Timothy Wehrfritz: NFL Network's Missing Rings, The 1990s Buffalo Bills

Source:The Daily Post 

When I look at the Buffalo Bills of the late 1980s and early 1990s, I see very good football teams and in the early 90s the best teams in the American Football Conference. But there's an issue right there. From 1984 except for maybe the underachieving Raiders of the mid 80s and the 1987 Browns, 1988 Bengals, 1990 Bills and the two best teams in the NFL were not in the AFC and AFC Champions. But were in the NFC, the top two teams in the NFC the champion and finalist. In 1986 the two best teams in the NFL were the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, but they not only played in same conference, the NFC. 

And by 1992 the two best teams in the NFL were always in the NFC, until 1997 with the Denver Broncos winning the Super Bowl. This was not a good era for the AFC, 1985, 1986, 1987 the Super Bowls were all blowouts, the NFC team beating the AFC team. In 1989 the San Francisco 49ers blew out the Denver Broncos 55-10, 1992 the Dallas Cowboys blew out the Bill 52-17. 1994 the 49ers blew out the San Diego Chargers 49-23. The Bills of the late 80s and early 90s were the best team in the AFC. And won four straight AFC Final's from 1990-93, but in the worst era for the AFC. I'm not taking anything away from the Bills of this era, they had very good teams and would've been very successful in the National Football Conference, but they wouldn't of dominated the NFC like they dominated the AFC.

If you look at those four Super Bowls that the Buffalo Bills lost from 1990-93, they were only favored to win one of them the, 1990 Super Bowl when they played the New York Giants. But the Giants were a very good football team, they still had one of the best defenses in the NFL. Even though they were getting older and they still had their ball control offense, power run, possession passing, shorten the game and limit the Bills chances on offense to have the ball and score. Giants running back OJ Anderson was the SB MVP, quarterback Jeff Hostletter completed passes when he had to. And had TE Marc Bavaro I believe the best all around TE in the NFL at the time and had WRs Chris Calloway, Mark Ingram and Steve Baker.

The Giants could throw when they wanted to and when they needed to and the strength of their offense fit in perfectly with the weakness of the Bills Defense. They had a power offense going up against and somewhat finesse undersized 3-4 Bills defense with a small 270 pound nose tackle in Jeff Wright. And the Bills were able to stay in the game because even though they didn't have the ball much, they moved it almost every time they had it. And when the Giants scored they used a lot of time to score, keeping the Bills in the game. 

1990 was the best chance for the Buffalo Bills to win a Super Bowl and they were favored in that game and they only lost 20-19 and had plenty of chances to win that game. But missed a lot of tackles probably because they were so tired, because their defense couldn't get off the field. But the other three Super Bowls they were a clear underdog playing teams, like the Redskins and Cowboys twice that were much bigger and stronger which is what the NFC was back then over the AFC. Run the ball, stop the run, rush the QB, protect the QB and win the turnover battle. And the Bills happened to be the best of a weak American Football Conference.

Cherie Altuaimeh: Video: Steel Curtain Tribute: The Steel Curtain Steeler Dynasty

Source:The Daily Post

The 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers are what a great team looks like and to me the definition of what a great team looks like so to the point as their cover corner back Mell Blount saying that "the NFL changed its rules in 1978 to slow down the Steelers so they weren't so dominant". That they went from being a power run ball control offense in the mid-1970s to a vertical pass offense with two deep threats in wide receiver in John Stallworth. Who to me is the Michael Irvin of his generation with his size and strength, but with great speed and could get by you just by running by you. Which made QB Terry Bradshaw's job a lot more fun because he had a big strong accurate arm that could go deep.

Bradshaw had the WRs to throw the ball to and the Steelers still had their power running game with tailback Franco Harris and tailback Rocky Blier. And they still had their Steel Curtain Two-Gap defense that could stuff the run and attack the QB just with their front four. With defensive tackle Joe Greene arguably the best defensive lineman of all-time. Defensive end LC Greenwood who should be in the Hall of Fame and DE Dwight White. And with middle linebacker Jack Lambert the best MLB of his era and Jack Ham the best outside linebacker of his era. With the Steelers front seven they could stuff the run, attack the QB and cover the whole field.

With those players and with CB Mell Blount I believe the best CB off all-time, you hated being the top WR on the other team because it meant the QB wasn't going to throw you the ball. And with safeties Donnie Shell and Mike Wagner, you weren't throwing the ball deep against the Steelers. You couldn't really run the ball on the Steelers even though you really only had to block four players. Pass protection was almost impossible with the Steelers front four and even if you had time to throw, who you going to throw the ball to, no one is open.

The 1978 Steelers were so great not so good, but so great that the NFL changed the rules to slow them down. And so they were so dominant, other than the Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and maybe the Miami Dolphins no one could give the Steelers a hard time before the 1978 rule changes. Which were aimed at the Steelers Steel Curtain defense. The illegal contact rule, meaning you couldn't jam a WR after five yards. The new blocking rules aimed at Joe Greene that outlawed head slapping. But that didn't slow the Steelers because they just adapted to the new rule changes meaning that their defense was probably not going to be as dominant anymore.

But again these are the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have Chuck Knoll as their head coach, Terry Bradshaw as their QB and Franco Harris the at TB, with John Stallworth and Lynn Swann at WR. Which meant they just needed to open up the offense and score more points. Go to the vertical pass offense to complement their power running game. The Steelers didn't change to fit in with rest of the NFL, but they adapted and overcame and made themselves better to utilize the other talent that they had and not rely so much on their defense and power running. That's what the 1978 Steelers were and what a great team looks like. You make a move at them they make another move and get better than they were already are. 

There are a lot of teams to choose from as the best team of all-time and I'm referring to the Super Bowl era including the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. But I take the 78 Steelers because of their head coach who was also their general manager in Chuck Knoll, who was great at both jobs. And could go to the Hall of Fame in either role, who was a defensive head coach as he built the Steel Curtain defense. But understood offense well enough that he knew what type of offense he wanted the Steelers to have. And then go out and get the players to play in that offense and of course not just the talent but how well they played together and how dominant they were.

Blitz Burghed: NFL 1972- AFC Divisional- Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers: The Immaculate Reception

Source: Blitz Burghed- Franco Harris's immaculate reception-

Source:The Daily Post

To me for a rivalry to be great or for it to even be a rivalry, the two teams involved have to at least be good. Not just consistent winners, but consistent playoff teams. Not teams that generally 8-8 or 9-7 or worst and every few years sneak into the playoffs. But teams where just getting to the playoffs is not enough for them to have a successful season. Teams that have it as their goal every year to win their division and win the league championship. 

The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcon Fans and even though both teams are good now and making the playoffs and in the Saints case winning the Super Bowl in 2009, but historically both franchises have either been mediocre or bad. The Falcons didn't make the playoffs until 1978, their twelfth season and are now in their forty-eighth season and they have only made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons once. The Saints didn't even have a winning season until 1987 their 21st season and played and won their first Super Bowl Iin 2009 their forty-third season. So Falcon-Saint games traditionally haven't meant much.

Unlike Packer-Bear games, Packer-Viking games, Bear-Viking games, Redskins-Cowboys, Redskins- Giants etc. It's when the games are important that they have meaning is when they become rivalry's because that's when both teams prepare real well and tend to play their best and when the games are played real hard and physical and get real tense and you see big hits and borderline cheap shots and everything else. And the fans really get into it and even go to the other teams stadiums to watch their team play that the games become rival games. Which is exactly what you get in the NFC East where everyone is a big rival of the other.

That's exactly what the Steeler-Raider rivalry was in the 1970 and 80s to a certain extent. Because every time they played in this time period, their games were about who would have home field advantage in the AFC Playoffs. And have the better chance of winning the AFC Championship and going to the Super Bowl. And the rivalry that the Pittsburgh Steelers had with the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s, is similar to the rivalry the Steelers have with the New England Patriots today because they are playing for home field advantage in the AFC Playoffs almost every time they play each other.

But with the Steelers-Raiders rivalry of the 70s, you're talking about two of the three best franchises of the 70s that made the AFC Playoffs a total of sixteen times, that won fifteen division championships between the two of them. Won five AFC Championships and won five Super Bowls. They knew to get to where they wanted to go they were going to have to beat the other team. It was really that simple because both teams in this decade both had the same goal every year, win the Super Bowl. And since they were both in the AFC, that meant beating the other team especially in the AFC Playoffs just to get to the Super Bowl and this why this rivalry was so great and intense. 

Rivalry's are between two good teams and franchises, otherwise they don't mean anything. They're just another game, rivalry games are important, even when one team may be having a down year because they can make their season by beating the other team. Which would be like their championship. "We didn't do much this year, but at least we beat that team and made their season a little more difficult. Perhaps cost them a home game in the playoffs". And the team who lost that game remembers losing that game, takes that with them going into the next season and try's to get their revenge, which makes the rivalry that much greater.
Blitz Burghed: NFL 1972- AFC Divisional- Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers: The Immaculate Reception 

John Morgani: Video: John Facenda: Pride and Poise, The Glory Days of the Oakland Raiders

Source:The Daily Post

As John Madden put it when asked about the Raiders not being able to win the "Big Game", the Oakland Raiders won a lot of big games. You have to do that just to have the chance to get to the "Big Game". The teams that play in the "Big Game" aren't selected by a "committee of experts" but they are selected by the two teams from both conferences that won their championships. What the Raiders weren't able to do until 1976, other than 1967 be able to get to the one big game the biggest game in the world. If you think about it as far as the amount of people that watch it.

The Super Bowl of course is the biggest television event in the world, but if you look at the teams that they lost to, there were all great teams as far as who they lost to in those AFC Finals that cost them the AFC Championship and a trip to the Super Bowl. They lost to the Baltimore Colts in 1970 that won that Super Bowl, the Miami Dolphins in 1973 that won that Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers their arch-rival in the 1970s in both 1974 and 75 that won both of those Super Bowls. So the Raiders problem was that they didn't choke or get it done, they just lost to the best team in football all of those years.

The Raiders had to be the best team in the NFL not just have the best record in the AFC and host the AFC Final at Oakland Coliseum better known as "the Black Hole" as they did in 1974, but they had to have the best team in the AFC both regular and postseason. So when 1976 came around having lost four of the last six AFC Finals, including one at home, the sole-mission of the 1976 Raiders was to go to and win the Super Bowl and meant getting past the Steelers and running through anyone else who got in their way.

The Raiders knew they had the players and they had the talent on both sides of the ball. One of the best offenses in the NFL if not the best, with their vertical spread offense (as I call it)  always looking to throw deep to Cliff Branch from quarterback Ken Stabler. But working the whole field, to tight end Dave Casper and wide receiver Fred Belitninkoff both who are in the Hall of Fame. 

And with their power running game with the best offensive line in the NFL, with Hall of Famers offensive tackle Art Shell and offensive guard Gene Upshaw arguably the best players who ever played their positions. With center Dave Dalby another Pro Bowler and their power running game with their man-on-man blocking where you literally try to destroy the man in front of you.

And with tailback Clarence Davis and fullback Mark Van Egan and their kick ass defense (for lack of a better word) with defensive tackle John Mutuzak and defensive tackle Dave Rowe up front and others. Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks arguably the best outside linebacker of all- time and Pro Bowler Phil Viliapano. With two bump-and-run cover corners in Mike Haynes and Willy Brown. And perhaps the two hardest hitting safety's in football George Atkinson and Jack Tatum.

The Oakland Raiders by the time 1976 came around were already a very good team with a lot of talent. You would have to be to just be in six AFC Finals even though they lost all of them going into 1976. But they weren't a great team yet and being a great team and having great talent are two different things. The trick is to have both of them at the same time which is something the 1976 Raiders were finally able to learn and most of that credit goes to John Madden a Hall of Fame head coach. He figured out how to get all of these great players to play together at the same time.

Jeff Tsui: Video: The Two George W. Bush's

Source:The Daily Post

President George W. Bush is probably the easiest public figure to make fun of and impersonate. He's a bigger target than a free all you can eat meat lovers buffet at a fat farm. Because he's been somewhat controversial with his Presidency and I'll give President Bush credit for one thing, the Bush White House probably had the worst polling operation since political polls or their polling operation was buried so far down in the White House basement, that they couldn't find it. Because most of the decisions he made as President were not poll driven, but they did what they thought was right.

Myself and about 65% of the rest of the country just disagreed with President Bush most of the time with their handling of the economy, the War on Terror, their deficit spending. But in the interest of time I'll save you the rest of the grocery list. (Thats about a month supply of groceries) Now again perhaps the Bush White House didn't take polls, couldn't read them, understand them, didn't have someone who could explain them to President Bush in a way he could understand. That a 35% approval rating is not a batting average like in baseball which would be good. But that 60% of the country or more doesn't like you as President and you wouldn't get reelected if you ran again.

But George W. Bush provided the country with a mountain of comedic material before he became President when he was running for President back in 1999-2000, he quickly became comedians favorite politician. And won that award for eight straight years from 2000-07, before Sarah Palin came on the scene. (Thanks again John McCain your kick in the ass is in the mail) And now that Michelle Bachmann is on the scene (thanks to Michelle Bachmann) she and Sarah Palin the Dummy Sisters are in a sibling rivalry to determine whose easier to make fun of.

Governor Palin and Representative Bachmann  provides comedians more material. (Unintentionally of course) It's unclear that when GOV. Palin said that you could see Russia from her backyard if she was trying to convince people that made her a foreign policy expert or not. The jury is still out on that one because they still haven't finished laughing about it. But the fact is that line was very funny, but with GW Bush he's got almost twelve years of reading material of great jokes. He really should be putting these experiences in books. It's not an accident that Saturday Night Live named George W. Bush the Man of the Year for 2000, because of all the time and effort their comedy writers were spared having to come up with new material .

Actually GW Bush won that SNL Award eight straight years from 2000-07. Probably my favorite moments about GW Bush at least on SNL, is those Bush-Gore debates from 2000 where they played Bush like a schmuck or an idiot and they played Gore like a snobby elitist (excuse the term) asshole. Where Bush would get a question and he would think its too difficult to answer. And he would take that question like he's on a game show and say pass and Gore would jump in. And say "Jim can I take that question". Or when Jim Leher asked Gore and Bush to sum up their campaigns in one word. Gore would use that famous term lock box. And Bush would use a word that doesn't even exist like strategery, playing on the fact that Bush had a tendency to miss pronounce words.

It was like the Bush campaign and Bush Administration were partners in putting on the best comedy show of that era. George W Bush is a mountain of comedic material that comedians and bloggers owe a weekly debt in the form of a paycheck. That we should pay the 43rd President of the United States with proudly (like Socialists pay their taxes) because of all of the thinking and work this great man of unintentional humor provided America.

NFL Network: Video: NFL Films America's Game: The 1983 Los Angeles Raiders:

Source:The Daily Post

When I think of what both great and under appreciated teams are, I think of teams that are just stacked everywhere have a collection of great players, but with a supporting cast of very good players everywhere as well. That have a great coaching staff that gets their players to play up to their abilities as much as possible as well. That have many strengths and doesn't have any weakness's and have not just the physical talent, but the mental talent as well. That understands key situations and when exactly is the time to make key plays and doesn't make key mistakes in big moments.

That's the 1983 Los Angeles Raiders and when I think of under appreciated teams, I think of teams that are very good if not great, but doesn't get their just respect, not remembered as being a great team or a great champion. Except for the people who understand that team and again that's the 1983 Los Angeles Raiders not just a great team, but a great dominant team that didn't just beat teams, but they beat up teams within the rules. Because they were just bigger, stronger and better than any other team they played.

And they would actually take it to their opponents and win games and win them big to the point where that team doesn't want to play them again, thats the 1983 Raiders. The 1983 Raiders are one of the top ten teams of all-time that not many people who aren't Raider fans and who didn't play for that team or cover that team, aren't aware of. Because they were a group of Renegades and misfits and people that were cut by other teams and were run by Al Davis.

You want to look at the 1983 Raiders, it of course starts at the top with their leader Al Davis, who put that team together. Then you have to move to their head coach Tom Flores who won two Super Bowls and 100 games and yet never gets much consideration even for the Hall of Fame. Then I would go to their defense, defensive line Howie Long arguably the best all around DL of his era and in the Hall of Fame.

Then you got pass rushers and run stuffers guys who could play both roles on their defensive line to go along with Howie Long. Lyle Alzado who they picked up from Cleveland. As well as Greg Townsend, and others. Perhaps the best linebacker in the league, with Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks and middle linebacker Matt Millen and outside linebacker Rod Martin who only made big plays for the Raiders. 

And then the secondary, the two best corners in the league, with Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes. Both great bump and run cover corners, with the Raiders DL and secondary and their DL able to rush the QB and stop the run just with their front four. That freed up their LBs and DBs to just cover the field. Help out send extra blitzers without having to worry about getting beat for a big play. The 1983 Raiders were very good on offense as well, but their defense set the tone. 

On offense you have Pro Bowl quarterback Jim Plunkett who won the 1970 Heisman Trophy at Stanford, who had his best years with the Raiders. Tailback Marcus Allen who NFL scouts thought was too slow because he ran a 4.5 40 yard dash. But if you look at Marcus's highlights, you always see him running away from people or running through people, or running by guys who are supposed to be faster than him. 

Then you have wide receiver Cliff Branch who should be in the Hall of Fame, who had a great habit of catching long touchdown passes in Super Bowls. A great habit to have by the way and then tight end Todd Christianson who should get consideration for the Hall of Fame. WR Dokie Williams a pretty good number two WR. The 1983 Raiders were stacked on both sides of the ball and deserve a lot more respect than they get.

NFL Network: Video: Al Davis, a Football Life

Source:The Daily Post 

If you want to know what the term total package means when it comes to sports and more specifically to football and total package gets thrown out a lot, but to me its about someone who does every aspect of their job very well doesn't having any glaring weakness's. Doesn't have a characteristic, where people may say "I wish he did this or that better". A QB who's a total package would be someone who can throw the football with zip, throw it far, throw it accurately with touch, short, medium and deep, who's mobile enough to buy time when under pressure, reads defenses well, knows when to throw the ball and to who. But those are just the physical attributes, QB is the most important position in football it's that simple.

That's why quarterbacks they get a lot of the credit and blame, its also the second hardest position to play in my opinion other than center. QB also have to have good mental qualities, no who and when to congratulate someone and to get on them something that both Dan Marino, Dan Fouts and Troy Aikman all did very well, which is one reason why they are all in the Hall of Fame. You have to make sure everyone in the huddle is on the same page and in the right position and you understand what the head coach, offensive coordinator and QB coach is expecting from you and the offense. You also have to know when to audible and what audible to call, do you still want to play QB. Or maybe try to become a lawyer or doctor instead, those jobs might be easier to get and perform.

Calling Al Davis a total package as an NFL executive, is like calling Magic Johnson a good point guard. Or saying the weather is warm in South Florida, not only stating the obvious, but doing it from the bottom. Al Davis was the most complete football man not only in the American Football League, but in the last fifty-years of the NFL. And his influence on the league and game is in the same neighborhood as Paul Brown, George Halas, Well Mara, George Marshal, Pete Rozelle and others. Just to start with Al Davis as an executive as basically General Partner of the Oakland Raider franchise as well as its General Manager.

You're talking about someone who establish his own system. "This is the kinda team I want o have on both offense and defense". On offense with the vertical spread offense, spread the defense out and make them defend the whole field both in the passing and running games. Beat the defense up with the offense by going right at them man-on-man blocking, power running game. On defense take it to the offense, put the fear of God into them when they try to catch the ball or run the ball up field because they had linebackers and defensive backs that could hit and tackle real hard. And corners that could cover one on one in bump and run coverage without getting beat. Which meant that freed up the linebackers and DB's to stuff the run and rush the QB. 

After Al Davis established his system or game plan for victory, he then went to get the coaches who could run this system. John Madden, Tom Flores and Art Shell with great assistant coaches like Hall of Fame CB Willy Brown and others and drafted and signed the players who would play well in that system including eight Hall of Famers. Seven of them players that he introduced himself like Howie Long perhaps the best all around DL of his era. Both as a pass rusher and run defender. And would go to great lengths to get those players like drafting from small African-American colleges.

Schools that other pro football executives weren't drafting from like offensive tackle Art Shell. As well as taking chances on players that other clubs gave up on like QB Jim Plunket who won two Super Bowls with them in 1980 and 83. And taking chances on people because he believed they were worth it. And deserved the jobs that they were getting, like hiring the first Latin-American head coach in Tom Flores in 1979 and the first African-American head coach in Art Shell in 1989. 

If people are judged by how well they treat people or how they well they are treated and boss's are judged by how long people work for them, then Al Davis was a great man, because that old expression "Raider for Life", is an old expression for a reason because its so true and been used over and over. If you treat your workers well, they'll do the best job that they can because they want to work for you and share your goals.

Which in the Raiders case was really a "Commitment to Excellence", that you figure out what your system is going to be. Make your goals clear and then surround yourself with the best people that you can to run your system. And then treat them as well as they can be treated but also fairly. And that's what Al Davis's "Commitment to Excellence" was.

Barry Peraino: Video: Full Color Football: The New Frontier

Source:The Daily Post 

By the late 1950s the National Football League had just survived the Korean War as far as losing players to that war, World War II losing players to that war, some not coming back, the Great Depression with all the money that was lost in the country as well as the NFL. And the fact that America went through that for about 15 years. If you don't have enough money to pay your bills and a lot of Americans were in that situation during the Great Depression, you're not going to go to sporting events. So by the late 1950s or even before that, when the NFL was approaching its 40th Season, they had proven they were a survivor. 

The NFL had already proven they were a survivor and with the economic boom of the 1950s and with the NFL growing in popularity with NFL champions like the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions (yes the Detroit Lions), Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams with Sid Gilman with his spread vertical offense  and of course the Cleveland Browns led by Paul Brown one of the top 3-5 head coaches of all-time, as well as a great general manager, the 1950s was a boom decade for the NFL. There was a lot of great football and great players in that decade, the NFL was finally making money and making very good money and they only had twelve franchises.

And with the NFL's revenue sharing system where each club shares it's broadcast revenue, there was a lot of money to go around. And the less clubs that they had the more money each club can keep for themselves. That was the theory which is why the NFL didn't expand sooner and into places like Boston, Buffalo, Miami, Houston, Dallas, San Diego and others all markets capable of supporting NFL franchises.

What the All American Football Conference proved in the 1940s and 50s, was that 12 pro football franchises wasn't enough that there was more money to be made and a lot more money to be made and there were a lot more players that could play pro football in America that a 12 club league could support. That's where the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers all came from and when the AAFC folded, those clubs went to the NFL. The Cleveland Browns finished off the AAFC by winning the last championship there. And then went to the NFL in the 1950s and won five NFL Championships in that decade.

This was all setting the stage for the American Football League to come into existence all those markets that the NFL said the hell with, all wanted their own pro football franchise. And all of those players that could play in the NFL, but were overlooked, all found homes in the AFL in cities like Boston, Buffalo, the New York, Kansas City, Houston, Denver, Oakland and San Diego. Just to start off with followed in the late 60s by Cincinnati and Miami. The AFL represented a shot for for football fans who were turn down by the NFL, to have their own franchise and for players to get another shot at pro football career. 

The NFL saw the AFL as a threat right away which is why they rewarded an expansion franchise to Dallas in 1960 and Minneapolis in 1961. Because they knew there were a lot of football fans in those two markets and that the AFL wanted to expand there. Without the AFL, we probably never heard of players like quarterback Len Dawson who's in the Hall of Fame and QB Jack kemp who's famous for several other reasons, most of them positive. 

As well as all the African-American players that were turned away because of their race by the NFL. Like Hall of Famers like Chiefs linebacker Willie Lanier, LB Bobby Bell who's a better version of Lawrence Taylor,  defensive tackle Buck Buchanan, wide receiver Otis Taylor who should be in the Hall of Fame and so many others. The AFL was a second chance society for people who deserved it.

Warner Vod: Video: All the President's Men (1976)

Source:The Daily Post

If you like movies based on true stories, then All The President's Men is a great movie if you like movies with great writing, then All The President's Men is a great movie. If you like movies with great casts, then All The Presidents Men is a great movie. If you like movies with clever quick-witted humor, then All The President's Men is a great movie. If you're interested in current affairs, politics and American history, or you're a junky about those things like myself, then All The Presidents Men is a great movie. There are so many reasons to see this great movie, this movie being the best movie at least as far as I'm concern in Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman's career. And I would add Jason Robards, Jack Warden and Ned Beatty, Jane Alexander to that list all great actors. 

All The President's Men is about the Watergate scandal that happened in 1972 when people working for the Nixon campaign broke into the Watergate building in Washington where just so happens where the Democratic National Committee Headquarters is located. They did that I'm guessing to dig up dirt on Sen. George McGovern President Nixon's opponent in 1972. I doubt they were there to steal wooden pencils or use the bathroom (call it a hunch). And how President Nixon covered up a story that he had no involvement in as far as the operations. But he did cover it up which is an Obstruction of Justice and how two basically no name reporters covered this story for the Washington Post.

Bob Woodward played by Robert Redford and Carl Bernstein played by Dusty Hoffman and If you're a fan of mystery's, then All The President's Men is a great movie. Even though Woodward and Bernstein aren't cops or private detectives, they are newspaper reporters covering a story that fell into their lap basically. The Watergate scandal was probably the dumbest political scandal that ever happened in the Federal Government. And there are plenty to choose from, because first of all it was illegal, it wasn't done by professional criminals. President Nixon got reelected in a landslide winning forty-nine states and around sixty-percent  of the popular vote despite Watergate.

So naturally what does Dick Nixon try to do. Being the great politician and brilliant man that he was, not trying to be funny here, he covers it up, he covers up a scandal that he had nothing to do with and had he just released everything that the White House had and let the FBI do their jobs, Watergate is nothing more than another Washington crime story handled by the Washington Police, President Nixon completes his second term and probably goes down as a great president depending on how he dealt with a weakening economy and the movie All The President's Men is never made. 

I saw All The Presidents Men for the first time when I was in junior high seventh or eighth Grade and didn't have much of an interest in politics at the age of thirteen or fourteen. Which may seem shocking considering how much of a political junky I am now. But I knew I really liked this movie by then and have seen probably twenty times since twenty plus years later because by the time I was eighteen, I was already a political junky keeping up with Congress and the Clinton Administration. I already new I was a Liberal Democrat by then. And this is one of those movies for me, thats worth seeing twenty plus times for the reasons I just laid out.

ESPN: E:60, Bill Buckner Behind the Bag

Source:The Daily Post

The 1986 MLB World Series is one of the greatest World Series of all- time. Not because of the Bill Buckner error at first base in Game 6. But because it was a matchup of two great teams, the two best teams in baseball in 1986. Who played about as well as they possibly could. This was a World Series with 3-4 great games, where both teams had opportunities to win each of these games, with a few blowouts mixed in. 

You could make a very good case that the Boston Red Sox should've won both Games 6 and 7, they had leads late in both games and didn't finish the job. Yes first baseman Bill Buckner made a big error late in that game. But what you gotta remember about that error is the ground ball going through his legs that led to Ray Knight scoring the winning run, was that the game was tied at that point. Its not like Buckner blew the lead for the Red Sox in that game. 

The Red Sox had a two run lead going into the bottom of the 10th Inning. Its the bullpen that blew the two run lead in that inning. And they gave up all the hits and runs, after already having two outs in that inning. Including the tying run coming off of a wild pitch from reliever Bob Stanley. This is something that Red Sox fans even though they watched this game, have just recently figured out.

I'm not making excuses for Bill Buckner, who was an accomplished first baseman. Who was more than capable of making that ground ball even with the bad feet he managed to put himself in position to make that play. He got to the ball and got his glove down in time. But misplayed it, tried to pick it up before the ball got to his glove and as a result the ball went right through his legs. 

I'm just saying that to put all of the blame on Buckner for the Red Sox losing the 1986 World Series, is unfair and borderline nasty by people who were so frustrated about losing a World Series that they should've won actually. They outplayed the Mets, especially in Game 6 and 7, as well as winning the first two games at Shea Stadium. Before you put the blame on Buckner, you should look at all of those runners that the Red Sox Offense left on base in that World Series. 

Especially all of the runners the Red Sox left in scoring position and the Red Sox Bullpen for blowing those leads. Even with the two bad feet that Bill Buckner was playing on, including I believe a broken ankle and yet he was their full-time first baseman. Even with the broken foot the Red Sox don't beat the Anaheim Angels in the American League Championship, a team that might of been better than the Red Sox on paper without Buckner.

The Angeles were up 3-1 in that series over the Red Sox and the Red Sox don't get to that World Series either, they wouldn't of been good enough to without Bill Buckner. So what the Buckner Family has been put through as a result, has been really unfair and there are Red Sox fans who should be ashamed of themselves.

HBO Films: Video: Alec Baldwin: The Lost Ballparks of Major League Baseball

Source:The Daily Post

As someone who loves baseball especially Major League Baseball, I have a collection of books about it's history because it's such a great game that I love. And has such a great history which to me at least is more interesting than the game today. I feel the same way about the National Football League. I'm into MLB history so much that I have at least three books that are about the old ballparks of MLB. 

And in these books you see photos of pass ballparks of MLB. Like the old Yankee Stadium, the old Oakland Coliseum before the Raiders moved back into it. You move the seats forward in the foul territory of the Coliseum and you are talking about a perfect ballpark, as long as you only play baseball in it. It has like a mile of foul territory in it, so dugout seats at the Coliseum or home plate seats actually weren't that great because you were so far back. 

The old Candlestick Park in San Francisco, that didn't have the upper deck in the outfield, that was put in for the 49ers was a beautiful ballpark. Tiger Stadium in Detroit that was great for both pitchers and batters, depending on where the batter hit the ball. Was also a great ballpark. Baltimore Memorial Stadium one of my favorites as an Orioles fan, but also because I love watching games there, another great ballpark, where the fans were on top of the action. High walls in right and left field so fans there were looking down at the action.

What was great about the old ballparks, unlike the 1970s and 80s with the cookie cutter stadiums that were designed for both football and baseball, was that the old parks were built and designed for baseball. So the fans were on top of the action and had a great view of the game. And in a lot of cases there were no upper decks in the outfield. So you could see a lot of the city that the park was located in. Crosley Field in Cincinnati was a perfect example of that. 

So the architecture of these ballparks was a lot better. You just didn't have great seats and that meant in basically every part of the park, but you had a great view of the rest of the park and part of the city the park was located in. Unlike some of the cookie cutters like in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other places, where the only view of the park you had, except for the game, was the rest of the stadium depending on where you sat. So if you had upper deck home plate seats, what you saw from there was the upper deck in the outfield.

One of the great things about Major League Baseball is that in the last twenty years, the league has moved away from the cookie cutter multipurpose stadiums. And back to having ballparks just for baseball and other entertainment events, but just the baseball team would play there. Instead of sharing a stadium with a football team, where the stadium is too big for baseball and in some cases too small for football. 

Old Football Historian: Video: ESPN's 30 For 30: The Pony Express

Source:The Daily Post 

The Southern Methodist Mustangs football program went from being a minor to mid-major FBS program in the early and mid 1970s in the former Southwest Conference, that included schools like, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, all traditional FBS powers and national championship contenders, as well as Houston and Baylor, to becoming a national championship contender by the late 1970s and early 1980s. 

SMU had a backfield that included two future NFL running backs in Eric Dickerson who's in he Hall of Fame. And Craig James who played for the New England Patriots and was a member of the Patriots 1985 AFC Championship team. Southern Methodist was like the Miami Florida Hurricanes or the Tallahassee Florida Seminoles in the early and mid 1970s. 

Back before SMU became a national power, if they had a winning record and went to a minor bowl game or something like that, that was a huge season for them. They weren't really known for football at all, the Dallas Cowboys were thought of as the only football team in the Dallas area in the late 1970s. Southern Methodist wasn't a big deal for them. If they followed college football, it was the Texas Longhorns, especially when they played Oklahoma Sooners every year at the Cotton Bowl.

Bobby Bowden and Howard Schnellenburger built the Seminoles and Hurricanes football programs respectively. With a lot of hard work, both essentially starting from scratch and knowing for their programs to get the attention that they needed for them to be successful in the future, they had to convince some of the best players not only in Florida, but around the country to take a shot at Tallahassee and Miami. 

Tallahassee and Miami knew they needed players in Florida and outside of Florida and not only get their education, but to be part of something in the future. Knowing that they had a much better opportunity at going to a program that was already on the map in college football. Like Florida, Georgia and Alabama, Oklahoma and many others. 

Ron Meyer the head football coach at Southern Methodist and others there, didn't have the patience for that. Didn't go to Southern Methodist to lose at all and weren't going to wait around for 5-10 years for them to be successful there. Southern Methodist literally treated their football program in the late 1970s and early 80s like a pro football franchise. 

To be the best, you have to pay the best and literally paid high school football players money, to come to their school and play for them. And bought a lot of players as if they were the Dallas Cowboys or some other NFL franchise. And as a result perhaps the largest FBS scandal if not college football scandal of all-time and received the death penalty for it. 

Liza Liz Bethy: Video: FOX's Beverly Hill 90210

Source:The Daily Post

When I was a freshmen in high school, FOX was still a very young TV network at this point. They came out with a high school soap Opera, with the cast all out of high school. Some of them graduating high school 5-7 years before this show came out. Beverly Hills 90210 which definitely had its cheesy aspects about it, like some of the writing and the fact that a pair of twins, one male and female looked nothing alike . But this was the first prime time soap opera for adolescents of any kind and it was a well rated prime time soap opera. 

Beverly Hills was the soap opera of my Generation X and this high school class of 1993 on the show was only a year ahead of me. So I got to watch it for three seasons while they were still in High School on the show. And while I was still in high school in real life. It was about a upper middle class family that moves from Minneapolis to Los Angles actually in Beverly Hills. 

Because the father played by James Eckhouse who plays Jim Walsh on the show, the husband of Cindy Walsh and the father of a set of twins, Brandon and Brenda Walsh, played by Jason Priestly and Shannen Doherty, gets a job in Beverly Hills and moves his family out there. And is about how this family relates to their new friends out in Beverly Hills and life in general in a new city. 

This show had its drawbacks some of it was cheesy. But when I was in High School, I watched this show every week. Because it actually dealt with what adolescents were going through in real life. In an entertaining and a lot of times even funny way. So it was good TV. 

The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Ronald Reagan Talks About Balancing The Budget (1975)

Source:The Daily Post

I like and respect Ronald Reagan a lot, I've always had even though I'm a Liberal Democrat. Which might be like hearing how much a Boston Red Sox fan loves a player for the New York Yankees. But in my case my affection for President Reagan is real. Both personally and politically, even though we don't agree on a whole lot. Except as it relates to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, individual liberty and limited government. 

But our policies look a lot different, not a difference between big government and small government. But more relating in the role of government, not so much the overall size, but what it should be doing. But to listen to Ron Reagan talk about the need for a balance budget, is like listening to an obese person talk about the need for a healthy diet and exercise. Whatever they know about what they are talking about, is only through bad experiences. 

Its like saying, "we now know what doesn't work, had we known now then, we wouldn't of done a, because now we know a doesn't work. We would've done b or c instead, because we now know that b or c works". Its speaking in hindsight rather than foresight and not very visionary as far as this is what we should do, because we know it works based on this evidence. 

Had President Reagan listened to then candidate Reagan back in 1975, when he was talking about deficit reduction, he probably wouldn't of proposed the Economic Recovery Act of 1981. At least in that form, the economy was awful and needed a lot of stimulus and perhaps he would've proposed the tax cuts he did, the taxes then were way too high on everyone. Ranging somewhere between 20-70%. But since he felt the need for a balanced budget, he would've at least proposed to pay for those tax cuts. He would've proposed the increases in the defense budget, but proposed to pay for them. 

The fact is that President Reagan inherited a national debt of around 1T$ or more. Left office with around a 5T$ national debt, inherited a budget deficit from President Carter who had one of the worst economies we've ever seen. But it was 40B$, which thirty years ago wasn't a large deficit. Defenders of President Reagan like to say, "well thats the fault of the Democratic Congress's". The fact is President Reagan only had one Democratic Congress, his last two years. 

He had a Republican Senate for his first six years. President Reagan never sent a balanced budget to Congress or proposed a balance budget plan. What they did was deficit reduction, including tax hikes during his presidency. To say the Reagan Administration spent money like drunken sailors, would be an insult to drunken sailors. To use Senator John McCain's joke, they spent money like drunken Congressmen at a Congressional pork party, who are worried about reelection. Ron Reagan should've trusted his first instincts. 

BBC: Strong Girls

Source:The Daily Post

I gotta admit, I love seeing sexy women working hard in leather jeans. Which we don’t get to see a lot in America, because leather jeans aren’t very popular, outside of the biking and rock and roll culture. And they have even lost some popularity with those cultures as well. But leather jeans are still fairly popular in Europe, especially in Britain and Germany. You see them a lot on soap operas and with fashion models at shows. 

I saw a show which was a British home improvement show. And there were a couple of sexy British ladies working hard doing renovations on a house somewhere in Britain, wearing tight brown leather jeans. One of them wearing a brown leather suit with brown leather boots and they looked great. Tight leather jeans on sexy women can be as sexy as tight denim jeans on sexy women. You have attractive well-built women wearing leather jeans, and you're going to get a great look at her curves. That's the whole point of leather jeans, to show off women’s or men’s curves. Their legs and butts and how they look in them.

But seeing these women working hard in leather jeans, doing hard physical work, Gives me a question. Are these pants comfortable especially when doing physical work. Britain obviously doesn’t get a lot of hot humid weather. But would you see women in Italy, France or Spain working hard especially in the summer. Countries that get weather that’s very similar to the American Southeast. Imagine how hard they would be sweating in those pants. I mean I’m not complaining, they looked great on that show. And I would watch over and over, I just have a hard time seeing American women doing the same work in those pants during the summer.

Leather Beauty: Catherine Fulop- in Tight Leather Jeans & Boots

Source:Lady Channel- Venezuelan Goddess Catherine Fulop in her skin-tight, black leather jeans.

Source:The Daily Post

"Sexy Catherine Fulop tight leather jeans"  

From The Lady Channel 

"Sexy Catherine Fulop tight leather jeans"  

Source:Lady Channel- Venezuelan Goddess Catherine Fulop in her skin-tight, black leather jeans.

From The Lady Channel 

"Another post from "A" if you checked out my other blog LB2 you'll find he's been helping me get back to the blog- here's some screencaps of Catherine Furlop starring in a Argentine Drama Dejate querer (Which translates as" Let Yourself Be Loved") .. not sure what I'll do with LB2 (it's kind of like a back up blog) but I realized there were gaping holes in some of the posts so I thought it's probably for the best I return to these pages."  

Source:Leather Beauty- Venezuelan Goddess Catherine Fulop in her skin-tight, black leather jeans.

From Leather Beauty 

"Another post from "A" if you checked out my other blog LB2 you'll find he's been helping me get back to the blog- here's some screencaps of  Catherine Furlop starring in a Argentine Drama Dejate querer (Which translates as" Let Yourself Be Loved") .. not sure what I'll do with LB2 (it's kind of like a back up blog) but I realized there were gaping holes in some of the posts so  I thought it's probably for the best I return to these pages."  

"Catherine Fulop de calça de couro"  

Source:Anonymously- Venezuelan actress Catherine Fulop in her skin-tight, black leather jeans.

From Anonymously 

This is from a 1990s Venezuelan soap opera that Catherine Fulop was on. I believe this scene takes place at her home on that show, but I don’t know much about it. 

Source:Leather Beauty- Venezuelan actress Catherine Fulop in her skin-tight, black leather jeans.

Several different looks at Venezuelan actress/goddess Catherine Fulop in her skin-tight, black leather jeans, that wore on that show in the 1990s. But that’s about all I know about this photo.

Source:Leather Beauty- check out Catherine Fulop, if you can catch her.

From Leather Beauty 

I have to hand it to any attractive, sexy woman, who is even willing to wear skin-tight, leather jeans. Especially skin-tight, black leather jeans. If you want to know what skinny leather pants look like, they're leather jeans. They look just like skinny denim jeans, but made from leather instead of denim. 

The thing about skin-tight leathers is they're very revealing and make people look really honest about themselves. 

If you are someone like a Catherine Fulup when it comes to women physically and you have the long beautiful, tight legs, and big, beautiful, tight, round butt, you are going to look like a Goddess in black leather jeans. 

If you are underweight, perhaps you don't have much of an appetite, perhaps you have high metabolism, you are terrified of food, perhaps even allergic to it and struggle to keep on weight and muscle, you are going to look like a stick-figure in skinny leather or denim jeans. 

If you are overweight or obese, perhaps I don't have to fill you in as far as how fat, ridiculous, disgusting even, you are going to look in skinny leather or denim jeans. 

The reason why skin-tight, leather jeans have never really caught on in mainstream, pop culture for women, outside of rock and biker culture, and few famous, popular celebrities from time to time, is that a lot of women don't have the look for those pants, or aren't willing to take the risk as far as how they would look in those pants in public. Perhaps they are even worried about looking too sexy in them and getting checked out constantly, sort of like wearing a mini-skirt and heels to the office. 

But American women, or least sexy American women, have always at least since the late 1970s with the start of the designer jeans revolution have always been comfortable showing off their bodes in skin-tight denim jeans. And with designer jeans coming back in the late 1990s with the low-rise and skinny jeans in the 2000s, with curves and strong legs becoming so popular and still are today, American women are now more than comfortable showing off their bodes in skinny denim jeans, especially with how versatile denim is with you being able to dress denim jeans up or down. 

So when you see a woman like a Catherine Fulop out in public in skin-tight, black leather jeans, or see someone like that on TV or in a movie and you are a guy, you should be very thankful that she's even willing to dress like that in public and take note of it. Because it might be a while before you see another woman like that who is dressed like that again. 

TNA Impact Wrestling: Video: The Knockouts Brawl on Impact

Source:The Daily Post

When I was a kid even though my father went out of his way to prevent me from watching pro wrestling because it was staged and winners were picked ahead of time and perhaps even for the violence. Even though dad let me watch as many Clint Eastwood and other action movies as I wanted to I managed to watch the WWF, WCW and the AWA almost every week. And several times each week because they were on multiple channels kind of like today. I was definitely a pro wrestling junky as a kid I couldn't get enough of it. Sort of how I feel about politics, current affairs and history today.

Even as a young adult and now as someone and this is a little hard to admit to, but now as Gen Xer in his mid 30's the generation is not hard to admit to but, the age I was still a fan, but didn't feel the urge to watch it every week. I sort of grew out of it like a boy grows out of wanting to build forts or wanting to eat junk food all the time. I'm not a TNA expert obviously, but back in 2003 or 2004 former WCW wrestler Jeff Jarrett along with former WWF and WWC wrestler Kevin Nash and a few other former WCW and WWF wrestlers launched a new pro wrestling organization called Total Non Stop Action or TNA. Because the WWE had a monopoly on the Pro Wrestling market.

TNA recruited other former WWE wrestlers like Scot Steiner, Sting and a few others and they discovered others like Samoan Joe. At first TNA was probably a minor league outfit barely making a profit if any. But within a few years they already had their own pay per view events. And a weekly cable show on Spike TV that was drawing ratings. And now today their probably a legitimate competitor with WWE. Even though WWE is clearly still on top, but TNA has clearly managed to make money and to recruit several wrestling stars away from the WWE. Like Kurt Angle who pound for pound and height for height is probably the best pro wrestler in the world today. And their top level wrestlers could probably compete with the top level wrestlers of the WWE today.

To speak about this video for a moment, I don't watch pro wrestling on a regular basis anymore. But going through Google Reader to look for things to read (which is the whole point of Google Reader) which is how I saw this video for the first time. But this video is a little more then nine minutes long with six beautiful, sexy, well built women all wearing tight sexy outfits. Look like their beating the hell out of each other. I think they did a good job of making it seem real and it would probably seem real in a movie as well.

Human Oddity: Video: Barb Wire 1996 Trailer

Source:The Daily Post

Barb Wire is not my favorite movie of all-time not even close, (no kidding) but its a very entertaining movie and pretty funny as well with a lot of good action scenes in it. With Pamela Anderson in a lot of good scenes as a very sexy rebel biker chick. This is the best I've ever seen Pam look, she was of course alway gorgeous and baby-face adorable with her sweet voice as always. But she showed me something that I haven't seen from her before. A sexy body, not just from top up but a lower body as well. She looked incredible in her black leather suit, she filled out those black leather jeans very well and look great in the black leather biker boots.

I'm a guy who will watch a mediocre, even a bad movie, if it has a sexy women in it. Or several sexy women in it and without Pam Anderson in Barb Wire and replace her with an average looking lead actress. (Juliane More) Barb Wire would be a mediocre movie, even if the lead actress does a great job. But Pam Anderson didn't just look great in the movie, but she did a great job in it as well. As a charming women, but someone you don't want to mess with because she'll kick your ass. In the late 1990s when she was in VIP, she played a character that came off as somewhat clueless and a stereotypical blonde bimbo.

But Pam Anderson in VIP her character owned and ran the protection agency. But in Barb Wire she played someone who was clearly in charge and someone who ran the show and knew exactly what was going on and could defend herself as well. Barb Wire is clearly not a great movie, but its a very entertaining movie with a very sexy lead actress in it. Who also does a very job in and is worth watching.

Brendan Cashell: Video: ABC's The Fall Guy: One of the Best and Sexiest Action Comedy Series of All time

Source:The Daily Post 

When I think of the ABC action show The Fall Guy, an action comedy really from the early and mid 1980's, I think of a very entertaining show with an excellent cast especially Lee Majors leading the way. Who was a great action comedic actor similar to Burt Reynolds or Clint Eastwood and also a very funny man not only on the Fall Guy. But since he was somebody who could kick ass as well as make you laugh on the same show. The Fall Guy had a great 4x4 Chevy pickup truck with a very powerful engine and the ability to jump like a sports car.

It was set in Los Angeles with Lee Majors playing a full-time stunt man who would moonlight as a bounty hunter when his job as a stunt man was slow to make extra money. And the two roles I thought went very well together because he could combine the roles very well. The show also had a gorgeous very sexy adorable blonde who played a stunt women/bounty hunter. Heather Thomas who always looked sexy and wore skin-tight denim jeans on that show most of the time probably as often as Raechel Ray. Not with the type of body as Rachael Ray, but still looking very sexy.

The Fall Guy was probably the first of several action/comedies slash dramas in the 1980s later to be followed by Matt Houston, The A-Team, Dukes of Hazard was still around at this point. Magnum PI, Knight Rider shows that had very versatile actors and actress's with producers, directors and writers that wanted to show their cast's full abilities as actors. Charlie's Angels would be another one and following it in this period myself it was a time when network TV was actually worth watching and not loaded with cookie-cutter sitcoms or so-called reality TV.