The Eagles’ Super Bowl win vs a “great era, if not great seasonal,” New England Patriots’ team, continued a history of Philadelphia teams winning or virtually winning significant, in most cases first titles (will ‘splain that one to all you “Rickys”) vs truly great teams.
Start with the first “Philly” crown, won by the Philadelphia Athletics, themselves an eventual great team with 4 pennants and 3 World Series wins in 5 seasons (1910-1914), who beat a tremendous Chicago Cubs team, in the 1910 World Series.
The Cubs were in the final season of a 4 pennants in 5 seasons feat of their own (1906-1910). They “titled” twice, doing so in 1907 and 1908, and not again for 116 years.
Philly’s virtual crown vs what was an, if not THE all time team, the Boston Celtics, is a bit of a stretch as Wilt Chamberlain and company (the ’67 Philadelphia 76ers) still had to beat and struggled to defeat a fine San Francisco Warriors team, to claim the first 76ers crown in 1967.
The Celtics had won 8 straight titles (no other major North American Sports League team has more than 5 in a row, as if that is “chopped anything”), 9 in 10 seasons and unfortunately for “my” Sixers, would win two more for an incredible total of 11 in 13 seasons, all with Bill Russell and ten times with the truly great Sam Jones.
However, defeating the Celtics in 5 games in the NBA semis did make a Sixers’ crown very likely and Philly wiped out the great Celts (140-116) in the series, home clinching game.
Tomorrow a look at the Flyers and the last two Eagles’ NFL titles in this regard.
Jack Coombs won 3 World Series Games For The 1910 Philadelphia Athletics Leading Them to the first ever Philadelphia sports crown.
Coombs and the similarly named, (slightly different pronunciations) Earl Combs, each played on 3 title teams, Jack with the A’s, Earl with the Yankees.
Tomorrow a name, 2 different players with 3 and 4 titles respectively plus a nice personal note on one in our Eagles “portion.”
As the saying go “for better or worse,” things seem to end at 56.
Their (41-33) Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots, who began AFL play that year, (current Eagles team owner Jeffrey Lurie’s family were Pats’ season ticket holders), was the first Philadelphia Eagles’ NFL Title since 1960.
Thus a 56 season (’61-2016) title drought ended in the same baseball/football year (2017), in which the Houston Astros, in their 56th season (1962-2017), won their first World Series.
The baseball Giants in both New York and predominantly in San Francisco won titles 56 years apart, in 1954 and not again until 2010.
Speaking of the San Francisco area, the great Joe DiMaggio was born there. Not so arguably, sports’ greatest streak, Mr. DiMaggio’s consecutive game hitting streak ended after 56 games.
As is the unfortunate case with most teams, the Eagles have a corporate named playing field, the first name of which is Lincoln.
This evokes a great man, who fought the greed which contributed mightily to why slavery existed.
Tragically, President Abraham Lincoln’s life ended when he was shot to death at the age of 56 in Washington D.C.
Alas the Eagles’ title season began there.
Finally, my maternal grandfather, also named Abraham and for whom I am named, died eleven years before I was born, doing so in a fire, at the age of 56.
Ted Dean had a huge kickoff return play, helping the Eagles win the 1960 NFL Title Game, played on a Monday, the day after Christmas.
There are many notes concerning the Eagles’ Supe win, not likely to be found any place but here.
One is the one I wrote before the Supe on Sunday and now in all 11 “neutral network” Supe telecasts, there has never been one in which a pre 1960 expansion NFL team lost to a non pre 1960 expansion team. Check the post below.
Today I add this one, that is 8 for 8, encompassing the 8 Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances in the Brady/Belichick era.
When N.E. covered the spread in their AFC Title Game wins, (they were big underdogs in the first one in ’01 at Pittsburgh, otherwise they were faves, and other than in ’04, again at Pittsburgh, at home), they were (5-0) in the subsequent Supes.
This season for the third time, they “no covered” in their AFC Title Game win and for the third time lost outright in the subsequent Super Bowl.
Click below to read this past Sunday’s post.
“Neutral Network” Supe Notes, So Likely, ONLY I Provide
In what has become the ‘controlled’ norm, namely a tight Supe, the Philadelphia Eagles won their first NFL crown since 1960 and first Supe ever (41-33) over, (I’ll say!), the still great, New England Patriots.
Nick Foles, who took so much abuse, all totally unwarranted, was the MVP, another so called backup quarterback delivering! A wise, informed man told me about backup qb’s, Tom Brady (500 plus passing yards in defeat), a prime example).
Doug Pederson correctly went on two fourth down plays, astounding the duo of Michaels/Collinsworth, and happened to make both.
Surprisingly Bill Belichick (5-3) in Supes called for a field goal try,that was inexplicably missed on 4th and 1 at the “Phil” 10 or so, early in the tilt. I thought then that was a sign.
Foles threw touchdown passes to Alshon Jeffery, Corey Clement, and the decisive one to Zack Ertz, which gave the Eagles the lead to stay, on a third and 7 at the N.E. 11, with just over 2 minutes to play.
Perhaps, even likely, the game/season’s biggest play was made when Corey Graham forced a Brady fumble and Derek Barnett (he had a big fumble recovery when the title tilt/semi was still close) recovered, all but sealing Philly’s first Supe crown.
Also credit to Nelson Agholar, for big gains on the Supe winning drive/possession.
Great job: Nick Foles, pictured above.
Click below to hear “The Eagles” perform “Take It To The Limit”
Take It To The Limit (Live at The Los Angeles Forum, 10/20-22/76)
Today’s 52nd Super Bowl (the number 52 was worn by Dallas linebacker, Dave Edwards, who predeceased Dennis Edwards of the Temptations, the latter passing on this past week) will be the eleventh on a neutral network (i.e. not AFC/AFL or NFC/NFL, as was the case in 41, with both “subjective” networks on hand for the first, then called the NFL/AFL Championship Game, with exponentially less hype).
All but one of the eleven, including today’s, were Al Michaels assignments.
None of the previous 10 “neutral network” games manifested in a pre 1960 ( the year of the first modern NFL expansion) NFL team losing said game, to a team that was not a pre 1960, NFL team.
In 7 previous “neutral network” Supes an NFC team prevailed vs an AFC team, all of whom played in the old AFL, six being original AFL teams.
Those games were the (San Francisco) Niners over AFL expansion team Miami (Dolphins) with Frank Gifford not Michaels, “presiding,” in ’84. This was followed by “Wash” beating Denver (’87), the Giants edging the Bills (’90), the S.F. Niners beating the then San Diego Chargers (’94), the then St. Louis Rams topping the Tennessee Titans, nee Houston Oilers (’99), Tampa Bay’s Bucs clouting Oakland (’02) and the Giants somehow repeating their ’07 “subjective network” Supe win vs what was an undefeated Pats’ team, in ’11.
Twice an AFC team that was a long time NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, prevailed in “neutral network” Supes vs ’76 AFC expansion team, but by that point, NFC team, Seattle in ’05 and long time NFL team, the Cardinals, already in their third location, in ’08.
Only in the most recent “neutral network” Supe in ’14, when New England, a 4 plus point “fave” to end the 10 game streak we are citing, in today’s Supe vs the Eagles, did an AFL team prevail.
The victory, however, was vs Seattle, which as stated above was not a pre 1960 NFL team.
David Janssen, as “Dr. Richard Kimble,” on “The Fugitive,” to paraphrase that great show’s announcer William Conrad, “stopped running” in 1967.
Kudos to Bob Costas for not being involved in an event, the exponentially hyped Super Bowl, which has been “running” since 1967.
Costas, whom I urge to speak on Pete Rose’s behalf at some point in/and or around the former’s “big” day this summer, will be on the right side of history concerning football.
Click below to hear Dennis Edwards and the “Temps,” perform “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.”
Papa was a Rolling Stone- The Temptations (Full Version)
Both of this season’s Super Bowl entrants, the Pats and Eagles, lost to the same team, in the first two weeks of the 2017 NFL regular season.
That team is the vastly underachieving Kansas City Chiefs, who were “comeback scored” (see below) by the Tennessee Titans, in the NFL wild card round, ending their up and down season with a resounding down.
The “Tenn” comeback win started a “dog run,” in which the underdog has at least covered the spread in 9 of 10 pro playoff games, the college title game and 4 all-star type games, three college and one pro, a fantastic (14-1) run.
The Chiefs are coached by the vastly underachieving Andy Reid, who was the Eagles’ coach when they lost to Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots in the ’04 season Super Bowl.
(21-3) is the comeback score. The Pats trailed by that margin and more and overcame the Falcons in the 51st Supe. That is one example of the “comeback score.”
I have stated before, the greatest Boston vs Philadelphia sports action occurred in NBA semi-final battles, between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers and also Celts/PhiladelphiaWarriors.
The great Celtics, with 17 titles, including an astounding 11 in 13 seasons from (’57-’69), often rode the “semi road,” through Philadelphia, to NBA crowns, doing so 6 times (1960, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1981). Additionally, Boston “semi’d” the Syracuse Nationals, who became the current Philadelphia 76ers, in 3 consecutive “odd year semis,” in ’57, ’59 and ’61.
Philadelphia, with 4 titles (2 each won by the Warriors and 76ers), only rode the “semi-road” through Boston once, however, it was a dominant (68-13) “reg” and (3-1, 4-1 vs the Celtics and 4-2 vs the by then San Francisco, now Golden State Warriors and the great Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond in the ‘offs) ’66-’67 team, that did so.
Nothing symbolizes the rivalry more than Bill Russell and Boston vs Wilton Norman Chamberlain and Philadelphia.
In tribute to Bill, Wilt and the great players in an, if not THE, sports rivalry, I will link you to previous posts regarding this great subject/debate.
Nothing like it, before or since, Bill Russell pictured above on the left and Wilt Chamberlain on the right.
In addition to the two baseball final/World Series meetings between Boston and Philadelphia, cited here last week, there have been two other such clashes between the two cities/regions.
One of course, was a Super Bowl/NFL final won by the Patriots (once Boston, now New England) vs the Eagles of Philadelphia to win the ’04 NFL title.
That win gave the Patriots an astounding 3 NFL crowns in the first four seasons, in which Tom Brady (“Marcia, Marcia, Marcia” with his “of late” personal hype, leading to right, wrong, somewhere in between “Vivian,Vivian, Vivian,” which by the way is a beautiful name) was their quarterback.
Ten years passed before “The Butler did it,” Malcom’s interception, the most important play, as N.E. won another title.
Last season, they overcame a (28-3) deficit to win a second title in 3 seasons, more due to “shoddy minus,” Atlanta Falcons’ play and decision making, but also due to New England greatness.
Now again vs the Eagles, 13 years later, “N.E.” bids for a third crown, in FOUR seasons.
Thirty years before that ’04 season New England Supe win vs the Philadelphia Eagles, who are still seeking their first Supe win, the NHL Philadelphia Flyers, in just their seventh season, beat the Boston Bruins in the 1974 NHL final to win their first NHL title.
The greatest Boston/Philadelphia action/playoffs of any kind, came in basketball, most of it semi-final play between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia Warriors and then even more so by a wide margin, vs the 76ers, of the city of Brotherly Love.
Tomorrow some words on those great sports moments.
No opinion, likely, not to have one with or regarding “the spread,” Sunday.
Rarely if ever, do I comment on the NHL or NBA regular season.
However, now one game after the all-star break in the NHL, it is time, no matter what happens the rest of the way or in the ‘offs, to hail the amazing expansion team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights!
Last night “Vegas” overcame a late deficit to win at Calgary vs the Flames, and are 11 points ahead, in a bid to become the first expansion team to win its entity, in a non all expansion team entity, in major North American Sports League history.
They have the most points in the Western Conference and in Las Vegas, where much is about odds, the Golden Knights, incredibly, a first year team are the “plurality” faves (4 to 1 against), to win the conference.
L.V. is only one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the most points in the entire NHL, with a game in hand.
The Golden Knights, barring a major collapse, will join the 1966-1967 Chicago Bulls, who did so way down in the standings, in a league, the NBA, where at least 80 percent of the teams qualified for the ‘offs that season, as the only first year expansion teams to make the ‘offs, without being in an all first year expansion team division (that was the case in the NHL in ’67-’68).
This pace and performance is incredible!
On Sunday, six days hence, the four plus point underdog Philadelphia Eagles hope to make it just the third time in history, that in the same year/season a first time champion defeats a previous champion for both the major league baseball and the NFL Super Bowl crown. (The Eagles won 3 NFL crowns before the Super Bowl commenced in the 1966 season).
The two times it happened, were in consecutive years/seasons 2001 and 2002 when in baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks and then the next season, the Angels were first time Fall Classic winners defeating respectively, the 26 time champion Yankees and the 5 time champion, Giants.
Those same 2001 and 2002 seasons manifested in first time Super Bowl winners, the New England Patriots (whatever became of them?!) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeating previous Supe winners, the St.Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders respectively, to win the big prize.
Andy B Sports 