Ninety-five years ago today, my late friend, a man with encyclopedic knowledge of college football, Carroll “Beano” Cook was born.
I have so many memories of him, one of the best, my late mother telling Beano, we watched him each week on a local Pittsburgh show.
Beano told her I was cited for a successful prediction.
“Haven’t They Suffered Enough” is a highly recommended book/biography of Beano, so well written by John D. Lukacs.
Haven’t They Suffered Enough?: An Unbelievable Career in Sports, PR and Television
by Beano Cook and John D. Lukacs | Oct 9, 2021
Click above for more information about this fine book and author John D. Lukacs, including how to purchase it with savings.
Yes, Beano did say “Haven’t they suffered enough,” when then baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth gave the returning hostages a lifetime pass to baseball games.
However, Beano once loved the game and among other things including great knowledge of it, did attend the somewhat arguably, greatest baseball game, the 7th game of the ’60 World Series.
The first weekend of college football had a a very limited “card,” Scottie Scheffler’s “card” showed a tournament win while Mariano Navone’s not that shocking upset of Novak Djokovic in the first round of the U.S. Tennis Open left the men’s field sans Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, (the latter two retired) in the second round of a major tournament for the first time since 2003.
Belichick, an all-time type great pro head and assistant coach (those 2 titles as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants won in ’86 and ’90) had a bad first year as college coach with North Carolina in 2025.
2026’s first tilt manifested in an N.C.— a touchdown “dog,” winning (15-10) in Dublin, Ireland vs T.C.U. (I guess Sammy Baugh missed the team bus).
Scheffler likely will again be PGA Player of the year.
Djokovic’s loss does open the draw, however Carlos Alcaraz, before and still with no Sinner involved, is the “fave”-look out for Mr. Zverev, who I watched practice last week, at a crowded qualifier day U.S. Open.
I knew Lawrence Taylor, pictured below as a North Carolina player would be good after watching him in his bowl game N.C. finale. He was beyond good, a consensus choice as greatest NFL defensive player ever.
Today, a great episode of “What’s My Line,” featuring the one and only Joe DiMaggio (“Joltin Joe”), that aired in September 1955.
John Charles Daly is the show’s host.
Panelists were Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallen and Fred Allen.
Allen was “intro’d” by rhyming Kilgallen, as a Brooklyn Dodgers’ pinch hitter.
Sixteen days later the Brooklyn Dodgers won their only baseball crown.
On June 1, (fateful) 1968, I recall waking up and hearing Win Ellioton CBS’ “Sports Central” (U.S.A. ?) and the details of Don Drysdale’s record fifth consecutive shutout.
It appeared Drysdale would be denied any record when he seemed to hit Giants’ batter and later a Dodgers player, Dick Dietz with a pitch, however, umpire Harry Wendelstedt ruled the ball hit the bat (Vin Scully: “it hit the bat said WindelSTAT!!) and Dietz flied out to Jim Fairey in short left, followed by Ty Cline grounding to first sacker Wes Parker, who threw to catcher Jeff Torborg, forcing out pinch runner, Nate Oliver
That set the stage for “Big D” getting Jack Hiatt to pop out to Parker and tie “Doc” White with that fifth consecutive shutout game. He would set a record with 56 and two thirds scoreless innings pitched, breaking the record of the great Walter Johnson.
My note today is there were 4 other shutouts pitched in the “bigs” that Friday May 31st, one a combined 12 innings entity, making five the day of Drysdale’s 5th.
Larry Jaster, Gary Bell and Mickey Lolich, who would cap ’68 the Year of the Pitcher, with 3 W.S. wins as his Detroit Tigers won the crown, hurled shutouts while 3 Angels’ hurlers, Sammy Ellis (8 innings), Minnie Rojas and Clyde Wright (2 innings each) combined for the other.
Doc White, pictured above helped the 1906 White Sox win it all, beating the (116-36) same city Cubs in six games.
Yesterday, it was great to see the one and only Barbara Eden in an episode of the seminal television show, “Perry Mason,” on MeTV.
In the episode titled “The Case of the Angry Mourner,” Eden has a romantic interest in “Harvey Delano” played by Peter Nelson.
Barbara’s most famous role, which she embraced was as “Jeannie” in “I Dream of Jeannie.”
On the show she loved a character named Nelson (Astronaut Anthony Nelson) played by the great Larry Hagman.
The beautiful Barbara Eden as “Jeannie,” is pictured above.
Today, please enjoy viewing a great episode of “What’s My Line,” from February 1953, in which Jack Benny was the mystery guest.
Panelists were Dorothy Kilgallen, Steve Allen (introduced as having a show on “another network,” by Ms. Kilgallen, Arlene Francis and Hal Block.
John Charles Daly is the show’s moderator.
Again, enjoy. I certainly did.
The Yankees, currently 4 games ahead of Boston (Red Sox) (34 games left for all three teams, who have the three best American League marks), to be at least the A.L. “4” for a second straight season and now just three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the league top seed, had two tilted “7th game W.S. or not” runs in their glorious past.
From 1937-1943, the Yankees appeared in six of seven World Series, winning all but one.
None went as far as six games, including the Yankees and Cardinals exchanging five game Series wins in ’42 (Cards won) and ’43 (the Yankees won).
Then from ’55-’64, the Yankees were in nine World Series, compiling a (4-5) mark.
Seven was operative as that many of those W.S. went the maximum seven games, while the other two were five and four games in duration.
Keller, who had the big hit in the Yankees famed comeback win in #4 at Brooklyn (Dodgers) in 1941, is also Joe Economico Sr.’s favorite player.
Keller hit the famed high wall, tuning two giving the Yankees a 1 run lead with 2 out T9, in that 4th game of the ’41 W.S.
Another interview I conducted that nice June 1986 night at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York was with Ron Hansen, then a coach with the Montreal Expos.
Ron was a fine big league player, making the American League All-Star squad for both tilts in 1960.
In my interview and in overall memory is the fact Ron Hansen, playing for the Washington Senators vs the then Cleveland Indians in “so much happened” 1968, turned just the eighth unassisted triple play in major league history.
He talked of Joe/Jose Azcue (in Strato, “Silly” would say I “ask you” for a hit, before rolling the dice for Azcue) hitting a low line drive that he snagged, then doubling Dave Nelson off second and tagging Russ Snyder to complete what was the first such play in 41 years.
Ron Hansen, pictured above.
One day, I hope soon to post some of my shows, a number forty years old.
In ’86 with the eventual, 108 wins, but so fortunate in post-season play, Mets far ahead of them, the Expos visited Shea Stadium.
Interviews with ex Mets player, Hubie Brooks, Tim Burke, broadcaster Tom Hutton and the great Tim Raines all affiliated with Montreal, now the Washington Nationals, were conducted.
Mets coach and ’69 season shortstop Bud Harrelson, who did get the W.S. ring he hoped for in the interview was a Mets interview.
Much like L.S.U. basketball (Dwight Scales, anyone?), the Expos were denied by the eventual world champions from ’79-’81. More details on each in the days ahead.
Andy B Sports 