Andy B Sports

While I no longer hold much against John Sterling from his days as a not so nice sports talk show host, it was a bit unnerving hearing him today on WFAN radio.

A late acquaintance held it as a “badge of honor” that Sterling used his infamous “give it a rest you creep” as a response to one of his questions.

Far more annoying than Sterling ever was and even the inexorable passage of time is the fact Sterling uttered before his “nice turn” as host today.

“Every city and hamlet has some form of sports talk radio.” That claim is true and since as Bob Costas once said it is mostly heat and not light,” how sad a state!

John Sterling pictured above once had an opening that cited sports “greats” and he as “Superstar”

As offensive as that was– ubiquitous sports talk radio is far worse.

Going into the final week of the NFL regular season, the two host teams, each with remarkable records, for the division round are set.

Though handed their first defeat yesterday by the now eliminated Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers with a (14-1) record can wrap up the number one seed for the first time in the franchise’s 20 year history with a home win vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.

Meanwhile the Arizona Cardinals, who ripped the still likely “3” seed Green Bay Packers yesterday, are (13-2), at least the “2” seed and will host a division round/slots game for the first time in franchise history.

If the Panthers lose and the Cardinals win at home vs the eventual “5” or “6” seed Seattle Seahawks, then Arizona becomes the NFC “1” seed.

The game at Green Bay between the host Packers and Minnesota Vikings, each with (10-5) records, will decide the NFC North crown and “3′ seed.

The Packers will be either the “3” or “5” seed, Minnesota a “3” seed if they win a “5”seed if they lose and Arizona beats Seattle and a “6” seed with a clash for a second straight week in Green Bay, something the league does not want but has endured in the past, if they lose and Seattle beats Arizona.

The (8-7) Washington Redskins are the NFC East champions and will host the “5” seed in the wild card round.

At the half of the later week 16 games, can anyone guess which will be the NBC week 17 game?

Surely the game matching the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers at Green Bay will have meaning but I believe NFC network Fox gets to pick one game, NBC can not have and at this point that will be Green Bay hosting Minnesota.

As of now, the Kansas City Chiefs and Jets, the first two teams from the old A.F.L. to win Super Bowls, respectively have clinched a playoff spot and control their destiny for one.

The Atlanta Falcons still have a chance to make the playoffs, having handed the Carolina Panthers their first loss.

Best guess for NBC at this point is the  San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos.

If the Chiefs win next week at home vs their old rivals, the Oakland Raiders, they clinch at least a “5” seed, meaning an on paper easier wild card round game likely at Houston but possibly Indianapolis rather than at Cincinnati.

If that happens then no matter the result of the Broncos home tilt vs the Bengals tomorrow night, Denver will need a win or at least a tie to either win the division or make the playoffs.

There is death, being knocked out and being knocked out of the playoffs.

After each died in 2015, perhaps football greats Frank Gifford  (New York Giants) and Chuck Bednarik (Philadelphia Eagles) watched together, or at least were aware that in a year, the two forever linked by Bednarik’s legal but vicious tackle that knocked Gifford out for the season in 1960, that the Washington Redskins’ win at Philadelphia last night, knocked both their former teams out of playoff contention for the 2015 season.

1960 was the last great glory for the Eagles culminating in Bednarik’s tackle of the Green Bay Packers’ great Jim Taylor, which clinched the 1960 title game in Philadelphia, 55 years ago yesterday.

Gifford’s Giants, a near great and certainly glorious team when he played, won but one of six title tilts from (1956-1963).

However, as Frank told me as he took a “Bullwinkle” doll for one of his newer children, he always took pride in his 1956 Giants winning the title, by the greatest margin in New York Giants’ annals, (47-7) vs the Chicago Bears.

The Giants have won four subsequent titles. For now, however, it is hail to the Redskins!

Yesterday’s predictions were (2-0) in college and (0-1) in the pros. WFAN radio’s Mike Francesa’s predictions are unavailable.

One can not be expected to endure all the commercials and inane phone calls on the off chance Francesa will reveal his week 16 predictions.

Credit him for going (3-0) last week and being (27-17) for the year.

ESPN announcer  Tom Hart was so obviously behind the play on a third quarter field goal miss (by Marshall) in their eventual (16-10) bowl victory vs Connecticut.

The analyst in replay actually said it had no chance yet Hart after the kick was obviously many yards wide, was still saying “does it have a chance?”

The three game glut of bowls two, three and four manifested in two being after three quarters and the other at the half. Commercials galore, 41 bowl games, three with (5-7) teams.

Oy vey as we say in the Japanese language!

It was 55 years ago today in a game at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field that the Philadelphia Eagles last won the NFL title.

The game was played on a Monday, the day after Christmas and the Eagles handed Vince Lombardi’s Packers their only post-season loss winning (17-13).

Vince Lombardi’s teams never lost another post-season game, winning 9 games and 5 titles all with the Green Bay Packers. He ended his coaching career with the Washington Redskins, coincidentally tonight’s Eagles’ opponent.

The Eagles, still in control of their destiny to win the weak NFC East have not won the NFL title since that game 55 years ago today. They lost in both Super Bowl appearances 24 years apart after the 1980 and 2004 seasons.

The great coach Vince Lombardi vowed never to lose another playoff game after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL title game 55 years ago today. He and his teams kept that vow, going (9-0) in such games and winning NFL crowns in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967.

I guess it is deemed a joke that one of the never ending cookie cutter, Stepford wife types that indulges in questions for the coaches/managers during the games no less (where is Vince Lombardi to fight this, he did not even want agents) “gave” San Antonio Spurs’ coach, Gregg Popovich, a Lombardi type great coach/hard a–, a present by not asking a second question.

Recently Popovich appeared with Craig Sager, a man who is not well physically and perhaps lightened the mood regarding Sager’s annoying questions over the years.

In the big picture that includes the fact we all get sick and eventually die, the fact Sager and so many others have filled their lives asking ridiculous questions, the fact we at home watching get annoyed is not that important.

Yet the situation can be improved. However, I doubt that it will be.

Gregg Popovich, pictured above has at least two things in common with legendary Green Bay Packers’ coach Vince Lombardi. First each has won 5 titles with one team, the other is each man has/would have had a low tolerance for the inane questions posed by sideline “reporters.”

Here are some predictions on today’s minor bowl games.

In the Pinstripe Bowl played where else but Yankee Stadium two schools better known in the sports world (there is a thing called academics, and surely Duke University excels in that), for basketball, Duke and Indiana clash in a football game.

Each school has 5 national titles in basketball.

Today in football Duke 37 Indiana 31

In 43 days, the Super Bowl will be played at the venue for tonight’s bowl game between U.C.L.A. and Nebraska.

U.C.L.A. (speaking of basketball with 11 titles) 42 Nebraska 38.

The great John Wooden, pictured above guided U.C.L.A. to 10 of their 11 basketball titles. Incredibly,he did so in a span of just 12 seasons.

It was a great pleasure to have just watched “I’ll Be Seeing You” a 1944 film under the auspices of David O. Selznick (“Gone With The Wind and other classics) on Turner Classic Movies.

The film starred two greats, Joseph Cotten and Ginger Rodgers while Shirley Temple transitioning from child star to that of a young adult leads a fine supporting cast.

Lessons can be learned that are applicable all these years later. It is a beautiful story with some incredible outward beauty on display by the actors, including an early stint by John Derek.

Robert Osborne hosted adding great tidbits of information including one about the title and title song, the great one of the same title “I’ll Be Seeing You” by Sammy Fain and Irving Cahal.

Billie Holiday – I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) – YouTube

Click above for Ms. Holiday’s classic version of the song “I’ll Be Seeing You”

The Washington Redskins, easily the biggest long shot before the season, can clinch the NFC East crown with a win at Philadelphia vs the Eagles, in the final NFL Network telecast Saturday night.

I predict the Eagles will win that game and thus control their playoffs destiny.

Eagles 19 Redskins 10.

Saying that will happen, and if it does, the New York Giants will still have a chance to win the woeful NFC East.

With that incentive, I predict: Giants 20 Vikings 19, the same score the Giants won a key game at Minnesota in 1986.

A reason the Giants might win Sunday night in Minnesota, at least why one might pick them, is I also forecast an Arizona Cardinals’ win earlier that day, at home vs the Green Bay Packers.

That will lessen the Vikings’ intensity for their tilt with the Giants, as no matter that result, for Minnesota, the final week game at Green Bay will decide the NFC North.

Cardinals, four plus point favorites, 27,  Packers 24.

Click below for a video which includes CBS TV’s Tim Ryan’s call of Phil Simms’ huge completion to Bobby Johnson, in the aforementioned Giants’ win at Minnesota in 1986.

Phil Simms to Bobby Johnson on fourth-and-17 – Giants.com

Giants’ kicker Raul Allegre, (pictured above) who also once booted the rival New York Jets into the playoffs with a last game of the year field goal in 1991, kicked the game winning field goal in that (20-19) win.