Ten Best World Series Since 1975

We are probably going to have a lot to say about the 2025 MLB season.  The quality of play throughout the playoffs, the excellence of the World Series, and the meaning of this season to Dodger and Blue Jay fans, all justify more coverage than usual.  But to begin with, let's place this World Series in context.  Tim Kurkjian, who has covered the last 44 World Series, said last night that it was the best one he has covered.  Of course, I believe that the 1975 Classic, between the Reds and Red Sox, is the best World Series ever played.  I would still rank that Series above this one, in large part due to the cultural significance of the Big Red Machine and Red Sox Nation.  The Red Sox play a big role in Field of Dreams, and Game Six of the 1975 Series drives a critical plot point in Good Will Hunting, and I don't expect this World Series to have that type of cultural cachet -- although I could see it having a big impact on Canadians of a certain age.

But what about since 1975?  What are the ten best World Series since Carl Yastrzemski flew out to end that Series.  Here is my list:

1.  2025.  We'll be discussing this Series further.

2.  2001.  The last stand of the last great Yankee dynasty.  That series had a lot in common with this one, except that the D-Backs (unlike the Blue Jays) got their game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth.

3.  1986.  Another Boston classic, and I always found that Mets team to be uniquely charismatic.

4.  2016.  The Cubs finally break the curse, although the curse remains for Cleveland.

5.  1991.  A series that was extremely beloved at the time, and Game Seven remains a classic for the ages.

6.  2011.  A great series that would have gotten a lot more cultural attention if folks in Dallas cared very much about the Rangers.

7.  2014.  The Bruce Bochy Giants were a wonderful team, and in my opinion, this was their greatest moment.

8.  1997.  If there were any Florida Marlins fans -- or if Cleveland had won this series -- this excellent contest would get more credit.

9.  1979.  We Are Family!  A fitting end to a wonderful decade of baseball.

10.  1985.  Yes, the Cardinals should have won it in six games.  But the Dodgers shouldn't have pitched to Jack Clark in Game Six of the N.L.C.S.  You have to take the bad with the good.

Thirty-Two Franchises: San Francisco 49ers

Began in the AAFC in 1946; joined the NFL for the 1950 season.  Prior to the early 1970's, the Steelers and the 49ers were two of the worst franchises in the League.

All-Time Record:  630-526-16 (.545)

The 49ers have an all-time regular season record of 77-70-3 against the Rams.

Super Bowl Record:  5-3 (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX) (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994)

Top Passer:  Joe Montana (35,124 yds)

Top Rusher:  Frank Gore (11,073 yds)

Top Receiver:  Jerry Rice (19,247 yds)

Top Coach:  George Seifert (98 wins)

Seifert coached the 49ers from 1989 through 1996, and finished with a record of 98-30-0 (.766).

Bill Walsh coached the 49ers from 1979 through 1988, and finished with a record of 92-59-1 (.609).  The main difference is that Walsh went 8-24 in his first two seasons.

Joe Montana went 100-39-0 as a starter in the regular season for the Niners.

Steve Young's regular season record as a Niner starter was 91-33-0.

Top All-Time Player Based on Approximate Value:  Jerry Rice (AV of 216).

Thirty-Two Franchises: Las Vegas Raiders

Began in the AFL in 1960; joined the NFL for the 1970 Season.

All-Time Record:  509-480-11 (.515)

1960-1981:  Oakland Raiders:  195-110-11 (.638)

1982-1994:  Los Angeles Raiders:  118-82-0 (.590)

1995-2019:  Oakland Raiders:  160-240-0 (.400)

2020-2025:  Las Vegas Raiders:  36-48-0 (.429)

This is the only time you will see me use their current name.  To me, they will always be "Oakland."

At the end of the 1994 season, the Raiders had an all-time record of 313-192-11 (.617).  Today, none of the 32 existing franchises has an all-time winning percentage higher than .574.

Super Bowl Record:  3-2 (XI, XV, XVIII) (1976, 1980, 1983)

Top Passer:  Derek Carr (35,222 yds)

Top Rusher:  Marcus Allen (8,545 yds)

Top Receiver:  Tim Brown (14,734 yds)

Top Coach:  John Madden (103 wins)

Top All-Time Player Based on Approximate Value:  Jim Otto (AV of 163)

Otto was a ten-time All-Pro.  He was an All-Pro in every season from 1960 to 1970, with the exception of 1966.  In 1966, he was a second-team All-Pro.

Thirty-Two Franchises: Los Angeles Rams

Have participated in the NFL since the 1937 season.

All-Time Record:  624-606-21 (.507)

1937-1945:  Cleveland Rams:  34-50-2 (.405)

1946-1994:  Los Angeles Rams:  364-299-18 (.549)

1995-2015:  St. Louis Rams:  142-193-1 (.424)

2016-2025:  Los Angeles Rams:  84-64-0 (.568)

St. Louis had the Cardinals from 1960 through 1987, and had the Rams from 1995 through 2015.  That's a total of 49 seasons when St. Louis had a team.  Here's how the St. Louis teams did:

1960-1987:  St. Louis Cardinals:  186-202-14 (.480)

1995-2015:  St. Louis Browns:  142-193-1 (.424)

TOTAL:  328-395-15 (.455)

If the St. Louis teams were combined into a single franchise, they would rank between the Bengals and the Panthers in terms of all-time winning percentages.  St. Louis has gone 1-1 in the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Record:  2-3 (XXXIV, LVI) (1999, 2021)

Top Passer:  Jim Everett (23,758 yds) (Kurt Warner only played 6 seasons for the Rams; he had a record of 35-15 with 14,447 yds, 102 TD's, and 65 INT's).

Top Rusher:  Steven Jackson (10,138 yds) (Eric Dickerson only played 5 seasons for the Rams; in those seasons he ran for 7,245 yds)

Top Receiver:  Isaac Bruce (14,109 yds)

Top Coach:  Sean McVay (80 wins)

Only three teams are currently being coached by their top coach in wins.  The Rams are one of those teams.

Top All-Time Player Based on Approximate Value:  Merlin Olsen (AV of 167)

Thirty-Two Franchises: Los Angeles Chargers

Began in the AFL in 1960; joined the NFL for the 1970 Season.

All-Time Record:  494-495-1 (.499)

1960:  Los Angeles Chargers:  10-4-0 (.714)

1961-2016:  San Diego Chargers:  416-427-11 (.493)

2017-2025:  Los Angeles Chargers:  68-64-0 (.515)

Of the 32 NFL Franchises, 18 have all-time winning records, and 14 have all-time losing records.  The reason for the difference is that there are many defunct franchises, most of whom had losing records.  For example, the Brooklyn Dodgers were in the NFL from 1930 to 1944.  Their all-time record is 60-100-9.  From 1920 to 1929, the Dayton Triangles went 18-51-8.  And so on.

Super Bowl Record:  0-1

Only two of the 32 franchises have a winning all-time record but no Super Bowl wins.

Top Passer:  Philip Rivers (59,271 yds) (Dan Fouts threw for 43,040 yds for the Chargers)

Top Rusher:  LaDainian Tomlinson (12,490 yds)

Top Receiver:  Antonio Gates (11,841 yds)

Top Coach:  Sid Gillman (86 wins) (Don Coryell went 69-56-0 with the Chargers)

Top All-Time Player Based on Approximate Value:  Philip Rivers (AV of 205)

Rivers's record with the Chargers was 123-101-0 in the regular season, and 5-6-0 in the playoffs.

1978

Here's the American Top 40 from today in 1978: Saturday, March 11. Maybe we can squeeze this in before sitting down for some intriguing first-round NCAA-tournament action on Channel 6 this afternoon.

10 Mar 1978, Fri The Paducah Sun (Paducah, Kentucky) Newspapers.com

Hello again, and welcome to American Top 40. I'm Casey Kasem, and this is our weekly countdown of the 40 most popular songs in the country. Well, falling out of the survey this week are Randy Newman, Player, Foreigner, Odyssey and Rod Stewart, and moving into the Top 40 are debut hits by Rod Stewart, Enchantment, England Dan and John Ford Coley, Van Halen (a new group) and ELO. Let's get it started right here ...

2024 College Football Previews: Classic Pac-10

Here are the teams from the Classic Pac-10 as ranked by CBS Sports.  Top 20 teams in bold:

3.  Oregon

21.  U.S.C.

22.  Arizona

40.  Washington

50.  California

52.  U.C.L.A.

60.  Oregon St.

66.  Washington St.

84.  Stanford

85.  Arizona St.

Oregon won the Classic Pac-10 in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019, and 2021, and were just edged out by Washington last year.  Now the Ducks are in a strong position to win their seventh Classic Pac-10 title in the last 16 seasons.  They open with Idaho at home, play at Oregon St. on September 14, and then later play U.C.L.A. and Washington.  Southern Cal will play at Washington and at U.C.L.A.  Arizona will end the season at home against Arizona St.  So we will have some Classic Pac-10 action this year.

XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Wrap)

A lot of this competition is mockery or attacking your opponent--either their character or their moves. But at the end of the day, it's all love.

One of the E! commentators (either B-Boy Kid David or B-Boy Ronnie) 

First Olympic breaking competition, Aug. 9, 2024

Faster, Higher, Stronger -- Together

Olympic motto

Revised July 20, 2021

Final Paris 2024 medal standings: 

1. United States 40 gold, 44 silver, 42 bronze, 126 total
2. China 40, 27, 24, 91
3. Japan 20, 12, 13, 45
4. Australia 18, 19, 16, 53
5. France 16, 26, 22, 64
6. Netherlands 15, 7, 12, 34
7. Great Britain 14, 22, 29, 65
8. South Korea 13, 9, 10, 32
9. Italy 12, 13, 15, 40
10. Germany 12, 13, 8, 33
11. New Zealand 10, 7, 3, 20
12. Canada 9, 7, 11, 27
13. Uzbekistan 8, 2, 3, 13
14. Hungary 6, 7, 6, 19
15. Spain 5, 4, 9, 18
16. Sweden 4, 4, 3, 11
17. Kenya 4, 2, 5, 11
18. Norway 4, 1, 3, 8
19. Ireland 4, 0, 3, 7
20. Brazil 3, 7, 10, 20
21. Iran 3, 6, 3, 12
22. Ukraine 3, 5, 4, 12
23. Romania 3, 4, 2, 9
24. Georgia 3, 3, 1, 7
25. Belgium 3, 1, 6, 10
26. Bulgaria 3, 1, 3, 7
27. Serbia 3, 1, 1, 5
28. Czech Republic 3, 0, 2, 5
29. Denmark 2, 2, 5, 9
T30. Azerbaijan 2, 2, 3, 7
T30. Croatia 2, 2, 3, 7
32. Cuba 2, 1, 6, 9
33. Bahrain 2, 1, 1, 4
34. Slovenia 2, 1, 0, 3
35. Taiwan 2, 0, 5, 7
36. Austria 2, 0, 3, 5
T37. Hong Kong 2, 0, 2, 4
T37. Philippines 2, 0, 2, 4
T39. Algeria 2, 0, 1, 3
T39. Indonesia 2, 0, 1, 3
41. Israel 1, 5, 1, 7
42. Poland 1, 4, 5, 10
43. Kazakhstan 1, 3, 3, 7
T44. Jamaica 1, 3, 2, 6
T44. South Africa 1, 3, 2, 6
T44. Thailand 1, 3, 2, 6
T44. Individual Neutral Athletes 1, 3, 1, 5
47. Ethiopia 1, 3, 0, 4
48. Switzerland 1, 2, 5, 8
49. Ecuador 1, 2, 2, 5
50. Portugal 1, 2, 1, 4
51. Greece 1, 1, 6, 8
T52. Argentina 1, 1, 1, 3
T52. Egypt 1, 1, 1, 3
T52. Tunisia 1, 1, 1, 3
T55. Botswana 1, 1, 0, 2
T55. Chile 1, 1, 0, 2
T55. Saint Lucia 1, 1, 0, 2
T55. Uganda 1, 1, 0, 2
59. Dominican Republic 1, 0, 2, 3
T60. Guatemala 1, 0, 1, 2
T60. Morocco 1, 0, 1, 2
T62. Dominica 1, 0, 0, 1
T62. Pakistan 1, 0, 0, 1
64. Turkey 0, 3, 5, 8
65. Mexico 0, 3, 2, 5
T66. Armenia 0, 3, 1, 4
T66. Colombia 0, 3, 1, 4
T68. Kyrgyzstan 0, 2, 4, 6
T68. North Korea 0, 2, 4, 6
70. Lithuania 0, 2, 2, 4
71. India 0, 1, 5, 6
72. Moldova 0, 1, 3, 4
73. Kosovo 0, 1, 1, 2
T74. Cyprus 0, 1, 0, 1
T74. Fiji 0, 1, 0, 1
T74. Jordan 0, 1, 0, 1
T74. Mongolia 0, 1, 0, 1
T74. Panama 0, 1, 0, 1
79. Tajikistan 0, 0, 3, 3
T80. Albania 0, 0, 2, 2
T80. Grenada 0, 0, 2, 2
T80. Malaysia 0, 0, 2, 2
T80. Puerto Rico 0, 0, 2, 2
T84. Cape Verde 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Ivory Coast 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Peru 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Qatar 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Refugee Olympic Team 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Singapore 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Slovakia 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Zambia 0, 0, 1, 1

Previous reports:

-- I Olympic Summer Games, Athens 1896

-- XXX Olympic Summer Games, London 2012 

-- XXXI Olympic Summer Games, Rio 2016 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day -2-Day 8)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 9)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 10)
-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 11)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 12)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 13)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Days 14-16 Before Closing Ceremonies)

XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 11)

Paris 2024 medals leaders:

1. United States 21 gold, 30 silver, 28 bronze (79 total)

2. China 21, 18, 14 (53)

3. France 13, 16, 19 (48)

4. Australia 13, 12, 8 (33)

5. Great Britain 12, 13, 17 (42)

6. South Korea 11, 8, 7 (26)

7. Japan 10, 5, 11 (26)

8. Italy 9, 10, 6 (25)

9. Netherlands 7, 5, 5 (17)

10. Germany 7, 5, 4 (16)

Previous reports:

-- I Olympic Summer Games, Athens 1896

-- XXX Olympic Summer Games, London 2012 

-- XXXI Olympic Summer Games, Rio 2016 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day -2-Day 8)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 9)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 10)

U.S. Women's Open, Day 4

I'm pretty certain, by the way, that the women played their rounds faster than the men did a few weeks ago at the Los Angeles C.C.  If so, good for them.  Here's where it stands with one round left:

1.  Nasa Hataoka (JPN):  -7 (69+74+66=209)

2.  Allisen Corpuz:  -6 (69+70+71=210)

T3.  Hyo Joo Kim (KOR):  -4 (68+71+73=212)

T3.  Bailey Tardy:  -4 (69+68+75=212)

T5.  Jiyai Shin (KOR):  -2 (71+73+70=214)

T5.  Hae Ran Ryu (KOR):  -2 (69+72+73=214)

T7.  Charley Hull (ENG):  Even (73+72+71=216)

T7.  Angel Yin:  Even (71+73+72=216)

T9.  Minjee Lee (AUS):  +1 (72+73+72=217)

T9.  Rose Zhang:  +1 (74+71+72=217)

T9.  Maja Stark (SWE):  +1 (72+73+72=217)

T9.  Ayaka Furue (JPN):  +1 (74+70+73=217)

U.S. Women's Open, Day 3

Here's the top ten after two rounds.  Pebble Beach really hammered everyone in the afternoon yesterday, and only six golfers are still under par:

1.  Bailey Tardy:  -7 (69+68=137)

T2.  Allisen Corpuz:  -5 (69+70=139)

T2.  Hyo Joo Kim (KOR):  -5 (68+71=139)

4.  Han Ran Ryu (KOR):  -3 (69+72=141)

T5.  Leona Maguire (IRL):  -1 (69+74=143)

T5.  Nasa Hataoka (JPN):  -1 (69+74=143)

T7.  Jiyai Shin (KOR):  Even (71+73=144)

T7.  Ayaka Furue (JPN):  Even (74+70=144)

T7.  In Gee Chun (KOR):  Even (72+72=144)

T7.  Angel Yin:  Even (71+73=144)

U.S. Women's Open, Day 2

Here's the current top 10.  Bailey Tardy is off to a hot start this morning.

1.  Bailey Tardy:  -8 (28 holes)

2.  Allisen Corpuz:  -5 (22)

T3.  Hyo Joo Kim (KOR):  -4 (23)

T3.  Xiyu Janet Lin (CHN):  -4 (18)

T5.  L. Maguire (IRL):  -3 (22)

T5.  Miss Aine Donegan (am) (IRL):  -3 (18)

T5.  Hae Ran Ryu (KOR):  -3 (18)

T5.  Nasa Hataoka (JPN):  -3 (18)

T9.  Miss Benedetta Moresco (am) (ITA):  -2 (18)

T9.  Amy Yang (KOR):  -2 (18)

T9.  Jeongeun Lee (KOR):  -2 (18)

T9.  Miss Amari Avery (am):  -2 (18)

The U.S. Women's Open

The U.S. Women's Golf Open is a favorite event of mine, but I rarely pay it the attention it deserves.  This year's edition is the first to be played at Pebble Beach, which means we get some more prime time golf.  To prepare yourself, here are all the winners since we started the Heath Post:

2010 (Oakmont C.C., Pa.):  Paula Creamer

2011 (Broadmoor G.C., Colo.):  So Yeon Ryu (KOR)

2012 (Blackwolf Run, Wis.):  Na Yeon Choi (KOR)

2013 (Sebonack G.C., N.Y.):  Inbee Park (KOR)

2014 (Pinehurst Resort, N.C.):  Michelle Wie

2015 (Lancaster C.C., Pa.):  In Gee Chun (KOR)

2016 (CordeValle G.C., Calif.):  Brittany Lang

2017 (Trump National G.C., N.J.):  Sung Hyun Park (KOR)

2018 (Shoal Creek G. and C.C., Ala.):  Ariya Jutanugarn (THA)

2019 (C.C. of Charleston, S.C.):  Jeong-eun Lee (KOR)

2020 (Champions G.C., Tex.):  A-lim Kim (KOR)

2021 (Olympic Club, Calif.):  Yuka Saso (PHI)

2022 (Pine Needles Lodge and G.C., N.C..):  Minjee Lee (AUS)

Here are the top ten women on the Rolex Women's Golf Rankings:

1.  Jin-young Ko (KOR)

2.  Nelly Korda

3.  Lydia Ko (NZL)

4.  Lilia Vu

5.  Ruoning Yin (CHN)

6.  Minjee Lee (AUS)

7.  Atthaya Thitikul (THA)

8.  Hyo-Joo Kim (KOR)

9.  Xiyu Lin (CHN)

10.  Leona Maguire (IRL)

The U.S. Open, Round Four

With one round to go, the top ten looks like this:

T1.  W. Clark:  -10 (64+67+69=200)

T1.  R. Fowler:  -10 (62+68+70=200)

3.  R. McIlroy (NIR):  -9 (65+67+69=201)

4.  S. Scheffler:  -7 (67+68+68=203)

5.  H. English:  -6 (67+66+71=204)

T6.  D. Johnson:  -5 (64+70+71=205)

T6.  X. Schauffele:  -5 (62+70+73=205)

8.  R. Nagano (JPN):  -4 (71+67+68=206)

T9.  T. Kim (KOR):  -3 (73+68+66=207)

T9.  B. DeChambeau:  -3 (67+72+68=207)

T9.  C. Smith (AUS):  -3 (69+67+71=207)

Here are the odds for tomorrow:

R. McIlroy:  +200 (2 to 1)

R. Fowler:  +250 (5 to 2)

W. Clark:  +275 (11 to 4)

S. Scheffler:  +450 (9 to 2)

And that's it.  No one else is given a chance of better than 33 to 1.

The U.S. Open, Day Two

The first round at Los Angeles Country Club was full of fireworks, as the golfers took advantage of a wide open course where the greens encouraged aggressive putting.  But when you look at the leaderboard, you can see that, for the most part, the cream is rising to the top:

T1.  R. Fowler:  -8 (62)

T1.  X. Schauffele:  -8 (62)

T3.  W. Clark:  -6 (64)

T3.  D. Johnson:  -6 (64)

T5.  B. Harman: -5 (65)

T5.  R. McIlroy (NIR):  -5 (65)

T7.  B. DeChambeau:  -3 (67)

T7.  S. Scheffler:  -3 (67)

T7.  S.W. Kim (KOR):  -3 (67)

T7.  P. Barjon (FRA):  -3 (67)

T7.  H. English:  -3 (67)

T7.  S. Bennett:  -3 (67)

Viktor Hovland (NOR), Jon Rahm (ESP), and Phil Mickelson all shot 69's.

Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa shot 71's, Jordan Spieth shot a 72, and Justin Thomas shot a 73.

On the whole, I thought this was an encouraging opening.

The U.S. Open, Day One

It's a weekend of prime time golf for us in the eastern half of the United States, as the U.S. Open makes one of its trips to the West Coast.  This year's National Open is being played at the North Course of the Los Angeles Country Club, a legendary (and highly exclusive) course that has not hosted any significant event since the 1940 Los Angeles Open.  So most of us golf fans have literally never seen the course.  Here is the scorecard:

1.  590 yards (par 5)

2.  497 yards (par 4)

3.  419 yards (par 4)

4.  228 yards (par 3)

5.  480 yards (par 4)

6.  330 yards (par 4)

7.  284 yards (par 3)

8.  537 yards (par 5)

9.  171 yards (par 3)

OUT:  3,536 yards (par 35)

10.  409 yards (par 4)

11.  290 yards (par 3)

12.  380 yards (par 4)

13.  507 yards (par 4)

14.  623 yards (par 5)

15.  124 yards (par 3)

16.  542 yards (par 4)

17.  520 yards (par 4)

18.  492 yards (par 4)

IN:  3,887 yards (par 35)

TOTAL:  7,423 yards (par 70)

That's an odd routing -- you don't often see a course with five par threes and three par fives.  But it could be a lot of fun -- I tend to get bored with just one 450-yard par four after another.  And while the course does end with three long par fours (which tend to be the worst scoring holes), for most of the round you are dealing with a broad variety of holes.

Also, the USGA seems to have gotten away from their old habit of tricking up the course to keep scores high.  In fact, a glimpse at the scoreboard indicates that scores are likely to be quite low by U.S. Open standards.  But that doesn't bother me, so long as we get a worthy champion.

As of now, the top of the leaderboard looks like this:

1.  J. Solomon:  -4 (15 holes)

T2.  R. Gerard:  -3 (14)

T2.  D. Wu:  -3 (13)

T2.  R. Fowler:  -3 (9)

T2.  X. Schauffele:  -3 (8)

But, of course, a lot of the favorites have yet to tee off.

1976: Happy New Year

01 Jan 1976, Thu The Paducah Sun (Paducah, Kentucky) Newspapers.com

Here's what we might be looking at on TV today 1976, Thursday, Jan. 1.

Right now, we’re almost an hour into two hours of Good Morning, America on Channel 3, Today on Channel 6 and news getting ready to give way to Captain Kangaroo on Channel 12. Channel 6 has the "Junior Rose Parade" at 9 (I didn’t know there was such a thing), a Rose Parade preview at 9:45 and the Rose Parade at 10:30. The Rose Bowl football game is at 3:30. I definitely want to see those. And when I’m not flipping around game shows and soap operas otherwise today, I might put on some of the stuff I didn’t get to and videotaped yesterday--the Sugar Bowl, for example.

OK, evening time … the big deal tonight is the Orange Bowl at 6:45 on Channel 6: Oklahoma and Michigan. Given that, here’s what I’ll be missing in prime time:

• Barney Miller at 7, On the Rocks at 7:30, Streets of San Francisco at 8 and Harry O at 9 on 3

• Waltons at 7, Hawaii Five-O at 8 and Barnaby Jones at 9 on 12

The late movie on 12 is Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in Artists and Models, which I’ve never seen, so I might watch that and flip in the commercials to whomever Johnny Carson and Tom Snyder have on 6. A Mannix and Longstreet are on late on 3. 

Happy new year!

XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 16)

The men's marathon kicks off the final day of the Tokyo Summer Games, and I at rooting for 35-year-old Galen Rupp of Portland, Oregon; 32-year-old Jake Riley of Bellingham, Washington, and 44-year-old Abdihakem "Abdi" "The Black Cactus" Abdirahman of Tucson, Arizona (but originally of Mogadishu, Somalia). U! S! A!

 

Rupp took bronze at Rio 2016, and an upset gold by him (or either of his teammates) today would be huge for Team USA, which needs at least two gold medals today to pass China in the medal standings. Here are the other opportunities:

— Team USA plays Japan for women’s basketball gold at 11:30 a.m. Tokyo time. Rio 2016 marked Team USA's sixth straight Olympic gold medal in the sport.

— In track cycling, one of today's finals is women’s omnium at 12:25 p.m. I don’t know if either of them is considered a medal threat, but the scheduled contenders include Jennifer Valente, age 26, of San Diego, California and China’s Liu Jiali. Neither competed at Rio 2016.

— Team USA plays Brazil for women’s volleyball gold at 1:30 p.m. Team USA won bronze at Rio 2016. Brazil, upset in the quarterfinals there, is undefeated so far in Tokyo, having won 21 of its 24 sets.

— Keyshawn “The Businessman” Davis, 22, of Norfolk, Virginia, fights Andy Cruz of Cuba at 2:15 p.m. for gold in men’s lightweight boxing. And then Richard Torrez Jr., 22, of Tulare, California, fights Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan at 3:15 p.m. for gold in men’s super heavyweight boxing. None of these guys was among the competitors at Rio 2016.

Also today, China is among the final eight in contention in rhythmic gymnastics groups all-around, starting at 11 a.m. (China finished 11th at Rio 2016.) And--here's a key one--we need to be rooting for Great Britain’s Lauren Price against China’s Li Qian in the gold-medal match of women’s middleweight boxing at 2:45 p.m.; Qian was one of the bronze medalists at Rio 2016, and Price did not compete.

 

Here are the medal standings through 15 of 16 days of Tokyo 2020:

 

1. China 38 gold, 31 silver, 18 bronze
2. United States 36, 39, 33
3. Japan 27, 12, 17
4. Great Britain 20, 21, 22
5. Australia 17, 7, 22
6. Germany 10, 11, 16
7. Netherlands 10, 11, 12
8. Italy 10, 10, 19
9. France 9, 12, 11
10. New Zealand 7, 6, 7
11. Brazil 7, 4, 8
12. Hungary 6, 7, 6
13. Canada 6, 6, 11
14. South Korea 6, 4, 10
15. Cuba 6, 3, 5
16. Poland 4, 5, 5
17. Czech Republic 4, 4, 3
18. Norway 4, 2, 1
19. Jamaica 4, 1, 4
20. Spain 3, 8, 6
21. Sweden 3, 6, 0
22. Switzerland 3, 4, 6
23. Denmark 3, 4, 4
24. Kenya 3, 4, 2
25. Croatia 3, 3, 2
26. Iran 3, 2, 2
27. Belgium 3, 1, 2
28. Slovenia 3, 1, 1
29. Georgia 2, 5, 1
30. Chinese Taipei 2, 4, 6
31. Turkey 2, 2, 9
32. Serbia 2, 1, 4
33. Bulgaria 2, 1, 2
34. Uganda 2, 1, 1
35. Ecuador 2, 1, 0
T36. Israel 2, 0, 2
T36. Uzbekistan 2, 0, 2
T38. Greece 2, 0, 1
T38. Qatar 2, 0, 1
T40. Bahamas 2, 0, 0
T40. Kosovo 2, 0, 0
42. Ukraine 1, 5, 12
43. Belarus 1, 3, 3
T44. Romania 1, 3, 0
T44. Venezuela 1, 3, 0
46. India 1, 2, 4
47. Hong Kong 1, 2, 2
T48. Philippines 1, 2, 1
T48. Slovakia 1, 2, 1
50. South Africa 1, 2, 0
51. Austria 1, 1, 5
52. Egypt 1, 1, 4
53. Indonesia 1, 1, 3
T54. Ethiopia 1, 1, 2
T54. Portgual 1, 1, 2
56. Tunisia 1, 1, 0
57. Ireland 1, 0, 2
T58. Estonia 1, 0, 1
T58. Fiji 1, 0, 1
T58. Latvia 1, 0, 1
T58. Thailand 1, 0, 1
T62. Bermuda 1, 0, 0
T62. Morocco 1, 0, 0
T62. Puerto Rico 1, 0, 0
65. Colombia 0, 4, 1
66. Azerbaijan 0, 3, 4
67. Dominican Republic 0, 3, 2
68. Armenia 0, 2, 2
69. Kyrgyzstan 0, 2, 1
70. Mongolia 0, 1, 3
T71. Argentina 0, 1, 2
T71. San Marino 0, 1, 2
T73. Jordan 0, 1, 1
T73. Nigeria 0, 1, 1
T75. Bahrain 0, 1, 0
T75. Lithuania 0, 1, 0
T75. Namibia 0, 1, 0
T75. North Macedonia 0, 1, 0
T75. Saudi Arabia 0, 1, 0
T75. Turkmenistan 0, 1, 0
81. Kazakhstan 0, 0, 8
82. Mexico 0, 0, 2
83. Finland 0, 0, 2
T84. Botswana 0, 0, 1
T84. Burkina Faso 0, 0, 1
T84. Ghana 0, 0, 1
T84. Grenada 0, 0, 1
T84. Ivory Coast 0, 0, 1
T84. Kuwait 0, 0, 1
T84. Malaysia 0, 0, 1
T84. Moldova 0, 0, 1
T84. Syria 0, 0, 1

Also, athletes from Russia, which once held an Olympics and cheated, have been given 69 medals.

 

Previous reports:

-- I Olympic Summer Games, Athens 1896

-- XXX Olympic Summer Games, London 2012 

-- XXXI Olympic Summer Games, Rio 2016 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Programming Note) 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 0) 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Days 1 and 2)

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 3)

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 4)

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 5)  

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 6) 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Days 7-15) 

XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Days 7-15)

Medal standings:

 

1. China 15 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze
2. Japan 15, 4, 6
3. United States 14, 14, 10
4. Australia 8, 2, 10
5. Great Britain 5, 7, 6
6. South Korea 4, 3, 5
7. France 3, 5, 3
8. Germany 3, 3, 7
9. Italy 2, 7, 10
10. Netherlands 2, 7, 4
11. Canada 2, 3, 5
12. Hungary 2, 1, 2
13. Slovenia 2, 1, 1
14. Croatia 2, 0, 1
15. Kosovo 2, 0, 0
16. Brazil 1, 3, 3
17. Switzerland 1, 3, 2
18. Romania 1, 3, 0
19. Chinese Taipei 1, 2, 3
T20. Czech Republic 1, 2, 1
T20. New Zealand 1, 2, 1
22. Georgia 1, 2, 0
23. Serbia 1, 1, 2
24. Austria 1, 1, 1
T25. Hong Kong 1, 1, 0
T25. Tunisia 1, 1, 0
T27. Estonia 1, 0, 1
T27. Ireland 1, 0, 1
T27. Uzbekistan 1, 0, 1
T30. Bermuda 1, 0, 0
T30. Ecuador 1, 0, 0
T30. Fiji 1, 0, 0
T30. Iran 1, 0, 0
T30. Latvia 1, 0, 0
T30. Norway 1, 0, 0
T30. Philippines 1, 0, 0
T30. Slovakia 1, 0, 0
T30. Thailand 1, 0, 0
39. Spain 0, 2, 1
40. South Africa 0, 2, 0
T41. Indonesia 0, 1, 2
T41. Mongolia 0, 1, 2
T43. Belgium 0, 1, 1
T43. Denmark 0, 1, 1
T45. Bulgaria 0, 1, 0
T45. Colombia 0, 1, 0
T45. India 0, 1, 0
T45. Jordan 0, 1, 0
T45. North Macadonia 0, 1, 0
T45. Poland 0, 1, 0
T45. Turkmenistan 0, 1, 0
T45. Venezuela 0, 1, 0
53. Ukraine 0, 0, 4
54. Kazakhstan 0, 0, 3
T55. Egypt 0, 0, 2
T55. Mexico 0, 0, 2
T55. Turkey 0, 0, 2
T58. Argentina 0, 0, 1
T58. Cuba 0, 0, 1
T58. Finland 0, 0, 1
T58. Israel 0, 0, 1
T58. Ivory Coast 0, 0, 1
T58. Kuwait 0, 0, 1
T58. Portugal 0, 0, 1
T58. San Marino 0, 0, 1

Also, they’ve given 28 medals to competitors from Russia, which actually cheated in Olympics that it hosted.

Previous reports:

-- XXX Olympic Summer Games, London 2012 

-- XXXI Olympic Summer Games, Rio 2016 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Programming Note) 

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 0) 

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Days 1 and 2)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 3)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 4)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 5)  

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 6)

XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 3)

It's 8 a.m. Monday in Tokyo, and Channel 6 is ready to lay some Sunday-night Olympics love on us. Here are our medal standings of the moment:

 

1. China 6 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze

2. Japan 5, 1, 0

3. United States 4, 2, 4

4. South Korea 2, 0, 3

5. Italy 1, 1, 3

T6. Australia 1, 1, 1

T6. France 1, 1, 1

T8. Hungary 1, 1, 0

T8. Tunisia 1, 1, 0

T10. Austria 1, 0, 0

T10. Ecuador 1, 0, 0

T10. Iran 1, 0, 0

T10. Kosovo 1, 0, 0

T10. Thailand 1, 0, 0

T10. Uzbekistan 1, 0, 0

T16. Canada 0, 2, 0

T16. Netherlands 0, 2, 0

T18. Brazil 0, 1, 1

T18. Chinese Taipei 0, 1, 1

T18. Great Britain 0, 1, 1

T18. Indonesia 0, 1, 1

T18. Serbia 0, 1, 1

T23. Belgium 0, 1, 0

T23. Bulgaria 0, 1, 0

T23. Colombia 0, 1, 0

T23. Georgia 0, 1, 0

T23. India 0, 1, 0

T23. Romania 0, 1, 0

T23. Spain 0, 1, 0

T30. Germany 0, 0, 2

T30. Kazakhstan 0, 0, 2

T30. Turkey 0, 0, 2

T30. Ukraine 0, 0, 2

T34. Estonia 0, 0, 1

T34. Israel 0, 0, 1

T34. Mexico 0, 0, 1

T34. Mongolia 0, 0, 1

T34. Slovenia 0, 0, 1

T34. Switzerland 0, 0, 1

They've also given seven medals to athletes from Russia, which invited everybody over to Sochi for the Winter Olympics in 2014 and then cheated.

 

Previous reports:

 

-- XXX Olympic Summer Games, London 2012 

-- XXXI Olympic Summer Games, Rio 2016 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Programming Note) 

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 0)

-- XXXIII Olympics Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Days 1 and 2)