Cleaning out the Inbox-Non-Sports Passings

   This version of our tributes to recent passings is a bit overdue but all four tributes are to people that had an impact on me in their various fields and all will be missed.

Goodbye to Nichelle Nichols at the age of 89.

Nichols, of course, is best remembered for her role as Nyota Uhura for the three seasons of the original Star Trek on NBC as well as the Trek animated series and six of the Star Trek films.

Nichols had a long and varied career in film, television, and stage but her legacy will always be with Star Trek with two interesting notes from the show off-screen.

The best-known is her interaction with Martin Luther King near the end of the first season of Star Trek, where Nichols had just decided to leave the show in order to take a role on Broadway and had turned in her resignation paperwork to depart but met King at an NAACP event and told him of her decision to leave the show.

King told her that she could not and told her of Uhura's importance and that because her role of Uhura was not a specific role to her race, that should she leave Uhura could be replaced by anyone-including an alien race.

Nichols decided then to remain on the show for the duration, which leads to the other note that I wasn't aware of until writing this, as Nichols claims that she was offered the role of "Peggy Fair" on "Mannix" which was preparing for its second season on CBS but was not allowed out of her contract with Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry.

Star Trek was nearly the end of what proved to be its third and final season but Roddenberry believed it would be renewed for a fourth season at the time and refused, which cost Nichols the role that would be cast with Gail Fisher and would run for another seven seasons.

As a fan of the original Star Trek since I was a small child, it's sad as another member of the Trek cast passes away, and a little ironic to me personally as I had just a few days after her passing finally landed her Mego action figure from the seventies for my collection from a road trip to an antique market.

Goodbye to Judith Durham at the age of 79.

Durham was the lead vocalist for The Seekers, the first Australian group to succeed in the United States and the United Kingdom, and the top five songs "I'll Never Find Another You" and the theme song to the 1967 film "Georgy Girl".

It's Durham's beautiful voice that carries those songs and makes them so memorable even as you listen to them today

Georgy Girl was listed as number one in the USA on the Cashbox chart and number two on the Billboard listings.

Cashbox became defunct in 1996 but at the time of The Seekers, it was equally important as the Billboard listings.

The Seekers are to this day, the unofficial band of Australia, and it would be very difficult for another group to reach the same level there and have sold over fifty million records worldwide.

Goodbye to David McCullough at the age of 89.

The two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Presidential biographies for Harry Truman and John Adams, McCullough also is known for hosting the American Experience series for years on PBS and for his voice work that included the Ken Burns series "The Civil War".

McCullough also was the narrator of the film "Seabiscuit", both of his Pulitzer victors were adapted for films on HBO and he was the subject of the documentary "David McCullough: Painting With Words".

McCullough's thirteen books also include biographies on Theodore Roosevelt and the Wright Brothers, and books on 1776, the Brooklyn Bridge, Panama Canal, and the Johnstown Flood.

Goodbye to Bernard Shaw at the age of 82.

The long-time lead anchor at CNN, Shaw retired earlier than he could have and was quoted as saying that his success wasn't worth the cost of what he missed from his personal life.

Shaw is most remembered for his controversial question to Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis in a 1988 debate that used his wife Kitty in a hypothetical question that concerned the death penalty stance of the then-Massachusetts Governor.

Dukakis's passionless answer sent his candidacy into decline and he would lose the election to George Bush.
Shaw is also remembered for his Gulf War coverage in which he was the rare journalist to honestly convey their unease at being in a war zone Shaw reported being under a desk in his hotel as missiles whizzed by and stating that he felt like he was in the middle of hell. 

Cade the Cannon guns down Panthers 26-24

 Rookie kicker Cade York nailed a fifty-eight-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to give the Cleveland Browns their first season-opening victory since 2004 with a 26-24 win over the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.

Nick Chubb rushed for 141 yards and Kareem Hunt scored a rushing touchdown as well as a receiving one to lead the Cleveland offense.

The Browns will host the 0-1 New York Jets next Sunday in their home opener.

Brownie Bits

1) Cade York might have finally given the Browns the weapon in the kicking game that they have lacked since the departure of Phil Dawson and showed why picking a kicker in the draft makes sense-IF (like every other position) you pick the right kicker.

2) Cleveland had tried on two other occasions to draft the problem to their placekicking solutions (Zane Gonzalez and Austin Seibert) since losing Phil Dawson but York seems different as he brings the dimension that Baltimore's Justin Tucker adds to the Ravens- the ability to add ten to fifteen yards longer than a normal kicker's range to give you a chance to win or tie in late game situations.

3) Jacoby Brissett was okay in his Browns debut but far from spectacular as he overthrew three receivers in the first quarter, most notably Amari Cooper on a pass pattern that would have likely resulted in a touchdown or a minimum of a first and goal situation.

4) Still, Brissett avoided the big mistake (zero turnovers) and while the overthrows are a concern that will continue as the Brissett era moves forward, this is the type of performance that Cleveland hopes will result in keeping the team afloat during the absence of DeShaun Watson- Basic and avoid mistakes.

5) The Browns did finally use some formations that used Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield at the same time and it proved to be effective.

The key to this working is Kareem Hunt and his ability to disguise himself as the halfback or the fullback.

Hunt will usually be the fullback in these alignments but if Hunt can keep defenses wondering what he will do, it should open up some huge opportunities for Nick Chubb.

6) Speaking of Nick Chubb, Chubb averaged 6.4 yards per rush in this game and much of that was pure effort in dragging Panthers downfield.

Chubb reminds me of the backs of yesteryear that could outrun you but would rather run over you and while those types of backs often don't have a long-term shelf life, they are very fun to watch while you have them!

7) Cleveland's defense played well except for two massive exceptions and those were almost enough to cost them the game.

Blown coverages set up a second-quarter score as Baker Mayfield hit Ian Thomas for a fifty-yard gain to the one-yard line and the fourth-quarter seventy-five-yard strike to Robby Anderson for a score kept Carolina in the game.

Otherwise, the defense was fine but those two blown coverages have to be stopped when you play against better teams than Carolina and better passers than Baker Mayfield.

8) The defensive line tormented Baker Mayfield all game and in the first half, the Browns seldom allowed him to get an uncontested throw away without a tip, deflection, or a hurried pass.

Myles Garrett finished with two sacks and the Browns generally proved the point that Mayfield isn't good enough to be a quarterback to build around.

Mayfield did hit on those two blown coverages which a normal quarterback should but he otherwise didn't dazzle or look too much better than Jacoby Brissett did.

9) The officials may have blown two roughing the passer calls, one for each team, although the Carolina penalty cost them fifteen vital yards on the Browns last possession.

Carolina's Bryan Burns was called for roughing Jacoby Brissett on that play and it was at least an arguable call but it was no worse than the obviously awful call on Taven Bryan, who forced Baker Mayfield to hurry a throw and would have forced a punt from Carolina's own end zone.

10) Carolina was upset about intentional grounding not being called late in the game on Jacoby Brissett as he spiked the ball to stop the clock.

Brissett appeared to pump his arm as he took one step back and flags were thrown but after consultation, Brissett was ruled to be allowed to take the step as the rule states that the passer's step does not disqualify the passer from spiking the ball.

Matt Rhule didn't like the call and I might not have either but it was the correct call.

11) I thought Grant Delpit might be taking a step forward this season as a ball-hawking safety and it was Delpit that grabbed the only interception of the day on Baker Mayfield.

The Browns have lacked that type of player for so long and I believe Delpit will fill that role well.

12) Donovan Peoples-Jones led Cleveland with six catches for sixty yards and was targeted eleven times.

Peoples-Jones made several tough catches over the middle and bailed Jacoby Brissett out of a few jams with some excellent grabs.

13) Where does this put the Browns?

They had to have this game and the next game against the Jets.

Beating bad teams is a must until the return of DeShaun Watson and after dominating Carolina for the first fifty minutes, Cleveland allowed the Panthers back into the game with sloppy play.

That trend cannot continue as I'm convinced that Cleveland needs to be at least 3-1 after the first month if they have any playoff hopes.

They almost gave a game away that was well in hand, they are not good enough to do that against good teams and it's a bad habit to start to get into...

Ohio State drops Arkansas State

  C.J.Stroud threw four touchdown passes, three of them to Marvin Harrison Jr as the Ohio State Buckeyes eased past the Arkansas State Red Wolves 45-12 in Columbus.

Harrison finished the game with seven catches for 184 yards with Emeka Egbuka also finishing with over one hundred receiving yards (118) on the afternoon.

Ohio State improves to 2-0 and will host Toledo next Saturday night.

I am posting this incomplete as due to a family issue, I have yet to watch the game.

In the event that I have time to watch it, I will add some notes.

If not, I wanted to at least have the score of the game etc. on the blog.

Cleveland Browns Preview-The Defense

     The Cleveland Browns may have to rely more on their defense this season than in the past.

The Cleveland defense has an impact player in Myles Garrett and a few young players that have a chance to become breakout stars.

Whether those players do so might make the difference between a top-five defense and a top-ten version, which could also make the difference between a good team and an average one.

The starting defensive ends are top notch with the gifted Myles Garrett at one end and the Browns re-signed Jadeveon Clowney to return on the opposite end of the line.

The depth is unproven though as Chase Winovich arrives via a trade with New England and two rookies round out the group with third-rounder Alex Wright from UAB and seventh-rounder Isaiah Thomas from Oklahoma.

Cleveland could be vulnerable at defensive tackle with former Jacksonville number one pick Taven Bryan and returning Jordan Elliott as starters.

Neither has set the world on fire in their career and they are backed up by second-year man Tommy Togiai and fourth-rounder Perrion Winfrey of Oklahoma.

This unit will have to exceed expectations in order for the defense to be strong against the run.

The linebackers feature Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who seems to be ready for a breakout season.

JOK can be a three-down linebacker, rush the passer, and drop back in pass protection, and he only has to be healthy to perform at a top level.

Veteran Anthony Walker returns as a steady tackle accumulator and Jacob Phillips is back after missing most of last season due to injury,

Sione Takitaki will see some time and help on special teams as well as Tony Fields.

The Browns are strong at the corners with Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome and they used their top pick in the third round on Martin Emerson of Mississippi State.

Cleveland traded Troy Hill back to the Rams, so they expect Emerson to fill his spot at the slot corner.

A.J. Green and Greedy Williams complete a solid collection of cornerbacks.

Grant Delpit showed signs late last year of giving the Browns a possible star at safety after missing his rookie year with a torn Achilles.

Delpit has the ball skills that the Browns have never seemed to possess at safety and I think he could be another breakout star this season.

John Johnson will start at the other safety after a mildly disappointing first season with Cleveland.

Ronnie Harrison was re-signed to some surprise and Harrison can be an excellent player if he can stop his issues with taking dumb penalties by being overaggressive.

D'Anthony Bell made the team after a strong training camp battle with second-year man Richard LeCounte that was so close that the Browns decided to keep both players.

Rookie Cade York was drafted from LSU to hopefully solve the Browns kicking problems that date back to allowing Phil Dawson to leave via free agency and veteran Corey Bojorquez was signed in free agency from Green Bay as the punter.

Cleveland signed Jakeem Grant to help the return team but Grant was injured in camp and will miss the season.

The plans are for Demetric Felton to be the main kick returner in Grant's absence.

I don't know what to think of this team.

There are some very special players on this team and some with the potential to be on that level as well.

However, I have doubts about the eleven games without DeShaun Watson and even when Watson returns, it's asking a lot to be in top form after missing almost two years and joining a new team.

I'm not impressed with the non-Amari Cooper wide receivers and if this team gets behind, they will have a tough time battling back.

On defense, the Browns could be very good, especially if they can get any production from the interior defensive line, even if only to stop the run.

The question is this- can the defense be very good or can they be elite?
Elite is what it may take this season and I would cautiously that they might fall a little short of that.

Let's call it 9-8 and in the battle for the final wild-card spot with a third-place finish in the AFC North.

Cleveland Browns Preview-The Offense

    The Cleveland Browns rank at the top of the most polarizing teams in the NFL at the start of the 2022 season.

You will find some pundits that believe they have the type of talent to keep them near the hunt for the playoffs until the return of DeShaun Watson, which would then allow the Browns to hit the turbo button, make the postseason, and be a very dangerous team that few will want to face in those playoffs.

There are others that think the Browns will not be able to overcome the absence of DeShaun Watson with Jacoby Brissett and the lack of any wide receivers other than Amari Cooper that scare anyone and they might be the fourth-best team in a four-team division.

Both could be right and the truth could also be in the middle but the Cleveland Browns 2022 season could be predicted in several ways and no predictions can be laughed away or scoffed aside as being ridiculous.

Until DeShaun Watson's suspension is over, it'll be Jacoby Brissett at quarterback and Joshua Dobbs as the backup.

Dobbs looked better in the preseason but he is far less experienced and I understand the decision to use Brissett until Watson's return.

Second-year player and former third-round draft pick Kellen Mond was claimed from Minnesota to serve as the third-string quarterback.

The Browns offense still seems a bit one-dimensional as Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski seem to think that replacing Jarvis Landry with Amari Cooper is more than enough to upgrade the passing game.

While Cooper certainly is an upgrade downfield and overall, the Browns stubborn belief that adding Cooper and rookie David Bell in the slot will be enough to give Jacoby Brissett the targets that he needs to give the Browns a fighting chance during his eleven-game tenure.

The running game still will be among the deepest in the game with Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, DeErnest Johnson, and rookie Jerome Ford and they will need all of them if the Browns are going to have any chance of making the playoffs.

Donovan Peoples-Jones returns as the starter at wide receiver opposite Amari Cooper with Cleveland still seeming to place far too much faith in 2021 third-rounder Anthony Schwartz to improve his pass-catching and sixth-rounder Michael Woods and versatile Demetric Felton can be used at wide receiver or running back.

The wide receivers (other than the non-Watson games) might make or break this season on the gamble that drafting David Bell and swapping Jarvis Landry for Amari Cooper is going to be enough for a wide receiver improvement.

David Njoku was signed to a four-year contract extension in May with the hopes that his occasional glimpses of greatness can show up more often as the number one tight end.

The skills and ability are there for Njoku but can the consistency be relied upon finally?

Harrison Bryant is a nice second tight end with excellent hands and Jesse James was signed as the third tight end for blocking situations.

The offensive line is top-notch at guard with perhaps the best tandem in the league at the position in Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio.

2020 first-rounder Jedric Wills struggled with injuries last season and affected his performance in his second year at left tackle, while former All-Pro Jack Conklin attempts to return from his season-ending injury in 2021 on the right side.

Chris Hubbard will also try to return as the backup swing lineman after going out for the year last season in the opening day defeat, 2021 fourth-rounder James Hudson is backing up Wills at left tackle and veteran Joe Haeg was signed a few days for more depth at tackle.

The Browns decided to release steady veteran J.C. Tretter even though he was signed for 2022 in order to pave the way for Nick Harris, who then injured his knee in the preseason opener and ended his season.

Fortunately, the Browns had signed former Seahawk Ethan Pocic to backup Harris and Pocic does have some starting experience in his days in Seattle.

Michael Dunn is the primary backup for Pocic and Dunn can also play guard and tackle.

The offense will all come down to how well the passing game will do with Jacoby Brissett.

If Brissett can keep offenses honest enough with his arm and a questionable group of receivers is able to step up, the Browns could have a pretty good offense.

If Brissett or his pass catchers cannot do that- the Browns are going to struggle with their offense and any hopes of a decent season could be out of bounds before DeShaun Watson ever hits the field.

I intend on trying to return later today with a look at the defense...

PPM

 The NFL season kicks off this week and I'm making one change as I'll be adding the Los Angeles Chargers to the PPM.

I have what seems to be a hundred Chargers on my fantasy football team and as a big fan of Justin Herbert, I've been watching a lot of their games in the four o'clock window over the last few seasons, so I've decided to add them to the PPM to bulk up the NFL portion.

Last Week: 10-1 

Overall: 11-4

College

Ohio State over Arkansas State 51-12

Texas Tech over Houston 49-47

Boise State over New Mexico 36-17

Arkansas over South Carolina 36-28

N.C. State over Charleston Southern 45-17

Bowling Green over Eastern Kentucky 31-20

Colorado State over Middle Tennessee State 28-17

Nebraska over Georgia Southern 35-20

Oregon State over Fresno State 41-35

Games of the Week

Alabama over Texas 47-17

Baylor over BYU 36-30

NFL
Browns over Panthers 21-16

Chargers over Raiders 37-34

Saints over Falcons 24-13

Games of the Week

Bills over Rams 29-27

Bengals over Steelers 27-21

Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

 It's been a bit since I've caught up on some recent passings of note so before the football season kicks off in full, I'll try to catch up on the inbox items!

Goodbye to Len Dawson at the age of 87.

Dawson was the pilot for the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs, who upset the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV 23-7, winning the Super Bowl MVP, and is a civic icon in the Kansas City area.

Dawson also led the Chiefs in their previous incarnation as the Dallas Texans to the 1962 AFL title in a three-overtime win as well as the 1965 AFL title before losing in the first Super Bowl to Green Bay.

Dawson had failed in the NFL in Pittsburgh and Cleveland after the Steelers selected him from Purdue as their first rounder in the 1957 draft spending two unsuccessful seasons with each team before signing on in the AFL with the Texans for the 1962 season and revitalizing his career.

After his playing career, Dawson along with Nick Buoniconti was the host of HBO's Inside the NFL from 1977 through 2001 as well as serving as the beloved color analyst on the Chiefs radio network from 1985 to 2017.

Goodbye to Pete Carril at the age of 92.

The long-time coach at Princeton and developer of the school's namesake offensive system, Carril was the head coach of the Tigers from 1966-96, winning 514 games, taking them to eleven NCAA tournaments, and ending his career with a colossal upset of defending national champion UCLA in the 1996 tournament with an incredible game plan that saw a 43-41 win in the shot clock era.

The Carril system with its patient passing and backdoor cuts to the basket gave undermanned teams at all levels hopes for upsets and there would have been few bigger upsets in the history of sports than number one ranked and seeded Georgetown losing to Princeton in the first round of the 1988 NCAA Tournament.

Princeton led most of the games before Georgetown took a 50-49 lead with Princeton with the ball with seconds remaining but Alonzo Morning blocked a shot out of bounds with one second to go.

Princeton's Kit Mueller took the final shot with Mourning blocking the shot to end the game with many (including me) believing Mourning fouled Mueller with the referees swallowing their whistle.

A larger and forgotten achievement was Princeton's 1975 NIT title in a day when the NIT title really meant something as a conference could only receive bids for two teams each and gave the NIT a top-notch field.

Goodbye to Tom Weiskopf at the age of 79.

Weiskopf was the first of many in the late sixties and seventies to be named the "Next Nicklaus" only to discover that there was only one Jack Nicklaus and he wasn't going away from the golf course.

Still, Weiskopf put together an excellent career with sixteen wins and one major- the 1973 British Open before winning four times on the senior tour, including the 1995 U.S. Senior Open.

Known as "The Towering Inferno" as a player for his noted temper, Weiskopf finished second four times in The Masters, which holds the record for most second-place finishes at Augusta for someone that would never win the tournament.

Weiskopf would later work as a color commentator for both CBS and ABC after his retirement from the PGA Tour in the days before the Senior Tour offered as many tournaments per year as they currently do.

Goodbye to Steve Worster at the age of 73.

A bruising fullback, Worster was the inspiration behind the University of Texas designing the Wishbone offense in order to use Worster, Ted Koy, and Chris Gilbert all at the same time in 1968.

Texas would win the Southwest Conference titles in all three seasons that Worster played and won the 1969 national championship as Worster rushed for over 2,300 yards in those seasons with Worster named All-American in 1969 and 1970, and finishing fourth in the voting for the 1970 Heisman Trophy.

Worster was drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Rams in 1971 but chose to sign with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he would play in three games before retiring after the season as football was no longer fun for Worster.

Goodbye to Bob Locker at the age of 84.

Known for his sinkerball, Locker didn't make the big leagues until he was 27, debuting with the White Sox in 1965.

Locker's best season came in 1967 for the White Sox, when he saved a career-high twenty games and posted an ERA of 2.09 in seventy-seven appearances.

Locker would win a World Series ring with Oakland in 1972 and would finish his career with ninety-five saves and an ERA of 2.75.

Goodbye to Gene LeBell at the age of 89.

"Judo Gene" has perhaps the most diverse resume' of any person involved in combat sports in the last seventy years with stints in pro wrestling, judo, mixed martial arts fighting before there was such a thing, television and film work as an actor and stuntman, and running the Los Angeles NWA wrestling promotion.

LeBell refereed the Muhammad Ali-Antonio Inoki fight in 1976, sparred with Bruce Lee on the set of the Green Hornet, appeared in three Elvis Presley movies, promoted boxing and wrestling at the legendary Olympic Auditorium with his mother and owner of the Olympic, Aileen Eaton, trained Ronda Rousey, and is reported to have been the person that Brad Pitt's character in "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" is based on, although Quentin Tarantino denies it.

And that's even before the story that has become legend with several witnesses swearing that LeBell got the best of Steven Seagal on the set of Out For Justice where LeBell was serving as the stunt coordinator- the story gets even more colorful than it sounds!

LeBell's life is reported to have a possible film project in the works and it sounds pretty entertaining on the subject matter alone!