Add March 9th to “The Ides of March,” in the “beware of” category, as another great and one I truly admired, Otis Taylor died on that date, days back at the age of 80.
He died having suffered from dementia and without achieving entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So many deciding such do not have a clue, never saw Otis play and are far too lazy to do the work that would clearly show he deserved the honor.
In reality, a) why care and b) they really have no clue when it comes to receivers as it took “nearly forever” to get greats Lynn Swann and John Stallworth into that diminished, albeit still place of honor.
Otis was “Big Play,” the wrap up the title, “hitch pass TD” from Len Dawson, who preceded Otis in death by 7 months with their team, the Chiefs, winning a third crown in between, now a month and a day ago, making it (23-7), vs the Vikings, in the 4th and last AFL/NFL championship game.
There were so many others amidst his great play and Otis and Len might chuckle that one of them, a huge, so important one in the last AFL Title Game, a (17-7) win at Oakland, vs the Raiders, was a long pass from the shadow of the K.C. goalpost, that pretty clearly was gathered in brilliantly, but out of bounds, by Otis.
Then on so clear have replay, not on the one that nullified Hurts to DeVonta Smith, a key play, again helping the Chiefs (3-0) on the NFL or NFC network (in exclusive Supes, first was on both NFL and AFL a Green Bay “ease” vs the Chiefs) win a Supe.
This yet– “another blow” and clearly not easy to say, “that’s how it go!”
In brief and with the utmost respect to the wonderful Linda and with condolences to her family, she was an incredible person.
She loved her family and dying so unexpectedly, still young and with so little time having been shared with her three grandchildren, again causes– who the “F” is running this?!
Yet, she as a journalist, among many other assets and good deeds, volunteering to help, would cite and advise–live each day!!
Three years apart and in many ways before and after, she added so much to my life.
My dear friend, be on a seismic adventure and this time the microwave item can wait!
This language has only one word for all kinds of love and with no doubt or hesitation, I say love you, Linda.
Far from “on the corner,” Linda was accomplished, but also gave back so much to those who may have been stuck there.
I know she would chuckle and perhaps will when she realizes she does not have to spell “Czechoslovakia” (ode to St. Peter as well as Dickie Masur and Josh Mostel in “Old Jews Telling Jokes.”) to gain entry into heaven.
Where in the “wide world” of Earvin 42 and “Silk” 37, (cue “Blazing Saddles”), did 29 years go, as that amount of time elapsed from March 8/9, 1994 when my father died and night time March 8th (52 Years multiplied by 52 weeks, could not find a times sign on this =’s 2,704 weeks? since Frazier/Ali, (cue Cosell) “the first time around”) when Earvin Johnson Sr. died at age 88?!!
I will stop with the numbers except to reference May 16, 1980, when in a game televised on delayed tape to most of this country, Johnson Sr’s son Earvin “Magic” Johnson led the Lakers, playing without the great Kareem Abdul Jabbar, to a title clinching win, as at least 8 point underdogs, at Philadelphia, vs the 76ers, in game 6.
I wonder how Mr. Johnson or for that matter my father, followed that game.
As the game progressed and I watched and listened in Howard Johnson’s room 302, to Chick Hearn, calling Jamaal “Silk” Wilkes’ 20 footers, “the layup,” I kept imploring the then, “my” Lakers, to win it for my dad.
Earvin “Magic” talked and always will of his beloved parents Earvin and Christine, the latter still here, her over 60 year marriage over and in referencing his dad-’twas the work ethic instilled, the truck and the building confidence, that Earvin “Magic” cites most often.
I send my condolences to Earvin Jr. and his family, recalling his kind words to me, I believe it was the last time I saw him (day of Lakers vs Sacramento #7 in ’02 when he was to have dinner with Byron Scott, then coaching the Nets still New Jersey, already in the final, in which the Lakers, lucky to have beaten “Sac” and no longer my team, (I liked Bryant, not O’Neal and that is another “exchange” that galls me), would sweep to claim a third straight crown) in reference to the loss of my mother.
Earvin Johnson Sr. who rooted for Wilt, and his son the great player Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. pictured.
Some team will win the 2023 World Series, 120 years after the first one, which was won by the Boston Red Sox franchise. (Later this week a post about that one).
Eventually, I will cite all the 5/10 year(s) multiples of “years ago” baseball titles.
In this first “batch of 7, almost all of the World Series contested have been best of 7, however not the above referenced Boston 5 games to 3, best of 9, crown, won vs Pittsburgh in 1903), the Boston and Chicago Cubs teams, eventually to endure respective 86 and 108 year title droughts, won the first two, as the Cubs beat Detroit in 1908.
Next the last of 3 Connie Mack managed Philadelphia Athletics’ crowns in 4 seasons as they beat the New York Giants in the 1913 World Series.
The Red Sox won it all in 1918 beating the Cubs and the Giants took the Washington Senators in 5 games to win the crown ninety years ago in 1933.
In between the New York Yankees won the first and third of their 27 titles, winning vs the Giants in 1923 and sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in 1928.
The Giants had won the 1921 and 1922 World Series vs the Yankees while the Grover Cleveland Alexander led Cards had won the 1926 World Series in 7 games vs the Yankees, winning the last two games at 4th year Yankee Stadium.
Alexander won #6 and saved #7, not before a Yankees’ great Tony Lazzeri, bid for an extra base hit, before “Old Pete” (Alexander) struck him out with 2 outs and the bases loaded, the Cards clinging to the eventual final score,(3-2) lead.
The great pitcher, Grover Cleveland Alexander, pictured above.
I suppose the Boston Bruins’ great record of (49-8 and 103 points is worth noting. Upon ‘review” it certainly is.
They will almost certainly win The President’s Trophy. Last season, the Colorado Avalanche won both the relatively meaningless President’s Trophy and the real goal (pun if it is, intended as you need to score goals), the Stanley Cup.
However, there have not been too many recent examples of a team winning both of those.
A word on the Canadiens of ’76-’77 and the fact they won it all 4 straight seasons. Right now the Bruins are not close to as good and very likely never will be.
Look it up, as Montreal in 2 straight seasons went (24-3) in the “what counts” playoffs and “titled” in ’76 and ’77.
Boston will not come anywhere near that feat and if they do, I will admit the error of my statement.
Click above for highlights of the Canadiens’ game 4 win at Boston, vs a good Bruins’ team, to sweep the ’77 final.
Jacques Lemaire had both Montreal goals in the (2-1) overtime, Saturday night clinching game.
The great Danny Gallivan is the play by play broadcaster with Dick Irvin providing commentary.
Alas, did you note the March 8th date, as then it marked 41 years since two other great sports rivals, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali met for the heavyweight boxing crown.
Joe Frazier won that night and Ali would win the last two of their 3 epic bouts.
I would like to think with now, all 4 of these greats gone from this, they are enjoying each other’s company in a better place, enriched with the knowledge their great rivalries made them and us, to a large degree, better.
Maybe Ali and Frazier are again driving from Philadelphia to New York, Ali talking incessantly with Joe actually enjoying/enduring it from behind the wheel.
Wilt and “Russ” might be playing with Bill’s great electric trains. That reminds me of Moses, no not the great denied the “promised land” “despite,” man, but Malone.
See last night (cue Marilyn McCoo and the Fifth Dimension) as “I could not sleep,” and a recording cited Russell’s praise of Malone’s greatness in ’83, as “here comes that train again.”
The Moses Malone train was on time, leading his 76ers to their lone crown in the 55 seasons (Wilt once had 55 rebounds in a game!!) since Wilt led a great ’67 team to the title, the one time in 8 playoff series any of his teams (the Warriors, Sixers or Lakers) won vs Bill Russell’s Celtics.
Today marks the 61 year anniversary of Wilton Norman Chamberlain scoring 100 points in a single game, having done so on March 2, 1962 in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
It is the first time Wilt’s great feat is remembered without 11 time NBA champion Bill Russell, as with Wilt, who died 23 and a half years ago, no longer on the earth.
Speaking of 23, it is noted that the (in my opinion) undeserving, #23, LeBron James now holds the all-time NBA career scoring record. Another time, I will detail why another #23, Michael Jordan, again, in my opinion, has a discernibly better “body of work” than James.
Though I reviewed Mr. Russell well, (see below) in a show about Wilt’s 100 in which he recited Wilt’s full name as I did above, again another time regarding friends not talking as was the now under publicized situation involving Wilt and “Russ,” starting after the latter’s final game, of course a title winner vs Wilt, on May 5, 1969.
It has been a while since I posted a video of the great television show, “What’s My Line?”
As a bit of a make up, below I think you will enjoy the show from May 23, 1954 with the great Ted Williams as the mystery guest.
John Charles Daly is the show’s host. Panelists that Sunday night after an exciting (10-9) Red Sox win at Yankee Stadium vs the Yankees in one of just two seasons the Yankees did not win the A.L. Pennant from (1949-1964), were Dorothy Kilgallen, Steve Allen, Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf.
Of course a la, as noted by Morris Carnovsky (“A.R. Lowenthal”) regarding James Caan’s “Axel,” in “The Gambler,” Mr. Williams had on his “favorite tie.”
He was not wearing one.
I noted the 5/10 years ago teams to win the NFL crown and also the same calendar years as 2022 that did so.
However, I neglected to cite or “consider” the two “all the way” AFL crowns in such situations and thus missed the winner, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sixty years earlier in 1962, as the Dallas Texans, (similar in name to this year’s winning field goal(s) maker, Harrison “B”utk”ER,”) it was Tommy “B”rook”ER,” who also booted a short field goal, his in the second overtime of the AFL Championship Game, that gave the Texans, playing their last season in Dallas, before becoming the Kansas City Chiefs, the title.
The Texans defeated the Houston Oilers in that game.
Houston had won the first two AFL crowns, including the first one, that in “same calendar” as 2022, 1960.
Of course, the current baseball championship team resides in Houston, namely the Astros, whose first season as the then Colt-45’s, was in 1962.
I still hope to talk with Abner Haynes, an integral member of the ’62 AFL champion Dallas Texans and later among the leaders, as players protested the ’65 AFL All Star tilt locale being in segregated New Orleans.
Another Houston “link,” as the game was moved there. It was played at Jeppesen Stadium, the site of the Texans 1962 AFL title game, 2 OT’s win vs the Houston Oilers, now the Tennessee Titans.
Surprise, or as Jim Nabors’ “Gomer Pyle” (ode to the Bears Mike Pyle “over the ball,” as the team’s center) would say, “surprise/surprise,” as I cite baseball begins today, with two exhibition games, one at Surprise Stadium, in Surprise, Arizona.
In that game, the two teams that share the facility, the Kansas City Royals (today’s home team, on Sunday Texas will be the home team when they play again) and Texas Rangers will meet.
Texas, the big league team that has gone the longest without ever winning a title, ( 61 completed seasons, having begun play as the expansion Washington Senators in 1961 and oh the heartbreak of the 2011 World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and David Freese’s great play) is now managed by Bruce Bochy, who guided the Giants to 3 titles, the first of which in 2010, ended a 56 year/ 54 completed seasons title drought, as their last crown before 2010, came in 1954, as the New York Giants.
Speaking of the Giants and Surprise Stadium, one week hence, Giants’ “supporter deluxe” and a key member of the New York Giants Preservation Society, Steve Rothschild will throw out the first ball, at a game between the Giants and the Bochy managed Texas Rangers.
The Royals start 2023 with two titles and with the only other Kansas City major sports league team, the Chiefs, having just won a third crown, meaning they “held” the Lombardi Trophy.
Claude Osteen helped turn the ’65 World Series in the Dodgers’ favor as he won game 3 at home, to cut the Minnesota Twins (the original Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins in 1961) W.S. lead to (2-1).
In ’61 Osteen was traded by the pennant winning Cincinnati Reds to the first year Senators in September.
In return, the Reds received pitcher, Dave Sisler, the son of the great player George Sisler.
Andy B Sports 