Master Index of Archived Threads


Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

G-Fafif May 27 2010 02:08 PM

ESPN Classic periodically airs eps of The Joe Namath Show, wherein the defending Super Bowl MVP would sit with Dick Schaap, go over game films, welcome guests and, I'm guessing, generally make viewers cringe. Last night the network showed the October 27, 1969 installment, which featured footage from the previous weekend's Jet win over the Boston Patriots, a visit from "the Namath Girl" (a blonde bunny/Carol Wayne type who delivered fan letters and double-entendre), Broadway producer David Merrick and recently crowned World Series MVP Donn Clendenon. No, this wasn't weird at all. Observed 40+ years later: Donn disliked the cold weather in Montreal; Donn figured, as a Pirate, that the Mets would get better with their pitching once their defense improved; Donn could see the Mets' defense coming together during his brief tenure as an Expo; Donn thought Al Weis should have been MVP; David liked the designated pinch hitter rule that had been tested the previous spring, as "PLAH-tooning" was working so well in football; Donn noted Gil Hodges liked platooning; David had five shows on Broadway at the same time; David said he had no problem keeping track of his five different shows, and why should he since no doubt Joe could keep track of the five women he was dating at one time?; Joe couldn't relate to "striking out"; Donn's restaurant in Atlanta was "in the red"; Joe suggested Donn get unsavory characters to visit his restaurant if he wanted to make his place hot, winking at Pete Rozelle's suspicions regarding his own joint; David once tried to buy the Jets; Joe idolized Donn's ex-teammate Roberto Clemente as "the only hero I ever had"; Joe believed if Clemente and Aaron had played in New York, they would have been the greatest baseball players ever; Donn said Clemente was a fun guy in the clubhouse; Dick's microphone worked better than Donn's; Dick no doubt enjoyed depositing checks from this; LeRoy Nieman no doubt enjoyed drawing Joe Namath (his paintings were the set decorations); The Namath Girl came out toward the end as if she were the time keeper to announce the clock was running down; The Namath Girl was identified in the credits as "the Namath Girl" played by an actual person with an actual name; and surely the studio audience was happy to get out of the rain for half-an-hour, because they didn't seem amused or enthralled by any of the banter otherwise. This was brutal television despite the presence of New York sports icons fresh from their defining glories. And it was still about a hundred times more watchable than Centerstage with Michael Kay.

Swan Swan H May 27 2010 02:34 PM Re: Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

No mere blonde bunny, that was Louisa Moritz, who seemingly was on just about every show on TV for a while and, according to IMDB, is now an attorney in California.

Frayed Knot May 27 2010 02:46 PM Re: Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

I stumbled across that and watched for maybe five minutes. Schapp was a good journalist although an incredible suck-up to athletes that he liked (Namath among them) and a totally unrepentant name-dropper until the day he died so I'm sure those sports/entertainment get-togethers were right up his alley even if no one else's. Joe believed if Clemente and Aaron had played in New York, they would have been the greatest baseball players ever This isn't true because Aaron was nowhere near as clutch as Mantle. I know that because Mike Francesa told me so.

G-Fafif May 27 2010 03:33 PM Re: Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

Swan Swan H wrote: No mere blonde bunny, that was Louisa Moritz, who seemingly was on just about every show on TV for a while and, according to IMDB, is now an attorney in California. Wow, she sure got around. That's what Joe said.

Ashie62 May 27 2010 03:57 PM Re: Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

Donn said Clemente was a fun guy in the clubhouse; Just how much fun?

G-Fafif May 27 2010 03:58 PM Re: Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

He didn't specify.

Swan Swan H May 27 2010 06:07 PM Re: Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

Ashie62 wrote: Donn said Clemente was a fun guy in the clubhouse; Just how much fun? He'd grab a shovel and say "Look, I'm Richie Hebner," stuff like that.

Ashie62 May 27 2010 06:56 PM Re: Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

Donn Diggler

G-Fafif May 27 2010 06:59 PM Re: Meeting of the 1969 Championship MVPs

Ashie62 wrote: Donn Diggler He did, per the subject of striking out, refer to his unusually heavy bat. But I'm pretty sure he was working off a single entendre.