Many pro athletes, particularly Baseball players, frequent Rick’s Cabaret, the famous gentlemen’s club in midtown Manhattan. I had the opportunity to meet some of the lovely Rick’s Cabaret Girls, and yes, we talked Baseball.
Over the years I have enjoyed interviewing some of the biggest names in the sport, and it is always rewarding. Alas, the Rick’s Girls didn’t have any shocking sports related news to break, but they are nice to look at. And not a bad assignment for your humble sports writer.
Click here to watch the video featuring Rick’s Cabaret Girls Kelsey, Sade and Shay.
Last night, the Atlanta Braves’ 14 game winning streak ended when they lost (1-0) at home to the Miami Marlins. Not to worry as the Braves have a 14 and a half game lead in the NL East.
In each of the past two seasons, the Braves were denied a spot in the division series by the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2011, the Cardinals, who made an amazing run to win their 11th World Series (second only to the New York Yankees) beat out the Braves on the season’s final day to become the NL wild card team.
Last year in the first year with two wild card teams, the Cardinals beat the Braves in Atlanta to advance to the division series.
It is safe to say the Braves will not be denied a berth in the division series this season. How they will fare from that point on is pure speculation.
Seemingly they are hurt by the loss of their fine starting pitcher, Tim Hudson. They do have an incredible and deep bullpen. Surely that is a big asset as they seek their first NLCS appearance since 2001.
The Braves made a record 8 straight League Championship Series from 1991-1999, with of course no post season in 1994. They won in the division series to qualify for the NLCS in the last five appearances (1995-1999).
Click to see some Braves 2013 highlights
An “alchemist” got it right when he mixed hard work, an incredible penchant for preparation, and some good fortune in “creating” the great sportscaster Bob Wolff’s career.
Another “creation” brought Wolff, a truly caring, good man into this often angst ridden world. Bob Wolff, who has been a sportscaster for over 70 years and continues to work (at News 12 on Long Island, New York) at past 90 years old, treasures his wonderful family. He is “complete,” recalling their deeds, and stays spry looking to their future.
His wife Jane has exceeded any analyst, stat person or producer in helping Bob’s career. Jane has always been there with transportation and good thoughts both to and from Bob’s innumerable and incredible treks in an unbelievable career.
Without actually saying the words no hitter, as to not offend the many superstitious people in the radio audience and baseball world, Bob Wolff let us know Don Larsen was working on a perfect game. That was as he broadcast the second half of game five of the 1956 World Series.
When Dale Mitchell was called out on strikes by umpire Babe Pinelli, (working his last game ever as a home plate umpire) Bob intoned “strike three, a no hitter, a perfect game for Don Larsen!”
It is part of history and Bob’s call brings that moment to life. That accomplishment is a dream of many and Wolff with hard work, fierce determination and fortune lived it more than once. Each time he rose to the occasion including the next game of the ’56 World Series when Bob called Jackie Robinson’s game ending hit. It was Jackie’s last base hit.
On an unusually warm December 28th, 1958, Bob heard Baltimore writer John Steadman predict an overtime game before the start of the NFL championship game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. There had never been an overtime game in NFL annals.
Bob did not need that great bit of forecasting to be prepared. Again he rose to the occasion in the overtime: (John) Unitas gives to (Alan) Ameche and the Colts are the world’s champions.
Bob’s broadcast of the historic play is succinct and “right on the play.” It it a broadcasting “call” that will play eternally. This is both achievement and well deserved reward for Bob Wolff.
Recently, Bob Wolff donated priceless interviews he conducted with such baseball greats as Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams to the Library of Congress.
This incredible gesture illustrates so much about Bob Wolff. He certainly is generous. Beyond that, organized and prepared, having archived this piece of baseball history. The interviews are both treasure and thanks to Bob to be treasured.
Bob Wolff is an incredible interviewer and with great creativity can improvise with the best of performers.
In 1977 the Mets traded Tom Seaver, their great pitcher to the Cincinnati Reds. It was the “topic of the day” for weeks and still resonates in New York baseball history. People certainly had their opinions.
I was privileged to be in Bob Wolff’s Pace University sports broadcasting class at that time. Days after the trade, he showed us all about preparation and creativity. Incredibly, he took both sides of the Seaver trade discussion. Exhibiting great articulation and just the right amount of enthusiasm and intensity, he reeled off both sides of the argument, without “batting a proverbial eyelash.” Having witnessed that still provides a great memory.
Whether setting the “winter holidays” scene for the ECAC Basketball Holiday Festival, picking the huge underdog Cincinnati Reds to not only win, but sweep the Oakland A’s in the 1990 World Series (they did), calling Clyde “The Glide” Austin’s winning shot in an NIT game, or more famously, another “Clyde,” (Walt “Clyde” Frazier) and the New York Knicks setting a then NBA record for consecutive wins, Bob has broadcast many great sports moments. He did so in great fashion.
Only Bob has broadcast in the championship round of all four major team sports leagues. That is just the tip of a “titanic iceberg” that also includes the 1962 National League playoff and Jerry West’s incredible shot that sent game three of the 1970 NBA finals into overtime.
Another great teacher, Harry Goder, was trying to help his 11th grade math class with the task of multiplying positive and negative numbers. He made the comparison with positive and negative people.
His first example stated a positive number multiplied by a positive number yields a positive number. “Think of good things happening to a good person.”
That certainly is the case with Bob Wolff, except change the word good to great.
click to hear Bob Wolff Perfect Game call
It was nice to see Curley Culp, who once was an NCAA wrestling champion in the heavyweight division, be inducted in The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
He was an outstanding defensive tackle paired with Buck Buchanan on the great Kansas Chiefs’ defensive unit. That unit led the way, as the Chiefs won the last NFL vs AFL Super Bowl after the 1969 season. The Chiefs were an original AFL team, first as the Dallas Texans.
Once an attractive woman told me she liked the Kansas City Chiefs. I named the entire defensive unit of the Super Bowl winning Chiefs and duly impressed, she jumped on my lap.
Alas, she and I went “no further” but that defensive unit helped the Chiefs go all the way.
Their colorful coach Hank Stram was wired for sound during the Super Bowl by NFL Films. It is always a treat to hear that when the fourth Super Bowl is reviewed.
There has been nary a Super Bowl appearance for the Chiefs since they won the Super Bowl. That is also true of the New York Jets, who won the Super Bowl the year before the Chiefs.
However, each provided an indelible memory and seeing Culp as part of that great defensive unit (Len Dawson, Otis Taylor and Jan Stenerud on offense also helped) be honored brought back some great memories.
Click to watch a brief tribute: Curley Culp video
There were five Interleague series this past weekend. Two were relatively recent World Series rematches. Meanwhile the other three also had some World Series history in them, albeit a little harder to find.
In a 1997 World Series redux, the Cleveland Indians, a contender this season, won 2 of 3 vs the Miami Marlins. The Marlins won the 1997 World Series vs Cleveland in the eleventh inning of the decisive seventh game. They are out of contention this season.
The New York Yankees swept the San Diego Padres in the 1998 World Series. This past weekend in San Diego, the Padres won two of three games.
The 1985 World Series winning Kansas City Royals have won 11 of their last 12 games after winning 2 of 3 road games vs the 1986 World Series winners, the New York Mets. Neither team has won a world title since that time. The Royals have not even made a playoff appearance. They are in contention this season.
The Boston Red Sox won 2 of 3 at home vs the Arizona Diamondbacks. Boston leads by one game in the AL East while the D/Backs have fallen five and a half games behind the torrid LA Dodgers. The teams combined to win the World Series every three years from 2001-2007. Arizona in just their 4th season won it all in 2001. The Red Sox ended an 86 year title drought in 2004 and won the World Series again in 2007.
Finally, the Tampa Rays, who are comfortably ahead for playoff qualification, won 2 of 3 games vs the defending champion San Francisco Giants. It is very unlikely the Giants will get back into contention this season but alas they have won the last two even year World Series (2010 and 2012). In the “even year” before that, (2008) the Rays made the World Series but lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Click to watch video: 1997 World Series
Pasquale Caputo, better known as Pat Cooper, working with writers Rich Herschlag and Steve Garrin, has written an incredible book titled “How Dare You Say How Dare Me.”
I can feel the intensity in the title while throughout the book I could feel my heart pounding in anticipation of what the brilliant, Mr. Cooper would say next.
As one might expect of this most honest, courageous entertainer, the book is candid. It also gave Pat a chance to say both positive and negative things about so many people.
It really was an exciting roller coaster ride of verbal bumps, turns and ultimately honest, heartfelt thoughts. All from a man, who is as honest as anyone will ever encounter in mass entertainment.
Pat Cooper is a brilliant comedian and has a street smart, mensh quality that is so rare. It seems impossible but fits on Pasquale Caputo in elegant fashion.
In the book there are transcripts of two of the most incredible appearances in entertainment over the air, history.
I was fortunate enough to be watching the Tom Snyder “Coast to Coast Tomorrow Show” when Mr. Cooper came out of nowhere and spoke his mind about other entertainers.
I had to turn the volume up and as Pat has indelible memories of his mother yelling to “not take so much sauce,” I have the same memories of my beloved mother worrying about waking the neighbors.
That night to hear that show, the dead should have been awakened because it was groundbreaking television, the likes of which I had never heard.
As Pat said, “Now that is called reality television.” My reality is you can keep today’s “reality” television because it is staged. That show with Pat Cooper was real and people are talking about it over thirty years later.
I am not a soothsayer but I doubt “Brand X reality show” will have any “real” impact in any form of “tomorrow,” point taken.
Another transcript in “How Dare You say How Dare Me” was when Pat was a guest on the Howard Stern radio show. He was surprised by calls from his son, daughter and mother all “airing family laundry.” As Pat wrote and I agree, he was the one in a hundred public figure (way more say a thousand) who took the calls on the air and felt great about it.
Pat is three days past 84 years old and has accomplished so much. Yet he has it in perspective and knows how great giving can be. He encourages us to also give and not be a taker. A caution he adds is do not give so much as to have to become a “taker.”
Pat Cooper did give and still gives as an entertainer and in charity. He gave us a great gift with this book.
Driving on the Bronx River Parkway in 1996, my mind was on the World Series the Yankees led three games to two vs the Atlanta Braves.
All of a sudden someone pulled parallel to me and asked directions to a local restaurant. I saw it was Pat Cooper and led him to his destination.
I believe and hope I would have done this for any person. What I know now is life itself needs direction and after reading this book one will gain not only direction but guidance and perspective as well.
The reason is that underneath the talent, candor and brilliance of Pat Cooper is a truly giving man. He has perspective, noting he does not buy bottled water and is happy with the water from the sink.
True enough, but with Pat his life is more a beautiful fountain of candor, humor and care. That my friend, is a thing of beauty.
Watch: 1981 Pat Cooper on Tom Snyder Show
“Forever Tango” is a most entertaining show currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City.
As one might expect, the dancing is incredible. Both Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the featured dancers, are performers on the hit television show, “Dancing With the Stars.” Each is listed as a guest star in “Forever Tango.”
While Chmerkovskiy is a professional dancer on “Stars,” Ms. Smirnoff is a mirrorball trophy champion and a star on the television show. In “Forever Tango” their “Comme I’ll Faut” dance in the first act stood out.
Choreography for “Comme I’ll Faut” is by Juan Paulo Horvath and Victoria Galato. Both Horvath and Galato also are dancers in the show.
Singer Luis Enrique was an amazing surprise. I did not expect singing and Enrique performed six numbers. His rousing and yet soothing “Yo No se Manana” closed both acts of the show.
All the dancers were on stage and it was a spectacular conclusion to each act. People left the theatre and before that headed to intermission “venues” singing “Yo No se Manana.”
Other songs performed by Enrique, the Nicaraguan singer songwriter, who has won 3 Latin Grammy Awards, included “Volver” and “Como Volver a Ser Feliz.” In a word he was magnificent.
Other dancers (they all were marvelous) included Natalia Turelli and the humorous Ariel Manzanares, who really had the crowd in an uproar at times during the performance.
Though I’m not very experienced concerning tango, the artistry and intensity of all the performers proved an easy “connection.” I highly recommend seeing “Forever Tango” at the Walter Kerr Theatre.
Watch video: Forever Tango Opening Night
Tonight in Los Angeles, the Dodgers and Yankees play their fourth and final regular season game this season. These two storied franchises have met 11 times in the World Series, by far the most World Series clashes between any two teams. The Yankees once (5-0) are (8-3) vs the Dodgers in World Series play.
They have not met in the World Series since 1981 and likely will not this season. At this point, the Dodgers certainly are holding up their end going (10-1) since the All Star break and have a three and a half game division lead.
The Yankees are only 4 games over .500 and trail the Tampa Rays by eight and a half games in the AL East.
Earlier this season the teams split a day/night doubleheader which comprised their two game series. Played on June 19th, the Dodgers, who lost the day portion, were 11 games under .500.
There was talk of their manager Don Mattingly, the 1985 AL MVP with the Yankees, being fired. How things have changed in six weeks!
Starting with the night game win in New York on June 19th, L.A. has played 20 games over the .500 mark. The Dodgers are 9 over “break even” and odds on favorites to win the N.L. West.
Watch Video: 1981 Dodgers World Series Introductions
Don Mattingly
The Oakland Athletics, who won the AL West last season by sweeping the Texas Rangers in the season’s final three games have made a “big move” much earlier this season. Currently the A’s lead the division by 6 games over the second place Rangers.
What a story Billy Beane (his penchant, even mandate, to sign lesser priced players was cited in the movie “Moneyball,” which starred Brad Pitt as Beane) and the A’s continue to be.
Last year they lost a maximum 5 game division series to eventual AL champion and World Series loser, Detroit (Tigers).
The Tigers, clashing with the A’s 40 years after a classic best of five, ALCS won by eventual world champion Oakland, won the first two at home just as the A’s had done 40 years earlier.
Next the A’s playing “the part” of the 1972 Tigers won the next two games at home, even staging a rally similar to the Tigers’ in game 4, 40 years earlier.
The Tigers, a la the ’72 A’s then won the fifth and deciding game on the road. Then Detroit swept the Yankees in the ALCS only to be swept by the Giants in the World Series.
The top heavy AL Central favorites, the Tigers lead this year’s race by three games and most likely both the Tigers and A’s will comprise one fourth of the “tournament,” to be contested after the regular season concludes.
Last night the Los Angeles Dodgers stayed in first place in the National League West with a (2-1) home win vs the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds had ended the Dodgers six game win skein, all since the All Star break, with a win the night before.
L.A. has a ten game road winning streak going, which is topped only by the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers of 1955, in franchise history.
That 1955 team, the only World Series winning team in Brooklyn history, won 11 straight road games. The Dodgers will try to equal that record in a night game at Wrigley Field in Chicago vs the Cubs on Thursday August 1st. One thing is for sure any Brooklyn Dodgers at Cubs 1955 games were day games. There were no lights at Wrigley Field.
The Tampa Bay Rays have won 20 of 23 games and like the Dodgers lead their division (the AL East) by a half game. I think they are a remarkable organization, staying in contention without buying players and despite losing players.
Elsewhere, the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and Oakland A’s are all nice favorites to hold on to their divisional leads. The Braves lost a top pitcher, one time Oakland A’s pitcher, Tim Hudson for the season.
Both the Braves and Athletics are in their third big league city in franchise history. The Braves played in Boston, and Milwaukee before going to Atlanta. (Yesterday I heard Marie Martini, a splendid woman of nearly 90, recalling Tommy Holmes and Braves Field in Boston. Great memories!) The A’s stared in Philadelphia and played in Kansas City before moving to Oakland.
The “miracle” Boston Braves won the 1914 World Series vs the heavily favored and great Philadelphia Athletics. 99 years later, it is far too early to predict a Braves/A’s World Series redux (there has not been one since 1914). However, I think the two franchises will comprise one fourth of the final 8 in, face it, what has become the major league baseball tournament.
Tommy Holmes
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
