Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS on a Monday afternoon, is about to begin and Vin Scully, working the game for NBC, with Joe Garagiola, is about to err.
He states the home team has been perfect in the LCS games to date (they were (9-1) which is excellent but NOT perfect, and minutes later after someone in Scully’s ear, (not his notes, written or mental), tells him, corrects himself, noting the Toronto Blue Jays’ road win at Kansas City, in game four, a day and a half earlier.
So much is written in this Vin Scully’s last year about his greatness, that while I agree (in essence and certainly relative to today’s team radio announcers) that he is/was great, I am reminded of Al “Grampa” Lewis or “Grampa Munster” Lewis’ statement, that in his many years on earth, he had yet to find anyone “who walks on water.”
Despite the media’s efforts, especially those of Tom Verducci, whose Sports Illustrated piece on Scully, made one think they were in St. Peter’s Square anointing, certainly praising a Pope, Scully does not walk on water either.
Furthermore, in my not so humble opinion, unlike the fictional “Chauncey Gardner,” in “Being There,” Scully as is the case with the rest of us, especially me, does not come close to doing so.
From “Being There,” the brilliant Peter Sellers, as “Chauncey Gardner.”
Please do not get too mad if you feel this unfair to Mr. Scully. First of all, his place in broadcasting history is secure, as for better or worse, he is considered baseball’s best, by consensus.
I grew up loving him and defending him almost as irrationally, as I feel his “walk on water” status purported by the likes of Mr.Verducci, is to me.
As his last season winds down, I will share memories and comments, so positive regarding Mr. Scully that you might say he does walk on water. Again nobody does!
Last night, the Cleveland Indians rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to record a (7-6) win over the Washington Nationals.
It certainly was not the first blown save by Washington closer, Jon Papelbon.
Though the Indians are a good team, the loss comes after a sub par “Wash” homestand, vs less than stellar teams.
I still think the Nationals will win the N.L. East but they are driving their fans and perhaps manager Dusty Baker, a bit bonkers with their play.
No politics, just a note on the two convention cities.
Last week, Cleveland the home of this year’s NBA champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, hosted the Republican Party national convention.
Currently, Philadelphia, the home of this year’s college basketball champions, the Villanova University Wildcats, is hosting the Democratic Party national convention.
Are basketball and politics strange bedfellows?!
Looking through some pictures, I found one of Norman “Hurricane” Smith.
He did work with The Beatles and had a monster hit with “Oh Babe What Would You Say?”
I had the great fortune of seeing him perform the song for the first time since he sang it on The Tonight Show.
Somewhere I have a tape of the Tonight Sow performance. In fact, it is on You Tube below.
Mr. Smith and the performances were great.
Norman “Hurricane” Smith pictured above.
Click below to view Mr. Smith “Goes to” (singing) “Oh Babe What Would You Say?”
Hurricane Smith – “Oh Babe, What Would You Say?”
I still do not know why Dodgers’ manager Tom Lasorda elected to pitch to Jack Clark with an open base in game 6 of the 1985 NLCS.
Mr. Clark’s home run which essentially clinched the series for the Cardinals, might still be going.
In game 5, Ozzie Smith hit a game ending home run to give the Cardinals a victory and a three games to two NLCS lead.
The NBC graphic had just been posted indicating Ozzie had never hit a home run batting from the left side.
Speaking of the “left side,” in my opinion, that was quite a good speech by Senator Bernie Sanders, last night, at The Democratic Convention.
The NY Yankees were playing the San Francisco Giants, and a group of Yankee fans were watching the game on the Flat Screen TVs on the Rick’s Cabaret New York Roof Deck and Cigar Lounge.
The Yankees vanquished the Giants, and the crowd was happy. The gathering quickly turned into a Victory Party, with champagne flowing and the beautiful Rick’s Cabaret Girls entertaining one and all.
Rick’s Cabaret is an upscale gentlemen’s club, and a great place to watch the games–and to spot pro athletes who frequent the three-story establishment.
Also, check out the food by acclaimed Chef Franklin Edwards–not the usual simple bar food you might expect, but rather a delightful menu.
Rick’s Cabaret New York, 50 West 33rd Street
This Rick’s Cabaret NY girl is a big Yankee fan
On ESPN.com now for some time, Sunday’s baseball scores are correctly in place for yesterday but the same scores for all 15 big league games are listed there for Saturday July 23rd. See below.
Saturday, July 23
Above are Sunday’s scores not Saturday but listed as Saturday.
Sloppy Joe’s are good, such reporting and tabulation of game information such as that shown above by ESPN.com is not.
The Baltimore Orioles started last week losing the first three games of a four game series at New York vs the Yankees but ended the week with 4 straight wins and have the best record in the American League by a slight margin at the moment.
They salvaged the fourth game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon past and won all three home games vs the A.L. Central leaders, the Cleveland Indians.
Baltimore with a (57-40) record leads the A.L. East by a game and a half over the Boston Red Sox and three games over the defending A.L. East champion, Toronto Blue Jays.
Garry Marshall, whom we sadly lost last week, grew up in the Bronx.
As stated in my previous post, he never forgot where he came from and those he knew in the neighborhood.
Naturally, having some excess money, well earned entertaining so many, Mr. Marshall could afford to do so.
However,not many if any, would remember his old group of friends and arrange for transportation and/or lodging for a trip to Garry’s home.
The arranged activity was a recreation of the great times and specifically, the great games they played back in the day.
I said “wow” when I heard that story and a bigger WOW to the life and contribution of the great Garry Marshall.
A true comedic great, the highly successful Garry Marshall died last Tuesday at the age of 81.
I felt in touch with this man who gave us such television as “Happy Days,” “The Odd Couple, ” and “Laverne And Shirley” which co starred his sister Penny, in a positive way in 1975, telling all I can, “Happy Days” went from very good to better than great, with the added time given to the legendary television character, “The Fonz” played by Henry Winkler.
I have incredible memories of watching Happy Days and then game 3 of the great 1975 World Series on a Tuesday night in October, 1975. “Games People Play” by The Spinners rounds out the nice memory and Mr. Marshall’s greatness is all over it.
Marshall was behind that and his family and area backround, having grown up in an Italian family in the Bronx, was evident in his work.
Once on a Sunday morning interview, the day of the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl victory vs Peyton Manning and the favored Indianapolis Colts in early 2010, he talked of putting a couple in a room and hoping for a happy ending, with a kiss. That shaped many of his movies
Now Marshall, who saw the good in life and added to it with his great body of work, also never forgot people he met before achieving great success. In my next post I will recount a fine example.
Andy B Sports 