Last night, North Carolina State completed a highly improbable, tournament “run” to qualify for the 68 team NCAA Tournament, whose field will be announced today.
N.C. State upset Duke in the “quarters” and won the final round tilt vs North Carolina last night. They also won as favorites vs Louisville and Syracuse and as a small underdog vs Virginia.
On Saturday night March 9th, 1974, in the last year only conference winners qualified for the NCAA Tournament, N.C. State won a classic game, A.C.C. Tournament final game, vs an excellent Maryland team.
“State” eventually won it all, surviving Pittsburgh and their great star, Billy Knight and a scary fall by the great, great N.C. State player and future NBA star, David Thompson 50 years ago yesterday, in the regional final.
It was the next Saturday, that North Carolina State, in a virtual home game, defeated 7 time defending champion, U.C.L.A. in another classic game, that a semi-final/virtual final round game.
The Norm Sloan coached “Wolfpack” claimed the crown on Monday night 3/25/1974, with a win vs the Al McGuire coached Marquette Warriors.
In 1983, under coach Jim Valvano, “State” had to win the ACC Tournament, did so and with a season ending 10 game win skein (1 “reg”, 3 ACC Tournament and 6 NCAA Tournament), including some classic ones, topped and capped off by a Lo Charles, title winning dunk, to break a tie vs heavily favored Houston in the final, and captured their second crown.
The 1973-1974 North Carolina State title winning basketball team is pictured above.
Holding basketballs and seated in the front row are #44 David Thompson and I believe, Monte Towe.
It is almost certain that year after year, the proliferation of college basketball conference tournaments will produce a number of upstart teams, that either will qualify for the 68 team NCAA Tournament, or at least create some added mystery to the selection process.
Thus far, I cite true longshot, Wagner College which qualified for the “tournie,” representing the Northeast Conference, having won their conference event.
Last season Merrimack, denied a tournament berth in this year’s final vs Wagner, was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament though they won the Northeast Conference Tournament.
Instead, Fairleigh Dickinson qualified and became just the second “16” seed to upset a regional top seed in the first round.
Wagner College, pictured above.
Research, not the all powerful, (once it was Frigidaire that became generic), with this post’s name and that of the great singer/writer/performer, Eric Carmen, who died days back at age 74, yields at least three entries, the most recent just after the 2023 Supe with a promise of Eric as lead singer, performing “The Raspberries’ ” “Go All The Way.”
Today, a promise of Eric’s so meaningful “All By Myself,” inherent in which, is the impossible task of conveying the emotions of time eroded loneliness and failure.
Yet, in doing so and looking back at Eric Carmen and all he did, perhaps highlighted by the Sergei Rachmaninoff influenced “All By Myself,” (the verse from Mr. Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor) was lift us, as the greats often do, whether from the open canvas of happy/sad or the good/evil of life itself, the latter a “myself,” with the hope of an added someone.
He was praised by John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen, had another stint with “The Raspberries” and had songs covered by myriad artists as diverse and talented, as Shirley Bassey and Shaun Cassidy.
I will show some of his work and aforementioned “research” combining andybsports.com with Eric Carmen (an honor for me) will yield a song, as Mr. Carmen noted, as obviously different from “All By Myself,” namely “Go All The Way.”
Lighter: Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes” plays in a scene from “Dirty Dancing.” Sitting down is Patrick Swayze, and left to right, Cynthia Rhodes, I believe and Jennifer Grey are working toward a dance gig.
Many of the more esteemed college basketball, conference tournaments begin today with the remaining ones commencing tomorrow.
On Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, when in past years the NCAA Tournament staged some big games, the 68 team field for that event will be announced.
Among the perceived top contenders for this year’s crown and very likely regional top seeds are defending champion, Connecticut, which has 5 tournament crowns and Purdue, who last year became the second top seed to lose in the round of 64 in a 1 vs 16 tilt.
The other one, Virginia in 2018 bounced back and in some memorable close games won the 2019 title.
Purdue has never won the NCAA Tournament but does have claim to the 1932 college crown before there was a tournament.
A player on that team, the great John Wooden coached 10 tournament title teams with U.C.L.A.
The great John Wooden, pictured above, was the star player on that 1931-1932 top ranked Purdue team.
Apples, oranges and license plates refers to tomorrow night’s Academy Awards, likely to be dominated by the film “Oppenheimer,” and a big coincidence involving another highly regarded and nominated film.
That film is “Maestro,” with Bradley Cooper in the role of Leonard Bernstein.
Mr. Cooper was a guest on “The New Yorker Radio Hour,” hosted by David Resnick on today’s broadcast, surely recorded earlier.
As he spoke rather intensely about Mr. Bernstein, I drove along and noticed the license plate directly in front of me was Len#### (4 #’s, 2 two digit ones).
Maybe Mr. Bernstein was “conducting,” perhaps a message from my father, who often watched and loved Bernstein’s efforts, on this the thirtieth anniversary of my father’s death.
The great Leonard Bernstein, pictured above.
An always happy occurrence, some recent on Carol Burnett Show reruns on MeTV, was seeing and hearing the charismatic, tremendously gifted performer, Steve Lawrence, who died yesterday at age 88.
There are such fond memories of watching the legendary duo, married for 55 years until her death, of Steve and Eydie (Gorme).
Steve Lawrence starred on Broadway as “Sammy Click” in the musical adapted from Budd Schulberg’s novel.
“”Sline and Fine” as Steve was in “The Blues Brothers” as memorable manager, “Maury Sline and on TV’s “The Nanny,” as Fran Drescher’s character’s father, “Morty Fine.”
It was with Eydie, his beloved wife, that Steve was most memorable, in so many shows, especially in Las Vegas, where they flourished.
I wish I had seen them live, however, cherish those appearances on television and will continue to watch and do so.
Maybe they are preparing a big show in a better place. Thank you Steve for the moments that yield wonderful memories.
“Go Away Little Girl” was one such great song, moment and memory. When a remake by Donny Osmond 9 years later, also hit #1 on the charts, “Go Away Little Girl” became the first song to do so with two different performers as it also reached the top of the charts con Steve in 1962.
Click below to hear Steve Lawrence perform “Go Away Little Girl.”
Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence, pictured above.
The most recent Super Bowl, contested between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, marked the sixth time a 2nd such game was played between the same teams/franchises.
One matchup, that between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys has occurred thrice.
In five of the six, second game Supe matchups, the team that won the first tilt, prevailed in the second such game.
Those 5 include the Chiefs in ’23 after winning in ’19 vs S.F. and the Niners in turn won in ’88 after also beating the Cincinnati Bengals in ’81.
As with the 49ers, the Patriots have been on both sides of the note, as they beat the Rams in ’18 after having done so in the ’01 Supe and while the New York Giants upset them in both the ’11 and ’07 Super Bowls.
In the first two of what are three Supe clashes between the Steelers and Cowboys, the Steelers won both before Dallas prevailed in the third one.
The one split in the first two games also involved the Pats, as they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in ’04 but lost to them in ’17.
Click below to view the great John Stallworth’s TD catch and run in the Steelers’ repeat victory vs the Cowboys in the 13th Supe.
The 1934 World Series, matching the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers, opened at Navin Field in Detroit, Michigan.
There were some great players involved on both teams, Joe “Ducky” Medwick of the Cardinals and Hank Greenberg of the Tigers to name two.
In game 7, an incident would take place with the Cards way out in front involving Medwick and Tigers’ third baseman Marv Owen.
In #1, Medwick had hits in first two at bats while Owen made an early error.
Marv Owen, pictured above, was an excellent third baseman on Tigers’ teams that won consecutive pennants in ’34 and ’35 and the World Series, the Tigers’ first after 4 W.S. defeats in 1935.
There were so many great players on the Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the 1970’s, that some, notably Andy Russell, who died on Leap Day at age 82, were perhaps overlooked.
Russell was a rookie on an incredibly rare, good Steelers’ team that took its (7-3-3) record (remember ties), into Yankee Stadium for a showdown game with the two time Eastern Conference champion, Y.A. Tittle, led New York Giants in 1963.
New York prevailed (33-17) in that tilt, before losing a third straight NFL title game, that one (14-10) at Chicago, vs the Bears. (Since then the Giants, only (3-11) in what were pre Supe, NFL title games have gone (4-1) in Super Bowls/games for the NFL title).
That change in title game fortune, while so impressive, is dwarfed by that of the Steelers incredible success juxtaposed with their previous ineptitude, that manifested in 4 crowns in 6 seasons (’74-’79) with Andy Russell, part of a great trio of linebackers (all-time type greats, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert were the others), and on the first two Steelers’ title teams in 1974 and 1975.
Russell made 7 Pro Bowl games and is a member of the Steelers’ Hall of Fame.
Perhaps due to the fact so many Steelers have made the Pro Football Hall, Russell is denied, which is unfair, a la the delay, still ongoing, maybe to end this year, regarding great team Lakers,’ Michael Cooper, also a title winning WNBA coach, selection to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Finally, a nice memory regarding a rare, early “betting” win when Andy Russell, not exactly a Jesse Owens in the speed department, rambled 93 yards with a Bert Jones of the then Baltimore Colts (caused by Ham), fumble that increased the 11 plus point(s) favorite, Steelers lead and eventual final score to (28-10), in the last two minutes of play, in the slot 1/early Saturday divisional playoff game of 1975.
Denise’s eventual husband, now of 46 plus years and a working auto wrecker that day, called me ecstatic as I was, with me screaming “Christmas miracle” regarding Russell’s TD, that miraculously covered “el” spread.”
For the record, husband Neil had the winning Rams vs the Cardinals, not I.
The next day each of us lost with favorites Minnesota (outright to Dallas on the Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson “Hail Mary TD Pass”) and Oakland, which no covered Cincy (Bengals) in the latter team’s immortal coach, Paul Brown’s last game).
That is #34 Andy Russell and there is a segment regarding his fumble recovery TD vs the Baltimore Colts in their 1975 divisional round game.
Some of these will seem incredibly dumb, as consensus marks the Atlanta Braves and L.A, Dodgers (already for some an ahead of the sharp curve plus) as the two best teams, (really not all that meaningful in a 12 team/must win at least 3 rounds tournament format) and I say “longshot,” at least one not to even make the ‘offs. Do so with just a little of the quarters, dimes, and pennies in the jar.
Elsewhere, as alluded to before, I feel the St. Louis Cardinals will bounce back. So will the Seattle Mariners, so let’s predict each to make the ‘offs.
I feel Houston (Astros), a team I truly like, will fall back, as will the defending champion, Texas Rangers.
Houston no longer has possible, even probable future “Famer” (he was also an excellent player, cited by Pete Rose during the victorious Phils’ ’80 one quarter/had to finish first NL East celebration, as a “feared” opponent if the Dodgers, at that point needing 2 more wins vs Houston, were to be the Phillies’ ’80 NLCS opponent) Dusty Baker, while even almost certain “Famer,” manager,Bruce Bochy, I say will not get Texas (Rangers) anywhere near a repeat crown.
So these “div” picks: Big faves, L.A. Dodgers and Atlanta Braves with aforementioned Seattle, St. Louis and another “div” fave, the New York Yankees.
Try Detroit (Tigers), S.F. Giants, New York Mets to make and as a nice long shot, the Orioles, to miss the ‘offs.
Carl Warwick, pictured above and who turned 87 yesterday, delivered 3 pinch hits in 4 at bats (also had a walk), playing for the victorious St. Louis Cardinals vs the New York Yankees in the ’64 World Series.
Two of the hits were key ones in games 1 and 4, Cards’ wins.
