Sports this 'n' that

 NBC looked to its previous coverage of the NBA Tuesday night on what was billed as "Throwback Tuesday".

Bob Costas returned to the network to call the game, with analysts Doug Collins & Mike Fratello. Hannah Storm & Jim Gray were on the sidelines. Costas, who'd recently announced his retirement, was in rare form.

If NBC wants the ratings, maybe more of these "Throwbacks" would help.

More NBC: The network has signed Detroit Tigers play-by-play man Jason Benetti away from Fox to call their soon-to-be-revived Game of The Week. Benetti has also called college football & basketball for Fox, and before signing with the Tigers, had succeeded Ken Harrelson as the voice of the Chicago White Sox. Fox agreed to release Benetti from his contract early so he could go to NBC.

Fox, meanwhile, has also lost PBA bowling-----to the CW. Seems Nexstar, CW's owner (which also owns WTEN in the 518), is serious about their sports portfolio, having added NASCAR's O'Reilly series (formerly Xfinity), college basketball & football, the LIV golf tour, and WWE NXT in recent years.

Before the World Baseball Classic opens tomorrow, teams are playing exhibitions against MLB clubs, with mixed results. For example, Team USA blew away San Francisco. In Tampa, the Yankees demolished Panama, 11-1. The A's similarly routed Brazil, 14-4, in Arizona. The exhibitions continue today before tournament play starts tomorrow.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar will miss the 2026 season after testing positive for PED's for the 2nd time.

You'd think by now, players would figure out what to look for to avoid such hazards.

WWE's NXT division crowned a new North American champion last week, and it's really a feel good story.

Myles Borne (real name David Bostian III) is legitimately deaf, the result of having had Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of The Newborn upon his birth. Predictably ridiculed by then-champion Ethan Page, Borne finally earned a title match vs. Page on the February 24 episode, and defeated Page after Hank Walker, Tank Ledger, & Shiloh Hill intercepted an attempt at outside interference from Evolve champ Jackson Drake and his Vanity Project mates, Ricky Smokes & Brad Baylor, while NXT champ Joe Hendry held off Ricky Saints. Borne won an impromptu rematch with Page last night while both were in tearaway civilian clothes. Something tells me they'll meet again in a tuxedo match.

As bodybuilder-turned-actor Lou Ferrigno became a hero to not only the disabled but television viewers everywhere as The Incredible Hulk (1977-82), so, too, has Borne become a hero.

Dumb Donald thinks everyone should give him what he wants. When they say, no, he whines

 "Dumb Donald is really dumb!"--Gene Rayburn, Match Game, 1973-84.

It's clear that president Trump joined up with his pal, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to attack Iran to distract people from the ongoing scandal surrounding his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein.

Unfortunately for Mango Narcissus, he's made the US more of a global pariah, because he has all the professional comportment & courtesy of a toddler. Even fictional bullies get more respect than he does.

He wanted to, ahem, rent the military bases in Spain. The Spanish government said, no. Trump's response, per MSN? He "doesn't want anything to do with Spain".

If you think this guy is tough, you're kidding yourself.

As usual Trump is also upset because the British government shredded him for the attack, saying it was unwarranted.

"WAAAHH! I do what I want! I don't care what you think! WAAAAHHH!"

He's also distracting people from something even more obvious, and that's the presence of a red rash on the right side of his neck, as seen Monday night at a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House.

This man is not 100% healthy.

Trump's personal physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, claims a "common, preventive skin treatment cream" caused the rash, and that it'll remain for a few weeks.

Uh-huh, and in that time, someone will find a cure for cancer. In other words, Dr. Quack, try again. You've claimed your patient has been in excellent health, but that rash says otherwise. Where did you get your license to practice medicine, bub? A cereal box?

Trump just won't admit he's got a problem or three, because it would make him look weaker to his base than he really is. I'm pretty sure there's a better treatment for the rash than Barbabella is letting on.

Which wouldn't surprise anyone.

Wartime Mondays: Follow The Leader (12 O'Clock High, 1964)

 Starting this month, we're launching Wartime Mondays. Medical programming moves to a new night soon.

First up, from season 1 of 12 O'Clock High: Andrew Prine guest stars in "Follow The Leader". Judy Carne provides some eye candy, 3 1/2 years before Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

Barney Phillips (ex-Dragnet) recurred as Dr. Kaiser during the course of the series before turning to cartoons.

What Might've Been: Missy's Men (1968)

 Long before "Three Men & a Baby", CBS thought there might be a market for a sitcom about three bachelors with an orphaned little girl.

Missy's Men put Jack Sheldon (ex-Run, Buddy, Run), Dan Travanty (better known later as Daniel J. Travanti), and Dwayne Hickman (ex-Dobie Gillis) together as the would-be adoptive fathers to Missy (Tracey Lee). David Lewis (ex-Batman, later of General Hospital) co-stars.

File this one under "ahead of its time".

Rating: B.

Musical Interlude: Sweat (A La La La La Long)(1992)

 Inner Circle's follow-up to the Cops theme, "Bad Boys", was "Sweat (A La La La La Long)", which peaked at #16 on the Hot 100. With Spring Break right around the corner for college students (high schoolers get Spring break after Easter next month), here's a head start.....

Insight Sundays: The Death of Superman (1972)

 This episode of Insight starts with what would really be the ending, as a man dressed in a homemade Superman costume is found dead in a refrigerator. Flashbacks explain how he got there.

Our cast includes Allan Lurie, Lane Bradbury, Frank Maxwell (ex-The Second Hundred Years), Lurene Tuttle (ex-Julia), and Arlene Golonka (ex-Mayberry RFD). 

Betrayed by AI & TikTok: An Olympic hero speaks out

 Ottawa Senators star Brady Tkachuk is not a happy camper as far as the White House is concerned.

After President Junk Food fed the men's Olympic hockey team McDonald's double cheeseburgers on Tuesday, some anonymous jobroni on TikTok used some AI to perpetuate a scam pretending that Tkachuk was cutting down the Canadian people, even though, as mentioned above, he plays for a Canadian-based team in the NHL, which resumed regular season play on Wednesday.

Maybe the men should've skipped a junk food banquet.

All we know was that this was shared on the White House's official TikTok account, while the source of the video remains unknown. Understandably, US players on their NHL teams are going to get mixed reactions the rest of the season, and this MAGA moron, whomever it is, is only adding fuel to the fire to get clicks & likes.

If they thought Donnie Diapers was really a good sport, they should've known better. While we don't know if Dumb Donald knows about the AI-generated video, he should find it within himself, as far as he can go, to force the Weasel of the Week to delete the video. But, you know he won't.

In hindsight, maybe the men should've followed the women's lead, and accepted an invite from 80's rap icon Flavor Flav (Public Enemy) to party with other Olympic champions. At least Flav's heart is in the right place.......