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.

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.

Gene Shalit (1926-2026)

 He was America's most famous film critic, until Chicago's Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel got their own show. A bushy mustache, with an afro to match, made Gene Shalit a television icon for nearly 40 years on The Today Show, starting around 1972.

Shalit didn't just do movie reviews. He also conducted interviews with actors whose films he'd review, such as, in this case, a 1981 interview with Liza Minelli, who was promoting "Arthur":

Shalit parlayed his fame on Today into appearances on game shows such as What's My Line? & To Tell The Truth, and was parodied by the likes of Eugene Levy (SCTV), and Horatio Sanz (Saturday Night Live). His likeness also turned up in animated form via The Critic and Family Guy.

Rest in peace.

Sports this 'n' that

 In the run-up to tonight's Backlash PLE on the ESPN app (the 1st hour will be simulcast on ESPN2), various WWE personalities have appeared on ESPN programming.

Perhaps the biggest impact on sports outside WWE came from Long Island native Paul Heyman. Heyman, beloved in Philadelphia as the mastermind behind Extreme Championship Wrestling, threw his support behind his hometown Knicks in the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals, and warned the 76ers that "their season was already over". It might've seemed like typical bluster from Heyman, with the Knicks already up, 2-0, when he made this statement, but, as of today, he might actually be right, after the Knicks won again on Friday to go up, 3-0.

Your move, Philadelphia.

It has not been a good week off the field for the Atlanta Braves.

First, former announcer John Sterling, who later became an icon as the radio voice of the Yankees, had passed away, followed by former owner Ted Turner on Wednesday. Now comes word that Bobby Cox, who served two stints as manager (1977-81, 1985-2010), with a run in Toronto in between, winning 5 National League titles, 14 division titles, and the 1995 World Series, has passed at 84.

MLB has produced this video obituary, narrated by Matt Vasgersian:

There is also mourning in Pittsburgh, as former player & coach Bob Skinner passed away mid-week at 95. I never saw him play, but he served as a coach for managers Bill Virdon & Jim Leyland for several seasons.

Rest in peace, gentlemen.

Two titans of television news have left the studio for Heaven

 Many of us living in the 518 grew up with investigative reporter John McLaughlin, first on WTEN, then, at the end of his career, at WNYT. McLaughlin, a graduate of LaSalle Institute in Troy and Siena, began his career in print journalism at the Troy Record, back when it was a respectable newspaper, in the mid-60's, before moving permanently to television around 1972.

During his 40+ years at WTEN, McLaughlin served as a co-host for the annual Cerebral Palsy telethon, and hosted a pair of public affairs programs that usually aired on Sunday mornings.

WTEN morning co-anchor Christina Arangio looks back at McLaughlin's career, queued up by afternoon co-anchors Lydia Kulbida & John Gray.

McLaughlin passed away at 83. His last gig was doing radio ads for a local business a few years ago.

CNN founding father Robert E. "Ted" Turner has also passed away.

Turner launched CNN in the summer of 1980, and watched it evolve, or, maybe as of today, devolve. Turner also owned the Atlanta Braves & Hawks during the 80's and part of the 90's, and even took a chance on being the 1st owner since Connie Mack to double as manager, but that didn't last. Ultimately, Turner sold CNN, Cartoon Network, and the rest of his television empire, to Time-Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery, and soon to be Paramount-Warner, barring any last minute miracles), in the mid-90's. Turner's biggest contribution to children's television was the launch of Captain Planet on TBS and in syndication in the 90's.

Wrestling fans will recall that Turner enabled Eric Bischoff to open World Championship Wrestling's bankroll to better compete with the now-WWE. This lasted for 3 years before WWE took over and defeated WCW, buying out the rival in 2001.

Turner was 87.

Rest in peace, gentlemen.

A tale of two New Yorkers

 One became a cherished sports icon upon returning home, and finished his career at the end of 2024. The other should've stayed retired when he had the chance, and now is fighting for his life.

John Sterling, the radio voice of the Yankees from 1989-2024, and host for several Old Timers Day events at Yankee Stadium, as well as the host-narrator of Yankeeography on the YES Network, has passed away at 87. Sterling had previously called games on TBS for the Atlanta Braves & Hawks, the latter when WTBS carried their games. In the course of his career, Sterling also called some NHL games, as well as college football, and if memory serves, his last college football broadcast was also on YES a few years ago.

MLB Network offers this retrospective.

And, then, there is America's Disgrace, Rudy Giuliani.

The former mayor, attorney, and chief sycophant to Donald Trump was admitted to a hospital Sunday, but spokesman Ted Goodman would only divulge that Giuliani was in stable, but critical, condition, leaving everyone in the dark about Giuliani's actual condition.

Update, 4:08 pm (ET): Goodman announced today that Giuliani is in the hospital to be treated for pneumonia.

Trump didn't exactly help the cause by blaming left wingers for Giuliani's condition in a post on Truthless Social in the last 24 hours. Giuliani gave up what dignity he had left by casting his lot with Trump during the 2020 election, amplifying false claims of election fraud, which Trump is still whining about 5 1/2 years later. When Giuliani began appearing on TV again about a decade ago, you could already see that his best years were behind him. But if he thought Trump would help him with his legal bills, well, he should've known that Trump is the biggest cheapskate this side of Jack Benny's radio-TV persona.

I've a feeling Giuliani may soon join Sterling in the afterlife. The Yankees, to be sure, will memorialize Sterling themselves, just as they have for other broadcasters in their employ.

Rest in peace, John.

Sports this 'n' that

 Once again, Donald Trump is meddling where he doesn't belong.

This time, it's college sports, particularly football.

On April 3, Trump signed an executive order, directing the government to improve collegiate rules as it relates to eligibility, pay-for-play, and, most importantly, the transfer portal. At the same time, the oldest bully in America is threatening schools with loss of federal funding if they do not comply.

The order is set to take effect August 1, right before the start of football season. Included in the order:

Restoring the transfer system to its original model. Apparently, Trump, like a lot of fans, is sick of the transfer portal being used after football & basketball seasons.

"Five for five eligibility". Translated, athletes would have no more than 5 years to fulfill their eligibility requirements.

In other words, Trump wants to force the NCAA to go back to its outdated system. The current system, it seems, confuses Trump. Then again, he's easily confused for a man his age. Progress of any kind, whether it's in sports or in society, offends him.

Well, we've got two words for you, Dumb Donald.

Pound sand.

At the end of the week, the Mets will see an old friend in a visiting uniform for the first time this season.

Jeff McNeil is already in town with the Sacramento A's, as they're playing the Yankees before going across town to Citi Field on Friday. McNeil went 2-3 with a walk & a run scored in a 5-3 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday.

The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are mourning the passing of one of their icons of the 70's.

Davey Lopes was part of the fabled Dodger infield during the 70's and early 80's. Lopes spent the last few years as a coach with the Dodgers & Washington before passing away Tuesday at 80.

Once the Dodgers get back from their road trip, if it hasn't happened already, they'll likely add a patch with Lopes' #15 to honor him.

I don't think it surprises anyone that CarShield's national ad campaign with former major leaguer and MLB Network analyst Eric Byrnes is turning off a lot of people, due to Byrnes' over the top delivery.

Wrestling legend Ric Flair, on his 2nd tour of duty with CarShield, appears at the end of a couple of the ads in a broadcast booth, headset and all. We prefer rapper-actor Ice T (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) over Byrnes any day of the week.

MLB teams are using either active players, like the Yankees' JC Escarra & Oswaldo Cabrera, or retired stars, like Howard Johnson, representing the Mets, in localized ads.

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.

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.

Sports this 'n' that

 Later this morning, the US & Canada will play for the gold medal in men's hockey, three days after the US women went to overtime to defeat Canada to claim gold. The American men have not won gold at the Olympics since the "Miracle on Ice" team 46 years ago in Lake Placid.

And as for how the women completed an undefeated tournament......

NBC is confining their Olympic videos to their YouTube channel. We thank Team USA for making theirs available.

Kenny Albert, who otherwise works for TNT & the Rangers, will be on the call. Finland blew away Slovakia, 6-1, to claim the bronze on Saturday.

MLB Network quietly hired Eduardo Perez away from ESPN to be one of the anchors for their new morning show, Leadoff Spot. With Karl Ravech busy with college basketball on ESPN, it appears that David Cone could wind up exclusive to the Yankees this season.

Former Houston manager/coach Bo Porter made his broadcasting debut calling the Andre Dawson Classic on MLB Network Saturday. Did a decent job. We'll see if he turns up on MLB Tonight this season.

Earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced the passings of two members of their 1960 World Series team, one of whom had ties to the 518.

Relief pitcher Elroy Face, 97, was a native of Stephentown, one of those rare players from our district that made it to the big time. On Saturday, Bill Mazeroski, who won the Series with a homer in game 7, passed away at 89.

And, then, we learned this morning that Rondale Moore, a 2021 draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals as a wide receiver, has passed away at 25. Moore spent three seasons with Arizona before being traded to Atlanta, but missed the last two seasons with knee injuries. He would've played with Minnesota last season.

Rest in peace, gentlemen.

Three more pass on

 'Tis the season to be jolly, with 8 days to Christmas, but it also 'tis the season to be mourning.

Lost amidst the media coverage of the death of actor-filmmaker Rob Reiner, singer Carl Carlton had passed away on Sunday as well. Carlton's biggest hit was 1974's "Everlasting Love", but after "She's a Bad Mama Jamma", Carlton disappeared from the charts. He passed away on Sunday at 72.

Texas singer-songwriter Joe Ely was a regular guest on PBS' Austin City Limits, such as this 1979 performance:

Ely, 78, had collaborated with a diverse number of artists, including Bruce Springsteen, the Clash, & Jimmie Dale Gilmore. He passed after suffering from Lewy's Body disease.

Finally, Gil Gerard, 82, who brought Buck Rogers to life in 1979 for a 2 season run, died Tuesday due to complications from cancer. His 3rd wife, Janet, posted a message on social media. In addition to Buck Rogers, Gerard's resume includes a stint on the daytime soap, The Doctors, and guest appearances on shows such as Hawaii Five-0, Days of Our Lives, Brotherly Love, and Pacific Blue. His last starring series was 1986's Sidekicks.

Rest in peace.

Three days of tragedy

 The body count continues to rise in Australia, where a mass shooting took place over the weekend with an antisemitic bent. More than 15 people have died, including one of the shooters. The other is in custody.

Back at home, Brown University was rocked with a shooting on Saturday where three people were killed. A person of interest in the case was brought in, then released. No motive yet on this one.

On Sunday, actor-filmmaker Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michelle, 68, a producer and photographer, were killed, allegedly by Reiner's son, Nick, 32, who is in custody, with bail set at $4 million.

Reiner was a writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and that led to him and cast member Leigh French appearing on Gomer Pyle, USMC, during that series' final season. While on All in The Family, Reiner also took time to write episodes of ABC's short-lived sitcom, The Super, starring Richard Castellano. In 1976, Reiner, with then-wife Penny Marshall (Laverne & Shirley), appeared on his father Carl's short-lived series, Good Heavens, also for ABC.

Reiner's greatest success was behind the camera as a director, helming films as diverse as "This is Spinal Tap", "Stand by Me", "When Harry Met Sally", and "A Few Good Men". More recently, he'd returned to acting in front of the camera in Hulu's The Bear, and in the recent "Spinal Tap" sequel.

The panel on The View reflect on Reiner and the other tragedies. Ana Navarro sounds off on a certain narcissist who mocked Reiner......

But, that's not all, folks.

Word came across the wires in the last hour that daytime icon Anthony Geary, 78, had passed away in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he'd relocated after retiring from television a few years ago.

Geary made his television debut on Room 222, and would later appear with Reiner on All in The Family, then transitioned to daytime in Bright Promise, and The Young & The Restless before reuniting with Promise head writer Gloria Monty, who created the character of Luke Spencer for Geary in 1979 on General Hospital. Geary would remain with the show, taking lengthy periods off, until retiring in 2017. Geary's appearance on Family was included on an LP compilation of material from the show, released by Atlantic Records, and, likely, out of print.

Rest in peace.

Robert Redford (1936-2025)

 You know most of the movies. "Tell Them Willie Boy is Here". "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid". "The Sting". "All The President's Men". "The Way We Were". "Jeremiah Johnson". "The Natural". "The Candidate". 

That just scratches the surface of a 60 year acting career for Robert Redford, who passed away earlier this week at 89. A triple threat as an actor, producer, and director, Redford was very much a part of the fabric of Hollywood for six decades, his last film being a cameo in "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019.

As with most actors of his generation, Redford started off in television, appearing on such shows as Tate, The Deputy, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The New Breed. It was "Butch Cassidy", released in 1969, that made him a superstar, paired with Paul Newman. The two would team again four years later for "The Sting". Redford also proved he could do comedy, in films such as "Indecent Proposal". "The Way We Were", co-starring Barbra Streisand, was partially shot in Saratoga, and garnered quite a bit of media attention, which might explain in part why local news anchor Ernie Tetrault merited a quick cameo in 1992's "Sneakers", in which Redford co-starred with Ben Kingsley, James Earl Jones, and Dan Aykroyd.

Amazingly, Redford's appearance on The New Breed was left off his Wikipedia page. Here's "Lady Killer":

Personally, I'd seen him in "Endgame", "All The President's Men", "Sneakers", and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".

Rest in peace.

Hulk Hogan (1953-2025)

 It was reported earlier this morning that wrestler-actor-musician Hulk Hogan (Birth name Terry Bollea) had passed away at the age of 71, just weeks shy of his 72nd birthday.

Hogan made his debut in what is now WWE in 1979 as a rulebreaker (heel in wrestling parlance), under the management of Fred Blassie. This first stint culminated in Hogan's first high profile match vs. Andre The Giant at Shea Stadium in the summer of 1980. Hogan had earlier worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, and appeared as Sterling Golden on Georgia Championship Wrestling, then moving on to Memphis to work for the Jarrett family.

After a successful tour of Japan in 1981, Hogan signed with the American Wrestling Association, and, after a short heel run managed by Johnny Valiant (who'd later return to WWE himself), Hogan became a babyface, a role he'd play for the next 15 years. Hogan returned to WWE in the winter of 1983-4, and unseated the Iron Sheik in January 1984 to win the WWE title for the first time.

During his 2nd run in WWE, and, before that, while with the AWA, Hogan took up acting, making his screen debut in "Rocky III", where he met Mr. T, whose co-star role in the film led directly to The A-Team the following winter. During season 4 of A-Team, Hogan made two appearances as himself on the show. Following is a clip from one of the two episodes.

Everyone knows the rest of Hogan's wrestling story, as he'd revitalize his career in WCW (1994-2000), including co-founding the New World Order. Hogan appeared in the movies as well, in cameo appearances in "Gremlins 2: The New Batch", "Spy Hard", and having a supporting role in "3 Ninjas: High Noon on Ninja Mountain". Vince McMahon managed to land him some lead roles, but "No Holds Barred", designed to segue to a pay-per-view card, was the only one to actually be considered a hit. "Suburban Commando", with Shelley Duvall & Christopher Lloyd, plus an appearance by Mark Calaway (Undertaker) as a different character, and "Mr. Nanny" were less successful.

The darker side of Hogan emerged in recent years. WWE rescinded his initial Hall of Fame induction in 2015 after it'd gotten out he'd made some racist remarks. He'd be reinducted as a member of the NWO a few years later. His support of current president Donald Trump soured fans on Hogan, such that when he returned to WWE one final time in January to mark the promotion's debut on Netflix, he was booed out of the building in Los Angeles.

Hogan would launch Real American Beer, which sponsored Arena Football 1, and WWE, and was set to kick off Real American Freestyle Wrestling, which will have its first show at the end of August, but without Hogan, leaving Eric Bischoff to try to run things by himself.

WWE will likely honor Hogan tomorrow on Smackdown. TNA will also give some time on Impact tonight.

Rest in peace.

Sports this 'n' that

 "Make a mistake, and we own you."---Kevin Kernan on the Mets, April 2015.

It's still true now, 10 years later.

As the Mets prep for a weekend wraparound road trip to Washington, they sit in first place in the NL East, 5 games clear of the Philadelphia Phillies after sweeping the Phils Wednesday afternoon in 10 innings, 4-3, finishing a 7-0 homestand. Carlos Mendoza's club is 12-1 at home, Citi Field is packed at night, maybe not so much for mid-week matinees for now, and they've got reinforcements coming, with reports that injured regulars Jeff McNeil & Francisco Alvarez could be activated in time for Friday night's game at Washington.

Brett Baty, learning how to play 2nd base as he goes, slammed a 2 run homer off Zack Wheeler early, but Philadelphia came back to tie the game, forcing extra innings. Baty could end up heading to Syracuse to make room for McNeil, but we'll know in 24 hours time.

Check the video.

The teams will meet in Philadelphia in June, but while things could be different then, the Mets have to be wary of the 4th place Nationals. New York sports a 7-2 record in the NL East, but.....

It's still early.

===================================================

Two passings to report.

Sportscaster Mike Patrick, the original play by play voice of Sunday Night Football when it aired on ESPN, passed away at 80. Patrick also called college basketball & football for the network, and was a beloved announcer.

Other than Phil Rizzuto and Harry Caray, no one got more mileage out of "Holy cow!" than Patrick.

Just hours after being placed in hospice care, NFL Hall of Famer Steve "Mongo" McMichael, a vital part of Buddy Ryan's "46" defense with the 1985 Chicago Bears, passed away after a 4 year battle with ALS.

McMichael carved out a 2nd chapter in his career when he swapped his shoulder pads for wrestling boots in the 90's, signing with World Championship Wrestling as a commentator and, later, a member of the infamous Four Horsemen faction. McMichael was a US champion with WCW, nearly a decade after making his in-ring debut, along with a number of other NFL players in a battle royal at Wrestlemania 2 in Chicago in 1986. Once his playing career was over, McMichael got back in the ring for a few years before leaving WCW and wrestling behind.

Back in Chicago, McMichael was one of several celebrities who led Cubs fans in "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch, and even got into a row from the broadcast booth with infamous umpire Angel Hernandez, who retired last year.

Rest in peace, Mike & Steve.

Bob Uecker (1934-2025)

 He wasn't much of a player on the field, by his own admission, with a lifetime average of around .200, but Bob Uecker was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 as the winner of the Ford Frick Award for his work in broadcasting.

Uecker played 6 seasons (1962-7) with the Braves, Cardinals, & Phillies before swapping his catcher's mitt for an announcer's blazer. Uecker began his announcing career with his hometown Milwaukee Brewers in 1971, and continued through last season, 54 seasons in all. 

During this time, Uecker went national. An off-season gig as an opening act for jazz icon Al Hirt led to Uecker getting his first booking on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson after the 1971 season. In all, Uecker logged more than 100 appearances between 1971-92, when Carson retired. Uecker also called postseason games for ABC, and, I believe, NBC, and landed a role in the sitcom, Mr. Belvedere (1985-90), which led to the "Major League" movie series with Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, et al, which began in 1989. Uecker played Cleveland announcer Harry Doyle in the trilogy.

Being part of Miller Lite's cast of athletes and actors led to his being tapped as a backstage reporter at Wrestlemania 4 in 1988 in Atlantic City, and an infamous confrontation with Andre The Giant.

Uecker passed away overnight from small cell cancer at 90.

Rest in peace.

A trilogy of passings

 The headlines this morning were dominated by news of the passing of former President Jimmy Carter at 100.

Carter served in the Navy, spent some time in the 518 studying sciences in the 50's, served two terms as a State Senator in his native Georgia before moving to the Governor's mansion there, and, finally, winning a tight election over Gerald Ford to become President in 1976.

It can be argued that the Iran hostage crisis and the Russian invastion of Afghanistan in 1979-80 played roles in Carter losing his re-election bid to former California Governor Ronald Reagan in 1980, but Carter, who earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work, also fashioned the Camp David Accords with Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat in 1978. Post-Presidency, Carter continued to work in Georgia, and worked with Habitat For Humanity in building homes in the Peach State.

Even president-elect Donald Trump offered his condolences, while Texas Governor Greg Abbott fouled up, and accidentally offered condolences to Carter's wife, Rosalynn, who'd passed away 13 months ago, before correcting his gaffe.

Earlier in the weekend, veteran CBS sportscaster and anchor Greg Gumbel passed away. Gumbel called NCAA basketball and NFL football for the network for several years. A few years ago, CBS thought enough of Gumbel to give him a shot as a game show host, with an unsold pilot for a revival of The $64,000 Question, produced by Dick Clark's production company.

Earlier this morning came news that actress-singer Linda Lavin had also passed.

Lavin starred on Broadway and on television in the 70's. She made 5 appearances during the first 2 seasons of Barney Miller before leaving to take the title role in Alice, a small screen version of the movie, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore".

In this excerpt from the series, Adam West visits.....

Rest in peace.

Quincy Jones (1933-2024)

 You know his iconic themes from Ironside and Sanford & Son. You know the hits he produced for George Benson ("Give Me The Night"), Michael Jackson ("Thriller"), USA For Africa ("We Are The World"), as well as Lesley Gore, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, and much, much more. To his friends and fans, he was simply "Q".

On Sunday, Quincy Jones passed away at 91. The Chicago native was one of a select group to win entertainment's Grand Slam (Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, Tony) in the course of his career. Jones also composed the music for the Roots miniseries, and his 1962 composition, "Soul Bossa Nova", became the theme of Mike Myers' "Austin Powers" movies (1997-2002).

"Soul Bossa Nova" was released on Mercury. Jones then released "The Streetbeater" (the Sanford theme) on A & M in 1973. His final run on the charts came in 1989 when his album, "Back on The Block", produced the hit single, "I'll Be Good To You", sung by Ray Charles & Chaka Khan.

I thought about using a more recent rendition of "Soul Bossa Nova" from The Late Show With David Letterman, but opted for the 1962 recording.....

Jones was one of several celebrity guests who appeared in Jamie Foxx's video for "Blame It" in 2009.

Rest in peace.

Sports this 'n' that

 Lost amidst the football & baseball over the weekend, the NY Liberty won their first WNBA title on Sunday, defeating Minnesota in 5 games. It wasn't so long ago that James Dolan had sold the team, and the Liberty have flourished under new ownership. Belated congratulations.

==========================================

Jests owner Woody Johnson unwittingly gave his team the kiss of death Sunday in Pittsburgh when he invited Orange Narcissus himself, Donald Trump, as a guest at the Jests-Steelers game. Johnson had served as an ambassador under Trump, and this was a way of returning the favor to his old boss.

Unfortunately, the Jests blew a 2 point halftime lead, and lost, 37-15. This Sunday, the Jests look to complete a season sweep of New England, after 8 years of having it done to them. Yeah, right.

===========================================

The World Series is now set, after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Mets on Sunday, 10-5, to win the NLCS in 6 games. Los Angeles now will host the Yankees, starting on Friday night.

Less than 48 hours after the game, one of the team's icons of the 80's passed away.

Fernando Valenzuela, who as a rookie not only won the Rookie of The Year in the National League in 1981, but also the Cy Young Award, and helped the Dodgers defeat the Yankees in 6 games. Valenzuela would win another title 7 years later, as the Dodgers defeated Oakland.

In 1990, Valenzuela added one more milestone. Vin Scully takes us back to a June night vs. the Cardinals.

In recent years, Valenzuela was a color analyst for the Dodgers' Spanish language broadcasts until taking ill earlier this year.

Rest in peace.

Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024)

 While I was at church this morning, the worship team was warming up with a few bars of Kris Kristofferson's country gospel classic, "Why Me Lord". The drummer then told me in an aside that Kristofferson had passed away.

Confirmation came several hours later with a headline on Yahoo!, which had gotten the information nearly 24 hours after Kristofferson had passed away at 88, three months after his birthday.

Kristofferson not only scored a massive hit with "Why Me Lord", but also wrote hits for other artists, including "Me & Bobby McGee" (Roger Miller, Janis Joplin), "For The Good Times" (Ray Price, Ray Stevens), "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" (Johnny Cash), and "Help Me Make It Through The Night" (Sammi Smith, Gladys Knight & The Pips). He had essays published in the Atlantic Monthly that earned him his first acclaim as a writer.

Kristofferson played rugby in high school & college, and served in the Army before heading to Nashville in the 60's. He also turned to acting, with roles including "Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid", "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore", "Convoy", "Semi-Tough", "A Star is Born", and the "Blade" trilogy with Wesley Snipes. 

The following clip is of Kristofferson performing "For The Good Times".

Rest in peace, Kris.