Alex Karras
Oct
10
Some Quick Wednesday Linkage
Let’s do some links now.
Austin Karp at Sports Business Daily says the MLB TV partners saw record low ratings this season.
Sports lllustrated’s Richard Deitsch reviews ESPN2′s first foray into pro hockey since losing the NHL in 2005.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that Bob Costas is back calling postseason baseball for the first time since 2000.
Chris Strauss at USA Today says Monday Night Football on ESPN easily beat the MLB League Division Series on TBS.
Gary Mihoces of USA Today writes that former NFL’er, Monday Night Football analyst and actor Alex Karras has died.
Len Pasquarelli writing for SI.com has this remembrance of Karras.
At Yahoo’s Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski recaps ESPN2′s telecast of Tuesday’s KHL game.
The Sherman Report’s Ed Sherman talks with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit about a resurgent Notre Dame program.
Ed says it appears that White Sox TV analyst Steve Stone won’t be splitting up with Ken Harrelson.
Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable notes that Andrea Kremer is joining NFL Network.
Diego Vasquez of Media Life Magazine looks at Philadelphia where there are a lot of radio and TV deals and where sports radio remains hot.
Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has video of an awkward CNBC interview of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in regards to …. Tim Tebow.
Michael Bradley from the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says the media has to appeal to fans to show compassion in the wake of Kansas City fans cheering the injury to Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel.
Ryan Hannable at Boston Sports Media Watch talks with NESN’s Jenny Dell about her first season as the regional sports network’s Red Sox on-field reporter.
Anthony Sulla-Heffinger, George King III and Mark Hale at the New York Post note that the Jets beat the Yankees head-to-head in the local ratings on Monday night.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times discusses WFAN’s move to the FM dial.
Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record also talks about WFAN going to FM.
Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette says a local sports radio station will air selected AHL games.
Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post says Nationals fans are angry about the early start time for today’s NLDS Game 3 against the Cardinals and the fact that it’s on MLB Network.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle gets Milo Hamilton’s reaction to the Astros letting go of its radio team.
David has some local and national ratings.
Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman has the ratings of various events over the weekend.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that Hall of Fame Reds voice Marty Brennaman will be throwing out the first pitch before today’s NLDS game against San Francisco.
Charles E. Ramirez, Ted Kulfan and Lynn Henning at the Detroit News remember long-time Red Wings public address announcer Budd Lynch who passed away this week.
Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune has new Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco talking about the league’s TV rights and possibly creating its own in-house network.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notices the omissions for the Ford C. Frick Award for the Baseball Hall of Fame Broadcasters Wing.
Tom talks with Jennifer Allen, the daughter of the late Los Angeles Rams coach George Allen, who narrates tonight’s NFL Network “Fearsome Foursome: A Football Life” documenary.
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says losing Hockey Night in Canada would create huge holes for CBC in more ways than one.
Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star says CBC is looking to fill NHL lockout holes with classic games as voted by viewers.
The Canadian Sports Media Blog says CBC is hurt the most as the NHL lockout goes further into the regular season.
The Classic Sports TV and Media site gives us a fascinating look at how ABC filled college football and MLB Postseason conflicts with its #1 announcer for both packages, Keith Jackson.
Joe Favorito has some suggestions on how MLB teams could make money during rain delays.
Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing looks at the Boston Globe’s crusty curmudgeon Dan Shaughnessy blaming the internet for just about everything wrong in the world.
Sports Media Watch notes that taped delayed English Premier League action on Fox beat a live MLS game on NBC.
And that’s going to do it.
Oct
08
Former Detroit Lion, Actor & Monday Night Football Analyst Alex Karras Near Death
Sad story coming out from Southern California, Alex Karras, former defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, actor in movies and TV as well as the third-ever analyst on Monday Night Football is near death. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Karras suffered kidney failure two weeks ago and is being cared for at home. Karras is considered one of the best players in Lions history having played from 1958-1970.
In 1974, he joined ABC’s Monday Night Football hastily replacing Fred Williamson who was fired after the preseason. Karras stayed with MNF through the 1976 season.
Karras also had a number of movie and TV roles. Among his most famous roles was playing in “Blazing Saddles.” He played George Papadapolis in the sitcom “Webster” with his wife, Susan Clark. Some of his other movie roles included “Victor Victoria,” “Porky’s” and “Against All Odds.”
Karras has been inducted in the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As he is in hospice care at home to be joined by his family for his final days, we have a few videos showcasing Alex Karras.
First, here’s Karras being introduced as Mongo in “Blazing Saddles”:
We have Alex in a Schlitz Malt Liquor ad.
Here’s the intro to the 1980′s ABC sitcom, “Webster”
From 1975, here’s a rare animated open for ABC’s Monday Night Football with Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Alex Karras.
Finally, this extended clip shows Karras interacting with Howard Cosell from a 1976 MNF game featuring the New York Jets and New England Patriots. Karras and Cosell were certainly having fun in the booth.
I certainly hope that Alex rests comfortably in his final days.
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