Fini

By now readers should know that a Friday when the editor is not at a wrestling event may mean he thinks it is time for a lesson.  For the last six years he has been at the South Walton Border Wars on a Friday such as this, but recent issues have dictated that he stay fairly close to home for a while.

While the editor is sure something of historical notoriety has occurred on the date of December 6th, it is hard to think it could match anything like December 7th.  Hence, we begin, and gradually become sports-heavy to lead into the little Louisiana wrestling to cover from December 6th. 

In 1787 Delaware became the first state to ratify the United States Constitution

In 1808 James Madison was elected to his first term of office as the fourth United States President

In 1838 the only United States President named Martin was elected to his only non-descript term as President of the United States

In 1887 Thomas Edison demonstrated his photograph to editors of Scientific American magazine

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In 1909 Leo Baekeland patented Bakelike, molding the birth of the world's plastics industry

In 1917 then colonel Douglas MacArthur arrived in France during "The Great War."  He left two years later as a brigadier general

In 1934 pilot Wiley Post discovered the Jet Stream.  A year later Post died in Alaska while testing a new mail route with friend and world-renowned humorist Will Rogers;

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In 1937 the Boston Red Sox acquired the contract of 19-year-old Ted Williams.  Williams hit .344 over a 19-year professional career, all with the Boston Red Sox.  When World War II broke out, Williams enlisted and did not play baseball in 1942, 1943 or 1945. The photo left is of Williams' last major league at bat, in which he hit homerun number 521.

In 1939 New York Yankee slugger Lou Gehrig was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.  Gehrig took himself out of what would have been his 2,130th consecutive game, a plateau which would not be broken until Cal Ripkin, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles broke it 59 years later.  Gehrig retired with 493 homeruns, 23 of which were grand slams, a record which stood until September of 2013 when another Yankee, Alex Rodrigues, broke the 95-year-standing record.  He had a lifetime professional batting average of .340.  Gehrig took himself out of the game due to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), still commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig Disease."

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"December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy..." Lytle S. Adams, a dental surgeon in Irwin, Pennsylvania and a friend of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, devised an ingenious plan to wreak havoc on Tokyo, if needed.  He  proposed using the Mexican free-tailed bat, which were abundant in the caves of the United States and could fly carrying more than their body weight, to be used as incendiaries.  Most of Tokyo was constructed of wood and balsa.  The bats, which weighed about 14 ounces, would carry about 18 ounces of an incendiary on their backs.  They would be released by a "bat bomb, which could carry over 1,000 bats apiece.  Lytle wanted to "load" the bats with white phosphorous on a timer.  The "bat bomb" would be released in the early morning and, at a certain altitude, would release the bats with parachutes to slow their movements to non-targeted areas of the city.  The bats would instinctively roost before dawn under the eaves of buildings, and a timer would set-off the incendiary at a specified time.  Prior to testing the bats, the white phosphorous idea was replaced by an invention of American chemist Louis Fieser, napalm.  The tests were successful but the project was scrapped as it would not be ready until the summer of 1945.  By then, the United States was pretty much sold on another way to end the war with Japan. I share this story with the readers to spare them many, many more text boxes regarding the photos on the left and America's "official entry" into World War II.

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In 1963 the first instant replay machine, invented by Tony Verna (far left), was used in the 1963 Army-Navy football game (Navy 21-Army 15).  Navy was led by Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Roger Staubach.  Originally, the game was scheduled to be played on November 26th, the day Staubach was awarded the Heisman.  Four days earlier, however, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.  Generally after such an event there was an official 30-day period of mourning observed by all military personnel.  But the winner of the Army-Navy game was slated to play Darryl Royal's University of Texas team for the national championship, so the Army-Navy game was pushed back to December 7th.  On the following January 1st, ironically in Dallas, Texas defeated Navy 28-6

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"What do ya think of the nerve of them Japs, ... huh, droppin' bombs on our own backyard on Pop's birthday here?" James Caan as Sonny Corleone said that in the dinner scene shown at the end of 1974's The Godfather Part II.  Later in the conversation he calls those who enlisted in the military service due to the Japanese attack "saps," and when his younger brother Michael said he did not think of them that way, Sonny said "Well, if you don't feel like that, why don't you just quit college and go to join the Army?"  Michael replied "I did. I enlisted in the Marines."

In 1985 Bo Jackson of Auburn University was awarded the Heisman Trophy.  He later played in the National Football League and in Major League Baseball.

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On December 7th, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. the LSU Tigers will play the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game and the right to be included in the College Football Playoff series to be completed on January 7th, 2019

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Yet there is some wrestling news for the Louisiana wrestling family.

South Walton Border Wars VII

St. Paul and Holy Cross went to Florida this weekend to participate in the South Walton Border Wars VII tournament.  After the Friday pool matches were completed St. Paul was in second place, five points behind Wakulla, Florida.  Third, fourth and fifth places were held by Vestavia Hills, Alabama, Pace, Florida and Oak Mountain, Alabama.  Holy Cross was in sixth place, 22 points behind Wakulla.

Undefeated in their pools and among the top seeds for Saturday's brackets tournament are, from St. Paul, Jacob Houser (106 lbs.), Trey Faherty (113 lbs.), Sean Cripple (132 lbs.), Peyton Ward (145 lbs.), Ben Davidson (160 lbs.) and Cole Ulfers (220 lbs.).  Also making the same bracket are Carter Duet* (120 lbs.), Michael Rader* (126 lbs.), Grant Nastasi (138 lbs.), Grant Vicknair (152 lbs.), Blaine Cascio (170 lbs.), Joshua Sabadie (182 lbs.), Evan Ulfers* (195 lbs.) and Sam Avenel (285 lbs.).

From Holy Cross entrants in the Saturday Championship bracket are Brandon Gainey (106 lbs.), Evan Frost* (113 lbs.), Jacob Frost* (120 lbs.) and Cole Baiamonte+ (285 lbs.).

Charles Sauerwin, III, (132 lbs.), Reed Barnewold (138 lbs.), Cameron Doyle (145 lbs.), Russell Solomon (152 lbs.), Hayden Brodnax (195 lbs.),

*  These wrestlers did not have pool records behind their names but were either on the very top or the very bottom of the brackets, indicating a high seeding.

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Stewart Schay Blackhorse Invitational

Blackman High School of Tennessee leads the Stewart Schay Blackhorse Invitational in Germantown, Tennessee leads second-place Brother Martin by a scant 6.5 points after Friday's Matches.  Christian Brothers of Tennessee is third, ten points behind the Crusaders.

In Saturday's semifinals Brother Martin has the following: Blaine Elsensohn (106 lbs.), Dylan Moser (113 lbs.), Logan Bertot (126 lbs.), Ethan Castex (132 lbs.), Quinton Williams (138 lbs.), Alex Duncan (145 lbs.), Riley Horvath (152 lbs.), Mason Massicot (160 lbs.) and Cameron Frederick (195 lbs.).

Still "alive" in the consolation rounds are Campbell Viles (138 lbs.) and John DiMaggio (182 lbs.).

Trygg Memorial

The George Trygg Memorial Tournament was switched to a Saturday only tournament, so the readers can blame Coach Roberto Furtado for the above history lesson.

Also slated for December 7th are the Catholic Duals in Baton Rouge, the Ronnie Suarez SPOT District Championships in southwest Louisiana at Sulphur High School, the Jennings/McCrory/Petitjean Duals, also in southwest Louisiana at Rayne High School, and the Stanley Rauch Duals at Shaw.

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