Yours Truly was exHAUSTED Monday (pretty much asleep by first deal) as the red-eye was NOT my friend. It may have been, had the poor wee baby a few rows ahead of me been able to rest. His little ears must have been hurting him, as he cried for most of the flight. So a HUGE shout out to Brian for offering to set up the back of the room in my absence, to Megan and Andy for coordinating the box, and to Jeff R. for dealing with the money, entering the results, and everything else. You guys are the BEST! Though I'm posting this on the 29th, I've done the research into cool things that happened on game-day, the 27th. So, without further ado... On this date in 1908, Henry Ford's first Ford Model T left the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan. The production card lists it as Model 2090, car #1. The Ford Model T was simple and practical. When full scale production began on September 27, the cars were built with a 4-cylinder, 177-cubic-inch engine that produced 20 horsepower, giving the car a top speed of about 40 to 45 miles per hour with fuel efficiency ranging from 13 to 21 miles per gallon. Henry Ford was serious about building a low cost automobile. In 1909, the price of a Model T Runabout was $825, equivalent to $21,700 today. After Ford moved production to a moving assembly line in 1913, prices began to drop as manufacturing efficiency rapidly increased. That year, a brand new Model T could be had for just $345. In 1925, the car reached a low of $260. The Model T held the production record for a single vehicle model until February 17, 1972, when the 15,007,034th Volkswagen Beetle was built. In sports, on this date in 1923, New York Yankee Lou Gehrig hit the 1st of his 493 home runs while playing in Boston. Gehrig hit the two run shot in the top of the first against Bill Piercy. Lou Gehrig played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Yankees, from 1923 to 1939. He was a seven-time All-Star and six-time World Series champion. Gehrig won the Triple Crown in 1934 and was twice named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Gehrig was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired, and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. And in music, on this date in 1973, “The Way We Were” was released as a single by Barbra Streisand (Billboard Song of the Year, 1974). The song was from the film of the same name, in which she started opposite Robert Redford. Barbra Streisand has sold over 145 million albums worldwide. She is one of the few people to have won an Oscar, Tony, Emmy and a Grammy award. Streisand began her career as a night club singer before becoming a star on Broadway. She released her first studio album "The Barbra Streisand Album" in 1963 and it went on to win two Grammys, including Best Album. We had 17 players (16 full-fee plus one guest-fee) come out to peg on Monday night. We therefore paid out four places and two teams: 1st place: Jerry Gooden, with a 18/8/+144 card 2nd place: Curtis Barbour with a 16/7/+141 card 3rd place: Larry Phifer, with a 16/7/+109 card 4th place: Frank Abernathy, with a 13/6/38 card 1st team: Glenn (11) and Brian (10) 2nd team: Jeff R (11) and Andy (10) Full results won't be up on the website yet; I haven't marked the tournament complete yet. I'll do that next week. I did pull the top-10 though... I think that's about it -- I hope you all have a great week, and hope to see you Monday! ~ Jennifer
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Today is my favorite (only) son’s 21st birthday. He’s celebrating by getting his “grownup license” at the DMV. We may see him by dinnertime. Some other pretty awesome things happened on this date way back when... On this date in 1258, the gorgeous Salisbury Cathedral was inaugurated. The former Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is considered to be one of the leading examples of early English gothic architecture. This style emphasized height and light, and compared to the bulkier, heavier buildings of the 11th and 12th century, was quite revolutionary. The spire, the tallest in Britain at 404 feet, was one of the last parts of the cathedral to be completed, in about 1330. It has undergone repair several times during the following centuries. The cathedral houses the best preserved of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta (1215); it has the oldest working clock in Europe (1386), and it was built in only 38 years, which seems to be a fairly short timeframe given that this is a huge stone building (the cathedral is 473 feet long and the nave is 82 feet long and 84 feet high) and there was no motorized equipment when it was constructed. Salisbury Cathedral is unique in England; most grand churches evolved slowly over centuries, resulting in a finished structure that spans a multitude of architectural styles. Where this Cathedral was completed within one generation, it is uniform in its materials and design. On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain in an effort to find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. In command of five ships and 270 men, Magellan sailed to West Africa and then to Brazil, where he searched the South American coast for a strait that would take him to the Pacific. On October 21, he finally discovered the strait he had been seeking. The Strait of Magellan, as it became known, is located near the tip of South America, separating Tierra del Fuego and the continental mainland. Only three ships entered the passage; one had been wrecked and another deserted. It took 38 days to navigate the treacherous strait, and when ocean was sighted at the other end Magellan wept with joy. He was the first European explorer to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic. His fleet accomplished the westward crossing of the ocean in 99 days. Jumping wa-a-a-a-ay forward to 1968, Mickey Mantle hits the final home run of his 18-year major league career. The Mick would place third on the all-time home run list with 536 round-trippers behind only Babe Ruth and Willie Mays when he retired at the end of the season. He earned #536 exactly one month shy of his 37th birthday. And, in music, on this day in 1975 David Bowie's "Fame," disco-soul single he co-wrote with John Lennon, goes #1 for 2 weeks. In early 1975, David Bowie invited John Lennon to collaborate on the album that would become Young Americans. The pair had forged a friendship after meeting the previous year at a party thrown by screen star Elizabeth Taylor. Initially, the duo planned to cover the Fab Four’s "Across the Universe," but the studio session also yielded a new track, "Fame," that Bowie, Lennon and guitarist Carlos Alomar co-wrote. With Lennon on guitar and backing vocals, the disco-funk cut became Bowie’s first entry on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (then-named Hot Soul Singles), where it peaked at No. 21, and led to an invitation to perform the track on the TV dance series Soul Train. And, some pretty awesome things happened tonight. We had 23 peggers (one was a guest) come out to play which means we paid out 5 places and 3 teams: 1st place: Bernard Whitfield with a 17/8/+161 2nd place: Andy Wagner with a 15/7/+110 3rd place: Brian Wilson with a 15/6/+57 4th place: Fran Ward with a 14/5/+109 5th place: Joe Greiner with a 13/6/+120 1st team: Jeff S (12) and John (12) 2nd team: Jeff R (11) and Frank (9) 3rd team: Pete (11) and Megan (8) I have to finish cross-checking before I can post the current results, but I will strive to do that before heading out to Sacramento on Thursday morning :) If I don't finish, I'll have something to do on the plane!! Have a great week, everyone, and safe travels for those heading out west! ~ Jennifer Welcome to Week 2!! The Professional Football season (pre-season doesn’t count; that’s just glorified practices) is underway, the mornings are starting to get slightly less humid, and 20 people came out tonight to play CRIBBAGE!!! Week 2 fell on September 13th. On this day in 1850 the main-belt asteroid "12 Victoria" was discovered by J R Hind. Victoria is officially named after the Roman goddess of victory, but the name also honors Queen Victoria. The coincidence with the name of the then reigning queen caused quite a controversy at the time, and B. A. Gould, editor of the prestigious The Astronomical Journal, adopted the alternate name Clio. However, W. C. Bond, of the Harvard College Observatory, then the highest authority on astronomy in America, held that the mythological condition was fulfilled and the name therefore acceptable, and his opinion eventually prevailed. Victoria orbits the Sun once every 3.56 (Earth) years. In music, on this day in 1965, The Beatles released the single "Yesterday" (in the US). The song was just Paul, with strings arranged by George Martin. McCartney’s vocal and acoustic guitar, together with a string quartet, essentially made for the first solo performance of the band. It remains popular today with more than 2,200 cover versions and is one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music. “Yesterday” was voted the best song of the 20th century in a 1999 BBC Radio 2 poll of music experts and listeners and was also voted the No. 1 pop song of all time by MTV and Rolling Stone magazine the following year. In 1997, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century alone. The track was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in June of 1965, four days before McCartney’s 23rd birthday. McCartney and the other Beatles tried a variety of instruments, including drums and an organ, and that George Martin later persuaded them to allow McCartney to play his Epiphone Texan steel-string acoustic guitar, later on editing-in a string quartet for backup. In fun pop culture, on this date in 1969 "Scooby-Doo Where are You" by Hanna-Barbera debuted on CBS. For anyone who doesn’t remember (or those too young to know), this was an animated mystery comedy television series that was part of the sacred Saturday morning cartoon schedule. It ran until October 1970. Although the format of the show and the cast (and ages) of characters have varied significantly over the numerous follow-ups, spin-offs, TV specials and made-for-tv films released over the years, the most familiar versions of the show feature a dog named Scooby-Doo and four teenage mystery solvers: Fred "Freddie" Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers. Shaggy’s voice was originally provided by Top 40 DJ Casey Kasem. These “Meddlesome Kids” tooled around in the Mystery Machine and no matter where they went, something spooky happened. Jinkies! And in sports, on this day in 1970, the inaugural New York City Marathon was won by Gary Muhrcke in 2:31:38. There were 127 participants running laps around Park Drive in Central Park. On that day a total of only 55 runners crossed the finish line. Nina Kuscsik, the only woman entrant in the race, dropped out at 15 miles due to illness. In honor of the Bicentennial, in 1976 the Marathon was re–routed to travel through the streets of all five boroughs, highlighting New York's diverse population, and in 1977 the route expanded into more neighborhoods. Race organizers intended it to be a model for other marathon courses, and the route in fact highlights some of the city's most important landmarks, including many parks before heading into Central Park, where it all began. Today, the race has grown to include over 39,000 participants who traverse the five boroughs in front of, organizers say, two million spectators and a worldwide television audience of 315 million. With 20 people, one of them a guest, we paid out 5 places and two teams: 1st place: Jeff Raynes, with a 17/8/+95 2nd place: Jeff Seidenstein, with the slightly worse 17/8 -- he had ONLY 90 pegs 3rd place: Jerry Gooden, with a 16/7/+103 4th place: Glenn McMahon with a 14/7/+25 5th place: John Morch with a 12/6/+23 1st team: Joe (10) and Megan (9) 2nd team: Allan (12) and Brian (6) The full results have been posted and can be found on the ACC's website <make link>. There are still some folks whose dues haven’t been posted – the membership secretary is having issues with his system – so you may have to click on “Unofficial” to see all the data. That’s all I’ve got, folks. I hope y’all have a great week! ~ Jennifer Thanks to everyone who have paid their dues for the 2021-2022 season, and for those who have let me know that (unfortunately) you are not ready/able to come out and play. I'll send in the dues to Regional (aka, Cathy) the week of the Grand National. After that, whenever you come in to play, your dues will be due. Once Cathy processes the dues, we can post the results "officially" on cribbage.org. ACC Grass Roots Club 58 has its season opener last night, September 6. The day saw 22 players gathered at High Park Bar & Grille for three and a half hours of Cribbage fun! Pretty cool. Some other cool things happened on September 6th, way back when... On this day in 1716, the first lighthouse in North America was built. Boston Light marks a main shipping entrance to Boston Harbor—New England's busiest port—which has been commercially active since the 17th century. stablished in 1716, the original stone tower was the first lighthouse built in North America. The British destroyed Boston Light during the Revolutionary War in 1776. Rebuilt in 1783, the present light tower is recognized as the Nation's second oldest. Other separate station buildings still standing on the site are the 1876 fog signal building, 1884 keeper's dwelling, 1884 cistern building, 1889 oil house and 1889 boathouse. As had been done during the War of 1812, the Boston Light was dimmed during World War I, and it was completely extinguished during World War II to reduce usefulness to enemy ships. Electrified in 1948 and automated in 1998, Boston Light still employs the original Fresnel lens. Boston Harbor Light Station was designated a National Historic Landmark in January 1964. Preservation groups appealed to Congress and the U.S. Coast Guard, and funding was appropriated to keep U.S. Coast Guard staff at the light station, thereby making it the last manned light in the Nation. On this day in 1916, in Memphis, Tennessee, a grocer named Clarence Saunders opened the first-ever “self-service” grocery store. Before Saunders, customers had to walk up to the counter with a list for the grocer to fill. Before that, people shopped at separate, small stores for each category of food. A street would be lined with “greengrocers” (for produce), dairy shops, butchers, fishmongers and grocers that exclusively sold dry, packaged goods like canned food. Piggly Wiggly was the originator of various familiar supermarket concepts such as checkout stands, individual item price marking and shopping carts. Self-service gave customers the power to pick and choose what products they wanted, which led companies to experiment with new ways to attract consumers. Piggly Wiggly, also introduced products placed purposefully, for example candy (and other impulse items) at the checkout. In music, on this day in 1968, Eric Clapton recorded guitar tracks for George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". During the recording of The Beatles (aka the White Album), Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr were getting on each other's nerves. To lighten the mood a bit, Harrison asked his friend Clapton to play on his new song, which he felt was being unfairly overshadowed by John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's new songs anyway. Clapton originally wasn't all that into the idea, saying, "Nobody ever plays on the Beatles' records." "So what?" Harrison said. "It's my song." So Clapton entered Abbey Road Studio Two in London to overdub lead guitar onto the song. It's reported that Clapton played Harrison's red 1957 Gibson Les Paul through a Fender Deluxe; other Beatles know-it-alls say it was a Gibson SG with a Maestro Vibrola. I have no idea, I just like the sound! Rolling Stone ranked "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" 136th on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", seventh on the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time", and at number 10 on its list of "The Beatles 100 Greatest Songs". Tonight, we welcomed two new transfers into our club -- long-time players Henry Douglass and Robert Smothers. We also celebrated Dot Davis' 97th birthday(!!) with a yummy cake. Everyone was in good spirits, and we kept our hostess, Mia, hopping all night. Thanks, Mia!! Six of our 22 players earned points to kick off the season. Five players and three teams won prizes: 1st Place - Jim Townsend - a super impressive 18/8/+162 card. His only loss, by ONE HOLE, was to Joe Greiner. 2nd Place - Allan Simpson - 16/7/+102 3rd Place - Andy Wagner - 15/7/+62 4th Place - Megan Player - 14/7/-27 5th Place - John Morch - 13/6/+65 Also earned GRPs - Jennifer Johnson - 12/6/+6 1st Team - Larry (11) and Ernie (10) 2nd Team - Tom (10) and Henry (9) 3rd Team - Robert (11) and Glenn (8) Next week, the construction being done to the sidewalk in front of the entrance we use should be complete - fingers crossed. Have a great week, y'all, and see you Monday! ~ Jennifer |
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