It had to be difficult for the many New York Yankees’ prospects during or just prior to the team’s truly lean years (1965-1969), as some were touted to be great, “the next Mickey Mantle,” for example, and of course, there was just one Mickey Mantle.
One such player, Roger Repoz actually had a better career than perceived, playing 9 seasons in the big leagues with 3 different teams. Subsequently, he played baseball in Japan.
While as is the case with Bob Costas, I feel sabermetric statistics are talked about way too often and like Costas, knew about Bill James and this “measure,” long before he gained fame, I will note one sabermetric regarding Roger Repoz.
He is the only player in baseball history to have an OPS (slugging average added to on-base percentage) over .700, while having a batting average under .200, with at least 100 plate appearances.
On a day I saw Rachel Nichols say a Cavaliers win tomorrow night is “against perhaps the greatest odds imaginable,” when they are less than 2 to 1 underdogs, the thought of Repoz and better sports days, without the intrusion of Nichols and so many like her (I do not cite her because she is a woman, oh no, it is the incredible number of sportscasters,, be they a man, woman, green or robot, who just do not get it, nor research it before opening their mouths) is truly refreshing.
No matter which team, the record breaking, defending NBA champion, 73 win Golden State Warriors or the 57 win Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA title, tomorrow night, it will have been decided on a Sunday in a 7 game finals entity.
Of course the Super Bowl is contested on a Sunday and one has to go back to 1960, when Christmas fell on a Sunday so the NFL champion was determined on a Monday (the Philadelphia Eagles, in to date their last NFL title, handed Vince Lombardi and his Green Bay Packers their only post season loss) to find the last time the NFL champion was not determined on a Sunday.
However, the 2015-2016 major North American sports league champions will all be determined on a Sunday in an increasing number of games.
The Kansas City Royals clinched the World Series title in 5 games, winning the finale, at New York vs the Mets, in a Sunday night game that did go into Monday local time.
Just last week, the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the Stanley Cup with a Sunday night win in game 6 at San Jose, vs the Sharks.
There are 3 inter league baseball series this weekend, one a redux of a World Series that as with this year’s NBA Finals went to a seventh and deciding game.
That series is Texas (Rangers) visiting the St. Louis Cardinals, the venue at which the Cards won an epic 6th game and then the crown in the seventh game of the 2011 World Series vs Texas.
Elsewhere, two teams with 3 consecutive World Series wins face and host teams that lost in their only W.S. appearance.
The Giants, winners of the last 3 “even year” titles host the Tampa Rays, who lost in their only World Series appearance (I refuse to type/write “app” leave that for the phones) under Joe Maddon in 2008.
Meanwhile the Cincinnati Reds, winners in their last 3 World Series, the last 2 in sweeps (1976 and 1990, the former vs player Lou Piniella and the Yankees, the latter with him as Reds’ manager) combining with the #7 win in 1975, to have a 9 game W.S. win skein, host the Houston Astros.
From 1969-2011, the teams were housed in the N.L. West and in the same entity since the Astros commenced play in what was a great National League, as the Colt 45’s in 1962.
Houston was swept by the Chicago White Sox in their lone W.S. appearance.
Lou Piniella, “in the day” pictured above.
The NBA Finals are going to a 7th game for the 5th time with the calendar of this year (1966, 1988, 1994, 2005, and now 2016).
The 1966 title series deciding game was not televised nationally, while the four 7th games mentioned above had or will have a different lead television announcer.
In 1988 the lead announcer was Dick Stockton on CBS, in 1994 the great Marv Albert on NBC, Al Michaels (ABC) was on in 2005 and now Mike Breen, who will be working his third NBA “winner take all” (cue ABBA), one more than Stockton and Chris Schenkel and the most ever on a major network telecast.
Chris Schenkel (ABC) worked the first in 1969, and again in 1970 with the game relegated to delayed tape in the home city (New York City and surrounding areas), Pat Summerall, the lead announcer on 11 Super Bowls got the lone afternoon such tilt in 1974 and Brent Musburger had one in 1978. As with Summerall and “Horse” (Musburger), Stockton’s other game 7 of the NBA finals was on CBS, played in 1984.
ABBA – The Winner Takes It All (1980) HD 0815007
Click above to view this great song by ABBA
The Cleveland Cavaliers sprinted to a 20 point lead after the first quarter and eased to another double digit win to force a game 7 at Golden State (Warriors) on Sunday night.
Once the television show “Bonanza” was a ratings bonanza for NBC on Sunday nights, now this is a ratings bonanza for ABC/ESPN/Disney this Sunday.
The great player, LeBron James scored over 40 points for the second straight game, with his team facing elimination.
Before this finals series, the Warriors franchise had never failed to clinch a title when it was possible in a given game (4-0). Now that record is (4-2).
Conversely, the Cavs were (0-2) facing elimination in the finals, and are now (2-2).
The Cavaliers will play in a game in which a victory means a title for the first time in the 46 year history of the franchise. This will be the third time a Cleveland team (the old Browns, Indians and Cavaliers once each) have a chance with a win in a game, to win its league’s title since the last Cleveland sports crown.
The Browns, who failed in that 1965 title game on a Sunday at Green Bay vs the Packers, won the last Cleveland title the year before on Sunday, December 27,1964.
The Indians lost game 7 of the 1997 World Series on a Sunday night, at Florida vs the Marlins.
Now a third different team plays a road 7th, Sunday game for “all the marbles” (cue Peter Falk) on a third different major over the air network. The Browns lost on CBS, the Indians on NBC and the Cavaliers get their shot on ABC.
Who but me?!!
Wasn’t Silver a if not the key to Nevada money? Wasn’t one of the Cartwright sons named Adam?!!
With the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win in game 6 that forces a winner take all game 7 Sunday night at Golden State, there was no exact match in the same year’s NBA and NHL finals for the 68th time in 69 possibilities.
Only in 1995 when the teams sans home advantage, the NBA Houston Rockets and NHL New Jersey Devils each swept their finals opponents, winning the first two games on the road before returning home to claim the title with 2 wins has there ever been that exact configuration in both the NBA and NHL finals in the same year.
Golden State, stunned by the suspension of Draymond Green lost game 5 at home and did not even show up last night in Cleveland where a win by G.S. would have both finals the same with each going 6 games.
Speaking of “6” the last 4 NBA finals in years ending in 6 had gone 6 games. Additionally the 1956 final won by the Philadelphia Warriors in 5 and the 1966 final won by the Boston Celtics in 7 games averaged 6, but alas the Warriors were not only out of 3’s, and the game, but also 6’s.
Someone at the back of the table yelled NO six. He looked like Adam Silver.
A truly revealing interview with actor Anthony Perkins conducted by Dick Cavett, airs tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Decades.
Mr. Perkins talks about getting a break, what if he had not and the speedy, effective work of director Alfred Hitchcock.
Mr. Hitchcock directed Mr. Perkins in his most famous role, that of “Norman Bates” in the 1960 film “Psycho.”
Tune into Decades tonight and see why Anthoy Perkins was so much more than that famous role.
Anthony Perkins pictured above.
“Quietly on the Texas front,” while last year’s “ahead of time,” Houston Astros struggle, the Texas Rangers have built a rather significant 6 and a half game lead in the A.L. West
The Rangers won the division last season and with a (41-25) record are tied with the Washington Nationals for the second best record in baseball behind the Chicago Cubs.
More telling is that their record is the best in the American League.
Obviously, there is a long way to go but since home advantage in the World Series is determined by who wins an exhibition game, no team can aspire or achieve more in its regular season than the best record in its league.
Right now in the American League it is the Texas Rangers with the best record.
Unlike when ESPN.com exhibits factual errors, which I detest, (but face it I do go on the site but alas not that often), I do not mind the mistakes that appear on Wikipedia.
However, those mistakes should be pointed out.
Toward that goal what follows below is incorrect. Though Wikipedia has the correct fact in the box indicating the Minneapolis Lakers won the title, in game 5 on the road in New York City, their text is incorrect.
In fact, a fine recent article in the New York Times, (by Louie Lazar published on June 6th) about John Kundla, the 99 year old coach of that Lakers’ team indicated the Lakers celebrated a title clinching victory at the famed Cocacabana in New York City. The article did not state the year, but it was 1953.
The Wikipedia text is wrong in stating the series returned to Minneapolis for the 5th game. The Wikipedia page begins below.
The 1953 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1953 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1952–53 season. The Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers faced the Eastern champion New York Knicks in a best-of-seven series with Minneapolis having home-court advantage.[1] By winning four games to one, the Lakers won their fifth title in six years dating from 1948, the club’s final season in the National Basketball League.
The five games were played in seven days, beginning Saturday and Sunday, April 4 and 5, in Minneapolis and concluding there on the following Friday. Meanwhile, two mid-week games were played in New York City. The entire postseason tournament spanned 25 days in which Minneapolis played 12 games, New York 11.[1]
Contents [hide]
1 Series summary
2 Team rosters
3 References
4 External links
Series summary[edit]
Game Date Home Team Result Road Team
Game 1 April 4 Minneapolis Lakers 88–96 (0–1) New York Knicks
Game 2 April 5 Minneapolis Lakers 73–71 (1–1) New York Knicks
Game 3 April 7 New York Knicks 75–90 (1–2) Minneapolis Lakers
Game 4 April 8 New York Knicks 69–71 (1–3) Minneapolis Lakers
Game 5 April 10 New York Knicks 84–91 (1–4) Minneapolis Lakers
The Eddie Egan Radio Show with the great Milton Berle, far right, from The Copacabana is pictured above.
Click below to read a fine post by Brie Austin regarding The Copacabana.
As I write, the great movie, “The Odd Couple” is airing on TCM and if you have not seen it, watch it now, I will understand you not reading the rest of this post.
If you have seen the movie, here is why seeing the opening with the great “Odd Couple” theme that of course was part of the great television show as well, was greatly enhanced tonight.
The co hosts introducing the film, the still lovely Annette O’Toole and the always funny and lucky Michael McKean were fabulous and insightful. It turns out they are married. Surely Annette is lucky as well. Ms O’Toole is a personal favorite.
They went over some of the scenes and Annette reminisced about working with Jack Lemon, who of course is “Felix” opposite Walter Matthau’s “Oscar” in the film.
One scene that stands out to me and sports related is pesky “Felix” calling “Oscar” at Shea Stadium asking what he wants for dinner and driving him crazy.
That is bad enough, but when Heywood Hale Broun, the real life famous sportswriter (Oscar is a fictional one) tells him he missed Bill Mazeroski hitting into a true baseball rarity, a triple play (wonder if Bill, whose name was evoked last week involving the Pittsburgh Penguins and attended their failed home clinching effort but they did win it all in game 6 at San Jose, ever did hit into one at Shea Stadium?) “Oscar” “loses it.”
The great Neil Simon wrote the wondeful play based on a real life situation involving his brother Danny.
Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon, pictured left to right, in “The Odd Couple,” two greats, often even greater, paired together
Andy B Sports 