For a sports starved kid in the 70's (only three channels plus PBS), anything that popped up on TV from NFL Films was a gift from the heavens and I was glued to the TV until the very last credit rolled. To this day on long bike rides, I'll still start humming one of the classic themes.

NFL Films contributed greatly to making the NFL what it is today. TV broadcasts have taken a lot of what they do from NFL Films as well.

Polo collar popped out of the sweatshirt. Baller. RIP Steve and Ed Sabol. Thank you for everything.

Now is a good time to note that John Facenda, the "Voice of God," was replaced by Harry Kalas as the voice of NFL Films. After the death of Kalas (the legendary Phillies announcer), NFL Films chose Scott Graham as his successor. He's been the master of ceremonies in the last two Super Bowls, maybe even more than that.

One thing Red was semi-famous for (but I never tried to test it) is that he would answer all his fan (or hate) mail personally, which is something I can't quite see Popovich doing.

I can't think of any one team in sports having a presence around it like the Celtics had with Red. Maybe Lasorda? They sure don't make em like they used to.

"He will list Cousy, Sharman, Gene Conley (who played major league baseball and basketball at the same time)"

Sure it does- while I surely understand your point (presumably) about eras and responsibilities being different for each guy, there is one overriding truth that preserves the validity of the comparison:

In street and schoolyard, young Auerbach became an athlete, as sport provided exit from Brooklyn to college by way of scholarship. His potential as a pro was not an issue in 1940, when he could pick up $20 maybe by driving to Wilkes-Barre to play semipro. He had majored in physical education in order to become a…

Red Auerbach >>>>>>>>> Phil Jackson. Not even close.

I thought Obvious Child was fine for what it was but incredibly overrated. It's a cute movie that happens to use abortion as a major plot point and yet really is nothing more than a series of repetitive cute meets. There simply wasn't enough material for a full-length feature, which is why it likely was a better short…

These are both solid top fives. Very glad to see A Most Wanted Man so high up. I would probably have Boyhood, Birdman and Most Wanted in my top three but I'd be hard pressed to commit to a set-in-stone order. I think each is brilliant in its own way.

This post is beyond ignorant. Your summation of Letterman's signature style couldn't be more off the mark. Letterman's trademark style of humor was very dark and biting, and his run on Late Night was in a way extremely dangerous and subversive. I'd even go as far to say letterman is the most important comic in the…

Those helicopter parents did a hell of a job persuading you that the world revolves exclusively around your interests.

I had a whole reply thought up about Letterman bringing acerbic wit to TV, the concepts that he pioneered (like flirting with a girl in the building across the street live on TV, going out on the street, etc), how his changing of the boundaries and unsafe approach not only prevented him from getting the Tonight Show…

You're very wrong. About some things. Letterman hasn't been funny in years, that much is true. However, when his show first started airing in 1982 it was an absolute revolution in comedy. The first 5 years of Late Night with David Letterman have never been matched, and it changed comedy as we knew it. Trust me, I was…

I'm under 30. You're wrong. (I mean, wrong aside from what chattygal mentioned about this article actually being printed in a time when it was aimed at your parents).

The Letterman daytime show would be worth another look today in light of the past 30+ years. It may have been a mass-market ratings flop, but a young cadre was watching, and in retrospect it was an important transitional form toward mainstreaming Fernwood 2nite, America 2nite & SCTV. These shows were Colbert before…

"This would have been a good article. For my parents."

Well, this article is over 30 years old so it was written for your parents! Standup was much more of a big deal then, when comedians could easily make the move to headline TV shows and movies; today ('cough' - Mullaney ' - 'cough') not so much.