One of sports’ all-time great coaches and winners, Al Arbour, has passed on at the age of 82.
He guided the New York Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup victories from (1980-1983) and five straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances including the team’s finals loss in 1984.
Additionally, the Islanders made the NHL semi-finals in nine of ten seasons from 1975, just their third season, through 1984.
Mr. Arbour also played in the playoffs for three Stanley Cup winners, the 1961 Chicago Black Hawks and the 1962 and 1964 Toronto Maple Leafs.
Only a few days back, I commented in a nostalgic conversation that the New York Islanders had one of the greatest periods, certainly in hockey, if not North American sports history. Al Arbour, a true great was a big part of their greatness.
Yesterday I cited the fact that the four teams (Royals, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Dodgers) that won division titles thirty years ago in 1985, currently lead their divisions this year.
The other two division leaders and right now each has a significant lead, are the New York Mets and Houston Astros, who were opponents in the 1986 NLCS.
This is not the first time this year I have cited the Mets and Astros, the latter now in the American League, together in the same post.
First of all, each team is a surprise division leader, the Mets a 7:1 “surprise” and the Astros, an almost “Coupe De Ville” in a Cracker Jacks box,” 22:1 “surprise.”
The teams are each in their 54th season, having come into the National League as the league’s first expansion teams in 1962.
Their 1986 NLCS won by the Mets en route to their second World Title, was one of the best ever.
The Astros won their only pennant 10 years ago and have not been in the playoffs since that season, which ended in a four game World Series loss to the Chicago White Sox, a team that ended an 88 year World Series title drought by winning.
The next year, 2006, was the last time the Mets finished first or made the playoffs.
There is still plenty of regular season baseball remaining, but the Mets and Astros, two teams I almost picked to win their divisions, certainly should win them now.
Thirty years ago in the 1985 baseball post season, four division winners qualified and met in two different league championship series.
In the American League, the Kansas Royals met the Toronto Blue Jays while in the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals took on the L.A. Dodgers.
Do not look now, but thirty years later, those teams lead their divisions and if they hold on to the lead and win in separate division series, would meet in the league championship series.
While the Jays and Dodgers have slim leads, the Royals will win their division and the Cardinals very likely will win theirs.
Thirty years ago the Royals and Cardinals each sans home advantage won their LCS and met in the I 70 World Series won by the Royals in 7 games.
Certainly there is a long way to go, but 1985 scenarios are popping up including the race in the AL East again between the Blue Jays and Yankees. However it is for a 1/8 and not a 1/4 division and also unlike 1985, there is a wild card presence.
The Chicago Cubs head out west almost certain to at least be a playoff entrant in baseball 2015.
It is a horror to me that there is a wild card presence, no less two in each league.
As it happens, the three top teams in the NL Central (Cardinals, Pirates and Cubs) have the three best records in the league, at this point by a fairly significant margin.
Wild card supporters, with some justification, will point out how “unfair” it would be to have the teams with the second and third best records in the league fail to qualify for the ‘offs.
However, in my opinion that is more than offset by the realistic possibility that the first place Cardinals could win the division easily and be beaten by a team it beat out from its own division.
This has happened before and will happen again, maybe this year involving the NL Central. It diminishes the importance of the 162 game regular season and to me that is a great “baseball sin.”
Of course the fact different teams beat some teams and lose to others teams is inherent in sports, especially baseball. This year, one big reason the New York Mets have a 5 game lead over the Washington Nationals in the NL East is the play of the Colorado Rockies against both teams.
On one hand, the Rockies split 6 games with the Nationals, first winning 2 of 3 games in Washington before losing two of three games at home vs Washington last week.
Conversely, the Rockies have been awful vs the Mets as they are (0-7), first being swept in 4 games in New York and then in 3 games at home this past weekend.
It adds up to three and a half games in the Mets’ favor, certainly a big fraction of their lead in the NL East.
Both teams have finished play vs the Rockies this season, with the Mets gaining those aforementioned three and a half games.
Here are some thoughts after watching the fabulous movie, “Witness For The Prosecution” on TCM last night.
First off, continued kudos to hosts Robert Osborne and Sally Field in setting up the movies in “The Essentials” series on Saturday nights.
Field, whose mother studied with the fabulous Charles Laughton, cited Mr. Laughton as the best of all English speaking actors. In my opinion, if Mr. Laughton is not the best, it does not take much time to call his name.
In the film, actor John Williams is involved in a case involving a woman named “French” and years later played the other “Mr. French” on the television show, “Family Affair,” after Sebastian Cabot, the first “Mr.French” departed the show.
A stretch but here goes: Tyrone Power’s character in “Witness for the Prosecution,” remembers September 3rd as the day he was wed. Years later, “The Third of September” is a day “remembered” in “The Temptations” classic hit “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.”
Last night Houston Astros’ pitcher Mike Fiers pitched a no hit game vs the LA Dodgers in an inter league battle between the leaders in each league’s Western Division. The no hit game adds to Astros vs Dodgers history.
The Astros, in the National League for 51 seasons from (1962-2012), and now in the American League, engaged the Dodgers in a “one game for the NL West title” situation in both 1980 and 1981.
In 1980, the two teams met in the final three regular season games at Dodger Stadium in LA. with the Dodgers needing to win all three games to force a one game playoff and that is what happened.
In the playoff, Houston prevailed with Joe Niekro on the mound and first baseman, Dave Bergman, whom sadly we lost recently, recording the final putout.
The Astros lost a heartbreaking NLCS to the Philadelphia Phillies, who went on to win their first World Series.
In the strike affected 1981 season, the Dodgers defeated the Astros in a best of 5 extra series caused by the strike. LA came home down (0-2) in the series and again had to and did win all three games. That time it meant the NL West title.
The Dodgers went on to win their first World Series in 16 years.
Mike Fiers
The masochism in me often exacerbates the horror of sitting in traffic by tuning into the sports talk shows. My fault for listening, but in a vain attempt to stop the madness, let me cite two factual mistakes apiece made by Mike Francesa and Michael Kay yesterday.
Kay on ESPN New York stated that Joe Torre as Yankees manager lost in the first round of the playoffs in 4 straight years. It was in fact, three straight years from (2005-2007.)
Later he said “Vegas” projected 78 and a half wins for the Yankees when it was 81 or so.
Francesa on WFAN radio, stated the Mets came from 8 and a half games back to win the NL East in 1969 when it was nine and a half.
The team won 38 of 49 not 39 of 48 as Francesa thought. At a million dollars a year (an obscene amount) to do what so many wish they could and I know that I could, at least get your facts straight and/or look them up.
Why is it that I can not “let it go,” regarding current Chicago Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon’s horrible decision as Tampa Rays manager in game 5 of the ALCS vs the Boston Red Sox in 2008?
In review, Maddon left his right handed pitcher in to pitch to David Ortiz and eventually lost the game.
Maddon is considered a fine manager and certainly is a media darling.
It takes one to know one and as a non winner myself, albeit one not really given the chance, I said Maddon would not win.
He did not in Tampa and despite many wanting him and the Cubs to end their title drought, I say the non winner manager (some would say some non winner Maddon is, with his hefty salary) and the epitome of non winner franchise (the Cubs), will not win.
Who knows me saying it may reverse the “goat curse” some blame for the Cubs failure to make the World Series in 70 years. (and counting)? That’s why they play the games, to find out.
“To Dance-The Musical” which premiered last night and is playing at The Theater at the 14th Street Y as part of the International Fringe Festival, is a riveting musical play featuring wonderful acting, exquisite dancing and telling the true story of the Russian Jewish dancer,Valery Panov.
Each wonderful, Kathryn Morgan and Jesse Carrey are featured as respectively “Galina,” the gifted Soviet ballet dancer with whom Carrey as Panov falls in love.
The play is set in the USSR during the Cold war and details the struggles for freedom and expression evident in the country at the time and which the Panovs fought to overcome.
The dancing is superb; Morgan, once an award winning member of New York City Ballet has returned to dancing after an illness and Kyra Robinov, who wrote “To Dance” “making her dream come true,” is thrilled Ms.Morgan is part of the project.
Carrey gives a very direct, succinct performance in which I felt some of what the courageous, standout Panov experienced and felt inside. Both Morgan and Carrey are terrific with a tremendous cast including Rick Roemer as the KGB villain, “Rachinsky.”
I highly recommend seeing “To Dance” which has 4 remaining performances all at “The Theater at the 14th Street Y at 344 east 14th Street.
Performance times and dates: Fri. 8/21 at 8:45 PM, Sun. 8/23 @5;45 PM, Thurs. 8/27 @ 9:00 PM and Sun 8/30 @ 1:45 PM. Tickets are $18 (well worth it!) and are available along with more information at
Andy B Sports 