Maybe it happened before or since, but surely it happened exactly 50 years ago today and tomorrow, when on those consecutive days, first the defending NHL champion and then the defending NBA champion were ousted in a decisive 7th game, played in their home arena.
On Sunday April 18, 1971-not even rookie status (he had not played enough regular season games) goaltender, Ken Dryden’s brilliant 42 save performance coupled with a 2 goal, one assist effort from Frank Mahovlich (brother Peter also had an assist in the game) led the third place Montreal Canadiens to a (4-2) win in game 7, vs the defending champion and record breaking Boston Bruins.
That game was in the afternoon, televised nationally by CBS, with the great Dan Kelly doing play by play, ably assisted by analyst, Jim Gordon. (A link to highlights plus post-game comments from Bruins’ greats Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito is included at the end of this post).
On Monday night April 19, 1971–ABC went live (Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and maybe even “Dandy” Don Meredith appeared on the telecast) and the Baltimore Bullets were upset winners, vs the defending champion New York Knicks, in game 7 of their semi-final series.
Both the Bruins and Knicks won a second ’70’s crown, not long after, the Bruins in ’72 and the Knicks in ’73.
Since that point, the lone title for either team was the Bruins’ 2011 triumph.
Sadly, I never met Bob “Slick” Leonard, who died days back at age 88, and thus could not directly share/inhale his zest for life and his incredibly personable ways.
I knew of his basketball greatness, rooting a great deal for his Indiana Pacers’ teams, who won the most (3) ABA crowns and provided great moments (riding Bill Keller’s heroics to the pivotal game 5 ABA Final win in ’72, with two great “hoops” callers, Jerry Baker with Indiana and Marty Glickman on (the then New York) Nets television behind the microphone) and great players, Roger Brown, Fred Lewis and George McGinnis, to name three.
In addition to the three titles, Leonard guided the upstart Pacers to the ABA Final in ’75, upsetting a dominant regular season Denver Nuggets’ team, before losing in 5 games to the Kentucky Colonels, a soon to be defunct franchise’s only title. The first of 5 final round appearances for Leonard’s Pacers came in the second of the nine ABA seasons (you see Leonard and Indy were in more than half of the ABA final rounds, winning 3)in ’68-’69, when the Rick Barry led and the great coach Alex Hanumn Oakland Oaks (a long since defunct franchise) took the title.
Mr. Leonard also made the decisive free throw, with the score tied and 27 seconds remaining in Indiana University’s title game win vs Kansas in 1953.
He was a long time commentator on Pacers’ broadcasts and did all he can, including organizing a telethon to help save the Pacers’ franchise upon its costly move into the NBA at the start of the ’76-’77 season.
Bob Leonard, pictured above, also played for the Lakers in their first “L.A. season” and the expansion Chicago Packers who became the Zephyrs then the Bullets and are now known as the Wizards.
What a career and what a personable man in regard to Mr. Leonard.
A good story, as Patrick Marleau, a 41 year old, 21 year veteran with the San Jose Sharks, is three games away from breaking the great Gordie Howe’s NHL record for games played. Of course Mr. Howe went on to play many more years, including some on the same team with sons Mark and Marty.
Marleau has had a distinguished career, though sans a Stanley Cup win.
He is just the fifth player to appear in over 1,700 NHL games.
In addition to Marleau and Gordie, Jaromir Jagr, Mark Messier and Ron Francis also played in over 1,700 NHL games.
One day all my knowledge and dedication to sports, however little important, will be recognized.
Alone, empty and up in the middle of the night, I ascertain these facts, you will not get elsewhere.
Some of you are bigots, many of you are successful and please realize, I do not dip into that horrible vat of thinking, though my personal life and non career, haunt me each and every day.
Without citing recent events, (when asked once, regarding recent events, Mr. Santasieri said they were “recent”), I cite Mr. Aaron started in left, not right, on the night he hit home run #715, to pass the great Babe Ruth, on April 8, 1974.
The eventual ’74 season, baseball runner up team, the L.A. Dodgers, had gone (15-2) with a tie vs the Braves in ’73. Atlanta (Braves) won that night by a (7-4) “tune.”
L.A. made 6 errors. The franchises were involved in great pennant races vs each other in both 1956 and 1959 and in at least one other year, that in 1982, the Braves clinching on the final day of the season, on which, Laura and Jeff Lovins wed.
There were only 3 games in the “bigs” that Monday April 8, 1974, involving the Yankees, Indians, Giants and Reds in addition to the Braves/Dodgers tilt.
Largely because of the Yankees, from (’47-’66) those teams combined to at least make all 20 World Series in that span, winning 17.
The Indians won it all in ’48, their last crown, also were swept by the Giants in ’54. The Braves won it all in ’57 and then lost in ’58, each W.S. vs the Yankees, who won 15 pennants in 18 seasons (10 titles) from ’47-’64. Meanwhile the Dodgers won 10 pennants and 4 titles in the 20 year/seasons span (’47-’66).
Finally, pitcher Buzz Capra finished the Atlanta win that historic night of Henry’s record breaking home run in April/1974, pitching 3 scoreless innings and fanning 6.
When the Dodgers clinched their first top finish in 8 years on baseball ’74’s penultimate “reg” game on October 1st, it was Capra, who pitched and finished in their first loss, that got the “spoiler” clinching win vs the Reds.
Capra’s first inning that April 8, 1974 night was the 7th, and he fanned Von Joshua and then Lee Lacy to start the frame.
When the A’s clinched their third straight crown to end baseball ’74, the great Roland Fingers (remember the Rolaids relief pitcher award and please at least consider Mr. Fingers, so long shamelessly denied the Hall of Fame, as baseball’s best relief pitcher ever. Unlike the man considered so by proclamation, (nobody is that great or clear cut!) Mo Rivera, Fingers never blew a big game. Rivera blew such games in ’97, ’01 (THE game, #7 W.S.) and ’04 and I maintain the Yankees would have won more titles, with a good but lesser relief pitcher, sans him. Of course he was great, maybe and in some ways, clearly, the best reliever, but again not by proclamation, especially when one considers the so overlooked Mr. Fingers) got Von Joshua to ground out Fingers to Fury “Gene” Tenace to end it.
In their next W.S. appearance in ’77, vs the Yankees, for a third straight time in that event, L.A. (Dodgers) lost. Mike Torrez got Lee Lacy on a pop up to him, to end the game.
By the way, in that historic game, Reggie Jackson made history with 3 home runs in that W.S. clinching game. Until that time, only Babe Ruth, who did it twice, was the only player to accomplish that feat. (Since Albert Pujols and Pablo Sandoval joined the list).
Jackson’s final at bat resulted in his third home run. He hit it off the Dodgers’ Charlie Hough. On April 8, 1974, two at bats after his historic home run vs one time Yankees’ pitcher, Al Downing, Aaron grounded out vs Charlie Hough.
One more, the next year, the Yankees again beat the Dodgers in the World Series. It ended when Ron Cey, 6th in the L.A. batting order (Garvey batted 7th, Bill Russell 8th that April 8, 1974 night), popped out to Thurman Munson.
It really ended for Munson, an arrogant, truly outstanding player, in a small plane crash on August 2, 1979, 11 years after my Aunt Jeanne died. There should be perspective there.
Amidst all the trouble in the world, country and especially with all the bigotry and exclusion associated with The Masters Golf Tournament, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, won the event, his first victory, in a major golf tournament.
It was a great performance by Matsuyama and normally I would not “stretch” it into anything bigger, such as a message for unity.
People are people and maybe some day cops will stop freely (often going free) killing young Black men and the idiots who persecute people, such as the horrible persecution of Asian PEOPLE going on now, will cease.
Until then, events such as Matsuyama winning, will have to suffice. That is sobering reality.
Hideki Matsuyama, pictured above.
On their side, which clearly is not my side, as in addition to the rage I feel vs them killing Black people, I have been victimized by their “ball breaking” attitude over the years and cringe in fear and strong dislike every time I see them, they do face danger and once long ago, before I knew better based on bitter experience, I admired them.
This is not right on my part, to paint with such a broad brush, and oh have I tried, with limited success, to curtail my anti-cops feelings.
Leaving my woes and tough luck involving them and other matters, I am pretty sure I have a couple or three suggestions in attitude and law change, that just might help. Maybe some good can come out of all this unnecessary tragedy.
This was so wrong, regarding Mr. Wright’s death. Registration?!! That yielded death!! When they “ball broke” me, I got a traffic ticket or a parking ticket or “just” their stinking, superior, attitude!!
You out there on the fence with your some to mucho degree of bigotry, imagine having a son who could easily LOSE HIS LIFE any time he has an encounter, with these supposed trusted officials.
Next is their “shoot first, take your chances in court attitude.” Backed up by a sickening grand jury system, so stacked vs the petty offender and in violence protection, step with them, they get away with it.
Finally check their attitudes. I know how so many feel and the abuse goes way back. This is awful and ongoing!
So I say to you-stop “ball breaking,” Stop thinking you are so great, (anyone can wear sunglasses), change the shoot first thing and change the laws that favor it.
A la the great Robert F. Kennedy, a man like you, me and them, with flaws, urged the night Martin Luther King was killed, I urge my side, the largely Black protesters to protest yes, but sans violence and destruction.
You may say 2 months after Kennedy helped peace, at least in the Indiana city in which he was that night, 2 months later he was killed and truthfully right then, it (all hope) was gone.
Yet even I must persevere and even keep quiet. You do not have to, however, do so peacefully. We will get there but I understand your/my pain today, as it has happened again!!
Some notes, not likely seen elsewhere, after Joe Musgrove of the San Diego Padres, pitched that franchise’s first no-hit game, in this, their 53rd season (1969-2021).
With that no-hitter, in which only a hit by pitch vs Joey Gallo, kept Musgrove from “perfection,” all 30 big league teams have at least one no hit game.
The next to last team to do so, the Mets, also got their first and still only such game, also on a Friday night, when Johan Santana, did so vs the St. Louis Cardinals.
Musgrove’s no-hitter came on the same day the Padres’ biggest rival, the current champion Dodgers, received their title winning rings.
The Musgrove no-hitter, the Dodgers’ title clincher both to win the W.S. and to “quarter” out the Pads, occurred in Arlington, Texas, at the home of the Texas Rangers, the team Musgrove no hit.
A 32 year title drought for the Dodgers and a 56 year one for the Giants, ended with victories in the Rangers’ ballpark.
Another Rangers’ franchise had a notable title drought, that 54 years in duration, which ended in the Rangers “ballpark”/home arena, when the NHL New York Rangers won it all in #7, vs the Vancouver Canucks in 1994.
A strong contender for this year’s NHL crown, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have gone 54 years sans a final round appearance.
When “Tor” last won the Cup, captain George Armstrong carried the Cup for them and Alex Trebek narrated that year’s Stanley Cup playoffs film.
In the past year, both Armstrong and Trebek passed on.
Click below for a very informative article for the fine organization, SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) written by Rory Costello, concerning Pads’ pitcher Clay Kirby, being pinch hit for, B8, vs the Mets and Jim MacAndrew in 1970. Kirby had a no hit game going through 8 innings.
July 21, 1970: Padres’ Clay Kirby lifted in eighth inning during no-hit bid
I have received both vaccines, how about you? (Maybe a tune there.) Of course I still need to wear a mask.
Speaking of masks, in same calendar 1971, the NHL ‘offs (the NBA also) were already underway and on this night exactly 50 years ago, the eventual great, and 2 time Cup winning netminder, then with Toronto, Bernie Parent lost his mask during a big brawl in #2 of the Rangers/Leafs “quarter.”
In another game 2 that night, the eventual champion and third place in the “reg,” Montreal Canadiens rallied from a (5-1) deficit to (7-5) the defending champion and record breaking Boston Bruins squaring a series the Canadiens eventually won in 7 games.
Today marks the 47th anniversary of Henry Aaron’s record breaking 715th career home run, one more than George Herman “Babe” Ruth, and for the first time since, Mr. Aaron is not here with us, on the angst ridden earth.
It comes one day after Mr. Aaron’s grandson answered the neanderthal thinking Kelly Loeffler, regarding the All-Star tilt being moved from Atlanta in response to the exponentially regressive anti voting rights legislation passed in Georgia.
Less important, but Henry’s team for almost all of his career, the Braves, won both ends of a 7 inning doubleheader to raise their record to (2-4).
Again, the legislation passed is an exponential number of steps back, after some forward. Loeffler, as seemingly always is full of it (you thought I would type s–t?) in saying moving the game is an insult to Henry.
I add not so “tongue in cheek” because Manfred, while not a villain like Maddox (Lester, not Gary or the over rated Greg) helped ruin baseball, but why give him much credit for moving the All-Star Game (that game is a joke any way) and I hope the Braves, so close last year, are still “allowed” to possibly win.
Oh we are so far from that great moment when Henry connected, so let’s look back.
Milo Hamilton also called Forrest “Smokey” Burgess’ record breaking pinch hit.
Andy B Sports 