Month: July 2012

50 Favorite TV Shows…..10-6

As I sit here writing this I am at work praying for a calm, uneventful night. I am also hoping to distract myself from yet another one of my infamous Facebook debates about sociopolitical issues. Though I refrain from engaging in such “discussions” as much as I used to, there are still times that I just can’t seem to resist. I always hate myself afterward though because I am inevitably left feeling utterly flummoxed by society’s loathing of God and the downward spiral of a once proud & exceptional America that has apparently slipped into the rear view mirror for the time being. At any rate, I can think of no better palate cleanser than to dive into the exciting conclusion of my 50 Favorite TV Shows series. I think, in the interest of readability, it is best to break The Top 10 into two entries, so here we go with the first half.

 

 

 

10     Saturday Night Live

NBC 1975-Present

SNL is the very essence of the term “hit or miss”. Certainly not all of its 35+ seasons have been winners. Even within each season some weeks are memorable and some induce channel surfing. Heck, each individual show has its ups & downs. Some skits are really funny, some are horrible misfires. Some guest hosts rock and some should stick to their days jobs. Different musical guests will obviously appeal to some viewers while being of no interest to others. However, taken as a whole one has to give due credit to Lorne Michaels & NBC for producing a show that has lasted so long and has become thoroughly ingrained in the pop culture fabric of the nation. The show has a built in mechanism to keep it fresh, with a different guest host each week and the fact that the cast never stays static for too long since after a few years the actors inevitably want to move on to sitcoms or movies. Over the course of nearly four decades SNL has launched the careers of people like Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Eddie Murphy, Dana Carvey, Gilda Radner, Dennis Miller, Chris Farley, Jane Curtin, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Crystal, Bill Murray, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, and Martin Short. Of course it has also given us such forgettable performers as Morwenna Banks, Jim Breuer, A. Whitney Brown, Horatio Sanz, Charles Rocket, Jeff Richards, Ellen Cleghorne, Denny Dillon, Rachel Dratch, Siobhan Fallon, Melanie Hutsell, Tim Kazurzinsky, Cheri Oteri, Mark McKinney, and Finesse Mitchell, as well as people we wish we could forget like David Spade, Rob Schneider, Al Franken, Tracey Morgan, Jon Lovitz, and Janeane Garofalo. Whether they were one shot deals or recurring characters sketches like Wayne’s World, Matt Foley Motivational Speaker, The Church Lady, The Coneheads, Father Guido Sarducci, The Blues Brothers, Leon Phelps The Ladies Man, The Festrunk Brothers (two wild & crazy guys!!), The Ambiguously Gay Duo, Lazy Sunday (Chroni…what?…cles of Narnia!!), Just Pat, Bill Swerski’s Chicago Superfans, Mary Katherine Gallagher, The Spartan Cheerleaders, and Schweddy Balls are fondly remembered many years after they aired. SNL is like a well-worn, comfortable piece of furniture…we could take a chance on something newer, shinier, fancier, and more modern, but we like that old beaten up thing that we’re used to, even with all its scratches, dents, and other imperfections. 

 

 

 

 

9       Family Ties

NBC 1982-89

Are you ready for some Must See TV up in here?? In the 80’s NBC’s Thursday night lineup was quite possibly the best night of television ever assembled. At 8:30pm viewers enjoyed this tale of a Midwestern culture clash between liberal, ex-hippy, baby boomer parents whose roots were firmly planted in the 60’s counterculture and their teenage son who energetically embraced the conservative Reagan Revolution. Such a concept these days would undoubtedly be mean spirited and glorify deviant lifestyles, but 30 years ago it was just a good natured comedy full of family values, love, and an appreciation for all points of view. Michael J. Fox became an overnight sensation playing young yuppie wannabe Alex P. Keaton and eventually parlayed that success into superstardom with his lead role in the Back to the Future movie trilogy. Courtney Cox, way before Friends made her a star, got her start playing Alex’s girlfriend. A young Tom Hanks made guest appearances as Alex’s alcoholic uncle. The writing was smart and the performances were above average for a sitcom. I seem to recall that on occasion serious issues like racism, drugs, and suicide were tackled, but the tone of the show never felt preachy or trite. I don’t have a problem with sitcoms addressing such topics in a thoughtful manner as long as the fact that it is supposed to be a comedy is never forgotten.

 

 

8       Cheers

NBC 1982-93

Right after Family Ties, at 9pm every Thursday night in the 80’s, NBC gave us the story of a Boston watering hole and its quirky band of misfit employees & patrons. Personally my beer swilling days pretty much ended after college and in reality middle aged people hanging out in bars tend to be kind of sad & pathetic, but fortunately the gang at Cheers wasn’t quite as pitiful as actual boozehounds. Ted Danson played bar owner Sam, a former Red Sox pitcher & recovering alcoholic. His employees…sardonic (and fertile) barmaid Carla, dimwitted yet kindhearted bartender Coach, naïve bartender Woody, and pretentiously loquacious waitress Diane…were like a neurotic little family. The group also included bar patrons Cliff Clavin, a bloviating mailman, and Norm Petersen, an unemployed accountant extremely fond of beer and not keen on going home to his wife. The show’s memorable theme song sums up the appeal of the bar and therefore the show itself:

Making your way in the world today takes everything you got

Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot

Wouldn’t you like to get away

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came

You wanna be where you can see our troubles are all the same

You wanna be where everybody knows your name

If only there were places in the real world that were so fun and welcoming, right??

 

 

7       The Cosby Show

NBC 1984-92

A quick gander at NBC’s 1982 television schedule makes it obvious why the network was struggling at the time. Notable shows produced by The Peacock that year were dramas like CHiPs, Little House: A New Beginning, St. Elsewhere, Fame, Knight Rider, Hill St. Blues, and Quincy. They needed more comedy!! Sure, Saturday nights that year gave us Diff’rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, and Gimme A Break, but Saturday nights traditionally don’t produce great ratings since most folks are out & about doing something more fun than watching TV (atleast they were back then). Cheers did premiere in ’82, but it took a couple of years to find an audience. Family Ties also debuted the same year but took some time to gain traction as well. So the suits at 30 Rockefeller Plaza decided to bring in a heavy hitter. They greenlit a sitcom starring Bill Cosby, who was a very popular stand-up comedian and already well known for Saturday morning cartoon staple Fat Albert as well as the 1965 adventure show I Spy (becoming the first black lead actor ever in a TV drama in the process). The show was based on Cosby’s observational stories about family life that had made his stand-up act so successful. The Cosby Show was intelligent, witty, and well written. It rightfully took people of color out of the ghetto and made them educated & prosperous. In some ways it was your usual family sitcom fare, but honestly, to compare The Cosby Show to other sitcoms of its day is like comparing cheap champagne to Dom Perignon. I have to assume that this show, as much as a television shows can do such a thing, provided inspiration to countless minorities that they too could become a doctor, lawyer, or anything their heart desired as long as they read, studied, and stayed out of trouble. It’s not that shows like Good Times, Sanford & Son, and What’s Happening!! weren’t funny in their own way, it’s just that they all painted a stereotypical picture of black folks living a blue color life in the projects, whereas The Cosby Show subtly pointed out the fact that affluence, achievement, and accomplishment are not solely reserved for white people. But beyond all that it was funny, relevant (to all races), and charming (unlike mean spirited, low brow crap like Roseanne, Married With Children, and Family Guy). The Cosby Show was immediately a huge hit and was the #1 show on television for the vast majority of its run. It deserves a spot on the Mount Rushmore of television, and I am so glad it just happened to come along in the midst of my crucial “I watched WAY too much TV” years.

 

 

6       WWE Raw

USA  1993-Present

I’m gonna get a lot of flack about this one, but I gotta be honest. Yes, I am a huge fan of professional wrestling and have been for about 30 years. As a kid I was gullible and thought it was all real, but that’s okay because back then it was pretty benign stuff. By the time wrestling became more violent & adult oriented I was all grown up and had become what is referred to as a “smart” fan. In other words I knew about the secrets, the storylines, and even occasionally what was going to happen ahead of time. With the invention and proliferation of The Internet in the 90’s smart fans had even more outlets to get the inside scoop. This necessitated a change in the wrestling business. You see, in the old days promotions like the WWF, AWA, & NWA would tape a month or so of television programming all in one night. I actually attended a TV taping once when I was in college, and it was exhausting!! Darn show lasted about 6 hours (although it was worth it since I did get to see Hulk Hogan). Obviously that way of doing things wasn’t going to fly in the Internet Age, so live programming became necessary. WWE recently aired its 1000th episode of Raw, which is remarkable. Long running shows like Gunsmoke, Law & Order, Lassie, & The Simpsons only produced 400-600 shows, and they had summers off. Raw doesn’t get weeks off. It is on every week. I am well aware that wrestling isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and my Dad has been telling me for many years “Son…that damn stuff is gonna disease your mind!!”. However, after decades of exposure I feel like I am about as mentally stable as anyone I know, and any neuroses from which I do happen to suffer cannot be blamed on wrestling. I have seen it referred to as “a soap opera for men”, which is about as accurate of a description as any I suppose. In recent years the sexuality and violence has been toned back down a lot, which is a positive thing. I am still not sure I would let children watch it, but that can be said for a lot of other things on TV as well.

 
 
 
 
 
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No God, No Peace – Know God, Know Peace

When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.  –        Proverbs 16:7    

 

 

 

We last looked at The Fruits of the Spirit nearly one year ago and The Sermon on the Mount just short of two years ago. I have no valid excuses for these long stretches of writing easier, less provocative, more “casual” pieces while being so inattentive to two very important studies. However, today’s adventure in blogging will attempt, in some small way, to make up for lost time by combining The Sermon & The Fruits, as they intersect on a very important subject…peace.

 

Mahatma Gandhi once said that “peace is its own reward”, but what exactly is peace?? It is typically defined in a variety of closely related ways: freedom from war, harmony, agreement, calm, tranquility, serenity, quiet, undisturbed state of mind, absence of mental conflict, contentment, acceptance, and the absence of anxiety. However, to understand the Biblical meaning of peace we must first look at three other words.

 

The Greek word most often translated as peace is eirene, which means “joining what had previously been separated or disturbed.” It is frequently used to signify “setting at one, quietness, and rest.” It doesn’t just mean the absence of conflict but takes into account everything that makes for a man’s highest good. Thus, eirene also indicates inner satisfaction, contentment, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ & content with its earthly lot, and the serenity that derives from living a full life.

 

The Hebrew word charash means “to hold one’s peace”, quiet, silent, rest, and a few different nuances depending upon the context.

 

The final word we need to know about is shalom, one of the most significant theological terms in Scripture and therefore not at all unfamiliar to most Christians & Jews. Shalom has a wide semantic range stressing various shades of its basic meaning…totality or completeness…that include fulfillment, completion, maturity, soundness, community, harmony, tranquility, security, well-being, welfare, friendship, agreement, safety, rest, favor, fulfillment, and wholeness. Much like eirene, it implies that which makes for man’s highest good.

 

So we can see that, Biblically speaking, peace is much more than the absence of war. In its fullest sense, it expresses our hope of reconciliation and redemption that can only be found thru the blood of Jesus Christ. Peace cannot be achieved with drugs, sex, money, fame, power, food, possessions, or any of the other numerous ways in which we distract ourselves. None of those things work, and the evidence is abundant: divorce, substance abuse, ulcers & heart attacks, crime, and suicide. Romans 14:17 specifies that “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 8:6 warns that “to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

 

President Ronald Reagan long ago opined that “a people free to choose will always choose peace.”, but is that really true?? Of course Reagan was using the word peace in the limited context of “absence of war”, and in that regard he was probably right. But using the Biblical interpretation of peace I have my doubts as to whether most people would purposely and enthusiastically choose it. We live in a society that mindlessly runs “the rat race”, eagerly “climbs the corporate ladder”, anxiously anticipates the latest ultra-violent movie or TV show, bashes God at every opportunity, actively promotes conflict in all aspects of life, glorifies deviant lifestyles that go directly against the will of God, and profits off the misery that results from all of this worldly strife by mass producing drugs that claim to cure all that ails us. Philippians 4:6-7 instructs us to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”, yet we all know people who are so mired in anxiety, misery, unhappiness, depression, and fear that they’ve forgotten how to be happy. Matthew 6:31-34 says  “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”  Ancient Greek storyteller Aesop once said that “a crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety”. Judging by the ample waistlines of the masses and the robust business for Xanax, Cymbalta, and Prozac I’d say we’re doing things all wrong.

 

The Biblical concept of peace is total and profound. Peace is much more than having a restful state of mind…it is our access point to the power of God. Without peace we are unable to implement our spiritual gifts and successfully do the work of God. It touches upon our relationship with God, with our inner self, with other believers, and with the world at large. We sustain peace with God by believing & trusting Him. We preserve peace with our fellow man by eliminating strife, discord, conflict, & dissension. We achieve peace with ourselves by refusing to live in guilt or condemnation and recognizing that God is greater than all of our sins. If a person is of a pure spirit, then peace tends to follow because a pure-hearted person is at peace within himself and is not self-centeredly seeking to impose their will on others. Self-righteousness leads to conflict. Conflict forces a fight-or-flight response. Peace is a dynamic experience of harmony that promotes total well-being. Peace is not passive, but rather is the product of God’s active involvement in our lives. Hebrews 12:14 tells us to “pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord”. 1 Peter 3:10-12 says “He who would love life and see good days let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it, for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Romans 14:19 advises us to “pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” Peace is something to be sought after and pursued. Peace is NOT pacifism. Peacemakers confront issues thru the prism of God, while pacifists choose to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that evil does not exist. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the ability to handle it effectively.

 

Our first priority should be to find peace with God. C. S. Lewis definitively states that “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” Those who delight in God’s law are blessed, but sinners experience misery & unhappiness, conflict & chaos, tragedy & heartache. The Bible connects peace with trust, meaning that when we trust God, His nature, and His plan we can attain true peace. It is when we try to figure things out on our own that we run into difficulties. 2 Corinthians 13:11 admonishes us to “Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” Perfect in this context means “perfection in knowledge, grace, and holiness”. Of good comfort means “to encourage, advise, and pray for others”. So in order to obtain peace, we have to seek after God, grow in our faith, do for others, and live in harmony with others.

 

The Beatitudes tell us that “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” You may recall that “blessed” simply means “happy”. Therefore peacemakers will be happy. Notice it does not say having peace will make us happy…we must be peacemakers. Again, peace is an active, dynamic byproduct of a relationship with God. My Dad used to tell me that “winners make it happen, losers let it happen”. Too many Christians sit back and wait for God to do all the heavy lifting. It isn’t that God can’t do…well…anything & everything. He can. But remember…Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. It doesn’t say God will do everything…it says I can do all things through Christ. In other words, we have to put in some effort…the proverbial blood, sweat, and tears…and Jesus will provide the strength necessary for the task. My mother used to become incredulous about parents who would do their children’s homework for them. How were the kids supposed to learn anything?? She always told my sister & I that she would gladly help us but she would not do it for us. I believe that God wants us to meet Him halfway. We all know that one sided relationships don’t usually last. It requires a partnership of two people. God won’t just hand us peace on a silver platter…we must put forth the effort and build a relationship with Him.

 

Of course the question we humans tend to ultimately ask is “What’s in it for me??” We want to know that if we actually have to get up off the couch we will get something out of the deal. And you know what…God delivers. Only He doesn’t give us material things. Instead He provides wisdom, comfort, love, and yes…peace. We are promised the peace that surpasses all understanding (which in our humanness we, of course, try to understand).  James 3:17-18 says that “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy…the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” In the 1996 classic film Jerry Maguire the titular sports agent tells his wife “You complete me”. That’s what God does for us thru our relationship with the Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 13:11 says to “become complete, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace”, promising that “the God of love and peace will be with you.”

 

Jesus reassured His disciples before his…departure…that  “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Thank you Jesus for that awesome gift…if we would just take the time and make the effort to enjoy it.

 

 

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Paterno & Penn St.: Punishment, Penance, and Perspective

Most sports related scandals are like a geyser…they bubble up, spout forth for a brief moment, and then return to a state of dormancy within a brief period of time so the next big story can take its place at the top of the hierarchy for the talking heads on ESPN and talk radio to chew on ‘til it is deader than Pauley Shore’s career. But the events that have plagued Pennsylvania State University not only have continued to boil vociferously for nearly a year, but they have been simmering for more years than anyone really knew…except for those in charge in “Happy” Valley, which of course has been a huge part of the problem.

 

The NCAA has finally…and predictably…put in their two cents and lowered the proverbial boom. I have mixed feelings about the suits using the results of Penn St.’s own commissioned investigation against them instead of doing an independent inquiry, but I suppose it does make things more efficient and expedite the process. It isn’t as if a new report by a different panel would find anything all that different anyway.

 

First of all, I have no problem with the NCAA getting involved and handing out a punishment. While the scandal doesn’t have anything directly to do with on-the-field issues or even any kind of academic situation, the “cover-up” of proliferate child sexual abuse can be directly attributed to the desire of Coach Paterno and others to save the reputation & high standing of the university and the football program. Joe Paterno wasn’t the first football coach to attain far too much power and achieve god-like status in his gridiron fiefdom, and he won’t be the last. As much as I love sports even I must admit that collegiate athletics has, in many places, achieved such mythological, epic, grandiose heights of popularity & prestige that fans, players, media, and coaches are put on pedestals that rise to the heavens and cause a complete loss of perspective. That is exactly what happened at Penn St. Football became more important than the rule of law and the well-being of young boys who were being molested by a sick monster. An effort to keep things “in house” and not pursue proper avenues of justice enabled a perverted pedophile to continue his debauchery for an additional decade. Nothing can be done to erase what happened to those boys and the legal system has done its part in punishing Jerry Sandusky…all that remained was for Penn St. to answer for their sins, to have proper perspective be restored by any means necessary. It is true that those who actually committed the crimes and perpetuated the conspiracy of silence are long gone and that it seems a tad bit unfair that coaches, players, and administrators who had nothing to do with any of the wrongdoing are now going to suffer the consequences, but it had to be done. A message had to be sent. The NCAA had to make it clear that, as much as many of us enjoy those autumn Saturday afternoons…the roar of the crowd, the sweet music of the marching bands, the thrill of winning a rivalry game, the chase for a conference title, bowl bid, or even a national championship…there are more important things in life. Football is magnificent. College football is sublime. But God, family, the law…they must come first. If Penn St. and its fans have to wander through the desert of mediocrity and lose their status & reputation as one of football’s elite powerhouses for a while in order to regain proper perspective then that seems like the least they could do considering what their culture of pigskin profligacy cost others.

 

As far as the punishment goes…there’s no way around the fact that it is harsh, but frankly I was expecting worse.

 

There is a $60 million fine that will go toward programs benefiting victims of sexual abuse. At first glance that number seems outrageous. $60 million is more than you, me, and the 500 people on our Facebook “friends” list will see combined in our lifetimes (unless there are super wealthy folks reading The Manofesto, which if true…well…call me!!). However, it is the equivalent to ONE year of revenue for the football program. Stop for a moment and ponder that…just let it sink in and wrap itself around your brain. That is amazing. Now granted, whether you are dependent upon government social programs & are lucky to be able to afford ramen noodles & peanut butter, have a decent middle class income that affords you such luxuries as satellite TV and an annual trip to the beach, or are lounging on your yacht as your trust fund grows, the fact is that having a whole year of income taken away would sting a bit…but for Penn St. it shouldn’t have too big of an impact. They can survive.

 

I am not a big fan of vacating wins. It seems silly. Those games have been played and we all know who won. One cannot change the past. But the traditions of sport include record keeping and those records hold a lot of meaning for many people, so while I think that it is trivial that Penn St. has to vacate all games played between 1998 and 2011 I am fully cognizant of the fact that it is a big deal to others. What it specifically means is that Joe Paterno is no longer the winningest coach in the history of college football and has now fallen to an inconsequential 8th on that list. I guess it kind of stinks to pile on a guy that is dead, but hey…that dead guy should have stepped up and done the right thing when he was alive. Interesting trivia: a fantasy football buddy of mine pointed out that Penn St. and Ohio St. (which has had some issues of their own) played a game in 2010 that both have now vacated, so according to the record books it never happened. I bet the 100k people that were there that day might disagree.

 

A bigger impact will be felt by the on-the-field restrictions imposed by the NCAA and The Big 10 (they are still calling themselves that??). Penn St. is prohibited from competing for the conference title or playing in a bowl game for 4 years. They also lost a significant number of scholarships. NCAA rules allow a football team to have a total of 85 scholarships. Teams can offer up to 25 scholarships annually as long as the total number does not exceed 85. Penn St., for the next four years, cannot have more than 65 total scholarships each season and cannot offer more than 15 scholarships annually. That is huge. It will cripple the program for atleast a decade. The numbers combined with the lack of postseason and the now toxic (to say the least) reputation of the school means that instead of recruiting highly touted, extremely talented & athletic, elite 5 star football players the Penn St. Nittany Lions will be fielding teams populated with players that no one else wanted and might otherwise have been playing in front of 10k people at a Division III school. Penn St. will lose games…lots of them. They will not be on television. One can anticipate that instead of an electric atmosphere of 106,000 people at Beaver Stadium (the 4th largest stadium in the world…and two of the other three are soccer stadiums) the folks in State College, PA could lose interest and we might see only 50 or 60 thousand in the stands. Ancillary businesses…restaurants, hotels, retail outlets…will suffer. The NCAA may not have given Penn St. the dreaded “death penalty” (which in reality is simply a one year hiatus), but the punishment they did mete out is, for all intents & purposes, a far worse fate.

 

One of the things that defenders of Paterno have consistently pointed out over the course of the past several months is how much he contributed…financially and otherwise…to the school and the town for many many years. That is all true and should not be completely marginalized. However, his (and others) actions…or lack thereof…in regard to the heinous crimes of Jerry Sandusky are now having a destructive effect on the school and the town. The decision to protect the status of the program has instead almost extinguished its flame. What a sad yet well-deserved irony. Perspective has indeed been restored at Penn St., and I suspect the people there will never again think so highly of themselves and their precious football team. I wonder what Coach Paterno would think about that??

 

 

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Winning & Musing…..Volume 8.12

Mid-summer provides us with another lull in the sports calendar, with baseball’s annual All Star break insuring that there is virtually no action except soccer for a couple of days, and really who give a rat’s petoot about soccer?? Oh…it’s the most popular sport in the world?? Well this is America, and WE couldn’t possibly care less about soccer. So THERE rest of the world…take THAT!!

 

 

 

Back in November of last year, shortly after Penn St. head football coach Joe Paterno was fired but before his death, I wrote that “in due time I am sure society will find a balance between the success Joe Paterno had & the good things he did versus the mistakes he made & the negative way his legacy has been permanently tarnished”. It looks like finding that balance might take a lot longer than I thought. Since I expressed that opinion a few things have happened. Paterno died. Serial pedophile Jerry Sandusky was convicted and will be behind bars for the rest of his life. And now an inquiry commissioned by the university to find out where it all went so wrong has published their findings. Despite the dramatic parsing of the report by the sports media, the conclusion that the top brass at Penn St…the university president, the athletic director, Paterno, and a few others…participated in a “callous and shocking” cover-up and “failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade” is hardly a new revelation. We’ve known that for months now. There is a stubborn unwillingness of some people to wrap their heads around the idea that Paterno…who most thought was such a stand-up guy…would exhibit such a heinous disregard for the safety of children (not to mention the neglect of upholding the law) in favor of protecting the reputation of the school & the football team. I understand that reluctance. However, the facts are the facts, and now they have been uncovered. It is what it is. Paterno’s reputation and legacy are down the toilet and will never recover. It’s time to move forward. Overanalyzing this story on TV and in other media over & over cannot change what happened. I suspect dredging it all up repeatedly just causes further pain to the victims and it does nothing to help those left to clean up the mess get on with their jobs.

 

 

Was anyone shocked that Commandant Fidel Goodell refused to overturn his own decision on the suspensions of New Orleans Saints players allegedly involved in the bounty scandal?? I am not defending the players involved, but the disciplinary process in the NFL…where Goodell reigns supreme and there is no system of checks & balances…seems flawed at best. It is mind boggling that the Players Association agreed to the new collective bargaining agreement last summer without addressing this issue.

 

 

My Pittsburgh Pirates were once again in 1st place at the All Star break, just like last year. I just hope they don’t fold like a cheap suit like they did in 2011. There seems to be an ardent belief amongst those paid to know about these sorts of things that there will not be another collapse, that this team is legit and will be in the fight for the long haul. We’ll see. Two decades of futility have taught this fan to proceed with caution.

 

 

So I guess we have another Olympics starting soon. I do like the summer Olympics a lot better than the winter version. I look forward to watching good quality basketball, and I am comfortable enough with my machismo to admit that I kind of like the gymnastics. Some of the track & field stuff is cool too, and of course the opening & closing ceremonies are usually grand spectacles well worth watching.

 

 

I’ve grown weary of the Dwight Howard drama, as well as the hand wringing over Drew Brees’ contract. This is the kind of crap that sports fans weren’t bothered with 30 years ago. Just play the damn games and entertain us.

 

 

It was odd turning on the MLB All Star Game and seeing Erin Andrews reporting for Fox. I don’t know what the heck is going on in Bristol, but in the past few months ESPN has lost hotties Andrews and Michelle Beadle while hiring guys named Prim Siripipat, Adnan Virk, Dari Nowkhah, and Anish Shroff. I suppose it matters not, as long as we sports fans have our hunger fed. But come on ESPN…replenish the eye candy supply!!

 

 

Speaking of the All Star Game…

It looks like baseball is in the midst of a transition. Guys like Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter, and David Ortiz are on their way out, while youngsters like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Stephen Strasburg, Arnoldis Chapman, and Starlin Castro are making a fast impact. That’s good for the game and a positive for the fans. The product needs freshened up every once in a while.

 

 

Let me get this straight…the Washington Nationals are in 1st place in the NL East while the Philadelphia Phillies are in last?? Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

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50 Favorite TV Shows…..20-11

Please be sure to catch up on the previous entries in this series here, here, here, and here. I will be taking a brief intermission from this series before we get to the highly anticipated (I hope) Top 10. God has laid it on my heart that it is time to get back to writing about some more meaningful things. Please be sure to read those when they are finished, and we will get back to the exciting conclusion of this adventure eventually.

 

 

 

20     M*A*S*H

          CBS 1972-83

I hated MASH as a kid. First of all I was way too young to “get it”. To me it was just another “war story” that my Dad watched that bored the crap out of me. Secondly, as I recall, it came on at 9pm on Monday night…the same time as Monday Night Football. I always had a bedtime (which I loathed since I’m a night owl but am now thankful for because left to my own devices I would have stayed up til 3am every night and probably flunked out of school), and I wanted to spend my last 30-60 minutes of “freedom” watching the ball game. Unfortunately my father was King of the Castle (something which I now truly understand) and he wanted to watch MASH…hence my animosity. However, a strange thing occurred in my adult years. I began to watch reruns of MASH and realized what a remarkably well written, well performed show it had been. This may have been the genesis of my affection for the dramedy genre, because sometimes one has to laugh to keep from crying.

 

 

19     Taxi

          ABC 1978-83

I called WKRP in Cincinnati one of the most underrated sitcoms ever, and here we have a similar situation…yet another workplace comedy that didn’t last as long as it should have and has never gotten the love it deserves from the masses. Set in a NY City cab company, the casting director gave us such luminaries as Danny Devito, Tony Danza, Judd Hirsch, Christopher Lloyd (who would star as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy a few years later), and Andy Kaufman. I think that is why Taxi outranks WKRP…its stars went on to become even bigger stars. Devito’s Louie DePalma was your typical smarmy, immoral, narcissistic boss character, but Devito played it for laughs…lots of them…instead of making the audience hate him. My father LOVED Louie, and my father isn’t easily entertained. Personally I was as amused by Lloyd’s Rev. Jim Ignatowski, a former Harvard student turned hilariously burned out reminder of the drug infested 60’s. Every sitcom writer ought to study Taxi like a science experiment and learn how to create memorable characters and a funny show.

 

 

18     Later with Bob Costas

          NBC 1988-94

I ranked The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder 25th on this list, and coming in just a few spots higher is a show with the same general vibe…two people sitting down to have a meaningful tete-a-tete for an hour…no band, no comedy, no sidekicks, no live audience. I think Bob Costas may be one of the smartest people on television, and what makes him so cool is that he seems blissfully unaware of that fact, unlike smug windbags like Oprah, Bill Maher, Dr. Phil, Bryant Gumbel, Matt Lauer, ESPN’s Skip Bayless, or just about any successful movie star of the past 20 years (really George Clooney & Brad Pitt…we don’t care what your opinions are on sociopolitical issues). I also like the fact that Costas has always pretty much stuck with his first love…sports. Could he do weightier, supposedly more important things?? Sure. He is probably the most talented person to walk the halls of NBC in my lifetime. But he enjoys doing sports and doesn’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone. However, the one time he did step beyond his usual boundaries was this show, and it’s a crying shame it didn’t last very long. I read somewhere that Costas himself stepped away because he & his family lived in St. Louis and the show taped in New York, which became too much of a grind. If I would have been in charge I would have moved the damn show to St. Louis. In what rule book does it say that every movie & TV show has to be produced in New York or Los Angeles?? At any rate after Costas’ departure Later went thru a plethora of hosts, including Greg Kinnear, MTV’s Cynthia Garrett, & comedienne Rita Sever, and even “presented” old reruns of SCTV (Canada’s answer to Saturday Night Live), before ultimately being repackaged as Last Call, hosted by former MTV tool Carson Daly. Not that it matters to me, because after the departure of Bob Costas I stopped watching.

 

 

17     The West Wing

          NBC 1999-2006

I really didn’t want to like this show. The writers, producers, and practically the entire cast were complicit in presenting an obviously liberal spin on political issues, but I’ll be darned if it wasn’t amongst the best written, best acted, best directed dramas in my lifetime. I have no idea if what was portrayed on screen was in any way an accurate representation of how the real White House works, but I must say that, regardless of party affiliation or philosophy, if the American people were ever fortunate enough to be able to vote for a guy like Jed Bartlet we could do much much worse. Unfortunately I don’t believe for one second that real politicians…especially liberals…are as honest, honorable, compassionate, and intellectually sincere as those portrayed on The West Wing. Writer/producer Aaron Sorkin…leftist though he may be…is a terrific scribe and I enjoy almost anything with which he is involved. The performers on this show were sublime…folks like Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, John Spencer, Joshua Malina, and Bradley Whitford. Martin Sheen was already a proven commodity and The West Wing was just the cherry on top of a memorable career, but the majority of the rest of the cast were little known character actors who probably plateaued with this show. Even former Brat Packer Rob Lowe was made to look like a credible actor, either due to the company he was in the midst of or because of Sorkin’s deft skill. In my humble opinion this show…this concept…is tailor made for an eventual revival. Would Sorkin return?? Would the idea work with a whole new cast?? I don’t know, but it is an interesting idea to ponder.

 

 

16     Late Night with David Letterman

          NBC 1982-93

David Letterman circa 2012 is a bitter old man who doesn’t even try to hide his extreme left political bias. It is my opinion that the events of September 11, 2001 combined with a month long hiatus due to heart surgery in early 2000 changed the Letterman we’d all known and loved for two decades. I rarely watch these days because I just don’t find him funny anymore. However, before 9/11, before his heart problems, and even before his move to CBS & the 11:30pm time slot in 1993 Letterman spent a glorious decade at NBC in the 12:30am period immediately following Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, and he was absolutely brilliant. Late Night in the 80’s was quirky, bold, sardonic, original, irreverent, unpredictable, odd…and most of all very very funny. Every effort was made to be different from Carson and attract a younger, hipper demographic. Letterman utilized his actual staff…bandleader Paul Shaffer, stage manager Biff Henderson, producer Robert Morton, director Hal Gurnee, and a host of others…in comedy bits unlike anything that had been done on late night television. Current staples like the nightly Top Ten list, Stupid Pet Tricks, and Viewer Mail were fresh back in the 80’s. Letterman made a star out of little known actor Calvert Deforest (aka Larry “Bud” Melman), dropped things off buildings, wore crazy Velcro suits, crushed things with a steamroller, introduced the world to his mother Dorothy, had frequent (and amusing) phone conversations with paper pusher Meg at Simon & Schuster, and mercilessly berated his bosses at NBC & General Electric. It was all quite silly, but hey…silly is exactly what most people enjoy at 1 o’clock in the morning.

 

 

15     Star Trek:The Next Generation

          Syndicated 1987-94

I have to give a shout out to my friend The Owl for turning me into a Trekkie. Before college I had a passing familiarity with Star Trek, but hadn’t really paid all that much attention. 20+ years later I love almost all the films and dig the original series. However, my initial affection started right here, with Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Lieutenant Commander Data, Commander Riker, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Lieutenant Worf (a Klingon!!), chief engineer Geordi LaForge, and Counselor Troi. This show is more character driven and explores more interpersonal relationships than the original, yet it still has its share of ass kickin’ action. Alot of plot points seem to involve a bit of sociopolitical commentary, but it is rarely preachy or trite. My preference for TNG over TOS (if you don’t get the acronyms then you obviously aren’t a Trekkie) is simply due to TNG being something I watched while it was actually on television instead of watching two decades after it was over like TOS. The series finale “All Good Things”, originally aired on May 23, 1994, remains one of the finest TV episodes I have ever seen. Indeed, the trial never ends. See you…out there.

 

 

14     Night Court

          NBC 1984-92

I have been in a courtroom exactly twice in my life, both times in a supportive role for friends who were facing legal battles. But it only took those two occasions to solidify my notion that a real court isn’t nearly as interesting as the stuff we see on TV or in movies. Usually what we see are dramatic situations in shows like L.A. Law, Perry Mason, and Law & Order, or films like To Kill A Mockingbird, 12 Angry Men, A Time to Kill, and Presumed Innocent. But in the 80’s NBC decided to give us a courtroom comedy, and oh what fun it was. Set during New York City’s night shift, the presumption was that most cases at that hour are of the eccentric, offbeat, absurd variety. That premise combined with the court’s quirky cast of employees made for a unique & memorable (if not necessarily accurate) take on America’s legal system.

 

 

13     Happy Days

          ABC 1974-84

Happy Days is the TV equivalent of the movie Grease…a story about high schoolers created in the 70’s, set in the 50’s. I am a sucker for that kind of thing. Creator Garry Marshall also gave us notable shows Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy (both spin-offs of Happy Days), as well as The Odd Couple. He would direct the Julia Roberts hit film Pretty Woman in 1990, and a host of other less celebrated movies. However Happy Days remains his most endearing legacy. In many ways it was your typical family sitcom, but the characters were so unique and, with one notable exception, very relatable & real. I loved the fact that it was set in Milwaukee instead of New York, L.A., or Chicago. Ron Howard, who had been a child star on The Andy Griffith Show and went on to become a big time movie director, embodied the classic awkward, insecure teenager yearning to be cool alongside his best buddies Ralph & Potsie (one of the all-time great sitcom nicknames). Ritchie’s parents…hardware store owner Howard and homemaker Marion…were the kind of parents every kid dreams of having. And of course eventually the real star of the show became a bike riding, leather jacket wearing, finger snapping ladies’ man named Fonzie, who wasn’t necessarily realistic (trust me…I’ve tried slapping a jukebox…fetching young ladies did not emerge from nowhere), but was such a well written, well performed character that it didn’t really matter. Sitcoms like Happy Days simply aren’t made in the cynical, vulgar, envelope pushing 21st century, and we’re all worse off because of that fact.

 

 

12     Friends

          NBC 1994-2004

Timing is everything, and this show about a group of young adults trying to make their way in the world came along just as I was a young adult dealing with many of the same issues. Unfortunately for me my close pals from college spread out across the country…Texas, Ohio, the Carolinas, etc.…so I wasn’t able to live across the hall from them or gather on a daily basis in the neighborhood coffee shop. Looking back I suppose Friends allowed me the chance to live vicariously and envision just how awesome it’d be to have the opportunity to hang out with my chums. Plus the characters had really cool jobs and lived in a kickass loft that I would never be able to afford. I most closely identified with Ross, the lovelorn, neurotic, socially awkward nerd, whose unrequited love for the beautiful Rachel eventually blossomed into an on-again off-again relationship that was the centerpiece of the show for much of its run. Friends probably lasted a year or two too long, but one cannot blame the suits for keeping their cash cow alive. Hindsight is always 20/20, and what one recognizes all these years later is that Friends was actually a very well written program, a skillful mix of old school sitcom with an edgier 90’s sensibility.

 

 

11     The Dukes of Hazzard

          CBS 1979-85

Corny?? Yes. Wholesome?? Sure. Entertaining?? You bet. And what exactly is wrong with any of that?? I may have mentioned previously that my friend The Owl contends that much of entertainment today embodies “the spirit of the age”…dark, profane, violent, and proudly sacrilegious. Dukes of Hazzard may not have been highbrow, culturally refined, or intellectually enriching in any way, but it was good clean fun that promoted family values, good triumphing over evil (if you can go so far as to call Boss Hogg & Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane evil), and a general sense of morality & friendship. That’s more than one can say about 99% of the crap currently on TV. I have fond memories of happily sitting in front of the television at 8pm every Friday night for several years loving every minute of the adventures of The Duke Boys, their wise old Uncle Jessie, and their exquisite cousin Daisy. Sure there were car chases and stuff got blown up, but unlike the vacuous special effects productions so prevalent these days there was also a storyline. It wasn’t exactly Shakespeare, but it was cool enough to put a smile on the faces of young boys nationwide, and I think that’s a pretty decent legacy.

 

 

 

 

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