It seems biting in sports is a June thing.
Luis Suarez, a player for Uruguay in World Cup soccer bit his opponent (Giorgio Chiellini) just before the match between Uruguay and Italy.
Uruguay won and can “bite on” while Italy was eliminated as though bitten by Dracula.
The most famous biting sports incident took place on June 28th, 1997 in a boxing ring. Mike Tyson bit the ear of Evander Holyfield, leading to Holyfield being declared the winner and Tyson losing his boxing license, though it was later reinstated.
There have been some good stories thus far in World Cup soccer.
Argentina got a late goal from Lionel Messi, their great player, to break the hearts of the team from Iran. Likely Argentina would have qualified for the round of 16 without that win.
Mexico, with two wins and a draw, has qualified for the round of 16.
The United States, not expected to go far, have one win and one draw, putting them in a very good position to qualify for the round of 16.
Upstart Costa Rica has also qualified for the round of 16.
Two match ups in that round have been set.
In one, the host country Brazil, will meet Chile. In the other, The Netherlands face Mexico.
Argentina
I know there are big changes in the baseball standings and the perception of teams each week.
Talk shows, the bane of my existence, react exponentially to each game. It is beyond ridiculous.
However, even I, who usually have this stuff in perspective both in importance and in sports proportion, have trouble with the Detroit Tigers and their penchant for “measuring the field.”
They had been struggling and who knows may struggle again. Yet their four straight wins and four straight Kansas City Royals losses gives them a mathematical edge.
Add the fact they are way better than any other team in the AL Central and it should be Detroit’s 4th straight divisional crown.
Yet I say it will be some time and some struggle for the Tigers before they make it four straight divisional titles.
Watching the 1966 movie “Harper,” on Turner Classic Movies was an enjoyable experience.
Paul Newman gave a fine performance, albeit not as great as in many of his films including “The Sting” and “Cool Hand Luke.”
Harold Gould (“Kid Twist” in “The Sting”) and Strother Martin (who tells Paul’s “Luke” “we have a failure to communicate” in “Cool Hand Luke”) were both in “Harper.”
A character with few redeeming features in “Harper” is “Ralph Sampson” the same name as the basketball player, who was good in the pros but never near the great player he was supposed to become.
That note makes me appreciate the often great and never less than fine work of actor Paul Newman.
As usual, the Detroit Tigers are struggling to pull away in the American League’s Central Division.
However, none of the other teams are taking advantage of the Tigers’ mediocre play.
This year without the unproductive post season performer Prince Fielder and manager Jim Leyland, (he of the no need for a lefty pitcher vs David Ortiz in last year’s ALCS), Detroit might just win it in the playoffs.
First they must get there, which due to the division’s mediocrity, they likely will.
The Los Angeles Kings’ march to their second Stanley Cup victory in three seasons was incredible.
They faced elimination seven times and of course won all seven of those games.
Alec Martinez scored the semi-final series winning goal in overtime of game seven. He followed that by scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in game five of the final.
Marian Gaborik scored the tying goal in the third period of both of those victories.
Additionally, he tied and won game 1 of the quarterfinals and tied game two of the finals. The tying goals were in the third period and the winning goal was in overtime.
What an incredible run this is for the now NBA champion, San Antonio Spurs!
There has been sustained excellence for almost the entire 15 year/16 season span beginning with their first NBA championship in 1999. They have made 25 consecutive playoff appearances winning it all five times in that span.
In fact, this franchise, which was an original ABA member known as the Dallas Chapparals, has made the playoffs in its league 42 of 47 seasons. That includes 8 of 9 seasons in the ABA and 34 of 38 in the NBA.
They bounced back from the heartbreaking loss in last year’s NBA finals vs the Miami Heat. “Taking no chances” this year, San Antonio’s four wins vs the Heat in this year’s finals were by 15 points or more.
The incredibly underrated but great Pittsburgh Steelers’ coach, Chuck Noll, passed away last week at the age of 82.
He guided and helped build what I believe to be the greatest team era in pro football history, namely the Steelers from (1974-1979), who won four of the six Super Bowls in those years.
Another coach from that era, John Madden, gets a “preach more violence,” football video game named for him, though he won but one title with tremendous Oakland Raiders’ teams. Noll, on the other hand, gets so little credit for winning four.
Yet the record speaks for itself, as Noll led the great player draft of 1974 and won 4 titles guiding a truly great team.
Ruby Dee was a true great and a fantastic lady. She passed away last week at the age of 91.
There were so many great performances. She played Rachel Robinson, another beautiful woman inside and out, in the Jackie Robinson Story.
Her performance in “A Raisin in the Sun” with Sidney Poitier, remains one of the greatest ever.
Ruby Dee and her late husband Ossie Davis were really out there at their own risk, in fighting for civil rights. Each was an articulate visionary in what is an ongoing struggle.
I met Ms. Dee twice, first briefly with her husband Mr. Davis at a service for defense attorney William Kuntsler. I cherish the memory of the three of us holding lit candles in tribute and for hope.
About 16 years later, I had a great talk with Ms. Dee at a tribute to Sidney Poitier. She reminisced about great days with Sidney, and their two families which remained close.
During a phone interview months later, with her great voice she said my full name in wrapping up our conversation. It made me feel great, not easy in this angst ridden world.
As once Ossie Davis said “Hi neighbor” to me, now he and his wife and my parents are “neighbors” in a better place.
Think of the obstacles toward being “neighbors” as addressed in “Raisin in the Sun” and even now, years later. Try to finally embrace that people are people, some good, some bad and others great, such as the case with Ruby Dee.
The San Antonio Spurs won their 5th NBA championship and first since 2007, by routing the defending two time champion Miami Heat in the last three games of the NBA finals.
San Antonio took the title in five games as was the case with their title in 1999. Kawhi Leonard, won the Finals MVP award.
In winning the last three games by wide margins and in bouncing back from a devastating defeat to Miami in last year’s finals series, the Spurs accomplished quite a feat.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tied the too often forgotten Minneapolis Lakers’ coach, John Kundla, and current Heat team president, Pat Riley, with his fifth coaching title. Only Phil Jackson and Arnold “Red” Auerbach have more NBA titles as a coach.
Tim Duncan won his fifth title while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, each of whom missed a key free throw in the Spurs’ horrible game six loss last year, have now played on four title teams.
This year, the two basketball champions of 1999 in college and pro got to “party like it was 1999” as pop singer Prince once said he would do in a hit song.
Both the University of Connecticut and the Spurs each of whom won their first crown in 1999, added to an impressive total this year.
Connecticut won their 4th NCAA title and the Spurs, (5-0) in game 5 of the NBA finals, won their 5th crown.
Finals MVP
Andy B Sports 