That is the great player, Alex Delvecchio, an integral and great member of the last 3 Detroit Red Wings title teams before a 42 year title drought that ended in 1997, who died days back at age 93, pictured above.
Perhaps he is headed for a good “above” maybe with Gordie (Howe), Ted (Lindsay) and the incomparable netminder Terry Sawchuk, all 4 with others, part of the 1952 Red Wings who swept through the NHL ‘offs, going (8-0) in the magnificent 6 team NHL.
So limited was the coverage of this great player’s death. Let’s entertain and cite the fact that the (8-0) Red Wings/”Vogues” (ode to an animal) ‘offs feat of ’52 is the reason octopi are thrown on the ice in celebration of Red Wings positive exploits.
Delvecchio won the Lady Byng Trophy for positive sportsmanship three times and his number 10 hangs from the rafters as tribute to him, as a great player on one of sports great franchises.
Octopus or octopi, octopusses, octopedes representing eight/8 and after the ’52 Red Wings did it, the team, the great broadcaster Danny Gallivan called the best and personal favorite, the 1960 Montreal Canadiens also (8-0’d) to the title.
The three plurals for octopus come from the different ways the English language adopts plurals. Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that words of Latin origin should have Latin endings. Octopuses was the next plural, giving the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word. Lastly, octopodes stemmed from the belief that because octopus is originally Greek, it should have a Greek ending.
Two interleague baseball series this week were rematches of past World Series.
Cited here, the Reds/Red Sox series took place in the 50th anniversary year of their classic 1975 W.S. won by Cincinnati (Reds) in 7 games.
The other one, matching the current World champion Los Angeles Dodgers (now 55-32) and the Chicago White Sox (28-58 but ahead of last year’s “pace,” when they finished (41-121), was a rematch of the 1959 World Series, won by L.A. in 6 games.
All four teams involved, each with a history of World Series winning droughts, has a current World Series winning streak.
Boston (Red Sox) top it, having won in their last 4 W.S. appearances, much as they won in their first 5, including the first one played, that in 1903, after an 86 year title drought in which they lost 4 World Series, all in 7 games–thus even in defeat the Red Sox have been tremendous World Series performers.
The ’75 Reds World Series triumph began what is a 3 World Series win skein for the team, after the ’75 title win ended a 35 year title drought.
Chicago (White Sox) won the last 8 ALCS and World Series tilts in 2005, all after a junior senator from Illinois, named Barack Obama, threw out the first ball at game 2 of the ALCS vs the Angels and ended an 88 year drought, sweeping the then N.L. , Houston Astros, who subsequently won their first two W.S. (’17 one hundred years after the White Sox last crown before 2005 and also under Dusty Baker in 2022).
Finally, the Dodgers, a major sports league record losers in their first 7 final rounds/World Series and sans a crown for 32 years (Sandy’s # but alas 2020 in “neutral” does not “crank” it) have won in their last 2 W.S. that one after a 50 game season in 2020, and a tremendous victory through the 2024 season and ‘offs.
The great Tris Speaker, pictured above, played on Boston title teams in 1912 and 1915 before being a player manager on one of two Cleveland (Guardians nee Indians) W.S. winning teams in 1920.
Cleveland’s 77 year(s) (likely and counting as minimum they are way behind in their “div”) sans a crown is baseball’s longest and I believe second only to the football Cardinals (by one year) such streak.
Recently I derived great enjoyment attending a show, performed by the great Fleetwood Mac “tribute band,” “Tusk.
They performed so many of the great songs recorded by “Fleetwood Mac” and their optics and sound was superb.
Additionally, all of the members were very friendly interacting with the patrons.
I highly recommend seeing Tusk perform.
Toward that result: Click below, information, including upcoming performance dates, are shown.
Tusk: The Classic Fleetwood Mac Tribute | 16 YEARS OF
Tonight an interleague series between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox commences at venerable Fenway Park in Boston.
As with many others, the matchup evokes memories of a great (arguably the greatest) World Series contested between the two teams 50 years ago this fall.
The Reds won that series in 7 games, ending their 35 year title drought while extending the Red Sox one to 57, eventually 86 years.
In the deciding game, the great Tony Perez cut into the Red Sox (3-0) lead with a 2 run home run, shown above, with Curt Gowdy in his last NBC lead baseball broadcaster game, calling it.
So often spoken of, it’s #7 of the ’79 World Series and Ed Murray of the Baltimore Orioles, the team trailing (2-1) B8, is having a bad one bids for hero status and sends the superb player, Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who sadly died today at age 74, back in right field.
Parker stumbled, did not fall and made the catch.
“Pitts” got insurance and their last title to date (Murray and the Orioles had their clincher 4 years later, however, none since and so likely neither once winning franchise, will even be close, again this year).
Parker, talked about by Curt Gowdy for years on the once so anticipated NBC Game of the Week, played on another title team 10 years later, with the Oakland Athletics in 1989.
Many remember his great throw in that same year All-Star Game but that is the All-Star Game, a faded exhibition, that has faded to dust, sans the wind (cue Kansas).
The Hall also means less, Parker was to be inducted alive (the “sin” regarding Pete Rose, who spoke of Parker’s excellence in a great, competitive National League could have been avoided), in weeks, now that “honor” will be posthumous.
Maybe Dave, with his great arm, can throw a meteor down, one not to destroy, but change for the better.
Parker as a player was better than most and a joy to watch.
So many years, so many great Pirates hitters (remember the baseball card– “Bucco Belters with Willie Stargell and Donn Clendenon pictured), a viable, contending, at times, champion team) and Dave Parker, pictured above, also a fine all around player, was one of them.
Once under coach Bud Wilkinson, an Oklahoma team, the college football Sooners were a dominant team.
Before that, led by big (over 7 feet tall, which was much rarer then) Bob Kurland, then known as Oklahoma A&M, now Oklahoma State, they won 2 straight NCAA basketball crowns in 1945 and 1946.
However, the just completed, more or less superb, Oklahoma City Thunder NBA crown, is the first Oklahoma such and they are the state’s lone major professional sports league team.
Once again, Indiana with two such pro teams is denied their sport, basketball (The college Indiana Hoosiers have 5 NCAA Tournament titles and the Pacers did win 3 ABA such) and the Colts 2006 title clinched in a non descript game in the Miami rain, is that state’s lone crown.
Speaking of Miami, the NHL Panthers, as stated here before won their second straight NHL final vs the Edmonton Oilers (they have dropped 3 straight NHL final rounds after going (5-1) in such, including 5 straight wins) and Miami joins 6 other cities/areas with at least 2 crowns in all 4 major sports leagues (the baseball Marlins and long ago, 52 years those have 52 weeks so you do the math, Dolphins also won 2).
The NBA Heat lead Miami with 3 crowns.
Bob Kurland, pictured above.
The three game inter-league Yankees at Cincinnati Reds series (the Yankees, who had lost 9 of 12 games “salvaged” in the third) evoked memories of three great, great teams, arguably the three greatest baseball teams, when you consider their more than one year status, sweeping the at “Cincy” portions of three World Series, contested between the Yankees and Reds.
In 1939 an unbelievable, record setting Yankees team, albeit in a year the great Lou Gehrig fell ill and would die two years later, tragically young at age 38, swept the Reds in 4 straight games, the last two at “Cincy” in the World Series. (Joe DiMaggio, in his 4th season, all title seasons, as in my opinion the 1936-1939 Yankees were the greatest of all baseball teams/eras, alas as Joe said, “I played in 10 World Series and we won 9 of them,” something he was more proud of then hitting in 56 straight games and maybe even marrying Marilyn Monroe, had a famous hook slide, scoring in the clinching game).
Certainly for one season (1961) and they did win 5 straight pennants (’60-’64), part of an incredible 14 in 16 seasons (’49-’64) and repeated as title winners in ’62, those Yankees rate with anyone, among baseball’s greatest teams.
In ’61, greats Roger Maris (yes he was great and sadly there are boos directed at him, not overwhelming but discernible, when he is being introduced before a tilt vs “Det” in ’62) and Mickey Mantle each threatened the immortal George “Babe” Ruth’s single season home run mark set in 1927 (of course that ’27 Yankees team (they repeated in ’28 is among and often considered the greatest), Roger doing so 61 to 60, Mick finishing with 54 and the Yankees denied in 7 games by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, won it all, going to Cincinnati in a (1-1) series and winning all 3 to title. Johnny “Bells” Blanchard had a huge game tying, 8th inning pinch-hit home run in pivotal game 3.
Last, but nowhere least and with all due respect to the Oakland Athletics (’71-’75, with titles in ’72 and I just realized wins at “Cincy” in the first two tilts of the ’72 World Series–speaking of two, Fury “Gene” Tenace, the eventual W.S. MVP that season homered in his first two at bats in game 1 at Cincy and Oakland, now sadly no longer “there” (ode to Gloria Stein), won #’s 1,2 and 7 in Cincy for the crown) the Cincinnati Reds of certainly ’75 and ’76, having been just a bit too young to have seen the ’61 Yankees, are the best baseball team I ever saw.
In 1976, they swept the Yankees, who would win the next 2 titles, with another superb version as were/are the lesser era, Joe Torre managed teams that “quantity’d” 4 titles in 5 seasons, (’96-2000, and 3 straight ’96-’98), winning the first two games at Cincy.
Joe Morgan, arguably baseball’s greatest second baseman ever (I opt for Roger “Rajah” Hornsby, a right hand batter,who “only” batted .358 lifetime, however “Little Joe” is close, so great and sadly no longer alive) set the tone with a first inning home run while John Bench, probably by consensus, baseball’s greatest catcher, won Series MVP, capping it with 2 game 4 home runs.
I cited others including an Oakland A’s team that also won the first two World Series tilts at Cincinnati, however, back to the undefeated, “at Cincy” (the A’s lost in #6 there in ’72), in said World Series and the ’39 Yankees season and era, ’61 Yankees season and era and ’76 Reds seasons, rank with any team, perhaps a tad better!
The above referenced Blanchard pinch home run tied game 3 at Cincy (T8), before Roger Maris hit the tie breaking, go ahead to stay game winning home run, called by the great Mel Allen and shown above.
May 1954
—Ted and the Bo Sox were in town. (New York City)—-
It has been a while since I posted a video of the great television show, “What’s My Line?”
As a bit of a make up, below I think you will enjoy the show from May 23, 1954 with the great Ted Williams as the mystery guest.
John Charles Daly is the show’s host. Panelists that Sunday night after an exciting (10-9) Red Sox win at Yankee Stadium vs the Yankees in one of just two seasons the Yankees did not win the A.L. Pennant from (1949-1964), were Dorothy Kilgallen, Steve Allen, Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf.
Of course a la, as noted by Morris Carnovsky (“A.R. Lowenthal”) regarding James Caan’s “Axel,” in “The Gambler,” Mr. Williams had on his “favorite tie.”
He was not wearing one.
It was not raining, (it is so hot) however, “Thunder happened,” in the form of the franchise’s first and Oklahoma City’s only pro crown, winning #7, (103-91) vs the Indiana Pacers.
A (9-0) third quarter “Thunder rumble” (the 9 points on consecutive 3’s by final round MVP Shai Gilgeous- Alexander (29 points), Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams (20 pts.) put “City” ahead to stay denying a game “Indy” team, whose star player, Tyrese Haliburton suffered an achilles injury midway or so, through the first quarter and of course did not return. (As with Tatum of Boston, next year play is also unlikely, one would hope not, but think so) was the highlight.
The Thunder, as both the Seattle SuperSonics and current form are now (2-3) in NBA final rounds with a (14-16) mark in such games, while Indiana (the state is (0-4) as in consecutive years, ’55 and ’56–first Dolph Schayes, George King and the Syracuse Nationals 7’d and Philadelphia Warriors with Tom Gola 5’d the Fort Wayne Pistons) is (0-2) in final rounds and (5-8) in games.
Chet Holmgren had a big game for the title winning (84-21) Thunder hitting for 18 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. In defeat, T.J. McConnell of the Pacers impressed, scoring 16 points and as an indicator of “City” going up 22 points, had all of his team’s points for a 13 minutes, one second span minutes span in which the 56 all score, became (90-68) “Ok City.”
While for a 31st consecutive, completed NHL season a team from Canada was denied the NHL crown, Canadian player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (pictured above) of the title winning Thunder (12 assists in #7) won the NBA final round MVP, “reg” MVP and scoring title in 2024-2025.
Oh, thunder only happens when it’s raining Players only love you when they’re playing
Eight years apart, two great players, first Roberto Clemente in 1971 and next Wilver “Willie” Stargell in ’79 led the Pittsburgh Pirates (remember when they had a chance, were viable or both?!) to 7 game World Series triumphs, clinched at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, vs the Orioles.
After that “Buccos” road win in the 7th game of baseball’s final round/the World Series, home teams prevailed in #7 of a league final an incredible 18 consecutive times over the next nearly 30 years before another Pittsburgh team, the NHL Penguins won the ’09 title with a game 7 of the final round win at Detroit, vs the defending champion Red Wings, who had 6’d them, the year before.
Starting with that Pens’ road triumph, the road team has gone a so impressive (7-2) in # 7’s of final rounds in the three of four major sports leagues (the NFL contests a one gamer for the crown most always at a neutral site, better known as the Super Bowl), big league baseball, the NHL and NBA–the last of those having one tonight.
Each league has a current road team win skein in such a game, (3-0) NHL– the aforementioned Pens in ’09, the Boston Bruins with current “Fla” champion (their parade is today, again the NBA title is to be decided tonight) Brad Marchand on their roster, in ’11 at Vancouver (Canucks) and the St. Louis Blues winning their lone crown, in 2018, at Boston, vs the Bruins and Marchand).
In the last #7 of an NBA final round, Cleveland upset 73 win(s) Golden State on the road in 2016.
Baseball also with 3, the Cubs ending a 108 year title drought, vs the Cleveland Indians in ’16, the Astros first title win in what was their 55th completed season in 2017 and the Washington Nationals only crown either as the Montreal Expos or “Wash,” vs the ‘Stros in an all road teams win, 2019 World Series.
Before the Penguins’ above referenced road #7/final round win in 2009, the last such was 38 years earlier in 1971.
Click above to hear the great broadcaster Danny Gallivan’s calls, as Henri Richard scored the decisive goal and the game’s conclusion.
Andy B Sports 