The Los Angeles Dodgers will win their 7th straight N.L. West crown this season.
In all likelihood, they will get the top seed in the National League for the upcoming baseball tournament.
Perhaps this season, they will win their first World Series since 1988.
They lost in the last two World Series, losing to Houston (Astros) in 7 games in 2017 and to the Boston Red Sox in 5 games last season.
Both of those World Series ended with (5-1) Dodgers’ home losses.
Kirk Gibson, pictured above hit many big home runs in his career.
He put L.A. ahead to stay with an extra innings, road home run in game 4 of the ’88 NLCS at Shea Stadium vs the Mets. I “think” there was another big one one six days later.
Of course that one, won #1 vs the Oakland A’s, in the ’88 World Series.
As usual, there was quite an interesting twist in the plot of an episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” which I viewed last night on MeTV.
The episode titled “Most Likely To Succeed” starred two actors far better known for comedy and they were outstanding, Jack Carter and Howard Morris.
Joanna Moore was excellent in the role of Carter’s character’s wife.
I like seeing Alfred Hitchcock, essentially “goof around” at the beginning and end of the episodes.
“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” airs two episodes each weeknight and Sunday, commencing at 1 A.M. and 1:30 A.M. Eastern Time.
The NFC South is in my opinion, a wide open race.
I will go out on the proverbial limb and pick the third choice, Carolina Panthers to win it.
Atlanta (Falcons) and Tampa Bay (Buccaneers) will improve.
Surely the defending division champion, New Orleans Saints have the talent to win it all, no less just another division title, however, I predict they will fall back a bit this season.
After Cam Newton (pictured above) and the Panthers ripped the Arizona Cardinals in the ’15 season, NFC Title tilt, it was deemed by many in the media, Cam Newton could “walk on water.”
That perception changed after Denver won the Super Bowl vs Carolina. Now with so many media types casting Cam in a negative light, I predict he will have an excellent season.
Let’s see.
Today another great episode of the classic television show, What’s My Line?
This one essentially had two mystery guests, June Taylor and the troupe she led, “The June Taylor Dancers,” from the “Jackie Gleason Show” and the superb actor, William Holden.
The panelists were Dorothy Kilgallen, Robert Q. Lewis, who had a nightly radio show at the time, Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf.
John Charles Daly was the show’s host.
Enjoy.
It is tempting to say the Philadelphia Eagles will not be as good as expected. I certainly think the world of Nick Foles, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who led the Eagles to the ’17 crown, their lone Super Bowl win and first title since 1960.
However, quarterback Carson Wentz and the team under fine coach Doug Pederson, who coached the 2017 title team, are my pick to win the NFC East. Philly is a pretty big favorite to do so.
Last year’s winner in the division, Dallas will finish with a (9-7) record.
I predict New York and Washington will improve.
Doug Pederson, pictured above.
Jim “Mudcat” Grant had a really nice playing career, which included one great season that in 1965 when he compiled a (21-7) regular season record and won 2 games for his Twins in the World Series.
In game 6, Grant also hit a three run home run, just the second hit by an American League pitcher. (Jim Bagby of the 1920 Cleveland Indians hit the first, in fact the first by a pitcher in either league. Another “J.B.” Joe Blanton of the ’08 Philadelphia Phillies, hit the last to date).
“Mudcat” is such a classy, personable individual, who is, among other talents, quite a singer.
Click below as Jim “Mudcat” Grant, accompanied by Ric Oliva, the great ’64 and ’65 A.L. batting champion, Tony Oliva’s son, sings “What A Wonderful World,” at ceremonies honoring the late, great Twins’ player Harmon Killebrew. This is truly moving and meaningful.
Last night TCM aired the movie that launched the career of two huge stars, Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner, as part of a night of tribute to Ms. Gardner.
The film, “The Killers,” from 1946, loosely based on an Ernest Hemingway story directed by Robert Siodmak and produced by Mark Hellinger, was Lancaster’s debut and Ava Gardner’s first choice role.
Each excelled as did Edmond O’Brien, Albert Dekker and Sam Levine. The entire cast was excellent.
That coupled with a mystery type story, that weaves through time, makes “The Killers” a truly gripping film.
A truly great individual, ahead of his time, Burt Lancaster, pictured above.
The enormity and brilliance of Hal Prince’s body of work is truly astounding.
Mr. Prince, who died last week at the age of 91, had a hand in as producer or director, in so many smash hit/meaningful/great theatrical productions. Awards are “apples vs oranges” in most cases, however 21 Tony Awards (nobody else has that many), is a reminder of Hal Prince’s greatness.
Those tremendous shows include “The Pajama Game,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Cabaret” and “West Side Story” and believe me, that is a short list.
Words, at least mine do, fail in recapping all Mr. Prince did and the work he brought out. It is a truly daunting task to do so.
National Public Radio host, Scott Simon does succeed in this nice, relatively brief tribute to Mr. Prince, on ‘Weekend Saturday Morning,” which aired on August 3rd. Click below to listen.
Opinion: The Prince Of Broadway’s Legacy Lives On Through His Music
Left to right, two iconic figures we lost within a week, Hal Prince and Toni Morrison. Need I say more?!
I do add, I did not look for a photo of Ms. Morrison and Mr. Prince together. As with their great work, it was/is there.
The great receiver, Cliff Branch, a part of all three Raiders’ title teams,(his Raiders’ teams were (3-0) in Super Bowl games), died last week at age 71, which is far too soon.
In 1971, Branch was a senior on the University of Colorado football team that finished third in the final Associated Press poll. Only the two juggernauts, Nebraska which won the crown and Oklahoma, both also from the Big 8 Conference, finished ahead of Colorado.
Branch was great in the professional ranks, yet died without reaching the Football Hall.
He gathered in 3 Jim Plunkett touchdown passes, two in the ’80 season tilt and the other in ’83, all significant ones, the one in ’80 opened the scoring.
It took so long for “them” to put truly great receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth in while Chuck Howley is still not in.
All that bothers me, but Cliff’s death puts it in perspective. It also magnifies the injustice of him not being in.
In a truly great Oakland (28-26) win vs the two time defending champion Miami Dolphins in a 1974 divisional playoff game, Cliff Branch got up and ran for a long touchdown.
Maybe he and some of us figuratively, “get up” now!
Click above to view Branch’s second touchdown catch in the ’80 season Super Bowl vs the Philadelphia Eagles. Richard “Dick” Enberg calls it, Merlin Olsen adds comments.
Recently Ed Kranepool and Cleon Jones were honored as part of the great 1969 World title winning, New York Mets’ 50 year anniversary celebration.
Four years later, each man delivered big hits, in Jones’ case, three, in the Mets’ (7-2) win vs the defending N.L. champion, Cincinnati Reds, in the decisive 5th game of the 1973 NLCS.
Tom Seaver with 9th inning help from Frank “Tug” McGraw was the winning pitcher.
Tug McGraw, pictured above, also got the last out when the Philadelphia Phillies won their first World Series in 1980.
Andy B Sports 