The Tribune

Sporting Mischief and Mayhem

By INIGO 'NAUGHTY' ZENICAZELAYA

I MUST admit ‘Buddymania’ has me all worn out.

Ah, but what an exhilarating ride it was from start to finish. Despite the lopsided ending, a whopping 44-point defeat to Villanova, it was a huge win for the Wildcats who must be commended in their own right, for executing a flawless game plan at both ends of the court, handcuffing ‘Buddy’ Hield and the rest of the Oklahoma Sooners in the process.

Hats off to ‘Buddy’ on an outstanding career at Oklahoma but also for being a sterling example for our youth, especially our lost males. With all that’s going on around us at home, thank you for making me proud to be Bahamian again ‘Buddy’.

Where does ‘Buddy’ go from here? The NBA lottery. Duh!

And like I’ve been saying for months on ‘The Press Box’ (Sundays 10am to 1pm, KISS FM) if the lottery balls bounce in the favour of my Lakers we will be fine, and ‘Buddy’ Hield might just be the next star to shine in Lakerland.

• Here’s how I predict the

NBA Draft will play out.

If the Lakers pick first - Ben Simmons (F, LSU)

If the Lakers pick second - Brandon Ingraham (F, Duke)

If the Lakers pick third - Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield (SG/SF, Oklahoma)

‘Buddy’ has all the skills and the intangibles to fill needs at both ends of the court for the rebuilding, youthful Lakers. Also it continues a rich Bahamas-Laker heritage, Mychal Thompson, Rick Fox and ... now ‘Buddy’ Hield maybe?

Now to get my mind off of ‘Buddymania’ and ‘Wrestlemania’ and and all the other ‘manias’, I took a look back on what great occurrences took place today in sports history.

I’m sure every sports fan will enjoy this; it’s a day filled with the names of some of the greatest of all time, including Wilt Chamberlain making a cameo twice (unfortunately he’s been out-scored on this day). Let’s go back in time.

APRIL 5 IN

SPORTING HISTORY

1904: The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh and Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.

1915: Jess Willard knocks out Jack Johnson in 26 rounds for the world heavyweight boxing title.

1925: Yankees trounce Dodgers in an exhibition game in NYC. Babe Ruth collapses with an ulcer.

1940: 99th Grand National: Sgt Mervyn A Jones aboard Bogskar wins.

1946: 100th Grand National: Capt Robert Petre aboard Lovely Cottage wins.

1952: 106th Grand National: Arthur P Thompson aboard Teal wins.

1953: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open.

1959: 23rd Masters Golf Tournament: Art Wall Jr wins, shooting 284.

1964: Mary Lena Faulk wins LPGA St Petersburg Women’s Golf Open.

1967: ‘76er Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA single game rebounding record with 41 points.

1972: Baseball season is delayed due to a strike.

1973: NFL adopts jersey numbering system (ie QBs, 1-19).

1974: Last day of Test cricket for Garry Sobers and Rohan Kanhai.

1975: 129th Grand National: Tommy Carberry aboard L’Escargot wins.

1981: 10th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Classic won by Nancy Lopez.

1981: Philadelphia Flyers amass a record 2,621 penalty minutes.

1983: NY Mets Tom Seaver sets record 14th NL Opening Day start.

1984: Kareem Abdul Jabbar (31,421) breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time points scoring record (31,419).

1986: 140th Grand National: Richard Dunwoody aboard West Tip wins.

1987: 16th Nabisco Dina Shore Golf Championship won by Betsy King.

1987: Wayne Gretzky wins record seventh straight NHL scoring title.

1990: John Stockton, Utah Jazz point guard, reaches 1,000 assists for a record third season in a row.

1990: NY Rangers beat NY Islanders 2-1 in first game of NHL preliminaries.

1991: Joe Dumaars (Detroit) ends NBA free throw streak of 62 games.

1992: 11th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Stanford beats Western Kentucky 78-62.

1992: Lee Trevino wins Fourth Seniors Golf Tradition.

1992: Dana Lofland wins Las Vegas LPGA Golf International

1992: Game 2 of Mayor Challenge - NY Yankees sweep NY Mets 6-5 at Shea Stadium.

1993: 55th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: NC beats Michigan 77-71.

1993: Colorado Rockies first MLB game - lose to NY Mets 3-0.

1993: Florida Marlins first MLB game - beat LA Dodgers 6-3.

1994: Miami Heat beat NY Knicks ending 15 game NBA winning streak.

2003: 156th Grand National: Barry Geraghty aboard Monty’s Pass wins.

2004: 66th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Georgia Tech 82-73.

2005: 24th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Baylor beats Michigan State 84-62.

2008: 161st Grand National: Timmy Murphy aboard Comply or Die wins.

2010: 72nd NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Duke beats Butler 61-59.

2011: 30th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Texas A&M beats Notre Dame 76-70.

2014: 167th Grand National: Leighton Aspell aboard Pineau de Re wins.

• Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm, on KISS FM 96.1. Comments and questions to naughty@tribunemedia.net