I thought and certainly think the Toronto Blue Jays will get off to a great start.
Thus their (2-0) start is not the reason I am “officially” predicting they will repeat as A.L. East champions.
I surely do not favor the Boston Red Sox and think the New York Yankees have a way to go to unseat the Blue Jays as division winners.
Neither the Baltimore Orioles and almost surely the Tampa Bay Rays will be contenders for the division title.
Prediction: Blue Jays 1st, Yankees 2nd, Red Sox 3rd, Orioles 4th, Rays 5th.
Villanova’s Kris Jenkins hit a three point shot as time expired lifting the Wildcats (Villanova), to their second national title (the other in 1985), winning (77-74) vs North Carolina.
Sadly, the great finish occurred in the first national title game since at least 1968 (North Carolina lost that game as well) not on over the air television.
“Nova” (perhaps destiny that a team called “Nova” would go, I believe, (6-0) vs the spread in the tournament, but remember so called locks or lox, nova being a type, are expensive) senior Ryan Arcidiacono, whose pass set up Jenkins’ historic shot, was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.
Perhaps lost in the winner takes it all mentality, is that North Carolina’s Marcus Paige made a great three point shot to tie the game with just over 4 seconds to play.
However, Villanova seeded second in its region is a truly deserving champion as they beat two one seeds and a two seed, to claim the title under coach Jay Wright.
Villanova’s Kris Jenkins certainly hit the longest NCAA title winning shot of any kind, certainly among those as time expired. Vic Rouse scored to win the 1963 title for Loyola of Chicago and Lorenzo Charles did so 20 years later for North Carolina State.
This is the 19th time North Carolina has made at least the national semi-final/Final Four round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
They are (10-9) in semi-final games and enter tonight’s Final vs Villanova, with a (5-4) record in such games. The breakdown includes (1-0) “semis” records under Ben Carnevale in 1946 and Frank McGuire in 1957.
Under current coach, Roy Williams, “N.C.” is (3-1) in semi-final games. Dean Smith had a (4-9) record in such games, as North Carolina coach, including a loss to current North Carolina coach Roy Williams’ Kansas squad, in a 1991 semi-final game.
Villanova is (3-1) in semi-final games, their lone loss to North Carolina in 2009.
It should be noted that Villanova won a regional final game vs North Carolina en route to its only title in 1985. Since as already noted in another post, North Carolina has beaten Villanova thrice en route to titles, no matter the victor tonight, one or the other beat the other, en route to 5 of the last 6 titles won by the teams.
Today is the 48th anniversary of the shooting death/murder of The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.in Memphis, Tennessee.
That night in Indianapolis, a crowd unaware of King’s death was informed of it by Robert F. Kennedy. Many in the nation were involved in riots that night but there were none in Indianapolis after Kennedy spoke.
Amidst the tragic death of King and Kennedy 2 months later late on June 4th, and all these years later, we can go on in a better way remembering their great efforts and humanitarian ways.
A talented man, born Dion DiMucci and known as Dion recorded a song about Martin and Bobby along with two presidents, who were slain Bobby’s brother John Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln.
The song was called “Abraham, Martin and John.”
Near the end Bobby is cited having been spotted on a hill.
Kudos to Dion, who celebrated another anniversary of sobriety, walking life’s often tough “hill,” and entertaining us, providing good, as we should seek, while never forgetting those slain, trying to do so as well.
Martin Luther King Jr. was certainly among the most pro active doing that.
— Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — pictured above.
click below to view and hear “Abraham, Martin And John” by Dion.
DION- “ABRAHAM, MARTIN &JOHN” (W/LYRICS)
Both North Carolina and Villanova enter tonight’s NCAA basketball title tilt, having won its last such game.
In North Carolina’s case, they have won their last 4 title games after enduring a 3 game title game losing streak, during the 25 year title drought from their first title in 1957 until 1982.
Villanova won in its second championship game in 1985, having lost in its other title tilt to UCLA in 1971.
Both the 1982 “Carolina” win and the 1985 Villanova win were accomplished in the final game vs Georgetown University teams led by Patrick Ewing.
Georgetown and Ewing did win the title in 1984, but Ewing, despite a fine NBA career with the New York Knicks, never played on a title team.
Thrice North Carolina has beaten Villanova en route to the title. They won in the semi-finals vs the Wildcats en route to their last title in 2009, in the round of 16, also under current coach Roy Williams, in 2005 and in the round of 8/regional finals in 1982.
Though I do not like the fact there are three games on an opening Sunday, it is still baseball, a great game but a sport and business that takes far too much of my once love for it away.
So tonight for the first time, a World Series redux on opening night or day as the defending world champion Kansas City Royals host the defending National League champion, New York Mets.
In another baseball disgrace, the World Series ended on a Sunday night November 1st last season and tonight the starting pitchers are the same as in that game, 5 months and 2 days ago.
Those starters are Edinson Volquez for “K.C.” and Matt Harvey for the Mets.
Yesterday’s national semi-final games, not on over the air television, were one sided, resulting in favorites Villanova, (in the largest national semi or finals win ever), and North Carolina, rolling to victories vs Oklahoma and Syracuse respectively.
North Carolina is a 3 point favorite vs Villanova in the title game tomorrow night. They will be bidding for their 6th title, which would move them ahead of Duke and Indiana for third place on the all-time list behind UCLA (11) and Kentucky with (8).
Villanova an upset winner vs Georgetown in the 1985 final, is seeking their third title in what will be their third finals game.
Do not look for them in the NCAA records of 1971, however, but trust me they had a fine team, with the likes of Howard Porter and Hank Siemiontkowski, just not good enough to be a great UCLA team, though even there they played well in defeat.
The final score was (68-62) as Villanova came closer than any of the 10 teams, UCLA beat in the finals during their dynasty.
I do not like it, but baseball is opening with three Sunday games and far worse the last five games of the NCAA Basketball Tournament are/were not on over the air television.
Much was made of the NCAA Basketball Tournament final game 50 years ago when an all black starting team of Texas Western under legendary coach Don Haskins defeated a Kentucky team that included Pat Riley and did not allow black players.
Beano Cook was there at Cole Field House in Maryland and said not much was said about the racial components of each team. Thankfully in the 50 years, progress, nowhere near enough, has been made in that sensitive, complex area.
Another reason that game was not a big deal then was that it was not on national television. The fact this now hyped tournament is not on over the air television is not progress. Only greed has really progressed in these 50 years when things such as this occur.
The national semis (the term Final Four did not exist) were held Friday night, the final the next night. No national television. Now amidst the hype, no over the air television for the last 5 games!
I wish I had written this before the Boston Celtics’ upset win at the Golden State Warriors.
Anyway here goes. I truly like both of these current champions, the Kansas City Royals and the Warriors.
That said go vs them. It is starting with the Warriors in largely meaningless regular season games and with the Royals in exhibition games.
Go under 84 and a half wins for the Royals. I hope those who do win but really I like “small market” KC for many reasons and hope I am wrong.
I fear I will not be but that is why they play the games to find out.
The surprise team in the NCAA Tournament has of course been 10th seed Syracuse.
Tonight they are nearly 10 point underdogs vs North Carolina.
The key to their run was Middle Tennessee pulling an upset vs Michigan State which helped pave Syracuse’s road to their 5th national semi-final/Final Four under current coach Jim Boeheim.
However, they did defeat Gonzaga and the South one seed, Virginia.
I sensed their fine play but life and its vicissitudes often “brackets” us so no real “brackets” on Syracuse.
I can see Syracuse pulling the upset, likely if they do not it will not be that close.
However, I must at least pick Syracuse to cover and without predicting the game winner, that is my prediction.
Andy B Sports 