Friday, April 25, 2014

NBA Playoffs: Bulls, Rockets Cut Respective Series Deficits To 2-1 After Road Wins; Nets Take 2-1 Series Lead Over Raptors

The NBA Playoffs continued on Friday with three games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Washington:

Mike Dunleavy scored 35 points as the Chicago Bulls held on to outlast the home-standing Washington Wizards 100-97 in game three of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Wizards still lead two games to one.  Bradley Beal scored 25 points and John Wall added 23 to pace Washington.

At Brooklyn:

Joe Johnson scored 29 points while Deron Williams added 22 as the Brooklyn Nets held off the visiting Toronto Raptors 102-98 to take a two-games-to-one advantage in their opening-round series.  DeMar DeRosan paced the Raptors with 30 points.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Portland, Oregon:

James Harden scored 37 points while Dwight Howard added 24 (to go with his 14 rebounds) and Troy Daniels converted a three-point shot with 11.9 seconds remaining in overtime as the Houston Rockets outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers 121-116 on the road in game three of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Blazers still lead two games to one.  Damian Lillard scored 30 points to pace Portland (whose overall winning streak ended at seven games) while Nicolas Batum added 26 and LaMarcus Aldridge 23 (to go with his 10 rebounds). 

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Blackhawks, Ducks Take 3-2 Series Leads; Flyers Square Series With Rangers At 2-2

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Friday with three games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Steve Mason stopped 37 of 38 shots while Matt Read and Jakub Voracek (Power Play) each delivered a goal as the Philadelphia Flyers squared their conference quarterfinal series with the New York Rangers following their 2-1 game-four home victory.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At St. Louis:

Jonathan Toews scored the winning goal at 7:36 of overtime as the Chicago Blackhawks took a three-games-to-two first-round series lead over the St. Louis Blues with a 3-2 home win in game five.  The Blackhawks can wrap the series with a home victory in game six on Sunday.

At Anaheim, California:

Four power-play goals (one each from Nick Bonino, Richard Rakell, Matheiu Perrault, and Corey Perry) carried the Anaheim Ducks to a 6-2 home beat-down of the Dallas Stars in game five of their conference quarterfinal series.  The Ducks, who lead the series three games to two, can finish off the Stars with a game-six road win in Dallas on Sunday.

Earl Morrall, Longtime NFL Quarterback; Helped Keep '72 Dolphins Unbeaten While Filling In For Injured Bob Griese, R.I.P.

Earl Morrall, a quarterback whose highlights during his 21-year carrer (1956-76) included helping the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins into the playoffs after filling in for the injured Bob Griese, passed away on Friday at age 79, accoring to the Naples (Florida) News Daily.

Mr. Morrall was selected in the 1956 National Football League draft out of Michigan State by the San Francisco 49ers, who traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers the following year, only to be traded during the 1958 season to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne.

After a reasonably successful stint with the Lions, Earl wound up with several bad New York Giants teams.

He signed with the Baltimore Colts in 1968, and when Johnny Unitas was injured, Earl stepped in and helped lead the Colts to their first NFL title in nine years, only to see him and his team knocked off by the New York Jets in Super Bowl III.

In Super Bowl V, after Johnny U was injured, Earl stepped in once again and the Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys in an error-filled contest.

In 1972, Earl rejoined Don Shula, his coach from the Colts' days, this time with the Miami Dolphins.  When Bob Griese was injured during a regular-season contest with the San Diego Chargers, Earl stepped in and remained quarterback for the rest of the Dolphins' undefeated regular season.  But Bob returned to his starting position for the AFC Championship Game (then Super Bowl VII as well, when Miami Dolphins held off the Washington Redskins to complete what remains the NFL's only perfect campaign).  Neverless, Earl was named American Football Conference Player of the Year and NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Bruins Take 3-1 Series Lead Over Red Wings; Wild Square Series With Avs At Two Games Apiece; Kings Top Sharks To Avoid Elimination

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued with three Thursday contests.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Detroit:

Jerome Iginla scored the winning goal at 13:32 of overtime as the Boston Bruins came back from a 2-0 deficit to upend the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on the road in game four of their conference quarterfinal series.  The Bruins, who now lead the series three games to one, can close out the Wings with a home win in game five on Saturday.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At St. Paul, Minnesota:

Jared Spurgeon and Charlie Coyle (power play) each scored a goal as the Minnesota Wild squared their opening-round series with the Colorado Avalanche at two games apiece following their 2-1 home victory in game four.

At Los Angeles:

Justin Williams (one of his on the power play) and Marian Goborik each scored twice as the Los Angeles Kings averted elimination by doubling up the visiting San Jose Sharks 6-3 in game four of their conference quarterfinal series.  The Sharks, who still lead the series three games to one, can finish off the Kings at home on Saturday.

NBA Playoffs: Hawks, Grizzlies, Clippers Take 2-1 Series Leads

Three games were played on Thursday as the NBA Playoffs continued.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Atlanta:

Jeff Teague scored 22 points while Kyle Korver added 20 as the Atlanta Hawks knocked off the visiting Indiana Pacers 98-85 in game three of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Hawks now lead two games to one.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Memphis:

Mike Conley scored five of his 20 points in overtime as the Memphis Grizzlies took a two-games-to-one lead in their opening-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder following their 98-95 game-three home victory despite 30 points each from the Thunder's Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (who also grabbed 13 rebounds).  Zach Randolph added 16 points and 10 rebounds to the Grizzlies' coffers.

At Oakland, California:

Blake Griffin scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers held off the visiting Golden State Warriors 98-96 in game three of their first-round series and grabbed a two-games-to-one series lead.

Here's A Blast From The Past

Here's an ABC Television Network identification bumper from 1955.


Hey, Fran! Where Are Kukla And Ollie?!

1955 commercial for Swift Premium Brown n' Serve Sausage with Fran Allison, sans puppet sidekicks.

Yummy!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Gooooooooooooooooooooood Cracker!

1977 commercial for Nabisco's Ritz Crackers with Andy Griffith.

Hungry For Pizza?

1974 commercial for the Shakey's Pizza restaurant chain.

Still Thirsty?

1985 commercial for Luzianne Iced Tea Mix.

Tired? Droopy?

Well, friends and neighbors, be sure to drink your OVALTINE!!!

Here's a commercial that aired during the 1951-52 television season, originally on the syndicated Captain Midnight's Adventure Theater, which featured Verne Smith as Captain Midnight, in effect, introducing edited Republic Pictures serials from the 1930s and 1940s as well as pitching Ovaltine during commercial breaks.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

NBA Playoffs: Mavs Level Series With Spurs At One Game Apiece; Heat, Blazers Extend Respective Series Leads To 2-0

The NBA Playoff continued with three games played on Wednesday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Miami:

LeBron James scored 32 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out six assists while Chris Bosh added 20 points of his own as the Miami Heat stretched their conference quarterfinal-series lead to two games to none after holding off the visiting Charlotte Bobcats 101-97, despite 22 points and ten rebounds from the 'Cats' Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At San Antonio:

Monta Ellis scored 21 points while Shawn Marion added 20 as the Dallas Mavericks squared their opening-round series with the San Antonio Spurs at one game apiece after their 113-92 game-two road victory. Manu Ginobili paced the Spurs with 27 points.

At Houston:

LaMarcus Aldridge became the first player in franchise history to have two 40-point playoff games after his 43-point performance as the Portland Trail Blazers head back to Oregon with a two-games-to-none conference quarterfinal-series advantage following their 112-105 game-two road win over the Houston Rockets, despite 32 points and 14 rebounds from the Rockets' Dwight Howard.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Stars Square Respective Series At Two Games Apiece

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Wednesday with three games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Columbus, Ohio:

Nick Foligno's game-winning goal 2:49 into overtime enabled the Columbus Blue Jackets to overcome an early 3-0 deficit and knock off the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in game four to square their conference quarterfinal series at two games apiece.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Chicago:

Patrick Kane scored his second goal of the game at 11:17 of overtime as the Chicago Blackhawks leveled their opening-round series with the St. Louis Blues at two games apiece following their 4-3 game-four home victory.

At Dallas:

Jamie Benn and Vernon Fiddler each scored a second-period goal and Cody Eakin and Alex Goligoski each tallied a third-period score as the Dallas Stars overtook a 2-0 deficit and upended the visiting Anaheim Ducks 4-2 in game four to tie their first-round series at two games apiece.

49ers 2014 Schedule

Here's the 2014 San Francisco 49ers regular-season schedule as released on Wednesday.

All times Pacific.

Sunday, September 7 at Dallas, 1:25 PM (FOX)

Sunday, September 14 vs. Chicago, 5:30 PM (NBC)

Sunday, September 21 at Arizona, 1:05 PM (FOX)

Sunday, September 28 vs. Philadelphia, 1:25 PM (FOX)

Sunday, October 5 vs. Kansas City, 1:25 PM (CBS)

Monday, October 13 at St. Louis, 5:30 PM (ESPN)

Sunday, October 19 at Denver, 5:30 PM (NBC)

Sunday/Monday October 26/27, Bye Week

Sunday, November 2 vs. St. Louis, 1:05 PM (FOX)

Sunday, November 9 at New Orleans, 10:00 AM (FOX)

Sunday, November 16 at New York Giants, 10:00 AM (FOX)

Sunday, November 23 vs. Washington, 1:25 PM (CBS)

Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving) vs. Seattle, 5:30 PM (NBC)

Sunday, December 7 at Oakland, 1:25 PM (FOX)

Sunday, December 14 at Seattle, 1:25 PM (FOX)

Saturday, December 20 vs. San Diego, TBD (TBD)

Sunday, December 28 vs. Arizona, 1:25 PM (FOX) 

Time For A Visit From The KING OF THE COWBOYS!

Here's a commercial from many moons ago for Nestle's Quik with Roy Rogers.

At Least It Isn't Chicken And Waffles

1960 commercial for Aunt Jemima pancake mix which included the idea of having waffles and ice cream.

Yummy!

Let's Take A Train Ride With Porky

From 1937, here's Porky Pig starring in a Leon Schlesinger production, "Porky's Railroad," theatrically released by Warner Brothers as part of the Looney Tunes series.  In this one, engineer Porky and his train "Toots" are seeing their futures threatened by a new streamlined train.  With animation by Joe D'Igalo and Robert Bentley and musical direction by Carl W. Stalling (and the uncredited voice characterization by Mel Blanc, in one of his earliest efforts as Porky's voice), this cartoon was supervised by Frank Tashlin.


And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor

Looks like a 1970s commercial for Bromo Seltzer with Jack Klugman.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Habs Complete Sweep Of Lightning; Sharks One Win Away From Doing Same Thing To Kings; Rangers, Bruins Take 2-1 Series Leads

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued with four games played on Tuesday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Montreal:

Max Pacioretty scored the winning goal with 43 seconds remaining in regulation time as the Montreal Canadiens completed a four-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in their conference quarterfinal series with their 4-3 home victory in game four.  The Canadiens became the first team to advance to the conference semifinals and are awaiting the winner of the Boston-Detroit series.

At Philadelphia:

With Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, Dan Giraldi, and Daniel Carcillo each scoring a goal, and Henrik Lundqvist stopping 31 of 32 shots, the New York Rangers dominated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on the road in game three of their opening-round series to take a two-games-to-one series lead and reclaim home-ice advantage.

At Detroit:

Dougie Hamilton (power play) and Jordan Caron each scored a first-half goal and Patrice Bergeron added an empty netter for good measure while Tuukka Rask saved all 23 shots for the shutout as the Boston Bruins dominated the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 on the road in game three of their first-round series and took a two-games-to-one lead in the series, in which they reclaimed home-ice advantage.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Los Angeles:

Patrick Marleau scored the winning goal at 6:20 of overtime as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on the road in game three of their conference quarterfinal series.  The Sharks, who lead the series three games to none, can finish off the Kings with a road win in game four on Thursday.

NBA Playoffs: Wizards Knock Off Bulls In Chicago Again; Pacers Bounce Back To Square Series With Hawks; Raptors Likewise Against Nets

Three games were played in the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday, all in the Eastern Conference.

At Chicago:

Bradley Beal scored 26 points while Nene  six of his seventeen in overtime as the Washington Wizards took a two-games-to-none lead over the Chicago Bulls in their conference quarterfinal series following their 101-99 road victory.  Joakim Noah scored 20 points to pace the Bulls, who find themselves in trouble after dropping the first two games of the series at home.

At Indianapolis:

A 27-point, 10-rebound, six-assist performance from Paul George lifted the Indiana Pacers to a 101-85 home win over the Atlanta Hawks in game two of their first-round series, now deadlocked at one game apiece.  Luis Scola came off the bench to add 20 points to the Pacers' coffers.

At Toronto:

DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points as the Toronto Raptors squared their opening-round series with the Brooklyn Nets at one game apiece following their 100-95 game-two home win.

At Least The Cereal's Pretty Good

Here's a commercial from the late 1950s featuring character actor William Fawcett for Post Grape Nuts Flakes.

Gosh, I Didn't Think That Cat's Eye Marbles Would Look So Good In Black and White

Here's a 1956 commercial for the Post-Tens collection of miniature cereal boxes, with an offer for six----count 'em----SIX free cat's eye marbles.


Monday, April 21, 2014

NBA Playoffs: Grizzlies Outlast Thunder On Road In OT Thriller To Square Series; Clippers Level Warriors, Level Series At One Game Apiece

Two games were played in the NBA Playoffs on Monday, both in the Western Conference.

At Oklahoma City:

Zach Randolph scored 25 points while Mike Conley added 19 points and dished off 12 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies squared their conference quarterfinal series with the Oklahoma City Thunder at one game apiece following their game-two 111-105 overtime victory on the road, ruining a 36-point, 11-rebound performance from the Thunder's Kevin Durant and a 29-point effort from Russell Westbrook.

At Los Angeles:

Blake Griffin scored a playoff career-high 35 points as the Los Angeles Clippers avenged their series-opening defeat with a 138-98 game-two home demolition of the Golden State Warriors as the teams' first-round series is now squared at one game apiece.  Stephen Curry scored 24 points (20 of them in the third quarter) to lead the Warriors.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Penguins Erupt In Third Period, Take 2-1 Series Lead Over Blue Jackets; Wild Blank Avalanche, Avert 3-0 Deficit; Blackhawks Cut Blues Lead To 2 Games To 1; Ditto Dallas Against Anaheim

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Monday with four games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Columbus, Ohio:

Brandon Sutter, Lee Stempniak, and Jussi Jokinen each scored a goal during a span of 2:13 in the third period as once again, the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame a two-goal deficit and upended the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on the road in game three of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Penguins now lead two games to one.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Chicago:

Jonathan Toews scored what proved to be the game-winning goal at 4:10 of the first period while Corey Crawford saved all 34 shots in his third career postseason shutout as the Chicago Blackhawks cut their opening-round series deficit against the St. Louis Blues to two games to one following their 2-0 game-three home victory.

At St. Paul, Minnesota:

Mikael Granlund scored the only goal of the game at 5:08 of overtime as the Minnesota Wild blanked the visiting Colorado Avalanche 1-0 in game three of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Avalanche still lead two games to one. Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper, in his first playoff start, stopped all 22 Avalanche shots while his Colorado counterpart, Semyon Varlamov, played a great game, stopping 45 of 46 Minnesota shots, only to end up as the hard-luck loser.

At Dallas:

Kari Lehtonen racked up his first career playoff victory by saving all 37 shots as the Dallas Stars defeated the visiting Anaheim Ducks 3-0 in game three of their first-round series.  Jamie Benn, Valeri Nichushkin, and Ryan Garbutt each scored a goal for the Stars, who cut the Ducks' series advantage to two games to one.

Dude Sounds Like Snagglepuss

Actually, that's Bert Lahr (best remembered as the Cowardly Lion from "The Wizard of Oz") starring in a circa 1961 commercial for Blatz Beer.





Want Some Log Cabin With Your Ice Cream?

Here's a mid-1950s commercial for Log Cabin Syrup.

Maybe Phil...........

Should consider coaching the Knicks.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

NBA Playoffs: Heat, Wizards, Spurs, Blazers (In OT) Take Series Openers

The NBA Playoffs continued on Sunday with four games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Miami:

LeBron James scored 27 points while Dwyane Wade added 23 as the Miami Heat held off the visiting Charlotte Bobcats 99-88 in the opening game of their conference quarterfinal series.  Kemba Walker paced the Bobcats with 20 points.

At Chicago:

Nene scored 24 points while Trevor Ariza added 18 as the Washington Wizards seized home-court advantage in their first-round series following their game-one 102-93 road victory over the Chicago Bulls.  John Wall, in his playoff debut, added 16 points to the Wizards' coffers.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At San Antonio:

Veteran Tony Duncan scored 27 points while Tony Parker added 21 as the San Antonio Spurs took the opening game of their opening-round series with the Dallas Mavericks 90-85 at home.

At Houston:

LaMarcus Aldridge scored a franchise playoff single-game record 46 points and grabbed 18 rebounds before fouling out late in the overtime period while Damian Lillard added 31 in his playoff debut as the Portland Trail Blazers seized home-court advantage following their conference quarterfinal series-opening 122-120 road win over the Houston Rockets.  Dwight Howard scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds before he, too, fouled out late in overtime, to pace the Rockets.  James Harden added 27 and Chandler Parsons 24 for Houston.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Habs Place Lightning on Brink of Elimination; Flyers, Bruins Square Respective Series At One Game Apiece; Sharks Devour Kings, Take 2-0 Series Lead

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Sunday with four games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At New York:

Ray Emery stopped 32 of 34 shots while Jakub Voracek, Jason Akeson (power play), Luke Schenn, and Wayne Simmonds (PP/empty net) each tallied a goal as the Philadelphia Flyers overcame a 2-0 deficit and upended the New York Rangers 4-2 on the road in game two of their conference quarterfinal series, which is now deadlocked at one game apiece.

At Boston:

Tom Rask stopped 34 of 35 shots while Justin Florek, Reilly Smith (power play), Milan Lucic, and Zdeno Chara (PP) each delivered a goal as the Boston Bruins leveled their opening-round series with the Detroit Red Wings at one game apiece with their 4-1 game-two road victory.

At Montreal:

Tomas Plekanec scored what proved to be the winning goal 5:43 into the third period as the Montreal Canadiens held off the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in game three of their first-round series.  The Canadiens, who lead the series three games to none, can finish off the Lightning with a home win in game four on Tuesday night.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Mike Brown, Raffi Torres, Justin Braun, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Joe Thornton (power play) each delivered a goal as the San Jose Sharks overcame an early 2-0 deficit with seven unanswered goals en route to a game-two 7-2 demolition of the visiting Los Angeles Kings and a two-games-to-none series lead.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Timbers Still In Search Of Victory After Dropping 1-0 Decision To RSL On Road

At Sandy, Utah:

In Saturday Major League Soccer action, Ned Grabavoy scored the only goal of the match in the 78th minute as Real Salt Lake kept the visiting Portland Timbers winless 1-0.  RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando secured his 111th career MLS shutout with a scintillating four-save performance.

The next Timbers contest will be at Houston against the Dynamo next Sunday (12:00 Noon Pacific Time, KPTV, Channel 12, Portland and Timbers TV Network).

Thunder Couldn't Hold Fourth-Quarter Lead, Fall To SaberCats

At Portland, Oregon:

Despite trailing 32-31 in the fourth quarter, the San Jose SaberCats (3-3) still defeated the winless Portland Thunder (0-5) 38-32 on the road in a Friday night Arena Football League contest.  Russ Mincha threw a four-yard pass to Rod Harper for the game-winning touchdown with 5:28 remaining in the contest.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Blues Overcome Blackhawks Again, Take 2-0 Series Lead; Blue Jackets Overcome Penguins In OT, Pick Up First-Ever Playoff Win; Avs Top Wild Again, Go Up 2 Games To 0

Three games were played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Pittsburgh:

Matt Calvert scored a pair of goals, including the game winner 70 seconds into the second overtime period as the Columbus Blue Jackets came back from two goals down and garnered their first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff game victory, 4-3 on the road over the Pittsburgh Penguins, to square their conference quarterfinal series at one game apiece, despite two goals from the Penguins' Brian Gibbons.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At St. Louis:

After defenseman Brent Seabrook's blow to the head of David Backes set up a six-on-four power play in the final moments of regulation, Vladimir Tarasenko's equalizer with 6.4 seconds remaining sent the game into overtime, where Barret Jackman scored the game winner at 5:50 of the first extra period as the St. Louis Blues again came from behind to upend the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in game two of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Blues now lead the defending Stanley Cup champs two games to none.

At Denver:

Gabriel Landeskog scored twice in the second period and Semyon Varlamov stopped 30 of 32 shots as the Colorado Avalanche stretched their opening-round series lead over the Minnesota Wild to two games to none after their 4-2 game-two home victory.

NBA Playoffs: Hawks Shock Pacers At Indy; Nets, Thunder, Warriors Also Grab Series-Opening Victories

Four games were played on Saturday as the National Basketball Association Playoffs commenced.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Toronto:

Deron Williams and Joe Johnson each scored 24 points as the Brooklyn Nets took the opening game of their conference quarterfinal series against the Toronto Raptors with a 94-87 road victory.

At Indianapolis:

Jeff Teague scored a playoff career-high 28 points, while Paul Millsap added 25 as the Atlanta Hawks---the only team entering the playoffs after posting a losing regular-season record---shocked the home-standing Indiana Pacers 101-93 in the opening game of their opening-round series.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Los Angeles:

Klay Thompson scored 22 points while David Lee added 20 as the Golden State Warriors overcame a sluggish start and upended the Los Angeles Clippers 109-105 on the road in their conference quarterfinal series-opener, despite 28 points from the Clippers' Chris Paul.

At Oklahoma City:

Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter while Russell Westbrook added 23 (to go with his ten rebounds) as the Oklahoma City Thunder outlasted the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 100-86 in game one of their first-round series.  Zach Randolph scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the visitors.


Friday, April 18, 2014

This Is ABC Television Network

Here's an ABC TV Network identification bumper from circa 1952.

Here's A Blast From The Past!

Looks like a 1950s commercial for Buster Brown Shoes.

Ya Sure This Will Work?

1960s commercial for Lavoris Mouthwash.




How 'Bout A Bowl Of Kix?

A 1955 commercial for Kix, a cereal still made today by General Mills.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Red Wings Knock Off Bruins On Road In Series Opener; Habs, Ducks Take 2-0 Series Leads

Three games were played on Friday as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Boston:

Pavel Datsyuk scored the only goal of the game at 16:59 of the third period while Jimmy Howard saved all 25 shots as the Detroit Red Wings knocked off the Boston Bruins (who won the President's Trophy for best record in the NFL during the regular season) 1-0 on the road in the opening game of their conference quarterfinal series.

At Tampa, Florida:

Rene Bourque scored twice and Carey Price stopped 26 of 27 shots as the Montreal Canadiens dominated the Tampa Bay Lighting 4-1 on the road in game two of their opening-round series, which Les Habs now lead two games to none.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Anaheim, California:

Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Andrew Cogliano (shorthanded) each delivered a goal as the Anaheim Ducks took a two-games-to-none opening-round series lead after they held off the visiting Dallas Stars 3-2 in game two of their series.

And Now, A Word From Out Sponsor

From the early 1950s, here's a commercial for Post Toasties corn flakes, which aired during an episode of Hopalong Cassidy.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Avs Erase Two-Goal Deficit, Top Wild In OT; Blues Win 3 OT Marathon Against Blackhawks; Rangers, Sharks Win Series Openers

Four more conference quarterfinal series commenced on Thursday in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At New York:

Brad Richards (power play), Derek Stepan (SS), and Carl Hagelin each scored a third-period goal as the New York Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 in the opening contest of their conference quarterfinal series.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At St. Louis:

Alexander Steen scored the winning goal 26 seconds into the third overtime period as the St. Louis Blues won the longest playoff game in franchise history by knocking off the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in the opening game of their opening-round series.

At Denver:

Paul Stastny scored the equalizer at 19:46 of regulation time, then scored the game winner at 7:27 of overtime as the Colorado Avalanche overcame a two-goal deficit and defeated the visiting Minnesota Wild 5-4 in game one of their conference quarterfinal series.

At San Jose, California:

Joe Thornton, Tomas Hertl, Patrick Marleau, Raffi Torres, Marc-Edouard Vlasic (power play), and Brent Burns (empty net) each scored a goal as the San Jose Sharks jumped on the visiting Los Angeles Kings 6-3 in the opening game of their opening-round series. 

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Habs Top Lightning In OT; Penguins Erase Two-Goal Deficit, Down Jackets; Ducks Hold Off Stars Rally

Three games were played on Wednesday, the opening night of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Pittsburgh:

After Beau Bennett and Matt Niskanen scored power-play goals 45 seconds apart in the second period, Brandon Sutter scored the winning goal at 8:18 of the third period as the Pittsburgh Penguins battled back from a two-goal deficit and upended the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in the opening game of their best-of-seven conference quarterfinal series.

At Tampa, Florida:

Dale Weise scored the winning goal 18:08 into overtime as the Montreal Canadiens seized home-ice advantage in their opening-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning following their series-opening 5-4 road victory.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Getzlaf, and Mathieu Perreault (power play) each scored a goal in the first period while Matt Beleskey (PP) scored what proved to be the game winner in the second period as the Anaheim Ducks raced to a 4-0 lead before holding on for a conference quarterfinal series-opening 4-3 win over the visiting Dallas Stars (who were making their first playoff appearance since 2008).

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Timbers Could Not Hold Lead, Settle For Home Draw With Goats

At Portland, Oregon:

Erick Torres' equalizer in the 79th minute lifted Chivas USA to a 1-1 Saturday night Major League Soccer road draw with the Portland Timbers, whose goal came from Will Johnson in the eighth minute.

The Timbers, still in search of their first league win of the season, will pay a visit on Real Salt Lake at Sandy, Utah next Saturday night (6:30 PM Pacific Time, KPTV, Portland).

Thunder Snuffed Out In Spokane

At Spokane, Washington:

After trailing 21-20, the Spokane Shock (3-1) went on a 35-0 run en route to a 55-27 beat-down of the winless, visiting Portland Thunder (0-4) in Saturday Arena Football league action.

Tuesday, April 08, 2014

LADY HUSKIES RUN AWAY FROM NOTRE DAME TO WIN NATIONAL TITLE, COMPLETE PERFECT CAMPAIGN AND FOLLOW MALE COUNTERPARTS IN WINNING NATIONAL CROWN

At Nashville:

On the night after their male counterparts won their fourth NCAA basketball national title, the Connecticut Lady Huskies completed a 40-0 campaign with a 79-58 victory over Notre Dame on Tuesday to win their ninth NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament championship, all under head coach Gino Auriemma.  The men's and women's teams have now gone an overall 13 for 13 in NCAA Tourney title games.

Scraped Skin? Upset Stomach?

What looks like a double commercial for two products, then made by Norwich Pharmaceutical Company, from the late 1950s, for Unguentine Plus and Pepto Bismol.

Monday, April 07, 2014

UCONN HUSKIES HOLD OFF KENTUCKY TO WIN MEN'S NCAA NATIONAL BASKETBALL CROWN

At Arlington, Texas:

Shabazz Napier scored 22 points on Monday night as the Connecticut Huskies (32-8), who were seeded #7 in the East Region, won their fourth NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Championship, holding off the Kentucky Wildcats (29-11; seeded #8 in the Midwest Region) 60-54.  The Huskies led by as many as fifteen points in the first half, only to see the Wildcats cut the deficit to one point on three separate occasions in the second half.  It was Huskies' head coach Kevin Ollie's first NCAA crown in his first tourney appearance as a head coach.

Sunday, April 06, 2014

Farewell, Mick

Mickey Rooney, a former child star who went on to become a major box-office motion-picture attraction as the irrepressible Andy Hardy and who went on to become one of the last remaining major survivors from Hollywood's Golden Age, passed away on Sunday at age 93.

Mr. Rooney had lived at Westlake Village, California.  His passing was confirmed by his son, Michael Joseph Rooney.

A look at Mickey's career as Andy Hardy:

As Andy Hardy, growing up in the idealized fictional town of Carvel, Mr. Rooney was the most famous teenager in America from 1937 to 1944: everybody’s cheeky son or younger brother, energetic and feverishly in love with girls and cars. The 15 Hardy Family movies, in which all problems could be solved by Andy’s man-to-man talks with his father, Judge Hardy (played by Lewis Stone), earned more than $75 million — a huge sum during the Depression years, when movie tickets rarely cost more than 25 cents.
In 1939, America’s theater owners voted Mr. Rooney the No. 1 box-office star, over Tyrone Power. That same year he sang and danced his way to an Oscar nomination for best actor in “Babes in Arms,” the first of the “Hey kids, let’s put on a show” MGM musicals he made with Judy Garland.

Indeed, Mickey would star in a series of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals with Judy.

Between 1936 and 1944, Mickey made more than three dozen films under contract for MGM.

Even though his film career lasted some 90 years, he was also best known for his many marriages (eight, to be precise):

He married in haste — he wed Miss Birmingham of 1944 after knowing her for less than two weeks — and repented in haste. He turned his back on MGM, the studio that had made him a star, for the mirage of running his own production company, and ended up mired in debt and B movies. Suits for alimony, child support and back taxes pursued him like tin cans tied to the bumper of the car he was driving to his next wedding.

After being down and out for so many years, Mickey starred in the Broadway musical Sugar Babies, with fellow former MGM-er Ann Miller.

Thanks for the memories, Mickey.  And Rest In Peace.

Thunder Still Winless After Losing In Anaheim

At Anaheim, California:

The Los Angeles KISS (2-1) defeated the visiting Portland Thunder (0-3) 44-34 in a Saturday night Arena Football League contest.

Saturday, April 05, 2014

NCAA Tournament: It's UConn Vs. Kentucky For The Marbles

The semifinal round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament took place on Saturday with both games contested as AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In the opener, DeAndre Daniels scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Connecticut Huskies (seeded #7 in the East Region; 31-8) snapped the Florida Gators' (seeded #1 both in the South Region and overall; 36-3) 30-game winning streak, 63-53.  The Huskies were the last team to beat the Gators (on December 2) before Saturday.

In the nightcap, Aaron Harrison converted an NBA-range three-point basket with 5.7 seconds remaining to lift the Kentucky Wildcats (seeded #8 in the Midwest Region; 29-10) to a 74-73 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers (seeded #2 in the West Region; 30-8).  James Young scored 17 points to pace the Wildcats.

On Monday, Connecticut squares off against Kentucky for the national title (6:10 Pacific Time, CBS).

Clint Dempsey Delivers Hat Tricks As Timbers Blow Two-Goal Home Lead And Settle For Cascadia Cup Draw With Sounders; Diego Chara Delivers Birthday Double For Portland

At Portland, Oregon:

In the first Cascadia Cup clash of 2014, Clint Dempsey produced a hat trick (24', 85', PK-87') as the Seattle Sounders came back from a two-goal deficit on the road and gained a 4-4 Major League Soccer draw with the Portland Timbers on Saturday.  Ex-Timber Kenny Cooper scored for the Sounders in the third minute.  Diego Chara, on his birthday, delivered a double for the Timbers, in the ninth and 55th minutes, while Diego Valeri tallied in the 14th minute and Maximiliano Urruti in the 57th.

The Timbers still have yet to win a game this season (two losses and three draws).

Portland will play host next Saturday to Chivas USA at 7:30 PM Pacific Time (KPTV-Portland).

Thursday, April 03, 2014