The no longer prestigious NIT, now in Indiana, having abandoned New York, produced a below par basketball final game, with the manifestation, less free throw missing Tennessee Chattanooga, winning by one point, as a 3 plus point(s) underdog vs California Irvine.
Garrison Keeslar (not quite Garrison Keillor) hit the decisive basket, yielding the game’s last points, as 5 double letters “Chatt,” missed 2 free throws to go along with an Irvine turnover and missed layup as time expired.
It did not exactly bring back memories of past N.I.T. stars such as George Mikan, Pete Maravich, Larry Bird and others.
All four regional top seeds made the national semi-finals (Saturday, commencing around 6:10 with Florida a 2 or so point(s) “fave” vs Auburn, followed by Duke with 5 crowns and a plurality “choice” for a sixth, favored by 5 vs Houston, which is in its 7th national “semi” and still seeking a first basketball or football title), as on Sunday past, Houston ripped Tennessee while Auburn “covered/all teased” Michigan State (still just the one Izzo title, Jud Heathcote won as many, that Izzo such 25 years into the “rear view” (ode to Jimmy Stewart–picture will be of the same name baseball player).
Tomorrow night’s, once prestigious, but no longer (Dad used to ask any good teams left for the N.I.T. which he saw in its glory days), National Invitational Tournament, now no longer in New York but at Hinkel Field House (ode to Gene Hackman and the movie, “Hoosiers”) matches Cal Irvine and Tennessee Chattanooga.
The Anteaters (Irvine) is/are a 3 plus point(s) favorite.
Oh do I recall Jimmy Stewart, pictured above, hitting a 3RHR in a Reds’ second game of a doubleheader, (5-2) win at Shea Stadium, vs the Mets in an “indicative” 1970 tilt.
It has been 50 years since U.C.L.A. coached by the great John Wooden won its incredible 10th title in 12 seasons in the coach’s last game.
The fact Wooden announced his retirement after Richard Washington’s shot was decisive in the team’s one point win vs Louisville in the national semis, definitely helped the Bruins (U.C.L.A.) and to this day some Kentucky players call it a, if not the key, to U.C.L.A.’s title tilt win vs them.
I recall my father who did root for U.C.L.A. (I did not but surely acknowledge their greatness) clapping as the game ended and Wooden walked off the floor triumphant in his last game.
An article by John Maffei in the San Diego Tribune indicates the great coach (what sour grapes by Bob Knight for disputing Wooden’s greatness, just as despite what I think of the “chair thrower,” I salute Knight as a great coach as well) received an ovation when he entered the press room after the tilt something, not seen before or since.
Finally, the one time I interviewed John Wooden a day before Arkansas denied Duke a third crown in 4 seasons (they have won 3 since and are a decent sized plurality choice to add one week from tonight), he offered a low key, beautifully inflected “sorry,” (no I’m, a la no “i” in team) after being informed by me that my father, an aforementioned Wooden supporter, had recently died.
Oh 50 years!
East and South top seeds Duke and Florida secured national semis berths, with very different regional final victories yesterday.
Florida made an amazing (no phone, no title —rent–ode to Roger Miller) comeback, down 9 points in the last 4 minutes to “by 5” Texas Tech, as about a 7 point “fave.”
After that one, Duke also about a 7 point(s) favorite, eased (85-65) vs Alabama, denying the Tide a second straight national “semis” appearance.
Today’s first tilt in the Midwest final matches Houston, which squeaked by Purdue in a near home game for the Boilmakers (Purdue) and Tennessee, a winner vs Kentucky, after 2 losses in the near meaningless “reg.”
In the later South Region Final, Auburn is (-5) vs Michigan State, after they covered and all teased Michigan, while a shot I thought I saw, be under the rim, went in, enabling a Mich. State by 3 not 6 (on el numero) vs Mississippi (that state, so seeped in south, yields a song to spell it or counting before rushing (or not), the quarterback in touch football.
Notice the light drum work.
60 years and still so good.
Roger Miller– “King Of The Road.”
Last night, both Duke and Alabama scored or exceeded 100 points and now will face each other in the East Regional final to be played tomorrow, in Newark, New Jersey.
Duke won 5 titles under Mike Krzyzewski from 1991-2017 while ‘Bama seeking just its second national semi appearance but second in a row, won 6 titles just under Nick Saban (2008-2017), to go along with 5 under the legendary Paul”Bear” Bryant and one under Gene Stallings, that with Derrick Lassic in 1992.
Elsewhere, Texas Tech, a hard luck national final game losing team vs Virginia in 2019 (the Bell rung but no “returns’), survived Arkansas in overtime, and will meet so highly regarded, Florida in the West Region Final, also tomorrow and in the city in which Tony Bennett (the great singer, not the 2019, title winning Virginia coach) “left his heart” (credit “Ark” which also did), San Francisco, California in tomorrow’s earlier regional final.
Both Duke and Florida, certainly on a possible “collision course” toward a title game clash, are 6 plus points favorites tomorrow.
Among today’s essentially (defending champion L.A. won both “in Tokyo, Japan”) season opening baseball tilts are Detroit (Tigers) at L.A. (Dodgers), and New York Mets at Houston Astros.
Twenty years apart in 1935 and 1955 the Tigers and Dodgers (then in Brooklyn, however for only 2 more seasons before moving to Los Angeles), respectively won their first titles.
Both the Mets and Astros (then known as the Colt-45’s) entered the National League in 1962.
Houston is now an American League team, having won their two titles as such, in 2017 and 2022.
Julio Gotay, pictured above as a Cardinals’ player (he was in the Cards’ starting lineup vs the Mets in the latter’s first game ever in 1962), played 4 seasons for the ‘Stros (’66-’69).
The Southeastern Conference placed 14 teams in the 68 team NCAA Basketball Tournament field. Half of them (7) (ode to Mickey–(Mantle), 2 days before baseball 2025 really starts) advanced to the round of 16.
Two of them, Midwest region 2 (Tennessee) and 3 (Kentucky) seeds, clash in one tilt while 5 of the other 7 games feature an S.E.C. team vs one of the remaining 9 non S.E.C. teams.
All four top, and 3 of the 4 seeds advanced, with top seeds Auburn (an S.E.C.’er), Houston, Duke and Florida (The S.E.C. Tournament winner, which survived 2 time defending champion Connecticut) facing Michigan (a 5 seed) and 4 seeds Purdue, Arizona, and Maryland (they needed a game winning shot from star freshman, Derik Queen to topple Colorado State) respectively.
Elsewhere 2 seed S.E.C. team, Alabama faces B.Y.U. (in its first round of 16 tilt since 2011), and Michigan State the other remaining “2,” (Ark. under Calipari took out “2” seed St. Johns), meets Ole Miss an S.E.C.’er, which upset “3” seed Iowa State.
The only game sans a 1 or 2 seed matches “3” seed, Texas Tech and aforementioned 10 seed “Ark,” (Arkansas also a Southeastern Conference team).
A long bus and subway Friday past and a passenger (to the driver) cites George Foreman (news he was gone, too soon at age 76, had come to me just before boarding), winning some form of a boxing title, late and well into his entrepreneur days.
Yet and of course to me, George, with the also cited many offspring named such, was the seemingly indestructible heavyweight champion, who took the title more than convincingly, from another great, Joe Frazier, (styles make fights and slugger Foreman was too much for the always “at you” Frazier) in January 1973, on a Monday night that L.B. Johnson died.
It took “The Greatest,” certainly one of them, Muhammad Ali, to take away the crown, just before the African rains fell on a morning in Zaire.
Foreman, I think so cool as a “bad guy,” with his big dog, as depicted in “When We Were Kings,” about Ali/Foreman in 1974, became a good guy, more than accepted as a pitch man and stayed that way.
George Foreman was one of the greats and maybe just maybe, as I write/type this early morning he, Ali, Joe Frazier and others are meeting and reminiscing in a better place.
It was ok to sell grills and George Foreman, pictured above was good as “good,” however beyond cool as “bad,” in younger days a
Surely the media is building and will build up a “mere” (true if you lose, you are out), round of 32 St. John’s (-7) under Rick Pitino vs Arkansas, coached by John Calipari, game (Saturday around 2:45 in “el” East) however, the historic redux with a reverse result in a far, far (cue Ronald Colman, note the spelling, as Sydney Carton in “A Tale of Two Cities”) less important NCAA tilt was last night, when Calipari’s “Ark” team upset pre-season #1, but only a 7 seed Kansas.
In ’08 Calipari’s Memphis team had a significant title game lead vs Kansas, then and now coached by Bill Self, who has won 2 crowns.
However, Kansas got a truly all-time clutch tying shot from Mario Chalmers to tie the game, yielding overtime and won it in the extra period.
Click above to view Der Rose only “split the pair,” (ode to the great Joe Tait) and then Chalmers tying shot.
It will be 90 years this December 25th/aka Christmas since “Tale” based on Charles Dickens seminal novel was released.
Del Shofner, a truly impactful and great receiver, who combined with quarterback Y.A. Tittle on great and “change the game,” New York Giants’ teams of the early 1960’s, deserves to be remembered and dare I say along with another, tremendous receiver, being denied, Gary Collins, ought to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Shofner who wore Number 85 was 85 years old when he died in 2020.
There is so much strife, especially now, but the ineptitude “stats only” thinking that left Del Shofner out of the not so esteemed Pro Football Hall of Fame is irksome, if not really important.
I was NOT a Giants’ fan, however, the memories of Marty Glickman a great announcer, calling a touchdown involving the superb Tittle to Shofner combination, is a lasting memory.
In opening a 1986 interview with Marty, I asked him to recreate such a call (he also intoned “good like Nedicks”) and that is another indelible memory.
Marty did so intoning “throwing deep for Shofner” and actually raising his arms, saying and “indicating” touchdown.
Del can now run deep, perhaps among the stars. He certainly was a transcendent player in glorious, better days.
Del Shofner, pictured above, began his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams. Twice with them and thrice with the Giants, Del was an All Pro selection.
Those seasons (’58,’59 and ’61-’63) were all years/seasons the Giants won the NFL Eastern Conference crown.
Del created aforementioned indelible memories. From Wikipedia below:
Despite being named to the All-Decade team of the 1960s, Shofner has not been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, nor has he been a finalist in recent years.[8]
Andy B Sports 