What do Kate Smith, Von Hayes, and Mike Tyson all have in common?

On the surface, they are as distant a trio as there could possibly be.

But, at some point in their careers, they all played a prominent role in the month of December.

And who or what was Gandalf? Also, did you have the weirdest pet of all?

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column - a look back to the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes beyond - I will remember some notable happenings in the month of December, as well as some familiar places and situations during the month.

God Bless Kate ... If you’re a diehard Flyers’ fan - or even a casual one - you’ll never forget the influence Kate Smith had on the Orange and Black during their Stanley Cup run. There wasn’t anything better than seeing a packed Spectrum crowd of 17,077 – remember that sellout figure? - roar loud enough to shake the building when Smith culminated singing “God Bless America.”

Smith became the team’s good luck charm when her rendition of “God Bless America” was played before the game instead of the national anthem. The song - and the Flyers’ success when they played a recording of it or when Kate sang it in person - was a huge part of their two Stanley Cup championships.

Smith sang the song for the first time before a Flyers’ game on Dec. 11, 1969. The song clicked with the crowd, and the Flyers, in turn, began winning.

From 1969 through 1975, Smith’s rendition produced an overall 43-3-1 record when it was played prior to a game. Overall, Smith’s song helped the Flyers to a 96-28-4 record.

I still remember getting a chill and seeing the hair stand up on my arm during the final moments of the song. And who can forget when Boston’s Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr approached Smith before she sang with a bouquet of flowers, and also shook her hand before Game Six of the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals that the Flyers won, 1-0?

Watch the replay of it on YouTube, and see if you don’t get the same feeling.

Five-For-One ... It still goes down as one of the most recognized trades in Phillies history.

On Dec. 9, 1982, the Phillies sent Manny Trillo and George Vukovich, along with minor leaguers Jay Baller, Jerry Williard, and Julio Franco to the Indians for Von Hayes.

At the time, Hayes was viewed as a five-tool player who had a high ceiling and could play both the outfield and infield. The Phillies were searching for an impact player, and they targeted Hayes.

In his first year with the club, Pete Rose coined Hayes with the nickname “five-for-one” or 541. The then-25-year-old Hayes was part of the ‘83 “Wheez Kids” team that went to the World Series. He hit .265 with six homers that year, and was viewed as the next centerpiece to replace the older base of players from the 1980 team that still included Rose and Mike Schmidt, as well as rentals Joe Morgan and Tony Perez.

On June 11 1985, Hayes became the first player in major league history to hit two home runs in the first inning. The second was a grand slam that climaxed a nine-run first inning on a day where the Phillies rolled to a 26-7 victory over the Mets. He had six RBIs in the game.

The Phillies went into that game with a team batting average of .230, a mark better than only the Mets and San Francisco Giants. But they scored more runs than any National League team in 41 years.

Hayes spent nine years in Phillie pinstripes, but never lived up to the reputation and potential expected of him. He hit .272 with 124 homers and 568 RBIs with the Phillies before they dealt him to the Angels in December 1991, where he spent one season before he retired.

Iron Mike in South Philly ... Unbeknown to many, Mike Tyson fought at the Spectrum on Dec. 16, 1995.

Tyson was back in the ring after he spent three years in prison on a rape charge. He was convicted in Feb. 1992 for the alleged rape of Desiree Washington – sound familiar? - and was released three years later.

“Iron Mike” knocked out Buster Mathis in the third round of the bout that was televised live on Fox. It was Tyson’s second fight, as he knocked out Peter McNeeley in 89 seconds in a Pay-Per-View event previously. Back then, Pay-Per-view events were state-of-the-art, and it was a big deal if you bought into it.

Tyson went on to take the WBC heavyweight belt from Frank Bruno the following year.

Another Phillies’ savior ... It also was in December that the Phillies signed another presumed savior in Gregg Jefferies. In 1994, the Phillies inked the former Cardinal to a four-year, $20 million deal - the largest of its day.

Jefferies spent four years with the Phillies and hit .272 with 37 homers and 203 RBIs. Like Hayes, he could play first base or in the outfield, and was also considered an overall flop for his contract.

Ironically, like Hayes, Jefferies was traded to the Angels in August of 1998 for pitcher Doug Nickle – there’s a name from the past for Phillies’ diehards.

Rockin’ With Gandalf ... Back in the late 1970’s and early 80’s, Gandalf was a popular local band and favorite of radio station WZZO that began to get its feet on the ground during the same time period.

They had played at some local watering holes such as DJ Bananas and Duke’s in the Whitehall area, Castle Inn in scenic downtown Phillipsburg just over the Delaware River Bridge in Easton, as well as the Commodore Inn off Route 22 in Phillipsburg and some haunts around the Hazleton and Shamokin area.

The band had a shelf life from 1976-93 and opened for Foghat, Gregg Allman, Molly Hatchet, REO Speedwagon, Julian Lennon and played to thousands at a Live Aid concert in Reading.

Speaking of local bands, does anyone remember Magnum or Oasis?

More “Rockin,’” ... In 1975, Pet Rocks were billed as a different type of pet and were the hottest Christmas item.

They sat on top of straw in a ventilated box like it would be for any other animal. Each rock sold for $4 and came with a 32-page manual on how to care for them.

Over a million pet rocks were sold before Christmas. However, by February 1976, the price of the Pet Rock was reduced due to low sales, and they were soon off the market.

Another Classic Game ... In 1966, 3M - a company viewed then as being groundbreaking in the computer world - introduced Pro Football, a computer-generated game played with dice.

It was a two-person game in which the person on defense would try to guess the offensive play. Both the offense and defense were then calculated along with the total of the dice roll on the “Pro Football Calculator,” which would generate the results based on “actual pro football information.”

The game was billed as the “Thinking Man’s Game,” and was a state-of-the-art version at the time. 3M also made similar versions of the game for other major sports.

It would be a great game to play now while reminiscing about the old “computer” days. The game is available on EBay.

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll recount a likely forgotten player, manager, coach, or announcer from yesterday.

Do you remember Don Saleski? “Big Bird” who was part of the Flyers’ “Broad Street Bullies” unit during their Stanley Cup heydays. Saleski played with the Flyers from 1969 through 1977 in the role of an enforcer. He played his final two seasons with the Colorado Rockies in 1978-79.

Saleski finished his career with 128 goals and 125 assists. He also was renowned for being from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in Canada.