When Icons Meet: A Different Kind of War, A Different Kind of Peace (Highway to Heaven, 1986)

 From season 3 of Highway to Heaven:

A generational divide brings probationary angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) and Mark Gordon (Victor French) to Los Angeles, where they discover a man (Eugene Roche) wants nothing to do with his grandson (Ernie Reyes, Jr., Sidekicks), who was born in Vietnam. Ernest Borgnine (Airwolf) also guest stars.

This might've been the first time 60's icons Landon & Borgnine had shared the screen in primetime, but I'll have to check and see if Borgnine had appeared on Bonanza.

Happy Father's Day.

When you broadcast your plans for a vanity parade, welllll........

 Saturday was Flag Day, the 250th anniversary of the US Armed Forces. Not just the Army, but the Navy & Marines, too, but only the Army was instructed to be in Washington to march for another birthday boy, Donald John Narcissus Trump, physical age 79, mental age of about 3 1/2.

Across the country, roughly 2000 cities, including Albany, Hudson, and Troy, hosted "No Kings" rallies in opposition to President Pampers, who comes from a long line of draft dodgers who look down upon the military, but Trump has to pretend to show respect to keep his base snowed.

Brian Tyler Cohen was in Los Angeles for a "No Kings" rally, an excerpt of his speech is included in this compilation video he produced later Saturday.

WWE's CM Punk (Phil Brooks) attended a rally in his hometown of Chicago, just days after the Street Profits, Cody Rhodes, and Tiffany Stratton appeared at an Army anniversary event elsewhere.

Back at home, WTEN offers this compilation of the Troy & Colonie rallies.

As Cohen showed, Trump's parade didn't have the big crowd the First Narcissist wanted, but he'll claim it did, to soothe his ego.

I think he needs to see a psychologist, don't you?

The lamest excuse for an ejection in the history of ever

 Yankees @ Boston, 10th inning, Friday the 13th. Watch what happens when DJ LeMahieu his what he thinks is a potential double. Video courtesy ESPN:

These things we know are true. You can't argue balls & strikes, and you can't argue the final decision on a replay review at MLB's Chelsea, Queens HQ. Yankees manager Aaron Boone and his staff were convinced LeMahieu was rooked on the call, but replays show that, yep, the ball never touched the chalk. Boone throws his gum onto the field, and is given the gate by plate ump John Tumpane. Boston would go on to win the game in the home 10th.

I guess in Tumpane's mind, throwing used gum is the same as throwing equipment, but that's a first.

Videos of Summer: Twisting by The Pool (1983)

 Summer's a week away, so let's get a head start on the season with Dire Straits' "Twisting by The Pool", released in the winter of 1983.

"Twisting", a retro track with some 60's style beats, peaked at #12 on the Mainstream Rock chart, but otherwise didn't make the Hot 100. Go figure.

Notes from around town

 Traditionally, the Quick Shoe Repair Shop on 3rd Street is closed on Saturdays during the summer. This year, the long running shop is on a 4 day summer schedule, Tuesday-Friday, as they're now closed on Mondays as well.

Sounds to me like ownership is getting ready to retire or sell the shop. Stay tuned.

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There's been protests in Albany the last couple of days against the Immigration & Customs Enforcement department (ICE), and their xenophobic raids on immigrants, regardless of their official legal status here in the US.

You probably know by now that ICE agents have taken to wearing masks to conceal their identities, though, supposedly, some agents have been doxxed, in retaliation for the raids. The agents do not show badges, do not have warrants, according to reports, and, there have been innocent citizens, who are here in this country legally, who have been taken.

This is what president Trump wants, along with his top trolls, Stephen Miller & Tom Homan, the latter the current head of Homeland Insecurity, sowing fear & chaos all because President Pampers can't be satisfied with having been re-elected 7 months ago.

Miller, in particular, took the mic at the GOP convention last summer, and declared that priority one is America comes first. Apparently, the development of our society into one of inclusion & diversity is too much for his simple, small brain to handle.

We'll discuss his involvement in ABC's decision to dump reporter Terry Moran earlier this week another time.

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President Pampers also is insisting on reinstating the original names of military bases, though not for the same confederate soldiers for which they were originally named.

It hits home here because it affects Fort Johnson in Louisiana, which was renamed in honor of Albany's Henry Johnson, a World War 1 hero, two years ago, from Fort Polk.

Photo courtesy of the Albany Times-Union.

Whereas Fort Polk was originally dedicated to Leonidas Polk, now, it would be for General James Polk, a World War II Army officer. Same goes for other bases around the country. The confederate soldiers won't get their honors back, if you will, as Trump and his  team have found other modern-day soldiers sharing the same surnames, to justify their actions.

Blame this on Miller putting ideas like this in Trump's ear. Seems to me Miller doesn't care about Henry Johnson, or how Johnson was revered as a hero here.

I'd make Miller sit in on some civics & history classes, strapped to a chair, in leg irons, so he learns he's been wrong all along. All he's doing is giving people in Albany another reason to protest.

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Speaking of protests, the group Indivisible is sponsoring events this weekend, including one in Troy, protesting the Trump administration's direction. These events are taking place on a seemingly monthly basis, and will continue until Trump and his cast of idiots finally gets the message. If they ever do.

Musical Interlude: Love & Mercy (1988-2017)

 Another day, another music legend passes away.

Beach Boy Brian Wilson has passed at the age of 82. The Beach Boys almost certainly will honor Wilson when they come to town in a couple of weeks for a concert at the Palace Theatre.

In his memory, we present a Wilson solo track, "Love & Mercy", first released in 1988, but reissued in 2017 as part of a greatest hits compilation.

Rest in peace.

Forgotten TV: Hardball (1989)

 Not to be confused with the Fox sitcom of the same name, Hardball, a short-lived NBC crime drama from 1989, was inspired by the "Lethal Weapon" movies. Unfortunately, Richard Tyson was no Mel Gibson, despite the mullet.

John Ashton ("Beverly Hills Cop") landed his first lead role in television, and, sadly, it was his only one.

No episodes are available, so we'll settle for the intro. Eddie Money co-wrote and recorded the title song.

No rating. Just a public service.