Oregon Trip, Red Sox Update, Sports Media news and a show I cannot stop watching (Warning: Spoiler ahead).

What an exhausting but amazing last couple of weeks for me.  It all started 2 weeks ago this Thursday (August 15) when I got on a plane to Portland, Oregon and spent the next 8 days there with my parents, my brother, Nate and my sister-in-law, Julia.  I had a great time, going to Nate's work, meeting Julia's family and friends at the party on August 17th (and her family's friends).  I spent the first four nights at a hotel near downtown Portland, then spent the next night at Nate and Julia's place.

Tuesday was my parents' 30th wedding anniversary and my brother decided to send us to a hotel in Hood River, about an hour away from Portland.  Spent a fun day and night in the area; then went to a golf course in the area to watch my dad and Nate play 18 holes of golf.  Went back to Nate and Julia's on Wednesday afternoon and spent the last two nights there.  I had a lot of fun last week and I wouldn't mind going back there again (if I can get over the 3 hour time difference).

Either tomorrow or some time next week, I will be going through my take on all 32 NFL teams and how they will fare this season.  I will not be doing a college football preview this time around (just updates and reaction when needed).  As far as the Red Sox are concerned, they are getting better by the week, but we'll have to see if this holds against the Rays or the Orioles...or even....The Yankees (they're coming, folks.  Don't be surprised if they make a run in September).

In the sports media world, Fox Sports 1 has begun and...I haven't seen much of it.  I have tried to watch Fox Sports Live with the Canadian duo anchoring, but the panel discussion makes me want to do a quick change.  When you have a former tennis star talking baseball, you know something's not right.  I don't mind the anchors, it's just the crew.

As for NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), they are having some success with the Premier League games.  Already, after two weeks, the network has had two "upsets" (Cardiff over Manchester City on Sunday and Aston Villa over Arsenal on August 17) and one of the biggest games of the early part of the season in Manchester United and Chelsea.  That game saw Wayne Rooney start for the "Red Devils" against the "Blues," who are actually trying to make a transfer deal with Man U to get Rooney.  The game ended in a 0-0 draw, but it was a great game and drew some big ratings for NBCSN (over a half-million people watching soccer is actually big).  Whether this trend continues will depend on how well the rest of the season goes for the BPL.

Finally, I thought I'd let people know that I am not really into watching anything other than sporting events on the air, but there are two shows that I have gotten into this season.  One is "Whose Line is it Anyway" on the CW (which some of you know already).  The other series is HBO's "The Newsroom," about a fictitious cable news company and the day-to-day life of the people involved in cable news.  Jeff Daniels plays the main character, Will McAvoy, who is the anchor of the network's main news show.  This season has been all about "Operation Genoa," a story that was brought to attention by a former army general and kept going by a producer from the network's D.C. bureau who was brought into the main bureau in New York when the producer of the newscast goes to New Hampsire to cover the Romney campaign (you can see how hooked I am on the show from this).

Spoiler Alert Below 

Well, last Sunday was the most recent and biggest episode of the season in which the story was given the green light and showed on the air as a special report.  Little did they know, Mr. D.C. producer edited an interview with a 3-star general in a way to make it sound like the general's saying that chemical weapons were used in the operation (Note:  Make sure the TV is off when doing an interview and that it's not on a sporting event with a shot clock showing).  Everything goes downhill after that:  the story had to be retracted a few nights later, the producer gets fired and sues the company for wrongful termination (why the lawyers have been at the network the whole time).

Spoiler Alert Ends

If you have not seen the show yet, give it a chance, especially those who are trying to get into the world of television.*^ It will give you a whole new meaning of the newsroom experience.

*  Disclaimer:  I know that the show is about a fictional news network and that there is more to news reporting that isn't shown on the show, while some of what is shown don't actually take place in real newsrooms (May need assistance with this).
^Note:  The show is rated TV-MA.  It is intended for mature audiences for Adult content and language.

In Memoriam 2013

It was a long 2013 as we said goodbye to some very famous individuals.  Here is the list of those who have passed during last year (via CNN and ranker.com):

January 1---Patti Page (85), legendary pop-country singer, originally born Clara Ann Fowler, became the best-selling female artist of the 1950s with songs that included "Tennessee Waltz."

January 2---Ned Wertimer (89), best known as the doorman Ralph Hart on the television series "The Jefferson."

January 14---Conrad Bain (89), legendary actor whose biggest role was as Philip Drummond in the hit series "Diff'rent Strokes."

January 16---Pauline Phillips (94), the original Dear Abby advice columnist, died after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

January 19---Earl Weaver (82), hall of fame manager with the Baltimore Orioles, leading them to four pennants and a World Series title, died of an apparent heart attack.

January 19---Stan Musial (92), Hall of Fame baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals.

January 30---Patty Andrews (94), last surviving member of the pop group The Andrews Sisters.

February 1---Ed Koch (88), former Mayor of New York City, died of congestive heart failure.

February 17---Mindy McCready (37), country singer who landed 14 songs on the Billboard country charts, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

February 18---Jerry Buss (80), Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers since 1979.  The Lakers won 10 NBA titles during Buss' ownership.

February 25---C. Everett Koop (96), former surgeon general under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

February 27---Van Cliburn (78), legendary pianist who won a major Moscow competition in 1958, died after a battle with bone cancer.

March 1---Bonnie Franklin (69), star of the television show "One Day at a Time," died of complication from pancreatic cancer.

March 5---Hugo Chavez (58), president of Venezuela who cast himself as a "21st century socialist."

March 6---William Moody (58), legendary professional wrestling manager known as Paul Bearer.  During his stints in WWE, he would manage the likes of Kane, Mankind and the Undertaker.

March 23---Joe Weider (93), legendary publisher, promoter and weightlifter who created the Mr. Olympia contest and brought Arnold Schwarzenegger to the US.

March 26---Don Payne (48), Writer/Producer who was one of the creative minds behind "The Simpsons," died after a battle with bone cancer.

March 29---Richard Griffiths (65), actor who is best known for his role as Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter film series.

March 30---Phil Ramone (72), Music producer and innovater.

April 1---Shain Gandee (21), star of the MTV reality show "Buckwild," was found dead in West Virginia from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

April 2---Jane Nebel Henson (78), wife of late Muppets creator Jim Henson, died after a long battle with cancer.

April 4---Roger Ebert (70), legendary film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, died 2 days after taking a leave of absence for cancer treatment.

April 8---Margaret Thatcher (87), the only woman to become the prime minister of Great Britain.

April 8---Annette Funicello (70), one of the original Mouseketeers on the "Mickey Mouse Club."

April 10---Sir Robert Edwards (87), a "co-pioneer" of the in vitro fertilization technique and Nobel Prize winner, died in his sleep after a long illness.

April 11---Jonathan Winters (87), legendary comedian and actor.

April 16---Pat Summerall (82), former NFL football player turned legendary play-by-play announcer.  He was best known for teaming up with former NFL coach John Madden.

April 21---Chrissy Amphlett (53), lead singer of the musical group the Divinyls.  The band scored an international hit with the song "I Touch Myself" in the early 1990s.  Amphlett died from breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.

April 22---Richie Havens (72), folk singer who became the opening act at the 1969 Woodstock musical festival, died of a heart attack.

April 23---Allan Arbus (95), actor who played psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman in the M*A*S*H television series.

April 26---George Jones (81), legendary country music superstar whose graceful voice gave us some of the greatest songs in country music, including "The Grand Tour" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today."

April 28---Jack Shea (84), director for popular television series such as The Jeffersons and Sanford and Sons.

May 1---Chris Kelly (34), one-half of the rap group Kris Kross who had a major hit with the song "Jump."

May 2---Jeff Hanneman (49), founding member of the heavy metal band Slayer, died of liver failure.

May 7---Ray Harryhausen (92), legendary animation and special effects director.

May 8---Jeanne Cooper (84), legendary soap opera actress who starred as Katherine Chancellor in the show "The Young and the Restless."

May 13---Dr. Joyce Brothers (85), popular psychologist and television personality.

May 16---Dick Trickle (71), former NASCAR star, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

May 17---Ken Venturi (82), former US Open golf champions and longtime analyst for CBS Sports' golf coverage, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame 11 days prior to his death.

May 20---Ray Manzarek (74), founding member and keyboardist for the legendary musical group The Doors.

May 26---Ed Shaughnessy (84), longtime drummer on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show."

June 1---Jean Stapleton (90), actress best known as Edith Bunker in the television series "All In the Family."

June 3---Frank Lautenberg (89), longtime Democratic Senator for the state of New Jersey, died from viral pneumonia.  Lautenberg was last surviving veteran of World War II in the Senate.

June 3---David "Deacon" Jones (74), NFL Defensive End who was a part of the fearsome foursome with the Los Angeles (now St. Louis) Rams.  Jones was credited with coining the term "Sack" during his playing career.

June 6---Esther Williams (91), former swimming champion who transformed into an actress in the 1940s and 1950s.

June 18---Michael Hastings (33), Rolling Stone journalist whose story on Gen. Stanley McChrystal led to the dismissal of McChrystal, was killed in a automobile accident.

June 19---James Gandolfini (51), actor whose biggest role was portraying Tony Soprano in the HBO series "The Sopranos."

June 23---Bobby "Blue" Bland (83), Singer who helped create the modern soul-blues sound.

June 23---Richard Matheson (87), Science fiction author who is best known for his book "I Am Legend."

June 28---Matt Osbourne (55), former professional wrestler who was on the card in the World Wrestling Federation's inaugural Wrestlemania and would later appear in WWF as the original Doink the Clown.

June 29---Jim Kelly (67), martial artist who was in the 1973 movie "Enter the Dragon" which also starred Bruce Lee.

July 2---Douglas Englebart (88), inventor of the computer mouse.

July 13---Cory Monteith (31), actor who was in the Fox hit series "Glee."

July 20---Helen Thomas (92), legendary journalist who was a white house correspondent during 10 different presidencies.

July 22---Dennis Farina (69), actor who starred in many different films and TV series, most notably as Jerry Orbach's replacement in the hit series "Law and Order."

July 23---Emile Griffith (75), former five-time world boxing champions (3 titles in welterweight division and 2 titles in middleweight division).

July 26---J.J. Cale (74), Singer/Songwriter who wrote the song "After Midnight" for Eric Clapton.

July 28---Eileen Brennan (80), actress who received an Oscar nomination for her role in the movie "Private Benjamin."

July 30---Ossie Schectman (94), former NBA player with the New York Knicks who scored the league's first basket in 1946.

July 31---Michael Ansara (91), character actor who starred as a Klingon leader in multiple "Star Trek" series.

August 3---John Palmer (77), former reporter for NBC News who anchored the initial coverage of the Challenger disaster for the network.

August 4---Art Donovan (89), Hall of Fame defensive tackle in the NFL who spent most of his career with the Baltimore Colts and won 2 NFL championships with the team.

August 7---George Duke (67), legendary jazz keyboardist who had the ability to bridge together jazz, rock, funk and R&B.

August 8---Karen Black (74), actress who was nominated for an Oscar in 1970 for the film "Five Easy Pieces."

August 10---Eydie Gorme (84), singer best known for the 1963 song "Blame It on the Bossa Nova."

August 14---Lisa Robin Kelly (43), actress who starred in the hit TV series "That 70's Show"

August 19---Lee Thompson Young (29), actor who starred in the TNT series "Rizzoli and Isles."

August 20---Elmore Leonard (87), crime novelist and screenwriter.

August 21---Sid Bernstein (95), promoter and agent who brought The Beatles to Carnegie Hall, helping to start the "British Invasion."

August 23---Gilbert Taylor (99), British cinematographer who was behind the visual styles for films such as "Star Wars" and "Dr. Strangelove."

August 26---Bruce Dunning (73), former CBS News Correspondent.

August 31---David Frost (76), legendary British broadcaster who became famous in the United States for his interviews with former US President Richard Nixon in 1977.

September 1---Tommy Morrison (44), former heavyweight boxing champions who starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in the film "Rocky V."

September 8---Cal Worthington (92), car dealer known in certain parts of the US for his commercials that urged buyers to "Go See Cal."

September 12---Ray Dolby (80), Inventor who changed the way we listen to devices in our homes.

September 18---Ken Norton, Sr. (70), legendary boxer who shocked the world forty years ago by defeating Muhammad Ali.

September 19---Hiroshi Yamauchi (85), owner of the video game company Nintendo.

October 2---Tom Clancy (66), legendary author of such books as "The Hunt for Red October" and "Patriot Games."

October 2---Bill Eppridge (??), former photojournalist who photographed Robert F. Kennedy after he was shot.

October 10---Scott Carpenter (88), former Astronaut who became the second American to ever orbit the Earth.

October 17---Lou Scheimer (84), legendary figure in Saturday Morning television cartoons whose company Filmation produced hit shows like "He-Man," "Superman," and "Fat Albert."

October 18---Tom Foley (84), former US House Speaker.

October 18---Bill Young (82), longtime US Representative for the state of Florida.

October 18---Bum Phillips (90), former NFL Head Coach who led the Houston Oilers to the AFC Title game on two separate occasions.

October 21---Bud Adams (90), longtime owner of the NFL's Tennessee Titans (originally the Houston Oilers) who was one of the co-founder of the American Football League  With his passing, only one original AFL owner is still alive (Ralph Wilson, Jr. with the Buffalo Bills).

October 25---Bill Sharmin (95), legendary NBA figure who won 4 NBA titles as a player for the Boston Celtics before winning six as a coach and front-office personnel as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

October 25---Marcia Wallace (70), longtime actress who starred in "The Bob Newhart Show" and voiced Edna Krabappel on "The Simpsons."

October 27---Lou Reed (71), former songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for the Velvet Underground and as a solo artist.

November 5---Charlie Trotter (54), native chef from Chicago whose restaurant received multiple culinary honors.

November 17---Doris Leesing (94), Nobel Prize-winning author famous for her book "The Golden Notebook," considered by critics as one of the most important feminist novels ever written.

November 19---Diane Disney Miller (79), the eldest daughter of legendary filmmaker Walt Disney.

November 20---Sylvia Browne (77), renowned psychic who was a regular on TV and radio talk shows.

November 30---Paul Crouch (79), co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN).

November 30---Paul Walker (40), actor who starred in many films, including the six installments of the "Fast and Furious" series.

December 5---Nelson Mandela (95), former president and a legend to the people of South Africa.

December 9---Eleanor Parker (95), actress who was best known for her role in "The Sound of Music."

December 14---Peter O'Toole (81), legendary actor who was best known for playing the title role in "Lawrence of Arabia."

December 15---Joan Fontaine (96), originally born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, was an Oscar-winning actress who beat out her sister, Olivia, for the award in 1942.  Fontaine won the award for her role in the Hitchcock film "Suspicion."

December 16---Ray Price (87), legendary country music singer whose major hits include "Crazy Arms" and "For the Good Times."

December 31---James Avery (65), actor who is most famous for playing Phillip Banks on the television series "Fresh Prince of Bel Air."  Avery was originally known for his voice-over work on several animated TV series, including "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," where he voiced Shredder.