On The Shelf: Old school crime noir, Dick Tracy celebrates St. Patrick's Day, and a creator passes on

 Rather than do another Valentine's Day special, Mad Cave decided to give Dick Tracy a St. Patrick's Day special as an interlude before the next story arc, launching next month.

88 Keys makes his first appearance in the series, rebooted as an Irish pianist turned serial killer, or, vigilante, depending on how you look at it, as he's going after some smaller crooks. Craig Cermak is the guest artist on this one, and it looks great. Tim Seeley wrote the backup, drawn by Rebekah Isaacs, about a leprechaun causing some trouble. Begorra!!

Rating: A-.

Marvel may be preparing for a new slate of Ultraman adventures, which might explain the misleading title, The Fall of Ultraman, in a 1-shot special. Hopefully, when they do reboot, they'll find better writers.

Rating: C-.

In relaunching Vertigo, DC brings out a modern take on old school crime noir.

The Peril of The Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery is a 6 issue miniseries which introduces Cain to readers. I don't think I'd read that it was originally marketed as a miniseries, but learned a week ago that it has been cut to 6 issues, due to poor pre-orders. Artist Jacob Phillips captures the mood and the aesthetic of Chris Condon's script. Get ready for a wild ride.

Rating: A-.

Zorro has found a new home at IDW, starting in May, with Howard Chaykin writing, but not drawing. Thank goodness, since Chaykin has a particular look for his lead characters (i.e. American Flagg!, Dominic Fortune) that wouldn't work with Zorro.

We have to close on a sad note.

Sam Kieth, co-creator with Neil Gaiman of the acclaimed Sandman series at DC/Vertigo in the late 80's, and creator of The Maxx, later adapted by MTV for a short-lived adult animated series, passed away at 63.

One of Kieth's last works with The Maxx, for IDW.

Originally published at Image in 1994-5, The Maxx was a surrealistic fantasy in a dream world of some sort, as if Kieth was using his work with Gaiman as a template. His style was modeled after Berni Wrightson,  and fell along the same lines as a contemporary, Kelley Jones. He will be missed.

Remember Korkers? (1972)

 In 1972, Nabisco thought they had a snack to rival Bugles, which was a General Mills product.

54 years later, Bugles is still with us. Korkers, Nabisco's corn snack, isn't.

This ad feels like a sketch lifted from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Patti Deutsch & Edward Herrmann are featured. Depending on when this was filmed, Deutsch had either joined Laugh-In or soon would.

Weasel of The Week: Bari Weiss

 She has no broadcasting experience in mainstream media. However, Bari Weiss is overseeing the destruction of CBS News as we know it, in order to please president Trump.

On Friday, Weiss announced that she was slashing 60-70 jobs at CBS News, AND closing down their radio division, effective in May, claiming economics and "changing radio strategies".

BOLLOCKS & BALDERDASH!!

Weiss has tasked herself to clear out any opposition to Donnie Diapers at the network, which prompted Anderson Cooper of CNN, a contributor to 60 Minutes, to leave the network recently, keeping his dignity intact. With CBS & CNN soon to be under the same roof if the merger goes through between Warner Bros Discovery & Paramount-Skydance, Cooper may leave CNN, too.

Locally, CBS radio news briefs on WROW only run for about a minute or so per hour between 5 & 8 am weekdays, and it's been that way since before Weiss came along to ruin things further. Come the end of May, CBS Radio will be no more, and that's a shame.

We know that Trump doesn't like it when he's being criticized. He doesn't understand that constructive criticism is meant to help him, not hurt him, but he can't see it. With the help of ill-prepared types like Weiss, he is ruining this country, bit by bit, because at the end of the day, he is a miserable old man who wants to remold the country as he sees fit, even if his vision is skewed.

Bari Weiss, on the other hand, gets something that Trump has a lot of. A Weasel of The Week award for her contribution to the destruction of American tradition. Deal with it.

Family Fridays: The Bradys expose a scammer (1972)

 From season 3 of The Brady Bunch:

Carol (Florence Henderson) gets into an accident, and is taken to court by the other driver, who is claiming whiplash. Mike (Robert Reed, ex-The Defenders) acts as his wife's attorney. Jackie Coogan (ex-The Addams Family) made his 2nd & final appearance in the series.

This climatic scene exposes the scam before the judge (Robert Emhardt). 

Chuck Norris (1940-2026)

 Martial arts, movie, & TV icon Chuck Norris has passed away at 86.

Norris initially made his fame in martial arts, and made one of his first film appearances with training partner Bruce Lee in 1972's "The Way of The Dragon". Prior to this, Norris had appeared on television shows such as To Tell The Truth and Room 222.

The 80's brought Norris back to movies with films such as "Lone Wolf McQuade" (with David Carradine), "Silent Rage", and the "Delta Force" & "Missing in Action" films. Norris parlayed this into the 90's crime drama, Walker, Texas Ranger, in which he not only had the title role as Ranger Cordell Walker, but he also recorded the theme, "Eyes of a Ranger".

During his Walker days, Norris appeared at a WWF Survivor Series to help the Undertaker thwart a conspiracy concocted by heel managers Mr. Fuji, Jim Cornette, & Ted DiBiase to help Yokozuna. In return, wrestling icons Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, and Sting appeared on Walker (all were in WCW at the time).

Thanks in part to Conan O'Brien, Norris became the subject of a series of exaggerated memes by internet fans. Those memes won't go away with Norris' passing, however.

Rest in peace.

MLB preview 2026, part 3: The AL East

 With less than a week before the regular season begins, we're taking a look at the AL East, which figures to again be one of the more competitive divisions.

Boston may have a little extra swagger after the World Baseball Classic, considering how Wilyer Abreu had a breakout performance in the tournament, and one of the team's biggest offseason acquisitions, Ranger Suarez (Philadelphia), also played a role in Venezuela winning the tournament. Willson Contreras (St. Louis) didn't play as big a role, but he will add some punch to the offense, provided he keeps his temper in check on strikeouts (if you've seen those ejection compilation videos on YouTube, you know what I mean). Contreras & Sonny Gray came over in an offseason trade for pitcher Hunter Dobbins and two minor leaguers. Not that the Red Sox gave up on Dobbins too quickly. No, they just didn't have long term plans for him.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Pittsburgh) returns to the division, having previously played for Toronto & the Yankees after starting his career in Texas. He'll likely spell Trevor Story at shortstop or Nick Sogard at second base. Other than this, the Sox stood pat.

The big news in Baltimore, of course, was heisting Pete Alonso from the Mets, a classic Scott Boras Badenov money grab. Alonso will anchor the infield, and haunt his former club when the Mets & Orioles get together. Reliever Ryan Helsley finished 2025 with the Mets, but was erratic. Alonso will see another familiar face in starter Chris Bassitt (Toronto), who will give the Orioles plenty of innings. Baltimore also acquired another starter in Shane Baz (Tampa Bay), to help Bassitt & Zach Eflin, though Trevor Rogers has already been named the opening day starter. Outfielder Taylor Ward came over from the Angels to help Alonso fortify the offense.

The Yankees now can concentrate on overtaking Toronto to win the division, now that their core players are all back together again after the WBC. Aaron Judge got some undeserved heat after failing to produce vs. Venezuela in the finals, so he'll take it out on AL pitching. Nothing new there. The Yanks get Gerrit Cole back after he missed 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. The problem they face, however, is fan apathy if they don't win the title. Then, the whining will start again, calling for Aaron Boone and/or GM Brian Cashman to be sent packing. However, owner Hal Steinbrenner has shown how he is too loyal to both, and they'd have to miss the playoffs for Boone and/or Cashman to be let go.

Toronto found a diamond in the rough in Trey Yesavage late last season, which explains why Chris Bassitt became expendable. The Blue Jays fortified the rotation by signing Dylan Cease (San Diego) to join Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Kevin Gausman, & Jose Berrios to form a very formidable rotation. Max Scherzer makes it a six pack, and I would not discount the Blue Jays going to a 6 man rotation.

The Jays are counting on Kazuma Okamato to fill the offensive void created by Bo Bichette's departure (Mets). Otherwise, it's business as usual.

Tampa Bay reopens Tropicana Field after playing at the Yankees' minor league home in Tampa last year. Problem is, the team isn't ready to contend. They do have some veteran help in the outfield after acquiring Cedric Mullins, who bombed with the Mets, and Gavin Lux (Cincinnati) in the offseason. Pitcher Steven Matz (Boston) is on his 3rd AL East team, having gone from a rising star with the Mets to a journeyman lefty in 10 years time. The Rays are still a couple of years away from a playoff spot.

Projected order of finish:

1. Toronto.

2. Yankees.

3. Boston.

3 (tie). Baltimore.

5. Tampa Bay.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Monday: The rest of the AL.

Musical Interlude: Pink Shoelaces (1959)

 It wasn't long after Dodie Stevens started climbing the charts (peaking at #3) that "Pink Shoelaces" was covered on The Lawrence Welk Show. Three of the four Lennon Sisters sing backup behind Roberta Shore. Rocky Rockwell gives Dooley his voice.

Roberta Shore would later join the cast of The Virginian for a bit, and I think she did some musical numbers there, too.

MLB preview 2026, part 2: The rest of the National League East

 A week ago, we took a look at the Mets' prospects for 2026. Now, it's time to turn our attention to the rest of the NL East.

After being thwarted in the playoffs the last two seasons, Philadelphia made some moves to try to correct whatever flaws exist. For starters, they pried outfielder and World Series hero Adolis Garcia away from Texas. A combination of Garcia with Brandon Marsh & Johan Rojas, with Kyle Schwarber likely used exclusively as a designated hitter, will cover a lot of ground.

The problem, however, is pitching. Zack Wheeler starts the season on the IL recovering from thorasic outlet surgery, and won't be back until summer at the earliest. The Phillies stupidly let Ranger Suarez walk (Boston), replacing him with Brad Keller (Cubs) as part of a rotation that will be fronted by Jesus Luzardo & Aaron Nola, with Christopher Sanchez and the oft-erratic Taijuan Walker. This means the Phils will have to hope to deliver the one thing Bryce Harper doesn't have--a championship. Yeah, good luck with that.

In Atlanta, the Braves have retooled as well, especially in the infield, where Austin Riley has some new playmates in Mauricio Dubon (Houston), Ha-Seong Kim (Tampa Bay), & Jorge Mateo (Baltimore), plus the returning Ozzie Albies. Jonah Heim came over from Texas to back up Sean Murphy, as Drake Baldwin will continue to learn on the job behind the plate.

New manager Walt Weiss poached a pair of coaches from the Mets in Jeremy Hefner & Antoan Richardson, the latter to help improve the running game, plus reliever Danny Young. Robert Suarez came east from San Diego, likely as the heir apparent to Raisel Iglesias as the closer. Ex-Met Carlos Carrasco was invited to camp, but will he stick? We'll know next week.

Miami surprised a lot of people last year with a 3rd place finish. The biggest name to arrive in the offseason is first baseman-outfielder Christopher Morel, who returns to the National League after spending some time in Tampa Bay. Pete Fairbanks came over in the same deal, and will be in the rotation behind Sandy Alcantara. Other than that, this team of obscurities won't sneak up on anyone again.

Like Atlanta, Washington has a new manager in Blake Butera, and while there's been some buzz over catcher Harry Ford, who represented the UK in the World Baseball Classic, he'll be challenging for playing time behind Keibert Ruiz. There are some changes in the rotation, with Zack Littell, who finished 2025 in Cincinnati, and Miles Mikolas (St. Louis) providing some veteran aid for younger starters Josiah Gray & Jake Irvin. Still, the Nats are a year at best away from contending.

Projected order of finish:

1. Atlanta.

2. Mets.

3. Philadelphia.

4. Washington.

5. Miami.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Tomorrow: The AL East.

Caught in another lie? Dumb Donald claims other presidents support his war with Iran. Or do they?

 In less than three months, Donald John Joseph Isuzu Trump will be 80. Unfortunately, he has no clue as it relates to reality as we know it.

A couple of recent examples suggest that he can no longer be examined by partisan quacks who will ignore the obvious to stay on his good side.

An article on MSN.com, for example, was headlined by the claim that Trump "predicted" the 9/11/01 attacks in New York and elsewhere. Nostradamus, he ain't. Not by a longshot.

Then, he made the ridiculous claim that other presidents support his war on Iran. Whoopi Goldberg and the panel on The View, joined this week by former Trump aide Carly Fiorina, discuss this latest tirade of twaddle.

Trump's memory is failing him at the most inopportune times. His defense mechanisms, such as bullying reporters, are, sadly, still intact. As Whoopi mentioned, reps for the 4 living ex-Presidents (Clinton, GW Bush, Obama, Biden) all deny Trump's claims. Trump makes Ivy Leaguer Bush look like a Rhodes scholar by comparison. Ok, then, if no other American President is behind Trump on this, who is?

Trump knows he screwed up "bigly", to use the word he himself coined. It's way past time he was given a full physical examination by a legitimate, non-partisan staff of doctors, and this includes psychologists. There is something truly wrong with him, and he'll be the last one to know about it.

Classic TV: The Ann Sothern Show (1958)

 Film actress Ann Sothern transitioned to television with Private Secretary, which ran for 5 seasons. Not too long after the series ended, Sothern soon returned with a self-titled sitcom, bringing along co-stars Don Porter (later of Gidget) and Jesse White.

The Ann Sothern Show ran for 3 seasons (1958-61), and until the final season was a part of CBS' formidable Monday night block. In season 3, the series moved to Thursdays opposite The Untouchables, a Desilu stablemate. Game over.

Following is the season 2 opener with special guest star Lucille Ball, reprising as Lucy Ricardo.

It's been a long time since this has aired on cable, as the above print suggests.

No rating. Just a public service.

Pass the Pepto!: It's way past time the NCAA stopped screwing over mid-major schools in the basketball tournament

 Today, millions of wanna-be handicappers are filling out brackets for the NCAA basketball tournaments, both men's & women's. There's always an upset lurking in the first weekend of play, but for mid-major colleges & universities, some of whom you've probably never heard of, first round games against teams from either the Big 10, Big 12, ACC, or SEC, might as well be queued with the theme from Mission: Impossible.

All 4 Power 4 conferences control the top seeds. That's a given, considering some schools, like, for example, Michigan or Duke, are ratings draws in their native areas.

Take, for example, Long Island University-Brooklyn, which is being fed to Arizona in the West Regional. Or Ivy League champion Pennsylvania, coached by former Siena & Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, a #14 seed in the South Regional vs. Illinois from the Big 10. At least it's a team McCaffery is familiar with. Or Siena, which is being sent on a suicide mission to play Duke. The suits in charge of the selection committee don't give a rat's butt about reality in terms of these matchups. The tournament has been bloated for years because the NCAA's media partners (currently CBS/Paramount+ and TNT and their sister channels, plus HBO Max) want to maximize the television ratings by putting the games on as many outlets as humanly possible. They throw bones to the mid-majors every year, but won't let them sit at the big boys' table. Ever.

After all the work that went into reforming college football's postseason, and it still needs a few tweaks, for what it's worth, the NCAA is not willing to change their business model for basketball. There's too much money involved to allow the Sienas and Penns of the world a fair opportunity. They have to make their own luck.

The bottom line is, the mid-majors get dissed every year. Which is why they should have a patron saint around this time of year. Like this guy.......

This is why the only college basketball I even bother to pay attention to is close to home, with Siena & UAlbany. Politics rules the college game, and has for several years. That needs to change, preferably yesterday.

Sports this 'n' that

 The Mets welcomed back shortstop Francisco Lindor today, as he made his preseason debut vs. Toronto.

Lindor reached on an error, and scored in the midst of a 5 run 2nd inning, as the Mets thumped the AL champs, 8-1. The game was stopped after 6 innings due to rain.

There will be a new champion in the World Baseball Classic after Venezuela upended Japan Saturday night in Miami, 8-7. 

Atlanta's Ronald Acuna, Jr. opened the game with a solo home run off the Dodgers' Yoshinobi Yamamoto. In the bottom half of the 1st, Shohei Ohtani answered for Japan to tie the game. 

However, in the 6th, with Japan up, 5-2, going into the inning, Venezuela took back the lead, thanks to Boston's Wilyer Abreu, after trimming the lead to 5-4.

Venezuela will play Italy tomorrow night, while Team USA plays the Dominican Republic tonight, with the winners meeting on Tuesday to end the tournament.

An even worse downside for Japan was outfielder Seiya Suzuki going down with an injury after being thrown out trying to steal 2nd to end the 1st inning. That's the last thing the Cubs needed, but, if it's not serious, Suzuki should be ready for the Cubs' opener next week.

Chalk up another endorsement deal for Caitlin Clark.

The Indiana Fever star is appearing in a new Capital One ad with Charles Barkley & Samuel L. Jackson that will play from now until the end of the NCAA tournaments April 6-7. Barkley's also given the rub to the "Capital One Bank Guy", as has Jackson. Now, all we need is for the dude to be in an ad with Jennifer Garner......!

Most amusing ad of the week comes from WWE, which has LA Knight, Penta, & Stephanie Vaquer appearing in a commercial for TurboTax. Ms. Vaquer is from Chile, while Penta, of course, is from Mexico. I guess tax returns do come with work visas......!

With the NCAA's right around the corner, CBS' Ian Eagle & Bill Raftery are doing a spot for Spectrum Cable. Keep in mind, though, that this is a national ad, not a localized one.

You can't prosecute unless you have evidence. Unfortunately, Dumb Donald never got the memo.........

 We'll start with this installment of The Legal Breakdown with Brian Tyler Cohen & Glenn Kirschner.....

Until she was appointed as US attorney for DC, Jeannine Pirro, like Rudy Giuliani, had long been out of legal practice. She'd been a talking bobblehead on Fox No News. She should've known that Judge Boasberg wasn't accepting her sham of a prosecution. Pirro and the Department of Injustice have 0 evidence against Jerome Powell, just like they had 0 evidence against anyone else Donnie Diapers wanted prosecuted. Hence.....

"NO!! I want Powell to lower interest rates or he's gone!! WAAAAAHHHH!!"

Whatever Dumb Donald learned in school has long since been forgotten, lost in the splinters in the windmills of his tiny mind. Even though he has someone in the pipeline to take over as Federal Reserve Chairman in a couple of months, that's not enough for him.

On top of this, because of the war he started with Iran 2 weeks ago, Donnie Diapers wants the Iranian National Soccer team out of the World Cup this summer. That's not his call to make. If it wasn't for the fact that FIFA would gladly give him what he wants otherwise, it's not his decision. There's a better chance of the World Cup being in the US for the last time due to him.

Fantasy Friday: Horror in The Heights (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, 1974)

 Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) investigates a bizarre series of murders involving a shape-changing demon. Phil Silvers and Naomi Stevens are among the guest stars.

Family Fridays returns next week. Fantasy Fridays returns in October.

Notes from around town

 Very quietly, the El Dorado Restaurant & Bar on 4th Street, between Congress & State, reopened on Wednesday. All that's missing now is the familiar logo on the window. Said logo needs to be repainted after it was damaged following a fire last summer.

The timing, of course, is perfect, with St. Patrick's Day coming on Tuesday.

An era is ending in the 518.

Four years after reopening as part of a merger with St. Ambrose School in Latham, Catholic Central School is downsizing.

Per the Albany County Diocese, Catholic Central will now only have classes for grades K-8, beginning in September.

Photo courtesy Spectrum News 1.

Spectrum News 1 is reporting that the school has only 22 students between grades 8-11, meaning there are no seniors this season. The school paused its men's basketball & bowling programs, the latter for the 2nd consecutive season, and, beginning in September, high school courses will merge with Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady.

Until the merger, Catholic Central High was one of Troy's big 4 high schools, along with Troy, Lansingburgh, & Lasalle.

More on this over at Tri-City SportsBeat tomorrow.

After opening its first 518 restaurant at Albany International Airport, Chick-Fil-A is opening a location at Latham Farms, aiming to open sometime later this year.

Known for its cheeky, often cheesy, advertising campaigns ironically using cows as their mascots to encourage diners to eat chicken, Chick-Fil-A is looking to challenge KFC & Popeye's for supremacy among chicken-centric restaurants.

What Might've Been: Hollywood Teasers (1993)

 In 1993, Merrill Heatter tweaked the concept of his 1985 entry for ABC, All-Star Blitz, and tried selling Hollywood Teasers, which, with the six celebrity grid, also was a reboot of Battlestars, a twice cancelled series for NBC in the 80's. Robb Weller (Entertainment Tonight) was the host.

In the pilot, the panel includes Pamela Anderson (Baywatch), Mayim Bialik (Blossom), Don Rickles, Rita Rudner, Mark Curry (Hangin' With Mr. Cooper), and Ed O'Neill (Married....With Children). Heatter struck a deal with MCA to package the show.

Assuming this was aimed for syndication, it was destined to fail, since Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy! dominated the ratings.

Rating: B.

YouTube Theatre: The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return (1975)

 Three years had passed since "The Daughters of Joshua Cabe" had brought high ratings for ABC. In the interim, Buddy Ebsen had moved on to Barnaby Jones, so the leads, not just Joshua himself, had to be recast in "The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return".

Ronne Troup (ex-My Three Sons, Brooke Adams, & Christina Hart step in for Sandra Dee, Lesley Ann Warren, & Karen Valentine, with Dan Dailey (ex-The Governor & JJ, Faraday & Company) as Joshua. Jack Elam didn't return, either, with Western vet Dub Taylor as Cabe's new sidekick.

Fresh off paying off the mortgage on his home for the next year, Cabe runs into a new crisis when the father of one of the girls shows up, and abducts her for ransom. Carl Betz (ex-Judd For The Defense, The Donna Reed Show), Kathleen Freeman, and Randall Carver, three years before Taxi, co-star.

Mind the video quality.

Wild West Wednesdays returns in 2 weeks with Tim Conway as Rango.

MLB 2026 preview, part 1: The Mets

 In two weeks, it all begins for reals.

Now, it really isn't fair to take a look at any baseball forecasts with a week remaining in the World Baseball Classic, but it is time to begin looking ahead, and we'll start with the Mets.

After a 2nd half fade-out in 2025, GM David Stearns began overhauling the team. Popular utilityman Jeff McNeil was shipped off to Sacramento, and Brandon Nimmo was reunited with Jacob deGrom in Texas. Scott Boras Badenov leveraged Pete Alonso out of town, and the "Polar Bear" is sure to haunt the Mets when they meet Baltimore this season. Closer Edwin Diaz chased the money, and went back west to the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who just weren't satisfied that Roki Sasaki, as a temporary closer, was a key component to their World Series win over Toronto. They'd prefer Sasaki to be a starter, hence the need for someone like Diaz. Thus, "Narco", Diaz's theme song, will no longer play at Citi Field.

The Mets got bad news to start the pre-season when shortstop Francisco Lindor went down with a broken hand. However, it appears he is on track to return for the opener vs. Pittsburgh in 2 weeks. The Nimmo trade netted the Mets veteran infielder Marcus Semien, and Vidal Brujan, who finished last season in Atlanta, was brought in for infield insurance. The plan seems to be to find someone to play first until Ryan Clifford is major league ready, and while Mark Vientos has experience at the position, he's also rumored to be trade bait. The Mets signed Jorge Polanco (Seattle), and he's learning how to play first base, as he, like Vientos, is mostly a third baseman. Bo Bichette (Toronto) is being groomed at third, while Brett Baty will continue to shuttle between second & third.

In the outfield, the Mets picked up MJ Melendez (Kansas City) and Luis Robert, Jr. (Chicago White Sox). Robert will be the regular center fielder, with Juan Soto moving to left, where he'd played in Washington & San Diego, and Tyrone Taylor is likely platooning with Melendez in right. Behind the plate, the Mets are 4 deep at the moment, though non-roster invite Austin Barnes (Dodgers) makes it five deep, with returnees Francisco Alvarez, Luis Torrens, and Hayden Senger now joined by ex-Yankee Ben Rortvedt (Dodgers), who's been passed around waiver wires like a collection plate at church. Depending on how many catchers Carlos Mendoza wants to bring with him to Pittsburgh in 2 weeks, either Rortvedt or Barnes, or both, could be gone-ski, and Senger could start the season in Syracuse.

And, then, there's the pitching.

Clay Holmes & Nolan McLean are pitching for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. McLean was roughed up by Italy on Tuesday, after Holmes pitched three solid innings on Sunday. Stearns brought in a couple of old friends from Milwaukee in Freddy Peralta, who will be the opening day starter vs. the Pirates, and Tobias Myers, who will help the revamped bullpen. The Mets heisted two more pitchers from the Yankees in closer Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. 

The rotation figures to be Peralta, followed by any combination of Holmes, David Peterson, Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, & McLean, provided McLean doesn't get sent to Syracuse. Christian Scott didn't pitch last year due to Tommy John surgery, and could wind up in the rotation.

After a lot of criticism, Eric Chavez was sacked as batting coach, so the Mets brought in Troy Snitker (Houston), son of former Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, with Jeff Albert as his assistant. How much of a difference that makes will remain to be seen in the long term.

While some of the bigger stars (i.e. Soto) are in the WBC, the minor leaguers are doing their part to help during Grapefruit League play. What that says is that the Mets will have plenty of depth to work with in case of injury. What I'm more concerned with is the mix & match infield. Will that work? I have my doubts.

Prediction: 2nd place again.

Wartime Mondays: The Captain's Mission (McHale's Navy, 1962)

 Time to scope the lighter side of war, with this season 1 episode of McHale's Navy:

Series star Ernest Borgnine is reduced to a cameo, as the focus is on Captain Binghamton (Joe Flynn, ex-The Joey Bishop Show), who takes over the PT73 for a mission while McHale is on leave. Via flashbacks, Ensign Parker (Tim Conway) explains to McHale exactly what happened. Seems Binghamton was bored being at his desk.......

Down the line, we'll feature Combat!, and other war-centric programs.

You are supposed to remove your hat at a funeral. Guess who thinks he doesn't have to.........

 This pretty much speaks for itself......

A "dignified transfer" of six slain soldiers turns into a debacle just because President Huckster just had to wear a USA cap he's selling online for $55 a pop. Remember, this is a shallow, insecure old man who once disrespected dead soldiers as "suckers & losers", and mocked the late Senator John McCain, who was a prisoner of war at one time, by stating, "I like people who weren't captured.".

Donald Trump is about one thing, and one thing only, and that is, of course, himself, and how much he can profit off his tenure as president. While Trump and VP JD Vance saluted the soldiers, First Lady Melania Trump held her hand over her heart

Melania gets it. Donald doesn't. Gee, what a surprise. Equally unsurprising is that Donald gets another Dunce Cap.

Celebrity Rock: Fever (1972)

 From season 5 of Here's Lucy:

Jim Bailey guest stars in an episode in which he is asked to step in for Phyllis Diller when the latter comes down with laryngitis.

Here, however, is Jim, as himself, with Kim (Lucie Arnaz) for a duet cover of "Fever", made famous by Peggy Lee.

Best known for his impersonations of Judy Garland (who was his mentor, and he'd later tour with Liza Minelli) and Barbra Streisand, in addition to Diller, Bailey did release a live concert album, which is likely a collector's item. Bailey passed away in 2015.

Insight Sundays: A Slight Change in Plans (1979)

 A salesman (Howard McGillin) experiences an epiphany while on a business trip, and begins to reconsider his career options. Co-starring Andrew Duggan (ex-Lancer).

When Icons Meet: Adam West on The Rifleman (1961)

 From season 3 of The Rifleman:

The ice storm that hit Texas a few winters ago reminds us that the Southwest is not immune to winter weather. In the episode, "Stopover", Lucas (Chuck Connors) welcomes a group of stagecoach passengers seeking shelter in the midst of a snowstorm in North Fork.

Adam West, Bethel Leslie, & Gordon Jones (ex-The Abbott & Costello Show) are among the guest stars. Joe Higgins appears as Scotty, instead of his more familiar role as a blacksmith on the series.

Adam West impressed the show's producers, Arnold Laven, Jules Levy, & Arthur Gardner, such that he joined the cast of their other series, The Detectives, the following fall.

An attorney faces disbarment, a magazine depicts the president getting what he deserves, or, just another day

 Ah, the sad story of Lindsey Halligan just took a turn for the worse.

We're learning that Halligan, fraudulently appointed as a US Attorney in Virginia, is facing disbarment in Florida as the state bar there is looking into allegations of ethics violations against the telegenic Halligan, who was an insurance lawyer before hooking up with president Trump.

Even though Florida is a "deep red" state, meaning heavily leaning Republican, the state bar likely won't turn a blind eye at the end to Halligan's inexperience and incompetence. Trump sent her to Virginia because she is eye candy for him to see on TV. If they do, it'll be because sycophants like Rusty Gaetz and Ron DeStupid will go to bat for Halligan in order to win points with President Pampers.

The meltdown from Washington will be glorious, to be sure.

But, Halligan's troubles are only part of what would trigger a meltdown today.

That's because The Week's latest issue came out, with an artist's depiction of Chief Justice John Roberts giving Trump something he didn't get enough of as a child. Discipline.

This was in response to the Supreme Court's recent ruling that the tariffs Trump imposed on other countries-----even though Americans would feel the effects----were, in fact, illegal. Proving once again to be dumber than a case of hammers, Trump imposed a new set of tariffs, as much as 15 percent as of last weekend, defying the Supreme Court, all because he thinks he can do what he wants without consequence.

At least Beavis & Butt-Head try to learn from their mistakes. Trump? The Archduke of Affluenza? Fuhgeddaboutit!!! His mindset is SO last century.

The crying will come from the White House before the morning is over. 

Update, 6:20 pm (ET): Now, the Florida bar says there's no "investigation", as they made a mistake, and are "monitoring" Halligan. Hmmmmmmm.

The first domino has fallen: Kristi Gnoem out as Director of Homeland Insecurity, but she gets a newly invented job.........

 After getting hammered by a Congressional committee earlier this week, Kristi Gnoem was sacked as Secretary of Homeland Insecurity by president Trump earlier today.

No, she's not a MENSA member.

The former South Dakota Governor was in over her head from the go, and tried to compensate for that by dressing up for field duty, cosplaying, if you will, hence the nickname, "ICE Barbie".

Unfortunately, Gnoem won't be unemployed for too long. Trump is tapping her to be a "special envoy" to the "Shield of The Americas", focusing on matters in the Western Hemisphere, still in pursuit of perceived illegal drug activity.

Replacing Gnoem at Homeland Insecurity is Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, who ain't exactly a brain surgeon himself, given some of his own stunts, such as challenging Teamsters President Sean O'Brien to a fist fight on the Senate floor a couple of years back. It never came to pass, luckily for Mullen.

Once Mullin is confirmed, a special election will take place to fill his seat. Hopefully, the next one will have something to clean the seat.....!

Now, it's a pool to decide which domino falls next. Pete Hegseth? Pam Bondi? Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.? Tulsi Gabbard? Your guess is as good as mine.

Yes, Donald, there are Christian Democrats, too

 On Tuesday, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the same man who was banned by CBS from having his interview with Stephen Colbert air last month, defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in a primary for the Democratic nomination for Senator. Crockett wanted to move up the ladder, but was denied by the voters. She conceded defeat on Wednesday morning.

In November, Talarico will run against either Senator John Cornyn or Texas' corrupt Attorney General, Ken-L Ration Paxton. The fact that Talarico has already gained national attention prior to the primary has the GOP, particularly, president Trump, SO scared. The GOP primary is in May.

Trump has already branded Talarico as "radical left", which of course is wrong. Unlike Trump, who pretends to be a Christian to deceive his base of marks, Talarico is a legit Christian, who cited his faith in a victory speech on Tuesday. Talarico, per BuzzFeed, via MSN, campaigned on a message of love, compassion, & unity tied to his faith, and has broad appeal with suburban & Latino voters. For the GOP'ers, that's bad news, hence the immediate smear campaign.

Despite conceding, Crockett's camp is alleging GOP interference with polling places, including her home district of Dallas County. What that says is that the GOP was more scared of Crockett moving up than Talarico, a newcomer on the national stage.

For his part, Trump is trying to influence the GOP nomination, saying he'd endorse the winner, even though an endorsement from America's Oldest Baby is usually the kiss of death, despite his claims to the contrary.

People keep asking for fresh voices in Congress. Seems the GOP is unwilling to listen........

That time when Diet Pepsi promoted healthy living (1978)

 This Diet Pepsi ad starts with a young woman jogging. Notice that she wears a shirt promoting a race sponsored by the soft drink similar to the annual Delightful (formerly Freihofer's) Run For Women in the 518. We'll try to look for more information on the Diet Pepsi running campaign.

Narration by Hal Linden (Barney Miller):

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).