Sort of lost in all the hubub Saturday and Sunday was a special moment where Akron-Canton took a hat trick -- featured on the three major Sunday night network news shows or programs, but chances are you missed the one feature that showcased the event most in need of some help.
While CBS-TV was plugging away with Vijay Singh's one-stroke win at the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club the folks at NBC-TV were getting ready for some football down the road at Fawcett Stadium and the Hall of Fame Game two hours later.
In both cases we came off looking pretty good: who doesn't love seeing one of the great golf courses in the world? The South Course was in prime condition after a week of the kind of golf weather the sales staff lives for, and Canton sparkled with green field, blue and maroon fans and the occasional gold sport coat reflecting NFL greatness.
Over on ABC-TV, however, was a piece John Berman did the weekend before.
In an age of video games the network thought it was time to harken back to a simple sport where the skill comes from letting gravity do the work. The All-American Soap Box Derby has fallen on some tough times, no doubt about it. With more kids than ever qualified and estimates of three-thousand or so racers and their families calling Derby Downs a temporary home the stands are remarkably roomy. No big corporate sponsor like Bridgestone, nor a major sporting league (NASCAR drove off from the event) backing this family sport.
Chances are you missed the third score of Akron on network TV this past bright and sunny Sunday; chances are you were driving home from watching golf, driving south to watch football or maybe blowing off TV altogether while you and the kids were watching burgers and hot dogs cook on a classic northeast Ohio summer's evening, the kind of night that still makes me think we are the "Best Location in the Nation"...just like Ready Kilowatt used to say on Channel 5 all those years ago.
While CBS-TV was plugging away with Vijay Singh's one-stroke win at the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club the folks at NBC-TV were getting ready for some football down the road at Fawcett Stadium and the Hall of Fame Game two hours later.
In both cases we came off looking pretty good: who doesn't love seeing one of the great golf courses in the world? The South Course was in prime condition after a week of the kind of golf weather the sales staff lives for, and Canton sparkled with green field, blue and maroon fans and the occasional gold sport coat reflecting NFL greatness.
Over on ABC-TV, however, was a piece John Berman did the weekend before.
In an age of video games the network thought it was time to harken back to a simple sport where the skill comes from letting gravity do the work. The All-American Soap Box Derby has fallen on some tough times, no doubt about it. With more kids than ever qualified and estimates of three-thousand or so racers and their families calling Derby Downs a temporary home the stands are remarkably roomy. No big corporate sponsor like Bridgestone, nor a major sporting league (NASCAR drove off from the event) backing this family sport.
Chances are you missed the third score of Akron on network TV this past bright and sunny Sunday; chances are you were driving home from watching golf, driving south to watch football or maybe blowing off TV altogether while you and the kids were watching burgers and hot dogs cook on a classic northeast Ohio summer's evening, the kind of night that still makes me think we are the "Best Location in the Nation"...just like Ready Kilowatt used to say on Channel 5 all those years ago.
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