Today is the 70th birthday of the great basketball player, Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Exactly 45 years ago today on Sunday April 16, 1972, Jabbar, Lew Alcindor until that 1971-1972 season, led the Milwaukee Bucks to a series squaring, home win vs the record breaking, Los Angeles Lakers in game four of their semi series.
Note the playoffs were well into the semis then, while today, 4 opening round of 16, game ones will be played.
The Lakers won that series and the ’72 title. Eventually Jabbar was a big part of 5 Lakers’ title teams.
That day 45 years ago, Burt Hooton then with the Chicago Cubs, hurled a no hit game vs the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hooton eventually pitched for an L.A. title team, winning 4 post-season games for the Dodgers in the strike marred 1981 title season.
When Kareem Abdul Jabbar as Kareem, actually played in his first title clincher in 1982, vs another “Philly” team, the “owe them 6” 76ers, Hooton and the Dodgers were also champions.
As Lew Alcindor and at UCLA, Kareem had won 3 titles in 3 seasons as easily the greatest college player ever and then one in two seasons with the NBA Milwaukee Bucks.
He was the top player for the ’80 Lakers, but missed the title clincher in game 6 at Philly, vs those Sixers, a game famous for Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s 42 points and a mucho less heralded, 37 points by Jamaal Wilkes.
Kareem is 70! Where did the time go?!!
During the past week, the Pittsburgh Pirates played on consecutive days, first in Fenway Park in Boston and then at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
This evoked thoughts of the long title droughts endured by the home teams of those venerable ballparks, the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.
However, those droughts are over, the Red Sox ending an 86 year title drought by winning the 2004 World Series.
Subsequently, they won it all in 2007 and again in 2013.
Meanwhile the Cubs ended their 108 year title drought by winning it all last year.
The team the Cubs beat to win the title, the Cleveland Indians, now have the longest title drought, having not won it all since 1948.
Guess which original 16 baseball team has the next longest title drought, you guessed it, the Pittsburgh Pirates, having not won the World Series since Wilver Stargell led their 1979 crown.
Willie Stargell had a great career, highlighted by his great performance in the 1979 World Series.
After the New York Rangers road win at Montreal vs the Canadiens in game 1 of their preliminary/first round series, did anyone note some interesting history regarding the coaches of each team.
In the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, the Boston Bruins coached by current Habs’ (Montreal) head man, Claude Julien defeated the Vancouver Canucks, coached by current Rangers’ coach Alain Vigneault, in the maximum seven games.
The home team won the first six games before Julien’s Bruins won fairly easily at Vancouver in #7.
Vigneault, who also lost all three road games in his other Cup finals appearance, won a road game, while the Rangers have now won the first “at Montreal” game of an ‘offs series, in 5 of the last 6 instances (winning in ’74, ’79, ’96, ’14 and ’17 only losing in ’86).
The three remaining NHL first round series begin tonight. Predictions follow.
The top ranked Washington Capitals will struggle, but win the series vs the Maple Leafs in game 6, at Toronto, before a great Leafs’ crowd that will roar in appreciation for Toronto’s fine season.
It will not be Chicago overall, though they are a tremendous team and an even greater organization, what would you expect with the Bowmans, Stan and his legendary father, Scottie, a part, but “Chi” has enough to “6” the Nashville Predators.
Anaheim will win fairly easily vs Calgary (Flames) in 5 games. Now let’s play!
The great, classy Scottie Bowman, pictured above.
Only the (1-6) Atlanta Braves have not played a home game in the 2017 baseball season.
Home teams are (22-7) in their home openers, three of the wins (Mets, Pirates and Marlins) coming vs the Braves.
The seven teams to lose home opening games are the Royals, Blue Jays, Rangers, White Sox, Reds, Brewers, and Phillies.
Atlanta has one more road game, in Miami, Florida vs the Marlins tonight, before their home and new stadium opener vs the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs begin tomorrow night with five games, five “original six” teams, five teams whose home is in Canada, with all five facing United States based teams.
One such clash is between two “Original Six” NHL teams, the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers.
In other Canada/U.S. first round action original six Toronto (Maple Leafs) face top ranked Washington (Capitals), original six team, Boston (Bruins) meet Ottawa (Senators), Edmonton (Oilers) faces San Jose (Sharks) while the Calgary Flames meet the Pacific Division winning, Anaheim Ducks.
Elsewhere, original six team and 2010, 2013 and 2015 champion Chicago (Blackhawks) faces the Nashville Predators, the St. Louis Blues meet the Minnesota Wild while the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins clash with Columbus (Blue Jackets).
Sergio Garcia won his first major golf tournament, winning a playoff vs Justin Rose to capture The Masters Golf Tournament.
This was Garcia’s 71st major tournament and now finally a victory.
It was the first Masters without Arnold Palmer on the earth. My fondest golf memory was watching Palmer win a three way playoff with Dow Finsterwald and Gary Player to win The Masters 55 years ago.
Garcia won the playoff surely helped by Rose missing first. Read below as Yahoo Sports is truly inconsistent and contradicts itself. Whether Garcia would have made the birdie or not, had Rose made his shot, we will never know.
However, please do not say it did not or worse, “didn’t matter!”
Read the contradiction below.
“Playing the 18th hole again, Rose got in trouble with an errant tee shot, forcing him to punch out from behind a giant magnolia tree. He missed a 14-foot par-saving putt that would’ve put some pressure on
It didn’t matter. Garcia curled in a 12-foot birdie that gave him the green jacket.”
Sergio Garcia, pictured above.
It was an interesting penultimate day of the NHL regular season yesterday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, last among the 30 NHL teams last season, qualified for the upcoming NHL ‘offs with a (5-3) win vs defending champion Pittsburgh (Penguins) at home.
In broadcaster Bob Miller’s last home game, the L.A. Kings, for whom Miller called games for 44 seasons, rallied to win vs Chicago (Blackhawks).
Miller calls his last game tonight as the Kings visit the Anaheim Ducks, who need one positive point, to win the regular season Pacific Division title.
Los Angeles Dodgers Vin Scully, Los Angeles Lakers Chick Hearn and Los Angeles Kings Bob Miller.
All three are Hall of Fame announcers in their respective sports. Now Chick is gone, Scully and Miller are retired.
L.A. spread out, radio friendly and these are three of the greats.
Earlier in the opening week of baseball, the 1987 World Series opponents, the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals hosted the last two World Series winners the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs.
In those opening series, the Twins won all 3 vs K.C. while the Cubs took two of three games at St. Louis.
Last year the Blue Jays ended the Orioles season with a game ending home run in a Monday so called play in game.
On opening day, a Monday, the Orioles won the game which ended with a home run.
A one of a kind, brilliant performer, Don Rickles passed away yesterday at the age of 90.
I truly liked all the performers on the great Dean Martin (television) Celebrity roasts but there was a reason Don Rickles came on last save the celebrity being “roasted.”
He could insult as no other could but I also recall his one “gentle” sentence at the end of his performance.
Rickles appreciated all the good things that came with his success.
Is anybody left, and even if so, none will match the one and only Mr. Rickles.
Don Rickles, pictured above.
Click below to view Don Rickles Roast Bob Hope
Don Rickles Roasts Bob Hope Man of the Hour
Andy B Sports 