In 1961, a magnificent New York Yankees team left no doubt as to which was the best team.
They won the American League pennant fairly easily despite a fine Detroit Tigers’ team.
Next they won the World Series in five games from the Cincinnati Reds.
That year Roger Maris set a single season record with 61 home runs breaking Babe Ruth’s record. The great Mickey Mantle hit 54.
There was so much more as Elston Howard batted .348, while Edward “Whitey ” Ford broke Babe Ruth’s record for scoreless innings in the World Series.
Since two of Ruth’s records were broken some history books call 1961 a “bad year for the Babe.” Of course it attests to Ruth’s greatness as a player.
In the 1960 World Series, Hal Smith hit one of the most important and dramatic home runs in baseball history.
If in the seventh game of a World Series, you hit a three run home run that transforms a one run deficit into a two run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, it is an epic home run.
Hal Smith did just that. Yet largely due to the fact that the New York Yankees tied the score vs Smith’s Pittsburgh Pirates with two runs in the top of the ninth inning, his home run does not get the right amount of credit.
In my opinion, it was one of the biggest hits in baseball history.
Smith connected for a three run homer that put the Pirates up (9-7) with 2 outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The fact the Yankees tied the score and Pittsburgh won it all on Bill Mazeroski’s homer leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, should not diminish the importance of Smith’s home run. Again it was one of the most important in baseball history.
Yesterday was the first day of Baseball spring training. A look at one of the games, matching the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, stirred World Series memories.
Those teams met in the 1993 World Series with the Jays prevailing in six games.
The World Series ended on a three run home run by Joe Carter. He hit it off Mitch Williams, who also lost game 4 in that World Series.
Only one other time did the World Series end on a home run. The year was 1960 and Bill Mazeroski hit it as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Yankees. Those teams also played yesterday in the first exhibition game.
The NHL resumes after its break for the Winter Olympics with one game tonight.
Tomorrow there is a nice slate of games with one involving the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens.
The game will be in Montreal and surely Canadiens’ goaltender Carey Price will get a rousing ovation for his Olympic performance.
On Thursday night, the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks meet at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Each of those games matches the original six NHL teams.
Last year all six original six teams made the NHL playoffs. Right now as the season is about to resume, all six would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today.
The Original Six
Jason Collins, listed next to last in the box score, received an inordinate amount of publicity for playing 11 minutes in a basketball game last night.
The reason is that Collins is the first openly gay player in professional sports.
I discussed Collins situation last year and hope for the day when a player being gay is not made a big deal by the media.
He did not score a point and had two rebounds. There was an awful lot of publicity for very small basketball production.
Of course gay rights as human rights is an important issue. However, with all my problems, I do not have the problem of caring what someone’s race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation happens to be.
One postscript: also on Sunday but with far less publicity a “Gay” had a great game with 32 points and 11 rebounds. That player has the surname Gay, he is Rudy Gay of the Sacramento Kings.
Jason Collins
It was Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim’s “explosion” and technical fouls that grabbed the headlines from Duke University’s six point regular season home win last Saturday.
Boeheim ran on the court and was assessed technical fouls in arguing a late call that went against Syracuse.
Exploding, going on the court, and getting technical fouls is not a classy act.
Boeheim has less “snake oil” than some, even most other coaches, but have it, he does.
He is an excellent coach and he was Dave Bing’s backcourt partner at Syracuse in the 1960’s.
The antics likely will temporarily fire up the talented Syracuse basketball team. They have lost two straight games, struggled in three but are certainly one of the leading contenders for this year’s title.
Canada continued its recent domination of its national sport, hockey, as they won (3-0) in the men’s gold medal game vs Sweden.
It is the second straight Olympic gold medal and third in the last four for the men’s team from Canada. The women’s team has won four straight Olympic gold medals.
Jonathan Toews, who has been on two Stanley Cup winners in four seasons, with the Chicago Blackhawks opened the scoring.
Carey Price currently with the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL, recorded his second straight shutout in goal for Canada. All in all a great performance for Canada.
Jonathan Toews
No team has gone unbeaten and won the NCAA basketball crown since the Bob Knight coached Indiana Hoosiers in 1976.
That was the first year after legendary coach John Wooden of UCLA had retired.
Indiana had gone unbeaten in the regular season the year before but lost to Kentucky in the regional finals.
The Hoosiers were under a great deal of pressure in 1976 but were up to the task first beating UCLA with Gene Bartow as coach in the semi-finals.
In an all Big Ten Conference final, Indiana defeated Michigan to win the title.
It will be Sweden vs Canada in the Olympic hockey gold medal game on Sunday.
Both teams won low scoring semi-final games to advance to the finals and assure themselves of at least a silver medal.
Sweden won (2-1) vs Finland. Next, Canada won (1-0) vs the United States.
Finland and the United States, who met in the gold medal game won by the United States in Lake Placid, New York in 1980, will clash for the bronze medal on Sunday.
Canada also won a one goal game from the United States to take the gold medal in women’s hockey.
In the gold medal game, Marie Philip-Poulin scored in the last minute of regulation time to tie the game and then scored the gold medal winning goal in overtime.
The victory gave Canada its fourth straight gold medal in women’s hockey.
Baseball spring training is upon us and as the saying goes everyone starts even.
That means even the Chicago Cubs, sans a World Title for 105 years and a pennant for 68 get a fresh start.
The great Ernie Banks who played for the Cubs from (1953-1971) epitomizes the great spirit that baseball can produce. On a beautiful day, he will say “let’s play two.”
He was a great player, first as a shortstop and then played first base. He never got into a post season game but hit over 500 home runs. He is a deserving member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
When I saw him years back, I remember he and the great Curt Flood joking around. He kidded Flood as ballplayers do but quickly asked if I knew of Curt’s courage and contribution in challenging the baseball reserve clause.
I did know and he went back to kidding Mr. Flood. Ernie’s great spirit and gregarious nature often echoes his “let’s play two” philosophy.
That goes for baseball or kidding a respected friend, baseball opponent and great contributor like Curt Flood.
Andy B Sports 