We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
- Aristotle -
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Poem For The Day
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost -
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost -
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Quotes For The Day
Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery has just taken place.
- Johnny Carson -
Traffic signals in New York City are just rough guidelines.
- David Letterman -
- Johnny Carson -
Traffic signals in New York City are just rough guidelines.
- David Letterman -
The House That Ruth Built
On February 6, 1921, the Yankees issued a press release to announce the purchase of 10 acres of property in the west Bronx. The land, purchased from the estate of William Waldorf Astor for $675,000, sat directly across the Harlem River from the Yankees' current Manhattan home, the Polo Grounds, which they shared unhappily with the landlord Giants of the National League since 1913.
The new stadium would favor lefthanded power with the right-field foul pole only 295 feet from home plate (though it would shoot out to 429 by right center). Though the left-field pole measured only 281 feet from the plate, righthanded hitters were neutralized by a 395-foot left field and a whopping 460 to left center.
The construction contract was awarded to New York's White Construction Co. on May 5, 1922 with the edict that the job must be completed "at a definite price" ($2.5-million) and by Opening Day 1923. Incredibly, it was. In only 284 working days, Yankee Stadium was ready for its inaugural game on April 18, 1923 vs. the Boston Red Sox. Officially, 74,200 fans packed Yankee Stadium for their first glimpse of Baseball's grandest facility while thousands more milled around outside after the fire department finally ordered the gates closed. Before the game began, John Phillip Sousa and the Seventh Regiment Band led both clubs to the flagpole in deep center field where the American flag and the Yankees' 1922 pennant were raised. Appropriately, Babe Ruth christened his new home with a three-run homer to cap a four-run third inning as the Yankees coasted to a 4-1 win.
As one of the world's most-prestigious addresses, Yankee Stadium has also been the home of scores of other sports, entertainment and cultural events. While the Yankees were on the road or out of season, the Stadium opened its gates to college and pro football, soccer, political assemblies, religious conventions, concerts and even the circus.
Until Muhammad Ali stopped Ken Norton on September 28, 1976, thirty championship fights have been fought at the Stadium, perhaps none more memorable than the one for the heavyweight title between Joe Louis and Germany's Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938.
Football also became an immediate fixture at Yankee Stadium with the 1923 Army-Navy game inaugurating a rich history of collegiate and later professional football matchups. On November 12, 1928, with Notre Dame and Army locked in a scoreless game at halftime, the legendary Knute Rockne made his famous "win one for the Gipper" pep talk and the Fighting Irish went out and beat the Cadets, 12-6.
The New York football Giants also called Yankee Stadium home from 1956 through 1973 and, on December 28, 1958, played in what is widely recognized as "the greatest game ever played." With the NFL championship at stake, a crowd of 64,185 watched the Baltimore Colts tie the game 17-17 on a Steve Myrha field goal with seven seconds left. Eight minutes into professional football's first-ever "sudden-death" overtime period, the Colts' Alan Ameche crashed through from the one yard line, ending a contest that would help establish pro football as a major sport.
The Stadium was also an important stop for religious conventions with the conventions of the Jehovah's Witnesses the major outside activity each year. Beginning in 1950, the convention attracted as many as 123,707 people in a single day far more than any other Stadium event. On October 4, 1965 with the Yankees out of the World Series for only the third time in 17 years the Stadium hosted an event of worldwide significance. During the first visit to North America by a Pope, Paul VI celebrated mass before a crowd in excess of 80,000. Fourteen years later, John Paul II also made Yankee Stadium a stop on his tour of the United States.
The new stadium would favor lefthanded power with the right-field foul pole only 295 feet from home plate (though it would shoot out to 429 by right center). Though the left-field pole measured only 281 feet from the plate, righthanded hitters were neutralized by a 395-foot left field and a whopping 460 to left center.
The construction contract was awarded to New York's White Construction Co. on May 5, 1922 with the edict that the job must be completed "at a definite price" ($2.5-million) and by Opening Day 1923. Incredibly, it was. In only 284 working days, Yankee Stadium was ready for its inaugural game on April 18, 1923 vs. the Boston Red Sox. Officially, 74,200 fans packed Yankee Stadium for their first glimpse of Baseball's grandest facility while thousands more milled around outside after the fire department finally ordered the gates closed. Before the game began, John Phillip Sousa and the Seventh Regiment Band led both clubs to the flagpole in deep center field where the American flag and the Yankees' 1922 pennant were raised. Appropriately, Babe Ruth christened his new home with a three-run homer to cap a four-run third inning as the Yankees coasted to a 4-1 win.
As one of the world's most-prestigious addresses, Yankee Stadium has also been the home of scores of other sports, entertainment and cultural events. While the Yankees were on the road or out of season, the Stadium opened its gates to college and pro football, soccer, political assemblies, religious conventions, concerts and even the circus.
Until Muhammad Ali stopped Ken Norton on September 28, 1976, thirty championship fights have been fought at the Stadium, perhaps none more memorable than the one for the heavyweight title between Joe Louis and Germany's Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938.
Football also became an immediate fixture at Yankee Stadium with the 1923 Army-Navy game inaugurating a rich history of collegiate and later professional football matchups. On November 12, 1928, with Notre Dame and Army locked in a scoreless game at halftime, the legendary Knute Rockne made his famous "win one for the Gipper" pep talk and the Fighting Irish went out and beat the Cadets, 12-6.
The New York football Giants also called Yankee Stadium home from 1956 through 1973 and, on December 28, 1958, played in what is widely recognized as "the greatest game ever played." With the NFL championship at stake, a crowd of 64,185 watched the Baltimore Colts tie the game 17-17 on a Steve Myrha field goal with seven seconds left. Eight minutes into professional football's first-ever "sudden-death" overtime period, the Colts' Alan Ameche crashed through from the one yard line, ending a contest that would help establish pro football as a major sport.
The Stadium was also an important stop for religious conventions with the conventions of the Jehovah's Witnesses the major outside activity each year. Beginning in 1950, the convention attracted as many as 123,707 people in a single day far more than any other Stadium event. On October 4, 1965 with the Yankees out of the World Series for only the third time in 17 years the Stadium hosted an event of worldwide significance. During the first visit to North America by a Pope, Paul VI celebrated mass before a crowd in excess of 80,000. Fourteen years later, John Paul II also made Yankee Stadium a stop on his tour of the United States.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Running, and Life
"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."
"Dedication and commitment are what transfer dreams into realities."
"A winner is someone who sets their goals, commits themselves to those goals and then pursues their goals with all the ability that is given to them. That requires someone who beleives in themselves, who will make self sacrifices, work hard, and maintain the determination to perform at the best of their ability."
“Running makes you an athlete in all areas of life…trained in the basics, prepared for whatever comes, ready to fill each hour and deal with the decisive moment.”
"Winning isn't always victory, losing isn't always defeat."
"Being the first to cross the finish line makes you a winner in only one phase of life. It's what you do after you cross the line that really counts."
- Ralph Boston -
"Running is like life, it's a long journey, but well worth it."
"Dedication and commitment are what transfer dreams into realities."
"A winner is someone who sets their goals, commits themselves to those goals and then pursues their goals with all the ability that is given to them. That requires someone who beleives in themselves, who will make self sacrifices, work hard, and maintain the determination to perform at the best of their ability."
“Running makes you an athlete in all areas of life…trained in the basics, prepared for whatever comes, ready to fill each hour and deal with the decisive moment.”
"Winning isn't always victory, losing isn't always defeat."
"Being the first to cross the finish line makes you a winner in only one phase of life. It's what you do after you cross the line that really counts."
- Ralph Boston -
"Running is like life, it's a long journey, but well worth it."
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Thought For The Day
Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble.
- Anon. -
- Anon. -
Stuff I Heard
David Letterman said, "After the Pope said mass at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees retired Roman numeral XVI."
Jay Leno said, "Maddonna is so old, they should call A-Rod, AARP-Rod."
Jay Leno said, "Maddonna is so old, they should call A-Rod, AARP-Rod."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)