Of course last night’s ESPN Sunday Night Game was the Yankees vs the Red Sox.
Next week’s game is also the Yankees vs the Red Sox.
Why? You know why!
The Yankees probably will improve but even if they do not and ESPN can schedule Yankees/Red Sox, they will.
Apparently a female announcer is in their (ESPN), 3 person booth. In 10 years a robot named “Bristol,” (for the God forsaken city that houses ESPN), no relation to Palin, will be there, but it will still be Yankees/Red Sox on Sunday night.
Lee Leonard, pictured above was a fine broadcaster. Sadly the standards at ESPN are dismal. Lee is 87 and if I were him, I would not be proud that he was the first voice heard on ESPN, a true “Frankenstein,” sports nuts as I once was, created and helped along.
The NBA quarterfinal round is set after both the Miami Heat (they routed the Charlotte Hornets) and Toronto Raptors (they “no covered” the Indiana Pacers) won decisive first round 7th games yesterday.
Those two teams will begin their best of 7 quarterfinal series tomorrow night in Toronto.
Meanwhile the Eastern Conference top seed and prohibitive favorite, Cleveland Cavaliers begin their “quarter” vs the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Last year Cleveland swept the Hawks in the semi-final round.
This year, I predict the Cavaliers to be extended to a 6th game, before winning the quarterfinal series.
As the NHL quarterfinal round of the playoffs continues with the Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Washington Caitals in game 3 with the series tied at a game apiece, it is noteworthy that none of the 8 remaining teams has won the NHL title/Stanley Cup since 2009.
In fact half of the remaining teams have never won the title. The St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators are all looking for their first NHL crown.
The Penguins last won the title in 2009, Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, the Dallas Stars (1999) and New York Islanders in 1983.
The most famous St.Louis vs Dallas post season match up was the Cardinals’ (St. Louis), 7 game 2011 World Series victory vs the Rangers (Texas/Dallas).
The current quarterfinal series between the cities’ hockey teams, the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues, is the twelfth post season series between the franchises and the 3rd since the Stars became the Dallas Stars having moved from Minnesota where they were the North Stars.
St. Louis and the Stars/North Stars franchise have split the twelve previous playoff series, each team winning six. As the Dallas Stars, the franchise is (2-1). In Minnesota as the North Stars they were (4-5) in series vs the Blues.
The aforementioned 2011 World Series was the only non hockey Dallas vs St. Louis post-season clash in the four major North american sports leagues. While in St. Louis the Rams never met the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL playoffs. The team is now back in Los Angeles (greed/greed) from whence they split 8 post season games vs the Cowboys. The St. Louis Cardinals also never met Dallas in post season football.
St. Louis now sans an NFL team has no basketball team, they once housed the St. Louis Hawks, long gone from St. Louis by the time Dallas got the NBA Mavericks. A common thread: both St. Louis and Dallas have one NBA title.
ST LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 28: David Freese #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a two-run double in the first inning during Game Seven of the MLB World Series against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium on October 28, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Freese was the World Series MVP.
There are two decisive 7th games in the NBA Eastern Conference on tap for today.
In one the second seed Toronto Raptors hope to avoid further playoffs embarrassment as they host the Indiana Pacers.
Meanwhile the Miami Heat face the Charlotte Hornets in Miami.
The winners of today’s games face each other in the quarterfinals, likely to begin this Tuesday.
Also today the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors host the Portland Trail Blazers in their quarterfinal series opening game.
Both NHL Western Conference semi-final series continue today with game 1 winners, the West top seed, Dallas Stars (vs the second seed St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks, only 6th in points (vs the 7 seed Nashville Predators) in the NHL West, hosting game 2, as they also hosted game one.
The Stars, whose coach Lindy Ruff was the opposing and runner up coach (Buffalo Sabres) when the Stars’ franchise won its only Stanley Cup in 1999 under current Blues’ coach Ken Hitchcock,, won game 1 by a (2-1) score.
Meanwhile the Sharks fortunate that the NHL deems play within the division so important and thus they though 6th ranked in the West have home ice and vs a lesser (on paper for sure and likely in any case) opponent, won (5-2) vs Nashville last night.
I predict the Blues will bounce back and win this series in six games. The Sharks are both very fortunate and very good and I predict will win their series vs the Predators in five games.
Radek Faksa, pictured above, scored the game winning goal in both series opening wins for the Dallas Stars.
” In The Secret Sea,” currently at the Beckett Theatre 410 West 42nd Street, is a powerful, well acted play that not only explores some big decisions involving life, but how we can relate better to each other no matter the circumstances.
There is a life and death decision to be made and the five characters on stage, both sets of parents of the recently married couple and the husband all are well developed, vividly real and so well played by the performers.
“In The Secret Sea,” truly gripped me with its powerful story and again with the interplay within the relationships of the characters no matter the circumstances.
Cate Ryan wrote the play while Tony Award winner (Annie), Martin Charnin is the director.
The superb cast includes Glynnis O’ Connor, always a favorite of mine, in a truly memorable performance.
All giving tremendous performances, the cast includes Shelly Burch, Paul Carlin, Malachy Cleary and Adam Petherbridge. Performances are through May 21st.
In the Secret Sea – Off-Broadway Tickets | Broadway …
Click above for ticket information and to purchase tickets to this superb work.
After taking (1-0) series leads with opening game victories, the New York Islanders at Tampa Bay vs the Lightning and the top ranked Washington Capitals at home vs the Pittsburgh Penguins, look to go up two games to none in their NHL quarterfinal series today.
I did think both the Islanders and Capitals would win these series, but without wins today, even for the visiting Islanders, these series should be tough, maybe even with wins today for the leaders.
However, I feel both teams will win their series and meet in the NHL semis. Sure up (1-0) it can not count as a real prediction, but I say Capitals and Islanders each to win in six.
In what seems to be a compelling NBA quarterfinal round series, the NBA Western Conference two seed, San Antonio Spurs are roughly two and a half to one series favorites vs the third seed, Oklahoma City Thunder. The series begins today in San Antonio.
Though overshadowed by the Golden State Warriors’ record breaking (73-9) regular season, the Spurs record of (67-15) is nothing to scoff at.
In fact, if the Spurs do not win the NBA title, that record will be second only to the 1972-1973 Boston Celtics’ (68-14) among NBA teams that did not win the title and already is among the great NBA regular season records.
Add the fact that the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have been on multiple title teams all under coach Gregg Popovich (he and Duncan have won 5 titles, Parker and Ginobili 4 each) and my prediction has to be San Antonio (vs Oklahoma City), say in a tough 6 game series.
Manu Ginobili, pictured above.
In what figures to be quite a race in the National League East, the Washington Nationals started off beating the so called bad teams like the Atlanta Braves (6 times in 6 games) (until further notice the Braves can be considered a bad big league team)) and the Philadelphia Phillies in their first two games.
Meanwhile the New York Mets started slower, in the very early season, which still is less than a month old.
However, it is worth noting that the Phillies just completed a tree game sweep of the Nationals in Washington and are two games over the .500 mark. “Philly” also won the last game at Washington after dropping the aforementioned first two games.
Also the Mets just swept still “bad” teams, the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds in a pair of three game series. Thus entering play on the penultimate day of April, the Mets are just one half game behind the Nationals.
Andy B Sports 