NBA Quiz: 1) John Stockton will soon play in game #1,271 as
a Utah Jazz, breaking whose record for most games played for
one team? 2) Who has the most free throw attempts in NBA
history? [This is kind of tricky.] Answers below.
The Heidi Game
The fall of 1968 was a great one for fans of AFL football. The
games were fun to watch and full of legendary characters. As
the November 17 battle between the Oakland Raiders and New
York Jets drew near, both teams were at 7-2 and seemed on a
collision course for the AFL championship and the right to
represent the league at Super Bowl III.
And the game lived up to the billing when, with 65 seconds to
go, the Jets Jim Turner kicked a 26-yard field goal to put the
Jets up 32-29.
The game was being televised on NBC and had started at 4:07
p.m. Eastern Time. As 7:00 p.m. drew near, executives at the
network were preparing to make television history…and they
didn”t know it.
After the kickoff from the Jets, the Raiders had 60 seconds on
the clock to try and at least tie the game up. They took the ball
on their own 22-yard line and quarterback Daryl Lamonica
worked a 20-yard pass play to Charlie Smith. But a 15-yard
facemask penalty moved the ball down to about the Jets 43..
when suddenly the millions of viewers watching across the land
were treated to 60 seconds of commercials and a musical
billboard leading into the movie “Heidi.”
The switchboard lit up at NBC”s New York City headquarters,
as well as stations across the land. I remember how ticked off I
was…even though I wanted to watch the movie as well, I have
to admit. [Heck, I was just 10, you know.]
Actually, at 6:53 p.m. ET, network officials had decided to stick
with the game but NBC later said it was confusion in their
communications system which caused the cutoff.
And so what we all missed was seeing a 43-yard touchdown
pass from Lamonica to Smith that put Oakland ahead, 35-32,
with 42 seconds to play. Then on the ensuing kickoff, the Jets”
Earl Christy fumbled and the Raiders recovered in the end zone
with 33 seconds left for the final score, Raiders 43 – Jets 32.
The calls into the network were so crushing that the board shut
down. It wasn”t until 22 minutes into “Heidi” that NBC ran a
crawl on the bottom of the screen giving the final score. [This
was long before ESPN or other alternatives, folks. If you
couldn”t quickly switch on the Raiders or Jets radio networks,
you were totally in the dark.]
The viewer outrage lasted well over 24 hours. NBC president
Julius Goodman actually issued a statement from his home
around 8:30 p.m. telling the world that he, too, was a bit miffed
he hadn”t seen the conclusion of the game either, but that “it
was a forgivable error committed by humans who were
concerned about children expecting to see Heidi.”
As for the Jets and Raiders, the Jets recovered to win their last
four games, finishing 11-3, while the Raiders went on to close
with a 12-2 record. The Raiders then had a playoff with the
12-2 Kansas City Chiefs for the right to meet the Jets for the
AFL Championship.
The Raiders whipped the Chiefs 41-6 and then the Jets defeated
the Raiders in the grudge match, 27-23. For Joe Namath and
Company, it was on to the Super Bowl and destiny.
One other postscript: Seven years later, the Raiders and
Washington Redskins were tied at 23-23 at the end of regulation
with “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” scheduled to
begin when the game ended. NBC wisely stuck with the game
for 45 minutes before George Blanda”s field goal gave the
Raiders a 26-23 victory. In the Eastern time zone, viewers
missed the movie”s first 45 minutes. [Source: “Total Football”]
Eric Morley
Morley, a British entertainment promoter, died last week at age
82. His claim to fame? He organized the first Miss World
beauty contest back in 1951 and by 1997 the pageant was
viewed by an estimated 2.5 billion people in 155 countries,
which Morley said was a record for any television show.
Feminists, of course, criticized the contest over the years as
being degrading to women. To which Morley replied, “If it”s
shameful to women, then the best thing they can do is turn it
off.”
The New York Times” Paul Lewis wrote of some of the
controversies the pageant faced over the years.
“The 1973 victor, Marjorie Wallace, an American, sent back her
crown after the British soccer player George Best was charged
in court with burglarizing her London apartment. The 1974
Miss World, Helen Morgan of Britain, resigned a week after her
coronation when she was discovered to be an unmarried mother.
And Gabriella Brum of Germany, the 1980 winner, was forced
to step down after it was disclosed that she had made
pornographic movies.”
George Harrison”s Attacker
Michael Abram, who came within an inch of killing Beatle
George Harrison, was acquitted of attempted murder by reason
of insanity. It”s possible that Abram could eventually see the
light of day if a mental health tribunal rules he is fit. This guy
should be in prison, where he can be poked and prodded.
The Harrison”s son, Dhani, said his parents criticized the
“ancient lunatic law” that allows acquittal on mental grounds.
Abram had been in and out of psychiatric facilities for years
when he launched his December 30, 1999 attack on George and
his wife Olivia. [Source: AP]
Darrel Waltrip
This weekend NASCAR legend Waltrip will be participating in
his last race as he hangs it up at 53. But it”s been a long
time since he was even competitive on the circuit, having last
won back in 1992.
Nonetheless, for his career Waltrip finishes third on the all-time
list with 84 victories, as well as three Winston Cup
championships. Early on, Waltrip was booed vociferously for
his abrasive manner and he didn”t receive the respect of his
fellow drivers. The fans saw him as a threat to their
favorites, stars like Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and
Richard Petty. But eventually, he did gain the respect of his
peers (how could he not when he kept beating them) and
Waltrip won the fans over. Your editor, however, continued to
boo him at the races I attended. I”m an Earnhardt man, myself
(senior, not junior).
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/19/66: #1 “You Keep Me
Hangin” On” (The Supremes) #2 “Good Vibrations” (The
Beach Boys) #3 “Winchester Cathedral” (The New Vaudeville
Band…pitiful).
Stud
Abercrombie, one of the great pacers of all time, died in
Lexingon, Ky., this week at the age of 25. He was Horse of the
Year in 1978 and is in Harness Racing”s Hall of Fame.
Abercrombie was syndicated for breeding for $3 million and he
produced more than 1,700 foals. Eleven of these have earned
more than $1 million already. There is no connection to the
retail shop, Abercrombie & Fitch.
NBA Quiz Answers: 1) John Stockton will shortly break John
Havlicek”s record of 1,270 games in one uniform. Karl Malone
is right behind, having started the season with 1,192. 2) Moses
Malone attempted 11,864 FTs, just 2 ahead of Wilt
Chamberlain. Malone made 76% of them. Karl Malone is in
third place, having started the season with 11,027.
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
Mattel is going to be coming out with a Cher doll. Aagh!!!!
