October 8, 2012

  • On October 7.....

    October 7 has always been a conflicted day in Chicago sports history. in 1984, Bears running back Walter Payton set the all time rushing record, but unfortunately on the same day the Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs by the San Diego Padres. While I was too young to be a fan back then, what makes it tougher for many Cub fans was that they were up two games to none in the best of five series before losing the last three games. But, then again the Cubs always to seem to blow it in the end anyways.

    Besides sports, many other things of note happened on October 7. Some of you might remember that on this day in October 7, America started the war in Afghanistan. Hopefully it will be over by this date next year, however somehow I doubt we will be out of there. Two years later Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California. And in 1960, Kennedy and Nixon debated Cold War foreign policy.

    A lot of famous people were born on October 7, including one of my favorites, John Mellencamp in 1951. Toni Braxton was born in 1968. And Yo Yo Ma in 1954. And it was not just musicians born on this day either. Maniacal asshole Russian president Vladimir Putin was born just a year after Mellencamp. On the other end of the spectrum, Desmond Tutu was born in 1931. Former NBA head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons was born in 1931. Gay rights activist and sex columnist Dan Savage was born in 1965. Iran contra scapegoat Oliver North was born on this day in 1943. And my brother was born in 1975, same day as Ok Go lead singer Damian Kulash.