Thought for the Day

Some odd sporting records and achievements

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Roy Riegels played for the University of California, Berkeley football team, the Golden Bears, from 1927 to 1929, becoming an All-American and serving as team captain for the Bears in 1929. 

On January 1, 1929, the Golden Bears faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, Midway through the second quarter, 30 yards out from the Yellow Tech line, Riegels picked up a fumbled ball and ran, And ran. It was like that scene in Forrest Gump where Forrest is given the ball and told to run, which he does, right out of the stadium. The crowd was on its feet and loud. Still Roy ran. Eventually he was stopped 3 yards from the line . . . his own line, having been stopped by his teammate Benny Lom. The Bears decided to punt but the punt was blocked and resulted in a safety, giving Tech a 2 – 0 lead. They ended up winning 8-7. Riegels was so mortified and distressed that he didn’t want to go out after the second quarter but his coach convinced him and he is often used as an inspiration for coming back from adversity. 

According to Riegels: “I was running toward the sidelines when I picked up the ball, I started to turn to my left toward Tech's goal. Somebody shoved me and I bounded right off into a tackler. In pivoting to get away from him, I completely lost my bearings.” 

Nonetheless he was known thereafter as Roy “Wrong Way” Riegels. 

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French rugby player Gaston Vareilles was selected to play for France against Scotland in 1910, i]his international debut. When the team train stopped at Lyon, Vareilles hopped off to get a baguette at the station snack bar. Unfortunately for him the queue was so long that by the time he returned to the platform, the train was disappearing into the distance. He was never picked for his country again. C’est la vie. 

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During a cricket game in Kalgoorlie, Australia, in the 1970s, batsman Stan Dawson was hit by a delivery which ignited a box of matches he kept in his hip pocket. As he tried to beat down the flames with his hands, he was stumped out by the other team. 

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Rafael Gómez Ortega, (1882 - 1960) also known as El Gallo ("the rooster") was an early twentieth century bullfighter. He came from a family of famous bullfighters, including his matador father, Fernando Gómez García and matador younger brother, José Gómez Ortega. He is today remembered for several of his unique fighting techniques such as the espantada - or "sudden flight", which simply consisted of him fleeing when the bull entered the ring. Other techniques included fighting bulls from a chair. He is remembered by the phrase, "all of us artists have bad days." His fights were considered amusement to the audience, and he was brought out of retirement seven times because of this "sportsmanship". In his last fight, in October 1918, he claimed he spared the bull because it "winked" at him. The audience again felt this was hilarious, but Ortega's brother, José (also known as "Joselito El Gallo"), concerned about the family honour, hopped into the ring and killed the bull.

Quote for the Day

Although . . .

Readers Write

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FEEDBACK:

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Email from Graham E in response to yesterday’s post about sculptures and statues: 

Hi Mr O,

The first head statue is an eleven-metre-high statue in Prague that has forty-two moving panels that form the face of the great Czech writer Franz Kafka. I only recently saw footage of it moving, here is a link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjkqnSX2-4I 

Here are some other impressive statues: 

Genghis Khan in China 

Genghis Khan in Mongolia 

Genghis Khan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

(okay, Graham didn't send that one, I added it)

The Motherland in Russia 

Peter the Great in Russia 

Thanks Graham. 

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Another interesting statue and back story: 

From wikipedia:

In 1997, a 12-ton sandstone statue depicting Mel Gibson as William Wallace in Braveheart was placed in the car park of the Wallace Monument near Stirling, Scotland. The statue, which was the work of Tom Church, a monumental mason from Brechin, included the word "Braveheart" on Wallace's shield. The installation became the cause of much controversy; one local resident stated that it was wrong to "desecrate the main memorial to Wallace with a lump of crap". In 1998, someone wielding a hammer vandalized the statue's face. After repairs were made, the statue was encased in a cage every night to prevent further vandalism. This only incited more calls for the statue to be removed, as it then appeared that the Gibson/Wallace figure was imprisoned. The statue was described as "among the most loathed pieces of public art in Scotland". In 2008, the statue was returned to its sculptor to make room for a new visitor centre being built at the foot of the Wallace Monument.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braveheart

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Email from Tobye P in respect of the relocated Federation Pavilion: 

Hi Otto, thanks for these, I love the “suburbs” series and the old photos. 
But I have to ask-what happened to the mega-cool Federation Pavilion 1901-and why was it replaced with that pedestrian Folly? I hate when that happens! Those Victorians knew how to build a pavilion… 
Enjoy the weekend! 
Best, Tobye 

Reply to Tobye: 

What remains is the basic structure, the original had a lot of plaster work on it. 

Thanks Toby

Reply from Tobye: 

Amazing that they managed to transform it into a barn-like structure…but you can see a lot of plaster on the original.
They just don’t make them like they used to I guess!
Thanks for satisfying my curiosity though. I am fascinated by the old pavilions of the late 1900’s, or “bandstands” as we call them-many have survived here. Relics of another time…
Regards, Tobye 

Thanks for the input Tobye. 

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Email from Sandra B in relation to the post about the younger generation and their mobile phones : 

Hi Otto, 

I thought it would be a good idea to put the phone on the kitchen wall way back then. I forgot having sisters our calls could be for hours, somebody snapped this photo. I had my dress tucked so no one could see my “bits” 

No walking around with the phone in my hand, or laying in bed or sprawled out on the lounge. We had to sit or stand where the phone was installed. 

I don’t care if you want to post this no one can see anything. 

Cheers, and was great catching up with you last night. 

Sandy 

Thanks, Sandy, and here is the pic Sandy sent: 

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Email from Rob T in the UK, in response to the post “Who Remembers . . .?”, where one of the items mentioned was Sunnyboys: 

Rob’s email:

Dear Otto,

Interesting about Sunny Boy ….For us in the UK it was Jubblies … https://www.doyouremember.co.uk/memory/jubbly-frozen-drinks 

It also inspired a catch phrase “Lovely Jubbly”
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lovely%20Jubbly 

With best regards,
Rob 

Thanks Rob. 

Gallery: 

Ooops, wrong Jubblies

Quote for the Day

Fascinating Sculptures and Statues

Bonus Item: 

Christ the King is a statue of Jesus Christ in Świebodzin, western Poland, completed on 6 November 2010. The figure is 33 metres (108 ft) tall, the crown is 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall, and along with its mound, it reaches 52.5 metres (172 ft) overall. It took five years in total to construct and cost around $1.5 million to build, which was collected from donations of the 21,000 residents of the town. The project was conceived and led by Sylwester Zawadzki, a retired Polish priest. It is the tallest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 3 metres (9.8 ft) taller than the better known statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.. 

There is no truth in the suggestion that the above stautue is the first in a planned group if four as follows: 

Bonus Item 2:

The Statue of Unity, portraying Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding fathers of India, during its inauguration in Kevadia, in the western state of Gujarat, India, on October 31, 2018. The monument, standing 597 feet (182 metres) tall, is now the tallest statue on Earth:

Stairs lead up to the 420-foot (128-meter) Spring Temple Buddha statue, now the second tallest in the world. The statue stands near the town of Zhaocun, in Lushan County, Henan, China, and was completed in 2008:

Laykyun Sekkya, in Khatakan Taung, Myanmar, a statue of Buddha standing 380 feet (115.8 meters) tall:

The Ushiku Great Buddha in Ibaraki, Japan, photographed on April 29, 2018. The 330-foot-tall (100-meter-tall) statue, completed in 1993, held the title of the world's tallest statue for nine years:

Approximare heights of the tallest statues:

1. Statue of Unity 240 m (incl. 58 m base) 

2. Spring Temple Buddha 153 m (incl. 25 m pedestal and 20 m throne) 

3. Statue of Liberty 93 m (incl. 47 m pedestal) 

4. The Motherland Calls 87 m (incl. 2 m pedestal) 

5. Christ the Redeemer 38 m (incl. 8 m pedestal) 

6. Statue of David 5.17 m (excl. 2.5m plinth)