"24"

My worst fears were realized; no "24 Weekend". Instead they had three episodes of a situation "comedy" which is executive produced by Kelsey Grammar . . . I didn't even catch the name of it . . . I believe it involves the hijinks of a basketball player's wife . . . and then the situation continued to deteriorate when "CIS Miami" came on at 11:30 . . .

Thoughts on Notre Dame Football

Does anyone else think that when there is a reunion of football players at Notre Dame, the players from the Faust Era and the Davie Era naturally gravitate towards one another?

Warning: Possible "24" Scheduling Snafu

For all those who will be checking back for my update of "24 Weekend" . . . you all know the problems that I've had with Channel 57 on the UHF . . . not reception, the old black and white has been doing a good job . . . but . . . you may have to blame Phils' pitcher, Adam Eaton and Brewers' manager, Ned Yost, for this one . . . see, the Phils are on Channel 57 on the UHF . . . and Eaton had a dickens of a time in the second . . . had to throw 43 pitches just to get out of the inning!! . . . terrible . . . but then in the ninth, Yost got antsy with his trigger finger and brought in Cordero, who was relieving for the third day in a row . . . so, of course, the Phils tied it up in the ninth and they have gone to extra innings . . . whenever the Phillies' game goes long and the schedule gets bollixed, "24 Weekend" is the first thing they throw overboard . . .

Updates to follow as warranted.

Congratulations, Mr. Murdoch!

A tip of the cap from the ISP staff to Mr. Rupert Murdoch on his recent acquisition of The Wall Street Journal. As long-time readers of the New York Post, we can only hope that Mr. Murdoch's people whip The Wall Street Journal's sports' section into shape, and gives readers a third backpage to eagerly anticipate every morning.

Red Meat Political Commentary

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney acknowledged on Tuesday he was wrong in 2005 when he insisted the insurgency in Iraq was in its "last throes."

By my lights, any fair-minded person would appreciate that the Vice-President has made a clean breast of it, and that rather than engage in any further nit-picking over who did what, the country should move forward.

"The Bronx Is Burning"

Like many of you, I have been very much enjoying ESPN's mini-series, "The Bronx Is Burning". Last night's episode involved a famous locker room incident that for those of us of a certain age instantly recalls where we were when we first heard of it, much like the news of the Kennedy assassination for a previous generation.

Yankee manager, Billy Martin, and team captain, Thurman Munson, had been out on a two day bender, and came staggering into the locker room an hour before a home game against the Orioles. In their inebriated condition, they hatched a scheme to play a practical joke on the target of their ire, Reggie Jackson. Billy and Thurm each defecated in one of Reggie's Dingo boots.

Following the game, Reggie got himself an ankle deep surprise when he pulled on his Dingo boot. Infuriated, and immediately sure of the perpatrator, he made a beeline for the showers, walking in an awkward peg-leg fashion with the one Dingo boot still on. He tackled the showering Munson, and the two engaged in a legendary brawl which is now part of Yankee lore.

I thought it an interesting artistic decision by ESPN and the director of the mini-series to elect to go with full frontal male nudity. Such a decision was probably unavoidable with the actor playing Munson, given the circumstances. However, I am less certain that it was necessary with Munson's showering teammates, the actors playing Willie Randolph, Mickey Rivers, Roy White, Chris Chambliss and Big Elston Howard.