This happens every year in the New York-Penn League. One team gets off to a hot start, then fades quickly. Usually, it's because one or more of that team's best players are promoted within the parent club's organizational chain.
That's exactly what's happened with the Tri-City Valleycats. Two weeks into the season, the 'Cats have seen their lead in the Stedler Division shrink to a mere game over 2nd place Lowell, after the Spinners won Thursday night. Following Tuesday's doubleheader split in Vermont, OF/DH Dan Gulbranson was promoted to Quad Cities, ending his tenure with the 'Cats, just two weeks into his 2nd season with the team. Gulbranson was hitting just shy of .400, and was the team's offensive centerpiece. Tri-City has lost two games since Gulbranson's departure, meaning that there is a certain amount of psychological distress affecting the team that needs to be addressed ASAP. Still, Tri-City is a tidy 7-2 at home headed into play tonight vs. Lowell, and there's 2 months left in the season. Plenty of time for things to change for the better.
A week ago, the wrestling community lost a veteran performer in Matt Borne, whose peak years were in the 80's on the West Coast, mostly in his native Oregon and in Texas (with World Class), but then created the character of Doink the Clown in WWE in 1992-3, first as a villain, then as a beloved fan favorite after a midget sidekick, Dink (Tiger Jackson) was added to the act. However, by that time, I think, Borne was gone, and another man donned the makeup. Long time WWE mainstay Steve Lombardi was the last man to assume the identity of Doink a year ago, losing to Heath Slater on Monday Night Raw.
It wasn't too long ago that a man using the Doink ID appeared for Ultimate Wrestling East on the undercard. I do not know for certain who essayed the character that day. Unfortunately for Borne and the WWE, online headlines made it seem as though Doink himself had passed away right along with his originator. I would think WWE would have something to say about that, as they, to my knowledge, have not acknowledged Borne's passing.
Speaking of Ultimate Wrestling East, their next two shows, the last shows of 2013, will be on Saturday nights (Sept. 28 & Nov. 16), to avoid a conflict with the NFL. I can see the rationale there. UWE will move back to Sunday matinee cards in January, even though that still puts them in conflict with the NFL playoffs, especially if the Giants are in the hunt for the Super Bowl. Another benefit to an evening card is that there might be crossovers with Ballston Spa-based In Your Face Wrestling, which regularly books Saturday night shows, and just opened a training camp in Lansingburgh. Some of the UWE wrestlers, such as CJ Scott and GM JP Black, also work for IYFW, which makes cross-promotion a very real possibility.
The next thing either promotion could stand to add is a deal with Time Warner Cable that would allow for tape-delayed broadcasts of the cards to air on public access channels. It wouldn't hurt.
The NCAA needs to wake up and embrace the 21st Century.
Yahoo! reported on Thursday that Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey would be suspended for 1 2014 tournament game for criticizing officials during this year's tournament. What irritates me is how the NCAA and pro sports leagues insist on fining players and coaches for making remarks about the officials when it's clear that some of these boneheads in zebra stripes have to be held accountable for making mistakes that have a damaging effect on games.
In Mulkey's case, her star player, Britney Griner (now in the WNBA) was getting brutalized in the paint, and it seems the referees were holding their whistles and holding back on calling fouls. That happens all the time in the men's game, both pro & college. While there are those who have accused the NBA of fixing games to benefit their television partners (ESPN/ABC, TNT) for the sake of ratings, who's to say that the NCAA isn't doing the same thing (ESPN has exclusive rights to the women's tournament, and TNT shares rights to the men's tournament with CBS)? The archaic, allegedly august body that calls itself the NCAA needs a total overhaul, preferably yesterday.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Classic TV: Death Valley Days (1952)
Death Valley Days was a syndicated Western anthology series that was in production for 18 seasons (1952-70), but continued in syndication a few more years after production ended. In all, there were five hosts for the series during its run:
*Stanley Andrews, billed as "The Old Ranger".
*Ronald Reagan, who left to begin a far more successful political career.
*Robert Taylor (ex-The Detectives).
*Dale Robertson (ex-Iron Horse).
*Country singer Merle Haggard took over when the producers wanted to continue the series after production had ended, and repackaged selected episodes with new intros by Haggard.
I barely remember seeing episodes from the Taylor & Robertson runs. What I do recall is that it aired in my area usually on Sunday afternoons, but I think the station that had the rights in my area dropped the show before the Haggard run began. However, Platinum Entertainment included a couple of early episodes with the Old Ranger in a 2-disc DVD anthology package that also included Wagon Train, The Rifleman, Bat Masterson, Sugarfoot, & Stories of the Century, among others. The plots have been replicated on other Western shows many times over, including this one, "Dear Teacher":
Rating: B+.
*Stanley Andrews, billed as "The Old Ranger".
*Ronald Reagan, who left to begin a far more successful political career.
*Robert Taylor (ex-The Detectives).
*Dale Robertson (ex-Iron Horse).
*Country singer Merle Haggard took over when the producers wanted to continue the series after production had ended, and repackaged selected episodes with new intros by Haggard.
I barely remember seeing episodes from the Taylor & Robertson runs. What I do recall is that it aired in my area usually on Sunday afternoons, but I think the station that had the rights in my area dropped the show before the Haggard run began. However, Platinum Entertainment included a couple of early episodes with the Old Ranger in a 2-disc DVD anthology package that also included Wagon Train, The Rifleman, Bat Masterson, Sugarfoot, & Stories of the Century, among others. The plots have been replicated on other Western shows many times over, including this one, "Dear Teacher":
Rating: B+.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Musical Interlude: I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow (2000)
From Joel & Ethan Coen's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" came a blockbuster hit single from the soundtrack.
The Soggy Bottom Boys were credited with "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow", but while stars George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, & John Turturro lip-synched in the video, they didn't record the song. Dan Tyminski of Union Station, Allison Krauss' backing band, was the lead vocalist. To his credit, Nelson did record a song on the soundtrack CD, which I'll try to locate at a later time.
The Soggy Bottom Boys were credited with "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow", but while stars George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, & John Turturro lip-synched in the video, they didn't record the song. Dan Tyminski of Union Station, Allison Krauss' backing band, was the lead vocalist. To his credit, Nelson did record a song on the soundtrack CD, which I'll try to locate at a later time.
In Theatres: The Lone Ranger (2013)
Even the best creative minds can make bad decisions.
Director Gore Verbinski's take on "The Lone Ranger" is a total farce. This is clearly not your father's Lone Ranger, much less your grandfather's. The story that everyone knows is buried under nearly 2 1/2 hours of padded folly designed as a star vehicle not for Armie Hammer, who has the title role, but rather Johnny Depp, whom Verbinski directed in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. Worse, Depp's Tonto is more of a poser than Hammer's John Reid, aka the Lone Ranger. We've all seen the trailers and commercials for the movie, which presents Tonto with black & white face paint and a stuffed crow atop his head. That is not Tonto!!! The story is told in flashbacks, framed by an elderly Tonto (Depp again) haltingly, haphazardly recalling the adventure for a young Lone Ranger fan. I'm sorry, but that is an insult to a franchise that is 80-something years old.
Even the outlaw Butch Cavendish is mistreated in this movie, given a disfigured appearance that I don't recall seeing in previous interpretations. There are some funny moments, all of them involving the Ranger & Tonto, but this isn't supposed to be a comedy. The three jabronies who wrote this fool's parade and Verbinski should all apply to have credit turned over to "Alan Smithee", this was so bad.
Three times now, in the last 32 years, Hollywood has tried to revive the Ranger, and has failed all three times. 1981's "Legend of the Lone Ranger" tried to remain true to the source material, but was a box office flop. A 2003 TV-movie was another mistake, completely disassociating the Ranger from his spiritual descendant, The Green Hornet, with Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) as someone named Luke Hartman. Excuse me? Seems I was lucky not to have seen either one of those films, and the 2003 movie seems to be a cipher now.
The trailers were worth more of my time. To wit:
"Pacific Rim" (next week): WB & Legendary Pictures' "other" summer blockbuster.
"R.I.P.D." (July 19): Ryan Reynolds & Jeff Bridges as undead detectives. Think of it as "Dead Heat" crossed with "Men in Black".
"The Wolverine" (July 26): Hugh Jackman returns as everyone's favorite X-Man.
"Thor: The Dark World" (November): Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, & Anthony Hopkins continue the Thunder God's story.
"Red 2" (July 19): Hopkins & Catherine Zeta-Jones join Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, & Helen Mirren as Warren Ellis' comic book merits a sequel.
"Battle of the Year" (September): If you've seen MTV's Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew, you get the idea, except that this one's on a global scale. No sign of Mario Lopez, though.
"Delivery Man" (November): Vince Vaughn as a man whose life is turned upside down when he learns just how many kids he fathered via artifical insemination. Thor will blow this loser away.
And, now, as a public service, the "Lone Ranger" trailer:
Rating: D-.
Director Gore Verbinski's take on "The Lone Ranger" is a total farce. This is clearly not your father's Lone Ranger, much less your grandfather's. The story that everyone knows is buried under nearly 2 1/2 hours of padded folly designed as a star vehicle not for Armie Hammer, who has the title role, but rather Johnny Depp, whom Verbinski directed in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. Worse, Depp's Tonto is more of a poser than Hammer's John Reid, aka the Lone Ranger. We've all seen the trailers and commercials for the movie, which presents Tonto with black & white face paint and a stuffed crow atop his head. That is not Tonto!!! The story is told in flashbacks, framed by an elderly Tonto (Depp again) haltingly, haphazardly recalling the adventure for a young Lone Ranger fan. I'm sorry, but that is an insult to a franchise that is 80-something years old.
Even the outlaw Butch Cavendish is mistreated in this movie, given a disfigured appearance that I don't recall seeing in previous interpretations. There are some funny moments, all of them involving the Ranger & Tonto, but this isn't supposed to be a comedy. The three jabronies who wrote this fool's parade and Verbinski should all apply to have credit turned over to "Alan Smithee", this was so bad.
Three times now, in the last 32 years, Hollywood has tried to revive the Ranger, and has failed all three times. 1981's "Legend of the Lone Ranger" tried to remain true to the source material, but was a box office flop. A 2003 TV-movie was another mistake, completely disassociating the Ranger from his spiritual descendant, The Green Hornet, with Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) as someone named Luke Hartman. Excuse me? Seems I was lucky not to have seen either one of those films, and the 2003 movie seems to be a cipher now.
The trailers were worth more of my time. To wit:
"Pacific Rim" (next week): WB & Legendary Pictures' "other" summer blockbuster.
"R.I.P.D." (July 19): Ryan Reynolds & Jeff Bridges as undead detectives. Think of it as "Dead Heat" crossed with "Men in Black".
"The Wolverine" (July 26): Hugh Jackman returns as everyone's favorite X-Man.
"Thor: The Dark World" (November): Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, & Anthony Hopkins continue the Thunder God's story.
"Red 2" (July 19): Hopkins & Catherine Zeta-Jones join Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, & Helen Mirren as Warren Ellis' comic book merits a sequel.
"Battle of the Year" (September): If you've seen MTV's Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew, you get the idea, except that this one's on a global scale. No sign of Mario Lopez, though.
"Delivery Man" (November): Vince Vaughn as a man whose life is turned upside down when he learns just how many kids he fathered via artifical insemination. Thor will blow this loser away.
And, now, as a public service, the "Lone Ranger" trailer:
Rating: D-.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
What Might've Been: The Double Life of Henry Phyfe (1966)
Comedian Red Buttons' schtick was that he felt he "never had a dinner", meaning, he was never the guest of honor. If his 1966 spy spoof, The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, was more successful than it was, well, maybe he would've gotten his "dinner".
Double Life, a Filmways entry for ABC, didn't survive its one and only season. The studio was looking to supply ABC with another hit show to complement The Addams Family, which would be dropped after 2 seasons, but, as fate would have it, it wouldn't happen. After failing twice with Phyllis Diller, Filmways never sold another series to ABC.
So why did Double Life fail? It wasn't a rip-off of Get Smart, which was airing on NBC at the time, because Phyfe wasn't a full-time spy, unlike Maxwell Smart (Don Adams). Phyfe had a regular job, but was called upon at most inopportune times to serve his country by his handler (Fred Clark). In essence, Double Life had more in common with Wally Cox's failed comedy-adventure series, The Adventures of Hiram Holliday, from a few years earlier. Like Cox, Buttons was more of an Everyman comedian, but lacked a certain amount of charismatic appeal that would've helped his show succeed.
Consider the following sample episode. How do we know it's a Filmways production? Vic Mizzy is the musical director, and had the same gig on almost every Filmways show of the period, save for The Beverly Hillbillies. For what it's worth, Mizzy also scored a non-Filmways series, NBC's Captain Nice, a year later, and was hired by Universal to score Don Knotts' movies.
Rating: C.
Double Life, a Filmways entry for ABC, didn't survive its one and only season. The studio was looking to supply ABC with another hit show to complement The Addams Family, which would be dropped after 2 seasons, but, as fate would have it, it wouldn't happen. After failing twice with Phyllis Diller, Filmways never sold another series to ABC.
So why did Double Life fail? It wasn't a rip-off of Get Smart, which was airing on NBC at the time, because Phyfe wasn't a full-time spy, unlike Maxwell Smart (Don Adams). Phyfe had a regular job, but was called upon at most inopportune times to serve his country by his handler (Fred Clark). In essence, Double Life had more in common with Wally Cox's failed comedy-adventure series, The Adventures of Hiram Holliday, from a few years earlier. Like Cox, Buttons was more of an Everyman comedian, but lacked a certain amount of charismatic appeal that would've helped his show succeed.
Consider the following sample episode. How do we know it's a Filmways production? Vic Mizzy is the musical director, and had the same gig on almost every Filmways show of the period, save for The Beverly Hillbillies. For what it's worth, Mizzy also scored a non-Filmways series, NBC's Captain Nice, a year later, and was hired by Universal to score Don Knotts' movies.
Rating: C.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Musical Interlude: Free Man In Paris (1979)
Joni Mitchell's "Free Man in Paris" was originally released in 1974, and I remember hearing it quite a bit on the radio back then. Five years later, Mitchell included "Free Man" in a concert recorded for her 1980 film, "Shadows & Light". Jazz enthusiasts will recognize two of their favorites, Lyle Mays & Pat Metheny, sitting in with Mitchell.
Nearly 40 years later, I still don't get the chorus.......
Nearly 40 years later, I still don't get the chorus.......
Classic TV: The Rat Patrol (1966)
ABC filled their primetime schedule with diverse varieties of adventure in 1966. On one side, you had Batman (2nd season), now joined by William Dozier's straight-forward adaptation of The Green Hornet. Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (3rd season) was joined by The Time Tunnel.
And, then, there were the shows set in World War II. Blue Light was cancelled after 1 season (as were Hornet & Tunnel). Meanwhile, The Rat Patrol gave viewers a front-line view of the war, at least on one front. Patrol lasted just two seasons, but could've gone on longer had it not been for declining ratings and other factors in season 2.
Christopher George was the headline star, but only one cast member is still active today. Back then, he was known as Hans Gudegast, who played one of the German soldiers. Today, soap opera fans know him as Eric Braeden, who has been a mainstay on The Young & The Restless almost from the series' beginning. Like, whodathunk, right?
Anyway, here's the open, uploaded by Chuck Collins:
It's too bad no one has the courage to put this back on the air, to help educate today's audience.
Rating: B.
And, then, there were the shows set in World War II. Blue Light was cancelled after 1 season (as were Hornet & Tunnel). Meanwhile, The Rat Patrol gave viewers a front-line view of the war, at least on one front. Patrol lasted just two seasons, but could've gone on longer had it not been for declining ratings and other factors in season 2.
Christopher George was the headline star, but only one cast member is still active today. Back then, he was known as Hans Gudegast, who played one of the German soldiers. Today, soap opera fans know him as Eric Braeden, who has been a mainstay on The Young & The Restless almost from the series' beginning. Like, whodathunk, right?
Anyway, here's the open, uploaded by Chuck Collins:
It's too bad no one has the courage to put this back on the air, to help educate today's audience.
Rating: B.
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