Last year the Arizona Cardinals won the NFC West after nearly doing so the year before.
Meanwhile after not only winning 2 straight NFC West crowns but 2 straight NFC titles and one Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks were relegated to wild card status last season.
The Rams are back in Los Angeles where they once made the playoffs eight straight seasons from (1973-1980).
Meanwhile the San Francisco 49ers had at least a home divisional round game an incredible eleven times in fifteen seasons from (1981-1995).
By the way, in a fifteen year span, twenty years later (2001-2015), the New England Patriots, nearly matched that, playing in at least a home divisional round game in ten of those fifteen seasons.
seasons.
In my next post, an “early read” in the NFC West.
There are 15 major league baseball games which is the usual number on most days, certainly on Saturday.
However, today none started before 4 p.m. Eastern Time and just one started at that time.
Once Saturday was for day baseball and even something called “Ladies Day” at the ballpark.
Now it is a big deal to get a few early starts on a Saturday, and today there are none.
The powers that be in baseball took those shoes and “walked all over you,” the true, pure baseball fan.
You do not have to take it, but you will, won’t you?!!
The Cleveland Indians now have an eight game lead in the loss column atop the A.L. Central Division.
This means an eighth division title all of the one eighth variety and A.L. Central crowns is very likely for the Indians.
Earlier in calendar 2016, the NBA Cavaliers overcame a three games to one finals deficit and won the city of Cleveland’s first major North American sports league title since 1964.
Now up 8 (loss column), an almost certain “one eighth” div title in hand, the Indians will be one of eight teams bidding for a crown that has eluded them since nineteen forty EIGHT. This is a period of time sans a sports title, only exceeded by the likely N.L. one seed, Chicago Cubs, whose last title was won in nineteen o EIGHT.
When last seen on NBC, with Al Michaels presiding and Cris Collinsworth never being quiet, the Arizona Cardinals overcame an Aaron Rodgers desperation pass tying touchdown and prevailed vs G.B. (Packers) in a Saturday night division round game, the first in NBC history.
The next time on NBC, at least in the “reg,” the Cardinals will face the New England Patriots, like them a title game loser, last season.
Unlike the Patriots, who have won 4 Super Bowls, the Cardinals have gone longer sans an NFL title than any other franchise, last winning one as the Chicago based Cardinals in 1947.
Certainly a possible divisional playoff opponent for the 2016 N.L. Central champions to be, the Chicago Cubs, are the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Last year the two teams that combined for something as pure as 5 straight National League Pennants (the first three, and four of five won by the Cubs) from (1906-1910), met in something as tainted as an extra game in a baseball tournament.
This year, if the season ended today, the Pirates would be in that extra game, for the 4th straight time in the 5 years of its utterly horrible existence.
The winner of that ridiculous game, now the survivor of a game in which it faced elimination, will be revitalized and on its way to Wrigley Field for game one of the best of 5 division series. That is based on today’s and likely the final regular season standings.
It is certain, (I will take the risk) the Chicago Cubs will win the N.L. Central so let’s look ahead as to whom may be their division round opponents.
If the season ended today, it would be the Cubs’ big rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, that would play in a ridiculous one game playoff for the right to meet the cubs in the division playoffs.
Last year the roles were reversed as the Cardinals won the division (the N.L. Central) and the Cubs gained the second of the two bogus wild card berths.
Bogus or not, the Cubs beaten by the Cardinals in the true test of a 162 game season, took the measure of St. Loo in 4 games and advanced. The Cardinals flew home and stayed there.
Cruel, ridiculous and would I love it if it happened again, only in reverse this season? Good question.
The defending NFC champion, Carolina Panthers are pretty big favorites to win the NFC south.
I am not so sure they will even do that but reluctantly say they will, with nowhere near the incredible (15-1) record they achieved last season.
The Atlanta Falcons will contend, also with a good record. Two years ago, the Panthers won at Atlanta, in the season finale, to claim the NFC South crown with an under .500 record.
Both the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem improved, but my early read is Carolina to win the “div” title, in a close race with the Atlanta Falcons.
I feel very fortunate to have seen the amazing Terri Mateer, a beautiful, talented, gracious performer in “A Kind Shot,” last night at Davenport Black Box Theatre.
The autobiographical, one woman show, written and performed by Ms. Mateer, with help from her husband Brian Mateer (stage manager and lights) was truly moving, inspirational and in the end profound.
She “had me” as they say, when she talked of learning to shoot like the great player, Oscar Robertson and held the Wilson (a mention of “Wilson” evoking Tom Hanks in “Cast Away”) basketball in the same way, the “Big O” did, before shooting.
Mateer went on to do so much more, blending her basketball and life experiences, in telling her inspirational story of surviving and now flourishing, while looking around and helping others.
She graciously greeted the audience after what was the last of four performances at Davenport. There will be other shows in the near future and I highly recommend seeing the extraordinary Terri Mateer in this truly moving work.
Click below for an interview with Terri about “A Kind Shot.” Check for updates at Terri Mateer – a kind shot home Page and stay with us as well. There will be updates on when and where this fabulous show appears in the future.
A Kind Shot by Terri Mateer on Vimeo
Here is another program reminder, more intense than most previous, to watch The Dick Cavett Show tonight at 8 Eastern Time on Decades.
Mr. Cavett’s guest from the 1980 show that airs tonight was Shelley Winters.
Need I say more as Ms. Winters in addition to being a superb actress and highly intelligent, never held back on talk shows.
She does not in this one. Enjoy!
Shelley Winters pictured above in costume for her brilliant turn in the 1965 film, “A Patch Of Blue”
Last year the Carolina Panthers were a truly dominant teams but in the end they were one of the best teams not to win an NFL crown.
There was too much talk as to how great their quarterback Cam Newton was and of course the public bet the Panthers to six point favorites in the Supe vs the Denver Broncos.
That is usually not a good sign for the favorite and proved not to be as the Denver Broncos with a great Von Miller led defense won the game which was their quarterback Peyton Manning’s last.
There will be more on the Panthers when I take an “early read” on the NFC South in an upcoming post.
Andy B Sports 