Baseball starts tomorrow, ridiculously early on March 29th.
The wild card presence makes division races so much less important.
The division favorites are the defending World Series champion, Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians.
One will not win said division, I will not predict which one.
Soon the National League perspective. Tomorrow N.I.T. and the weekend has the national semis in college basketball. It is too early for baseball!
As stated yesterday, Villanova and Michigan won Conference tournaments at Madison Square Garden, and are now each 5 point favorites, in national semi-final games, to be played this Saturday.
Tonight post-season basketball returns to Madison Square Garden as the N.I. T. (National Invitational Tournament) has its two semi-final games at the famed venue.
In the opener Western Kentucky opposes Utah. After that game concludes, Penn State faces Mississippi State.
Certainly with Loyola of Chicago making an unlikely run to the national semis, thoughts on the famed, Loyola/”Chi” 1963 title team surface.
Relating to the N.I.T. there is juxtaposition with Mississippi State as in ’63, the Babe McCarthy coached Mississippi State team defied a state order prohibiting games vs integrated teams, and faced Loyola of Chicago, such a team, in the N.C.A.A. Tournament regional semis.
Along those lines, there is juxtaposition with ’18 N.I.T. participant Utah, which lost in the national semis, to the eventual champion, Texas Western team in 1966. That Texas Western team had an all black starting five.
On “lighter” notes, (pun intended), as stated yesterday Western Kentucky faced Villanova, a 2018 NCAA Tournament “semi” team in a classic ’71 national semi, won by Villanova.
U.C.L.A. in one of two title seasons in between Lew Alcindor (later and now Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and Bill Walton, took Villanova to win the fifth of seven straight titles.
A “stretch” regarding the remaining N.I.T. “semis” team, Penn State: In 1966, the year of the aforementioned Texas Western/Utah national semi, a football coach named Joe Paterno, began a 46 season career as “Nittany Lions” head coach.
I admired Babe McCarthy as a fine coach in the A.B.A. and much more so after learning of his part in having Mississippi State take part in that tournament game vs Loyola of Chicago.
The two winners of recent conference tournaments held at Madison Square Garden, Villanova (Big East) and Michigan (Big Ten) are both 5 point favorites, in national semis/final four games to be played next Saturday, in San Antonio, Texas.
Yesterday Villanova covered Texas Tech to advance to their second national semi in 3 seasons (they won it all in 2016 and are the top choice this time around), winning by 12 points, as 6 plus point favorites.
In the second game yesterday, Kansas, a three plus point underdog, won in overtime vs Duke and now bids for a third “8” year title, having won it all in 1988 and 2008.
As stated yesterday, Michigan is about a 5 point “fave” vs Loyola of Chicago in what I correctly predicted would be the opening game next Saturday.
I also thought Kansas/Duke would go into overtime, thus building the audience for the next program. That of course, manifested with Mr. Murrow, Mr. Cronkite and even Mr. Paley, I believe “spinning” negatively, in a better place.
Nobody but me, in 1971, Villanova defeated Western Kentucky, in a classic national semi.
Now in a year Villanova which won the Madison Square Garden based Big East Tournament and far more important, is in the national semis, Western Kentucky will play Utah in one N.I.T. semi, that once highly prestigious tournament, still played at Madison Square Garden.
Tomorrow more on the N.I.T. which will have its semis tomorrow and championship game on Thursday.
Michigan, (winners in 6 straight (6-1) national semis/final four games and (6-1) all time), has been established as a 5 plus point “fave” vs 11 seed, South Regional winner, Loyola of Chicago, in what likely will be the first “semis” tilt next Saturday.
The 11th seed, Ramblers (4-0) (4-0) eased by Kansas State, to make just their second national semi ever, the other in 1963, when they won it all.
Meanwhile Kansas State was denied for a 7th straight time in a regional final after having won their first three and four of their first six. They have not made the national semis/final four since 1964.
The Wolverines of “Mich” no covered Florida State, winning by 4 points, as perhaps inexplicably, FSU did not foul down 4 points with 8 seconds left. That added to a “dog run” that is now (15-3), starting with the eight games played in round of 32 action, last Sunday.
In watching a good 1960 movie, “Midnight Lace,” on TCM, I noticed the fabulous John Williams, again playing a Scotland Yard inspector.
Mr. Williams had done so in fabulous fashion in the great Alfred Hitchcock directed, “Dial M For Murder,” six years earlier in 1954.
John Williams played “Niles French,” the brother of Sebastian Cabot’s Mr. French (Giles), on the television show, “Family Affair.”
He also was the “host” on the longest running national television commercial in history, offering musical masterpieces.
John Williams, pictured above, in a scene from “Dial M For Murder.”
Click below to view the longest running commercial in television history,”hosted” by John Williams.
TV COMMERCIAL – 120 classical masterpieces Album – John Williams 70’s 80’s
Now it appears that Michigan is the team for whom the road is paved, however, think not about that paved road, as in this tournament barriers appear.
It will be a “9 -11,” (a non emergency, for once) in the South Regional final Saturday, as 11 seed Loyola of Chicago will face 9th seed, Kansas State.
Meanwhile Michigan, now a favorite to at least reach its seventh title game (they are (1-5) in the previous six), meets ninth seed, Florida State in the West Regional Final, also on Saturday.
Rumeal Robinson, pictured and perhaps “jinxed” by the Sports Illustrated cover, (notice it was the preview issue after “Mich” had titled the season before) was sent to the foul line (tough way for the title to be decided) and to his everlasting credit, made both free tosses (ode to the great Joe Tait), giving Michigan, its only basketball title to date, with a one point win over Seton Hall in the ’89 final.
Click below to read the sad story of Mr. Robinson and perhaps gain perspective on some, perhaps all, this so called “madness.”
NCB – Rumeal Robinson‘s journey from Michigan star to …
Three teams combine for the 9 titles among the Midwest Region’s remaining teams.
Duke with five titles, all under current coach Mike Krzyzewski, leads the way.
Next is Kansas with three, two in years ending in 8, having won it all with Danny Manning in ’88 and Mario Chalmers in ’08. Current coach Bill Self guided the ’08 team.
Fifteen years ago, Syracuse (3-0) in this tournament and one of two “11” seeds, (Loyola of Chicago is the other) in the regional semis/”sweet sixteen,” won it all led by Carmelo Anthony and under current coach Jim Boeheim.
The recently deceased, great player Jo Jo White, pictured above, was on some fine Kansas teams, but none won the crown.
Both the South and Midwest Regional semi-finals house a total of nine titles among its four teams.
In the South region, Kentucky once an 8 to 1 underdog and now an 8 to 5 favorite to win the region, (I noticed the plowing in their favor after one day, now all the so called experts got around to it) has 8 previous titles.
Loyola of Chicago has one.
The Ramblers won it all in 1963, defeating two time champion, Cincinnati in the final.
Nevada coming from way back/a Cincinnati collapse prevented a Loyola vs Cincy redux 55 years later and 3 rounds earlier.
Tomorrow a look at the 9 titles among the 4 Midwest Region teams.
The 1963 NCAA Champion, Loyola of Chicago team pictured above.
Imagine, Bill Simmons said the Golden State Warriors would win 75 games in the 82 game NBA regular season.
The perception was a far more realistic 67 and a fraction.
I knew it would be less. It will be.
Not only that, but the Houston Rockets and not the Warriors, will be the top seed in the NBA West.
The Warriors are still the favorites.
After last year’s easiest of journeys for both Golden State and Cleveland to a third straight Final clash, at least on paper and with some certainty, this year’s road will be far more difficult to manage.
In this year’s NCAA Basketball Tournament national semis/final four, the winners of the South and West regions will clash in one semi.
That semi will have no higher than a three seed from the West and none higher than a five seed from the “paved” South region.
Kentucky, as cited here yesterday, a 4 time champion in years ending in 8, which of course this one is, had another good but not great day in its “paving” process.
Kansas State will be their regional semi opponent a perceived tougher one than Maryland Baltimore County, which covered in defeat to Kansas State yesterday.
However, Nevada (do not get me wrong neither Kansas State nor Nevada is without a chance) overcame a 20 plus point deficit in the last 11 minutes to oust “Kentucky neighbor” and South 2 seed, Cincinnati, making “Ken” the clear favorite in the region.
Not this season, with a plethora of big tournament upsets!
Andy B Sports 