2022 ended the same way 2021 did — high-profile celebrities passing
Welcome to 2023 everyone. I hope you all got to celebrate Saturday night into early Sunday morning as the new year arrived.
As I was watching my Friday night news, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how 2021 ended as TV icon Betty White passed on New Year’s Eve just a couple of weeks before she would have turned 100.
Well, 2022 ended the same way as on New Year’s Eve eve, TV pioneer Barbara Walters passed at age 93, then Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed at age 95.
I can remember watching Walters as co-host/reporter on “Today” on NBC with Frank McGee and weather man Frank Blair, then she went to ABC where she not only was a reporter but the co-host of “20/20” with the late Hugh Downs — who also was on “Today” prior to McGee.
Walters’ last big gig was creating “The View,” which is still going today.
However, when news of Walters’ passing was reported, I couldn’t help but think about another TV icon who passed away way too young.
Original “Saturday Night Live” cast member — “The Not Ready for Prime Time Players” as the cast was then known — the late Gilda Radner had as one of her comedy skit characters “Baba Wawa” — a spoof off Walters. Radner passed away a victim of ovarian cancer at age 42 in 1989.
As some of you may have already seen, I put the obituary stories of both Walters and Benedict XVI on our website at www.poteaudailynews.com.
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I told you all I would let you know how I celebrated the arrival of 2023. All I did for the entire New Year’s Eve day and night was watch ball games, whether it was college bowl games or the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaking of the College Football Playoffs semifinals, weren’t the Fiesta and Peach bowls awesome and entertaining.
As I said in my Tuesday edition column, I was hoping Texas Christian University would prevail against Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl to get to Monday night’s national title game at SoFi Stadium in Englewood, Calif. — the home of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers.
I thought for a long time New Year’s Eve night, TCU’s opponent was going to be Ohio State, but Georgia pulled it out of the fire. So, the Bulldogs will have a chance to repeat as national champs, but I’m cheering big time for the Horned Frogs. As you’ll see in this week’s Pigskin Picks in today’s sports section I’m picking TCU to win.
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Everyone was highly anticipating Monday night’s Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game. It was by far the marquee match-up of the 2022 season (yes I know we’re into 2023, but it’s the 2022 National Football League season we’re in, LOL!!!). So much was riding on the game — division titles and AFC playoff seeding, even the No. 1 seed of the conference.
Then, the unimaginable took place. Bills safety
Demar Hamlin tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins after a long pass play. Hamlin then got up, but immediately collapsed.
Hamlin ended up suffering a cardiac arrest, had cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed on him to get his heart starting again and then was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. As of press time, The Bills said he was “showing signs of improvement.”
The biggest thing was all this, for the most part, was on national television for all to see.
I personally thought ABC’s/ESPN’s Monday Night Football staff did a pretty remarkable job in handling the situation. All the staff members had to become news reporters in the blink of an eye.
Prayers go out to Hamlin and his family — and the Bills, even the Bengals and the rest of the National Football League family — for a speedy recovery — heck, just a recovery, period!