To our business.
Rushmore of Tom Cruise movies — “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Risky Business,” “Color of Money,” and “A Few Good Men.”
Rushmore of sports figure named Richard — Maurice Richard, Richard Petty, J.R. Richard, Richard Dent.
Rushmore of Dan Aykroyd movies — “Ghostbusters,” “Spies Like Us,” “Trading Places,” and “Blues Brothers.” Although that is leaving a slew of great ones on the table.
Rushmore of super powers — Ability to fly, mind reading, invisibility.
Let’s get to the holiday mailbag.
From Lonnie
Jay, you asked (earlier this week) about what we were eating, but what are your must-hear July 4 songs?
Lonnie
Great question, which leads us to a slew of must-do lists for ‘Merica’s Birthday.
First, paper plates and Red Solo Cups. No one should be doing dishes July 4.
Make sure you have meat as your main course. This is non-negotiable.
Cans, not 2 litters. If you are going to a shindig that serves adult beverages, bring some. Don’t be Frank the Tank even if you love the way it tastes when it touches your lips.
Maybe, most importantly, is the playlist. Look, regardless of the guest list, there are five must-have July 4 songs that have to be in rotation, starting with Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”
The others are Whitney’s classic version of the national anthem, Tony Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” and “Living in America” by James Brown.
Great question.
Signal Esquire
Jay, in honor of America’s Pastime, what is your all-time lineup (eight position players — with no “cheating” on positions: one DH, four-man rotation, closer) for a fictional seven-game series to determine world supremacy?
Here’s mine (and duplication is allowed):
Willie Mays CF
Derek Jeter SS
Barry Bonds LF
Babe Ruth RF
Ted Williams DH
Albert Pujols 1B
Rogers Hornsby 2B
Chipper Jones 3B
Ivan Rodriguez C
——–
Sandy Koufax SP
Greg Maddux SP
Roger Clemens SP
Walter Johnson SP
——–
Mariano Rivera CL
SE,
OK, as I said in the comments, we are in agreement 100% on Ruth in right and Rivera as the closer.
I will take Gehrig at first over Pujols and Robbie Alomar over Roger Hornsby at second.
I’ll take A-Rod at short over Jeter and Schmidt over Chipper at third since Michael Jack was a much better defensive player than Larry, even if Larry was the better hitter for average. I do think Chipper Jones is second though.
Left field is wicked tricky because a) Bonds is the right choice, b) Rickey Henderson is the best leadoff hitter ever, and c) where do we put Hank Aaron? This gets even more confusing when we start discussing DH.
I think Willie is the choice in center being true to position, but I would be really tempted to put Rickey in center as long as he was OK with it.
As for DH, I will concur with Williams — for now. We are about two years away from Shohei Ohtani being the pick. And heck, Shohei may bat leadoff.
As for the rotation, Walter Johnson gets the ball Game 1. What a dominant force. I concur with Maddox and Clemens.
But I will take Bob Gibson over Koufax and all the rest of the all-time greats right there on the cusp, like the Big Unit, Seaver and all the others.
Great question.
From Mark
Short-sleeve hoodie, friend or foe?
Mark
100% foe. Not a hoodie fan to begin with — although the not-so-Lil 5-at-10 wears a hoodie and athletic shorts every day, whether it’s 95 degrees or 25 degrees — but this makes the list of 5-at-10 fashion don’ts.
No jerseys of other dudes after the age of 12 unless they are handed to you by someone you call coach.
No cut-off jeans.
No crocks. (I’m also against men wearing open-toed shoes to be honest, but to each his own.)
No thanks to jewelry other than wedding rings and watches.
No tank tops unless you are on an organized basketball team.
Thoughts.
From Spy
Still would have loved to have seen a movie with Walken, Madsen, James Spader, et al, to see who could be the best bad guy.
Spy
Well said.
Gang, who else deserves to be in the team picture of best movie villains — not just for one role but consistent efforts — with those guys.
I know there are some mailbag questions left on the cutting room floor, and I will either answer them in the comments or next weeks.
Have a great weekend friends, and Happy July Fourth everyone.