What Might've Been: Wizards & Warriors (1983)

 In the early 80's, role playing games, or, RPG's, were becoming a thing. I know this for a fact because my brother was in a group that got together every weekend, just about, for marathon sessions that spilled well into the wee ones.

So, it's fair to assume that Wizards & Warriors, a winter-spring replacement series for CBS that aired in 1983, might've been aimed at the RPG audience, as well as devotees of classic sword & sorcery.

Jeff Conaway ("Grease", ex-Taxi) and Duncan Regehr are warring princes. Julia Duffy and Randi Brooks co-star.

Following is the intro.

Regehr would cross over to the side of the good guys as Zorro 7 years later. Julia Duffy followed up Wizards with a more successful run on Newhart.

No rating. Saturdays back then meant bowling with my folks.

MLB 2025 preview, part 1: The Mets

 Despite reaching the NLCS last year, losing to the eventual World champion Dodgers, the Mets just can't shake the injury plague that has been in effect since Citi Field opened in 2009.

For example, infielder Nick Madrigal, acquired from the Cubs, was lost for the season due to a shoulder injury in an early preseason game. Not that Clover Field is Citi South, but the maladies have followed the team. Frankie Montas, signed as a free agent after finishing 2024 with Milwaukee, opens the season on the IL, as does Sean Manaea, who was so instrumental in the Mets' late surge to the postseason.

That doesn't mean the rotation starts as a weakness for the Mets, though. Kodai Senga is healthy, and that's bad news for opposing teams. For now, the rotation will also include Griffin Canning (Angels), Clay Holmes (Yankees-converting from reliever to starter), and any combination among David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Jose Butto, and Paul Blackburn.

But, then, the injury news gets worse.

Catcher Francisco Alvarez will also start the season on the IL, out up to two months due to a broken hand. Luis Torrens, who came over from the Yankees last year, will be the starter this year until Alvarez is ready to return. The Mets, though, boosted their outfield by acquiring Juan Soto (Yankees) and Jose Siri (Tampa Bay), and bringing back Jesse Winker, another late season acquisition last year. The team is slowly working Starling Marte back into the mix as he'll also be a DH. Brandon Nimmo is injured, which makes acquiring Siri that much more important. Soto was on the wrong end of the Subway Series last year, as the Mets swept the Yankees, but he's got a more imposing group surrounding him with Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, and, when healthy, Alvarez & Nimmo. Scary.

To get to Edwin Diaz for the 9th inning, Carlos Mendoza now has AJ Minter (Atlanta), once he's healthy, to back up Max Kranick, Ryne Stanek, & Reed Garrett. Forget about Genesis Cabrera (Toronto), who had a bad outing on Sunday vs. Washington, and I don't see him sticking around. Speaking of the Nationals, they made a big mistake letting Joey Meneses go, as the Mets signed him to provide backup for Alonso.

We'll hold our prediction until we look at the rest of the NL East later this week.

Notes from around town

 Downtown Troy can run on Dunkin' once more.

The chain's location at Congress & 3rd streets reopened this morning after a month spent doing some remodeling. What it was, basically, was removing the tables that had been idled since COVID 5 years ago, and laying down a new floor.

Imagine that. A work order that actually finished on time.

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Election Day is still 8 months away, but the rhetoric has already started here in town.

Writing in today's Albany Times-Union, Chris Churchill tells the story of Democratic candidate Shikole Struber, who posted a video in which she claimed her personal trainer told her to "prepare to fight the Nazis".

Like Churchill, I find this claim to be rather dubious.

Aside from Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, who has channeled his inner despot periodically, local GOPers are largely more concerned with taking care of their constituents. Not to say that McLaughlin isn't, but he's an outlier with his Trumpian antics. Struber is challenging Ryan Brosnan in District 2, an electrician by trade whose beard, as described by Churchill, would be comparable to a young Santa Claus. While McLaughlin has attacked NY Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and former governor-turned-NYC Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, it shows he has aspirations to move up and advance his career, a la Elise Stefanik.

This likely will be forgotten by November, nonetheless.

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Proof that legalized cannabis has become big business comes in the form of how media outlets are accepting not only advertisements, but offering sponsorships.

High Society Dispensary in Hudson Falls, one of the newest shops, recently acquired sponsorship rights to WROW's broadcast tower in Latham, displacing the Harding Mazzotti law firm, which also sponsors the studios of rivals like Wild Country 99.9 FM.

It's a trend. For now.

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Unbeatable Nutrition had 2 shops in the city at the end of last year. Now, they have just 1, on Hoosick Road.

The 4th street store quietly closed several weeks back, with a new tenant moving in soon. The La Familia barber shop next door, which had reopened last year after being forced to close due to a fire in the winter of 2021-22, also has closed.

Further up the block, Paper Moon, which is supposed to be open Sundays, wasn't open today as we passed through. Don't know what the issues are there, but it appears that they've been off for a while, with copies of this week's 518 The Spot still bundled in front of the door. We'll try to ascertain exactly what's going on there.

Forgotten TV: Small & Frye (1983)

 Disney should've saved Small & Frye and made it into a cartoon, not a live-action sitcom.

Small was a spring replacement series for CBS in 1983, bringing Darren McGavin back to series television after nearly 10 years (miniseries don't count). McGavin (ex-Kolchak: The Night Stalker) was cast as private eye Nick Small, whose partner, Chip Frye (Jack Blessing), was the victim of a lab accident that results in his shrinking, then reverting to normal size, at the most inopportune times. As McGavin explains in the intro, a police scientist (Bill Daily, ex-I Dream of Jeannie, The Bob Newhart Show) was able to help Frye control his size changes, but Frye's #1 fan, as shown in this clip, is Small's daughter, Phoebe, the duo's secretary.

McGavin, of course, would bounce back with the holiday classic film, "A Christmas Story", a few months later, and that is now a perennial staple on cable, while Small & Frye ended up locked in Disney's vaults.

No rating. Just a public service.

Rockin' Funnies: Take Off (1981-2)

 Spun off from SCTV, Bob & Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas) became one of the hottest acts at the end of 1981. "The Great White North", itself spun from a skit of the same name, led to a hilarious satire of "The 12 Days of Christmas", and the novelty single, "Take Off", which peaked at #16 on the Hot 100 in the spring of 1982.

Rush bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee was a grade school pal of Moranis, and was invited to appear on the album. "Take Off" got a ton of airplay here in the 518, featured nightly on WTRY's evening program with DJ "Boogie" Bob O'Neil, for example.

As was the case with "12 Days", Moranis & Thomas didn't make a music video, so the audio will have to suffice.

This is how you stand up to a phony tough guy acting out because of his inner child

 Many thanks to Chuck Miller for the tip on this one.

Y'think Canada has had enough of Donald Trump's posturing and lies? I'd say so.

Comedian Jeff Douglas revisited a commercial he did 25 years ago to drive home the point that Canada doesn't belong as part of the US. Listen to the passion, the conviction in his voice. When Canadians boo the "Star Spangled Banner", they're directing their ire at the Archduke of Affluenza, a 78 year old man with the comportment of a 3 year old, and, either way, he has not a single clue about how to conduct himself as president.

Righteous, eh? Of course. Trump pretends to be a tough guy, a bully, to make himself look good before the world, except that the world is tired of his act, largely because he can't keep his mouth shut.

To borrow from Rush bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee and the McKenzie Brothers (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas), circa 1982, there's only three words for Trump here:

"Take off, eh?"

Classic TV: The David Frost Show (1969)

 After That Was The Week That Was ended its run, David Frost was looking for a new challenge.

Westinghouse's Group W gave him that challenge, which lasted for 3 seasons (1969-72), with a self-titled talk show that aired in some of the same markets as another Group W staple, Mike Douglas. For example, in the 518, Frost came on around 1 pm, with Douglas following at 4:30 pm before being trimmed to an hour near the end of his run.

Jazzman Billy Taylor conducted the orchestra, giving Frost's show some extra zing

From October of '69, Frost's lone guest is comedy legend Jack Benny.

I do remember seeing some episodes as a youth, either during holiday breaks or during the summer.

Ratiug: B.