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On August 8 America lost a music icon, Glen Campbell.  During a career that spanned nearly 60 years, Campbell was one of those rare entertainers, who exhibited extensive versatility.  Although, initially, he achieved notoriety  as a country singer, he was able to cross over into popular music as well.  In addition, he was a successful songwriter, musician, actor, and tv host.

Glen Travis Campbell was truly a rags to riches story.  He was born in Billstown, Arkansas, a farming community in Pike County, AK.  Billstown, which is southwest of Little Rock, is, literally, in the “middle of nowhere.”  Even Campbell described it as “too small for most maps.”

To label Campbell’s family as “poor” was, actually an understatement.  He was one of 12 children.  His parents were sharecroppers.  He described his childhood rather succinctly: “We had no electricity.  Money was scarce.  A dollar in those days looked as big as a saddle blanket.”  Campbell quit school at age 14 to work.  “I picked cotton for $1.25 a hundred pounds,” he recalled.  Later, he worked in a succession of odd jobs, such as pumping gas and installing insulation.

As a musician Campbell was a natural.  He never had a formal lesson, although some of his family members played instruments and/or sang.  When he was four he received a cheap $5.00 guitar as a gift, which started him on his way.  He honed his skills primarily by listening to the radio.  At age six he was performing on local radio. Later, he performed at fairs and in church.  After his parents moved to Houston he performed in local night clubs in the area.  At 17 he moved to Albuquerque, NM, where he played in local bands and performed on an uncle’s radio show.

In 1960 he moved to LA where he made a decent living as a session musician.  For the uninitiated, a session musician, aka studio musician, is one who is retained to perform in specific recording sessions or live performances.  He is not a permanent member of a band or ensemble; rather a short-term replacement.  Normally, these musicians are highly skilled, but they rarely achieve individual fame.  Campbell was very much in demand as a session musician, playing with the likes of Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys.  He and Presley became friends, partly because of their common humble country beginnings.  “Elvis and I were brought up the same humble way,” he was fond of saying, ” picking cotton and looking at the north end of a south-bound mule.”

Campbell got his big break when he was hired as a summer replacement for the Smothers Brothers in 1968.  He was a rousing success.  Audiences loved his warm, likeable personality and singing style.  That success led to his own variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which aired from 1969-1972.

The late 1960s and early 1970s was, perhaps, his period of peak popularity.  It was during this period that he managed to “cross over” into mainstream pop.  Also during this period he had a series of “hits,” such as “By the Time I get to Phoenix,” “Gentle on My Mind,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.”   He became so popular that in 1968 he sold more singles than the Beatles.  1969 was a pretty good year for Campbell, too.  He won an Album of the Year Grammy and performed the Academy Award-nominated title song in True Grit.  He also co-starred with John Wayne in the critically-acclaimed movie.

After his tv show had run its course Campbell’s career continued apace.  He continued to pump out “hits,”  such as “Southern Nights,” which reached #1, “Country Boy,” and “Sunflower,” written by Neil Diamond.  Moreover, he appeared frequently on tv.  For instance, he co-starred with Robert Culp in the made-for-tv movie Strange Homecoming;  he hosted a number of tv specials, such as the American Music Awards; and he was a frequent guest onvarious tv variety and talk shows.

CONCLUSION

Campbell’s personal life was “interesting,” to say the least.  He was married four times, the first time when he was only 17 and his wife only 16, and fathered eight children, the first in 1956 and the last in 1986.  He also fought alcoholism and cocaine addiction during the 1980s.

Campbell was extremely prolific.  During his long career he released 64 albums, 82 individual “hits,” provided soundtracks for four movies, appeared in 13 movies, and won numerous Grammies and other music awards.

In 2011 Campbell disclosed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.  Nevertheless, Campbell continued to perform  In 2012 he embarked on what he termed his “Goodbye Tour with three of his children joining him as part of his back-up band.

Campbell passed away on August 8, 2017 in Nashville, TN from Alzheimer’s disease.  Rest in peace, Glen.  You will be sorely missed.

This week marks the 70th anniversary of the US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which effectively ended WWII.  The US unleashed these weapons of extreme terror and mass destruction on Hiroshima on August 6 and on Nagasaki on August 9, 1944.  These bombings are estimated to have killed in excess of 200,000 persons, including casualties as a result of the actual blasts and those who died due to side effects, most of them civilians and wounded countless more.  In addition, the physical and emotional damage to these cities and its inhabitants was incalculable.  Japan, which had stubbornly refused to surrender, finally capitulated, announcing its acceptance of the Allies’ terms of unconditional surrender on August 15.  The official signing of the surrender was on September 2 on board the USS Missouri.  Thus, the long nightmare of WWII was finally over.

The above narrative is, however, merely the short story.  There was a considerable “back story” to the bombings.  For example, how did the US happen to develop the atomic bomb?  How were the targets selected?  How were the raids carried out?  Lastly, were they justifiable?   Good questions.  Read on for the answers.

The concept of nuclear fission was discovered by two German scientists in the late 1930s.   Certain US scientists became aware of this discovery from German refugees and defectors.  The frightening idea of a nuclear weapon was now possible, in theory.  Although it remained a long way from actuality, scientists realized that whoever were to develop an effective weapon first would have a significant military advantage and would likely win the war.   Accordingly, a group of US scientists, led by Albert Einstein, petitioned the US government to develop its own nuclear capacity.  Eventually, they convinced FDR and others to do so, and the top secret Manhattan Project was launched.

The head of Project was Major General Leslie Groves.  He appointed Robert Oppenheimer to run the lab in Los Alamos, NM.  Oppenheimer had the full support of the vast resources of the US government, and by mid-1945 we had successfully tested two types of nuclear weapons – a gun-type fission weapon that utilized uranium- 235, and an implosion-type weapon that used plutonium.

The next step was the selection of the target(s).  Groves established a Target Committee to ascertain likely targets based on certain criteria: (1) larger than 3 miles, (2) of strategic importance, (3) located in a large urban area, (4) the blast would create significant and effective damage, (5) an attack would inflict significant psychological damage, and (6) it was unlikely to have been bombed before August 1945.  Based on the foregoing criteria the possible targets identified were Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kokura, Yokohama, and Niigata.  Later, Nagasaki was substituted for Kyoto.

Before the final authorization to proceed, pursuant to the Quebec Agreement of 1943 between the US and Great Britain, which precluded the use of nuclear weapons against another country without mutual consent, the US had to obtain GB’s approval.  Such approval was secured on July 4, 1945.  Colonel Paul Tibbets was selected to organize and execute the raid(s).  The plane was christened the Enola Gay (named for Tibbets’ mother).  Hiroshima, which housed a significant stockpile of military personnel and supplies, was the headquarters of the Second General Army that commanded the defense of all of southern Japan, and was also a major communications center, was selected as the primary target, with Kokura and Nagasaki as the alternates.  President signed off on the bombings, personally.

The Enola Gay took off from Tinian Island on August 6.  She had a crew of 12.  The run was successful.  By design, the bomb, code-named “Little Boy,” exploded in the air above Hiroshima, so most of its force was directed downward rather than sideways.  As we know, damage was extensive.  Casualties in the initial blast exceeded 100,000; 69% of Hiroshima’s buildings were destroyed and fires caused considerable additional damage.  Over 90% of its doctors were killed or injured and virtually all the hospitals sustained major damage, which hampered medical response severely.

Still, the Japanese did not surrender.  It was only following the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9 that they capitulated.  Some historians believe that Russia’s declaring war against Japan was a contributing factor. As stated above,  Japan announced its surrender on August 15, and the documents were signed on September 2.

CONCLUSION

The US had planned several additional bomb runs had Japan not surrendered.  The Japanese had steadfastly reiterated their refusal to surrender.  The prevailing wisdom at the time was that they would vigorously resist an invasion and would fight to the proverbial “last man.”  Allies’ casualty estimates ran as high as 1 million, with Japanese civilian casualties far exceeding that number.  Furthermore, the war would have been prolonged for months, if not years.  Still, the debate has continued to this day.  Criticisms of the bombings have cited them as immoral, racist, militarily unnecessary and tantamount to state-sponsored terrorism.

In my opinion, President Truman, who truly believed in his famous motto, “the buck stops here,” made a tough decision, but the right one.  It is important to evaluate the bombings within the context of the times.  Japan had begun the war by unleashing a vicious, dastardly, merciless surprise attack at Pearl Harbor.  Moreover, it had conducted a vicious, almost primitive war fraught with violations of the Geneva Convention, including rape, murder and torture.  Anti-Japanese feelings were rampant throughout the country, even extending to US citizens of Japanese descent.  Political correctness as we know it, did not exist.  Many people felt “war is hell,” anything goes,” and “they deserve whatever they get.”

When deciding between ending the war the way we did or with a protracted, vicious, costly invasion, I believe the overwhelming majority of Americans, then and now, would opt for the former.

 

Ruth Gruber has been described as a journalist, author, photographer, humanitarian, and a US government official.   True as far as it goes, but those are just convenient labels, akin to describing Muhammed Ali as a boxer.  They do not do her justice.  Gruber was one of those rare people who truly made a significant difference in other people’s lives.  Moreover, she accomplished all that without becoming a household name.  Probably, most of you have never heard of her, which kind of proves my point.

Ruth Gruber was born in Brooklyn, NY on September 30, 1911.  She was one of five children.  Her parents were Russian Jewish immigrants.  From an early age Gruber knew she wanted to be a writer.  Fortunately for her, unlike most families of that era, Gruber’s parents believed in higher education for all their children, even their daughters, and they supported her dream.  Gruber’s educational achievements were extremely rare for a female of that period.  At 15 she enrolled at NYU; at 18 she was selected for a postgraduate fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; later, she earned a Ph.D. from the University of Cologne, Germany, becoming the youngest person in the world to do so.

While in Germany she witnessed firsthand various Nazi atrocities towards Jews and other people whom the Nazis considered to be “undesirables” and “inferior.”  This horrified her and made a lasting impression.  When she returned to the US after having completed her studies she resolved to spread the word about the Nazis, and for the rest of her life she remained a strong advocate for the Jewish people and other underdogs.

In an era when women journalists, where they existed at all, were usually relegated to covering the social pages or other benign areas, Gruber became a dynamic exception.  She not only investigated and reported on many dangerous situations, she actually sought them out.  She was a fearless advocate for the underdog.  Some examples:

1.  In 1935, while working for the NY Herald Tribune, she reported on the trials and tribulations of women living under Communism and Fascism.  As part of this assignment she flew to Siberia to report firsthand, no small undertaking at that time, becoming the foreign correspondent to do so.
2. In 1944 the US government sent her on a secret mission to escort approximately 1,000 Jewish refugees and wounded American soldiers from Italy to the US.  This was a dangerous undertaking during wartime and was to become what I consider the crowning achievement of her life.  More on this later.
3. In 1946, while working for the NY Post, she was assigned to report on the activities of the newly-formed Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine.  The purpose of this committee was to determine the fate of the approximately 100,000 European Jewish refugees, who were ensconced in displaced persons camps.  Many, if not most, of them wanted to emigrate to Palestine, but the British, who governed the area under the League of Nations Mandate following WWI, were resisting (to placate the Arab chieftains in the area who controlled vast quantities of oil).  Eventually, this matter was handed over to the UN to resolve, and Gruber reported on that as well.
4. In 1947 Gruber was an eye witness to the famous (or, some would say, infamous) plight of the Exodus. I could write an entire blog on this grisly matter, but no need, since most of you are cognizant of at least the gist of it from having read Leon Uris’ best selling book and/or having seen the subsequent movie.  When the British finally shipped the DPs back to Germany Gruber was the only journalist they allowed to accompany them.  Her photographs of Jewish prisoners being confined to wire cages with barbed wire on top defiantly raising a Union Jack with a hand-painted swastika on it were particularly notable.
5. In 1978 while living in Israel for one year she wrote a powerful non-fiction book called Raquela: A Woman of Israel about an Israeli nurse, Raquela Prywes, who had worked in a British detention camp and an Israeli hospital in Beersheba.  The book won the National Jewish Book Award for 1979 for Best Book on Israel.
6. In 1985, at the age of 74, she traveled to isolated villages in Ethiopia and described the rescue of the Ethiopian Jews in a book entitled The Exodus of the Ethiopian Jews.

And, now, back to her secret wartime mission.  During WWII Harold Ickes, the Secretary of the Interior, had appointed Gruber as a Special Assistant.  One of her assignments was to escort the abovementioned Jewish refugees and wounded American soldiers back to the US.  She had to convince Ickes to let her go.  There was a real danger that she would be killed or captured, and being that she was a woman, Ickes was very reluctant.  Years later, she remembered she told him “Mr. Secretary, these refugees are going to be terrified – traumatized.  Someone needs to fly over and hold their hand.”  Ickes’ reply, you’re right.  I’m going to send you.”

Upon her arrival, the refugees were shocked to see a woman, and some were reluctant to tell her their gruesome experiences.  She recalled telling one man, “try to forget that [I am] a woman.”  Fluent in both Yiddish and German, she quickly won them over.  During the voyage, she became both a teacher (teaching English) and a nurse (treating the sick and hurt).  She became a mother figure, even earning the sobriquet “Mother Ruth.”

There was a real concern that if she were to be captured, being Jewish, things would not go so well for her.  There is a story that Gruber’s mother found out about this assignment and fearing for her daughter’s safety personally confronted Ickes about it.  Whether true or not, Ickes ended up appointing Gruber a “simulated general,” which, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, afforded her with all the protections of a general in that event.   During the voyage home Gruber interviewed many of the refugees and, of course, wrote a compelling book entitled Haven: The Dramatic Story of 1,000 World War II Refugees and How They Came to America.  Her book became the basis for a CBS miniseries starring Natasha Richardson.

A footnote to this story is that Congress steadfastly refused to lift the quota on Jewish emigration.   Gruber lobbied extensively on their behalf.  Finally, FDR, by Executive Order, directed them to be housed on a decommissioned Army training base in Oswego, NY as the country’s “guests” for the duration of the War.  In 1946 Congress finally authorized them to apply for residency.  Gruber’s tireless lobbying of both Congressmen and President Truman, played a major role in this decision.  This was the only occasion in which the US sheltered Jewish refugees during WWII.

CONCLUSION

As you have seen, Gruber was one of the rare individuals who actually made a difference.  Not only did she directly save thousands of lives, but, as an advocate, she impacted government policy to the benefit of many more.

In her memoirs, Gruber recalled when she realized she was on the cusp of something special.  She wrote: “Standing alone on the blacked-out deck [of the Haven] I was trembling with the discovery that from this moment on my life would be forever bound with rescue and survival.”

Gruber always lamented that the US could have and should have saved countless more Jews.  I strongly agree with that assessment.   In 2007 she told a reporter from the Madison (WI) Capital Times, “I wanted to shake the country by its lapels and say, ‘How can we let this go on.  How can we let this happen?’ ”

Ruth Gruber passed away last November at the ripe old age of 105.  As I said, she was a staunch advocate for Jews and for all oppressed people everywhere.  She was one of the few people who truly made a difference.  May she rest in peace.  She will be sorely missed.

Claire Smith has been a ground-breaking sports writer-journalist for over 30 years.  As you will see, her entire career has been and continues to be characterized by a series of “firsts.”

Smith was born in Langhorne, PA.  Both of her parents were professionals.  Her father was an illustrator and a sculptor.  Her mother was a chemist. Smith was educated at Penn State and Temple Universities.

Smith credits her mother for sparking her interest in baseball, particularly Jackie Robinson, pioneer extraordinaire, who, obviously, was and continues to be an inspiration to countless African Americans.  The barriers Jackie encountered and his struggles to overcome them were to become a model for Smith’s own professional life.

She recalled that when she was in the third grade her teacher showed the film “The Jackie Robinson Story” to the class.  Smith said it made her feel “good about myself.”  She was the only African American in the class, and it ”filled [her] with pride.”

When she was nine her parents gave her a special and portentous gift.  It was an old manual typewriter.  She loved it and pounded out “stories” on it constantly.

Her first journalism job was with the Bucks County Courier, but that was merely a prelude to greatness and notoriety.  Smith was to become the first female to serve as a beat writer for a MLB team.  She began her ground-breaking career by covering the NY Yankees for the Hartford Courant from 1983-1987.  Later, she was a columnist for the NY Times and an editor and columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to former Baseball Commissioner, Fay Vincent, Smith got the job with the Times through the recommendation of the late Bart Giamatti, also a former Commissioner and a close friend of Vincent’s.  It seems that Giamatti was a loyal reader of the Courant and Smith, and he considered her to be “best baseball writer in the country.”  He recommended her to Max Frankel, the executive editor of the Times, who was looking to hire a sportswriter, and that was that.

Smith achieved additional notoriety during her tenure with the Times during the 1994 baseball players’ strike.  Sports fans will recall that this was a particularly bitter strike.  It even caused the cancellation of the 1994 World Series, the only WS that has ever been cancelled.  At one point, the owners threatened to use replacement players.  The Baltimore Orioles were the only team that refused to use replacement players, even if it meant forfeiting the games.  This became an even bigger story because one of the Orioles , Cal Ripkin, was in the midst of breaking the record for consecutive games played, a record held by the immortal Lou Gehrig, which had been considered unassailable. If any games were played and Ripkin remained on strike, his streak would be broken.  Smith covered this compelling side story for the Times with her usual aplomb.

Last Saturday, she became the first woman to be awarded the Baseball Hall of Fame’s J. G. Taylor Spink Award, which is given by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.  This is the BWAA’s highest award.  It is named after J. G. Taylor Spink, the initial publisher of The Sporting News, the venerable, long-time “bible” of baseball.  It has been awarded since 1962. 

It was not an easy road for Smith.  It is never easy being the “first.”  If you are under 40 you may not realize that up until 30 or so years ago sports journalism was essentially a man’s world.  Women were virtually non-existent in the field – as reporters, journalists or interviewers.  Women were barred from men’s locker rooms and clubhouses.  PC, as we know it today, did not exist.  Many male athletes were very candid about their feelings that women did not belong there, “invading their privacy.”  Those were the barriers that Smith overcame.

One example will illustrate this point.   After Game 1 of the 1984 NLCS between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs, Smith entered the Padres locker room, just like all the male reporters, to conduct interviews for the Courant.  The National League had a rule that granted equal access during the playoffs to all accredited journalists, regardless of gender. . Nevertheless, many Padres players strenuously objected to her presence, and she was physically ejected.  Without access, she would be unable to do her job effectively.  Henry Hecht, another reporter, witnessed this and mentioned it to Padres star Steve Garvey.   Garvey left the group of reporters who were interviewing him and went to Smith in the hallway outside the locker room.  He told her that “he would give her all the time she needed” to interview him, telling her “you have a job to do.”  And so, she did.  Not only did Garvey grant Smith the interview, he also ferried himself between Smith and other players still in the locker room to obtain additional stories and quotes for Smith.  George Vesey, a fellow sportswriter quipped that Garvey became Smith’s “million dollar stringer.”   The incident became a big story, superseding the game, itself, which had not been very compelling to begin with.   (The very next day, Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth promulgated a stronger, more encompassing rule granting equal access to all major league locker rooms for all accredited journalists.)

Smith, classy  person that she is, never forgot Garvey’s gesture.  She invited him to the awards ceremony as her special guest and made sure to give him a special mention.

CONCLUSION

Presently, Smith is a news editor for ESPN.

I maintain that every female reporter, journalist, interviewer and commentator, who has worked or is currently working in the sports field owes a debt of gratitude to Smith.  Yesterday, Mark Hermann, long-time sports columnist for Newsday, wrote that in the last few months “countless people (including college students who called her ‘Auntie’) have told her how much her story [had] encouraged them.” In a sense she was the Jackie Robinson of sports reporting.  She led a revolution in sports reporting, and she did it, not with bluster or violence, but with a dogged persistence and quiet dignity.  Rather than break down barriers, she persevered until they fell.

Moreover, despite her significant accomplishments, she remains very humble.  For example, in her acceptance speech she paid homage to previous winners, such as Ring Lardner, Damon Runyon and Grantland Rice – literary giants all.  She said, they and others are “wordsmiths.”  Me, I’m just named Smith.”  I think those few words sum up Claire Smith quite well.

It is likely that very few of you, even those that are big sports fans, have ever heard of Margaret Lambert, despite the fact that she was probably the best female high jumper in the world during the 1930s.  Why the lack of name recognition?  Read on, and you will see.

Margaret “Gretel” Bergmann-Lambert was born on April 12, 1934 in Laupheim, Germany.  She was Jewish, and, as we know, Germany was not exactly a friendly place for Jews in the 1930s.

Lambert’s athletic excellence manifested itself early.  As a teenager, representing the Ulmer FV 1894 Club, she won the high jump in the South German Championships in 1931 and 1932.  The next year, with the Nazis firmly in control of the country, Jews were banned from many activities, including participating in organized sports.  She was expelled from the club and barred from competing in Germany.

Lambert decided to compete abroad.  In 1934, accompanied by her father, she went to London, where she won the high jump in the British Championships.  Lambert figured she would remain abroad indefinitely where, at least , she would able to compete.  However, she received a letter from the government demanding her return.  She was very reluctant to do so, but her father denoted that they had many family members still living in Germany, and refusing could have dire consequences for them.

Years later, Lambert recalled her father’s words.  “Look, I won’t force you into anything, but we were threatened, the family [was] living in Germany.  The consequences, they can’t guarantee what’s going to happen.”  The threat and implications were clear.  She returned.

The government invited Lambert to join the German Olympic team.  This seemed like a positive development, but the German government had an ulterior motive.  The Germans were afraid of a possible boycott of the games by the Americans and other countries, and they wanted to demonstrate that they were not discriminatory.  Subsequently, Lambert won the German Olympic trials in her event with a national record height.  However, the day after the US team sailed for Germany she was notified that she was off the team due to “underperformance.”  “It [the reinstatement] was a sham,” she told an interviewer years later.

Lambert did not compete in the 1936 Games, nor in any subsequent Olympics.  In 1937 she emigrated to the US where she continued to compete.  In 1937 she won the US women’s high jump and shot put competitions, and she repeated the high jump in 1938.  Then, came WWII and a suspension of organized international track and field competition.  She married and raised a family.

CONCLUSION

As with many Jews of that era, recognition and redemption came eventually.  In Lambert’s case, due to her longevity, at least, it was not posthumously. In 1995 a Berlin sports complex was named after her.  In 1996 the German Olympic Committee requested her to light the Olympic torch at the Atlanta Games as their representative.  She acceded.  In 1999 she attended the dedication of the Gretel Bergmann Stadium in Laupheim.  She had been very reluctant to attend, as when she had emigrated she had vowed never to return to Germany.  Ultimately, she did so at the urging of her two sons.  She said: “I was not going to participate, but when I was told that they were naming the facilities for me so that when young people ask ‘who was Gretel Bergmann?’ they will be told my story and the story of those times, I felt it was important to remember, and so I agreed to return….  I finally came to the conclusion that people [living] now had nothing to do with [the holocaust].”

Margaret “Gretel” Bergmann-Lambert passed away on July 25 at the age of 103.  It is a shame that she, like many others from that time period, only achieved widespread recognition upon their death.  Rest in peace, Gretel.  You were an inspiration to us all, and you will be sorely missed.

OJ is out!  Let the media frenzy begin!

Unless you’ve been living on Mars or been in a coma, you know by now that, yesterday, OJ Simpson was granted parole after having served eight-plus years of his 33-year prison sentence.  You couldn’t escape the news regardless of how hard you tried.

Those of you that are outraged at his early release please keep in mind that the parole board’s decision had nothing to do with the case involving the murders of his late wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman.  Rather, it dealt solely with OJ’s conviction for kidnapping and armed robbery in Las Vegas with respect to various sports memorabilia.

The purpose of this blog is NOT to rehash the aforementioned case, the parole, nor the Brown Simpson/Goldman murder case.  As far as I am concerned, that is all “water under the bridge,” and I am sick of it.   If you want to relive the salacious details of the murders and/or any other aspects of OJ’s sordid personal life you will be able to find them on virtually any tv or radio station, prospectively.  For example, yesterday, while I was driving in my car it was extremely hard to find any radio channel that was not covering and analyzing OJ’s parole ad nauseam.

That said, for the benefit of those few of you who may not be cognizant, I will recap (very) briefly the major highlights and lowlights of his life.

1.  Orenthal James Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco, CA.

2.  He attended USC where he became a megastar running back.  Along the way, he picked up the nickname, “Juice.”

3.  He starred for eleven years in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers.  In 1973 he became the first running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season, and, although others have since accomplished that feat, he is still the only “back” to have done it in a 14-game season.

4.  He has been elected into both the college and professional Football Halls of Fame.

5.  OJ had a very likeable public image and was very popular, even charming (although, in private, he had been known to exhibit violent outbursts of temper and even physicality).

6.  This popularity enabled him to carve a lucrative post-NFL career in acting and commercials.  He became a bona fide celebrity.

7.  It all came crashing down when he was arrested and tried for the violent murders of his Brown-Simpson and Goldman.  He was acquitted in a controversial verdict.  Later, however, the Goldman family won a $33 million judgment against him in a civil case.

8.  In 2008 a Las Vegas jury found him guilty of the aforementioned armed robbery and kidnapping charges.  He has served eight years of the 33 year sentence, and now has been paroled.

9.  He is scheduled to be released on October 1.

CONCLUSION

In my opinion, the public’s fascination with OJ has not abated over the years.  Most people crave to watch and read about controversy and violence, as long as they’re viewing it, not participating in it.  That is doubly true if it involves a celebrity, and, like him or hate him, OJ is still a celebrity.

I was a huge OJ fan.  I followed his collegiate and professional career avidly.  I watched all his movies.  I particularly enjoyed the Naked Gun movies with the late Leslie Nielson.  I even liked his commercials, especially when he hurdled through the airport for Hertz.  Like most of us, I was only aware of his public persona.  I knew nothing of the real OJ – until the murders.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll in 2016 a majority of people, black and white, now believe that OJ was “probably” guilty.”   His defenders should keep in mind that ” not guilty” does not mean “innocent.”  His lawyers simply outclassed a mediocre, at best, prosecution team.  To me, OJ’s acquittal demonstrated that if you’re on trial for murder, or any crime for that matter, it pays to be rich.  How many of us could have afforded to hire the “dream team” even if, as the saying goes, “our life depended on it?”  One could argue that any inequality in our justice system is not predicated on whether the defendant is black or white but, rather, if he is rich or poor.

So, as I said, get ready for a media feeding frenzy.  It will be wall-to-wall OJ – talk shows, interviews, books, movies, one-man appearances on Broadway, video games, etc.  The media is very inventive when there is money to be made, and the public is insatiable for all things OJ.

Those of us who are sick of hearing and reading about OJ will just have to hold our noses and bear it until something even more extreme occurs to knock him from our consciousness.  The one saving grace in all this is that OJ will be working for the Goldmans.  Any money he earns will be going to pay off their judgment against him (unless it is hidden illegally).  Thank goodness for small favors.

In my opinion, Martin Landau was one of the finest and most versatile actors of his time.  He was successful in movies, on tv and on the stage.  In addition, he was able to play a wide range of characters, such as “soft” characters, intellectuals, dictators and hard-nosed killers with equal aplomb.

Landau was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, NY.  He graduated from James Madison High School and attended the Pratt Institute.  At 17, he began working at the NY Daily News as an editorial cartoonist.  But, he really wanted to become an actor, so after five years he quit to focus on becoming a stage actor.

In 1955 he auditioned for the Actors Studio, the famous school run by acting guru Lee Strasberg.  In his class, some 500 would-be actors applied and only two were accepted – Landau and an fellow named Steve McQueen.  It was a great learning experience for Landau as he got to hone his craft under professionals such as Elia Kazan, Harold Clurman, Sydney Pollack, and, of course, Strasberg.

While at the studio he met and befriended another aspiring young actor named James Dean.  Landau and Dean became “best friends.”  Landau recalled “we were two young would-be and still yet-to-work unemployed actors dreaming out loud and enjoying every moment.”

Landau made his Broadway debut in 1957 in Middle of the Night.  Later, he caught the eye of world renown director Alfred Hitchcock, who, in 1959, cast him in the hit movie North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant and James Mason.  He played a criminal, alongside Mason.  During the 1960s he appeared in Cleopatra, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and The Greatest Story Ever Told,  starring Max von Sydow and Charlton Heston.

Ironically, Landau turned down what could have been an epic role – Dr. Spock on Star Trek.  As we know, eventually, that role went to Leonard Nimoy.  Nimoy was fabulous in that role, but I could see Landau being successful in it also, as he could play any role.

His signature role was that of Rollin Hand, a master of disguise character in the hit tv show, Mission Impossible, starring Peter Graves and Barbara Bain, Landau’s wife.  At first, Landau was reluctant to appear on the show, feeling the demands of a regular tv show would interfere with his movie opportunities.  But, he relented when the producers offered him a one-year contract instead of the standard five-years.   Playing Hand enabled Landau to demonstrate the full range of his acting abilities.  He got to portray every type of character, and many times he played two roles in the same episode – Hand and the character Hand was supposedly impersonating.  Landau left MI in 1969 following a salary dispute.  MI continued until 1973 and, later, was reincarnated as a series of movies starring Tom Cruise.

Landau continued to work right to the end of his life.  He was nominated for three best supporting actor Academy Awards for his roles in Tucker, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Ed Wood.  He won for his role as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood.  Additionally, he won a Screen Actors Guild award, a Golden Globe and a Saturn Award for the portrayal.  Showing his aforementioned versatility, landau was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of an Alzheimer’s sufferer in the hit tv show Without a Trace.

CONCLUSION

In his later years Landau taught acting at the Actors’ Studio.  Also, he collaborated with director Mark Rydell and writer Lyle Kessler to produce an educational seminar that taught the disciplines of acting, director and writing.

Landau passed away on July 15 at the age of 89.  Rest in peace, Martin.  You will be sorely missed.

 

If I were to ask sports fans to name the most accomplished sports announcers of the last 60 years chances are Bob Wolff would not be one of the choices.  Wolff never achieved the notoriety of some of the more famous sports broadcasters of the last 60 years or so, like, for instance, Vin Scully, Jack and Joe Buck and Harry Caray in baseball, Pat Summerall, Keith Jackson, Curt Gowdy and John Madden in football and Marv Albert in basketball, but, in my opinion, his career compares favorably with any and all of them.  Perhaps, the reason he has been somewhat overlooked is he did most of his work on radio, and his tv work was mostly regional.  Read on and decide how his career stacks up with the big boys.

Robert Alfred Wolff was born on November 29, 1920 in NYC.  He attended Duke University on a baseball scholarship and graduated with Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honors.  Unfortunately, his nascent baseball career ended early in college when he suffered a broken ankle.  However, Wolff did pretty well for himself in his next career – sports broadcasting.

Wolff began this career in 1939 while still an undergraduate.  Ultimately, he became the longest running broadcaster in tv and radio history.  His career spanned nine decades – NINE!  In addition, he was arguably the most versatile broadcaster in history.  He “called” contests in baseball, football, basketball and the Westminster Dog Show, among other sports.

Below please find the highlights of his unique and remarkable career:

1.  He was the tv and radio voice of the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins from 1947 – 1961.
2. He “called” games on all the major tv networks as well as the Mutual Broadcasting System and Armed Forces Radio.  He announced the NBC Game of the Week from 1962 – 1965.  Also, he broadcast several major Bowl Games, such as the Rose and Sugar Bowls,
3. He “called” two of the most famous and significant games in history – the Yankees’ Don Larsen’s perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 World Series and the 1958 NFL Championship Game where the Baltimore Colts beat the NY Giants in overtime in the so-called “Greatest Game Ever Played.”  It may not have been the “greatest,” but it certainly was the most significant as it has been largely credited for putting the NFL on the map.
4. In the NBA he broadcast games for the NY Knicks and Detroit Pistons.  In addition, he was the Knicks’ tv announcer for both their 1970 and 1973 championships.
5. In the NHL he broadcast for the NY Rangers.
6. In the NFL he did games for the Baltimore Colts, Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns.
7. In the North American Soccer League he broadcast games for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
8. As an employee of Madison Square Garden he broadcast the National Horse Show, college hockey and basketball, women’s tennis, bowling, gymnastics and boxing.  You name the sport, and he did it.
9. Wolff was one of only two persons (the other being Dale Arnold) to have broadcast games for each of the four major American sports leagues plus soccer.

CONCLUSION

Wolff’s amazing longevity can best be illustrated by the fact that he was able to interview the likes of Jim Thorp, Babe Ruth, Connie Mack, Tris Speaker Ty Cobb and Ted Williams.  One can say, Wolff covered athletes whose career spanned the entire 20th century, plus part of the 21st.  Amazing!   He has been honored by both the baseball and basketball Halls of Fame, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame and the MSG Walk of Fame.

Wolff continued to work well into his 90s for News 12 Long Island.  Why?  In his own words: “I enjoy it.  If I didn’t do it, what would I do to have fun?”

Wolff passed away on July 15 at the age of 96, leaving a wife, two sons, a daughter, nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.  Rest in peace Bob.  You were one of a kind, and you will be missed.

Raise your hand if you’re tired of the “Trump collusion with Russia” issue.  I know, I am, as are millions of other Americans.  Several months of intensive research by every reporter and media outlet worth its salt seeking incriminating evidence has revealed nothing significant.  To paraphrase former President Obama no one has found a “smidgeon” of evidence that Mr. Trump or any members of his campaign “colluded” with Russia to undermine the election process or violated any laws at all.

As usual, the mainstream media has it all wrong.  It has been throwing around the term “collusion” without understanding its meaning or significance.  Collusion, which Black’s Law Dictionary defines, in part, as “a deceitful agreement or compact between two or more persons for the one party to bring an action ….. for some evil purpose as to defraud a third party, ” does not constitute a crime in and of itself.   This is not my opinion, but the consensus opinions of over a dozen legal scholars who contributed to the July 12 article published in Politico Magazine.  (If you doubt me, you could, as Casey Stengel was fond of saying, “look it up.”)

Further investigation, they say, may lead to knowledge of crimes such as conspiracy, violation of federal campaign laws, or aiding or abetting other violations of law, but, as yet, nothing has been turned up to indicate that these or other violations of law occurred.  Several of these contributors opined that for Trump, Jr. merely to have met with the Russian lawyer is not a crime in and of itself.  In fact, it is not at all uncommon for political operatives to meet with persons who might be able to provide unflattering information on their opponents, nor for reporters to meet with potential “sources.”  One could argue that Trump, Jr.’s meeting with the mysterious Russian is no different.

To have participated in a criminal act, he would have had to “work with [the] Russian to commit a crime, to aid… in committing a crime, or to conceal a crime committed by [that] Russian.”  To date, there has been no evidence presented of any of that.  For those of you that may be interested in more details with respect to that meeting I suggest you google Trump, Jr’s recent interview with Sean Hannity.  He goes into much detail explaining how the meeting was set up, why he went, the substance of what was discussed, and other pertinent details.  It is the most thorough analysis I have seen yet.  I suggest you watch it and decide for yourself.

I do not wish to get bogged down in legal minutia here.  That is not the focus of this blog.  Suffice to say if you are a Trump-hater, you will likely continue to see conspiracy, conflict of interest or even treason at every turn; if you are a Trump supporter you may see bad optics, bad judgment or political overreach/vendetta, but that’s it.  Therefore, if you want to learn the truth, be skeptical of unsubstantiated news reports and biased analyses.  Also, I would recommend relying on multiple news sources.

In any event, the situation continues to morph daily, changing the narrative.  Just yesterday, for example, the story broke that the Russian had been admitted into the US without a visa, which is highly unusual, with the approval of the Justice Department.  One might wonder why and for what purpose.  There may be culpability on the part of the Obama administration and/or the DNC.  So, let’s let the investigation into this matter play out fully before rushing to judgment.

CONCLUSION

In military parlance, the Dems and liberal media are continuing to “fight the last war.”  The election is over.  It is official.  It will not be overturned.  Mr. Trump has won.  Based upon what we have seen so far, he is not going to be impeached, and even if he were the GOP would still be in control.  As former President Obama said “elections have consequences.”

Moreover, the Dems outrage over “collusion” is somewhat disingenuous since it has been disclosed that the Obama Administration had substantial evidence of Russia’s attempted hacking and other interference in the 2016 election as early as last August.  Not only did President Obama not do anything about it, he denied it publicly several times.  So, Dems, can the moral outrage.

This whole fascination with a Russian conspiracy is only harming the country by distracting the elected officials from tackling the real issues, such as the economy, healthcare, terrorism, and border security, to name a few.   If Dems want to succeed prospectively, they should abandon their unhealthy, counterproductive obsession with President Trump and focus their energies on the 2018 elections and beyond.  Analyze the real reasons for your loss and work to correct them.  Don’t blame external forces.  Simply put, you had an unpopular, untrustworthy, unlikeable candidate, and your policies were out of touch with most Americans.

The Dems have become the disgruntled party of “no.”  They are losing ground to the GOP.  If you doubt me, look at the state governments.  The GOP has 33 governors and controls both houses of the legislature in 32 states, compared to just 13 for the Dems.  Not good news if you’re a Dem.

I believe their best course of action would be to focus how to improve matters.  If you don’t like the policies of the current administration, develop a better set of policies.  Negotiate with the GOP to find common ground.  Get something done!  If you continue to live in the past you will repeat it!

Finally, move away from the current leadership –  the Clintons, Schumer, Pelosi and Warren.  Their time has passed.  They are only holding you back.  Find the next generation of candidates with new, refreshing ideas that will appeal to a broad scope of voters, not just to the extreme left.  Otherwise, you will be in the same position after the next election, which, by the way, would be fine with me.

Below please find another in the series of fun quizzes.  By now, you know the drill.  Enjoy.  [Marv, the first question is for you.  Don’t “blow” it.]

1. I was born in Austria.  During WWII I was a spy for the Allies against the Nazis.  Later, I became a famous American actress.

a.  Ingrid Bergman; b. Greta Garbo; c. Hedy Lamarr; d. Zsa Zsa Gabor

2.  I was one of the Founding Fathers and later became President of the US.  I was one of three presidents who died on July 4th.

a.  James Monroe; b.  George Washington; c.  John Quincy Adams; d.  James Madison

3.  I was the only person to serve as both President and Vice President without having been elected to either office.

a.  Harry Truman; b.  Benjamin Harrison; c.  Millard Fillmore;  d.  Gerald Ford

4.  I am a famous rapper.  I was born in LA.  My given name is O’Shea Jackson.

a. “Fitty” Cent; b.  Jay Z; c.  Dr. Dre; d.  Ice Cube

5.  I am a Canadian-born actor and comedian.  I got my big break on Saturday Nite Live.

a.  Dan Akroyd;  b. John Belushi; c. Chevy Chase; d.  Eddie Murphy

6.  I was one of eight Presidents who died in office. I only served 31 days, which was the shortest term of any president.

a.  James A. Garfield;  b.  Gerald Ford; c.  William Henry Harrison; d.  Zachary Taylor

7.   I am an actress born in Canada.  My most notable movies were Mean Girls, Wedding Crashers, and Spotlight, for which I received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

a.  Melissa Sue Anderson;  b. Lindsay Lohan; c.  Samantha McLeod;  d. Rachel McAdams

8.  I was born Alicia Christian XXXXXX.  I was a child model.  My acting debut was in Mayberry RFD.  I rose to fame in the movie, Taxi Driver.  I have won two Oscars.

a.  Alicia Silverstone;  b.  Jodie Foster; c.  Tori Spelling; d . Kyra Sedgwick

9.  I was born in Italy.  I was an explorer, navigator and cartographer.  America is named for me.

a.  di Gama;  b.  di Americana; c. Vespucci;  d.  Columbus

10.  I am the easternmost state in the US.

a. Maine;  b. Alaska; c. Rhode Island; d. Florida

11.  I am NOT one of the provinces of Canada.

a.  Quebec;  b. Nunavut;  c. Alberta;  d. Toronto

12.  I was a star of the largest grossing movie ever, adjusted for inflation.

a.  Vivien Leigh;  b.  Julie Andrews;  c.  Harrison Ford;  d.  Leo Di Caprio

13.  I was the star of the prime time live action tv show that played for the most episodes.

a.  Roy Rogers; b.  Mariska Hargitay; c.  James Arness;  d.  Gene Autry

14.  I served two terms as Prime Minister of Israel.

a.  Menachem Begin; b.  Ehud Barak; c.  Moshe Sharett;  d.  Shimon Peres

15.  I am the least populated US state.

a.  Wyoming;   b.  Alaska;  c.  Rhode Island;  d.  Montana

16.  I was the last of 48 contiguous states to be admitted to the union.

a.  New Mexico;  b.  Arizona;  c.  Alaska;  d.  Colorado

17.  I am a well-known singer, songwriter and record producer.  I rose to fame with Visions of Love.  My other “hits” include Without You and We Belong Together.

a.  Gwen Stefani; b.  Courtney Love; c.  Mariah Carey;  d. Beyonce

18.  I was born in Canada.  I was a former Playboy Playmate of the Month.  I starred in Baywatch.

a.  Cybill Shepherd;  b.  Roberta Quinn; c.  Pamela Anderson; d.  Ashley Bell

19.  I am the only non-Nordic country on the below list.

a.  Latvia; b.  Sweden;  c.  Iceland;  d.  Denmark

20.  I am the longest reigning British monarch.

a.  Elizabeth I; b.  Victoria; c.  Henry VIII; d. Elizabeth II

Answers:  1. (c);  2. (a);  3. (d); 4. (d); 5. (a); 6. (c); 7. (d);  8. (b);  9. (c);  10. (b) (also westernmost and northernmost); 11. (d);  12. (a); 13. (c);  14. (d);  15. (a); 16. (b); 17. (c);  18. (c); 19.(a); 20. (d)

CONCLUSION

Well, I tried to be fair.  Also, I sprinkled in some Canadian, British and Israeli questions for my followers in those countries.

How did you do?