There have been dozens of MLB players that have worn the number 44. Great players…Hall of Famers…not so great players…and absolute stiffs.But for me, and those of my generation the #44 will always be associated first with Henry Aaron. Aaron died this week and another piece of my childhood died with him. One of my first vivid memories is of being in the backyard of my house on Turner St and trying to hit whiffle balls over the roof…like Aaron and Matthews and Carty and the other Brave greats that I could hear on the transistor radio. Described by Earl Gillespie, Blaine Walsh and later Merle Harmon. I must have been only six or seven when the bug hit and Aaron was a big reason why. He came from Alabama and dealt with the racism of the day in a stoic way that covered up the churning emotions he was feeling inside. When he chased and eclipsed Babe Ruth’s hallowed home run record in 1973 he was dealing with virulent hate and racist death threats on a daily basis. How can an athlete, even as one as gifted as Aaron, continue to perform at such a high level knowing that he or his family could be in the sights of a snipers rifle? Only Aaron and a few others over time know the answer to that question. It might have turned some men bitter. Might have led them to not want anything to do with baseball when they were done playing. Not Aaron. He was a high powered and classy spokesman and cheerleader for the game his entire life. But for a young kid (one of thousands in Wisconsin) Aaron became the gateway to a lifetime love of the game of baseball. I will never be able to thank him enough for that.
2x Aaron Award winner Christian Yelich: “It is truly an honor to earn the award bearing the name of one of the true legends of the game. Hank was an inspiration to many people, young and old, and will always be remembered for his incredible contributions on and off the field.”
Earl Gillespie and Blaine Walsh on the radio
And we also remember Hall of Famer Don Sutton who also passed. He helped the Brewers to their only World Series appearance in 1982
Only two pitchers in major league history started more games than Don Sutton — Cy Young and Nolan Ryan. Absolutely staggering durability.
and for your amusement…here is the entire broadcast of the clincher in 1982…Don Sutton vs Jim Palmer…Keith Jackson and Howard Cosell on the call
The old West Side Tasty Treat building on 3rd Ave is now a Filipino takeout joint. I don’r ever remember a Filipino restaurant in Wausau. I’m looking forward to trying it out.
One of my favorite “under the radar” bands of the 70’s was a Baltimore outfit called Crack The Sky. They released a number of hook laden Lps with above average lyrical content and tight, confident playing. 45 years later they have a new record out…..
Here is my favorite Crack The Sky tune from the LP “Animal Notes”
A couple of other obits from the entertainment world. Actor Gregory Sierra has died. He was typecast as a Puerto Rican character on 1970’s sitcoms with two big roles on Sanford and Son and Barney Miller.
and soul singer James Purify has died. This was a big hit for him and his brother…
Cover of The Day Crack The Sky covers the Beatles (they were sometimes called “Baltimore’s Beatles” and so cheekingly took on a Beatles classic in concert)
This seems bad….
And this seems worse…or am I not trying to “unite” us by bringing it up?
Quotes Of The Day
“Crime without consequences makes the laws inconsequential.”-Jonas Tomaz De Aquin
We are going to watch “Constitutional Conservative Republicans” in the Senate try to tiptoe around this steaming heap of sedition by insisting you can’t impeach a former President. They won’t want to vote to approve it–that’s a bridge too far for (at least some) of them.
“The filibuster was not part of the original Senate because the Framers knew exactly how it’d be used- they saw McConnell coming. The filibuster represents Calhoun’s vision, not Madison’s. Calhoun wanted a Senate where the minority could block the majority.”-Adam Jentleson
“To those who say the filibuster encourages bipartisanship, Hamilton addressed this directly in Federalist 22: “What at first sight may seem a remedy, is, in reality, a poison,” he wrote of a supermajority threshold. It doesn’t encourage cooperation, it encourages obstruction.”-Adam Jentleson
“Yes! Calhoun was profoundly racist. He was slavery’s leading defender in the Senate. He argued on the Senate floor that slavery was a “positive good.” And he was motivated to innovate the filibuster by the desire to protect slavery – to give the South veto power. Bad, bad guy.”-Adam Jentleson
I have not seen a single news item or comment of any value from any elected Republican this week. I’ve only seen a series of embarrassing statements & actions solidifying my stance that this party is nothing but a cancer in the body politic & they can’t attribute it to Trump.
“Pretty sure I know what Republicans are really worried about if Democrats “ram through” policies with 70 or 80% approval that will actually help people in meaningful ways.”-Schooley
“One reason it would be good to get rid of the filibuster is because endless obsessive speculation, prognostication and bloviation about the filibuster effectively filibusters the news coverage of anything else in civic life and American politics.”-David Sirota
“If the filibuster remains intact, Senate Republicans will keep the Senate in gridlock, blame Democrats for it, and then run on Democrats’ supposed incompetence in the 2022 midterms. There is 0 reason for the Democrats not to wield their power to get rid of this thing.”-Robert Reich
“Do people remember what happened when Obama tried to reach across the aisle, when he called for unity? They started the Tea Party, made up lies about his birth certificate, took Congress, and then took the presidency. Unity with the right isn’t just immoral, it’s impossible.”-Joshua Potash
“Maybe I’ve just been following US politics too long, but the tradition of Republicans handing Democrats a massively damaged country and immediately blaming them for it is just so tedious and predictable and in bad faith and I just need to check out for a bit.”-Seth Masket
“State Republicans be like… Hey, get kids back to in person learning! But take off that mask! That’s for local control! Local governments have to listen to us! This virus isn’t worse than the flu! Where’s my vaccine?!?!”-Kristina Shelton
“Today is the 3rd day since Biden became president and the GOP are still pretending their colleagues didn’t plot to assassinate the line of succession and replace democracy with authoritarian rule.”-Jonathan Goldman
“Capitol riot suspect Eric Munchel, dubbed “zip tie guy,” to be released from jail pending trial. As a public defender, I represented a client charged with stealing detergent. Held in on $3000 bail he could not afford. Two. Systems. Of. Justice.”-Eliza Orlins
“Just a reminder: The goal is not a return to normal, to regain balance. That middle ground only maintains a status quo. The goal is to repair our democracy, hold the guilty accountable and take aggressive actions that improve lives and make another Donald Trump not inevitable.”-Steven Beschloss
“We have only a limited window of time in which to strengthen the republic and its anticorruption mechanisms. After that, whatever we have accomplished will have to be strong enough to withstand the next fascist onslaught. We need reform because the fascist movement won’t die with Trump’s presidency. The foreign AND domestic enemies of the republic are still out there. They will win some victories. They may win big ones. The future is not guaranteed.”-Walter Schaub
“Let history record that the day after the inauguration of our first female VP of color, a chorus of Republicans declared that the President of the United States condemning white supremacy is “personally offensive.” That’s why we have to steamroller them into racist oblivion.”-Steve Silbermann
“Both parties now hold 50 US Senate seats. Collectively, Democrats won their 50 with 83 million votes. Collectively, Republicans won their 50 with 63 million votes. The 50 Democrats represent 201 million people. The 50 Republicans represent 161 million people.”-Steve Morris
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