Here are some predictions and comments on upcoming sports events.
Wimbledon tennis begins tomorrow and I predict neither big favorite, Novak Djokovic on the men’s side nor Serena Williams among the women, will win the title.
If neither wins the title, that would be a pretty big upset.
I should have said this before the Masters but I did feel it. Now with only two golf major tournaments left, it is not much of a pick to say Rory McIlroy will not win a major tournament this year.
As for Jordan Spieth who has been great, he will not win one either. Maybe the end of success has come for Tiger Woods, but no golfer will be anywhere near as successful for a long time.
However, I never felt Woods was that close to being the greatest golfer ever, as for example, the “built up” Phil Mickelson, was probably his toughest competition.
There were much tougher foes for the great golfer, Jack Nicklaus, whose record for major tournament wins seems safe for now.
Also his status as the best golfer, always safe in my more perspective based view, is “safe” even among the instant gratification types that permeate the sports media.
Jack Nicklaus,
In similar fashion the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics dominated the American League for three year periods at one point in time.
The Orioles won American League pennants from (1969-1971) but won just one of the three World Series they played in during that time.
The Athletics won the A.L. title three straight seasons from (1988-1990). They also won but one of the three World Series in which they were involved.
Both the Orioles and A’s were remarkable in the three ALCS they won to reach the World Series. The (1969-1971) O’s swept all three which were best of five, hence going (9-0) in ALCS play.
The (1988-1990) A’s lost but one game in winning three best of seven ALCS, going (12-1).
The final Orioles ALCS sweep in 1971 was vs the Oakland A’s of another time, a team just developing into greatness.
That greatness manifested as the A’s of (1972-1974) won not just three straight pennants, but three straight World Series titles, something no non New York Yankees team accomplished before or since.
Charlie Finley and the A’s three World Championships–1972, 1973 and 1974
If you have read some of my previous posts, you know I am not a big fan of Fox Sports’ lead announcer Joe Buck.
At the very least, I can easily say his incredible luck to have broadcast and continue to broadcast events like the World Series and Super Bowl is way out of proportion with his talent.
Surely his luck was and is enhanced by virtue of Joe being the son of the late Jack Buck, an esteemed, highly over rated announcer, who still was far better than most announcers today.
Jack was at his best with a rooting interest and thus his St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball broadcasts were his best work.
Admittedly, in the 1985 and 1987 seasons, a pair in which “St. Loo” would make but lose the World Series, I would leave my apartment and go in my car, to tune in KMOX radio from St. Louis.
I looked forward to Jack’s “that’s a winner” call after a Cards victory.
Some really liked Jack Buck and former coach Hank Stram on CBS Radio, as an alternative to Monday Night football on television.
Jack Buck was working for ABC television as an extra reporter when Stram’s Dallas Texans won the 1962 AFL title game in 6 quarters, vs the Houston Oilers.
In conclusion Jack Buck had his good moments and his bad.
The Bucks
Likely, but far from definitely, the Boston Red Sox bad record and now injuries to top players Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez means they will not contend, no less make post season.
It is hard to feel sorrow for them, with the recent success of the franchise, which after an 86 year title drought, won three World Series in 2004, 2007, and 2013.
I do feel bad that such great, or near great players, as Carl Yastrzemski, Dwight Evans, Bill Buckner and others had some near misses, but never played on a World Series winning team.
The American League East pace is slow and it is not even the halfway point of the season, thus still a long way to go, but I do not see the Red Sox this season.
Only the St. Louis Cardinals deserve real credit to this point in baseball 2015, the 21st season with the horrible wild card presence.
The near great Cardinals franchise is second only to the New York Yankees in World Series crowns but the margin (Yankees 27, Cardinals 11) is not close.
The Cardinals have largely been one of baseball’s great franchises, and in its history, I believe only the eventual 1946 World Series winning Cardinals had ever won as many as 46 of their first 70 games of a season until this year’s version.
The Cardinals have a nice lead in the N.L. Central and if they maintain it and win the division, they will be one of 8 teams in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, no matter how many games they win.
Bottom line is there is a long way to go, but so far so good for the Cardinals, which sadly means so much less than in seasons past, 1946 included.
1946 World Series Champion Cardinals: Whitey Kurowski, Enos Slaughter, Marty Marion and Stan Musial
Some observations, at least, my citing of coincidences or notes, while perusing the offerings of the great commercial free channel TCM (Turner Classic Movies).
In “A Place in the Sun,” a fine 1951 film based on Theodore Dreiser’s great book, “An American Tragedy,” the brooding, brilliant Montgomery Clift plays “George Eastman.”
In one scene, he makes a great shot on the pool table of Angela Vickers’ (played by Elizabeth Taylor), rich family. This impresses Angela/Elizabeth.
Two years later (1953) (and an hour or so later in the back to back TV showings), Clift playing “Robert Lee Pruitt,” gets the praise of Frank Sinatra’s “Maggio” for his pool ability in “From Here to Eternity.” Mr. Sinatra, by the way, revived his career with an Oscar for best supporting actor in “Eternity.”
In another scene, Jack Warden, who went on to become one of the great character actors, comments on a Sergeant WARDEN, repeating the name WARDEN, who was played by Burt Lancaster.
Lancaster’s Sergeant Warden famously kisses Deborah Kerr (pronounced Car as in Star as I once heard film critic Jeffrey Lyons utter) on the beach in a beautiful scene. Kerr’s character is named Karen.
Former Detroit Tigers’ pitcher, the mercenary but talented Max Scherzer, was one strike from a perfect game when the current Nationals’ pitcher, who took the money and went from Detroit to the Washington Nationals, was ruled to have hit pinch hitter Jose Tabata of the Pittsburgh Pirates with the (2-2) pitch in a game last Saturday.
Scherzer did retire Josh Harrison to record a no hitter and has in fact yielded but 1 hit in his last two starts, something only Johnny Vander Meer topped, with back to back no hitters in 1938, in the category of least hits allowed in 2 straight complete game starts.
I recall two Detroit Tigers pitchers were also one out away from a perfect game when they were denied not only the perfect game, but the no hitter as well.
In 1983, Milt Wilcox was one out away from a perfect game when Jerry Hairston of the Chicago White Sox got a base hit to break up the perfect game and no hit bid.
In 2010 Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga appeared to have tossed a perfect game but a clear error in judgment by umpire Jim Joyce denied Galarraga not only a perfect game but the no hitter as well.
For the record the batter was Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians, who when called safe erroneously by Joyce, was credited with a hit.
“My Perfect Mind,” part of the 2015 Brits Off Broadway festival, at 59E59 Theaters, is an extraordinary play co- starring two incredible actors, Edward Petherbridge and Paul Hunter, the latter dazzling at a frenetic pace. This was a performance!
The story is autobiographical concerning Mr. Petherbridge, who years back, just beginning rehearsals for his role as King Lear, suffered a stroke. He was not able to move but retained the words of the exalted role as “Lear,” in his mind.
Now at age 78, he moves, paints, deadpans amazing lines (he wrote the script along with Kathryn Hunter and co star Paul Hunter, the latter two related in their brilliance but not by blood) and gets to play King Lear at times, in a great show that touches on and brings out much of the good in the human spirit. Did I also mention it is hilarious?!!
Paul Hunter is also great, playing many roles with energy that amazed, at one point weaving back and forth on his feet and playing two roles as perhaps only a Muhammad Ali, (in a different vain) also known for moving and speaking, could match.
Their achievements are incredible. Petherbridge is a two time Tony Award nominee who also co-founded “The Actor’s Company” with the great Ian McKellen and had walk on parts in, speaking of greatness, Laurence Olivier’s Othello in 1964.
Mr. Hunter (Paul) is co-founder and artistic director of “Told by an Idiot” which brought us this incredible work.
Ms Hunter (Kathryn) also the play’s director, was the first British actress to play King Lear.
There were so many moments of wisdom, references and humor. One involved “Mr. Olivier” in conversation with Mr. Petherbridge lamenting that movies freeze the actors in time.
In some cases that is a good thing, moving me in a great way, beyond words. “My Perfect Mind” certainly did that.
I have not said enough good things about the Golden State Warriors’ (67-15) regular season and their (83-20) record which includes the playoffs), that culminated in their first title in 40 years.
They were truly great going from first round elimination under coach Mark Jackson last year, to a title under first year coach Steve Kerr this year.
The “link” between the two title teams in the winter sports leagues the NHL Chicago Blackhawks and the NBA Warriors is Golden state coach Steve Kerr, who won 5 titles as a player.
He won three of those titles as a Chicago player. The other two were with the San Antonio Spurs.
Also both the Warriors and Blackhawks won games 1 , 4 , 5 , and 6 in the finals. This is just the second time both the NBA and NHL champions won the exact numbered games in the finals series, that went at least six games, in the 68 possible seasons starting in 1947, (there being no NHL season or playoffs in 2005).
The other time was 2008 when the NBA Boston Celtics and NHL Detroit Red wings each won games 1 , 2 , 4 , and 6 to win titles.
Finally this stretch: Certainly it is noteworthy that as coaches and in the case of Pat Riley as a team executive, that Phil Jackson or Pat Riley were part of an incredible 25 of the 33 NBA finals contested from (1982-2014).
Perhaps one can say a Riley, in this case Warriors’ star Stephen Curry’s daughter, was a part of this one. Alas one might also say Pat Riley after being jilted by LeBron James’ move back to Cleveland again had a successful rooting interest in the NBA finals.
Steve Kerr
The Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks truly are a great organization–of course they are with the great Scotty Bowman a part of it. Bowman has now been a part of 14 Stanley Cup winning teams, including the Blackhawks, who have won three Stanley Cup crowns in the past six seasons.
Last year they lost a heartbreaking 7th game of the semi-finals to the eventual champion L.A. Kings, not exactly a bad playoffs showing.
This year’s final series vs the Tampa Bay Lightning followed the same pattern as the Blackhawks six game triumph in the Cup finals vs the Boston Bruins two years ago.
In both cases Chicago won the opening game on a Wednesday, lost games two and three on following Saturday and Monday before winning the last three on the next Wednesday, Saturday and Monday.
Teams winning the opening game of a Blackhawks’ final series have won 12 of the 13 series.
I also believe this was the first time a team winning game three of a (1-1) Stanley Cup final on the road lost the series. 14 previous teams in that scenario won the Stanley Cup before the Lightning failed to do so this season.
Scotty Bowman
