1-2-3...

1-2-3, as in 123 years of extinction...


The quagga was officially pronounced extinct today - and, as they say, extinction is forever.

1-2-3, as in the three count any wrestler of the stature of one Tomomi "Jumbo" Tsuruta has heard a thousand times over, whether in victory or in defeat, over the course of a long, storied career...

Though hardly a giant of nature and amongst wildlife in general, the anniversary of the quagga's demise makes me think of the passing of a giant of professional wrestling - no, not André, but really one "Jumbo" Tomomi Tsuruta whose May 13th death, six years ago, was unfortunately one lugubrious anniversary that we forgot to mention here, on the lugubrious blog. The link provided here on Jumbo will take you to a piece penned by a wrestling fan who has a lot of confused emotions about the end of life, the passing of legends and little people alike, the meaning of it all and the selling of lies known as kayfabe... It is all part of the big picture, folks, aye...



1-2-3, as in the three strikes one hears at one's last at-bat in major league baseball.

On this day, back in 1935, another Jumbo, the one and only Bambino, Babe Ruth, saw that be put up on the scoreboard at Fenway Park for the very last time as an active player as he played his final game of baseball. He had returned to Boston, but with the Braves team, after having been sold by the Pilgrims/Red Sox franchise to the damn Yankees, as everybody knows. It was a lamentable return and end of career for Ruth.



Ironically, his career and life would both end in the month of August.
He would die an August 16th, in 1948. He was only 53.

More ironic twists like that, daily, on The Luminous Blog