The exhibition baseball game today between the Mets and Tigers in Lakeland Florida brings back a memory of a game between the teams I believe in the same city.
In a game I remember listening to via the Mets’ radio network, a line drive hit by pinch hitting great, Gates Brown (he hit .390 in very limited at bats for the World Champion ’68 Tigers) broke the jaw, of Mets’ pitcher Carl Willey.
Willey was part of some great Milwaukee Braves’ teams and was the starting pitcher in the second game of the Braves’ best of three, unscheduled playoff series for the 1959 National League Pennant.
The Dodgers won the game and series and eventually the World Series. Willey was not involved in the game 2 decision.
Lolich won three games, including the decisive 7th game, for the Tigers in the 1968 World Series.
It is on to the Big East Tournament “quarters’ today at Madison Square Garden.
Beginning at noon, top seed Xavier, whose fan, actor Bill Murray, also rooted for College of Charleston, which made the NCAA Tournament, faces St. Johns.
Also in the afternoon, Providence meets Creighton.
At night second seed, Villanova meets Marquette while Butler faces off vs Seton Hall.
I predict the local teams will play well, Seton Hall to “pick” off Butler, while 6 point favorite, Xavier will just get by St. Johns.
I was so fortunate to attend a rousing, beautiful performance of “It Shoulda Been You” at 92 Y, two days past.
The story was moving and certainly very humorous.
Producer Daryl Roth, having produced 7 Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, brought this production/reading to the 92 Y.
The incredibly great and of grace, Tyne Daly was “Judy,” and not only was sensational, but since it was a reading, I did spend some time watching her react to the other performers.
Ms. Daly is amazing to watch as she performs and supports. Additionally, she took time to speak with patrons after the performance. We need more “Tyne” in our lives.
Farah Alvin, as “Jenny” was terrific in her acting and received tremendous, well deserved, applause on her musical numbers, from a sold out venue.
Add Edward Hibbert, as wedding planner “Albert,” to those I cite individually. In reprising his role, Mr. Hibbert was dynamic.
All of the cast was great. In order of appearance: Sierra Boggess, Aaron C. Finley, Montego Glover, Nick Spangler, Anne L. Nathan, Adam Heller, Gina Ferrall, Mitch Greenburg, Josh Grisetti and Chip Zien.
The performance with an incredible cast, books and lyrics by Brian Hargrove, music by Barbara Anselmi and directed/narrated by the esteemed David Hyde Pierce (Mr. Pierce made his directing debut with “It Should Have Been You,” adding to an acting career, that included a great role on the television show, “Frasier”), was truly uplifting, incredible tonic for any point in time, especially this one.
According to the odds, only one of the six baseball division titles is up for grabs.
Almost certainly there is/will be more mystery than that.
After all, why else do they play the games?!
The Yankees are slight favorites to win the A.L. East, something they have not achieved since 2012, which for them seems a long time.
After their incredible run of 20 World crowns and 29 legitimate “1 of 1,” A.L. first place finishes in 44 seasons (1923-1964), the Yankees failed to finish first from (1965-1975) and again from (1982-1995.)
Like, love, dislike or truly dislike them, the fact a 5 season skein of not finishing first (they made the ‘offs twice as a wild card team in those 5 seasons), is their third longest such streak, attests to their great history, starting with their first pennant in 1921.
Later in the week more on the division odds, eventually some previews but tomorrow join us as I write about a wonderful performance of “It Shoulda Been You,” I attended.
In a slight upset, nine to five underdog, “The Shape of Water” won the best picture award at the 90th Academy Awards presentation.
Otherwise, prohibitive favorites copped the acting and best director, “apples vs oranges,” honors.
All were outstanding choices, but why one nominee and not the other? Gary Oldman as cited here for a brilliant performance as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour,” won the best actor award, going off as a 1 to 38 favorite.
Frances McDormand won her second best actress award while Sam Rockwell and Alison Janney took home best supporting nods.
Benito del Torro won the best director award for “Shape of Water,” whose Doug Jones was part of an interesting interview on Kurt Anderson’s “Studio 360,” this past weekend on NPR. That should have been the vibe for the slight underdog “The Shape of Water.”
While Eddie Vedder sang for nearly one minute longer, the “In Memoriam” tribute lasted less than 3 minutes. Its duration seems to get shorter each year, which would be great if less people died, but that of course, is not the case.
At least, Danielle Dorrieux, who died at 100 years of age, was included in the tribute.
Frances McDormand, a tremendously talented actress won her second Academy Award, this for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbings Missouri,” the previous for “Fargo.” She got the “midwest vote.”
Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to ever run a mile distance in less than 4 minutes, died yesterday, at peace, surrounded by family in his Oxford, England home.
How fitting and nice that this classy man, who called his years as a neurologist and the loving family, his biggest achievements, departed in such peace.
The “first” such a seminal moment in sports, will endure as it took so long and so many tried, to run a mile’s distance in less than four minutes.
What endures to me and is so moving regards Sir Roger Bannister as a person and the classy, great ways in which he contributed to society.
What a time (at least two meanings) it was. Sir Roger Bannister, pictured above as he runs history’s first sub 4 minute mile.
Willie Mays turned 23 on that historic May 6, 1954, a birthday in his greatest season. He celebrated with a home run and raised his average that day and nearly 100 points, subsequent to that day.
1954: “Brown vs The Board of Education,” Willie Mays, and Sir Roger Bannister. Go easy, Sir.
Today’s Michigan State vs Michigan Big Ten Tournament “semi” is at Madison Square Garden beginning at 2 P.M.
The other “semi” tilt matches Penn State, surely a contender to make the NCAA Tournament, after a third win in as many tilts vs Ohio State, and Purdue.
That game will follow the Michigan teams battle, with an approximate starting time of 4:30 listed.
Local team Rutgers, which finished last in the Big Ten “reg,” played very well in the Big Ten Tournament.
First they “picked” Minnesota before barking as a nearly 3 to 1 underdog vs Indiana.
Purdue beat them by 7 points in last night’s “quarter” not coming close to covering a huge 15 point spread.
Tonight is the exact 56 year anniversary of an NBA game, in which Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points.
The game was played on Friday night March 2, 1962 in Hershey Pennsylvania.
Click below to view my post on the 50th anniversary of Wilt’s amazing feat.
Less than five thousand people attended the tilt vs the New York Knicks. A few Knicks players, including Willie Naulls, drove Wilt, who had a New York City apartment, home after the game.
It is believed Wilt slept for most of the trip, awakening to hear the other players state the incredulity of his scoring 100 points vs them.
Wilt’s team the Warriors, (the Eagles are NFL champions on this exact 56 year anniversary of Wilt’s 100 point game, another “56”) had a great employee named Harvey Pollack.
Mr. Pollack thought quickly and wrote the number 100 on a piece of paper, eventually that writing manifested in one of the most famous sports photos shown below.
Yesterday, Dr. H.T. turned 63 and apparently celebrated with a nice lunch with his otherwise all female family.
Some juxtaposition follows as within 24 hours, I viewed two iconic films, “On The Waterfront” sans commercials on TCM, which currently is airing a great interview conducted by Ben Mankiewicz with Faye Dunaway for its “Backlot” members and “The Hustler” with the so annoying ads, on Movies.
I turned 26 and Dr. H.T. regarded those at my childish but in some sense, stimulating party, as “so involved in comparisons, so intense in the often “apples vs oranges” which/who/whom/ is better.”
That went through my mind as the two great films cited above had something else in common, in addition to their greatness.
One at the party claimed “Waterfront” as his and the other did so regarding “Hustler.”
As with the annual, upcoming Academy Awards the comparison is “apples/oranges” but in this case it would be or was between two incredibly, moving, timeless works that endure.
Some great scenes in another great film, “Save The Tiger” starring Jack Lemmon.
Before the 2017 season, both eventual ALCS participants, the Houston Astros and New York Yankees were not regarded all that highly.
Both teams had failed to make the ‘offs in 2016, after Houston had “5 to 4 teams left gamed” the Yankees in 2015.
The eventual champion Royals, then added to the Astros’ history of excruciating post-season losses, beating Houston in the “quarters.”
Last season Houston won it all, while the Yankees projected to be around a break even team, had a great spring training season and made it to game 7 of the ALCS, before Houston defeated them.
This season the Astros are projected to win 96 plus games and the Yankees’ mark is set at 94 plus.
Thus far, each team is undefeated in “board” exhibition games, the Yankees (5-0) and Houston (4-0).
A young Jim Wynn, pictured above.
Wynn was an Astros star and was in the opening day lineup for the eventual 1977 World Series winning New York Yankees.
Andy B Sports 