OPEN SEASON 4 ANGELS!

Angels' new general manager, Billy Eppler, 

is the special guest today on "Open Season."

We'll talk Angels baseball at 3:05 pm (pt)

 on KCAA- AM 1050/ FM 106.5

 and streaming at www.kcaaradio.com.

**

HAPPY T.D.!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

FROM THE BURNETTS 

TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

**

VETERANS' DAY- 2015

Thanks to my dad, 

Cpl. Raymond C. Burnett, 

and all those who served to keep our freedom.

That lengthy list includes many 

who served our country and went

 on to become baseball Hall of Famers such as

Ted Williams

Jackie Robinson

Click below to see more...

http://www.sportingnews.com/photos/4623205-hall-of-fame-athletes-who-served-in-the-armed-services-photos-world-war/slide/278007

MEMORY BANK MONDAY- CARSON PALMER

Carson Palmer was fresh out of USC- 

fresh off his Heisman Trophy win- 

and front and center on 

Sports Illustrated's

NFL "Draft Preview" issue  

April 21, 2003

Palmer was drafted #1 overall by Cincinnati

 and now, after a brief stop in Oakland, 

he has led the Arizona Cardinals to a 6-2 record

 and first place in the NFC West.

**

YOU REMIND ME OF SOMEONE...

LOOK-ALIKES!

GREEN BAY QUARTERBACK,

 AARON RODGERS

 AND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, 

PAUL RYAN,

REPUBLICAN, WISCONSIN

DO YOU SEE THE RESEMBLANCE?

DOUBLE-CHECK AGAIN.

RODGERS

RYAN

Hmmmm!

**

POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE! (FAUX)

Great job by SB Nation on this fabricated 

post-game press conference 

that features Weird Al Yankovic

 as the head coach. 

It is a funny bit that might not be that phony after all.

 You decide.

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/10/28/9630218/oh-my-god-they-made-weird-al-look-exactly-like-pete-carroll

MONDAY MEMORY BANK- "PATTERSON VS JOHANSSON- 1959

On June 26, 1959, Floyd Patterson defended

 his heavyweight crown against 

Ingemar Johansson, of Sweden. 

The bout was in front of

  just over 18,000 at Yankee Stadium.

 and Patterson was pounded hard 

before the fight was stopped with 

less than one minute to go in round #3.

**

The rematch was held July 20, 1960 

at the Polo Grounds in New York.

 Patterson came in a bigger, stronger 

and more dedicated fighter. 

He blasted "Ingo" throughout the fight

 and landed a vicious left in the fifth round

 that put Johansson on the canvas. 

He was counted out at the 1:51 mark.

**

On March 13, 1961.

Patterson won the rubber match at the 

Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida.

In the sixth round, Patterson landed a left

 and two quick rights. 

Johansson was struggling to his feet 

when he was counted out with 

just seconds left in the sixth round.

Floyd Patterson was back on top

 of the boxing world!

**

TBT- with STEVE GARVEY!

Throwing back to 1992 and working with 

Steve Garvey for Prime Ticket.

We covered the MLB All -Star Weekend

 and had great guest such as

 Reggie Jackson and Dick Williams. 

Steve will be my guest today on 

"Open Season"

on KCAA- AM 1050

106.5 FM

and streaming at www.kcaaradio.com

at 3:05 PM (pt)

Garvey was a great one!

He was a ten-time MLB All- Star, 

a four-time Gold Glove winner,

and he won a World Series title in 1974.

Lots to talk about with "The Garv"

today on KCAA.

**

A CANDID CHAT WITH TODD MARINOVICH

Todd Marinovich was my guest on "Open Season"

 on KCAA-AM/FM. 

He was a highly successful high school quarterback

 who set national records.

 He became a controversial quarterback at the 

University of Southern California 

and with the Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL. 

Through it all, he was abusing drugs.

 That addiction 

shortened his pro football career

 and almost ruined his life.

Marinovich has turned his life around. 

He is married, has kids, trains athletes,

 and Todd is pursuing his passion for art. 

When Todd came on the "Open Season" show recently

(with Mark Mancini, Fred Wallin, and me) 

we talked football,

 substance abuse, 

painting,

 his father, 

hats, hair

and the recent firing of 

USC football coach, Steve Sarkisian. 

Todd was at the "Salute to Troy" event 

that began Sarkisian's downfall. 

That is where our chat kicks off.

https://vimeo.com/142929106

**

Find out more about Todd Marinovich's fascinating life, 

at www.toddmarinovich.com

**

TBT- MONUMENTAL JOHN WOODEN

October 14, 1910 marked the day that

 John Wooden was born in Hall, Indiana.

He won ten national titles, at UCLA, 

in a twelve year period 

including seven championships in a row. 

The "Wizard" has been honored

 in many ways over the years. 

On a recent trip to Indiana, 

I found a fitting monument

 in downtown Indianapolis.

Ironically, just over a week ago, 

a car crashed into the Wooden statue.

The coach never flinched and 

didn't even 

drop his program.

**

MEMORY BANK MONDAY + THE BABE!

1916 World Series

Boston Red Sox  vs. Brooklyn Dodgers.

 Babe Ruth pitched 13 scoreless innings in game #2. 

Boston won that game 2-1 in 14 innings

 and the Red Sox took the 

1916 World Series  four games to one.

** 

TBT- TOUGH TIMES 4 TEXAS FOOTBALL!

The Texas Longhorns are 1-4 heading into Saturday's 

rivalry showdown with Oklahoma.

Bevo fans aren't used to being down so far for so long,

 but they can take heart in the fact that Texas football

 has risen from the ashes before. 

In 1956, the "horns" were 1-9 

under head coach, Ed Price.

 Darrell Royal. took over in 1957, 

Texas went 6-3-1

 and somehow made it to the Sugar Bowl Game

 where they met Mississippi 

on January 1, 1958 

Okay. Maybe this wasn't the best example of

 a Texas football resurgence. 

The Longhorns were down 26-0 in this game

 and fell victim to a 

Mississippi Massacre 39-7. 

After the game, Royal had no excuses

 for his team's crushing defeat.

"We shouldn't have been in a bowl to begin with.

We were kind of a Cinderella team even with that record. 

The year before we were 1-9, 

so we received a lot of notoriety. 

But the truth of the matter is 

we weren't that good of a football team."

I guess the point I am trying to make is that 

Texas football got better under Royal's regime-

 a lot better!

By the time he retired, 

Royal had rolled up 167 Longhorns' wins, 

11 Southwest Conference championships,

and 3 national titles.

Right now, Texas football is not

 "that good of a football team", 

but there is hope Longhorn fans.

**

VIN SCULLY INTERVIEW- PART ONE!

Here is part  #1 of my "Open Season"interview with 

Dodgers' announcer, Vin Scully, 

on KCAA-AM-1050.

He started with the Dodgers' in Brooklyn in 1950

 and is still going strong at the age of 87.

Enjoy!

https://vimeo.com/140211053

**

VIN SCULLY ON "OPEN SEASON" TONIGHT!

Be sure to tune in to "Open Season" tonight 

for my 1-on-1 interview with Vin Scully. 

You'll get some great insights from the Dodgers' legend 

on his early career, 

his greatest moments,

 and his eventual retirement.

You will also find out who Vin Scully calls 

before every Dodgers' game. 

Also, Tom Hoffarth, the media columnist for the 

L.A. Daily News and the San Bernardino Sun 

will be on the show. 

"Open Season"

airs at 6:05 pm(pt) on KCAA-AM-1050

 and streams at www.kcaaradio.com.

**

TBT- YOGI AND YOO-HOO

I was never a Yankee fan, 

but I couldn't help liking Yogi Berra. 

He wasn't Hollywood handsome. 

He wasn't the perfect height and weight. 

He wasn't glamourous, didn't have a coiffed look

 and he didn't have the "sweet swing", 

but man, that #8 could play!  

Yogi put on the gear, 

did the dirty work, 

then took his lunchpail and went home. 

He swung at bad pitches, 

turned them into rbi's,

 and made the World Series his annual fall vacation spot.

 Yogi hit my sweet spot when he started endorsing

 a chocolate drink called "Yoo-Hoo".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtbulcYcHc4

But Yogi showed his true intelligence when he 

became a New York Met. 

At first, it was hard to accept a Yankee in the Mets' midst,

 but we learned to love Casey and we grew to love Yogi, especially when he led the team on that 

miracle run to the 1973 World Series.

I am going to miss Yogi Berra and baseball is , too.

He played the game hard, 

made the most of his abilities 

and never seemed to take the world too seriously.

As Yogi might say:

"He hits from both sides of the plate. 

He's amphibious."

"You better cut the pizza in four pieces.

 I'm not hungry enough to eat six."

"It ain't the heat. It's the humility"

**

Here is a link to bio.com, and a mini-doc 

that I participate in, about Yogi Berra.

http://www.biography.com/people/yogi-berra-9210325

R.I.P YOGI! 

You were a classic!

**

MEMORY BANK MONDAY with JIM PIERSALL 9-21-15

HOP IN THE "WAY BACK MACHINE" with

 Jimmy Piersall and his 'BAT-A-ROUND"batting aid.

Maybe JP could teach you how to run 

around the bases backwards, too?

NEW YORK TIMES

March 25, 1962

*Interesting! The "Bat-A-Round" 

came with an autographed photo,

 but it wasn't of Piersall. 

The photo was of Roger Maris. 

**

MEMORY BANK MONDAY with CA. ANGELS!!

TRIPPING DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH THE 

CALIFORNIA ANGELS

 IN 

1991- '92 and '93.

LISA LESLIE- HALL OF FAMER!

 Congratulations to Lisa Leslie on her induction to the 

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame!

Was there ever any question?

Lisa dominated womens' hoops during her high school, college, Olympic, and professional careers, but she is so much more than "just" a basketball player.

I was privileged to call play-by-play for the L.A. Sparks for sixteen seasons. I saw almost every game of her WNBA career.

I called her historic dunk in 2002 

and so many of her on-court highlights.

I emceed the Sparks' championship ring ceremonies.

I hosted Lisa's jersey retirement festivities, too, and she and I collaborated on Lisa's autobiography

 "Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You."

When I was asked to write some Lisa Leslie remembrances

 for Hall of Fame week,

 I wanted to make sure that it was not

 "just" about points, rebounds and blocked shots,

 because Lisa Leslie is so much more…

**

By Larry Burnett 

My most vivid memories of her playing time were Lisa's graciousness, gracefulness, kind heart and caring for others…combined with an incredible work ethic, confidence and tenacity.

Somehow, she managed to balance sensitivity and femininity with amazing intensity, physicality and a never-ending will to succeed.

I would watch Lisa prance down the court after making a basket. She could look like an elegant deer with her head high and her arms at waist level.

Then seconds later, Lisa would be in "battle mode". She would be in hand to hand, elbow to elbow, body to body contact, ready to tear an opponents head off in order to secure a rebound.

The title " Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You" came from an incident Lisa had with Latasha Byears, when Toto was playing for the former Sacramento Monarchs.

The two were jostling for position as they waited for a free throw to be shot. It was always intense when those two got together. Byears called Lisa a filthy name and Lisa responded with, "Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You. I will knock you out!"

Ironically, it was Byears who assisted on Lisa's history making first dunk in WNBA competition.

That event sticks out in my mind when I think about Lisa.

I called it from high above Staples Center, on July 30, 2002, as Lisa broke away, got the pass and took a clear path to the basket against the former Miami Sol.

Betty Lennox got the closest look at it.

I said on the air, "What's she going to do?" and then " She dunked it! For the first time in WNBA history..."

That was exhilarating! That was headline material! That was history!

Lisa had so many "moments" during her high school, college, Olympic, and WNBA career, but it was her day-to day, practice-to-practice, game- to-game consistency that was so impressive. That, and her faith and concern for others.

I did not find out until two years ago that, on the night of the dunk ( July 30, 2002) the Miami Sol team bus was harassed and threatened on their drive back to the hotel.

A driver carrying a gun forced the bus to pull over to the shoulder.

He got out of his car, brandished the gun and marched back to the crowded bus.

As this terrifying scene is unfolding, a car pulled over to the shoulder. The driver recognized the team bus and wanted to make sure that everybody was okay. That driver was Lisa Leslie.

On one of the biggest nights of her life, Lisa was driving home, by herself, on a dark Los Angeles evening.

She could have been celebrating or thinking about her accomplishment.

Instead, she took the time to care about the welfare of that night's opponents as they waited in fear in that bus on the side of the freeway.

That is the Lisa Leslie that I will always admire and remember. So much more than just a basketball player. 

Congratulations Lisa Leslie

 on your Hall of Fame life!

**

STEALING HOME, BABE!

When Elvis Andrus stole home against the Padres, it marked the Rangers first steal of home in 15 years. It was also unique because Andrus stole the plate with a left-handed batter up and a right-handed reliever on the mound.

 I got to wondering about all-time "home stealers"

and I was not surprised to find Ty Cobb at the top of the list

 with 54 thefts of home.

Max Carrey is next on the list with 33 home plate robberies.

Jackie Robinson is well down the rankings with 19 

and Rod Carew stole home 17 times in his career. 

Lou Gehrig pulled it off 15 times 

and the biggest surprise to me, was that Babe Ruth

(that's right, "The Babe" "Bambino", "Sultan of Swat")

 stole home successfully10 times during his Major League Baseball career. Ruth was no Ty Cobb, when it came to stealing bases, but he was a pretty amazing athlete.

**