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About Jon
Thank You For Not ...

1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with

Mr. Judy Landers
2007-12-19 13:00
by Jon Weisman

You have to be of a certain age to appreciate or at least remember the Landers sisters, Judy (right) and Audrey. Back in the '70s and '80s, they popped up on TV sets and movie screens pretty regularly – though in fact, Audrey has been working on Burn Notice this year. They had sort of a PG-rated sexiness, perfect for Love Boat/Fantasy Island-type work, though Judy was a bit more of the sexpot, while Audrey was the thinking man's Landers sister. (And then there's Teresa Ganzel, which is a whole other story.)

Shortly after he gave up his home run to Jack Clark in the 1985 playoffs, Dodger reliever Tom Niedenfuer married Judy, an event that always struck me as a sufficiently ample consolation prize for infamy. If I'm not mistaken, the couple celebrated their 20th anniversary last month, an achievement far more meaningful than any pennant.

Niedenfuer has kept a pretty low profile since the end of his career in 1990, as far as I can tell (scroll to the bottom), but it looks as if the rest of the family is aiming to gain a little exposure, as evidenced by this item on gossip site TMZ.

Anyway, I don't really have a point here, other than just as with last week's post, I really love it when I can connect my childhood TV-watching days with the Dodgers. I mean, Maureen McCormick and the Landerseses in five days. It doesn't get much better than that.

If you do want something tawdry to contemplate, though, try today's posting at Screen Jam.

Comments (91)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2007-12-19 14:33:05
1.   Eric Enders
I guess I'm not of a certain age. Because the pair of lookalike Landers sisters I'm familar with is... well, not these.
2007-12-19 14:33:19
2.   Bob Timmermann
They're still married?

Really?

I would not have bet on that.

2007-12-19 14:34:14
3.   trainwreck
I know of the deceased Ann Landers, but not these two.

Her daughters are not attractive to me, so I will not be watching their reality television show.

I am very shallow.

2007-12-19 14:35:51
4.   Jon Weisman
3 - I think when it comes to reality TV, you're allowed to be shallow.
2007-12-19 14:36:45
5.   D4P
I am very shallow

Reality show producers count on viewer shallowness. They'd be lost without it.

2007-12-19 14:38:38
6.   Michael Green
Oh, believe me, since I was a teenager in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I well remember the Landers sisters, and especially Judy, who often was on one of my favorite game shows, Match Game. I always thought she played the dumb blonde rather than actually being one.

I read not long ago that they were indeed still married. I also seem to remember a story that after Niedenfuer was done with the Dodgers, Judy Landers called Whitey Herzog, and that's how Tom wound up his career with the Cardinals.

I always thought he was a good pitcher and got a bad rap over the 1985 playoffs. Without him, the Dodgers might not have gotten there in the first place. And does anybody remember that Fernando used to call him "Foo-Foo"?

2007-12-19 14:39:03
7.   Eric Enders
Rather appropriately, Jenny Lewis' song "Rabbit Fur Coat" happened to be playing in the background while I was reading the TMZ item.
2007-12-19 14:39:15
8.   trainwreck
That is why I do not feel bad about it.

Even Top Chef has Padma Lakshmi.

2007-12-19 14:40:09
9.   Bob Timmermann
6
Tommy Lasorda still insists that he didn't overuse Niedenfuer in 1985.
2007-12-19 14:41:35
10.   Eric Enders
Of course, Tommy also still insists that Pedro Martinez was too small, and that his son didn't have AIDS.
2007-12-19 14:45:38
11.   Bob Timmermann
2 of 3 people who rated my review of Lasorda's book on Amazon found it useful. I gave it two stars.

The guy who gave it 5 stars is 11 for 11 in "usefulness."

But what is the usefulness of saying a review is useful?

2007-12-19 14:47:50
12.   Jon Weisman
There's something about the whole Whitey Herzog taking Judy Landers' call that's mesmerizing.

"Telephone, Whitey"

"It's the seventh inning!"

"It's Judy Landers"

"Judy Landers?! I'll be right there ..."

2007-12-19 14:50:02
13.   Humma Kavula
11 That is like the discussion that's been going on for the past few days at John Sickels' site. One visitor is irate because at least one specific Red Sox prospect was more highly rated by Sickels than another specific Yankee prospect.

He called Sickels and "Moron Loser" for this offense.

All I know is that as a result of it all Sickels has decided to take a few days off, thus delaying the posting of his opinion of the Dodgers' Top 20 Prospects.

I don't blame John. He can do what he likes. But I hope that troll is on the top of Santa's naughty list.

2007-12-19 14:51:01
14.   Humma Kavula
that should say "He called Sickels a...."
2007-12-19 14:53:19
15.   natepurcell
13

Theres no way Jed Freaking Lowrie is an A- prospect.

2007-12-19 14:59:24
16.   Humma Kavula
15 That may or may not be true. You've forgotten more about prospects than I'll ever know.

But I even as you hold that opinion, I doubt you'd visit Sickels' site and call him a "Moron Loser." I expect you would calmly and rationally explain your point of view, and when Sickels stuck by his guns with that grade, you would agree to disagree. You would not accuse Sickels of Red Sox fanboyism.

Do I have it wrong?

2007-12-19 15:06:32
17.   scareduck
Nothing says tired 70's T&A like the Landers sisters.
2007-12-19 15:10:45
18.   bhsportsguy
15 Comments, they can be a joyful and thoughtful exchange of ideas.

They can also be annoying and even irritating especially if one feels the need to do battle with them.

2007-12-19 15:10:58
19.   Xeifrank
one more TV show that I will never watch. The pot is getting full.
vr, Xei
2007-12-19 15:15:17
20.   bhsportsguy
Oh and I am definitely old enough to recall "B.J. and the Bear." I thought Audrey's biggest role to date was on "Dallas."

Another couple to have gone 20+ years of wedded bliss is Dan Ackyrod and Donna Dixon.

2007-12-19 15:19:02
21.   trainwreck
20
That helps explain why Homer says Donna Dixon, when he is naming off Santa's reindeer in their original Christmas special.
2007-12-19 15:19:44
22.   natepurcell
16

No thats right.

2007-12-19 15:20:05
23.   Jon Weisman
20 - They're the Newman and Woodward of my generation.

Next month will be 50 years for those two.

2007-12-19 15:20:18
24.   underdog
"Niedenfuer!?! Niedenfuer!?!" {strangle}

Sorry... is that still funny? It was, once.

The reality show thing scares and depresses me. The Landers family depresses me. But if it gave Tom Niedenfuer 20 happy years and helped him forget his troubles, I'm all for it. I always liked him, despite the jack to Jack.

2007-12-19 15:21:08
25.   Andrew Shimmin
11- You're moving on up, though. Only 2/4 people thought your review of a discontinued Epson all-in-one was useful. It's progress. I think the usefulness ratings are how the top posted review(s) get(s) picked. But I'm not positive about that.
2007-12-19 15:21:57
26.   Marty
There's something not right about the elder Landers daughter. There shouldn't be a gap between her breasts wide enough to drive a truck through.
2007-12-19 15:22:42
27.   Eric Enders
When Dan Aykroyd is the Paul Newman of your generation, your generation is in trouble.
2007-12-19 15:24:43
28.   Eric Enders
26 At least one would hope it's the elder one, since it would be pretty sad for a 16-year-old to have had that much plastic surgery done.
2007-12-19 15:26:05
29.   Jon Weisman
24 - Any Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid reference is funny.
2007-12-19 15:29:19
30.   El Lay Dave
For those with an "unhealthy and probably unreasonable attachment to Kuo": according to Josh Rawitch's blog, Hong-Chih will be one of the Rose Parade float riders. Does that increase his chances of making the roster? I hope all that waving doesn't give him an arm injury.
2007-12-19 15:29:46
31.   Gen3Blue
This season has me too tired to look it up, so does anyone have the relationship := Anne Landers and Dear Abby? Were they sisters? Anyway, I remember the "Love Boat" era Landers sisters, though not really with affection. However, I can remember where I was for one and possibly both of the disastrous Niedenfuer bombs. I assume the other one was Ozzie Smith, but I am unsure of the date.(And, again, too tired to search at the moment)
2007-12-19 15:33:57
32.   Jon Weisman
28 - She's 6-1.

http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/rhs/RHSVolley/niedenfuerbio.htm

31 - Yes, sisters.

2007-12-19 15:35:05
33.   Marty
31 Twins in fact.
2007-12-19 15:36:10
34.   Eric Enders
Reading the Wikipedia entry on the Dear Abby sisters just made my head hurt. There were probably more different Abbys and Ann Landerses than there were Franklin W. Dixons.
2007-12-19 15:38:20
35.   Bob Timmermann
25
That printer and I had a very tempestuous relationship.

It was not unlike "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" with the printer playing the Elizabeth Taylor part and me being Richard Burton.

2007-12-19 15:41:02
36.   regfairfield
Looking back on the last thread, someone mentioned that 50 points of OPS from Furcal is not worth an additional 15 million. This is just wrong. If that 15 million doesn't prevent the Dodgers from making any moves, then it's totally worth it. Heck, if Furcal was just one run better than Hu, and that 15 million didn't hurt any other moves, then that's who we should go with.

Of course, there are other factors at work, who will be better years down the line, three-four years of Furcal versus six from Hu, etc. Once again, we're not building the best team for the money, we're building the best team, period.

2007-12-19 15:41:21
37.   Peanuts in My Shoes
7 "Rise Up With Fists!" is up there as one of my favorite tunes the past couple of years.
2007-12-19 15:42:30
38.   trainwreck
35
Maybe you could not get the printer to work because you were both so drunk.
2007-12-19 15:43:33
39.   Gen3Blue
Thanx, I thought they were sister, and at least they were cast as sisters it seem.
2007-12-19 15:44:00
40.   Humma Kavula
I have a big problem with Paul Newman.

Not only is the guy the handsomest man ever. I mean, gorgeous, into his seventies. That's not enough.

He also has not one but TWO guy-fantasy jobs: movie star and racecar driver. And he's fantastic at both, a legend in his fields. But no, that's not enough.

He also is married to a woman just as gorgeous and talented as he is and their love flies in the face of Hollywood scandal and breakups. They seem really really happy. But that is also not enough.

He also decides that he's going to start another business: selling food products with his face on the labels.

And the food products, by and large, tend to be really good and good bargains and worth the money -- not just cheap efforts to cash in on his fame and face.

But that is also not enough.

He then takes all the profits, every penny, from that food business and gives it all to charity.

And what charity? Kids with cancer. You really couldn't pick a more worthy cause. Kids with cancer is maybe the saddest thing.

How can I compete with that? How'm I supposed to just go through my life knowing that Paul Newman is out there?

2007-12-19 15:46:19
41.   Eric Stephen
the couple celebrated their 20th anniversary last month, an achievement far more meaningful than any pennant

For the record, I'd happily trade Tom Niedenfuer's marital bliss for a pennant.

2007-12-19 15:46:25
42.   Jim Hitchcock
We can't have a Niedenfuer post without bringing up Mr. Tacomeister, Terry Forster.
2007-12-19 15:47:31
43.   Eric Enders
42 When the dictionary of Dodger Thoughts acronyms is written, FTOG will have to be included.
2007-12-19 15:48:53
44.   Eric Stephen
40
Great post.
2007-12-19 15:49:18
45.   Jim Hitchcock
40 So how many of you have seen one of my favorite Newman movies, `Nobody's Fool'?
2007-12-19 15:50:20
46.   El Lay Dave
42 nor without a mention of his teammates favorite nickname for him, Buffalo Head.
2007-12-19 15:50:39
47.   Jim Hitchcock
I'm hoping somebody else will ask Eric to elaborate on FTOG...
2007-12-19 15:50:54
48.   D4P
40
Newman...!
2007-12-19 15:52:03
49.   El Lay Dave
47 Fat Tub Of Goo
2007-12-19 15:52:21
50.   Eric Stephen
47
Terry Forster was called *F*at *T*ub *O*f *G*oo by David Letterman in the early 1980s.
Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2007-12-19 15:54:34
51.   Jon Weisman
45 - My dad loved it. I didn't ...
2007-12-19 15:54:57
52.   Jim Hitchcock
49 ,50 Missed the obvious, didn't I? :)
2007-12-19 15:56:53
53.   trainwreck
45
Nobody's Fool was on HBO just yesterday.

40
I wish I could say one of my favorite Simpsons lines that involves Paul Newman.

2007-12-19 15:58:15
54.   underdog
45 Great movie and book.

And I agree with Humma, it's hard to compete with that man's life.

2007-12-19 15:58:21
55.   Marty
I stood next to Paul Newman once at a Malibu Grand Prix when there was one in Pasadena. I had to look down and I'm not tall.
2007-12-19 15:58:53
56.   Humma Kavula
45 51 I do think that it's one of Melanie Griffith's few good movies. Something Wild. Working Girl. Nobody's Fool. Looking her up.... Oh, and she's in the Milagro Beanfield War? I completely forgot. I'll give her that.

But that's it. And it's possible that all three are negated by the sheer awfulness that is A Stranger Among Us.

2007-12-19 15:59:19
57.   underdog
Actually, yeah, I liked the movie but come to think of it my dad liked it more. I think it's a movie made for 60something men, but, I did like it well enough. And I love almost anything Richard Russo writes.
2007-12-19 16:02:09
58.   berkowit28
45 As it happens, I just saw it this morning (recorded from a few days ago on HBO). Excellent. Main credit, of course, to the writer/director (Robert Benton), and the novel on which it was based (Robert Russo). I never heard of Russo before. All the acting was excellent.
2007-12-19 16:02:28
59.   Marty
Not to be missed Newman movies:

Hud
Cool Hand Luke
Hombre
The Left Handed Gun
The Hustler
Harper
Butch Cassidy
Slap Shot
The TV version of Bang the Drum Slowly

2007-12-19 16:03:44
60.   berkowit28
57 58 Right - Richard Russo
2007-12-19 16:03:59
61.   Humma Kavula
59 The Sting!!
2007-12-19 16:05:25
62.   berkowit28
59 You left out The Sting. And a lot more. You seem to have a predilection for "H"'s. Or maybe Newman does.
2007-12-19 16:07:02
63.   trainwreck
The Hudsucker Proxy is another "H" one.
2007-12-19 16:08:04
64.   bhsportsguy
59 My 3 favorite Paul Newman scenes in chronological order.
1. First time he takes on Fats (Jackie Gleason) in "The Hustler."
2. When he has a "fight" with Ted "Lurge" Cassidy in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
3. His closing argument in "The Verdict."
2007-12-19 16:09:03
65.   Humma Kavula
59 Also, The Verdict.

Story about the Verdict. William Goldman tells this story in Adventures in the Screen Trade.

So Mamet is working on the draft of the screenplay of "The Verdict." And everybody's excited. They've got Lumet. They've got Newman. They've got Mamet. It's Oscar time, baby. And Mamet turns in his first draft of the screenplay. Of the movie that would be titled "The Verdict." And they get to the end -- and it's all "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?" "We have, your honor."

And the movie ends.

2007-12-19 16:10:44
66.   trainwreck
65
Take that David Chase!
2007-12-19 16:12:18
67.   Eric Enders
58 HBO adapted another of Richard Russo's novels, Empire Falls, into a miniseries which I thought was quite good. The book is spectacular.

I'd add Road to Perdition to the list of Newman movies not to be missed.

2007-12-19 16:12:20
68.   bhsportsguy
40 He also had time and the foresight to "star" in a Pixar movie ("Cars").

Its true, while I am sure there have been some bad stuff written about him, he is the embodiment of the line from the "Christmas Carol," {Newman's] business was mankind.

2007-12-19 16:13:42
69.   Xeifrank
30. I will have to make sure I am at the parade this year. I only go to Rose Bowl Parades when Illinois is playing in the R.B.
vr, Xei
2007-12-19 16:13:53
70.   Jim Hitchcock
What two of Russo's books would anybody recommend to start?
2007-12-19 16:15:04
71.   Eric Enders
Empire Falls is the only one I've read so far and I'd recommend it heartily.
2007-12-19 16:15:11
72.   bhsportsguy
65 That would have been good too. I have found the ending with the phone ringing, ringing and Newman sitting, feet up, sipping coffee, somewhat anti-climatic.

I always liked the part where after Newman gives his closing, Jack Warden squeezes his arm. We don't need to hear the words, we know he means, you nailed it.

2007-12-19 16:15:24
73.   Humma Kavula
70 I quite liked Mohawk and Nobody's Fool. Haven't read Empire Falls.

Straight Man is fun, but if you have to whittle it down to two, it can wait.

2007-12-19 16:17:10
74.   MikeB
Somebody Up There Likes Me
Sometimes A Great Notion
The Color of Money
2007-12-19 16:18:02
75.   Xeifrank
from that picture, Niedenfuer looks like a younger Jerry Buss. vr, Xei
2007-12-19 16:22:24
76.   ImprobableImpossible
Whoa. Nice pic.

I never thought DT would get borderline close to NSFW.

2007-12-19 16:22:29
77.   Bob Timmermann
72
bhsportsguy hates weather.
He's anti-climatic.
2007-12-19 16:24:55
78.   Eric Enders
76 Jon did edit a bit of cleavage.
2007-12-19 16:26:32
79.   MikeB
Carlos Silva offered $44 mil / 4 years from Seattle. How is Kuroda's deal looking now?
2007-12-19 16:28:24
80.   regfairfield
79 Can I say they're both bad deals? At least Silva will probably be one of their top five pitchers for the next couple years.
2007-12-19 16:34:58
81.   Lexinthedena
I've always liked Silva...and I tihnk in that Ballpark, with theri above average defense, he will do very well....
2007-12-19 16:37:46
82.   underdog
73 What Humma said. I really did enjoy the heck out of Straight Man, though. And I also recommend The Whore's Child: And Other Stories, short story collection.

80 But doesn't that say as much about the Mariners as anything?

2007-12-19 16:40:09
83.   regfairfield
82 Yep, it does. However, they're a better team this year because of the deal, and depending on what their finances actually look like, it could make them a better team for the life of the contract.

I pretty much believe now that if the contract will make your team better for it's duration, taking into account what the money spent on one guy prevents you from doing in the future, then it's a good deal.

2007-12-19 16:40:34
84.   Eric Enders
Silva for me is kind of the definition of the mystery pitcher. In 2005, he turns in what is literally the best control season in baseball history -- 0.43 walks per nine. The next year he comes back and puts up a 5.94 ERA. The next year he cuts his home runs in half and amps up his strikeouts, and he's respectable again. I have utterly no idea what to expect next.
2007-12-19 16:42:02
85.   Joe Pierre
I'll never forget that. First base was open and Lasorda let Niedenfuer pitch to Clark because Tom was doing it all year. Jack than jacked it. It was all over. I couldn't stand Jack Clark after That. I even had trouble when he was our batting coach, I'm glad that didn't last long. Hey there Jon, when I logged on and saw that picture I thought I was on the wrong website.
2007-12-19 16:46:59
86.   Jon Weisman
New post up top.
2007-12-19 16:47:17
87.   Jon Weisman
85 - Always keep 'em gussing.
2007-12-19 16:47:25
88.   Jon Weisman
87 - Or, guessing even.
2007-12-19 16:51:29
89.   dkminnick
The only Judy Landers I remember was Beaver Cleaver's nemesis.
2007-12-19 17:05:10
90.   Scott Long
Back to the most important facet of this discussion. I had a serious thing for Judy Landers when I was a boy. (Hey, when you are 14, there is not much thinking man's version of anything, especially when it comes to sexpots. If a Landers sister was on the Love Boat, Fantasy Island, or BJ and the Bear, I was watching. Actually she was right in the running with the immortal Phyllis Davis, who both appeared on many of the same type shows. Both of them appeared regularly on Vegas.
2007-12-19 18:39:57
91.   scareduck
40 - I got over that once I realized that, as Tom Lehrer once pointed out, by the time Mozart was my age, he had already been dead 10 years. There is only one Paul Newman. There was only one Mozart. (Of course, this doesn't stop me from occasionally Googling the names of ex-flames just to see, as one of them put it, whether "living well is the best revenge".)

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