This circuit looks better because there is less risk of the vertical blanking pulse leaking back into the video amp plate, which would happen if you connected that vert blanking pulse to the CRT cathode. The set's sync separator is connected to the same video amp plate. Connecting the vertical blanking to the CRT grid (assuming the video amp feeds the CRT cathode) is a better approach, in that this undesired leakage path won't happen.
Most any audio output transformer from an AA5 tube radio should work.