Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Los Mejores – Spanish Mascots for MLB Team

30% of all MLBers are Latino. Only one team, though, has a Spanish-language mascot. Can you guess who that is? It’s the San Diego Padres, of course.

Now, how about if we take the other 29 mascots and translate them into Spanish. How many of those do you think you can guess?  

I’m going to go from easiest to hardest.  Write down your choices and see how many you get. No Spanish speakers, por favor.


Easy

  1. Tigres
  2. Yanquis
  3. Marlines
  4. Piratas
  5. Angeles
  6. Cardenales
  7. Metropolitanos
  8. Nacionales
  9. Atleticos
  10. Marineros
  11. Guardianos
  12. Rayas
  13. Rojos


Medium

  1. Gigantes
  2. Valientes
  3. Serpientes de Cascobel
  4. Rocosos
  5. Realeza
  6. Medias Rojas
  7. Medias Blancas
  8. Cerveceros
  9. Estrellas


Difficult

  • Arrendajos Azules
  • Guardabosques
  • Oropendolas
  • Mellizos
  • Cachorros
  • Potras
  • Esquivos




Did you write them down? Now, scroll down a little and see how you did.











Easy

  1. Tigres – Detroit Tigers
  2. Yanquis – NY Yankees
  3. Marlines – Miami Marlins
  4. Piratas – Pittsburgh Pirates
  5. Angeles – LA Angels
  6. Cardenales – St Louis Cardinals
  7. Metropolitanos – NY Mets
  8. Nacionales – Washington Nationals
  9. Atleticos – Oakland Athletics
  10. Marineros – Seattle Mariners
  11. Guardianos – Cleveland Guardians
  12. Rayas – Tampa Rays
  13. Rojos – Cincinnati Reds


Medium

  1. Gigantes – SF Giants
  2. Valientes – Atlanta Braves
  3. Serpientes de Cascobel – Ariona Diamondbacks
  4. Rocosos – Colorado Rockies
  5. Realeza – Kansas City Royals
  6. Medias Rojas – Boston Red Sox
  7. Medias Blancas – Chicago White Sox
  8. Cerveceros – Milwaukee Brewers
  9. Estrellas – Houston Astros


Difficult

  • Arrendajos Azules – Toronto Blue Jays
  • Guardabosques – Texas Rangers
  • Oropendolas – Baltimore Orioles
  • Mellizos – Minnesota Twins
  • Cachorros – Chicago Cubs
  • Potras – Philadelphia Phillies (okay, Fillies)
  • Esquivos – LA Dodgers









Monday, September 30, 2024

Singer Babe Faves

Just looking at my music collection the other day, I discovered that most of my favorite musicians were women, or bands with women in them – from Jefferson Airplane to Stevie Nicks to Kim Gordon to Wolf Alice. 

I also noticed that most of those musicians were also very attractive, but also with very strong characters. Anyhoo, here are some of my particular faves. Note that there’s a real emphasis on “particular” here:

  • Rock/pop only – no country, R&B, hip-hop, Latin, jazz
  • Nothing too poppy – J Lo, Britany, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne …
  • Nothing too recent – Anastacia, Zara Larsson, Bebe Rexha, Ellie Goulding, Natalie Imbruglia …


#36 - Shirley Manson (Garbage) 

First performance at age 4


#35 - Chrissy Hynde (Pretenders)

Well, she was a model (for Malcolm McClaren’s boutique SEX)


#34 - Courtney Love (Hole)

Not her usual look …


#33 - Cindy Wilson (B-52s)

She and brother Ricky (who would pass away from AIDS) started the band


#32 - Melissa Auf Der Wahr (Hole, Smashing Pumpkins)

Talented photographer, with an exhibition at Sotheby’s and work appearing in American Photo, Nylon, and National Geographic


#31 - Neko Case (New Pornographers)

Her voice has been described as a “flamethrower," "powerhouse [which] seems like it might level buildings," "120-mph fastball," and "vocal tornado" (Wikipedia)


#30 - Bat for Lashes 

Born Natasha Kahn


#29 - Aimee Mann (Til Tuesday)

Til Tuesday was made up of former Berklee College of Music students 


#28 - Toni Halliday (Curve)

Hey, I love shoegaze


#27 - Dido 

Born Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong


#26 - Florence Welch (Florence & the Machine)

Harvard grad


#25 - Liz Phair 

Just released an autobiography, Horror Stories


#24 - Lana Del Rey 

Born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant


#23 - Suzi Quatro 

From Detroit, she was much more popular in the UK and Europe


#22 - Miki Berenyi (Lush)

More shoegaze


#21 - Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star)

Dream pop too


#20 - Bilinda Butcher (My Bloody Valentine)

About as shoegaze as it gets


#19 - Rachel Goswell (Slowdive)

Final shoegaze, I promise


#18 - Sherryl Crow

Started out as an elementary school music teacher


#17 - Joan Baez 

Has recorded in 8 different languages


#16 - Nico (Velvet Underground)

Real name Christa Paffgen


#15 - Susanna Hoffs (Bangles)

Performed in the parody band Ming Tea (with comedian Mike Myers) as Gillian Shagwell


#14 - Jewell

Real last name is Kilcher


#13 - Cat Power

Well, she was a model


#12 - Francoise Hardy

Sacre bleu!  Une vraie francaise!


#11 - Belinda Carlisle (Go-Go’s)

The Go-Go’s are the only all-female band (who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments) to ever have a #1 album in the US


#10 - Michelle Phillips (Mamas & the Papas)

Well, she was a model


#9 - Linda Ronstadt

Has sung rock, pop, folk, country, Latin, mariachi, and light opera


#8 - Nancy & Ann Wilson (Heart)

Heart was the first hard rock band fronted by women


#7 - The Corrs

Forget the guy in the back (even though he is their brother)


#6 - Carly Simon

Had a serious stammer as a child


#5 - Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac)

At 5’1’’, not quite a foot and a half shorter than bandmate Mick Fleetwood


#4 - Debbi Harry (Blondie)

Well, she was a Playboy bunny


#3 - Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane / Starship)

Well, she was a professional model


#2 - Ellie Rowsell (Wolf Alice)

The band has been described as folk-tinged pop, alternative rock, indie rock, shoegaze, dream pop, folk, grunge, pop, electronic, and “rocky pop.”


#1 - Kate Bush

Now Kate Bush CBE

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Presidential One-Offs

I’m not sure why this occurred to me, but I thought it would be cool to swap oout one letter of each presidents name and see if there’s anyone out there actually called that. You know, Ronald Trump, Sean F Kennedy, Alvin Coolidge …  Here’s hoping you know enough American history to figure out the actual president. I’ll start from most recent and go back.


Moe Biden

Chief executive officer at Sky Packing Material Trd: LLC


Ronald Trump

Man Named Trump tells the story of Ronald, a man with a drive for success. Raised on the Olympic Peninsula of the Pacific Northwest, he grows up exploring the wilds of the mountains, rafting raging rivers, patrolling the backcountry on skis and horses, lifeguarding and crabbing. Thriving in sports, Ron becomes an accomplished sprinter and an All-American in high school football.

A strong head for success and a steady drive for accomplishments lead him into many adventures in business, all the while facing chronic pain. Man Named Trump is the story of a full life, well lived.” [amazon.com]


Phil Clinton

“Dr. Philip Hall Clinton, 105, was born February 13, 1917 in Saginaw, Michigan to Ellen (Medalie) Clinkston and Benjamin Franklin Clinkston, the oldest of four children. Philip had a very strong love of the outdoors and from an early age enjoyed hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping, and took pride in providing fish and game for family meals. Philip continued to walk several miles most days.

Philip graduated in 1942 from the University of Michigan with a degree in Science, and was inducted into military service in 1942, serving as a lab technician at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC during World War II. Encouraged by doctors Philip worked with at Walter Reed, he pursued a medical degree from George Washington University, graduating in 1952. After an internship at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA, he worked from 1954-1976 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Vallejo, CA, taking a 3 year leave of absence to treat South Vietnamese civilian families during the Vietnam War. This led to a strong affinity with Asian culture and a number of return visits.

In 1976 Philip purchased a beautiful piece of property in the hillside community of Surrey Village outside Red Bluff, CA surrounded by oak trees and wildlife that he loved. Philip kept his medical license in California active for 63 years from 1953-2016. After retiring from Kaiser Permanente he continued practicing medicine informally as a contribution to the Red Bluff community, developing many lasting friendships.

Philip is predeceased by younger siblings Norman Clinkston and Elayne Bloom. He is survived by his brother Bertram Clinkston, 100 years old and living in Seattle, his two adopted daughters Kimy Urwin and Teresa Zalcman, nieces and nephews, and dedicated Red Bluff friends David and Rebecca Whatley.” [obit]


Timmy Carter

“Timmy ‘Tim’ Carter is a teenage boy that lives in Indianapolis. Around 2018, Tim and his friends were playing basketball when Jaco Enilwen and Chammy Tinker came to Earth, causing them to run away in terror. Months later, Tim was turned to ashes when Thanos completed the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe 50% of life in the universe. In 2023, Tim and every other victim of the Decimation were resurrected by Hulk. [Marvel Cinematic Universe Fanon Wiki]


Donald Regan

“Donald Thomas Regan was the 66th United States secretary of the treasury from 1981 to 1985 and the White House chief of staff from 1985 to 1987 under Ronald Reagan” [Wikipedia]


Terry Ford

Program Director/ Host 107.5 The Game, Columbia, SC


Mick Nixon

Tutor, Essex, England


Sean F Kennedy

Judge, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, 1st Judicial District


Barrie Truman

Football (soccer) coach, managed New Zealand national team


Alvin Coolidge

Worked at Pizza Dungeon / Studied at Oak Haven / Went to Oakdale High School 


Eddie Roosevelt

Went to Kelseyville High / From Irvine, California / Widowed


Lester Arthur

Maintenance Technician / SBM Management Services, SG / Union County College / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States


Don Tyler

Contributor, Beef Magazine


Don Adams

"Donald James Yarmy, known professionally as Don Adams, was an American actor and stand-up comedian. In his five decades on television, he was best known as bumbling Maxwell Smart in the television situation comedy Get Smart, which he also sometimes directed and wrote." [Wikipedia]


If Only …

Babe / Gabe Lincoln

Norton / Morton Van Buren