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Gettysburg

High Tide of the Confederacy

On July 1^st, 1863, the greatest battle of the American Civil War began and two days later would end with a resounding Union victory. Gettysburg, a small crossroads town in central Pennsylvania, was not supposed to be the turning point of the Civil War, but fate and circumstance would bring together the two great armies of the North and South in an epic clash that would change the course of history. For anyone interested in American history, a trip to Gettysburg, PA will not disappoint. The Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center should be the first stop on this historical trip, not only does it include an impressive museum it also has the 1884 Gettysburg Cyclorama, a 360-degree portrait that is extremely impressive and well worth the cost of admission. There are also multiple options to view the battlefield and the 1400 monuments, the Museum offers a guided tour which is very good and there is also the option to drive your own car and follow the car of a tour guide, for the serious student of Gettysburg there is also the option of a self-guided tour. This might be the best option for those familiar with the battle. For this blog, I will offer a short synopsis of the significant events of each day and the accompanying maps to help explain the big events of the battle.

Day 1

The Battle of Gettysburg, also known as the “High Tide of the Confederacy” or “High Water Mark of the Confederacy” lasted for three days, from 1-3 July 1863, and was truly epic is scale. Pitting 70,000 invading Confederates from the Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee against 90,000 Union Soldiers from the Army of the Potomac, led by General George Meade, Gettysburg would be the deadliest battle of the Civil War. Day 1 began on the north west side of town when Union cavalry elements led by General John Buford engaged elements of AP Hills II Corp along the Chambersburg Pike. Buford fought a defensive battle with his much smaller cavalry force while awaiting the Union I Corp. Upon arrival, I Corps commander General John Reynolds was killed (there is a very nice memorial where Reynolds fell) along McPherson’s Ridge while deploying elements of the famous Iron Brigade. His replacement was General Abner Doubleday, who historically has been credited with inventing baseball although that claim has been refuted in more modern times. Later that morning, more Confederate elements would arrive from the north as General Richard Ewell’s III Corp arrived and engaged elements of the Union XI Corp due north of Gettysburg. Ultimately, the Union would be pushed back after fierce fighting and take up a defensive position south of Gettysburg on Cemetery Hill. This is one of the many decisive points of the Battle due to the fact that Lee had arrived during the afternoon and instructed Ewell to take the hill “if practicable”. The significance of this is that Ewell was in command of Stonewall Jackson’s old Corp, Jackson had been Lee’s most aggressive lieutenant and was practically a rock star in his own right. He was killed by friendly fire in the previous battle at Chancellorsville. Some historians, amateur and/or professional, have suggested that had Jackson been at Gettysburg he would have interpreted Lee’s orders as press the attack and destroy the enemy forces. If that would have happened it would have dramatically changed the course of this battle as the Confederates would have been able to occupy the high ground around Cemetery Hill and along Cemetery Ridge and fight a defensive battle instead of the offense strategy Lee would adopt. Regardless, Ewell’s judgement was not to press the attack, and that would end the action on Day 1.

Day 2

Day 2 at Gettysburg would feature battles on each end of the Union line. On the southern end of the Union line or left, fierce battles would be fought in areas known as the Peach Orchard, Devils Den, the Wheat Field and on Little Round Top. The battles in these locations occurred because General Daniel Sickles had moved III Corp forward from his designated line along Cemetery Ridge to positions he felt offered a relative advantage. Sickles took this action on his own initiative after being instructed to hold his position, in later years he would aggressively defend his decisions even though they almost lost the battle. Sickles was a very interesting gentleman, a political appointee from Tammany Hall in New York, he was one of the few Generals that was not a West Point graduate. He would ultimately lose his leg in the days battle and later have it preserved and displayed in Washington DC. This is one of the more controversial moments of the overall battle as Lieutenant General James Longstreet (Lee’s Old War Horse) had urged Lee to move Confederate forces to the south and take up a position between the Union army and Washington, DC. Lee did not agree and insisted upon the attack which might have been successful except for extraordinary leadership displayed by Union generals. The other big event on the southern edge of the battle was between the 20^th Maine and elements of the Confederate army from Alabama. The battle at Little Round Top is the stuff of legend as the commander, COL Joshua Chamberlain defended the southern flank until his Soldiers were basically out of ammunition and then he gave the order to “fix bayonets” and the 20^th Maine charged down the hill and captured the units from Alabama. Chamberlain would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day (The Union would award 64 Medals of Honor at Gettysburg, including one to the controversial General Sickles). In a later battle Chamberlain would be shot through the hips, usually a lethal wound in those days, and be promoted to General, before his expected death, by General Ulysses S. Grant. However, he would recover and later be selected by Grant to receive the colors of the Army of Northern Virginia in their surrender at Appomattox Courthouse at the end of the war. The other action on Day 2 took place at Culp’s hill on the top of the “fishhook” that made up the Union line. However, fierce fighting there did little to change the overall outcome of the battle.

Day 3

Day 3 at Gettysburg is famous for Pickett’s Charge or as some call it, Longstreet’s Assault. Pickett’s Charge is one of the most controversial decisions of the battle and while it involved more units than just Pickett’s, it was Pickett’s Division that has been immortalized in history. Longstreet was fiercely against the frontal assault but Lee would not budge and the decision to attack across an open field that was almost a mile long was made with a nod from Longstreet. Meade had fought a defensive battle up until this point and he would not change on the third day, he anticipated the frontal assault and was ready for it. Prior to Pickett’s Charge into the history books, the largest artillery battle of the war took place to prep the battlefield with hundreds of cannons firing on each side. Ultimately, the assault would be unsuccessful with heavy losses for the Confederates as they were cut down moving in formation across the open field between Seminary Ridge and Cemetery Ridge. General Lewis Armistead, a Brigade commander in Pickett’s Division, and a small group of Soldiers would break through the Union line at a point in the fence known as the Angle due to it being a small section of fence at a right angle. This is the official point of the “High Tide of the Confederacy”. This is as far as the Confederates would get as Armistead and most of the others would be killed by a fierce Union counterattack. One of the interesting facts about Pickett’s Charge is in the most famous portrait of the charge, the officer with his hat on his sword leading his troops is not Pickett but Armistead. The other high point of Day 3 was a cavalry battle on the east side of Culp’s Hill between General JEB Stuart’s Confederate Cavalry and General DM Gregg’s Union Cavalry. Stuart had finally arrived late on Day 2 to the great consternation of Lee as his primary recon element had been out of communications for over a week. The battle was essentially a draw but one of the interesting facts about this is one of the Union Generals was none other than George Custer (who would become a house hold name at The Battle of the Little Big Horn). Stuart would eventually retreat and at that point the Battle of Gettysburg was over and the Confederacy would retreat back to Virginia.

Summary: Gettysburg would be the last time the Army of Northern Virginia would venture into the North. The losses at Gettysburg would total over 51,000 killed, injured or missing (over 28,000 Confederates and over 23,000 Union). The big questions about Gettysburg can never really be answered. Could Stonewall Jackson have turned the tide? Was Stuart’s absence the reason the South lost? Was Lee somewhat incapacitated from what some historians think was a heart attack some months prior? Would Longstreet’s plan have worked? In the end it is all irrelevant as the South took on a larger force fighting a defensive battle with inspired leadership. The North led by Meade, who had been in command for a total of six days, won and won decisively. The victory, accompanied with the Confederate surrender of Vicksburg, MS to General Grant on July 4^th as Lee retreated was the turning point of the Civil War.

I recommend using YouTube to help prepare you for the trip to Gettysburg

A fitting ending to Gettysburg was given by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 during the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg.

A few images from Gettysburg

The Titan Missile Museum

The Titan Missile Museum just south of Tucson in Sahuarita, AZ is truly a window into the recent past. From an historical point of view, it is a window into the Cold War, the existential struggle between East and West that dominated much of the 20^th Century and has taken on a renewed importance with the recent revanchist goals of Russia. The current conflict in Ukraine has brought the threat of nuclear war to the headlines again as it once dominated nightly news in the western world. From an historical perspective, the Titan Missile Museum is very impressive, from a contemporary point of view it is downright terrifying. The very thought that we (the human race) now possess, and have possessed for over 70 years the ability to destroy the planet is almost beyond comprehension. While history tells us the Cold War ended around 1990 with the fall of the Soviet Union (although it now appears that maybe it only cooled off for a few years), the Titan Missile Museum offers tangible evidence that the Cold War was real and probably much hotter than most people realized.

Located about 20 miles south of Tucson, Arizona, the Titan Missile Museum is a very impressive facility. The last of the Titan II sites remaining, it serves as both a historians dream and an interesting trip for families. The guided tour, led by the friendly staff, leads you into the heart of the complex, the control room where the extremely knowledgeable tour guides (ours had once served on one of the teams that controlled the fate of mankind) walk you through the launch process on the same equipment used during the height of the Cold War. Fun for kids and somewhat chilling for adults that can remember the Cold War, the very thought of launching such weapons sends a chill down the spine. Today, nearly 40 years since it was deactivated as a functional site, the Titan II complex, designated 571-7, is still capable of generating genuine fear at the thought of nuclear Armageddon.

The origins of the Cold War stretch back to World War II. Upon the Allied victory in Europe, Russia made the strategic decision to annex much of the territory it had gained throughout the war and set off a chain of events that would last well over 50 years. In reality, the struggle was more ideological than practical. The political ramifications of WWII led to a great power struggle between East and West which took the form of Communism versus Capitalism. This struggle of wills did not happen overnight and WWII was not even the catalyst but it did provide a unique opportunity for political and ideological expansion that otherwise would have taken years and more, perhaps smaller, military actions to accomplish. As Stalinist led Russia sought to expand the influence of Communism (through any means necessary) the West led by the United States sought to expand Democracy and by extension Capitalism. The competing ideologies collided at the end of WWII and would be in direct or indirect conflict from that moment on. From this perspective, the Cold War started at the end of WWII with the dissolution of the formal alliance of the Allies after the defeat of the Axis Powers in Europe. However, an argument can be made that the roots of the Cold War go back to the overthrow of the Czar in Russia and the birth of the Communist party. The competing ideologies were always destined for conflict as the incompatible nature would manifest fully at the conclusion of WWII. In many regards, WWII can be viewed as the most significant waypoint in the history of mankind, destruction on a global scale was introduced as political ambition and technology outpaced social maturity. The exclamation points for this social evolution came with the atomic bombs dropped on Japan that ended WWII. Viewed as a necessity at the time to end the worst conflict in history, the invention and use of the atomic bomb would take the world into a whole new era, the Atomic Age. This new era of mass destruction directly led to the Cold War. Never before had humankind possessed the ability to destroy not only their enemies but the entire world and thus was born the Cold War doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD, as it would become known. The real turning point in the Cold War might be traced to 1949 when the Soviet Union as Russia was then known, detonated its first Atomic Bomb, NATO was formed, and Communist Forces took power in China. These three events continue to shape the future and drive the ideological struggle between East and West.

This is where the world was at immediately following WWII and led to the creation and construction of the Titan II Missile Complexes in the United States. At the height of their powers there were 54 active Titan II complexes at three sites with each possessing 18 missiles. Arkansas, Kansas, and Arizona were selected to house the sites with site 571-7 located just south of Tucson, AZ. This is where the Titan Missile Museum provides its window into the Cold War.

Operating from 1963 until 1987, the Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) provided deterrence to the Soviet Union on a global scale. The museum offers a great look at the past with the actual control room and a real missile (the actual missile on display was a training model and was never actually fitted with a nuclear warhead). The tour offers an unprecedented view of the activities surrounding the operation, from entrance into the control room (very difficult process for the crew during the operational period) to launch and the practical end of the world. The tour is very interesting and really begs the question of so called “nuclear diplomacy”, its hard to imagine how threatening to destroy the world could be a credible form of diplomacy. Putting the ethical and moral issues to the side for a moment the actual specifications of the missile are very impressive. The Titan II was the most powerful nuclear missile ever built by the United States, with a range of 6,300 miles traveling at 16,000 MPH and carrying a 9-megaton warhead (that’s 9 million tons of explosive force) each one of the 54 Titan II’s could destroy an area of 900 square miles. Think about that for a moment, 900 square miles. To put this in perspective, Moscow is 970 square miles in size, one Titan II Missile could erase it from existence (coincidence?). By way of comparison, New York City has an area of approximately 300 square miles. The largest nuclear bombs built by the Soviet Union are thought to have been in the 20-megaton range however the extra explosive force did not really equate to much more damage but it kind of gives you an idea of Soviet thinking at the time.

From a pop culture perspective, the Museum was featured in the movie Star Trek First Contact as the missile that Zefram Cochrane used to build the first war capable ship and the site has also been featured on the History Channel. The movie Dr. Strangelove by Stanley Kubrick also features nuclear war or “nuclear combat” as one of the stars, Slim Pickens (undoubtedly one of the greatest names in show business history) called it and is a great example of the absurdity of nuclear war as seen through the eyes of both sides in this “no win” scenario.

I highly recommend a trip to the Titan Missile Museum. It has much to offer for scholars, history buffs or just the casual tourist. The tour is a lot of fun and really brings to life what it was like to serve in the Air Force during the Cold War and be on the forward edge of freedom manning the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.

As always I suggest letting YouTube be your tour guide, doing a little homework will greatly enhance the experience, enjoy!

Titan Missile Museum Gallery

The Most Underrated Band Ever!

In 1978 one of the most underrated bands of all time dropped the bomb. At Budokan would go on to become Cheap Trick’s big break, their Frampton Comes Alive, their Kiss Alive, their signature moment and introduction to the greater world of rural America and beyond. Not their first album, At Budokan contained tracks from their second and third studio albums, In Color and Heaven Tonight, and made hits out of Surrender, I Want You to Want Me, and the remake Ain’t That a Shame (a Fats Domino cover). Hearing Cheap Trick on AM radio it the late 70’s was magical in a low-tech kind of way but that didn’t matter, the power of their music transcended the tiny speakers of the car radio. The late 70’s was a great time for popular music and Cheap Trick along with Aldo Nova, Billy Squier, and Van Halen among others paved the way for the Hair Bands of the 80’s and artists to this day.

At Budakon may be Cheap Trick’s best-known album to use the vernacular of the time but a strong argument can be made that their best album is All Shook Up (homage to Elvis?). At Budakon contained the best of their first two album in their most primitive, savage form. The cutting vocals of Robin Zander, the thundering bass of Tom Petersson, the steady backbeat of Bun E. Carlos, and the theatrical guitar work of Rick Neilsen had a much more immediate feel in a live setting. Unlike some live albums the fan noise added to the overall aural esthetic, creating the impression of actually being there with the crowd. At Budakon is truly an epic accomplishment (3X Platinum or over 3 million copies sold) for the “Greatest Bar band in history”.

Cheap Trick’s 4^th studio album, Dream Police, is also a great showcase of their unique strengths as a power pop band with standout tracks such as the title track, Gonna Raise Hell, and the epic Voices. Voices might be one of the most interesting songs in their entire catalog. Featuring multilayer vocals and a catchy guitar hook, Voices, highlighted everything that made Cheap Trick one of the top bands of the late 70’s and early 80’s.

But the best was yet to come. Cheap Trick’s 5^th Studio album, All Shook Up, displayed each of the band members at their peak. With absolutely no throw away tracks, All Shook Up, is the album that should be played for any novice to the pop culture genre interested in what made music so great in the late 70’s/early 80’s. The synth intro to the first track, Stop This Game, sets the mood and builds to a mighty climax. With lyrics such as “I can’t stop the music, I could stop it before”, Stop This Game provides a testament to the growing popularity of Cheap Trick and the insanity of being a Rock Star in the 80’s. Other standout tracks include Just Got Back and Baby Loves to Rock but all the songs on this album are strong, easily the most consistent offering from the band.

Cheap Trick are truly one of the greatest bands of the last 40+ years of popular music. From Fats Domino to the Beatles, Cheap Trick are the natural extension of popular music.

Rebooting the Star Trek Reboot part 2

Rebooting the Star Trek reboot is not as hard it seems to be for the studio. In continuing my last post, I wanted to add a few more episodes that are ripe for rebooting in the JJ Abrams style in the Kelvin timeline. First let me address a current internet ‘hot’ topic, the Quintin Tarantino remake rumor. Tarantino has done some awesome work; Pulp Fiction may be one of the best movies in the history of cinema. The Kill Bill’s are also great and don’t forget Reservoir Dogs, all classics. But his movies are somewhat specific and defined by his unique style. A style that is heavy on dialogue and graphic violence, now don’t get me wrong, I love his movies but I’m not sure they would be true to the Star Trek that I loved growing up. With that being said, I do find the idea of Tarantino making a Star Trek based upon the gangster episode A Piece of the Action intriguing. Think Pulp Fiction meets Star Trek, what a wild concept. It could be completely awesome, and it could be a train wreck but either way it would be entertaining. The purists would undoubtedly hate it, but I would watch it (and love it!).

A Piece of the Action preview

Pulp Fiction Trailer

However, I think the better episode for Tarantino to reboot would be Mirror, Mirror. The whole alternate universe where the Federation is evil would be right in the Tarantino wheelhouse. Especially, the evil Spock, the most complicated of characters who is capable of anything. And then think about the potential action scenes with the Enterprise and space battles, or hand to hand combat in the 23rd century with phasers and all manner of exotic combat, this would be epic. I would like this reboot to keep the same aesthetics of the JJ Abrams reboots and maybe bring back Chris Hemsworth as Kirk’s father and Captain Pike and the newly muscular Enterprise. Also update and use the original music, maybe make this movie like an extended original episode. Maybe also add a character for Kurt Russell, he is always great in Tarantino movies.

This also makes me think that maybe Tarantino should do a reboot of Escape From New York and bring back Snake Plisken. Another idea that might be workable and an updated New York might be interesting. In closing, Quintin Tarantino doing a hard-core Sci-Fi movie, I’m all for it. A Kelvin timeline alternate universe movie sounds intriguing as well as a rebooted Escape From New York. I mean come on, who doesn’t want to hear Kurt Russell say, “Call me Snake” one more time?

Escape From New York Trailer

Let’s hope Tarantino makes one of these movies or something similar in the near future!

Rebooting the Star Trek reboot

The Star Trek franchise is wasting a great opportunity sitting right under its nose. The reboots with JJ Abrams at the helm were spectacular, updated for a new generation with matching graphics and sets, the first two Kelvin timeline movies were not only great movies but true to the spirit of TOS. But the third attempt, Beyond, was misguided and diluted, featuring villain’s unknown in the Star Trek canon (Idris Elba was awesome as always but even he could not save this well intentioned effort). Never fear, I have the solution and it’s so simple. All future movies should be based upon TOS episodes, updated in the same way the JJ Abrams movies were updated, using the same characters and with the same twists to keep the stories fresh.

Please allow me to demonstrate, the first two episodes of TOS, both pilots, The Cage (or The Menagerie) and Where No Man Has Gone Before both have compelling stories that would benefit from a new telling. Before anyone gets excited and starts complaining about Captain Pike being killed in Into Darkness, we are talking about Sci-Fi and timelines and mortality can easily be changed to meet the needs of the storyteller. Where No Man Has Gone Before would also make a great choice with the storyline of Lt. Gary Mitchell and ESP at the edge of the galaxy. Another great choice would be The City on the Edge of Forever with time travel playing a huge part of the story it would fit in nicely with the Kelvin timeline.

Let’s start with The Cage, which was the original pilot episode and later adapted into a two-part episode entitled The Menagerie. In this episode, Captain Pike, the predecessor to Captain Kirk, and the Enterprise are lured to an ancient planet by a false distress call from a long-lost Earth vessel. Upon arrival at the planet Talos IV, the crew learn of the deceit and Captain Pike is captured by the Talosian’s, an ancient race that ultimately destroyed themselves and their world with only a small group surviving in caves underground. Over eons of confinement underground, the Talosian’s developed mental powers capable of projecting illusions on an epic scale. While being held captive, Captain Pike is paired with the only survivor of the long-lost Earth vessel, Vena, a beautiful young woman. He is forced to live through a series of illusions based upon his recent memories, each time Vena is there, once as a green Orion Slave girl (think green woman in Kirk’s quarters in the first reboot). Eventually, Pike captures one of the Talosian’s and threatens to kill him (for all the Talosion’s mental powers their physical strength was menial at best), this forces the Talosian’s to take Pike, Vena, and two of the Enterprise female officers who had been captured during an disastrous rescue attempt to the surface where he was given a choice of the females to mate with and create a new civilization to repopulate the surface of the planet. Pike foils the plan by threatening to commit suicide with a phaser overload, surprising the Talosians who then realized that humans were much too violent for their needs. An interesting twist to this was when Pike and the crew prepared to leave the planet they offered to take Vena with them, but she declined and the Talosian’s dropped her illusion of beauty, she had been terribly injured in the original crash. Once Pike realizes that Vena’s choice to stay is her own, he asks the Talosian’s to give her illusion of beauty back, which they do, and tell him without a new race to repopulate the planet they are doomed to extinction. Now you can’t tell me that would not make a great reboot in the Kelvin timeline! Aliens with mind control powers, crashed survivors who are not what they seem to be, illusions of past events with unique twists, and finally the mighty Starship Enterprise which has always been a key character in any Star Trek episode.

The Cage trailer – the original pilot episode

Ok, maybe that’s not enough for you so lets take a look at The Menagerie, this is essentially the same story as The Cage but with the twist of occurring at a much later date and Captain Pike being an invalid from an accident. This is where the Sci-Fi element comes into play, lets say for argument sake that Captain Pike was not killed by Khan during Into Darkness and was saved by the advanced medical practices of the time but was an invalid. As in the original, Mr. Spock would then be contacted by the Talosian’s and would then kidnap Pike and steal the Enterprise and transport Pike to the forbidden plant of Talos IV. The reboot could be very similar to the original but with updated illusions for Pike and Vena to live through. Upon discovering the theft of the Enterprise, Kirk would chase the enterprise down in one of Star Fleet’s newest vessels and Spock would be court martialed as in the original with the entire back story being played during the trial. In the end Pike would again elect to stay with Vena and his life would become meaningful once again. The last scene redeems all as Vena is seen going down a blasted elevator with her illusion of Captain Pike, her perfect man as the leader of the Talosian’s says, “You have reality and she has an illusion, may you find your way as pleasing” (or words to that effect), Spock is vindicated, and everyone lives happily ever after. Again, what’s not to like about this?

The Menagerie trailer

Another great choice would be the network pilot (actually the second pilot after the studio ordered a few changes, Pike was out and Kirk was in) Where No Man Has Gone Before. This is a great episode with another strong supporting character, Lt. Gary Mitchell and a secondary Dr. Elizabeth Danner. This episode deals with morality issues and the power of God, pretty strong topics for 1960’s network TV. While exploring the edge of the galaxy the Enterprise attempts to breech an energy barrier and electric discharges hit two crew members, Lt. Mitchell, Kirk’s friend from Starfleet academy, and the medical specialist, Dr. Danner. Both are injured but later recover and begin exhibiting advanced powers of ESP. After Mitchell attempts to take over the ship, Kirk is forced to try and maroon him on Delta Vega, an automated mining planet, Mitchell’s powers continue to grow out of control along with his ego, he believes himself to be a God. He breaks free from his detention after killing the chief engineer (the killing of major characters seems to be a trademark of Star Trek, see Tasha Yar in the Next Generation) by using his powers to make a cable choke him. Dr. Danner then realizes she has the same powers to control objects as Mitchell and goes with him as he leaves the ore processing station and moves to the mountains. Kirk follows and tries to reason with Mitchell but ultimately it is Danner that distracts him in a psychic battle allowing Kirk to fire a phaser rifle (the only time the weapon was ever shown in TOS) into a mountainside causing a huge boulder to crush Mitchell. Danner herself is mortally wounded in the psychic battle and Kirk leaves both on the planet. The morality play associated with this episode perfectly demonstrates why Star Trek is so much more than a simple Sci-Fi program. Unlike Lost in Space or Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek is much deeper than the gadgets and ships although the ship is always a key character of any episode. The lasting power of Star Trek is the stories, the strength of the stories has always been what makes Star Trek special. The positive vision of the future in Star Trek is one of its enduring features, perhaps its most powerful feature.

Where No Man Has Gone Before Trailer

My third choice (there are plenty more great TOS episodes, but these are my first three choices) is The City on the Edge of Forever. This is great episode, a bit of period piece that would only involve Kirk, Spock, and McCoy for the most part with the other star being Edith Keeler (played in TOS by a beautiful Joan Collins). In this episode, the Enterprise is investigating time ripples in space and Sulu is injured when his console explodes, Dr. McCoy is called and administers cordrizone, a powerful stimulant, to counter a heart flutter. After saving Sulu, another ripple in time hits the ship and Dr. McCoy accidentally injects himself with a huge amount of cordrizone and goes on a psychotic episode, beaming to the planet and inadvertently jumping through the Guardian of Forever (a time portal) where he changes the course of history of Earth by saving a young women named Edith Keeler. Keeler, was a peace activist in the 1930s (the time travel element and period piece) that delayed the United States entry into World War II and allowed the Germans to develop the Atomic Bomb first and win the war and ultimately taking control of most of the planet. Kirk and Spock follow McCoy back in time and eventually stop McCoy but only after Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler and has to watch her die in a traffic accident. This is one of the most popular TOS episode and would attract long-time fans while introducing this timeless story to a new generation. Again, what’s not to like?

The City on the Edge of Forever trailer

A compelling case can be made for each of these episodes to be brought into the Kelvin timeline. The Cage would be a prequel of sorts as it does not include Kirk but does have a young Spock. The Menagerie is a much bigger story that would encompass Kirk, Spock, Pike, and a whole new crew of new Enterprise crewmembers that could open new possibilities. Where No Man Has Gone Before would be a mortality tale with epic action. While The City on the Edge of Forever could be a much more intimate story, a period piece set in the 1930s, Star Fleet is gone due to the historical change, and Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are stranded in the 20^th century. Obviously, Kirk and the gang would save the day as they have done countless time but the story with its human touches would compensate for the smaller scale. Any or all of these would make great candidates for a reboot in the Kelvin timeline, they are established in the Star Trek canon and have stood the test of time. Each would satisfy hard core fans while recruiting new fans and reinforcing the timelessness of the original stories.

It is time to take Star Trek back to its roots or just continue the magic of Into Darkness. Bringing Khan back to life in a new story was brilliant, there is no reason that other great TOS episode would not be just as good.

Babe Ruth, the best of the best!

Everyone loves a “Best of” list! We see them all the time. From David Letterman’s old late-night show to the vast amount of lists you can find on the internet. For example, a Google search of lists returns over 7 billion hits for almost any topic. So, the question then becomes what makes a good list, or more specifically, what makes an interesting or useful list for an individual? Is it need? Do you want to learn something? For example, who are the top ten baseball players of all time? For the sports trivia type this might be a useful list but there are many different criteria that could affect such a list, is it pure statistics, how many home runs, how many hits, etc. To illustrate this diversity of lists take a look at Britannica online for “10 Greatest Baseball Players of all Time”. This list reads like a blog entry and features a collection of contemporary and historical figures to include Barry Bonds from the recent past and Babe Ruth from the ancient (ancient being a relative term in baseball since the first Professional team was formed in 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings). The interesting thing about this list is that it encompasses both position players and pitchers. Most of the players on this list are currently or were the leaders in statistical categories when they retired. Babe Ruth being selected as the top player all time is a pretty safe bet as not only was the Babe the most feared home run hitter in history but excelled as a pitcher in his early career with the Boston Red Sox. He won World Series championships with Boston and the Yankees and was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in the inaugural class. Selecting Ruth as the greatest baseball player in history is pretty easy from a subjective or objective perspective. Take a look at these career numbers to see how dominant Ruth really was:

Look at these career numbers, the bold and italic numbers tell the story. This is how many times Ruth led the league or baseball in those categories. Ruth led the league in homers 12 times and walks 11 times. He also led the league in batting average with a .378 average in 1924. Impressive for such a prolific power hitter. His .342 lifetime average is also very impressive, only a few hitters in recent times have come close to that lifetime average. The only real blemish on Ruth’s lifetime stats is that he did not reach the “Gold Standard” of 3000 hits for his career. But this is easily dismissed as for the first 5 years of his career he was primarily a pitcher, and a really good one. Take a look at these pitching statistics.

Ruth’s pitching stats from 1914-1918 are very impressive, leading the league in ERA once, games once, complete games once, and shutouts once, not to mention winning over 20 games twice. Project those numbers out to 20 years and Ruth wins 320 games for his career, easily Hall of Fame numbers. His totals as a hitter, as shown above, are basically the “Gold Standard” for hitters but an argument can easily be made that Ruth would have been an easy Hall of Famer as a pitcher if he hadn’t been such a great hitter.

This is an example of an objective analysis of a player’s ‘greatness’. Purely statistical, the numbers don’t lie, the dominance is obvious. A subjective analysis might include the impact on the game that Ruth had, how his abilities changed the game or how he dominated players from his era versus his historical standing against contemporary players. The ultimate subjectivity would be personal preference. I personally grew up reading stories about the House that Ruth Built, the 60-homer year, his called shot in Wrigley Field, as well as his off the field excesses. Ruth is arguably the first ‘Superstar’, the personality that transcended the playing field. All these things are subjective and make credible arguments about why Ruth is the greatest ever. I didn’t really talk about the World Series championships (7 total, 3 with the Red Sox and 4 with the Yankees) but those would also solidify the greatest ever argument. In terms of sheer championships, the Boston Celtics might have the claim for sustained dominance in the 1960s with Bill Russell leading the way. This could create a list of greatest players from any professional sports team. The greatest team would be the Yankees for their 27 world championships or maybe Tom Brady for 7 Super Bowl championships. These are all valid arguments and could be debated endlessly by historians but both objectively and subjectively Ruth is head and shoulders above everyone else in any sport. So there you have it, the greatest professional athlete in any sport in any era is Babe Ruth, hands down!

BASEBALL IS BACK!

Welcome Back!

In honor of baseball’s first opening day in July I thought I would focus this blog on ‘America’s Pastime”. Baseball is such a timeless game, opening day 2020 has featured some great matchups, from the Yankees and Nationals, the 2019 World Series Champs, to the Angels and Athletics with future Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. These are not just future Hall of Famers but future ‘First Ballot’ Hall of Famers like Yankees greats Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter recently. We got to go to an Angels game a couple of years ago and it was a great experience, beautiful stadium with that Southern California vibe, awesome place to watch a game.

Speaking of Albert Pujols, my favorite team when I was a kid was the St Louis Cardinals. Pujols is a legend in St Louis; World Series Championships, MVP’s, Rookie of the Year, this list goes on and on but that was after my childhood. The teams I am talking about are the 1970’s Cardinals led by the great Hall of Famer, Lou Brock. The Cardinals were my grandfather’s’ favorite team and I remember going to a game at the old Busch Stadium in St Louis when I was just a little kid. I cannot remember the exact year so I’m going to go with 1975. The 1975 Cardinals had a great team, they were only 82-80 that year and finished 3^rd in their division but I thought they were great (the Cincinnati Reds of the mid-1970’s were one of the greatest teams of all time but that team will have to wait for another blog). My favorite players were the outfielders; Brock, Bake McBride, and Reggie Smith. All three batted over .300 for the year but I think the reason I remember them so well was a picture of the three from the program of all three running to the outfield together. It’s one of those images that takes on an iconic status in your memory possibly due to the emotional attachment.

The Cardinals have always had great teams, they are second only to the mighty New York Yankees for most World Series Titles with 11. They have a ton of Hall of Fame Players such as Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, etc., but the 1970’s Cardinals are my favorite. Let’s take a look at the everyday lineup:

This is a solid lineup. Catcher, Ted Simmons, led the team with a .332 batting average which is a good average in any era. As mentioned before all three outfielders batted over .300 which is the Gold Standard for MLB. Baseball may be the only game in the world where if you are successful 1 in 3 times you are doing well or maybe it’s a little simpler to say that if you get 3 hits in 10 at bats you are doing well. This is exactly what 4 out of the 8 everyday players did that year. Simmons was a great player, and while his career may not have been as good as his contemporaries, Johnny Bench of Cincinnati or Carlton Fisk of the Boston Red Sox (who were the starting catchers for their teams during the 1975 World Series, one of the greatest series in history), he was a solid MLB player. A young Keith Hernandez was at first, he only played 64 games that year and is probably best remembered for winning a World Series with the great New York Mets teams of the 80’s. The infielders at 2^nd base, shortstop, and 3^rd base, Ted Sizemore, Mike Tyson, and Ken Reitz were all solid MLB players. The outfield for the 1975 Cardinals was exceptional, Lou Brock at the age of 36 batted .309 and stole 56 bases. Brock was the all time stolen base champ until his record was broken by Ricky Henderson. Bake McBride was a solid player and would go on to have a lot of success with the Philadelphia Phillies (a team the Cardinals seems to trade a lot of their good players too, Pitcher Steve Carlton instantly comes to mind). Reggie Smith was a dangerous power hitter in a time when home runs were much more rare. He would go on to have a lot of success with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning a World Series with them in 1981. The 1975 Cardinals had a solid lineup with several notable players, with Brock leading the way. Here are Brock’s career stats, the bold numbers represent years he led the league. His 938 total stolen bases were also a MLB record that stood for many years. He also finished his career with 3,023 hits, with 3,000 being the Gold Standard for a hitter. This is what Hall of Fame resume looks like.

Lou Brock breaking the stolen base record

Now let’s take a look at the pitching staff

The Cardinals had a solid pitching staff in ’75, the superstar here is Bob Gibson. Past his prime at age 39, Gibson’s stats were not his norm, but make no mistake, Bob Gibson was one of the very best and most feared pitchers of his era. The other exception is Al Hrabosky, a relief pitcher that actually won 13 games and saved 22. Great numbers that were fairly common during the era but never happen in today’s game. Hrabosky was unique for his pre pitch ritual of going behind the mound and conducting a short but aggressive meditation session that always ended with him slamming ball into his glove. The standout of the Cardinals pitchers was obviously Gibson, let’s take a little closer look at his stats.

This is another Hall of Fame resume; Gibson was a 2-time Cy Young winner and the league MVP in 1968. He won 9 Gold Gloves for being the best defensive player at his position. He also won 2 World Series with the Cardinals. With 251 career victories, 3,117 strikeouts, and a lifetime ERA of 2.91, and threw a no hitter in 1971, it’s easy to see why Gibson was one of the very best pitchers of the era. In 1967 the Cardinals beat the Red Sox in the Series, that was the year that Carl Yastrzemski hit for the triple crown in the American League.

Bob Gibson throwing a no hitter in 1971

Baseball in 2020 is different. The season didn’t start until July 23, there are no fans in the stands (some teams have cardboard cutouts in the area behind home plate, Oakland has a great cutout of a young Tom Hanks selling hot dogs, and the season is only going to be 60 games but it’s finally back and that’s a good thing.

Discovering El Paso – The Gunfighters

El Paso in the late 1800’s

“I never saw so much useless killing.” — Cowboy Bob Kennon, discussing El Paso, Texas in the early 1900’s

Tombstone ain’t got nothing on El Paso! This is not a boast but a fact. According to noted author Leon Claire Metz in his book The Shooters, “El Paso had enough violence to make Dodge City look like a Girl Scout encampment” (1996). To put it in perspective, Dodge City had 5 deaths from gunfights in 1878 (this was during the great cattle drives from Texas into Kansas), while El Paso had 8 men killed in gunights in 1881 (this includes the ‘Four Dead in Five Seconds’ gunfight involving Marshall Dallas Stoudenmire but that’s a story for another time). These numbers don’t sound all that high in this day and age but in the late 1800’s a gunfighter was an awe inspiring figure, made famous in modern times by actors like Clint Eastwood or John Wayne, gunfighters were made famous in their own day and age by the social media of the time, the newspaper. The exploits of Billy the Kid or Wyatt Earp were written about in local newspapers such as the El Paso Times or the Tombstone Epitaph and then carried in the bigger papers back East making the gunfighter the Rock Stars of their day. While Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp may still be household names today, perhaps the most notorious of all the gunfighters of the Old West was El Paso’s own John Wesley Hardin.

JOHN WESLEY HARDIN

“I never killed anyone who didn’t need killin’.” J.W. Hardin

The first act

Named after the Methodist minister, Hardin was born on May 26th, 1853 in Bonham, Tx (just north of Dallas) and began killing men soon afterward. According to his autobiography (which is a very interesting read by the way) he killed his first man at the age of 15 with a Colt .44 in self-defense (a theme that would recur with Hardin over the years). He quickly killed three Soldiers that were pursuing him for the first killing and didn’t quit for the next five years or so. Texas Rangers finally tracked him down in Florida in 1874 and captured him and the $5,000 reward that was on his head. Tried and found guilty for the second degree murder of a deputy sheriff by the name of Charles Webb, Hardin was sentenced to 25 years in the state penitentiary at Huntsville. While in prison, he had a remarkable change of character and became an avid reader, favoring the Bible and then switching to law. Released after receiving a full pardon and restored citizenship in 1894, Hardin quickly passed the state legal exam and set up shop in El Paso as “John W. Hardin, Attorney at Law”, a remarkable transformation for one of the most notorious gunfighters of all time.

A few of the famous gunfighters of the Old West. The number of men they killed are only estimates, Hardin claimed to have killed 43 or 44 depending on what source you reference.

The second act

“Readers, you see what drink and passion will do. If you wish to be successful in life, be temperate and control your passions; if you don’t ruin and death is the inevitable result”. J.W. Hardin

Hardin’s character transformation would not last for long after his release from prison as events conspired to set the stage for some of Hardin’s most famous exploits. Drinking and gambling became the favorite pastime of Hardin in El Paso as he returned to his old ways, but his downfall would ultimately come after he agreed to defend a cattle rustler named Martin Morose. Morose was on the run from the law and holed up in Juarez, Mexico; just across the Rio Grande, Morose’s wife Beulah, came to El Paso and hired Hardid to defend her husband, an event that would ultimately spell the end for him. Hardin became involved with Beulah and rather than spending his energy defending Morose he made Morose’s attractive wife his mistress. After answering a challenge to come to Juarez and meet with Morose who was enraged with jealousy, Hardin ran into El Paso sheriff Jeff Milton and US deputy marshall George Scarborough before running into two of Morose’s confederates in a Juarez bar. After a heated discussion with Morose’s men Hardin challenged both to a shootout, they politely declined but the legend grew and the stage was set. This is where the story takes a strange twist, rather than hunt Morose down and kill him himself the story goes that Hardin hired four law officers, the aforementioned Milton and Scarborough as well as John Selman Sr and Texas Ranger Frank Mahon to kill Morose and collect the $1,000 reward. A few days later the four lawmen set a trap for Morose and killed him. The brutal slaying offended the sensibilities of the locals and charges were brought against three of the lawmen but were ultimately dropped. That should have ended it but a month later while Hardin was out of town on business, Beulah was arrested for drunk and disorderly by young policeman who was also the son of one of the men Hardin had hired to kill Morose, his name was John Selman, Jr. Upon returning to El Paso, Hardin began issuing threats against the young Selman and August 19, 1895 while shooting dice in the Acme Saloon old John Selman came up behind Hardin and shot him down. The reasons for Selman killing of Hardin are somewhat cloudy, was it because old man Selman feared for the life of his son, they had a heated argument before Hardin was killed or did the reason have to do with the killing of Martin Morose. Were the four man gang Hardin hired to kill Morose worried he was going to implicate them in murder in one of his frequent drunken binges? There is evidence to support both theories, as a drunken Hardin had recently made remarks that he had hired Scarborough and Milton to kill Morose, comments which he later redacted to the El Paso Times. Regardless of the reasons, John Selman Sr killed John Wesley Hardin and El Paso breathed a sigh of relief, one of the last true gunfighters of the Old West was gone forever.

Rock Star?

“I spent most of my time in Abilene in the saloons and gambling houses, playing poker, faro, and seven-up”. JW Hardin

With all the gunfights, with the colorful life like something right out of a dime store novel, why is Hardin not as famous as Billy the Kid or Wyatt Earp? The answer might lie in the methodology of Hardin’s actions. While Billy the Kid fought in a economic conflict in New Mexico, the Lincoln County Wars in which his mentor was murdered right in front of him, generating a strong emotional impact on both sides and Wyatt Earp fought with his brothers in Tombstone (which has successfully turned the Shootout at the OK Corral into a lucrative tourist attraction), John Wesley Hardin was a lone wolf. While his exploits are legendary, he once shot a man for snoring too loud in Abilene, KS and barely got away before legendary marshal Wild Bill Hickok caught up with him, while Hardin claimed to have killed 42 men before he was finally caught, he never had that signature moment that would have made him a Rock Star. There was no Lincoln County war, no OK Corral, no daring back robberies like the James Gang. While Hardin may not be as well known, his life and times are truly the stuff of Old West legends, from eluding the Pinkerton Detective Agency to being captured by Texas Rangers, John Wesley Hardin was truly one of the most notorious and dangerous gunfighters that ever lived.

Aftermath

“He is dead. Don’t shoot any more”. John Selman, Jr.

Buried in Concordia Cemetery located in the middle of El Paso across from the excellent L & J’s Cafe, along with other celebrities of the day Martin Morose, Beulah Morose, John Selman and Bass Outlaw, Hardin will forever live as one of the most notorious and last true gunfighters.

Discovering El Paso

December 11, 1953

On December 11^th, 1953 a United States Air Force B-36D “Peacemaker” Strategic Bomber took off from Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas bound for Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss, Texas. Three hours and twenty-two minutes later it crashed into the western side of the Franklin Mountains in El Paso when the plane encountered poor weather conditions, to include snow and dust, as it attempted to land. On the anniversary of the crash and in honor of the brave crew that lost their lives that day I would like to tell a little bit of their story and describe the memorial that still exists on the side of the Franklin Mountains to this day.

The B-36 “Peacemaker” was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever built, its place in history resides during one of the most dangerous times our world has ever known, the Cold War. With the threat of nuclear war hanging over the globe in the immediate aftermath of World War II, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) protected the United States day and night with its fleet of strategic bombers. Led by the legendary General, Curtis LeMay, SAC served as a nuclear deterrent to the Soviet Union, who had just detonated their first atomic bomb in 1949, plunging the world into the Atomic Age. SAC protected the United States and its allies throughout the Cold War, activated in 1946, it was not deactivated until 1992, the year after the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

The Cold War

The B-36, along with SAC’s first bomber, the B-29 (the Enola Gay, which is the first airplane to have ever dropped an atomic bomb was a B-29), the B-50 Superfortress, and later the B-52 Stratofortress among others, were the backbone of the SAC. First conceived in 1941, at the height of WWII, the B-36’s first flight was in 1946 with the first aircraft deliveries to the Air Force in 1948. It was a remarkable plane with a wingspan of 230’, a length of 162’, and a height of 46”9’ designed for long-range tactical missions, it’s combat radius was 3,740 nautical miles with a 10,000-pound payload (one small nuclear bomb), which made it a very credible deterrent. The B-36’s maximum payload of conventional weapons was 86,000 pounds but this load decreased the combat radius to only 1,757 nautical miles (a nautical mile is equal to 1.15 regular miles). Powered by six propellers and later an additional four jet engines which coined the term, “six turning, four burning” the B-36 was incredibly powerful. In service throughout the 1950’s, the B-36 never dropped a bomb in combat but later variations did serve as high altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The true strength of the B-36 was its ceiling, it could fly at well over 40,000 feet making it very difficult for fighter aircraft to engage. The B-36 was eventually replaced with jet powered aircraft such as the B-52 but for the 1950’s the B-36 ruled the skies.

Strategic Importance

To put the strategic importance of the B-36 into perspective it might be helpful to look at the historical context and the geopolitical landscape of the era. The first B-36 was delivered to the Air Force in 1948, immediately before an important focal point in the Cold War, the year 1949. In 1949, NATO was founded, the Soviet Union detonated its first Atomic Bomb, and Mao Zedong’s Communist forces took control of China. World War II has just ended in 1945 and as the world struggled to pick up the pieces new existential threats began to emerge with alarming regularity. The fear of nuclear Armageddon was an everyday fact of life in the 1950’s and 1960’s leading many people to build fallout shelters in their homes and many government buildings to have fallout shelters in their basements. This is where the Strategic Air Command came in. To provide an effective nuclear deterrent from Cold War enemies SAC provided an immediate response force to reassure the United States and its allies against the fear of nuclear war. The fact that the Cold War did not escalate into WWIII during SAC’s watch should serve as a testament to their effectiveness as a credible deterrent. In the 1950’s, the B-36 was a big part of that deterrent.

Today

Today, a relic of the Cold War can be found on the western side of the Franklin Mountains. Large pieces of wreckage, including engine, landing gear, and part of a tail fin can still be found on the mountain from the B-36D crash in 1953. The best way to visit the crash site is to hike up the side of the mountain directly to the site (the other way that is listed on internet sites is to take the Wyler Aerial Tram but it is currently closed due to safety concerns). To begin the hike, drive to the Thousand Steps Trailhead at the end of Kenyon Joyce Lane, just off of North Stanton Street, parking is easy, and the trail begins just off the street. A historical marker at the beginning will give you an overview of the crash site and the airmen that lost their lives in the crash. From there, follow the trail and after about a mile or so you arrive at a large boulder on the right side of the trail, this is the marker to turn left into a draw. Follow the draw, there really is not a trail for very far, it’s just hiking over very rough terrain. Make no mistake, it is a difficult half mile hike but well worth it. As you make the ascent, you will begin to notice debris, please be respectful and do not disturb anything and do not take any souvenirs, it is very important to leave the site just as you found it (the site is protected as a Texas State Archeological Site).

Once you arrive at the site you will see pieces of the landing gear, a jet engine and propellers. There is also a small memorial to the airmen that perished that day, it’s mounted on the backside of a rock outcropping at the site. Pay your respects, enjoy the view of El Paso, and remember the sacrifice made by these brave men in protecting freedom and the American way of life.

I highly recommend hiking to the crash site and viewing the memorial in person but if you can’t make it, I suggest you let YouTube be your tour guide to Discovering El Paso and paying homage to those who gave their lives in the name of freedom!

Great video of the B-36 Crash site on the Franklin Mountains

B-36D “Peacemaker” Crash Site from 11DEC53, Franklin Mountains, El Paso, TX

Destination Prague

Letting YouTube be your Tour Guide

Prague – The Golden City of a Hundred Spires!

In keeping with my YouTube as a tour guide inspired theme of late, I thought I would do another blog on one of my favorite places. The destination this time is the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague. Prague is an amazing city, dating back over 1000 years, it has some of the finest architecture in Europe and possesses an authentic ‘old world’ feel. Two ‘must sees’ in Prague are the Charles Bridge and the Prague Astronomical Clock.

Charles Bridge Tower on the Old Town Side

The Charles Bridge

The Charles Bridge, commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV, began construction in 1357 and spans the Vltava river which runs through the heart of Prague connecting the Old Town and the Lesser Town. The bridge is always crowded with tourists, street musician and everyone in between while offering incredible views of the city. The Old Town is the historic center of the city and is absolutely incredible to tour, amazing architectural feats are visible on almost every street, super high-end shops are around every corner, awesome restaurants including a Hard Rock Cafe, and in the center is the famous Prague Astronomical Clock.

The Prague Astronomical Clock

The clock itself is an amazing technological feat and possesses an equally incredible legend about its creator, Mikuláš from Kadaň, who is believed to has ended his own life by throwing himself into the clocks gears after being blinded by jealous city councilors who did not want him to recreate the clock, or a better one, for any other city. Built in 1380 or 1410 depending on what source you look at, the clock keeps four times; Babylonian, Old Bohemian, German, and Sidereal. It has four automatons and a rotating display of the 12 apostles while also depicting the sun’s movements through the zodiac and the moons phases. It also has a calendar dial that shows the day of the week and month. Pretty incredible for 1380 or 1410!

Take a look at the video below for a video tour of Prague.

Rick Steves’ Europe video tour of Prague

To truly enjoy a trip to Prague I strongly recommend doing your homework before getting there. The historical significance of Prague is vast, spanning much of European history across political, cultural and economic landscapes. From being the seat of the Holy Roman Empire to Mozart’s first performance of Don Giovanni, Prague is truly a special place. There are many other treasures to be found in Prague, check out the gallery below for a small sample. I suggest you make the trip there yourself but if you can’t make it, I recommend letting YouTube be your tour guide. Enjoy!