5-at-10: Friday mailbag with Rushmores, GoT's place in history, best baseball to own, is Archie a worthy royal name


              FILE - In this July 26, 2013 file photo, Bryan Cranston, left, and Aaron Paul, cast members in "Breaking Bad," take part in a panel discussion during AMC's Summer 2013 TCA press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. A University of New Mexico School of Law student journal has published a special issue analyzing legal issues related to the story line of AMC-TV's "Breaking Bad." An edition of the New Mexico Law Review released this week looks at the war on drugs, the hypothetical arrest of Walter White, and questionable practices of defense lawyer Saul Goodman.Editor Matthew Zidovsky says students wanted to use the fictional hit television series to discuss serious legal issues like the Fourth Amendment and professional lawyer ethics. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this July 26, 2013 file photo, Bryan Cranston, left, and Aaron Paul, cast members in "Breaking Bad," take part in a panel discussion during AMC's Summer 2013 TCA press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. A University of New Mexico School of Law student journal has published a special issue analyzing legal issues related to the story line of AMC-TV's "Breaking Bad." An edition of the New Mexico Law Review released this week looks at the war on drugs, the hypothetical arrest of Walter White, and questionable practices of defense lawyer Saul Goodman.Editor Matthew Zidovsky says students wanted to use the fictional hit television series to discuss serious legal issues like the Fourth Amendment and professional lawyer ethics. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

From Thomas

I could not stop listening to your show the other day when you were talking about TV teachers. That was great stuff.

I had to go before the end of the show, did you settle on a Rushmore of them?

Thomas -

Thanks for listening and playing along with our silliness. We didn't do it as a Rushmore on Tuesday's Press Row; I can't remember the last one we did to be honest.

But it was a great tie-in throughout the show that David Paschall weaved in and out all day.

If we had to offer a TV teachers Rushmore, we'll go (we did movies too on Tuesday) Mr. Kotter far left. Welcome Back, indeed.

Charlie Brown's teacher, Coach Eric Taylor - yes, he was a teacher - and Walter White of course.

Which brings us to

photo This image released by HBO shows Vladimir Furdik as The Night King on the season finale of "Game of Thrones." The final season premieres on Sunday. (HBO via AP)

From Lonnie

I started reading your morning column last year because of Press Row. You guys do a great job on the radio.

I agree with a lot of 'tangents' but I completely disagree with you on this season of GoT.

It's been trash. The writing has been bad. The Night King was done in one episode. Quick good-byes for Jon with so many of the people who have been in his life since he season 2.

I hate that it is ending this way, and before the season I thought this was the best TV show ever. Now, I don't think this is even the best HBO show ever.

(If you need a mailbag question, have you ever done a Rushmore of best TV shows? Thanks for the 5-at-10, we read it at work everyday now.)

Lonnie

Thanks my man, for reading and listening.

Hey, I had super high expectations for GoT too. It has not been as great as I had hoped, for sure. (And Stunt had a great post about the changes in writing after George R.R. Martin put down his pen and picked up the monster checks for the success of the show.)

But, in my opinion, the biggest mistake in all of this had nothing to do with the scripts, the shortcomings, the lighting or anything else on the screen.

It was going to be impossible not to feel rushed getting that many storylines wrapped in six episodes. Impossible.

We have done several TV Rushmores, and GoT would be a contender, but it's not on my Rushmore of dramas. Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos and Mad Men maybe. (My personal list would replace Mad Men with Friday Night Lights maybe.)

As for the HBO Rushmore, well, Oz was amazing. Deadwood was great too. Tough one for sure, which brings us to...

Rushmore of TV moms - Carol Brady, Marge Simpson, June Cleaver, Marion Cunningham.

Rushmore of products that became synonymous for the entire brand - Band-aids, Q-tips, Frisbee and scotch tape.

Rushmore of all-time ESPN on-air: Berman, Ley, Patrick (and it's hard to leave Olberman off because those two together made The Big Show and to be honest The Big Show was the spring board that made SportsCenter SportsCenter) and Stu Scott.

Rushmore of songs with a beverage in the title: Adult version, Margaritaville, Whiskey River, Gin and Juice, and of course Brass Monkey by the Beasties; all Coca-Cola Cowboy, Tea for One, Smoke on the Water, and the crafty Bridge over Troubled Water

From Jim

OK, we wanted you to settle a debate we're having:

Can men watch The View and still be men?

Thanks and I enjoy your column on A2 and we read the 5-at-10 everyday.

Jim

Thanks.

In a day and age when we need all the men we can get, I would never put a qualifier on what it takes to be a grown adult male who handles himself, his business and all things in between.

But the answer is of course not.

You watch the view - maybe with a morning wine cooler - and you are forfeiting your man card.

From Melissa

I love your writing. Thanks for writing what most of us are thinking and feeling.

I do not know if you have written about this but can you think of a worse Royal name than Archie? Seriously?

Keep it up!

Melissa -

Thanks so much for reading.

Hmmmm, without knowing the family connection to Archie - because it is Archie and not Archibald - so maybe there are other layers.

That said, I was genuinely surprised that Archie was the pick.

Mulva would be worse. (Hello, Jerry. Hello Newman.)

Sebastian maybe.

Would love to have a future prince answer to Bubba. Or Big Pete. Or Little Pete for that matter.

But we got Archie. Yeah, Jughead would be worse.

photo Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols watches his three-run home run against the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

From Frank

Did you see that Pujols' 2,000 RBI - on a homer - ball has not been verified?

What do you think about that and if there was one baseball you could keep as a souvenir what would it be?

Frank -

Great question.

Personally, I'd go with Kirk Gibson's homer in 1988 because I've always been a Dodgers fan.

From a history perspective, I'd go 715 that Tom House caught in left-center at Fulton County 45 years ago last month 1, the ball in Berra's mitt as he jumped into Don Larson's arms after his World Series perfect game 2 and just about anything Babe Ruth-related 3.

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