As cited here, the Big Ten Basketball Tournament will begin this Wednesday February 28th at Madison Square Garden.
Michigan State won the regular season title and will be in the NCAA Tournament. Other bids will be at stake as the tournament will be played over 5 days, concluding on Sunday March 4th.
This is an earlier start time for one of the major conference’s post-season tournaments.
In its usual “week before the NCAA Tournament,” time the Big East will have its tournament at Madison Square Garden for the 40th consecutive season.
That tournament begins on Wednesday March 7th and concludes on Saturday March 10th. The next day all the tournament bids, including the N.I.T. which also concludes at Madison Square Garden will be announced.
Michigan State, the top seed, will play at noon on Friday.
The current NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks, each have (6-0) home playoffs game records en route to their 3 Supe appearances, with each team (1-2) in Super Bowl play.
That (6-0) mark tops the list of teams with no road wins, in years they made the Super Bowl.
However, Washington went (7-0) at home in making their first three Super Bowl appearances, going (2-0) (slots and title game wins in ’72 and ’83), but needed and attained 3 home wins to make and win the Supe in strike marred 1982 (hence an added ‘offs game).
Washington is (3-2) in Supes, also winning in strike marred 1987 and in 1991. Both of those Supe triumphs followed baseball titles, the only titles for any current Minnesota based team, (the Minneapolis Lakers with the great George Mikan and Jim Pollard), won 5 NBA crowns), by the Minnesota Twins.
In ’87, the streak of 7 straight home ‘offs wins en route to a “Wash” (speaking of Wash, will it ever stop raining?!) Supe appearance, was snapped when they won at Chicago, vs the Bears in the slots/division round game.
Subsequently, “Wash” won the ’87 and ’91 title tilts at home along with a slot 1 “div” round win at home vs Atlanta in ’91.
Thus “Wash” in 5 Supe appearances, achieved such with 10 of the 11 required wins at home.
The Steelers have made eight Super Bowls, winning six. They won 7 of the required 8 games at home en route to an amazing 4 titles in six seasons from (’74-’79), with the ’74 title game win vs John Madden’s Raiders, the only road win among the eight.
Pittsburgh also rode a pair of home wins, the usual slots and title game variety, to Supe appearances in ’08 and ’10, splitting the two Supes, winning the former. Thus in 7 of their 8 Supe appearances, Pittsburgh won 13 of the required 14 games to gain entry to the game at home.
However, completely against their historical pattern, the Steelers won three road games to make and eventually win the ’05 season Super Bowl. Thus 13 of their 17 wins, netting them eight Supe appearances, were achieved at home.
The great George Mikan is pictured above.
Yesterday, I reviewed an interview Sunshine Chance Smith and I (is it me and where is she?) conducted with the eloquent, great broadcaster, Marty Glickman.
In it, Mr. Glickman divulged one of his most memorable broadcasts/best games was an NBA All-Star tilt, in which George Mikan “grinning ear to ear” calmly sank two free tosses(ode to Joe Tait and Anna Fields for the “ode”) to send the game into overtime.
This past week on MeTV, the first episodes of “The Rifleman” aired.
Those episodes first did so in 1958.
Notably, in some of the first episodes, future Bonanza stars, Michael Landon and Dan Blocker (with mustache), appeared.
It was fun to look back at Chuck Connors, Johnny Crawford and Paul Fix, who were the series stars.
All 30 major league baseball teams are in action this afternoon, as exhibition games commence.
In a redux of last year’s National League one game “5 teams to 4” game, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won that tilt, face the Colorado Rockies.
Elsewhere, two games match teams that made last year’s baseball tournament, with the World Champion Houston Astros hosting the Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox hosting the Minnesota Twins.
Other than the Astros, who went (11-7), (the 7 post-season losses, a record number for a title team), the other three teams failed to win a round in last year’s tournament.
The Astros (3-1’d) the Red Sox in one “quarter,” while the 2016 champion Cubs continued the Nationals post-season woes, winning a decisive 5th game in Washington D.C.
It was the third such loss for Washington, which still has never made a “semi” as the Washington Nationals, having made just one in 48 completed seasons (as the Montreal Expos, the franchise also lost a decisive home 5th game, that a “semi” vs the Dodgers, which followed the lone post-season series victory in franchise history, that also in a decisive 5th game, a road “strike induced, extra round” win on the road, dethroning the defending champion, Philadelphia Phillies).
The New York Yankees, exhibition season whirlwinds and surprise playoff team, a year ago, took out the Twins in the “5 teams to 4 game,” overcoming a 3 run deficit right away. It was the fourth win in as many post-season entities for the Yankees, vs the Twins.
George Springer of the World Series champion, Houston Astros, pictured above.
It is great fun to go back in time and watch some great performers in any field on the old and distinguished panel shows.
Today there is such an example, as you can click below and watch Willie Mays, for whom the World Series MVP is named (of course Willie was great but he never did hit a World Series home run. His iconic catch and THROW, the latter more incredible, was the key play as the New York Giants swept the heavily favored Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series) as Houston’s George Springer won the first such Mays World Series MVP Award) on “What’s My Line.”
Philadelphia passed Pittsburgh, by winning its 17th major North American sports league crown, when the Eagles won their first Super Bowl two weeks and three days ago.
However, Philadelphia has had so many more possible seasons and has/had more teams than Pittsburgh by a wide margin.
After both cities won crowns in 1960, the Pittsburgh Pirates in baseball, riding big home runs by first Hal Smith and then a World Series clinching one by Bill Mazeroski, and the Eagles in football, Pittsburgh has won 13 titles while Philadelphia gained 7 in that span.
The Phillies were simultaneous champions with Pittsburgh teams for both of their titles. when they captured their first ever World Series victory in 1980, the Pittsburgh Steelers were reigning 1979 NFL champions.
After the Phils won it all in ’08, the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had been 6’d by the Detroit Red Wings in the ’08 Stanley Cup Final, won it all in ’09, winning the seventh and deciding game in Detroit.
Hal Smith is greeted at home plate after one of the most important, yet severely overlooked hits in baseball history, a two out, three run home run that transformed a (7-6) Pirates’ deficit into a (9-7) lead as late as “bottom 8/#7-1960 World Series.”
Dick Groat (#24) and Roberto Clemente (#21) are shown above greeting Mr. Smith
The Big Ten Basketball Tournament will take place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden from February 28th through March 4th. The winner will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Purdue and Ohio State have done well in their regular seasons so far.
A great place to watch all the games is Rick’s Cabaret New York, the upscale gentlemen’s club where the beautiful girls and the staff’s warm hospitality will make you feel welcome. And if you are at the games, I recommend you visit for some post-game fun.
Recently, I spotted Howard Stern Show character “Ronnie the Limo Driver,” former NY Met Lenny Dykstra, and wrestling star Bubba Dudley at the club. Rick’s Cabaret NYC Girl Kendra told me that they get a lot of celebrities and sports stars, and that Ronnie was her favorite. “He is unique and a truly nice person.”
Located just one block from Madison Square Garden at 50 West 33rd Street, Rick’s Cabaret has three floors of entertainment, and a full-menu Steakhouse on the second floor.
I truly enjoyed the movie “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” which aired last Sunday on TCM (Turner Classic Movies).
The cast led by Peggy Ann Garner, a “movies Garner,” before James and certainly Jennifer, was superb.
Dorothy McGuire, two years before her great “turn” in Gentleman’s Agreement, is also noted, however, again the whole cast moved me.
One coincidence it is actor Lloyd Nolan who informs Ms. McGuire’s character (Mrs. Nolan) that her husband (Mr. Nolan played by John Dunn), is ill.
Both the 1974 and 1975 respective NHL and NFL titles were won by Philadelphia and Pittsburgh teams.
The Philadelphia Flyers, in just their seventh season took the 1974 NHL title. It was a very quick crown for a 1968 expansion team.
Thus when the Steelers took their first title in their 42nd possibility in ’74, “Philly” and “Pitts” had simultaneous champions.
Both teams repeated as title winners in 1975, meaning Philadelphia and Pittsburgh had simultaneous champions from the time Pitts (16-6’d) Minne in Jan ’75 until the great 1976 Montreal Canadiens ended the two year Flyers’ title run by sweeping the Flyers in the ’76 NHL Final.
This is not the first time Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have simultaneous major North American sports league champions.
Today, a look at the two most recent Eagles’ crowns this one in ’17 and the one in 1960.
The Eagles’ ’60 title was preceded by a Pittsburgh Pirates victory in the 1960 World Series.
The Eagles are current NFL champions simultaneously with the two time NHL champion, Pittsburgh Penguins.
Nelson Agholor, pictured above, had three big positive plays on the Eagles’ decisive touchdown drive in the most recent Super Bowl.
Andy B Sports 