Tonight both the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks can secure berths in the NHL semi-finals with game six victories.
The Blues won the unfair to the home team, noon local time start in game 5 in Dallas, vs the Stars, to take a three games to two lead in the battle between the teams with the two best records in the NHL West. Game six is in St. Louis beginning at 8 Eastern Time.
Meanwhile the Sharks hope to gain a “semis” berth with a win at Nashville tonight vs the Predators in a series in which the home team has won the first five games.The game begins at 9 Eastern Time.
Though it is a truly weak NBA Eastern Conference, give the Cleveland Cavaliers credit, as they have gone (8-0), (5-3) vs the spread) in winning the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs.
They completed a 4 game sweep vs the Atlanta Hawks for the second straight season, last year in the semi-final round and this one in the quarterfinals puts the Cavs in their second straight NBA semi-final series.
Cleveland will face the winner of the Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat series which the Raptors lead two games to one after two overtime games and a down to the wire third game. Game four is in Miami tonight.
Left to right, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James form quite atrio for the defending Eastern Conference champion, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Yesterday, during the interviews following the favorite, Nyquist’s Kentucky Derby victory, the great Jerry West was cited for his scouting abilities.
I doubt those doing so realized yesterday was the 44th (Jerry wore the number 44) anniversary of West’s lone title as a player, which his record breaking Los Angeles Lakers clinched with a game 5 victory in the finals, vs the New York Knicks on May 7 1972.
West’s Lakers came close to other titles so many times but lost in 8 finals series, six times to the Boston Celtics and twice to the New York Knicks.
Jerry’s teams have won many titles with him on the administrative end including being a part of last year’s Golden State Warriors’ title team.
While yesterday was the 44th anniversary of Jerry West’s (pictured above) lone NBA title as a player with the (69-13), winners of a still major North American sports league 33 straight games, 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers, today marks the 46th anniversary of Jerry’s Lakers’ 7th finals loss before the title, that one to the New York Knicks.
Though not a Knicks’ fan as I was a Lakers’ fan, I always admired the Knicks’ radio announcer, Marv Albert. On a record or tape with Marv announcing, Mr. West made two of two free throws with the game out of reach. It does not sound like much but that never ending effort and his greatness is why I admired Jerry so much and wanted him to “title’ so much.
Both of us at times, “Peggy Lee” it (“Is That All There Is”) regarding that title but that should never be the case. It was a great team, a great accomplishment and a so deserved title as a player, for one of the best, Jerry West.
Before yesterday’s Kentucky Derby, the odds against a Triple Crown victory by Nyquist were 8 to 1.
Now after Nyquist held off Exaggerator to win the “Derby,” the odds against an NBC backed, Triple Crown for Nyquist are only 2 to 1.
Hopefully, having the Olympics is enough for NBC and a horse other than Nyquist will win the Preakness Stakes, but I would not count on it.
No matter, unlike the last two years when I endured the crowds at the Belmont Stakes where first California Chrome failed and then American Pharoah succeeded in winning the “Crown,” I will not be there. For the record I rooted for both horses to win and am still glad “Pharoah” won and due to its trainer’s arrogance, also glad “Chrome” did not.
The number 13 was not unlucky for Nyquist and its already rich owners in the Kentucky Derby. By the way, next Friday is (May) the 13th.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, after two overtime victories at the Brooklyn home of the New York Islanders in games three and four, will try to advance to their second straight NHL semi-final series and fourth in team history, with a home win this afternoon.
In both overtime victories, the great goal scorer Nikita Kucherov tied the game for trailing Tampa Bay in the third period, the game 3 tying goal in the last minute of regulation time.
Last year after winning their second semi-final in 3 tries, the Lightning lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games in the Stanley Cup final series.
Tampa Bay won it all in 2004, winning in 7 games vs the Calgary Flames, while in 2011, the Boston Bruins after “7 ing” the Lightning in the semis, went on to do the same (win the series in 7 games), vs the Vancouver Canucks and win their first title in 39 years.
It was amazing to see the great Orson Welles interviewed for ninety minutes on the Dick Cavett Show last night on the television channel, Decades.
Additionally interviews conducted by the highly intelligent and quick witted Mr. Cavett done over forty years ago that aired this past week included such greats as Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, Maximilian Schell and Sally Field.
I strongly suggest looking for the Dick Cavett Show which on most days, airs four times on Decades. seeing the show offers a great historical perspective with still timely issues, questions, humor and indeed pathos.
Orson Welles pictured above, had a cigar and brilliantly told stories in his time with Dick Cavett. It was a sensational 90 minutes!
I will just state the facts or the lack thereof presented by Yes Network commentator Ken Singleton in the top of the first inning of last night’s New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox game.
David Ortiz, not exactly an obscure player was at bat. Singleton told us that after a good series vs the Yankees last weekend, the Red Sox went on the road and Ortiz went 0 for 21.
I thought the Red Sox played 3 games on in Chicago (vs the White Sox) before this series vs the Yankees, so I doubted Ortiz had 21 official at bats, even if it was 4 games in the windy City.
In doing the research, I found Ortiz after going 0 for 3 in the first game had a 2 for 4 and 2 for 5 game. Some 0 for 21 slump! Where are the researchers? Most of all, Singleton should care enough to check the notes if he is using them.
It is not a back breaking task to check the facts you are going to use in the broadcast and Singleton should be held accountable.
However I should write 100 times that the ship has sailed regarding standards and craft in most broadcasting, especially sports.
It is still so early in the 2016 baseball season and I certainly rarely, if ever talk of one game or individual players, but will make an exception for the (22-6) Chicago Cubs and other matters pertaining to yesterday’s Cubs (8-6) win vs the (19-10) Washington Nationals, the team with baseball’s third best record, of course still early in the season.
The game featured the two second basemen from last year’s World Series, each with a different team, Ben Zobrist of the Cubs from the world champion K.C. Royals and Daniel Murphy of the Nationals from the National League champion, New York Mets going a combined 6 for 6.
Zobrist hit two home runs, while Murphy, who tore up the Cubs in last year’s NLCS went 4 for 4 . The Cubs’ start is the best in the National League, since the 1977 L.A. Dodgers.
Meanwhile baseball’s second best record, so far in this the last baseball season of President Barack Obama’s two terms in office, belongs to his favorite team, also from Chicago, namely the (20-10) White Sox.
Both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will gain at least one road win at Portland (Trail Blazers) and Atlanta (Hawks) respectively, before their quarterfinal series end, likely in no more than 5, and certainly not six games.
These four teams are the only ones among the 32 teams that qualified for the NBA and NHL playoffs, that have not lost at home, as of yet.
In the other NBA quarterfinal series in progress, I will stay with my San Antonio Spurs in 6 vs the Oklahoma City Thunder prediction, strongly “advising” the Spurs to win in tonight’s game 3, at “OKC.”
The Miami Heat, able to split in 2 overtime games at Toronto vs the Raptors, will win that series in 6 games.
However, it will not be easy. They will give up the home advantage they gained with their split in Toronto. Heat, however, will win games 3,5 and 6 and go on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers (Dwyane Wade vs LeBron James) in what will be a hyped NBA “semi,” though not nearly as much as the imminent Warriors/Spurs “semi.”
Maybe, even likely, Washington Capitals’ coach Barry Trotz has a point in saying the NHL does have preferences as to which teams win. Certainly the league and its commissioner Gary Bettman, prefer long series and overtime games.
Last night, to the tune of “Whatever Lola Wants,” (Lola Gets,”), substitute Bettman for “Lola,” as both Western Conference game winners, the Dallas Stars (vs the St. Louis Blues) and Nashville Predators (vs the San Jose Sharks) squared their quarterfinal series at 2 apiece with overtime wins. Score it “jackpot” for Mr. Bettman.
So as a reward, the Stars must play a noon local time, pivotal (ESPN’s Steve Levy once called a decisive game 7, “pivotal”) 5th game vs the Blues tomorrow. I hope the game goes 8 overtimes or long enough that NBC will switch from it to its Kentucky Derby coverage, as happened at least once, before the Preakness Stakes in 2007.
For the record, other than the play by play announcers, who have little in the way of play by play skills even for television (ie on the game winner for Dallas, at least identify the eventual scorer as he took a pass from 3 time Stanley Cup winner “con” Chicago, Patrick Sharp, but did not), the games are good. Mike Fisher won it for Nashville in the third overtime while Cody Eakin was the Dallas scorer, “play by play man,” John Forslund was late to identify.
Click below to view the great Gwen Verdon’s “Whatever Lola Wants,” from “Damn Yankees.”
Whatever Lola Wants, Damn Yankees.
Patrick Sharp, pictured above, was not retained by the Chicago Blackhawks, for whom he helped win 3 Stanley Cup crowns. While “Chi” was ousted in the first round of this year’s playoffs, Sharp and the Dallas Stars play on.
Andy B Sports 