Los Angeles Times: Patrick Kevin Day- Kim Novak: Hollywood Star Walk

Source:The Daily Review

When I think of pure beauty, grace, class, realism, adorableness, Kim Novak is not the only actress I think of, but she’s certainly one of my favorites. I don’t know of another actress who was that hot, baby-faced adorable and that well-built and that real. A hot 5’6 women with a great body and whose also baby-faced adorable, who played all of her roles as if she’s playing herself. If you judge an actress by how real and believable their character is, meaning do the you believe the actress playing the women or not, that alone would make Kim Novak not just one of the best actress’s of her generation that includes Angie Dickinson, Sophia Loren, Dyan Cannon, Liz Taylor and many others, Grace Kelly, but one of the best actress’s of all-time.

And I believe what makes Kim even better is that the women that she played most of the time tended to be very different from who she is in real-life. Kim, was somewhat shy and lacking in self-confidence and never quite sure of herself. Which was perfect for her in Vertigo where she plays Madeline who is very similar in personality. But look at The Man With The Golden Arm with Frank Sinatra and she’s playing the cool always sure of herself character. Whose trying to save a drug addict and gambler played by Sinatra, from himself. Which is my point about Kim that she was so good at playing her characters even people who were very different from herself. But played them so well as if she was playing herself.

I’m not saying Kim Novak is Lauren Bacall, or Liz Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Susan Hayward, but probably in the next group, or the one right after that if not the second one. Because she sort of burned out by the late 1960s and attempted a few comebacks after that without achieving the great roles that she use to have. Had she still been doing well in Hollywood in the 1970s and 1980s, maybe we’re talking about an actress who belongs in the first group of greatest actress’s of all-time. But for her time in the 1950s through the mid 1960s she was one of the best and best looking in Hollywood. And landed a lot of great movies and roles because of that. And someone who clearly belongs in the Hollywood Hall of Fame, or the equivalent of that.
Goody Awards: TCM 2012- Kim Novak Handprint Magic at Grauman Chinese

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Detroit Pistons Official: Unforgettable Moments- The Jordan Rules

Source:The New Democrat

The Jordan Rules was a Detroit Pistons defense that was designed to stop the great Michael Jordan from the Chicago Bulls. It was created by the great Pistons point guard Isaiah Thomas and one of the Pistons assistant coaches. I believe Brendan Malone and this defense was designed to let anyone else beat the Pistons besides Michael Jordan. Which meant anyone else from the Bulls could beat them and have big games which of course didn’t happen pre-1991. Whether it was Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright whoever it might be.

This all came about because in the late 1980s the Pistons and Bulls, Detroit vs. Chicago which is a great sports rivalry because of those two big cities to begin with and that they are fairly close together and they met in the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs four straight years from 1988-91. Two very physical and good defensive teams meeting in the playoffs to go to the NBA Finals. So these series always meant a lot and this was a time when the Pistons were looking to win their first NBA Championship after coming very close in 1987 and 88. With the Bulls looking to take their place and jump ahead of them.

The Jordan Rules itself were fairly simple. Again anyone but Jordan can beat them meaning anyone besides Michael can take open shots and get good looks at the basket. Now they still have to execute and take advantage of those opportunities. But when MJ has the ball at least two guys on him every time he tries to drive and keep him off of the wings where he got most of those incredible dunks. Force him into the lane and to go up against the Pistons big men where he would either take a hard foul. Or would just be stopped with the Pistons getting the ball back.

And the other thing being make MJ work on defense. Whoever he is guarding in the Pistons backcourt. Or if he’s guarding Mark Aguirre the Pistons small forward. Make MJ run through a lot of hard screens from either Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, James Edwards or Dennis Rodman. And give Jordan’s man a lot of shots and good looks at the basket. So MJ doesn’t have anytime to rest on the court. And pre-1991 before Scottie Pippen became the great player that he became the Jordan Rules was the only successful defense against Michael Jordan.
Detroit Pistons Official: Unforgettable Moments- The Jordan Rules

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MGM Europe: North by Northwest (1959) Starring Cary Grant & Eva-Marie Saint

Source:The New Democrat

North by Northwest is my favorite movie of all time. Cary Grant is my favorite actor of all time and Alfred Hitchcock is probably my favorite director of all time. I have a couple of versions of this movie on DVD, saw it on Turner Classic Movies a couple of nights ago and again on DVD last might. I decided to write a blog about it today because I’ve been thinking about it a lot. This movie is Cary Grant, perhaps the best comedic actor of all time, at his best.

North by Northwest has all the ingredients of a great Hitchcock movie. A great plot, great writing, great cast, Hitchcock’s sense of humor, that Cary Grant shares, and James Mason. The very sexy and beautiful Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront, The Russians are Coming) has a big role in the movie. According to my father, she’s smarter, sexier, and more beautiful than Grace Kelly or Marilyn Monroe. She reminds him of my mother.

Then, there’s Jessie Royce Landis who plays Roger Thornhill’s (Cary Grant) mother, a great smart ass, even though she’s only four years older.

The movie is a Cold War thriller about a man, Van Damme (James Mason), who exports American weapons and national security secrets. Thornhill gets caught up in it, accidentally, and you have a great movie.

Thornhill is a charming playboy New York advertising man who’s just living his life as a very successful businessman. He’s kidnapped by Van Damme’s henchmen at a New York bar. They believe he has inside information about Van Damme’s organization.

The Van Damme crew tries to murder Thornhill but he gets away. He tries to get back in touch with Van Damme and instead connects with Lester Townsend, someone Van Damme had pretended to be. The Van Damme crew, trying to murder Thornhill, instead murder Townsend. They believe he also knows something about their organization that they want kept secret. Thornhill is now not only on the run from Van Damme and company but also from the NYC PD, the New York State PD, and the Feds.

Thornhill once again escapes and is now on the run from everyone because of the murder he didn’t commit. This time, he escapes by train where he meets Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) who just happens to be an undercover Federal agent pretending to work for Philipp Van Damme. She’s actually working to bring down Van Damme’s and his organization. She has Thornhill believing she’s on his side and helping him to escape. She’s actually just using him.

This movie starts in New York, moves to Chicago and then Indiana where the Van Damme crew tries to murder Thornhill and Thornhill is trying to meet the real George Kaplan to find out what this whole thing is about. The problem is that George Kaplan doesn’t exist. Back to Chicago Thornhill gets arrested again, thinking that he would be safer with the police than on the run. The Feds grab him instead and use him to help bering down Van Damme and company in Rapid City where Philipp Van Damme has a home.

This is one of the best action suspense comedies you’ll ever see.
MN Europe: Alfred Hitchcock- North by Northwest 1959 Trailer

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NBC Sports: MLB 1984- St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs: Game of The Week

Source:NBC Sports– with the MLB Game of The Week.

You can also see this post on Blogger.

“MLB 1984 06 23 84 Cardinals at Cubs”

From Larry’s Classic Sports Videos

The baseball game that seemed like it would never end. A classic game in this great Cardinals-Cubs rivalry, great rivalry even though the Cardinals are traditional winners and champions. And the Cubs generally are not only losers, but tend to finish way out of contention.

This was a great game, if you hate pitching and perhaps see pitching as an inconvenience to slugfests and perhaps as a necessary evil that is necessary so that baseball games actually come to conclusion at some point.

This game was essentially a home run derby where the team that could find away to get more outs and scored last was going to win. But not a great game in the sense that it was a great all around played game with good pitching, defense, and with timely hitting, that went down to last outs and into the ninth inning not knowing who was going to win at the end.

You can also see this post at The New Democrat , on WordPress.

You can also see this post at FRS FreeState, on Blogger.

You can also see this post at FRS FreeState, on WordPress.

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Play it and be Dammed: NASL 1978- Philadelphia Fury vs Chicago Sting: Highlights

Source:Play It & Be Damned – with the Philadelphia Fury & Chicago Sting from 1978.

“These are highlights from a 3-2 overtime match in 1978 between the Sting and the Fury. These are Betamax rips that Dave Brett did from 30-year-old tapes. So they are not great quality.

There are actually black spots in this tape. I miss at least one of the Fury goals. And I don’t know who won because all of overtime is blacked out.

What I do know is this

• Alan Ball was coach.
• Tony Glavin didn’t play because of a foot injury.
• Colin McCurdy, the team’s leading scorer, had just been sold to a Belgian team.
•Pat Fidelia, if he played at all, was only in the overtime. But as you can see from the beginning shot, he was available to play.
• Keith MacRae (who had a spectacular game) was actually relieved in goal by Jim Miller.
• It was played on the wet artificial turf of Chicago’s Soldier Field. Ugh.
• As bad as the field was, the TV coverage (at least the shooting of the game) was even worse with the players looking like little ants. I think WPHL only used two cameras.
• Karl Heinz Granitza scored two goals to give Chicago a 2-0 lead.
•Philadelphia scored its two goals late to tie the game, the first by Rich Reice (which you’ll see) the other by Martin Henderson.
• I didn’t insert the Hersey Park, Gulf and Trident commercials – though I was tempted to.
• As far as I can tell, we have never seen a Fury goal on the Internet — until now.

If you enjoyed this, please join the Philadelphia Fury page on Facebook.”

Source:Play It & Be Dammed

Well-played soccer, considering it was play on some pretty bad playing conditions, at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

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Chicago Tribune: NFL 1963-NFL Championship-New York Giants @ Chicago Bears: ’63 Bears Reflect on Championship Season’

Source:Chicago Tribune– The 1963 Chicago Bears: the last of the great George Halas teams.

“Chicago Tribune photographer Michael Tercha sat down with former Bears players to talk about the chemistry and attitude of the 1963 team. For more video, visit:Chicago Tribune.”

From the Chicago Tribune

This was an end of an era because this would be the last time that the Giants and Bears would play each other for the NFL Championship. Because even though both teams were still competitive for the rest of the 1960s, they were no longer NFL Championship contenders. And by 1970 they were now playing each other in the same conference what is today known as the National Football Conference, after the NFL/AFL merger.

So the 1963 NFL Championship wasn’t the end of one of the best NFL rivalries, but it certainly changed and was no longer very important as far as the current league. Because both teams were fairly mediocre for the rest of the 1960s. Both teams were bad in the 1970s, only making the NFL Playoffs a total of two times. The Bears both times in 1977 and 79. With both clubs not becoming contenders again until the 1980s.

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The White House: Weekly Address- President Barack Obama: ‘Celebrating Father’s Day Weekend’

Source:The White House– President Barack H. Obama (Democrat, Illinois) 44th President of the United States.

“President Obama discusses Father’s Day and notes that nothing substitutes for the love and support of the presence of a parent in a child’s life.”

Source: The White House

How to talk about the most important man in my life, which is the challenge of this post. How to communicate about the man who gave us life and has served as the most important male role model if. Not most important role model at least in my life. That’s why we have Father’s Day in America, to celebrate the men who gave us life and allowed for our country to keep on growing and moved us forward. Who raised us and made sure we had everything that we need growing up to be successful in life. So we go to a good school and are doing what we can to do the best job that we can as students, so we can be successful in life. Who work so we always have a place to live and enough food to eat.

Our father’s are always there to support us when we need them and are there in our most important moments in our lives. Just not as we are growing up, but as adults as well and the guy we can count on when we need advice and someone to turn to. That’s what father’s are for and why they are so important and why people who grew up with their fathers and had good father’s, tend to turn out better in life, then people who didn’t have a responsible father, or never met their father, or lost their father early on in life. And what my father means to me.

So that’s how I look at Father’s Day and what dad means to me. The guy, the rock I can go to when I need advice about something that I can’t get from anywhere else. Or can’t get better advice from anywhere else. Who I know will support me, whose always worked very hard in life professionally. But also as a father so his kids always have what they need to be successful and to live well.

And when I talk about dad, I tend to use words like Big Daddy and Teddy Bear for a couple of reasons. One because of his physical stature. A big tall man over 6’0 and two hundred pounds. Where I clearly get my size if you were to see both of my parents. But also his personality and when he hugs you, it’s like getting a hug from a big Teddy Bear with the warmth and strength that comes from his hugs. But personally that’s how he is as well. A very loving man who wants the best for all of his kids. Myself and my two brothers who also has a tough love approach to life. That he’s the nicest guy in the world, as long as you are doing what you are supposed to be doing.

But Dad is no one’s puppet, or punching bag and can also get on you and will when you are not doing what you should be doing. Or could be doing things better. We have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day even though some other countries might see them as corny. But we have these days to celebrate the two most important role models in our lives. Who without, we would never had existed. The two people who tend to be the most important people in our lives.

Father’s Day, is about celebrating the most important man in our lives the man who gave us life who raised us. From the day we were born and has been there everyday since support us and that’s what dad means to me. So happy Father’s Day, Big Daddy!

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NFL Network: America’s Game- 1985 Chicago Bears: Wilbur Marshall’s Fumble Return For TD

Source:NFL Network– Da Bears finishing of the Anaheim Rams (as I called the Los Angeles Rams back then)

“1985 Bears: Wilber Marshall returns fumble for touchdown in NFC Championship Game”

From Sigmon Keyataol

When I think of this play, I think of Marcus Allen’s long TD run against the Redskins in Super Bowl 18. The game was still competitive in the 3rd quarter, with the Los Angeles Raiders having a 21-9 lead, but then Marcus simply puts the Redskins away on this long TD run, basically all by himself, because the Redskins defense took away what the Raiders were actually trying to do there, which was a sweep. But Marcus with his cutback ability and speed, simply took the play the other way and found a hole and sprinted for a TD. And then the Raiders whole bench basically going onto the field to congratulate Marcus on his huge TD run.

What you see with this play by the Chicago Bears defense against the Anaheim Rams (as I called the Los Angeles Rams back then) is something very similar. This is the play that basically makes it official that the Bears are going to the Super Bowl, with the entire stadium and Bears teams freaking out about it together. That’s what you hear with Coach Mike Ditka’s commentary here that the long Bears hibernation is over (no pun intended) and the Bears are finally champions again.

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NFL Network: Mike Ditka A Football Life

Source:NFL Network– A Football Life Mike Ditka.

“A Football Life – Mike Ditka HD”

From 80s Football Cards

“A Football Life is a documentary series developed by NFL Films and aired on NFL Network that documents the lives of select National Football League players, coaches, owners, and teams. Friends, teammates, family members and other players and coaches associated with the subjects are interviewed.”

Source:NFL Network– A Football Life Mike Ditka.

From Online Documentaries

To understand Mike Ditka you have to understand his upbringing growing up in a tough Western Pennsylvania town. From a blue-collar Polish-American family with a very tough and demanding father who really loved him. Who ends up going to college at Pittsburgh University another real tough iron blue-collar city and then gets drafted by the Chicago Bears. Similar town as Pittsburgh culturally, but with about ten times as many people.

So, Iron Mike for the most part has always been around where he came from and what he’s most comfortable with as a man. And then he ends up playing one of the toughest positions in the game tight end where you have to be tough and physical to be successful.

The Mike Ditka that people got to see as a football player is the Mike Ditka that a lot more people saw as head coach of the Chicago Bears. This get in your face tough ass didn’t take crap from anyone who simply wanted the best from his players.

Mike Ditka was the ultimate tough love head coach father figure that coached the Chicago Bears for eleven seasons (1982-92) and if you look at his record he was very successful one of the most winningest head coaches in the NFL in the 1980s.

You do your job and you give your best effort, Ditka is your best friend. But if you screw up and make mental mistakes or are lazy, Ditka is the last person you want to be around. Because he’ll tell you how bad you were, how dumb you were and how bad of a mistake you’ve made.And if you don’t do better in the future, you better look for another job.

Which was the message of Mike Ditka and you might not like his tactics, but that’s what Ditka was about. And I think something he learned from Tom Landry in Dallas, that if you want the best out of your players, you have to want it, you have to expect it and you better demand it. And your players must be aware of it as well.

Mike Ditka was a blue-collar Polish-American head coach coaching in a blue-collar city with a large Polish-American community.

Iron Mike fit Chicago as well as any head coach has ever fit any major pro sports city. And why he called his football team the 85 Bears the Grabowski’s, because his team were so blue-collar and represented that city so well. And it worked very well in the 1980s until it burned out in the early 1990s when the Bears let him go.

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Joey Teefizz: MISL 1987-12/19/86-New York Express @ Chicago Sting: Highlights

Source:Joey Teefizz– the New York Express trying not to get stung, by the Chicago Sting, in Rosemont, Illinois. (Pun intended)

“MISL Soccer at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. Frank Klopas with a good game…Shep Messing Halftime Interview”

From Joey Teefizz

I guess the Chicago Sting struggling to draw fans to their games and moved from the Chicago Stadium, which was one of the better downtown sports arenas for both hockey and basketball, as well as concerts and other events in America, out to Rosemont, Illinois one of the suburbs of Chicago.

Chicago was never a great market for the MISL. The Sting and other clubs that they tried in that huge market which is one of the better soccer markets in America, was never great for arena soccer. Not that arena soccer can’t work there, but the sport needs to be better marketed in that market. Same thing with New York, Los Angles, Washington (to use as other examples) where there are several other sports franchises in those markets. But also where there’s also a lot for people to do there outside of sports.

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