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.
One great part of watching Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle on the Dick Cavett Show on Decades (channel) yesterday was the great respect they had for each other’s playing prowess.
So much has gone wrong with baseball surely curtailing my love for it but talent, yes it is only a game but the mutual respect for each other’s baseball greatness was something I enjoyed seeing.
Aaron’s Milwaukee Braves and Mantle’s New York Yankees split 7 game World Series in 1957 (Milwaukee won its only World Series to this day, the Braves left after the 1965 season but the Brewers have been there sans a World Series win since 1970) and 1958 (the Yankees won their 18th crown, two thirds of their current total of 27).
Their admiration began and certainly increased greatly watching each other as World Series rivals and that remains a good thing to remember and thanks to recording, see and hear.
I was on target again with George Washington vs Valpariso in the N.I.T. final game played last night at Madison Square Garden.
There were so many factual mistakes made in the shows airing today regarding baseball on the “Decades” channel.
No names but Monte Irvin did not bat just before Bobby Thomson, when the latter hit the 1951 pennant winning home run.
Game 1 of the 1955 World Series was not played in Brooklyn but at Yankee Stadium.
Perhaps Yogi Berra and Jackie Robinson are kidding each other as to whether Jackie was safe as called or out as Yogi thought all his life on a play in game 1 of the 1955 W.S.
A hunch:
Oklahoma 70 Villanova 65
Jackie Robinson sliding, pictured above.
Somewhere the legendary, late Boston Celtics’ coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach is very proud today as last night his alma mater, George Washington University won the NIT, easing vs Valpariso .
Mr.Auerbach before the glory days of the Boston Celtics, was aware that the N.I.T. (National Invitational Tournament) was once more prestigious and certainly is a year older than the NCAA Tournament.
George Washington won four games, including last night’s final as the lower seeded team in the game. There were only two other such games in the 31 game tournament.
Named in honor of the first United States President, George Washington University won its first post season tournament last night.
Andy B Sports 