There are some notes I gathered while watching a couple of movies around the television dial/remote control yesterday.
In “Come Blow Your Horn,” a 1963 film, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bill are brothers with the last name Baker.
Many years later (1989), real life brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges starred in a film along with Michelle Pfeiffer as and called “The Fabulous Baker Boys.”
Also from 1936 in the film, “The Law is in Her Hands,” (starring Margaret Lindsay), a character/organized crime type is named Frank Gordon. (Lyle Talbot featured in a nice TCM segment this month plays “Gordon.”).
Years later, on the television show “The Untouchables,” actor Bruce GORDON appeared regularly as real life organized crime type, FRANK Nitti.
I remember Michelle Pfeiffer, pictured above, truly impressing legendary “Tonight Show” host, Johnny Carson in her first appearance on that show, I believe as another version of the film, “Grease” was being promoted.
It was probably over before, but after last night’s (4-1) home loss to the Calgary Flames, it is all but definite the once glorious Montreal Canadiens will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Starting with 5 Stanley Cup victories in 5 straight seasons (1956-1960), Montreal has gone (17-2) in the Stanley Cup finals, one of the two losses to the Flames in 1989.
One of the 17 Cup wins in that span was vs the Flames a (4-1) series win in 1986 The last three Montreal titles came in (4-1) finals series wins, all after losing the first game.
So it all but ends for Montreal in a (4-1) loss, a team/franchise that incredibly made the playoffs of some kind 71 out of 76 seasons, starting in 1923, a year another greatest team in its sports league, the New York Yankees won their first World Series in the first year of play at Yankee Stadium.
Even Sports Illustrated would not dare consider Serena Williams as its Sportsman of the Year” after unjustly giving it to her last year.
Ms. Williams’ tennis woes continued as Victoria Azarenka defeated her easily, in the finals of a (WTA) tournament at Indian Wells.
Again last year, if Williams had won the so called “Calendar Grand Slam” (Australian, French, Wimbledon and United States titles), her choice as “Sportsman/Year,” even over Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, might/would have been justified.
Instead Williams failed to win the U.S. Open, no terrible thing and she had a great year but not deserving of the honor Sports Illustrated bestowed upon her.
At this point this year, we do not have to “worry” about that injustice repeating.
It was great to watch the 1958 movie, “A Touch of Evil” directed by the great Orson Welles yesterday on Turner Classic Movies channel.
There were some fine performances all throughout this film about murder, police corruption and overall shady activities in a Mexican border town.
Charlton Heston, a year away from his Academy Award winning performance in “Ben Hur,” but likely already working on it as that film also shown yesterday on TCM took two years to complete, stars as an official (Mike Vargas) investigating narcotics traffic.
Janet Leigh, two years away from a landmark role, hers in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” is excellent as Heston’s wife (“Susan”) in the film. Welles is brilliant as police captain, “Hank Quinlan.”
I will not “spoil” the tremendous film, which was edited 40 years later to be more in tune with what Mr. Welles desired in the film but had trouble gaining, but as in “Psycho,” Ms. Leigh’s character is in trouble alone in an out of the way hotel.
Also look for Dennis Weaver in a nice supporting role as a hotel clerk. Others spotted in the cast include Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Ray Collins, the latter known to television audiences as Police Lieutenant Tragg on Perry Mason, but also with Welles in his masterpiece film, “Citizen Kane.”
So far my predictions on this weekend’s basketball have been “pretty good” as Larry David might say.
I predicted Iowa to not cover vs Temple and to win by 3 points. They won by 2 points.
Oklahoma was favored by 14 and won by 14 vs Cal Bakersfield so the linemaker hit that on the head.
I did so calling an 8 point win by the San Antonio Spurs vs the Golden State Warriors.
In the end, this matters not and how many do we/I get wrong. Many is that answer.
The second round win by Indiana vs Kentucky received relatively little publicity considering the magnitude of college basketball in each state and the history involving the two universities.
Only U.C.L.A. with 11 titles has more than Kentucky which has won 8. Next is a three way tie among Indiana and two North Carolina teams, defending champion, Duke and North Carolina.
When I think of Kentucky/Indiana, I recall a 1975 regional final game when Kentucky upset an undefeated Indiana team some say was as talented or more so than their undefeated title team a year later.
The great sportscaster Marv Albert and the great player Jerry Lucas were the announcers for that tilt.
More history and I guess nostalgia: After Kentucky beat Syracuse in one national “semi,” and Richard Washington’s shot lifted U.C.L.A. over Louisville, the great U.C.L.A. coach John Wooden announced the title game vs Kentucky would be his last.
His team sent him out as the greatest winner in college sports history beating Kentucky for an incredible 10th title in 12 seasons.
Richard Washington, pictured above, hit a last second shot to lift U.C.L.A. to a victory over Louisville in the 1975 NCAA semi-finals. Then the Bruins as U.C.L.A. is called, defeated Kentucky giving their legendary coach John Wooden his 10th title in 12 seasons, in his last game.
On some level, I can still hear my father applauding and surely I hear Coach Wooden’s well pronounced and so meaningful “sorry,” when I told him of my father’s recent death, just before I interviewed him in 1994.
In today’s NCAA Basketball Tournament’s second round games, I will offer two predictions.
Both involve the teams that pulled off big upsets in round 1, Middle Tennessee and Stephen F. Austin.
I predict Syracuse will win vs Middle Tennessee State and cover the 6 point spread. After the win vs Michigan State, the beware of Middle Tennessee for Syracuse sentiment was a bit much.
Nobody knows which team will win today nor how Syracuse would have done vs Michigan State. However, the odds would have significantly favored Michigan State and Syracuse, all things being equal, is happy Middle Tennessee State and not Michigan State is their second round foe.
My other prediction is that 1 point favorite, Notre Dame will win vs Stephen F. Austin (70-64).
The NCAA Basketball Tournament now down to 32 teams amidst many big upsets continues today with eight second round games.
Tomorrow eight more second round games will be played cutting the field to the so called “sweet sixteen” with games resuming on Thursday March 24th at 4 Regional semi-final and finals sites.
Thus far one regional two seed and one regional three seeds have been ousted from the tournament.
Each of those upsets occurred yesterday as Middle Tennessee ousted two seed Michigan State from the South Region.
Then at night unheralded Stephen F. Austin University took out East three seed, West Virginia University.
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks College Basketball …
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In a game tonight that really means nothing, the San Antonio Spurs are three plus point favorites vs the defending NBA champion, Golden State Warriors.
No matter the result tonight and as you will see I am predicting San Antonio to win, the Warriors and not the Spurs, will get the top record in the NBA.
So my prediction in this regular season tilt tonight on ABC with college basketball “opposing” it is:
Spurs 104 Warriors 96.
With all the bluster about Michigan State and its fine coaches Tom Izzo in basketball and Mark Dantonio in football, the shocking basketball loss to Middle Tennessee yesterday leaves Michigan State under some real scrutiny in both sports.
The football team were decided underdogs to Alabama in the semi-final game, horribly scheduled on New Year’s Eve. Alabama dismantled Michigan State.
Now the “2” seed basketball team, which apparently attracted “mucho” money to win it all in the NCAA Basketball Tournament from Las Vegas bettors, is out losing and incredibly never leading vs Middle Tennessee State.
On the flip side of the Michigan State debacle, the win by Middle Tennessee State University located in Murfreesboro (Tennessee), previously best known as an NCAA Basketball Tournament site, is tremendous for them.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders College Basketball
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Andy B Sports 