[Bevo]

I'm sure many have seen this news this morning but I don't know if enough attention can be paid to this great performer.

The name "Andy" was the perfect fit for this very nice and intelligent performer. He was by all accounts a good guy and a good guy to work for on the classic show.

Fifty years after the fact the episodes stand up better than almost anything on tv today. The writing and the ensemble cast were brilliant. And behind it all was Andy Griffith.

I have read many times that Don Knotts and Andy were good friends and that's nice to know because they seemed to have more than an actor relationship on the show.

Ron Howard said that he learned about directing from being on the show. Howard also related once on the set when he was misbehaving that his real-life dad (who was there) gave him a whack on the butt. Ron stated that he had been misbehaving quite a lot and Andy walked by him after the parental whack and said, as only "father" Andy Taylor could, "You had that coming!"

Andy was somewhat of a monologist in the 50's and had a pretty funny bit called "Football Is What It Was" (I'm going on memory here so I may be off a bit ).

Andy also was a very good dramatic actor and could play a fairly imposing character - sort of like a crazy "red-neck" kind of role. He could play the "heavy" also.

But it was as the wise and gentle sheriff that he truly mined gold of the fictional town of Mayberry where he really found his mark.

The stories were steeped in morality, decency, kindness, compassion and friendship.

Andy Griffith and Andy Taylor were iconic American figures. In an imagnative way, you can almost see Andy, Goober and Barney heading over to Myers' Lake right now for a little afternoon fishin'.

RIP - Andy

[One Who Knows]

Zunardo - Good comments concerning Bevo's interesting post. Sorry, but I'm a bit behind (but most of the regulars are already aware of this). Since I'm behind, I totally missed Corky Taylor's death...thanks Bevo. Anyone who followed college basketball during the 1970's will remember just how much publicity that horrible Ohio State-Minnesota brawl received. As Bevo mentioned, the after effects are still being felt to this day.

Bevo's post about Andy Griffith is also 'right on'. I wonder how many people (over 40 years old) cannot name multiple characters from the old Andy Griffith Show. Barney was certainly a favorite ("Citizens Arrest"), but most viewers had their own favorite. Personally, Otis was the character that I really appreciated (I hope that's not too revealing).

Bevo again hit it on the head when he posted, "The stories were steeped in morality, decency, kindness, compassion and friendship". Those were different times, but in many ways they really were happier times.

Whistle a tune for Andy, Mayberry and simpler times:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DU5oEgJKgY

RIP Andy Griffith

[Diva]

I've been watching "The Andy Griffith Show" lately when I see it's on. I've always liked the laid-back feel of the show and the town, where everyone knows each other and their business. It's such an innocent time. That and "I Love Lucy" are two shows that I will always watch if I see they are on.

Does anyone remember Andy in "Remember the Wildcats"? He played a guy in a motorcycle gang, very against character.

My husband and I said "Citizens arrest!" just a few days ago. Classic!

Does everyone have power? We lost it for only an hour the evening of the storm, and intermittently the next day. I feel bad for the people who still are without power! My husband and I were at a bike store in Marion when the storm hit. It blew out the big 8 x 8 window. I've never seen such a storm with so much damage. Trees and branches are down everywhere! Our town is getting cleaned up, but there are still plenty of trees and branches sitting in yards. We had no damage except for a small basement window that fell out but didn't break.

I was afraid last night's storm would cause more outages and damage, but it didn't seem to be too bad.

How are you all surviving the summer heat? What do you do to cool down? Favorite food and drink?

[rdlwolverine]

The storm hit here on Friday night. We lost our power and a car that had a tree fall on it. Power came back Tuesday morning, some neighbors are still out. Car is totalled, insurance company made a generous starting offer on the car and I am hoping to goose them up a bit. Overall, not a bad situation.

Even better, my daughter's fiance got a job offer and starts work on Monday. They are looking for housing today, so they and the puppy should be out of our basement in the near future.

[Diva]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your power problems and the car. But I'm glad the young folks have a good opportunity for the future!

[Bevo]

We were still cutting up a tree today. We had branches everywhere - some rather big. We lost power for about 6 hours Friday night. That may have been the hardest wind I have ever seen.

We went to the Indians' game yesterday and sat (wilted) in the sun. I kept going back to the restroom and soaking my hat. In about the fifth inning there was huge containers of ice placed around the ball park for people's use.

I love going to the ball park. First went in '61 with the Upper Sandusky Lions' Club. Have gone pretty much several times every year ever since. Very expensive for a family of four.

We have a pool (certainly nothing fancy) and the water is 88 degrees! That's fine with me.

[One Who Knows]

Originally Posted by Bevo

We have a pool (certainly nothing fancy) and the water is 88 degrees! That's fine with me.

Bevo - In what was one of the craziest threads we ever had on this forum, we discussed whether your pool should be above ground or in-ground. Please give us the answer we (well, maybe just a few of us) have been awaiting for years:

Is your swimming pool:
IN-GROUND or ABOVE GROUND?

I hope all of you that were without power have returned to the world of modern conveniences. It's amazing just how much we take for granted until we don't have it anymore.

ROCK ON!

[Bevo]

Yes, yes, through the mist of time the great question of whether one should have a pool (above or below) or a pond was pondered on here when we moved to the country. So, that post and those that followed occurred nine years ago - when we moved out of Upper. The pond deal was the preference but the ground actually held too much water; the in - ground pool was just too darn expensive . Thus, the above - ground pool was put in. We actually replaced the liner this year, bought some other major parts and "bought" new water. We spent as much this year as it cost to put the pool up nine years ago. I have always been the main user; with the boy a close second.
Calling it a "swimming" pool is somewhat of a misnomer. I wade around cleaning whatever debris has made it's way into the pool. Lately, I have taken a radio out with a beer, and listened to the Indians and drank some suds while doing my maintenance. There are worse ways to spend a 95 degree evening!

Talked to a guy tonight at Speedway who lives in a small community about ten miles from magical and mystical Upper - he still does not have power!

Don't know if we hit this recently or not but Keith Diebler is the new boys' basketball coach at Genoa. Genoa is probably 50 miles north and a bit west of Upper. They have had excellent football for an extended period of time. I would guess they are D 3 or 4. They are the Comets. Keith would be in much better shape if he had a boy or two still around but we'll see how it goes.

[Zunardo]

It's surprising how long it has taken for folks electric to be restored. Because I was without this past weekend, I completely missed the string of posts on quotes, Lou Holz, and quotes by Lou Holz, doggone it.

Happened to see one tidbit on the Internets last night which made me look further, and one thing led to another, so I thought I'd throw out a few musical trivia questions today (powered by Wikipedia, so another source may say differently), and forgive me if they have been on here previously:

A. Who is the oldest living male singer to chart on the Billboard Hot 100? How old was this singer at the time? What year? What was the song? (hint: it was a duet)

B. Which artist held the previous record for males? What song, what year, and how old? (this one might be a little difficult)

C. Who is the oldest female vocalist to hit #1 on the Billboard chart?, how old was she at the time, and what was the song? (much easier than B)

D. Which female vocalists are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th oldest respectively in reaching #1 on the Billboard chart, and what were their tunes? (this may be a little tricky, but should be easily answered)

[Bevo]

Z -- I believe you may be employing a tactic used often by The Leader (OWK) of this infinite thread.

A. I will guess it was the Andy Griffith song called "Waiting on A Woman". My wife would know the front guy on this tune but I can't remember who it was.

B. Several years ago one of Dylan's albums charted. At that time he was the oldest to do something.

C. Can't think of her name either. Letterman had her on about a year ago. She actually dated Elvis. Sort of a raunchy honky tonk kind of lady.
Gotta be someone else.

[Zunardo]

LOL - Bevo, you got me there. As Groucho Marx said to a lady in one of his movies, "I can't remember when I've had a better time, but this wasn't it."

And I can't remember when I've seen more creative answers.

I blame johnstown_benni, it was his question about which song had the oldest lyrics that got me thinking of the "oldest" category.

[Zunardo]

My goodness, I just looked at my quiz and realized how awkward it is - here's a cleaned up version of the quiz:

A. Who is the oldest living male singer to chart on the Billboard Hot 100? It happened in October 2011, singing a duet.
Answer: Tony Bennett (One Who Knows), singing "Body And Soul" with the late Amy Winehouse

B. Which artist held the previous record for oldest male vocalist on the Billboard chart? This person charted in March 1980 at the age of 84, and was definitely NOT known for being a musical pop star)

C. Who is the oldest female vocalist to hit #1 on the Billboard chart, not necessarily as a solo artist? The year was 1999, she was 53 at the time.
Answer: Cher (One Who Knows) with "Believe"

D. Which female vocalists are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th oldest respectively in reaching #1 on the Billboard chart? The year and ages should help, and (hint) the 2nd and 3rd oldest are the same person:

2nd oldest - 1987, age 47
3rd oldest - 1985, age 46
4th oldest - 1984, age 44

[One Who Knows]

Looks like there was some action by the AARPsters on Friday. I missed out on some of the fun since I was doing some serious driving (and it wasn't on the golf course). To say that the temperatures in Ohio have been "unseasonably hot" is an understatement. In July, when it's hotter in Akron than Miami, something is definitely wrong. Brings back memories of the lyrics to that 1966 hit, "Summer In The City".

Bevo - Thanks for 'fessing up and divulging all the variables that went into your decision on whether to have an in-ground pool, an above ground pool or a pond. It's hard to believe that our "swimming pool discussion" occurred 9-years ago. Where does the time go??? Also, thanks for the info on Keith Diebler. You're right is saying it's too bad he doesn't have some younger children of his own to spark the hoops program at Genoa.

Zunardo - Thanks! You posted some really good questions. I'm going to have to take a couple of guesses based on your hints:

I say that Cher has to be one of the oldest women on your list since she has had hit records (remember those vinyl discs with big holes in the middle) in each decade going all the way back to the 1960s.

As far as the male performer, I'd say Tony Bennett due to your hint about the a duet. It's hard to imagine Tony Bennett singing with Lady Gaga or the late Amy Winehouse, but the duets are outstanding.

Keep the Ball Rollin'!

[Zunardo]

One Who Knows, you are correct on A and C, especially the mention of Amy Winehouse - nice job!

[Zunardo]

Updated with the answers:

A. Who is the oldest living male singer to chart on the Billboard Hot 100? It happened in October 2011, singing a duet.
Answer: Tony Bennett (One Who Knows), singing "Body And Soul" with the late Amy Winehouse.

B. Which artist held the previous record for oldest male vocalist on the Billboard chart? This person charted in March 1980 at the age of 84, and was definitely NOT known for being a musical pop star)
Answer: George Burns, "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again"

C. Who is the oldest female vocalist to hit #1 on the Billboard chart, not necessarily as a solo artist? The year was 1999, she was 53 at the time.
Answer: Cher (One Who Knows) with "Believe"

D. Which female vocalists are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th oldest respectively in reaching #1 on the Billboard chart? The year and ages should help, and (hint) the 2nd and 3rd oldest are the same person:

2nd oldest - 1987, age 47 - Grace Slick (with Jefferson Starship) on "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us Now"
3rd oldest - 1985, age 46 - Grace Slick (with Jefferson Starship) on "We Built This City
4th oldest - 1984, age 44 - Tina Turner, "What's Love Got To Do With It?"

When I saw Grace and Tina on the list, it hit me that I had forgotten what an accomplishment it was at that point in their careers, and how they sustained that success throughout much of the decade. And that brought to mind an early 1980's Sports Illustrated cover featuring Pete Rose and Carl Yastrzemski titled "They're Playing That Sweet Swing Music of the 40's". It will be interesting to see if singers from the 1990's and later will similarly be on the charts when they hit that milestone. Hmmm - maybe somebody should test Tony Bennet or Cher for PED's?

Coming up soon - Ray Budzilek trivia!

[One Who Knows]

Zunardo - Thanks for the quiz. You had some interesting stuff on it. As far as the "Ray Budzilek Trivia Quiz", I'm in big trouble. Who the heck is Ray Budzilek? Sounds like he could have been a linebacker for the old-time Oakland Raiders.

ROCK ON!

[One Who Knows]

Kenny Heitz, a member of three NCAA championship teams at UCLA, has died at 65 from cancer. Heitz, who played during the same three seasons as Lew Alcindor, was part of UCLA's 3-year reign in which they went 88-2 (and won 3 titles). After his UCLA years, Heitz attended Harvard Law School:

http://goo.gl/SxF0Q

RIP Kenny Heitz

[Bevo]

This past Sat. a b.ball game was held at venerable and extremely hot St. John's Arena in Columbus for charitable purposes that pitted "Columbus" players against "Cleveland" players. The contest was called the Battle of Ohio Celebrity Charity game. The game was played for fun but was competitive and around 2,000 fans showed. Some of those who played included Jon Diebler (more about Diebs in a bit). E. Turner, D. Lauderdale, Ron Lewis, T. Dials, Juby Johnson, Dru Joyce, Tony Stockman, Damon Stringer (I thought he was in prison for robbing C.C. Sabathia!), Brian Brown, Sconnie, George Reese, Chet Mason, Ryan Patton, Keith McLeod, J.J. Sullinger, and Dave Lighty; coaches included Ron Stokes, Clark Kellogg, Michael Redd, Greg Oden and the Mayor of Columbus. A pretty impressive group to pull together in early July.

Diebs won the three-point shooting contest besting Joyce. Jon also spoke of his team in Greece, Panionios. Panionios finished 14-10 in its league and made it to the semi-finals in the Greek A1 league. Jon led the team in scoring at 10.8. In Diebleresque fashion he shot 59% from the field, 84 % on foul shots, 45% on threes, and average 3.5 board per game. Not too shabby!

Jon now moves on to the Blazers' summer-league team. All of these games are televised on the NBA network. His schedule:

July 15th. at 7:30 against N.O.
July 17th. at 5:00 against Houston
July 19th. 3:00 against Atlanta
July 20th. 1:00 against Denver
July 21st. 1:00 against Miami

All games will be shown on NBA TV, with the Houston and Denver games on tape delay.

Jon is good enough; sometimes it just takes the right set of eyes and the right set of circumstances to have it happen. I say he makes it sometime. (Same for Lighty.)

Now, we need an update from Grub on how his daughter, Natasha fared in her first pro season overseas. Imagine, this little town of less than 6,000 currently has two professional athletes!

(Also, saw two movies the last few days and liked them both a lot - Katy Perry's "Part of Me" and a quirky little movie called "Moonlight Kingdom". and, I have to add Meredith Virera to "the" list. Nice article on her today in the Toledo Blade. Nice.

[One Who Knows]

Bevo - Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of the game at Ohio State, but it sounds like it was an interesting event. It certainly included a cast of "name" characters. Also, good to hear an update on Jon Diebler. I really think that most OSU fans wish him the best. He represented the Buckeyes quite throughout his entire career.

Although I'm not a huge Jared Sullinger fan (as per NBA potential), he is looking pretty good in the Orlando Summer league:
http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/...ared-sullinger

Also, it's good to see that Bevo is still at the top of his game and hasn't 'lost a step' as far as evaluating talent (see below):


..............Meredith Vieira

Keep the Ball Rolln'!

[Bevo]

Hey, like I said real nice! That's a money shot for M.V. I'm watching too much day-time tv as I have to add Markie Post (she of "Night Court Fame and a fem fatale on the "$25,000 Pyramid") and, yes, Andrea Mitchell!! I can't help it - and I believe she is married to Allan Greenspan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I gotta get out of here and work in the pool.