STARTING FIVE

1. Opera in Austria

This is the Bregenz Festival — or Bregenzer Festspiele, if you prefer — a performing arts fest that has been staged on Lake Constance, literally, since the first summer after the end of the Second World War. The opera is the main event, but there are dozens of smaller performances and this in a town that, when the festival was, ahem, launched, did not even possess a theater in its town (Bregenz).

The festival takes place in July and August, and I’d never heard of it before yesterday, so I thought I’d add it before I forgot. Got vacation plans?

2. Plucky Plains People Plucked

Wichita State. Creighton. North Dakota State. Kansas. 

They all went down this weekend.

The Shockers deserved it least, running into a Kentucky team that has discovered chemistry and purpose in the past 10 days. That contest was a classic, particularly in the second half.

The Bluejay Way (Did it say that on their warmups, and can the Beatles sue them?) was not fit for facing an athletic Baylor club in San Antonio.

The Bison lost on Saturday night, leading to a teary-eyed coach, Saul Phillips, who remarked that Charles Barkley would make fun of him for crying. Barkley did not –at least not until Sunday. After Kansas fell to Stanford, CBS’ cameras showed a prepubescent lad, a Jayhawk fan, in tears, to which Charles quipped, “That boy is gonna grow up to coach North Dakota State.”

3. James Rebhorn, R.I.P.

You knew his face, if not his name.

James Rebhorn’s film credits include “Scent of a Woman”, “My Cousin Vinny”, “Basic Instinct”, “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, “Guarding Tess”, “Carlito’s Way”, “Lorenzo’s Oil” and perhaps most memorably, “Meet the Parents.”

He was the D.A. on the final episode of “Seinfeld”, as well as a recurring character on “30 Rock” and a featured character on “Homeland.”

Always working. Usually playing lawyers or FBI types, often in the role of an antagonist.

 

 

 

There was something about that thin, angular face that made Rebhorn, who passed away this weekend at age 65, perfect for those cold roles. He never got to play the role he was born for, though: a real-life Montgomery Burns in live-action version of “The Simpsons.”

 

 

 

 

4. Today’s Conspiracy Theory

Item: The San Antonio Spurs have the NBA’s best record (53-16) and the league’s longest win streak, 13 games.

Item: The Philadelphia SickSirs have the league’s second-worst record (15-55) and its longest losing streak, 24 games.

Item: The NBA’s longest losing streak ever is 26 games, by the Cadaverliers just two years ago. If Philly loses tonight, they’d have to beat Houston on the road to avoid tying Cleveland’s mark.

Item: Philly isn’t beating the Rockets in Houston (they’d get Detroit at home to avoid breaking the mark, and that game’s a toss-up).

Item: Philly’s coach is Brett Brown, who spent the previous 11 seasons before this one working as an assistant for Gregg Popovich or in the Spurs’ front office.

Item: Gregg Popovich pauses not one moment to consider whether or not the league office is happy with him or his team’s decorum.

Suggestion: The Spurs might just lose tonight. Throw the game? Perhaps not, but I could see Pop giving his three Hall of Famers the night off. And, granted, SAS should still win even without them, but I wouldn’t be suprised if Pop’s pretty low-key about how his team plays tonight. Expect to see a lot of Jeff Ayres and Austin Daye.

5. Good Will Gardner Hunting

They killed Knox Overstreet. In a courtroom. In “The Good Wife.” 

Which is not to be confused with free web access at Starbucks, which I refer to as “The Good Wifi.”

Seriously, when more main characters die on a Sunday night in “The Good Wife” than in “Walking Dead”, something’s wrong.

Now what does Josh Charles do? Wait for a “Sports Night” reunion?

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; Chuck Klein, RF 1979: Willie Mays, CF; Luis Aparicio,  SS 1980: Al Kaline, RF; Enos Slaughter, RF

1981

Bob Gibson, P; 1959-1975, St. Louis Cardinals

A five-time 20-game winner, Gibby’s 1968 season was a masterpiece, arguably the greatest season a starter has had since Sandy Koufax left the mound: Gibson went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA, 13 shutouts and 268 strikeouts (the last three stats led the N.L.). In Game 1 of the World Series that season, he struck out 17 Detroit Tigers.

The following year, Major League Baseball lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10 inches in what became known as “The Gibson Rule.”

Two World Series rings (and two World Series MVPs), nine All-Star Game appearances and nine Gold Gloves, two Cy Youngs. The lowest one-season E.R.A. in the modern era (1.12) and the most strikeouts ever in a World Series contest. Gibby (251-174) enters the VIP room of the Hall.

Harmon Killebrew, 1B; 1954-1975, Minnesota Twins

“Killer” led the American League in home runs six different seasons between 1959 and 1969, clouting more than 40 in each of those years. His 573 career fence-clearers are the fifth-most in baseball’s pre-steroid history. An All-Star in 11 of his seasons, Killebrew was also the American League MVP in 1969.

 Remote Patrol

How I Melt Your Mother

CBS 8 p.m.

There have been some legen…wait for it…day aspects of HIMYM, not excluding its acronym: “Slap Bet”, for example, or the number “Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit.” The early seasons had a fresh, non-formulaic, truly fun aspect to them all anchored around one love-sick boy’s sober search for a wife (which, by the very title of the show, we knew would happen). It was…silly, but not superficial.

I’ve not been a fan of the last season, which was the Steve Nash at 40 of seasons (“I want the money”), but maybe we should all watch tonight’s penultimate episode. By the way, it may only be a coincidence that in real life Barney Stinson and Steve Nash turned 40 in the same year.