There are seven major sports league professional teams currently playing their season in the New York/New Jersey area. Only the team that did best last year, the New Jersey Devils, who made it to the NHL Finals, are out of contention this year.
Of course football is not in season and neither the Giants nor Jets made the playoffs last season.
It is very early in the baseball season but both the Yankees and Mets are playing over .500 baseball. After a (1-4) start, the Yankees have gone (9-3) and stand at (10-7). The Mets are (9-8).
The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets opened the playoffs with home wins. It is likely that both the New York Rangers and New York Islanders will make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
For the once glorious Islanders’ franchise, which won four straight Stanley Cup Titles (1980-1983), it would be their first playoff appearance since 2007 and just their second since 2004.
NJ Devils—out of contention
It’s NBA Playoff time, and Rick’s Cabaret, at 50 West 33rd Street, is a great place to watch the games. We asked some of the lovely ladies at Rick’s Cabaret their thoughts on Basketball and other sports.
It was a pleasure to interview Tori, Sydney, and Brielle–they know their sports!
The Rick’s Cabaret Gentlemen’s Club is just a “jump shot” away from Madison Square Garden and you can watch the home town NBA teams–the NY Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets–on the club’s numerous high-def TVs.
Check out this video with the Rick’s Girls, and also check in at Rick’s Cabaret. It’s a great place with gorgeous girls and really good food. Aside from the Basketball playoffs, the Hockey playoffs start soon, and Baseball is in full swing. Rick’s Cabaret is the place to watch all the action.
Click on link:
A Sports Talk With The Rick’s Cabaret New York Girls
During the 1970’s the great Pat Summerall, who died yesterday at age 82, was working on WCBS Radio in New York as a morning sports reporter. He was promoted as “Super” Summerall. How appropriate that nickname!
Pat was a good football player, more than just a place kicker. His legendary, long field goal in adverse conditions, lifted the New York Giants into a playoff game with the Cleveland Browns for the 1958 NFL Eastern Conference title.
The Giants won that playoff game and went on to play in the most important pro football game ever, a (23-17) first ever overtime, Baltimore Colts win. Nothing against Cleveland, (I was to be a Browns’ fan) but the title game in Cleveland would not have had the same national impact as in New York and of course it likely would not have gone into overtime. It was Summerall’s incredible field goal in snow and wind that gave the Giants life.
“Super” can also apply to the fact he was the play by play announcer for the NFC network’s Super Bowl broadcasts eleven times (1975,1977,1979,1981,1983,1986,1989,1991 with CBS and in 1996, 1998 and 2001 with Fox.) His low key style was so great and also made the “slightly raised voice calls” of such plays as Matt Bahr’s NFC Title Game winning field goal in January 1991 and Adam Vinatieri’s Super Bowl winning field goal in the 2001 season so memorable.
Summerall was at his best as a toned down but superb analyst working with Ray Scott,who was the best football television play by play man in history in my not so humble but clearly informed opinion.
I met Pat only once when he talked about his book (Giants: What I Learned About Life From Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry). The person who was to interview him did not show up and “Super” as I called him, (as in “Let’s watch the otherwise meaningless morning start, Cotton Bowl because “Super” Summerall is announcing), went right into “Q and A.” Within that framework, he spent time and gave insightful, detailed answers.
He signed a copy of his book “personalizing” it to a friend appropriately, named Joe Lombardi. He wrote “You were there” as I told him that Mr. Lombardi had attended both the regular season finale and playoff wins vs the Browns in 1958. He also was at the Championship game.
Pat was friendly, informative, and talented. He was a state tennis champion, a legendary kicker and great announcer all reasons I call him “Super.”
Some random thoughts as the confluence of meaningful sports seasons approaches.
The penalty strokes assessed against “Tiger” Woods affected the “match up” proposition wager of Luke Donald vs Woods. I am not aware of all details but again let it serve as a warning about the vicissitudes of gambling.
I have not seen the episode of the new “Dallas” in which there was a funeral for the iconic, character J.R. However, I have seen most of the others and feel the show’s writers have done a good job expressing the love the family had for “J.R.,” despite many of his deeds.
Did you notice the “Richards” character (Ken) played by Lee Majors had strong romantic feelings, apparently not reciprocal, for Linda Gray’s character, the formidable and beautiful “Sue Ellen?” Remember when young Christopher Atkins also suffered unrequited love or at least heartbreak regarding Sue Ellen? His character’s name was Peter Richards.
Last year though the Oklahoma City Thunder were not the NBA West one seed, they won the West title. This year they are the one seed. Let’s see how that turns out. The NBA playoffs start Saturday.
Linda Gray
While the Miami Heat easily gained the NBA East one seed, it is noteworthy that for the first time in the 37 seasons in which they have been in the same league that both the New York Knicks (the two seed) and the Nets, now the Brooklyn Nets, will both have home-court advantage in any series in the same playoff season.
On the opening night of the season, a game between the two teams was postponed to a later date due to the consequences of Hurricane Sandy. Playing other opponents, each won their first game. Perhaps it was a sign.
The Knicks will face the Boston Celtics in the preliminary round while the Nets, likely a four seed, but still possibly a three seed, do not know their first round opponent.
The NBA regular season ends this Wednesday with the playoffs beginning next Saturday, April 20th.
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.
