The careers of two NBA greats, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat ended last night, in otherwise, virtually meaningless NBA regular season finales.
They played against each other in two memorable NBA Final Series, each capturing a playoffs MVP in their title winning season (Wade in ’06 and Dirk in 2011).
Nowitzki won his lone title in ’11 while Wade, denied that first year (’11) after the NBA sanctioned “pick your team,” which drastically affects competitive balance in a 5 player sport, paired him with LeBron James, did win titles the next two seasons, giving him 3 in his great career.
Spelling still counts, thus always remember the “y” in Mr. Wade’s first name and the “z” in Dirk’s last name.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, with twenty one more regular season points than any other team and more important, “dues paying,” playoffs losses in the ’15 final series and last year’s “semi” to the Barry Trotz coached, eventual champion, Washington Capitals, richly deserve to win the 2019 NHL crown/Stanley Cup.
That, however, does not mean they will do so and certainly they will have to earn it in the “attrition rich,” NHL ‘offs.
The franchise has one title, that fifteen years ago in ’04 when they 7’d this year’s top Western Conference, “reg” team, Calgary (Flames). The Lightning open this year’s ‘offs vs Columbus (Blue Jackets), a team coached by the ’04 title winning Lightning coach, John Tortorella.
Barry Trotz, in his first season with the New York Islanders, guided them to a fine regular season and they have home ice advantage vs a familiar Trotz playoff foe, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In each of the last 3 seasons the Pens under 2 time Cup winner, Mike Sullivan and the Trotz coached Capitals met in the playoffs, with the series winner (“Pitts” in ’16 and ’17, “Wash” in ’18), going on to win the Stanley Cup each time.
The defending champion Washington Capitals, who finished ahead of both the Islanders and Penguins to win the regular season, NHL Metropolitan Division, begin their series vs the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow night in Washington D.C.
That series winner will face the Isles/Pens winner in the NHL quarterfinal round.
A night after Chloe Jackson’s driving layup made shot was decisive, in 2 plus point(s) favorite Baylor’s (82-81) win vs defending women’s champion, Notre Dame–DeAndre Hunter scored 28 points, leading point plus favorite, Virginia (85-77) (way) over Texas Tech, in the first title game for each team.
There were a few too many really close games and Virginia truly fortunate escapes for me to give/leave my heart/head to/with Tony Bennett’s now title team, which I suppose, “redeemed” itself, after last year’s first round loss to Maryland Baltimore County.
Yet, consider Virginia’s back to back tremendous regular seasons as a “body of work,” well deserving of a title. Both Texas Tech and Notre Dame were gallant in final game losses while Auburn, and its coach, Bruce Pearl also deserve much credit, not the least of which due to enduring a “horrible” BASKETBALL loss, with great dignity.
DeAndre Hunter, pictured above.
Why not?! Click below to view the great, great performer, Tony Bennett sing “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” Surely some teams “left their hearts” at the myriad 2019 tournament venues.
Click below to view Mr. Bennett perform and congrats to coach Tony Bennett and his very good and most fortunate, Virginia title team.
Tony Bennett – I Left My Heart in San Francisco (from MTV Unplugged)
Forty five years ago tonight, on another Monday April 8th, the magnificent Henry Aaron slammed his 715th home run, breaking the long held record of the immortal, Babe Ruth.
The game was telecast by NBC with Curt Gowdy calling the historic home run.
Hank Aaron turned 85 earlier this year, thus was forty, when he hit the historic home run.
I have added a link to what I posted six years ago, concerning the night and some of the men and back story.
Henry Aaron’s record breaking home run occurred in Atlanta with Aaron playing for the Atlanta Braves.
Click below for some interesting notes and people involved that record breaking night, now forty five years ago.
39 Years Since Hank Aaron’s Record Breaking Home Run
The NCAA title game is set, as Virginia, the great escape artists, will face Texas Tech. Each team/school will be playing in their first title game.
Last season, 16th seed, Maryland Baltimore County defeated top seed Virginia, the only time such an upset has occurred in what is now 140 possibilities (35 multiplied by 4, (1985-2019).
This season, Virginia has escaped and to their credit, advanced to the final game after incredible fortune vs both Purdue in the regional final and vs an Auburn team, that almost makes one root for them, despite Charles Barkley, one of their celebrated figures.
In the regional final game in which they covered in overtime, “UVA” got a clutch tying bucket from Mamadi Diakite at the end of a “scramble situation,” which manifested, after a Virginia missed free toss went beyond the half court line.
Yesterday, after a missed call on what should have been a turnover to Auburn and almost certain victory, Virginia still needed a miracle and got it, when it was ruled that Kyle Guy was fouled on a 3 point attempt.
The 81 percent free toss shooter, to his everlasting credit, (see Rumeal Robinson, whose feat in ’89 (2 made free throws, the first a must, after a drive to the basket was greater and in the final), made all 3 shots and Virginia will now face Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders of Texas Tech are (5-0) (5-0) in this tournament, in which the underdog is (35-27) vs the spread.
Yesterday, after dissipating all but one point, of a 13 point lead they enjoyed with less than 10 minutes left, Jarrett Culver hit for six consecutive points, as Texas Tech pulled away.
Virginia opened a 1 point plus “fave” and now is a 1 point favorite, vs Texas Tech, a team that won as an underdog vs Michigan, Gonzaga and Michigan State (The Spartans fell to (3-7) in national semis and a disappointing (2-6) under Tom Izzo).
Today, while Michigan State (3-6) in previous national semi-final games, bids for its fourth Final game appearance, (one of their two crowns manifested in the famed “Magic” Johnson and Greg Kelser Michigan State win vs Larry Bird and Indiana State forty years ago), Virginia, Auburn and Texas Tech, the latter two in their first national “semi,” hope to make their first final game.
In far less publicized tournaments, Texas won its second NIT crown, forty one years after their first, when co MVP’s Jim Krivacs (later a baseball agent to and a friend of Don Mattingly) and Ron Baxter led the Abe Lemons coached team, to the title.
Additionally, Marshall won the College Insider Tournament, while South Florida took the best of three CBI Final.
In women’s play, both Baylor and defending champion Notre Dame were 5 point “semis” victors vs Oregon and Connecticut respectively, (this was the second straight season Notre Dame took Connecticut in the semis, last year as big underdogs, this time as favorites) and will meet in tomorrow night’s title tilt.
A great college basketball player, North Carolina University’s Lennie Rosenbluth, pictured above.
The 1957, three overtimes, North Carolina victory vs Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain, is rightfully, greatly remembered.
Less known, is that the night before in the national semi, “N.C.” also needed 3 overtimes, in a win vs Michigan State, in Mich State’s first such game.
Thirty five years ago, the Detroit Tigers “roared” to an incredible (35-5) start en route to an easy A.L. East crown and an eventual (7-1) ‘offs run en route to their most recent title.
The season began in Minnesota vs the Twins, with 3 great Hall of Fame “K’s” who became broadcasters.
George Kell and Al Kaline on the Tigers’ telecast and Harmon Killebrew throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the Metro Dome tilt.
Detroit won the game behind Jack Morris, whose next start was his no hit game on national television.
I am very glad to see that the late wrestler, Chyna will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this Sunday.
This is a well deserved honor for Chyna (her real name being Joan Laurer) an athletic, versatile and extremely intelligent individual.
It was a very rewarding experience for me to have interviewed her, at the famed Rick’s Cabaret.
She was friendly, well informed, well spoken and the nice memory of the evening stays with me.
Again it was great to meet and interview Chyna some years back at Rick’s Cabaret.
Chyna with Andy B, pictured above, on that nice evening.
One game remains the most important in leading a league into incredible popularity, while the other will largely fly under the publicity radar.
It is a tale of two “Lipscombs,” involved in title games played in famed New York City venues, over 60 years apart.
In the first one, the one heralded as “the greatest game,” Eugene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb was an integral player on a Baltimore Colts’ team, that won the 1958 NFL title, with an overtime victory at Yankee Stadium, vs the New York Giants.
Tomorrow night in the “under the radar,” NIT Final game, at Madison Square Garden, Lipscomb University (located in Nashville, Tennessee) will face The University of Texas.
It is of course, so early in the 2019 baseball season, however, it is noteworthy that only one team (the (3-0) Philadelphia Phillies) is either undefeated or sans a victory.
“Out of the gate” fast, is (6-1) Seattle (Mariners) which won both games in Japan with the retiring Ichiro, and thus far, 4 of 5 in Seattle.
Included in that, were 3 of 4 wins vs the defending champion, Boston Red Sox, who have lost four of five games.
The great player, George Sisler, pictured below, held the big league record with 257 hits in a season for 84 years, until Ichiro Suzuki, cited above as having retired 2 games into the this season, broke it with 262 hits in 2001.
Click below for a nice article by Bob Sherwin, written 15 years ago this October, regarding Ichiro, Sisler and the one season hits record.
HITS-TORY! Ichiro breaks Sisler’s record – The Seattle Times
Andy B Sports 