If it manifests that Denver Broncos’ quarterback, Peyton Manning retires as an NFL player, among other things it would mean he won a Super Bowl in his last game, as did Denver executive John Elway.
Does this mean as “Manning gushers,” (the New York Daily News’ writer Mike Lupica comes to mind) would have you think that this most over rated athlete leaves a great and winning playing legacy.
I say no, as good a reminder of Manning and his failures as a favorite in playoff games was a division round loss, as a game time, 11 point favorite as Colts’ quarterback vs the San Diego Chargers in 2007.
Handing the ball off, leading at most two nice touchdown drives in 3 playoff games and riding the Von Miller led defense (contrast Von Miller, a dominant VP in his lone Supe with the fine announcer Van Miller, unfortunately assigned to a Buffalo Bills’ team that lost all 4 of its Super Bowls), does not constitute greatness.
I will remember Manning as a once superb passer, even quarterback, who maybe more than any sports figure, had some truly horrible game performances, when it mattered most.
Additionally unlike some baseball hitting greats and again Peyton Manning is a (sports) great, where the sport is set up for hitting failure, some of Manning’s horrible games, including some victories this season, defy imagination.
Manning and his University of Tennessee teams went (0-4) vs the Florida Gators.
After the 1954 season when the New York Giants won their last World Series as the New York Giants, they had 5 World Series wins exactly that many more than the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1955, the Dodgers won their first title and after the 1988 season had taken a (6-5) World Series title lead over the arch rival Giants, now in San Francisco while the Dodgers were based in Los Angeles.
As we are on the precipice of the 2016 season, in which the Giants hope to add a 4th straight even year title, the Giants lead the Dodgers (8-5) in World Series victories.
Nominated for the sixth time, Leonardo DiCaprio received his first Academy Award for his performance in “The Reverent, ” when the award was handed out last Sunday night.
Di Caprio and Brie Larson, who won the Best Actress Award for her performance in “Room” were both overwhelming favorites to win awards.
“Spotlight” winning the Best Picture Award was a slight upset.
As stated here before, Mr. DiCaprio had some notable performances, including one I truly liked in “Catch Me If You Can,” and I applaud his selection as Best Actor, even if as always these contests are “apples vs oranges.”
DiCaprio and apples are good choices.
Eleven of the fifteen National League teams have won the World Series, ten of them doing so at least once in an odd year.
A pre expansion team, the Philadelphia Phillies have won both their World Series crowns, (Del Unser’s great pinch hitting a highlight in 1980 and announcer Harry Kalas calling the last out in 2008), in even years.
The Dodgers lead NL teams with 5 odd year crowns followed by the Pirates with 4.
In Brooklyn once (1955) and the first four of the 5 Los Angeles based titles, the Dodgers won in odd years, their last to date coming in even year, 1988.
The Pirates also have a high percentage of titles won in odd years as all but one of their 5 were done so in odd years.
Two of baseball’s most famous home runs were hit, helping the Pirates in 1960 and the Dodgers in 1988 win their lone even year World Series crown.
Bill Mazeroski broke a (9-9) tie with a leadoff, second pitch home run to win the 1960 World title for the Pirates vs the New York Yankees.
Kirk Gibson’s 2 out, game 1 ending home run, was the key play in the Dodgers’ 5 game triumph vs the Oakland Athletics in the 1988 World Series.
Last year’s World Series was the 57th contested in an odd year. No World Series has been missed in an odd year while 90 years apart in even years, 1904 and 1994 no World Series was played.
The American League has a (33-24) record in odd year World Series.
The league has the two biggest winning streaks in odd years, including one of all 10 odd year World Series played from (1935-1953).
Of course the New York Yankees’ dominance was a big part of that skein and the overall American League success.
The other two American League World Series victories in that span were by the Detroit Tigers with Hank Greenberg on both teams, ten years apart in 1935 and 1945.
One World Series game has ended with a pick-off of a runner. Kolten Wong of the St. Louis Cardinals was picked off of first base in Game 3 of the 2013 World Series by Boston Red Sox closer Koji Uehara. The score was 4-2 and rookie Wong was a pinch runner.
Though Wikipedia did a good job on World Series facts, there is a mistake in the above.
Wong was picked off to end game four NOT game three of the 2013 World Series.
The Red Sox down two games to one, won the last 3 games and took that 2013 World Series 4 games to 2.
Both the NBA and NHL had Saturday night telecasts this past weekend.
These people stop at nothing jamming meaningless regular season games down our collective throats.
Soon the real seasons in college basketball and eventually the NBA, NHL and baseball will start.
Until then why watch?! In fact why watch then, but at least the games within the limited importance of sports will mean something.
The Golden State Warriors have continued their incredible play, going (3-1) since the NBA All Star break and have a (52-5) record, clearly threatening to break the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls’ NBA record of (72-10).
Coached by Steve Kerr, a player on that Bulls’ team these Warriors just keep winning.
Not only do they have a brilliant shooter and player in Steph Curry but another standout player in Klay Thompson, the son of former NBA player, Mychal Thompson.
It is not that important whether or not the Warriors break the record and ultimately maybe not that important to beat the powerful San Antonio Spurs out for the best record.
Yet the Warriors figure to play hard to accomplish at least one of the two as a step toward the ultimate goal of repeating as NBA champions.
Klay Thompson, sitting with his father Mychal, hopes to match his feat of playing on back to back NBA title teams, something Mychal did with the 1987 and 1988 Los Angeles Lakers. At the time the Lakers were the first team to repeat as NBA champions in 19 years. I believe that is the longest period sans a repeat champion in any major North American sports league.
When sportscaster Curt Gowdy died in 2006, ESPN, a big part of ABC/Disney that employed Gowdy for so many years, continuing his show “American Sportsman,” even after he signed as the top announcer at NBC, had a taped tribute.
Narrated by Jeremy Schaap, the piece started with Gowdy’s call of Hank Aaron’s record breaking 715th home run.
Next the end of O.J. Simpson’s 80 yard touchdown run in the 1/1/1969 Rose Bowl for USC, in a losing effort vs Ohio State.
Then a Mickey Mantle home run. Only problem is that I believe Jerry Coleman, and certainly not Curt Gowdy was the announcer.
Gowdy preached preparation, he was old, we all die, couldn’t ESPN with its sickening hype, often of bad behavior, been prepared by inserting the correct highlights (i.e. those involving Curt Gowdy) in their Gowdy tribute?!!
A doctor, who advised my father on medical matters, turns 61 years old today.
The movie “61” an effort of comedian, Billy Crystal about Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle’s pursuit of Babe Ruth’s single season home run record in 1961 was not very good, though Thomas Jane as “Mantle” surely was.
The doctor once took at least one of his children to a Billy Crystal book signing and the comedian/over stated baseball fan, barely looked up or acknowledged those purchasing his book with their money, going into his pockets.
ABC is still promoting exciting Oscar races, (that is a boldfaced lie) Crystal was a decent “Academy Awards” host, I prefer Bob Hope or Johnny Carson.
Actor Thomas Jane, pictured above, does some excellent work.
Andy B Sports 