Cleaning out the Inbox

It's time to clean the inbox out a bit before things really begin to speed up. The Pirates are starting the season soon, and we have previews for them (and possibly the Indians). The Devils are continuing towards the playoffs, and we have Cleveland Cavaliers playoff coverage and stuff from the signing front.

Belated goodbyes to former Hall of Famer, football commentator, actor, and commercial spokesman Merlin Olsen.

The 15-time Pro Bowler passed last week at the age of 69 after battling cancer of the lung lining.

For all of Olsen's achievements on the field, he became more famous off the field with a supporting role on Little House on the Prairie and starred in Father Murphy thereafter, and a series of commercials for FTD flowers.

Those moves moved Olsen into stardom beyond the football field as an entire audience began to know Olsen from acting, not football.
I always thought Olsen was an underrated commentator as well, as he told you about the game, not about himself, and he didn't do that in an excessive and screaming way either.
Merlin Olsen always seemed like a nice man, and I suppose that is what contributed so much to his popularity.
He will be missed.


Another passing of note from the wrestling world as Baron Mikel Scicluna passed away at the age of 80 from cancer.
The Baron was well past his prime when I started watching wrestling, but he still was one of the "tough losers"(as we called them then) on the heel side on WWF TV and was always counted on for an honorable loss to the "good guys" on television.
A Scicluna ring entrance was not complete without the cape and mannerisms.
RIP Baron!


Looks like quite a few NHL teams are tweaking jerseys for next season.
Mostly minor moves, but two that caught my eye were changes in Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
The Sabres are going back to their classy jerseys of the past and dumping the logo that looked like Donald Trump's hair, while the Penguins are moving their powder blue third jersey back to the closet.

Too bad, I liked those, but kudos to Buffalo for their overdue move.
I hate it when teams scrap good uniforms for the in-style togs that don't wear well over time.
Buffalo was the biggest hockey offender, now we can target NFL teams like Denver, Arizona, and Minnesota for ruining classic togs.

Royals minor leaguer Danny Duffy has left the game for personal reasons.
I never met Duffy last year at Wilmington, although some friends were able to get stuff signed by him.
Here is hoping that he can straighten out any issues and return to the game thereafter...

A few mail signatures from the Signing Front
Lowell Devil Matt Corrente (2)
Former Brewer pitcher Kevin Kobel (3)
Former Red Sox, Cubs and Giants pitcher Allen Ripley (4)
Former Ram All-Pro Safety Nolan Cromwell (3)
Former Red Sox pitcher of No-Hit fame, Dave Morehead (3)
Former Oriole pitcher Dave Ford (2)

Photo Credits-Unknown