Sorry, but this is a disgrace. Wrong spelling of “coverage” and would you believe “Muhammad Ali.”
This is on a or “The” NBC News site.
COMING UP FROM 9 ET: COVER OF MOHAMMAD ALI’S MEMORIAL SERVICE
They just changed it.
Utterly disgraceful!
I guess if there is some levity here or at least perspective, it involves Muhammad Ali and all the fuss regarding his name over the years.
His name will be called as Muhammad Ali, (spelled correctly) in a better place today.
Maybe Joe Frazier, a truly decent man, will greet him and their new “rivalry” in say, checkers, will commence.
Click below to view Jim Croce’s “I Got A Name.”
The first time I met YES Network’s Michael Kay, when our respective bank accounts did not have the huge difference, in his favor, that has been the case for many years, he told me why he no longer bet on sports.
A tough loss taught Kay and to his credit, as far as I know he does not bet and has not done so since before telling me that story in 1984.
It is a good thing for him that he does not because he does not have a clue how to win. In fairness, who does?!!
A recent example of Kay not knowing odds is when he said the Cavaliers would be series favorites vs either the Warriors or Thunder.
I knew that would not be the case. The Warriors were roughly 11 to 5 series favorites when the series commenced.
Why bitter herbs? It is bitter to lose. Also “Pass” and “Over” are among other things, gambling terms. Please be wise if you must gamble and trust me far better not to begin doing so.
Chuck Esposito (a great hockey name with Phil and Tony Esposito) of Sunset Sports Book erred in saying the NHL Western Conference had won 5 straight Stanley Cup finals series entering the current one.
In fact, they have won 4 straight.
Also Mr. Esposito the (Pittsburgh) Penguins are close to 9 to 5 favorites in tonight’s game a significant difference than the about 7 to 5 odds you quoted.
Finally though one would have to give 13 to 1 odds on the Penguins winning the series at this point, one only gets 9 to 1 odds on the long shot chance San Jose (Sharks) comes back to “title.”
Thus it is incorrect to call Pittsburgh a 13 to 1 favorite or at least if that is the parlance, state the true what is called “man to man” odds which are are 11 to 1.
How Much Action on Game 5? | 120Sports.com
Click above to hear Mr. Esposito, on what seems a good site 120Sports.com
Phil Esposito, a truly great hockey player, won two Stanley Cup titles as a player for the Boston Bruins. “Espo” also played for the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers and is a long time commentator on Tampa Bay Lightning broadcasts.
Last season the Lightning beat one of Espo’s former teams, the Rangers in the “semis” but lost to another, the Blackhawks in the finals.
The Lightning won it all in 2004 and after Esposito’s former team which titled with him twice, the Bruins, beat the Lightning in the 2011 semi-finals, they won the finals. (that was the last Eastern Conference finals win but 2012-2015 adds up to 4 not 5).
That was the first Bruins’ Cup since the second with Espo, the great Bobby Orr and company won on a Thursday in 1972. Maybe the Penguins, who beat the Lightning in this year’s “semis” will win a Cup, clinching it on a Thursday, tonight.
Tonight in Pittsburgh, the Penguins hope to win their fourth Stanley Cup crown and do so at home for the first time.
Pittsburgh takes a three games to one series lead vs the San Jose Sharks into tonight’s game.
It is very likely the Penguins will win their 4th crown this season, if not tonight, at some point, and if that happens it will be the third time the Pens win the title without a regular season division title.
No matter the result of this series, the 8 of 9 will apply to two Pittsburgh Penguins historical notes.
They have won 9 regular season, NHL division crowns and 8 of those seasons failed to win the Stanley Cup.
Pittsburgh also has won 8 of 9 playoff series vs the Washington Capitals including this season when Nick Bonino’s overtime goal knocked out the top ranked Capitals in game 6 of the quarterfinals.
It is worth noting that one of those 8 Penguins’ “reg” division winners that did not win it all, was a truly great team, the only Pens’ team to win the NHL President’s Trophy as the team with the most regular season points amassed.
That team was the 1992-1993, two time defending champions, and they finished the season with 119 points, the most recorded by Pittsburgh in their 48 season history.
However, an overtime goal in game 7 of the quarterfinals, by the New York Islanders’ David Volek ended the Penguins’ bid for a third straight crown.
Before this season, all nine times the Penguins finished with 100 or more regular season points, they failed to win the Stanley Cup. The 103 points, 2015-2016 Penguins hope to change that type of history, a bit tonight.
The Golden State Warriors won easily in game 1 and routed the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 2 of the NBA finals but all they did was “hold serve” so to speak, as each win was at home.
Game 3 is tonight in Cleveland.
The game is considered even.
Draymond Green led the Warriors’ great effort in game 2.
Last year the Warriors won 2 of 3 games in Cleveland en route to a six game triumph vs the Cavaliers in the finals.
The Cavaliers are the only team among the 32 NBA or NHL playoff teams that has not lost at home in the 2016 playoffs.
There are still two more opportunities to view an extraordinary Dick Cavett Show on Decades with guest Joan Rivers.
The most logical time is 8 p.m. Eastern time but another possibility is 2 a.m. into Thursday.
Rivers and Cavett performed separately and together in the years each was struggling mightily to achieve success.
At the end of the show, Joan’s husband Edgar Rosenberg makes a truly rare on air appearance. This provides a great ending to a show, I strongly suggest watching.
Joan Rivers, pictured above.
The Pirates, as stated here yesterday rewarded or at least did the “non greedy” thing yesterday, by not having separate admissions for their doubleheader vs the New York Mets.
Yesterday I “talked” of the good sports karma in Pittsburgh right now and then the ( 32-26) Pirates went out and won both games against the (31-26 ) Mets.
Tomorrow night, the NHL Penguins are 3 to 2 favorites to clinch a home sports title in Pittsburgh for the first time since the Pirates did so by winning game 7 of the 1960 World Series, also played on a Thursday.
Mike Emrick, again one of the few announcers working today worthy of real praise, did note the 11 titles by Pittsburgh, none clinched at home since 1960.
However, only I note or likely will note, that tomorrow is the first opportunity for a Pittsburgh team to do so since game 7 in 1960 (the Pirates failed to clinch that World Series at home in game 6).
Certainly nobody will note that as with the potential clincher tomorrow night, the game is on a Thursday. Also for the record that night in 1960, the World Series game ended in the glorious day time, then Senator John F. Kennedy and U.S. Vice President, Richard Nixon engaged in their third and final presidential debate.
I was going to write if you do not know the two men pictured above then as Casey Stengel or my mother would have said, “look it up.”
However, perhaps symbolically John F. Kennedy is on the left, Richard M. Nixon is on the right. The opposing candidates both started their careers in the United States Senate in 1946 and were for the most part, friends.
Somehow the conversation/interview of the great writer, Frank Deford, conducted by Bob Costas at 92Y was even better than expected and as written here a few days back, I had truly high expectations.
Unfortunately, part of what made the conversation even better than expected were the well stated recollections both Mr. Deford and Mr. Costas had regarding Muhammad Ali.
Talk included and featured Frank Deford’s new book “I Would Know That Voice Anywhere,” a collection of his commentaries the last 25 plus years on NPR.
Costas, a brilliant interviewer, asked some great questions and both men gave evocative, progressive and humorous comments throughout the evening.
Deford talked on many subjects and his wit came through on all of them, whether negative on soccer, mostly negative about editors and his great appreciation of favorite subject, Al McGuire, the late, former college basketball coach and commentator.
I had a chance to say hello to Bob Costas and later was privileged to ask Mr. Deford a few questions at the end of his long work day.
He proved not only accommodating, but gave great insight on his favorite sporting event ever, the 1958 NFL Title game won by his hometown Baltimore Colts vs the New York Giants in the first overtime football game.
Deford gave me information I never knew and I am pretty familiar with that title tilt, known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
Just as I could not wait for last night’s great event at the 92Y, I can not wait to read Frank Deford’s latest book, “I’d Know That Voice Anywhere.”
92Y once again was the scene of a great event.
Click below for information regarding Frank Deford’s new book, “I’d Know That Voice Anywhere.”
There is good sports karma going on in Pittsburgh at the moment and it is not just that the NHL Penguins are on the precipice of winning their 4th Stanley Cup.
The Pirates organization made a good fan friendly decision in not scheduling a two admission doubleheader vs the New York Mets after last night’s game was postponed.
I know Pittsburgh native, my friend the late Beano Cook would have applauded the decision as one of the few sans greed in the current major sports’ landscape.
Pittsburgh
It is as if Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins’ other tremendous player along with Sidney Crosby, and the fact a Pittsburgh team has not clinched a title at home in many “moons” had to be “inserted” here.
So as the song goes, “baby here goes,” (Bread’s “I Wanna Make It with You” ), Mr. Malkin scored a goal and assisted as Ian Cole “opened” which ” set the tone” in a series in which San Jose has never led in regulation in any game, as the Pens won (3-1) at San Jose vs the Sharks, to lead the Cup Finals three games to one.
Thus the Penguins have a chance to clinch a Pittsburgh major North American sports league crown at home for the first time since 1960, with a win Thursday night in game 5.
As the fine NBC hockey announcer Mike Emrick noted, there have been 11 titles by Pittsburgh teams (I note 6 by the Steelers at the “neutral ground” Super Bowl, 2 by the Pirates both at Baltimore, (the home city of esteemed writer Frank Deford (more on him in a post later today), vs the Orioles, and 3 by the Penguins, all clinched on the road.
Thursday night’s game, no matter the result, will be the first time a Pittsburgh team has an opportunity to clinch a title at home since doing so in 1960.
The Penguins and Pirates clinched their 5 combined titles since 1960, on the road.
Another point is that the last home title clinching win by a Pittsburgh team occurred in one of baseball’s greatest games, (one can make a case for it being the greatest), a (10-9) Pirates win, (that took just 2 hours and 36 minutes, a 10-9 game today is 4 hours) vs a great New York Yankees team in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series.
Bill Mazeroski, leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, hit the second pitch of the frame for a home run that broke a (9-9) tie, giving Pittsburgh its first sports’ title in 35 years.
Often forgotten, is Hal Smith’s 2 out, 3 run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning that transformed a one run Pirates’ deficit into a (9-7) lead.
Evgeni Malkin, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 