Putting my, um, “displeasure” with the National Hockey League aside for a moment, I would like to thank Commissioner Gary Bettman for reminding me of one of the all-time great sitcom lines ever — or at least best lines to break out randomly to test the group you’re in — when he said “we have pulled our final offer from the table” in his press conference to cancel the season earlier today.

“McCovey is off the table.”

The line itself is pretty good. The context of the scene is very good, but I think its the fact that Paul repeats this at least three times throughout the scene that makes it stick. I think I’ve dropped it in random conversation before, but I thought of it for the first time in a long time today, and now I can’t get it out of my head. It’s just so funny, and somehow so appropriate.

Which makes me wonder why “The Wonder Years” doesn’t seem to be on TV anywhere anymore. I’ve covered this in a post not too long ago, but there needs to be a “sitcom network”, with shows like “The Wonder Years” anchoring it, along with a few others you don’t seem to see around anymore (TV Land has a decent corner on this market late nights), and then throw in some that lasted only a couple seasons, but REALLY need to see the light of day more often.

A random list of shows that would make some good watchin’ (*):

*-The term “good watchin'” doesn’t necessarily reflect quality television, it could just as easily signal the eternal end for really, really bad shows that you thought were good once, but now realize their magnificent suckitude. (These shows also designated with an asterisk.):

Mr. Belvedere
Barney Miller
Silver Spoons *
Punky Brewster *
E/R (see earlier post, this isn’t the drama, its the good one)
My Two Dads (probably worth an asterisk, but I will never question the work of Greg Evigan)
Taxi
….and so on.

I know I had more, but my brain locked up in the “good watchin'” definition. Feel free to add your own.