Gentleman Racer Bobby Coyle

South Florida stock car racer and all around gentleman Bobby Coyle passed away last weekend after a long battle with cancer. Bobby was an accomplished racer and hard charger yet, yet never bullied his way around the track on his way to many victories.

I first met Bobby in the early sixties when none of us were old enough to get into the racing pits. Most of us got to the tracks by either bicycle or shoe leather. They were racing modified 1932-1934 coupes and sedans back in those days.

Oddly enough, I never hung around much with Bobby, yet we'd see each other every weekend and shoot the bull about racing stories. In those days, there must have 50-75 kids in the group and each had their own personal cliques and friends.

Weekend auto racing and I parted ways in the late 1970s though I followed my friends via television and new reports. I recall one evening getting nostalgic and went to Hialeah Speedway to see some of my old friends and one of the first faces I saw  was Bobby Coyle. It had been ten years yet we recognized each other immediately.

I'll always remember Bobby's smiling face and the gentleman that he was. God bless you Bobby and rest in peace!

The News As I See It: Obama released his tax returns. It turns out he made $900,000 less in 2011 then he did in 2010. That means even Obama is doing worse under President Obama.

In Arizona, the police can consider you suspicious if you have significant difficulty communicating in English. Who knew George Bush was an illegal alien?

This Date In History: 1816; Argentina formally declared independence from Spain. 1850; Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the U.S., died after only 16 months in office. 1872; The doughnut cutter was patented by John F. Blondel of Thomaston, Maine.

1896; William Jennings Bryan delivered his "cross of gold" speech at the Democratic National Convention. 1900; The British Parliament proclaimed that as of Jan. 1, 1901, the six Australian colonies would be united at the Commonwealth of Australia.

1974; Former U.S. chief justice Earl Warren died in Washington, DC. 1997; Boxer Mike Tyson was temporarily banned from boxing for biting Evander Holyfield's ear. 2002; Baseball's All-Star Game ended in a tie after 11 innings. Both sides had run out of pitchers.

Picture Of The Day: Th

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society (Mark Twain). This does not apply to women (Jimmy Sullivan).  2) My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.  3) Ladies, don't think of it as getting hot flashes. Think of it as your inner child playing with matches. 4) Cuisine is something like food, but the portions are smaller and the prices are higher. If you happen to be eating French cuisine, the waiter will insult you as you are served. 5) God made man before woman to give him time to think of an answer for her first question.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Cancer - July 9th: Just because it's Monday doesn't mean your day won't go well. By the same token, the lottery is not written for you in the stars either. Just tak the bird in the hand and forget about the two in the bush. Chance of romance is 17.35 percent anyway.

Birthdays: Ann Radcliffe, novelist 1764, Elias Howe, inventor 1819, Nikola Tesla electrical engineer, inventor 1856, Dorothy Thompson, journalist 1893, Donald H. Rumsfeld, secretary of Defense 1932, David Hockney, artist 1937, Tom Hanks, actor 1956.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: On his 74th birthday, a man got a gift certificate from his wife. The certificate paid for a visit to a medicine man living on a nearby Indian reservation who was rumored to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction. After being persuaded, he drove to the reservation, handed his ticket to the medicine man and wondered what he was in for.

The old man slowly, methodically produced a potion, handed it to him, and with a grip on his shoulder, warned, "This is powerful medicine and it must be respected. You take only a teaspoonful and then say '1-2-3.' When you do that, you will become more manly than you have ever been in your life and you can perform as long as you want."

The man was encouraged. As he walked away, he turned and asked, "How do I stop the medicine from working?" The medicine man replied, "Your partner must say '1-2-3-4,' but when she does, the medicine will not work again until the next full moon." He was very eager to see if it worked so he went home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine, and then invited his wife to join him in the bedroom.

When she came in, he took off his clothes and said, "1-2-3!" Immediately, he was the manliest of men. His wife was excited and as she began throwing off her clothes she asked, "What was the 1-2-3 for?"

And that, boys and girls, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition or one could end up with a dangling participle!

It was March 6, 1836. On that fateful day, Davy Crockett woke up and rose from his bunk on the main floor of the Alamo. He then walked up to the observation post along the west wall of the fort. William B. Travis and Jim Bowie were already there, looking out over the top of the wall.

These three men gazed at the hordes of Mexicans moving steadily toward them. With a puzzled look on his face, Crockett turned to Bowie and said, "Jim, are we having some landscaping done today?"

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A young woman walked into the confessional and said to the priest, "Father, forgive me for I have sinned." The priest replied, "Confess you sins and be forgiven."

The young woman said, "Last night, my boyfriend made mad passionate love to me seven times." The priest said,"Squeeze the juice of seven lemons into a glass and drink the juice."

The woman asked, "Will this cleanse me of my sins?" The priest answered, "No, but it will wipe that smirk off your face."

A preacher was telling his congregation that anything they could think of, old or new, was discussed somewhere in the Bible and that the entirety of the human experience could be found there.

After the service, he was approached by a woman who said, "Preacher, I don't believe the Bible mentions PMS." The preacher replied that he was sure it must be there somewhere and that he would look for it.

The following week after service, the preacher called the woman aside and showed her a passage which read....."And Mary rode Joseph's ass all the way to Bethlehem."

That's it for today, my little rose petals. Remember, regular naps prevent old age - especially if you take them while driving. More on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned !