The four teams that took the field for the recent NFL title tilts all represented cities that either house/housed the baseball Braves’ franchise (three) or were involved as a Braves’ opponent in two compelling, route going NLCS (one).
The Supe opponents, Atlanta and New England are cities/regions that respectively house the Braves and were the franchise’s first home as the Boston Braves.
The Braves have won 3 titles (1914 W.S., 1957 W.S. and the 1995 W.S.) each in a different city. The 1957 crown was won as the Milwaukee Braves, (the NFC runner up Green Bay Packers are closely linked with and at one time playing games, including at least one in post-season in Milwaukee.)
Atlanta’s only major sports’ title was in 1995 with the Braves.
Boston which has “titled” in all four major North American sports leagues, doing so 9 times, just since the turn of the century, won a title with the 1914 “Miracle” Boston Braves, who came from nowhere in mid season to first grab the N.L. pennant and then shock a great, heavily favored Philadelphia Athletics’ team in 4 straight World Series games.
Now Pittsburgh the fourth city/region involved in title tilts last week never housed the Braves, but do house the Pirates, a team certainly involved in Braves’ post-season history.
First in a maximum 7 game series in 1991, when the Braves won games 2, 6 and 7 IN PITTSBURGH and then in highly dramatic fashion, rode Francisco Cabrera’s all-time type, semi-final sports play/2Rsingle in #7 ’92, Atlanta reached a World Series, it would ultimately lose, after winning the NLCS vs the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hank Gowdy pictured above, was the batting star of the Braves’ World Series sweep of again, a great Philadelphia Athletics’ team in the 1914 World Series.
The Braves won that World Series, the first with my father on this earth and the one in 1995 as the Atlanta Braves, the first after his death.
The name Gowdy evokes memories of Curt Gowdy, who four times was the lone lead television broadcaster for both the World Series and Supe in the same season/year (’68, ’70, ’72 and ’74).
Another year/season (1966), Curt led the AFL network telecast for the first Supe (there was also an NFL network telecast).
1995 was the first World Series lead network announcing work of any kind, for the stellar broadcaster, Bob Costas (he was on for #’s 2, I believe 3 and the Braves’ clincher in #6).
Sadly, Costas has only been the lead or any type broadcaster on but two other World Series (’97 and ’99) while Buck has done so 19 times.
Click below to view Francisco Cabrera’s dramatic pennant winning hit in 1992, as “called” brilliantly by Sean McDonough, who also has been a broadcaster, on but two World Series, in sharp contrast to the vastly inferior Buck.
’92 NLCS, Gm 7 PIT@ATL: Bream beats Bonds’ throw
Any person with a brain knows how little the NBA regular season matters just in terms of the competitive aspect as to which team wins.
Yet just as last season, the fact that most entitled individual of all, LeBron James, is complaining about the truly meaningless Cavs’ lackluster play of late, is getting unwarranted publicity.
Forget my opinion that the NBA is a fraud, (I have said it so many times regarding players “teaming up” Green’s title altering suspension et.al) even in terms of its competition, Cleveland is in the East and leading it by three games.
Upsets occur, but until they do, which very likely they will not, the Cleveland James team will be in the finals and just like last season not have “home” vs either Golden State or “Tonio” and may or may not vs a third Western team, this season Houston, last year “OKC,” when they still had Durant.
Stop following this James, a “golden calf/false idol” if there ever was one, thinking his words were of Moses, Jesus or Muhammad (to name three, of course there are others).
James is a spoiled, given everything (including last year’s title, arguably the 2013 one by Popovich’s late game 6 decision to put the truly classy Tim Duncan on the bench–maybe that’s why James lauded “Pop” as the best ever, when if for that “bonehead” decision alone, he is not close, last week), great player.
I got over rooting vs him when he and the league beat me last season. A few coins of the realm and the Durant decision to go to GS, also helped in that regard.
See you all in the finals, until further notice, and go back to Supe hype, at least that ridiculously over publicized, “Roman gorgy”–not quite an orgy—but a greed festival, is almost upon us.
Cryptic “Shirley Booth” Oscar winner, first two letters Ben even though you know as I do they likely will not let you win again.
Click below to view a famed E.F. Hutton commercial.
E F Hutton II Classic Funny Commercial 1970s Pt 3
It was while talking to the same “Marching Girl,” referenced here yesterday, and really “getting it out,” through laughter and tears, that news came bringing tears, though she brought so much laughter, that news came informing the great actress, Mary Tyler Moore had died.
I thought this day would have arrived earlier, as I knew Mary was bravely battling illness.
Kudos to Dr. Robert Levine for caring so much for Mary as a husband and doctor.
There is a “Jewish doctor” joke/comment there as in Dr. Levine’s case that not only “trumps” being president (pun intended), but alas he was a Jewish doctor, who loved, cared for and was married to as classy and as beautiful a person, inside and out, as few who ever walked the earth.
How she walked so erect in her show opening. How she “necked” (that was the term then) with Dick Van Dyke, at “halftime” of the great Dick Van Dyke Show.
She inspired the single woman, but also not only single, but inexperienced dreamers such as me.
So great in “Ordinary People” and influenced by the “Can,” I actually disliked her. Yet I never really did even when she thought I was the “guy who asked crazy questions”–I do not look like Johnny Mel–) and would not pose with me at one event. Even then she did so with grace though my pain was great.
Force/fate let me meet her again. We took a picture. I asked where she was when President Kennedy was killed. They were rehearsing the “Dick Van Dyke Show” as with “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” a great one.
Many likened that show’s “Petries,” Mary’s “Laura” and Dick’s “Rob” to Jackie and Jack. Oh the images. Oh the beauty! Oh the passage of time!
Mary dealt realistically with her son’s tragic early death, her drinking, her diabetes and helped those with the disease. She loved animals telling “The Marching Girl,” she would never eat anything with a face.
Her talent was immense. So too her beauty and grace. Her heart and my heart toward her, even greater. “Go take that town up there, you can, just smile.
Click below to view and hear some of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” theme song, (and “Moore”) as sung by Sonny Curtis, a member of Buddy Holly’s band, “The Crickets.”
This of course appropriate, “on the day Mary died.”
The Mary Tyler Moore Show 1970 – 1977 Opening and Closing Theme (With Snippet) HD Dolby
I still do not know whom I will root for or even bet on in the upcoming Supe, but any thoughts I had regarding “jinxing” the Pats because of any association between Tom Brady and DT Trump, have disappeared, after hearing the almost, always classy Brady in his weekly WEEI (Boston radio) interview.
Brady’s focus is on the team and in trying to win what he perceives will be a tough game, vs a certainly very good Atlanta Falcons’ team.
As one who could only dream and perhaps aspire victory, as Brady does, but even in my own field where I have “Brady like” knowledge, if not talent, but not only failed, but essentially never tried, my admiration for him is great.
Trust me, as you knowing reading this, sports means little to me nowadays. Yet this Brady is special, something I knew watching him, in his only non playoff season of ’02, as usual I was slightly ahead of the curve.
Leave him alone regarding Trump. In fact, as you well know I am not a Trump fan, but one thing on which I totally agree with the current president, is how lacking in justice, the four game suspension of Brady was.
Now let’s go on with some perspective. That quality of perspective in Brady, as impressive, if not important as his playing performances have been/are, is so much greater.
If I check, I find the factual mistakes. Below from ESPN.com news services. The Pats were in their 6th consecutive AFC Title Game (2011-2016) that is SIX, NOT SEVEN!
“Brady improved to 5-0 at home against Pittsburgh in helping the Patriots paste the Steelers 36-17 in New England’s seventh consecutive AFC Championship Game. ”
Click the link below to see if they correct their mistake.
They’re back: Brady, Belichick into record 7th SB
They do but with ESPN.com, far more often than they should.
In the title games following the presidential election of 2012, the last one before 2016, both the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons lost at home. Playing first as was the case yesterday, Atlanta, of course unlike yesterday lost its home title tilt to the S.F. 49ers.
Later, New England lost at home to the eventual Super Bowl champion, Baltimore Ravens. It was/is just the third time in 51 seasons of title games for Super Bowl entry that both teams lost. However, the interesting? correlations, as you might have guessed, do not end there.
The first time both home teams lost in games that determined Super Bowl entry was in the first year of such possibility, 1966 also the Falcons’ first season and a year in which the Packers (the losing team yesterday at Atlanta) won it all.
That season with the AFL and NFL still “separate but merged” (another sham promoting racism in this country was “separate but equal”) both the Buffalo Bills playing first and the Dallas Cowboys lost at home to the K.C. Chiefs and “GB” Packers respectively. (Of course in another “Coincidence ’66” the Pack and Chiefs each played slots games on the exact 50th anniversary of their clash in the first Supe with GB again winning and KC losing on that day).
The next time both road teams won title tilts in the same season was 26 years later after the ’92 season, another presidential election year and the ’92 road winners were the ’66 home losers as with Buffalo again playing first, this time at Miami vs the Dolphins and winning, while Dallas with Alvin Harper’s big catch, won at S.F. vs the Niners.
Eight years earlier, also in a presidential election year, the Orwellian “1984” both the Dolphins (vs the Steelers, who also lost yesterday) and 49ers (vs the Bears, who would win their lone Supe, the following season vs New England) won home title tilts.
Now of course, the teams losing at home the third time both home teams tasted defeat in same season title tilts in the presidential election year of 2012, the Falcons and Pats, each win following the 2016 “election” and will meet in the 51st Supe.
In that tilt, the Falcons in their 51st season will try to win their first Supe, while N.E. (o-2) in Supes before Belichick/Brady, will try to avoid a third Belichick/Brady Supe loss as stated in the last post, the other two, to “mediocre record” “HACK”ensack Giants’ teams.
It will be the New England Patriots seeking their 5th Super Bowl crown against the Atlanta Falcons, seeking their first, in this their 51st season, in the 51st Super Bowl on February 5th in Houston, Texas.
N.E. will be favored, I said originally by 4, now say 5 plus, (the line opened at 3–what are they telling us, but remember NE won 3 of their 4 Supe crowns by 3 points, the other by 4. Additionally their 2 Supe losses in the Belichick/Brady era, both to “Hack” teams with inferior records, (alas the “Pieman” had “Hack” and I fear that well healed “Ghlub” had “the odds” with Trump, whom he once met on a plane) were by 3 and 4 points in ’07 and ’11 respectively) in their 51st ‘offs game and 34th starting in ’01, all with Bill Belichick as coach and Tom Brady as their quarterback.
Atlanta built a (31-0) lead and ripped the Green Bay Packers. Matt Ryan, the one time Boston College quarterback who will be facing the New England Patriots for all the marbles, threw 4 touchdown passes and ran for another score as Atlanta reached their second Supe, squaring their title game/NFL semis record at (2-2), (1-1) home and away, winning (44-21).
The Pats made the faves (8-2) (8-2) in these ‘offs in a 6th over, riding Tom Brady’s 3 touchdown tosses in a (36-17) win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Julio Jones of Atlanta and Chris Hogan of “N.E.” were the receiving stars, each with a pair of touchdown grabs.
The two underdog victories even vs the spread were last Sunday, by the Packers and Steelers, however, yesterday as the home teams won both title tilts for the fourth straight season matching (’81-84), for the first time in nine occasions when “Pitts” and “GB” played post-season tilts on the same day, both lost.
Today for the 51st time and for the 50th time with both games on Sunday (in ’82 the NFC game was on a Saturday), the NFL stages two games to determine Super Bowl entrants.
If both home team favorites which is just over an even money proposition, it would mark just the second time, home teams won both title/NFL semis tilts in four straight seasons and the first with all four double home team wins on a Sunday.
Seattle (Seahawks) going (2-0) at home and New England (Patriots), of course involved today as 6 point home “faves” vs Pittsburgh (Steelers), whose 3 such games went to the home team, two to Denver (Broncos) combined in 5 of the 6 results (’13-’15) that manifested in home team title game wins.
The other Carolina (Panthers) at home vs Arizona (Cardinals) last season after for just the third time, both road teams won the title tilts of the 2012 season. One of those tilts was an Atlanta (Falcons) home loss vs “Col” Kaepernick and S.F. (49ers). The Falcons get another chance today as 5 plus point “faves” vs the Green Bay Packers in just their second home title tilt.
Altogether the home team has won both title tilts with Supe berths on the line 20 times, which is forty percent of the fifty seasons. (in six seasons of “never the twain shall meet, NFL and AFL title games, the home team won both both 3 times, (’61,’63 and ’64) splitting in two seasons,(’60 and ’65), with the road team winning both in 1962, field goals as was the case in Sunday slots games last week providing the winning margin.)
In the AFL that year, it was Tom Brooker’s field goal in the 6th quarter/second overtime period, that lifted the then Dallas Texans (the next season they moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs) over the Houston Oilers.
1962’s NL title tilt was won by Green Bay in bitter cold Yankee Stadium vs the N.Y. Giants, (16-7), Jerry Kramer, as cited yesterday snubbed by the NFL “Hall,” booting 3 field goals that accounted for the winning margin.
Last week playing on the exact 50th anniversary of their clash in the first Supe, the Packers and Chiefs were on different sides of the “field goal gods.”
“G.B.” again rode the field goals to victory, as Mason Crosby had two huge ones to put the Pack in their ninth scheduled NFL semi and seventh NFC title tilt. However Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell booted an NFL playoff game record 6 as Pitts handed the Chiefs a 5th home slots loss in as many such games.
As cited above both road teams have won title tilts/NFL semis but thrice, the eventual champion Baltimore Ravens and 49ers, (each coached by a vastly over rated Harbaugh brother), in ’12, the eventual champion Cowboys and Buffalo Bills in ’92 and the aforementioned as first Supe opponents, eventual champion Packers and Chiefs in 1966.
The home/road teams have split the two “semi” games twenty seven times.
After the only run of four straight both home team wins in the title tilts of (’81-84), there were just nine such occurrences in the twenty eight seasons (’85-2012) before the current run of three (2013-2015).
As you might have noticed, Republican Donald Trump was inaugurated as United States President yesterday. Many fear that is bad news, for now let’s say, it is a historical “bad sign” for Green Bay Packers’ title hopes.
No NFL team has won more titles than the Packers’ TEN but ALL TEN occurred with Democrats in this nation’s highest office.
Already in “football 2016,” Alabama whose ten titles leads the way in college football was denied an eleventh, losing as near touchdown “faves” in the title tilt vs Clemson.
The Tides’ (Alabama) Democrat and title correlation is eerily similar, as all 10 were also won with a “Dem” either in office as President (nine times, ’61,’64.’65, ’78, ’79. ’09, ’10, ’12 and ’15 seasons) or after a Democrat, W.J. Clinton (what must have gone through his wife Hillary Rodham’s mind yesterday, as it would not be a stretch to say I lost as a 7:1 favorite—and you thought I would impugn Trump—-) had been elected, but not inaugurated in the ’92 season.
By the way, the Tide’s ’92 national title win was called on national radio with the great Harry Kalas as the announcer.
That man, and certainly not the adored Republican/Reagan loving, Vin Scully, was the best baseball play by play man of this time.
Kalas died in Washington D.C. at the near start of the next season after getting to call “his” Phillies winning the ’08 title. So much of what Washington D.C. should stand for, died both before and certainly yesterday, as any violence is wrong and evokes Lincoln and Ford.
Maybe I will write a song regarding it, not a Saturday Night sketch ridiculing/making them money and solving nothing.
Incredibly, all ten Packers’ crowns were with Democrats in office, three with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, those won in 1936, 1939 and 1944, two with John F. Kennedy in ’61 and ’62, the earlier when “Jack” helped his friend Vince Lombardi’s Pack by granting a weekend pass, allowing U.S. “Reserve” Paul Hornung to play in that year’s title tilt, ’65-’67 with Lyndon Johnson, whose advice relayed yesterday by the venerable Bob Schiffer (meanwhile the CBS host, Scott Pelley was mistake prone, a veritable “turnover”/mistake machine as the U.S. government was “turned over,”) of never telling anyone to go to hell, unless you can send him there, (hopefully) already discarded by “DJ” Trump, will “bite” him you know where.
In the interest of avoiding “Guinness” for the longest run on sentence, the two less distinguished Pack titles won with the exponentially publicized Brett Favre in ’96, and the great, but “hold off on the key to Fort Knox,” Aaron Rodgers in ’10, were with the also less distinguished Presidents, certainly Bill “The Centrist” Clinton (’96) and the “blocked” Barack Obama in ’10.
Using Packers’ lore, Mr. Obama, unfortunately for him and I believe most of us, had instead of say Jerry Kramer (he is still not in the NFL Hall and that is a disgrace, no matter what your politics are and it is politics and utter morons who vote for such things that caused it) blocking for him, a slew of Republicans doing what they do best, BLOCKING his/our progress.
It once was great, such as above with Jerry Kramer (#64) blocking for Paul Hornung, on a muddy field, likely vs “my” Cleveland Browns in the ’65 title tilt, in which “GB” prevailed (23-12).
As a result of their close win at Dallas in the “slots” last week, the Green Bay Packers not only reached their 9th game in which a Supe entrant is determined (G.B. played in NFL title tilts in ’66 and ’67 that determined such, while subsequently appearing in 6 NFC title games before a 7th tomorrow in Atlanta), but also raised their ‘offs record vs the Dallas Cowboys to (4-4).
I believe the close wins in all four of their victories by the Packers, juxtaposed with the four easy wins by the Cowboys vs “G.B,” is unprecedented in football annals.
Perhaps this situation is only rivaled by the 1960 World Series, when the Pittsburgh Pirates “7’d” the New York Yankees, winning game 7 with key home runs by Rocky Nelson, Hal Smith and Bill Mazeroski, despite truly being routed in their 3 losses and winning the 4 closer games.
The Packers held off the Cowboys to win a thrilling 1966 NFL title tilt before “traversing” (the NFL Films narrator, not John Facenda, for just about the only time concerning title tilts, used the verb and great phrasing, which will always resonate), “68 yards over a polar ice cap” culminating in the great Bart Starr’s touchdown, to win the ’67 title tilt.
Two years ago, in the third slot at Green Bay, a call resulting in no catch for Dallas’ Dez Bryant was the key as the Pack again “close gamed” Dallas.
Last Sunday, after Dak Prescott and Bryant combined for 8 points to tie the tilt, GB, with Mason Crosby getting 2 field goals to Dallas’ Dan Bailey’s one, had another close win in the ‘offs vs Dallas.
In the strike marred 1982 season “slots,” as well as those in ’93 and ’94, Dallas eased at home vs the Packers. “Ditto” regarding the ’95 NFC title game/NFL semi.
Evoking the 1960 World Series again, in bringing up a 4 out of 7, that is the record of GB/Dallas ‘offs games winners in winning it all. Green Bay did so in ’66 and ’67, not 2014 while Dallas went on to the crown in ’93 and ’95 not so in ’82 and ’94.
The great Bart Starr, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 