Last year the rich and glorious Kentucky basketball team was loaded with players who were there for the short term (term is a school word and how little this has to do with school and education). Those players were dominant as Kentucky won its eighth national title.
This year with most of those players gone, Robert Morris ousted Kentucky in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. Kentucky failed to make the 68 team NCAA field.
Last year as 15th seeds in the NCAA Tournament, both Lehigh and Norfolk upset two seeds in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That was big news. Now very far below the radar, this year each school lost in the first round of minor tournaments. However, the losses were by less than the perceived margin.
Speaking of Norfolk State that evokes memories of the great basketball player, Bob Dandridge. Last week I recalled Jim McMillian and it was Dandridge matching up vs Mc Millian in the 1972 NBA semi finals in which McMillian’s Los Angeles Lakers won in six games vs Dandridge’s Milwaukee Bucks.
Recently the famous wrestler, “Bully Ray,” who stars on Spike TV’s “Impact Wrestling” Show every Thursday night, held his bachelor party at the fabulous Rick’s Cabaret Gentlemen’s Club in New York City.
Rick’s Cabaret is a great place for a party. There were beautiful showgirls every where you looked, a first class atmosphere, gourmet food, and a staff that is eager to please.
I stole Bully Ray away from the party for a quick interview with me. The fans say he is a “bully” in the ring, but the “bad guy” wrestler may just be a “good guy” outside of it. (Although he may not want anyone to know that side of him.) Check it out.
Click here for my interview with “Bully Ray”
Someone was asleep at ESPN.com yesterday afternoon. On their site pertaining to college basketball scores they listed Pacific as a (55-53) winner vs California Irvine in The Big West Conference championship game. Actually, that was the score of the Pacific vs Cal POLY (!) semi-final game played the night before.
ESPN.com listed the semi final score (Pacific vs Cal Poly) as though it was the FINAL SCORE of that night’s upcoming Championship game which matched Pacific and Cal IRVINE (!). They listed it well before the start of the 10:30 Eastern game.
The score read Pacific 55 Cal Irvine 53. For the record the game was played and Pacific beat Cal Irvine won 64-55.
Cal Poly
Cal Irvine
Rita Coolidge is an amazing, talented performer. Her show last night at The Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck, New York was great. Coolidge sang a number of her hit songs and showcased a good repertoire of other people’s hits/songs.
Despite a throat problem, Rita sounded great doing such songs as “We’re All Alone” and “Higher and Higher” which were her hits, and “The Cherokee National Anthem” to close the pre encore part of the show.
Her stories were extremely interesting as she talked about meetings with Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Ray Charles, among others. In England for the Royal premiere of the James Bond film “Octopussy,” for which Rita sang the opening theme, “All Time High,” both the Prince and Princess talked about money with her. They essentially were hoping and inquiring about good pay for Rita’s efforts.
Then to top off a wonderful evening, endearing this beautiful performer to so many people, Rita took the time in an engaging manner to talk with many fans after the show. She openly conversed with them, taking significant time in doing so. I truly liked Rita before last night and that feeling is going “higher and higher” as I think back on the wonderful evening watching and hearing Rita Coolidge.
The great basketball player Elgin Baylor never played on a World Championship team yet made an amazing, unselfish contribution to one of the great championship teams in any sport.
The 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers, the same team in the news of late as the Miami Heat approach their record 33 consecutive game win skein, started the season in mediocre fashion.
Then Baylor, who made the decision on his own, elected to retire. That gave Jim McMillian the chance to start at the so called, small forward position.
The incredible 33 game winning streak, still the record, began the Friday night “Jim Mac” (When are good times such as those with that great team and “Jimmy Mac” coming back?!!) was inserted into the lineup. The team set a then NBA record going (69-13) and won the first Los Angeles NBA title.
I remember reading Merv Harris’ book “The Fabulous Lakers” about that great team and how after they won the title Elgin Baylor stood alone at the victory celebration. Someone, perhaps coach Bill Sharman, approached Elgin and told him he “was a part of this too.”
Dare I say, that of all Elgin Baylor’s gravity defying great moves in the actual games his best “move” was his unselfish retirement decision. It enabled the great “71-’72 Lakers to make history that is talked of to this day.
Bonus video: The Greatness of Elgin Baylor
There are times when a story writes itself and such is the case with tomorrow night’s NBA game which has the Miami Heat visiting the Milwaukee Bucks.
Yesterday, the Heat made it 20 straight victories with a close win at Philadelphia vs the 76ers. Now they go to Milwaukee to face the Bucks. The 1970-1971 Bucks won 20 straight games to set a then NBA record. The 2012-2013 Bucks, who are headed for the playoffs and a likely first round battle vs the Heat, hope to end the Heat winning streak at 20. That would leave the Bucks and Heat tied for the third longest one season, NBA winning streak behind the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers (33) and the 2007-2008 Houston Rockets (22).
The Heat have opened as about 6 point favorites in a rare, intriguing NBA regular season game. It certainly will be a festive atmosphere in Milwaukee and for once I say go out and enjoy the game. It actually means a bit due to historical rankings regarding the winning streaks.
My senses are heightened as it is time to look ahead. Though officially over a week away, some of spring and its positives resonates within me. Nature offers amazing beauty (yes destruction also) and I need to “catch up” in appreciating it.
Why do people screen calls? In my day I had to come to the phone and be direct even if I did not want to talk to that person.
Once in three consecutive NBA seasons, the record for consecutive games won was eclipsed. During the 1969-1970 season the New York Knicks won 18 straight games breaking the record of 17 straight held by the Boston Celtics. The next year, the Milwaukee Bucks won 20 straight games followed by the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers with Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West among others winning the still record 33 straight games.
1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers
The Miami Heat winning streak is now 18 games while after 24 games with at least one point, the Chicago Blackhawks have failed to get any in their last two games.
The Heat are huge favorites to at least make the finals in a bid to repeat as NBA Champions, but as stated so often, and with good reason, the games must be played. Nothing is certain.
The NHL season is only at roughly the halfway point and will end later than usual due to the lockout.
The NHL is usually wide open and would seem to be so this season. One big positive to me, is that all six original NHL teams would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. Some sense of tradition can be evoked from this look at the standings this day.
As stated here on numerous occasions, I do not think regular season college basketball matters all that much, and certainly not in determining a champion. Games are played, athletes participate, that is good but college basketball is big business. See a high school or little league game rather than college hoops regular season.
Having said that, perhaps in hypocritical fashion, I await the NCAA Tournament. Believe me, not with the anticipation it once held for me, not even in the same stratosphere.
A perception is that this year’s title is up for grabs and many teams are considered legitimate contenders. There is more talk than usual that for the first time a 16 seed will shock a regional top seed in an opening round game. We shall see what happens but I regret caring so much about this stuff and realize, perhaps too late, the error of my ways.
With each complaint and regret, perhaps an alternative suggestion for an activity would help one of you. If that occurs, I will have accomplished something. Spring is coming. Get out and go for a walk. If you are lucky enough to have someone to join you, invite them. Oh and in addition, you can always watch the last minutes of the basketball game, often the only ones that determine anything.
Little League Basketball
I expected a great deal and received even more watching Turner Classic Movies’ host Robert Osborne interview the great movie star Kim Novak.
A person I thought of as a friend is not one. The major reason is that his wife controls him beyond the point of his embarrassment whereby it hurts others such as myself. People then add his wife is not “exactly Kim Novak” either. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Novak’s beauty helped, but it is the type of person one is that truly counts. She truly comes across as a magnificent, sensitive, animal loving one, who thankfully is happy.
She talked of her career and why she left the movie industry. There were clips of some of her most famous films such as “Picnic,” “The Man with the Golden Arm” and “Vertigo.”
She cited the power of Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn, but also as Kim said; with dictators, there often is no one to replace them when they are gone. Columbia Pictures suffered after Cohn’s death.
Kim adored actor Jimmy Stewart and the great writer Paddy Chayefsky. She is hopeful of being greeted by them once past the “pearly gates” of heaven.
It was emotional and beautiful to watch the always classy Robert Osborne interview Kim Novak, the beautiful, fine actress. More important, she is a magnificent, feeling person.
