Two nights back, it was great to view a 1974 episode of the fine television show, “Mannix,” which starred Mike Connors (a U.C.L.A. basketball player in his day), that presented two great guest stars, Paul Burke and the now 90 plus, sensational Carol Lawrence.
The “ep,” “The Survivor Who Wasn’t,” aired on December 15, 1974, a day on which the then 14 games NFL regular season ended and a surprise party for my parent’s 25th anniversary was held.
I suppose the ratings battle that Sunday night went to ABC, airing Frank Sinatra in “The Main Event” (Mr. Cosell’s intro still reverberates good feelings), not Mannix on CBS.
Ms. Lawrence the original “Maria,” on stage in “West Side Story” is a big favorite of another married couple, Arlene and Jessie, whose “shows experience” is laudatory, extensive and cultured.
Left to right Mike Connors, Paul Burke and Carol Lawrence pictured in a 1974 episode of “Mannix.”
Today an episode of “What’s My Line” called the best contestant ever, that aired on June 1, 1958.
The contestant was the personable Peter J. Lomagistro.
Panelists were Eamonn Andrews and essentially regulars, Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennett Cerf.
John Charles Daly was the seminal show’s host.
Click below to view the episode.
In doing the above regarding the great player, coach and classy well spoken man, Lenny Wilkens more than the once record wins and up there with the ’79 title that warms in the Sea/Tor “cold” it is a recollection of certain great college basketball, just before my time–within it, Lenny getting through and performing in such great fashion for Providence College.
Of course the coaching, taking over a (5-17) Seattle Super Sonics team in ’78 from Bob Hoskins (ode to the actor with that name) and going to #7 of the final before losing to the Bullets and after an N.I.T. final and NBA such loss in consecutive years (’60 and ’61), the title in 5 vs the Bullets won on a Friday night in 1979.
Lenny teamed with the great baseball hitter, Tommy Davis with Boy’s High under legendary coach Mickey Fisher, recalled on my “Tribute to Marty Glickman” show by the journalist, Dick Schaap.
So Lenny go down the lane or as Marty reminded, “across it,” and find those greats and others, secure in the knowledge of your greatness and contributions while on this planet.
Oh to have been able to play–penetrate, assist and much more, as the great Lenny Wilkens, pictured above.
We can live with a little football, albeit tinged with nostalgia.
The past weekend, the NFL’s tenth of eighteen in 2025, had 7 rematches of either NFL or conference title tilts.
(6-3) Chicago (Bears) won vs the Giants, a 4 to 0 score manifesting, not (14-10), which was the result in their most recent NFL title game in ’63, but (24-20) vs the now (2-8) Giants. “Chi” won the ’63 title game, with quarterback Bill Wade scoring both in close, neither a “tush push,” touchdowns.
Last night (the far too high scoring NFL did have (10-7) scores in the weekend’s first and last games) the defending champion, (7-2) Philadelphia Eagles repeated their (17-13) triumph in the ’60 title game vs the Green Bay Packers, (coach Vince Lombardi’s only post-season loss), winning (10-7).
Elsewhere, the (7-3) Chargers vs the (5-4) Steelers (’94 AFC title game upset, vs the Cowher coached, Pittsburgh Steelers), the (8-2) Denver Broncos, also by an above referenced (10-7) score, (’77 AFC title game, Enberg’s “Haven Moses to the promised land”) and the (7-2) L.A. Rams (2021 title tilt vs the S.F. 49ers) repeated wins from the most recent or only conference title games between the teams.
Conversely, the (3-7) Miami Dolphins, a huge underdog vs the now (6-3) Buffalo Bills and (6-3)Detroit Lions at (3-6) “Wash,” reversed the most recent/only conference title game results between the teams.
In ’91 Wash “title tilted” Det while a year later Buffalo won at Miami in an NFL “semi”/AFC title game.
Starting in 1956, with Yogi Berra in #7, Dodgers final World Series games had home runs to open the scoring in what is now 12 of their last 15 W.S. (they have an (8-7) record in them).
The HR to produce the game’s first run(s) in a Dodgers final W.S. tilt occurred in ’56,’59,’63,’65,’66, not ’74 or ’77, and then again in ’78,’81,’88, not 2017, though George Springer a 2025 Jays’ player hit a key early HR, 2018, 2020, 2024 and 2025).
In L.A. wins to clinch the title, opposing players, Willie Randolph (’81), and in the 3 straight Dodgers’ winning W.S. Randy Arozarena (2020), Aaron Judge (2024) and Bo Bichette last week. (Since it was #7, no matter what, a Dodgers final W.S. game was to have had a homer account for the tilt’s first runs.— Surely esoteric, but I cite it.
More for those that are interested: some greats start Yogi in ’56 add Duke Snider ’59, in which a “Moon walk” Wally –movie and or show about the great performer Michael Jackson is forthcoming, Frank Howard ’63, Frank Robinson ’66, and about there, but with a pretty big sample size, not in post-season, Aaron Judge in 2024.
’56,’66 and 2017 were Dodgers’ losses as was 2018 when the Red Sox, 100 years after their 5th crown (it would be 86 years until #6, with them so close in #6/’86 W.S. another “set the clock,” back night, I suppose, classic World Series game, as was #7 this year, beat L.A. and unlikely series MVP Steve Pearce homered to start the 5th and final game scoring.
Only once, that in ’78, did a Dodgers player homer to start the scoring in a Dodgers W.S. final game, in which the Dodgers lost. It was a Davey Lopes “solo” that opened the scoring.
A great memory for me and again I once loved the Dodgers was #7/’65, as with Bichette 60 years later it was definite a homer had started the scoring in a Dodgers’ final W.S. game, that one, a win for the team that homered to open the scoring.
It was Lou Johnson, a vital contributor to that ’65 title team, whose drive hit the Minnesota Metropolitan Stadium foul pole (remember Warner Wolf calling it the “fair pole’) to open the scoring.
Finally, Mickey Hatcher’s 2RHR with Franklin Stubbs aboard, started the scoring in the L.A. #5 title clincher at Oakland vs the A’s in 1988.
Lou Johnson, pictured above.
A night back, last night ostensibly I slept through (separate, but adjacent elevators in the “Silly/Einhorn “would have” dream), I watched two Big Valley cast members shine in episodes of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and then “Mannix” on MeTV.
First Richard Long, a superb actor, (early on see him with “Edward G” (Robinson) and vs Orson’s (Welles) character in “The Stranger,” who so sadly died young, plays an at best, a morally bankrupt man in an “ep” (Sheriff’s name on another MeTV staple, “The Waltons”) titled “The Opportunity,” from 1962.
Next with some nice kissing scenes with Mike Connors’ “Mannix” character, the beautiful Linda Evans shows more (no not that!!), but acting chops than before, arguably after, in an episode called “The Ragged Edge.” Being clear: Ms. Evans is a fine performer, beautiful and talented. This episode as a manipulative character, again really shows her “chops,” which is acting talk for skill.
That is Linda Evans in “Mannix,” apparently on what was also “The Brady Bunch Kitchen”
6 in el morning, it is all a story, I have one, you do as well!!
A day later, other than the Joe Davis overt rooting plus end and near game end comments, it is not only objectively, but subjectively, much easier to praise and note the Dodgers’ first ever repeat title.
First off, among the many Dodgers’ heroes, (W.S. winning homer hitter, Will Smith and series MVP Yoshinobo Yamamoto surely), it is Miguel Rojas, who delivered, I will say, along with Hal Smith in 1960 (his 3RHR, B8, the Pirates trailing (7-6) only to need Mazeroski’s Series winning “solo” to (10-9) a great Yankees team) the most incredible, meaningful HR in W.S. annals, when he homered off Hoffman (see Trevor’s “fail” ahead, vs another great Yankees’ team in #3/’98 W.S.) with one out and the Jays up (4-3) T9 in #7.
Next Rojas, who tagged out Barger to complete what was the first of two straight game ending DP’s for L.A. to win #’s 6 and 7, at Toronto, to “repeat title,” handled Varsho’s ball hit to him “bases loaded 1 out/B9 tied (4-4) and threw to Smith, to force Kiner/Falefa (might he have been safe?!) who was running for Bichette (it was Bachert, Yiddish for destiny and the fact they are a superb team, that enabled L.A. to beat a “Tor” team, that outplayed them in the series, as cited yesterday– ’twas “Tor” with by far the three toughest, if not all 4 in the series) at home.
Up came Clement, and his drive to deep left center was run down and caught on an incredibly clutch and great play by Andy Pages, who had been inserted into CF that inning, evoking great memories for Brooklyn Dodgers fans, of manager, Walter Alston inserting Sandy Amoros into LF that very inning, when his superb reaching catch on a ball hit, the rare “other way,” by the great Yogi Berra, was a key, as Brooklyn behind John Podres pitching and 2 Gil Hodges RBIS (2-0)’d yet another excellent Yankees team in another #7.
Though they failed to score “loaded” 1 out in their 10th, as the Jays also did, as noted, B9, plus the fact Yamamoto yielded a “lead” 2B to Guerrero B11, it was a Will Smith “solo” T11, Schneider again “sac’ing” and Kirk hitting into a 6-4-3 DP that gave L.A. their 9th crown, 70 years after their first and 60 after #4 behind Sandy with Lou Johnson and Wes Parker RBI’s, also (2-0).
That is Miguel Rojas, just after his incredible 1 out “solo” T9.
The 1912 Red Sox trailed B10 in #7, really game 8–one tie but it was the decisive game, and they rallied for 2 runs and their second title, denying such for the New York Giants. More notes this week.
From Wikipedia:
In the postseason, Rojas had three hits in five at-bats in the Wild Card Series[38] and was hitless in three at-bats in the NLDS.[4] After spending the first five games of the 2025 World Series on the bench, Rojas was inserted into the starting lineup for Game 6 and 7.[39] In Game 6 he made a tough catch at second base to help turn the game ending double play.[40] In the winner-take-all Game 7, with the Dodgers down one run with one out in the top of the ninth, Rojas, who hadn’t hit a home run in over a month, hit a game-tying home run to keep the Dodgers’ title defense alive.[41] In the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded, he made a defensive stop at second base on a ground ball, throwing it to home plate and preventing a series-winning run from crossing the plate. This play kept the Dodgers’ hopes alive as they eventually won the deciding game in 11 innings.
The Dodgers, a truly tremendous team, won by far, the three most competitive games of the 2025 W.S. including the “beyond the beyond” 7th last night, and repeated as title winners, denying the Toronto Blue Jays. L.A. (5-4) in 11 innings-Of Smith and even more so, Rojas “solos.” plus (actually a highly – situation) all one can say (when you say Kirk, you “brew” and it ain’t beer) regarding at least three “Kirks” and it more than “irks.”
6 years in a row— a Will Smith titles, with the L.A. catcher by that name, the far, far (ode to Messers Dickens and Colman) big contributor, no better “ejemplo,” than his 2 out, 2-0 pitch “solo,” that gave the Dodgers a (5-4) lead, they held to win their ninth crown, tying them with the A’s and Red Sox for third most (the Cardinals who have never won a repeat title, have 11 and the still vaunted Yankees have 27, their second won in 1927– and please do not confuse these lesser, lucky Dodgers with that team).
More incredible is the Rojas story, my incredible memory, recalling “never Cookie” and tragic involving Minervino, but this one, (Miguel) hit a 1 out, surely unprecedented in so many ways, “solo,” T9 to tie the tilt (4-4).
Enough, it hurts and for the record $$$ was won with the once loved, Dodgers. Notes, maybe opinions in the days to follow.
No longer, but once loved, were the Lakers and yes, the Dodgers.
I like “Mr. Roberts” (I did interview the great Jack Lemmon, who was in Mr. Roberts, Henry Fonda was Mr. Roberts both in the film and I believe on stage) and I love those/my great Lakers. (#21 is “Coop,” Michael Cooper and one day I will display a great interview he and I did).
Now L.A. has the Dodgers along with the Lakers (thrice, only once as my team) plus great, great college hoop U.C.L.A. under John Wooden as repeat champions.
Andy B Sports 