Recently, one of my favorite authors stated that his new book to be released in late September would be based on the lives of three “legends” in pop culture.

I took his lead and decided to base this week’s Yesterday column - a trip back in time to the late 1960s, 70s and sometimes dipping into the early 80s and beyond - on “legends” in the sports world, and a few other topics that were back in our day.

Plenty of good ... The debate about “legendary” Philadelphia sports figures can be extensive or exhaustive. There are plenty of candidates from the 60s and 70s.

One really needs to look at the four major sports teams, along with some other possibilities here.

As far as baseball in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton would have to be the dominant figures. Some may forget that Schmidt took the place of the popular Don Money, and hit just .196 in his rookie year of 1973.

A year earlier, Carlton had a season that hasn’t quite been duplicated. He had 27 of the team’s 59 victories, winning 45.9% of its games. Carlton had 30 complete games in his 41 starts, a 1.97 ERA, and 310 strikeouts in 346 1/3 innings with 87 walks. He took home the Cy Young Award and was fifth in the MVP balloting.

To me, Wilt Chamberlain always will be a “legendary” figure for his dominance in basketball, and I remember him more as a Laker than a Sixer.

Dr. J could be the “legendary” Sixer of the 1970s, even though he didn’t arrive until 1976. The Doc led them to four finals and one championship, and we all had our own “Dr. J” version on the outdoor courts. One Sixer often overlooked was Hal Greer, who was as consistent as they come in the backcourt.

There were plenty of Eagles’ candidates in the 70s and 80s, but Harold Carmichael is my “legendary” pick. I remember watching Carmichael in a 1971 preseason game and he stood out with his 6-8 frame. He went on to set the Eagles’ club record in receptions (590), yards (8,950) and touchdowns (79). He fittingly was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

One could also make an argument for Randall Cunningham, or “The Ultimate Weapon.” Cunningham certainly was the most exciting player to watch in the 80s, but he and head coach Buddy Ryan couldn’t get it together offensively to make it to the Super Bowl.

Looking at hockey, Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent come to mind. They both were integral in getting the team to capture two Stanley Cup championships. They also were the perfect catalysts and tablesetters for a team with an excellent group of role players. It was Clarke’s leadership and Parent’s steadiness that took them to glory.

Forget that draft ... With the NBA draft last week, I would be remiss to mention one “legendary” Sixers pick that went badly.

In 1993 with the second overall pick, the Sixers drafted 7-6 Shawn Bradley out of BYU in hopes of turning the franchise around with a dominant big man. Bradley will go down as one of the biggest Sixers busts.

With his frail frame, Bradley could never be a force and averaged 9.7 points and 7.5 rebounds before he was sent to the New Jersey Nets. Bradley was as ineffective as other big men top picks Christian Welp (1987) and Mark McNamara (1982).

Remember that famous song at weddings ... In terms of legendary songs growing up, I can recall at weddings and some other events that featured a band where the song “Wipeout” was played. One knew the band would eventually play it, and it brought everyone to the dance floor, as they would jump around in all different ways for a few minutes.

For the 1960s and 70s music historians like myself, the song was originally released by the Sufaris in 1963.

Cartoon corner ... To try and name all the “legendary” cartoons that crossed our paths might take a few columns, but I’ll pass along a couple.

We can all recall watching episodes of “Bullwinkle” with Rocky the flying squirrel. It was a truly classic cartoon drama with Bullwinkle trying to be thwarted by Boris Badanoff and Natasha that epitomized the US-Russia conflict of the 1960s.

Aside form Bullwinkle and Rocky, the show also featured Dudley Do-Right, who battled to save his betrothed, Nell, from the clutches of the evil Snidely Whiplash; Mr. Peabody and Sherman, who provided a history lesson; and fractured fairy tales, which gave us a quick synopsis of a fairy tale.

In some ways, it actually was an educational show.

There was also “The Flintstones” that debuted in the mid-60s. The cartoon was an offshoot of the famous “Honeymooners” with Jackie Gleason and Art Carney as Fred and Barnie.

We all followed the adventures of Fred as a typical working man, who doesn’t remember singing the theme song. Pebbles and Bam Bam, their children, helped generate some cereal products as well as their own cartoon episodes in the 70s.

Loved those foods and drinks ... There seemed to be hundreds of foods and drinks that we enjoyed in our youth, but here are a few “legendary” ones.

For me, a big treat in the late 60s was TV dinners. The uniqueness of it attracted me at the time, and I acquired a taste for them. I remember there were kids TV dinners, and I couldn’t recall the name. Upon reference, one brand was “Libbyland” that could feature a hot dog or fried chicken, tater tots, a vegetable, and usually chocolate pudding. I also remember there was a Libbyland “Pirates Paradise,” which basically was a junk food bonanza, but it was great as a kid.

As far as Swanson’s, I still buy my standby Turkey and I also remember the Meatloaf and Fish options.

Along with dinners, I also began an infatuation with frozen pizza. I can recall watching “legendary” sitcoms such as “The Brady Bunch” and “The Odd Couple” on Friday nights while working on my frozen pizza. There were a number of Pennsylvania-based companies at the time such as B&H and Tony’s.

Aside from the food, all of us indulged in Nestle’s Quik at one time or another. There was traditional chocolate, but I preferred strawberry. It was a drink that became “legendary” in our lives.

We also can’t forget Tang. It also had the association with a drink of the astronauts, and, again, it was suitable for us at the time. As we got older, we realized we were intaking a lot of sugar, but it tasted good.

Take a ride ... There were plenty of amusement park rides that were “legendary” during our times. One of my favorites and a relatively calm one was “the Scrambler,” which could always be found at fairs, church picnics, and festivals.

A “legendary” ride that I never tried was “the hellhole.” It could also be found at some festivals, and it became a staple at the Jersey shore. Have you ever tried it?

The ride was a barrel in which the riders were stuck to the wall of the barrel by the force of friction combined with their inertia. The yellow lines on the barrel wall indicate the level the floor is at during different points of the ride; the higher line is level with the floor when the ride begins.

I admit that I was too scared to try it, but there were plenty of stories about riders who vomited on their turn.

Do you remember? ... Every week, I’ll mention a likely forgotten player or manager from yesterday. With the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL final this coming Sunday, do you remember Kelvin Bryant? A standout running back at North Carolina, Bryant was signed by the Stars of the initial USFL in 1983, and led them to consecutive league championships in 1984 and 1985. Bryant was then signed by the Washington Redskins, but had a modest five-year career that was slowed by injuries.