Tonight, the first time (47th possibility-(’78-2024) NFC top seed Detroit Lions are nearly a 10 point favorite vs Washington in today’s later ‘offs tilt commencing around 8:20, with Fox “piping,” in the Saturday night slot (2) for a fourth consecutive season.
Earlier, on ABC/ESPN, starting about 4:40, the two time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs are also big favorites, say 8 or so points, hosting the Houston Texans.
Detroit/Wash and K.C./Houston evokes other major sports key ‘offs entities.
The Detroit Red Wings repeated as Stanley Cup Champions, under the great coach Scotty Bowman in 1998 after sweeping the Washington Capitals. They had not “titled” in 42 years before winning it all the year before (1997).
In 2015 en route to their second title, achieved 30 years after their first, the Kansas City Royals’ biggest test came in a maximum 5 games division series vs the then upstart Houston Astros, who would go on to win titles in 2017 and 2022.
The great coach Scotty Bowman is pictured above.
Is not there a resemblance to another great coach, Andy Reid, who is still at the Chiefs’ controls. Certainly the red garb reaches both men.
Not quite legendary and Scotty is best or second in his sport (his mentor Hector “Toe” Blake is the other choice) and Reid has a ways to go, however an unprecedented third straight Supe crown, I still say he and K,C, will not achieve (I also warn do not bet too much vs them), moves him, (again already a great with 3 titles) way up.
“Happy Days,” playing off a major “Summer of ’42” theme, to which so many can relate, Leslie Charleson, beautiful and classy as she remained until she died days back, at age 79, played a divorcee, who hired “Richie” (Ron Howard), “Potsie” (Anson Williams) and Ralph (Donny Most) to do odd jobs around the house.
Eventually that theme, “consummated” in “’42,” a film and not, at least not “that way,” on “Happy Days” (trust me days are not so happy, sans it), was broached, as dependable “Richie,” played by the enormously successful Mr. Howard, is invited to dinner.
The roughly 10 year age difference, more or less the same as the real life one between Leslie and Ron in reality was “excuse” not to at least “go further” around the proverbial “bases.”
Maybe they ought to have consummated, implied of course, after all in an earlier episode, “Ralph” cites Lancaster (Burt) and Kerr ( Deborah, Kerr pronounced car, as in star, as Jeffrey Lyons once stated) on the beach, in the epic film, “From Here To Eternity.” They could have brought back and in, the onrushing waves.
Alas, why was the country not ready for such, but violence and what is now always, as though the waves, manifest.
Miss Charleson went on to fame and beautiful love scenes and fierce determination as a great doctor, playing Dr. Monica Quartermaine for so long, almost all years after I stopped watching, on the still airing soap opera, “General Hospital.”
However, the show and characters and performers such as Leslie Charleson (in “my time,” she competed with a character named “Lesley,” played by another favorite, Denise Alexander, for the affections of Dr. Rick Webber, with talented Chris Robinson in that role.
Similar to the hospital gates being open as “G.H.” began for many years, based on her class, beauty and talent, if at all possible, they are open for Leslie Charleson now.
Thank you Leslie.
Ron Howard and Leslie Charleson in a memorable and excellent scene on “Happy Days.”
The “slots”/NFL division round games are set with 4 different networks “piping” the games, each one in the same slot, for a second straight season.
2 straight for ABC/ESPN after they tv’d last night’s, at Glendale Arizona, Rams (plus 2) “ease job” vs the (14-3, (14-2) into the 1/5 at Detroit finale) Vikings (more on Rams plus 6 at Eagles in this post), as two time defending champion K.C. (Chiefs) opens the round, vs the Houston Texans.
Next at night, on Fox, the NFC top seed for the first time ever, Detroit Lions host Washington. On Sunday, NBC’s last tilt of the 2024 NFL season commences around 3 P.M. in Philadelphia as the Eagles (they covered and in most circles “all teased” Green Bay as Saq Barkley ended what might have been a tease KO’ing TD run, sliding down) host the Rams.
“El” feature game again goes to CBS, a second straight year in Buffalo, as the Bills host the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s later tilt, commencing around 6:30 local time.
This will be the fourth ‘offs clash matching the Rams and Eagles, all at different ‘offs levels.
In 1949, 75 years in the “rear view,” Philly went to L.A. and won (14-0) before a sparse L.A. Coliseum crowd with the great Steve Van Buren, who had the lone TD in the Eagles’ ’48 home title win, rushed for 196 yards.
Forty years later, the Rams won a New Year’s Eve Day/last one wild card game only, NFC such at Philadelphia.
2001 was in a third venue, the Rams’ St. Louis home and resulted in a no cover (29-24) Rams win. They lost the subsequent Supe as big favorites vs New England, that franchise’s first of six and their quarterback’s, “a man named Brady” (cue the 9 squares and show theme–“it’s the story ….) first of 7 Super Bowl wins.
The great Steve Van Buren pictured above.
Related a post during the 2017 season. Since, both the Eagles, who “titled” in 2017 and Rams have gone (1-1) in Super Bowls. Each franchise has 4 NFL crowns, the Rams winning at least one representing 3 different cities, as Cleveland in ’45, as St. Louis in ’99 and as L.A. an area currently under great duress due to wildfires, in ’51 and 2020.
Philadelphia won the NFL crown, as cited above in both ’48 and ’49 then in ’60 and also as cited above in 2017.
Among other manifestations from the 5 of (too many 6) NFL wild card round games played in the last two days–Buffalo (Bills) repeated a much closer, I believe no cover 1991 title game win vs the Denver Broncos.
Visiting during a brief period of living in Florida, I watched at Brien McDonald’s then annual conference title games party, he then on site for Supes, working for HBO’s “Inside the NFL.”
Later that day NFC top seed and eventual Supe champion Washington (no, Gill Alexander, they are not the NFL’s greatest team, actually not close–want to compare Mark Rypien to Joe Montana, Tom Brady or “Automatic” Otto Graham, please do not!!) won a home NFC Title game vs the Detroit Lions.
Next Saturday night on Fox, a redux of that ’91 title tilt will be played in the “slot 2″/division round game, at NFC top seed, Detroit (Lions).
The Lions are (1-23) in @ “Wash” games, all but 3 that ’91 tilt, 33 years ago yesterday, (also strike marred ’82 season w/cd and same round in ’99) in the regular season. At one point, the Lions lost 22 straight in this nation’s capital.
Saturday night is in Detroit and the Lions have opened a solid 8 plus point(s) favorite.
That is Emerson Eugene “Gene” Deckerhoff, still the radio voice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and long time such for Florida State, pictured above.
I thought as when T.B. beat the Andy Reid coached Eagles in the 2002 NFC Title game, evoking my substituting Mr. Deckerhoff for the circus in Melissa Manchester’s “Don’t Cry Out Loud” lyrics being “Baby Cried The Day,” that T.B. with Gene still broadcasting, would at least sojurn to Philly, but instead Wash the ’37 champion with rookie and eventual great Sammy Baugh at Q.B. (87 years ago)–more on this in another post–“FG’d,” FG “Fave,” T.B. and they go to Detroit, while Gene and T.B. go home but not for a game.
“Dragons live forever,” (as in different bad forms they seem to do), “not so for little boys,” wrote the brilliant Peter Yarrow in “Puff The Magic Dragon,” he the “Peter” in the iconic group “Peter, Paul and Mary,” who died days back at age 89.
Sure the reality of it, but also Peter and the group’s music reverberates even as I lament– wolfing or in honor of Bob Wolff, “wolff”-ing” chicken salad, the “sitch,” so far and anonymous from my tape, that sits in the Smithsonian Institute.
Not so and so glad that is the not the situation, regarding Mr. Yarrow, whose above referenced “Puff The Magic Dragon,” and so many other Peter, Paul and Mary songs and beliefs resonate so deeply with so many people.
The “best way” to pay tribute to Peter Yarrow and maybe period is through music.
Some from “Peter, Paul and Mary” follows.
One more as the music and thoughts of Peter and his principles (no negative “peter principle” there) cheer me.
John Denver wrote it, “Leaving On A Jet Plane,” my late friend Brad Weiner and I saw them in concert on a spring Saturday night in ’77, me in those pre vcr days, missing the Mary Tyler Moore Show finale.
That night, this song!
Gotta go, “the taxi,” (not the uber), “is waiting, he is blowing his horn.”
Bye Peter Yarrow and thank you so much!!
Though, near touchdown favorite, Ohio State won by 2 touchdowns, (28-14) vs Texas, last night’s “semi,” was a second straight, scintillating, such– the result in doubt, until Jack Sawyer both hit his once Ohio State roommate, Texas “Q.B.”Quinn Evers and gathered in the latter’s fumble, going 83 yards for the clinching touchdown, that also had spread and certainly “weaser” implications.
On January 20th, a day Donald Trump will for a second time, albeit 8, not 4 years apart, be inaugurated as U.S. President, Ohio State, an opening 9 point favorite, will Notre Dame in a game for the college football crown.
In my time, Notre Dame has 4 titles at least half disputed as (“dis”)like the determination of who is to be president, (’twas voted upon) while Ohio State, denied many times when needing one win, has notched three, all essentially undisputed and two won in some kind of official title game/manner.
I suppose I will have more details on the upcoming game, by far the most “important” tilt between the two teams, since William “Bill” Shakespeare “Be’d” (as in namesake’s “To be or not to be” from the epic work, “Hamlet,”), the decisive touchdown, throwing a touchdown pass to Wayne Millner in the game’s last two minutes, in Notre Dame’s (18-15) win at Ohio Stadium, over 89 years ago on November 2, 1935.
Above, pictured is the program cover for the 1935 Notre Dame at Ohio State famed game on November 2nd.
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In ’77 they/Notre Dame were upset at Mississippi in the season’s second game, but somehow ranked 5th and Cotton Bowl winners vs top ranked Texas, they “vaulted” Alabama, a la ’66, and claimed the mythical national college football crown.
This season losing as 28 point or so favorites, again the tilt was in the second week, this at home to Northern Illinois, one would have thought Notre Dame would have been out of it.
Instead they just rode a man named Jeter’s field goal (always was a link between them and the Yankees, as each for so many years defined greatness and even the greatest–another Jeter played on 5 Yankees’ title teams) to the title game vs either Texas or Ohio State, when they finally will be real underdogs, (bigger underdogs vs Ohio State which is a 6 point favorite vs Texas in Friday’s “semi.”
Beano Cook who died into the 2012 season, when Notre Dame would have made him big $$, always said you have to get them, the tv and national darlings they are, two losses.
Certainly with the 12 team ‘off and a ridiculous bracket, both they and Penn State benefitted, Penn State even more so, to make the semi.
Despite some of “this,” give Notre Dame credit under coach Marcus Freeman and such players as Duke portal transfer Riley Leonard and a Greathouse, who stood out in the semi.
Jaden Greathouse, pictured above.
This weekend’s first NFL playoff game, for an eighth time in as many home team Texans’ ‘offs wild card round appearances, matches them with the once L.A. once San Digo, and now again, Los Angeles Chargers.
The pairing evokes memories of the first two AFL Championship games back in 1960 and 1961, won by a Houston team, the Oilers, now the Tennessee Titans, vs the 1960 L.A. Chargers and the 1961 San Diego Chargers.
L.A. (Chargers) have never won a Super Bowl, (0-1) as they were routed by the fifth and last Niners’ title team, in the ’94 season game, and won only one AFL title despite appearing in half of the defunct AFL’s 10 title tilts, all in the first 6 seasons (’60-’65).
The Texans in their 23rd season are one of four NFL teams (there are 32 NFL teams), never to have made a Super Bowl and are technically the only one of the 32 never to have even made a conference title tilt/”semi.” (The other 3 teams, to this point, never to have made a “Supe” are the Detroit Lions, only slight underdogs to change that this season as they are the NFC “1” seed, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns. The expansion Browns, who started in ’99, also have never made as much as a “semi,” but NFL records include their mostly glorious past as the original “real” Browns with such greats as Marion Motley, Otto Graham and Jim Brown, when they won 4 NFL crowns and played and lost in the final game 5 other times.
Maybe with significant odds vs, (I think it has a “worthwhile” chance) there will be a redux of the ’64 and ’65 AFL Title games, won by the current AFC “2” seed, Buffalo Bills (they were (2-1) in AFL Title games and are (0-4) in Super Bowls) vs the Chargers.
The lone AFL title game win for the Chargers was a (51-10) Keith Lincoln led rout of the then Boston Patriots in the 1963 game.
The legendary George Blanda, pictured above was the Houston Oilers quarterback in both their 1960 and 1961 AFL Title game wins.
It was (15-2) Detroit (Lions) easing (31-9) vs (14-3) Minne, to become the NFC top seed and with it a first round bye, while the Vikings must head to L.A. as only slight “faves” Monday next in what will be the 8th ‘offs clash between them and the Rams. (The Vikings have won 5 of the previous 7 such tilts).
My thoughts went back to the strike marred, 15 games- 1987 season, when those numbers as a record (8-7), did not stop the wild card team Vikings from winning playoff games at (12-3) New Orleans Saints and then at (13-2), San Francisco before eventual champion Washington (they also won the strike marred ’82 NFL crown) held them off in the NFL title game/semi, producing a nice embrace between team owner Jack Kent Cooke and CBS correspondent, Lesley Stahl, I do believe.
Now it is the Vikings again on the road, but they have the better record, as the Rams finished with a (10-7) mark.
Meanwhile the Lions are the top NFC seed for the first time, home field being correlated as it has been for now 47 seasons (’78-2024).
“Det” avoids a wild card round game, a tilt in which they have a (1-9) record, that win, at home vs the Rams, whom (who?) they would have played had they lost Sunday past. Only in ’35 and ’53 did the Lions need only win a home tilt, then just one, to be NFL champions. They succeeded each time.
This season, if they win a “div” game for a third time (last year and ’91 are the previous) they would host the NFC title game/”semi” for the first time.
They did win their last crown to date at home in ’57, after having to win an unscheduled playoff game at San Francisco (49ers), additionally having split 2 road title games at Cleveland (Browns), winning in ’52 and losing in ’54.
Anthony Carter, pictured above, signing autographs, had great games in both Vikings’ upset ‘offs wins in 1987.
Andy B Sports 