NBC cited here yesterday, wishes the game was that close, even close, “would you believe” (homage to Don Adams and “Get Smart,”an NBC show), not a rout?!!
The Cowboys annihilated the Bills that day (52-17). Note the score reported as (30-27).
NBC Analyst O.J. Simpson stands near the end zone before the start of Super Bowl XXVII with the Buffalo Bills against Dallas Cowboys at the Rose Bowl on January 31, 1993 in Pasadena, California. The Cowboys won 30-27.
This was from a Michael Wilbon commentary. Might he have checked the picture caption, whether or not is was his assignment?! I have included the link. Maybe they will correct it, but so help me, as I “published,” the above was under the caption.
O.J. was the lesser of two evils
Yesterday with the slumping Montreal Canadiens idle, five of the original six NHL teams were in action in staggered starts and all five were victorious.
The New York Rangers won at home vs the top ranked Washington Capitals in a 12:30 start on NBC. Next also on “The Peacock Network” which also aired a 90th Anniversary Show from 8 to 11, the Detroit Red Wings were “in vogue,” winning (5-2) at the the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Playing with starting times an hour and a half apart, first the Chicago Blackhawks won (5-1) in Buffalo vs the Sabres and next the Toronto Maple Leafs won (4-0), the same score they clinched the 1964 crown with the great Johnny Bower in goal, at Carolina vs the Hurricanes.
Maybe Tom Brady tuned in on a satellite dish somewhere as the Boston Bruins won (2-1) at San Jose in the latest of the 5 tilts all won by original six NHL franchises yesterday.
What at one time was a huge lead for the once NHL glory team, Montreal Canadiens in their division, has all but evaporated.
The Ottawa Senators have two less points than do the Habs (Canadiens), but have played four fewer games.
Last year despite a great start, Montreal missed the playoffs altogether.
This season produced another great start and another horrible slump.
Claude Julien is now their coach and in his debut yesterday, Winnipeg (Jets) scored the game’s last three goals in a (3-1) victory at Montreal, vs the still slumping Canadiens.
A brief remembrance of three from the world of professional wrestling all of whom died or were reported to have died in the last day.
George “The Animal” Steele was not only most entertaining but quite a learned man, who also taught.
Ivan Koloff actually took the championship belt from Bruno Sammartino in new York, unheard of for a so called “bad guy” to do so.
Nicole Bass gained publicity as a bodybuilder and from appearances on The Howard Stern Show before entering the world of professional wrestling.
Another offshoot of the incredible New England come from behind Super Bowl win is the father and son Long titles.
Howie Long won it all as a member of the 1983 Oakland Raiders.
Now his son, Chris Long has done the same, 33 years later with the New England Patriots.
The elder Long was involved in the past Supe, working on television.
1983 and 2016 had the same calendars and “Long involved” NFL titles.
Come on FiveThirtyEight, please do not awaken some of my bad thoughts.
First, you were way off as were most people regarding the most recent presidential election after “living off” your success in the one before that.
Now a post in your name said Orenthal “O.J.” Simpson lived off two great seasons as a player.
The same post indicates he won four NFL rushing crowns. Need I say more.
In my book, while others are close, only Jim Brown rates ahead of Simpson as an NFL running back.
The first NCAA Basketball Tournament was in 1939.
That means 78 have been played.
All were contested without Northwestern University as a participant.
It is likely that streak involving a Chicago area sports team will end this season, at a time the more famous “Chi” baseball Cubs are World’s Champions, having ended a negative streak 30 years longer than Northwestern’s.
One was a non title streak, the other Northwestern’s, is not even making what has been a large field tournament for some time, but alas if it happens, as it likely will, Northwestern finally making the so called “Big Dance” is worth a few “steps” any way one chooses.
Before I cite the eleven examples referenced yesterday, involving Super Bowls matching coaches with “non 5 letter” last names and those with 5 letter last names, eight of the first nine Supes had losing coaches with 5 letter last names, five in which a coach, without 5 letters in his last name, prevailed.
This includes the first three Super Bowls in which Vince Lombardi’s Packers won the first two vs Hank Stram and K.C. and Oakland coached by John Rauch as well as Weeb Ewbank’s Jets (16-7) vs Don Shula’s Baltimore Colts.
In the 6th Supe, Tom Landry’s Cowboys beat Shula and the Dolphins while in the ninth, the great Chuck Noll and “Pitts” handed Bud Grant and the Vikings, the third of 4 Supe losses.
In 5 letter vs 5 letter Supes among the aforementioned first nine, Stram and KC beat Minne and Grant in the 4th, Shula and Miami (Dolphins) beat George Allen and Wash and Grant and Minne in the 7th and eighth.
The other four “non five” over a “five letter” coach in a Supe were in the 11th John Madden’s Raiders over Grant’s Vikings, the 18th Tom Flores’ Raiders over Joe Gibbs and “Wash,” and the last such results were Bill Belichick wins with New England.
The Pats’ first Supe win in the 36th Supe was vs Mike Martz and the heavily favored St. Louis Rams and the incredible comeback/blown game was vs Dan Quinn and Atlanta 9 days ago.
Both 5 letter coach wins vs a non 5 letter coach in a Super Bowl were recorded by Joe Gibbs.
In the 22nd Supe, Gibbs and Wash took Denver coached by Dan Reeves and in the 26th they handed Marv Levy and Buffalo the second of four straight Super Bowl defeats (’90-93).
Yesterday’s post indicated the favorites prevailed in 9 of the 11 post-season tilts in the just completed 2016 NFL season.
9/11, once best known as the number to call for emergency assistance, had a different meaning beginning on the eleventh day of September in 2001, a season in which a team from New England won their first Super Bowl.
Another nine of eleven note manifested after the unbelievable NE win/Atlanta loss in the 51st Supe.
Now in eleven Supe clashes between teams coached by men with numbers other than 5 constituting their last names and those with 5 letters in their last name, the “non fives” have won 9 of the 11 tilts.
Additionally 9 other times the losing Super Bowl coach had 5 letters in his last name but so did the winning coach.
The nine “non five” winners vs “five” and the two “five” vs non five winners will follow in tomorrow’s post.
Certainly the numbers nine and eleven have come to mean a great deal in our society.
There is a 9/11 correlation and association with the New England team as they won the first of their 5 titles in the first Super Bowl that followed the events of September 11, 2001 (9-11).
This season in the NFL post-season, nine of eleven favorites won, the Patriots doing so thrice, including their great comeback win/Falcons’ horrible dissipation of a (28-3) lead.
Another 9/11 football note manifested.
Details in my next post.
