MURPHY’S LAW: Fashion Police, Favorite 4ths

I never mind much working on a holiday. Truth told, I don’t work many at this stage, but holidays are kind of easy. The phone never rings. No emails roll in. It’s easy to get work done. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be with the family at Clear Lake, but no complaints. I even get to dress casual, something I rarely do at the television station (radio is a different story). I wore a T-shirt for afternoon prep, and at 6 p.m. when I changed into a dress shirt and tie, I created an outfit that would make Ron Burgundy blush:

My wife will be embarrassed I even posted this. It has created an oral caption contest here at work. And no, I don’t play guitar for AC/DC.

The one downside to working the 4th is that there is little going on in local sports other than the I-Cubs playing in a sauna and then shooting off fireworks. Here are four of my favorite 4th sports moments:

4. Back when the Daytona Speedway had the coolest name for a race in sports, the Firecracker 400, Richard Petty won in 1984. It was his 200th NASCAR Cup win. No one will ever approach that number. Alas, now the race is named after a soft drink each year.

3. In 1983, Dave Righetti threw the Yankees first no-hitter since Don Larsen’s perfect game, and Righetti did it against the rival Red Sox.

2. Chestnutt upsets Kobayashi in the hot dog eating contest. Kobayashi had won six in a row. Since this stunner in 2007, Chestnutt hasn’t lost, and now he’s won six straight. This year he ate 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

1. Lou Gehrig’s Farewell. It happened on July 4, 1939. Gehrig was 35. He’d be dead in two years. The speech is brief, emotional, and perfect. Watch it by clicking here