I enjoyed watching C-Span for a bit today. I wish and will try to watch it more often. If someone like me, who surely “wanders,” can watch for a while, so can most of you.
Today is the 68th anniversary of Franklin Roosevelt’s death which I knew and did not hear cited. However, I also learned this is the 236th anniversary of Henry Clay’s birth. This was brought to the attention of The House of Representatives by Kentucky’s Andy Barr.
Clay from Kentucky was “The Great Compromiser.” That and Andy Barr’s name reminded me about so many who “bar” people from their lives. This is made easier by caller identification. It inflicts pain by failing to compromise in any way.
I also heard tribute paid to Booth Gardner, the late Washington Governor, who was ahead of his time in introducing legislation that looked at a person’s competence and not their sexual orientation.
This time I watched C-Span for some thirty minutes and it was highly informative. Next time I hope to watch longer.
Again, if I can do it you can do it. I have no children, but care a bit about the future. Many of you have children so I suggest becoming more informed about how our Congress works.
It is a little bit more important then watching talking heads/loudmouths like Skip Bayless and the “other one” (S A Smith) shriek regarding contrived, “producer picked” sports’ non issues.
This is a tribute to a wonderful man and a tremendous baseball player named Larry Doby. He also happened to be the first black player in American League history.
He played on two great, pennant winning teams in the American League. The 1948 Cleveland Indians won it all, while the 111 win, (in a 154 game season) 1954 team, was denied in the World Series by Dusty Rhodes, Willie Mays and the New York Giants.
I met Mr. Doby once, appropriately on Martin Luther King day in 1987. He stood quietly and alone when I approached this great man. Doby was friendly and unassuming as we talked about those fine Cleveland Indians teams. He spoke candidly and was most informative about his playing days. I remember he wore a nice hat which I praised. Then we joked about our respective receding hairlines.
There was no real exchange about “history” as there is none directly, here. I think he knew that I knew some of it, but we talked baseball. “Sadly” but with true respect even awe, we each marveled at the great Yankees teams that won five straight World Series from (1949-1953,) denying Doby’s Indians more shots at World Series titles.
Doby came up to the “Big Leagues” in 1947 the same year “Gentleman’s Agreement,” a magnificent film depicting the horrors of anti-Semitism, premiered. The hotel scene in the movie in which Gregory Peck’s character, who is pretending to be Jewish, tries to register at a “restricted” hotel is overwhelming. I think of it often and cringe each time.
In Doby’s and other cases in this country, perhaps especially in this country, there was no chance for ambiguity.
Whether from Mars, Venus or somewhere else think about what many of our ancestors endured. Hail people like Larry Doby, who made it to the other side, a better person than when he entered. Not many could accomplish what he was able to do in that regard.
The University of Louisville Cardinals won their third men’s basketball title (the women’s team is a 14 point underdog in its title tilt tonight vs the vaunted University of Connecticut team/history) and first since 1986, beating Michigan University (82-76) in the title game. Louisville was a four point favorite and went (4-2) vs the spread in capturing the title.
Luke Hancock, who made all five of his three point shots in the championship game, was named the outstanding player of the Final Four.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino got “the big one,” capping a recent roll that manifested in his Hall of Fame selection and his son Richard being named head basketball coach at Minnesota University.
With the victory Louisville is (3-0) in finals games while Michigan dropped to (1-5) in such games.
Why didn’t the “big historian” Jim Nantz note that in Michigan’s lone title win they got two free throws from Rumeal Robinson in the waning seconds to get the title. Last night another Robinson, (Glenn) made two free throws to give Michigan the lead. Though in the waning seconds, those free throws were at the end of the half, and to be up only one point, having once had a 12 point advantage, did not augur well for Michigan.
The five Michigan title game losses have all been to Hall of Fame coaches, who achieved at least two titles while coaching. This was the fourth time that a coach won his second title vs Michigan. In addition to Pitino last night, John Wooden (1965), Mike Krzyzewski (1992), Dean Smith (1993) all won their second title vs Michigan. Bob Knight, whose penchant for “chair throwing,” is seemingly glorified in yet another ridiculous ad, won the first of his three titles vs Michigan in 1976.
Today is the exact 39 year anniversary of Hank Aaron’s 715th career home run, which of course, broke the long standing career home run record held by Babe Ruth.
It was a Monday night, April 8, 1974. The game between Aaron’s Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers was nationally televised.
There certainly was no MLB Network back then and I remember being happy that Aaron hit the record breaking home run in a game that was televised.
Two years before he became United States President, Jimmy Carter was in attendance. Dodgers’ left fielder, Bill Buckner, who amassed over 2700 hits in his career, made a valiant, albeit futile leap at the fence for the Aaron home run. Dusty Baker was the next hitter after Aaron, and also hit a home run.
Aaron was great and a true favorite. It was a remarkable achievement on Hank’s part to break the hallowed record. He endured horrible things that leave a shameful mark on so much that is perceived as good.
Time and research have yielded the fact that there was only one Babe Ruth. He was the best of the best. Ruth would have received my vote as the best sport’s figure of the prior century.
It is too bad that time separated Ruth and Aaron playing together, but alas in that other time that would not have been possible.
Louisville, the overall tournament top seed, will face Michigan University in the NCAA Basketball Tournament championship game tomorrow night in Atlanta, Georgia.
After Louisville, a ten point favorite, won by four points vs a Wichita State University team, that went (5-0) vs the point spread and was a great story, Michigan University a slight favorite also raised their “vs the spread” to (5-0) ousting Syracuse University. Unlike Wichita State, Michigan is (5-0) “straight up” and gets a shot at the title.
Breaking with the number five, Louisville is a four point favorite in the title tilt.
After Michigan coach, John Beilein finally got a victory vs Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, (Beilein’s teams were 0-9 vs Boeheim, but they got a win in by far the biggest Beilein vs Boeheim game) he now faces Louisville and their coach Rick Pitino. That same combination of coach and school handed Beilein an excruciating overtime loss in the 2005 Regional finals when Beilein was coaching West Virginia.
Amidst all the annoying talk about Kevin Ware’s injury, Louisville University is a 3 to 2 favorite to win its first NCAA Basketball title since 1986. Of course I hope Ware gets well, but it is a linear event and despite what Rick Pitino or the CBS hype might indicate, not really important!
After Louisville University (which won the title in 1980) faces Wichita State University, the 1989 champion Michigan University meets the 2003 champion Syracuse University.
A rare prediction here is for Louisville to win vs Wichita State but by less than ten points. I will pick an all Big East Final as Syracuse will win a close game vs Michigan.
One sure thing: Clark Kellogg, the CBS commentator with the same name as Matthew Broderick’s character in “The Freshman,” will not stop his incessant talking. If only as with some of the species depicted in “The Freshman,” the incessant talking, ex athlete, know it all were extinct; at least from the airwaves.
Sadly, and beyond irritating to me, the opposite is true. The copycat producers, who permeate the sports television business will not stop “inflicting the pain” and will continue to hire the incessant talking, ex jocks for the foreseeable future.
Maybe, even likely, Patricia Neal and Gary Cooper had “chemistry” off screen. In the film, “Bright Leaf,” shown yesterday on Turner Classic Movies, they demonstrated incredible passion, both good and bad, on screen.
I had seen “The Fountainhead” and all it entails. That was from 1949 and now seeing “Bright Leaf” made a year later, I marvel at their work. The cast included Lauren Bacall, surely no slouch in the passion/chemistry department but she had her best “chemistry” with eventual husband, Humphrey Bogart.
Patricia Neal was a marvelous performer, who showed strength and determination throughout her life. One note: “Patricia Neal” is also the “real” name of actress, game show great, and author Fannie Flagg.
Yesterday was quite a day for Louisville basketball as the top seeded men’s team advanced to their second straight Final Four while the women’s team, a 24 point underdog, shocked top seeded Baylor to advance to the regional final.
The men’s team beat Duke handing its coach Mike Krzyzewski just his second loss in 13 regional finals games. Also yesterday, Michigan, a three point underdog, routed Florida to also advance to the Final Four.
On Saturday, after Syracuse went “wire to wire” and easily dispatched Marquette, Wichita State whose nickname is the Shockers, are a somewhat shocking Final Four participant after beating Ohio State. It was yet another disappointing big game loss for Ohio State. The Shockers, a four point plus underdog, had a 20 point lead and held on to win by four points.
Louisville has opened as a ten point plus favorite vs Wichita State in what will be the first game of the national semi-finals, this Saturday in Atlanta. In the nightcap, Michigan is a two point favorite vs Syracuse as those schools meet for the first time ever in the NCAA Tournament. That first meeting will be on a big stage, the national semi-final game.
Shockers
There will be a rematch of the 1986 NCAA Final when top seeded Louisville meets Duke in the Midwest Regional final. It will also be a coaching rematch of one of the most famous regional finals games ever played.
Louisville, a ten point plus favorite, won by eight points vs Oregon while Duke, a two point plus favorite, won by ten points vs Michigan State to set up the rematch.
Louisville won the 1986 Title tilt vs Duke but has not won the title since. Duke has won 4 titles in their history, their first in 1991. In 1992, in that great regional finals game, Duke needed a last second shot by Christian Laettner to beat Kentucky, whose coach was Rick Pitino, the current Louisville coach. Duke’s coach, Mike Krzyzewski is in his 33rd season at the helm.
The miracle win by two point underdog, Michigan vs Kansas evoked memories of Kansas’ miracle win vs Memphis to win the 2008 title. Next for Michigan is the South Regional Final vs Florida. Florida won it all in 2006 and 2007. Last night 14 point favorite Florida, won by 12 points vs tournament surprise, Florida Gulf Coast University.
watch Louisville vs Duke 1986: 1986 National Championship
1986 Louisville vs Duke
There will be at least one Big East team in the Final Four in this the final season for the current Big East Conference.
The certain Big East team will come from the East Region where Syracuse is a three and a half point favorite vs fellow Big East team, Marquette.
Both Syracuse and Marquette cruised to victory as five point underdogs in their regional semi-final games vs one seed, Indiana and two seed, Miami of Florida respectively.
In the West Region, for a second straight game Ohio State won by three points on a three point shot in the waning seconds. On Sunday past, Aaron Craft hit one to beat Iowa State. In the regional semi-final La Quinton Ross did the same to sink three and a half point underdog, Arizona University.
Wichita State University, in their first Elite Eight round since 1981, will be Ohio State’s opponent in the West Regional Final. Ohio State, seeking a second straight Final Four appearance is a four and a half point favorite.
Wichita State is seeking its first Final Four appearance since 1964-1965, the year after a Wichita State star, Dave Stallworth played his final game for the school. Wichita State made the Elite Eight by easily dispatching La Salle. They were a four point favorite in the game.
Dave Stallworth
Andy B Sports 