A Sense of Doubt blog post #4179 - "Make Me a Poster from an Old Rodeo" New Mix for Music Monday July 27, 2026

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1111560729903368/posts/1266808937711879/

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4179 - "Make Me a Poster from an Old Rodeo" New Mix for Music Monday July 27, 2026

My original "Angel from Montgomery" mix came up in my You Tube queue as playlists often do either because a video is removed or someone actually listens to it.

I decided it was time to do a second version of that mix with more country songs written and/or sung by women.

It's not an all country mix, but it does feature more country songs.

When I added Blondie's "Heart of Glass," the song really seemed to fit in the flow and then "Brass in Pocket" seemed a natural follow up.

After initial drafts, I added "Delta Dawn" (how could I have forgotten to add it in the first draft?) and then moved up Chicago's "You're my Inspiration" and with the fade out, the transition to "Heart of Glass" still works as well as it did when Blondie followed Donna Fargo or even in the first draft "Blue Bayou."

There's 28 songs because Dad died on Aug. 28th. And it's nearly August.

I might argue that "Angel from Montgomery" is one of the all time great songs, somewhere in a top 100.

The original mix and the post that went with it is reprinted below.

Enjoy!

Thanks for tuning in.




"Make Me a Poster from an Old Rodeo" New Mix for Music Monday July 27, 2026

[1] Bonnie Raitt-Angel from Montgomery

[2] Linda Ronstadt - Blue Bayou (Official Music Video)

[3] Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blues Crystal Gayle

[4] Tanya Tucker - Delta Dawn (Lyrics)

[5] Donna Fargo - The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA

[6] Chicago - You're The Inspiration (Lyrics)

[7] Blondie - Heart Of Glass

[8] Pretenders - Brass In Pocket (Official Music Video)

[9] Juice Newton - Angel Of The Morning (Official Music Video)

[10] Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl (Real Live Roadrunning | Official Live Video)

[11] It Hasn't Happened Yet • Rosanne Cash ("No one is into me; no one's a mystery")

[12] Tulsa Queen, Emmylou Harris

[13] Loretta Lynn - Coal Miner's Daughter

[14] Patsy Cline - Your Cheatin' Heart

[15] Alison Krauss...When You Say Nothing At All

[16] Linda Ronstadt : Love is a Rose (1977) ★★★★★

[17] Patsy Cline-Walkin' After Midnight

[18] Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley P.T.A.

[19] Anne-Marie - Do It Right [Official Video]

[20] The Logical Song | Supertramp | Pomplamoose

[21] Rickie Lee Jones - Satellite

[22] Ani DiFranco - Your Next Bold Move - 11/11/2016 - Paste Studios, New York, NY

[23] Carpenters - Rainy Days And Mondays

[24] Tracey Thorn - Nowhere Near

[25] Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Saint Etienne

[26] Kate Bush - Cloudbusting - Official Music Video

[27] GRAVEL - Ani DiFranco

[28] The Girl from Ipanema - Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto (Cover by Elise)

Reprint of original mix post:

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3668 - SoD Reprint 2106 - To Believe in this Living is just a Hard Way to Go - Musical Monday on Tuesday

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3668 - SoD Reprint 2106 - To Believe in this Living is just a Hard Way to Go - Musical Monday on Tuesday 

I rarely publish music posts on days other than Mondays,  but I am in reprint mode. I am probably posting another one tomorrow.

One benefit of reprinting a Music Monday post is that I get to edit the mix for hidden or unavailable videos. I replaced one in this mix, but it was just a different version of the same song and same showing from TV.

When I access my playlists on YOU TUBE via a PC, I can only see playlists in alphabetic mode up to M with some playlists excluded because YOU TUBE always wants to hide them from me.

When I asked YOU TUBE to fix the problem, as I PAY for Premium, they told me it was my problem with "cookies" (bullshit) even though I looked at my playlist on multiple machines and different browsers. 

This original post caught my attention because of the cover image (AWESOME). Still, true when it comes to the United States' isolation policies.

Also, this was a mix that had become buried that I constructed after John Prine's death.

It's a good mix though the songs are not all unified around the John Prine theme with peers or similar music or artists. But women in music is a unifying factor.

I love that I have Sergio Mendez's "Fool on the Hill" in this mix. I should build a whole mix around that song.

FOOL ON THE HILL seems an apt theme for the person who somehow has been elected and set our country on fire.

Still reprints.

My be in reprint mode for at least another week or more.

Thanks for tuning in.

Original link to the post I am reprinting below:

Monday, November 23, 2020

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2106 - Believing in this living is just a hard way to go - Musical Monday 2011.23

LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2106 - Believing in this living is just a hard way to go - Musical Monday 2011.23

INAUGURATION COUNTDOWN

58 DAYS to inauguration

Though this mix does not start with Lucy Dacus or Phoebe Bridgers -- artists I have discovered because of my step-daughter -- the core of the mix focuses on music by them. The main theme and title comes from John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery" as sang by Bonnie Raitt and in the end of the mix Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster.

I am proud of how this mix came together. There's glue in between the Dacus and Bridgers tracks. I had lots of African-American artists, but I moved those out for a future mix. The new Weller came out when I made this mix, so I added a couple from that effort. I "found" some via You Tube serendipitously. And I added new faves like Japanese Breakfast, Daft Punk, and Sevdaliza with other older faves like Sinead O'Connor and Lucius. I also bookended the whole thing with "Angel From Montgomery," which feels good.

The songs story is really not about fighting Covid-19 and the heroism and sacrifice of the healthcare workers on the front lines, women featured here.

We are all getting pandemic fatigue, but we must remain strong, support those in healthcare, and observe public health guidelines because "to believe in this living is just a hard way to go."

Thanks for tuning in today.

Believing in this living is just a hard way to go - Musical Monday 2011.23

[1] Bonnie Raitt-Angel from Montgomery

[2] Joni Mitchell - You Dream Flat Tires

[3] Lucy Dacus - "Addictions" (Official Music Video)

[4] Phoebe Bridgers - Garden Song (Official Video)

[5] Still Corners - The Trip

[6] Nerina Pallot - Geek Love (Live At SWR3 New Pop Festival)

[7] Kawehi ~ "Mad World" at The Kessler Theater in Dallas, Texas (USA)

[8] Lucy Dacus - "Night Shift" (Austin City Limits)

[9] Phoebe Bridgers - I Know the End (Official Video)

[10] SEVDALIZA - LAMP LADY

[11] Japanese Breakfast - Boyish (Official Video)

[12] Lucius - Two Of Us On The Run | Honey I'm Home Session

[13] Lucy Dacus - "In The Air Tonight" (Phil Collins cover)

[14] Clan Of Xymox - A Day (HD music video 1985)

[15] Paul Weller | Earth Beat (Official Audio)

[16] Phoebe Bridgers - Motion Sickness (Official Video)

[17] I Am Kawehi - Elle King | Jace Everett | Amy Winehouse | Mashup | Quarantine Sessions #1

[18] Japanese Breakfast - Everybody Wants To Love You (Official Video)

[19] Sinead O'Connor - Make Me a Channel of Your Peace - Late Late Show 26/03/93

[20] Lucy Dacus - Nonbeliever (Live at The Current)

[21] Paul Weller - Long Long Road (Lyric Video)

[22] Daft Punk | Something About Us | Pomplamoose

[23] The Surfrajettes - Ghost Train

[24] Phoebe Bridgers - Savior Complex (Copycat Killer Version) 

[25] Lucy Dacus - "I Don't Wanna be Funny Anymore" (Official Music Video)

[26] Demi Lovato - The Lincoln Project presents our music video for "Commander in Chief"

[27] The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down! (Official Video)

[28] Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - FOOL ON THE HILL 

[29] Cowboy Junkies "Powderfinger" (Neil Young & Crazy Horse Cover) Latent Uncovers

[30] Bonnie Raitt & Ruthie Foster "Angel From Montgomery" Road To Austin

ANGEL FROM MONTGOMERY

I am an old woman named after my mother

My old man is another child that's grown old

If dreams were lightning, thunder were desire

This old house would have burnt down a long time ago

Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery

Make me a poster of an old rodeo

Just give me one thing that I can hold on to

To believe in this living is just a hard way to go

When I was a young girl, well, I had me a cowboy

He weren't much to look at, just a free rambling man

But that was a long time and no matter how I try

The years just flow by like a broken down dam

Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery

Make me a poster of an old rodeo

Just give me one thing that I can hold on to

To believe in this living is just a hard way to go

There's flies in the kitchen, I can hear 'em there buzzing

And I ain't done nothing since I woke up today

How the hell can a person go to work in the morning

And come home in the evening and have nothing to say?

Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery

Make me a poster of an old rodeo

Just give me one thing that I can hold on to

To believe in this living is just a hard way to go

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: John Prine

Angel From Montgomery lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2011.23 - 10:10
- Days ago = 1970 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2503.04 - 10:10
- Days ago: MOM = 3533 days ago & DAD = 188 days ago

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2607.27 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 4043 days ago & DAD = 697 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4178 - Havoc is the Headmen - Comic Book Sunday July 26, 2026

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4178 - Havoc is the Headmen - Comic Book Sunday July 26, 2026

Not a reprint but still low power and blog vacation.

I always thought these "head men" were deeply weird and wonderfully cool, and Brevoort agrees.

From the wonderful, chimerical mind of Steve Gerber...

I did not know he had passed away at an age younger than I am (though he was older, born 1947).

Sad.

Thanks for tuning in.

LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.

BLOG VACATION #1 - 2026 - Taking a blog vacation for a couple of weeks, until at least June 26th, 2026. But now that it's past June 26, I am not sure when I am resuming normal operations. Mostly reprints. A few simple shares (not that simple shares are out of the norm) and THAT ONE THING. Need time for other things.

https://tombrevoort.com/2026/07/19/bc-defenders-33/

Kurt Busiek

July 19, 2026 at 6:24 pm

Trivia note: The costume Nighthawk was wearing in this era was designed by Len Wein.

BC: DEFENDERS #33

 Tom Brevoort Borrowed Comics  July 19, 2026

THE DEFENDERS was always a bit of a weird series to me. On the outside, it looked like any other regular Marvel comic of the period. But crack the cover and get into the contents and the stories were almost all unrelentingly weird. This was definitely the case for the run of stories masterminded by writer Steve Gerber, but it was also true of the less-successful creators who both filled in for him along the way or succeeded him. Gerber’s DEFENDERS was unique, though it was of a flavor and a spirit that I didn’t entirely embrace in the late 1970s when I first read this comic. It was an issue owned by my friend David Steckel that I borrowed from him along with the following issue. And it was definitely memorable, even if it didn’t quite get me onto the DEFENDERS train any more solidly.

Here we go, Exhibit A: above is the opening splash page to the story in question. And as you can see, it depicts a homicidal Fawn staring at a mystic image being generated by the Orb of Agamotto, in which the malevolent Headmen have defeated the Defenders and laid them out on slabs for whatever they’re planning to do next. It’s an utterly unforgettable image, in that it’s so completely unlikely that just the very fact of its existence drives itself deep into your brain. Enhancing the disquieting effect is the fact that the page in question was composed by Sal Buscema, one of the most journeyman of journeyman artists of the period, and finished in ink by Jim Mooney, ditto. Neither of these guys were major stylists, so the page is right up the middle, apart from its subject matter. Weird, weird, weird.

And Steve Gerber knows that this is a weird place to come in. so much so that he devotes the next four pages (of a 17-page story) to an extended recap mapping out just how the story got to this point. It goes something like this: Nighthawk of the Defenders was captured by the team’s oddball collection of enemies, the Headmen–so named because each of them has some oddity surrounding their cranium. The Headmen then performed brain surgery on Nighthawk, removing the hero’s brain and replacing it with that of Chondu, one of their members. Kyle Richmond’s brain is left discarded in a dish. As Nighthawk, Chondu infiltrated Dr Strange;s Sanctum and attacked the team unexpectedly with his magical might. But Strange was more than he could handle and he was overwhelmed. Having doped out the brain surgery, Strange then moved Chondu’s mind into the Fawn, who happened to be there, replacing it with the mind of Defenders hanger-on Jack Norriss, the husband of Valkyrie’s human form. The team then headed off to confront the Headmen, but were clobbered by a detonation from new recruit Ruby Thursday’s head. But the Headmen still think that Chondu is in Nighthawk’s body, so Jack is still in the game.

After an aside that cuts away to a young couple in Central Park being captured by aquatic reptilian aliens and blasted off in their rocket (weird!) the plot begins to get moving. Arthur Nagan, the leader of the Headmen, explains that he intends to brainwash the hapless Defenders and turn them into pawns. Jack is having a hard time keeping up a convincing portrayal of Chondu, but Ruby at least is charmed by his rough straightforwardness, and this enables him to bluff things through as the Headmen prepare to make their next move. He gets the assorted Headmen to reveal their own conflicting goals: Nagan wants to craft the world into a precision instrument under his control, Jerry Morgan wants recognition and respect–he invented a shrinking gas years before Hank Pym, but his blew up in his face, shrinking his bones and expanding his flesh to the point where it hangs off of him. And Ruby has turned her entire head into a malleable organic computer and wants to do the same for all of humanity. Three weirdos, am I right?

Back at Dr Strange’s Sanctum, Chondu, who found himself trapped in the body of a Fawn and consequently unable to cast any spells, has been haplessly hurling his body at the windows intent on escape. He eventually manages to break through–but before he can get far, he’s snatched up by one of those amphibious lizard men that I mentioned earlier. The Fawn finds itself teleported into the midst of the other abductees in the center of a strange Greek-styled structure on an otherwise-empty island. Weird. Anyway, back at the Headmen’s digs, the Defenders revive, not less worse for wear from Nagan’s mental reconditioning. Doctor Strange demands the return of Kyle Richmond’s brain, which leads to a fight breaking out between the two groups. As one team is comprised of the Hulk, Valkyrie and Strange himself, you’d think this would be an easy win. But Gerber contrives ways for the battle to carry on longer than it truly ought to.

The melee takes its toll on the suburban house which the Headmen have been using as their headquarters, and it’s practically demolished in the scuffle. At a certain point, Nighthawk’s discarded brain is located, and Strange implores Jack Norriss in Nighthawk’s body to carefully convey it far away from the struggle until he can see whether it might be restored to its proper place. (As a helpful caption spells out, this is the body of Nighthawk with the brain of Chondu and the soul of Jack Norriss carrying the actual gray matter of Nighthawk to safety. Weird, yes?) But as the fight wraps up, Ruby is able to get the drop on the far-more-powerful Defenders by extruding a spray of powerful sticky goo that momentarily ensnared the Headmen’s foes, giving them the moment they need to flee the battlefield.

But the story isn’t quite over yet! As Norriss/Nighthawk enters the airspace of Manhattan and heads towards Doc’s Sanctum, he’s caught in a tractor beam that pulls him up into the rocket the lizard men were using pages earlier. And as the issue closes, Nightjack is confronted by the defenders’ old alien enemy Nebulon and the lizards, whom he introduces as the Ludberties of Zaar! On that note, the issue is To Be Continued! It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this story when I first read it, it’s more that I didn’t quite know what to make of it. It was clearly going for something that was a bit beyond my twelve-year-old brain, but I couldn’t really suss out what. Steve Gerber was producing stories at this time that were on another level entirely, filled with iconoclastic insanity and clearly delivered more towards an older audience than most who were probably picking up a super hero book. This is what made his work such a stand-out in this period, its uniqueness. Even today, you would be hard-pressed to find another comic book like this one, particularly a super hero comic book.

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2607.26 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 4042 days ago & DAD = 696 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4177 - All-Star Game in Detroit - 1971 - SoD Reprint from 2021

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4177 - All-Star Game in Detroit - 1971 - SoD Reprint from 2021

The All-Star Game was two weeks ago, but this post is still somewhat timely.

I am still in blog vacation, probably until some time in early August. One more week in the quarter!!

LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.

BLOG VACATION #1 - 2026 - Taking a blog vacation for a couple of weeks, until at least June 26th, 2026. But now that it's past June 26, I am not sure when I am resuming normal operations. Mostly reprints. A few simple shares (not that simple shares are out of the norm) and THAT ONE THING. Need time for other things.

Link to the original post I am reprinting below:

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2338 - 1971 All-Star Game: Detroit

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2338 - 1971 All-Star Game: Detroit

I wish I could have been at this game.

I was only nine years old at the time, just getting into Baseball.

The guy who cut my hair, BIG JOE WRIGHT, who did radio broadcasts for WKMI AM radio, brought me a program from the game, though I am not sure where it is in all my things.

50 years ago.

I didn't realize at the time, and we see now, how 22 future Hall of Famers played in that game.

AMAZING.

Summer is for Baseball.

Happy Summer.

Happy Baseball!!

1971 MLB Allstar Game

Feb 22, 2019

posted by Virgil Moody

https://yesterdaysidols.com/product/1971-all-star-game-with-clemente-and-brock/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31769224/all-your-baseball-cards-came-life-night-50-years-ago-22-hall-famers-played-all-star-game-ages

Tim KurkjianESPN Senior WriterJuly 10, 2021

The greatest center fielder ever was there that magical and historic night at Tiger Stadium 50 years ago for the All-Star Game in Detroit. There was also the all-time leader in RBIs and total bases, the "Hit King" and "Mr. October." So, too, were the best catcher, best-throwing outfielder and best defensive third baseman ever.

"All your baseball cards came to life," said Joe Torre, who started at third base for the National League team. "It was like walking into the Hall of Fame. You say, 'Wow, all of these guys are all Hall of Famers.' You're still gaga over it.''

Eventually, 22 players and managers from that game would make it to Cooperstown, 17 would win an MVP and seven would earn a Cy Young, making this night perhaps the greatest collection of talent ever assembled on one field at one time in the history of baseball.

"I was in awe,'' Torre said. "I was leading the league in hitting, but I was still overwhelmed."

No other All-Star Game has featured 20 Hall of Fame players. Let all the names on this field on this one night sink in: Rod Carew, Brooks Robinson, Luis Aparicio, Frank Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Jackson, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Jim Palmer, Johnny Bench, Willie McCovey, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Willie Stargell, Lou Brock, Ron Santo, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Ferguson Jenkins, Juan Marichal and Roberto Clemente, who would sadly be there for the final time. The managers, the Orioles' Earl Weaver and the Reds' Sparky Anderson, are also in the Hall of Fame.

"I was 23, it was my fourth All-Star Game, but still, these were my idols,'' said the National League catcher Johnny Bench, almost unanimously considered the best catcher ever. That night, he caught the whole game. "They were gods. You get to play with your heroes. I was standing next [to] McCovey, Al Kaline ... I loved Al Kaline. When they came to the plate, it was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling.''

There were six home runs hit in the game, the most famous by Mr. October, Reggie Jackson.

"It was a huge thrill,'' Jackson said. "I remember it being the first game that two Black men started [on the mound]. It was the greatest players in history, like all the guys with 3,000 hits.''

It was Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer's second All-Star Game.

"It was breathtaking being there, all those players, all those home runs, all in one game,'' he said. "It was unbelievable. It was so good, Pete Rose didn't even start. Tell him I said that.''

Rose, the all-time leader in hits, not only didn't start, he didn't take an at-bat. He was in the on-deck circle when the last out was made.

"When I played the outfield,'' said Rose, who later became an every-day infielder, "I had to beat out Mays, Aaron and Clemente to start. That was my competition. I mean, c'mon.''

Hall of Famer Juan Marichal threw two scoreless innings. Bench called it one of the most enjoyable experiences he'd ever had. Marichal's control was precise.

"I could have caught him with a pair of pliers," Bench said.

It made the job of the guy behind the plate calling the game pretty easy.

"The umpire asked if I ever threw a ball," Marichal said.

In 1971, Marichal had been a big leaguer 16 years and won 243 games.

"I had been around a long time, but I felt like a rookie with all those Hall of Famers around me," he said.

Third baseman Brooks Robinson won more Gold Gloves (16) than any position player in history. He, too, was starstruck. But he also remembers something equally significant, at least to him.

"It was most memorable for me because we [the American League] won," he said. "We had been a part of a lot of losing.''

It was one of the best All-Star Games ever played. And it was over in a blink. The game took only 2 hours, 5 minutes, which is inconceivable in today's world where the average time is 3 hours, 10 minutes. The lineups were chosen by a computerized ballot. Hank Aaron received the most votes. Tigers Hall of Fame second baseman Charlie Gehringer threw out the ceremonial first ball at Tiger Stadium. The wind was howling in Detroit.

"I played in 17 All-Star Games," Rose said. "The only one we lost was Detroit. Back then, it was about league pride. Henry and Willie never played in the American League. Yastrzemski and Al Kaline never played in the National League. The best speech I ever heard came from Warren Giles, the president of the National League. He came in the clubhouse every year to talk to the players about winning the game. Veins were sticking out in his neck. He said, 'If we don't win this year, you guys won't be making this team next year!'''

All 10 runs were scored via the home run, which happens all the time in today's game, but not back then, which made it even more significant. Appropriately, given the historic collection of talent, the first two batters of the game were Mays and Aaron, who would finish their careers with a combined 1,415 home runs. That's how great this game was: The 1-2 hitters were perhaps among the five best players of all time. Mays is the greatest center fielder ever and, other than Babe Ruth, perhaps the best player ever.

"The All-Star Game was built for Willie Mays,'' said former teammate Felipe Alou.

Mays was facing the A's 21-year-old Vida Blue, who would win the AL Cy Young and MVP that season. He had 17 victories entering the game, most ever by a pitcher at the break in the All-Star Game era. The previous record was 16 by Bob Feller in 1941. Blue threw really hard, but he got Mays to ground out to shortstop on a changeup to start the game.

"Willie yelled at me from the dugout, 'I thought you threw hard? Where is the fastball?!'" Blue said.

Blue was opposed by the Pirates' Dock Ellis, who was leading the National League in victories and ERA at the break. Ellis, always outspoken, often controversial, said publicly that he didn't think Anderson would name him the starting pitcher because "baseball doesn't want two brothers to start the All-Star Game."

But Anderson chose Ellis, marking the first time that two Black pitchers had started an All-Star Game.

The home run barrage began in the second inning, when Bench hit a massive home run to right-center field off Blue.

"It was one of the longest home runs I've ever hit in my life,'' Bench said. "It's the All-Star Game, so Vida is going to gas it up. I'm going to start swinging as soon as he releases it. It went into the upper deck. The camera couldn't even follow it, no one could see where it went because it went through a tunnel in right-center field. The talk when I got back to the dugout was that these guys had never seen anything hit that far. Of course, many of them had never played a game at Tiger Stadium in their life, either. It was awesome.''

In the third inning, Aaron came to the plate with a .175 average and no extra-base hits in his career in an All-Star Game. Then, in his 65th career at-bat in an All-Star Game, he hit a home run to right field off Blue.

"I had never hit one,'' Aaron said 47 years later. "I needed to hit one. I finally got one.''

The wind was blowing out that night at Tiger Stadium, as much as 32 mph to right field. In the bottom of the third inning, Jackson came to the plate as a pinch hitter for Blue.

"So, I pinch hit in the third inning, and I thought, 'Why aren't they saving me for the big moment?''' Jackson said. "I was picked as substitute for the game for Tony Oliva, who hurt his knee. I remember when I was packing my stuff to go to Detroit, [teammate] Sal [Bando] told me, 'Buck, whatever you do, don't go there and strike out.' Within two pitches, it was 0-2. I stepped out of the box and I said, 'Oh my God,' Sal said, 'Buck, don't strike out.' So I choked up. Dock threw a ball. [The count] was 1-2. Then I hit this ball up into the lights. The wind was blowing out that day. I connected with one. I was so proud. The first thing that entered my mind when I was rounded third was, 'OK Sal, I didn't strike out.'''

It was one of the longest home runs in major league history.

"No, it wasn't, it was probably 50 feet shorter than mine,'' Bench said, laughing.

The ball hit the light transformer on the roof at Tiger Stadium. Estimates were 520 to 540 feet.

Reggie Jackson's long home run was a signature moment of the 1971 All-Star Game. AP Photo

"For him to do that and ... be Reggie, he tried to take it to the flair of Willie Mays, to be a showman, and he was,'' Bench said. "He backed it up. Everyone in the dugout came out to look at it because they knew it was historic. Reggie had his chest out, he had the bounce going.''

Palmer was warming up in the bullpen at the time.

"As soon as Reggie hit that ball ... the place went completely silent because everyone was watching where it would land,'' Palmer said. "It if hadn't hit the electrical box, it would have gone out of the stadium. If it had hit the lights, it would have been like Robert Redford in 'The Natural.'''

Jackson made a slow trot around the bases, as he should have after a blast like that.

"Al Kaline said to me it was the longest ball he had ever seen hit, and that meant a lot to me because he had played there, his home ballpark, he had seen a few balls hit over the roof,'' Jackson said. "When you ran around the bases, Willie McCovey was at first. Joe Torre was hitting probably .380 at that time, Johnny Bench was catching, Mays and Aaron were in the outfield. It was such a special moment for me in front of all these guys.''

Torre laughed when asked about Jackson's home run.

"Two things I'm famous for in that All-Star Game,'' he said. "When Reggie hit the transformer on the roof, as he [was] rounding third, you could see my feet, with my hands on my hips as he ran by me. The other thing in that game, Bobby Murcer hit a popup. It was a windy night in Detroit. I said, 'I got it! I got it!' Once you say you've got it, you have to take it. I'm the third baseman. I ran across the mound and catch it at first base. I felt like the silliest guy in the world when I said, 'I got it.' Then I thought, 'Oh my, I don't know.' So I got over there and I caught the ball, thank goodness. And who's looking down at me but Stretch McCovey. And he says, 'What are you doing over here?'''

Frank Robinson was one of 22 future Hall of Famers on the field during the 1971 All-Star Game. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Did Reggie say anything to Torre as he was rounding third base?

"No,'' Torre said laughing. "He was too busy congratulating himself to talk to me. You know that.''

Three batters later, Frank Robinson homered to right field, breaking his 0-for-14 streak in All-Star Games. Robinson, the only player ever to win the MVP award in both leagues, became the first player ever to hit a home run in the All-Star Game for both leagues. It gave the AL a 4-3 lead. Robinson was named the MVP of the 1971 All-Star Game.

"But my homer wasn't close to where Reggie hit his,'' Robinson said.

In the fourth inning, Palmer faced Bench, whom he had faced in the 1970 World Series, which was won by the Orioles mainly because of Brooks Robinson's brilliant defense at third.

"God sent Brooks to play third base in the '70 World Series,'' Rose said. "He caught everything but a cold.''

And he did so in the 1971 All-Star Game, including against Bench.

"I made Brooks the MVP by hitting 14 rockets at him and he fielded them all,'' Bench said. "The second time up in the All-Star Game, I hit a BB to third. He just scooped it up like it was nothing. I threw my hands up in the air. I pointed right at him and he just laughed.''

Brooks Robinson laughed about it 50 years later.

"Johnny hit a bullet, a one-hopper to my left, I made a great play on it, and threw him out,'' he said. "Years and years later, I saw a film clip of that All-Star Game and it reminded me of the 1970 World Series when ... I did well. So I'm watching this clip and I see Johnny take two steps out of the box and he threw his bat up in the air and if to say, 'Oh no, not again.' I'd never seen that before.''

The home runs continued in the sixth when Harmon Killebrew took Ferguson Jenkins deep. And in the eighth, in what would be the final at-bat in an All-Star Game for the great Roberto Clemente, he homered to right field off Mickey Lolich to cut the lead to 6-4.

Lolich, the ace of the Tigers, pitched a scoreless ninth for the save, getting Bench to pop out for the final out. It was the AL's first victory since the 1962 game. It made up for, to some degree, the crushing defeat for the AL the year before when Rose barreled over AL catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run in the 1970 game, prompting Senators outfielder Frank Howard to say to Palmer as they walked off the field in defeat, "Oh, f--- those NL guys.''

That's how the game was played back then -- for pride.

"The NL always kicked our butts,'' Jackson said. "It was finally good to win one.'' And how often, 50 years later, does someone mention his home run in the 1971 All-Star Game?

"It does come up quite a bit,'' Jackson said. "I never get tired of people telling me I was good.''

Everything was good about the 1971 All-Star Game, the night that perhaps the greatest collection of talent of all time assembled on one field.

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2107.13 - 10:10

- Days ago = 2202 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2607.25 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 4041 days ago & DAD = 695 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.