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
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.
