When the late Carroll O'Connor was sidelined(not on)by heart bypass surgery,and Joe Don Baker (By the way,is he still alive?)took his place?

Yep. Those were actually some good episodes. Those racists kidnapped Gillespie and shot Joe Don Baker's character.

Those episodes were very good even though the Chief wasn't there. The 2 that stand out for me are the Pig Woman Of Sparta and the one about the cheerleaders drunk driving accident. Joe Don Baker was very good as Tom Dugan but I was glad when Carroll O'Connor got back!:)

Joe Don Baker is alive and will celebrate his 76th birthday on February 12.

Those episodes were very good even though the Chief wasn't there. The 2 that stand out for me are the Pig Woman Of Sparta and the one about the cheerleaders drunk driving accident. Joe Don Baker was very good as Tom Dugan but I was glad when Carroll O'Connor got back!:)

Joe Don Baker is alive and will celebrate his 76th birthday on February 12.

That cheerleaders episode is very sad. :( I grew up in a small town (bigger than "Sparta" but still)...so I can relate to how everyone knows and cares about everyone else so much.

Yes the Joe Don Baker episodes are all strong. My favorite of these is The Pigwoman of Sparta.