The Cleveland Browns are actually the top chpice to win the AFC North crown.
I believe I know better and think somehow that will not manifest.
However, I am not that confident in any AFC North team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are both good while the Cincinnati Bengals are not considered to be.
A wide open, mediocre record race goes to the Ravens.
Ravens quarterback, Lamar Jackson, pictured above.
Today, a truly classic episode of “What’s My Line?” that aired on October 18, 1959.
The immortal Gary Cooper is the guest star and spends some extra time talking with host John Charles Daly and the panel, about an upcoming trip to Moscow and having met Nikita Khrushchev.
It is great to see and hear and sixty years later, to still hope.
The panel included Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf and Anthony Perkins, who was told by all, how much his presence as a panelist, was a welcome addition.
Mr. Perkins enjoyed it and please enjoy this great episode with a great mystery guest, Gary Cooper.
Bud Grant turned 92 years old this year.
He coached the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to 4 Grey Cup/Canadian Football League crowns.
Additionally, he was a reserve player on the 1950 Minneapolis Lakers’ basketball title team.
“Mr. Grant” coached the Minnesota Vikings to eleven division titles, seven in years the fabulous “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which was set in Minneapolis, aired.
Ed Asner played “Mr. (Lou) Grant” and in seven of the eight years the show aired in first run (1970-1977), the Vikings under Bud Grant won at least a division crown. Only in 1972 did they fail to do so.
Ed Asner, pictured above.
Somehow, some way, it is my opinion and prediction there will NOT be a 5th straight college football playoff clash between Clemson and Alabama.
I am even more confident there will Not be a fourth title game clash between the teams in the last five seasons.
Another prediction is that both Alabama and Clemson will not have undefeated regular seasons.
Let’s see what transpires, that is why, among other, perhaps better reasons, they play the games.
Clemson coach, Dabo Swinney, pictured above, has guided the Tigers (Clemson) to two national crowns. He makes “mucho dinero!”–I think more than any person ever has, coaching collegiate sports.
My prediction is that the Minnesota Vikings will win the NFC North Division.
With Aaron Rodgers return, the Green Bay Packers likely, will be serious contenders.
In my early read, I feel the defending division champion, Chicago Bears will drop a bit in the 2019 season.
The Detroit Lions could surprise. I do see them improving under former Patriots assistant coach, Matt Patricia.
Bud Grant, pictured above, turned 92 this year.
He won 11 division titles, as Vikings’ coach.
The race for the top seed in the American League between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees had another “seesaw” week (The film,”Two for the Seesaw,” with Shirley MacLaine and Robert Mitchum aired yesterday on TCM), this time, with the Astros gaining significant ground.
Two weeks ago, Houston led by a game, went (1-6) (Sunday-Saturday) including a loss in a Verlander start, with Houston, one of, if not the biggest, road favorites in memory. The Yankees went (7-1) during that period and led the ‘Stros by four and a half games, beginning play last Sunday.
A week later, Houston went (6-1) (Sunday-Saturday), their lone loss taken by Verlander, despite a 2 hit game, as the biggest game favorites in memory (over 5 to 1). The Yankees went (1-5) during that period and each team is (84-47), with Houston owning the tiebreaker.
Seesaws pictured above.
There are so few great broadcasters from the days of yore or quite frankly, period. That number decreased with the passing of Jack Whitaker, an eloquent great, at the age of 95, days back.
Jack was perhaps best known for his latter day work as an Eric Sevareid type essayist (quite the well deserved praise for Whitaker, being likened to Mr. Sevareid) on the CBS network NFL scoreboard show.
I recall Jack as an excellent, low key, not overly talkative, game/ lead announcer, most specifically working on New York Giants’ road games in the 1960’s.
Mr. Whitaker was a Philadelphia native and along with Blaine Walsh, was on the national radio broadcast of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 1960 NFL Title game win, vs the Green Bay Packers.
That game played the day after Christmas, on a Monday in 1960, was the only post-season game the Packers lost, under legendary head coach, Vince Lombardi.
Jack was subsequently part of the CBS broadcast of the first Super Bowl, also telecast by NBC, in which Lombardi’s Packers won the fourth of five NFL crowns within 7 seasons (1961-1967).
When the Dallas Cowboys finally won their first NFL title in 1971, after years of frustration under coach Tom Landry, Jack was the lead broadcaster, as the Cowboys passed their toughest post-season test en route, a win at Minnesota, vs the Vikings. That game and the famous 2 overtime Dolphins/Chiefs, later in the day, were the last NFL playoff games played on Christmas Day.
His work on the telecast was excellent, citing the Dallas history, however, not jamming it down the collective audience’s throats.
I was fortunate to be a researcher on the ABC College Football Scoreboard show when Jack was there in 1983. What a nice classy man! I have included my tribute to a good friend Beano Cook, in which I cited and praised Jack Whitaker. Click below to read it.
- Recollections of Beano Cook on October 14, 2012
Jack Whitaker, pictured above.
Even before the injury to Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback, Andrew Luck became public, I did not think the Colts were worthy of the heavy favorite status afforded them to win the AFC South.
They should be contenders in what I think will be a wide open division.
Both the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans are considered ahead of them, but I will predict the biggest underdog, not that big in that category, the Jacksonville Jaguars to win the division that they won 2 years ago.
Andrew Luck, pictured above.
“Life Sucks,” playing at the Acorn Theater (410 West 42nd Street), written by Aaron Posner, adapted from (as stated “sort of”) “Uncle Vanya,” by the immortal Anton Chekhov is humorous, thought provoking and extremely well acted.
Seven characters are in a house, talking about their feelings, as they somehow become more aware that life full of regrets and as one character intones— the reality of the day after the nice night dream, is still worth and must be lived.
That is one of many complicated or not so, thoughts that permeated my brain while I enjoyed the humor and pathos of the Jeff Wise directed performance.
The cast which includes the truly great, veteran actor, Austin Pendleton as “The Professor,” was great.
On the day I saw “Life Sucks,” the key role of “Ella,” (the characters effectively “break the fourth wall” in this production) was played by Jenny Strassburg and she really excelled in the role and specifically, in her “break the fourth wall” words.
Nadia Bowers as Ella, Kimberly Chatterjee, Kevin Isola, Barbara Kingsley, Stacey Linnartz, Michael Schantz and the aforementioned Austin Pendleton comprise the cast.
Click below to buy tickets. I suggest doing so quickly as the play closes on September 1st.
Life Sucks Tickets | Tickets 2019 | Theatre Row – Acorn Theatre
I do not think it is anywhere near certain that the defending NFC champion, Los Angeles Rams will win a third straight NFC West crown.
In my opinion, both the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have a legitimate chance to win the division title.
It is very unlikely that the Arizona Cardinals will contend this season. It would be nice if they do as their great pass receiver, Larry Fitzgerald is still on the team.
Larry Fitzgerald, pictured above.
