The MMOB Daily Quote - Eric Blair (AKA George Orwell)

Eric Arthur Blair (June 25, 1903 – January 21, 1950)

Today's subject of The MMOB Daily Quote is the English democratic socialist and author best known for the novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Both works paint an unflattering picture of the world as it is or as it could be given the choices we make every day. I recently saw a television piece centered on the time when Blair was writing Nineteen Eighty-Four when he secluded himself and his family in an ice shack on an island and fought TB. The piece paints a fairly extreme set of circumstances that culminated in one of the darkest and most significant novels of the 20th century. Check out Robert McCrum's article The masterpiece that killed George Orwell for more of the fascinating specifics.

In case you haven't seen it, here's the BBC version of 1984 as done live in 1954.



And now, some quotes from Mr. Blair/Orwell to start us off on a Thursday."

"A dirty joke is a sort of mental rebellion.

"A family with the wrong members in control; that, perhaps, is as near as one can come to describing England in a phrase."

"A tragic situation exists precisely when virtue does not triumph but when it is still felt that man is nobler than the forces which destroy him."

"Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket."

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

"All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome."

"All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting."

"As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me."

"As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents."

"At fifty everyone has the face he deserves."

"Big Brother is watching you."

"But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought."

"Dickens is one of those authors who are well worth stealing."

"Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them."

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

"Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it."

"Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper."

"Enlightened people seldom or never possess a sense of responsibility."

"Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac."

"For a creative writer possession of the "truth" is less important than emotional sincerity."

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842–1914?)

Today's subject of The MMOB Daily Quote was an American writer and journalist best known for his satirical work The Devil's Dictionary. He earned the nickname "Bitter Bierce" because of his searing criticism and apparently is on the list of those propagating anti-Freemasonry for his strident efforts to find the true meaning behind the organization's rituals and symbolism. His date of death is unknown as he disappeared in Mexico in 1913 while experiencing that country's ongoing revolution. The theory is that he joined up with Pancho Villa's army after serving as an observer, but there is no solid proof.

Here's an example of Bierce's short story An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge. It's the first of 5 short clips that tell the entire story. Enjoy!



And now, some quotes from Ambrose to get us started on a Wednesday.

A man is known by the company he organizes.

A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms agains himself. He makes his failure certain by himself being the first person to be convinced of it.

A total abstainer is one who abstains from everything but abstention, and especially from inactivity in the affairs of others.

Ability is commonly found to consist mainly in a high degree of solemnity.

Absence blots people out. We really have no absent friends.

An egotist is a person of low taste - more interested in himself than in me.

All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher.


Lastly, here are some samples from The Devil's Dictionary:

Abscond, v.: to move in a mysterious way, commonly with the property of another.

Abstainer, n.: a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure.

Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.

Academe, n.: An ancient school where morality and philosophy were taught. Academy, n.: A modern school where football is taught.

Acquaintance, n.: A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to.

Admiral, n.: That part of a warship which does the talking while the figurehead does the thinking.

Admiration, n.: Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves.

Alliance, n.: in international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third.

Ambidextrous, adj.: Able to pick with equal skill a right-hand pocket or a left.

Ambition, n.: An overmastering desire to be vilified by enemies while living and made ridiculous by friends when dead.

Amnesty, n.: The state's magnanimity to those offenders whom it would be too expensive to punish.

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Marty Barrett

Martin Glenn Barrett (born June 23, 1958)

Today's subject of The MMOB Daily Quote played second base for the Boston Red Sox during the 1980's. As a lifetime .278 hitter with 938 hits he had a mediocre career at best. But as a teammate to the likes of Roger Clemens, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Wayde Boggs and Bill Buckner, he stands high in my early memories of my other favorite team (behind the Giants of course) even though they couldn't win the big one. Yes, we all remember the 1986 World Series and the Mets come from behind win capped by the slow roller between Buckner's legs. Painful memories...

Yes, Marty was the guy who struck out to end the '86 series. If you want to see that, you'll have to go to Mets Win World Series on AOL Video.

And now, a quote to start our day.

"We lost that game (Game 6 of the '86 World Series). They won the seventh game, but we lost on Saturday night."

And a humorous annecdote: Steve Stone said one time during a Cubs-Padres game that the Padres should look into acquiring Marty Barrett from the Boston Red Sox then the Padres would have Gwynn and Barrett in the same lineup. (you really need a little cymbol crash here for effect... :)

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Carl Hubbell

Carl Owen Hubbell (June 22, 1903 – November 21, 1988)

Today's subject of The MMOB Daily Quote is the great New York Giants pitcher and Hall of Famer. His statistics speak for themselves, but it is the 1934 All-Star game which cemented his greatness in the minds of fans, when in succession, he struck out five future Hall of Famers: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin.

I would have loved to see the man play in person. So instead, through the magic that is the Internet, here's the next best thing: some vintage footage of Mr. Hubbell at work.



And now, some quotes from Carl Hubbell to get us all started on this fine summer Monday.

"A fellow doesn't last long on what he has done. He has to keep on delivering."

"I slipped (during the 1936 World Series) and the ball got away from me with nothing on it. Maybe it's lucky it hit Lou (Gehrig), instead of going over the plate."

"The screwball's an unnatural pitch. Nature never intended a man to turn his hand like that throwing rocks at a bear."

"I never was a strikeout pitcher like Bob Feller or Dizzy Dean or Dazzy Vance. My style of pitching was to make the other team hit the ball, but on the ground. It was as big a surprise to me to strike out all those fellows as it probably was to them." - of his feat in the 1934 All-Star game.

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Al Hirschfeld

Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003)

The subject of today's MMOB Daily Quote is the man who's distinctive artistic style set the standard for Hollywood caricature. If you've ever seen a Hirschfeld piece, you instantly recognize the simple, clean, and effective use of line to capture the essence of the subject. That's why he has become as The Lion King (a subtle nod to another Hollywood illustrated icon).

Here's a clip showing Mr. Hirschfeld creating a Paul Newman caricature. Great stuff!



And now, some quotes from the master of line art.

"Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons."

"Life isn't a science. We make it up as we go."

"You always feel the drawing you are working on is the best you've ever done... I am only interested in the present."

"When I was about fourteen, my mother took me to see a musical comedy-and that was my first experience in the theater and I was enchanted with it. It transported me to another world-you might say that I was stage-struck. I was mesmerized by the stage. "

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Mark Twain Sunday

Today's Mark Twain Sunday Quotes are about WATER

"Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody."

"Water is an individual, an animal, and is alive, remove the hydrogen and it is an animal and is alive; the remaining oxygen is also an individual, an animal, and is alive. Recapitulation: the two individuals combined, constitute a third individual--and yet each continues to be an individual....here was mute Nature explaining the sublime mystery of the Trinity so luminously that even the commonest understanding could comprehend it, whereas many a trained master of words had labored to do it with speech and failed."
- Three Thousand Years among the Microbes

"Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Errol Flynn

Errol Leslie Flynn (June 20, 1909 – October 14, 1959)

Today's subject of The MMOB Daily Quote is a swashbuckling actor and self-style ladies man. I can remember watching his daring swordplay on Sunday reruns of his old movies. Tame stuff by today's standards, but inspiration for many a duel with sticks in the backyard with my brothers.

Here's a funny YouTube piece showing Errol laughing (lots of it) in Robin Hood



And now, here are a few quotes from Mr. Flynn to make your Saturday a little more interesting.

"Any man who has $10,000 left when he dies is a failure."

"I had now made about 45 pictures, but what had I become? I knew all too well: a phallic symbol. All over the world I was, as a name and personality, equated with sex."

"I like my whisky old and my women young."

"It isn't what they say about you, it's what they whisper."

"My father was never anti-anything in our house."

"My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income."

"The public has always expected me to be a playboy, and a decent chap never lets his public down."

"Women won't let me stay single and I won't let me stay married."

Cheers! - Jason

Artist Spotlight - Marshall Rogers

When it comes to Batman, there's a small core of artists who have really done the character right. You can argue about who was the best, and good cases can be made for a handful of the greats - whether that's the guys from the early years including Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and Dick Sprang; the '60s through the '80s with the excellence of Carmine Infantino, Jim Aparo, Neal Adams, and Frank Miller; or looking to the newer works of Jim Lee, Tim Sale or even the animated work of Paul Dini. Marshall Rogers fits into that middle group and his pointy-eared interpretation was second-to-none.

While my first experience of Marshall's art was with Batman in DC's Detective Comics, his worked that I liked best was on Marvel Comics master of mysticism, Doctor Strange. His work harkened back to the heyday of Steve Ditko, which a cleaner, more multi-layered approach that brought new depth to the interpretation of the unusual setting inhabited by Dr. Stephen Strange.

Marshall's career also included runs on a number of books, including Marvel's Silver Surfer and G.I. Joe, DC's Mister Miracle, along with Scorpio Rose and Coyote for Eclipse Comics. In the midst of a resurgence, he died of a heart attack in 2007 at the all-too young age of 57. That said, I hope you appreciate the small sampling of his work below. It's the least I can do after the many hours of enjoyment he's provided to us fans over the years.

A small GALLERY of Marshall Rogers Art pulled from the Internet
All art and copyrights are the property of their respective owners

Next Up: Bernie Wrightson

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Lou Gehrig

Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941)

In addition to being the second "Lou" in as many days, today's subject of The MMOB Daily Quote is now a cherished American baseball icon who was known as The Iron Horse for his durability and dependability on the field. His exploits are legendary, and as a member of The Bronx Bombers (that's the New York Yankees for you non-baseball fans out there) he played alongside Babe Ruth, was voted the American League MVP twice and helped win the World Series Championship six times.

As great a player as he was, it was his tragic exit from the game that cemented him in the hearts and minds of the world. After showing signs for half a season, Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on June 19, 1939, his 36th birthday. ALS was later dubbed Lou Gehrig's Disease in his honor. His famous retirement speech two days later is the stuff of legend. Here is the text of that speech, which was recreated so pointedly by Gary Cooper in the the film The Pride of the Yankees.

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

"Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

"When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift — that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies — that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter — that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body — it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that's the finest I know.

"So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."

Here's the speech as done by Mr. Cooper.



And now, some quotes from Lou Gehrig to get our Friday morning off to a great start.

"We were mighty short on infielders in those days."

"Lets face it. I'm not a headline guy. I always knew that as long as I was following Babe to the plate I could have gone up there and stood on my head. No one would have noticed the difference. When the Babe was through swinging, whether he hit one or fanned, nobody paid any attention to the next hitter. They all were talking about what the Babe had done."

"I might have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."

"In the beginning I used to make one terrible play a game. Then I got so I'd make one a week and finally I'd pull a bad one about once a month. Now, I'm trying to keep it down to one a season."

"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all."

"There is no room in baseball for discrimination. It is our national pastime and a game for all."

"What are you going to do? Admit to yourself that the pitchers have you on the point of surrender? You can't do that. You must make yourself think that the pitchers are just as good as they always have been or just as bad."

Cheers! - Jason

The MMOB Daily Quote - Lou Brock

Louis Clark "Lou" Brock (born June 18, 1939)

The subject of today's MMOB Daily Quote set most of the base stealing records that were ultimately surpassed by Rickey Henderson. Lou Brock played most of his 19-year Hall of Fame career with the St. Louis Cardinals. I can remember spending many a day watching his exploits on TV with my family growing up.

Here's a link to a short clip done for the anniversary of Lou's 3,000th hit!

And now, some works from this magical master of the basepaths.

"I don't think about goals and records. Competition is what keeps me playing."

"If you're successful in what you do over a period of time, you'll start approaching records, but that's not what you're playing for. You're playing to challenge and be challenged."

"Jim Crow was king... and I heard a game in which Jackie Robinson was playing, and I felt pride in being alive."

"Show me a guy who's afraid to look bad, and I'll show you a guy you can beat every time."

"The baseball held was my fantasy of what life offered."

"The stiffer the penalty, the greater the message is sent."

"We have to make some radical move to get the attention of everyone. Cheaters can't win and steroids has put us in the position that it's OK to cheat."

"When I was a kid, I used to imagine animals running under my bed. I told my dad, and he solved the problem quickly. He cut the legs off the bed."

"You can't be afraid to make errors! You can't be afraid to be naked before the crowd, because no one can ever master the game of baseball, or conquer it. You can only challenge it. "

"Your bat is your life. It's your weapon. You don't want to go into battle with anything that feels less than perfect."

Cheers! - Jason