Regular season baseball and its subsequent tournament, respectively have five days remaining and is less than a week away.
Additionally, both the pro and college football seasons are well underway.
Thus of course, tongue a bit in cheek let’s update the WNBA playoffs.
Both best of 5 semi-final round series are tied at one game apiece.
In one the top ranked Minnesota Lynx only split their two home games vs the Phoenix Mercury.
Meanwhile the Las Vegas Aces lost its home opening game before winning game 2 vs the Indiana Fever, who have made this great run sans Caitlin Clark.
Maybe that is why I choose to publicize the WNBA.
Trust me, it is not even close to the drama or greatness of the league’s 1967 pennant race when one team and one team only, qualified and gained World Series entry, however the scramble in the A.L. these 58 years later, is quite interesting.
Most interesting, is that the one eighth or not even that, “div” race that seemed Detroit’s, now has only a one half game loss (ode to Beano Cook, who ripped baseball when after the hostages were issued lifetime baseball passes, he quipped “haven’t they suffered enough?!’– yet Beano, who once loved baseball always called it the all important loss column, now even more important with no playoffs for regular season, another way the once great game is being ruined) separation, as Detroit faces an epic collapse, juxtaposed with the Cleveland Guardians nee Indians, perhaps staging an incredible comeback.
Next Detroit plays 3 games in Cleveland. Of course the non div winner might still qualify for the 12 team tournament ahead.
Also, let’s call the ’77 expansion teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, the latter the only one of the 30 big league teams never to have even made the World Series, no less win it, the respective A.L. 1 and 2 seeds with the Yankees a very likely “4”seed.
The Det/Cleve div winner will be the “3” while Boston, Houston and the non div winner are vying for the two remaining tournament spots.
Click above to view Carl Yastrzemski’s big, game tying hit B6 of the season’s final game. They won the game, then clinched the incredible longshot pennant when the Angels gained a split in their doubleheader vs Detroit.
Detroit, Boston hmm– but again, nowhere as great as ’67, yet pretty good!!
“El numero tres/three/Babe Ruth” is operative as three past tilts with the NFL title at stake have “encores” in the league’s third week of play.
The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, off (2-0) including a win last week vs the (0-2) Kansas City Chiefs in a redux of 2 of the last 3 Supes (split by the teams), have 5 NFL crowns, the second of which was won to repeat as title winners in 1949, vs today’s opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, (also (2-0). However, this game is in Philadelphia.
It is a little farther south to Washington D.C. where in a redux of the 1983 season Super Bowl, the Raiders once Oakland, L.A. Oakland again and now Las Vegas, a seemingly impossible prospect not only in ’83 but not too long ago, visit the Washington football team.
A note which includes what was only legal to wager on in Las Vegas then but in most states now, the point spread: In the ’83 “reg” 1982 strike season “Wash” was a 2 or 2 plus fave vs the Raiders and won (37-35). In that season’s Supe, ’twas the field goal or so, underdog Raiders easily, (38-9).
Though my then team the “real” Cleveland Browns, a franchise that moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens, lost (23-12) in the Lambeau Field muck in what was the great Jim Brown’s last game as a Cleveland Browns player, memories stir recalling the Green Bay Packers, off (2-0) vs Cleveland, last NFL championship game, after which there was no other game, namely to this point 59 Super Bowl contests, vs Browns game.
The Raiders and “Wash” go in (1-1) while the ’99 expansion team Browns are (0-2).
The great Jim Taylor appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show 2 weeks after that ’65 title tilt.
3 years earlier, Ray Nitschke, with the Pack win vs the Giants, having been played in Bronx, New York, appeared that night on “What’s My Line.” The mystery guest was Vaughn Meader.
It so often changes however, at this point I will go on record with the following 6 teams as N.L. tournament qualifiers and in that order.
The Milwaukee Brewers are an almost certain top seed , ditto (ode to the movie “Ghost,”) the Philadelphia Phils as the “2,” and the defending champion Dodgers of L.A. as the likely “3” seed.
In all likelihood, in a redux of the famed ’84 NLCS won by San Diego,
It likely will be those Padres playing the whole best of 3 series at Chicago vs the Cubs.
The New York Mets, who made “noise” as the N.L. “6” last season lead the Cincinnati Reds by 1 and a fraction loss (2 games but it is Cincy’s tiebreaker, no comment) column games with both the Arizona D/Backs–“tiebreakered” out last season and maybe the S.F. Giants with outside shots.
Steve Sax, pictured above, got a big hit off #7 ’88 NLCS, losing pitcher as the Dodgers beat the mets before 5’ing the Oakland A’s to win one of their 6 full season crowns.
Playing “The Sundance Kid,” he could not swim, while again, teamed with the great Paul Newman in another iconic film, “The Sting,” he already knew how to drink, however as Robert Redford, who died yesterday at age 89– oh could he act, direct, develop and yes–attempt to help.
Certainly his great looks helped, beauty in the eye of the beholder, but discernably less so when those wanting posteriors in the seats at “x” or paraphrasing Jack Kent Cooke, promoting the epic first of three great Frazier/Ali bouts, 1/2 “x” per “cheek,” yet Redford in a long great career, undeniably had and displayed the acting chops.
He stirred great emotions, so young with Gladys Cooper in a Twilight Zone episode and rose to fame with Jane Fonda (she among a trio of greats, Barbara Streisand and Meryl Streep, the others each paying tributes and recalling roles with Redford) in Neil Simon’s “Barefoot In The Park.”
There are so many others, thankfully that remains, one being “Jeremiah Johnson,” where he works with Will Geer, a great, shamefully blacklisted actor, who soon or already had the similar “Grampa” role on “The Waltons.”
Masterful with Dustin Hoffman in “All The President’s Men” and as a director try “Ordinary People,” and the so underrated and revealing, “Quiz Show.”
Mr. Redford was beyond cool displaying indifference toward girlfriend Etta, played by Katharine Ross in “Butch and Sundance,” saying “oh take her” to Newman’s “Butch” after their iconic bike ride to Burt Bacharach’s (sung by B.J. Thomas as the greats regarding Redford, continue to be noted and recalled Fond(A)ly) “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.”
My favorite and there are so many others, many I am omitting, is the almost flawless “The Sting” with Redford and Newman, a great bad guy in the limping and actually injured in real life,Robert Shaw and an array of brilliant character actors.
Redford as “Johnny Hooker” with character flaws (he did not even take his cut, lamenting “he would only blow it anyway”), dodging danger, was the gateway to the great ending.
Once downstairs at a club with an event, I did not approach Mr. Redford, for once respecting privacy as I had years earlier eschewing a talk attempt with Mr. Newman, who was seated eating dinner (Paul having talked of a fan’s approach when he stood at a urinal, racing in my mind).
Now and perhaps then, as I wish Redford well, recalling an incredible life replete with achievement, I make the signal, one finger (the index)touching and moving off my nose as Paul and Bob did in “The Sting.”
Really a co-favorite among the so many great Redford films is “The Way We Were.” View the trailer with Barbra singing the great Marvin Hamlisch composed song, below.
Robert Redford above
With Paul Newman. What a team!!
Reviewing the seminal, Robert Rossen directed and produced film, “The Hustler,” I noticed Vincent Gardenia in a fine scene early in the film.
He is in effect “hustled” to bet against Paul Newman’s “Eddie Felson” making a tough shot.
More or less the opposite manifests years later when Gardenia, a superb character actor playing Bunker family neighbor “Frank Lorenzo” notices “Archie” (Carroll O’Connor) is feigning injury to avoid a pool match with Betty Garrett’s “Irene Lorenzo.
Mr. Gardenia is on the right as one looks on. Myron McCormick and Paul Newman, left to right are next to him.
A classic film with a great opening, the best part ending the video above. After that credits roll, including the great player Willie Mosconi as “Technical Adviser.”
Today the Baltimore Ravens, the franchise that was the great Cleveland Browns are heavily favored vs the 1999 expansion team Cleveland Browns. The tilt in the NFL’s second week will be played in Baltimore.
I reflect on the Browns move, the way the NFL unlike any other city move records the franchise record and one Art Modell, who owned the Browns/Ravens franchise.
Remembering Art Modell and the Old Cleveland Browns
Get Gary Collins, for that matter Del Shofner into the Pro Football Hall
13 years back, on the day another National Football League season opened, Art Modell , a man very instrumental in the enormous growth of the league, died at the age of 87.
Modell did so much in helping the NFL become a great attraction and an enormously compensated one on television. He negotiated many of the league’s important television contracts and favored Monday night football games.
Those games have been a regular occurrence since September 21, 1970 When Modell’s Browns were victorious in the first regular Monday night game winning (31-21) vs the New York Jets. (That same day here in New York, music station WMCA switched to a talk radio format).
On the day Modell died, I happened to speak briefly with Ernie Accorsi, a truly bright man who among other things in a distinguished football career, worked for Modell and the Cleveland Browns. Ernie mentioned that he left the Browns when he was 51 years old. They were still the Browns of Otto Graham, Jim Brown and Lou Groza; a proud franchise that I rooted for despite living in New York for 11 seasons (1963-1973) and did so with much intensity, too much at times.
Of course those Browns became the Baltimore Ravens with Modell as the owner and he was persona non grata after that in Cleveland. The Ravens handed the Giants their only Super Bowl loss. An expansion franchise team was awarded to Cleveland, that has the Browns’ colors and their records.
Cleveland got a new stadium but a great franchise left and there is no continuity. Blame can be dispensed by others but the franchise that won 3 NFL titles in the ’50’s and dominated the old All American Football Conference moved to Baltimore.
One great day December 27, 1964: (Oprah Winfrey calls it her most important day seeing Diana Ross perform on the Ed Sullivan show) and for me the Browns’ (27-0) Title game win vs the favored Baltimore Colts. Frank Ryan threw 3 touchdown passes to Gary Collins (once I heard Mr. Accorsi, a genuine historian, talk of the irony that the Browns with the great Jim Brown as a running back scored all their touchdowns via the pass that day.) Jim Brown had a big run to set up the first score. Lou Groza kicked 2 field goals, the defense which included Jim Kanicki, shutout the great John Unitas and the Colts. Blanton Collier was the coach. An upstart, (he supplanted the legendary Paul Brown to take over the team named for Brown) impeccably dressed, Art Modell was the owner. Memories!
Stan Musial, so great for so long, that he held the record for holding baseball records, all the while doing so with great class, played his last game, all with the St. Louis Cardinals, on September 29, 1963.
Stan “The Man” Musial played from (1942-1963) and epitomized an era of much good he helped manifest with his great play and classy ways.
In that last Stan game, (Stan’s St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Cincinnati Reds), it has been fairly well publicized, that he got 2 hits, both close to, but beyond the range of second baseman, 1963 N.L. Rookie of the Year, Pete Rose, who 18 years later would pass Musial as the all-time National League hits leaders. (File much else to add!!).
Much in the way of emotions and memories manifest from just say, the Musial/Rose connection.
In 1981, not long after the baseball season resumed after a 51 day strike and the purchase of my first VCR and knowing but never acting on the fact everyone would eventually get one, Pete Rose, batting left handed, singled to left on a Monday Night Baseball telecast, his 3,631st hit, one more than Stan.
There will be more notes regarding Stan’s last game.
“Appetizers” include Pete got 3 hits in what was an eventual, (3-2), second place Cardinals’ 14 inning win, vs the Reds, who were in a “battle” for first division money, then so important to the far from rich ballplayers.
One more, other than Reds/Braves with Pete and the great Henry Aaron on opposing Reds and then had to be, Milwaukee Braves’ teams (’63-’65) was there ever a game with players that amassed as many as 4,000 hits, 3,500 hits and two with over 2,700 hits in their careers?
The first two categories ought to be obvious, heck (Stan probably would have said it, not “hell” and surely with any justice, and if anywhere, is in the other, better place) I named one above.
Would you name one or both of the other two, each a starting player in that September 29, 1963 game, and who had between 2,700 and 2,800 hits in their careers.
If so, please comment. I will add more notes and perhaps some oft repeated, relevant to that game/year opinions down the road.
The great player and man, Stan “The Man” Musial, pictured above.
60 Years Since Sandy Koufax Pitched a Perfect Game
“2 and 2 to Harvey Kuenn”
Somehow 60 years have gone by since Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game vs the Chicago Cubs on September 9, 1965?!!
This was one of the greatest pitched games by both hurlers, Sandy and the Cubs’ Bob Hendley.
The lone run of the game was scored by the Dodgers without a hit. Hendley allowed but one hit in the game, that to Lou Johnson.
So many years later, I recall hearing the news of the game on Friday morning September 10th from Dick Reeves on WCBS radio.
Koufax capped his most incredible season 5 weeks later by winning (2-0) in game 7 vs the Minnesota Twins.
Sandy had not gained a victory in 5 previous starts.
Danny Kaye attended the game with a beautiful woman, not quite sure of what was transpiring, in historic fashion on the field below.
Both Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz are top ranked tennis players, after each won U.S. Open titles the last two days.
Sabalenka handed Amanda Anisimova a second straight major tournament/grand slam tennis final defeat, winning (6-3) and (7-6) on Saturday.
Yesterday (“far away” becomes operative, when you consider tournie winner Alcaraz and runner-up Jannik Sinner, are “far away” both qualitatively and certainly quantitatively, better than any other men’s players, even the great Novak Djokovic, who lost in 3 sets to Alcaraz in one “semi”) Mr. Alcaraz won in 4 sets vs pre-tournie, fairly big favorite, Sinner.
Above applies to much, for now, call it cryptic Chris(es).
Andy B Sports 