Hoffman

Prolific voice actor Joe Alaskey died today at 63. He voiced most of the Warner Bros. characters in various projects post-Mel Blanc, and he voiced Grandpa Pickles on Rugrats after David Doyle died in 1997. He also appeared in the 1980s syndicated sitcom Out of This World and the game show Couch Potatoes. Also, English actor Frank Finlay died last weekend at 89. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Iago in 1965's Othello. In the '80s he played Jacob Marley in the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol, as well as The Witchsmeller Pursuivant in an episode of The Black Adder.

Brian Bedford, the Shakespearean actor probably best known as the voice of Robin Hood in the 1973 Disney movie, died of cancer Wednesday at age 80.

Sin Cara I dislocated a finger in a match against Del Rio a couple of years ago and the match was stopped. Sin Cara II dislocates his shoulder tonight and keeps on wrestling. If they keep upgrading, Sin Cara V or VI should be at Michael Myers levels of indestructible.

Brooke McCarter, who played Paul in The Lost Boys, died yesterday at the age of 52.

I'm picturing Bray beating Roman in the finals for the title, Undertaker and Kane attack all the Wyatts after the match, leaving Sheamus to cash in MITB and easily beat Bray for the title, and Survivor Series draws to a close. The next night on Raw, Sheamus aligns with the Authority and, since it's how the Authority rolls, they taunt Roman for still being unable to win the title. Meanwhile, Bray conveniently removes himself from the title picture by blaming Undertaker for everything that went wrong the night before, thereby continuing their feud.

Al Molinaro from Happy Days died yesterday at the age of 96.

Having the Cubs, Mets, and Royals in their respective LCS is pretty much 10-year-old me's worst nightmare come to life.

If the Mets can beat the Dodgers and Cubs, we'll have the first World Series featuring two expansion teams.

I know I'll openly and loudly for the Cubs if they take on the Mets.

Ah, that's the stuff. Phamtastic. Phambulous. Phamnificent.

Not to speak for Piranesi, but the reaction 'round Cardinal Nation in general would go a little something like this:

Yogi Berra's ghost shows his true colors.

The funny thing is for me, barely being able to move was what I loved about them. The were sturdy and wouldn't fall apart. I also had some of the AWA figures and while they certainly had more articulation, their limbs tended to give way at any time. Wild Bill Irwin should easily slam Ric Flair without his arms collapsing to his side, dagnab it! Most of the LJNs had a few built-in moves to be made - bodyslams, suplexes, and Randy Savage could deliver his elbow drop with no problems. I was (that is, my parents were) able to get a few of the 89 figures from the ads in Pro Wrestling Illustrated. I also got the Andre the Giant with short hair and black singlet and called him Giant Machine to avoid confusion with long hair/blue trunks Andre. I remember Ultimate Warrior was always sold out, though. Oh, I thought I was ever-so-clever to stumble upon the Crayola marker blood idea. I also slammed them through pencils and pretended those plastic cases for audio cassette tapes were chairs. Easily breakable and the shards could be used as additional weaponry. No one ever questioned why I went through so many pencils and audio tapes. They probably chalked it up to weird kids and their hobbies.

LJN figures were the best, but LJN Rick Rude was the worst. Awful pose and he was as tall as Andre. I just used him as Bobby Heenan's bodyguard.

NLDS tickets at Busch Stadium were sold out save for standing room, so I pressed my luck and got tickets for Game 7 of the NLCS. Either I see someone win the NL pennant or I get my money back, so it's win-win. Also, I'm hoping for either a Cardinals-Royals World Series or Cardinals-Astros. Flashback to 1985 or a rehash of the summer spying scandal that went away too quickly.

I completely enjoyed the transformation into Demon Kane. Reminded me of The Incredible Hulk. After his feud with Rollins is finished, they could have Corporate Kane turn into Demon Kane each week, wreaking havoc backstage. Have him spill his coffee, get locked in the bathroom, not have correct change for the vending machine, etc. He transforms, tosses The Miz through a wall, then runs out the back of the arena. About 45 minutes later, a shirtless and disheveled Corporate Kane is found in the nearby woods with a deer and several squirrels looking on in wonder.

Now that Paige has left them, are Charlotte and Becky now simply Team CB? Because if they are, could they please end every interview with "10-4, Good Buddy"?

They're like a modern day Lenny and Squiggy.

Dickie Moore, another member of the Our Gang cast, died Monday at the age of 89.

Former child star Jean Darling died last week at the age of 93. She was one of four surviving cast members from the silent Our Gang shorts, not to mention one of the last living silent film actors, period.

I thought that was Garry Templeton. Templeton gave the finger and grabbed his crotch back in '81 before Whitey dragged him off the field. Heath flipped the bird at someone while he was catching, just happening to do it right as one of the NBC cameras focused on him. He was the one the Cards traded later in 1986 for Mike Laga, who hit the foul ball out of Busch Stadium right after joining the team.

John Tudor was actually the one who punched out the fan. Tudor started Game 7, got shellacked, then Joaquin relieved him and tried to punch out Denkinger after the Royals led 11-0 in the 5th. I still cringe watching replays of Game 6, but Game 7 is fun, watching Whitey Herzog get tossed, Joaquin goes nuts, and then McCarver gets the losing manager interview afterward where Whitey has a blase attitude about the whole thing. The Cardinals ended up trading Joaquin in the offseason to Oakland for Mike Heath, whose only Cardinal claim to fame is giving someone the finger during a Saturday Game of the Week.

From my experience, St. Louis is spending way too much time preparing ourselves for losing another World Series to the Royals, all the while not even contemplating the meltdown that would happen if the Cubs beat the Cardinals in the NLDS (or heaven forbid, the wild card game).