Within a week, Chet Walker and Jerry West - two of the more recognizable stars from our eras - passed away.

Chet “The Jet,” who was 84, was instrumental in the Sixers’ championship 1966-67 season that saw them create an overall 68-13 season record. Walker averaged 16.2 points per game in seven Sixers’ seasons and 20.6 points in six Bulls’ campaigns. Overall, Walker averaged 18.2 points per game.

West, who was 86, was more notable than Walker, being a perennial all-star and also the figure for the NBA logo. West spent all his 14 years with the Lakers, averaging 27 points and 6.7 assists per season. West averaged 25.8 points during the 71-72 season in which the Lakers won 33 straight, and West won his lone NBA title.

Was Walker underrated as a player? Wilt Chamberlain and Archie Clark often overshadowed Walker’s contributions.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column – reminiscing about sports and pop culture in the 1960’s, ‘70s, ‘80s and sometimes before and beyond – I’ll take a look at some of the Sixers and Phillies “underrated” players as well as some underappreciated media items. (Next week, I’ll review some Eagles and Flyers).

Also, do you remember Jim Washington? Who was the “Continental Nobleman?” and did you watch “The Mod Squad?”

Shaded Sixers ... During the Sixers’ 66-67 season, both Wali Jones and Luke Jackson played pivotal roles coming off the bench for the Sixers.

Philadelphia-born Jones averaged 13.8 points during that season, and 11.5 points overall in his Sixers’ uniform. Unbeknownst to many – aside from the diehard Sixers fan - Jones finished his career in Philly during the 1976-76 season, even though he played in only 16 games.

Jackson was the invaluable backup to Wilt Chamberlain as well as a power forward, averaging 12 points a game. He spent all of his eight years with the Sixers, starting nearly half the games in each of his final two years in ’70-71 and ’71-72.

Who are some other underrated Sixers? How about Hersey Hawkins, their top draft pick on ’88. If you recall, they initially drafted UConn’s Charles Smith, but then traded him for the Clippers’ pick, which turned out to be Hawkins. He had a strong five-year Sixers’ career, averaging 19 points per year and is often overlooked.

Bobby Jones, Andrew “The Boston Strangler,” Toney and Kyle Korver initially come to mind when thinking about players who may be unappreciated.

There can be a debate that Jones was viewed as key part of the ‘70s run, but most people truly don’t appreciate his lunch pail approach. Toney’s role as a scorer is often overlooked because he played only eight seasons and averaged 15.9 points, but he was a key component of their ‘80s run.

Korver was one of the league’s best sixth men and a three-point sharpshooter. He did start the majority of games in two of his five Philly seasons and averaged 10.5 points. Korver had a 20- year career and played for six teams.

Four other underrated Sixers from my memory were all-around player Andre Iguodala, shot blocker Samuel Dalembert, Jim Washington (12.9 in three Sixes’ seasons and 10.6 overall in 13 years) and Darral Imhoff (11.3 in two Sixer seasons, and 7.2 in 13 seasons overall).

Philling It Up ... When talking about underrated Phillies form the post-war era, the prevailing name is Dick Allen.

Allen, whose Phillies’ career was clouded in controversy and was never genuinely appreciated. He was overshadowed by Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Hank Aaron among others during his time in baseball.

Allen was a three-time All-Star, always in the top 20 of MVP voting, and hit 25 or more homers in five of his first seven Phillies’ seasons. He hit .290 overall in nine seasons (he was subpar in his ’75 return).

Another name that also surfaces is Jim Eisenreich. He hit .318 in a platoon role in the ’93 pennant year, producing numerous key hits, and batted .324 over in his four seasons.

Some others who come to mind are:

• John Denny (Cy Young winner in ’83 who was 37-29, 2.96 overall).

• Del Ennis (had a league-leading 126 RBIs in 1950 and was a .286 hitter).

• Ron Reed (57-38, 3.06, 90 saves).

• Tony Gonzalez (.295 career hitter)

• Shane Rawley (won 17 games in ’87 and was 59-48 overall with a 3.88 ERA)

• Tony Taylor (15-year .261 lifetime hitter).

• Larry Christenson (83-79 record, 3.79 ERA).

• Ryan Madson (47-30 record, 52 saves, and a 3.59 ERA).

• Placido Polanco (.289 career hitter).

Another Classic (Underrated) Game ... Since 1951, APBA has been one of the more popular baseball card games.

It is simply played with a dice role and player’s stats from the previous season. Each player creates a lineup and rolls the dice to see the outcome of the time at-bat. In 1984, a computer version of the game was created.

The game was created by Richard Seitz, a Lancaster trucking mogul. Since 2011, the company headquarters has been in Georgia.

On the Tube ... Over the years, there have been numerous TV shows that can be classified as underrated. Here’s in one man’s sampling from the ‘60s through the ’90:

“The Odd Couple,” “Barney Miller,” “Gomer Pyle USMC,” “Flipper,” “Mod Squad,” “Columbo,” “Ellery Queen,” “Soap,” “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” “Twin Peaks,” and “Matlock.”

I’d like to hear some of your TV shows.

Readers Write ... On Betting and Fast-Food Pizza

Hey Jeff,

Two things stuck out to me when reading your June 7 column. First, I think instances of sports betting bans will only increase as teams and players continue to try and navigate this booming industry.

We’ve recently seen players such as Jontay Porter in the NBA receive lifetime bans because of betting on their sport. Porter specifically bet on his own games, which raised even more concern for Commissioner Adam Silver. In the NFL there seems to be a batch of players hit with bans each year for betting, including notable ones such as Calvin Ridley.

All of these leagues are trying to figure out how to cozy up with the huge money and intrigue coming from sports betting, while trying to stop it from affecting the players and product of their sport. It will be interesting to see where lines are drawn as time rolls on, and the role players associations will play in trying to curb instances such as Porter’s in their sport.

Second, McDonald’s pizza, while before my time, reminds me of the new Wawa pizza …there’s just something not right about it in my opinion. Leave the pizza to the pizzerias and focus on the hoagies and other things that made Wawa so beloved.

Mitch Thomas

Bethlehem

WWF/WWE Wrap ... Each week, I’ll recollect about a past grappler.

Do you remember “Joe “The Continental Nobleman” Turco. I can still hear Allentown ring announcer Joe McHugh announcer Turco “from Catania, Sicily.”

Turco began his career in 1962 and debuted in the WWF in 1970. His career there that lasted until ’78.

Generally, a “bad guy,” Turco also had stops in the NWA, IWA, and Georgia Wrestling Association.

He was recognized for wearing tied boots and a satin jacket, and he always made a dismissive gesture to the audience after which he was usually booed.

Underrated? Maybe. But Turco was a colorful character.

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, coach, manager, or media personality form our yesterday.

In keeping with the underrated theme, do you remember former Phillies’ second baseman Octavio “Cookie” Rojas? During his seven-year career, Rojas hit 262 with 29 homers, 253 RBIs, and played every position.

He hit .263 overall in his 16-year career that also saw stops with the Reds, Royals, and Cardinals. Rojas managed the Angels in 1988 and had a 75-79 slate. He also was a one-game interim manager with the Marlins in 1996.

Feedback ...Your thoughts are always welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com