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When the news hit that Bernard McGuirk had died at the age of 64, those were the first words that entered my brain.
Now, I realize we're in an era where it's frowned upon to express admiration for such a ribald person but I readily admit that Bernard McGuirk -- Bernie -- made me laugh to the point that I nearly drove off the road while commuting to work back in the 1990s.
Bernie was the executive producer and a chief foil on the "Imus in the Morning" radio program.
I will not hide from the fact that Bernie was also fired as a result of the Rutgers women's basketball commentary made on the show in April 2007. He was instrumental in that and paid a price.
But I think back to the 90s when the show's irreverent humor -- in which literally everyone was the target of barbs -- was good and as influential as anything I've ever listened to.
No, I'm not kidding. Everyone got thrown into the fire, including the "Imus in the Morning" crew. In fact, especially the "Imus in the Morning" crew. Bernie, always calling Don Imus "Chief," always spewed vitriol at his boss, especially in the guise of his most popular character.
The Cardinal. John Cardinal O'Connor.
The good Cardinal, wearing a FedEx envelope on his head, was ostensibly there to read the New York lottery numbers. Often, he would, but more importantly, he'd offer commentary on events on the day.
Every time he did it, the segment opened the same way: "Good morning and God Bless!" said in an Irish brogue.
It ended with the same thing: a multiple-choice quiz called "Which Doesn't Belong and Why?"
It was irreverent. It was fierce.
It. Was. Hysterical.
It also crossed lines that wouldn't get crossed today.
It was also brilliant satire.
But we've evolved and some of it can now induce cringing because I know the reactions wouldn't be kind.
Don Imus and Bernard McGuirk (Photo: Richard Drew, AP)
Look, I'm not here to try to defend Bernie, Charles McCord, Imus, or anyone else. I'll offer that it was a different time. We've moved forward. I'm certainly not the same as I was in 1993. Things have changed.
I listened to some of the audio online following the news of Bernie's passing. Most of it still makes me laugh out loud. A few things make me groan.
McGuirk eventually returned to radio when Imus came back on WABC in Dec 2007. By then the raucousness of the older days was mostly gone and, eventually, Bernie began to shuffle toward his post-Imus career. he began doing political commentary and hosting some talk shows on his own. Eventually, he began hosting "The Bernie & Sid" show with fellow "Imus" alum Sid Rosenberg.
You had to be on your game with Bernard McGuirk. I talked to him a few times off the air and he was as fast as anyone with a quip. That's what made him brilliant on the air.
He was charitable, helping Imus with the annual Radiothon as well as supporting the Imus Ranch for kids with cancer as well as SIDS.
Tributes poured in from those who worked with Bernie or simply encountered him.
A guy from the South Bronx who once drove a cab before working on one of the biggest radio shows in the world is gone.
It wasn't profound or funny. It was a post about covering basketball, and the joy I felt in it.
It was just safe, and the best way for me to avoid spouting off about politics and the potential for war with Iran and other nonsense.
I've long tried to give you a no-holds barred look at my world and yet there are times when it is good to hold back.
I'm never been dishonest with you. But, truth be told, I don't tell everything. I know that's shocking but I do stay quiet sometimes.
So I decided that I didn't quite have it in me to write a post on those topics that I would be proud of in the hope that it would make you think and create conversation.
Instead, I thought it would create unnecessary discourse.
The left would be mad at me.
The right would be mad at me.
Which is fine and all, but I just didn't want it last night.
I just see and hear too much of what some of my friends say and it bums me out. So I elected to not join in last night. I've watched friendships get destroyed over this and it's just not worth it.
Just talking about Don Imus -- one of the most influential people in my life -- might have cost me personally.
So I kept quiet. I won't always. I did last night.
The sad part is I'm never going to make the hard left and the hard right think or have an appropriate conversation anyway (yes, I'm generalizing).
One side will say "BUT HER EMAILS!" and the other side will hit me with some MAGA nonsense. I'm generally sick of all of it. The divide makes me nuts.
The fact is, thankfully, our world has not exploded like the Death Star. That being said, I know there are those who think it could happen any day.
I must admit that the past week or so had me a bit concerned, as I listened to the fallout of a potential Archduke Ferdinand moment for the 21st Century.
Today, tensions seem to have calmed down for the moment and each side can claim victory and so on.
So maybe we can go back to helping people and animals in Australia and, a bit closer to home, looking out for those in Puerto Rico. Maybe we can do things to better ourselves and those around us.
Maybe we can just be better.
And, by the way, Ricky Gervais is my hero. What he said the other night at the Golden Globes was masterful. I always loved his work and was never sure I could embrace the US version of The Office in part because of him.
But I did.
Bless that man.
Also bless Tom Hanks, still my favorite actor for some 30+ years. He's the closest we have to Jimmy Stewart.
And so, friends, ranting and raving about politics and potential wars and loudmouthed presidents with insane Twitter feeds and other idiocy can wait for another time.
I'm glad I stayed quiet. Having the thoughts doesn't always mean sharing them, and I'm trying to get better at that every day.
Well then, it looks like we've put more coins in the "Exit 55" game, haven't we? So, let's move on!
Mick texted me yesterday to say how proud he was of my completing Project365, and to remind me that I could take a mental health break from it whenever I needed or wanted.
I appreciated it and assured him I was not looking to be Cal Ripken Jr.
In other words, I'm not planning to hang around at the possible expense of hurting the team.
That team consisting, mostly, of me and, mentally I can hurt me or the blog by forcing it. But there's more to #TeamDJ (a nickname I acquired) than just yours truly.
My son, for instance. It's amazing how our kids can drive us nuts, but I missed him last night, no matter how much I detest everything to do with Dec 31. He was kind to text me just after midnight.
Thankfully, the nonsense is all over, and we can get back to normal tomorrow.
As always, I strive to get better. I can't change what "ringing in the new year" is like (whatever the hell that means) but I can change how I handle my reaction to it.
It was a lonely night (jeez. I almost quoted Mellencamp) at Casa Exit 55. Chico and I hung out. I had a buttered roll for dinner. We never turned the TV on. We listened to some old Imus highlights and had The Beatles Channel on Sirius XM on for a stretch.
They're playing all of the lads' studio recordings from 1962-1970 in order, and I'm a dork. So, yes, I enjoyed what I heard.
*****
There will be the Winter Classic today, plus bowl games that have come to be, sadly, meaningless. I'll likely see none of it, saving my energy for tonight's Doctor Who premiere that Sean won't be here for. I worry that the writing has been so bad that even he has lost interest. He still hasn't seen all of last season.
I suppose what eats at me most on days like today is how my time is never my own. Why is there no podcast these days? Because there's always...something to do. And when there isn't, my body says "I'm done" and collapses. So, at that point, it's either try to catch a little sleep or just lie in a slug-like position.
Find time to take a walk? Ride my bicycle (bet you didn't know I even owned one)? Read? Ha, I say.
The podcast gnaws at me because 1) a few reviews were meh and 2) it took a lot of work. Then add in 3) I don't really love my home studio setup. Yes, for you audio types I have a mixer, mics, and can even rig up a phone setup.
However, my computers (this MacBook included) are all s-l-o-w at best. I still need to visit Apple to see if there are any realistic (key word) options for this machine, or do I need to get a cheap (key word) Windows machine.
Plus setting up the studio takes time. So I'd like to work all of that out and then perhaps we can look to revive the podcast. Because, reviews and listens aside, I was enjoying coming up with the content. It was my own project.
You know, sort of like this blog that I've done for 13 years.
I also feel the podcast could also evolve into adding Renegades content, or that could be a whole separate podcast. Those are things I'm still thinking about.
*****
I see John Nash (still and always the co-conspirator) has posted his first thoughts of 2020. I'm so glad. I was worried that he would take today off.
I'm afraid to. I started writing this post last night, to be honest. This has become a habit. One that I like.
With a better computer (see? We're back there again) it would be easier.
***** Greenwich Free Press ran a piece about the future of WGCH, with mega-quotes from me. Hopefully I said everything correctly (though it's East Meadow...not Longmeadow...and I probably misspoke). Clark Burgard called into yesterday's show to add to what I was saying and it was great to talk to him. WGCH is going to be just fine.
Oh, before we bail for today, thanks to Harold, whom I completely whiffed on mentioning in the Inspiration post of a few nights back. That guy has built such a great life with his family and I admire how he has run crazy for his kids and stayed sane (of course, both kids are runners, so I guess it makes sense). Wait. Check that. He'll tell you he's insane.
Anyway, he found another story about my joining the Renegades, this time in the Putnam County Courier.
So, away we go on 2020. I can predict the future: life goes on.
That's it.
Last note, "Exit 55" isn't a well-known blog, but it has a nice loyal following, and as of this morning, it received over 34,000 reads in 2019. I know blogs that get 34k as soon as they publish, for this me? That's not shabby. So, thanks. A lot.
John Donald Imus Jr, the cowboy hat-wearing disc jockey, who basically invented the morning show, and the term "shock jock," and who survived more than most people will ever know, died earlier today at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Deirdre, his son Wyatt, his adopted son Zachary, as well as four daughters from his first marriage.
Yes, many are celebrating the death of the man who brought "nappy-headed hos" into prominence in 2007. He was fired from the radio show he did on WFAN following those comments, before reappearing on WABC the following year.
Imus -- known as The I-Man, a named coined by Bob Raissman of the NY Daily News -- continued on WABC until his contract ran out in 2019.
Imus in the Morning also aired on TV, being one of the first radio shows to be simulcast. The show ran on C-Span, MSNBC, RFD, and Fox Business.
Imus came to New York in 1971 and turned radio on its ear immediately. His level of humor hit everyone in a time when it was still acceptable. But, the thing was, it didn't matter who you were, you were going to be in the bullseye.
That, most of all, included Imus himself.
There were ups and downs in the 70s, including being fired and shipped to Cleveland before reemerging on then-WNBC (660am) in New York once again.
The 80s would also find him on the see-saw, with his well-known battles being honestly laid out as part of the humor.
He finally got off the drugs and alcohol, cleaning himself up just before WNBC became WFAN in 1988. 'FAN needed one thing to survive as a sports radio station and that thing was the guy who was a minor sports fan at best.
The celebrities -- not from the sports world -- began to swoop in for interviews that were brilliant and gave "jock heads" like me a sense of current events knowledge that was so badly needed.
It was Imus who brought a guy named "Bubba" on and made him personable. Bubba, of course, was then-candidate Bill Clinton. Clinton showed a sense of humor and charm that previously hadn't been seen.
Imus knew how to humanize these interviews, getting more than the basics out of every guest. He took Tim Russert and made him iconic. He made hardline political voices like Paul Begala, James Carville and Mary Matalin laugh and they, in turn, made us laugh.
It's where we really came to know John McCain.
He had an Oprah-esque ability to sell books also, with authors of interest often stopping by.
Journalists were constant guests.
Musicians also, with Delbert McClinton and Levon Helm among his favorites. Helm was there to help bring him back from exile in 2008.
He didn't ignore sports. Terry Bradshaw, Phil Simms, Jim Nantz, Tim McCarver, and others were frequent guests.
For me, it was appointment listening, and I listened every day. With the show being carried around the nation, I knew where to get my fill from 5:30-10 every morning.
In the late summer and early fall of 1989, WFAN was literally the only station I could get on a little radio that I had at my desk at General Foods. And so, each day, I listened to Don and Charles McCord and Bernie McGuirk and Lou Rufino and Larry Kenney and Rob Bartlett and Mike Breen.
And Warner Wolf and "The Great" Don Criqui (the very reason I say "enjoy," as his jokes ended with that amidst the laughter) and Chris Russo and Mike Francesa.
And Dick Nixon and Clinton and Scottso and Elvis and Cardinal O'Connor and Wilford Brimley and Ted Kennedy and the countless characters that bounced around and evolved from the 70s, when everyone wanted Imus to "nuke" their school to the 90s when the topical humor had changed to the foils of the Clinton era.
Imus taught me radio. The Imus show was my training ground for learning radio. I loved Ron Lundy and Dan Ingram and Scott Shannon and the DJ's of my youth, but it was Imus who taught me how to talk a song up to the "post" (where the vocal or the beat of a song kicks in) and how important timing was (that's why the duck sound was used) and how to structure a show.
He was the great point guard. He knew how to distribute the ball to the remarkable talent that he assembled. In that way, he was like Jackie Gleason.
But, more so, he was like Lenny Bruce and other topical comedians of his youth who skewered everyone.
Yet, with "nappy," he hadn't evolved enough. He had flown in the face of the PC world of the 90s and early 21st century, in the same way that his rival Howard Stern had.
But he couldn't survive 2007. At least, not at first. He was back in 2008 with the new WABC show. To an extent, the magic was gone. The interviews were still sharp and he brought in the talented Tony Powell to add to Rob Bartlett but Larry Kenney disappeared and the show was more about Deirdre, his "Yoko" as she was sometimes referred to.
Most of all, the willingness to have fun at anyone's expense was killed off by the Rutgers event.
Still, he survived. As Charles McCord (the Art Carney to his Gleason) departed, on came Connell McShane in the second banana role. Eventually, McShane left and, soon after, doing the show entirely away from New York (mostly from Texas and New Mexico), Imus stepped down.
He did it all on his terms. Mostly.
He raised millions for veterans and sudden infant death syndrome and other causes, but the thing closest to his heart was pediatric cancer. So much so, that he used Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camp as the basis for building The Imus Ranch. Newman -- not known for interviews -- even appeared on Imus in the Morning to offer support.
The critics are grasping onto "Nappy" and misogyny and racism and all of the tawdry items. At first, I admit that raised a very irrational and emotional reaction from me that I regret. I'm still angry at the Huffington Post obituary that made no mention of anything good that he ever did.
Obviously, I know critics are entitled to their opinions but I'll also opine that they're judging without the facts.
I expected the criticism.
I guarantee Imus did also.
But I also knew he wasn't a "racist scumbag" or anything else. He was a satirist and a commentator. The proof of Don Imus was in a very deep pudding that wasn't easy to discover without a good spoon.
The critics can ignore that he had an African American adopted son or that Bishop GE Patterson called him a friend or the activist Dick Gregory stood by Imus after Rutgers. None of that will be in the narrative tonight, but each of them (along with Russert, Begala, Carville and others) condemned what happened at Rutgers but recognized that Don Imus had done plenty of good and knew that mistakes do get made.
Many stood by him. Others did not.
I knew that, at one time, we laughed at everyone, including ourselves. It was a lesson I believed in.
But, times change, for better or for worse.
Don Imus wasn't someone I wanted to know. You see, that was the thing. His rule was simple: "I talk on the radio. You listen. We're not going to hang out," and I never wanted to. Hell, I met him once and that was enough.
He'd never want to hear my thank you for the myriad lessons -- good and bad -- about radio and life. He'd never want credit for keeping me company, especially in '89, when I needed it most as I figured out life.
He wasn't even someone that I wanted to interview.
But I wanted to listen to him every morning, for the truth about the world and the laughter that helped me survive it. In truth, there was a time I had to listen to him every morning from Vermont, Las Vegas, Virginia, Florida, and would have done so in England had the ability to do so existed at the time.
I'll sum it up simply. For a man I didn't know, I feel a "Scully" level of sadness tonight. He was that important to me in broadcasting.
Thank you, Mr. Imus. Thank you for Rev. Hargas and fuzzy peaches and the use of the word "hideous" and the US Open show. Thank you for your show on 9/11 and when the Gulf War began and for your honesty and for the gift that was your brother Fred.
I even named a cat Fred.
Thank you for crying when Fred passed, allowing us all the opportunity to do the same.
Just as some (me) are doing for you tonight.
Have mercy (a line he borrowed from his friend Wolfman Jack), indeed.
As part of my thing at HAN Radio, I want to occasionally add some writing to the mix.
So I did a little something here. It includes the same picture as above (thanks to Liz Skalka for taking it), and some thoughts on the crazy week that just ended.
It began with Greenwich beating New Britain in basketball. That was nothing.
In New Haven the next night, John Kovach and I watched EO Smith/Tolland topped Masuk, and Newtown take care of Tri Town (boys hockey). The next night, we saw Darien knock off Notre Dame-Fairfield, and Fairfield Prep take overtime to dispose of Notre Dame-West Haven.
Then came Thursday. I had the night off!
On Friday night, we called Daniel Hand's one-goal DII Championship win over Amity. John, Josh Fisher, and Paul Silverfarb helped me preside over, arguably, our best broadcast yet.
To Saturday.
It started with the emotional Newtown victory over Smith/Tolland for the DIII title. Again, one goal. Overtime. Chris Kaelin replaced Paul at ice side for this one.
John, Josh, and Paul then took a bag of equipment and set us up at Mohegan Sun. We'll get back to them in a moment.
Then in the Division I championship, Fairfield Prep got a goal midway through the third (just seconds after one had been waved off) to tie the game. They got the game-winner in OT. Kato and I couldn't believe what we were watching.
I left New Haven (the Yale Whale is such a cool place)
I had become a lightning rod for dramatic games!
In the meantime, Josh, John, and Paul began calling the Lauralton Hall/South Windsor girls Class LL championship at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Yes, that meant we were broadcasting from two different sites, with two different setups! It opens up more opportunities for us!
I thought I would join them at halftime, and maybe be the courtside reporter for the rest of the game. But, alas, no. I visited with Mr. Imus and his coffee.
I'll be the first to tell you I didn't like that feeling. But it all worked out.
I came back for my third call of the day - the Class LL boys championship between Bridgeport Central and Fairfield Prep.
By 11, we had finished, broken down the equipment, and had caught up with our significant others for a well-deserved beverage. We all had breakfast together on Sunday back at Mohegan Sun, then went our separate ways.
I won't forget this week for a long time. We've called 58 games since November 22. I've specifically called 56 of them.
My story with the wonderful Mary Higgins Clark has made it to web.
It got edited, very slightly, from the initial version due to space restraints. I don't think I need to get the unedited version up, since I feel you'll get the point if you are so inclined to read it.
I worked in references to Don Imus and the New York Yankees.
That makes me a happy person.
This, along with Tom Coughlin, has been my favorite story to write (since joining the Bulletin). Coming on Thursday (in print), I profile a band made up of high school students that got a favorable review from my editor. So there's that.
I'm proud to say that I was interviewed on the "Louis Live" show on Israel Sports Radio a few hours ago. I'm not sure if they will podcast it, or preserve it in anyway, but I thought it was fun and insightful.
I love being interviewed (despite how much I don't like questions!) but hey I love covering sports. It was my pleasure.
Speaking of radio, I'll be with you (well, sort of ) tonight on "The Clubhouse" from GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, NY. Never forget that this is Brian Crowell (of GlenArbor) and Mark Jeffers' show, but I serve my nifty role as producer, engineer, third wheel and Sports Director of WGCH just fine and dandy. It airs live tonight at 7:00, and we podcast it at the WGCH website.
As an opener to "Linky Dinks", here's a sad post from Ken McMillan. Sad, only because the Renegades - my Gades - aren't on the radio anymore. Yes, it's not uncommon for teams to be online, but I always enjoyed being able to put the game on the "wireless" to check in when I wasn't calling a game. Life moves on.
Also, I like that the Yankees do their HOPE Week, and it is so nice to see players grabbing the spirit of doing good in the community. But...I sometimes wish it wasn't so public. The Yankees' work after 9/11 was done very much under the radar (which George Steinbrenner was a big fan of - he didn't like that kind of publicity). The Mets, conversely, were very out in the open. Neither is wrong, but there's something nice about doing things without the credit. Still, kudos to the team for such great work.
Chad Jennings has the details of a terrible job by umpire Mike DiMuro, and a sufficient acting job by DeWayne Wise, along with other notes from last night's Bombers win. None of this has convinced me that this team can win a World Series.
Last note from Chad. Sunday is Old Timers' Day at the Stadium. I'm most likely not going as I'm probably heading for some camping in the Catskills, not too far from Kaaterskill Falls with the lovely Lisa and friends, but Chad has the list of attendees for the annually gathering in The Bronx. Of course, my new "friend" Kay Murcer will be there.
Chris Berman and Trent Dilfer. Together. Calling an NFL game. Budding broadcasters (and our ears) everywhere weep. (Sports Media Journal)
Not long ago I talked about my enjoyable night at Tropicana Field. According to Deadspin, it appears that a stray bullet pierced The Trop recently.
Ten years ago this week I was in Wyoming for the marriage of my former brother-in-law to his lovely Gretchen. Ten years later, they're living in Washington state and have two beautiful children (Eleanor and George). Both kids have strong resemblances to Michael's family, and I see a lot of Sean's mom in Eleanor who - gasp! - turned FIVE last week). I guess, with the divorce, I'm not really their family anymore (one of the saddest byproducts of relationships ending), but I still read Gretchen's blog that she updates. Her writing is fun and witty, and the pictures are cute. It's a great way to stay in touch with family 3000 miles away. Recently, Gretchen sped right on by post number 1000. Congratulations to them, and here's to thousands more!
Love him or not (you know how I feel), I'm pretty confident that sports talk would not have succeeded without one Mr. John Donald Imus (in the morning). Jeff Smulyan, founder of WFAN (celebrating 25 years) tells Ed Sherman, "I can’t minimize his impact."
I'll have more links at another time, but I saw this from my friend Chuck Costello and had to post it. I think he does a nice job of summing up the behavior of a lot of folks who think that they're privileged, entitled, or something.
There's a baseball game going on and you just walk through? Really?
Chuck adds more "hit and run" notes in the post, including a mention of Don Imus mourning the passing of his brother, Fred. Chuck isn't afraid to mince words.
The "Imus in the Morning" program changed forever with the Nappy Headed Ho incident in 2007. Yet "the I-Man" and company came back, and some have said that they are stronger and better than they were before the moment that Imus and Bernard McGuirk made fun of the Rutgers women's basketball team.
Effective at the end of the show on May 6th, the show will be irrevocably changed.
Charles McCord, the straight man to Imus, the news man, the side kick, the one who (truth be known) did most of the comedy writing during the halcyon days on WNBC (later WFAN), is retiring (David Hinckley in the New York Daily News).
I imagine, deep down, John Donald Imus is frankly devastated at the departure of his friend, whom he first worked with in 1971. I'm sure Imus believes that the show will march along with somebody else playing the Chucksters' old role. Hinckley's article confirms that Connell McShane of Fox Business News will replace McCord (I would have considered Dagen McDowell).
It will never be the same without Charles.
Here is a classic moment, perhaps Chucks' best: this is the day that, after what seemed like months of Imus's obsession with the Whittaker Chambers and Alger Hiss story (a result of Sam Tanenhaus's 1997 biography of Chambers), Chuck went off.
(I had no other reason to use this photo, but I like it. Kendall celebrated her fifth birthday a few weeks ago…and we “posed” for a picture, taken by Carrie).
It’s not politically correct to say this, but I still like Don Imus. He’s one of the main people who got me so into radio all those years ago, back when he was “nuking” things, and featuring characters like Skip and Muffy and Geraldo Santana Banana and Crazy Bob and Moby Worm and Right Reverend Doctor Billy Sol Hargus (with the emeralds and the rubies just a-dripping off of him, got a ring on every finger of his hand). Those later evolved into real life people like Nixon, Clinton, Walter Cronkite and so on.
Then came the “nappy-headed hoes.” Things changed. HE became more politically correct and the characters have changed. The show is still solid, when I get to watch or listen. Maybe not quite the old mean-spirited I-man that I loved (where EVERYBODY got skewered), but still better than anything else in the morning.
Anyway, I’m babbling. He’s writing a blog now. It’s one of the few free parts of his new website (if you join, all of the money goes to his ranch…and that’s one of the great things people forget about the man).
This is fascinating. The 25th (WHAT?) anniversary DVD of “Back to the Future” is coming out, and will include the usual extras, including footage of the original Marty McFly, Eric Stoltz.
Eventually, the Academy will award a Lifetime Achievement to Huey Lewis for his appearance as the judge in the band audition scene. An amazing performance. Of course, HL and the News got jobbed on their real Oscar, for “The Power of Love.” I still haven’t forgiven the Academy.
To sports now (and hey, why not?). The Rangers lost a terrible game yesterday, but the Islanders showed they have some goon in them. James Wisniewski had words with the one and only Sean Avery, and decided to take matters into his own hands, by miming a particular kind of hand-to-mouth gesture.
By the way, Wappingers Falls, NY being number 378th made me laugh.
Lastly, Ken Fang has perhaps the worst list of baseball movies ever. He agrees that Turner Classic Movie’s so-called top 10 is just awful. They are: Speedy (1928) with Babe Ruth. Whatever. The Pride of the Yankees (1942). There are a lot of holes in that story for my taste, but OK. The Stratton Story (1949). A wonderful movie. I’m a big fan of this one, with Jimmy Stewart as Monte Stratton, who loses his leg in a hunting accident. Take Me Out to the Ballgame (1949). There are a lot of big names involved here (Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Esther Williams) but this is basically “Baseball: The Musical.” Sigh. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950). I don’t have the words to say how laughable this is. Damn Yankees (1958). “Baseball: The Musical…The Sequel…to Beat the Hated Yankees!” The Bad News Bears (1976). Love it. Bull Durham (1988). One of my favorite movies. Ever. Eight Men Out (1988). Love it (historically accurate). Field of Dreams (1989). Still makes me cry. “Hey Dad. You wanna have a catch.” F***!
But as Ken points out, where are Major League and Bang the Drum Slowly? Not to mention The Natural? I just got done watching some of For Love of the Game and that’s far more enjoyable than some of these others. A terrible list. Just bad.
Legendary comedian and activist (Haysooz I hate that word) Dick Gregory was on with Don Imus, the morning following the I-Man's Pacman Jones incident. Mr. Gregory was initially going to be on to salute the life and legacy of George Carlin, who died of a heart attack on Sunday. Knowing he would be on, I held my breath waiting for Gregory to have his say regarding Imus, the so-called "racist." If anybody was likely to call Imus out, it would be him.
After discussing Carlin for a few minutes, Imus attempted to turn the discussion to Pacman...err...Adam Jones. Gregroy took over, "Wait, wait, wait, don’t do this. Let me say it first..." and off he went. Part of Gregory's point was that the critics are never going to believe that Don Imus - he of the "nappy headed ho's" - would ever be holding a discussion regarding racial profiling.
In other words, the critics were hosting a witch hunt. Hmmm...I think I might have said that just recently.
Gregory got what Imus was saying on Monday morning. He summed it up this way: "There’s some serious stuff out here and I’m satisfied.. I would be the first one to call it out if I thought it wrong, 'cause I don’t have to play nobody."
We've been through this crap before, and clearly Don Imus isn't going to go through it again.
Blowhard Al Sharpton said the I-man's comments "plays into stereotypes", and will decide over the next few days whether or not to protest.
Bring it on, because guess what, Al?
This is a witch hunt. And Imus isn't going to take it again.
This morning, Imus came on the air and firmly defended what he said as sarcasm. This time, there are no apologies or appearances on Sharpton's show.
If any of you have been listening, you'd understand the drill. But you don't - you just all want to judge and assume without having a clue.
The other day, I called my brother "a son of a bitch." It was a joke and we were all laughing. Now, if that had been printed, or only used as a sound byte, you could infer that I was seriously chastising my idiot sibling. See the difference? The people around us knew that Doug and I were doing our usual routine - yet taken out of context, you can spin the whole thing into some kind of attack.
People want blood again, and this time, it isn't happening. Go away...nothing more to see here. I'm sure there's another ambulance to chase somewhere else.
I like Awful Announcing, but some days, I think the guy is just being politically correct for the sake of being politically correct. So now let's watch and see how this develops...
So he's going on about Imus - obviously another person who once again has no clue. Then there was this regarding Dick Enberg, because Mr. Enberg used the word "slave." Haysooz Cristo...Dick Enberg is so freakin' smart and such a student of history that a) He wasn't saying anything racist, and B) He was making an historical reference.
GOD! Stop trying to stir up stuff simply because you write a pithy blog. You're better than that, but sometimes...
Oh I had such a rant written here, but I won't. Let's just say that I wonder how people believe they're qualified to be critics sometimes.
I've not kept up my end of this blogging thing at times, so I neglected to relay this story to you. During CBS's broadcast of the AFC Championship game, I heard Jim Nantz make a reference to a Patriots player who grew up on a ranch. It seemed like an offbeat story to me, but I just let it roll. A day later, I was listening to Mr. Imus, who said that Nantz told the story, in part, to make good on a promise to Imus. Mike Baron in The Post-Chronicle picks it up from here:
Nantz a recipient of the Pat Summerall Award for broadcasting, was a guest on Friday morning's Imus in the Morning show on WABC Radio and RFD TV and was musing about how Joe Buck was once asked by Conan O'Brien to work a phrase into the World Series broadcast. O'Brien's contention was that if Buck was as good as his reputations states, he would be able to do it. So Nantz offered to say something of Imus's choosing.
Imus chose: "Just one more cow baby, just one more cow," a humorous reference to the show's TV home of RFD.
With a little over 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter when the Patriots had the ball, Nantz fulfilled his obligation. He said, "Watch #70 again, Logan Mankins. Kid grew up on 10,000 acre cattle ranch outside of Fresno. Was a calf roper as a kid, taught by his dad and, I'll tell you, when you're that big and you're taught calf roping and your dad says, 'hey I'm gonna bring on just one more cow', coming into the NFL and taking on your opponent is not that big a deal."
