Merv Griffin Show: U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy Interview: Civil Unrest, Vietnam War (1967)

Source:Merv Griffin Show- U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (Democrat, New York) on The Merv Griffin Show, in 1967.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“This is an excerpt from an interview with Senator Robert F. Kennedy eight months before he was assassinated in Los Angeles. He hadn’t yet announced his candidacy for president but he very eloquently and insightfully addresses the problems facing America at the end of the 1960s. Merv Griffin had over 5000 guests appear on his show from 1963-1986…

From The Merv Griffin Show 

Bobby Kennedy who wasn’t a Baby Boomer, more of a depression baby, doing a good job speaking for the Baby Boom generation. Not the whole generation, but certainly the New Left that came of age in the 1960s and early 1970s. Whose parents were from the Silent Generation and World War II, who saw America except for the Counter-Culture Movement as just fine the way it was and were happy with the status quo.

The Baby Boom Hippie parents, now seeing their kids as people who came of age during the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement and seeing all sorts of poverty in America and thinking they could get involved in these things and change America for the good. Who saw the status quo in American life as not worth conserving. And wanted to create a new America for themselves.

NBA-TV: NBA 1971-NBA Finals- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Baltimore Bullets: Highlights

Source:NBA-TV- the Bucks and Bullets for the 1971 NBA Championship.

Source:The Daily Journal

“The 1971 NBA Finals was the played at the conclusion of the NBA’s Silver Anniversary season of 1970-71. The Western Conference Champion Milwaukee Bucks, who were born just three years earlier, swept the Eastern Conference Champion Baltimore Bullets in four games. Baltimore had dethroned the 1969-70 NBA Champion New York Knicks to get to their only NBA Finals appearance (as a Baltimore based franchise). This would be the last time that both participants were playing in their first NBA Finals until the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat got together in the 2006 NBA Finals.”

From Ginoong Kamote

The Bullets never seemed to be able to get into sync either offensively or defensively against the Bucks in the whole 71 NBA Finals. The Bullets were either getting stopped and turning the ball over, or giving up big buckets to the Bucks.

The Bucks big three especially of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge and the only question about the Bucks would be, who was a bigger part of the big three: Kareem or Oscar. because you could make a good case they are the two best players who’ve ever played, as well as the best center and point guard of all-time.

The Bullets were really on defense all four games of this series. Because the Bucks were doing what they wanted to do really the whole time. They knew who get to the ball to and when on offense and who to stop on defense: “Let Oscar run the show and hit Kareem deep in the post.” Where the Bullets had no one who could handle him. And when the Bullets spend too much attention either trying to defend Kareem or Oscar, because there wasn’t really much they could do against, the opened up things for Dandridge.

GK Greger: FDR Fireside Chat: 2nd Bill of Rights

Source:GK Gregor- Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat, New York) President of the United States (1933-45)

Source:FreeState MD

“FDR: Jan 11,1944 Fireside Chat. The 2nd Bill of Rights or Economic Bill of Rights”

From GK Gregor

I don’t think Franklin Roosevelt would ever call himself a Socialist or ever did, but his 1944 2nd Bill of Rights Speech, is what American Socialists (democratic, generally) are talking about as far as their idea of freedom. The freedom not to have to go without the basic necessities of life in order to live well. And that it’s the job of government (especially the national government) to see to it that no American is hungry, doesn’t have an adequate place to live, not cold, not too hot, has affordable health care and insurance, a pension, etc. That’s what FDR was advocating for in this speech.

NBA-TV: NBA 1971-NBA Finals- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Baltimore Bullets: Highlights

Source:NBA-TV with highlights of the 1971 NBA Finals.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“The 1971 NBA Finals was the played at the conclusion of the NBA’s Silver Anniversary season of 1970-71. The Western Conference Champion Milwaukee Bucks, who were born just three years earlier, swept the Eastern Conference Champion Baltimore Bullets in four games. Baltimore had dethroned the 1969-70 NBA Champion New York Knicks to get to their only NBA Finals appearance (as a Baltimore based franchise). This would be the last time that both participants were playing in their first NBA Finals until the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat got together in the 2006 NBA Finals.” 

From Ginoong Kamote  

The Milwaukee Bucks playing the Bullets for some reason down at Cole Fieldhouse, down in College Park Maryland, which is like 40 miles from Baltimore. Normally the Bullets played their home games at the Baltimore Civic Arena, which is in downtown Baltimore.

Source:NBA-TV with highlights of the 1971 NBA Finals.

The Bullets never seemed to be able to get into sync either offensively or defensively against the Bucks in the whole 71 NBA Finals. The Bullets were either getting stopped and turning the ball over, or giving up big buckets to the Bucks.  

The Bucks big three especially of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge and the only question about the Bucks would be, who was a bigger part of the big three: Kareem or Oscar. because you could make a good case they are the two best players who’ve ever played, as well as the best center and point guard of all-time. 

The Bullets were really on defense all four games of this series. Because the Bucks were doing what they wanted to do really the whole time. They knew who get to the ball to and when on offense and who to stop on defense: “Let Oscar run the show and hit Kareem deep in the post.” Where the Bullets had no one who could handle him. And when the Bullets spend too much attention either trying to defend Kareem or Oscar, because there wasn’t really much they could do against, the opened up things for Dandridge.

MSG: NBA 1973-ECSF-Game 1-Baltimore Bullets @ New York Knicks: Highlights

Source:Hal 15 Greer with the Bullets-Knicks NBA Playoff series from 1973.

Source:The Daily Journal

“1973 ECSF Gm. 1 Bullets vs. Knicks”

From Hal 15 Greer

The Bullets-Knicks rivalry in the 1970s, was one of the best rivalries in the NBA and represents something that has almost disappeared in the NBA, which are rivalries. 

The 1970s and 80s, you had the Celtics-Lakers, Celtics-Knicks, Celtic-76ers, 76ers-Bullets, Bullets-Knicks and perhaps a few other great rivalries in the NBA that you don’t see that much anymore in this league with the great history that it has. Baltimore and New York are roughly two-hundred miles from each other and these were two of the better franchises in the NBA in the early 1970s. 

The Bullets were one of the better franchises in the NBA in the 1970s, period. Both in Baltimore and then later in Washington, actually Landover, Maryland to start the 1974 season. They relocated to Landover thinking they could hold onto the Baltimore market and capture the Washington market, but that’s a different story. 

For the Bullets to achieve a lot of the success they had in that decade, four conference championships and winning the NBA Finals in 1978, they had to beat the Knicks to do that.

CBC Sports: NHL 1982-Stanley Cup Finals-Game 4-Long Island Islanders @ Vancouver Canucks: Highlights

Source:CBC Sports- Game 4 of the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals. 

Source:The Daily Journal

“Highlights from the deciding Game 4 of the 1982 Stanley Cup Final. New York Islanders vs. Vancouver Canucks. Islanders win the Cup.”

From CBC Sports 

The NHL and NBA are the only leagues where you’ll see a great team with a great record, great talent and coaching, versus a team that just barely made the playoffs and play each other in the league championship. And made the playoffs with a losing record and made the playoffs basically because more than half of the teams in each conference make the playoffs.

The 1982 Islanders, were truly a great team, which is why they won their second straight Stanley Cup. But another reason why they won their second straight Stanley Cup in 1982, is because they played the Canucks. That only won 30-80 games in 1982 and got hot in the playoffs. 

Had the Islanders played a good team like the Edmonton Oilers or someone else, maybe they don’t win their second straight Stanley Cup in 82. They probably would’ve, but it would’ve been a much better Finals and looked like a real Stanley Cup Finals.

CNN: 'OJ Simpson On The Run- Ford Bronco Chase: June 17th, 1994'

Source:CNN covering the most famous Ford Bronco chase in American history. Well, at least in Los Angeles history.

Source:The Daily Journal

"Football and film star O.J. Simpson led police on a low-speed chase along the Los Angeles freeways shortly before his arrest for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. This video, aired on CNN, features the sound from OJ's phone conversation with Homicide Detective Tom Lange. Listen as the accused killer tells Lange that he is the one who "deserves" to be hurt."

From Z-Facts 

The Los Angeles Police Department following what would become the most famous white, Ford Bronco in American history, because in the Bronco had perhaps the most famous two-time murder suspect in it, O.J. Simpson.

Source:CNN covering the most celebrity auto chase in American history. Or at least in the history of Los Angeles.

 I remember this very well, because I had just graduated from high school. And was in Delaware vacationing with my family and I believe I was watching the NBA Finals on NBC. And then of course NBC News breaks in with live coverage of this chase which was different from other Los Angeles car chases, which of course aren’t rare in Los Angeles.

What made this care chase different was that it involved a celebrity and NBC News and other news organizations breaking into a championship series, or whatever they were showing and stopped showing, to cover this tabloid story.

This is just another example and perhaps the biggest example of what news has become in America. At least TV news, where it’s not what’s important to cover that is important, but what is popular to cover and how you make the most money. Covering that story to spend so much time and energy covering one murder trial. Not that it shouldn’t of been covered, which of course the supporters of the coverage will say. But to cover it basically at the expense of every other news story thats going on.

So-called reality TV, which of course isn’t reality TV, but tabloid TV, didn’t start in the late 1990s or 2000s, with Survivor on CBS. It started in the mid 1990s in 1994 with OJ Simpson. And his famous duel murders and his Trial of The Century. Before social networking and before Google, but right in the early days of cellphones and the Internet. And when cable news was becoming very important with the 24 hour news cycle.

You also have to remember that OJ, was not just an actor, but an accomplished one and perhaps not someone you want doing your taxes for you, but smart enough and with the personality to get people’s attention and put the focus on him. He knew he was going to jail and perhaps never coming out and had money and a gun in his truck. And I guess was going to make a run for Mexico, but perhaps smart enough to know he probably wasn’t going to make it.

The Ford Bronco Chase, was the ultimate publicity stunt and so-called reality TV. But it wasn’t what is called reality TV, which is not reality TV, but tabloid TV. Where producers of those shows encourage people to act out to get the most ratings possible.

But this chase was real reality TV. A grown man, who up to this point was a very well-liked and respected man. Who had a Hall of Fame NFL career and one of the top 5-10 running backs of all-time. Who put together a solid sportscasting career with NBC Sports and acting career and did commercials. Who was going through a horrible time, I imagine and perhaps feeling horribly guilty about his two murders and perhaps lost it and didn’t know what to do about it. But again, we are talking about an actor here and this could’ve simply been a publicity stunt. But this was real reality TV and not made up.