#hall of fame 2017

[sorrcha]

eastern hercules beetle

[rabbitcruiser]

The “Folsom Prison Blues” single was released by Johnny Cash on December 15, 1955.

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[netgirldotcom]

mar 1, 2017

I hate how on Tumblr, a username like lisa486 is almost certainly a pornblot, while someone named solidsnakesasscheeks is almost certainly a real person

[ijustthinkevilunoisneat]

2024 NRL Hall of Fame Inductee #124 Cooper Cronk

[marcellouslovelace]

2019 Point Guard Skills School by Marcellous Lovelace #75dab #biko70 #blackart #marcellouslovelace #raygun81

2019 Point Guard Skills School by Marcellous Lovelace #marcellouslovelace www.marcellouslovelace.com #art #basketball

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Fleetwood Mac - The Chain 1977

"The Chain" is a song by British-American rockband Fleetwood Mac, released on their 1977 album Rumours, which won Album of the Year at the 1978 Grammy Awards and received Diamond certifications in several countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, and the US, in where it is certified 21× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of February 2023, Rumours has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it the 5th best-selling album of the 1970s and the 9th best-selling album of all time. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003, and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2017, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress.

"The Chain" was created from combinations of several previously rejected materials, including solo work by Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie. The song was assembled, often manually by splicing tapes with a razor blade, at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California, with engineers Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. Stevie Nicks wrote the lyrics about Lindsey Buckingham as their relationship was falling apart. Buckingham and Nicks share lead vocals on the song.

In 1997, Fleetwood Mac released a live concert CD/DVD package called The Dance, which featured the reunion of the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac members. The rendition of "The Chain" reached number 30 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Additionally, the studio version began appearing on the charts in 2009, where it peaked at number 81 in the UK. In October 2023, the song was certified quadruple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of over 2,400,000 units.

"The Chain" received a total of 92% yes votes!

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

This blog is officially 6 months old!

With over 1000 polls posted and more than 2500 submissions received, I think it's time for a little recap of all the data I collected thanks to all of you!

Starting with some fun facts, the countries of origin of the series submitted are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan!

Under the cut I've compiled the 10 Most Avoided and 10 Most Watched series of Tumblr, according to the results I've received these past months. ^^

> Thanks, but No

Despite being generally well known, there's something about these series that simply didn't captivate the Tumblr population. Here are the 10 Most Avoided shows of Tumblr! Well! There's other sites.

10. Cowboy Bebop (2021) with 72.2% "No" results;

9. Euphoria (2019) with 72.4% "No" results;

8. The Sopranos (1999) with 73.7% "No" results;

7. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) with 73.8% "No" results;

6. Ahsoka (2023) with 74% "No" results;

5. She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985) with 74.3% "No" results;

4. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022) with 74.4% "No" results;

3. 13 Reasons Why (2017) with 75.5% "No" results;

2. Young Sheldon (2017) with 75.9% "No" results;

And our unhonourable champion, Battlestar Galactica (1978) with 77.2% "No" results!

> THEE Hall of Fame. Like for Real

Now unto the actual Tumblr Royalty, these are the Top 10 Most Watched series as of April 26 2024! :)

10. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) with 47.2% "Yes" results;

9. Gravity Falls (2012) with 49% "Yes" results;

8. Our Flag Means Death (2022) with 50.1% "Yes" results;

7. Danny Phantom (2003) with 51.1% "Yes" results;

6. Sherlock (2010) with 54.5% "Yes" results;

5. Over the Garden Wall (2014) with 54.5% "Yes" results;

4. Bill Nye the Science Guy (1993) with 56.4% "Yes" results;

3. The Good Place (2016) with 56.6% "Yes" results;

2. Steven Universe (2013) with 68.6% "Yes" results;

And our reigning champion, monarch of Tumblr culture, is Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) with 74.1% "Yes" results!!

Thank you everyone who has voted or submitted, running this blog has been quite fun and it couldn't have lasted this long without all of you! I look forward to the months to come, and to collect even more sweet, sweet data. ^^

[mydaddywiki]

Joe West

Physique: Husky Build Height: 6′1″

Joseph Henry West (born October 31, 1952), nicknamed "Cowboy Joe" or "Country Joe", is an American former baseball umpire. He worked in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 to 2021, umpiring an MLB-record 43 seasons and 5,460 games. He served as crew chief for the 2005 World Series and officiated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. On May 25, 2021, West broke Bill Klem's all-time record by umpiring his 5,376th game.

He’s the most polarizing man on the Hall of Fame ballot. Fans have been screaming at him for 44 years, managers and players cursing him, and he has a personality bigger than virtually every player who steps onto the field. All I have to say about this this guy is… DAT ASS.

Born in Asheville, North Carolina, he grew up in Greenville and played football at East Carolina University (ECU) and Elon College. West entered the National League (NL) as an umpire in 1976; he joined the NL staff full-time in 1978.

West has been married twice. After the death of his first wife, West remarried.

Career Highlights and Awards Special Assignments All-Star Game (1987, 2005, 2017) Wild Card Game (2013, 2014, 2020, 2021) Division Series (1995, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016) League Championship Series (1981, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2018) World Series (1992, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2016) World Baseball Classic (2009) MLB record 43 seasons umpired MLB record 5,460 games umpired

[stealwithcoffee]

Breaking news: Neal just congratulated Steve on his birthday!!! ✨✨✨

Neal posted a video with photos of the two of them together at the 2017 Hall of Fame along with the song "Lights"💖✨💞💝

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Neal Schon (@nealschon)

[vintagelasvegas]

Silver Palace to Mermaid's, 1956-2016

Silver Palace (1956), 32 Fremont St, Las Vegas. The casino was built in place of the W. R. Thomas building and had six different casinos names over its 60 years, aka Carousel Club, Gambler's Hall of Fame, Sundance West, Sally Sally's, and Mermaid's.

Silver Palace ('56-'64)

'54-55: The casino is planned in ’54. The W.R. Thomas building on this corner is deemed unsafe by the city and demolished in Jan. ’55. The casino also takes the place of Silver Cafe, closed Jan. ’55 after being sold to the casino group by owners Sui Mong Fong and Kim Fong.

'56: Silver Palace premiere opening is 5/25/56, with grand opening 6/8/56. Spinning Wheel Corp is the owner with over 20 licensees. Earl Snyder, president. Zick & Sharp, architect; Lee Linton, interior design. The casino is modern, with the city’s first escalator, casino, restaurant, and slot machines designed to resemble medieval castles. Signs by Heath Sign Co of Los Angeles. The casino is open only six months, closed by IRS, Nov. 30.

'58: Silver Palace reopens, 5/20/58, operated by Marion Hicks and parters of the Thunderbird. The restaurant is Louigi's Broiler.

'59: Silver Palace and Louigi's Broiler closed 6/30/59.

'61: Silver Palace reopened by Myron Lewis, 5/5/61.

'63: Lewis remains property landlord as Melvin Axler group takes over Silver Palace business in Oct.

Carousel Club ('64-'74)

'64: Renamed Carousel Club in Aug; Whiskey A' Go-Go in the basement floor. Carousel Club closed 9/23/64.

'65: Carousel Club reopened by B. Mclaney group in Jun. Carou-Cellar discotheque in the basement in Jul. Building sign changed to “McLaney’s Carousel.”

'67: Carousel Club licensees change to Salvator A Rizzo, Robert Ayoub, Rocco Paravia in Apr. American Federation of Casino and Gaming Employees leader Tom Hanley accuses the casino of taking orders from hidden owners, prompting Gaming Board investigation; AFCGE pickets the club in Aug-Sep. Owners close on 11/19/67 citing IRS charges.

'68: YESCO sues Carousel owners for unpaid sign lease in Jul. Marty Kutzen as Marlee Inc. buys the club with a Teamsters loan, reopens 8/30/68. “McLaney’s” removed from the sign.

'69: Al Garbian buys Marlee Inc, Carousel Club.

'73: Deil Gustafson buys Marlee Inc., Carousel Club.

Gambler's Hall of Fame ('74-'76) Sundance West ('76-'79)

'74: Carousel’s name changed Gamblers Hall of Fame in summer; remodeled by architect Lee Linton, and Ad-Art designer Charles Barnard.

'76: Gambler’s Hall closed 2/4/76 after bankruptcy petition is filed against the casino by a lender. Al Sachs buys the casino out of bankruptcy in May. Sachs reopens as Sundance West, 7/1/76. Facade updated, signs by Ad-Art.

'78: Cosmo's Underground restaurant opened by Tony Calabrese in the lower level of the building.

'79: Sundance West sold to Herb Pastor, closes for remodeling in Dec. Facade updated, signs by Ad-Art.

Sassy Sally's ('80-'99) Mermaid's ('99-'16)

'80: Reopened as Sassy Sally's, 4/1/80. Sally was the name of Pastor's babysitter.

'94: Cosmo's Underground closes.

'99: Casino remodeled as Mermaid's.

'06: Pastor sells Mermaid's, along with Glitter Gulch and La Bayou, to son Steve Burnstine (Granite Gaming Group).

'16: Burnstine sells Mermaid's, along with Glitter Gulch and La Bayou, to Derek and Greg Stevens. The property was demolished in 2017.

Casino to Replace Oldest Building Erected Here. Review-Journal, 12/29/54; Songs May Open New Cafe. Review-Journal, 1/4/55; Appeals Group Told to Study Building Case. Review-Journal, 1/20/55; At Long Last. Review-Journal, 2/1/55; Silver Palace to Open Friday. Review-Journal, 5/24/56; Silver Palace Opens Doors on Fremont Street Friday. Review-Journal, 5/25/56; T-Men Close Silver Palace Doors. Review-Journal, 11/30/56; New Group Negotiates for Casino. RJ 7/1/59; Casino Center to Use Silver Palace for Meets. Review-Journal, 11/20/60; Carousel Padlocked by Owner. Review-Journal, 9/24/64; City Approves Carousel Licenses. Review-Journal, 4/6/67; Roy Vanett. Hidden Casino Owners Block Talks - Union. Review-Journal, 8/10/67; Gaming Pickets Hit LV Carousel. Review-Journal, 8/25/67; State Eyes LV Casino. Review-Journal, 9/26/67; Carousel Club Closes: IRS Demand Blamed. Review-Journal, 11/20/67; Carousel Wins Okay. Review-Journal, 8/30/68; Associated Press. Board OKs Nugget, Carousel stock sales. Review-Journal, 7/12/73; Garbian to be active in casino activities. Review-Journal, 12/27/74; Al Sachs hold keys to Gamblers Hall. Review-Journal, 5/3/76; Closed Down. Review-Journal, 12/7/79; Opening. Review-Journal, 3/9/80; Charles F. Barnard. The Magic Sign. ST Publications, '93.

[rabbitcruiser]

Mighty Ducks won their 1st NHL game against Edmonton Oilers on October 13, 1993.

[rhapsodynew]

#On this day

On December 3, 1948, the British vocalist was born

Ozzy Osbourne

Happy Birthday!👍👏🎊🎉✨️💥🔥🎵🎶♥️

One of the founders and a member of the "golden line-up" of the band Black Sabbath.

Ozzy Osbourne: rock music legend, winner of many awards and iconic achievements

"The bat thought I was giving her the kiss of life..."

Osborne was born on December 3, 1948, at the Marston Green Maternity Clinic near Coleshill, but grew up in the Aston area of Birmingham. Geezer Butler founded his first band Rare Breed in late 1967 and quickly invited

Ozzy Osbourne as the frontman. After two shows, the band broke up. At Polka Tulk Blues, Ozzy Osbourne and Jeezer Butler reunited with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, whose band Mythology had recently disbanded.

In August 1969, they decided to call themselves Black Sabbath.

Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath in 1979 due to alcohol and drug problems, but then had a successful solo career, releasing 12 studio albums, the first seven of which were certified multiple platinum in the United States.

He repeatedly returned to Black Sabbath. He returned in 1997 and took part in the recording of the band's last studio album, "13" (2013), before embarking on a farewell tour that culminated with a performance in Birmingham, Alabama, in February 2017. His longevity and success earned him the unofficial title of "Godfather of Metal".

Ozzy Osbourne has sold over 100 million albums worldwide thanks to his time in Black Sabbath and solo efforts. Osborne has been recognized for his contribution to the music industry by a number of awards. He won a Grammy Award in the Best Metal Performance category in 1994 for the song "I Don't Want to Change the World" from the album Live & Loud. Osborne received the Godlike Genius Award at the NME Awards in London in 2004.

As a solo artist and member of Black Sabbath, Osborne was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Along with Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Jeezer Butler from Black Sabbath, he was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Osborne, along with Genesis, Heart and ZZ Top, was recognized at the second annual VH1 Rock Honors ceremony in 2007. A bronze star was erected in his honor on Broad Street in Birmingham, England. On May 18, Osborne learned that he would be the first to be inducted into the Birmingham Walk of Fame.

Osborne In 2008, Osborne was awarded the title of "Legend of Live Rock Music" at the Classic Rock n Roll of Honor Awards. Previous winners have included Alice Cooper, Lemmy and Jimmy Page. The award was presented by Slash, former Guns N' Roses guitarist. At the Guys Choice Awards in Culver City, California, in 2010, Osborne received the Literary Achievement Award for his autobiography, I Am Ozzy. The award was presented by Sir Ben Kingsley. The book opened the New York Times bestseller list in 2nd place in the hardcover non-fiction category.

Ozzy Osbourne is a talented musician who has made a huge contribution to the development of rock music. His unique voice and expressive singing style have won millions of fans around the world. In addition, Ozzy Osbourne is a celebrity who has always been open and honest with her fans and fans. He also became famous for his reality shows and participation in films.

The awards and honors that Ozzy Osbourne has received during his career highlight his importance and contribution to the music industry. His music and personality will remain in the memory and hearts of many people for decades to come.

[wlwcatalogue]

A few sapphic film recs!

Just a few recommendations for sapphic films under 2 hours which may or may not have flown under the radar:

Moonlit Winter / 윤희에게 (1hr 45m, 2019, dir. Lim Dae-hyung)

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (1hr 48m, 2017, dir. Angela Robinson)

Who's the Woman, Who's the Man / 金枝玉葉 2 (1hr 50m, 1996, dir. Peter Ho-Sun Chan)

Sisterhood / 骨妹 (1hr 37m, 2016, dir. Tracy Choi)

DEBS (1hr 31m, 2004, dir. Angela Robinson)

Farewell, My Queen / Les adieux à la reine (1hr 40m, 2012, dir. Benoît Jacquot)

Bonus - short film: Love Does Human / 사람 하는 사랑 (24 mins, 2019, dir. Oh Seon-ju)

Commentary under the cut!

1. Moonlit Winter / 윤희에게 (1hr 45m, 2019, dir. Lim Dae-hyung) - IMDB | MyDramaList

This movie is about a daughter (Kim So-hye) who finds out about her divorced mother’s (Kim Hee-ae) past with another woman (Katase Jun), and how in encouraging her mother to reconnect, the two finally open up to each other as well. Dry stuff on paper, but there’s more to it: the mother and her former lover didn’t just break up, they were split apart by their families as teenagers and the mother was forced to marry a man against her will. In short, it deals with the aftermath of the typical “bad ending” of older stories featuring WLW characters, wherein schoolgirls in love would be separated and married off to preserve the heteronormative status quo.

Although the queer relationship does not get much screentime at all – the two characters share a single scene, there are no flashbacks, and there’s not even a hug – queerness remains at the heart of the movie. It’s a rare depiction of how the repression of queerness leaves scars on people which affect how they engage with the world, but which also shows that as long as they are alive, there is still hope that those scars can be healed. Also, despite the heavy-sounding subject matter, it’s a very gentle experience: there are no direct depictions of homophobia and no sensationalism, just a little story of human connection unfolding in a snow-cloaked Hokkaido.

2. Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (1hr 48m, 2017, dir. Angela Robinson) - IMDB

The blurb on IMDB says that this movie is about “psychologist William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans), and his polyamorous relationship with his wife [Elizabeth] (Rebecca Hall) and their mistress [Olive] (Bella Heathcote) who would inspire his creation of the superheroine, Wonder Woman”. As someone who is not particularly drawn to biopics, male protagonists, polyamory, BDSM, or Wonder Woman, I assumed that this movie wouldn’t be my jam and so didn’t watch it until quite a while later – which is when I discovered just how wrong I was.

First, the two women take up just as much of the movie’s focus as Marston. Elizabeth, Marston’s wife and fellow psychologist, is highly intelligent but equally highly-strung; she does not know how to deal with her husband’s attraction to new research assistant Olive, nor Olive’s attraction to both her husband and Elizabeth herself, and this internal conflict (even after the three enter into a polyamorous relationship) features heavily in the story. Second, although it declares itself to be “based on a true story”, the movie is not especially interested in recreating or representing the past. Rather, the historical elements are used as a framework to explore certain ideas: Diana’s Lasso of Truth symbolises how progress and healing must be first founded upon honesty, for example. The polyamory and BDSM is also not at all sordid or sensationalised, but rather presented in a nuanced (though still sexy!) manner. More than anything, this is a movie with a big heart and big ideas, and should be judged on its own merits.

3. Who's the Woman, Who's the Man / 金枝玉葉 2 (1hr 50m, 1996, dir. Peter Ho-Sun Chan) - IMDB | MyDramaList

All you need to know going into this sequel of 1994 movie He's a Woman, She's a Man (金枝玉葉) is that main character Wing (Anita Yuen) is a woman who has found both fame and (heterosexual) love while disguising herself as a male idol, and that her relationship with record producer Sam (Leslie Cheung) is known to the general public— although it is perceived as being homosexual in nature due to her persona. At this point, you might be wondering why an M/F romantic comedy is on this list, but this movie is a bit odd in that instead of focusing only on problems such Sam’s internalised homophobia and misogyny (both of which are addressed in the story), one of the new obstacles facing the couple is the female lead meeting female pop star Fong Yim Mui (Anita Mui)… and both starting to fall for each other.

I was surprised at how sensitively Wing and Fong Yim Mui’s respective arcs are handled, especially for a mainstream movie from the 90’s starring two of Hong Kong’s most popular performers at the time. Instead of giving the two women a meet-cute and leaving it at that, a lot of care is put into showing them processing and coming to terms with their feelings in their own time. Romantic and sexual attraction is also highlighted separately, which is refreshing given how they are usually depicted as inextricably linked even now… Obviously Wing and Fong Yim Mui don’t end up together, but their feelings aren’t dismissed and – relative to the narrative constraints – the ending is a warm, optimistic one. Also, Anita Mui gives an absolutely award-worthy performance in one of the scenes with her character and Wing, so fans of her should definitely give this movie a try.

Important note: Although there’s much that’s good about it, Who's the Woman, Who's the Man is far from perfect. Early on, there’s a masquerade party where two of the characters are wearing masks which look like racist caricatures, and the masks are crop up in multiple scenes in the film. More serious is the subplot about a male character who keeps trying to win over a lesbian, culminating in her agreeing to sleep with him once while he’s dressed as a woman (CW: transphobia, homophobia) – though this storyline ends with the man accepting that she really is gay and parting on friendly terms. That said, these problems are already mild compared to the actively hateful transphobic and homophobic jokes present in so many of its contemporaries, so if you’ve watched a 90’s Hong Kong comedy before, chances are that your tolerance level is more than high enough.

4. Sisterhood / 骨妹 (1hr 37m, 2016, dir. Tracy Choi) IMDB | MyDramaList

Sisterhood opens with tragedy. Originally from Macau, main character Sei (Gigi Leung) is living quietly in Taiwan with her husband after the 1999 Handover when her life is overturned by a newspaper personal ad informing her that her long-estranged friend and colleague Ling has passed away. The movie is shot through with flashbacks to earlier times, tracking a young Sei (Fish Liew) as she starts doing sex work and is taken under the wing of the more experienced Ling (Jennifer Yu) and her friends. Memories of togetherness and community are juxtaposed against sequences of present-day Sei struggling to navigate her grief, the tensions of the now-fractured friend group, and a Macau that has changed just as much as she has. The acting and script can be clunky in places but the sentiment shines through, especially after the first third, at which point the movie starts honing in on Sei and Ling’s relationship. It’s not a happy story, but nor is it defined by sadness; instead, it posits that the past is not merely to be mourned, that it is instead something that can shape and provide a foundation for the future. I won't talk too much about how queerness figures into this story, due to spoilers, but rest assured that it is present and important!

5. D.E.B.S. (1hr 31m, 2004, dir. Angela Robinson) - IMDB

Okay, you've probably heard of this one before if not watched it already, but anyway! This was the first WLW movie I watched, and for a long time, the only one which I actually enjoyed. It’s about an elite spy (well, more like an honours student at spy school) (Sara Foster) and a criminal mastermind (Jordana Brewster) falling for each other, a premise which is just as fun and over-the-top as it sounds. The movie does a great job of mixing action, humor, and romance, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome – it’s got a nice compact runtime and a cracking pace. There’s still nothing quite like it in my opinion, though I’m very welcome to any recommendations in this line (my askbox is open if you have any!).

6. Farewell, My Queen / Les adieux à la reine (1hr 40m, 2012, dir. Benoît Jacquot) - IMDB

Loosely based on Chantal Thomas’ novel of the same name, Farewell, My Queen is a portrait of French nobility in decline, following maidservant Sidonie Labarde (Léa Seydoux) who is in the service of Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger). It's a beautiful, lavish production which effectively conveys the perspective of a servant locked in the gilded cage that is Versailles during the French Revolution, and is a rare case of a historical figure as famous as Antoinette being presented as queer in a serious historical drama.

That being said, the queerness is mostly background, coming mainly in the form of Antoinette’s crush on? relationship with? duchess Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen)— though a case can be made for Sidonie, whose outward opacity belies an unwavering, almost unsettling, devotion to her queen. Also, be warned that the movie has many a dodgy shot of cleavage, and two instances of unnecessary and voyeuristic nudity... but other than that, it really does have gorgeous cinematography.

Fun fact: there really were rumours about Antoinette having a scandalous relationship with the duchess, although these have nearly always been written off as baseless reputation-smearing.

Bonus - short film: Love Does Human / 사람 하는 사랑 (24 mins, 2019, dir. Oh Seon-ju) - MyDramaList

Some say that the best science fiction puts a spotlight on some part of the human condition, and this short film does just that. Main character Tae Eun's (Kim Min-ju) girlfriend Joo An (Jang Sam-yi) no longer has a human body: after carrying out a medical operation which transferred her consciousness to a computer system, she now has a web-camera for her eyes, a speaker for her mouth, and control over their home's devices for her hands. And although the change was by Joo An's choice and Tae Eun was supportive, the pair struggle to adjust to this new reality, and are confronted with the need to communicate and to consider each other's perspectives. Love Does Human has a bit of a slow start, and there were points where I didn't understand why the characters were reacting in a certain way, but it all comes together beautifully in the end. Through its sci-fi premise, viewers are encouraged to think about real-life problems using a different angle, and the movie never gets too heavy. Also, shoutout to some excellent voice work from the two actors - Joo An is performed nearly entirely through voice but she feels deeply human and present, and Tae Eun's actor also has a standout scene featuring some great voice acting. All in all, it's a short film that's well worth checking out (especially since the director has made it available for free, with English subtitles, on Youtube - embedded above)!

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

23 Year Old Ricky Morton , 1980

Ricky Morton is one half of the legendary tag team , The Rock N Roll Express. Morton ‘s career began in 1977 at Continental Wrestling Association. In 1983 , he began teaming with Robert Gibson and that was when The Rock N Roll Express began. The two were put together by promoters Jerry ‘ The King ‘ Lawler and Jerry Jarrett. They would have a fierce rivalry with The Midnight Express. The Rock N Roll Express went on to become multiple time tag team champions and were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ricky Morton is currently wrestling on the Independent Circuit and has made appearances in the NWA alongside his son , Kerry. He also owns a wrestling school , School of Morton.

I hope to meet Ricky at WRESTLECADE this year!

📸 : Classic Memphis Wrestling Facebook Page

[coimbrabertone]

NASCAR Numerology: How NASCAR's Current Teams Got Their Numbers: Part Four.

Welcome everybody to the mission creep blog! We've done Trackhouse, Penske, Wood Brothers, RCR, SHR, Hendrick, RFK, and Spire, which means we've cleared the first ten numbers!

Today we're going to talk about:

Joe Gibbs Racing, who runs the #11, the #19, the #20, and the #54 this year.

Kaulig Racing, who runs the #13, the #16, and the #31.

Rick Ware Racing, who run the #15 and the #51,

and 23XI Racing, who run the #23, the #45, and sometimes the #50.

So, starting with Joe Gibbs Racing...and their story starts with none of their current numbers! Rather, it starts with the #18 in 1992.

Why the #18? Once again, it was a story of lowest available number, as 1-12 were taken, the #13 was being used by a part time time along with various superstitions around it, and #14, #15, #16, and #17 were taken as well. Thus, JGR debuted in 1992 with Dale Jarrett in the Interstate Batteries Chevrolet. This partnership won the Daytona 500 in 1993 and won at the fall Charlotte race in 1994, but for 1995, Dale Jarrett would leave. He moved to Yates Racing to take over the #28, subbing for the injured Ernie Irvan, and when Irvan returned to the #28 in 1996, Jarrett moved to a second Yates car, the #88.

Thus, JGR had to make their own story with Bobby Labonte, who impressed immediately by winning the 1995 Coke 600 and sweeping Charlotte.

1997 would bring only one win, at Atlanta, so for 1997, JGR switched to Pontiac. This era of JGR, with Bobby Labonte running the Interstate Batteries #18 Pontiac, is when the team really broke into the top of NASCAR.

Bobby would finish second to Dale Jarrett in 1999, but in 2000, Bobby Labonte would win the championship for JGR.

This was also the time that JGR became a two car team for the first time, but more on that in a moment.

For now, Labonte continued in JGR through the end of the 2005 season, with his last three years in a Chevrolet as GM began phasing out the Pontiac brand in NASCAR. Upon his retirement, he was replaced by JGR development driver JJ Yeley, but Yeley would only last two winless seasons.

He would be shuffled off to Hall of Fame Racing for 2008.

This is when JGR experienced its biggest change in history when, feeling like they were second or even third fiddle at Chevrolet, they switched to Toyota for the 2008 season. Toyota looked downright bad in 2007, but with a year of experience and JGR making the switch, there was hope.

Another reason to hope was that Kyle Busch, the hotheaded but fast kid from Hendrick Motorsports, made the switch, with JGR signing M&Ms as a sponsor over from Yates.

Thus, one of the most recognizable partnerships in modern NASCAR began, with Kyle Busch, Toyota, and M&Ms - they won the 2015 and 2019 championships together, took countless wins, and along with Kevin Harvick of SHR and Martin Truex Jr., Kyle formed part of the "Big Three" drivers that dominated the late Gen 6 era of NASCAR, particularly 2017-2019.

However, during the 2022 season, Mars Inc., parent company of M&Ms, announced that they were ending their NASCAR sponsorship. Kyle Busch was forced to move to the #8 car at RCR, while Joe Gibbs announced that his grandson, Ty Gibbs, would move up to the NASCAR Cup Series.

Rather than the #18, he would continue in his Xfinity number, driving the #54.

Ironically enough, the #54 originates with Kyle Busch, as Kyle Busch Motorsports has long run the #51 (a tribute to Days of Thunder antagonist Rowdy Burns, who Kyle has nicknamed himself after) and the #4 in trucks. When KBM moved up to the second-tier Nationwide series in 2012 neither number was available, so they ran the #54 instead.

Kyle and Kurt Busch split the season, with Kurt taking its only win at Richmond.

For 2013, KBM's Nationwide team was sold to Joe Gibbs Racing, where, in 2022, Ty Gibbs ran the #54 to the Xfinity series championship (for those who don't know, Busch, Nationwide, and Xfinity are all the second-tier NASCAR series, it just doesn't have a proper name so it has always been known by its title sponsor, which has changed a few times).

So, the #18 became the #54.

Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs' second number was the #20, introduced in 1999. Why the #20? Because the #19 was taken by a part-time team at the time, so the #20 was the next available number after #18. This number was initially ran by Tony Stewart with immediate success, winning the championship in 2002 with Pontiac and 2005 with Chevrolet. The Home Depot #20 was one of the iconic cars of NASCAR's boom era, and Tony Stewart was its superstar driver. In 2008, however, JGR switched to Toyota, while Tony was an all-American GM guy to his core.

The awkward partnership only lasted for one year before Tony left JGR to start his own team with Gene Haas, forming SHR.

Joey Logano replaced Tony in the #20, showing flashes of brilliance, but with only two wins in four seasons, Logano was replaced with Matt Kenseth for 2013. Logano would move to Penske, with much more success there than he had at JGR.

Matt Kenseth, meanwhile, saw the #20 switch from Home Depot sponsorship to running a Dollar General primary. Nevertheless, Kenseth showed immediate success, taking seven wins and falling just nineteen points off championship leader Jimmie Johnson.

Two years later in 2015, Kenseth was on for another championship contending season before being spun out from the lead at Kansas by none other than Joey Logano. Getting caught up in a wreck at the next race at Talladega saw Matt Kenseth get eliminated in the round of 12, while Logano won his third race in a row at Talladega to sweep the round of 12.

In retribution, at Martinsville two weeks later - the first race of the round of eight - Matt Kenseth wrecked Joey Logano as the crowd cheered. Kenseth was suspended for two races, but getting wrecked at Martinsville, a tyre problem at Texas, and failing to win Phoenix meant that Joey Logano didn't advance either.

A historic feud between drivers of the #20.

Kenseth would leave JGR after 2017, handing the #20 over to Erik Jones for three seasons, before it ended up in the hands of current driver Christopher Bell in 2021.

Bell has made the championship four in both 2022 and 2023, but finished fourth in the standings both years.

JGR's third car was the #11, co-owned by JD Gibbs and running the #11, which was the number JD used in college football at William & Mary. The #11 debuted in 2004, running various drivers such as JJ Yeley, Jason Leffler, Ricky Craven, and even Terry Labonte before settling on Denny Hamlin at the end of 2005. Hamlin went full time for 2006.

The team, with primary sponsorship from FedEx, has run ever since.

Denny Hamlin and the #11 team have won three Daytona 500s, fifty-four races, and have basically done everything in NASCAR besides winning a championship. Truly the Chicago Cubs of the stock car racing world.

Last on the list for JGR is the #19, which Joe Gibbs was finally able to secure in 2015. They had already poached Matt Kenseth from Roush for the #20, so Gibbs decided to do it again and nabbed Carl Edwards for the #19, a partnership that lasted two years before Carl abruptly retired at the end of the 2016 season for reasons NASCAR fans still speculate about to this day.

In the words of Carl Edwards himself...he had taken too many knocks to the head over the years and with him then starting a young family with a neurosurgeon wife, he decided to retire.

Daniel Suárez replaced Edwards for 2017 and 2018, before the other leading Toyota team in the form of Furniture Row Racing collapsed, giving JGR the chance to pick up 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. for the 2019 season. Truex brought sponsors Bass Pro Shops and Auto Owners Insurance over with him.

2024, however, will be Truex's last season. Chase Briscoe will take over the #19 for 2025.

One team down.

Kaulig Racing has two full time cars, the #16 and the #31, as well as a part-time #13. The #31 is driven by Daniel Hemric, the #16 by AJ Allmendinger, Shane van Gisbergen, Josh Williams, Derek Kraus, and Ty Dillon, and the #13 has been used by Allmendinger in races where both he and SVG were running, such as COTA and Chicago.

Kaulig took #16 since it was available in 2021 (their usual Xfinity numbers, #10 and #11, were both taken), the #31 was chosen for their chartered entry for 2022 since RCR had vacated it after 2019, and the #13 because one: it was vacated, and two: it's the inverse of the #13. Yeah, not much story there, Kaulig is a new team and their numbers don't have much historic meaning behind them.

I mean, Roush ran the #16 for a long time, most successfully with Greg Biffle, but there's no link between that and Kaulig.

Kaulig does have two wins - Indianapolis Road Course 2021 and Charlotte Roval 2023 - with AJ Allmendinger, which is the most success the #16 has had since Biffle, for whatever that's worth.

Now onto Rick Ware Racing.

Rick Ware Racing has built up their history as a start-and-park team running the #51, and initially their numbering scheme was built on that, running numbers such as #52, #53, and the #54 as well. This is also the number that Rick Ware uses on its co-entries in other series, such as its alliance with Dale Coyne Racing in Indycar - where the #51 is currently run by a slew of drivers, of which Katherine Legge is expected to finish out the season - and IMSA LMP3 racing, where Rick Ware runs his son Cody.

Cody Ware was arrested in 2023 for assaulting and strangling his then girlfriend, so that's the first and only time I will mention him on this blog.

Anyway, more recently Rick Ware Racing has started professionalizing its NASCAR efforts, with Justin Haley showing promise in the #51 car that he runs in alliance with RFK Racing. Their other car, the #15, is still somewhat of a revolving door of drivers, but it does appear to be improving.

So, that's the #11, the #13, the #15, and the #16. Roush has the #17, the #18 is currently vacant, JGR has the #19 and the #20, Wood Brothers has the #21, Penske the #22...that means 23XI is next.

23Xi Racing, a joint venture by Michael Jordan (the 23 part) and Denny Hamlin (the 11 part, or XI in Roman numerals) is another new NASCAR team, having entered NASCAR in 2021 in alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.

The history of their numbers is quite simple, the #23 is Jordan's jersey number, and the #45 is the number he wore when he returned to the Chicago Bulls in 1995 after a brief sabbatical during which time he played for the White Sox's minor league affiliates.

Bubba Wallace has run the #23 since it was established in 2021, while Kurt Busch was the initial driver of the #45 before a career-ending crash at Pocono. Ty Gibbs was drafted in to replace Kurt, before 23Xi briefly switched Bubba into the #45 to compete for the owner points playoffs. Daniel Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek also had starts in 23XI cars in 2022.

For 2023 though, Tyler Reddick has been brought in to drive the #45, winning twice in 2023, and another two times so far in 2024.

Bubba, meanwhile, won Talladega 2021 in his #23, and Kansas 2022 while filling in in the #45.

23XI's third car was initially the #67 - get it, like 2,3,4,5,6,7? - but this year, in a promotion with sponsor Mobil 1, it has run as the #50 to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Travis Pastrana, Kamui Kobayashi, and Corey Heim have all started in the #67/#50, while Juan Pablo Montoya is scheduled to run the #50 at the 2024 NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen.

So yeah, we started with a college football number in the #11, and we finish on a team named after basketball numbers with 23XI.

I believe tomorrow will be the end of this series, as Front Row Motorsports with the #34 and #38, Legacy Motor Club with the #42 and the #43, and JTG Daugherty with the #47 are the only remaining full-time teams.

Higher numbers are a bit sparse in NASCAR these days, huh?