Both the Florida Panthers (14-5) so far in these ‘offs, (their superb goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed just 5 goals during the current 5 game “Fla” win skein), seeking their first title in this their 30th completed season and the Boston Celtics, bidding and now overwhelming favorites, to grab a record- breaking 18th “such,” “held serve”/won the first two games in their final rounds at home.
Now each series venue shifts, the NBA entity to Dallas (Mavericks) and a record distance from Florida to Edmonton (Oilers).
Boston, opening at home in the final round for the 18th time in 23 final round appearances is (17-5) in previous final rounds and for the 23rd time in 23 possibilities, will do no worse than lose in 6 games.
However, they very likely will do much better and win an 18th crown, which would be one more than the L.A. Lakers, who won 5 of their 17 when in Minneapolis and one of their L.A. crowns in a joke/bubble event during the pandemic in 2020.
After Bobrovsky stymied Edmonton with a superb 32 save performance, in which he had Florida’s second goal (Carter Verhaeghe had “opened”) in the Panthers’ (3-0) series opening win, Evan Rodrigues broke a (1-1) tie with 2 third period goals in Florida’s (4-1) game 2 win.
Eight of the 10 combined Florida and Edmonton final round appearances “stood” or stand at (2-0).
Jre Holiday, a big acqisition for the Celts, was the game 2 star, hitting 11 of 14 shots and scoring 26 points in the “on the #,” — (105-98) Boston game 2 win.
Boston (14-4) in home final round opening games was down (2-0) in a final round only once, that in ’69, but bounced back to win it in 7 games.
Evan Rodrigues, pictured above, was the game 2 star for the Panthers.
Yesterday I was fortunate to see another incarnation of the great talent, Sam Shepard’s play “Simpatico,” and the performance was superb.
Certainly, it being Shepard means great writing. That is a great start.
Add the excellent cast and this performance of Simpatico (Chain Theatre 312 West 36th Street, now through June 29th) becomes a “makes you think”/mysterious gem.
I am proud of the fact that on the page for what was a superb production, “Garbageman,” that my comments, giving high praise appear.
A constant in both “Garbageman” and “Simpatico” is the superb actor Kirk Gostkowski.
All six members in the “Simpatico” cast come through, with meaningful, excellent contributions.
The cast in addition to Kirk Gostkowski: Elizabeth Bays, Christina Elise Perry, Brandon Hughes, Pete Mattaliano, and Monica Park.
Another constant in both “Simpatico” and “Garbageman” is excellent direction, that of David Zayas Jr. in “Simpatico,” and Greg Cicchino in “Garbageman.”
David also took the nice cast photo, shown above.
Left to right, Monica Park, Pete Mattaliano, Christina Elise Perry, Kirk Gostkowski, Elizabeth Bays and Brandon Hughes.
Click below for more information, including that, regarding ticket purchases. .https://www.chaintheatre.org/simpatic
Sadly, all 5 players that occupied the starting frontcourts for “my” two Wilt Chamberlain led, record breaking title teams, the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers and 1972 Los Angeles Lakers, are gone as the monolith yielded, the great and I mean great player, Chet Walker of those Sixers and later fine Chicago Bulls’ teams, died at age 84.
Chet was a sensational one on one player, a 2 time All American at Bradley University, whom he led to the 1960 N.I.T. crown and started up front along with Wilt and Luke Jackson (each deceased), on that awesome ’67 Sixers team, that 5’d the 8 time champion Boston Celtics in the semis, winning the finale (140-116). (Of course, a la Mark Twain, who panned J.F. Cooper’s “The Last of the Mohicans,” “news,” stating the end for those great Celtics was greatly exaggerated, as they came back to win the next two NBA crowns).
As stated, with Chet dying, all 5 frontcourt starters on those two great teams no longer walk the earth, as Lakers’ Harold “Happy” Hairston and Jim McMillian and of course Wilt predeceased Chet Walker.
Last night I tuned to, “in his 80’s, someone named Mick Jagger,” talk of loss and how prevalent it is at his age. He thus seeks younger.
Perhaps, even likely a good idea, but it will not come for me from modern sports.
Instead, without dwelling I will think back to the less exposed days of sports, when touching a hot metal within the radio, (the outer dial was lost), I tuned to listen to a fine broadcaster, Andy Musser and at times Sonny Hill with decent analysis, on 1210 WCAU in Philadelphia, to hear and at times on a game of the week, see Chet Walker and the Sixers.
Later, more frequent TV appearances, showing Chet’s amazing skills, with an excellent Bulls’ team.
Two more, one a dream/fantasy, the other a bit Wilt “brag” and perhaps blue.
There were great battles between the Knicks’ excellent forward Dave DeBusschere and Chet and perhaps with the “Z”, Dave Zinkoff and John F.X.Condon, the respective great public address announcers of the Sixers and Knicks, introducing in their inimitable ways, the two can clash again, in a better place.
Famously, Wilt “played with us” and wrote in a later book that he had “slept” with 20,000 women.
A ridiculous claim! However, In his excellent book, “WILT “Just like any other 7 foot black millionaire,” who lives next door,” written with David Shaw, bragged more modestly and very likely accurately, about his sex life.
In one passage, he cites that Chet Walker, one of the greatest players, would “stand guard” and whistle to hopefully, drown out the sounds of passion, emanating from the airplane lavatory, where Wilt was “with a woman.”
God/G-d/that force both, as I nearly a foot shorter than Wilt, have trouble just standing to urinate in those lavatories.
Where there is a will or lust, there is a way, and Chet evoked a different passion, that of sheer artistry and skill in the game of basketball.
The great Chet Walker, pictured above.
A la the (65-17) in the “reg,” Celtics, who still have to win 3 more games, Iga Swiatek, clearly the top woman’s player on clay and pretty clearly overall, had the road paved, survived Naomi Osaka in an early round great match, and won her third consecutive French Open.
Swiatek, pictured above, is a 4 time winner in the event, and joined Monica Seles and Justine Henin as the only women players to win 3 straight French Open crowns in the modern/open era.
Mr. Rafael Nadal, who I will say likely, just played in his last French Open, won it an incredible 14 times.
It was sure to be Swiatek when on the same day, in the quarter-final round, (Wednesday June 5th), eventual runner up to Swiatek, who won (6-2), (6-1) in the final, Jasmine Paolini upset Elena Rybokina and Mirra Andreeva defeated second seed, Aryna Sabalenka.
I may not have posted the fact, the Edmonton Oilers advanced to their 8th Stanley Cup final round (5-2 in previous losses “sandwiched around 5 straight wins), in which they will meet the Florida Panthers, last year’s runner up team, commencing tomorrow night in Florida.
Both the Panthers and Oilers (“Fla” is about a 6 plus to 5 series “fave” with the distance a record long between 2 Cup Final participating cities) won (2-1) home 6th games to advance after winning a road/home/road/home/road/home semi-final series.
Has it ever happened that finalists meet after winning semis in the same win/lose and home/road configuration.
Baseball more or less I can do in my head and not being able to sleep last night (cue Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis and The Fifth Dimension) yielded that it has never happened in any best of 7 same year League Championship Series/baseball semi-finals, a format that began in 1985.
In both 1973 LCS, each a best of 5 endeavor, both the eventual repeat World Champion, Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets won games 2, 3 and 5 to win the series.
Each team won #2 on the road after losing game 1 there. They won games 3 and 5 there while losing #4.
Thrice there were three game sweeps in LCS play and in both ’70 (Orioles, who would subsequently “5” the Reds in what is often referred to as “The Brooks Robinson World Series” and ’75, when the Reds and Red Sox, before their classic World Series won by Cincy in 7 games, the same home/road win/lose configuration manifested in ’70 (road, road, home ) and (home, home, road).
I guess I can “check” NBA maybe, the perhaps more relevant NHL, in that “it” did happen this year.
The great pitcher, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, pictured above, hurled a 5 hit shutout in the A’s win in the decisive 5th game of the 1973 ALCS.
On Tuesday past, the exact 56 year anniversary of the L.A. Dodgers’ Don Drysdale pitching a record 6th straight shutout, that vs the Pittsburgh Pirates, on his way to breaking Walter Johnson’s 56 scoreless innings streak set 55 years earlier in 1913, again it was a shutout, this time a combined Pirates’ effort at home vs the Dodgers.
In both Drysdale’s of course complete game shutout (you can keep combined ones and pitchers who go at most 8 innings, most times 5 or 6) and the combined one started by Pittsburgh’s Jones, on another Tuesday June 4th, the losing team, the Pirates in 1968 and the Dodgers these 56 years later, managed 5 hits.
Certainly what made me think of the game 56 years ago, as stated here this week, is the fact that not long after winning the California Primary and including congratulations to Don Drysdale in his subsequent speech, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot and died the next day.
Don Drysdale’s mound opponent (ode to Bob Murphy and more of Mr. Murphy on its way) in that June 4, 1968 game, was a future U.S. senator and excellent pitcher, Jim Bunning.
Nowadays, it is almost impossible to get an individual no-hitter, (again not good), Mr. Bunning pitched no-hit games in both the American League, when with the Detroit Tigers, with whom he is pictured above and on a Father’s Day in 1964, Bunning a father of 9 children pitched a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies vs the New York Mets.
Click above to view Bunning strikeout John Stephenson (John turned 83 on April 13th, another John Stephenson, a voice actor, “voiced” Mr. Slade, Fred Flintstone’s boss on “The Flintstones.” Speaking of voices and great broadcasters, as previewed above, the great Bob Murphy is the broadcaster) to complete a perfect game.
Tomorrow night, the first ever Boston vs Dallas major North American sports league post-season entity commences and it is in the NBA final round, with the Boston Celtics roughly 2 to 1 series favorites vs the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston teams have had many more seasons and final round appearance opportunities than their Dallas counterparts.
The Celtics are in their 23rd final (17-5, once (14-1) while the Mavericks (1-1 in previous), as is the situation with fellow Dallas teams, the current baseball champion Texas Rangers and the just semi’d in 6 (by the Edmonton Oilers), Dallas Stars while in Dallas (they made and lost in both their NHL final rounds, 10 years apart in 1981 and 1991 as the Minnesota North Stars) now have 3 final round appearances.
Boston counterparts, the Red Sox (9-4 after 5 straight World Series wins, 4 straight, largely excruciating World Series/final round losses and 4 straight wins going a so impressive (16-3) in individual games) have made 13 while the Bruins (6-13) in such have 19 final round entity appearances.
The only non 3 for Dallas is the 10 games, the Cowboys have played with the NFL crown on the line, beginning in 1966 and 1967 when the winner of what was a Green Bay Packers vs Dallas Cowboys NFL Championship game still had to win a subsequent all the way game/Super Bowl, which Green Bay did convincingly both times.
Additionally, the Cowboys are (5-3) in Super Bowls. The New England Patriots are (6-5) in such games and lost in their lone AFL title game, that to the San Diego Chargers after the 1963 season.
Both the Patriots and Cowboys began play in 1960, the Patriots as the Boston Patriots in the AFL.
I went to sleep exactly 56 years ago tonight, looking to the next day and whether Don Drysdale pitched an incredible 6th straight shutout.
He did and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who won the California primary that night, congratulated “Big D” (Drysdale) on his accomplishment.
It was not long after, that as was the situation with Robert’s brother, President Kennedy and just 2 months earlier on April 4th, concerning Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, that Robert Kennedy was shot and eventually died, I believe the next day, as regarding President Lincoln, 105 years earlier.
Maybe, in the hope of peace or to avoid “gey schlog dir kop in vant” (hitting my head against the wall), I cite Vaughn Meader, as I thought of him, the other day.
In Mr. Meader’s classic spoof, in good humorous taste of President Kennedy, on an album called “The First Family,” there is a state luncheon.
Certainly, it is Mr. Nasser of Egypt and let’s say Mr. Ben-Gurion of Israel and after the former orders pastrami, but with mayonnaise and on white bread, the latter prefaces citing other “disagreements,” however is certain, he is helping, advising an amended order of pastrami but with mustard on rye bread.
Bobby might be “on a hill with Abraham, Martin and John.” Peace!!
Click above to hear Dion’s (DiMucci) so meaningful and great song, “Abraham, Martin and John.”
After seeing “Just Another Day,” (playing at Theater 555, appropriately 555 West 42nd Street in New York City), starring Dan Lauria, who also wrote it and Patty McCormack, each of whom performed superbly, I had occasion to tell the always classy, friendly and oh so talented, Mr. Lauria, he “hit it out of the park.”
The performance rating, evoking Jimmy Foxx’ upper deck/last deck home run clout, now so many years back, at Yankee Stadium. In other words, prodigious!
“Years back,” both in recollecting and in realizing they are in the “rear view,” is an operative phrase in this fantastic, moving and very humorous production.
The past in the form of great old movie photos, quotes and routines (Mr. Lauria’s and Ms. McCormack’s homage to the classic Mel Brooks/Carl Reiner “2,000 Year Old Man” is enough to justify seeing the play twice) are spaced throughout, what is a very poignant and mysterious relationship between Patty McCormack and Dan Lauria’ characters.
Dan Lauria, (“The Wonder Years,” “Lombardi,” and as Jimmy Hoffa in “Good Bobby,” about Robert Kennedy, in which he was brilliant), and Patty McCormack, cited as consummate “pros,” by a man sitting behind me, are the story, each with a great intensity and yet ease, in “Just Another Day”).
Patty McCormack, (“The Bad Seed, both on Broadway and in the Melvin LeRoy directed film and so good as “Adriana La Serva’s” mother on “The Sopranos”) also engaging and interacting with the audience after the show, combines with Mr. Lauria, his great writing and Eric Krebs’ excellent direction, to make “Just Another Day” a highly recommended gem.
Click below for more information, including that, regarding tickets purchase.
Theater 555
Dan Lauria and Patty McCormack, pictured above, each brilliant in “Just Another Day.”
One more: A beautiful song by Sir Graham Russell of “Air Supply” plays as the play begins.
The incredible “pattern,” (road/home wins same as ’94 semi), as the Florida Panthers advanced to their second consecutive NHL final round, winning game 6 at home, (2-1) vs the New York Rangers.
Florida is (0-2) in previous NHL final rounds, (1-9) in final round games), as Las Vegas (Golden Knights) 5’d them last season and the Colorado Avalanche swept them in ’96 when Florida made the final round in just their third season. (Las Vegas, somewhat incredibly made the final round in its first season before winning it in their 6th season last year).
The Panthers (Panthers teams are (0-4) in final rounds as the Carolina Panthers lost NFL final rounds/Supes to New England (Patriots) in ’03 and the Denver Broncos in ’15) will face the winner of the Edmonton Oilers/Dallas Stars semi, which Edmonton leads 3 games to 2.
If Edmonton breaks “the pattern-i.e. road/home/road/home/road/road/home, and wins either game 6 at their home or #7 at Dallas, the Panthers would have home advantage in the NHL final round for the first time.
Dallas victories in the next 2 games, would result in the final series opening in Dallas, with the Stars having home advantage, for the second time in 5 “non bubble” NHL final rounds. (The one time the Stars, nee Minnesota North Stars, had home advantage, they won the final in 6 games vs the Buffalo Sabres in ’99. They are (0-3) in final rounds sans home advantage and (1-4) all-time in NHL final rounds).
No matter the matchup, the final will begin on Saturday June 8th, the exact 56 year anniversary of Robert Kennedy’s funeral, Don Drysdale breaking Walter Johnson’s scoreless innings streak and my long lost friend, Dr. Jay Rubin’s Bar Mitzvah.
Vladimir Tarasenko, pictured above with the St. Louis Blues, whom he helped win their lone NHL crown in 2019, scored to put Florida up (2-0), mid 3rd period in their (2-1) win last night.
Andy B Sports 