Many others, not just me, have said for years, get the loss or losses, out of the way.
Tonight in likely the last chance for a regular season loss, undefeated Gonzaga visits St. Mary’s.
Better lose now, than lose in the tournament, which by the way is wide open.
Whether they do go undefeated or not, the Gonzaga team has “much wood to chop,” before winning a title.
I am currently reading “In Such Good Company,” a great book, by a truly fantastic performer, Carol Burnett.
The book details events, including great stories primarily regarding Ms. Burnett’s great show or better stated as on the cover, “eleven years of laughter, mayhem, and fun in the sandbox.”
Carol, a true legend, recounts great experiences with greats that preceded her.
Fred Astaire for example, was “as good at board games” as he was a dancer,” I will not play vs him in heaven, thanks for the warning Carol.
On the day the great Lucille Ball was called there (I still do not believe anything “hook, line and sinker,” but why not, certainly as a conceptual possibility), April 26, 1989, Carol’s birthday, Ms. Ball’s birthday card and flowers arrived as they always did.
There is so much in this book. I love it as I love all things Carol Burnett and her great friends and cast.
Click below for more information including how to purchase the book.
In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett | PenguinRandomHouse.com
Boston major North American sports league teams are now (8-1) vs Atlanta teams in post-season entities after the finals/Super Bowl victory by the Patriots vs the Falcons last Sunday.
This was by far the most important and latest clash in post-season between the two cities.
Only in the NBA, with the Celtics (Boston) compiling wins in 7 of 8 series vs the Hawks (Atlanta) had the cities ever met in post-season before the amazing comeback win by the Patriots last Sunday.
The Celtics are (4-0) in quarterfinal series vs the Hawks (’72, ’73, ’86 and ’88) winning it all in ’86 with a truly great team but failing to win another round in the other three seasons.
That includes the 1973 season, one in which the Celts won 68 games which until last season’s failure by record setting Golden State (Warriors) were the most wins by an NBA team that failed to “title.”
Boston is (3-1) in preliminary series vs the Hawks having won in ’83, ’08 and ’12 while the Hawks won in ’16. The Celts won it all in ’08, one of ten Boston titles in the “2000 years” but only in ’12 when the Celts won the subsequent “quarter” did either team win another round after playing each other save the Celts’ ’86 and ’08 title teams.
Boston won their 16th NBA title in ’86 and at that point had won an amazing 40 percent of the NBA’s 40 titles. They have won but one in the 30 seasons, since that point.
I can just hear an Atlanta fan, with but one title, say “are you complaining?!!”
No matter what enabled it, Tom Brady directing three touchdown drives, that included two must two point conversions, to win a fifth title and further cement both his and the team’s greatness, was of great masterful art.
I could see the look on his face as the chance was there, the utter precision of the pass patterns and with his superb team, especially James White on that day, and could only marvel at this greatness.
Talk need not turn to who is the greatest, one need only look at what is great.
Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots with now 5 titles, 7 Supe appearances, 14 division crowns in 16 seasons, (14 of 15 with Brady healthy), and 11 home division round games in those seasons, are among the great quarterbacks, coaches, and teams of any time, in any major North American sports league.
Great ones such as Tom Brady (pictured above) do not “pass” this way, all that often, if at all.
Click below to view “Seals and Crofts” perform “We May Never Pass This Way Again”
SEALS AND CROFTS “WE MAY NEVER PASS THIS WAY AGAIN” LIVE 1973
It was quite a clutch performance by the Patriots’ James White in the team’s amazing come from behind win in the Super Bowl.
White scored three touchdowns and on a two point conversion play, giving him a Supe record 20 points.
Of course White’s great effort on a 2 yard touchdown gave the Patriots their 5th Super Bowl victory, denying the Falcons in most heartbreaking fashion, for both their fans and bettors.
The New England Patriots overcame a (28-3) deficit and won their fifth Super Bowl, covering the “burned” Falcons and their bettors, (34-28) in the first of the 51 Supes to still be “on,” after regulation time i.e. overtime.
Along the “burn line,” the Patriots once a woebegone franchise, with a less than stellar SHERMAN as their quarterback, once again rode the greatness of Brady (as with Sherman a first name Tom, unlike Sherman and others far better, without peer), but more significantly the utter ineptitude of former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who gave away 14 points, enabling Brady and New England’s all-time comeback.
I am not like others, who for some reason despise the New England team and its greatness. Hail to them, and their fifth title, but as Bob Murphy, once a Boston Red Sox broadcaster said just after a Dave Augustine drive hit the point of the fence bouncing back to Cleon Jones who threw to Wayne Garrett, whose relay got Rich Zisk (of Carlton Fisk, his ridiculously over rated home run, they LOST the W.S.) at the plate, “it is necessary to be good, but does not hurt to be lucky.”
In this case, Brady and Company were lucky to get the chance, but once given it, this all-time great, who essentially has never failed to deliver in the clutch, did so, leaving Atlanta sports already as of another time losing, “burned.”
Today will be Joe Buck’s 5th Super Bowl.
In the previous four “Joe Buck Supes” (his father Jack, I believe led the television coverage once), “his” NFC network team has split, winning in ’07 and ’10 losing in ’04 (to N.E.) and in a rout we can only hope for not caring which way today, in ’13.
Buck has “led” 19 World Series, the last ten (’07-’16)–G.B. 16 Giants 7 in ’62 still in December, no television in N.Y.C. and you know what–’twas better)–when rival network TBS also had LCS coverage.
The Fox Network/Buck LCS winner went on to 9 of 10 W.S. triumphs, (those are Joe DiMaggio numbers).
Only Buck’s team and certainly that of his dad, the St. Louis Cardinals, won a TBS/ LCS and then won “vs” Buck and Fox in the subsequent World Series. The year was 2011 and boy how easily could it have gone the other way.
She, the beyond beautiful Elizabeth Taylor, “presented,” as “Midnight Cowboy” won the Academy Award.
Since the Atlanta Falcons’ top two players are Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, a “top of my head,” Jones for this, Ryan for that.” (cue Boz Scaggs).
In a ’69 semi/NLCS, the eventual world champion Mets with Cleon Jones and Nolan Ryan, playing key roles swept the Atlanta Braves in 3 straight games. I always note the great Hank Aaron, albeit in defeat, homered in all three tilts.
The lone Atlanta title team, the ’95 Braves had a top player named Jones, Larry “Chipper” Jones.
Two Braves World Series losing teams, in ’96 and ’99 vs the Yankees had both Chipper and Andruw Jones.
Before losing three straight World Series to the Yankees in ’58 and aforementioned ’96 and ’99, the Braves of Milwaukee (they were there from ’53-65), won in 7 vs the Yankees in the ’57 World Series.
Their third base coach was Connie Ryan.
As stated in my most recent post, this will be the 13th Super Bowl following a presidential election in this country.
The AFC team has won the Supe in 8 of those 12 situations, riding a 4 Supe winning streak in presidential election years (’68 Jets, ’72 Dolphins, ’76 and ’80 Raiders) and a current one, on the line this Sunday, (’00 Ravens, ’04 Pats. ’08 Steelers and ’12 Ravens).
Twice in as many possibilities, conference 4 game Supe winning streaks in such games following U.S. presidential elections have come to an end, as the NFC also had a 4 game win skein (’84 and ’88 S.F. 49ers, ’92 Cowboys and ’96 Packers).
“Bay Area” teams, the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers won 4 straight presidential election year Supes (’76,’80,’84 and ’88), another streak that ended at four.
The top three and two of the three teams tied for third in Supe wins won a “presidential year” such game.
Pittsburgh (Steelers) with the most Supe wins (6) won in ’08, S.F. and Dallas each with 5 crowns, won twice (’84 and ’88) and in ’92 respectively.
Two of the three teams with 4 Supe crowns, the Pats (’04) and Packers (’96) also won crowns in such games. Only the Giants, also with 4 Supe wins did not, dealt their only Supe loss by the Baltimore Ravens, in presidential election year, 2000.
“R”egarding “R” teams, the Raiders and Redskins are next in Supe wins with three apiece, Oakland (Raiders) gaining two in presidential election seasons while Washington (Redskins), though where the president and until this year, his wife were to be housed, has never won a title in a presidential election season.
Additionally both “R”avens, of near by, Baltimore crowns, were won in presidential election seasons.
Eleven of the 12 presidential election season Super Bowl winners, encompassing 8 teams, have at least two crowns as the Miami Dolphins, undefeated Supe winners in presidential election season 1972, repeated as champions, with not so arguably, a better team in 1973.
Only the first such presidential election season, Supe winner, the 1968 New York Jets have not only won just that one title, but also have appeared in just (that) one Super Bowl game.
This Sunday February 5th, thirty six days into calendar 2017, the 2016 sports year, if not all things 2016, concludes with the 51st Supe, matching N.E. (minus 3, doubt it will go off that very powerful #, but ‘they’ seem to bet late, these days and one never knows) vs Atlanta.
As 2016 sports is about to conclude, it is perhaps noteworthy, certainly by me, as I thought it, that this will be the 13th of the 51 Super Bowls, that followed a presidential election.
A quick association of 13 and 51 yields 1951 with Ralph Branca, dead at 90 in 2016. He wore “unlucky” 13 and threw the pitch, on which Bobby Thomson’s home run won the 1951 National League pennant.
One more tribute to three sports greats, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer and Gordie Howe, who also died in 2016.
In my next post, presidential election year/Supe notes.
So much I could say, but simply put, Don Mueller who had a big hit in the Giants’ pennant winning rally on October 3, 1951, could hit.
I actually heard Mueller say, what he has been quoted as saying, 50 years after that game.
At a dinner commemorating the ’51 N.L. race, (of course with the wild card presence a race such as ’51 can never be), a fan asked Mueller if Gil Hodges should have been “holding” the runner, Alvin Dark on first base, with a (4-1) lead and left handed hitting Mueller at the “dish.”
Don, who fifty years earlier hit the ball past Hodges for a hit, said “if he was not playing there, I would have hit the ball someplace else.”
The fan laughed and agreed, saying simply Don’s nickname, “Mandrake The Magician.”
