What On Earth?-Column #13, June 2003

This is the 1-year anniversary of this column based on John Stossel's "Give Me A Break!" column on ABC News's "20/20." I'd like to talk about some of the milestones I've reached in doing this, and then, TO THE COLUMN!

Well, first, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all you visitors for reading these past few columns in the archive page. It's a welcome idea for those who want to keep up with the latest in the world, without having to search for it. Secondly, I started this column over the summer last year, while attending a computer class at Richland, so my HTML knowledge has grown since then as well as my senior year at Garland High, where I started building this site. Now, let's get started with this special anniversary column, shall we? Or, in the words of those PYL fanatics out there: "Are you ready to PRESS YOUR LUCK?" Well, I certainly am, and I hope you are, too! Let's go!

Let's start with the sports world. Well, for those who were hoping Annika Sorenstam would make the cut at the Colonial, your hopes just got shattered. She shot a 74, but that wasn't enough to make the cut. I thought that was enough, myself, for an LPGA legend just wanting to play in the PGA. So, with that thought, this PGA tournament for her, not only was her first, it would also be her LAST. Oh, well.

At the end of last month, the Mavericks' playoff hopes up making it to the finals were short, as the Spurs beat them in Game 6, 90-78, winning the series 4-2. The Spurs now play against the New Jersey Nets. Two words to say about that: SO CLOSE! Yep, So close, but oh so short. As a matter of fact, ONE ROUND SHORT. The Mavericks' season, on a heartbreaker, is DONE. FINISHED. FINITO. HISTORY. OVER. NO MORE.

Now, for the hockey world. The Stanley Cup finals will include the New Jersey Devils and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who, not surprisingly, ended the Stars' run, just last month. The Devils were the SAME team that, 3 years ago, ended the Stars' chances of back-2-back Stanley Cup wins. That comes as a SHOCK.

That's why the world of sports in my hometown isn't as good as you think it is: NOT ENOUGH FANS. NOT VERY MANY GOOD PLAYERS and/or coaches, etc. If you want your team to be a championship team, ROOT FOR THEM MORE, AND ASK THEM TO GET GOOD PLAYERS, AS WELL AS COACHES WHO KNOW HOW THE GAME WORKS. That's why so many coaches are getting the boot. They don't know how the game works, and they don't even know how the system works, either. That's my problem with the world of sports. If you want good WINNERS, you need good PLAYERS, and most importantly, you need good COACHES.

OK, let's go on with the game show world, shall we? Well, if you saw last month, on the final 2 of the Price Is Right MILLION DOLLAR SPECTACULARS, in the first Showcase Showdown, we were so close to watching the show give away that million. In the bonus spin, the wheel's flipper stopped short of the dollar, settling RIGHT UNDER the peg that separates the dollar and nickel spaces. OH, THE AGONY!

Well, here's some MORE stuff related to Press Your Luck. This month, we got to see the Larson episodes in their entirety, WITHOUT any cutouts or edits. This is what we've ALL been waiting for. And during this month, I got to see the rematch on Whammy!, where Larson's brother James, playing in Michael's place, 4 years after Michael's death, wins a Yamaha Digital Grand Piano worth $6,695. In addition to see THAT, I've heard that last month, we FINALLY gave away that Suzuki. What a way to show how Whammy! is popular as the Classic PYL. Trust me, I've known how popular the Classic PYL is. I think that tells us, that, if USA, which ran the show from 1987-1995, never got the rights to air the Larson shows, wait for GSN to get them. Nothing's better than to watch some ordinary person from Ohio come on PYL, show us how smart he is when it comes to watching, and memorizing the patterns, and taking over $110K in cash and prizes home. This month, we're expected to see more PYL episodes, and they're NOT going to be just from 1984, which is where we started in 2001. As I've seen on another PYL fan's site, they're doing some of the early December 1984 shows, and I found out that there was only one Christmas-related prize on the board: A Christmas tree worth $541. I like that idea a lot. Let's just hope somebody WON it.

My sister, Karen, has just come home from Stanford. I'm currently taking an Economics class at Richland. I'm sure that most of the stuff I've learned was in high school. It's interesting, though, when it all comes back to you. Now, for something I call interesting, listen to this:

This month, is Father's Day month. Like Mother's Day, it's celebrated on the 3rd Sunday in June. I'm sure that there are plenty of gifts out there, from cards to chocolates. Oh, I can feel that. But I'm sure you can feel THIS:

This month, we ALSO celebrate Flag Day. We fly our flag that day. It's only less than a month before July 4. Not so bad for our country. And it really doesn't hurt either, because this is the USA, and this is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Now, for something I'd like to call fun, speaking of patriotic:

Like Memorial Day, July 4th has GOT to have its fair share of parades. You gotta have floats, bands, and most importantly, TWIRLERS. Whether it's the MARCHING MAJORETTES blowing their whistles as they march and twirl or the FEATURED TWIRLERS just dancing their hearts out in front of us, it's enough for you to think that the popularity is coming back, but SLOWLY. I actually got into baton twirling 10 years ago, another milestone, having checked out some books from the library. Now, many of you are asking me: "John, has baton twirling lost its popularity, due to the fact that very few schools have retained their twirling programs?" Well, not really. There are some twirling groups out there that are NOT based in schools, but started by those who got into twirling when they were little. And for those who think guys CAN'T do that: THINK AGAIN! I heard about Calvin Murphy, a former player of the Houston Rockets who actually practiced baton twirling so he could stay in shape. He has also twirled for halftime shows. If THAT can't get make you happy, how about THIS:

Ever heard of the expression "CHRISTMAS IN JUNE and/or JULY?" Well, that means that the holiday inventory hits the stores EARLY, and just like last year, I started my holiday shopping early. WAY EARLY. Trust me, if you haven't heard of this expression, you're missing out on EARLY holiday shopping! Last year, I brought some signs to put out in front of the house, which, appropriately, we did.

Now, FOX has become more of the network for the "American Idol" junkies. And to boot, they're doing a KIDS version called "AMERICAN JUNIORS," which is just like American Idol, but for kids. And, speaking of American Idol, Ruben Studdard of Alabama has joined Kelly Clarkson of Texas in the American Idol HALL OF FAME.

Speaking of music, I, for the first time, got to realize that there's a musical featuring ABBA's best songs, called "Mamma Mia," and that song is included, too. That's one of the songs I know, although my big favorites include THAT, "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)," "One Of Us," "Dancing Queen," "Take A Chance On Me," "What's The Name Of The Game," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," and "Happy New Year." And believe it or not, there are SEVERAL other ABBA tribute bands out there, OTHER than A-Teens. Lots, I say, LOTS! But whether or not you have the ORIGINALS, or the COPYCATS, nothing can top the pop music world OTHER than ABBA.

So until next time, that is, until NEXT column, this is John Lee saying "Thanks for PRESSING YOUR LUCK! BUH-BYE!" Go HOME!