Daily Dirt: No John Wayne or Clint Eastwood on this list of underrated cowboys

From cowboys to Cosell, today’s three thoughts promise to run the Daily Dirt gamut. Welcome to Vol. 98.

1. Regular readers of this space know of my love for old western TV shows and cowboy-themed movies. I keep waiting for that genre of films and program to make a comeback. Realistically, I know that will never happen, but a guy can always dream. In the meantime, I have come up with the following list of the most underrated cowboys who have appeared on the silver screen. Hopefully some will be familiar.

Randolph Scott: For those reading this who qualify as baby boomers, I’m sure Randolph Scott is a familiar name. He was one of the biggest stars of western-themed films from the 1950s and 1960s. Scott made more more than 60 westerns. Some of his top movies were “Ride the High Country,” “Comanche Station,” “Right the High Country” and “Ride Lonesome.”

Paul Newman: Best known, in a western sense, for his role in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Newman also left his cowboy mark in a number of other films like “Hombre” and “The Left-Handed Gun.”

Henry Fonda: Jane Fonda’s dad enjoyed quite an underrated career when it came to westerns. “Fort Apache,”  “Drums Along the Mohawk” and “My Darling Clementine” are just three in an impressive list of six-shooter performances.

James Stewart: Yes, the actor most famous for his role in “It’s a Wonderful Life” wasn’t a bad cowboy either, judged by his performances in films like “Broken Arrow,” “The Man from Laramie” and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”.

Gary Cooper: Arguably best known for his portrayal of Lou Gehrig in “Pride of the Yankees,” Cooper was a pretty decent cowboy, too. His Will Kane role in “High Noon” is legendary. Others to catch are “Distant Drums,” “Garden of Evil” and “Springfield Rifle.”

2. Stadiumtalk.com has released its all-time rankings of sportscasters. What do you think?

• 1. Howard Cosell: Love him or hate him, Howard was undeniably the No. 1 sportscaster for much of his 40-year career that eventually ended in 1993 at age 75. He died two years later. His impact on Olympic and boxing coverage is still felt today. Cosell also made a name for himself with his outrageous comments during the early years of Monday Night Football on ABC. It was Cosell who broke the news to the nation about the death of John Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980.
• 2. Jim McKay: At one time, he was the face of ABC sports. He was an on-air personality for 51 years, retiring in 1986 and dying at age 86 in 2008.
• 3. Bob Costas: Baseball is his first love, but he’s handled just about any major sporting event for NBC, HBO and the MLB Network. Costas is 69.
• 4. Al Michaels: The 76-year-old Michaels is still going strong and shows no signs of slowing down. He’s the Sunday night voice of the NFL on NBC. His resume also includes past stints of broadcasting MLB, NBA, NHL, Olympics, horse racing and boxing on all the major networks.
• 5. Jim Nantz: At CBS since 1982, Nantz, 62, has been a longtime voice of the NFL, college basketball, NBA and golf.
• 6. Keith Jackson: For many, Keith Jackson WAS college football with his “Whoa-a-a-a Nellie” calls. Along with college football, Jackson served as the voice of MLB, NBA, boxing, golf and the Olympics, primarily for ABC. He was 89 when he died in 2018. He retired as an announcer in 2006.
• 7. Vin Scully: “Vin Scully is the greatest pure baseball announcer of all-time, and it’s not even close,” says writer Tony Adams. Scully retired as Los Angeles Dodgers play-by-play man following the 2016 season. That ended 67 seasons with the club. Scully is 93 and enjoying retirement.   
• 8. Brian Moore: Perhaps the greatest soccer commentator ever, Moore shot to fame during the 1966 World Cup, won by England.
• 9. Foster Hewitt: Regarded as the greatest hockey announcer ever, Hewitt died at age 82 in 1985.
• 10. Pat Summerall: He covered the NFL, golf and tennis for CBS and Fox. He died at age 82 in 2013. Summerall was the lead announcer for 16 Super Bowls, most of any sportscaster in history.

3. More insight and entertainment from the world of “Found on Facebook”:

• “I see people around my age mountain climbing and zip lining. And here I am feeling good about myself because I got my leg through my underwear without losing my balance.”
• “Do face plants need water?”
• “Nothing messes up your Friday like finding out out it’s only Tuesday.”
• “I watched a flock of chickens cross the road ahead of me this morning. It was poultry in motion.”
• “I just read a story about a turkey. It’s called ‘Baste on a True Story.'”

Steve Fact O’  The Day: Steve never met a ravioli stuffed with mushroom that he didn’t like.

Steve thinks he looks great wearing a cowboy hat, but he’s not too fired up about riding a horse.