Notes from around town

 Dollar Tree is down one store in the 518.

The Albany Times-Union is reporting that the chain's Colonie location on Albany-Shaker Road was closed by the town of Colonie due to being "unfit for human occupancy". In other words, it had to have been in a severe state of disrepair for the town officials to step in.

No word on whether or not the store will reopen.

Real estate mogul Anthony Gucciardo has been a fixture on local television between commercials and infomercials, the latter with retired WRGB reporter Jack Aernecke as the moderator.

Last month, Gucciardo decided to try radio, landing a deal with WROW AM/FM for a Saturday morning show moderated by Ben Patten. Gucciardo, in effect, replaces John Bevilacqua, whose show was cancelled a year ago. Meanwhile, the Anderson Autism Center has taken over the Saturday 8 am berth, which the Herzog Law Firm gave up when they ended their run on August 1. Hey, I'd be happy if they replayed both on Sundays, too.

In case you haven't noticed, Unagi Sushi has moved from its long standing 4th Street home across the road to the former Tony of Italy salon. The eatery will reopen after renovations are completed. In the meantime, a new restaurant will soon open in the former Star Bartending School. Expect Craveon to be ready in a few weeks, if not sooner.

The White House launches Trump TV. It immediately tanks

 After deciding to ban CNN, MS Now, & Politico from the White House because of their reporting facts, president Trump found himself in a most unusual situation on Monday. One that, well, is his own fault.

ABC, NBC, CBS, & Fox News banded together with CNN to suspend press pool coverage, leaving only One America & Newsmax, and any other right wing garbage dispensing service, to cover President Onions.

The response from the White House? How about we take our YouTube channel, and make it Trump TV?

Oh, boy, did that go over like a wet fart. Archived speeches of Orange Narcissus aired on the channel starting Monday night, and viewership actually went down as the evening went on, per media reports.

Today, Trump was at the UN, where CNN's Kaitlin Collins was invited by the UN. Trump, of course, pitched a fit.

Given the threat of litigation from CNN, MS Now, & Politico, I'd think Trump will cave in first. He found out the hard way that he crossed too many lines with the media, and as of yesterday, he's paying for it. Seeing him try to give a speech with no microphones around was lovely to see.

You made your bed, Mr. President. Now, lie in it.

The weekend in GOP stupidity

 On Sunday, Republicans found themselves having to defend the indefensible on national television.

First, Wyoming's John Barrasso falsely claimed that president Trump had not violated the 1st Amendment when he banned MS Now, CNN, & Politico from the White House. Barrasso was interviewed on NBC's Meet The Press. Truth is, Trump did.

Someone should spend a day reading the Constitution to this man.

Not long after, Steve Scalise was left fumbling when he tried to defend Trump on ABC's This Week when interviewed by Jonathan Karl.

At the end of the day, Trump's impulsive action has left his party scrambling. Of course. He's 80 years of age physically. Mentally is another story altogether.

Then comes word this morning that MS Now, CNN, & Politico have, predictably, filed suit against Trump, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, & communications flack Steven Cheung, seeking to lift the ban. That'll force Trump to reverse course. We think.

Sports this 'n' that

 Best wishes to the Mets' Jared Young, who is in the concussion protocol, and out for the season after a nasty collision with teammate Nolan McLean Thursday in a loss to Philadelphia. The Mets have won two straight since.

Today was supposed to be a celebration of long time announcer Howie Rose, but the retirement ceremony has been pushed back to next spring due to rain. So far, the game, set for a 1:10 (ET) first pitch, is still on despite the rain. If anything, the Mets have put a crimp in the Phillies' post-season aspirations.

If you thought LSU would roll through the regular season under Lane Kiffin, think again.

Kiffin and the Tigers were served some humble pie Saturday in a 32-24 loss to Mississippi. ESPN's cameras were in Oxford all day, starting with College GameDay, with Mississippi alumnus Morgan Freeman as their guest picker for the week.

With the loss, maybe now the next game for LSU will be just another game. Just sayin'.

The Yankees are hoping to get Aaron Judge back in time for the postseason after Judge went on the IL again for a calf strain. The Bombers have shown they can win without Judge, but the hype machine has to have something.......

Texas QB Arch Manning has landed his first endorsement deals, following in the footsteps of uncles Peyton & Eli. The ad for Warby Parker glasses is in heavy rotation on ESPN.

What next? High schoolers landing regional endorsement deals?

Insight Sundays: A Thief Named Dismas (1965)

 Insight Sundays returns with 1965's "A Thief Named Dismas", starring Beverly Garland, John Dehner, & Marge Redmond.

Beyond pathetic, part 2: MS Now, CNN, & Politico banned from the White House due to "fake news"

 President Onions (Donald Trump) announced earlier today that he was banning CNN, MS Now, & Politico from the White House due to what he claims is constant reporting of "fake news".

Roughly translated, they're reporting the facts, as they should, not his delusional world view.

Grumpy, isn't he?

Being a public figure for virtually half of his life, you'd think he'd learn to accept criticism, but, nope. He has also threatened other unnamed news outlets with bans. The man just doesn't get it. He wants to be revered and respected, but his behavior nullifies that.

It should be pointed out that Trump didn't specify which recent reports angered him to the point of making this fool's decision. It comes with the territory, but you can't make him understand that. I'd chalk it up to a sign of old age, but what else could it be?

Beyond pathetic: Donald Trump wants his name back on the Kennedy Center, and will withhold funding if he doesn't get it

 Earlier this year, Donald Trump was told by a judge he is not allowed to have his name added to the Kennedy Center. Of course, the crybaby president didn't take that too well, and with reports this week that the Center would be closed for 2 years, supposedly for renovations, everyone can see right through this scam. The Big Orange Baby wants his name added back on, and doesn't care, obviously, what anyone thinks.

"My name belongs on the building!!!"

No, it doesn't. You keep whining about recognition you don't deserve, and the entire world now can see you for what you've always been. A pampered punk who never grew up. You haven't earned the right to share the Center. This is the most blatant show of disrespect yet. You don't own the building!

That's the part he doesn't comprehend. Being president doesn't give him carte blanche to do what he wants. He refuses to run anything past Congress, which is how things are supposed to be done.

Bellevue is waiting.

The introduction of Aunt Jemima syrup (1967)

 Quaker Oats was a primary sponsor of Bewitched in its early years, leading to plenty of in-show commercials, like this one, which introduced Aunt Jemima syrup. Not sure if this is from season 3 or 4.

Prefaced with a sponsor tag with an animated Darrin holding a box of Life cereal (voiceover by Gary Owens):

Today, of course, Aunt Jemima was rebranded as the Pearl Milling Company, and Quaker sold off much of the products to Pinnacle Brands.

NFL this 'n' that

 For all the whining over the Jests & Giants playing in New Jersey, yet representing New York, the whining stopped for at least a week after the two teams, and Buffalo, all won their openers. The Bills had a thriller with Houston before winning, 36-31. The Jets spoiled former coach Robert Saleh's debut with Tennessee, 23-10, and the Giants stunned Dallas, 28-20.

Now, we'll see if all three make the playoffs........

In Cleveland, 1st year coach Todd Monken is sticking with DeShaun Watson, despite the Browns getting spanked on Sunday. Seems to me that Monken needs to swap out the blinders in exchange for one of these......

Just sayin'.

Chicago dropped 59 on Carolina, which may be a portent of things to come for the reigning NFC North champs.

Pundits are having fun with the fact that president Trump threw his support behind fellow geriatric dimbulb Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, so of course the Cowboys lost. Nah. Trump doesn't know football any more than Stephen A. Smith does, and we'll leave it at that.

Subway Series 2026: Who really owns New York?

 The Yankees, barring a collapse in the next couple of weeks, will be in the playoffs. The Mets? Not so much, but you couldn't tell from the way these two teams have gotten after it in the Subway Series.

The Mets won 2 of 3 at Citi Field in May, and have split the first two games this weekend at Yankee Stadium after blowing out Gerrit Cole and the Bombers, 12-2, earlier today. Dating back to 2024, Cole has been abused by the Mets in three consecutive starts. Ouch, babe!

Check the video.

Tomorrow, the Yanks will have Cam Schlittler on the mound to try to salvage a split of the series against the Mets' Christian Scott. This should be fun.

25 years ago today.......

 I can remember where I was in 2001.

I was at work. I had gone to the break room, and someone had left the TV on. Like everyone else, I was stunned to see the World Trade Center destroyed.

We all know what's happened since, even though Pecos Donald (Donald Trump) is changing the story of his experience, largely because of his advanced age.

Following is a video from National Geographic's YouTube channel:

We will never forget.....

Republicans are scared of James Talarico. Deal with it!

 Earlier this year, Stephen Colbert had Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on his Late Show, but the interview was booted to YouTube due to bullying from FCC head scumbag Brendan Carr, misusing his authority in service to president Trump. Something about the equal time regulations, but misinterpreted by the GOP.

Now, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel will have Talarico on his show, but Kimmel announced on Wednesday that the interview would air on YouTube. Carr and the FCC have been bullying ABC for months, mostly because they don't like the anti-Trump commentary.

Deal with it, turds! It's called free speech!

This is more about protecting Talarico's opponent, Texas DA Ken-L Ration Paxton, and keeping Talarico off national airwaves as much as possible. This is wrong. With the baggage Paxton has, the GOPers are afraid he'll lose, and would rather misuse the FCC to block Talarico.

If there was a way to boot Carr from the FCC, and block Trump from hiring another toady to take his place, things change. As it is, Carr gets the Weasel ears for abusing his authority. Kimmel's pre-emptive action will draw more eyeballs to his YouTube channel, and, there's not thing one Carr can do about it.

And, here's the interview:

Musical Interlude: The Old Landmark (1980)

 You know this next item. 

"The Old Landmark", a la James Brown, with a side order of the Blues Brothers.

Brown would return in "Blues Brothers 2000" 18 years later.

Wild West Wednesdays: Shoot Out at Dark (Tombstone Territory, 1957)

 From season 1 of Tombstone Territory:

John Beradino guests as a parolee looking to get married and live a peaceful life. Some old friends have other ideas......

Advertising for Dummies: Do we really need a camel on a Wednesday? (2013)

 One of the lamest GEICO commercials of all time......

13 years later, the camel is back to help promote tomorrow's Patriots-Seahawks rematch on NBC. I'm already sick of it.

What Might've Been: The Toni Tennille Show (1980)

 Three years after The Captain & Tennille Show ended, Toni Tennille went solo with a daytime variety show, produced by game show icon Bob Eubanks.

Unfortunately, The Toni Tennille Show was a flop, cancelled after less than 6 months on the air.

This sampler features Jane Fonda and Peaches & Herb.

No rating. I was in high school at the time.

Coming Attractions: ESPN gets in on the Jeopardy! party

 It wasn't so long ago that Sony had expanded the Jeopardy! franchise, creating a Pop Culture version with Saturday Night Live's Colin Jost as host.

Tomorrow, that expansion will include ESPN.

ESPN Jeopardy! drops on Disney+ & Hulu, with Monday Night Football play-by-play man Joe Buck at the controls, coming off his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Buck dropped by Good Morning, America to talk about it.

Seems Disney suits see Buck as the 2nd coming of original Jeopardy! moderator Art Fleming. A mixture of celebrities (i.e. Jon Hamm, Keegan-Michael Key), ex-athletes, and current ESPN talents will play for charities. Having already seen the list of contestants, resident court jesters Stephen A. Smith & Pat McAfee are sitting out for now.

This will be a trip.

Musical Interlude: Close to You (1990)

 As the 90's began, there was a need for fresh voices on the radio. Maxi Priest broke out of the gate with "Close to You":

Dunce Cap Award: Rand Paul

 Dr. Anthony Fauci, now long retired, was called before Congress this morning.

Waste of time.

Fauci invoked the 5th Amendment more than 100 times, knowing that the committee fronted by Kentucky quack Rand Paul, was looking for something with which they could prosecute him.

Paul is claiming without evidence that Fauci lied to Congress about COVID. On the advice of his lawyers, Fauci invoked the 5th, showing the cowardly GOPers that two can play this game. Paul should've known that, but all he's doing is trying to win brownie points with the White House.

In the end, it was just a stack of nothing burgers, typical of the GOP.

As a result, Paul gets a Dunce Cap for insulting our intelligence yet again.

Another WWE wrestler dealing with stalker issues. Will this madness never end?

 The wrestler in question is one of the youngest women on the roster, Roxanne Perez, whose life, and that of her off-screen boyfriend, are being threatened by a delusional "fan". You know the type. The kind that thinks the object of their affection is "meant to be" with them.

On television, Roxanne is a heel, or, villain, as a member of the Judgment Day faction. The current women's world champ, stablemate Liv Morgan, can relate to Perez's problems, since she's also been stalked. Her stalker was arrested. Perez's stalker is, as of this morning, still at large.

The stalker in this case, whom we won't name, wanted to encourage Perez's beau to beat her up so she could see his point. Like, that's really going to happen. NOT! As WWE went to bat for Morgan, they'll do the same for Perez.

As for the stalker, well, dare I say it? His future is likely in a rubber room.

Classic TV: Dinah! (1974)

 Dinah Shore had her NBC daytime show, Dinah's Place, cancelled after 4 years because incoming programming boss Lin Bolen wanted to skew younger. Yeah, sure, and Dinah gets replaced with a revival of Name That Tune. That landed like a wet fart, because the following fall, Shore hooked up with 20th Century Fox to distribute a 60-or-90 minute talk show to compete with the likes of Mike Douglas & Merv Griffin.

Dinah! ran for 6 seasons (1974-80), with the title change to Dinah! & Friends in the final season.

From season 4, Dinah goes on location in Utah for a show with the Osmonds.

Rating: A.

Doubling down on dumb: Liberty Mutual introduces a puppet named.......Liberty Biberty

 To think it all started with a struggling actor (Tanner Novlan, The Bold & The Beautiful) who couldn't remember a simple line.

Seven years later, "Liberty Biberty" has been given life in the form of a fuzzy yellow puppet with a crown on its head.

The puppet debuted earlier this month, and even shared an ad with the struggling actor.

In my day job, I work for a local insurance agency that represents Liberty Mutual, in addition to several other companies. Someone on reddit mentioned that the struggling actor spots, plus the comedy team of Limu Emu & Doug, are meant to annoy viewers. That's not how you generate business, folks.

I can recall when Liberty Mutual sponsored outdoors shows back in the day. I'd just as soon find some of those vintage spots, since the current mascots grate on my nerves. Liberty Mutual figures that their newest mascot might appeal to, well, you know, kids.

Yeah, that'll make a great Christmas gift. NOT!

Cinema Saturdays: Li'l Abner (1959)

 Al Capp's seminal comic strip, Li'l Abner, had previously been adapted for the big screen in 1940, with Jeff York in the title role, and Buster Keaton in a supporting role.

19 years and a Broadway run later, Abner and the denizens of Dogpatch USA are back, this time in a musical spun of the Broadway show. Peter Palmer has the title role this time, with a supporting cast that includes Leslie Parrish, Julie Newmar, Stubby Kaye, and Billie Hayes as Mammy Yokum.

Within the next decade, some, like Palmer (Custer, 1967), Kaye (the game show Shenanigans, 1964), Hayes (HR Pufnstuf, 1969), and Newmar (My Living Doll, 1964, and as Catwoman on Batman, 1966-7) gravitated to television, with varying results. As previously documented, there was a TV adaptation that didn't sell around 1967.

Family Fridays: The Brady 500 (1990)

 Following the success of "A Very Brady Christmas" in 1988, CBS brought back The Bradys as a winter replacement series in February 1990. As we documented when reviewing the series, the network mistakenly assumed viewers would gravitate to the franchise, 9 years after The Brady Brides tanked on NBC. Yes, it was on a Friday night, but viewer tastes had changed in the 16 years since the original series had ended.

I remember sitting in the kitchen, watching the show on a battery powered TV, since the parents weren't interested.

As you already know, Maureen McCormick decided not to return, though she's changed her tune in recent years, so Leah Ayres was cast as Marcia. Greg (Barry Williams) had gotten married in the last film to Nora (Caryn Richman, ex-The New Gidget), and, as we'll see by the end, Bobby (Mike Lookinland) becomes the 4th Brady sibling to walk down the aisle.........

Sherwood Schwartz & CBS executives thought bringing in MTV doll Martha Quinn would pull in the youth demo, since she had her own show on MTV, airing 4 nights a week at that point. However, she was savaged by critics, undeservedly.

Rating: A-.

Yes, there are emergency panelists (Match Game, 1975)

 While Charles Nelson Reilly was away taping Uncle Croc's Block, Gary Burghoff (M*A*S*H) usually filled in. However, at the start of Daylight Saving Time, Burghoff missed an episode of Match Game, forcing the producers to scramble. Announcer Johnny Olson filled in, and, as you'll see, fit in quite well......

Wild West Wednesdays returns next month.

Here we go again: Dumb Donald wants back the money the courts gave to E. Jean Carroll

 Just days ago, a Federal court ordered president Trump to pony up $5.6 million to E. Jean Carroll. Should we be surprised at all that the biggest skinflint this side of Ebenezer Scrooge wants it back?

Hmmmmmmm, welllllllllllll, of course not!

Orange Cheapo wants the money back because he thinks the Supreme Court will finally see things his way. This particular case is over, fella. Deal with it.

But Trump can't deal with it. His ego, of course, won't allow him to. Just because he holds the highest office in the country doesn't mean he's untouchable, but he thinks the opposite.

As Charles Dickens saw it, Scrooge eventually saw the light. Trump's happiest with the lights of cameras in front of him. I'm begging someone to do a cover of the Little River Band's "Lonesome Loser", and make it about Trump. It'd be fun.

Recent bouts of GOP stupidity

 You knew it would happen.

The phoniest sports fan on the planet, Donald John Oscar Madison Trump, picked Argentina to make it 2 World Cups in a row. On Sunday, Spain won the Cup for the first time since 2010, their only other Cup title, 1-0 in double overtime.

After the game, Dumb Donald tried to bigfoot the moment, like he did last year. The Spaniards wanted none of that, and quietly escorted him off to the side. Argentina, on the other hand, became the latest victim of Trump's kiss of death.

Conspiracy theorists worried about Lionel Messi and Argentina, though, could rest easy.

You know by now that former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, a Senator misrepresenting Alabama when he lives in Florida (so they say), wanted to run for a higher office in Alabama. Last we heard, however, he might've been talked out of it.

Five years earlier, Herschel Walker moved back from Texas to Georgia to run for Senate, and got spanked at the polls. Dumb Donald rewarded him with an ambassadorship to the Bahamas.

Now, Dumb Donald has endorsed embattled MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to run for governor of Minnesota, where MyPillow is based, to unseat Tim Walz.

Small problem, as Jesse Dollemore explains.

So Lindell is registered to vote in Texas, but not Minnesota? His campaign is DOA. Trump's endorsement feels more like another kiss of death. The GOP just loves carpetbaggers, don't they?

Maybe the NBA champs should be renamed the Knickhausens....nah

 Saturday Night's Main Event was the centerpiece to the annual Fanatics Fest, wrapping today in New York. WWE made sure to give the fans some real thrills with help from the NBA champion Knicks.

The program's final segment had Jalen Brunson, sporting a brace on his wrist, joining WWE champion Roman Reigns in the ring, only to be interrupted by Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, accompanying Seth Rollins. The two hoopsters were injured, and not cleared for physical activity.

Earlier in the night, Danhausen, credited with helping the Knicks end a 53 year title drought, was facing JD McDonagh of the Judgment Day stable. Some "Minihausens" tried to help in a No-disqualificaion match, but McDonagh and his cornerman, AAA Mega Champion Dominick Mysterio, fended them off. That's when Danhausen pulled out his wild card..........

You can tell Karl-Anthony Towns had been preparing for something like this. Needless to say, Danhausen won the match with an inverted DDT.

Makes ya wish NBC-Universal simulcast this on NBC, the home of the NBA, and original home of Saturday Night's Main Event......

CBS 1970-1 fall preview

 CBS' slogan for 1970 was, "We've put it all together". As we all know, that wasn't true. Of the freshman class, only 2 shows were renewed.

The Class of 1970:

Headmaster: Andy Griffith returns after 2 years away, this time running a school. Replaced by The New Andy Griffith Show in mid-season.

The Tim Conway Comedy Hour. After flopping with a self-titled sitcom that reunited him with McHale's Navy co-star Joe Flynn earlier in the year, Conway tries again, hoping to use the same formula as his friend, Carol Burnett.'

Arnie. Herschel Bernardi (ex-Peter Gunn) toplines this domestic comedy with Sue Ane Langdon, Roger Bowen, and, in the preview clip, Dick Van Patten. Lasted 2 seasons, and then, Bernardi kept busy shilling for Star-Kist as the voice behind Charlie the Tuna.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The crown jewel. 7 seasons, and a box of Emmys.

Storefront Lawyers. From Hawaii Five-O producer Leonard Freeman comes a courtroom drama that all but mirrored ABC's Young Lawyers. The title was changed to Men at Law at midseason, but its fate was sealed.

The Interns. What did in this Screen Gems entry was where it was placed, on Fridays, opposite studio stablemate The Partridge Family. With Broderick Crawford, Mike Farrell, Stephen Brooks, & Christopher Stone.

Dick Tufeld is our narrator.

Viewers would rather watch something new than regurgitated garbage. Unfortunately, the president doesn't get it

 So Donnie Diapers (Donald Trump to all the rest of y'all) gave his speech on Thursday night. CBS only carried a part of it before cutting away, and issuing a disclaimer that it was, as reported, full of tall tales. Fox & Fox News aired it. ABC & NBC didn't, but while ABC aired it on their streamer & radio network, NBC opted to air part of it on MS Now before cutting away, and aired the full speech on their streamer. CNN passed, as well, but because they're run now by friends of Dumb Donald, they got a free pass from the predictable criticism that followed.

"WAAAAAHHHH! I want ABC & NBC's licenses!! WAAAAHHHH!!"

No can do, strained spinach breath. The networks are within their rights not to air a speech full of propaganda and recycled lies. 

As expected, Trump whined about 2020, claiming it was stolen when it clearly wasn't, and blamed China for election interference that doesn't exist, and that was debunked rather easily. His tiny brain can't comprehend that he, and he alone, blew his reelection chances six years ago because of his pathetic response to the COVID pandemic, which exposed to the world how ill prepared he was, and still is. His ego refuses to allow him to accept the responsibility for that failure, so he projects, he deflects, and he lies. When he started downplaying the pandemic as less of a threat than it really was, his goose was cooked.

He wants his voter suppression bill, known as the SAVE America act, passed, but even Republicans are expressing doubts that it will take place. They just don't have the votes needed to pass it.

At the end of the day, Trump needs to finally put 2020 behind him, like the rest of us have. If he doesn't we'll still have this to look forward to........

The rarest of rarities: A presidential address no network wants to carry

 All week, the word has gone around that president Trump was planning to address the nation tonight, and it'd been leaked out that he was using this address to, again, whine about getting screwed in 2020, despite the fact that the case has been litigated so many times, with Trump losing every time.

Listen, fella, if that was true, you wouldn't be in the White House now.

Anyway, we just got this:

What this means, from this writer's perspective, is that Trump will only be able to get his message out if conservative networks like Newsmax agree to air the speech, or, he'll cancel, which will lead to more "TACO" (Trump Always Chickens Out) jokes.

And you know you're getting this:

"WAAAAAHHHHH! I'm being censored again! WAAAAAHHH!

No, Donald, you're not being censored. No one wants to listen to the same, tired garbage being spewed for the zillionth time since 2020. Most of us have better things to do.

Fred Sanford's favorite cop has gone to Heaven: Hal Williams (1934-2026)

 During the 70's, Hal Williams had the role of a lifetime as one of the most relatable cops on television, playing Officer Smith in 22 episodes of Sanford & Son, then returning for 5 more in the later Sanford series (1980-1).

Officer Smith, or, "Smitty", to friends like the Sanfords, often had to translate the misspeaking of his partners, whether it was Officer Swanhauser (Noam Pitlik) or Officer Hopkins (Howard Platt).

However, there was that time when Fred was at loggerheads with his dimwitted neighbor, Grady (Whitman Mayo), over a stolen TV....

Because it was a recurring role, Williams left Sanford & Son for a co-starring role in the ABC prison comedy, On The Rocks, which didn't last too long. After that, he appeared in both the movie and subsequent TV series, Private Benjamin, before scoring again with 227. Ironically, Williams also guest starred on the original S.W.A.T., and his last role was in the reimagining of Matlock.

Williams passed away on Wednesday at 91. Rest in peace.

Sports this 'n' that

 The finals of the FIFA World Cup are now set, after Argentina rallied to beat England, 2-1, earlier today. Lionel Messi & Argentina now will play Spain on Sunday (3 pm ET, Fox) at the Meadowlands. 

However, there are headlines away from the pitch, with reports that singer-talk show host Jennifer Hudson will sing the national anthem prior to the game Sunday, despite the fact that the US was eliminated 9 days ago. Figure FIFA head Gianni Infantino got that idea from his friend, president Trump, who, unfortunately, will hand out the championship trophy.

The National League was held to 2 hits as the American League won the All-Star Game, 4-0. The Yankees' Cody Bellinger drove in the game winners in the first inning, and the AL pitching & defense made it stand up, such that Bellinger was named game MVP.

St. Louis' Jordan Walker, who won the Home Run Derby by outpointing the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber, which made the partisans very unhappy, to the point where they booed Walker when he entered last night's game.

Talk about a tough crowd.

By the way, Netflix has taken over the Derby beginning with Monday's broadcast. The landscape of baseball on television continues to change.

While he's being used in a daffy sci-fi story arc on Smackdown with Danhausen, the Miz (Mike Mizanin) is very active away from the ring.

Miz is at the ESPY's tonight, and made an appearance on SportsCenter to promote SummerSlam, coming up August 1-2 in Minneapolis. Three days earlier, he was finishing up at the American Century celebrity golf championship, and may have gotten on ESPN's top 10 plays list with this shot:

We know some wrestlers like to play golf. We've seen Miz play softball during the All-Star break in the past. The dude has some skillz.

With ESPN now in charge of NFL Network programming, they've decided to end the syndicated version of Good Morning Football after 2 seasons.

Good Morning Football-Overtime is being bounced for the usual reason---low ratings, compared to the parent program. Well, it does get redundant over time (pun intended).

When MTV meant something: 120 Minutes (1986)

 After MTV jettisoned The Basement Tapes, the network decided to find another outlet for alternative music.

British producer-DJ Dave Kendall gave them 120 Minutes, and even spent 3 years as series host (1989-92) before moving back behind the camera. At first, the regular VJ's were rotating in the host position until they settled on Kevin Seal around 1988. Kendall took over the next year, and they were off and running. 

120 Minutes had its original run end around the turn of the century, then moved to MTV2 for a couple of years before being cut. One last go-round came a few years later with Matt Pinfield, who'd succeeded Kendall, returning as host.

Following is a sample episode from 1990.

In memory of Kendall, who has passed away according to media reports out this morning. Rest in peace.

Rockin' Funnies: Fire, ala Elmer Fudd via Robin Williams (1980's)

 Sometime in the early 80's, Robin Williams incorporated a brief excerpt of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire", which later became a hit for the Pointer Sisters, into his stand-up act. Less than a minute of pure bliss.

A trilogy of passings

  Woke up this morning to learn that South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, 71, had passed away on Saturday after a brief, sudden illness. Reports have it that Graham had suffered cardiac arrest in his Washington home.

While flags are likely at half-staff in Washington and throughout South Carolina, not everyone is mourning Graham's passing.

Conspiracy theorist "Loopy" Laura Loomer is pushing an idea, with no basis in truth or reality, of course, claiming that either Iran or Russia was looking to assassinate Graham, 10 months after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was murdered.

Laura Loomer calls for probe into Lindsey Graham’s death sharing Putin theory - AOL

Oh, but that ain't all.

Loomer is also stirring up controversy surrounding Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, who has been hospitalized for nearly a month under a cover of secrecy. She keeps poking into things where she doesn't belong to extend her 15 minutes, but, sooner or later, the more she cries wolf........!

Laura Loomer fuels speculation about McConnell’s health and home renovations

I hear Bellevue is calling.

Earlier this week, singer Bonnie Tyler had passed away. Tyler's hits included "Holding Out For a Hero", "Total Eclipse of The Heart"., a #1 hit in 1983, and 1978's "It's a Heartache":

Finally, actor Randolph Mantooth passed away, 2 months shy of his 81st birthday. Mantooth shot to fame on Emergency! as paramedic John Gage following guest appearances on The Bold Ones and Owen Marshall, Counselor-at-Law. This led to a daytime spin-off for kids, Emergency! Plus 4 (1973-5), which represented Mantooth's only cartoon work. He also appeared on Operation Petticoat, Detective School: One Flight Up, & All My Children during his career.

Rest in peace, one and all.

Origin of a Classic: The first pilot for Three's Company (1976)

 Producer Don Taffner had acquired the rights to adapt Thames' Man About The House into Three's Company, 50 years ago. However, the first pilot didn't have the familiar trio of roommates that we'd all remember. Oh, sure, John Ritter is here, playing an aspiring filmmaker named David, instead of Jack Tripper. Norman Fell (ex-Dan August, 87th Precinct) and Audra Lindley, as the Ropers, are here. But, who the other two roomies?

Samantha (Suzanne Zenor) wants to be an actress. Jenny (Valerie Curtin) works for the DMV. 

The plot remains the same. Samantha & Jenny find David in the bathtub after a party the night before......

If Valerie Curtin's name sounds familiar, well, she's the paternal cousin of Jane Curtin (Saturday Night Live). Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H) developed & wrote the pilot, his only involvement with the series.

Something to think about.

Cinema Saturday: Gunn (1967)

 Peter Gunn creator Blake Edwards, hot off the "Pink Panther" movie, wanted to revive Gunn, starting with a feature film. Instead of releasing it through United Artists, which had the "Panther" series, Edwards went with Paramount, whose new management at the time felt casting changes needed to be made, six years after the series had ended.

For example, Lola Albright was not invited back to reprise as lounge singer Edie Hart, Gunn's girlfriend. The part was given to Laura Devon. Why? Paramount suits, for some reason, thought Albright had gotten too old for the part. As if. There is, though, that youth demographic to consider.

Herschel Bernardi wasn't doing much aside from Star-Kist commercials and other cartoons, but wasn't brought back to play Lt. Jacoby. Future icon Ed Asner took his place. Our supporting cast also includes Alan Oppenheimer, Albert Paulsen, George Murdock, Carol Wayne, J. Pat O'Malley, Regis Toomey (ex-Burke's Law), & Charles Dierkop.

Co-author William Peter Blatty would later gain fame for "The Exorcist".

In 2 weeks: We'll take a trip to Dogpatch for "Li'l Abner".

Musical Interlude: Survivors (1975)

 The Smothers Brothers returned to television in 1975, hoping to start anew. However, it didn't last too long, and, aside from their comedy-drama, Fitz & Bones, would not try again with a variety show until the 1988 writers' strike.

From the 1975 series comes this number that resonates even today, in the face of the intentional, ham-handed handling of government affairs by the current administration. John Stewart, formerly of the Kingston Trio, released "Survivors" that year, and is joined by the Smothers Brothers, Ringo Starr, Lily Tomlin (who was on the big screen that year in "Nashville"), Bob Einstein, Pat Paulsen, Steve Martin, & Don Novello, making a rare appearance without his Father Guido Sarducci persona.

Too bad it doesn't play on radio, 51 years later.

What Might've Been: The John Forsythe Show (1965)

 Three years after Bachelor Father had ended, and, I believe, was in syndication at that time, John Forsythe returned, this time in a self-titled sitcom for Universal & NBC that underwent a mid-season makeover that ultimately killed the show.

Air Force Major John Foster (Forsythe) inherits an all-girls school, which would've been all well & good, except that viewers weren't interested. The show aired opposite I've Got a Secret on CBS, and the 2nd half of Twelve O'Clock High on ABC. At the end of January of 1966, the series was retooled to use the school as a cover so that Foster and his wingman, Ed Robbins (Guy Marks, ex-The Joey Bishop Show) could go on spy missions for the government. The John Forsythe Show was cancelled two months later.

Forsythe was also joined by Ann B. Davis (ex-The Bob Cummings Show), Elsa Lanchester, and even had his own daughters appear in a few episodes shot during the summer before they went back to school. Pamelyn Ferdin was one of the students.

In this outing, post-format change, Ed steps into the ring to settle a dispute with a man involved in an accident (Peter Palmer, "Li'l Abner"). David Lewis (Batman) guests as well.

A year later, Marks would resurface as Tim Conway's sidekick on Rango, and it would take three years for Forsythe to land another series (To Rome With Love).

Family Fridays: The Real McCoys build a well (1958)

 From season 2 of The Real McCoys:

Amos (Walter Brennan) uses a divining rod to pinpoint a spot on his land to build "The New Well". Andy Clyde & Joe Flynn guest star.

Sports this 'n' that

 Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made some "legend" picks for this year's All-Star Game, taking place July 14 in Philadelphia. We reported that the Phillies' Bryce Harper was granted legend status, which is a little bit ridiculous when you think about it.

Now comes word that the AL "legend"-designate is Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander, who used the opportunity Wednesday to announce that he will retire after the season. Verlander has also pitched for Houston, the Mets, and San Francisco. He'll hang 'em up after the season so he & wife Kate can start a family.

Thanks for the memories.

The injury bug continues to plague the Mets.

Infielder-designated hitter Mark Vientos, mired in a season long malaise, was removed from today's matinee vs. Kansas City after getting hit by a pitch, which fractured his hand. The Mets won't say just yet how long Vientos will be out, other than "weeks".

And a lot of fair weather "fans" wanted him gone by the trade deadline. Sure, kick the guy when he's down.

Reddit is the only form of social media I use. Good thing, too.

Three days after the US was eliminated from the World Cup, a member of the Trump administration is trying to justify President Pampers persuading FIFA President Gianni Infantino to rescind the red card issued to a US player a week ago. Not that it did the US any good, but the annoying orange's meddling was the kiss of death.

Try telling that to this moron.

Proof that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree of stupid.

Andrew Giuliani heads up a "World Cup task force", and said it has to do with the amount of money the US spent to help host the tournament, which wraps in 10 days. Sorry, Goofiani, Jr., but Trump was wrong, and you know it.

Shouldn't you be getting a prescription for Ginkoba for your father, anyway, Andrew?

Musical Interlude: The Age of Aquarius (1969)

 The 5th Dimension's "Age of Aquarius" was released as a single in 1969, coupled with "Let The Sunshine In", off the "Hair" soundtrack. However, we have this clip, origin unknown, of the group performing "Aquarius", complemented with cheesy special effects.

Musical Interlude: The Stranger (1977)

 Billy Joel. Carnegie Hall. "The Stranger", title song from the album. Enough said.

Karmic justice: Belgium eliminates the USMNT in the World Cup

 In the end, to borrow from Shakespeare, it was much ado about nothing.

The Belgian Red Devils were angry, hungry, and motivated to beat the US men's national soccer team in the World Cup, and did so in a 4-1 victory Monday that was as much a statement as it was about proving a point.

The Belgians had appealed the decision to reinstate US striker Folarin Balogun the day before, but the appeal was denied. In hindsight, the admission by president Trump that he prevailed upon FIFA president Gianni Infantino to rescind Balogun's suspension gave the Belgians all the motivation they really needed, and gave the US the dreaded kiss of death.

The above photo comes from X, and had been captioned, "Overturn this", after Belgium advanced to Friday's quarterfinal match vs. Spain. With all the controversy and attendant attention on them, the USMNT didn't play their best game, and the Belgians shut them out in the 2nd half.

If only Trump had kept his mouth shut on this matter........!

When Icons Meet: Look who shows up on The Man From UNCLE (1964)

 From season 1 of The Man From UNCLE:

Two years before Star Trek, Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner are among the guest stars. You'll also see Werner Klemperer, a year before Hogan's Heroes. Missing from this scene? Sheila MacRae, who'd soon, if not by then, join The Jackie Gleason Show.

Some folks on YouTube thought Shatner's character was drunk. Can't say for sure. Full episodes are not available.

Is FIFA trying to rig the World Cup for the US?

 On Wednesday, US striker Folarin Balogun was given a red card during a win over Bosnia, meaning he would not play tonight vs. Belgium.

However, FIFA reversed field four days later, and suspended the red card for a year for Balogun, clearing him to play tonight (8 pm, Fox). Immediately, the suspicions were raised, especially after it'd gotten out that the White House, or, more specifically, president Donald Trump, contacted FIFA honcho Gianni Infantino or one of his aides, asking for Balogun's reinstatement.

Photo courtesy Reuters/MSN.com.

Fans outside the US now don't want the US to host another World Cup, feeling as though Infantino is again currying favor with Trump, in turn making the country as a whole look bad, as if Trump doesn't do that himself on a daily basis.

Even though Trump, as a representing statesman, will present the championship trophy following the finals on July 19, he'd be better off sending VP JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his place, for obvious reasons. He's already stained this year's tournament enough.

As for the question of the tournament being rigged, the answer is no, as of right now. No one expects the US to reach the finals, but one major obstacle was removed Sunday night when Brazil was eliminated by Norway at Met Life Stadium, 2-1. Given that the Belgians are upset over Infantino's latest ruling, there's every reason to believe the US won't move to the quarterfinals.

And, in all fairness, maybe it's better that way.

2026 All-Star rosters revealed

 When fans vote for the annual All-Star Game, this year's edition taking place July 14 in Philadelphia, they ignore current events like idiots. When I've cast a ballot over the years, I've taken injuries into account. The majority of people voting don't because they have a singular purpose.

Blind loyalty also means blind stupidity in some cases.

Let's take a look at the starters voted by Idiots Anonymous.

American League:

Catcher-Shea Langeliers, Sacramento.

First base: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Toronto, who may have set the record for fastest opt-out in All Star history, as he dropped out within an hour of the rosters being announced on Fox, due to a back issue.

Second base: Ernie Clement, Toronto.

Third base: Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay.

Shortstop: Bobby Witt, Jr., Kansas City.

Outfield: Byron Buxton, Minnesota; Mike Trout, Los Angeles; Aaron Judge, Yankees. Of these, Judge may not make it due to injury.

Designated Hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Houston.

National League:

Catcher: Drake Baldwin, Atlanta. Baldwin's been struggling since coming off the IL, and had the night off last night vs. the Mets.

First base: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles.

Second base: Ozzie Albies, Atlanta.

Third base: Max Muncy, Los Angeles.

Shortstop: CJ Abrams, Washington.

Outfield: Juan Soto, Mets; Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia; Andy Pages, Los Angeles.

Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles (who else?).

It's already been reported that Sacramento's 2nd year star, Nick Kurtz, will replace Guerrero. Judge likely will be replaced as well unless he returns this week. The Mets' lousy season is punctuated with Soto being the only one on the roster at this point, though if any pitchers opt out, relievers Luke Weaver and/or Devin Williams may be added.

Philadelphia's Bryce Harper was designated as a "legend pick" by Commissioner Rob Manfred. Legend? Harper? It is to laugh. Scott Boras Badenov must've slipped a few extra bucks Manfred's way to get that "honor".

Just pray the world's oldest wet blanket doesn't show up in Philadelphia. If you don't know who I mean, you haven't been paying attention.

Musical Interlude: This Land is Your Land (2009)

 Ahead of President Obama's inauguration in 2009, a concert took place in Washington. From that event, Bruce Springsteen & Pete Seeger cover Woody Guthrie's immortal folk classic, "This Land is Your Land".

Happy Birthday, America!

John Oliver, soap star? (2026)

 John Oliver used his anchor's position on Last Week Tonight to make a public plea for an appearance on a daytime soap.

ABC & Peacock answered. CBS? Who knows?

Oliver made his soap debut Thursday on General Hospital, and will finish there on Monday. Next month, he moves over to Days of Our Lives for three episodes. E! has the scoop.

The self-deprecating humor aside, Oliver, even if it's a small sample, is a natural. I love the fact he's playing a secret agent on General Hospital. The spy game is still a thing there, 45 years later.

Bravo.

Weasel of The Week: Jeannine Pirro

 Jeannine Pirro, former Fox No News whiner, former TV judge, currently the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, can't win a conviction if her life depended on it, and that's not about to change anytime soon.

Photo courtesy MSN.com.

You see, Ms. Pirro has charged former Olympic canoeist David Hearn with felony vandalism just for touching a loose piece of lining at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Initially, Hearn was charged with a misdemeanor, but Ms. Pirro, on orders from President Pampers, and despite a glaring lack of evidence, as per usual, upgraded the charge to a felony.

That this is even happening is another distraction from the myriad of issues facing the White House, including poor attendance at the Great American State Fair at the National Mall. Seems most folks are more interested in watching the World Cup on the big screen, and ignoring everything else. Welp, if the organizers didn't insist on most of the artists having peaked in the 80's or 90's, they wouldn't have that problem, either.

Back to the topic at hand. Hearn will be cleared, Jeannine Pirro, this week's Weasel, will be disgraced yet again, and President Pampers will have egg on his face. Again.

What Might've Been: Call Holme (1972)

 Call Holme was a pilot that went nowhere for NBC in 1972. Writers Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso had worked on The Monkees & Get Smart, among their credits, and concocted this farce about a PI who's also a master of disguise (Arte Johnson, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), who somehow gets his job done. In the course of this story, Johnson breaks out some of his characters from Laugh-In for quick cameos.

Our ensemble also includes Reta Shaw (ex-The Ghost & Mrs. Muir), Arlene Golonka (ex-Mayberry RFD), Jim Hutton, and Vic Tayback, plus a brief cameo from Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family)

Unfortunately, the credits were edited off.

Years later, Dana Carvey tried mining the same concept with the movie, "Master of Disguise", but that, too, was a dud. Gerald Gardner later became better known for his political satires.

Swinging for tea (1960)

 A year before being cast in The Hathaways, the Marquis Chimps were signed to do a series of ads for Red Rose tea.

Here, the chimps rock out as a jazz band. Like, swing it!

A child passes away, and some idiot decides to play the race card at the wrong time

 For the first time that I can think of, a message flashed across my television screen Sunday night that wasn't warning of inclement weather.

Instead, the message had to do with a young Menands boy who had gone missing. 7 year old Harbe Nagi, diagnosed as being autistic & non-verbal, had wandered off from his parents. Nearly 48 hours later, young Harbe was found dead as a result of drowning in a neighbor's swimming pool.

                                      

Funeral services will take place later this week. While the entire community is mourning Harbe, some goober decided to play Ugly American, and use the tragedy to make some racist statements.

Chuck Miller's take:

A Taste of Italy and its black heart – Chuck The Writer

A Taste of Italy, which has been a sponsor of Siena University basketball, may be losing that sponsorship unless the truth about the social media kerfluffle comes out soon. Redditors are already ripping into the restaurant, and are planning a peaceful protest not too far from the eatery in Latham. I should point out that Jesus taught us to love, not hate, and that he did not have hate in His heart for anyone. To suggest that He "doesn't like ugly" is missing the point by a country mile.

Rest in peace, Harbe.

Wild West Wednesdays: Zorro's Secret Passage (1957)

 It is known that part of the inspiration for Batman came from Johnston McCulley's Zorro, and one example comes in this 1st season episode, "Zorro's Secret Passage". Don Diego (Guy Williams) discovered a secret cave beneath his home, and asserts his grandfather had built it years earlier. Of course, you know that Batman would have a Batcave.......

CBS Fall preview 1975-6

 Back in the day, the networks would start rolling out commercials promoting new series for the following fall around the middle of July. As it's the end of June, we're turning back the clock to 1975 for CBS' fall preview that year. We've previously reviewed the following:

Phyllis. 2nd spinoff from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Bronk. Jack Palance stars in his first series since 1963's Greatest Show on Earth. Carroll O'Connor (All in The Family) and Terry Becker (ex-Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea) produced the series for MGM.

Three For The Road. Family drama with Alex Rocco & Leif Garrett.

Big Eddie: Sheldon Leonard's return to acting.

Bicentennial Minutes. Short features leading up to the bicentennial.

Switch. Glen Larson's pairing of Robert Wagner (ex-It Takes a Thief) and Eddie Albert (ex-Green Acres) lasted three seasons. Co-starring Sharon Gless and Charlie Callas.

Doc. Broadway favorite Barnard Hughes as a doctor (of course).

We will be on the lookout for Beacon Hill. William Conrad (Cannon) is our tour guide.

Of this group of frosh, only Phyllis & Switch returned the next season.

Notes from around town

 Another school has bitten the dust in the 518.

Doane Stuart School just completed its 51st season earlier this month, but, due to a shrinking enrollment that saw just 40 students on campus this season, the Rensselaer based school is closing its doors.

Photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.

Things had gotten so bad that the school's athletic program had merged with Rensselaer the last couple of years. Enrollment has gone downhill since Doane Stuart moved from Albany to Rensselaer a few years ago. The students still enrolled, absent any graduating seniors, will be transferred elsewhere.

If you're walking around Watervliet, you've probably noticed by now some stenciled signage on the sidewalks marking the city's 200th birthday. Commissioned by Meneely Bell, the signs promote the fact that the city, originally West Troy, was founded in 1826, 50 years after American independence.

This will make this year's 4th of July parade that much more of a landmark occasion.

Unfortunately, the pending rain this week might wash away the signage......

Very quietly, there was a carnival at Powers Park in Lansingburgh over the weekend. Outside of maybe a mention in the pages of El Cheapo Media, or on social media, few probably knew about it.

Powers Park will also host a rummage sale for residents on July 25, a far cry from the days of monthly flea markets sponsored by a local church. There hasn't been a rummage sale or flea market at Powers Park in years, but that will soon change. If this works out, there will be more.

Today's technology allows for radio stations to very sneakily let their on-air talent pre-record their bumpers & cues.

One such case was last night, during Ben Patten's evening show on WROW. What listeners didn't know, and didn't find out until this morning, was that Patten had recorded promos, bumpers, & cues in advance so he & his wife could attend the Barry Manilow concert at MVP Arena. While the pre-recording was not acknowledged on the air, listeners could figure it out on their own. I've often suspected this has been done in the past, especially on holidays. Now, it's almost certain.

The Supreme Court tells Donald Trump to pay what he owes to E. Jean Carroll. He still denies doing anything or even knowing her

 The Supreme Court, in one of several cases regarding president Trump heard today, ruled that President Cheapo needs to pay E. Jean Carroll what he owes her, per a civil liability ruling 2 years ago.

From the Associated Press YouTube channel:

Now, you know that there are no more appeals on this case. However, the biggest skinflint this side of Jack Benny will still be doing this.

"WAAAH!! I don't really owe her anything! WAAAAHHH!"

Now, you could chalk up Trump's denials as a product of advanced age, just as much, if not more so, as his reluctance to pony up. He's also been told he can't fire Federal Reserve commissioner Lisa Cook without proper cause.

Speaking of the Fed, it's current chairman, Guilderland native Kevin Warsh, has gotten on Trump's bad side by following his instincts, and not the dictums of President Cheapo. It sure sounds as though the honeymoon's already over for Warsh as it relates to Trump. Stay tuned.

When icons meet: Adam West & Mary Tyler Moore on 77 Sunset Strip (1959)

 You know the story of how Mary Tyler Moore lost her first series gig on Richard Diamond when it got out she was the mysterious switchboard operator, Sam.

Welp, Mary, billed as Mary Moore here, began making appearances on 77 Sunset Strip a few months after getting sacked from Diamond. In "Thanks For Tomorrow", she's the love interest of one Lonnie Drew (Adam West), who is being set up as a fall guy by some gamblers.....

Edit, 7/6/26: WB put in a copyright claim on the full episode, so we'll sub in an excerpt.

Seven years later, West would work with producer Howie Horwitz again, this time on Batman.

Cinema Saturday: Dragnet (1966-9)

 We're launching a new feature today with Cinema Saturday. First up, we're bringing back the 1966 pilot for the 2nd Dragnet series, which didn't air until 3 years later. Unfortunately, the last copy we had was removed from YouTube.

This time, we'll start with the opening sequence, which has, for unknown reasons, been edited off subsequent prints.

Today, the bondage sequence at the start probably would've been moved to later in the movie.

Now, in the words of the late Paul Harvey, the rest of the story.

I honestly wish the movie was left intact as we had it before, but things are different today.

In 2 weeks, the return of Peter Gunn.

Carlos Mendoza fired by the Mets. Which direction does the team take, post-firing?

 You could see it coming a mile away. Six errors in the nightcap of a Wednesday doubleheader seemed to be the last straw, but the Mets allowed 3rd year manager Carlos Mendoza one more game, the front office equivalent of having a reliever in the bullpen after the starter gets a mound visit, and it's assumed he has one more batter to face.

The Mets were swept by the Chicago Cubs, extending their current losing streak to six games, or half the size of their longest dry spell of the season. Today, the cut the cord on Mendoza, a move many fans saw as long overdue.

Green, a former manager with San Diego, has been in the player development department with the Mets, so he knows some of the current players, and GM David Stearns, himself on the hot seat in the eyes of fans, and owner Steve Cohen, felt a change was needed. In all honesty, maybe that change should've been made after the Mets dropped two of three to the hated Phillies, who roll into Citi Field tonight off a rough series vs. Washington.

After falling out of playoff contention at the end of last season, the Mets were expected to turn things around, but slugger Pete Alonso (Baltimore), closer Edwin Diaz (Dodgers, currently on the IL), and utility ace Jeff McNeil (Sacramento) all chased the money, and Brandon Nimmo was shipped off to Texas for an underachieving Marcus Semien, who's started to turn it around on offense before going to the IL earlier this week with a hip injury. Fans on reddit rebelled, believing the team had reverted to the pre-Cohen era method of rebuilding on the cheap, choosing to stupidly convert Jorge Polanco to a first baseman (currently on the IL). Mark Vientos has been hot & cold, as has Jared Young. The experiment of making Brett Baty into another McNeil (that is, a utilityman who can play anywhere) has been met with indifference.

It's almost as if someone was really, really unhappy after the popular Alonso was allowed to walk, and hexed the team, but there's no proof that ever happened, of course. It isn't helping that the Mets' current malaise has dampened the momentum generated by the Knicks' NBA title victory earlier this month.

Fans on reddit already have given up on 2026, but is it premature? Philadelphia offers a case that it might be. They were the last team to change managers, swapping out Rob Thomson for Don Mattingly several weeks back, and they're back in the thick of the pennant race. Boston dumped Alex Cora, but Chad Tracy has not been the answer so far, leaving the Red Sox in the same position as the Mets, and it's not pretty. At the same time, the fans are not paying much attention to the usual spate of injuries, preventing the 2026 team from actually coming together as a unit, and looking for someone to blame. If you want to do that, whine on talk radio, kids.

Time will tell if Green, a veteran manager like Mattingly, can turn the ship around before it does hit a season ending iceberg. And the clock starts ticking tonight.

Family Fridays: The series premiere of The Smith Family (1971)

 The Smith Family was Don Fedderson's final sale to ABC, and by year's end, he would not have anything on the network, as the series was cancelled, while, The Lawrence Welk Show moved to syndication that fall.

Smith was a mid-season replacement, and the first series for film star Henry Fonda in about a decade (The Deputy). It also brought Ron(ny) Howard (ex-The Andy Griffith Show) back to television after he'd made a movie or two for Disney.

In the opener, Cindy (Darleen Carr, later of The Streets of San Francisco) is ostracized when a classmate (guest star Heather Menzies) is busted for marijuana possession.

The title song is performed by Mike Minor (ex-Petticoat Junction).

Fonda would not land another TV series, but spent the rest of the 70's shilling for View-Master in between movies.

Musical Interlude: Spinning Wheel (1969)

 I remember watching some figure skating as a youth, and the background music was "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears. It was so, so perfect.

So, let's go back to 1969, and a live performance of "Spinning Wheel":

In memory of singer David Clayton Thomas, who has passed away at 84. Rest in peace.

Judge to Trump: Leave our elections alone!

 I think you can stick a fork in Dumb Donald's "SAVE America Act", which is meant to be a voter suppression law. A judge just shut down Trump's efforts to interfere in future elections. Glenn Kirschner explains.

Just think, Dumb Donald blocked a bi-partisan housing bill because he wanted his precious project passed. You can just imagine the reaction in the White House....

Meanwhile, a fence has been erected around the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, and Trump still won't allow the tarp to be removed from the Kennedy Center. Everyone can see right through your act, now, bub. Grow up, and deal with it.

Notes from around town

 For months, it has sat dormant, even though the logo was already in place. Then, last week, Elev8 Entertainment finally had its grand opening.

Elev8 is located in the same building as La Victoria on Congress Street, in the former Troy Kitchen location. Elev8 handles bookings for parties and weddings.

Moving to the corner of Congress & 3rd, we find that someone apparently is interested in putting a new business in the retail space last occupied by Midtown Grocery a few years back. Unfortunately, that's all we know.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy wanted to put a bus terminal in the former McDonald's on South Pearl Street, a building that last housed an inner city grocery not too long ago. Residents said no way.

So McCoy, undaunted, has decided to try to put a bus terminal in the Empire State Plaza.

Now, if you live in the 518,  you know the Plaza is a common stop for CDTA buses arriving in Albany from Troy or Cohoes. What McCoy wants to do is set up space for Greyhound, which closed its terminal years ago, and Yankee Trails.

Stay tuned.

While the town of Brunswick isn't exactly in a hurry to fill the vacancy created by Family Footwear's closing, they are filling space across the road.

QuickChek, which is both a sub shop and a gas station, just opened next door to Mattress Firm, which has Chipotle on the other side.

In all honesty, I don't think they're done just yet developing properties on Hoosick Road, but they'd be well served to work out a deal with CDTA for bus service into and out of Hannaford, just up the street from QuickChek. Just sayin'.