore a hole in the outfield grass and a small fire began burning. Dahl triumphantly circled the warning track in a jeep before leaving the field.
Once Dahl left, the White Sox started warming up for the second game, but thousands of fans rushed the field. Some lit more fires. Others pulled down the batting cage and wrecked it. Bases were stolen and chunks of the outfield grass were ripped away. Most trespassers wandered around aimlessly, though a number of participants burned banners, sat on the grass, ran from security and police and threw records into the air. Veeck and Caray used the PA system to implore the fans to vacate the field, but to no avail. Eventually the field was cleared by police in riot gear. Six people reported minor injuries and 39 were arrested for disorderly conduct. The field was so badly torn up that the umpires decided the second game could not be played. The next day American League president Lee MacPhail forfeited the second game to the Tigers on the grounds that the White Sox had not provided acceptable playing conditions. For the rest of the season, fielders complained about Comiskey Park's playing surface being substandard. No AL game has been forfeited since that night.
Tags:
baseball
riot
disco
Comiskey
Park
Added: 30th January 2012
Views: 1780
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Well, I do think it is time to start talk'n of something that began from over a quarter century of time. You and I know, it really moved increasingly forward back in the day. It was fortunate for Walter, if he had really listened to his father, it all would never of happened for the New Yorker. I want to point out, it was the brass sounds, immediately evoking a good feeling, and with that, brought the eclectic treatment commercial appeal immediately around-the-world. These days, it doesn't feel any different than when it came out. It added to the N.Y. urban scene back then. It wasn't something you would expect from such a classical piece of material. It was complex. The response was amazing to the rearrangement. Did you know that Mr. Walter was responsible for the array of instruments, which was very true. He alternated always with mixing it up. A true independent. There was nobody else that filled in at the time when he worked on it from scratch. Everything, all on his own. He was just 24 years of age when Beethoven was suggested to him. It really opened doors, adding more to his growing reputation. He had always dabbling with instruments and other required equipment that he famously used to his advantage. And with that, he was given always the chance in the industry with his knowledge. It was what it took to make something happen. So, after a few changes with a creative approach with the classical material, it really became quite cool, and soon went to the charts that late spring; where it touched the top position within a short 4 month period. More of the same kind of classical combinations came right after that. Even those in Michigan and New York's suburban areas, together bought it to the top. A different kind of audience had caught its emergence. More luck came as it was then brought to a gritty story of a dream on a Saturday night. That's just kind of wonderful, as more people could hear it's impact with re-discovering it. It now was earmarked by a mass-marketing campaign associated with the cross-over. For that time, an old piece of sheet music had became greater for all the right reasons. It sounded entirely current, and was poised to be remembered by us. Man, how the years have changed since. Did you know that Mr. Walter is still drawn into the business. Do you have any idea where he can be found these past years? He has been busy.Chances are there are more than a few of you who know it. *E*
Tags:
Fever
Apple
Classical
Beethoven
Walter
Jingle
Arrangement
Session
Musicians
Tonight
Show
Added: 19th March 2012
Views: 670
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Posted By: Electricland |
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One of the great sports tragedies of the twentieth century was the Munich Air Disaster. It occurred on February 6, 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the glamorous Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes" (after manager Matt Busby), along with a few supporters and sports journalists. Twenty of the 44 people on board the aircraft died instantly in the crash. The injured, some of whom had been knocked unconscious, were taken to the Rechts der Isar Hospital in Munich where three more died, resulting in a total of 23 fatalities with 21 survivors.
The team was returning from a European Cup match in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, against Red Star Belgrade, but had to make a stop in Munich to refuel the aircraft. After refuelling, the pilots, Captains James Thain and Kenneth Rayment, attempted to take off twice, but had to abandon both attempts due to boost surging in the port engine. Fearing that they would get too far behind schedule, Captain Thain rejected an overnight stay in Munich in favour of a third take-off attempt. By the time of the third attempt, it had begun to snow, causing a layer of slush to build up at the end of the runway. When the aircraft hit the slush, it lost velocity, making take-off impossible. It plowed through a fence past the end of the runway, before the port wing hit a nearby house and was torn off. Fearing that the aircraft might explode, Captain Thain set about getting the surviving passengers as far away as possible. Despite this threat, Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg remained behind to pull survivors from the wreckage.
An investigation by West German airport authorities originally blamed Captain Thain for the crash, claiming that he had failed to deice the wings of the aircraft, despite statements to the contrary from eyewitnesses. It was later established that the crash had, in fact, been caused by the build-up of slush on the runway, which had resulted in the aircraft being unable to achieve take-off velocity. Accordingly Thain's name was eventually cleared in 1968--a decade after the incident.
At the time of the disaster, Manchester United were trying to become only the third club to win three successive English league titles; they were six points behind League leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers with 14 games to go. They were also holders of the Charity Shield and had just advanced into their second successive European Cup semi-final. The team was also on an 11-match unbeaten run, and had advanced to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup tournament two weeks before the crash. Real Madrid won the European Cup in 1958, but team officials generously offered to have Manchester United declared the winners. This plan was not approved by UEFA, however. Manchester United did win the European Cup ten years later. Two of the survivors from 1958 were on that 1968 team.
Tags:
soccer
Manchester
United
disaster
airplane
Added: 7th June 2012
Views: 1313
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Ann Rutherford, the Canadian-born actress who played Careen O'Hara, the older of Scarlett O'Hara's two younger sisters in the 1939 classic film Gone With the Wind, has died. She was 94.
Rutherford, who also portrayed Mickey Rooney's teenage girlfriend in the Andy Hardy movies, died Monday evening, June 11, 2012, at her home in Beverly Hills, said her close friend and fellow actress Anne Jeffreys. Rutherford had recently been in declining health with heart problems.
In her later years, as Rutherford was one of the few surviving cast members of GWTW, she was very much in demand to make public appearances at GWTW-themed events although--by her own admission--her role as Carreen O'Hara was a relatively small and unimportant one. Rutherford appeared in about 60 other Hollywood films.
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GWTW
Ann
Rutherford
Added: 16th June 2012
Views: 529
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Remember actor Ted Bessell? He had hoped to be a pianist; as a youth he performed at Carnegie Hall. However, he drifted towards an acting career. He was best known for portraying Donald Hollinger, the steady romantic interest of Marlo Thomas' character Ann Marie on That Girl. The two became engaged in the 1970 season. That Girl ran from 1966 to 1971. Following that series, Bessell starred in the truly awful sitcom Me and the Chimp, which ran for 13 dreadful episodes in 1972. In 1976, he played Joe, Mary Richard's love interest, in two episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It appeared that Bessell was going to be added as a permanent MTM cast member (and perhaps become Mary's husband), but it never panned out. Bessell was about to direct the big screen version of Bewitched when he died suddenly of an aneurysm in 1996. He was just 61.
Tags:
Ted
Bessell
actor
Added: 7th July 2012
Views: 610
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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