On A Pale Horse

I don't know about other states football rivalries but here in Michigan we've got this huge one - The University of Michigan Wolverines versus Ohio State Buckeyes. Whoo hoo. I suppose I care a little more now that I don't have to hide my head in embarrassment. My ex and I would walk into our local watering hole and he would wear his Ohio State shirt among a sea of Blue & Maize. Well this would usually raise a few insults and some back & forth stat throwing generally ending up in someone saying "Well Ohio just sucks" and/or "UofM is just a bunch of spoiled rich kid brats". Good times.

Bo Schembechler is a LEGENDARY football coach. He coached the Wolverines from 1969 through the end of the 1989 season. He won 235 games. He went to 17 bowl games in 21 years, 10 of those games were the Rose Bowl. Even though he was born in Ohio (and earned his Masters Degree at Ohio State), Schembechler became a fixture in Michigan sports. He was the Athletic Director at UofM from 89-90, President of the Detroit Tigers from 90-92 and stayed on as a sports anaylst for the show "The Big Ten Ticket" at Channel 7 - Detroits ABC affiliate.

The UofM & OS game is traditionally the last game of the year for both teams. This year is particularly an important match up because Ohio State is ranked Number 1 while UofM holds on to the Number 2 spot in the Big 10. Schembechler recently stated about this weekends upcoming game that it was "About as big as it gets, I see this game as being a great classic." I'm sure it's going to be although shrouded with this unfortunate tragedy.

Mr. Schembechler collapsed during a broadcast in October. He was hospitalized and device was implanted in his chest to regulate his heart beat. He returned to work shortly after the procedure. He again collapsed again while taping his show and passed away from an apparent heart attack.

April 1, 1929 - November 17, 2006
RIP

Labels: 1929 births, 2006 November deaths, heart attack, Michigan, sports

I could go on another rant about me being a band geek – the almighty sax player - but I think I’ve pretty much solidified myself as a huge dork so I’ll pull out another treasured memory.
In 1988 I was dating my very first love, we’ll call him E, that’s no were near his name but there’s story that tags along with that...ah memories.
That year my bf graduated from high school, started college and applied for and received his very first credit card. So we did what every normal red-blooded teenage nerd would do…went on a shopping spree at Toys r Us, of course! I can’t remember everything we got, it was a ton of geeky stuff, one of the strange things that brought us together was our absolute admoration of Gumby so I’m sure there was a couple of Gumby & Pokey toys in our basket. But the one thing I know he got FOR SURE! was a Pee Wee Herman talking doll, some plush thing that when you pulled the string it said “I know you are but what am I” & that dorky laugh. E had a friend, we’ll call him E2, (same nickname – told you long story) and those two would do that laugh nonstop. 1988 was also the year that Big Top Pee Wee hit the movie theatres. Even though that "Tequila" song was in the original, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, those two boys would do that dance…it was the laugh, the dance, the toys – it was some sort of torture. But they had friends over 21 that would buy for us…so once we got a little buzzed – it was funny as hell.

Danny Flores a.k.a. Chuck Rio was the composer of ‘Tequila’. In 1957 he was recording with rock-a-billy singer David Burgess; one of the songs they worked on was a riff that he played with his sax and occasionally shouted out “Tequila”. The next year it was put out on a B-Side under the group name Champs and Danny changed his name to Chuck Rio because technically was under contract with another label company. The song ended up be a Grammy winner as best Rhythm & Blues performance in 1959 and has pretty much been an anthem for drunken frat parties and Pee Wee Herman freaks around the world.

Mr. Flores passed away from undisclosed causes.

July 11, 1929 - September 19, 2006
RIP

Labels: 1929 births, 2006 September deaths, murder, undisclosed causes