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The passing last Friday of Oriole great Mike Cuellar at 72 was a sad thing. He was one of the last links to the Oriole greatness of the past, being a member of the pitching rotation from 1971 that featured 4 twenty-game winners. Last year's Orioles featured 20 four-game winners, or so it seemed. And Mike Cuellar never seemed to get it in gear until the weather turned warm. A cold April and chilly May meant he did not pitch so well. "Cold weather's not good for baseball," he said. Perhaps this spring heat wave under which we are currently suffering I mean enjoying is a salute to him!

But do you remember what else was a biggggggg deal in 1971? The Peace Sign!
It was everywhere back in the early '70s and it's back all over the place with young people today - always a good sign...They wear it on scarves and bandannas, earrings and hats, t shirts and hoodies, and sox and sneakers. It's on bracelets and necklaces and will likely be seen as a Cheerio cereal flake any day now.

began life in 1958 as a symbol for the British nuclear non-proliferation movement. Depending on one's politics, it is either seen as the outline of a dove holding an olive branch in his beak, or the "footprint of the American chicken." I heard this one a lot from people who were in the United States singing "Love It or Leave It" during the Viet Nam war. I heard more of the first version from friends coming back from the Viet Nam war.

It might not arouse the same sentiments that it did back in the day, but it's nice to see the peace sign make a comeback. And if some of these people wearing it on their earlobes and wrists also start wearing it in their hearts, that wouldn't be a bad thing at all.