From "M*A*S*H" to trash

Tonight, Jenn flipped on the tube around 9 o'clock.

CBS, the once and proud Tiffany Network, was airing one of the worst excuses for a sitcom I have ever seen, some kind of nonsense called "Two Broke Girls."

The jokes, if you could call them that, were sexual in nature, sophomoric, unfunny, pathetic. I've heard simians speak with better clarity.

The most depressing part of it all was the realization that this lowest-common-denominator filth is going to air in the time slot once held by "M*A*S*H."

Ah, now there was a television series. Serious, hilarious, sobering, healing. I have said it before and I will say it again. "M*A*S*H" made me a better human being. How many shows can you say that about?

I'm not a prude when it comes to this kind of thing. "The Big Bang Theory," network television's best series at the moment, uses sexual humor quite well. "Two Broke Girls" isn't even a bad joke.

I have to be careful when I am tempted to give in to these "the world is going to hell" rants. Television has been full of garbage since its golden years. ("My Mother the Car" anyone?)

But, for the life of me, I'll never figure out how, in just 30 short years, we've gone from "M*A*S*H" to trash.

What every 'Gambler' knows...

Boy, "The Big Bang Theory" is the sitcom gift that keeps on givin'. Heh, heh. Thank you, Bill Prady and CBS.

Anyway, I heard one of my all-time favorite songs on the radio while driving to see the doc this afternoon. "The Gambler." Kenny Rogers. Written by Don Schlitz.

I could sing it when I was 2. I still love it. If you think about it, it's a good philosophy on life.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em; know when to walk away, know when to run;

My mom and I both mentioned at lunch yesterday how much we used to like Kenny Rogers. You know, the slightly pudgy, white-suited, bearded guy who had all those hits in the '70s and '80s.

This new Kenny with the goatee, young wife and bad face lift? Well, not so much...

Ah, well. Time marches on. People make choices. I try not to judge.

But, to this day, whenever I hear his signature tune, my pulse quickens and a huge grin spreads across my face. Heck, it's still true of most of his hits.

For the record, my favorite "rare" Rogers tune is from "The Gambler" album -- "San Francisco Mabel Joy." Look it up. His version.