Mad World
Here’s an amusing though sad and unsurprising snippet from sports media critic Phil Mushnick’s column today at nypost.com: “Pete Rose is now promoting a Las Vegas sports tout service.” He wasn’t dubbed “Charlie Hustle” for nothing. Mushnick also had this nugget manifesting a world gone mad: “Gus Malzahn, recently fired Auburn football coach, was bought out for $21.5 million.” Take the money and run, sir. And: “Rangers will pay outfielder David Dahl $2.7 million this year, after he batted .183 this past season.” Apparently, the Mendoza line has been moved back.
The spike in Corona worldwide, especially Britain, has me wondering if there are agents spreading it somehow. Meanwhile, they’re dancing in Wuhan. Here’s a recent photo, posted today at nypost.com:
Yesterday at youtube I watched an AWA (Midwest) show from 1970, hoping to see the early work of wrestlers I found entertaining. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was already managing and, common to the era, sporting blond mutton chop sideburns. One participant was intriguing. Facially, he didn’t resemble Captain Lou Albano, but certain characteristics matched, such as cigar and shirt. The guy was billed as a truck driver. I googled if Albano had performed under a different name in other territories, but it proved fruitless. To my delight, there were juicy nuggets in his Wiki profile I hadn’t heard. He was born in Rome while his dad was completing his medical degree at the University of Bari — and he was baptized at the Vatican! His moniker came from the fact that he was the captain of the Archbishop Stepinac football team. I’d known he received a scholarship to Tennessee, but did not know he was expelled for cheating on an exam. To my surprise, he roomed with future Cleveland Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano, who was also the head coach at my alma mater, Lafayette H.S., from ‘56-’58. I knew his mom was a concert pianist but did not know she later became a registered nurse. His four siblings were all educators, common knowledge, but a couple of them invited The Captain to address students, who, of course, loved it. The “Bad Seed,” Albano was married for 56 years, until his death, and was known, according to Wiki and in contrast to his academic history at UT, for his faithfulness to his wife Geraldine. They had four kids. He and Classie Freddie Blassie are my all-time wrestling favorites. I check youtube every day, hoping someone will have posted clips of them I haven’t seen.
I had it all figured out. I’d open the book shop at ten AM, getting out ahead of the rain forecast for midday. Mother Nature played a mean trick on me, starting the snow flurries immediately after the display had been set up. I look forward to tomorrow’s session.
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