This NFL season’s penultimate week has 4 games (one on Friday/tomorrow/Christmas Day and three on Saturday) before eleven on Sunday and one on Monday night, thankfully the last Monday night (at least this season, but do not count on it being the end, unless Santa can change both the “clause” and the “dire course” we are on, enabling Levy and his ilk) of Steve ‘pivotal 7th game” Levy, who also stuck a veritable knife into Browns’ fans and certainly bettors, with his caustic “that’s how this should end remark,” after the Ravens “burn covered the Browns with a lateral/bs/ safety on Monday night December 14th.
This arrogant, “rich boy” has had the world handed to him on a silver platter. He has no play by play ability, (obviously his dearth of talent better hidden on television, than when he did not even attempt real play by play (this because, a la Suzyn Waldman, another of the many “thorns” to contemplate this season, by perhaps Scrooge like me, certainly bitter me, he CAN NOT do it) yet advances and is extremely arrogant.
Again “invoices” are appropriate, from those who lost that Balt/Cleve tilt, as his remark was exponentially “salt in the wound,” and surely Mr. Levy knew the point spread ramifications.
Now after my vitriol, stuff you will not get elsewhere.
This weekend Saturday December 26th and Sunday December 27th, marks the exact 50 year anniversary of the first 4 games divisional round/the slots NFL weekend.
5 of the 8 franchises playing before Saturday were among the 8 “first 4 team “div” round” participants 50 years earlier.
The (6-8) Vikings visiting the (10-4) Saints on Friday, lost at home in the slot 3/earlier Sunday tilt, exactly 50 years ago this Sunday.
San Francisco, but (5-9) this season and a long shot payout as a “worst to first in its division,” after blowing a significant Supe lead vs K.C. last season, was the team that beat the Vikings, that Sunday.
I believe Vikings’ coach Bud Grant, (a true gentleman, on one of the 17 Lakers’ titles and by the way, I do not fear LA and James this season, as I no longer care, still going at 93) did not allow his team to use heaters on the Metropolitan Stadium sidelines that day.
This Saturday, only on Amazon Prime ( seemingly everywhere I go there is an Amazon truck or package, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Remember that, but also Mr. Bezos, there is that saying about getting to heaven, a needle and being rich) Arizona (8-6) and ahead for the last ‘offs spot, is the S.F. opponent.
In the first ever NFC “div” game, the Detroit Lions (they are (5-9) this season and in what is incredible ineptitude have but one ‘offs win since copping their third title of the 1950’s, ripping the Browns in the ’57 NFL title tilt), lost (5-0), yes FIVE to NOTHING, at Dallas, vs the Cowboys.
Exactly 50 years later on another Saturday December 26th, the Lions are in action, hosting the (9-5) T.B. Buccaneers. The Bucs’ QB, “a man named Brady,” will almost certainly be in the ‘offs, for an astounding 18th time in the 19 seasons, in which he played in more than one game.
Finally, there is an actual 50 years later redux of a 1970 “slots” tilt, this one day less than 50 years later, when the Raiders, then in Oakland, in between in L.A. and back in Oakland and now representing Las Vegas, as hell actually did “freeze over” (guess it should have been the Eagles in Las Vegas) hosting Miami (Dolphins) Saturday night.
The Raiders were home winners that Sunday in slot 4 in ’70, with ex ‘Phin, Jim Warren scoring on an interception return, to I believe, wrap the game. This year, the Raiders very likely will fail to make the ‘offs, while likely “Mia” needs to win both its remaining games, to qualify for the ‘offs for just the second time in twelve seasons.
I guess apologies to some, for my rage vs most current announcers, but I “lived it, ate it, practiced it,” but did not go out and get it.
Alas, I did not have a rich, well placed father as Levy did or does.
Another alas or at least perhaps—– that is no excuse!!
Of course the minimum 10 to 1 underdog Jets and 6 to 1 such, Bengals pulling upsets on consecutive days was a big surprise, even a shocking one–however, remember seemingly, only the one seed matters and neither upset “victim,” the 1979 season Supe opponents, the Steelers and Rams, will miss the ‘offs and this type loss, I believe will benefit them.
Do not get me wrong, both teams need to fix things, but there is an intangible here. I recall that the last time the New York Knicks won the NBA crown, that way back in 1973, they lost to a Philadelphia 76ers team, in a fairly late regular season game, that finished the season with but 9 wins in 82 games.
My Packers/Bills Supe “ticket” at 45 to 1 (only 5 bucks, that is why it might cash) looks better, as G.B. is a likely “1” seed while the Bills currently are the once so important, “2” seed.
Speaking of the “2” seed and the fact that the top two seeds got wild card round byes (that format of 6 ‘offs teams and two wild card round games was in effect for 30 seasons (‘1990-2019), (no longer the case as there will be 3 wild card round games in each conference and only the one seed avoids that consternation), hail Bill “Did not know the Colts, and not the Giants as he erroneously stated, were 1958 Title Game favorites” Belichick.
This past week of play his Pats were put out of the ‘offs, without a whimper (third overall miss, they missed in ’08, despite an (11-5) mark and that year were sans a “a man named Brady.”).
The Pats, from ’01-2019 were “division round/”slots” hosts, meaning they were afforded a game at their ‘hotel,” not the other guy’s, in an incredible 14 of those seasons, including the last ten (2010-2019).
A final thought: I was too tired and of course missed the great Jets/Bengals opportunity.
Send Kirk Herbstreit an invoice, this guy’s mouth has been seismically changed by the continual insertion of his foot, as he virtually guaranteed a Steelers’ victory on the air.
Learn Mr. Herbstreit, but you get paid a ridiculous amount, essentially not to and you keep on saying anything. Any wonder we got Trump and there were and sadly will be others, as they just say anything getting paid whether true, as often this lowest common denominator genre sticks and ALWAYS STINKS!!!
Both conference top seeds, Supe 1 entrants, Green Bay (Packers) and defending champion Kansas City (Chiefs) won “on the #” and are likely to be their respective conference’s top seeds.
With Kansas City’s help, (they on the #’d (10-4) New Orleans, whose Brees returned but he was not quite “Fab”) the (11-3) Packers, now have a magic # of 1 to finish ahead of New Orleans. They may need 2 of 4 decisions to finish ahead of (10-4) Seattle, but for now, I am not checking into it.
Green Bay which won by 8 Saturday night (I am so proud to say neither NFL game came on here for a second that day) likely will be the NFC “1” seed and with “Bell” on them at “10” to 1 to title, their last was “10” years ago in 20″10,” look out!
The Chiefs have won 22 of their last 23 games, but have failed to cover in 6 straight wins, the latest in their “on the #” “Hedge Fund Poo” Nantz tilt, that significantly delayed “60 Minutes,” as the game ended say 8 minutes before 8 Eastern Time.
K.C. is the likely AFC one seed and is only a slight underdog to repeat as Supe champions.
I say they will not, (’83 Washington anybody?) In other words, they are really good, better than in the previous year’s title season, but somehow, they will not repeat as title winners.
However, tread lightly on that, unless you have been “cashing” vs them in this 6 week period. Did not they once have a player named Cash, Keith, I believe.
It is offensive listening to the opinionated, prostituted views of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, the latter at best a mediocre college quarterback, who again and again sticks his foot in his mouth.
Once again in a big game, someone, this time Clemson, as was the case in the ’18 semis, ripped Notre Dame. Then the score was (31-3), this time (34-10) as Clemson won their 6th straight A.C.C. title which will lead to a 6th consecutive appearance in the 4 team playoff.
Fowler and Herbstreit think and let’s face it, hope Notre Dame will be in that 4 team playoff. Hopefully they will not, but tv wags the ways and “play for the tie in ’66,” “vaulted Alabama in ’77” and “benefitted when Johnson did not play for the tie in ’88,” Notre Dame still looms.
My four and this before Bama/Florida and no matter that result, would not include them.
Even worse, though it does not bother me as much, Maria Taylor, this is not about her outfit, no she said I SEEN you. That is embarrassing, that is glaring and the sad thing is that it does not matter to the bean counters/executives who pick types, such as arrogant Fowler and others.
Below another Fowler, Scott Fowler, I am reasonably sure, no relation does not think they deserve an ‘offs spot either.
Scott Fowler: Notre Dame shouldn’t make College Football ..
There are no rematches exactly 50 years later, in NFL play this weekend.
Then, the NFL concluded its first AFC/NFC configuration season, with one game on Saturday December 19, 1970 and twelve the next day.
This year, two more weeks of play will remain after one Thursday game, two Saturday, one Monday and again 12 on a Sunday December 20th, in the 32 team NFL.
On Saturday December 19, 1970 the eventual champion, then, BALTIMORE Colts, beat the New York Jets (35-20).
Some “M’s” notes: Dallas quarterback Don “M”eredith could not quite get the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, the excellent team, losing heartbreaking NFL title games to the Green Bay Packers in 1966 and 1967.
On December 20, 1970, getting help from Pat Studstill (2 touchdown catches) and the Rams, who beat the Giants, Dallas made the ‘offs, as the NFC East winner and eventually the 5th Supe.
In the last day win vs the Houston Oilers, (now that franchise is the Tennessee Titans), Craig “M”orton threw 5 touchdown passes in a (52-10) rout. Morton later took another team to a Supe, the ’77 Denver Broncos, only to lose, as his team did in that 5th Super Bowl, this time to his former team, the Cowboys.
Backing up the injured and great John Unitas, Earl “M”orrall led the 1968 Baltimore Colts to 15 wins in 16 games, including easy wins in two NFL playoff games.
However, the Joe Namath/Matt Snell led New York Jets derailed them, as incredible 18 point underdogs, in the third Super Bowl.
Two years later, Morrall first threw 4 touchdown passes in the aforementioned “reg” finale win vs the Jets and then teamed with Unitas, as the Colts quarterback in the aforementioned 5th Supe game win vs Morton and the Cowboys.
In 1970, Unitas started at “QB,” in all 3 ‘offs wins (he did not play in the two ‘offs wins in ’68 and many felt he was inserted too late in the Supe loss to the Jets), though Morrall finished the Supe win at the position, even holding on Jim O’Brien’s Super Bowl winning field goal (as NFL guru, great executive and supreme baseball fan, Ernie Accorsi notes on a fine video about the ’70 Colts, Irv Goode, acquired for such a purpose, snapped the ball on Jim’s historic kick).
Finally, a, if not the key play in the Colts (27-17) AFC title game, home win vs the then Oakland Raiders, was a long Unitas to Ray Perkins touchdown pass.
Sadly, Perkins, who like Accorsi, contributed mightily to a turn around in the New York Giants’ fortunes, that eventually led to TWO Super Bowl wins, died weeks back.
Earl Morrall, pictured above.
On the first “Happy Days” episode, at least the season 1, episode 1 half hour show that aired tonight on MeTV, the great Tom Bosley’s “Howard Cunningham” character likes Democrat Harry Truman better than Republican Dwight Eisenhower.
In a later episode Bosley/”Cunningham” is a big time Eisenhower supporter and lifelong Republican voter.
One of the first episode writers was Rob Reiner, probably married to Penny Marshall, Happy Days creator Gary K. Marshall’s sister, at the time (1974).
As you may have noticed the now called Washington football team has always been referred to here as “Wash” or Washington, never the racist nickname it had until this season.
Changing the Cleveland baseball team’s name from the Indians is not a big deal to me, either way. However, I will go along with it.
I have always been in tune with the cause concerning Native Americans.
I urge the new president, “middle of the road,” Joe Biden, by the way non bet by me as a 16 to 1 “dog” to be nominated when I knew he would win the South Carolina Primary, to free Leonard Peltier, a Native American, a man unjustly imprisoned for 44 years.
First of all, he is not guilty. Next that sentence is “cruel and unusual” thus vs the Constitution.
Light: I hope they do not bleep the part of an Abbott and Costello Show episode, in which a Native American asks Lou how the Indians are doing and he does not realize she means the “Cleveland Indians” (adding) dummy.”
Yesterday, the Supe 1 (it was not called the Super Bowl then) entrants, the defending champion (12-1) Kansas City Chiefs and (10-3) Green Bay Packers had “no cover” victories and when the (11-2) Steelers and (10-3) Saints lost, moved into the lead for their respective conference top seeds, seemingly the only one that matters.
K.C. which was on an incredible “cover” run, won for the 21st time in their last 22 tilts, which includes their required 3 wins that vaulted them to the 2019 NFL crown.
Now they lead in a bid to get the AFC “1” seed and thus need 3 NOT 4 ‘offs wins to repeat as champions.
The Packers, who as was the case with the Chefs, failed to cover when a kicker was “sent on,” to “cut” what really was an insurmountable deficit, own the tiebreaker with the Saints, who are a 4 point “home” underdog vs K.C. next week, in a likely “Pooh/Hedge Fund/Nantz” CBS late afternoon game.
In remembering the great player, Dick Allen, yet another of that vintage who died in 2020, in his case, at age 78 days back, I choose, at least initially in my tangential writing, not to rage about his dying, without having been put into Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Unable to truly express it, the racism Allen faced and my naivety regarding media/games and the view through the lens of a 13 year old will be referenced , but how in the world, this cruel world, could I walk in Allen’s shoes and feel what he felt.
Instead it is Sunday June 4, 1972 and after I believe three televised Yankees’ games vs the White Sox in a 4 game series, the second game of a doubleheader is radio only, with the great, but decidedly pro Yankees, Phil Rizzuto, calling the bottom of the ninth inning.
Allen, who once hit a home run that left the worldly, “seen so much,” late Dave Reichberg, with his mouth wide open, a story “Stone” has repeated “quite often” (ode to Jim Brown’s praise of Sam Huff as he attached himself to the real “J.B.” “quite often”) hit a game winning 3 run home run off the excellent relief pitcher Al “Sparky” Lyle that yielded a two run Chisox win and 3 of 4 in the series.
The 13 year old me was happy Allen was a no show for a June twilight night doubleheader vs the “to be,” miracle World Series winning, Mets, that my dad took the “Strato League” (Strat-O-Matic) baseball) (5 of us) to see in June 1969.
Later in the year, Allen helped the Mets again, hitting some big blows vs the Cubs, the team the Mets overtook to win the N.L. East.
In 1964, as a rookie of the year player, though his Phillies essentially “blew” the pennant, his team still had a chance on the glorious, no wild card garbage, final day.
Allen had a home run that helped sink the Reds and at the time the Cards, the eventual winners, were struggling to salvage one win vs the then lowly, third year Mets.
Dick Allen was great in his one year as a Dodgers player and was glorious, winning the 1972 A.L. MVP with the White Sox.
I believe God/whatever force will back Mr. Allen’s positive view on real grass. (About artificial turf he said “if a horse will not eat it, I do not like playing on it).
After all, did not God/whatever force put grass here?! History and such will praise him for standing up to the personal injustice, he suffered and while Mr. Allen, as with all of us, was not perfect, he was an incredible talented figure.
I treasure the great memories and you know what they can do with a Hall of Fame that denies Pete Rose and likely will even after his death, and did same to the magnificent player, Dick Allen.
Please click below for a fine recollection/obituary notice by Richard Goldstein from The New York Times, detailing some of the bigotry Allen faced and more of his great baseball achievements.
Dick Allen, 78, Dies; Baseball Slugger Withstood Bigotry …
After a while, a classic episode of “What’s My Line?” returns.
It originally aired on December 1, 1957 with the legendary, great movie star, Errol Flynn as the mystery guest.
The panelists were regulars: Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf and another on quite often, Martin Gabel. Mr. Gabel amd Ms. Francis were married.
John Charles Daly was the show’s host.
Enjoy watching.
Andy B Sports 