by John Walters
Special lightning-round edition
Tweet Me Right
Starting Five Four
Sports TV’s Greatest Afternoon
It was 20 years ago yesterday that, as New York City sweltered under hot and humid temps in the 90s, that I entrenched myself in my apartment with the air-conditioning. Turned to the Yankee game where David Cone was pitching. It was Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium and so they had Don Larsen, who threw the only perfect game in World Series history, toss out the ceremonial first pitch to Yogi. I thought, That’s nice.
So here’s what commenced. Cone would throw a perfect game. Meanwhile, ABC was airing the final round of the British Open where a relatively unknown Frenchman, Jean Van de Velde, took a three-shot lead into the 72nd and final hole of the tournament at Carnoustie. A French golfer had not won a major championship since 1907.
What transpired was perfectly perfect and imperfect. On WPIX Cone was battling against the longest of odds to toss a perfecto, something that happens about once every seven years, statistically, in baseball. In Scotland Van de Velde, needing only a 6 double bogey on the final hole to win, was self-imploding. The juxtaposition of one man overcoming the odds to produce a once-in-a-lifetime performance and the other doing the exact opposite to produce the same result in an infamous fashion, was something I’ll never forget.
Moreover, that very afternoon I was also flipping to CNN for news on JFK, Jr., whose luggage was beginning to wash up on the shores of Martha’s Vineyard. A truly surreal day in front of the TV set.
Epstein-Behind-Bars Syndrome
On the same day in separate New York City courtrooms, Jeffrey Epstein is denied bail while El Chapo is sentenced to life in prison. Next year’s season of Lockup gonna be lit.
Feelin’ You, Aaron Boone
This is me to all the first-year servers at the Cookoutateria this summer. The Yankees swept a doubleheader from the Rays yesterday while the Mets lost in 16 in San Francisco after taking the lead in the top of the 16th. So it goes…
Badwater Falls
In Death Valley, Japanese runner Yoshihiko Ishikawa sets a course record in the notorious Badwater 135 Ultra, finishing in 21 hours and 33 minutes (the old record was 21 hours and 56 minutes). At the finish line he drops to his knees, partly from exhaustion and partly to propose to his girlfriend. She says yes.
Remote Patrol
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
10:15 p.m. TCM
Not to be confused with, Ahoy, Mr. Chips.
Robert Donat won a Best Actor Oscar in this film. Jimmy Stewart (Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, which airs at 8 p.m. tonight on TCM) deserved it. The Academy issued its first (of many) major makeup calls by giving Stewart the Best Actor statuette for The Philadelphia Story when his best friend, Henry Fonda, deserved it for The Grapes Of Wrath.
Didn’t the recent power outage affect Cookoutateria? I’ve been waiting allll week to hear how YOU were inspired by some of those singing-IN-the-street Broadway shows to lead a sing-along :
“99 bottles of beer on the wall
99 bottles of beer!
Take one down & pass it around
98 bottles of beer on the wall!”
I mean come on, what better time and PLACE? 🙂 🙂 🙂
Tour de France Update :
Sure, it looks ONCE AGAIN as if Team Deathstar (AKA “Ineos”) has a stranglehold on this race. But what they didn’t count on (NOOOOBODY COUNTED ON) was a French guy who doesn’t want to stop wearing the ‘full-yellow’! (Yellow jersey, yellow helmet, yellow sunglasses, yellow gloves, yellow bar tape, yellow socks, yellow bands around the bottom of his bike shorts). 🙂
Most likely, Alaphillipe (the yellow-obsessed French guy) won’t be able to keep up on the looooong mountain roads ahead, but wow, this guy is the new poster boy for “panache” (the French luuuv riders with said “panache”). Most commentators were wondering how much time he would LOSE to Geraint Thomas & a few other of the GC guys in today’s Time Trial & debated if he would lose the Yellow jersey (he was leading by 1:12 over Geraint at day’s start). HAH! ‘Ala-Panache’ SCORCHED that course & WON the stage, kept the jersey & added some time! Take THAT, Team Deathstar!
Anyhoo, this weekend the race gets down to business with the “real mountains” & we have 2 days with “UPHILL FINISHES” (whoo-hoo!). Whomever is sporting the Yellow jersey Sunday night will either be the eventual winner or at least be on the final podium (barring some crash, which could ALWAYS happen).
Also, the Swimming World Championships begin Sunday. (Honestly, jdubs, WHERE are your priorities!) Go Katie! Go Caeleb! Go Lily! Go TEAM USA! 🙂