Jim Abbott, born in 1968, was a major league pitcher from 1989 to 1999. He pitched for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox, and Brewers. As a member of the Yankees, he threw a no-hitter against the Indians in 1993. His career record was 87 wins and 108 losses.
Abbott was born without a right hand. When he was ready to pitch the ball, Abbott would rest his glove on the end of his right forearm. After releasing the ball, he would quickly slip his left hand into the glove, usually in time to field any ball hit his way. Opposing teams often tried to exploit his handicap by bunting to him.
Abbott Elementary is a US TV comedy series that follows the same format set forth by The Office, a UK series that combined comedy with “reality television” in a mockumentary genre.
Elementary was a U.S. crime procedural TV series: a contemporary update of Sherlock Holmes. Set primarily in New York, the series starred Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes, and Lucy Liu as his professional partner, Dr. Joan Watson.
Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch alternated the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature in Nick Dear’s staged production of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley’s novel.
Leo VIII deposed the sitting Pope John XII with the support of Otto I. The Roman people declared John XII the true pope and after his death they elected Benedict V as pope who was overthrown by Leo VIII and Otto I. Today Leo VIII is considered both an anti-pope because of disposing of John XII and pope as Benedict V’s successor.
In 1977, animation studio Rankin/Bass released a made-for-television movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. The film featured a number of well-known actors providing the voices of the major characters, including John Huston (Gandalf), Orson Bean (Bilbo), Richard Boone (Smaug), Otto Preminger (“The Elvenking” (Thranduil)), Hans Conried (Thorin), Brother Theodore (Gollum), and Cyril Ritchard (Elrond).
Per Wiki, stoats were “introduced into New Zealand in the late 19th century to control rabbits, but had a devastating effect on native bird populations and [were later] nominated as one of the world’s top 100 ‘worst invaders.’”
While rabbits were first brought to Australia in 1788 as a food source, it wasn’t until 1859 that several species were introduced to the wild for sport. 10 years later, two million individuals were shot or trapped, with no noticeable effect on the population. It was the fastest spread ever recorded of any mammal anywhere in the world.
The South Syndey Rabbitohs are a rugby league football club, which compete in Australia’s National Rugby League.
The team’s traditional area was a working-class enclave, and the team’s nickname is believed to have originated by the “Rabbit-oh” call of street merchants in the area, peddling rabbits for use as meat in the early 20th century.
The actor Russell Crowe is a shareholder of the South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby team, and the incumbent Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, is a longtime fan. The team’s colors are cardinal red and myrtle green.
A myth about the Trojan War was that a Trojan prince named Paris judged a contest between three Olympic goddesses: Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite. The latter promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world would be his; he chose Aphrodite as the winner, and the goddess of love delivered to him Helen, queen of Sparta. Helen’s husband, King Menelaus of Sparta demanded Helen’s return, and when Paris refused the king declared war on Troy. Paris dies in combat, and Menelaus retrieves his wife and returns to Sparta.
“Athena” is a song by the rock band The Who, from their 1982 album It’s Hard.
The song was originally written by Pete Townshend in 1980, with the working title “Theresa,” and was inspired by Townshend’s unrequited crush on actress Theresa Russell. Russell had rebuffed Townshend’s advances, as she was, at that time, engaged to director Nic Roeg.
Surprisingly (to me, anyway) The Who has never had a #1 single on the Billboard charts in the US. Their highest-rated single “I Can See for Miles” reached #9 on the list.
The longest-running number one single on the Billboard singles chart is “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X (and feat. Billy Ray Cyrus), which spent 19 weeks at that position. The Beatles have the most number one hits on the chart, with 20 songs having reached that position.