 | 1996: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors I usually like to leave game recaps up to Hoopsencyclopedia because he's "the man" for it, but I've taken it upon myself to cover a game that on the surface may not mean a lot, but underneath went on to hold it's own high-value for multiple reasons. To many young fans today, this isn't exactly a historical game - and for good reason. In the context of basketball history, not many regular season games are truly memorable, classic, or historical. But many also become classics in their own right, for records made, or for final meetings. This one has a little mix of everything - including Toronto's largest ever crowd of over 36,000 fans at the Sky Dome. In their previous meeting of the '95-'96 season Michael was the acclaimed "Raptor killer", sinking the Raptors and posting 14 fourth quarter points. In this game, he posts 36 points on 63.6% shooting (14-22) with 15 in the fourth quarter. Amazingly, 13 of his 15 fourth quarter points come in the last 4 minutes and 20 seconds of playing time. These were the games of his post-baseball career (seemingly happened a lot in 95-96) that made you wish his team wasn't as great as it was, just so you could see him continue to light it up all game long. Unfortunately, Michael never did anything that wasn't necessary. The expansion team, Toronto Raptors, face off against Michael Jordan and a Bulls team that went on to win an all time NBA record of 72 regular season wins. But what the 36,131 fans that packed the Sky Dome on this night may not realise, is that they were watching a story filled with subplots unfold upon the hardwood of a basketball court. Michael Jordan. Alvin Robertson. Damon Stoudamire. Chicago Bulls. Toronto Raptors. 72. 8. What people don't realise, though, is that the Raptors that year were actually stacked with talent that could do harm in any league of any era had they have had the correct team chemistry, confidence, and playing time required to do so. Damon Stoudamire was a rookie, who, in my opinion is one of the most underrated PG talents of our generation. In the 95-96 season, he went on to win ROY and set multiple records including a then record 133 3PT FG's for a rookie. He was also chasing second place for most assists by a rookie, on the tail of Oscar Robertson. He went on to post 19.0ppg and 9.3apg (something that the top PGs of the league today fail to do), while setting multiple franchise records for the Toronto Raptors that still stand today, including most assists by a player (19). In this game, he seemed to be having a shoot out with Steve Kerr and Michael Jordan. Damon posted 30 points, 11 assists and went 6-8 from three point land. Then there's the subplot of Michael vs. Robertson. Great friends, old team mates ('84 olympics), and fierce competitors. History has it, that this would be the last time either of the old timers would face off against each other in professional competition (Robertson retired after '96). For those of you who don't know much about Alvin Robertson, he's perhaps one of the greatest perimiter, roaming, and lock down defenders to ever play the game. He's 1st all-time in steals per game, and he has an anticipation that many see players such as Bruce Bowen to have today. It's no coincidence or conspiracy that he was named DPOY in '85-'86. While both players here are far past their athletic and statistical prime (Jordan 33, Alvin 34), they don't fail to impress and excite. Alvin plays Jordan's turnarounds like only few could; they battle hard for position and trash talk each other all night long. It's also notable that Alvin averaged 2.2 steals per game this season, which would've been good enough for first place in 06-07. Of course, Michael was no defensive slouch either ;), coincidentally averaging 2.2spg. With far too much already said... I'll leave the game to unfold. Enjoy. |
 | Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers2006 The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are in the Central Division of the National League. The team began in Seattle, Washington for one season before changing names and moving to Milwaukee. The Brewers were part of the American League from their creation as an expansion club in 1969 through the 1997 season, after which they switched to the National League. 1966-69: No longer "Home of the Braves" After 12 years in Milwaukee, the Braves baseball club moved to Atlanta following the 1965 season. The Braves brought a World Series title to Milwaukee in 1957 when the club defeated the New York Yankees for the championship of baseball. The next season, the Braves lost to the Yankees in the 1958 World Series. In an effort to prevent the relocation of the Milwaukee Braves to a larger television market, Braves minority owner Bud Selig, a Milwaukee-area car dealer, formed an organization named "Teams Inc." devoted to local control of the club. He successfully prevented the majority owners of the Braves from moving the club in 1964, but was unable to do more than delay the inevitable. The Braves relocated to Atlanta after the 1965 season, and Teams Inc. turned its focus to returning Major League Baseball to Milwaukee. Program for a 1969 Chicago White Sox game played in Milwaukee.Selig doggedly pursued this goal, attending owners meetings in the hopes of securing an expansion franchise. Selig changed the name of his group to "Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club Inc." The "Brewers" name, honoring Milwaukee's beer-brewing tradition, also was traditional for Milwaukee baseball teams going back into the 19th century. The city had hosted a major league team by that name in 1901, a charter member of the American League, which relocated at the end of that season to become the St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles). From 1902 through 1952, a minor league Milwaukee Brewers club in the American Association had been so successful that it lured the Braves from Boston. Selig himself had grown up watching that minor league team at Borchert Field and intended his new franchise to follow in that tradition. To demonstrate there still was support for big-league ball in Milwaukee, Selig's group contracted with the Chicago White Sox to host nine White Sox home games at Milwaukee County Stadium in 1968. A 1967 exhibition game between the White Sox and Minnesota Twins had attracted more than 51,000 spectators, and Selig was convinced the strong Milwaukee fan base would demonstrate the city would provide a good home for a new club. The experiment was staggeringly successful—those nine games drew 264,297 fans. In Chicago that season, the Sox drew 539,478 fans to their remaining 58 home games. In just a handful of games, the Milwaukee crowds accounted for nearly one-third of the total attendance at White Sox games. In light of this success, Selig agreed County Stadium would host Sox home games again the next season. Selig went into the 1968 owners meetings with high hopes, believing this fan support lent legitimacy to his quest for a Milwaukee franchise, but these hopes were dashed when National League franchises were awarded to San Diego (the Padres) and Montreal (the Expos), and American League franchises were awarded to Kansas City (the Royals) and Seattle (the Pilots). That last franchise, however, would figure very prominently in Selig's future. Dodgers |
 | Sonics-Warriors 126-121 [Durant 42pts,13reb vs Ellis 24pts] OAKLAND, Calif., April 16, 2008 (AP) -- Kevin Durant set career highs with 42 points and 13 rebounds in his first professional double-double, and Jeff Green added 27 points to help the SuperSonics win what could have been their final game as a Seattle team, beating the Golden State Warriors 126-121 on Wednesday night. A strong season-ending performance by a pair of talented rookies would normally be a bright spot for fans of a lottery-bound team. But with the NBA Board of Governors set to vote later this week to approve the Sonics' move to Oklahoma City after 41 years in the Emerald City, it's unclear which fans will benefit. Political leaders in Washington state are trying to delay the vote and there's also the chance that a judge will rule the team must occupy the arena for the final two seasons of its lease. But if owner Clay Bennett has his way, the team's next game will be as a franchise in Oklahoma City. Even by beating Dallas and Golden State in the final two games of the season, the Sonics (20-62) posted the worst record in their history, winning three fewer games than they did in their expansion 1967-68 season. The Warriors (48-34) head into the offseason with their own uncertainty following the most successful regular season for the franchise since winning 50 games in 1993-94. Normally, a team with 48 wins would be preparing for the playoffs instead of the draft lottery. But the Warriors were the victim of a power-packed Western Conference that had eight teams reach the 50-win mark and had been officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 122-116 loss at Phoenix on Monday night. The Warriors had the most wins by a team that failed to make the playoffs since the league went to the 16-team postseason format in 1984, while Philadelphia (40-42) and Atlanta (37-45) made the playoffs in the East with losing records. Don Nelson said before the game that he would decide by around July 1 whether he would return for a third season as coach in Golden State. Star point guard Baron Davis must decide whether he will opt out of his contract and executive vice president Chris Mullin must retool a roster of potential free agents. Davis scored 21 points in 39 minutes after mysteriously being benched for the second half of Monday's loss in Phoenix. Monta Ellis led the way with 24 points, Andris Biedrins had 20 points and 17 rebounds and rookie Marco Belinelli had a career-high 17 points. The Warriors did accomplish one feat, becoming the first team in 17 years to have three players average 20 points per game. Davis finished at 21.8, Ellis at 20.2 and Stephen Jackson at 20.1. The Warriors were also the last team to do it in 1990-91, when Mullin (25.7), Mitch Richmond (23.9) and Tim Hardaway (22.9) pulled off the trick. Notes: Golden State set a franchise attendance record by averaging 19,631 per game. The team had 32 sellouts in 41 home games. ... Houston missed the playoffs with 45 wins in 2000-01. ... The Warriors went 8-11 over their final 19 games. ... The city of Seattle pulled off a sweep at the Coliseum complex as the Mariners beat the Athletics 4-2 in a baseball game played at the same time. |
 | Nashua New Hampshire (NH) Real Estate Tour http://www.nashuanhproperty.com - Tour Nashua, NH neighborhoods, condominium developments, subdivisions, schools, landmarks, recreational areas, and town offices. Nashua, New Hampshire is located on the Massachusetts border on Interstate Route 3, and thusly is known as the "Gate City." Since a commercial development boom in the 1980s, the city of Nashua has served as a shopping mecca for those seeking to avoid Massachusetts sales tax. Built around the now-departed textile industry, in recent decades Nashua has been swept up in southern New Hampshire's economic expansion as part of the Greater Boston region. Several major high-tech companies call Nashua home, such as Compaq (formerly Digital Equipment Corp.), Nashua Corp., and BAE Systems, formerly Sanders a Lockeed-Martin company. The city also plays host to New Hampshire's only professional baseball team, the Nashua Pride, which plays in the independent Atlantic League. Nashua was first granted as part of a 200-square-mile tract of land in Massachusetts called Dunstable. After New Hampshire formally separated from Massachusetts in 1741, the state line was redraw, and the land that now comprises Nashua fell within New Hampshire's new border. Situated at the confluence of the Nashua with the Merrimack River, Nashua - still known as Dunstable until the 1830's - emerged as a major industrial city over the course of the 19th century. By 1836, the city's cotton mills produced 9.3 million yards of cotton annually; on December 31st of the same year, Dunstable was officially renamed Nashua for the river that provided so much of its water power. While most Nashua's old mills ceased operations in the decades after World War I, the arrival of several high tech-firms in the region shortly after World War II drove an economic resurgence which continues to the present day. The arrival of the highways brought an influx of new residents and commuters as Nashua became an integral part of the Boston-area high-tech corridor. By the end of the 20th century, Nashua sat at the heart of one of the richest and most prosperous regions in the country. At the outset of the 21st century, Nashua and the Southern New Hampshire region look to enjoy continued economic and residential growth for the forseeable future. Centrally located near the cities of Manchester, Concord, Boston and Worcester, Nashua offers easy access to the scenic Lakes Region, the snowy peaks of the White Mountains, New Hampshire's beautiful Atlantic Ocean coast and the idyllic seaside villages of Cape Cod. The city Nashua boasts a newly revived downtown area, easy access to major highways, 10 outdoor skating rinks, four public swimming pools, and more than 25 parks and playgrounds. Money magazine has chosen the Nashua area as the "best place to live" twice: first in 1987 and most recently in 1997. For other town tours visit http://www.virtualhomes.com . For towns in NH visit http://www.nh-virtualhomes.com . For NH relocation information go to http://www.nhrelocation.com . |
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![Don\](images/articles/thumbs/beachrainthumb.jpg "Don\")
