STARTING FIVE

1. Mustang Memory

That’ll be California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo making its NCAA tournament debut this evening in Dayton. Although, are you really in the tourney if you don’t advance beyond the play-in game? Despite a 13-19 record –10-19 before it played and won its conference tourney– Cal Poly-SLO is favored tonight versus Texas Southern.

Strangely enough, the school’s most well-known athletic moment also occurred in Ohio. On October 29, 1960, after a football loss at Bowling Green, Cal Poly-SLO’s plane crashed on takeoff and burst into flames. Twenty-two of the 48 people on board, including 16 players, perished.

2. Miss You

You may have read that a famous fashion designer allegedly committed suicide in New York City on Monday.

You may have read that Mick Jagger’s longtime companion committed suicide in New York City on Monday.

You probably read both, within a comma of one another.

The death of L’Wren Scott, who stood six-foot-three, garnered attention simply for the way it was covered. Were media outlets doing Scott a disservice by noting her attachment to Jagger? Am I doing her a disservice by noting her height? Did she do herself a disservice by committing suicide?

Anyway, the Rolling Stones postponed their tour in Australia and New Zealand in the wake of the news.

3. Bad Timing Award…

…goes to Damon Lindelof, creator of the show “Lost.” To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the show’s premiere, Lindelof assembled most of the cast for a reunion at PaleyFest in Los Angeles this week. During a Q & A session with the audience, guess what topic was preemptively declared off-limits?

4. Worried?

The Captain, Derek Jeter, is batting .147 in vernal ball after 34 at-bats. Are the Bombers concerned? Should they be? You know who isn’t concerned? Pete Rose.

5. Darwin Award Nominee

Is it better or worse to be released from this mortal coil due o a silly accident? John Anderson, 53, of Grapevine, Texas, perished when he fell 350 feet off the South Rim of the Grand Canyon* last Saturday. It is believed that Anderson was leaning over to retrieve a hat when he plummeted. An average of two to three people per year die from falls each year at America’s largest cavity.

* Rule No. 1

Reserves

Barack-etology: POTUS, as a Final Four picker, is a staunch conservative, taking No. 1 seeds Florida and Arizona as well as everyone’s favorite non-No. 1 seeds, Louisville and Michigan State.

****
Helicopter crash of a local news station’s copter near the Space Needle in Seattle kills two.

***

Pearl Jam at Auburn: The Tigers hire Bruce Pearl as their new basketball coach.

The Hall

Charter Inductees: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner

1937:  Tris Speaker, CF; Cy Young, P ; 1938: Grover Cleveland Alexander, P; Eddie Collins, 2B 1939:Nap Lajoie, 2B; Joe Jackson, LF; 1940: Billy Hamilton, OF; Cap Anson, 1B; 1941: Wee Willie Keeler, RF; George Sisler, 1B; 1942: Rogers Hornsby, 2B; Pie Traynor, 3B; 1943: Mickey Cochrane, C; Frankie Frisch, 2B 1944: Ed Walsh, P; Old Hoss Radbourn, P 1945: Lou Gehrig, 1B; Kid Nichols, P 1946: Ed Delahanty, LF; Lefty O’Doul 1947: Pud Galvin, P; John McGraw, INF 1948: Carl Hubbell, P; Addie Joss, P 1949: Harry Heilman, OF/1B; Monte Ward, P/SS 1950: Cool Papa Bell, CF; Jimmie Foxx, 1B 1951: Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, P; Josh Gibson, C 1952: Paul Waner, RF; Charlie Gehringer, 2B 1953: Mel Ott, RF; Hank Greenberg, 1B 1954: Eddie Plank, P; Dan Brouthers, 1B 1955: “Wahoo” Sam Crawford, OF; John Clarkson, P 1956: Chief Bender, P; Bill Dickey, C 1957: Sam Rice, RF; Joe DiMaggio, CF 1958: Bill Terry, 1B; Heinie Manush, LF 1959: Dizzy Dean, P; Tim Keefe, P 

1960: Gabby Hartnett, C; Mickey Welch, P 1961: Bob Feller, P; Ducky Medwick, LF 1962: Luke Appling, SS; Jesse Burkett, LF 1963 Jackie Robinson, 2B; Zack Wheat, LF 1964: Jake Beckley, 1B; Rube Waddell, P 1965: Ralph Kiner, 1B; Lefty Grove, P 1966: Ted Williams, LF; Smoky Joe Wood, P/OF 1967: Roy Campanella, C; Max Carey, OF 1968: Goose Goslin, LF; Rabbit Maranville, SS 1969: Stan Musial, 1B/OF 1970: Ferris Fain, 1B; Earle Combs, CF 1971: Warren Spahn, P; Yogi Berra, C 1972 Satchel Paige, P; Sandy Koufax, P 1973: Robin Roberts, P; Whitey Ford, P1974: Mickey Mantle, CF; Eddie Mathews, 3B 1975: Lefty Gomez, P; Hack Wilson, CF 1976: Jack Pfiester, P; Johnny Mize, 1B 1977: Ernie Banks, SS; Mickey Welch, P

1978

Roberto Clemente, RF; 1955-1972, Pirates

One of baseball’s true greats, Clemente landed exactly on 3,000 hits (in his final at-bat of the ’72 season) and would have had more if he hadn’t perished in a plane crash while on a goodwill mission to Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve. A 15-time All-Star and 12-time Gold Glove winner, National League MVP (1966) and World Series MVP (1971), he was the epitome of the five-tool player.

Chuck Klein, RF; 1928-1944, Phillies, Cubs, Pirates

“The Hoosier Hammer” hit .337 or better in each of his first six Major League seasons and led the National League in home runs in four of them. His single-season bests were .368 in 1933 and 48 homers in 1929. Klein was named National League MVP in 1932, but did not repeat in ’33 even though he won the Triple Crown. After baseball Klein ran a bar and had a drinking problem, never a good combo. He died at age 53.

Remote Patrol

Iowa vs. Tennessee

TRU 9 p.m.

Two super-conference schools meet in Dayton. The Vols led No. 1 Florida at halftime by 10 points in the SEC semi-finals just five days earlier, while the Hawkeyes have lost six of their past seven. So, of course, take Iowa.