Browsing: Arts & Entertainment

A Brief History On December 8, 2012, Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent was driving drunk at high speed with fellow Cowboy, linebacker Jerry Brown, as a passenger.  Brent lost control of his car when it hit a curb, flipping the car and catching on fire.  Brent recovered from his injuries, but Brown died that same night. Digging Deeper Not only were the 2 men teammates on the Cowboys, but they had also both attended Illinois and were teammates there as well.  Although emotional and devastated by the news, the Cowboys actually won their game against the Bengals the next…

A Brief History After a tumultuous rookie season in 2014, characterized by a party hearty attitude and poor work ethic, Browns 1st round draft choice Johnny “Johnny Football” Manziel ended up in rehabilitation in the spring of 2015.  Word became public that Manziel had an alcohol problem going back as far as high school.  Unfortunately, he apparently was not cured and was involved in a domestic dispute while having consumed alcohol during the 2015 season and then when he lied to coaches about attending drinking parties during the bye week was dropped from starting quarterback to third string.  Is his career…

A Brief History On December 6, 1969, the Rolling Stones were performing at the Altamont Free Concert when the Hells Angels motorcycle club members contracted as security got into a fatal confrontation with a music fan. Digging Deeper Never particularly famous for good judgment, rock and roll bad boys The Rolling Stones reached a new low in intelligent decisions when they contracted the brutal outlaw motorcycle gang, The Hells Angels, to serve as ushers and security for the concert at Altamont, California.  Why they would pick a known gang of criminal ruffians boggles the imagination, except perhaps the Stones were…

A Brief History On November 28, 1895, the first American auto race took place, the Chicago Times-Herald Race, a 54 mile event with a grand prize of $5,000.  (If that prize sounds lame, remember that this is worth over $140,000 in today’s money.) Digging Deeper As the automobile was a new-fangled invention at the time, a proper name for the motorized conveyance had not yet been agreed upon and the Times-Herald called their event a “Moto-cycle Race.”  Originally meant to be a race from Chicago to Milwaukee, the roads of the day were not smooth enough for those primitive cars…

A Brief History On November 19, 2004, the National Basketball Association reached perhaps its lowest point in its history when players and fans engaged in a rumble at The Palace of Auburn Hills outside Detroit, Michigan. Digging Deeper The Detroit Pistons, long known as “the bad boys” of the NBA had a history of being a rough and tumble team, with physical play and intimidating behavior.  These Pistons could obviously play basketball well, too, as evidenced by being reigning NBA champions.  The Pistons had beaten the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals the previous season, and the Pacers were…