Briefly. (Well actually, the longest one I’ve put together in quite a while. I hope you enjoy.)
Siri, how is it that I always miss it with women?
Ahhh, this is Alexa…
Trivia #1: What’s the only division in the NFL that features four teams that have all selected quarterbacks with the No. 1 overall pick at some point in the Super Bowl era?
Trivia #2: What team tied their franchise record with nine homeruns in a game this week on August 31th and, at the same time, set the NL record for homeruns in one month with 62?
Trivia $3: On the Periodic Table, what does the symbol ‘ER’ represent?
Trivia #4: Which was NOT a member of the rock band ‘Buffalo Springfield’ – David Crosby, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, Stephen Stills, Bruce Palmer
On this date: September 4, 476, Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman Emperor, abdicates after forces led by Odoacer invade Rome, the traditional date for the end of the Western Roman Empire
September 4, 1609, Navigator Henry Hudson is the first European to discover the island of Manhattan
September 4, 1807, Robert Fulton begins operating scheduled passenger service on his steamboat between New York and Albany
September 4, 1862, General Lee begins the Maryland Campaign, invading the North with 50,000 Confederate troops (U.S. Civil War)
September 4, 1886, Apache Chief Geronimo surrenders, ending the last major US-Indian war
September 4, 1920, Man o’ War wins the 1 5/8-mile Lawrence Realization Stakes at Belmont Park by 100 lengths, the largest winning margin in modern thoroughbred racing history, with a world record time of 2:40.8
September 4, 1950, NAZCAR’s first paved superspeedway, Darlington Raceway, hosts the Southern 500, the first 500-mile event in NAZCAR history; Johnny Mantz wins in a Plymouth
September 4, 1972, US 4 x 100 m medley relay team of Mike Stamm, Tom Bruce, Mark Spitz, and Jerry Heidenreich sets a world record of 3:48.16 to win gold at the Munich Olympics; Mark Spitz becomes the first athlete to win seven Olympic gold medals at a single Games
September 4, 1991, Gus Van Sant’s film “My Own Private Idaho,” starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix, premieres at the 48th Venice International Film Festival
September 4, 1993, MLB New York Yankees one-handed pitcher Jim Abbott no-hits Cleveland Indians 4-0 at Yankee Stadium
September 4, 2002, After blowing an 11-run lead to Kansas City, Scott Hatteberg’s bottom of the 9th walk-off home run gives Oakland a historic MLB victory, 12-11; A’s set an AL record 20-game winning streak (What??? You never watched the movie “Moneyball?”)
September 4, 2018, FBI announces it has recovered a pair of Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” stolen 13 years earlier
Useless information supposed to fire my imagination: The National Football League announced plans to elevate the Pro Bowl presented by Verizon selection as one of the league’s most meaningful individual honors, recognizing exclusively the very best players from each NFL season. Beginning with the 2026 season, 88 players will comprise the official Pro Bowl presented by Verizon class, with no replacement selections. As part of that focus, the NFL will no longer stage an AFC vs. NFC Pro Bowl game. Instead, the league will place greater emphasis on the moment a player is selected, the recognition that accompanies that distinction and bringing the Pro Bowl presented by Verizon class together to celebrate the achievement.
Useless information supposed to fire my imagination, part deux: A record 15 rookies have hit homeruns this season in their first-ever MLB plate appearance.
Article I’ll skip: Deadly mosquito-borne virus claims first life in major US city as cases spread
Fall down, go boom! More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders. By his count, Sanders fell 71 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. But none were enough to permanently divert him from the 2,193-mile (3,530-kilometer) trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.
Don’t be that guy: Don’t spit on the putting green.
By this time next week, the Patriots will have played their season opener versus the Seahawks in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl. Personally, I can’t wait for football!
Speaking of which, a full college slate began last night and runs through Sunday night.
Go Irish!
September… football… good! Nearing the end of summer… bad.
Staying within the salary-cap, you’re doing it wrong. The NBA stripped five first-round draft picks from the Los Angeles Clippers, fined owner Steve Ballmer $30 million and suspended key executives after a yearlong investigation found that the team circumvented salary-cap rules in connection with Kawhi Leonard. Ouch!
Bad news: Tiger Woods is losing his license for 5 years. Good news: He was cleared to drive a golf cart. Really.
This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Zoox announced that its driverless robotaxis will begin transporting passengers to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, marking the company’s first airport service. The Amazon-owned company said that, beginning Thursday, riders can book trips between Harry Reid International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip. The robotaxis use lights and audio cues to help riders locate them in busy pickup areas. The vehicles seat four passengers and feature carriage-style seating, with two rows facing each other. The company said there is enough room for roughly one piece of luggage per person if the vehicle is full.
It’s better to burn out, than to fade away.
Trivia #1 answer: What’s the only division in the NFL that features four teams that have all selected quarterbacks with the No. 1 overall pick at some point in the Super Bowl era? – The AFC South: The Colts have made four such picks. The others are Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Cam Ward (Titans), David Carr (Texans)
Trivia #2 answer: What team tied their franchise record with nine homeruns in a game on August 31th and, at the same time, set the NL record for homeruns in one month with 62? – The Chicago Cub(bies)
Trivia #3 answer: On the Periodic Table, what does the symbol ‘ER’ represent? – Erbia – It has a pink color and is used to color glass and glazes.
Trivia #4 answer: Which was NOT a member of the rock band ‘Buffalo Springfield’ – David Crosby, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, Stephen Stills, Bruce Palmer – David Crosby was not a member
The Lord said to John; “Come forth and you shall receive eternal life.” But John came fifth and won a toaster.
Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.
Be careful out there. (It’s a jungle!)
Happy National Chianti Day!
“There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking’ their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look – what’s going down?”
Buffalo Springfield (For What’s It Worth)
Bonus – B’52’s (Private Idaho)
Ed's Head On Friday 