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
A truly amazing Dick Cavett Show from 1972, I believe aired yesterday on Decades, the fine newer cable channel.
Mr. Cavett’s guests were William Holden, Sammy Davis Jr. and film critic Judith Crist.
Ms. Crist aired progressive views concerning the movie rating system at the time, calling for eased restrictions but certainly not in any way encouraging what might be inappropriate.
The conversation held so long ago especially in terms of attitudes illustrates how far the pendulum has swung the other way, perhaps and I believe too far the other way.
William Holden talked of the precious animals being senselessly hunted in Africa and told a great story illustrating Bob Hope’s great, quick wit.
Mr. Davis the consummate entertainer of course was a fabulous guest. His song “The Candy Man” was on the top hits music charts. Additionally he talked of how great the All In The Family cast and experience was for him and I add for us.
That was groundbreaking, great television and Sammy Davis’ legendary kiss to Carroll O’Connor’s “Archie Bunker” is a seminal moment in television history.
The great Sammy Davis Jr. pictured above.
Click below to view Sammy singing “The Candy Man” live in front of an audience in Germany. The song was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley.
While only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who actually trailed three games to none, overcame as much as a (3-1) Stanley Cup finals deficit to win the title, no NBA team has ever done so in a finals series.
The Cavaliers win Monday night was the seventh by a road team trailing three games to one in the NBA Finals.
Four times the team up (3-1) that lost game 5 at home went on the road and won game 6, twice accomplished by Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls’ teams including one with current Warriors’ coach, Steve Kerr as a player in 1998.
Twice the team up (3-1) that lost game 5 at home, lost game 6 on the road but prevailed in game 7. Those teams were the 1951 Rochester Royals, who actually led the New York Knicks three games to none and the 1966 Boston Celtics vs the L.A. Lakers.
Better to deal with musical notes, such as those above.
As usual there is historical precedent in the unexpected (not all that much) failure of the record breaking Warriors to clinch the NBA title, at home in game 5 last night.
In fact, the Warriors were on the other side of the coin in 1967 and hope for the same result of that series, namely the record breaking team winning the title, on the road in game 6.
In 1967, a truly great Philadelphia 76ers team led by Wilton Norman Chamberlain won a then record 68 games and led the Warriors, known as the San Francisco Warriors at that time, 3 games to 1, and surely most felt, would clinch the series at home in game 5, on national television.
That was not the case and though the 76ers won in game 6 at S.F. , the first of two Wilt led record breaking titles, sadly his only 2 NBA titles, the game was not on national television and played late in the night at least in the eastern part of the country. For some reason, Wilt’s other record breaking season title clincher with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972 though TV’d nationally, was not preserved. The glorious last 8 minutes or so of that tilt was by all accounts, lost to us.
So maybe these record breaking Warriors will do what the record breaking 1966-1967 76ers did, namely win the title on the road in game 6.
I strongly suggest that the Warriors do so because though I have knocked LeBron James here and stand by it to the extent he is not the greatest player ever, nor even that close, he is a truly great player, clearly capable of leading a game 7 win, even on the road.
Get it done Thursday Warriors, be like the Pittsburgh Penguins and make both series Home, Home, Home, Road, Road, and Road.
Also if it happens, and though I believe the perception it will go 7 helps Golden State, this will not be easy, the Warriors will have clinched all 3 of their Bay Area titles on the road and have other than the Penguins the most such clinchers sans a home clincher.
The 1966-1967 Philadelphia 76ers pictured above.
A great player, but not a “Mount Rushmore” player as he thinks (he is), LeBron James and emerging star, Kyrie Irving each scored 41 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers stayed in the NBA title series with a double digit win against the home team, defending champion, record breaking Golden State Warriors in game 5.
Those characteristics such as record breaking, also the fact Golden State emerged from the far better conference mean nothing to mercenary Adam Silver. He suspended Draymond Green for the home tilt last night, making the Cavaliers’ chances for victory so much greater.
Cleveland deserves credit for winning, but it is a horrible circumstance (Green being suspended) and it keeps alive, the possibility of the Cavaliers winning one of the cheapest sports’ titles in a long time.
James gets far too much criticism for losses and infinitely too much praise for wins.
He has chosen his team TWICE in a 5 man sport, in which one player, especially one as great as James, can make so much difference.
Additionally, he chose to play or continue to play, calculating his team’s prospects, in a truly weak entity, that virtually assured finals entry.
Mark my words with this Silver, the appropriate name smacking of MONEY, Nate Silver and odds, (and) though William Jennings Bryan was for the silver standard, fighting the likes of Silver, who will or already has campaigned for legal gambling on NBA tilts, leaves those of us with true standards, hanging on symbolic crosses, be them Silver, gold or simply made of all our tears.
Concerning gold, I think of the greedy “Pieman,” making a great living, taking advantage of other’s misfortune.
Regarding Silver, Adam recounts not “original sin,” but the far worse sin of greed, with it the manipulation that becomes inherent in such treachery.
Then again the man on this country’s 20 dollar bill, Andrew Jackson, a former United States President, “slaughtered” multitudes of people, Natives on this continent.
My “tears” from that and other such disappointing horrors makes for a long, sad, “trail.”
Think about it!!!
There is some much needed fresh air in looking at the WNBA, in our first update on the 2016 season, which is the 20th in WNBA annals.
Two cities in which the storied NBA Lakers’ franchise have won many NBA titles, Minneapolis and Los Angeles, have also won titles in the WNBA and their 2016 WNBA versions are off to great, undefeated starts.
Start with the defending WNBA champion, Minnesota Lynx. They have won 3 WNBA crowns all under current coach, Cheryl Reeve and are off to a (10-0) start.
The Minneapolis Lakers, coached by John Kundla, won five NBA crowns in six seasons from (1949-1954), missing only in 1951.
Los Angeles (Sparks) won 2 WNBA crowns under coach Michael Cooper. They are off to a (9-0) start. The NBA Lakers have 11 “L.A. titles,” five won with Michael Cooper as a player.
Here is a positive note in sports, few and far between these days.
It concerns Jim Rutherford, the general manager of the new Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
The classy Mr. Rutherford has now helped build Stanley Cup winners 10 years apart, first with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and now with the Penguins in 2016.
I met Jim Rutherford once, in Los Angeles when he was with the Kings in 1981.
He said hello to me as a friendly gesture and somehow we introduced ourselves.
When he said Jim Rutherford, I said you mean the goaltender who was in goal in the last game of the last Red Wings’ full season playing at the famed Olympia in Detroit, in a (1-0) win against the great Montreal Canadiens, who did go on to win a 4th straight Stanley Cup in 1979.
That game enabled the New York Islanders, who were eventually “semi’d” by the New York Rangers, but who would go on to win 4 straight titles, starting the next season, to beat out the Canadiens for the best regular season record that season.
That game was a personal highlight for Jim Rutherford, the player, and he enjoyed hearing about it from a seemingly surprise source.
Now he has two Stanley Cup titles and in the past days thoughts turned to the great Gordie Howe and others at the famed Olympia and in the last full season game there, Jim Rutherford stood out.
He stands out as a gentleman and now after an especially great year with trades and decisions, most notably moving in Mike Sullivan as coach, as a two time and current Stanley Cup winning general manager.
Congratulations on a great job to Pittsburgh Penguins’ general manager, Jim Rutherford, pictured above.
