Since the first time I saw him on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson some 40 years ago, I have adored Don Rickles. He was the poster boy for a generation of wise-ass kids like me, Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Lewis, Jerry Shandling, Howard Stern and anyone who has made you laugh in the past 30 years. Hell, he makes Clint Eastwood laugh. Don was the first to say the kind of things we were thinking. For the past 15 years I have been fortunate enough to know Don and his wife Barbara as close personal friends. We did a short-lived TV series together called, Daddy Dearest, but the experience gave us a bond that has grown during the years.

While I was especially thrilled to see Don receive and Emmy award on Sunday night, I was even more excited for the two standing ovations. Many have received Emmys. Few get to feel and experience the love and affection of an entire industry. For years I have called him the Babe Ruth of comedy. Don truly is Mr. Warmth. He is possibly one of the nicest, sweetest people who has ever walked the earth, and I couldn’t be happier for him.
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US golf crowned a few new heroes this week in Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley and to a lesser degree University of Kentucky Alumni JB Holmes and Hunter Mahan….It also again showed Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia to be more sizzle than steak…..with the injury to Tiger Woods, Mickelson and Garcia had golden opportunities to jump into the breach and win a major or carry their Ryder Cup teams to victory. Instead, Paddy Harrington grabbed both Tigerless majors and Mickelson and Garcia were anchors around the necks of their respective teams. Without his partners Kim and Mahan to carry him through the weekend, Mickleson would have been the worse of the 24 players to tee it up at Valhalla….US golf needs something beside Tiger. Finally they have an injection of real personality in Kim, Weekly, Holmes and Mahan. Good night Phil and Sergio.