Thirty Years Ago

Hard to believe it's been thirty years since the death of Bob Crane (nice plug, Brenda -- where'd you get that picture, anyway?)

A lot has been written, blogged and filmed about the way he lived his life and, of course, how he died. I prefer to remember him as the wise-cracking, unflappable and inventive leader of a talented band of POW's fighting their own battles of WWII behind enemy lines. This, as has been written, is his legacy.

During my convalescence I worked through a few seasons of Hogan's Heroes in my DVD collection. I've seen every episode countless times, but I never cease to be amazed at the degree of creativity and originality of the series and its individual episodes. A few production flaws creep in from time to time, but even a "low-grade" episode of HH is 100 times better than most of the garbage that's in prime time today. Oh, and remember when TV shows actually ran a full 25 minutes instead of 18?

Crane, as Col. Hogan, was the centerpiece of one of the most inspired casting calls in TV history. Now, of the original core group, only the Frenchman and the Englishman are left (see here), but their most notable and public achievement will run forever (or at least until DVD's become obsolete).

Bob Crane would be a few weeks shy of turning 80 if he were alive today. I think this afternoon I'll crack open another season in his honor...

Home of Champions

A photo of the famous T-shirt (referenced below) from 1986. I still miss that old Patriots logo...

I have no idea what happened to the handsome young gentleman who's wearing it; he hasn't been heard from in awhile.

For that matter, I couldn't tell you where the shirt is, either. Last seen it was adorning somebody's college dorm room:

Biking to Work

K-Lo at The Corner brought this to my attention. Reminds me of what I did myself for ten years, when I was young, energetic and had two functional legs...

Ah, memories...

George Carlin (1937-2008)

In 1985, on a flight from Dulles to O'Hare, I was tuning through the "pipe music" (when headsets were still free) when I first encountered the comedy of George Carlin. The material obviously had to be moderated due to open access, yet it was no less enjoyable. It is this earlier, PG-rated Carlin that I remembered most. Over the next few years, old friend JB fed me a steady diet of equally-moderated material, which I in turn passed on to long-suffering classmates and associates, to the point where I included a quote from Al Sleet (The Hippie-Dippie Weather Man) on my high school yearbook page, and even downright plagiarized some of his material in a newspaper mock-up for a tenth grade English project.

On the legendary trip to Botswana a short time later, Wethead had brought his boombox along and hooked up a microphone so he and the Hose could narrate and sing along as they felt inclined. At one point, Hose shoved the mic in my face and asked me announce what station we were listening to. Without missing a beat, I announced that "you're listening to W-I-N-O, the Big Sound in the Big City -- WONDERFUL WINO RADIO!"

Then, as a freshman in college, I was sitting in a Bioscience Lab one Tuesday evening when a classmate started talking about his experience in Catholic school vis-a-vis Carlin's reminisces in routines such as "I used to be Irish-Catholic." I think I can get along with this guy, I surmised. We would be in each other's weddings, and we are still friends today, twenty years later.

Ah, yes -- plenty of good stuff. Son of WINO -- Class Clown -- The 11 O'Clock News -- Baseball & Football -- The Hair Piece -- A Place for My Stuff! -- People I Can Do Without -- and more...

But it was around this time (mid- to late-1980's) that Carlin's comical cynicism evolved (or deteriorated) into unambiguous nihilism, the ultimate (and natural) outgrowth of his atheism.

And nihilism, once you get past the first uncomfortable guffaw, really isn't all that funny.

Perhaps this is evidence that comedy (like just about everything else) might cause a momentary pleasurable sensation, but when lacking any semblance of a moral foundation, it only leaves you empty and searching for meaning. This is how Carlin leaves us -- the laughter has stopped and as we catch our breath we look back only to see a desolate wasteland of nothingness. Though he would never admit it publicly, he was undoubtedly having the same vision as the curtains -- both literal and figurative -- fell.

The Schill is Gone

If indeed this is the end for Curt Schilling, it marks the end of a colorful and eventful career that provided plenty of material for hometown (and national) journalists to cover. Boston scribes were delighted this past off-season when "The Big Lug" re-upped with the Sox for another season -- not (necessarily) because the Sox needed another starting pitcher, but because they knew they'd always have something to write about.

The question of Schill's HOF chances is something else altogether. Were the BBWAA to have a sudden jolt of sanity and allow me to vote on such matters, I honestly don't know how I'd decide. Sentiment aside, his statistics initially don't impress me. However, if you factor in his phenomenal postseason record and the fact that he compiled his records (apparently) free of any performance-enhancers and during an era during when hitters prospered, a fairly strong case can be made.

Speculation is all over the place. We'll just have to wait and see. And, of course, he could still come back next year...

Make my day...

Fellow members of the VRWC who are also interested in movies might want to check out Dirty Harry's Place.

Recent entries include the Top 5 Gene Hackman Films, exposing a cheap-shot in the new Pixar Release "Wall-e," and pieces on Brad Garrett and Ted Nugent.

Greatest of the Green

Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe -- and author of several books on the Celtics -- has compiled a list of the 10 greatest Celtics teams.

I tend to agree with his ranking of the 1985-86 team as #1, followed by this year's champions. What's interesting, however, is that 3 of the 10 teams listed (including #3) did NOT win championships.

How it started...

One more thought before we close the book (for now) on 1986 --

The Sporting News described 1986 as the year "The Button was Stuck on Boston." Beginning with the Patriots' appearance in Super Bowl XX (against the 1985 Chicago Bears -- 'nuff said), continuing with the Celtics' championship in June, and concluding with the Red Sox in the 1986 World Series (and one of the greatest baseball Octobers ever). It was a great time to be a Boston-area sports fan, even at a distance. Somewhere I still have my "New England -- Home of Champions" T-shirt...

Anyway, with the Celtics having taken care of business (and the Lakers) this week, it is almost certain that this decade will be remembered in a similar fashion, but on a much greater scale -- six titles and counting, not to mention several additional championship-level appearances (ie Red Sox in 2003, Celtics in 2002), and a pretty good Boston College football team.

Just like 1986, however, the first decade of the 21st Century -- the decade that will be dominated by Boston-area sports -- it began with the team from Foxboro. Not having the tradition of the Celtics or the feverish, nation-wide, maniacal devotion of the Red Sox, it was the Patriots that kicked things off (so to speak) on February 3, 2002. And the decade's not over yet...

Back-to-Back to Glory

Around 20 years ago (probably 1987), old Salad friend JB mailed me a copy of a "Profile" he had prepared on himself for publication over an early version of the Internet that allowed him to communicate ("chat") with people on other college campuses. It included stuff like nicknames, interests, favorite foods, hobbies, musical tastes, etc. So, one day, having nothing better to do, I sat down at my word processor and pounded one out for myself.

Emulating as always the great JB, one of the topics was "Goal in Life." I answered something like my Goal in Life was to see the Red Sox win the World Series, the Patriots win the SuperBowl, and the Celtics win back-to-back NBA titles.

Bear in mind the following -- Larry Bird was still playing and the Celtics had captured a recent title in 1986, so the mere act of winning a single title wasn't much to get overly excited about. But winning Back-to-Back titles -- well, that hadn't happened since 1969, and as of 1987 only the Celtics and the Minneapolis Lakers had accomplished such a feat.

Also bear in mind that this was (slightly) before the Lakers (now LA), Pistons, Bulls, and even the Houston Rockets made winning back-to-back titles (even "Three-Peating") relatively routine (see the list of champions here).

Finally, bear in mind (please) that my Goal(s) in Life have evolved (hopefully, matured) in the past twenty years.

Still, it's interesting to reflect that the Celtics are now halfway towards achieving that last piece of the Goal that I held dearly as a teenager. Not too many people get this lucky. If they stay healthy, I'm not sure who can stop them next year. Then again, there could be a team out there somewhere that will make a similar series of off-season moves to come out of nowhere. Enjoy it while you can -- you never know when the next one is coming around...

Back to Glory

For whatever reason, I remember this SI cover from 1986 depicting the Montreal Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup that year after a mere 7-year absence (Les Habs won the Cup again in '93 -- again, 7 years later).

This cover has been on my mind in recent months and now, finally, another professional sports franchise, also rich in tradition and titles, has won the championship in its league for a record 17th time.

I wonder if SI is planning anything similar for its next cover?

2-3-2 vs. 2-2-1-1-1

One thought as we sit here a few hours from Game 5 of the NBA finals, with the Celtics holding a 3-1 lead -- the NBA went to the 2-3-2 format for the Finals (only) in 1985 in the name of reducing travel. The Celtics protested, both before and after they lost the finals to the Lakers that year in 6 games. (The Celtics were largely done in by their failure to win Game 2 at home earlier in the series, after performing the Memorial Day Massacre in Game 1).

The Celtics objected in the past (philosophically or otherwise) that Game 5 was of equal or greater significance than Game 6, and thus the higher-seeded team should host Games 5 and 7 instead of 6 and 7. Anyway, I find it interesting that the Celtics could win the Finals tonight in Game 5, but under the 2-3-2 format that game is in LA instead of Boston.

Bob Ryan wrote an article on this subject in 2005.

Just some idle speculation I wanted to throw out before tipoff. You never know...

In Memoriam

B103, the Washington Monument, 1994, Psalm 63, Sometimes by Step, Traditions of Christmas, New Year's Day, Flag Day and Father's Day will always belong to you.

And, of course, number 186 (#203 for those of you scoring at home).

Always missed, never forgotten, forever a part of our lives.

We'll see you soon!

Tim Russert (1950-2008)

Many people have mentioned Tim Russert's use of a whiteboard to calculate potential Electoral Vote outcomes during the first night of the 2000 Presidential Election. Few, however, probably know that Russert appeared on the "Imus in the Morning" radio show a short time before Election Day and speculated that the polling was so close that the media might have to resort to this type of device when the returns started coming in. Russert was in a way nostalgic, almost salivating over the possibility that he might get to observe and report on an election that would require old-fashioned techniques.

I never saw much of Meet the Press, but I always found Russert to be a highly informed, entertaining and, most importantly, nearly prejudice-free commentator on a subject which he clearly enjoyed greatly. He is one of the last of his kind, and he will be missed, particularly this election year. RIP.

Thank you -- again

Here we are between Memorial Day, D-Day and Flag Day, so an appropriate time to again say THANK YOU to all who served, and all who continue to serve around the world. We will never forget your commitment, effort and sacrifice.

Turning Point

A few days late, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the 64th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. Do yourself a favor and (1) Take some time to view a movie or documentary on the subject (The Longest Day is a personal favorite; also a pretty good book); (2) Read this article by Dave Kopel (late of NRO) on the outlook if Normandy had failed.


Finally, it's worth speculating how those that pass themselves off as "journalists" in the mainstream media would have reacted had they been reporting on June 6, 1944. Roger Kimball at Pajamas Media provides us with one interesting piece; the comments which follow are also worth reviewing.

Achilles in Albany

One final hoops-related note before I log off for the night --

I was at a conference in Puerto Rico earlier this week. My wheelchair was the spark to several conversations, including one with a product specialist. What followed were several layers of irony --

1. His specialty is Disability Insurance.
2. He himself had ruptured his right Achilles Tendon 25 years ago.
3. At the time of the injury he was approximately the same age I am now.
4. It occurred during a pick-up basketball game (check).
5. ...in Albany NY (near the home of Mrs. Salad and near where we lived in our first year of marriage).
6. The pick-up game was highlighted by the regular participation of the young head coach of the Albany Patroons, Mr. Phil Jackson (again, about the same age at the time) who is now coaching a team in California or somewhere out west...I know it's been in the news...

Hopefully, the similarities end there. Not only did he re-rupture the same tendon several months later, but his leg has never fully recovered. We'll see...

Finally

I never really hated the Lakers, at least when I was following pro basketball back in the Bird-Magic days. Perhaps I was too far removed geographically to get sucked into the vitriol. I was, after all, in Kruger National Park in South Africa when I received word via shortwave that the Lakers had won game 6 of the 1987 NBA Finals, winning the trophy at the expense of the Celtics.

Or perhaps it was because my best friend at the time was a Californian who, naturally, favored the dominant West Coast team. My memories of twenty years ago might be a little hazy, but I only recall having (albeit grudgingly) respect for them, and even rooting for them when they faced off against the Pistons and Bulls in later years. It's hard to believe, but perhaps I was prescient enough to realize in the 80's that the Bird-Magic / Celtics-Lakers rivalry was pretty special.

Again, just consider the amount of talent on both teams. And the coaches. And the front offices. And the die-hard fans, including multiple celebrities, in two cities that were about as far removed geographically and demographically as you could imagine. The balance sheet of the Bird-Magic era might give the edge to the Lakers (5-3 in championships, 2-1 head-to-head), but a missed shot here or an avoided injury there could have easily turned that around, and fans of both teams should realize that by now. One final twist is how it's interesting that the centerpieces of both teams were natives of neither Coast, but heralded from the Midwest.

It really was a special time, and while the current incarnations of these teams have plenty of talent and should give us a competitive series, we're nowhere close to where we were 20 years ago. Ah, nostalgia...

Sweet Sixteen

I dug out this picture of the 1985-1986 Celtics, referenced below. The amount of talent in this picture is ridiculous. At least six are in the Hall of Fame (Red Auerbach, KC Jones, Bird, McHale, Parrish & Walton), and the fact that the late Dennis Johnson is still kept out of Springfield is downright embarrassing. Think about it for a minute -- Larry Bird and (a healthy) Bill Walton on the same team. Good grief.

Had Walton not suffered a fluke injury the next season, and tragedy not intervened with the Celtics' #1 draft pick that offseason, I feel confident speculating that they would have not only won the '87 and perhaps '88 championships, but several more along the way until Larry retired.

Sixteen going on Seventeen

In the early 1990's, when the NY Yankees were abysmal, I heard a broadcaster (who, like yours truly, had been raised in Maine as a Red Sox fan) point out that "baseball needs the Yankees." His implication was that a strong, competitive team in the Bronx would go a long way towards drawing fans back to a game that was awash in its own mediocrity. Does anybody even remember that the Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series during that time?

I was sixteen when the Boston Celtics won their last NBA Title, with arguably the greatest team of all time (certainly in the top 5 on any thinking fan's list). The next year, the made it back to the finals but fell to the LA Lakers in six games. With the Celtics (and, for a time, the Lakers) falling out of the championship picture for twenty years, I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I haven't watched an NBA game with any seriousness during that time -- certainly since Larry Bird retired. Regardless of what happens over the next two weeks or so, it's good to have them back.

1992 Flashback

Just a brief thought as I sit here in Puerto Rico during the waning days of the (apparently) endless Democratic primary season. Am I the only one who finds it ironic that the leaders of the late Clintonista regime are upset with the media for (according to them) favoring a young, relatively unknown, and inexperienced candidate whose resume would fit on the back of a business card, whose only asset is his charisma and youthfulness -- over (again, according to them) a seasoned, experienced senior veteran of a previous presidential administration and eight-year member of the US Senate?

Not that I'm picking sides here (I'd rather move to France): The irony comes from my 1992, when one could argue with some credibility that the roles were somewhat reversed.

I haven't heard anybody else make this observation yet, although I can't be the first. The Clintons' predecessor has to be enjoying this on some level.

Oh well -- back to the beach...