Hopefully, a Happy Father’s Day was had by all “Dads, Daddys, Pops, Grandpas, Gramps, etc” out there! Those of us blessed to have or had caring, nurturing fathers and adult males in our lives know the importance of their guidance in our development at all stages of life.
If you’re like me and your father has passed on, you wish you could have one more chance to absorb some more of his lifetime of knowledge, one more time to shoot baskets or throw the ball around, one more opportunity to hear him laugh. For those of us fathers and father figures, always be aware of the impact you make on not only your offspring but also, eventually, your grandchildren, if fortunate to have them. You might not always notice their appreciation but be assured that it’s there!!
Sorry to hear of the passing of Loretta Swit a week ago. The actress brought Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan to life on the classic television version of “M*A*S*H”, transforming a character from a secondary thought to one of the main principals of the program along with Hawkeye, Trapper John, BJ Hunnicutt, Radar, Klinger, and Colonel Potter, among others. A true legend from the ‘70s and ‘80s!!
Congratulations to the Minster Wildcats on winning the D-VII OHSAA state baseball title. In claiming the school’s fourth state diamond championship, the ‘Cats took out a good Newark Catholic squad 8-0. The title was the vaunted Midwest Athletic Conference’s 152nd overall, an almost unbelievable record of athletic excellence for the small school affiliates!
Staying with baseball the NCAA College World Series is taking place in Omaha over the course of a ten-day period. The eight-team double-elimination tournament is filled with squads from the “power conferences” such as Arizona, Louisville, Oregon State, UCLA, Arkansas, and LSU, along with Coastal Carolina and Murray State (yes, the Racers from the Missouri Valley Conference!). Quality competition, rabid fan bases, and the old college enthusiasm make the CWS great television viewing!
This leads us to today’s trivia question, which so many of you anticipate! When was the last national baseball title won by a traditional Big Ten school and by whom?
The US Open golf tournament was played at one of the country’s premier courses, Oakmont, in the Pittsburgh region. Notorious for the challenging USGA conditions of fast undulating greens, thick rough, lengthy holes, and narrow fairways, the addition of rainy conditions at Oakmont made for four days of frustration for the world’s finest golfers. The rain saturated back nine on Sunday caused a war of attrition as contender after contender fell victim to the course before JJ Spaun, after bogeying five of the first six holes, finally caught fire with back to back birdies sealing the deal with a 64’5” putt on the 18th hole to claim his first major title.
The Pacers and the Thunder have traded comebacks in Indianapolis and Oklahoma City as the NBA Finals is all even at two games apiece in the best-of-seven series. Even casual fans have to be intrigued by the action as the two talented but fairly unknown teams hammer away at each other. Game Five takes place in the Sooner State Monday night, with Game Six scheduled for Thursday in Indy. Game Seven, if necessary, will be back in OKC next Sunday. Most fans couldn’t name three starters on each team before the playoffs began, but now the players have become household names for those watching.
Meanwhile, in the NHL, Florida’s Panthers hold a 3-2 advantage over the Edmonton Oilers in their quest for a second consecutive Stanley Cup trophy. For those of you with little interest in hockey, you at least owe it to yourself to check out the action!!
One final item before the answer to the trivia question is revealed. According to Fortune Magazine, Walmart is ranked #1 on the Fortune 500 List for the 13th consecutive year, a stretch during which it generated some $7 TRILLION in revenue. Second place, you wonder? Amazon, which is only $43 billion behind!
The 1966 Ohio State Buckeyes, under the direction of veteran Coach Marty Karow, claimed the national baseball title by defeating another OSU, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, in the CWS championship game. In finishing the season 27-6-1, the Bucks also claimed Big Ten honors with only a 6-0 league record—evidently, the spring weather limited the Scarlet and Gray in the number of league games, and they were declared “Champions of the West” even though Minnesota went 11-2 in conference action. The long drought of national titles can most likely be blamed in part on the climate found here in Big Ten territory! Have a great week!
