While Harry Howell knew it, likely Rick Caseres did not.
When Mr. Howell won the NHL’s Norris Trophy for the 1966-1967 season, he remarked how fortunate he was to get it, as one player would be dominant in winning the award for the forseeable future.
That player, expected to be great was great and is Bobby Orr. He won the next 9 Norris Trophies, as one of, if not the greatest hockey player ever.
Rick Caseras won the NFL rushing title in 1956. The great player, Jim Brown won the next 5 and eight of nine.
Rick Caseras, pictured above.
I like Mar Lynch and Bill Belichick’s short “press conferences.”
Oddly, the two are linked in one of pro football’s big moments, one that decided a fine tilt between Belichick’s Patriots and Lynch’s defending champion “Sea.” (what comes to mind is a kid on the Brady Bunch, not one of the six Brady kids, and the way she pronounced “Seattle,” alas a Brady was involved in that 2014 season Super Bowl, as well) Seahawks.
Seattle’s pass from the New England 1, down 4 points in the waning seconds (most would have given the “pig” to Mr. Lynch), was intercepted by Malcolm Butler and the Patriots had their 4th title and first in 10 years.
Malcolm Butler, now with the Tennessee Titans, pictured above.
Today is a Wednesday Christmas and there is no “worry” about an NFL game being held.
In 1971, Christmas fell on a Saturday and the only two NFL playoff games ever to be played on Christmas, transpired.
The less heralded, but ultimately more important tilt, manifested in a Dallas Cowboys win at Minnesota, vs the Vikings.
Dallas went on to win their first NFL crown and that earlier Christmas game had the great broadcaster, Jack Whitaker, whom we lost in this 2019 year, doing play by play.
Later in the day, the Miami Dolphins won an overtime game at Kansas City, vs the Chiefs.
All these (48) years later, the Chiefs will need a shocking upset win from the Dolphins, at New England vs the defending champion Patriots, plus an expected win of their own vs the Chargers (be careful in this one, as Chargers’ quarterback Rivers wins these type of games, which really are not that important) to host a division round game.
K.C. has won only one such game, that last year vs the Indianapolis Colts, before losing to the Patriots at Kansas City, in the AFC Title Game.
Likely, but far from definitely, I see K.C. visiting New England, let’s say Saturday night January 11th, with Jim Nantz as lead announcer, in a division round game.
That date, whether the Chiefs play then, the next day or are eliminated from ‘offs contention before, marks the 50th anniversary of their lone title, won with a (23-7) victory vs Minnesota, in the fourth Super Bowl, played on January 11, 1970.
One more: The lead announcer for that game was Jack Buck, the father of Fox lead announcer Joe Buck, who on February 2nd, 2020, will be the lead announcer on a Super Bowl telecast for the 6th time.
Jack Whitaker, pictured above.
The final regular season game of the NFL’s 100th season (the (12-3 S.F. 49ers are 3 plus point(s) favorites at the (11-4) Seattle Seahawks in that game) will impact NFC playoff seeding, perhaps a great deal.
San Francisco would be the top seed with a win, Seattle because they got tripped up at home vs (5-9-1) Arizona last week, likely would be a three seed, hence no wild card round bye, with a win.
Each team would fall to the five seed and face the NFC East winner, on the road if they lose.
That NFC East winner and other seeding is to be determined in the upcoming final week.
Both Green Bay (Packers) and New Orleans (Saints), each with (12-3) records, are top heavy road favorites at Detroit (Lions) and Carolina (Panthers) respectively, in 1 P.M. Eastern time starts, in bids to improve and/or maintain higher seeding.
The Packers are at least the two seed, with a win and the one seed if they win, and Seattle also wins.
New Orleans, currently the three seed, needs a win and a loss by S.F. or Green Bay to be the two seed and losses by both to be the one seed.
(8-7) Philadelphia (Eagles) are 4 point favorites at the (4-11) New York Giants, in a game moved to 4:25 Eastern Time, surely with Joe Buck presiding, to get the 4 seed.
If they lose and Dallas, a big favorite, playing simultaneously at home vs the (3-12) Washington team, wins, then an (8-8) Dallas team would be the NFC 4 seed and host the SF at Seattle losing team.
Minnesota (Vikings) will be the 6 seed and face the three seed (New Orleans, Seattle or Green Bay in order of likelihood) on the road next week, in the wild card round.
Got it? No quiz and likely more notes on it as the games approach.
Aaron Jones, the fine Packers’ running back, pictured above.
The (13-2) Baltimore Ravens are the AFC one seed for the first time.
Lamar Jackson, their quarterback, will be the regular season MVP in the NFL.
(12-3) New England is a huge favorite to get a home division round game for an incredible 10th straight season (2010-2019).
(11-4) Kansas City and (10-5) Houston also won division crowns, while the Buffalo Bills, also (10-5) will be the five seed.
Tennessee (Titans) controls its destiny and is an early 6 point favorite at Houston (likely that will be the late CBS game Sunday), to capture the 6th seed.
The Ravens’ fine running back, Mark Ingram, pictured above.
Today, a truly incredible episode of “What’s My Line?” highlighted by the frenetic, witty Groucho Marx, appearing as a panelist.
No less than the great actress, Claudette Colbert was the mystery guest on that show, which aired on September 20, 1959.
Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennett Cerf are the other panelists.
John Charles Daly is the show’s host.
Enjoy!
In this the penultimate week(end) of the 2019 NFL regular season, the league in its 100th season, will offer 3 time slots with at least one game on both Saturday and Sunday, for the first time.
The tripleheader today all on NFL Network (very “fair” to those without access to it, soon it will get worse) starts with (9-5) Houston (Texans), winners last week with Jim Nantz and CBS showing the tilt, at suddenly hot Tampa Bay (Buccaneers).
After Buffalo at New England and Rams at 49ers today and the usual slots of myriad games tomorrow, the Sunday night game, not moved for a more meaningful one, is Kansas City at Chicago.
There were times that there were 3 NFL games on Saturday followed by the usual 2 slots of Sunday games, however there was no Sunday night tilt in those instances.
On Saturday December 17, 1977, Eddie Payton, the older brother of the late great Chicago Bears’ running back, Walter Payton, recorded touchdowns on both a kickoff and punt return in the night game vs the Minnesota Vikings.
Above Payton runs a kickoff back for a score as a Vikings’ player vs the Oakland Raiders in a Monday night game in 1981.
Frank Gifford alludes to the ’77 game by saying “it must be Howard and me” as they were there for both games.
Some notes likely not anywhere else, regarding early NBA season battles between “fine records” Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers’ teams, 48 years apart.
Last night, in a battle of (24-4) teams, each of whom having lost their most recent tilt (Dallas even without budding star, Luka Doncic and on the road, ended the Bucks’ 18 game win skein, one only exceeded in franchise annals by their then NBA record win skein, set in their lone title season in ’70-’71–while Indiana ended the Lakers’ 14 game road winning streak), the 5 point, home favorite Bucks, won (111-104) vs the Lakers.
It was just over 48 years ago, with a future great NBA center, Bill Walton, then a sophomore about to lead UCLA to the college crown, happily watching Kareem Abdul Jabbar vs Wilt Chamberlain, the same franchises each took (17-3) records, into a Lakers’ home (112-105) victory.
Some pretty startling similarities, likely not noted elsewhere.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar scored 39 points in the loss and 39 again, 7 weeks later, when the Bucks’ home win ended the Lakers’ remarkable 33 game winning streak.
In the Lakers’ November 21, 1971 win, Pat Riley, who played vs the then Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) in high school and coached him on 4 Lakers’ title teams in the 1980’s, hit on 7 of 11 shots in a strong game.
John Block made his only shot in the November 1971 game and really helped Milwaukee end the Lakers’ win skein, shooting 7 of 11 (the Bucks’ Lucius Allen went 9 of 13), in the January 9, 1972 game.
Mr. Block as a Houston Rockets player. The Rockets played games on the same day as all 3 Bucks/Lakers games cited above, splitting vs the Warriors 48 or so years ago and winning vs the L.A. Clippers, in L.A. last night.
Last night, returning via subway and bus on a cold night warmed by an excellent taping of a future “Inside The Actor’s Studio” (Treat Williams was interviewed by Alec Baldwin), I did a really good deed.
I am not stating this for credit, but to encourage others to do the same. It is a great feeling to give, help and at least care about others, despite our own problems and situation.
So thank you Phyllis, someone I did not know, for asking me to help her walk up the hill. It yielded a nice feeling inside me.
When giving/helping others, you will not experience stomach problems, as depicted in the classic Alka-Seltzer ad, shown above. It is a good feeling all the way.
Some research revealed Jack Aaron, as the actor in the ad.
I was fortunate to meet the tremendous performer, Danny Aiello, who died days back at the age of 86, on a few occasions.
He was personable and it was always nice to talk with him.
The work he did was astounding (I recall seeing and talking with him and former heavyweight boxing champion, Larry Holmes, after Danny’s moving performance in “Knockout,” forty years ago), my recollections also include “Radio Days” and a benefit not so long ago, where he spoke from his heart, about the great joy he experienced, receiving a pair of boxing gloves at an early age. It was truly moving.
On the day of the New York Yankees title parade in 1999, I had the pleasure of interviewing him at another event.
He liked my memory, as I recalled myriad tidbits and I said that, as with a character in one of his movies, I had a penchant for retaining “useless information.”
Mr. Aiello asked in which movie his character stated that? I did not know the answer. We both laughed, as he said it was “29th Street.”
Later in the evening, introducing an oldies music show, he predicted a “Subway Series”/ Yankees vs Mets in 2000, which came to fruition.
There’s some “useless information,” regarding a man the polar opposite, one who did so much and did so warmly, in his life.
Danny Aiello, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 