Sports this 'n' that

The power-brokers behind the NCAA College Football Playoff claim they got it right for the 3rd consecutive season in setting the pairings for this year's playoffs, to take place on New Year's Eve.

Top-ranked Alabama, the defending champion, opens its title defense against Pac-12 champ Washington. Ok, so far, so good. In the other semi-final, it'll be Atlantic Coast Conference champ Clemson, another returnee from last year, facing Ohio State.

What's wrong with this picture?

Ohio State is the only one of the four that didn't win its conference. Penn State, the only team to have beaten Urban Meyer's Buckeyes this year, is on the outside looking in, and will face Pac-12 runner-up USC in the Rose Bowl on January 2 (because New Year's Day is a Sunday). The selection committee noted the Nittany Lions' 2 losses, one being in the Big 10 to Michigan, which lost to---who else?---Ohio State, and the other a non-league loss to Pittsburgh (ACC). Ohio State & Washington had 1 loss apiece. So much for Penn State's Cinderella-esque comeback story, at least for this season.

But that's not the way it should be, not by any stretch.

There've been calls to expand the Playoff to 8 teams, to ensure that the "Power 5" leagues (ACC, SEC, Big 10, Pac-12, & Big 12) are all represented in some form. Those calls will continue while the power-brokers continue to make lame excuses older than time itself to justify their decisions. That they wasted four hours on ESPN on Sunday doesn't help.

You can't get blood from a stone. You can't milk artificial drama from one, either.
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If there's one thing I can't stand, it's the sports leagues, both pro & college, issuing fines to coaches and players for questioning officiating, no matter how obviously bad it has gotten in recent weeks.

Take for example the aftermath of the November 26 Ohio State-Michigan game. Of course Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was fined for criticizing the officials. I'm sorry, but if a coach or player has a legit gripe, and replays suggest that Harbaugh did, then fining the coach or player for airing out his gripe in public isn't the answer, and never has been. The NCAA and the pro leagues for which it's been a feeder system (i.e. NFL, NBA) need to just close the accounting department when it comes to that. The integrity that they're trying desperately to protect and/or preserve was compromised a long time ago. The horse not only left the barn, but burned it down, if you will. Saying sorry and apologizing for the goofs made by a group of men who aren't full-time arbiters doesn't cut ice anymore, either.

The simplest solution would be to expand replay to cover such egregious errors. In the NFL, however, it's doubtful that they'd take this step, because that would expose the league's dirtiest secrets. Those being, how Madison Avenue's influence on the league results in some of the playoffs each year being the same old, same old. Screw the ratings. Screw Madison Avenue. The players on the field (or court or ice, if it's basketball or hockey) are the ones who should decide the game, not a bunch of weekend warriors whom the leagues choose to protect to avoid publicly embarrassing them. Problem is, the leagues have embarrassed themselves a thousand times over.
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Speaking of the same old, same old, the NFL's Evil Empire, the New England Patriots, are a step closer to another AFC East title. Of course, it's helping that the teams in closest pursuit, Miami & Buffalo, keep tripping over themselves when they get close. However, if current form holds, New England will not be the #1 seed in the AFC. That would instead be Oakland if the Raiders hang on and win the West, breaking the Kansas City-Denver gridlock for a change. No such drama in the NFC, where Dallas figures to wrap up the East next week if they can collect a receipt from the Giants at Met Life Stadium. You'll recall that Big Blue beat Dallas at the Temple of Excess (AT &T Stadium in Arlington, aka JerryWorld) in September, otherwise Dallas would be undefeated with rookie Dak Prescott at quarterback. You might as well reserve the Offensive Rookie of the Year for Prescott, even if he has to share it with teammate Ezekiel Elliott.
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Carolina's Cam Newton wasn't on the field for the first series in Sunday's loss to Seattle. Turns out it was for a dress code violation. And you thought that stuff went away once you left college.
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In my personal opinion, San Francisco coach "Tortilla" Chip Kelly should've let Colin Kaepernick walk when he had the chance. That Kaepernick was benched in a loss to Chicago is an afterthought at this point. Kaepernick is still taking heat for his political stances this season, but it's time to let that go. The 49ers won't make the playoffs, and if they keep Kelly for next year, then Kaepernick, who's played like Kaopectate of late, given the Niners' current streak is the direct opposite of old nemesis Dallas, is done in San Francisco. Sending him to Jacksonville for Blake Bortles (& Jaymes) won't help. Bortles' predecessor, Blaine Gabbert, is Kaepernick's backup, and replaced him vs. Chicago.
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High school hockey season is just 2 weeks old, but it seems a fresh start is just what LaSalle Institute needed. The Cadets are 1-0-2 after back-to-back draws vs. Plattsburgh & Beekmantown over the weekend. It's been a while since Coach Tim "Father" Flanigan's club has gotten off to such a positive start, and they're hoping to keep the momentum going before the home opener on Saturday night. First, though, they have to finish their current road trip in Queensbury on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, while some schools began basketball season last week, or even during Thanksgiving, everyone will be on the court by tomorrow, when the Suburban Council and other leagues begin play. On the other hand, at Troy High, they may need help on the bowling lanes. The Flying Horses opened the season with a 27-5 loss to Albany last week on the road, and will have their home opener tomorrow vs. Colonie. Y'think maybe they're overdue to finally win a match? We'll see.

Musical Interlude: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1970's)

Sha Na Na was known for covering a lot of classic hits from the 50's & 60's, and doing them up right. Here, though, is a rare case where it seems they've come up with an original number. Years before it was established and built, Donny York sings about the "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame".



If Sha Na Na isn't in the Hall yet, they should be.

What Might've Been: Johnny Staccato (1959)

'Ey, lissen, bub. Lemme tell ya 'bout a gumshoe what got a raw deal from dem netwoik suits back in da day.

Johnny Staccato not only was a private eye, but a jazz musician, too. Often, he'd be sittin' in with a swingin', hotter than da 4th of July combo until a client came along to get him back on the pavement.

John Cassavetes starred as Staccato, and that slammin' jazz combo included the likes of Shelly Manne, who'd later compose the music for Ivan Tors' Daktari & Jambo, and future Oscar winner John Williams. The series lasted one season, split between NBC & ABC. Seems to me that the folks at home thought, due to the jazz music, that Staccato was ripping off that other hip-to-be-square cop show, Peter Gunn.

Now, like, let's scope out the series opener, "The Naked Truth", with guest stars Stacy Harris (a Revue Studios contract player at the time who often appeared on Jack Webb's shows, too), Ruta Lee, and Michael Landon (Bonanza), who apparently does his own singing in the first couple of minutes he's on camera.

I was hoping the Christmas episode, which aired this morning on Get TV (where it airs every Saturday), would be available, but it's not on YouTube. Maybe it's elsewhere, so we'll see within the next three weeks. Said episode, "The Unwise Men", guest starring Jack Weston, will replay later this month on Get TV (check local listings).

Rating: A-.

What Might've Been: The Rock & Roll Evening News (1986)

Imagine a newscast with a studio audience. Well, yeah, the Daily Show has that, but they weren't the first ones to try it.

In 1986, Andy Friendly, son of CBS' Fred Friendly, launched The Rock & Roll Evening News, a weekly, one hour program that was an amalgam of Entertainment Tonight and, well, American Bandstand, since there were musical performances sprinkled throughout the broadcast. Among the reporters was Eleanor Mondale, daughter of Senator Walter Mondale, who had failed in his bid for President two years earlier.

Unfortunately, while America had gotten their MTV and loved it, they weren't ready for a news magazine, airing at 11 pm (ET) or later on a Saturday night, that was posited to unseat NBC's long-running Saturday Night Live, which at the time had just started its 12th season.

This sample episode is headlined by the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Elton John. Your announcer is Shadoe Stevens (Hollywood Squares).



No rating.

Musical Interlude: No News (1996)

The country group Lonestar landed their first #1 hit right out of the ol' chute in 1996 with "No News", the 2nd single off their debut album.

The video illustrates the song perfectly. A suburban schlub's lamenting the fact that his girlfriend has left him. In the course of the video, the woman goes from a demure, mousy type to a hottie, drawing the attention of passengers on a bus just by sliding on a pair of thigh-high stockings. John Rich was the band's original bassist before leaving in 1998, eventually forming Big & Rich.

Forgotten TV: The Adventures of Mark & Brian (1991)

Looking back, I'd think NBC was trying to siphon off some of MTV's audience with the short-lived Adventures of Mark & Brian, which began on Mondays in 1991, but ended up getting bumped to Thursdays, then Sundays, before being cancelled.

Mark Thompson & Brian Phelps were morning radio DJ's in California who had a popular show, such that producer Don Mischer, better known for his work on the Grammy Awards and other like specials, convinced them to bring their act to television. In a way, this was NBC's answer to Colin Quinn's Manly World (previously reviewed), which lasted half a year in 1990, with a side order of Kevin Seal: Sporting Fool, which likewise bombed.

In this episode, which presumably comes from when the series had moved off the Monday lineup, the guys return to their old high school to work out with the football team, acknowledging that when they played, the team was a flop.

Edit, 5/24/23: Had to change the video. Here's the intro:



Y'think maybe that these fellas were the inspiration for Full House's Jesse & Joey (John Stamos & Dave Coulier) becoming radio DJ's near the end of that series' run?

No rating. Never saw the show.

Countdown to Christmas: The Beverly Hillbillies head Home For Christmas (1962)

This is also on my other blog, Saturday Morning Archives:

They say it never rains in Southern California. It never snows, either, so The Beverly Hillbillies head home to the Ozark mountains for a holiday vacation. Here's "Home For Christmas":

Rating: B.