Pete Rose

Pete Rose in his stint with the Montreal Expos in 1984.

Source: https://x.com/baseballinpix/status/1631802886375063555

(May be subject to copyright)

He may have been one of the most polarizing figures in baseball, loved by some and loathed by others. He achieved much of his success in the ‘70s with the Cincinnati Reds, but I never saw him play a game with the Reds, although I did see him in a Reds uniform as their manager. In between, I have quite a few memories in his time with the Phillies and a record-breaking time with my beloved Expos.

I was reminded of him, especially playing first base in Philadelphia, when I heard a few days ago that Peter Rose had died.

Pre-history
Pete Rose broke into Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds in 1963, and was National League Rookie of the Year that year. That Cincinnati team, dubbed the “Big Red Machine” would be the dominant team in the National League in the 1970s, and produce a lot of exceptional players including Johnny Bench, Dave Concepcion, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster and more.

They would go on to the World Series four times, losing to Baltimore in 1970 and Oakland in 1972, but defeating Boston in 1975 and the New York Yankees in 1976.

Pete Rose would be World Series Most Valuable Player in 1975; as well as National League Most Valuable Player in 1973; an all-star in 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979; National League batting champion in 1968, 1969 and 1973; and win two Gold Gloves in 1969 and 1970. He also had a 44-game hitting steak in 1978, falling 12 games shy of Joe Dimaggio’s record 56 games.

He joined Philadelphia in 1979, and it was in a Phillies uniform that I first saw him. The Phillies had won the National League East Division in 1976, 1977 and 1978, but could not get past the National League Championship Series. They signed Rose with the hope he would put them over the top. That was not the case, as the Pittsburgh Pirates won the division, outlasting my beloved Montreal Expos, and went on to win the World Series. The Phillies had plummeted to fourth place with a record of 84 wins and 78 losses, although Pete Rose was an all-star.

It was the 1980 season where I saw Pete Rose play for the first time, and a lot more over the next four seasons.

Sitcom mention
It was around that time I saw an episode of “WKRP in Cincinnati”. Radio Station Owner Arthur Carlson was lamenting to his secretary Jennifer Marlowe. He kept saying “Why? Why? Why did he have to go to Philadelphia.”

Pete Rose’s influence had even permeated network TV.

Back on top
In 1980, I was still learning about baseball, so I had no idea how great Pete Rose was. The Expos were once again challenging for the National League East Division title, but this time they were battling Rose and the Phillies.

I recall the first time the two teams played. Rose was playing first base. After the Phillies recorded the third out, Rose spiked the ball off the ground. Only later did I discover he had been a third baseman but, when he joined the Phillies, they already had all-star Mike Schmidt patrolling the hot corner.

The Phillies would best the Expos by one game to win the National League East, outlast the Houston Astros in the National League Championship Series which went the maximum five games, and defeat the Kansas City Royals in six games to win the World Series.

Rose was an all-star, batting .282, with 185 hits, including one home run, one triple, 42 doubles and 64 runs batted in.

Almost
The 1981 season was interrupted by a players’ strike. When play resumed, the teams who lead the four divisions were named first-half champions. Major League Baseball set the records back to zero, so the four teams leading at the end of the season were named second-half division champions and would play the first-half champions in a best-of five Divisional Series.

The Phillies won the first half with a record of 34 wins and 21 losses, facing the Montreal Expos in the Divisional Series. The teams went the distance before the Expos won, advancing to the National League Championship Series, which they lost to Los Angeles.

Rose was again an all-star, and won his lone Silver Slugger Award, while batting .325 with 140 hits, including five triples, 18 doubles, and 33 runs batted in.

On the outside looking in
The Phillies finished second in the National League East Division in 1982 with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses, three games back of the St. Louis Cardinals who went on to win the World Series.

Rose was named an all-star once more, batting .271, with 172 hits, including three home runs, four triples, 25 doubles, and driving in 54 runs.

Back to the show
Philadelphia rebounded in 1983, winning 90 games and losing 72, to finish six games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the National League East Division title. They defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-five National League Championship Series in four games, but lost to Baltimore in the World Series four games to one.

Rose batted .245, with 121 hits, including three triples, 14 doubles, and 45 runs batted in.

Heading north
The Phillies released Pete Rose after the 1983 season, and he signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Expos. It really was weird seeing him in an Expos uniform.

Rose played 95 games with the Expos, batting .259 with 95 hits including two triples, six doubles, and 23 runs batted in. He also recorded his 4,000th career hit with the Expos

Montreal traded Rose back to the Cincinnati Reds in August. He was immediately named player-manager, and appeared in 26 games, batting .365 with 26 hits, including nine doubles and 11 runs batted in.

His managerial record was 19 wins and 22 losses in 41 games, as the  Reds finished fifth place in the National League West Division.

Record breaker
In 1985, Rose’s first full season back with the Reds, he broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record, with his 4,192nd hit against San Diego on September 11, 1985. He finished the season batting .264 with 107 hits, including two home runs, two triples, 12 doubles, and 46 runs batted in. He was also named to the final all-star game of his career.

His managerial record was 89 wins and 72 losses, good enough for second place in the National League West Division.

The end
The 1986 season was Pete Rose’s last as a player. He appeared in 72 games, batting .219 with 52 hits, including two triples, eight doubles, and 25 runs batted in. He was dropped from the 40-man roster in November and unofficially retired soon after.

He finished with career totals of 4,256 hits, 160 home runs, 135 triples, 746 doubles, 1,1314 runs batted in, and a batting average of .303. He played in 67 post-season games, including six World Series, batting .321 with five home runs, two triples, 13 doubles, and 22 runs batted in.

His managerial record was 86 wins and 76 losses, good enough for second place in the National League West Division.

This, however, would not be the end of Pete Rose.

Managing success
Rose, who is the last player-manager to date, was exclusively the manager of the Reds in 1987. His managerial record was 84 wins and 78 losses, good enough for second place in the National League West Division.

Demise
The 1988 season was a sign of things to come. The Reds were 11-12, playing the New York Mets, when Rose was suspended for 30 days for bumping an umpire and his behaviour leading up to and after that. When he returned, his managerial record was 64 wins and 47 losses in 111 games, good enough for second place in the National League West Division.

In February of 1989, Rose was informally questioned on his gambling activities by National League Presidet Bart Giamatti and Commissioner Peter Ueberroth. Ueberroth was retiring and Giamatti was elected his successor, so the matter was deferred to the new commissioner. Three days after Giamatti assumed office, he had legal counsel John Dowd open an investigation into Rose’s gambling activities.

The investigation found Rose bet on 52 Reds’ games in 1987, although there was no evidence he bet against the Reds. Still, the Major League Baseball rule governing the situation made no distinction between betting for or against. Rose denied the allegations, and refused to attend a hearing with Giamatti. He filed a lawsuit, and Giamatti responded.

Ultimately, Rose agreed to a permanent position on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list. He accepted there was a factual reason for the lifetime ban, but in turn Major League Baseball agreed to make no formal finding regarding the allegations. However, according to the rules, Rose could apply for reinstatement after one year.

At the time, the Reds were sitting at 59 wins and 66 losses. With Rose banned for life, Tommy Helms became manager, and the Reds wound up fifth in the National League West with a record of 75 wins and 87 losses.

The time after
Eight days after announcing Rose’s lifetime ban, Bart Giamatti died of a heart attack.

The next season, 1990, the Reds shocked the baseball world under manager Lou Piniella. After winning the National League West Division and defeating Pittsburgh in the National League Championship Series, the Reds swept the seemingly invincible defending World Series champion Oakland A’s in four games.

Pete Rose continued to apply for reinstatement, including after the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal in 2020, and Major League Baseball’s increasing partnerships with sports betting, but he has had no success.

Pete Rose died on September 30, 2024.

He was 83.

Parting thoughts
To be honest, I never really liked Pete Rose, and at times I had a hard time respecting him. When I first saw him with the Phillies, he was brash and seemed cocky, especially relative to humble teammates such as Mike Schmidt, Manny Trillo, Gary Maddux and Bake McBride.

Then I saw how he essentially ended catcher Ray Fosse’s career by running him over at home plate – in the all-star game. It was an exhibition game. What was the point?

When I heard the gambling allegations surface, I was not at all surprised. I thought him acting like he was above the rules was all part of the same attitude he always had. I shed no tears with the lifetime ban.

Yet, he was a great player on the field. He was consistent, hardworking and earned the nickname “Charlie Hustle”. Beating Ty Cobb’s career hits record is still an amazing feat because it takes longevity and sustained success. Rose was also an excellent fielder.

His numbers and career warrant a place in the Hall of Fame.

His behaviour is what excludes him. Yet, there are two things that really bother me. One is that, even at the time, back in 1989, I said to my friend, a longtime Reds fan, that there are players in the Hall of Fame who have done much worse. There has been domestic abuse, sexual assault, and ethical lapses. It’s just that Major League baseball takes a hard line on gambling going all the way back to the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

The other is that Major League Baseball’s cries of protecting the integrity of the game seem muted when they are openly courting associations with legalized gambling.

So, over time, my dislike of Pete Rose subsided somewhat, but there are some things I cannot really forgive.

When people say “Think of Pete Rose”, I think of Ray Fosse, clutching that injured shoulder.

Sarah McLachlan: A moment in time

Canadian singing sensation Sarah McLachlan.

Source: https://alternativealbumsblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/18/ten-to-hear-again-sarah-mclachlan/

(May be subject to copyright)

In the spring of 1989, as the school year was ending, I had decided I was going to stay in Edmonton for the Summer and attend Spring and Summer Session at the University of Alberta. Leaving the decision as late as I did, and really loving res, I booked in to live in Lister Hall for the four months until the next school year started

All students lived on the top two floors of Kelsey Hall, Ninth and Tenth, and I was on Ninth. For nostalgic reasons, I chose 910, because I had lived in 1010 in first year, and truly did like the view. I was also the summer Residence Life Assistant, so I had some responsibilities looking after the needs of the students on 9K and 10K, including sorting the mail.

The rest of res was treated as a hotel. There were big conference groups over the course of the four months, as well as people who just wanted a room for a night or two.

One day, I was walking through the main Lister lobby and this disheveled figure came through the front doors, moving slowly, his head bowed. When he looked up, I recognized him immediately. It was Sean Drake, who I had met early that school year, and slowly became friends with.

He had been working in the bush and was looking for a room. Looking as tired as he did, I invited him to stay with me in the extra bed I had. I took him across the street to Angelo’s, a favourite pizza place, and we had dinner.

Drake stayed with me awhile, while he decided whether or not to stay for the rest of the summer. He did, and booked into Eighth Kelsey, which was a conference floor.

One night, he came up to see me.

“I have had the most amazing experience,” he said.

I was intrigued.

This woman, a musician, had booked in to 8K for a couple nights. He struck up a conversation with her, I believe he played guitar with her a bit, and watched as she tried to dye her hair. She was opening for the Grapes of Wrath, a Canadian band touring at the time.

She had a show and invited him to come, but he couldn’t make it.

However, she had a poster promoting the show, and autographed it for Drake.

“Maybe this will be worth something some day,” she said.

Her name was Sarah McLachlan.

Back story
Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1968, so she would have been 21 when Sean met her that summer.

By then she had studied classical guitar, classical piano, and voice at the Maritime Conservatory of Music. At 17, she was lead singer of a rock band called October Game where she was offered a recording contract. Instead, she finished high school and did a year at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design then moved to Vancouver to pursue a career as a recording artist.

McLachlan released her first album, “Touch” in 1987, and her debut single was “Vox” which charted at number 90 in Canada. That was the only song out when she stayed in res.

To be honest, at the time, the name Sarah McLachlan rang a bell, but I had only heard her on the radio a few times. I really didn’t recognize her or her music.

As the ‘80s ended, and the ‘90s progressed, that would change in a dramatic way.

The years after
Sarah McLachlan released her second album, “Solace”, in 1991 and it was her breakthrough in Canada. “Solace” spawned the hit singles “The Path of Thorns (Terms)”, which peaked at number 24 in Canada and “Into the Fire”, which peaked at number 30 in Canada. In 1992, she won the Juno for Best Music Video for “Into the Fire” and was nominated for the Juno for Female Vocalist of the Year.

McLachlan went international in 1993 with her third album, “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy”. The first single, “Possession”, peaked at number 26 in Canada, and was her first single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 73. “Hold On”, followed, hitting number 59 in Canada; “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy”, peaked at number 58 in Canada; and “Good Enough”, went all the way to number nine in Canada and number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. She was nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album for “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy”. McLachlan was also nominated for Junos for Female Vocalist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year in 1994; and Album of the Year for “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” and Entertainer of the Year in 1995.

She released “I Will Remember You”, one of my favourites, on “The Brothers McMullen” soundtrack, in 1995. It went all the way to number 10 in Canada and number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100..

McLachlan released “Surfacing”, her fourth album, in 1997 and that was her biggest success. The first single, “Building a Mystery”, was her first number one single in Canada and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Sweet Surrender” was next, going all the way to number two in Canada, and number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Adia” was next, peaking at number three both in Canada, and on the Billboard Hot 100. The final single from “Surfacing” was “Angel”, peaking at number nine in Canada and number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

The release of the album coincided with the launch of McLachlan’s “Lilith Fair” tour, which celebrated and featured female musicians, as did the live album “Mirrorball” released in 1999.

In 1998, she won Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Building a Mystery” and for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for “Last Dance”. In 1999, she was nominated for the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Adia”, and won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2000 for “I Will Remember You (Live)”. She was also nominated in 2000 for Grammys for Best Pop Album for “Mirrorball”, and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for “Possession (Live)”.

McLachlan also won Junos in 1998 for Album of the Year for “Surfacing”; Single of the Year for “Building a Mystery”; Songwriter of the Year; and Female Vocalist of the Year. In 1999, she was nominated for Junos for Single of the Year for “Adia” and Best Music Video for “Sweet Surrender”.

She keeps on recording, performing and touring to this day.

Sarah McLachlan was named to the Order of Canada in 1999; inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2012; inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2017; had a Canadian postage stamp released featuring her in 2024; and was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame a few days ago.

Parting thoughts
When Sarah McLachlan was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on September 28, I was immediately taken back to that time in the Summer of 1989 when my good friend, and former roommate, Sean Drake, had a brush with celebrity.

After that date, Sarah McLachlan would explode onto the music scene, and I just came to love her music, especially “I Will Remember You”; “Building a Mystery’; “Sweet Surrender”; “Adia”; and “Angel”.

I was visiting Sean at his apartment in Newton Place after her singles, albums, and Lilith Fair, had hit it big. He disappeared into his bedroom and returned shortly after.

“I knew it,” he said, producing that poster with Sarah McLachlan’s autograph. “I still have it.”

And, even if it isn’t worth something, the memory sure is.

Drake Hogestyn: Roman Brady, or John Black, or both?

Drake Hogestyn, at left, with his "Days Of Our Lives" co-star Deidre Hall in 1986.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1986-emmys-drake-and-deidre--37295503144905078/

(May be subject to copyright)

It used to be that landing a role on a daytime soap opera was a stepping stone to primetime network TV or even the movies.

However, since the 1980s, actors have remained in roles on soap operas for decades. Sometimes they outlast the show, as the majority of soap operas that populated the airwaves in the ‘80s are now gone.

One soap opera that keeps chugging along is “Days Of Our Lives”. One of the characters that has been around since the 1980s is John Black, played by Drake Hogestyn.

Sadly, Drake Hogestyn passed away a few days ago, one day short of turning 71.

Origin story
Hogestyn was born in Indiana, went to the University of South Florida on a baseball scholarship, and was drafted by both the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees. He signed with the Yankees and played in their farm system until inury ended his baseball career in 1977.

He got his start in acting by entering a talent search contest put on by Columbia Pictures. It included 75,000 people, but Hogestyn was one of 30 selected.

His first role was in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” in the 1982-1983 season for 22 episodes. It was loosely based on the movie of the same name, that my Mom talked about seeing in the theatre. I read about this series in the “TV Guide” fall preview issue, but never saw it, because it never appeared on peasant vision.

Hogestyn then appeared in an episode of “Otherworld” and the television movie “Generation”, both in 1985.

In 1985, Hogestyn was also in “Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues” as a policeman. It starred Lisa Hartman as a Wyoming cop who teams up with a Beverly Hills policeman, played by James Brolin, to find her best friend’s killer. I recall seeing this movie and recognizing Hogestyn, from the role he would soon make famous.

Black to Brady and back
I started watching “Days Of Our Lives” in early 1986 after I got a VCR for Christmas in 1985. I would record all five episodes each week, then usually watch them on the weekend with my Mom.

In 1986, this mysterious man appeared in Salem. His face was completely bandaged, and he found himself in a shelter. He was able to remove his bandages, but he still had amnesia. When asked what his name was, he looked at a plaque and saw the name “John Black”.

So he said his name was John Black.

As the months wore on, he met Dr. Marlena Evans and, over time, remembered he was actually her long lost husband Roman Brady.

Initially, they did not get back together. He ended up getting together with Diana Colville, played by “General Hospital” soap opera legend Genie Francis. I recall their first kiss distinctly. They were being held captive, tied up back to back. They were not muzzled, so they were talking and leaned over toward each other and had one of the most awkward-looking first kisses in soap opera history.

Drake Hogestyn played John Black/Roman Brady.

However, in 1991, Wayne Northrop, who had been playing Roman Brady before he left the show, agreed to return. The writers retconned, or re-wrote, John Black’s past so he could co-exist.

I remember coming home in 1991 and my Mom was watching “Days Of Our Lives”, and I heard the Drake Hogestyn character referred to as John Black. Then I saw Wayne Northrop, and he was referred o as Roman Brady. Mom explained, what had happened in the show, and I never really got over the fact the writers had changed the past. That was years before I even heard the term retcon.

What made it worse was that Northrop left the show again. An actor named Josh Taylor had played a character named Chris Kositchek for years on “Days Of Our lives”. Taylor also played the dad in the night-time sitcom “Valerie” which evolved into the “The Hogan Family”. He eventually left “Days Of Our Lives”. Then, in another weird moment, I came home one day years later and my Mom was watching “Days Of Our Lives”. Josh Taylor was there, but he wasn’t Chris Kositchek – he was Roman Brady. He plays that role to this day.

It is just a little too weird.

Anyway, Drake Hogestyn continued to play John Black and, with Deidre Hall as Dr. Marlena Evans, has formed one of the most enduring and popular couples in soap opera history.

The years after
Hogestyn did very little beyond playing John Black, whether in “Days Of Our Lives” or spin-off projects. However, he did have two other roles. One was a guest spot in “Criminal Minds” in 2018, and the other was in the television movie “Christmas Tree Lane” in 2020.

For his efforts, he won Soap Opera Digest Awards in 1994 and 1995 for Hottest Male Star; and for Favourite Couple in 2005, with Deidre Hall. He was also nominated for Hottest Male Star in 1997 and 1998; Hottest Romace, shared with Hall, in 1998; and Favopurite Couple, with Hall, in 1999.

He made his final appearance on “Days Of Our Lives” on September 9, 2024.

Drake Hogesytn died on September 28, 2024.

He was 70 years old.

Parting thoughts
What I will always remember about Drake Hogestyn in all his episodes of “Days Of Our Lives” was how intense he was. Whether Roman Brady or John Black, he always seemed to be coming on strong, whether it was interrogating a suspect, confronting a killer or opening a Christmas present.

He had a real William Shatner quality to his acting, although he could not be anywhere as near funny or tongue in cheek as Shatner.

Yet, whether it was overacting or not, Drake Hogestyn made his mark on pop culture playing one of the most enduring and recognizable characters in soap opera history.

And, when you are confronting everything from killers and cons to spies and the supernatural, I guess you have to be intense.

Kris Kristofferson: Renaissance man

Kris Kristofferson in the 1987 television miniseries "Amerika".

Source: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/09/30/appreciation-music-great-kris-kristofferson-dead-at-88-i-was-a-janitor-for-a-couple-of-years/

(May be subject to copyright)

My earliest memory of Kris Kristofferson is that iconic album cover of him, shirt off and looking hot, with Barbra Streisand for “A Star is Born”. However, the first time I really saw him was in an epic and chilling miniseries in 1987.

He died two days ago and, although he initially made his mark as a singer and songwriter, I knew him best as an actor. I only came to his music in the ‘80s when he teamed up with a number of other country singers.

The early years
Wikipedia reveals he was a pioneer in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound to a more raw, introspective style.

He wrote a lot of hits songs for others including “Me and Bobby McGee”. Kristofferson started releasing his own singles in 1967 and albums in 1970.

However, I did not know him as a singer, I really came to know him as an actor.

His first role was in “The Last Movie” in 1971. He would go on to movies such as “Cisco Pike”; “The Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus’; “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”; “Blume in Love”; “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia”; “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”; “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea”; and “Vigilante Force”.

I pick up his trail in 1976 where he played an established rock star who falls in love with an unknown singer played by Barbra Streisand. My Mom owned the soundtrack album on vinyl, and the cover is one of the most memorable images of the 1970s. It has Kristofferson and Streisand in each other’s arms kissing.

For his efforts, Kristofferson was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical.

He followed that up with the football comedy “Semi-Tough” in 1977; and “Convoy” in 1978, about truckers battling a corrupt sheriff in Arizona.

Dawn of the decade
Kristofferson opened the decade in 1980 with a starring role in the sprawling western “Heaven’s Gate.” The movie was a box office disappointment, but has since, in retrospect, been seen as a much better film than critics gave it credit for in 1980.

However, that seemed to adversely affect Kristofferson’s film career.

He did keep working, appearing in the films “Rollover”; “Flashpoint”; “Songwriter”, where he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Score; and “Trouble in Mind”. He also appeared in the television movies “Freedom Road”; “The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck”; “The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James”; “Blood and Orchids”; and “Stagecoach”.

Kristofferson would then appear in a major television event that again took him into living rooms across the continent.

The Russians are coming
In 1987, Kristofferson played a major role in “Amerika”. It was a miniseries that looked at the the United States 10 years in the future, when the Soviet Union has engineered a successful coup of the United States and has occupied the country. The show examines what the country has become 10 years into the Soviet occupation through the eyes of various people.

One of those people is Devin Milford, played by Kristofferson, who was a former presidential candidate and resistor to the Soviet occupation.

I only saw the first two or three parts before I got busy with other things, but I recall Kristofferson was amazing as Devin Milford.

Rest of the decade
Kristofferson closed out the ‘80s by appearing in the movies “Big Top Peewee”; “Millennium”; and “Welcome Home”; and the television movie “The Tracker”.

Supergroup
In 1985, Kristofferson joined Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson to create the supergroup The Highwaymen. Their first album was “The Highwayman”. The first single was the title track which went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

The Highwaymen went on to release three albums from 1985 to 1995.

The years after
Kris Kristofferson kept on appearing in movies and television. His movies included “Lone Star”; “Blade”; “Payback”; “Planet of the Apes”; “Blade II”: “Where the Red Fern Grows”; “Silver City”; “Fast Food Nation”; “Requiem for Billy the Kid”; “He’s Just Not that into You”; “Deadfall”; and much more. His final role was in “Blaze” in 2018.

His television work included a lot of television movies such as “Christmas in Connecticut”; “Tad”; “Blue Rodeo”; “Two for Texas”; “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town”; and much more; and the miniseries “Lives of the Saints”. Kristofferson also was the narrator for 41 episodes of “Dead Man’s Gun”. His last role was in 2015 in the miniseries “Texas Rising”.

Kris Kristofferson won three Grammys and was nominated a total of 13 times; was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004; and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

He died on September 28, 2024.

He was 88 years old.

Parting thoughts
I find it funny that Kris Kristofferson was such a country music icon, but I am hard pressed to name one song he performed. After he died, I went on to YouTube and found a compilation of his songs. I played it, and again was hard pressed to recognize even one song.

I liked what I heard and realized I was just never around his music growing up.

Yet, I was around his acting, and I found him to be an imposing, intense presence on screen.

I remember him best in “Amerika” and he was just awesome.

What this all says to me is that he really was a bit of a renaissance man – singer, songwriter, performer, actor.

Tom Cochrane: When I was 17…

It was the summer of 1986 and I was staying at my sister’s place in Lethbridge for a couple weeks while I took driver’s education. I was in heaven – I was within walking distance of the Lethbridge Public Library, and a 7-11 where I could rent movies to play in my sister’s VCR, and she had cable TV.

One day I was flipping channels and I heard this really cool intro to a song. It led into some amazing lyrics about a man looking back on his life.

I quickly discovered the song was “Boy Inside the Man” by Tom Cochrane and Red Rider.

By that time, I was about a year and a half into my musical journey and I had heard of Red Rider, but didn’t know much about them or their music.

“Boy Inside the Man” was really my introduction to an artist who is another icon of Canadian music.

I recently learned Tom Cochrane was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He deserves it for a body of work that spans the late ‘70s to the modern day.

Starting out
Tom Cochrane released his first solo single “You’re Driving Me Crazy (Faith Healers)” in 1973 and, of the six solo singles he released between 1973 and 1976, it was the only one that charted, reaching number 71 in Canada. He released his first solo album “Hang On to Your Resistance” in 1974. He joined Red Rider in Toronto in 1978. According to his website, he then started his career in the pubs, roughneck bars, and coffeehouses of Ontario then Canada and the rest of the world.

Red Rider released their first album, “Don’t Fight it”, in 1979, and it produced their first top 20 single.

“White Hot” was their debut single, going all the way to number 20 in Canada and number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. “White Hot” is a classic Canadian rock song and it surprises me it did not chart higher, given how much air play it received.

The first time I heard it, well at least part of it, was as the music for the CFCN Channel 13 late-night news. They utilized the intro of “White Hot” which is very distinctive.

Red Rider released one other single from “Don’t Fight it”, the title track, and it peaked at number 75 in Canada and number 103 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980.

As the ‘80s dawned, Red Rider had begun to establish themselves, and would see their popularity increase through the decade.

Going crazy
Red Rider released their second album, “As Far as Siam”, in 1981. The first single was “What Have You Got to Do”, and it peaked at number 42 in Canada, but did not chart in the States.

The second single, has become another Canadian classic. With its haunting opening, “Lunatic Fringe” did not chart in Canada, which amazes me, but did go all the way to number 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. Wikipedia reveals Cochrane wrote the song after becoming concerned about a resurgence of anti-Semitism in the 1970s. He was also inspired after reading about Raoul Wallenberg, who rescued Jews from the Holocaust during the Second World War.

The song was part of the soundtrack for the 1985 movie “Vision Quest”, and appeared in the opening scene of the “Smuggler’s Blues” episode of “Miami Vice” in 1985.

In fact, the first time I ever heard “Lunatic Fringe” was on an album countdown on LA-107 FM when they played it as part of the “Vision Quest Soundtrack”.

Two more albums
Red Rider released “Neruda”, their third album, in 1983. It is named after Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Their first single, “Human Race”, is another song I heard quite a lot that is reminiscent of the sound of “White Hot” and “Lunatic Fringe”. It went all the way to number 29 in Canada, and also peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, just like “Lunatic Fringe”. The next two singles did not chart in Canada or on the Billboard Hot 100. However, “Power (Strength in Numbers)” peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and “Crack the Sky (Breakaway)” hit number 39 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

Red Rider’s fourth album, “Breaking Curfew”, came out in 1984. The first single, “Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)”, got a lot of play and is part of that same sound as “White Hot”, “Lunatic Fringe”, and “Human Race”. “Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)” charted on the Billboatd Hot 100, peaking at number 71. It also went all the way to number 13 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and number 44 in Canada. It was the last Red Rider single to crack the Billboard Hot 100.

They released one more single, the title track “Breaking Curfew”, which peaked at number 93 in Canada but did not chart in the States.

About a year later, I would hear my first new Red Rider song, and it remains my favourite Red Rider and Tom Cochrane song.

A life lived
In May of 1986, the band changed slightly. They released their fifth album, “Tom Cochrane and Red Rider” and the title reflects that change. The album would go on to earn Junos for Group of the Year and Composer of the Year for Cochrane. The album also peaked at number 116 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The first single was “Boy Inside the Man’, and that intro still takes me right back to that Summer of 1986. The song chronicles a man looking back on his life lived. Tom Cochrane and Red Rider consider it their signature song, and end every show with it.

It represents an evolution in their sound, marking a departure from their previous successes. However, “Boy Inside the Man”, peaked at number 25 in Canada and number 17 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. That charting surprised me as much as it did for “Lunatic Fringe”, which are two Canadian classics.

The next single, “The Untouchable One”, is another fabulous song. It peaked at number 70 in Canada and number 48 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

There would be two more singles, “One More Time (Some Old Habits)”, which peaked at number 85 in Canada, and “Ocean Blues (Emotion Blue)”, which peaked at number 88 in Canada.

I also recall hearing these songs on radio.

Tom Cochrane and Red Rider had entered a new phase in their career as their popularity increased.

The big leagues
The band was back in 1988 with their sixth album, “Victory Day.” It came out in September of 1988, just when I was starting my second year of university and a job as a residence student leader. I didn’t even know it had come out. When I was visiting my friend Kim McDonald, this song I had never heard but sounded like Red Rider was playing on MuchMusic in the lounge. Kim told me it was a new song about a man talking about his son. The boy died, and had strived to make the pros after earning a college hockey scholarship.

“Big League” was Red Rider’s most popular song to date. It went all the way to number four in Canada and number nine on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The next single “Good Times”, peaked at number two in Canada. It was followed by the title track “Victory Day”, which hit number 32 in Canada, and “Different Drummer”, which hit number 67 in Canada.

“Victory Day”, the album, would go on to earn three Juno nominations.

The years after
Cochrane once again struck out on his own, achieving his greatest success. In 1991, he released his second solo album “Mad Mad World”. It would go on to sell more than one million copies in Canada, sell more than 500,000 copies in the States, peak at number one on the Canadian album chart and go to number 46 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album also won four Junos for Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year.

The first single, “Life is a Highway”, became Cochrane’s biggest hit and is an iconic Canadian song of the ‘90s. It peaked at number one in Canada and went all the way to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The album went on to yield a number of great singles that occupied the charts and radio waves for the next year. The second single “No Regrets” peaked at number three in Canada and number seven on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart; “Sinking Like a Sunset”, peaked at number two in Canada ; the title track “Mad Mad World” peaked at number 25; “Washed Away” peaked at number seven in Canada and went to number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart; and “Bigger Man” peaked at number 45 in Canada.

He released his third solo album “Ragged Ass Road” in 1995, and it just continued producing hits. The first single was “I Wish You Well” which peaked at number one in Canada; “Wildest Dreams”, which peaked at number five in Canada; and “Dreamer’s Dream” which peaked at number four in Canada.

“Crawl” was the final single released from “Ragged Ass Road”, peaking at number 11 in Canada. That is Cochrane’s last top 20 hit to date.

Tom Cochrane was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2003; invested as an officer in the Order of Canada in 2008; inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2009; and was recently inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Parting thoughts
What can you really say about Tom Cochrane that hasn’t been said? He's an incredible singer and songwriter. He is a storyteller who, I know, resonates with me, especially with “Boy Inside the Man”.

'Due in part to Canadian Content regulations, Cochrane and Red Rider were on radio a lot, but that’s because between the two of them they produced a lot of music.

They really are part of the tapestry of Canadian music, and a part of the soundtrack of growing up in the ‘80s for me.

Whenever I hear “Boy Inside the Man”, I am taken back to the Summer of 1986, taking driver’s ed, staying at my sister’s place, going to Bonanza for all you can eat shrimp with my friend Randy Skiba, and so much more.

“Krull”: A movie on a quest

The movie poster for the 1983 movie "Krull".

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krull_%28film%29

(May be subject to copyright)

A few days ago I reflected back on a time in junior high. I had this idea I wanted to pursue, and planned to use it to write a novel. I was the going to enter it in a contest my teacher told my class about.

It was about a space adventurer named Johnny Hawk who had a spaceship called the “Hawkeye”. He was kind of patterned after Han Solo, who has always been my favourite character in the “Star Wars” universe. Even the “Hawkeye” was a homage to Han Solo’s ship the “Millennium Falcon”.

He would become involved with a race of people being oppressed, assemble a team, and organize a revolt that would lead them to freedom.

Yet, there were other influences on my writing. I had read about this movie in “Starlog” magazine, called “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone” that seemed to have a character like the one I wanted to write. I also read about another movie, called “Krull”, which came out in 1983. It is about a prince whose planet is invaded by an evil force. He organizes a rebellion and drives out his planet’s oppressor.

I never did see “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone” or “Krull” back then. Maybe that is why I never pursued Johnny Hawk or the crusade he led. Not even to this day, when I have developed a lot of my other ideas from that period into full-blown novels during National Novel Writing Month.

Awhile back, I saw “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone” and “Krull” were going to air on this ‘80s movie channel, so I set the PVR. A few days ago I watched “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone”, and tonight I watched “Krull”, approximately 40 years after it came out,

I was not at all disappointed by either movie.

The movie
Krull is a planet that is invaded by an alien called The Beast who destroys the army and kidnaps a princess. Her beau, Prince Colwyn, played by a young Ken Marshall, sets out to rescue her. He assembles a rag tag band, but they face insurmountable odds. The Beast has superior technology and weapons that will easily overpower the medieval swords and shields Colwyn’s band has.

However, there is an ancient, mythical weapon called “The Glave”. It could be the great equalizer in facing The Beast.

Colwyn ultimately finds “The Glave”, uses it to defeat The Beast and rescues the beautiful princess.

Worth the wait
Reviews were mixed about “Krull” when it came out in 1983. It was called derivative with a nonsensical plot, and was a box office bomb at the time. It has since developed a cult following.

I really liked “Krull”. The special effects are campy, as they tended to be back in 1983, but the plot ticks all the boxes for me. It has a likable hero on a quest. He assembles a diverse group of warriors with different skills and motivations, many of whom die on the quest, and they ultimately rescue the princess and restore order.

If memory serves, I saw this movie one summer when I was home from university, but did not remember it at all. This was definitely the first time I saw it uncut.

Like ”Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone”, “Krull” was worth the wait.

Parting thoughts
After seeing first “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone” and now “Krull”, I am starting to think about resurrecting Johnny Hawk and finally sending him on that quest after 40 years.

Given that the first four novels I completed during various National Novel Writing Months were ideas I had back in the ‘80s when I was in my teens, this just seems like the next logical step.

Heather Locklear: Pulling double duty

She seemed to be on TV all the time in the ‘80s. One minute she was a vamp, stealing the heart of a gay man. At the same time, she was a police officer and the daughter of the commanding officer.

Such was the life of Heather Locklear, who just used the ‘80s as a jumping off point to a prosperous career that continues to this day.

Earliest roles
Heather Locklear studied at UCLA where Wikipedia reveals she began modeling and working in commercials for the school store.

Her earliest on-screen roles were in the series “CHiPs”; “240-Robert”; “Eight is Enough”; and the movie “Twirl.”

Her career took off in the next two years with not one, but two recurring roles, in long-running TV series.

Dynasty
“Dynasty” was a night-time drama about Denver oil man Blake Carrrington and his wife Crystal. In 1981, Locklear joined the cast of “Dynasty” as Sammy-Jo Dean, Crystal’s scheming, conniving niece. She soon hooks up with Blake’s son Steven, who is closeted, and they ultimately marry and have a child together. It becomes clear quickly she is a gold digger, and their relationship remains on and off throughout the run of the series as they struggle with each other and their shared son.

Locklear appeared in “Dynasty” from 1981 to 1989, for 127 episodes from seasons two through nine, as well as “Dynasty: The Reunion” in 1991.

I distinctly recall how duplicitous, and outright evil, Sammy-Jo could be. She would act sweet and innocent to someone’s face, then stab them in the back. Locklear had this ability to put an angelic look on her face, which quickly turned sly and scheming.

T.J Hooker
Locklear’s role on “Dynasty” began a long association with producer Aaron Spelling, that lasted decades.

“T.J. Hooker”, aired as a mid-season replacement in mid-March of 1982. William Shatner played the title character, a police detective whose partner was killed in the line of duty. Hooker returns to duty as a patrol officer to rid the streets of crime. In the pilot, he also returns to the police academy as an instructor.

He is teamed with a younger officer, Vince Romano, played by Adrian Zmed. Much is made about their age gap, but they become an effective pair. Of course, he has a commanding officer Dennis Sheridan, played by Richard Herd, who Hooker comes into conflict with. In the second season, Heather Locklear joined the cast for the remainder of the show’s run as Stacey Sheridan, another rookie police officer, and the commanding officer’s daughter.

Locklear appeared in “T.J. Hooker” from 1982 to 1986, for 84 episodes from seasons two through five.

Locklear’s portrayal of Stacey Sheridan was so striking, because it was such a stark contrast to Sammy-Jo. Stacey would have the same angelic look on her face – but it was genuine and sincere.

That was my first indication of just how great an actor Heather Locklear is.

However, she kept demonstrating that throughout the rest of the ‘80s.

Rest of the decade
Heather Locklear appeared in a lot of shows in addition to her recurring roles. Those included “The Fall Guy”; “Fantasy Island”; “Matt Houston”; “Tales of the Unexpected”; “Hotel”; “The Love Boat”; “The Fall Guy” again; and the television movies “City Killer” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Mom”.

She also appeared in the movies “Firestarter” in 1984 and “The Return of the Swamp Thing” in 1989.

The years after
Heather Locklear would go on to have more prominent recurring roles in television series in the 1990s and beyond.

After several more television movies, and a 19-episode stint in a series called “Going Places”, Locklear landed the role of Amanda Woodward in “Melrose Place”, another Aaron Spelling production. She would appear in 199 episodes from 1993 to 1999 and be nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series Drama in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997.

After she finished “Melrose Place”, later in 1999 she joined the cast of “Spin City” opposite Michael J. Fox then Charlie Sheen. She would appear in 71 episodes in seasons four, five and six of the series. She was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2000 and 2002.

Locklear would appear in episodes of “Ally McBeal”; “Scrubs”; “Two and a Half Men”; “LAX”; “Boston Legal”; “Hannah Montana”; “Rules of Engagement”; an update of “Melrose Place” in the 2009-2010 season; “Hot in Cleveland”; “Franklin and Bash”; “Too Close to Home” for eight episodes; “Fresh Off the Boat”; and much more.

She appeared in movies such as “The First Wives Club”; “Money Talks”; “The Perfect Man”; “Game of Life”; “Scary Movie 5”; and much more.

Locklear was also known for high-profile marriages to musicians Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, from 1986 to 1993, and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi from 1994 to 2007.

Heather Locklear continues to act to this day.

Parting thoughts
Although Heather Locklear had her greatest success in the ‘90s with “Melrose Place” and “Spin City”, her career really got rolling in the ‘80s.

I still think it is really impressive she was able to pull off two very different roles on two different shows at the same time. I recall when she left “Dynasty” and joined “T.J. Hooker” soon after. That was not uncommon for an actor to leave one show then join another shortly after. I was surprised when she was back on “Dynasty” but stayed on “T.J. Hooker”.

That was a pretty unique thing to see, and must have taken a lot of work.

It also increased her profile and led to, essentially, continuous work for the next decade – and award winning work at that.

Her pulling double duty really paid off.

Tommy Lasorda: Dodger legend

Los Angeles Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda celebrating his team's World Series win in 1988.

Source: https://metsmerizedonline.com/dodgers-legend-tommy-lasorda-hospitalized/

(May be subject to copyright)

The memory is still clear in my mind – a silver-haired, middle-aged man in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform jumping for joy and rushing the field, his arms raised in triumph, celebrating as his team just won the 1988 World Series. In my lifetime and, especially growing up in the ‘80s, nothing so embodied the heart, history and legacy of the Los Angeles Dodgers more than its manager Tommy Lasorda.

Although he retired in 1996, and has been gone for three years now, his legacy lives on as the Dodgers attempt to win another World Series.

It’s his birthday today, and a great opportunity to look back at his most successful time – the 1980s.

Starting out
Tommy Lasorda played major league baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1954 to 1955, and the Kansas City Athletics in 1956. However, he played in the minors until 1960, when he was released in July from the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers top affiliate.

The Dodgers hired Lasorda as a scout in 1960. In 1965, he was named manager of the Pocatello Chiefs of the Pioneer League, a rookie league team in the Dodgers organization. The Chiefs moved to Ogden and became the Dodgers, and Lasorda managed them from 1966 to 1968. They won the Pioneer League championship all three years Lasorda managed them. In 1969, he was promoted to AAA to manage the Dodgers’ top affiliate the Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League. They won the league championship in 1970, moved to Albuquerque and became the Dukes in 1972, and won the league championship that same year.

Lasorda was promoted to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1973 when he was named third-base coach under legendary manager Walter Alston. Lasorda occupied the third-base box for four seasons, from 1973 to 1976. He was considered the logical successor to Alston, and turned down several major league managing jobs to stay with Dodgers.

Alston retired with four games left in 1976, and Lasorda assumed control of the team as interim manager. He managed the club those final four games, winning two and losing two, as the Dodgers finished second in the National League West Division.

Playoff bound
Lasorda became the full-time manager before the 1977 season. His first full season was a memorable one.

The major league playoff format was much different in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and into the ‘90s. There were four divisions – the National League and American League East and West – and only the regular season division champions made the playoffs. The East and West champions in each league played in the league championship series with the two winners advancing to the World Series.

In 1977, Tommy Lasorda’s first full year as manager, the Los Angeles Dodgers finished first in the National League West, with a record of 98 wins and 64 losses. They faced the National East Champion Philadelphia Phillies, dropping the first game but winning the next three straight to win the best-of-five National League Championship Series. They advanced to the World Series, where they were defeated by the New York Yankees in six games.

It was around this time I first heard of the Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series. I was in Grade 3 at St. Joseph’s School in Coaldale, and heard the score of a game on the radio, when I was on my way to school. I was reminded of it later on when I started watching baseball, and saw a highlight of Lasorda arguing a call in the 1977 World Series.

In 1978, the Dodgers repeated as National League West champions, with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses. The Dodgers again defeated the Phillies three games to one in the National League Championship Series, and again lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series in six games.

The Dodgers ended the decade with a record of 79 wins and 83 losses, good enough for third in the National League West in the 1979 season, and out of the playoffs.

As the ‘80s dawned, the Dodgers would rebound from that sub-.500 season and experience their greatest period of success under Tommy Lasorda.

Work stoppage to World Series
The Dodgers improved vastly in 1980, over the 1979 season, with a record of 92 wins and 71 losses, finishing second in the National League West, one game behind the division champion Houston Astros, who defeated the Dodgers in a one-game playoff.

The 1981 season would be like none other in Major League Baseball. A work stoppage halted play part way through the season. When it resumed, the league decided to do something different with the playoffs. The four teams that lead their divisions when play stopped, were declared first-half champions. Everyone then started with a new record. The leaders of each division would be declared second-half champions and play their first-half counterparts in a divisional best-of-five series. If the same team won both halves, the second-place team in the second half would play in the divisional series.

The Dodgers finished the first half with a record of 36 wins and 21 losses, good enough for first place in the National League West. Their record was 27 wins and 26 losses in the second half, but they had already locked up a spot in the divisional series. They again faced the Astros, but this time the Dodgers prevailed, going the distance and winning the series in five tough games.

Awaiting them in the National League Championship Series was my beloved Montreal Expos. The teams went back and forth, with everything coming down to a fifth and final game in Montreal. The Dodgers won it on a game-winning home run by Rick Monday, although the Expos did have their chances to tie the game.

Once more, the Dodgers would face their old nemesis the New York Yankees in the World Series. This time, the Dodgers prevailed, winning their first world championship since 1965, defeating the Yankees in six games.

Lasorda had taken his team to a world Series title in just his fifth season as manager.

Sporadic success
The Dodgers did not repeat as world champions in 1982, but still finished with a solid record of 88 wins and 74 losses, second in the National League West, one game back of the division champion Atlanta Braves.

Lasorda had the Dodgers back on top in 1983, going 91-71, and winning the National League West by three games over Atlanta. However, they ran into a rejuvenated Philadelphia Phillies team who defeated Los Angeles in four games in the National League Championship Series.

However, Lasorda was rewarded for the job he did with the 1983 National League Manager of the Year award.

In 1984, the Dodgers plummeted to fourth place in the National League West, and out of the playoffs, with a record of 79 wins and 83 losses.

Yet, in 1985, Lasorda had the Dodgers back on top again, going 95-67 to win the National League West, but falling in six games to the St. Louis Cardinals after jumping out to a 2-0 series lead. This was the first season the National League Championship Series expanded to a best-of-seven format.

The up and down performance of the Dodgers continued in 1986, as they dropped to fifth place in the National League West with 73 wins and 89 losses.

Things weren’t much better in 1987, as Los Angeles finished with the same record of 73 wins and 80 losses, but this time it was good enough for fourth in the National League West.

Things would then change dramatically for Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers in a season that was memorable for one dramatic play.

I can’t believe what I just saw…
The Dodgers were again the best in the National League West in 1988 with a record of 94 wins and 67 losses. They faced the New York Mets, who were two years removed from winning the World Series. The teams went the distance before the Dodgers defeated the Mets in seven tough games in the National League Championship Series.

They were heavy underdogs in the World Series, playing an Oakland A’s that had won 104 games in the regular season and swept the Boston Red Sox four straight in the American League Championship Series. The A’s had everything – hitting; defence; power; and Dennis Eckersley, the best reliever in baseball.

The World Series pivoted on Game 1. The A’s led going into the bottom of the ninth, and brought in Eckersley to close the game. He easily got out the first two batters, but then the Dodgers sprang to life. They worked a walk, then Lasorda made perhaps the most famous move in his career.

He brought in pinch hitter Kirk Gibson, who was battling injury, and barely able to walk. After fouling off a number of pitches, including one off his injured leg, he launched a home run into the seats.

Announcer Jack Buck described the situation best when he said, “I can’t believe what I just saw…;”

Improbably, the Dodgers won the game and deflated the A’s. Los Angeles would go on to win the World Series in five games. It was Lasorda’s fourth World Series appearance as manager, and second win. He also won his second National League Manager of the Year award in 1988.

The Dodgers would close out the decade, falling to fourth in the National League West in 1989 with a record of 77 wins and 83 losses.

The years after
Tommy Lasorda would keep on managing the Dodgers until 1996, resigning part way through the season. He took the Dodgers to two more National League West first place finishes. In 1994 Los Angeles finished first but the season was cancelled because of a players’ strike. In 1995, the divisions realigned from two to three and the playoffs were expanded to four teams, with the three division champions joined by a wild card. The Dodgers finished first again in the National League West, but lost in the new divisional series to the Cincinnati Reds.

Lasorda ended his career with a record of 1,599 wins and 1,439 losses. He also won 31 games and lost 30 in the postseason.

He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Memories
There are a few interesting memories of Tommy Lasorda. Wikipedia reminded me of something I actually recall from his time as manager. The Dodgers for generations have had a deep farm system to develop players. I knew this in part because I regularly took in games of their rookie league team the Lethbridge Dodgers, who sent several players to the major leagues. Lasorda managed nine players who were named National League Rookie of the Year – Rick Sutcliffe in 1979; Steve Howe in 1980; Fernando Valenzuela in 1981; and Steve Sax in 1982. He then had another string with Eric Karros in 1992; Mike Piazza in 1993; Raul Mondesi in 1994; Hideo Nomo in 1995; and Todd Hollandsworth in 1996.

I had always heard Lasorda was a players’ manager. They liked him because he took an interest in their lives, learned the names of their wives and children, asked about them regularly, and socialized with his players.

He also spoke Spanish, which enabled him to communicate with the Latin American players. That was an area the Dodgers had developed a lot of players from. It was also a big part in the ascendance of Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. Lasorda routinely talked to him in Spanish, interpreting for him with the media too.

Another interesting thing about Lasorda was the way he seemed to be the unofficial spokesman for fallen Dodgers. Whenever a Dodger great died, the media always seemed to ask Lasorda for comment, and he gave some good ones.

When pitcher Don Drysdale died, Lasorda shared this story. The manager instructed Drysdale to intentionally walk a batter. Drysdale responded, “Why don’t I just hit him instead and save three pitches.”

Catcher Roy Campanella had been paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident. When he died, Lasorda said, “I know Roy is up there now, walking with the Lord.”

Parting thoughts
Tommy Lasorda will always be one of my favourite characters in baseball. He was a manager who could not only get the most out of his players, but they wanted to play for him.

I can still hear Vin Scully’s voice when Lasorda chose to send in an injured Kirk Gibson to pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two out in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

“Lasorda is choosing to roll the dice…”

Yes, he did, and the result was one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.

That’s the kind of manager Tommy Lasorda was.

Christopher Reeve: A super man more than Superman

Christopher Reeve as Superman in the '80s.

Source: https://www.aruma.com.au/resources/blog/christopher-reeve-the-life-of-the-man-of-steel/

(May be subject to copyright)

There may be no greater irony. The man who played Superman, a hero who could withstand burning buildings, speeding bullets and colliding with speeding trains, being paralyzed from the neck down in a horseback riding accident.

However, no matter what Christopher Reeve did before his accident, it was eclipsed by everything he did after his accident right up to his untimely death.

Celebrating his birth 72 years ago today is a good way to commemorate an acting career that was short, but turned into a life of philanthropy.

Faster than a speeding a bullet…
Since I can remember, Superman was part of my life. Growing up, my older brother and sister had collected Superman comics. When I got old enough I read them too.

So, I was really excited when I heard Superman was coming to life.

“Superman: The Movie” came out in December of 1978. I remember it well because my family had gathered to celebrate Christmas in Lethbridge, and my cousins had all decided to go see “Superman” at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Lethbridge. My cousin Doris was running late, so we had to get going to make the movie. We had just settled into our seats, and the previews had started, when Doris joined us. Her older brother Vern was heading back to Calgary, and dropped her at the theatre.

When the movie began, I remember thinking how weird it was to see all these images I had seen drawn up in comic books, now coming to life. It really was not what I had expected, but that is usually the case.

It all kind of seemed surreal, but it was good.

Probably 15 minutes into the movie, Clark Kent and Superman made their first appearance.

They were played by Christopher Reeve, an actor who just had one movie acting credit to that point, a movie called “Gray Lady Down.”

Reeve looked like the Superman of comic books, and acted pretty much as he was written by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Clark was a bumbling, stumbling, and stammering but endearing nebbish, while Superman was understated, letting his heroic deeds do his speaking for him.

It would be the first of four movies in which Reeve played the Man of Steel.

The sequels and beyond
I had read the producers shot “Superman: The Movie” and “Superman II” at the same time. That may have been why “Superman II” came out just two years later, in 1980. In the meantime, Reeve made another movie.

In “Somewhere in Time”, which also came out in 1980, Reeve plays a man who falls in love with a woman he sees in a photo from 1912, played by Jane Seymour. He hypnotizes himself into believing he is back in 1912 to find love with her. I recall seeing the first part of this movie in Grade 11, up to when he hypnotizes himself. I found out how it ended at school the next day when my friend David Perlich explained it to me.

Reeve was also in “Deathtrap” opposite Michael Caine and Dyan Cannon, and “Monsignor” with Genevieve Bujold, both in 1982.

The third installment of the superhero series, “Superman III”, came out in 1983 with Richard Pryor joining the party as a new bad guy. I recall my Mom taking me to a matinee of this movie.

Reeve was then in “The Bostonians” opposite Vanessa Redgrave in 1984, and “The Aviator” in 1985, opposite Rosanna Arquette.

In 1987, Reeve was in “Street Smart” with Morgan Freeman, and the final super hero movie, “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace”.

His final movie of the decade was “Switching Cannels” in 1988, opposite Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds.

TV time
Christopher Reeve also appeared on TV. He actually got his start on the soap opera “Love of Life” from 1974 to 1976. In the ‘80s, he was in the television film “Anna Karenina” and the documentary “Dinosaur!” in 1985; and “The Great Escape II: The Untold Story” in 1988. He was also in episodes of “The Muppet Show”, “Saturday Night Live”, and “Faerie Tale Theatre.”

The years after
Reeve would keep on acting through the first part of the 1990s, until tragedy struck.

He appeared in the movies “Noises Off”; “Morning Glory”; “The Remains of the Day”; “Speechless”; and “Village of the Damned”.

On television, he made appearances in episodes of “Carol and Company”; “Road to Avonlea”; “Tales from the Crypt”; lent his voice to an episode of “Frasier”; and was in the miniseries western “Black Fox”. He was in TV movies such as “The Rose and the Jackal’; “Bump in the Night”; “Death Dreams’; “Nightmare in the Daylight”; “Mortal Sins”; “The Sea Wolf”; and “Above Suspicion”.

In 1995, he was paralyzed from the neck down after falling from a horse.

After his accident, Reeve did work in TV movies, narrating “Without Pity: A Film About Abilities”; made a cameo in “A Step Toward Tomorrow”; and directed “In the Gloaming”, where he was nominated in 1997 for an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special. He directed and starred in “Rear Window”, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor Miniseries or Television Film, and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie. He directed “The Brooke Ellison Story” as well.

Reeve was also in the series “Sesame Street”; “The Practice”; and the Superman-based series “Smallville” for two episodes, which were just awesome.

He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.

Philanthropy
Christopher Reeve had been an activist before his accident but, after his accident, he lobbied for spinal injury research, better insurance coverage for people with disabilities and, with his wife, started the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

Sadly, in 2004 he died in hospital from heart failure.

He was 52 years old.

Parting thoughts
Christopher Reeve has written two books, “Still Me” and “Nothing is Impossible”. I read them both, and I was struck by how positive and hopeful he was in both of them.

It reflects the same hope and positivity embodied by the Superman ideal.

That’s why Christopher Reeve is a super man more than Superman to me.

“Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone”: worth the wait for me

From left are Peter Strauss and Molly Ringwald in the 1983 film "Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone".

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spacehunter_adventures_in_the_forbidden_zone

(May be subject to copyright)

When I was in junior high, I loved science fiction and always wanted to be a writer. I wrote some science fiction, mostly in tandem with David Perlich, a close friend and partner. We published a weekly serial called “Space Search”, which was a cheap knock-off of “Star Trek”, that we sold to our classmates and friends.

Then, in Grade 7, one of our teachers told us about a novel writing contest by Avon Books.

I had this idea I wanted to pursue and planned to use it to write a novel to enter in that contest.

It was about a space adventurer named Johnny Hawk who had a spaceship called the “Hawkeye”. He was kind of patterned after Han Solo, who has always been my favourite character in the “Star Wars” universe. Even the “Hawkeye” was a homage to Han Solo’s ship the “Millennium Falcon”.

Yet, there was another influence on my writing. I had read about this movie in “Starlog” magazine that seemed to have a character like the one I wanted to write.

I never did see “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone”, which came out in 1983, and maybe that is why I never pursued Johnny Hawk. Not even to this day when I have developed a lot of my other ideas from that period into full-blown novels during National Novel Writing Month.

Awhile back, I saw “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone” was going to air on this ‘80s movie channel, so I set the PVR. Tonight, approximately 40 years after it came out, I finally watched “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone”.

I was not at all disappointed.

The movie
A space cruise ship is damaged and three women from Earth, fleeing the ship in an escape pod, land on the nearest planet. They are soon taken prisoner by pirates.

An alert is sent offering a reward for the safe return of the three women. Wolff, played by Peter Strauss, is a former soldier of fortune who now supports himself by doing salvage operations. He hears the message, identifies the planet the women have landed on, and pursues them. After all, he needs the money to pay off some debt and fix his ship.

He goes to the planet and, using his land cruiser called a scrambler, finds a fight going on between the pirates and zoners, who are bandits from an area called the Forbidden Zone. The zoners flee with the women, and take them to the Forbidden Zone. It is an area now ruled by Overdog McNabb, played by Canadian Michael Ironside, who turns out to be an old enemy of Wolff’s.

Wolff enters the Forbidden Zone, and the adventure begins. He happens upon a young waif named Niki, played by a very young Molly Ringwald, who is also from Earth and claims to know where to go. Against his better judgement, Wolff takes Niki with him.

Soon, they encounter someone else, also looking to rescue the women and claim the reward. His name is Washington, played by Ernie Hudson, who previously served with Wolff in the military. Initially, they are rivals, but eventually decide to work together.

They sneak into Overdog McNabb’s fortress, rescue the women, and destroy the fortress, getting out just in time.

In the end, Wolff has Niki, the three women and Washington back in his spaceship. He invites them all to Earth.

Niki agrees, but only if they are actual partners.

Wolff agrees.

Worth the wait
“Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone” was pretty much what I expected it to be. It was a quest, made by a leader, who assembled a bit of a ragtag team to rescue some trapped women.

Critics may say the movie has not aged well. However, that is only when you look at the special effects which are vintage for 1983.

I liked the story, and especially the performances. I noticed it has developed a cult following and I can see why. It is a solid story, and Peter Strauss in particular is a charismatic main character. Wolff is tough, resourceful, fair, and sensitive – a lot like Han Solo. Molly Ringwald and Ernie Hudson are also engaging, especially with Strauss. They all have good on-screen chemistry.

Michael Ironside is a bit of a cartoon villain, but the movie is campy anyway, and doesn’t try to take itself too seriously.

The word that keeps coming to mind is romp.

“Spacehunter” is a romp through the Forbidden Zone.

It took 41 years, but it was worth the wait.

Parting thoughts
I have built up quite a large collection of ‘80s movies on my PVR, taking up about 50 per cent of the total space.

There are so many I wanted to see, but for a variety of reasons, never could. I have recorded them as I have seen them being aired, and slowly am working through the list.

“Spacehunter: Adventures through the Forbidden Zone” was one such movie.

Now that I have seen it, something has come to mind. I am inspired to maybe pick up the adventures of Johnny Hawk and the “Hawkeye” once more.

However, before I do that, there is another movie I read about, but did not see, that may provide some inspiration.

It is called “Krull”, and it sits on my PVR as we speak.