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
Last night, both the Golden State Warriors and Washington Capitals clinched the best record in their respective leagues, the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League.
It is the second straight season both teams have achieved that distinction.
Last year both teams were denied league titles, the Capitals in the quarters by the eventual champion, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Warriors in #7/finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Memories of ’75, the first Caps’ season and games heard on WTOP as well as Rick Barry, then Keith Wilkes and the upstart Warriors winning it all, sweeping a Washington area team, the Bullets.
North Carolina’s 6th title on Monday past was achieved 60 years after their first and 35 years after their second crown.
Additionally, this is the second time the Tar Heels have won crowns 12 years apart, (’93 and ’05) (’05 and ’17).
Their dominant ’09 title makes six.
In ’57 they won in 3 overtimes vs a team, with an all time great player, Kansas with Wilt Chamberlain.
In ’82 their freshman player not only hit THE shot, but became an all -time great player. His name is Michael Jordan, who missed the title tilt Monday, after being there when Kris Jenkins and Villanova final’d the Tar Heels last year.
North Carolina moved into third place with their 6th title win last night, as they scored the game’s last 8 points, in a (69-63) victory vs Gonzaga.
It is the third title, all with “N.C.” for their coach, Roy Williams, who was denied twice in finals games while with Kansas and by Villanova, last season.
The final game was ragged, made worse by the CBS trio of Grant Hill (says “Is” when it “Are” is correct), Bill Raftery, who talks incessantly, often stepping on lead announcer, Jim Nantz.
Nantz topped the bad game/telecast by saying Gonzaga, with an N.C. timeout could map a possible miracle comeback, when the Tar Heels (N.C.) were up by 5 points, shooting free throws and but 7 seconds remaining!
South Carolina won the Women’s NCAA Basketball title with a decisive 12 point win vs Mississippi State.
Clearly, the Miss State team did the “dirty work” for South Carolina, by upending the seemingly unbeatable Connecticut team.
However, credit to the Dawn Staley coached South Carolina team, to Miss State for its upset win and the great team, Connecticut, that happened to lose a national semi game.
So the state of South Carolina houses the football title winners (Clemson) and the women’s basketball winners, South Carolina. Additionally, the South Carolina men’s team made the semis, going (5-0) vs the spread, far better than either of the teams in tonight’s title tilt.
Dawn Staley, pictured above.
After notching closer than expected victories in the national semis, two one seeds, North Carolina and Gonzaga, will meet for the NCAA Basketball crown in Glendale, Arizona tomorrow night.
In the opening game yesterday, Gonzaga, just (1-3-1) vs the spread thus far in the tournament, dissipated a double digit second half lead, before surviving vs the upstart, game Gamecocks of South Carolina.
North Carolina, which will seek to break a three way tie with Indiana and Duke for the third most NCAA basketball crowns (all three have 5, UCLA has 11, Kentucky has 8), nearly dissipated a similar lead, before ousting Oregon, which was in its first national semi, since winning the first NCAA crown in 1939.
In one of the greatest upsets in sports annals, Mississippi State “semi’d” the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team, the Lady Bulldogs “barking” outright as 20 plus point underdogs, and will face South Carolina, which “semi’d” Stanford, in the national final tomorrow night.
Morgan William’s shot with no time remaining ended Connecticut’s incredible 111 game win skein and denied The Lady Huskies a shot at a 5th straight national crown.
Instead it is Miss State that will take on South Carolina, a school that also has a men’s national semis participant and a state which houses the national football champions (Clemson University). South Carolina is a slight favorite.
Miss State players and fans celebrate an incredible upset victory.
Last night in Montreal, Tim Raines newly and in my opinion, rightfully elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, received a great ovation when he was introduced before a National Hockey League game between the Canadiens and Florida Panthers.
I could not help but recall a night nearly 30 years earlier, Saturday May 2, 1987, when I spoke with the always friendly and personable Mr. Raines via phone from a New York City hotel room where he and the baseball Montreal Expos were staying.
Earlier in the day, Raines had returned to baseball with an incredible performance in his first game of the season.
We shared a laugh as we speculated that with the Canadiens easing to a 7th game “quarters” victory, Raines’ exploits would be relegated to page four.
Last year, the record breaking Golden State Warriors and the Washington Capitals grabbed the top regular season records in their respective leagues, the NBA and NHL.
All they had to show for it, were playoff losses to the league champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers with league commissioner Adam Silver an MVP of sorts for unjustly suspending Dray Green for game 5, taking the Warriors in #7 of the finals while the Pittsburgh Penguins “quartered” the Caps.
After wins last night, the Warriors impressively as solid underdogs at San Antonio and the Caps as huge favorites at Colorado (Avalanche), it is very likely both the Warriors and Capitals will gain their respective league’s top marks.
It does not mean all that much but both teams say “let’s try again.”
Andy B Sports 