On The Air: Around The Horn (2002)

 With the news that the series is coming to an end in late May, it's way, way past time to look at ESPN's Around The Horn.

Four sportswriters debate the topics of the day, though in recent years, ESPN personalities have gotten into the fray as well. Max Kellerman was the original moderator, until he left for Fox and took panelist Michael Holley with him in 2004. Comedian Tony Reali moved over from Pardon The Interruption, where he was "Stat Boy", fact-checking on that show, and has been there since, though there have been guest hosts, including Rob Stone (before he, too, left for Fox) and panelists Woody Paige, Pablo Torre, and Frank Isola, the latter two having also filled in on Interruption.

It was announced Tuesday that Horn will say good-bye on May 23, right before Memorial Day, as ESPN/Disney is doing some cost cutting. Paige had been a contributor to another ESPN show, Cold Pizza, but was actually a better fit here, though he often came across as a court jester.

Let's go back to March 2003, with Kellerman holding court as the NCAA tournament approaches.

How ESPN plans to fill the void has been settled in the short term with a 30 minute edition of SportsCenter. How original. NOT!

Rating: A-.

Sports this 'n' that

 Fox NFL Sunday will have one less panelist when the series returns in September.

Jimmy Johnson announced his retirement on Monday after more than 3 decades with the network, interrupted only for a stint coaching the Miami Dolphins. Johnson, who won 2 Super Bowls as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys, has appeared less frequently the last two seasons.

While the media is speculating about who would fill Johnson's seat, it's a waste of time. The show's resident court jester, Rob Gronkowski, could very well be in line to be promoted to a full-time panelist.

The original combover is retiring.

Gronkowski, also shilling for USAA, has apprenticed for the last couple of years, filling in when Johnson was away. Some online commenters suggested poaching either Chris Long (Howie's son) or Chad Johnson (no relation to Jimmy) away from Inside The NFL, which may have lost Bill Belichick (North Carolina) after 1 season. Keep dreaming, jabronies.

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In the wake of a social media post by president Trump suggesting a posthumous pardon for Pete Rose, who passed away in September, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is considering a posthumous reinstatement for the disgraced legend, clearing the path for Rose to finally be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Rose, who was banned by Fay Vincent years ago, was convicted on tax evasion charges, and while Trump hasn't specified what the pardon is for, it's assumed that it's for said conviction. Trump & Rose are both members of the WWE's Hall of Fame in the celebrity wing, and appeared at multiple Wrestlemania events.

Trump, who wouldn't know much about gambling other than seeing his casinos in New Jersey tank back in the day, is trying to claim that Rose only bet on his team, the Cincinnati Reds, to win, not on any other team, but then, Trump isn't much for context or details, as we all know.

If Manfred goes through with the reinstatement, there will be calls for disgraced stars of the "steroid era" of the 90's (i.e. Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens) to finally be enshrined as well. Stay tuned.

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So much has been made of former WWE champ John Cena turning heel on Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber in Toronto on Saturday, but fans are split as to whether or not Cena will remain a villain in the long term. 

In this writer's opinion, it's a means to an end for "Final Boss" Dwayne Johnson, who is using Cena to buy time for Jacob Fatu to be prepped as a main event-caliber challenger for Rhodes. Fatu, a former World & tag team champ with Major League Wrestling before coming north last year, is being showcased pretty heavily on Smackdown, and while WWE is keen on a future Fatu-Rhodes title fight, it's still a ways off, hence the shock turn by Cena. With Wrestlemania set for Easter weekend in Las Vegas, a lot can happen, but at the end of the day, the corrupted Rock and Cena will end up with egg on their faces. I don't see Rhodes losing. At all.

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Elimination Chamber became the latest event where the "Star Spangled Banner" was booed out of the building due to Donald Trump's bullying of Canada, and threatening tariffs, which reportedly took effect today. The American national anthem's been booed at NHL and, likely also, NBA events in the last few weeks.

It's becoming apparent that Trump no-showed civics class in school, don't you think?

Only in The South: A state senator wants to use corporal punishment on disabled students. Is this guy just nuts? Well, he IS a Republican...............

 Some politicians in Oklahoma are actually trying to embrace common sense. Unfortunately, there's always a bad apple in the barrel with his head in the sand.

Oklahoma state senator Shane Jett is using Proverbs 22:15, which I will quote shortly, to justify using the outdated system of corporal punishment on disabled students, opposing fellow senator Dave Rader, a fellow Republican, who wants to end corporal punishment in schools.

Farron Cousins breaks it down.

Before I go further, here's Proverbs 22:15, according to the New King James Bible:

"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive it far from him."

What Jett fails to comprehend is that disabled children can't defend themselves. You have children on the autistic spectrum, or ones who are visibly disabled with either muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy or have Downs Syndrome. The above verse is meant to apply discipline with love in mind. Jett's intentional misinterpretation represents the reprehensible attitude of some GOPers in the Sooner State, and is way, way off base.

I believe Rader's measure will be signed into law, and Jett was suffer the humiliation of being proven wrong. The dude needs to go back and reread his Bible, plus a concordance, for better understanding, instead of using scripture for usury.

Musical Interlude: Hit The Road, Jack (1989)

 From "The Dream Team":

Buster Poindexter (David Johansen) had one last hit on the charts with his cover of Ray Charles' "Hit The Road, Jack". Movie footage is mixed in, until co-stars Stephen Furst (ex-St. Elsewhere, Delta House) and Peter Boyle arrive to pick up Buster.

In memory of David Johansen, 75, who passed away earlier this weekend. Rest in peace.

Someone needs to send Tommy Tubes back to geometry class

"Tommy Tubes", of course, is Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, the former college football coach, whose latest gaffe not only caught Farron Cousins' attention, as you'll see shortly, but also comics fans.

Here's Farron:

Someone wrote in commenting on the video on YouTube that the trigon was an old school name for the triangle. Whether that's true or not is irrelevant at this point. However, comics fans know of a fellow named Trigon from the pages of New Teen Titans back in the early 80's:

Image courtesy DC Comics.

Let's just say that Tommy Tubes misspoke at the wrong time, and leave it at that, ok?

A primer on the necessity of seatbelts (1972)

 Today, a seatbelt is mandatory when driving. In 1972, when this was recorded, there were too many people ignoring common sense, leading to accidents.

Actor-producer Jack Webb narrates.

By 1972, Webb had moved away from the camera, save for a guest shot on Don Adams' The Partners, and concentrated on his Mark VII production company (Adam-12, Emergency!). It wouldn't surprise me if Mark VII was commissioned to produce the above ad.

Origin of a Classic: The Gamble (Police Story, 1974)

 Season 1 of Police Story wrapped with a pilot for Police Woman.

In the time between when "The Gamble" aired and when Police Woman launched, there were some changes. As you'll see, Angie Dickinson plays Lisa Beaumont in the pilot, but the character is changed to Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson when the series began a few months later.

Sgt. Bill Crowley was played by Bert Convy, fresh off The Snoop Sisters, but the part was recast when Convy landed his first game show hosting gig, hosting Tattletales for CBS, and Earl Holliman was cast as Crowley. Aside from this, Ed Bernard & Charles Dierkop are the only other cast members returning for the series.

"The Gamble" also features Joseph Campanella (ex-The Bold Ones, Mannix) and Cesare Danova (ex-Garrison's Gorillas).

In memory of Police Story creator Joseph Wambaugh, who passed away earlier this week. No rating out of respect.