Spook Rock: Lady Samantha (1969)

 Elton John & Bernie Taupin wrote "Lady Samantha", and released it as a single in the UK in 1969. Unfortunately, it didn't fare too well on the charts.

Not too long after, Three Dog Night recorded their version for the album, "Suitable For Framing". No performance video of TDN's cover exists, and maybe someday, we'll pull a clip of Elton performing the song.

Anyway, here's an audio of "Lady Samantha", a la Three Dog Night.

 

The implication is that the title character is a vampire or succubus.

Happy Halloween.

Fantasy/Family Fridays: Lily takes up modeling (The Munsters, 1965)

 From season 1 of The Munsters:

When Herman (Fred Gwynne) turns down a night out with Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo), Lily starts looking for a job, and becomes a model. Chaos then ensues. Roger C. Carmel guest stars in "Lily Munster: Girl Model":

East Potomac Golf Links is closed because a certain fellow doesn't like being told no.......

 And that fellow, of course, is the most immature, spiteful, petty, dishonorable president of all time, Donald John Fauntleroy Trump, who ordered East Potomac closed Thursday because a judge told him he could not be allowed to cut down more trees and/or continue to make over the course as he sees fit.

A once proud golf course, ruined.

Now, as a disreputable golfer himself, Trump knows that trees are common hazards on any golf course. That's just the way it is. He wanted East Potomac made over to attract the PGA and LPGA, but taking the trees out was a big no-no, and he's throwing another tantrum because he was told this was wrong.

"WAAAAHHH!! I want to do what I want with the course! It's mine! WAAAHHHHH!"

No, it isn't. Last I checked, you don't own everything in Washington. You just think you do. You refuse to go through proper channels to get something like this approved. You think it's on your say-so, and that's that. You just don't care about the consequences.

And we won't even discuss, for now, the fact that your assistant, Natalie Harp, is living somewhere in the White House. That's for another time. So, go ahead, keep whining & crying. You've embarrassed us enough already.

Sports this 'n' that

 Most of you know that ESPN's Pardon The Interruption airs on same-day tape, so guest co-anchor Frank Isola had no idea SportsCenter was not going to follow the show on Wednesday.

Instead, they cut to Ernie Johnson, anchor-moderator for Inside The NBA, confirming what had been reported earlier in the day, that he would leave Inside after the season. Reports also have panelist and Capital One shill Charles Barkley following Johnson out the door come June. Inside The NBA is in its 2nd season on ESPN after moving over from TNT last year.

Johnson's announcement gives ESPN 8 months to find his successor, and, no, it won't be Screamin' A. Cosell himself, Stephen A. Smith, who's already polluting NFL Monday Night Countdown with his unwanted presence. ESPN let Karl Ravech walk after the Little League World Series, but he is an experienced studio host, has called college basketball among his many gigs, and would be a good fit. I think they still have his number on speed dial.

Maybe Johnson saw the writing on the wall when he cut a commercial prior to the start of the season where he was trying to recite the lyrics to a 30 year old Ja Rule rap track..........

Cheeseheads are planning on a parade in Milwaukee after the Brewers won their first World Series Wednesday, defeating Tampa Bay, 4-1, to take the Series, also 4-1. Catcher William Contreras was named Series MVP.

Photo courtesy Yahoo!.

Keep in mind that the voting for post-season awards ended right before the playoffs began, and if Brewers manager Pat Murphy repeats as Manager of The Year, a rare three-peat for that honor, there will be those unwashed types that will think winning the Series clinched it. We'll see within the next few days.

WNBA fans are up in arms over the fact that Game 6 of the finals between Atlanta and Golden State will be a matinee, setting up a split-admission doubleheader with a Hawks game being played later tonight. Chalk it up to poor planning, and it could've been worse for the league and USA Network, which is televising the game (12:30 pm), while it streams on Peacock.

Y'see, reports have come out that the game could've been pushed back to tomorrow, with a 7 pm tip, bumping WWE's Smackdown to approximately 9 pm. However, that plan went by the boards, and hoop junkies get the doubleheader today.

Speaking of WWE, next week's Crown Jewel PLE will still take place in Saudi Arabia, but not at the same venue as advertised. Unfortunately, TKO frontman Ari Emanuel is putting Saudi money ahead of the safety of talent and other personnel due to the unrest in Saudi Arabia. Some guys will never learn.

After all those commercials for Nationwide Insurance, and other sponsors, Peyton Manning is finally playing a character in a series of spots for Cintas. Problem is, "Carl" is easily mistaken for Manning, and that leads to a running gag.

Maybe he should've started playing characters right from the get-go with MasterCard, Nationwide, et al. Next thing ya know, someone in Hollywood might actually look to exhume something like Mayberry RFD with Manning as the lead...........

What Might've Been: Ready & Willing (1967)

 Not long after Dragnet had relaunched on NBC, Universal shopped a pilot for a spoof on the detective genre. Unfortunately, Ready & Willing found no takers.

Joe Flynn, less than a year removed from McHale's Navy, and Jack Weston (ex-The Hathaways) are the titular detectives. Our cast also includes Ned Glass, Kathleen Freeman, and, if you look quick, Susan Saint James, a year before The Name of The Game.

Flynn and Weston would land some guest roles here and there, and it'd be three years before Flynn landed another series, which would reunite him with Tim Conway.

Weasel of The Week: Section II volleyball committee

 It's happened again, pilgrims.

Yesterday, we posted the pairings for Section II women's volleyball over at Tri-City SportsBeat. The Class AA field has expanded to 8 this year, with Guilderland moving down from Class AAA, and Burnt Hills trading places with South Glens Falls, which moves to Class A. In all, the breakdown of league representation goes like this:

Foothills Council champion Queensbury is its league's only rep. Same for Colonial Council champion Troy. Troy has played the most matches, 19, while Burnt Hills, the top seed, has played the 2nd fewest at 15 (at least what has been reported).

You & I know what Section II's argument is going to be. Strength of schedule.

BOLLOCKS & BALDERDASH!!!!

Strength of schedule doesn't apply, especially when you're holding down two league champions. Queensbury is ranked 5th, and will play Ballston Spa. Troy is seeded 8th, and has to travel to Burnt Hills. This illustrates the lack of respect accorded the Colonial Council.

Toss out strength of schedule, and the corrected bracket should look like this:

1. Burnt Hills.

2. Queensbury.

3. Troy.

4. Bethlehem.

5. Columbia.

6. Ballston Spa.

7. Guilderland.

8. Niskayuna.

My point? Rightfully, all three league champions should be seeded as the top three, not spread out. Under this setting, Troy would host Ballston Spa, and Queensbury would host Guilderland.

For the 2nd straight year, the Section II volleyball committee gets a box of Weasel ears for screwing over the Foothills & Colonial Councils in favor of the Suburban Council. Trust me, this will happen every year until things change. And they have to.

Death has been busy......

 Over the course of the last week, a number of stars have passed away.

The most recent passing was actress Susan Saint James, 80, best known for McMillan & Wife in the 70's with Rock Hudson & Nancy Walker, and Kate & Allie in the 80's, co-starring with Jane Curtin. Saint James was married to NBC executive Dick Ebersol up to her passing.

Trekkers are in mourning after the passing of Walter Koenig, 90, announced on Monday. Koenig joined the cast of Star Trek in season 2, and while he wasn't part of the reunion for the animated version that ran from 1973-5, he did contribute a script for the series, "The Survivor". A year later, he wrote the Land of The Lost  episode, "The Stranger".

Koenig got back into acting with the Trek movie series, then returned to the small screen on Babylon 5. His character was named after noted author Alfred Bester.

A week ago, country singer John Anderson passed at 71. Anderson's peak years on the country chart came in the 80's, when he hit #1 with 1983's "Swingin'". In 1992, he released "Seminole Wind", filmed in Florida.

Fans of the Looney Tunes franchise are also mourning the passing of voice actor & artist Eric Bauza, 46, who had been the primary voice of Bugs Bunny and other animated icons in recent years. It's likely that Jeff Bergman, who had shared the role at least, will step back into voicing Bugs and Daffy Duck for future projects. Just sayin'.

Rest in peace.

Spook Rock: Marie Laveau (1974)

 Bobby Bare hit #1 on the country charts in the US & Canada with 1974's "Marie Laveau".

Bobby performs live on Pop! Goes The Country, with host Ralph Emery encouraging audience participation.....

Bare is still going strong at 91. Turns out his lone #1 was a cover, as Dr. Hook recorded "Laveau" 2 years earlier!

Dunce Cap Award: Todd Blanche

 Todd Blanche's 1st mistake this week was admitting that he doesn't work for the American people. Instead, he maintains he works for president Trump, for whom he's been a personal attorney in the past. 

Then, proving again that he is an imbecile unfit to be Attorney General, Blanche filed suit on behalf of the Injustice Department to block certification of a US Senate race in Alaska.

Why? Because there are two candidates with the same name, and Blanche & Trump both think the voters will be confused.

On the left is Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent. On the right is Dan J. Sullivan, one of the challengers. Both are Republican.

What Blanche & Trump won't admit, of course, is that they think Alaskan voters can't read.

Blanche is whining that Dan J. Sullivan was added to the ballot to "siphon" votes away from Dan S. Sullivan. Of course, there's no way Blanche can prove any of that. Democrat Mary Peltola, the other challenger, is currently leading the polls in advance of the November 3 election.

The suit has no merit or standing. It's nothing more than political grandstanding & whining from Washington.

Blanche, this week's Dunce Cap winner, added more fuel by embarrassing himself on national television twice today, appearing on CNN's State of The Union and CBS' Face The Nation. Blanche insists Trump is not meddling by filing the suit. Yes, he is, jackass, and so are you.

I've seen how the GOP's bumbling has cost them City Hall here at home, twice, in 2011 & 2019. Come November 3, the two Sullivans will cancel each other out, and it'll be the fault of the national GOP. The lawsuit will get tossed out of court, and there's every reason to think Blanche could be sanctioned for such frivolous foolishness. It's what he deserves.

Creepy TV: The Devil Made Me Do It (The Snoop Sisters, 1974)

 We're a week away from Halloween, so let's warm up with The Snoop Sisters, as they infiltrate a Satanic cult in "The Devil Made Me Do It". Flip Wilson, for some reason, wasn't available, so producer Leonard Stern brought in Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible), plus George Maharis (ex-Route 66), Cyril Ritchard, and, in his acting debut, rock legend-to-be Alice Cooper.

Edit, 10/28/26: The video was deleted due to a copyright claim from NBC-Universal. In its place is a short excerpt:

2026 World Series preview

 There are nervous executives at Fox and Major League Baseball, worried about the ratings for this year's World Series even before Friday's first pitch.

Two "small market" teams, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee, two teams who have never won a World title before, will vie for the championship beginning Friday. For the Rays, it's their 3rd Series appearance in the last 13 years. For Milwaukee, it's even longer, 44 years, dating back to when the Brewers were in the American League, and took St. Louis, now a division rival, to 7 games before losing.

Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy has won NL Manager of The Year in his first two seasons as Brewers skipper, and hoping to make it three. The success of the Brew Crew has been building right up to this point. During this series, they'll see a former teammate in Freddy Peralta, who landed in Tampa at the trading deadline. Peralta won ALCS MVP honors after stifling Cleveland in 2 games.

Milwaukee, though, has a Cy Young candidate in Jacob Misiorowski, their 2nd year ace, and NLCS MVP Jake Bauers. They have a mix of vets and young stars like Christian Yelich & Jackson Chourio. They came from behind in every NLCS game vs. the Dodgers to knock the defending champions out.

Tampa Bay needed 6 games to vanquish the Guardians, after sweeping the Yankees out. By Friday, both teams will be well rested, Milwaukee more so than Tampa. That will make all the difference in the world.

Pick: Milwaukee in 7.

Of course, I could be wrong.

There are lines you can't cross. In Ohio, those lines have been crossed

 The race to succeed outgoing Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has fallen into the toxic mud pit of dirty pool.

Failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, endorsed by DeWine, is facing a stiffer than expected challenge from former state medical director Dr. Amy Acton. Ramaswamy has also been endorsed by president Trump, and we all know a Trump endorsement doesn't guarantee success.

So the other day, someone affiliated with Ramaswamy's campaign posted a campaign ad on social media featuring Dr. Acton's estranged mother, who has not spoken to her daughter in nearly 50 years, but went in front of a camera, and claimed Dr. Acton, like the president, is a liar.

Ramaswamy's campaign claims the mom isn't being compensated. If you believe that, well.......!

Republicans, including Governor DeWine, and Democrats alike have blasted the ad, which will be set to air on television locally in Ohio as part of a $4 million campaign. Unfortunately, Ohio native and current vice president, Just Dumb Vance, did a rally the other day, where he rebuked voters for "whining" about the ad. Keep in mind that two years ago, Trump & Vance were running a misinformation campaign in the Buckeye State, falsely claiming Haitian emigres were eating their neighbors' pets. So far, Ramaswamy has taken responsibility for the ad, but won't hand up the staffer who set it up.

The next 12 days will tell us a lot about the reality of Ohio voters. The only reason this ad was even produced in the first place is because Ramaswamy is trailing in current polling, and that makes the GOP nervous. When they resort to stunts like this, their desperation is showing out.

And, on November 3, Vivek will fail again.

Wild West/Weird Wednesdays: Witches Trail (Dusty's Trail, 1974)

 Sherwood Schwartz was obviously obsessed with reviving his 1964-7 sitcom, Gilligan's Island, such that in 1973, he transplanted his concept to the Old West with the syndicated Dusty's Trail, a one year flop.

The only other link was series star Bob Denver, three years removed from The Good Guys, who had the title role as Dusty, every bit the bumbler that Gilligan was. 

In "Witches Trail", Dusty and wagon master Callahan (Forrest Tucker, ex-F-Troop) befriend a young woman on the road, but when things start going screwy, there are suspicions that the lass is a witch.

Country singer Mel Street performed the theme song.

Tucker, of course, would run into more supernatural doings on Ghost Busters during the 1975-6 season.

Sports this 'n' that

 To follow up on something we wrote about last week, wrestler-rapper Max Caster announced on social media he is stepping away from wrestling after the backlash surrounding a pre-match rap 9 days ago. We wish him all the best as he gets his life together.

The Mets gave up on Freddy Peralta at the trading deadline, and shipped him off to Tampa Bay for prospects.

Today, Peralta and the Rays are preparing for the World Series after eliminating Cleveland in 6 games with a 7-3 win Monday. Peralta was named ALCS MVP.

Check the highlights, and see if you agree.

On Friday, the Rays will play Milwaukee, for whom Peralta pitched last year. Hmmmmmmmm. That story writes itself, doesn't it? Of course.

Peralta. though, will be a free agent after the Series. I'd think the Rays have the inside track on retaining, don't you think?

The Los Angeles Rams were supposed to be the favorites to win the Super Bowl after acquiring Myles Garrett, and luring Aaron Donald out of retirement.

The reality? The Rams are chasing undefeated San Francisco, and will be without receiver Davante Adams for up to 10 weeks due to injury. Garrett's been hurt, too, which complicates things even more. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has to get along without quarterback Jalen Hurts for the rest of the regular season, at least, as he recovers from blood clots in his lungs. Yoiks. Washington may have lost receiver Terry McLaurin for the season after he suffered a knee injury Monday vs. San Francisco. As of press time, we don't know the extent of it, but we can guess, at least, that it might be a torn ACL. The last thing the Commanders needed.

For all the blathering about how bad the Dallas Cowboys have played, the root cause of their problems starts right at the top of the food chain with owner/GM Jerry Jones. Jones selfishly is making all the decisions as far as the roster is concerned, and he shouldn't be doing that. The Cowboys will be short on draft picks the next couple of years unless they can trade to get some of those picks back, and that's on Jones' misguided deals. A younger executive is needed to be the GM, but Jones, stubbornly, won't cede power. He thinks he's the 2nd coming of Al Davis, all of a sudden. Until he finally gets a clue, Jones will end up keeping the Cowboys out of the playoffs.

When Icons Meet: Elvira on The Fall Guy (1984)

 From season 4 of The Fall Guy:

Not only does Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) turn up, but so does the Carradine family and Orson Bean (ex-To Tell The Truth), playing an oblivious director on a movie that Elvira and Colt Seavers (Lee Majors) are working on.

And since when does Elvira have powers?

The last time the Carradines had acted together had been about a decade earlier on David's series, Kung Fu.

What Might've Been: Serpico (1976)

 "Those who fail to remember history are condemned to repeat it."---George Santayana.

Hollywood wanted to take advantage of a period in NYPD history in the 70's. The feature film, "The Super Cops", was one thing. Fictionalizing the exploits of real life cops was another.

After ABC & Universal had flopped with Toma, NBC & Paramount decided they wanted a piece of the NYPD action. After Paramount had scored with a biography of Frank Serpico, with Al Pacino in the title role, the studio sold NBC a series, with David Birney (ex-Bridget Loves Bernie) as Serpico.

Unfortunately, viewers weren't interested. Serpico was at the bottom of a powerful Friday lineup, but lost viewers from The Rockford Files. Quincy was spun from the Sunday Mystery Movie wheel in January to take over the slot.

The series hasn't been seen since a late 90's run on TV Land. Following is the episode, "Prime Evil":

Insight Sundays: Dangerous Airs of Amy Clark (1970)

 In 1970, the year 1986 was still far into the future. In "Dangerous Airs of Amy Clark", it's speculated that Earth will be overcome with pollution by 1986. It didn't really happen, of course.

Our cast includes Jane Wyatt (ex-Father Knows Best), Ivor Francis (who would recur on Room 222), William Windom (fresh from My World...And Welcome To It), Hayden Rorke (fresh from I Dream of Jeannie), Chris Connolly (ex-Peyton Place), Heather Young (fresh from Land Of The Giants), and Nicholas Georgiade and Paul Picerni (ex-The Untouchables).

Fantasy Fridays: Masquerade (Thriller, 1961)

 A family of cannibals lures in a couple lost on the road, but there are some unexpected twists and surprises in this season 2 entry from Thriller, hosted, of course, by Boris Karloff. Elizabeth Montgomery, three years before Bewitched, and Tom Poston, long associated with Steve Allen before becoming a panelist on To Tell The Truth, are the "endangered" couple. John Carradine co-stars.

I think there was a similar plot on radio in one of those Magic Castle specials 20 years later that I'm trying to find.

Sports this 'n' that

 44 years.

That's how long it's been since the Milwaukee Brewers were last in the World Series. At the time, the Brewers were in the American League, and fell to current NL Central rival St. Louis in the 1982 Series.

Thursday, the waiting came to an end.

As they had done throughout the NLCS, the Brewers came back to defeat the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, completing a 4 game sweep to advance to the 2026 Series, where they await either Cleveland or Tampa Bay.

Some faces of defeat.

Shohei Ohtani's bat finally came to life, slamming a 3 run homer to give the Dodgers an early 4-0 lead. However, that lead vanished. The Brewers, younger, hungrier in every way, aside from veteran DH Christian Yelich, had outplayed Los Angeles throughout the series. In hindsight, critics will say, Ohtani came too late to save the bid for a 3-peat.

The Dodgers spent a lot of money to upgrade their roster (i.e. Edwin Diaz, Kyle Tucker), and critics will say karma came calling. The only ones who will regret that will be the folks at Fox, who will have the World Series, and will have no large market teams in the Series.

Wrestler-rapper Max Caster resurfaced with TNA at Sunday's Bound For Glory show. He ended up losing to Moose, but it was Caster's pre-match freestyle rap that got him in trouble.

Caster referenced recent attacks in Saudi Arabia, not realizing TNA still has a business arrangement with WWE. On Monday, Caster was dropped from the TNA roster, just days after signing.

Maybe he should've been paying attention to those lame Allstate commercials......

For the 2nd straight week, there was talk that president Trump would attend a football game. 

Last week, Trump backed out of the Georgia-Alabama game due to weather. This week, there were reports he would attend the game between the winless Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nope, that ain't happening, either.

He's better served watching the game at the White House. Keep him away from the ketchup.

The execution will not be televised........

 10 days ago, Secretary of No Defense Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon would livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan on December 3, more than 17 years after the attack.

For once, president Trump decided, no, that ain't happening.

Trump also admitted that he was not aware that Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his gun battle in 2009 that led to his arrest. The logic, then, you would figure, is that the firing squad won't have a standing target.

So why not switch to a lethal injection?

Hegseth is a clout chasing moron, that's why. He's got it in his tiny brain that the US needed to send a message to discourage any more mass shooters. Hasan had served in the military himself, and the execution would be the first of a US soldier, active or not, since World War II, and the first execution via firing squad in 65 years.

Trump is taking this stand, less than three weeks from the midterm elections, in an effort to help the GOP retain control of Congress, if at all possible, since the livestream of the execution reportedly is not a popular choice.

That said, we'll see if he changes his tune come November 4, after the midterms.

Weird Wednesdays: The Standells visit the Munsters (1965)

 From season 1 of The Munsters: 

The Standells, famous for "Dirty Water", do indeed pay a visit, as Herman (Fred Gwynne) is persuaded to lease the house to the band........

Unfortunately, the Standells were a 1-hit wonder......

I think we know how Dumb Donald picks his press secretaries.........

 After Karoline Leavitt resigned as White House press secretary, and subsequently went on maternity leave, Dumb Donald needed a new shill. Unfortunately, he should've had her rehearse before her first live briefing.

Katie Zacharia made her debut with a 14 minute press briefing Tuesday, and, unfortunately, not only was she caught unprepared, but she was so much more of a deer in the headlights than even Leavitt or Kayleigh McEnany (now with Fox No News). Zacharia is another former Fox No News talent, just like Pete Hegseth & Jeanine Pirro. Trump wants a female press secretary who is telegenic and attractive. It's that simple.

The panel on The View weigh in:

Already, as Whoopi Goldberg suggested, there are rumors that Zacharia may not be long for her new role. The common sense thing to do would've been to have someone coach Zacharia on how to present herself before Tuesday, but did Dumb Donald think of that? Hmmmmmmmm, wellllllllll, of course not. Trump is allergic to common sense.

Hope you survive the experience, Katie, that's all we can say.

Musical Interlude: One Less Bell to Answer (1970)

 From season 3 of It Takes a Thief:

The 5th Dimension are the musical guests, and the episode closes with a rendition of "One Less Bell to Answer". Marilyn McCoo not only sings, but, as you can see, she is also on guitar.

So a candidate is sick with the flu. You'd think the GOP would remember 2020, but.............

 "Those who fail to remember history are condemned to repeat it."-George Santayana.

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is back out on the campaign trail, with fresh ads airing nationwide, but his recent bout with the flu became a cudgel for his Republican challenger, scandal scarred AG Ken'L Ration Paxton, who is questioning the legitimacy of Talarico's illness.

He'd have better luck questioning the legitimacy of his party boss, president Pampers.

It's gotten to the point where Donald Trump and one of his chief advisors, Stephen Miller, are also calling into question why Talarico was "hiding".

A shameless geek.

Miller, for his part, per MSN, was demanding Talarico's medical records, which prompted people on social media to clap back, since Trump has refused to disclose his true medical records and condition. Conservative shitstains Rhein Amacher and Nick Sortor falsely claimed Talarico had gone to an Ohio mental health clinic, the Lindner Center of Hope, which denied the claim, as did Talarico.

If any of this sounds remotely familiar, think back to 2020 and COVID.

Joe Biden was not taking any chances going out on the trail, and remained at home in Delaware, but Trump accused him of "hiding".  As everyone knows now, Trump lost the election, but has refused to publicly admit it since then, falsely claiming fraud when his own bumbling response to the pandemic was what cost him the White House.

What this says is that the GOP is that scared that Paxton will lose with just over 3 weeks to Election Day. Paxton is so desperate, he asked his daughter to appear in an attack ad against Talarico that is also airing nationwide. The smears won't end, but they will be playing a part in costing Paxton the election.

Paxton, Trump, Miller, and others pretend to be Christians. Talarico is a legitimate Christian, and making them look real bad. They can't have that. Unfortunately, reality's about to lay the smack down on them again.

Down to the final four: 2026 LCS preview

 There won't be any further, ah, divine intervention in these playoffs. Maybe.

Cleveland eliminated the Chicago White Sox with a 2-0 win Saturday night to earn a shot at reaching the World Series for the first time in 10 years by facing Tampa Bay. Tonight, however, the NLCS begins (8 pm, Fox) with Milwaukee facing defending champion Los Angeles.

National League:

Milwaukee vs. Los Angeles.

If the Dodgers want to be the first NL team to 3-peat, they have to go through the Brewers. Shohei Ohtani hasn't been as big a factor as he was last year, but the depth the Dodgers have is more than enough, with the likes of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, et al, backing up Ohtani. Los Angeles and their all-star pitching rotation will be just fine. For the Brew Crew. It's wait 'til next year. Again.

Pick: Los Angeles in 5.

American League:

Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay.

The Rays have had nearly a week's rest after sweeping the Yankees. The Guardians get just one day between last night's win and game 1 tomorrow (TBS). Momentum is on their side, but it's a case of who is hungrier. Sometimes, you just have to play the hot hand.

Pick: Cleveland in 6.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Post-season record: 5-3.

On The Shelf: A cable legend makes his comics debut, and a franchise returns

 News first, then reviews.

Dynamite has a trifecta of new books out in December, in time for the holidays, and that's not including the predictable holiday specials for Red Sonja, Vampirella, & Gargoyles. More on the latter in a bit.

Vampirella also stars in a new crossover miniseries with Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, the latest collaboration between Dynamite & Archie. The two share a beach house while Sabrina's on vacation, and there's trouble afoot. Can a part-witch and an alien vampire co-exist without driving each other crazy?

Cable legend Joe Bob Briggs, who's also done time on radio with his drive-in movie reviews back in the day, stars in his own miniseries, written by David Avallone. Joe's sidekick, Darcy, must've joined him when he debuted on Shudder 8 years ago. If you haven't seen Joe on TV, well, now you'll have some idea about what he looks like.

Finally, it's the comics return of The X-Files. We're bummed that Charles Adlard, who drew the original series for Topps 30 years ago, didn't come back this time. Don't expect this to be an ongoing, but, rather, another miniseries.

Dynamite is launching another crossover with Archie, arriving this week, by having The Terminator visit Riverdale. The publisher is also doing a facsimile reprint of the first-ever issue of Evil Ernie from the 90's, also in December.

Now, on to the reviews.

Speaking of Gargoyles, the series relaunches with writer-creator Greg Weisman having Goliath deputized by the NYPD while pursuing a gargoyle egg stolen by Demona. So, of course, the rest of the clan joins in. We'll see if Weisman gets a year out of this.

Rating: Incomplete.

Cheetara gets her own book again, this time meant to be an ongoing. The writers are veering too close to the supernatural elements for my tastes. With Greg Pak taking over a relaunched ThunderCats, this may be a jumping off point for some readers. I'm just not feeling this.

Rating: C.

Over the summer, IDW acquired Zorro from American Mythology, and gave Howard Chaykin a 3 part miniseries to write. A decent tale of Zorro fighting a battle against a duplicitous Irishman both as Don Diego and Zorro. Chaykin did everything but put Diego in bed with the pirate princess fighting alongside him.....!

Rating: B-.

Also from IDW is Zorro's Legacy, written by Dan Abnett, with the first two issues drawn by Aaron Lopresti. A fill-in covered issue 3. Yep, another attempt at modernizing the hero for today's audience. No indication this will be an ongoing, which is being cautious.

Rating: B.

So why is Space Ghost fighting The Herculoids? Chalk it up to the manipulations of an old enemy of his. The conflict will resolve around the 4th issue, and the villain gets a royal whupping.

Rating: B+.

Jason Aaron wrapped his Thundarr The Barbarian time travel miniseries with the predictable tropes, but also giving fans something they've waited 45 years for in the final panel, and if you don't know what I mean, you haven't paid attention to the series at all.

Final rating: B+.

Greg Pak is also responsible for Marvel's latest Planet of The Apes miniseries, which has a lone Predator on the planet. I didn't think they'd do worse than the miniseries with the Fantastic Four earlier this year, but they have. Decent art saves this from being a total bore.

Rating: B--.

Family/Fantasy Fridays: Herman The Rookie (The Munsters, 1965)

 From season 1 of The Munsters:

Leo Durocher appears as himself in this entry. Trying to teach Eddie how to hit, Herman (Fred Gwynne) hits a ball that goes 8 blocks from the community park to downtown, where it hits Durocher in the head. Durocher needs a power hitter, and he may have just found one in "Herman The Rookie". Directed by Jerry Paris (The Dick Van Dyke Show).

More examples of GOP stupidity

 Today, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to human rights lawyer Navi Pillay of South Africa. A certain sore loser in Washington was making last minute appeals to be given the prize, but, of course, came up short. If only because he was lying about his accomplishments......

"WAAAAHHH! I ended 8 wars! I am a hero! WAAAAAHHH!"

No, you're not, and never have been, Orange Pinocchio. You haven't stopped anything in terms of wars. The only stop you've made of late, aside from your lame-ass rallies, is at the nearest McDonald's for 6 double cheeseburgers.

The man doesn't get it, and doesn't want to get it. His ego & megalomania get in the way of reality, creating an ongoing delusional quasi-reality where he's beloved, if only by the voices in his head.

We're also learning that the Department of Injustice, under Todd "Bleached" Blanche, wants to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on (false) charges of perjury before Congress after she testified four years ago. Another vindictive, petty, improper prosecution that won't go anywhere. Should the Democrats sweep Congress next month, color Blanche gone via impeachment.

The Democrats are already talking impeachment as it relates to Defenseless Secretary Pete Hegseth. Better Petey Eggs gets taken down before they even think about going after Orange Pinocchio again.

Petey Eggs, though, announced that the Pentagon will livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, who shot up Fort Hood a while back. He is set to be executed via firing squad on December 3.

Why a livestream? Not so much for people's morbid curiosity, but as a show of the administration's so-called "strength". I wouldn't be surprised if Hasan's lawyers make an appeal before December 3. Hegseth and the rest of the idiot squad want to scare anyone out of trying anything like Hasan, but this is the wrong way to go about it.

I'd sooner trust the next generation of Marx Brothers to lead the country instead of these clowns.

Musical Interlude: The Ghost in You (1984)

 England's Psychadelic Furs missed the Top 40 with 1984's "The Ghost in You". No supernatural elements in the lyrics, so it's not classified as "Spook Rock".

Weasel of The Week: John Doe

 This morning, the Yankees are packing up their gear and heading home after losing their ALDS to Tampa Bay, 3 games to 0, following a 4-3 loss Wednesday night. 

But, who's to blame? The Yankee offense finally showed up, and kept pace with the Rays.

As we're about to see, however, some dimbulb ruined the game for the Bombers. Brian Anderson & Jeff Francoeur on the call.

I get it. This clown wanted the ball in the worst way, but he should've kept his hands behind the boundary, and let it come to him. He exacerbated the situation by taunting Tampa left fielder Victor Mesa, Jr., who had homered earlier to put the Rays up for good, before celebrating with a friend.

30 years ago, Jeffrey Maier got away with one, in effect screwing over Baltimore. There've been others since, most infamously Steve Bartman in Chicago in 2003. Let the ball come to you. Don't reach out.  Unfortunately, too many of these folks disregard common sense, and our anonymous Weasel may find himself locked out of Yankee Stadium next year and beyond.

Tampa Bay, a 4-3 winner, awaits the winner of the Cleveland-Chicago White Sox series, which the Pale Hose lead, 2-1, heading into tonight's game (8 pm, TBS, HBO Max).

There's no more trying to hide it. Donald Trump has lost his mind

 You've heard about the Cornell rape case by now, how 7 students, two of whom have since been expelled, had gang raped a young woman. The victim went to university administration, which did exactly nothing.

Earlier this week, Gov. Kathy Hochul named AG Letitia James as a special prosecutor for the case. That set off alarm bells in the tiny mind of president Trump, who is whining that the perps won't get a fair shake with James.

Oh, really? Just because she nailed your sorry butt, doesn't mean she would win this case. You're already tainting the jury pool with your useless meddling & whining.

Farron Cousins sounds off on Orange Beavis' latest tantrum.......

This, on top of remarks made in Nebraska on Monday, where Trump insinuated he would let Iran bomb Los Angeles & San Diego, remarks the administration is trying to spin as a morbid joke. Trump wouldn't know a punchline from a serving line at Denny's.

The man is 80 years of age. Men at that age sometimes say things they would regret because they're not in total control of their cognitive functions. For Trump, it's just another day. And that's a mistake, too.

Now the president wants the media.......arrested? This, and other stupid ideas.....

 Donald John Pinocchio Trump is 80 years old, and it is showing. His marks don't care, because they're too far gone into the delusion of his being a tough "leader".

No rational man of his age would say this, though......

Trump is referring to a rally at a high school gym in Ohio where there were legitimately plenty of empty seats, but he claimed people were moving from the balcony to the floor or something along those lines. He just can't accept the fact that people are tired of his rhetoric and his act. He's the one lying, not the New York Times and other media outlets. Trump thinks he's popular, but his "popularity" is fading. And it's his own fault.

Oh, but that ain't all.

Monday brought reports that the Dept. of Injustice, under Todd "Bleached" Blanche, wants to reopen the Watergate case, because a former prosecutor now claims the then-DOJ committed misconduct.

Now, that's going waaaaaaaaaaay too far. And this snipe hunt ain't going anywhere.

For Trump to demand the "arrest" of media outlets prompts those same outlets and others to make comparisons to Hitler-era Germany. The reality is you have an 80 year old egomaniac who has lost his mind, and no one is willing to try to steer him back to reality. This is why people are demanding that the entire administration needs to be replaced.

Worse, Trump plans to be in Syracuse to campaign for one of his dittoheads, Bruce Blakeman.

Bellevue will be waiting.

The philosophy of politicians explained......by the Addams Family (1964)

 From season 1 of The Addams Family:

Gomez (John Astin) throws his support behind a city council candidate. He also shows Morticia (Carolyn Jones) how the family has had a history of supporting losing candidates. Pay attention to what he says about politicians, who say one thing, and do another. Kind of like today's GOP.....

Sports this 'n' that

 After being eliminated by Atlanta on Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies announced on Friday that Don Mattingly will not return as manager in 2027. Instead, "Donnie Baseball", as he was known when he played with the Yankees, will take on an advisory role, and join son Preston in the administrative wing, if you will, with the Phils.

Let the hunt for a new manager begin.

Earlier today, the Milwaukee Brewers were looking at possibly seeing their NLDS series tied at 1 heading to San Diego on Tuesday.

Jackson Chourio had other ideas against Padres closer Mason Miller......

With the 4-3 win, the Brewers could close out San Diego at Petco on Tuesday night, and Miller, 40+ pitches deep, might not be available for that game.

When NFL play began today, 5 teams were undefeated.

The number is now down to 3.

New England defeated Buffalo to knock the Bills out of the unbeaten ranks. Then. a short time ago, Kansas City rallied to defeat Las Vegas, 30-27, staving off a late Raider rally. Las Vegas was gifted a first down on a catch that really wasn't, but the Raiders rushed to the line of scrimmage, and spiked the ball to avoid a replay review, which certainly would've gone against them. Kansas City coach Andy Reid is fortunate not to risk a coronary, he was so upset. An interception on the next play sealed the game for the Chiefs.

Don't look now, but the Giants are all alone in first place in the NFC East after beating Arizona while the LA Rams took down Philadelphia. Big Blue next plays Washington, a 30-13 loser to Indianapolis in England earlier today.

Word has come across the wires that the world's worst sports fan, president Trump, will travel to Tuscaloosa to see Alabama play next Saturday. ESPN's College GameDay will bring their circus to Tuscaloosa as well, and folks might be a little salty about that.

Stay tuned.

Insight Sundays: Incident on Danker Street (1970)

 This installment of Insight takes a look at the relationships between police and the African American community in 1970. The cast includes Gail Fisher (Mannix), Beau Bridges, Andrew Duggan (Lancer), Malachi Throne (Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp), and Hilly Hicks.

Cinema Saturdays: Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988)

Bonanza had long ended production for more than 15 years before series creator David Dortort was contacted by NBC about a TV-movie to revive the franchise.

Small problem. Lorne Greene had passed on before production began on the movie. Michael Landon, David Canary, & Pernell Roberts either had passed on the project (Landon was working on Highway to Heaven at the time, and Canary, I think, had moved on to daytime soaps such as All My Children), or were not approached. Dortort & his staff stupidly passed on Dan Blocker's son, Dirk (ex-Black Sheep Squadron), who could've filled his father's 10 gallon hat with ease.

John Ireland was cast as Ben Cartwright's previously unseen brother, Aaron, a seaman by trade. Landon's son, Michael, Jr., plays Little Joe's son. Our cast also includes Barbara Anderson (ex-Ironside), Robert Fuller (ex-Laramie, Wagon Train, Emergency!), Peter Mark Richman (ex-Cain's Hundred), and John Amos (ex-Good Times, The Mary Tyler Moore Show).

Now, saddle up for "Bonanza: The Next Generation" (italics mine):

The younger Landon was the only one to return for "Bonanza: The Return" 5 years later.

MLB Division Series preview 2026

 Now, the fun really starts.

On Saturday, the Division Series begin in earnest, pulling viewers away from college football, to be sure. Momentum is on the side of the Wild Card winners, but it can also be a fickle mistress...........

American League:

Yankees @ Tampa Bay: The Rays won 7 of 13 from the Bombers in the regular season. While Tampa Bay has had 5 days rest, opposite the Yankees' 2, the Yanks are hot right now. Whether or not they'll get Aaron Judge back remains to be seen as of press time.

Still, it's a 5 game series instead of best of 3, and that will favor the Yankees.

Pick: Yankees in 5.

Chicago @ Cleveland: The Guardians & White Sox jockeyed for first place all summer before Cleveland claimed the division. And, then, there is that small matter of the White Sox getting some blessings from the Vatican, and......!

Pick: Chicago in 5.

National League:

San Diego @ Milwaukee: Can the Padres sustain their current hot streak? Milwaukee, like Tampa Bay & Cleveland, has had 5 days rest, and while I doubt very seriously manager Pat Murphy will win Manager of the Year again, he will have the Brewers ready. Besides, we do need some fresh blood come the LCS.

Pick: Milwaukee in 5.

Atlanta @ Los Angeles: The Braves dismissed Philadelphia on Thursday night, as the Phillies' attempt to have Zack Wheeler piggyback behind Aaron Nola failed spectacularly. Try to watch the highlight video on YouTube, and you'll have trouble hearing the commentary. Atlanta used their ace, Chris Sale, as a closer Thursday, which sealed the Phillies' fate.

But against the defending champs? It may not matter.

Pick: Los Angeles in 4.

Of course, I could be wrong. 

Wild Card record: 3-1.

Remember the Nestea Plunge? (1970's)

 Nestle found a novel way to promote Nestea back in the 70's.

The idea was for someone to take a sip, and then fall into the water. The gimmick was known as the Nestea plunge.

In this 1977 spot, Brodie Greer (CHiPs) and Barry Van Dyke take the plunge.

Thanks for coming: three wild card series end in sweeps

 Man, that was quick.

Boston, Houston, & the Chicago Cubs were all swept out of the playoffs Wednesday, leaving Atlanta & Philadelphia to decide who gets to play the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the division round.

The Phillies forced a deciding game with a late rally against the Braves' bullpen. Kyle Schwarber & Bryce Harper homered in the 8th, and Alec Bohm added an opposite field shot in the 10th, to give the "Fightin' Phils" a 4-3 win. Game 3 is tonight at 8 pm (NBC/Peacock).

The Chicago White Sox, blessed via a letter from Pope Leo, eliminated Houston,7-3. There are rumors the Astros could move on from manager Joe Espada after 3 seasons, including 2 division titles.

The Yankees dismissed Boston, 9-2, proving they can win without star slugger Aaron Judge.

San Diego downed the Cubs, 4-1, so if TBS & Fox were hoping to get big numbers if the Cubs and their MVP candidate, Pete Crow-Armstrong, advanced, it's not happening.

At least the Padres know where they're going. They'll play Milwaukee in the division round. In the AL, it'll be another East clash between the Yanks and Tampa Bay, while Chicago will play Central rival Cleveland.

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf joked that he might actually convert to Catholicism, amused by the letter from the Pope. Well, at least we know who they're rooting for at the Vatican.......