Tonight is opening night for the Olympics, but this afternoon I was watching a vintage game on the NHL Network, and I offer some perspective, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight. Two great hockey teams, one at the end of its championship run and the other at the beginning of their title glory, met in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1984. The Edmonton Oilers, who would win 4 Cup Titles in 5 seasons, won the series in 5 games vs the New York Islanders, who had won 4 straight Cup Titles.
The Islanders’ slogan that year was “The Drive for Five.” The Oilers had a raucous crowd for their clinching win on a Saturday night in game 5 of the 1984 finals. One banner read “The Drive for Five 1988.” It was meant as not only no 5th straight title for the Isles but that Edmonton would go for its 5th straight title in 1988, quite a lofty expectation. As it turned out, the Oilers won 4 Cups in 5 seasons including one in 1988.
Only the Montreal Canadiens from 1956-1960 won 5 straight Stanley Cups. The Islanders(1980-1983) and Montreal Canadiens (1976-1979) won 4 straight Cup titles. As cited, the Oilers won 4 titles in 5 seasons and went on to win 5 in 7 seasons. All of these teams were great and their “eras” of greatness are virtually unmatched in all major team sports.
Noteworthy is that the Islanders have not won the title since 1983, the Oilers not since 1990 and even the glory team of the NHL, The Montreal Canadiens, have not won the title since 1993.
The new play ” Lady and the Champ” about former middleweight champion Jake LaMotta and his lady, Denise Baker, was really well done and informative. The music, and an interview with LaMotta, conducted very well by boxing historian Carl Shimkin, alternate, and keep the play going at a nice pace. The singing of Patrick Jude and Bonnie Lee Sanders who co wrote the play along with Ms. Baker is also a treat. Musical direction is in the able hands of Joel Diamond.
LaMotta is 90 years old but still sharp. He gives good, informative, and often humorous answers. He also dances with Ms. Baker, who is a talented, attractive woman, and “shadow boxes” in addition to answering Shimkin’s questions. Jake rightfully calls Ray Robinson, known as “Sugar Ray” Robinson, the greatest pound for pound fighter ever. He recalls that Marcel Cerdan, from whom LaMotta won the middleweight title, died in a plane before their rematch. Having met both Cerdan and his lover, the great singer Edith Piaf, LaMotta called them both “nice people.”
Living 90 years plus and still going, LaMotta has had many ups and downs. Sadly, his two sons are gone and that plus Denise losing her parents brought the two together. Comforting, and then love. They are good together in real life and in this most enjoyable play. It is at Richmond Shepard Theatre. Three performances remain: at seven thirty on July 27th and 28th and at 3 P.M. on Sunday, July 29th.
The movie, “The”Babe,” about the great Babe Ruth, which starred John Goodman, had two major spelling errors in its credits. Two of the Babe’s teammates, both close to being great players, had their names spelled incorrectly. The credits read Meusal when it is Meusel, for outfielder Bob Meusel and Lezzari when it is Lazzeri for Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri.
In the movie “J.F.K.,” Kevin Costner played Louisiana District Attorney Jim Garrison, a man who spent a great deal of his life stating and trying to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Coincidentally, Costner’s character Crash Davis in “Bull Durham,” feels the opposite. In telling Susan Sarandon’s character (Anne Savoy) about himself, he states his strong like for long wet kisses and that Oswald acted alone.
Babe Ruth and Tony Lazzeri
Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel
History repeated itself in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, played on July 18th. The game tying play in this regular season tilt evoked memories of the far more important, pivotal 3rd game of the 1977 National League Championship Series.
In both the regular season game and the playoff game, the Dodgers tied a game they would eventually win, when their batter was called safe, barely beating a Phillies shortstop’s throw at first base. Both times the Dodgers were down to their final out. Most incredible, 35 years apart, Davey Lopes was in close proximity on both plays.
Lopes hit the ball in the 1977 playoff and just beat shortstop Larry Bowa’s throw to tie the game. Then in the regular season game, Lopes was the Dodgers first base coach witnessing Matt Kemp just beating shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ throw to tie the game.
Celeste Holm, who died at the age of 95, was a true great both on stage and in film. Her “away from the ball” roles as Karen in “All About Eve” and Anne Dettrey in “Gentleman’s Agreement,” for which she won the Academy Award in 1947, stand as superb testimony to the importance of the supporting player. I used the sports term “away from the ball” because in sports, the arts, and in life–support, team effort and to stretch it, care for others, can manifest in greatness and at least good.
I met Ms. Holm at an event in 1988 when with new found access to such events and a new, first significant other (ie girlfriend, others always had them not me) life was moving rather fast. Yet I knew I was in the presence of greatness and I treasure my picture with Celeste Holm. Her outfit with a beautiful mix of stylish colors was superb. It is too bad we can not “bottle” not only her classy ways but the free flowing way in which she communicated. Please listen to her recreating her “hog call” as a way of explaining her getting a first big role in “Oklahoma.” It was part of her obituary as reported by National Public Radio. Totally uninhibited, she does a long, loud one. “Brass” and class, Celeste Holm had both in great abundance.
On my last cable show in the now far away year 2000, Celeste Holm talked to me via the telephone. She talked of her time with Bette Davis while filming “All About Eve” and how happy she was when the great Moss Hart told her she would be Anne Dettrey in “Gentleman’s Agreement.”
When Celeste and her grandmother went to Radio City Music Hall in her youth, they both noticed and spoke to a dashing usher, who wanted to be an actor. His name was Gregory Peck and Ms.Holm talked of the enormity of both she and Mr. Peck fulfilling their dreams and how much playing/acting with him in “Gentleman’s Agreement” meant to her. While my dreams have not come true, my glass is closer to half full because I did meet and interview Celeste Holm. So many greats are gone, so few left. We have their art and thank goodness for that. The likes of Celeste Holm, a classy, talented, storytelling woman do not come along very often. Maybe Mr. Peck will “usher” you into the better place.
It was great going to see Ernest Hemingway’s classic, “A Farewell to Arms” come alive on the big screen. Gary Cooper, Helen Hayes and Adolf Menjou are the stars in the story of doomed love between Cooper’s Henry, an ambulance driver in World War 1, and nurse Cathy Barkley (Patty Duke’s Cathy “saw” Barkley Square, sorry a tangential moment). When Hayes’ Cathy tries to encourage Henry she says he will return home and become an architect. Perhaps he did, and certainly Gary Cooper played the consummate architect in “The Fountainhead” based on the Ayn Rand novel.
One can dream, connect, and walk out, albeit into tremendous heat, after time spent at the movies. Both Cooper and Hemingway died in 1961. That year Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single season home run record. Cooper played the great Ruth’s immortal teammate, Lou Gehrig in the movie “Pride of the Yankees.” Surely, avoiding the heat and watching Cooper, Hayes and Menjou on the big screen in a classic, I felt as though I hit at least a triple and that is a darn good feeling.
“People Like Us,” the new movie directed by Alex Kurtzman, has a diverse cast and excellent story. It proved to be more than just summer entertainment. It told the story of a family–especially a brother and sister who heretofore had not known of each other’s existence.
Sam, played with breezy cool by Chris Pine, is purposely late for his father’s funeral but in settling his father’s estate discovers he has a sister and nephew. His beautiful half sister “Frankie” is played by Elizabeth Banks. Her character is working hard on many things in her life, largely to make things better for her precocious son played by Michael Hall D’Addario.
Special mention to Phillip Baker Hall, who played the attorney for Sam and Frankie’s late father. I like the matter of fact style that defines his work. (Hall played the beyond determined librarian who tracks down a long overdue book on a memorable “Seinfeld” TV episode).
Overall, “People Like Us” gave us good,conflicted characters with an unusual and powerful family dynamic. This manifested in some really nice performances. The cast also includes the still beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer who plays Sam’s mother. Their complicated relationship with its secrets unfolds in a consistent orbit with Sam discovering his sister “Frankie.”
The music is excellent as it showcases the record collection left to Sam by his late father a prominent “A and R” man (artists &repertoire: a veritable talent scout) in the music business. “Credits watchers” were rewarded with the following: Original Music: A.R. Rahman.
I strongly suggest seeing “People Like Us.” It’s a movie with a good deal of humor that takes a good look at a truly unusual family situation.
The All Star game results in a home field advantage for the National League, which takes some wind out of the Yankees’ sails. However it was a tremendous first half plus for the Yankees, who have a 7 game lead in their division and are (5-1) against both the Boston Red Sox (all six games were at Fenway Park in Boston) and New York Mets. The Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox have decent leads in their American League divisions.
In the National League, the Washington Nationals, once the Montreal Expos, have a 4 game lead in the East. Elsewhere tight races in both the Central and West. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a great story as they lead the Cincinnati Reds by one game in the NL Central. The Pirates last made post season play 20 years ago, losing a heartbreaking NLCS to the Atlanta Braves. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who last won the World Series twenty four years ago, lead the San Francisco Giants by a half game in the NL West. It should be a very interesting 2nd half of the baseball season.
For the third straight year the National League won the All-Star game. Prior to this winning streak, the NL had gone 13 straight years without a victory. They lost 12 of those games and there was that one sorry episode of a tie game in the mid summer classic–something that should be considered bizarre.
The All Star game has new meaning now that it determines home field advantage in the World Series. Thus the National League Pennant winner will play the first two and potential last two games of the World Series in its home ballpark. Starting in 1985, the team with that advantage has won an astounding 21 of the 26 World Series played.
At the All Star break, the New York Mets certainly are one of baseball’s pleasant surprises. Their record is (46-40) which easily exceeds the general perception as to how they would fare in 2012. They have bounced back from tough losses and are playing a brand of energized baseball under manager Terry Collins. Surely they are not a great team, but at this point, which team in baseball is?
Pitcher R.A.Dickey, an inspiring figure, is one of baseball’s big stories to this point. His numbers: a (12-1) record and 42 and 2/3 scoreless innings at one point tell a lot. His persistence after years in the minors tells even more. His book, “Wherever I Wind Up” addresses much of what Dickey has both accomplished and overcome. When I read about Dickey months back in Sports Illustrated, I “suggested” he would pitch well. His performance thus far in 2012 has exceeded all expectations.
The highlight of the season for the Mets was of course, the no hitter pitched by Johan Santana against the World champion St. Louis Cardinals on June 1st. It was the first no hitter by a Mets pitcher in their 50 plus seasons history. The Cardinals beat the Mets in the Mets’ first game in 1962. In game number 8,020 Santana pitches the first Mets’ no hitter vs the Cardinals. He struck out World Series MVP David Freese to end the game.
All sports is so hard to predict, witness three of the 4 major sports league champions being teams that finished nowhere near the top in the regular season. So I will not predict the Mets fate in 2012 nor speculate on their future. However, with the team playing well in beautiful Citi Field, (the site of the 2013 All Star Game), there is great anticipation. That is a good thing and not just when waiting for ketchup to dispense.
