— The great actor Robert Redford passed away earlier this week at age 89; what a tremendous career he had, both as an actor and behind the scenes, as a producer/director.
I’m not 100% sure of this, but I think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater. Long time ago.
Redford later created the Sundance Institute, a non-profit that supports independent film and theater and is known for its annual Sundance Film Festival.
What an epic career; he will be missed.
RIP, sir.
— My favorite Robert Redford movies:
Up Close and Personal
The Natural
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Candidate
Three Days of the Condor
All the President’s Men
— Well-known actors who were also in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, along with Redford and Paul Newman:
Cloris Leachman, Ted Cassidy (Lurch in the Addams Family) and Sam Elliott.
— Former big league pitcher Ron Darling is one of the best, if not the best, color analysts on major league games. He works mainly on Mets’ games.
He was talking the other night about playing in the minor leagues, why they’re important.
“You learn how to win, but you also learn how to lose, and that is important.”
— Salvador Perez had a pretty good night recently; his 300th career home run gave him his 1,000th career RBI. Perez is a future Hall of Famer.
— Arkansas Razorbacks unveiled their non-conference basketball schedule for the coming season; they’re playing all eight teams who were in last spring’s Elite 8. Playing such a tough schedule is an indication that John Calipari thinks he has a really good team.
— Over the last 55 years, only one NFL team has started a season 2-0, with both wins coming on last-minute touchdowns; the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
— Jets’ QB Justin Fields (concussion) is out for this week’s game in Tampa; Tyrod Taylor will get the start. Taylor is 28-29-1 as an NFL starter, playing for seven different teams in 15 years.
— Famous birthdays, September 18th:
Billy Gambrell, 84
Jeff Bostic, 67
Toni Kukoč, 57
Aisha Tyler, 55
Jason Sudekis, 50
Serge Ibaka, 36
Kevin Dotson, 29
Ceddanne Rafaela, 25
The great actor Jack Warden was born on this day in 1920.
— Pretty cool scene before the Mets’ game the other night; Francisco Lindor’s wife Katia played the national anthem on her violin, with their three kids standing nearby on the field.
— Cubs 8, Pirates 4
Cubs clinch their first playoff berth since 2020.
Ian Happ homered, drove in three runs.
Cubs have won seven of their last eight games.
— Giants 5, Diamondbacks 1 (11)
Brandon Pfaadt allowed one hit in nine shutout IP for Arizona.
Giants end a 4-game skid; they’re 2 games out of the last playoff spot.
Justin Verlander allowed three hits in his 7 IP.
— Padres 7, Mets 4
Manny Machado broke a 2-2 tie with a fifth inning grand slam.
Mets lead Arizona by 1.5 games for the last playoff spot.
Juan Soto hit his 41st home run for the Mets.
— Guardians 4, Tigers 0
Cleveland creeps to within 4.5 games of the first-place Tigers.
Guardians have won 11 of their last 12 games.
Gavin Williams allowed three hits in 5 IP.
— Royals 7, Mariners 5
Royals scored four runs in the 8th, broke Seattle’s 10-game win streak.
Adam Frazier’s two-run home run was the game-winning hit.
Mariners fall a half-game behind Houston in the AL West race.
— Astros 5, Rangers 2
Jeremy Pena homered, doubled for Houston.
Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer.
Cristian Javier allowed five hits in six IP, got the win.
— If the baseball playoffs started today (they start week after next):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners
