(“The TEN” is not a top ten but ten items worth being included in ‘The TEN”)
- Former Lakers forward/ Clippers GM/ Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor passed away Monday at the age of 86.
- UCLA beat Abilene Christian 67-47 Monday to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Bruins will play Alabama Sunday.
- USC routed Kansas 85-51 Monday to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Trojans will play Oregon Sunday.
- Oregon State also is in the Sweet Sixteen after an 80-70 win over Oklahoma State giving the Pac -12 five teams in the Sweet Sixteen. The Beavers will face Loyola Chicago Saturday.
- Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson now has 16 lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault.
- Quarterback Joe Flacco, who played for the New York Jets last year, signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles to back up Jalen Hurts.
- Charlotte Hornets rookie guard LaMelo Ball fractured his wrist and is likely out for the year after undergoing surgery Tuesday.
- “Why is Bassett always part of everyone’s highlight reel?” – #SoCalKid on Twitter.
- Former Tennessee Titans cornerback Adoree Jackson signed a 3-year, $39 million deal with the New York Giants.
- Paraclete at Monrovia, Friday night 7:00 p.m.
@ Question Mark: Yes, many of those Laker simulcasts were great, and don’t forget the “slow-mo” replays. Chick Hearn was a classic, as were many of the players whose exploits he described.
The 1971-72 Laker team is my all-time favorite, and it was too bad that Elgin Baylor got to play in only a few games that season before he decided to retire.
However, his replacement at small forward, Jim McMillian, played very well and was one of the reasons why the ’71-’72 Lakers won the NBA championship. That team, which also included Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Happy Hairston, was the forerunner to the Lakers’ “Showtime” teams of the 1980’s.
Elgin Baylor helped make it possible by retiring at just the right time. The Lakers, whose record stood at 6-3 when he retired, promptly won a record 33 games in a row and eventually beat the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
Baylor did what was best for the team and deserved credit for that.
Baylor’s legacy was cemented by Chick Hearn. Chick’s calls about Baylor were poetry. “Hanging in the air, Elgin in the elevator and let the defense out on the 2nd floor as he went to the 10th. For awhile it was better to listen to the Chick and Hot Rod describe West and Baylor and all the greats on the radio than watch on TV but later the simocast came.
Before MJ and Doctor J, there was Elgin Baylor. He was a cross between James Worthy and Doctor J. He isn’t as well known to today’s kids because he didn’t view himself as a cultural icon, only a ball player. Great comfort to his friends and family.