Tom McMahon

Everett Scott, Who Appeared In 1,307 Consecutive Games From June 20, 1916 Through May 6, 1925, Setting A Record Later Broken By Lou Gehrig

Everett Scott, Who Appeared In 1,307 Consecutive Games From June 20, 1916 Through May 6, 1925, Setting A Record Later Broken By Lou Gehrig

Another Brush With Greatness via my long-ago next-door neighbor Cindy Scott Sheltmire:

My great-Uncle, Everett Scott was recently inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame! He held the record for consecutive games that Lou Gehrig broke. He played in 5 World Series, and roomed with Babe Ruth for 5 years. He was considered the best shortstop in the American League. I got to accept the plaque at the Hall of Fame dinner on behalf of the Scott family. It was the first time in my life I have ever been picked up at the airport by a limo driver holding a sign with my name on it!

As I mentioned before, there is no Brush With Greatness by anyone I've ever known that is too obscure to be included in this blog.

The Gateway Arch Great PDM Controversy

Arch With PDM On The Cross-Brace

When they reached a point near the completion of the Gateway Arch, they had to stabilize it with a cross-brace. The cross-brace had the letters PDM on it, standing for Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel. This "advertising" caused a great deal of controversy. So they made PDM take the letters down.

Arch Is Completed Without PDM On The Cross-Brace

Baseball Rubbing Mud

Why it exists:

But a new baseball is a gleaming white orb of perfection that’s slick to the touch. The cowhide ensures that. For a pitcher to get a good grip, something has to be done to make the ball less glossy. Spit, nicks, gels — any tampering or foreign substance altering the appearance or aerodynamic properties of the ball is illegal. Something was needed that could make the ball uniformly easier to handle — without amending the ball in any way.

An ex-player and manager named Lena Blackburne was the one who solved the problem in the 1930’s with his discovery of the perfect mud. He harvested it from a still-secret location in New Jersey until his death. The location was passed on and this ‘magic mud’ that doesn’t discolor, soften, or stink up the ball has been rubbed on every ball in Major League play before every game ever since.

The site, and a video or two.

01.10.10: Today The Month Times The Day Equals The Year

• 01.01.01
• 01.02.02
• 02.01.02
• 01.03.03
• 03.01.03 ...etc

Anybody want to finish the list?

Independent and Third-Party Candidates Who Have Lost Elections in All 50 States

While Walter Mondale remains the only major-party politician to have accomplished this feat, commenter John Galt asks "What about all those minor third party candidates we see every 4 years?" Yes, there are some, but probably not as many as you think.

First of all, we're only talking about candidates who have run after 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii became states. And then the candidate had to get on the ballot in all 50 states, which even today is not the easiest thing in the world.

Here are the "other" Presidential candidates who have lost all 50 states:

• 1980: John B. Anderson (Independent)
• 1980: Ed Clark (Libertarian)
• 1992: Ross Perot (Independent)
• 1992: Andre Marrou (Libertarian)
• 1996: Ross Perot (Reform)
• 1996: Harry Browne (Libertarian)
• 2000: Pat Buchanan (Reform)

In addition, the running mates of the above candidates have to be considered:

• 1980: John B. Anderson: Patrick Lucey
• 1980: Ed Clark: David H. Koch
• 1992: Ross Perot: James Stockdale
• 1992: Andre Marrou: Nancy Lord
• 1996: Ross Perot: Pat Choate
• 1996: Harry Browne: Jo Jorgensen
• 2000: Pat Buchanan: Ezola B. Foster

The only caveat is the in some states the third-party deadline to get on the ballot is such that the official running mate hasn't been named by then, so they put a placeholder on the ballot.

Any others I've missed?

Oregon: The Only U.S. State To Have A Two-Sided Flag

The Reverse Of The Flag Of The State Of Oregon

The Bing Crosby - Michael Jackson Connection

• Bing Crosby produced the 1971 movie Willard:

Willard is a social misfit with a strange affinity for rats. He lives in a large mansion, accompanied only by his cranky and decrepit mother. His best companion is a white rat he finds and later names Socrates for his wisdom; numerous other rats come to him, one of which is a giant specimen he names Ben. Willard's talking to his rats, however, leads to his mother's death and further pressure from the banks to give up the house. When his boss bludgeons Socrates to death, he trains his rats to follow his commands and kills the man. Ben, however, jealous of his favoritism towards Socrates, eventually turns on Willard.

• Willard spawned a sequel, Ben:

A lonely boy befriends the rat that leads the swarm of trained/telepathic rats found in Willard. This rat, whom the boy names Ben, becomes the boy's best friend and keeps his spirits up in the face of bullying. However, the balance of power between the human and rat begins to shift, with Ben beginning to control the boy and the swarm becoming increasingly irrational and violent. Eventually, the police destroy many members of the rat colony, while others are sent to testing labs; Ben, however, survives.

• Ben, the theme song of the movie, became the first number one solo hit for Michael Jackson. 

So What Is Chantilly Lace, Exactly?

So What Is Chantilly Lace, Exactly?

An interesting history, this stuff:

In the 17th century, the Duchesse de Longueville organised the manufacture of lace at Chantilly. It has been produced from then up until this century. Owing to the patronage of the Duchesse, and the proximity of Chantilly to Paris it became popular. It came into fashion again during the reign of Louis XVI, and was an especial favorite of Louis XV's last mistress, Mme du Barry (Louis XV's mistress) and Marie Antoinette. When the French Revolution began in 1789, the demand for the lace ceased. The lace-makers were seen as protégés of the royals, and after Mme du Barry and Marie Antoinette were guillotined in 1793 the lace-makers of Chantilly were themselves killed. At this point production ceased.

I had no idea the lace-making could be so dangerous. Anyway, Chantilly Lace was revived by Napoleon and remained popular through the 19th Century. Most of it back then was made in black for mourning wear for when people died, which they did a lot in the 19th Century. More info in the fascinating book Lace and Lace Making.

December 7, 1941: The Day Honoring Wisconsin-Born New York Giants Star Tuffy Leemans at the Polo Grounds

December 7, 1941: The Day Honoring Wisconsin-Born New York Giants Star Tuffy Leemans at the Polo Grounds

from Wikipedia:

At the last regular season game in 1941 the Giants wanted to honor Leemans for his contributions to the team. On December 7 they celebrated "Tuffy Leemans Day," presenting him with a silver tray, a watch, and $1,500 in defense bonds. During the course of the game the stadium announcer had paged Col. William Donovan to answer a call from Washington and had told all servicemen to return to their units, but it was only when the game let out that players and spectators learned of the attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor earlier that day.

If you were publishing a dictionary you could use the program above to illustrate the term "ill-fated".

Dodgers 5, Yankees 1, Giants 0: The Three Way Exhibition Game Held June 26, 1944 That Sold Over $50 Million In War Bonds

From ESPN:

1944: Baseball supports the war effort with an unusual exhibition game at the Polo Grounds. Presented by the War Bond Sports committee in connection with the Fifth War Loan, the game among the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees swells New York's quota in the current bond drive by $56.5 million.

The crowd of 50,000 contributes $5.5 million to attend, while the Bond Clothing Co. pays $1 million in bonds for an autographed program. The overwhelming majority of the money comes from the city of New York, with Mayor Fiorello La Guardia purchasing $50 million worth of bonds.

As for the game, each team bats six times, plays defense six times, and watches six times in the nine-inning game. It takes a professor of mathematics at Columbia to figure out how to accomplish this. The Dodgers win the three-cornered game with five runs, while the Yankees score one run and the Giants are shut out.