I once approached the beyond great pitcher, Bob Gibson, who joined the veritable conga line of death/2020, at age 84 on October 2nd,and he responded to my comment by lightly screaming “aaaaah.”
That is how I feel now, as great favorites from better days, just keep dying and that list certainly includes Mr. Gibson, who subsequently, in a better mood, posed for a nice picture with me.
I treasure that picture and moment as I do watching “Gibby’s” dominant 17 strikeout performance on a Yom Kippur, October 2nd, which turned out to precede his death by 52 years.
Five years earlier on another October 2nd, Sandy Koufax, who famously did not pitch a World Series opener two years after that, because it was Yom Kippur, struck out 15 in a World Series opener and it was his record that Gibson broke that day in 1968.
Gibson won game 7 of the World Series twice and had 7 straight World Series wins at one point, as an integral, if not top part of Cardinals’ title teams in 1964 and 1967. (While the 2020 Cards can be proud, at least somewhat, as this season is a 60 game sham, of making the 16 team ‘offs-they were eliminated from those ‘offs on the day Bob Gibson died. Another Cards’ great, Lou Brock died just weeks earlier.)
Mr. Gibson played the game with an intensity and ferocity, not matched by many and was a truly incredible great.
After being outdueled by Al Jackson (1-0) (also on an October 2nd) in the last weekend/last games Friday night tilt in 1964 and after a Cards’ (15-5) loss to the Mets that Saturday (the Mets lost (15-5) to defending champion and out of the ‘offs “Wash” last Sunday, on a day the Cards won to be one of the 16, it was to be one of 2 in so much better “baseball/1964,”), Gibson, called on by manager Johnny Keane, pitched multiple innings of relief, as St. Louis, aided by a Phils win at Cincy, avoided a 3 way tie for the pennant, winning their first “such” in 18 years.
After losing game 2 to Mel Stottlemyre and the Yankees, Gibson won #’s 5 and 7 as the Cards won their first title, also in 18 years.
In 1967, he was even better in the World Series, winning 3 games, including #7 vs Jim Lonborg and the “Impossible Dream” 100 to 1, A.L. pennant winning Boston Red Sox.
Memories “flood” the gallant Curt’s misplay on Northrup’s triple, a 1.12 ERA for Bob, Lou Brock not sliding, a homer yielded to Mike Jorgensen that I recalled to him in the Cards dugout during the ’85 W.S. (another Cards “blown,” yes McCarver “blown” W.S. up (3-1), but not before mistaking him for right wing Van Slyke.
As with Mr. Gibson, I have reasons to bark, the difference is he did most of it with great pitching, even hitting as he stroked 2 W.S. home runs, providing cherished memories.
In the games up there, please do not throw at the angels, as they are not the California baseball team.
Sadly, the deaths keep piling up. The Dodgers have lost 3 players, all of whom contributed to title teams. In addition to Perranoski, who was a great relief pitcher on the ’63 and ’65 title teams, going (16-3) in ’63–Lou Johnson and Jay Johnstone passed away within the last 2 or so weeks.
Lou homered in #7/’65 World Series as the Dodgers “titled” behind Sandy Koufax’ shutout, which was aided by a key Jim Gilliam defensive play.
Jay Johnstone, who was on the 1978 Yankees’ title team that won the last 4 to “6” L.A. was on the ’81 Dodgers team that reversed that.
Johnstone hit a key pinch 2 run home run in #4 of that series, which cut into a 3 run Yankees’ lead in an eventual Dodgers Saturday late afternoon win.
Click below to view more about the man they called “Perry,” Ron Perranoski
Ron Perranoski, relief ace with Dodgers in 1960s, dies at 84 .
Barring the truly unlikely, the Los Angeles Lakers will tie the Boston Celtics by winning their 17th NBA title.
That is counting 5 titles the Lakers won while playing in Minneapolis.
In 32 NBA final rounds, the Lakers have swept in 4 once and led (3-0) twice.
The victory in the Stanley Cup final by the Tampa Bay Lightning was the 5th straight for a team that lost (4-1) in game 1 of the Cup Final. Tampa Bay lost (4-1) in the opening game of its other Cup winning final, that in ’04 vs the Calgary Flames.
Here’s another one, only I could cite:
In the last four (2-0) Cup clinchers, all in six games, the two goal scorers for each team had the same first initial, twice each in their first name and twice each with their first name.
Add “B”rayden Point and “B”lake Coleman to the six names cited in my post from 2017, after the Pittsburgh Penguins repeated as champions for the second time in franchise history (’91 and ’92, the other time).
Click below for the six names.
- Pens Win It All on June 12, 2017
Brayden Point, pictured above. “Orr” on his sweater, had to be “T.B.” but never me.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, so good starting in 2015, but denied in the 5 playoffs (’15-’19) under now title winning coach, Jon Cooper, “lowlighted” by a humiliating first round sweep after a truly great “reg” last season, won their second title and first since ’04, clinching it with a (2-0) win vs the Dallas Stars, in game 6 of The Cup final last night.
Brayden Point had the so, if not all important, first goal of the tilt, his 14th of these ‘offs which led all players. It was close among a few Lightning players, but I would have given Point the Conn Smythe Trophy, as the outstanding player of the ‘offs, but instead the honor went to an established great player, Victor Hedman.
Certainly netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped all 22 Stars’ shots on goal in the clincher or the superb player, Nikita Kucherov, (he led scorers with 27 points, Hedman had 26 while Point had plurals of his surname–adding 10 assists to his 14 goals.
Blake Coleman had the other “T.B.” goal in the clincher with Pat Maroon making a fine play to set up the goal.
Maroon became the 9th player to play on Stanley Cup winners with two different teams, in consecutive seasons. One of those players, Joe Wash was on both the ’07 Ducks and ’08 Red Wings but did not meet the criterion to get his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s Cup.
A tremendous player, (a show I was listening to yielded “tremendous,” as I wrote same), the Stars’ Joe Pavelski, was second to Point in goals, but is denied for a second time in a 6 game final (the Penguins denied Pavelski’s San Jose Sharks in ’16) leaving the 14 year veteran, as one of the better players, sans a Cup title.
All 3 Lightning final round series have ended on a Monday night.
The Lightning (2-1) in final round play, raised the Tampa Bay final round record to (3-2).
Do not look now, but the Tampa Rays are the A.L. “1” seed, which actually means little but they had a fine (40-20) season and a “man named Brady” and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lead the NFC South with a (2-1) record. The upcoming Supe is in Tampa. Nah!!
Tonight the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won their lone title in a game 7 on a Monday night in 2004, seek a second, as they take a (3-2) series lead into tonight’s game 6, vs the Dallas Stars.
The teams exchanged overtime wins in the “whored out” back to back tilts in games 4 and 5. On Friday night in game 4, the Lightning’s Kevin Shattenkirk won it in the first overtime, while veteran Corey Perry won #5 for the Stars in the second overtime, on Saturday night.
Dallas’ Joe Pavelski tied both tilts, with goals fairly late in regulation time.
In 4 straight games (the Stars’ 3 OT Cup clincher in ’99, the Stars 3 ot win in game 5 2000 vs the Devils, the Devils 2 ot Cup clincher in game 6, 2000 and 2 days ago, the Stars 2 ot (overtime) in #5 this year) in which the Stars (once) or their opponent (thrice) had a chance to “title,” a multiple overtime game ensued.
The Lightning are (0-3) in both games 1 and 5 of the NHL final, (3-0) in #2, (2-1) in games 3 and 4 and (1-1) in #6. All 5 game 6 winners in previous Stars/North Stars or Lightning final round series, won the series, four clinching in game 6.
Martin St. Louis, pictured above, won game 6 for the eventual champion Lightning in game 6 of the 2004 final at Calgary (Flames).
With “his” team down (3-2), Lightning “analyst,” Phil Esposito, already cited here as a playing great, did not make the trip to Calgary.
The Los Angeles Lakers (26-5) in semi-final round play as L.A. and (32-9)all-time, which counts Minneapolis and that former team location explains the great franchise’s nickname), advanced to their first NBA Final in 10 years, “5-ing” the Denver Nuggets, who did more for this advance, than any one L.A. player, even their two annexed greats, LeBron James (38 points in the clincher) and series star, Anthony Davis, when they knocked out the L.A. Clippers, who fell to (0-8) in “quarters.”
Meanwhile, the Nuggets fell to (0-4) in “semis,” three of the losses at the hands of the Lakers. The previous two were followed by L.A. titles (1985 and 2009).
Mr. James will be in his 10th final (his teams are (3-6) and tell me Rachel Nichols and someone named Russillo, who dared bring up “James is as good as Jordan nonsense,” what did the “King” do in final round play in ’14, ’17 and ’18 (I will excuse getting swept in ’07, but really why as this player and worse the uninformed “today’s is best” media attitude want to call him the greatest, when if you look at the whole body of work, he is NOT close) when his teams were routed, going (2-12), 9th in 10 seasons.
Of course he is a great player, one of the best, but nowhere near the best and more annoying than his “jumping” to great team/conference situations, is the never ending hype involving this player.
Yet, I also must look in the mirror and reflect on why this would matter at all, no less so much?!!
Again “Leb” is a magnificent player, seemingly unbeatable when he has the better or far better team, but look, for example, at the magnificent Warriors’ run in their game 5 clincher vs James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017.
He (James) was nowhere to be found. Knock Jordan’s persona all you want and I am not thrilled with it either, largely for different reasons than arrogance, but as a player, he did what it took, never lost a final and almost never, if ever, was the non factor James was during that Golden State run!!
I am not sure if PBS station WNET, Channel 13 is doing so in light of Gale Sayers’ death, but they are showing “Brian’s Song” tonight at 9 P.M. Eastern Time.
It will be shown again after midnight. Check your local listings.
There have been few athletes who combined greatness, class and beauty the way the great Gale Sayers did.
Sadly, Gale, is yet another sports and overall great to die in what might be apocalyptic 2020.
I recall a highlight of one of Gale’s runs as a member of the Kansas football team, which was truly fantastic. Next came the great 1964 NFL draft for the Chicago Bears, which brought them Gale and the great linebacker, Dick Butkus.
Sayers was fluid, exciting and beautiful to watch as a running back. Jim Brown is my favorite and I believe the best. His last season was Gale’s first, that in 1965.
Gale was as exciting as any, his career slowed by two severe knee injuries.
I think 10th grade, if not 11th and even the most macho guys admitted they cried (I cry easily, remember what Jim Valvano said about a good day being one we laugh, cry and think) after watching the television movie, “Brian’s Song,” which showed Gale’s great friendship with fellow Bears’ back, Brian Piccolo, a truly courageous man, who succumbed to cancer at a tragically young age.
As Gale did, “we” “weave and dart” to James Caan (he played “Pic” and Billy Dee Williams'(he portrayed Gale) praise of Gail, the downs of football (Gale knee injuries and the fact he suffered from dementia, yet another “footballer” who did), and that day of mud and rain at Wrigley Field Chicago, in December, 1965, when Sayers scored SIX touchdowns.
That was a beautiful thing in football, watching Gale Sayers!
The great Gale Sayers, pictured above.
Click below, to view Gale Sayers scoring six touchdowns vs the San Francisco 49ers on December 12, 1965. Once I heard the actual play-by-play of the great Jack Brickhouse but I could not “find” it. Mr. Brickhouse is heard on the above, he is especially eloquent on TD #6, a punt return.
It very much looks like a Lakers/Heat final, (both LeBron James and Pat Riley going vs their former teams) and a Tampa Bay Lightning title, yet stranger things have happened.
The Lightning, who lost game 1 (4-1) and won the second (3-2), rolled past the Dallas Stars last night, to take a (2-1) Final round lead.
A great player, (often criticized by Lightning “analyst,” another great player, Phil Esposito)– Nikita Kucherov “opened’ with a breakaway goal while the returning star, Steven Stamkos, ripped in a goal to make it (2-0) “T.B.”
Victor Hedman had 3 points for the Lightning, who also lost (4-1) in the final round opener, the one time they won the final, that in 2004, vs the Calgary Flames.
“T.B.” did lose the final after taking a (2-1) series lead vs the “Chi” Blackhawks in 2015. Thus, in both previous Lightning (final) rounds, the team down 2 games to 1, rallied to win the title.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat, a slight “series underdog,” and already having helped the Lakers (it is “his” league and I do NOT like it!) by 5’ing the top ranked Milwaukee Bucks in the “quarters,” likely will help them again, as they lead the Boston Celtics 3 games to 1.
Sure, either or even both the Stars and Celts could come back to win (Celts overcame (3-1) “semis” series deficits to win and eventually title in ’68 and ’81), but do not count on it. I have no “get back” in me!
Nikita Kucherov, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 