Duke University won its fifth NCAA basketball title, all under coach Mike Krzyzewski, beating Wisconsin in the final/title game. Wisconsin has not won the title since 1941.
Tyus Jones, who was named the most outstanding player of the final four, led Duke with 23 points.
Krzyzewski, known as “Coach K,” passed legendary Kentucky coach Adolf “Baron” Rupp by winning his fifth title. Only the great John Wooden, who won 10 as UCLA coach has won more titles.
In a 30 season span all under “Coach K,” Duke has been to nine title games, winning five.
This was the 25th finals game for CBS lead announcer Jim Nantz (1991-2015). Duke which won its first two titles in Nantz’s first two seasons has won five titles in that span.
Another Nantz favorite, Connecticut, has won all four of its titles in the span. Add three titles each for North Carolina and Kentucky and four schools have accounted for 60 percent of the titles in the “Nantz” era.
Here are my predictions in each of the three divisions in the American League.
The Boston Red Sox will win the American League East. Improvement will be shown by the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, the latter without over rated manager Joe Maddon.
In the A.L. Central, either the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Indians will end the four year divisional reign of the Detroit Tigers.
In the West, I am tempted to pick the underdog Houston Astros but will go with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The K.C. Royals and Baltimore Orioles, last year’s ALCS opponents will fall back this season.
It will be Duke vs Wisconsin in the NCAA Basketball final tomorrow night in Indianapolis. Duke continued its domination of Michigan State while Wisconsin upset previously unbeaten Kentucky to set up the final.
The Duke/Wisconsin game is considered even. I do not care which team wins but hope for a lopsided result so more people will shut down the voices of Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill.
Given a choice between “water torture” and hearing them for hours on end, I would choose their incessant gushing and hyping, but I would have thought about it for a while.
In the NL East, the Washington Nationals are a big favorite. I predict they will outlast an upstart New York Mets team and win the division.
In the NL Central it will be the St. Louis Cardinals and pretty easily.
In the NL West the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers will outlast an upstart San Diego Padres team and win the division.
Sadly, two wild card teams will join the division winners in the playoffs.
I will not pick the wild card teams but recognize, as was the case with the current world champion San Francisco Giants, what a viable threat to win the title that wild card teams pose.
Eddie LeBaron was an exciting quarterback for the Redskins and the Cowboys, who later became Executive of the Year” as the Atlanta Falcons general manager (1980). He passed yesterday at age 85. I recall his unusual NFL record: the shortest (two inch) touchdown pass!
It happened on Sunday, October 9, 1960, as LeBaron, the Dallas quarterback, in the Cowboys first season, was credited with a two inch touchdown pass to Dick Bielski.
Accounts stated the NFL’s smallest quarterback (Le Baron was 5 feet 7 inches and 160 pounds) threw the NFL’s shortest touchdown pass.
The previous record for the shortest touchdown pass was held by the great Green Bay Packers’ NFL passing combination of Cecil Isbell to all time great receiver, Don Hutson. Their pass was a whopping 4 inches.
It should be quite a battle between Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke team and Tom Izzo’s Michigan State team in the first game of the NCAA semi-finals on Saturday night.
Krzyzewski has won 4 national crowns and has an (8-1) record vs Izzo, who has won 1 national title.
I am predicting Duke to win and face Kentucky in the championship game on Monday night.
If it happens, it will be the third time in a 50 year period (1966-2015) that the teams will meet in a semi-final or final game.
What a difference in the coverage between now and when Kentucky beat Duke in a Friday night semi-final game that had no national television coverage in 1966.
Now there is the proverbial “wall to wall” coverage and hype.
Earlier in the year, I took a look at the surprising Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks.
Each team had a great start to the never ending NBA season and now each has clinched the top spot in their respective conference.
The Warriors are the big story of the NBA regular season and easily have the best record in the league.
That feat is even more impressive, playing in the far tougher Western Conference.
The Hawks, with the second best record in the league have done so in the far weaker Eastern Conference.
It has been a long time “between drinks” for each of these franchises and each team faces a tough task in their conference’s playoffs.
An NCAA Tournament semi-final game will match Kentucky and Wisconsin for the second straight year.
Last year, Kentucky as an upstart team, won a thrilling game vs Wisconsin before losing to Connecticut University in the final game.
This time, Kentucky is (38-0) and just two wins from the first perfect season in college basketball since Indiana University accomplished that in 1976.
Wisconsin is no slouch either entering the game with a (35-3) record.
Last year Wisconsin defeated Arizona in a regional final and did the same this year.
Each team was the top seed in its region. Kentucky is a solid favorite in the game.
I predict Kentucky will repeat last year’s semi-final win vs Wisconsin.
It will be Duke vs Michigan State in the first game of the national semi-finals this Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Each team has an outstanding coach. Duke is under Mike Krzyzewski, who tied the legendary UCLA coach John Wooden by advancing to his 12th national semi-final.
Michigan State’s head man/coach is Tom Izzo, who now has guided Michigan State this far for the 7th time.
Duke is a solid favorite in the upcoming tilt. Krzyzewski’s teams are (8-1) all time vs Izzo’s teams.
The winner of the Duke/Michigan State game will face the winner of the Kentucky/Wisconsin game for the national title next Monday night.
Coach K
“The Tallest Tree in the Forest,” a show written and performed by Daniel Beaty at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s (B.A.M.) Harvey Theater is a brilliant look at the life of the great performer and activist, Paul Robeson.
Directed by Moises Kaufman, and with three musicians accompanying the extremely talented Mr. Beaty, the play dug deep into the feelings of a man so great and yet relatively unknown, (beyond unknown, relative to his greatness.)
The reasons for this injustice and much of Mr. Robeson’s life, good and bad are discussed.
The fact he organized different groups and causes and that his protests which went beyond the racial prejudice that actually was law in the United States (it still stings to think about it and frankly one wonders how it will ever be completely overcome, but overcome it we must) account for Mr. Robeson and our loss to history.
In his great performance, Beaty brings to life Mr. Robeson’s activism, acting and yes his singing.
With renditions of “Happy Days Are Here Again” and what Beaty as Robeson, called “a nice little ditty” actually a classic, “Ol’ Man River,” the great singing was brought to life.
Beaty’s talent includes a great skill with accents, as he played all the voices including those of Robeson’s wife, Eslanda and Yiddish poet Itzik Feffer.
Mr. Beaty received a well deserved standing ovation. As I looked around and up in the magnificent theater, I felt pretty sure both Paul Robeson and son Paul Robeson Jr., (who once graced my television show with his eloquent presence) appreciated the great performance from a “better place.”
On this day and surely others, the Harvey Theater was a great place to be and “The Tallest Tree in the Forest” was a magnificent tribute, with perspective, to one of the greatest figures of the last century.
Daniel Beaty
