Once, the baseball All-Star Game mattered, so much so, that we gathered one or two National League fans and some American League to watch the tilt on television. One year an uninvited guy in the area banged so hard on the door he gained entry.
Now you would have to pay me to sit through one.
However, memories abound:
Stan Musial hitting a game ending home run before my time and forty years ago on this date, an excellent player named Fred Lynn, hit what is still the only grand slam home run in All-Star Game annals.
Alas it is 90 years inclusive (1934-2023) since Carl Hubbell struck out 5 great American League players at the famed Polo Grounds in the ’34 game.
Write in with the names of the 5 baseball immortals, (Hubbell certainly was one as well) that Carl fanned in succession in the ’34 game.
I think, incredibly on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of United States independence, (spare the firecrackers, which scare dogs. I add that I never had a dog and a sparkler I threw around age 10, went into a tree, with mercifully, no damage, but quite a lesson. Bottom line: Be Careful!), both the second and third presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died.
Lesser known is the fact, fives became operative five years later when the fifth United States President James Monroe died on this date.
Many have speculated about this coincidence.
Maybe (perhaps coincidence?), would fit here.
The fifth U.S. President James Monroe, pictured above, eased to victory in both the 1816 and 1820 Presidential elections.
One need only watch, in my opinion, what are two seminal films made in consecutive years (’67 and ’68) first, “Wait Until Dark,” starring the magnificent Audrey Hepburn and author Carson McCullers’ “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” to see not only the brilliance, but also the hand in hand versatility, that made Alan Arkin such a great actor.
Mr. Arkin died days back, at the age of 89.
Recently, I, who now rarely get the chance or have the paid service to do so, watched two films, in which Arkin contributed mightily.
One was the truly funny “The In-Laws,” co-starring another great, Peter Falk, the other being David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross,” adapted for the screen.
Alas, as you go Mr. Arkin, perhaps with Eastern religion, Jewish roots a boost, I opine it is your class and great work, that will get you more than “in!”
Remember “Serpentine/Serpentine” from “The In-Laws,” and as you weave in and out (serpentine), I add “living,” now calling, to “Stone,” it is not “Why are doing this to me (not Dave, but Alan as in “GGGR” to Ed Harris), but thank you Alan Arkin, for moving me with laughter and pathos, in your superb career
My late friend Brad Weiner and I, each jumped —as did many others, during a great scene with Mr. Arkin and Ms. Audrey Hepburn, each pictured from “Wait Until Dark,”
Las Vegas currently has both the NHL and WNBA championship teams.
In just their sixth season, the Golden Knights, finalists in their (very) first season, took the Stanley Cup.
The Aces won the 2022 WNBA crown and are off to a (14-1) start in the 2023 WNBA season, losing only at the Connecticut Sun.
Last night, the Aces eased at home, vs another “loaded” team, the (10-4) New York LIberty.
Last night, not too many hours ago, in relative obscurity especially juxtaposed with the three previous perfect games pitched by a Yankees’ hurler, Domingo German became the fourth Yankee to hurl a perfect game.
He did so in an (11-0) win for the (44-36) Yankees at Oakland vs the (21-61) once proud, (now look) Oakland A’s.
German joins Don Larsen, David Wells and David Cone as Yankees perfect game pitchers.
Larsen pitched a perfect game on Monday October 8, 1956 in game 5 of the World Series.
He outdueled Brooklyn starter Sal Maglie, who had been the mystery guest on “What’s My Line?” the night before in a (2-0) win.
Both Cone and Wells, as was the situation with Larsen, pitched their perfect games at Yankee Stadium, in what were back to back Yankees’ title seasons in 1998 and 1999.
After winning #5/’56 World Series behind Larsen and after losing #6 to Brooklyn on Jackie Robinson’s game winning and last ever big league hit, the Yankees took the ’56 crown, with a game 7 win.
The Yankees previous three perfect games occurred in title winning seasons.
The 1970 World Series/”The Brooks Robinson Series” won by Brooks and the Baltimore Orioles vs the first of 4 Cincinnati Reds’ pennant winning teams in 7 seasons ended with a (9-3) Orioles triumph in game 5.
Last night in a clash between the two surprising 2023 teams, the (48-29) Orioles defeated the (41-38) Reds by a (10-3) score.
“Balti” is 4 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, whose (54-27) “halfway” (162 games season) is baseball’s best. Their “qualification” lead is at least 6 games.
“Cincy” is only (41-38) but that places them only a half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the N.L. Central
NEW YORK — Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski takes on interim champion Yair Rodriguez in a unification match in the main event atop the UFC 290 PPV card on Saturday night, July 8th.
Hoops Cabaret (48 West 33 Street), called the world’s sexiest sports bar, will be showing the fight live on its numerous HD TVs and huge Mega-Tron Video Wall. The Hoops Cabaret girls will also host an After-Party, performing on stage, and up close and personal.
Volkanovski is currently MMA Fighting’s No. 2 ranked pound-for-pound male fighter in the sport. He’s looking for his fifth consecutive title defense after falling short against Islam Makhachev in his bid for two-division glory this past February. To do so he’ll have to get past Rodriguez, who captured the interim title with a second-round submission of Josh Emmett.
Co-headliner on the card is Brandon Moreno defending his flyweight strap in a rematch against Alexandre Pantoja.
Located just one block from Madison Square Garden Hoops Cabaret combines the fun of a sports bar with the excitement of a gentlemen’s club. It’s a great place to watch all sporting events. “Come make it rain on all the sexy girls,” said Hoops girl Nadia. “And don’t miss the after-party, it’s sure to be amazing.”
- Super VIP “Man Cave”
- Full Menu, served late
- Full Service Premium Bar
- Next door to the world famous Rick’s Cabaret NYC
Unofficially, but fairly certain is the fact that this year’s NBA and NHL final round result, with the home team (both the Nuggets and Golden Knights) clinching the title in #5, had transpired only once before then.
In 1956 both the then Philadelphia Warriors and Montreal Canadiens clinched their league crowns with a home win in game 5.
I noticed that in 1953, the Minneapolis Lakers lost game 1 at home to the New York Knicks but won the next 4 games to claim a fourth title in five seasons.
The next season, they made it six crowns in five seasons.
Subsequently, the Lakers who moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles for the ’60-’61 season, did not “title” until 1972, when after losing game 1 to the Knicks they won the last four to gain their first L.A. title.
In 1973, now fifty years ago and seventy years after 1953, the Knicks won the title, as they won the last four games to “5” the Lakers.
The great player, Tom Gola pictured above was a key player on that ’56 Warriors’ title team.
This man played on an NIT title team in ’52 with La Salle and an NCAA champion with them in ’54. They were denied in the ’55 final by the Bill Russell led San Francisco Dons.
Quite a four year span with three superb seasons!
It is a Friday night in June 1965 and the home plate meeting of course, involves the four umpires (for the record some really good ones, as I cite umpires, despite Ms. Barber’s “no return,” Al Barlick, Augie Donatelli, Mel Steiner and Stan Landes) but also Mets manager Casey Stengel and Pirates captain Bill Mazeroski.
Flashing back it was “Maz'” second pitch/B9 World Series home run in that same Forbes Field that was soon followed by Casey Stengel’s much more “more” than “less” exit as Yankees manager after winning 7 titles and 10 pennants in 112 seasons in that job. (Casey’s Yankees won their first 5 World Series going (20-8) in games and his teams finished (44-20) 11 of 16, as Yankees fan Larry David might say “prettty good,” in World Series games.
Harry Walker, the Pirates manager at that time, himself a World Series winner, having doubled not singled home Enos Slaughter for the last and game winning run of the ’46 World Series as his Cards 7’d the Red Sox, said the key to the Pirates 12 game win skein, broken the night before by the Mets, was the return of Mazeroski to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup.
On that June night, Jack Fisher so often the tough luck losing pitcher in a truly well pitched game not like the 6 or so innings stuff today, outdueled Bob Friend as the Mets won (2-1).
Friend’s record vs the Mets, at that point, was (13-2), both losses to Fisher.
A truly outstanding player, Bill Mazeroski, pictured above.
Unique, I am, having not gone to the prom in my last high school year, but gallantly escorting a woman who waited before revealing she had no prom date, the next year, dating/prom talk that abounds and resonates in “The Trouble With Dead Boyfriends,” (now through July 5th at “The Players Theatre 115 MacDougal Street), combined with the splendid musical numbers, make the show most entertaining.
The story is intriguing with both highly humorous and revealing elements, in what one might call a teaching mode.
“The Trouble With Dead Boyfriends,” (Book and lyrics by Annie Pulsipher, Music and lyrics by Alex Petti and directed by Stephen M. Eckert) has tremendous musical numbers, that truly entertain with a great cast.
That cast: Heather Sawyer, Alia Cuadros-Contreras, Zoe Dean, Will Einbinder, Hagan Oliveras, Patrick Voss Davis, Stephanie Hawkins, Patrick Swailes Caldwell, Sophia Carlin, and Jonah McKinley.
I highly recommend seeing this most entertaining show.
Andy B Sports 