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.
The Yankees swept 4 games from the Boston Red Sox in a just completed series.
Most relevant, the Red Sox now face a steep uphill climb in a bid to be one of the two American League wild card teams.
Their 55th loss, yesterday on August 4th in their 114th game, is one more than they had last year when they compiled a (108-54) record in the regular season and won a 4th title in 15 seasons, after an 86 year title drought.
They are still a very good team, one with no intangibles for 2019, as I said all along and surely with their success, deserve a “pass” for ’19.
Meanwhile the Yankees will be in post season play for an incredible 55th time, very likely, having finished first in an entity, for the 48th time.
In the great film, “On The Waterfront,” Nehemiah Persoff has an uncredited role as a cab driver. It is one of his first roles and he had over four hundred in a distinguished career.
On August 2nd, Mr. Persoff turned 100 years old.
He played ” Little Bonaparte” in Billy Wilder’s classic, “Some Like It Hot” and entertained us so many times in myriad television roles. His performance in the “Twilight Zone” episode “Judgment Night” is truly memorable.
Happy birthday Mr. Persoff.
Nehemiah Persoff, pictured above.
In the 1973 NLCS, the (82 wins, 79 losses) New York Mets defeated the Cincinnati Reds, three games to 2, to win the National League Pennant.
The Mets were managed by Yogi Berra, who played on a baseball record 10 title teams, all with the New York Yankees.
In the subsequent World Series, the Oakland A’s won their second straight baseball crown, winning in 7 games vs the Mets.
As a manager, the one and only Yogi, took two teams to a decisive World Series game 7, (the ’64 Yankees lost to the great pitcher, Bob Gibson, and the St. Louis Cardinals), his teams losing both.
The great Yogi Berra, pictured above.
I really enjoyed last night’s concert featuring “The Big House Band,” at Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers, New York.
The group sounded great and performed such hits as “Wonderful Tonight” made famous by Eric Clapton and “September,” a great “Earth Wind And Fire” song.
Last night’s event, also provided me a tremendous honor, as I spoke with New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, who had effectively and briefly addressed the crowd and was so affable in speaking with us. She is truly impressive!
On the first night in August, as cited above a great night at Cross County Shopping Center.
Today the “next month” in song, last night by “The Big House Band” and now enjoy the classic, “September,” by “Earth Wind & Fire”
Andy B Sports 