While watching some of the featured “Love American Style,” in what is called the “Decades Binge” on the Decades channel, I noticed a striking similarity between an episode and the great play/movie “Barefoot in the Park.”
The “Love American Style” episode was called “Love and the Deal” and the couple seeking a better bed were the Bradders, certainly Paul and I think I heard “Corrie” as in the movie.
There is a free living neighbor upstairs in the movie, Charles Boyer and in the episode, Hans Conried.
My favorite were the two phone company men who visit the Bradders, specifically “Mrs.” In the movie, the part was played by Herb Edelman. The role was played by Frank Campanella, the older brother of Joseph Campanella, in the episode.
In conclusion nice similarities and an homage to Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda which was another autobiographical work by Simon, recalling his great love and first apartment with first wife Joan.
The great playwright, Neil Simon pictured above.
Twice in his career in home games in which the Yankees trailed by two runs facing post season elimination, Jorge Posada made the last out.
In the 2003 World Series in game six, Josh Beckett completed his masterful (2-0) World Series clinching win for the Florida Marlins, by fielding Posada’s little grounder and tagging the Yankees’ catcher between home plate and first base.
Then in the 2007 division series, Joe Torre’s last game as Yankees’ manager, Indians’ relief pitcher Joe Borowski got Posada to strike out swinging and give the Indians a (3-1) series victory with the (6-4) win in game four.
Twice the Indians defeated the Yankees in division series, both series being clinched on a Monday night.
The other was in the decisive 5th game of the 1997 division series. Those two seasons 1997 and 2007 were the only seasons in the 12 Joe Torre managed with the Yankees that they did not win a one eighth division title
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Three times with his Texas Rangers’ team winning but 1 of 10 games, the superb catcher Ivan Rodriguez tasted post-season defeat in the division series vs the New York Yankees. Each time the Yankees went on to win the title winning 12 straight World Series games after dropping the first two games at home in the 1996 World Series.
Things changed for Rodriguez vs the Yankees when the Marlins and he capped an incredible post-season run and 6’d the Yankees in the 2003 World Series.
There are so many negative aspects regarding the NBA.
In my opinion, it is greedy of them to schedule what amounts as an exhibition game, their All Star Game at 8 o’clock Eastern time.
Even the Super Bowl started an hour and a half earlier.
The total for this joke of a game is 319, so not much, if any, defensive play is expected.
Worse is that in some circles, the retiring once great player Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is even money to win the MVP award.
I thought he was a good choice for those who bet such things in moderation, as surely they will try to make him look good.
However, that line indicates there is a distinct possibility they will do more than try to make him look good.
I once loved the NBA and did so for a long time. My great appreciation peaked with Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird putting the pass back into the game.
Once I liked its All-Star Game especially so in 1968 when Hal Greer, pictured above, won the MVP of the game which was played that year in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Certainly it was a two quarterback effort, contributions by both Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler in the Denver title season.
This evokes memories of John Unitas and Earl Morrall, winning it all with the 1970 Baltimore Colts.
More evident in two quarterback title history were Morrall again and Bob Griese with the undefeated Miami Dolphins 1972 champions.
Griese started the first four games, Morrall won the next 11 including a playoff win vs the Cleveland Browns.
In the AFC title tilt at Pittsburgh, coach Don Shula replaced Morrall with Griese who won that game and the Super Bowl vs the Washington Redskins.
Amidst all the talk of the Denver Broncos defense (richly deserved) and Peyton Manning, including whether his brother was happy he won (not deserved), let’s not for get the major contribution Brock Osweiler made to this Broncos’ title season.
Denver, both good and lucky, but that truly is what is needed in sports, if not life, was certainly fortunate that their AFC West rival, Kansas City Chiefs, got off to a (1-5) start, before winning 10 regular season games in succession.
Brock Osweiller was (5-2) as a Denver starting quarterback and made many big plays in their victory vs the Cincinnati Bengals in the last Monday night game, played in the penultimate week of the NFL season.
While Denver kicker, Brandon McManus, no relation to CBS sports head and legendary broadcaster, Jim McKay’s son, Sean McManus, was excellent in the playoffs, he missed a field goal late in regulation, vs the Bengals that essentially forced overtime.
The Broncos had not even clinched a playoff berth and certainly would not have been the AFC one seed and I believe not even the “2,” without that win vs Cincy.
By the way, in turn, with that loss, the Bengals were denied the top two seeds and a first round bye, eventually losing a heartbreaking wild card round game to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The quarterback, who led the must win vs Cincy and did so passing the ball, not relying on the run nor the defense, was not Peyton Manning, but Brock Osweiler.
Two thoughts, if Manning has not been cast in every commercial maybe Osweiler can get some kind of credit card company/”who am I” ad.
Also if Denver is smart, Osweiler and not Manning will be their quarterback next season.
Either way they will not have intangibles, but at least with Osweiler they have some tangibles.
Paul Newman was a truly great actor and humanitarian.
In the latter category, charitable work in his name continues to this day, seven plus years after he passed away.
His marriage to the superb actress Joanne Woodward was a great model for what could happen between two people on so many levels.
Some Paul Newman movie notes involving the drink, gin.
In “The Young Philadelphians,” Mr. Newman’s character, a defense attorney, uses gin drinking as a key in his defense argument.
“The Sting,” an all-time favorite of mine and a truly great film with Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw teaming with incredible character actors, has Newman’s “Henry Gondorff” telling Redford’s “Johnny Hooker,” “Always use gin with a mark, kid they can’t tell if it is watered down.”
Last week the NFL honored the few people who have been at all 50 Super Bowls.
I am not one of them, however am one of the few people with a distinct, not looked up memory of all 50.
One nice memory is from the 6th Super Bowl in which the Dallas Cowboys won their first title after so many near misses beating a Miami Dolphins team that would win the next two Super Bowls.
Late in the first half, a great quarterback beginning his ascent to that description found an all-time great receiver just inside the flag/in bounds for a touchdown.
The quarterback was Roger Staubach. The receiver was Lance Alworth.
The 1974-1975 Golden State Warriors were surprise winners of the NBA crown.
However, only in the finals against the favored Washington Bullets were they sans home advantage.
Additionally, they got to play games 2 and 3 at home which especially after they won game 1 on the road gave them a huge advantage not in correlation for a team with the inferior regular season record.
Yet that should take little, if anything, away from their incredible season which was culminated with a 4 game sweep of the K.C. Jones coached Bullets in the finals.
The fact that a different schedule helped them is a mere footnote to the Rick Barry then Keith Wilkes, deep title team story written that glorious 1974-1975 season, under coach Al Attles.
The great K.C. Jones, pictured above, may have lost in that 1975 NBA final, but he was part of 12 NBA champions, 8 as a player (all in consecutive years 1959-1966), 2 as a head coach (1984 and 1986) and 2 as an assistant coach (1972 and 1981). All but the 1972 title were with the Boston Celtics.
The 1972 title was with the Los Angeles Lakers, who set a then NBA record going (69-13) and still hold the major sports league record of 33 consecutive victories.
The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors go to the All-Star break with a sensational (48-4) record.
That is the best record in NBA history at this point in the season/the All-Star break.
They have achieved this record under two coaches, Luke Walton and Steve Kerr.
Kerr is the coach. He guided them to the title last season and played on 5 NBA title teams as a player.
Actor Timothy Hutton consulted Coach Kerr regarding his coaching for his role as a basketball coach on the fine show “American Crime” which airs Wednesday nights on ABC.
Luke Walton, pictured above, guided the Warriors for most of the first half of the season.
Tom Brady’s New England Patriots have won 4 Super Bowl titles but never in a game telecast with CBS’ Jim Nantz as the announcer.
Conversely, the Pats have been eliminated in “Nantz games” 7 times.
Meanwhile Peyton Manning’s teams have won 2 Super Bowls, one with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 and the one 4 days ago with the Denver Broncos.
Also Manning’s teams have been eliminated in “Nantz games,” only 3 times.
I did know all this and saw it coming. Oh well!
Andy B Sports 