Did you notice I tried regarding ESPN?
I cited the fact that the monolith, originally a tame idea, but now a “Frankenstein type monster” set loose upon the good standards and practices of sports reporting, was televising a pair of WNBA games, on one of their many channels.
The fact I did so is good on both our parts, for them to televise and publicize the WNBA (“for a price Ugarte” or ESPN, too bad it will not cease to exist in the next, or near next scene as was the fate of “Ugarte,” played by the great Peter Lorre, in the film, “Casablanca,”) and for me to promote the giant network I despise, all to help the WNBA.
However, today the ESPN incompetence went too far. They actually put forth a graphic comparing the win percentage for the New England Patriots, in games started by the great Tom Brady, and those that were not.
The terrible concept became a beyond misleading attempt at disseminating information, when Wendy Nix (too bad we can’t NIX the idea of putting incompetent broadcasters on the air) the on air “talent”, proved what I already “guessed,” that she will read what it says without the acumen to know it is ridiculous, (poor Gail Gardner got caught, but so few of them, men included, know anything, save being able to get “made up” and read from a teleprompter) by stating the win percentage was about the same, with no regard to the number of games played.
Obviously, Brady has played many, many more games than his substitutes, enough said if you have even a kernel of knowledge.
A journey awaits me via bus, subway, automobile and then perhaps train, a long day, but those of you at home tonight are in for a treat, no not more “AndyB” posts, criticizing sportscasters, but the work of a comedic great, the recently deceased, Gene Wilder starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on TCM.
At that time, “Role Model. Gene Wilder” a tribute special will air. That will be followed by one of Mr. Wilder’s excellent roles, that in “Young Frankenstein” which will be shown starting at 9:15
The special will be repeated at 11:15, followed by two more good movies with Gene Wilder, “Start The Revolution Without Me” and “The Cisco Kid.”
Enjoy as TCM pays tribute to Gene Wilder, showing some of the great work he left us.
Maybe get some tootsie rolls to enhance your enjoyment, also evoking memories of Gene Wilder (pictured above) in their commercials. However, with this or just about anything, you will not get it from a “taker.”
Both seek and more important, be “givers.”
Last Sunday, after the Kansas City Chiefs’ “ho hum” victory in a game, vs the New York Jets ended, CBS shifted this market to its coverage of an eventual Indianapolis Colts win and cover, vs the San Diego Chargers,
Unfortunately I heard Kevin Harlan (Marty Glickman, who delineated every 3 yards or so, is causing seizmic shock, turning over and over in his grave as Harlan continually does everything, but delineate yardage on his radio calls. In addition to causing the earth to move, Harlan’s failure to provide essential game information in a timely manner, is an affront to listeners, but Westwood One lets him do so!) on the telecast.
On television, Harlan could not, by definition, (he was not) be as offensive as on radio, when the listener is at his mercy, but he came darn close.
First, he blurted out no team had ever started (0-3) and made the NFL playoffs. He was corrected, but he is working NFL games, the one last Sunday involving the (0-2) Colts, could not he have done some research?!!
There were other blunders and analyst Rich Gannon was annoying as well (his talk regarding the last play, an example, as there was no realistic of it working, not the impression he gave, and it was going to be a lateral play (he was way off in his theory), which it was–details on demand, I promise).
The details are saved for Harlan, who took playing it safe, to an absurd level when with the possibility of one more play given to the Chargers down 4 points, from roughly their own 20 yard line, he said T.Y. Hilton’s touchdown catch MAY have given the Colts their first victory.
At worst, say “barring a last play miracle touchdown,” but Harlan used the word “may” as a gauge of the probability of an S.D. win.
Whether he is NOT telling us how many yards were gained, or having a clue regarding probability, Harlan’s performance is disgraceful.
Tonight’s Thursday night NFL tilt matches a pair of (1-2) teams, the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins, neither of whom have covered the spread in victory and done so only once in defeat.
Miami covered easily, in defeat, at Seattle(Seahawks), in the first week.
A more pleasant, if not important association between these two AFL expansion teams, in addition to that very fact, is their Slot 3/divisional round clash in the 1973 NFL playoffs.
Miami, under coach Don Shula, won the game and went on to win their second straight Super Bowl, to date, the only two in franchise history.
Cincinnati was coached by Paul Brown, who guided the team into the playoffs for the second time that season.
The great Paul Brown, pictured above.
There were many posts here during the season regarding the A.L. Central Division.
Cleveland (Indians) won it, clinching their eighth, “one eighth” division title, two nights ago.
Few so called baseball sites that I found anyway, gave the tiebreaker scenarios among the three division winners in the A.L. as far as playoffs seeding.
I did research the fact both of the other division winners Texas and Boston won the season series vs the Indians. Thus Cleveland loses in any tiebreaker scenario, including a 3 way one.
I know Boston has not clinched the division yet but I will take the chance and call them “division” winners.
Actually the chances of them (Boston) not winning the division are greater than what was referred to as a “may” by the so annoying CBS announcer, Kevin Harlan at the end of last Sunday’s Colts/Chargers game.
I will cite that and other “horrors/Harlan” I heard in the short time the telecast aired in this market last Sunday, in one of two “attack mode” posts tomorrow.
Have to vent folks, but I will do so with no personal “attacks.”
The best of five, semi-final round of the WNBA playoffs begins tonight with all four remaining teams in action, with both tilts to be televised on ESPN Two.
In the opener the defending champions and top ranked Minnesota Lynx are 6 plus point game, and near 3 to 1 series favorites vs the 8th seed, Phoenix Mercury. These two franchises have combined to win 6 of the last 9 WNBA crowns and are meeting in the ‘offs” for the 4th straight season.
Led by a truly excellent player, Diana Taurasi (apparently, if one trusts what one reads (13-3) in WNBA so called “elimination” games and also unaware her Mercury team were favorites, not underdogs at the New York Liberty, in the Mercury “elimination” game victory last Saturday) the Mercury beat both the Indiana Fever and third seed, Liberty to advance to the semis.
Meanwhile the “Chi” Sky are very high, concerning odds that is, as the second seed L.A. Sparks are huge 10 point game and roughly 12 to 1, (man to man, woman to woman, human to human), “faves” in the series.
The Sky defeated the Atlanta Dream to advance. Atlanta had beaten the Seattle Storm, both in one game entities.
ESPN television and radio announcer, Dan Shulman will be the radio broadcaster of the World Series for the 6th straight season.
Though he has improved from an “impossible to listen” status, he certainly does not belong on a list that includes Mel Allen, Vin Scully and even Jon Miller, the latter whom he replaced as the W.S. broadcaster.
Schulman on the Cubs/Cardinals ESPN telecast last Friday afternoon, near the beginning of the broadcast stated that if the Cards qualified as one of the two wild card teams, that would make it 12 of 16 seasons in which they qualified.
Sorry Dan, but that is the situation right now before the Cards’ 2016 fate is known. Also they have been at least as far as the division series in those 13 seasons (’00- ‘o2, “04-’06, ’09 and ’11-’15) a point Schulman, given a dream job, should have pointed out, but did not, in my opinion compounding his factual error.
A truly good Dick Cavett Show awaits us tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern Time to be shown again at 2 a.m. on Decades.(“Do you know how to watch Decades?”)
It was Cavett’s last show in a summer series granted him by ABC. There are interesting pro and con letters he reads that would be relevant today, concerning the way people writing letters to shows feel.
It is hard to believe I waited to the third paragraph to tell you the sensational guests were Woody Allen and Ruth Gordon. Quick what, more precise who is the link between the two? Note Allen paying attention as Gordon talked. A surprise ends the show.
I knew it was September, 1969 not by checking it anywhere, but by virtue of the fact Allen noted his upcoming Sunday night show coincided with the most holy night of the Jewish Year (Kol Nidre preceding Yom Kippur), which I recall being Sunday September 21st in 1969.
In a win that day, vs the defending Super Bowl champion, New York Jets, I recall the Denver Broncos’ Mike Haffner diving, to make one of the greatest touchdown catches, I have ever seen.
“Andy B” made a similar diving catch to win a game 10 months earlier, the day before Nebraska/Oklahoma, but it was in a touch football game that “my side” (in the often cruel world of choosing sides, I belonged in the middle. I learned a lesson, as so called captain in 5th grade and that is to make yourself and nobody else bat ninth) won 5 touchdowns to 4. (3 complete passes were a first down.)
The Cavett Show airing tonight brings a similar and rare pleasure, true enjoyment!
Tomorrow I reveal “the link.” See if you get the answer while watching the show later today.
Dick Cavett, pictured above.
Below, you did not think I forgot that in that September 21, 1969 Broncos/Jets tilt in Denver that Jets’ punter Steve O’Neal had a record 98 yard punt. Of course unless rules change concerning recording plays or the field gets longer (each extremely unlikely) O’Neal’s record can not be broken. It can be tied, but that also is very unlikely! Click below to see O’Neal’s punt.
Five NFL teams are (3-0) after three weeks of play. Those teams are the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and two teams once or still (0-4) in Super Bowls, the defending champion Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings respectively.
Denver and Minnesota each scored road victories at Cincinnati and Carolina respectively, vs teams that are (0-2) in their Super Bowl history, each one (Cincy and Carolina) covering the spread, which of course moved many dollars, in one of their two Supe losses.
Both Denver and Minnesota (at Tampa Bay and home vs the New York Giants respectively) face a winner vs loser scenario, as the favorite this week, a situation that does not bode well for the two teams based on results, certainly this season and I believe in other seasons as well.
Perhaps more on this, when I take my (10-1-1) hot streak into the fourth week of NFL play.
There are so many, I will “tone down” my comments and the quantity to I believe three.
Why, Troy Aikman was a 5 yard Eli Manning completed pass without the receiver going out of bounds, “a good start” to the Giants’ final drive in what was eventually a failed drive in a loss. It was not a “good start” with little yardage gained and the clock continuing to run (where does a clock go when it runs?).
In fairness, the Giants overcame that play and a subsequent penalty to get a first down before a “Wash” interception clinched the win for the now (1-2) Redskins, with the Giants dropping to (2-1), with no game in which they clearly covered the spread.
Aikman, who was a great quarterback, but a bit of a robot and certainly one who rarely overcame adversity to win games (again as a “QB” he was a true great, and the Dallas Cowboys’ teams he played on were so great he did not need to come from behind very often), certainly has a penchant toward “robotism” (not a word, but maybe soon to be one, is there a patent needed, as I hear they are taking over soon) as he time and again says the same thing.
Saying “a good start to the drive” is one he says over and again, even when it is not the case as happened on the Giants’ final possession last week.
Again Aikman was a great quarterback, but he is a bit of a robot. Are not those Dallas Cowboys’ colors that adorn the robot pictured above?
