12 ‘offs teams, expanded and sold out/no playoff games for tied ‘offs spots 2022 baseball, I think has there 6, one eighth “div” winners, 5 almost certain and only the Mets /Braves still unsettled (even there the Mets up one and a half with the tiebreaker are huge favorites).
There will be details and notes but today a quick foray back to Sunday May 14th’s, 5 years apart in 1967 and 1972.
In ’67 the great Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run in a game vs the Baltimore Orioles.
5 years later on another Sunday May 14th, another great (sorry New York Giants Preservation Society members who call Willie, a player I truly love, the greatest of all–that goes to Babe Ruth and also Dave McNally and Jim Mason hit more World Series HR’s than the great Willie) Willie Mays in his first game as a New York Mets player, hit a home run.
The 5 div winners in order of record are the Dodgers, Astros, Yankees, Cardinals and Guardians nee Indians. The Mets/Braves winner will be the N.L. 2 seed.
It happens seemingly every day, some coincidence, a confluence of events and sadly amidst many and 4 days shy of 60 years since he broke Ty Cobb’s 47 year old record of 96 stolen bases in a season, the great player, Maury Wills, shamefully not in the Hall of Fame while on this deteriorating earth, died at age 89.
I guess you know a player (Aaron Judge) has become the third American League player, all playing for the New York Yankees, to hit as many as 60 home runs in a season and it probably deserves at least some of the hype (Jane Krakowski cited Judge in a recent Town Hall number) that has manifested.
That takes me back to September 23, 1962 when the great broadcaster Bob Murphy cited Maury breaking Ty’s record was as great as Roger Maris breaking Babe Ruth’s hallowed one season home run mark the year before.
Wills played on 3 L.A. Dodgers’ title teams, sparking them upon “call up” in 1959 and as a superb regular shortstop in both 1963 and 1966.
In the ’65 World Series in no game did a team with the lead after a full inning, lose a game. Maury helped, “keyed?” and certainly started the Dodgers on the way to the all important lead, (remember L.A. had brilliant pitching with Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale in those games. Claude Osteen had turned the World Series around with a shutout win in #3) in both games 4 and 5.
Speaking of Sandy Koufax and this is sharper focus as I watched “The U.S. and the Holocaust” last night, he and Maury read each other’s hate mail, applying humor to a sad, horrible reality regarding prejudice in this world and in the land of the ….. as Sandy is Jewish and Maury’s skin was darker than white.
Maury had impact and you could not write the history of baseball in his era without citing him. That is not true regarding Jim Kaat and even Pedro “Tony” Oliva, each of whom unlike Maury, made the watered down “Hall” while alive, something Mr. Wills will never gain.
Oh let me go see another middle of the game gambling ad sanctioned and encouraged by baseball while they still deny Pete Rose entry into the aforementioned “shrine” in Cooperstown, New York.
Finally putting some of the vitriol aside, Maury was an integral part of baseball glory and led the way for Lou Brock, Tim Raines, all-time stolen base king, Rickey Henderson and Maury contemporary, Luis Aparicio, as he put the stolen base back in baseball.
Yesterday, in the third of the four WNBA title round tilts that “played” opposite big time pro football, the Las Vegas Aces secured their first WNBA crown in this their/the league’s 26th season, winning (77-71) as bet from pick to one plus points) favorites.
The game 4 win gave the Aces a (3-1) final round series win.
Chelsea Gray was named series MVP and led with 20 points in the clinching game. I note the Aces’ player, Kelsey Plum and their first year coach Becky Hammon, the latter pictured in a previous WNBA post here.
The game has 3 Robinsons, all of whom players or in one case a coach on 2 title teams. Frank and Brooks Robinson had led the Orioles to the ’66 A.L. Pennant and then superb O’s pitching yielded O’s (all I have for breakfast is O’s cereal) as in shutouts vs the Dodgers to sweep the World Series. The other Robinson is the Yankees Bill Robinson, 13 years later a title winning player with the Pirates and 19 years later the ’86 title winning Mets’ first base coach. Frank and Brooks won it all one more time, that with the ’70 Orioles.
Baltimore is off slow in ’67, that Sunday the Red Sox are leading the league leading Detroit Tigers in a game in which Carl Yastrzemski, Rico Petrocelli and Dick McAuliffe all hit home runs. On another ’67 Sunday back when baseball was real, those 3 names/players would echo loud as did others as an epic one half/had to finish first pennant race concluded.
Two of the greatest fielders ever to play the still great game of baseball, Brooks Robinson and a just starting Mark Belanger (another great, the O’s regular shortstop, Luis Aparichio is injured) make early inning errors.
The Yankees score 3 runs in the bottom of the first, Steve Whitaker delivering the big hit. Bill Robinson makes the inning’s last out then Frank Robinson singles to start the Orioles second and one batter later, Brooks Robinson walks.
Operative number Three years later, Horace Clarke of the Yankees broke up 3 no-hitters in the ninth inning. In a Jim Palmer one hitter in ’67, I believe two days earlier, Clarke got the game’s only hit.
If you can tell me something pretty historic about this game and one also played in new York exactly 5 years later, please comment. I will post on that within days.
During the 1970’s the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates combined to win 12 “one quarter/legitimate” division titles.
They met in the NLCS 4 times and one team or the other qualified for the NLCS every year from (1970-1976).
Neither will make the 12 team, 6 in each league, tournament this season.
This past week after the Pittsburgh Steelers won at the Cincinnati Bengals in yet another Eagle/Steelers tilt
(alas once the Eagles and Steelers combined to be the Steagles and once Pittsburgh affiliated Ray Scott gave us clear, concise great broadcasting that now non existent).
A day later the Pirates began a series also in “Cincy,” in which the Pirates swept 4 games.
Carlos Alcaraz, only 19 years old became the youngest player since Pete Sampras in 1990, to win the U.S. Open when he defeated Casper Ruud in 4 sets, two days back.
Alcaraz had won three consecutive, grueling 5 set matches before prevailing in 4 sets in the final.
He is now the youngest ever number one ranked player in men’s tennis history.
Iga Swiatek won her first U.S. Open and third major tennis crown, defeating Ons Jabeur (6-2, 7-6) in their final round match yesterday.
Of course the victory is barely publicized, that juxtaposed with the publicity afforded Serena Williams.
Today Carlos Alcaraz is about a 2 to 1 favorite, vs Casper Ruud in the men’s final.
The match begins around 4 P.M. Eastern Time.
Iga Swiatek, pictured above.
The Connecticut Sun scored the last 18 points of the tilt and upset the defending WNBA champion, Chicago Sky (72-63), who were 4 point(s) plus favorites and led by 9 points in the last 4 minutes of play.
Connecticut, which plays at an arena that is part of Mohegan Sun Casino, will open the best of 5 title series in casino abundant, Las Vegas, vs the higher seeded Aces, at 3 P.M. Eastern Time on Sunday, with ABC telecasting the tilt.
Last season, the lower seeded Sky upset the Sun in the semis and went on to win the crown.
This year lower seeded Connecticut pulled the upset.
Let’s see 5 cards and an Ace at the end.
My prediction “honors” the 5 as it will go the maximum 5 games, however, “here comes (a/the) Sun title.
NEW YORK — Hoops Cabaret (48 West 33rd Street) is a great place to watch the championship boxing event featuring Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin on Saturday night, September 17th.
Boxing history will be made as future hall of famers Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin meet for a third and final time, with Alvarez’s WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF Championships at stake.
After years of being patient, boxing fans will finally get to see the trilogy fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. The bout takes place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, just like the last two bouts between the two.
At Hoops Cabaret and Sports Bar, fans can watch all the action on the club’s futuristic Mega-Tron Video Wall and numerous HD TVs and flat screens.
You will also enjoy the sexy Hoops Cabaret girls who perform on stage and up close and personal. Hoops Cabaret combines the fun of a sports bar with the excitement of a gentlemen’s club.
And be sure to check out menu items like fried Lobster Tails, Short-rib Sliders, Lemon Pepper Wings, and Kobe Beef Hot Dogs.
HOOPS Cabaret and Sports Bar and its acclaimed second floor “VIP Man Cave” is located at 48 West 33rd Street, New York City, next door to the world famous Rick’s Cabaret NYC.
Andy B Sports 