by John Walters
Starting Five
Lena Waithe became the first black female to win a writing Emmy
“Tonight, We’re Binging Ourselves”
Where does the word “Emmy” come from? We’ve always just assumed that TV people love a word that has both “me” and “my” in it. Host Stephen Colbert did a fantastic job with the opening monologue (with an assist from MH fave Chance The Rapper). Two of his better lines…
“This season CBS will have twice as many Sheldons as any network in history”
“And of course, Bill Maher. I assume he’s black because he’s so comfortable using the N-word.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JJsJjmlGMQ
And then there was a lot of diversity and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and John Oliver, and Oprah was lovingly poked at the way folks on stage poke at Meryl Streep during the Oscars and SAG awards, while the president was not so lovingly poked at because…
Can we please move the Emmys to winter time, too?
2. Coliseum Classic
La La Land nearly became Longhorn Land on Saturday evening as unranked, unloved Texas marched into the L.A. Coliseum with a backup freshman quarterback and came soooooo close to upsetting No. 4 USC (who woulda thunk?). If you watched, you saw Texas dominate up front defensively (the Trojan rushing attack was limited to 1.9 yards per carry) and limit Troy and its Heisman darling QB, Sam Darnold, to seven points all game outside the final minute of each half.
Oh, but those final minutes.
Matt and Vince thought that even though Texas lost, their effort was alright, alright, alright
One more note from the 27-24 double OT USC win. In extra time Texas outgained USC 49 yards to 25. Oh, but if Longhorn QB Sam Ehlinger had only been able to hold onto that pigskin when it was yanked from his clutches on the one. Still, a thrilling, incredible, Gus Johnson special. I cannot wait to read how Bill Platschke trashes it.
3. Blah Blah Bland
The attendance for the USC game was more than the Chargers and Rams’ attendances combined. pic.twitter.com/Pt96Vec5n4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 18, 2017
Roger, I tried to warn you. One of these franchises needs to relocate to Billings.
4. A (Medium) Rare Scoop
Here’s a photo of Ty Cobb & John Dowd casually & loudly discussing details of Russia investigation at @BLTSteakDC while I sat at next table. pic.twitter.com/RfX9JLJ0Te
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) September 18, 2017
Didn’t anyone currently operating in Washington, D.C., watch All The President’s Men??? You discuss sensitive information in abandoned parking garages late at night, not while dining al fresco at BLT Steak in broad daylight! Related: There are media members who can afford to dine at BLT Steak?
5. The MH Domin-Eight
Dante Pettis has three punt return TDs and three receiving TDs in three games. In South Bend, he’d already be rehearsing his Heisman speech.
Yes, the staff fully acknowledges, 100%, that investing concern or agitation over the weekly AP rankings is a vestigial obsession. They don’t actually matter, after all. Still, seeing that 0-1 Florida State, 1-0 Miami (lone win, 41-13 versus Boston College) and 1-1 Florida (0-2 save for a 63-yard prayer) are ranked in the Top 20 while, for example, 3-0 California (with a win over an “S-E-C!” West squad) is not makes you wonder who vets these pollsters (and if perhaps someone forgot to visit Wisconsin, which should be ranked higher than Michigan, as well). Also not getting enough love, at least as compared to those three brand-name Sunshine State schools thus far: unbeatens Iowa and Vanderbilt.
Anyway, here we are with our weekly top eight:
Alabama (3-0): The beat down of Florida State reminds you that when Roll, Tide! cares, they’re an awfully tough out. Up next: at unranked but 3-0 Vanderbilt, which leads nation in Scoring Defense.
Clemson (3-0): Tigers put a big SHUSH on Lamar Jackson -repeat-Heisman chatter Saturday night. Up next: Boston College.
Oklahoma State (3-0): Ranking Pokes over Penn State because both played Pitt, but only one put up 49 first-half points against them (granted, OSU got leftover-hungover Pitt). Up next: No. 16 and unbeaten TCU.
Penn State (3-0): Nittany Lions have yet to leave Happy Valley but the offense is humming. Up next: Kitties face first road test at unbeaten, unranked Iowa in ABC’s prime-time game.
Oklahoma (3-0): Sooners had first-half, emotional-letdown hiccup versus Tulane before cruising. Up next: at Baylor.
Washington (3-0): Dante Pettis has returned six punts this season and housed three of them. Up next: at 3-0 Colorado, which has nation’s No. 4 Scoring Defense.
Wisconsin (3-0): Badgers traveled to Provo and handed BYU its worst home loss, 40-6, in six seasons. Up next: Bye.
Georgia (3-0): Dawgs are No. 5 in Rushing Defense and that win in South Bend may look better as season progresses. Up next: 3-0 Mississippi State.
By the way, you’ve got SIX teams in the A.P. Top 11 playing 3-0 opponents this week: Alabama, Penn State, USC, Oklahoma State, Washington and Georgia, while a seventh, Michigan, visits a much-improved 2-1 Penn State. Look out for ShakeUp Saturday.
Music 101
Please Read The Letter
Old golden gods of rock never die, they just occasionally record duets with country starlets. Here’s Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin front man, with Alison Krauss, with a tune that won a 2009 Grammy as Record of the Year. It was originally released 11 years earlier on an album, Walking Into Clarksdale, by Plant and his Led Zep axe man, Jimmy Page.
Remote Patrol
The Vietnam War
PBS 8 p.m.
What exponentially greater factor of Americans will be watching Dancing With The Stars during this time slot and why is my face buried in my palm?