While watching some movies on the Turner Classic Movies channel (TCM), I found a couple of interesting tidbits and will make some observations.
First of all, James Cagney and Jean Harlow, framed in a beautiful manner, by director William Wellman in “The Public Enemy,” a 1931 film, generate as much, if not more “heat” (speaking of heat–was it ever hot!– the Miami Heat face a 7th game tonight vs the Indiana Pacers and Cagney was equally great in a film called “White Heat”) than anything shown today.
In 1966, the Braves having moved from Milwaukee played their first season in Atlanta. That year in the film, “Any Wednesday” Jason Robards’ character asks Jane Fonda’s character if she wants to go to Atlanta.
Years later in real life, not “reel life,” (forgive that one but admit it I rarely write such things) Jane moved to Atlanta and married Braves’ owner R.E. “Ted” Turner. She still lives at least part of the year in Atlanta.
Click to watch the original trailer for “The Public Enemy”
2013 has the same calendar as 1968 after the Leap Year day of February 29th. This manifests in some memorable and tragic events having exact 45th year anniversaries this year.
Those events include the assassinations of Martin Luther King on Thursday April 4th and Robert F. Kennedy on Tuesday June 4th, the latter three days away.
Senator Kennedy was killed in Los Angeles and surely spent time there campaigning in the California Primary in his presidential bid.
During that time Dodgers’ pitcher Don Drysdale pitched in three games, all in Los Angeles, as he broke Walter Johnson’s consecutive innings scoreless streak.
Forty five years ago today, I listened to Win Elliott on Sports Central USA give an account of Drysdale, with help from a call by umpire Harry Wendelstedt, get out of a bases loaded, none out jam in the top of the ninth inning to get a record tying fifth straight shutout. The game was played on Friday night May 31, exactly 45 years ago yesterday.
Robert F. Kennedy included congratulations to Drysdale, for his record breaking sixth consecutive shutout in his “victory” speech after he “won” the California primary on June 4th. Soon after Senator Kennedy was shot and eventually died. With his death, so much hope also died. This was an event that haunts for all of time.
On Saturday June 8th, funeral services were held for Robert Kennedy. His lone living brother Edward “Ted” Kennedy eulogized him and in the course of doing so, quoted George Bernard Shaw. “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream of things that never were and say why not.”
That night in Los Angeles, Drysdale set the record for consecutive scoreless innings before a sacrifice fly by an obscure outfielder named Howie Bedell ended the streak.
On Sunday June 8, 1986, “Big D” as Drysdale was known, wrote “remembering Howie Bedell” on a piece of paper for me.
Soon it will be 20 years since I heard the news that Drysdale had died of a heart attack in his hotel room in Montreal.
I truly wish we could go back and rectify the mistakes, get another chance. Thus I dream of things that not only do not happen but from all indications can not happen.
Six of the eight coaches in the NHL quarterfinals had won a Stanley Cup title. One of those coaches, John Tortorella of the New York Rangers, was fired after the Boston Bruins eliminated the Rangers in five games.
Tortorella, who coached the Tampa Bay Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup title, also guided the Rangers to the top record in the last NHL full season in 2011-2012.
The Rangers made it to the semi-finals before losing to the New Jersey Devils in six games.
There have been worse cases, especially in the NHL, where coaches won the Cup and were let go within a few years. However, Tortorella deserved better and is not the Rangers’ problem.
In fact, what is the problem? Only one team can win it all and the Rangers have done pretty well, especially under Tortorella.
Tortorella will have no problem getting an NHL job though he can be testy with the media. If I were asked the same inane questions night after night, I might not get testy as I would realize how lucky I am not to “dig ditches,” but I would ask silently can’t they do better than this?
Speaking of “better than this,” it is hard to predict sports, especially the NHL. Add to that, the fact this season was only 48 games.
I have no real “feel” on the Rangers going forward, but cite the “Tortorella years” as good ones, something not all that abundant in New York Rangers’ history.
The Chicago Blackhawks got a goal from Brent Seabrook in overtime to beat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Thus Chicago a three to one series favorite, avoided an upset.
However, ESPN’s Steve Levy was horribly wrong in comparing the hockey Detroit Red Wings’ 3 games to one lead vs Chicago to a hypothetical three games to one lead for the basketball Miami Heat vs the Milwaukee Bucks. He said the two “were equivalent.”
First of all the Heat did play the Bucks and were fifty to one favorites. That is the best measure of how outrageous Levy’s “This is the equivalent of ” comparison sounded.
Also, look at history and how often big upsets occur in hockey as compared to basketball. There is also the nature of the sport which leaves hockey favorites so much more susceptible to upsets than basketball teams.
The sad thing is no one called Levy on this outrage just as no one did when he called a seventh game, which of course is decisive, “pivotal.”
Levy also sat there when Barry Melrose said the Kings did not lose at home in last year’s playoffs. He, nor any of the production team, made the correction.
Does it matter if statements are accurate or will the ridiculous opinions, shoddy research and overall lack of standards continue?! I am afraid we know that answer.
The Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks four games to three, with each team winning all their home games. The defending champion, Kings will face the winner of tonight’s Detroit Red Wings/Chicago Blackhawks game in the semi- final round.
ESPN analyst Barry Melrose was incorrect when he said the Kings did not lose at home last season when they won the Stanley Cup.
The New Jersey Devils down three games to none temporarily prevented a celebration for the Kings and their fans, by winning game four of last year’s finals. After also losing game five at New Jersey, the Kings clinched their first title by winning game six at home. This year they are (7-0) at home in the playoffs.
The Kings are the only team in either the NHL or NBA still playing that has not lost at home in the playoffs. The playoffs have 32 teams, 16 in the NHL and the same number in the NBA.
The San Jose Sharks, who were (5-0) at home in these playoffs are the first team in a long time to go at least two rounds without losing a home playoff game.
The last team to win the Stanley Cup without losing at home were the 1988 Edmonton Oilers. In the 41 completed NHL seasons from (1971-2012) which were post expansion and also with no all expansion team division, only four times has the Stanley Cup winner not lost at home.
Those teams were the Edmonton Oilers in both 1985 and 1988, the Montreal Canadiens in 1976 and the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976.
The New York Islanders won four straight Stanley Cup titles from 1980-1983 but did not accomplish the feat and the Canadiens, who won four straight Cups (1976-1979) did it only once.
Video: Wayne Gretzky’s 1988 Stanley Cup Ring
While the NHL Eastern Conference Final is set with a redux of the 1991 and 1992 Eastern finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, the NHL West semi-finals are still going.
Tonight in Detroit is game 6 of the series between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks, which the Red Wings lead three games to two. If Chicago wins tonight then game seven will be played in Chicago on Wednesday night.
So far, it has been an all home team, all California series between the defending champion Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks. Each team has won three games on home ice. The decisive seventh game will be in Los Angeles tomorrow night.
Meanwhile the Bruins will visit Pittsburgh for game 1 of their semi-final series vs the Penguins on Wednesday night. This is just the second semi-final appearance for Boston since losing back to back semi-final/Eastern Conference finals series to the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. The Penguins went on to win their first two Stanley Cups in those seasons.
Sadly, Flynn Robinson, a key reserve player on the glorious 1971-1972 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers has died at the age of 72.
Roughly a year ago I noted that another key reserve player on that great team, Leroy Ellis, had died. Now Flynn Robinson, who was a big offensive spark and really played well in the pivotal fifth game vs the Milwaukee Bucks in the semi-final round, has died.
I saw the news of Flynn’s death and the nice words of Lakers’ executive Jeanie Buss, while watching a replay of sorts (so much was omitted in the condensed version) of game 1 of the Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers semi-final series.
What struck me at the time was recalling what Flynn Robinson once said regarding the Chicago Bulls about to break the ’71-’72 Lakers (69-13) record.
Paraphrasing, he said they may break the season record but no one will ever break our 33 game win streak. Never is a long time and this year’s Miami Heat came close with 27 straight wins. Now in one day, news that Flynn Robinson is gone, and then the Indiana Pacers got even vs the Heat.
The Heat will be discussed another time and I still think they will win, but going down (2-1), as was the case last year, is not advisable because the Pacers are a true threat this time.
The ’71-’72 Lakers twice lost their playoff series opener and in their biggest test were tied two games apiece vs the Milwaukee Bucks. That Milwaukee team included Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge. In the pivotal fifth game, Flynn Robinson played great and the Lakers won the series in six and eventually the title in a five game final.
It remains a great memory. Flynn Robinson is the fourth player from that great Lakers’ team to die and I hope it is a long time before they have enough for a “basketball team” up there.
Time goes on, death is inevitable, and accomplishment remains something one strives for while on earth. That team accomplished so much.
Wilt Chamberlain, Harold “Happy” Hairston, the aforementioned Leroy Ellis (see June 4, 2012 post here) and now Flynn Robinson, all members of that great Lakers’ team are deceased.
Oh, Flynn, tell Wilt he could still play great if he was in the NBA today, especially with Happy Hairston helping on the boards.
In the NHL West, both the defending champion Los Angeles Kings, and the Detroit Red Wings, won at home last night. Each team has the lead in its quarterfinal series.
The Red Wings are up three games to one after a game four win last night against the top ranked Chicago Black Hawks.
The Kings have a three games to two series lead after their win vs the San Jose Sharks last night. Kings goaltender and last year’s playoffs MVP, Jonathan Quick has been brilliant for the Kings, who are (6-0) at home in this year’s playoffs.
Game five of the Red Wings/Black Hawks series is Saturday night in Chicago. Game six of the Kings/Sharks series is Sunday in San Jose.
It is almost certain that it will be the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion, Boston Bruins vs the 2009 champion, Pittsburgh Penguins in one NHL semi-final round.
The top ranked Penguins, who had to really battle before defeating the New York Islanders in six games in the preliminary round, now have a three games to one lead vs the Ottawa Senators.
Four teams from Canada made the playoffs, two met in the first round and the other two lost. Now it is very likely there will be no team from Canada in the semi-final round for the second straight season.
Meanwhile the Boston Bruins have a commanding three games to none lead vs the New York Rangers. It was just three years ago that the Bruins had a (3-0) series lead vs the Philadelphia Flyers in the “quarters” and still lost the series. However, since then the Bruins won the Stanley Cup two years ago and this year have won four straight games including a miracle win vs the Toronto Maple Leafs in game seven of the preliminary round.
By the way, the last five, all different, Stanley Cup winning teams are in the quarterfinals, for what I believe to be the first time in NHL history.
The others, in addition to the Bruins and Penguins are last year’s champion, Los Angeles Kings, the 2010 title holding, Chicago Black Hawks and the 2008 winners, the Detroit Red Wings.
Those three are in the NHL West and after key games tonight, there will be an NHL West update here tomorrow.
This series vs the Miami Heat will be the seventh NBA semi-final appearance for the Indiana Pacers, who advanced after winning their quarterfinal series vs the New York Knicks in six games.
The Pacers, who are over five to one underdogs vs the Miami Heat in the upcoming “semi,” are (1-5) in previous semi-final series. After losing twice to the Knicks (1994 and 1999) and once each to the Orlando Magic, remember them, (1995) and the Chicago Bulls (1998), Indiana won a semi-final series vs the Knicks in 2000. The Detroit Pistons beat the Pacers in the 2004 semi-finals.
The Pacers lost three of those “semis” in seven games and both the 1999 loss vs the Knicks and 2004 loss to Detroit were in six game series. The Pacers won in six vs the Knicks in the 2000 semi-final round.
The clinching win for the Pacers in that series was on the road and was just their third road semi-final series win in eighteen such games. In 2004 the Pacers were (1-2) at Detroit, making their semi-final, road record (4-17) going into this “semi” vs the defending champion, Heat.
I think Indiana will be competitive in this series vs the Heat. However, too much talent and history are against the Pacers. The winner of the five previous Pacers/Knicks quarterfinals or semi final series, lost their next series. History repeats says I,—–Miami in six games.
