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BY JIM DAWSON

JUNE 8, 2020

THIS WEEK IN SPORTS

As sports start to return for fan viewing, there will be more events to consider observing.

On Wednesday, MLB will hold its draft. The first round will be shown on ESPN and the MLB network at 7 pm. The Red Sox have the 17^th pick. On Thursday, rounds 2-5 will be held starting at 5 pm on ESPN2 and the MLB network. The Red Sox do not have a 2^nd round pick having lost it as punishment for the sign stealing in 2018.

Competing for your attention on Wednesday, NBCSN will show Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals between the Bruins and Vancouver at 4:30 pm. Game 7 will be shown at 10 pm and repeated at 1 am. There will also be a 2011 Boston Bruins Championship film at 11:30 pm, also on NBCSN.

ESPN showed its 30 for 30 Bruce Lee documentary Be Water last night, but it surely will be repeated so keep an eye out for it. After great success with The Last Dance, ESPN didn’t fare as well with its documentary on the disgraced bicyclist Lance Armstrong (I wouldn’t watch it), and next Sunday will air Long Gone Summer about the 1998 home run battle between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. It’ll be shown at 9 pm. Not sure I want to watch a show about two steroids driven baseball players vying for the home run crown, but some of you might want to view it.

In the same vein, the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn (6/7) had a What to Rewatch item that noted on Sunday (yesterday), NBC was showing the Bears – Patriots Super Bowl XX and MLB network had Game 7 of the 1986 World Series between the Mets and Red Sox.

I took a pass on both. I’m not big on masochism.

Similarly, a while back, friend and fraternity brother Jim ‘NY Football Giants’ Dwyer alerted me that there was a replay of the Giants-Pats 2007 Super Bowl. Naw, I couldn’t watch that (nor the one in 2011). But thanks Jim for letting me know.

The PGA Tour resumes this week, starting June 11. If you like soccer, Spain’s La Liga is hoping to resume June 12, but 5 players have tested positive for COVID-19.

BULLETS

• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has admitted that he and the NFL (and its owners?) were wrong in not recognizing that racism still exists, and encouraged players to protest peacefully. Goodell said nothing about players kneeling for the National Anthem and never mentioned Colin Kaepernick, who was the first to kneel in 2016. Kaepernick has been blackballed ever since. Seems that the change in heart is due to the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. Oh and the many black players in the NFL. I find Goodell’s words hollow. Let’s see a team sign Kaepernick and then I might believe.

• The National Anthem is played before the start of NFL games. TV networks never show it (got to get those commercials in). Some sportswriter suggested that the NFL do away with the National Anthem before games. Not this year.

• Bleacher Report (B/R) today quoted Karl Ravech of ESPN as reporting that MLB has made an offer to the players for a season of 76 games with pay to be 75% of their prorated salaries. There would be playoff pool money. The season would end 9/27 and the post season by the end of October. The season would begin about July 10.

• Peter Abraham (Globe – 6/7) noted that Sunday was Heathcliff Slocumb’s 54^th birthday. In one of the best trades ever by the Red Sox, they sent Slocumb to the Mariners for prospects Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek.

• The Korean Baseball Organization is using stuffed animals in the seats in the stands.

QUOTES

Kevin Pillar of the Red Sox (via Peter Abraham/Boston Globe - 6/7): “The most effective way to make changes is with ourselves, the people around us, and the people we encounter. Change from the top will not change individual acts of evil or violence. Teaching our youth, our neighbors, or enemies that we are all human beings is where we need to start.”

Drew Brees (per Ben Volin/Boston Globe – 6/7): “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.” Since stating that, Brees has apologized multiple times, including to his Saints teammates. Volin reports that people in New Orleans were chanting “[Expletive] Brees!”). Time will tell if Brees’ attempt to mend fences succeeds.

Drew Brees (by way of the ProJo using the AP’s Rob Maaddi – 6/7): “Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been. We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities.”

EMAIL

Trivia: The only artist (singer) that I know of with a five octave vocal range is Mariah Carey...?  

Peter Bortolotti

Good guess. Wrong answer and Mariah Carey is still alive. - Z

Jimmy the Irish,

That be Minnie Riperton.

Proof that even a blind squirrel occasionally will find a nut….

Dave Knudson You are absolutely right David. The answer is Minnie Riperton.

Hi Jim- great zine as always. I’m responding to the music trivia while the iron is hot, and am thinking that it has to be Minnie Riperton, who was heralded for hitting the high notes in “Loving You” in the late 70s. Mark Allio Yes Mark, Minnie Riperton, one of the greatest voices ever. Did you ever hear her in the band Rotary Connection? Their first album. People used to run into my room in the barracks in Turkey when I played it. Chess Records. Minnie was a receptionist there before joining Rotary Connection. Someone realized talent. - Z

Minnie Riperton? Baily Baily, good to hear from you. Yes, you are right it's Minnie Riperton. Great voice. - Z

After alerting some friends about TCM showing Marx Brothers movies Friday night:

Thanks Jimmy….appreciate the Marx Bros, they are my second fav bros after the Dawsons….….watched a 1960 movie "Hell to Eternity" about an 18 year old WW2 Marine who was a foster child in a Japanese family so he learned the language. In the Pacific, he talked over 1500 Japanese into surrendering, mostly in groups of 10-10.  Amazing guy. Can’t believe I had never heard of him or the story.

Dave Knudson

Hi David, glad to hear about that movie which I've never seen. The director Phil Karlson also directed the original Walking Tall, a movie that I always liked (but none of the re-makes). Joe Don Baker as Sheriff Buford Pusser with a great cast including the beautiful Brenda Benet who was once married to Bill Bixby (and Paul Peterson). Sadly after the death of her 6 year old son, she took her own life. Walking Tall is a movie well worth seeing, even given that element of tragedy. - Z

Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz

THE HOT CLUB

As the state of RI begins to return to a little normalcy and enters Phase 2, it has been a breath of fresh air to return to the Hot Club deck with a reservation and a limit of 5 at a table, masks to enter, and time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes.

While Dr. John wasn’t present on Friday, I mentioned that I had seen a movie on AMC that he had recommended – Fury. This has nothing to do with the old kid’s show on Saturdays about a horse. This Fury is about a tank crew led by Brad Pitt in World War II. It is a violent but excellent account of what these men went through. I noticed that the young soldier with no tank experience who is thrown into the crew is played by Logan Lerman who had a big role in Amazon Prime’s Hunters. IMDb gave Fury a 7.6. Both Cap’t. Jack and Peter had seen it and liked it. Tough but good.

The discussion turned to TV shows like All in the Family and The Honeymooners. Jackie Gleason threatening Audrey Meadows with raising his fist and saying ‘Alice – to the moon.’ Couldn’t get away with that now, though I mention that Ralph always ended the show by hugging Alice and speaking highly of her. Kristen and Jack talked about Archie Bunker and the realization that such a character would be difficult in today’s politically correct world. I praised Norman Lear for that show and that character. Then I mentioned that someone like Randy Newman, who has done many satirical songs, would not be able to sing some of them today, like Rednecks, Short People and Davy the Fat Boy.

Cap’t Jack remarked on the backlash Drew Brees has received after he commented about not disrespecting the American flag. Peter and I felt that taking a knee was never about disrespecting the flag, the police and military, nor our country. It’s about racism.

ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

Last time I asked you to identify the female singer with a 5 octave range, who started with one of the first interracial bands, had a #1 single and Gold album, and a famous daughter. Dave Knudson, Mark Allio and Baily all knew it was Minnie Riperton, who had a #1 hit with Lovin’ You and a Gold album with Perfect Angel. Her daughter is SNL veteran Maya Rudolph who has been in Bridesmaids, and lent her voice to animated films. Minnie Riperton died in 1979 at age 31 from breast cancer that had metastasized.

THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

A two-fer, one easy, one hard: Who was the first female singer inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame? What #1 rock song is considered to have the oldest lyrics?