My first thoughts on the Kroger-Albertsons merger: the framework of the deal represents a masterclass in how to structure a transaction of this size and complexity. Virtually everything is covered from how the final sales price will be determined (dependent on how many stores will be divested and how many of those are ultimately sold) to the creation of a separate publicly-traded spinoff entity (SpinCo) which will serve as a collection bin of sorts for those supermarkets that are forced to be divested but not sold at the time the deal is expected to close in early 2024. Even the projected accretive and long-term value of the deal is delivered in strong and transparent form.
As I read the joint press release on October 14 and later listened to the Kroger conference call a little bit later that day, I recognized that while there was obvious concern about the impact of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other regulators regarding store overlaps which will force future divestitures, I realized that neither retailer had dug in deeply enough (at least not publicly) into how impactful this issue might become.
Let’s begin with some more realistic projections. Of the nearly 5,000 stores in the combined Kroger and Albertsons silo, our research estimates that more than half of those stores fall within a five-mile radius of each other. And if you’re looking for a more close-in comparison, our data suggests that at least 700 Kroger and Albertsons supermarkets (under a multitude of individualized banners) are within two miles of each other. In some markets, the Kroger and Albertsons banners represent the top two retailers in those territories, a figure that would increase if the out-of-touch FTC still refuses to consider Walmart (a mass merchant by the agency’s definition) a retail food competitor (under its current definition Target as well as clubs Costco and Sam’s would also be deemed non-competitive threats). Hopefully, the growing influence of those alternate channel retailers will be strongly considered when the FTC vets this mega-deal.
However, if even those non-supermarket merchants are considered real competitors (as they should), the overlap concerns remain obvious. In California, the two chains operate a combined 734 supermarkets; in Texas, that number is 427; in Washington nearly 350 stores are operated by both chains; Illinois features 287 combined units; there are 254 stores operated by both companies in Arizona; in Colorado, the total store count is 253; and Oregon is home to 177 Kroger and Albertsons stores. Other states where there is overlap include Indiana, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. Of course, statewide totals are only a partial indicator of stores that actually compete with each other.
Kroger will be running interference on this process. And its track record with the FTC has been very good, as witnessed in the 2014 acquisition of 212 Harris Teeter stores when many analysts (including this one) predicted that, due to overlaps, approximately 35 stores would have to be sold or closed. When the agency ruled that the original deal could stand as presented it surprised most trade observers. Conversely, in 2015, the FTC forced Albertsons and Safeway Inc. to divest 168 stores as part of a settlement allowing those companies to merge and even told both retailers which specific overlapping stores needed to be divested. As it turned out, Albertsons “re-acquired” most of those stores back when buyer Haggen Holdings filed for bankruptcy less than a year later.
And buried in the agate type of the 8-K SEC filing is a paragraph that states the deal could fall apart if more than 650 stores are forced to be divested.
Our research alone indicates that the 650 store threshold could easily be in play, especially when you consider the current economic and political climate. If the deal falls through, Kroger will then owe Albertsons a breakup fee of $600 million.
Lina Khan, the 33-year old chair of the FTC, has been outspoken as an opponent of market-consolidating mergers. In a 2017 law review article she wrote when still a law student at Yale, Khan criticized the Safeway-Albertsons deal as a “spectacular” failure that a casual observer could have anticipated. Moreover, during the past year alone in her leadership position the FTC has sued to block six mergers.
In Congress, it’s not only progressive senators such as Bernie Sanders (the Independent from Vermont) and Democrat Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) who have called for the deal to be rejected, but conservative Republican Senator Mike Lee (Utah) also expressed serious concerns about the merger citing possible antitrust issues. A hearing is scheduled for next month.
Even labor unions, which would be provided with job security under this deal according to Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen, have been vehement in their disdain. UFCW International president Marc Perrone (whose union represents hundreds of thousands Kroger and Albertsons grocery clerks and meatcutters) said: “The proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons has serious implications for hundreds of thousands of our UFCW members and America’s families who are more concerned than ever about inflation’s impact on the price of their food and groceries, prescription drugs and gas. As America’s largest union of essential workers, protecting the livelihoods of this nation’s grocery workers, union and non-union, is our highest priority. Given the national impact such a merger would have, the UFCW and our local unions are discussing this and will stand together to prioritize the best interests of our members, their families, and the communities they proudly serve. To be clear, the UFCW will oppose any merger that threatens the jobs of America’s essential workers, union and non-union, and undermines our communities.”
More than a dozen UFCW Locals representing Kroger and Albertsons also released statements opposing the deal. Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 18,000 members the two chains employ, echoed a similar skeptical view.
Even trade associations have questioned the deal, including the National Grocers Association whose president and CEO Greg Ferrara said: “A merger of the nation’s top two grocery chains should raise serious questions about a single supermarket giant gaining unprecedented dominance over the nation’s food supply chain. A merger would not only put smaller competitors at an unfair disadvantage, but also increase anticompetitive buyer power over grocery suppliers, which ultimately would harm consumers. It is our expectation that this deal will receive rigorous scrutiny from federal antitrust enforcers.”
What are the chances of this transaction being successfully completed? And, if a deal does ultimately get done, what would the final version look like?
As for me, I believe the merger will happen but the price of store divestments will be high and costly. As for SpinCo, I’m taking that name as a double entendre – the standalone parking lot for unclaimed stores and the “spin” that goes with selling this idea. As stated earlier, the SpinCo carveout is creative and clever. However, if the two retailers can find buyers for 60 percent of those divested stores, they should consider it an extra base hit. But what becomes of those hundreds of stores that end up as yard sale fodder – the most unsaleable stores in the entire fleet who will have to trade under new banners because the newly combined company (who will also be given a new corporate name) plans to continue to market the same banners that are best-known by their customers?
If the transaction is allowed to happen (even with severe wing clipping), it’s a win for both sides. If you were to hypothesize and create a worst-case scenario where 800 stores are forced to be divested (and Kroger would be willing to swallow that), the Cincinnati-based merchant would stand to gain a net addition of about 1,500 brick and mortar stores, something that would quickly spin more revenue and profit than its digital efforts could produce in a decade.
For Albertsons, or should I say puppeteer Cerberus, this is the ultimate path to freedom, a journey that’s taken 16 years thus far to reach. There’s a reason that you didn’t see Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran named in the post-transaction leadership list. That’s because he won’t be around if the deal gains approval. Sankaran, the former PepsiCo executive, did a fine job in his first three years as chief executive – restoring the balance sheet to a healthy status, reducing debt (although previous CEO Jim Donald deserves credit for starting that process), rapidly developing a digital presence for the Boise, ID-based chain, and taking the company public. But Albertsons, or should I say Cerberus and its four other minority (but significant shareholders), got what it wanted when it recruited Sankaran to become its leader.
While both retailers said they expect the deal to close in the next 18 months, I’m betting a year from today we’ll be able to read the tea leaves a lot more clearly.
Leadership Change At Utz: Lissette To Become Chairman
Friedman Named CEO Of The Hanover, PA Snack Firm
Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz Brands, will be stepping down from his leadership post at the Hanover, PA-based snack firm, effective December 15, 2022. Joining the company as chief executive at that time will be Howard Friedman, currently COO of Post Holdings, Inc. and former chief executive of Post Consumer Brands. Friedman will also become a board member of the growing snack firm. At that time, Lissette, who has been with Utz since 1995, will become executive chairman and current Utz chairman Roger Deromedi will become lead independent director of Utz’s 12-person board.
In the second quarter of 2023, Lissette will transition to the role of non-executive chairman, a move the company said was initially contemplated at the time of the merger between Collier Creek Holdings and Utz in 2020 that led the snack packer to become a publicly-traded company.
Utz said that the search for its next CEO included the consideration of both internal and external candidates, leading to the identification of Friedman as a successor to Lissette. The company was seeking an individual with the right CPG experience and expertise to lead the company as it accelerates its proven growth strategy.
In his 27 years with the company (the last nine as CEO), Lissette has been instrumental in Utz’s success and growth from a regional snack food brand to the third largest branded salty snack platform in the United States. During that period, Utz’s sales have nearly tripled to $1.3 billion and the company has completed six key acquisitions in the two-year period since the firm went public.
“I have had the honor and privilege to work for and to help lead this great company for nearly three decades. It has been immensely gratifying to see the success of our team over so many years, as Utz continues to achieve enhanced scale while never compromising the family crafted quality and great flavors that our consumers expect. Our track record of success has been incredible, and I am truly excited to transition into the role of executive chairman and to welcome Howard to our team,” the 50 year old executive noted. “Passing the baton to Howard as the company’s next CEO is the start of an exciting new chapter for Utz. Utz has only had six CEOs over the past century, and we recognize the importance of finding the right person to lead the company and uphold our deep company heritage and culture. Not only is Howard an experienced, capable leader, but he also has tremendous passion for our brands. This is an exciting chapter for me personally as well, and I’m looking forward to remaining actively involved in guiding the company as executive chairman of the board after December 15. We have the best team in the business, and I can’t wait to see what we achieve next.”
Friedman has more than 25 years of experience in the food and beverage sector. Prior to his stint at Post, he worked for Kraft Heinz for more than 20 years, ultimately becoming executive VP of the company’s refrigerated (meat and dairy) unit, the company’s largest division. He holds a B.A. from Dickinson College and an M.B.A. in marketing and finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Friedman also served in the U.S. Army and completed his duties as a captain.
“I am honored to join Utz as CEO at this important time, and I see enormous potential to continue Utz’s exciting journey. I am confident that, with such a values-driven, passionate organization, and a portfolio of iconic snacks beloved by families across the U.S., Utz is just getting started. I am eager to start this new chapter and work with Dylan, the Utz leadership team, and the board to drive value, expand the company’s reach, and deliver growth as we produce world-class product innovation and the flagship snacks consumers have connected with for more than a century,” Friedman stated.
Deromedi added, “We are pleased to welcome Howard as our next CEO after a thorough search and succession planning process. Howard is an exceptionally strong leader with the skills, experience, and perspective to execute our strategy and lead Utz to succeed well into the future. We are also fortunate to have Dylan as an integral member of the board, building on both his legacy of successful leadership at Utz, as well as the Rice and Lissette’s continuing and significant ownership stake in the company.”
Also commenting was Michael Rice, Utz chairman emeritus and previous Utz CEO of more than 30 years. “Utz has been blessed with talented associates every step of the way on our journey to becoming one of the largest salty snack companies in the country. With the foundation that Dylan and the team have built, and now under Howard’s leadership, I feel we have tremendous, continued growth potential. The Utz team continues to strengthen our nationwide capabilities, and our associates always amaze me with their passion for creating the best snack foods in the industry. With Dylan as the chairman of the board and Howard leading the business, I anticipate continued success long into the future.”
On October 3, Utz also reaffirmed its fiscal year 2022 financial outlook, which it last updated on August 11, 2022. For 2022, the company continues to expect total net sales growth of 13-15 percent with organic net sales increasing 10-12 percent, and adjusted EBITDA growth of 2-5 percent.
I have a few personal thoughts on the changing of the guard at Utz Brands. Of course, this surprised me when I first heard it earlier this month. After all, in his 10 years as chief executive and 27 years with Utz overall, Dylan, who’s a very youthful 50, did a stellar job, especially so in the past decade during which he oversaw numerous acquisitions, led a successful effort to take the company public and saw the once-regional snack food firm break the $1 billion sales mark. However, when I talked to Dylan the day after the announcement was made, his perspective was much different. First, he stated this decision was entirely his. He added that he felt the company was secure enough to find another professional leader, and at this stage of his career he felt he could be more valuable using his time and talent to take a differentiated longer strategic view to help the company grow. “When you’re the CEO, you’re always kind of a player-coach. My thought was that if we could find a skilled and seasoned executive to fill the day-to-day leadership role, then I could fully concentrate on other opportunities and challenges for Utz,” Dylan told me. In the many years that I’ve worked with him, I’ve found Dylan Lissette to be extremely prepared, insightful, accessible and honest with a tireless work ethic. Good luck to him and his successor, Howard Friedman, who will have big shoes to fill.
‘Round The Trade
Several published reports indicate that Amazon’s second “Prime Day” event in the past three months was less than stellar. According to a Bank of America analyst, “Godzilla’s” recent “Prime Early Access” discount jubilee held from October 11-13 generated $5.7 billion in sales, lower than the $7.5 billion total it reportedly reached during its signature July event. Market research firm Numerator said that Amazon’s average sales per order was $46.68, a big drop from the $60.29 per ring the online juggernaut reached in July. The bigger question here might be: was a second discount event in the past 90 days an overkill of sorts or are the disappointing results a precursor of the effect that inflation will have on many retailers?… more Albertsons news: a few days after its big deal with Kroger was announced, the big chain said its same store sales jumped 7.4 percent in Q2 and its earnings increased from $295.2 million to $342.7 million in the 13-week period that ended on September 10. Digital sales also rose 36 percent and the company experienced a 16 percent bump in its loyalty club membership. “Our team continued to deliver strong performance during the second quarter,” said Sankaran. “Throughout the quarter, we continued to invest in our digital transformation, our differentiation in Fresh, and the modernization of our capabilities. As we look ahead to the balance of the year, we believe we are well-positioned to further accelerate in each of these areas, as we continue to roll out our ‘Customers for Life’ strategy. With ongoing productivity to support our investments and to cushion inflationary and consumer headwinds, we will continue to prioritize our investments in deepening our relationships with our customers and communities. Our teams’ commitment to serving our customers is driving our performance while furthering our purpose to bring people together around the joys of food and to inspire well-being.”
…and one of Cerberus’ four original investors – Kimco Realty – wasted no time in selling some of its Albertsons shares. The Jericho, NY based shopping center owner sold 39.8 million shares on the day the Kroger deal was announced. That transaction netted Kimco $301.1 million which the company said would be distributed to its shareholders. Kimco still owns 28 million Albertsons shares worth an estimated $556 million which it agreed not to sell for a period of seven months. If the Kroger-Albertsons merger is ultimately consummated (a big “if”), you might need a stopwatch to seek how quickly the other original investors – Cerberus, Klaff Realty, Luther-Adler Partners, Schottenstein Stores and newer investors Jubilee Limited Partners and HPS Investment Partners – cash in their stakes…and the beat goes on (and it’s not all that rhythmic) for increasing grocery prices. According to the September Consumer Price Index (CPI), food price increases matched August levels – 0.8 percent – but were still frighteningly higher – an 11.2 percent gain year-over year. The Bureaus of Labor Statistics (BLS), the government agency that issued the report, said all six grocery store indices also increased when looking at a 12-month comparison. Those include cereal products (+16.2 percent); dairy (+15.9 percent); non-alcoholic beverages (+12.9 percent); bakery meat/poultry/seafood/eggs (+9 percent); fruits and vegetables (+10.4 percent); and other food at home (+15.7 percent). And if you reviewed the recent financial reports from two of the world’s largest CPG firms – P&G and Nestle – you’d find that both companies continued to raise prices in their most recent operating quarters. Nestle said it posted Q3 price increases that were 9.5 percent higher than a year ago and a whopping 7.7 percent over its previous quarter. Procter said that its price hikes for all of its products averaged 9 percent just in its third quarter alone. According to the CEOs of both firms, the usual supply chain culprits were still the root cause: labor, raw materials and transportation. I shudder to think what the sales and especially earnings results will look like with buyers and sellers a year from today…on the digital front, according to research firm Brick Meets Click/Mercatus, total U.S. online grocery sales in September dipped 3 percent to $8.5 billion compared to the corresponding period last year. However, for the first nine months of 2022 sales were still 4 percent higher than they were in the first nine months of 2021. And for the first time in nearly two years, the growth of grocery delivery outpaced that of pick. BOPIS (buy online pickup in store), still the largest portal in the online dynamic, experienced marginally negative revenue last month, while delivery, which has been consistently declining since early 2021, saw sales jumping 12 percent in September. Brick Meets Click/Mercatus attributed the large delivery gain to a range of new service options from national players and new third-party providers…it looks like Ahold Delhaize president and CEO Frans Muller, 61, will be reappointed to the same role he’s held for the past four years when the big Dutch retailer holds its annual meeting next April 12. Muller replaced Dick Boer as CEO upon his retirement in 2018. Previously Muller served as president and CEO of the Delhaize Group and became deputy CEO in chief integration officer when the two firms merged in 2016…Chesapeake, VA-based Dollar Tree (DT), which blew up most of its senior management team and also replaced several board members, has hired three key executives to fill those voids. While holdover Mike Witynski remains CEO, Michael Creedon (most recently of Advance Auto Parts) joins the discounter as COO; Jeffrey Davis, who was last seen as CFO of Qurate Retail Group (QVC, HSN), now becomes DT’s chief financial officer; and Pedro Voyer (great name) comes on board as chief development officer. Voyer was most recently a senior VP for JAB Holding Co. (Panera, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bagels). The management shakeup occurred several months after activist shareholder Mantle Ridge increased its equity position in the dollar (er, $1.25?) store merchant earlier this year and asserted more control of the company. Sounds like a field day for some headhunters…some other balance sheet news of note: UNFI posted solid Q4 numbers with net sales totaling $7.27 billion (an 8 percent increase) and earnings decreasing slightly to $39 million (from $43 million) in last year’s corresponding Q4. The slight profit dip was not unexpected as many merchants and distributors have seen expenses rise considerably over the past four months. For its full 52-week fiscal ’22, earnings increased from $149 million to $248 million for the year ended July 30. The large Providence, RI distributor also said that it has signed an agreement with Symbotic, the Rick Cohen-led robotics firm, to utilize that company’s AI powered robots in five of its DCs over the next four year. Symbotic made big news earlier this year when Walmart announced that it would use the Wilmington, MA-based tech firm’s technology at its 42 regional warehouses in the U.S…Costco capped one of the best years in its 35-year history with a stellar Q4 performance. For the period ended August 28, sales at the Issaquah, WA-based club operator jumped 15.2 percent to $708 billion. In the U.S., Costco’s comp store revenue increased 9.6 percent (ex-fuel) and earnings rose to $1.87 billion from $1.67 billion. And much like Amazon, Costco reaps a lot of reserve cash from its membership fees which reached a record $13 billion this year (up 7.5 percent) and featured a very impressive 92.6 percent renewal rate, also an all-time high. A great retailer when analyzing all the tangible and intangible metrics…on the other end of the spectrum sits Rite Aid. The Philadelphia-based drug chain, which posted a $100 million loss in its 2021 second quarter, saw its red ink reach $331.3 million this year. Retail sales declined 5.9 percent to $6.11 billion. As consistently inept as Rite Aid has been over the past 20 years, it has also been hit hard by huge shoplifting losses, particularly at its 95 New York City units. This has become a huge and increasing problem for all retailers, but drug chains seem to be most affected by the out-of-control shrink that is occurring in NYC and other urban areas. As poor as Rite Aid’s results have been, you can’t blame it for shuttering stores where losses from theft are so rampant that it feels it must abandon some locations. However, if that were Rite Aid’s only problem, I still don’t think it would put a dent into the myriad of performance issues that have lingered at the chain for decades…some of you might remember Steve Mayer from his days of running “fresh” at Ahold USA about a decade ago. It’s been quite a road trip for the perishables executive since he left Carlisle, PA in 2013 (before Ahold USA, Mayer was with Meijer and Bi-Lo). Since then, Mayer has made pit stops at produce distributor Flavor 1st (Mills River, NC) and Schnuck’s Markets (St. Louis, MO) before landing at Bashas’ in 2020. About a year ago, that regional chain was acquired by another regional merchant, Raley’s, and earlier this month it promoted Mayer to become COO of the 110-store supermarket operator based in Chandler, AZ. Good news for a good guy.
Local Notes
According to Philadelphia council member Mike Driscoll, the recent vandalism and ransacking of a Wawa store in the city’s Mayfair section might mean that the c-store operator will bypass Philly when considering future expansion plans. In the past two years alone, the Wawa, PA-based privately-owned merchant has shuttered five stores in the city and the mayhem created by the recent Mayfair incident makes Driscoll believe the cost of operating c-stores and investing in Philadelphia might be too high for Wawa and other retail food operators. Additionally, the company’s Florida expansion which began in 2017 has been hugely successful with about 250 stores. Earlier this year, Wawa said it will enter its seventh state next year – North Carolina…in the past month, two new bills have been introduced in New Jersey, which would force Costco to sell gas to non-members, something the club store giant allowed earlier this year when gas prices spiked to more than $5 per gallon. The big club merchant stopped the open access program in July and wants to protect its members who pay annual membership fees that range from $60-$120 annually. I’m told by several of my Garden State sources that the chances of this becoming law are almost zero. “I don’t think this will even make it out of committee,” said one of those sources…another successful club retailer, BJ’s, has moved to new office digs. The publicly-traded operator is now located at 350 Campus Drive in Marlborough, MA about five miles from its former HQ in Westborough, MA…some more union news: the Trader Joe’s store in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn has filed documents with the National Labor Relations Board to become organized. If successful, the 18,000 square foot high-volume store would become the third TJ’s to become members of Trader Joe’s United in the past few months following successful organizing efforts in Hadley, MA and Minneapolis. Approximately 185 associates are employed at that store, which opened in December 2021. More Trader Joe’s news: the funky merchant will open a new store in College Park, MD later this month and plans to cut the ribbon on another new store in Providence, RI before the end of the year…not too far from Williamsburg lies Long Island City. And that Queens location is where Gorillas, the rapid delivery retailer, has opened a new 17,000 square foot central depot that will handle storage and pickup of produce…remember Mrs. Green’s, which began as a one-store organic and natural retailer in Scarsdale. NY in 1992 and was later acquired by clueless Canadian hedge fund Catalyst Capital Group which installed whacky former Giant Food president Robin Michel as its CEO in 2012? Despite many potholes, the company is still around as Green’s Natural Foods. In 2020, the specialty merchant was acquired by private equity firm SSG Capital Partners, which earlier this month sold it to Healthier Choices Management Corp. (HCMC), a publicly-traded Hollywood, FL-based company that also owns Ada’s Natural Market (Fort Myers, FL), Paradise Health & Nutrition (with locations in Melbourne and Palm Bay, FL) and Mother Earth’s Storehouse in Kingston, NY. The addition of Green’s adds eight New York and New Jersey stores to HCMC’s portfolio…an interesting story in Business Insider which notes that as Kroger (pre-Albertsons merger announcement) continues to grow its digital platforms it will inevitably be in direct competition with Instacart (which currently partners with Kroger). To me that’s a no brainer because Kroger – and almost every other retailer – should already consider Instacart a threat when seeking vendor money through media advertising and perhaps actual trade funds in the future. The food merchants are still in control (especially the larger ones) and once they find that Instacart no longer fills a void that they can’t cover on their own, Instacart will lose that battle, even with the recent technology investments that the San Francisco-based delivery company offers. Of course, smaller merchants might always need to have a third party to deliver groceries or provide a level of technology they can’t afford. However, by that time, Instacart – which already faces competition from Shipt, Uber Eats and DoorDash – might find itself in an even more crowded field of similar players…update on Doug Ramsey, the former COO of Los Angeles-based plant-based protein company Beyond Meat. Ramsey was a career meat guy who joined Beyond Meat 11 months ago after a three-decade career at Tyson Foods. As you may recall, Ramsey allegedly bit a man’s nose during an altercation in a parking garage following the Arkansas-Missouri State football game in Fayetteville, AR on September 17. Beyond Meat initially suspended Ramsey for his antics, but now we have learned that Ramsey and Beyond Meat are no longer an item. I don’t know the current whereabouts of Mr. Ramsey, but I can attest he was not seen at the recent casting call for the next installment of the “Night of the Living Dead” movie series.…there are several notable people who have left us in the past month, including country singing legend Loretta Lynn. Of all the female country singers that I’ve listened to for many years, including the great Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, nobody made an impression on me more than the coal miner’s daughter. Lynn’s iconic voice was reason alone to consider her one of the greatest, but the way she wrote and emoted her songs made her stand out from all the others. Her hardscrabble life growing up in Butcher Hollow, KY – where she was married at 15, a mother by 16 and a grandmother by her early thirties – was reflected in her lyrics and singing style. And long before country music had evolved to a place where it acknowledged any form of gender equality, Lynn carved out a place that was unforgettable, especially in the 1960s and 70s. Hits like “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man),” “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind)” and “The Pill” forged a path for Ms. Lynn that was unique and powerful. And the 1980 film, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” was one of the best biopics ever made. Loretta Lynn was 90 when she passed. She will be missed…there will be no more games for Bruce Sutter and Lucious “Luke” Jackson. Sadly, both athletes passed away earlier this month. Sutter, the only relief pitcher to win a Cy Young Award and the first hurler inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame without starting in a major league game, was 69 when he passed. In his 12-year career (1976-1988), Sutter saved 300 games including 37 when he was named the National League’s Cy Young winner in 1979. He was also generally recognized as being one of the first pitchers to rely on the split-fingered fastball as his “out pitch.” “I think he was sort of a precursor to what Mariano Rivera (the Hall of Fame New York Yankees reliever) did with the cutter – Bruce did it with one pitch and that was the split finger fastball. Even though hitters knew it was coming, they still weren’t able to hit it,” said Jim Kaat, Sutter’s former teammate with the St. Louis Cardinals and a fellow Hall of Fame Pitcher. In addition to his Cy Young Award and Hall of Fame induction in 2006, Sutter was a six-time All-Star and a member of the 1982 World Series winning St. Lous Cardinal team. Luke Jackson, who longtime Philadelphia basketball fans might remember from the excellent teams the ‘76ers fielded in the mid-1960s, has also died at the age of 80. A power forward who played his entire career (1964-1972) with the “Sixers,” Jackson was known as a terrific defender and a prolific rebounder. When he joined the team in 1964 after graduating from Pan American College (now University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley), the team featured one of the greatest players in NBA history – center Wilt Chamberlain. The hulking teammates led the team to the 1967 NBA championship, which snapped the Boston Celtics run of eight consecutive titles. In that title clinching Game 6, Jackson scored 13 points and snatched 21 rebounds. Chamberlain in his usual modest mode said this about his Texas-born teammate: “Luke Jackson was the second strongest man I ever played with. I’m the first.”….from the acting world, Louise Fletcher, 88, has passed away. The character actor appeared in 136 film and TV roles over a nearly 60-year career. Among her best parts were roles in Robert Altman’s 1974 film “Thieves Like Us” and Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon A Time In America” (1984). However, her most memorable role was as the detached, heartless Nurse Ratched in director Milos Forman’s masterpiece “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975), an excellent film based on Ken Kesey’s equally great novel of the same name. The dialogue between Ratched and habitual rule breaker Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) was among the best in film history…Angela Lansbury has also died and, contrary to popular reports, she is not investigating her own death. The beloved actress, who appeared in more than 110 film and TV roles (and countless more on the stage where she won five Tony Awards) passed away last month at the age of 96. In a remarkable career, the English-born actress began her film career with a bang as leading actor Charles Boyer’s Cockney servant in Otto Preminger’s scary “Gaslight” (1944) for which she received an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress when she was only 18. Other great movies which she appeared in included “The Picture Of Dorian Gray” (1946); “State Of The Union” (1948) and (my favorite of her films) “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962), the still-underrated political thriller in which she played the sinister mother of brainwashed Laurence Harvey who instructs her son to “shoot the presidential nominee through the head.” Most people know Lansbury through her most famous and longstanding role as mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher (no relation to Louise) on the TV series “Murder, She Wrote” which ran from 1984 to 1996. Oddly (and unfairly), even though she was nominated 12 times for an Emmy and three times for an Oscar, she never won either award.
