Cleaning out the inbox

Time for cleaning of the inbox as things built up even faster than usual this time!

We start with the passing of former Brown wide receiver Michael Jackson, who died in a motorcycle accident early Friday morning.
Jackson, who spent five years as a Brown before finishing his career with three years in Baltimore after the move, was traveling at a "high rate of speed" and hit a car that was backing out of a driveway.
Jackson and the driver of the car were both killed.
Jackson was a big play receiver for both teams with his career season being the first season in Baltimore with his only 1,000 yards receiving season to go with 14 touchdown catches...

Last year, Dan Parlegreco put out a draft preview that was available on Amazon, but this year he didn't have the time to do that, so instead, he's written this detailed review that grades each team and gives an undrafted free agent that has a chance to make the team.
Very well written and for those of you (like myself) that like draft reviews as much as previews, it is a great read...

Marty Mulcahey writes on boxing for UCN and he wrote a great article as part of that site's pre-fight buildup for the Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr fight that ranked the top ten all-Mexican fights ever.
Great matchups such as Barrera-Morales, Barrera-Marquez, Zarate-Pintor, Zarate-Zamora, and more are all discussed.
Such an article for a Spanish language network would have such potential for a "Legendary Nights" type series.
Now if I could only speak and understand Spanish...

The SABR baseball card page is taking votes and ranking the Topps baseball card set of the 1960s.
I voted in the 1970's voting and that was much harder to vote on.
For the record, my top three votes went to in order-1965,1968 and 1963.

My friend, Dr.Lisa Alexander sent me this very interesting article on Ernest Hemingway's intrigue with boxing.
Hemingway has always been noted as a boxing fan, but I never knew just how much he enjoyed it or that he actually sparred with pros and thought he was a high-quality fighter!
There is a note in the article with former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey talking about why he avoided sparring with the famous author...

I've written and talked before about one of my favorite TV shows in Person of Interest and now with the show in the past, its stars are beginning to move to new roles.
Both Amy Acker (Root) and Sarah Shahi will be starring in the new series in the fall.
Acker will be starring in "The Gifted" on Fox, which is a show with two parents taking their two children on the run from the government to protect their children, who possess superpowers...
Shahi will star in an NBC vehicle entitled "Reverie" that will feature Shahi as a former hostage negotiator and expert of human behavior that now helps people trapped in a virtual reality program.
That series will also co-star Kathryn Morris, the former star of "Cold Case" which was another favorite of mine...

We wrap up this cleaning with a tip of the cap to NBC, who canceled the time travel series "Timeless" after one season and decided three days later to change their mind with a renewal for a second season.
Timeless had a little below-average rating, but not awful and with a solid fan base that went all out for renewal, deserved the nod, although they aren't doing the show too many favors in not returning it to the lineup until the summer of 2018.
I also liked another time travel series that I wish would have been renewed in "Time After Time", but ABC cut that show off after just five episodes.
I'll never understand why networks buy pilots for science fiction shows that will always need time to build up a "canon" along with growing an audience, only to cancel them after a season or two.
Time After Time had just an eight-episode run like it would have killed ABC to show the final three episodes at least?
Shows in this genre' always need time to nurture and if the networks are hesitant to sign at least a two-year deal to start (three would be better), I'd be hesitant to ship my show there. 

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

I am not sure whether to feel sorry for Farrah Fawcett or to be happy for her family to avoid the media attention that I would have thought was sure to come towards her loved ones.

In many ways, an icon of the seventies had one final spotlight to herself only to have it snatched away by perhaps the icon of the eighties just a few hours later.
Fawcett went from being The story yesterday to an afterthought after the death of Michael Jackson.

I was one of the millions of pre-teens in the 1970s that had the famous smiling poster on my wall and a pillow of the same pic on my bed.
I think the pillow should be somewhere in my mom's attic and no, Shane-you can't have it!

I haven't thought about that in years, yet yesterday morning watching the news it was almost the first thing that I thought of.
One must remember in 1976, the coolest TV stars were Farrah Fawcett and her husband Lee Majors.
Boys across the country got their first fan crush on Fawcett, yet the coolest guy they knew-The Six Million Dollar Man was her husband.

Even at 8 years old, I was smart enough to realize that Lee Majors was one lucky guy.
Her poster was a 70s pop culture hit that always defines the 1970s as any retrospective that looks at the decade.
Yet in many ways, Farrah didn't have long-term legs to my generation.
She left Charlie's Angels after a season, and her movie career didn't really take off, although I always kinda liked Logan's Run and the camp classic Cannonball Run.
She wanted to be taken seriously as an actress and was successful in doing so to an extent, but she never broke through to huge stardom ever again.

Michael Jackson too was a shining star to members of my generation, but at different times.
In the early seventies, the Jackson Five were pumping out hits like crazy and I must admit some of their songs still make me smile when I hear them.
Jackson also was a kid star with the Jackson Five cartoon in the early 70s on Saturday Mornings on ABC, albeit with voice parts for all the Jacksons being used by other actors.
Remember when Saturday morning cartoons were such a big deal?

I usually like the multiple channels that we all have today, but I must admit there was something special about waiting for that one day a week, I look back at the old NBC Saturday afternoon Baseball Game of the Week with the same fondness.
Jackson went solo in the late seventies with the album Off the Wall and of course dominated the 80's with the Thriller album, which is the best-selling album of all time, but began to be known more for his bizarre antics and for his issues with young children.
I prefer to remember Michael Jackson as the young man when I was a pre-schooler and his Jackson Five Days than the literal circus act that has been his life for the last 20 years or so.

But as important as Michael Jackson was to his many fans and this can arguably be compared to the losses of Elvis Presley and John Lennon as far as media impact goes, is it larger than the wars that continue?
Is it larger than the possible political revolution in Iran, which seems to be relying so heavily on getting every possible word on to the Western world's news networks, is it more important than that?
I don't think so.
CNN, Fox, and MSNBC used this guy as a hacky sack for years and now they are using him one last time.
Michael Jackson's passing is important and newsworthy but let's not forget the other news and the others that pass every day...

Bullpen Notes

Ian Snell was demoted to Indianapolis at his request.
Virgil Vasquez takes Snell's spot on the roster and starts tonight against the Royals.
Snell was pitching poorly, but he still is better than Vasquez, I hope to see Snell bounce back in Hoosierville and build any possible value in trade that he has left because from his words-it doesn't look bright for his Pittsburgh future.

Pirate coverage resumes tomorrow as they begin a three-game series against Kansas City to clean up their interleague slate.
Vasquez takes the hill against the Royals Gil Meche.

The New Jersey Devils attempt to add to the future in tonight's NHL draft.
Will try to get some info here on their top selection tomorrow...

Joe Jurevicius is suing everyone in sight-the Browns, the Cleveland Clinic,doctors-you name it for the staph infection that he claims may have ended his career.
The Browns have been dealing with this issue for years and now it really could hit the fan.
Looking at the problems that the Browns have had it doesn't look good for them to win the case, look for a settlement, but more importantly watch for this to be a major problem in bringing free agents to Cleveland in the future.

Thanks to all of you that read us as yesterday was our second-largest hit total for one day in our existence!
Thanks again for reading!