Today another fine episode of the television show, “What’s My Line?”
Tony Curtis, then married to Janet Leigh, who along with Dorothy Kilgallen, Fred Allen (did you get that rhyme?) and Bennett Cerf, comprised the panel, but word leaked and tennis star Bill Talbert “pinch hit.”
However, Mr. Curtis did appear. John Charles Daly is the show’s host.
Enjoy watching.
The current baseball and pro football champions, the Washington Nationals nee Montreal Expos and the Kansas City Chiefs nee Dallas Texans have some similar history and links.
Most relevant, each as a current champion staged numerous post-season comebacks, a total of seven (the Chiefs in all 3 post-season games and the Nationals four times in games facing elimination from the ‘offs), all of a significant margin in games facing elimination.
The last and only other World title before the one gained in Supe 54 for the Chiefs was in 1969, the year/season the Nationals franchise began play as the Montreal Expos.
The Montreal Expos had some terrific players, including Gary Carter, pictured above.
A day after the Kansas City Chiefs won the 54th such game and raised their Super Bowl record to (2-1), sadly, Willie Wood, the player who had the key interception and run in KC’s lone loss in that game, died at the age of 83.
Willie Wood was a superb player, one of many on the great Green Bay Packers’ teams coached by Vince Lombardi, that won an incredible 5 NFL titles in 7 seasons (1961-1967).
The fourth such title was clinched in Green Bay’s (35-10) Supe 1 win vs the Chiefs. It was a competitive game, only (14-10) Green Bay when Willie Wood intercepted a Len Dawson (Len led the Chiefs to their last title before this one, 50 years ago) pass and returned it 50 yards to the K.C. 5.
From there, Elijah Pitts went in for a touchdown and soon after, a Green Bay rout manifested.
Wood was a superb player, a Hall of Fame player, before the days seemingly, “everyone and their grandmother” qualifies.
The great player, Willie Wood pictured above.
It was a truly entertaining, informative and moving night as Edie Falco, eloquent and so attractive on a “jeans night,” was interviewed at 92 Y.
Ms. Falco is a great talent and she shared many thoughts and insights.
She is a tremendous actor on both the stage and television. Last night she exuded confidence and is as “together” as anyone I have encountered in many “moons.”
I look forward to Ms. Falco’s portrayal of a Los Angeles police chief in “Tommy,” which premieres tonight at 10 P.M. Eastern Time on the CBS Network.
The marvelous Edie Falco, pictured above.
The great hitter, Rod Carew achieved many great things in the game of baseball.
One big milestone was his 3,000th hit on a Sunday afternoon in Anaheim for the home team Angels vs Rod’s first team, the Minnesota Twins.
I have included a video of the Twins’ broadcast, which includes another great player, Harmon Killebrew conducting a post-game interview with Mr. Carew.
Harmon Killebrew with the microphone and Rod Carew, pictured above.
Click to view Rod’s 3,000th hit and the interview with Harmon. Both great players and guys, whom I was fortunate to meet, however briefly.
This is the first time that both St. Louis and Kansas City, the two Missouri cities that house major North American sports league teams (as was the case concerning “Dorothy” when she was in “Oz,” the former is NOT in Kansas) have simultaneous league champions.
The NHL St. Louis Blues, baseball’s Washington Nationals and the NBA title holding Toronto Raptors have been joined by the Kansas City Chiefs, as current pro league champions.
Both St. Louis and Kansas City have but two professional teams.
Each has a major league baseball team and in fact, the Kansas Royals and St. Louis Cardinals met in the 1985 World Series.
Neither city has an NBA team while K.C. has a professional football team, the now champion Chiefs and St. Louis is the home of the current NHL champion Blues.
In winning the title, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, whose center, Ben Garland, then with the Denver Broncos, is pictured above.
Of course Judy Garland, portrayed by almost certain upcoming Academy Award winner, Renee Zellweger, in the film, “Judy,” had the iconic role of “Dorothy” in “The Wizard of Oz.”
The Kansas City Chiefs won their second Super Bowl crown, fifty years after their first, again overcoming a double digit deficit (they did so in all three ‘offs wins), beating the San Francisco 49ers (31-20) in the 2019 season title deciding game.
Damien Williams scored on a 5 yard pass and then ran 38 yards for K.C. touchdowns, less than 3 minutes apart, to cap a comeback from a (20-10) 4th quarter deficit.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes and scored a touchdown, (the run score, another “M”player first touchdown in either a Chiefs or Niners Supe (7 of 9, see post from February 1st) and was named the game’s MVP.
Honors easily could have gone to Williams or Tyreek Hill, each with over 100 yards, Williams rushing and Hill, who gathered in a huge 3rd and 15, (with KC down by the aforementioned (20-10) score with less than seven minutes remaining/4th quarter) not so great Mahomes pass, doing so receiving.
Kansas City has 4 sports titles, the Royals 30 years apart in 1985 and 2015 and now the Chiefs, fifty years apart in 1969 and 2019.
Damien Williams, pictured above.
The 49ers won the first 5 San Francisco titles in major North American sports leagues. (For this, I am considering the Golden State Warriors–NBA champions in ’75, ’15, ’17 and ’18 as Oakland and not S.F.).
Next and currently the baseball Giants have the next three, the most recent vs a Kansas City team, the Royals in 2014.
The Niners are (5-1) in previous games for the NFL crown, all Super Bowls. The Chiefs representing the old AFL, in both previous such games are (1-1).
Baseball’s Kansas City Royals are (2-2) in World Series play while the Giants are (3-2).
Salvador Perez, pictured above, was World Series MVP when the Royals copped the 2015 baseball crown.
Clearly, it was a pair of “M” named players, the Chiefs Patrick “M”ahomes and the 49ers Raheem Mostert that led their respective team’s semi-final/Conference title tilts victories.
This is the ninth time either of the teams has made the Super Bowl (6 previous by S.F. 49ers, 2 by the K.C. Chiefs) and in the first 6, a player whose first or last name started with “M” either scored or threw the first touchdown and in one case opened the scoring with a field goal.
In the first Supe, “M”ax “M”c Gee gathered in the first scoring play in the game’s history taking a touchdown pass from Bart Starr, in an eventual Green Bay Packers’ rout of the Chiefs.
Three years later, the Chiefs won with “M”ike Garrett scoring the game’s first touchdown.
In 49ers’ wins vs the Bengals in ’81, Dolphins in ’84 and Broncos in ’89, the great quarterback Joe “M”ontana figured in the first touchdown.
He snuck in from 1 yard out in ’81, threw to another “M” named player Carl “M’onroe, as I sat watching in pretty cold Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California (my only time at a Super Bowl game) in ’84 and “went touchdown” to the great receiver, Jerry Rice in ’89.
In ’88, the Niners also won and their kicker, “M”ike Cofer opened the scoring, with a field goal.
No “M” named players were involved in the first touchdown or points in either the Niners’ win vs the Chargers in ’94 or their lone Supe loss to date, vs the Ravens in 2012.
The great quarterback, Joe Montana, pictured above led the 49ers to 4 Super Bowl wins in as many appearances.
He was the Chiefs’ quarterback when they made and lost the 1993 AFC title game at Buffalo, vs the Bills.
While Montana was, as stated, (4-0) in Super Bowls, the Bills suffered their 4th Super Bowl loss all in consecutive years (’90-’93), after beating the Chiefs in the above referenced ’93 AFC title game.
It is the middle of the hype period for the upcoming 54th Super Bowl.
I feel this is a good time to recall a good baseball memory and a fine player, Willie Horton of the Detroit Tigers.
Horton was a member of the 1968 World championship team and made a great throw to nab Lou Brock at home plate in game 5 of that year’s World Series vs the defending champion, St. Louis Cardinals.
Though I did not experience his handshake, Willie Horton is known to have one of the firmest on record. A sign of character? Certainly Willie Horton, a tremendous player, brings back good memories.
Willie Horton, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 