Sports Update With Facts And You Know What They Say About Them, OPINIONS

Among other sports results last night, Wade Miley of the Cincinnati Reds “authored”–ode to Bob Murphy) the relatively young baseball season’s 4th no-hitter, the Angels handed the Bill Plaschke proclaimed (I did not need, this, totally “dogged” by me, L.A. slump, to know what a foolish, ridiculous claim he had written. It is sadly, par for the course, in the disgusting, “say anything, see if it sticks,” world of 24 hour news and hype. One such as me, fighting those windmills, in the “glorious quest” for perspective, SUFFERS) “greatest team ever” Dodgers a 14th loss in 18 tilts, while their fellow L.A. defending champion in a cheap, shortened, pandemic influenced season, the Lakers, fell, though covering IN defeat at now 6th place, Portland, to 7th in the NBA West (Oh “little Jeanie” (Buss), how can you not cite Jerry WEST as one of the 5 most important Lakers?!) and at this point, facing the prospect of having to win one of a possible 2 play-in games, just to qualify, in a bid to repeat for a 5th time in franchise history and pass the Celtics for the most NBA crowns.

Miley’s no hitter was the 4th of the last 5 by a Reds’ pitcher to have been hurled on a Friday night (George “Thomas” Seaver, who thrice lost no-hitters in the 9th inning as a Mets’ pitcher, hurled his only no-hitter in ’78, his first full season as a Reds pitcher, Tom Browning “perfect gamed” the Dodgers in ’88, the only full season in which the Dodgers “titled” since Sandy Koufax pitched them to the crown with a Game 7 shutout at Minnesota vs the Twins in the 1965 World Series. On another Thursday 5 weeks earlier, Sandy had pitched a perfect game vs the Cubs, whose starter, Bob Hendley, lost despite a brilliant one hit allowed performance, Homer Bailey’s first of the major league’s 2 consecutive no hitters was also on a Friday in 2012, his second in 2013 was not).

As you read elsewhere and not here, the three previous no-hit games in baseball 2021, all had but one play that kept it from being a perfect game.

The most recent was just 2 days before Miley’s gem, when the Orioles’ John Means’ wild pitch on a strikeout, was the only play to prevent perfection. He did notch the first O’s first one pitcher no-hitter since the great Jim Palmer hurled one in 1969.

Earlier in the season both Joe Musgrove (see my post on 4/10 after his first ever Padres no-hitter on 4/9) and Carlos Rondon (as with Miley, it occurred vs the Cleveland Indians) hit a batter (Rondon in the 9th inning) to mar perfection.

Once (13-2), the Dodgers have lost as cited 14 of 18 (so much for VsIN’s Gill Alexander touting them in general and certainly for suggesting “doubling up,” each game after a loss) tilts, however, they are still the plurality favorites to win it all. They certainly can, but one who went vs the unreal hype, epitomized, frankly, in disgraceful fashion by Plaschke, could have won big.

As for the Lakers, (elsewhere on the L.A. sports scene, the NHL Kings will not be in the ‘offs and by the way all but one of the 16 NHL ‘offs participants are known, yet the season lingers on.  UCLA fought gallantly, losing a heartbreaking national semi to Gonzaga, who were then beaten decisively by Baylor in the final. See the “B’s” winning and you will in an upcoming post), they have been hurt by injuries and I believe, will still make the ‘offs (not much of a prediction) and actually, I still think are plurality favorites, to make the NBA Final.

Count out neither the Lakers or Dodgers, but each is considerably lucky to have “partial season titled,” (the Lakers’ title in a far longer “reg,”), but alas, their road to a 17th franchise crown was “paved,” when both Milwaukee and the fellow L.A. team, Clippers, lost before they would have faced the Lakers.