The Los Angeles Sparks continue to win, the latest an 11 point win, as 9 point favorites, in a home game vs the Washington Mystics.
With the win, the Sparks raised their record to (18-1). Next in the West and overall standings are the (16-4) Minnesota Lynx, the defending WNBA champions.
Meanwhile the New Yoek Liberty, 13 point favorites won by 10 points at home, vs the San Antonio Stars to raise their record to an Eastern Division leading (15-6).
Remember the WNBA will seed its 8 playoff teams from (1 to 8), regardless of conference.
Though at the All-Star break with approximately 5/9 of the 2016 regular season complete, it is too early to say the game did not matter but likely the losing team today will prosper while the winning one, will not in baseball 2016.
The winning team today, the New York yankees will have taken 3 of 4 games from the Cleveland Indians and their radio announcer John Sterling, whom I have learned to live with as for the most part I do not listen to nor watch baseball, will give a long Yankees win today as they reach the .500 mark (44-44).
Cleveland, 3 weeks after the Cavs ended the city’s nearly 52 year title drought and 8 days after a 14 game win skein by the Indians ended, still has a nice A.L. Central Division lead.
Most likely the Indians will be in the baseball tournament and the Yankees will not. However, losses to the Yankees, 3 of 4 at home is a sub par way for the Indians to end a good first half plus which coincided with the Cavs’ NBA title.
Ed Lopat, pictured above. I believe I heard it said all he had to do was throw his glove on the mind to beat the Cleveland Indians.
Andy Murray has won his second Wimbledon Men’s tennis crown, defeating Milos Raonic in the finals.
However, this one does not mean much to me nor carry anywhere near the excitement of Murray’s first Wimbledon title in 2013.
Then he had to defeat the great Novak Djokovic in the finals and while a straight set victory (6-4, 7-6 and 7-6) vs Mr. Raonic is impressive, this is not beating Djokovic and also this is not the first British Wimbledon winner since Fred Perry in 77 years.
No, Murray is the first in 3 years but surely congratulations are in order for both he and Serena Williams. Enjoy the traditional Wimbledon dance together.
Oh I “guess” Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder to play for the Golden State Warriors next season.
Of course it is “wrong,” all the so called free agency that affects the competition in the league is “wrong.”
Athletes are incredibly over paid in my not so humble opinion. However, this country and its sports leagues are part of a free market society.
What made the athletes in demand to command such insane salaries and power is rooted in the days athletes toiled for less money than fair and created a positive image.
The money is bad enough but when the competitive balance is shattered, this is especially so in basketball, it is really WRONG.
Cue Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack and instead of “Where is the Love?” where is the NBA balance?!
Click below to hear Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack sing “Where is the Love?”
Roberta Flack / Donny Hathaway – Where is the Love (1972)
The San Francisco Giants are about to win a home game vs the Arizona Diamondbacks. They did win the game.
Their record the best in baseball at this point will be (56-33).
San Francisco has won the last 3 “even year” baseball titles but never had the best record which of course means nothing if you win it all.
They almost certainly will be in the baseball tournament, very likely one of the last 8 teams maybe even with the best record.
Do not bet against them, actually depending on the odds do so. The odds are they will not title but depending on who wins the All-Star Game this Tuesday, at this point the Giants have as good a chance to win it all as any team.
First of all, I like the Giants and would be happy if they win it all.
However, even year stuff aside, anyone want to bet me EVEN, I say the Giants do NOT win the 2016 World Series.
Serena Williams defeated Angelique Kerber in straight sets to capture the 2016 Wimbledon women’s crown.
She also finally won her 22nd Grand Slam tennis title which equals the “open era” mark of Steffi Graf.
Ms. Williams was denied the “calendar grand slam” at the U.S. Open last year while also not winning either the Australian or French Opens in 2016.
Williams is so good, it is a story when she does not win, especially when she walks out of interview rooms early, how good will be discussed in a near future post.
What an upset night in the WNBA and CFL (Canadian Football League) it was two nights back on Thursday.
In the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun, huge underdogs even at home, upset the Minnesota Lynx, a team that while still at least co-favorites with the Los Angeles Sparks to win league title, seem unlikely to get the WNBA top seed partially because of losses like this one.
Meanwhile both the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts, each underdogs by more than a touchdown scored road victories in this the third week of CFL play.
The odds of all three teams winning that night were at least 85 to 1.
The only race that the legendary horse Man-O-War did not win resulted in a win by a horse named Upset.
Last night’s (9-7) loss to the New York Mets is not even in the same stratosphere as two other Washington baseball losses cited below from a post after one of them in 2012. I was not around, at least not posting (no internet) in 1925.
However, the Wilmer Flores led New York Mets (9-7) win, leaves the New York team just three games behind the “refuse to pull away” Washington Nationals, just two in the loss column in the N.L.East
The relevant part of the (9-7) Washington baseball history posted in 2012 is below.
The Cardinals won their fourth decisive game in the past two seasons (they are (6-0) facing elimination in those years) staging an incredible four run rally in the top of the ninth inning to eliminate the Washington Nationals, winning (9-7). Daniel Descalso, who also delivered a big hit in the Cardinals’ incredible Game 6 2011 triumph, delivered a two out, two run single to tie the game at seven. Shortstop Pete Kozma followed with a two run single and the Cardinals were on their way to San Francisco where they will begin NLCS rematches of both 25 and 10 years ago vs the San Francisco Giants.
The Washington Senators won Washington’s only World Series in 1924, beating the New York Giants. The great Walter Johnson was the winning pitcher in relief. The next year, the Pirates overcame a (3-1) series deficit, overcoming a three run Washington lead with five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win (9-7). They beat Walter Johnson in the process. Now, 87 years later, the Washington D.C. area loses another deciding game by the same (9-7) score.
Twice, 5 years apart in 1986 and 1991 an NFL night game between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins “opposed” the 7th game of the World Series.
First on a Monday night in 1986, two New York area teams were involved, one in each game.
The New York Mets won the baseball title winning game 7 vs the Boston Red Sox.
The Hackensack/New York Giants won a Monday night regular season game vs the Redskins.
In 1991, on a Sunday night, the Minnesota Twins defeated the atlanta Braves in the 7th game of the World Series.
That same Sunday night, the Redskins defeated the Giants.
Both winning teams in the football game the night of game 7 of those World Series, the Giants in 1986 and the Redskins in 1991 went (14-2) and won three more playoff games to win titles.
Yesterday there was an incredible Dick Cavett show that aired on Decades, the truly informative and relatively new television channel.
One of Dick’s guests was the famed movie star, going back to silent film days, Lillian Gish.
She was talking about an event, a film festival talking about the pioneer director D.W. Griffith.
There were clips of movies and some great comments by Lillian Gish including one that nothing was really new except going to the moon.
Mr. Cavett quipped “even that is getting old.” Indeed.
Andy B Sports 