Ron Darling: President Obama is no Dag Hammarskjöld

[MinM]

Ron Darling did not actually make that Bentsenian pronouncement. Darling did however invoke the former Nobel Peace Prize winner, earlier this week:

Ron Darling Achieves Broadcasting Godhood - New York News - Runnin' Scared

By Tony Ortega in Baseball, Featured
Tuesday, Oct. 6 2009 @ 7:15PM

Ron Darling just made a Dag Hammarskjold reference while providing color commentary in tonight's Detroit Tigers-Minnesota Twins one-game playoff being broadcast on TBS.

This should automatically and immediately put Darling into some kind of broadcaster hall of fame or Ivy League annex of busts or something.

We're mostly speechless.

So it's interesting that in a week ending with all the angst over President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the week began with Darling dredging up Dag:
:tv: :applause: ;)

Dag Hammarskjöld - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld (sv-Dag_Hammarskjöld.ogg Dag Hammarskjöld (help·info)) (29 July 1905 – 18 September 1961) was a Swedish diplomat and author and was the second Secretary-General of the United Nations. He served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. He is the only person to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously. Hammarskjöld remains the only U.N. Secretary-General to die in office.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy called Hammarskjöld “the greatest statesman of our century...

Probe V6N3: Midnight in the Congo: The Assassination of Lumumba and the
Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjöld>

"In Elizabethville, I do not think there was anyone there who believed that his death was as accident." — U.N. Representative Conor O’Brien on the death of U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold

"A lot has not been told." — Unnamed U.N. official, commenting on same

By Lisa Pease

The CIA has long since acknowledged responsibility for plotting the murder of Patrice Lumumba, the popular and charismatic leader of the Congo. But documents have recently surfaced that indicate the CIA may well have been involved in the death of another leader as well, U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold. Hammarskjold died in a plane crash enroute to meet Moise Tshombe, leader of the breakaway (and mineral-rich) province of Katanga. At the time of his death, there was a great deal of speculation that Hammarskjold had been assassinated to prevent the U.N. from bringing Katanga back under the rule of the central government in the Congo. Fingers were pointed at Tshombe’s mercenaries, the Belgians, and even the British. Hardly anyone at the time considered an American hand in those events. However, two completely different sets of documents point the finger of culpability at the CIA. The CIA has denied having anything to do with the murder of Hammarskjold. But we all know what the CIA’s word is worth in such matters.

In the previous issue of Probe, Jim DiEugenio explored the history of the Congo at this point in time, and the difference between Kennedy’s and Eisenhower’s policies toward it. In the summer of 1960, the Congo was granted independence from Belgium. The Belgians had not prepared the Congo to be self-sufficient, and the country quickly degenerated into chaos, providing a motive for the Belgians to leave their troops there to maintain order. While the Belgians favored Joseph Kasavubu to lead the newly independent nation, the Congolese chose instead Patrice Lumumba as their Premier. Lumumba asked the United Nations, headed then by Dag Hammarskjold, to order the Belgians to withdraw from the Congo. The U.N. so ordered, and voted to send a peacekeeping mission to the Congo. Impatient and untrusting of the U.N., Lumumba threatened to ask the Soviets for help expelling the Belgian forces. Like so many nationalist leaders of the time, Lumumba was not interested in Communism. He was, however, interested in getting aid from wherever he could, including the Soviets. He had also sought and, for a time, obtained American financial aid...

"Congratulations President Obama on the Nobel Peace Prize -- now please earn it!" Michael Moore

"I'm a little ambivalent re Obama's Peace Prize; too soon? etc. However, anything that makes Glenn Beck's head explode is good for humanity." Michael McKean

[TomClash]

1. Ron Darling went to Yale

and if I recall correctly he was a history major. I don't see why the reference is surprising.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Chinese history. He also learned Spanish to better communicate in baseball.

He's also from Hawaii.

[Sanity Claws]

2. Dag is dead; Obama is very alive

That's the difference. They're both worthy of the prize.

[digidigido]

3. With all due respect, I think it's like awarding the MVP to Michael Olowakandi

Good pre season, and first pick draft choice, but we're not even 1/4 way through the first term

[Captain Hilts]

4. Well said. nt

[Sanity Claws]

8. I can go to Fox news for this stuff

[Captain Hilts]

6. It's amazing Ghandi never got one. Eleanor R was nominated posthumously. nt

[zytime]

7. Is this the same Hall of Fame...

that Dennis Miller is in for working a "house of Plantagenet" reference into Monday Night Football commentary?

[MinM]

9. Hammarskjöld History

Just to be clear. Ron Darling did not make any comment about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. As for my take on it, Michael McKean put it best:

"anything that makes Glenn Beck's head explode is good for humanity."

The main purpose in posting this though was to play off Darling's reference with some 'Hammarskjöld History'.

[present and past]

10. Maybe Ron Darling was making a prediction about a baseball game. ...

... Did you know Harry Truman said, eight years after leaving the White House, that Dag Hammarskjold's fatal plane crash was murder?

Maybe Ron Darling was trying to say the Detroit Tigers were going to get clobbered in that game. Turns out they came close to winning.

[MinM]

11. 'Amazin' debt for Miracle Met Ron Darling

Apparently Ron Darling aint no Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld either: :blush:

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/taxingdetroitblog/index.php?blogid=177

Tax agencies in two states and the IRS have former New York Mets pitcher and TBS analyst Ron Darling caught in a squeeze play. Darling, who helped call the Yankees-Twins game Sunday, owes $544,197 in state and federal taxes, records show.

The 49-year-old Hawaii native earned $17.9 million during a 13-season career, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He won a World Series ring with the Mets in 1986.

What's owed:

* The IRS filed a $71,076 lien against Darling on July 29 in the New York City Register's office.
* The state of New York filed a $12,664 tax warrant against Darling on May 23 in the New York County Clerk's office.
* The state of California filed an $84,860 lien against Darling on June 6, 2008, in Contra Costa County Court.
* The IRS filed a $375,597 lien against Darling on May 15, 2008, in the New York City Register's office.

His side:

Darling could not be reached for comment. Turner Sports spokesman Jeff Pomeroy said he left the retired pitcher a cell-phone message and forwarded an e-mail from The Tax Watchdog.

"We will not comment as this is a personal issue," Pomeroy wrote in an e-mail message.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-14-2009/ron-darling