Where Everyone Knows You Are a Doofus

Anyone here still watch Cheers? Along with M*A*S*H, it may still be the most quotable TV show in history. What's interesting is how certain episodes remind you of things that happen in the real world today. One of the more obscure episodes was from the third season. It was titled, "Bar Bet". The plot involved one Eddie Gordon, a guy who bet Sam Malone that Sam would marry Jacqueline Bisset within a year or Eddie would win the bar. It seems one year is up tomorrow and Eddie is here to collect on his bet and take the bar if Sam isn't married to Jacqueline Bisset by the end of the day tomorrow.

There are two things amusing about that episode. First, Eddie Gordon was played by Michael Richards, the future Cosmo Kramer who now is more famous for his "aggressive" reaction to hecklers of his stand up act.

But second, if you turn to the Sun Times today, you will read about one Bryan Lange. It seems Bryan (spelled that way because you can't have a brain without an "I") was able to get Bears safety Chris Harris to promise to give Lange Superbowl tickets if the Bears went to the Superbowl this year. Harris is on a video clip saying, "I will give you tickets."

Lange replies, "I'm going to hold you to it. I've got you on tape."

Harris, looking at the camera, then agrees: "It's on tape. If we win, he's going."

What we have here is a later-day Eddie Gordon trying to leech Chris Harris. Let's put aside for a second that Lange is trying to take advantage of what was, obviously, a very polite Chris Harris. Let's look at how Lange is harmed by Harris breaking a promise.

Lange got free publicity for himself and his web site in the Sun Times
Lange got free publicity for himself and his web site on Jonathan Brandmeier’s radio show this AM.
Lange is getting ripped on some fringe blogs for being a horse's patootie.

Let's venture that the free publicity far outweighed the negative blogospheric exposre. Lange makes out pretty well from all this.

Oh, you may be wondering, how did that Cheers episode end? Well, Carla realized that the bet does not state that Sam has to marry Jacqueline Bisset the actress. She guesses that there must be another Jacqueline Bisset somewhere in the U.S. All Sam ahs to do is charm her, get a quickie wedding and a quickie annulment. The gang eventually finds a young, unmarried Jackie Bisset in West Virginia. Cliff manages to convince her to come to Boston using the ploy of a radio prize giveaway. She comes to Boston, is charmed by Sam, decides that Sam is a nice guy and needs some help, so she agrees.

When Eddie comes back to the bar to collect, Sam introduces him to Jacqueline. Eddie panics and tries to negotiate a deal. He settles with Sam for a free olive (with stuffed pimento!).

A suggestion for Chris Harris. Stuff some pimentos in Bryan Lange.