Archive for March 29th, 2024

Norts spews.

Friday, March 29th, 2024

The baseball season started yesterday.

Yankees 5, Astros 4.

As we all know, Bob, this means the Astros won’t be able to sell beer at Minute Maid Park the rest of the season…

…because they lost the opener.

(“222 best dad jokes to tickle everyone’s funny bone“. See also.)

In case anyone was wondering, Gonzaga plays Purdue tonight. Purdue is a pretty heavy favorite, but we’ve seen a lot of favorites get knocked out this year. I wouldn’t count Gonzaga out just yet.

Short random gun crankery.

Friday, March 29th, 2024

Happy 1911 Day.

At least, according to Brownell’s.

Following its success in trials, the Colt pistol was formally adopted by the Army on March 29, 1911, when it was designated “Model of 1911”, later changed in 1917 to “Model 1911”, and then “M1911” in the mid-1920s.

I’d celebrate by going to the range and putting a few rounds through mine, but today’s going to be a busy day. Also, I’m not sure if it is religiously appropriate to go to the range on Good Friday. Though Luke 22:36 seems like an appropriate response to anybody who would complain…

Obit watch: March 29, 2024.

Friday, March 29th, 2024

Harvey Elwood Gann (US Army – ret.). He was 103.

Mr. Gann was a flight engineer and top turret gunner with the 449th Bomb Group, 718th Squadron, on B24s. His plane was shot down during a bombing raid and he had to bail out. He was the only member of his crew to survive, but was imprisoned in a German POW camp. He escaped and was recaptured three times: his fourth escape attempt was successful.

He served as a Austin police officer for 38 years, mostly in vice and narcotics according to the online obit. He also wrote a book about his wartime experiences, Escape I Must (affiliate link).

(Hattip on this one to a source who I will leave anonymous for now. While Mr. Gann has an online obituary, my source was informed of this through other non-public channels, and I’m not sure they want to be named right now.)

Louis Gossett Jr.

200 acting credits in IMDB, with 12 more upcoming. They include five episodes of “Hap and Leonard”, “The Rockford Files”, “The Bold Ones: The New Doctors”, and “Longstreet”.

NYT obit for Vernor Vinge (archived).

Jennifer Leak, actress. Other credits include the good “Hawaii Five-O”, “The Delphi Bureau”, and “Nero Wolfe” (the 1981 series with William Conrad in the title role).