In a few minutes, it will be announced that Ken Griffey Jr., whose teams never even made a World Series, no less won one, has rightfully and deservedly been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
His father Ken Griffey, whose father played with or against Stan Musial, will likely never be enshrined at Cooperstown. For that matter, it looks as if Ken’s teammate on an all-time great Reds’ team, Pete Rose also may never get there.
The elder Griffey was a big part of two Cincinnati Reds’ World championship teams.
Of course like any father Ken Griffey is so proud of his son’s accomplishments.
However, sadly for me even when deserving players like Griffey Jr. get into the Hall, it means less and less each year as greats like Rose are denied. Lesser but tremendous players like Ken Griffey and Dave Concepcion are not even considered.
So baseball and its network will have or had its long show and will celebrate with Griffey Jr. and others. Yet any true fan and historian, if nothing else I am that, suffers horribly knowing “they” have all but ruined the great game.
Ken Griffey Jr. on the left never made a World Series. His father, Ken Griffey played on consecutive World champions with the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976. As long as baseball denies Pete Rose entry to its Hall, the meaning and achievement for those who do get in, is lessened in my opinion.
Though Saturday’s earlier wild card round game between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs evokes memories of the 1962 AFL title game as it is one of the franchises (K.C.) vs the one of the cities (Houston) matched in that 2 overtime tilt, the upcoming game will be the first post-season game between the cities of Houston and K.C.
They met only months ago in a division series/quarterfinal in baseball with the eventual World champion K.C. Royals prevailing in the maximum 5 games.
In game 4, the Royals staged one of the most incredible comeback wins in post season history.
Add to that and make it just about the top of the list as far as greatest comebacks in a game facing elimination by an eventual world champion.
It was Houston that prevailed in the other post-season battle between the two cities.
Incredibly in the 1981 NBA semi-finals/Western Conference finals the opponents, Houston’s Rockets and the Kansas City Kings each had (40-42) regular season records.
After each team pulled upsets in the preliminary round and quarterfinals, the 5th ranked Kings were given home advantage over the sixth ranked Rockets.
However, it was the Rockets, led by Moses Malone, another great we lost in 2015, who prevailed in 5 games.
The Pittsburgh Steelers begin their quest for a seventh Super Bowl crown at Cincinnati, vs the Bengals in a Saturday night road wild card game.
One of three teams to win the Super Bowl with 3 road wins, the Steelers turned that trick in 2005 beginning the post season, as they do the upcoming one, in Cincinnati.
Their coach that season was Bill Cowher.
Current coach Mike Tomlin guided the Steelers to the 2008 season title, despite a horrible, cowardly decision to kick a field goal and not go for a touchdown at the Arizona Cardinals’ one yard line early in the Super Bowl game.
By the way, one of the two other coaches to guide a team to a Super Bowl title with 3 road wins is Tom Coughlin. (2007 with the New York Giants.) He made far too many cowardly decisions this season, is vastly over rated but was a stellar coach, who likely will end up in the Hall of Fame.
Stay tuned for an upcoming post regarding a prediction regarding Tom Coughlin’s status made before the decision.
Two great quarterbacks, Terry Bradshaw, who did so 4 times and Ben Roethlisberger pictured above (twice) have guided the Steelers to their 6 NFL crowns, all won in Super Bowl games beginning in 1974. That year was their 42nd season in which the NFL had a title game of some kind.
The great Pittsburgh Steelers’ franchise has won more Super Bowl crowns (6) than any other. Their 6 Super Bowl wins, all since 1974 are their only NFL crowns.
Pittsburgh is behind three teams in total NFL titles won since the advent of a title game in 1933. The Green Bay Packers lead with 10 titles (6 before Super Bowl play). Next the Chicago Bears and New York Giants are tied with 7 titles each.
Chicago won 6 of those titles before adding a seventh with their dominant 1985 team. The Giants with just a (3-11) record in the old NFL game have won in 4 of their 5 Super Bowl appearances, the last two with mediocre records under the recently “resigned” coach Tom Coughlin.
Today two “B’s” with “B”aseball memories and great notes are celebrating birthdays.
One, baseball historian and dedicated teacher “Pat B” recalls the 1953 National League Champion Brooklyn Dodgers.
He pointed out that six players in their lineup (Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges and Jim “Junior” Gilliam) scored over 100 runs and a seventh, Carl Furillo would have except for an injury.
Furillo did win the N.L. batting crown that season. This was an awesome team and that is a great note.
“Linda B,” of newspaper past and library present grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to L.A. after the 1957 season.
Her memories include such stars as Willie Davis, Tommy Davis and of course Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
I recall her tribute to Willie Davis, when he passed on a number of years ago.
So happy birthday to the B’s, Linda and Pat and thanks for rekindling some nice baseball memories and notes on this cold day. Surely each is enjoying their birthday in a warmer climate.
Jim “Junior” Gilliam, pictured above, was one of six members of the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers to score over 100 runs that season. He was part of the first 4 Dodgers’ World Series wins, most notably coming off the coaching lines to play for the team in 1965. His great defensive play in game 7 of the World Series helped L.A. win a second title in three seasons.
The 1962 AFL championship game contested between the Dallas Texans and Houston Oilers was won by the Texans in the second overtime period.
In those days and until very recent times, overtime games were won when one team scored points in any fashion.
That made Texans’ star running back Abner Haynes’ decision to “kick to the clock” and give the Oilers the first overtime possession far worse than the recent New England Patriots’ decision to kickoff and give the New York Jets the first possession in overtime 8 days ago.
As it turned out the Texans won the title despite Haynes’ decision as Tom Brooker kicked the winning field goal.
The Patriots’ loss in that game to the Jets and a subsequent one yesterday at Miami vs the Dolphins opened the door for the Denver Broncos to be the AFC one seed.
We shall see how it plays out as the Patriots are the AFC two seed.
The first game of the wild card round weekend in the NFL is not only a rematch from week one but is a contest between the two cities and one of the franchises involved in the 6 quarter AFL title game of 1962.
The Kansas Chiefs, originally the Dallas Texans are meeting the Houston Texans, a franchise in its 12th season.
In week one, the Chiefs who finished (11-5) beat the Texans. They proceeded to lose their next 5 games before winning their last 10.
The Texans went (9-7) and won the AFC South.
In 1962, the Dallas Texans/Chiefs won in six quarters/2 overtimes vs the the two time AFL champion, Houston Oilers and their quarterback, the legendary George Blanda.
The Oilers with Blanda at the helm, won the first two AFL crowns, winning vs the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960 and the San Diego Chargers in 1961. Stay tuned for more on the Texans/Texans/Chiefs and the 1962 AFL title game.
After hearing the sad news that singer Natalie Cole had passed away, I happened to watch, sleep and watch the movie “Smile” that opened and closed with Natalie’s father, Nat King Cole singing the title song, “Smile.”
I saw Natalie Cole perform once and she evoked memories of her father. That is high praise as Nat King Cole was just about the greatest singer I ever heard.
Ms. Cole was the first I saw to use a screen, making a song, in this case “Unforgettable” in effect a duet with her late father who died in 1965.
It was original, popular and beyond great.
50 years after her father also died far soon Natalie died on the last day of 2015.
My great praise is that her performance that night in Florida in 1991 is something I will never forget. She was like her dad and by the way, I met her mother Maria also a superb singer who sang with Duke Ellington, all of them are unforgettable in a rare positive fashion.
Sorry folks, I realized too late the tilt at Arizona had great playoff meaning to Seattle while the 6 point favorite Cardinals needed 10 point underdog Tampa Bay (Buccaneers) to upset Carolina (Panthers) in addition to them winning to be the NFC one seed.
Seattle, on the other hand, with a win they will get at Arizona, leading (30-6) assured themselves of not having to go to Green Bay for next week’s wild card tilt. By the way Carolina is rolling to the one seed in any case vs Tampa Bay.
In Green Bay, Seattle would have been a field goal or so underdog.
They will go to Washington to face the Redskins if Green Bay wins tonight’s home tilt vs the Vikings. Seattle will be favored by more than a field goal.
The line would be roughly Seattle favored by 2 to 4, should Minnesota win tonight and cause the Seahawks to travel to Minnesota, where they ripped the Vikings in a late season tilt.
Seattle started its (6-2) playoffs run from (2012-2014) winning a wild card round game at Washington after the 2012 season. It seems Robert Griffin, so hyped, so over rated was the Redskins quarterback then.
In 1966, the New York Jets helped get the Buffalo Bills into the AFL title tilt by beating the then Boston Patriots (38-28).
Today the Bills in this the 50th season inclusive starting with 1966 upset the Jets and with Pittsburgh’s win at Cleveland got the Steelers into the playoffs as the “6” seed.
Continuing with the 6’s, I recall the Steelers, I believe in the Saturday night game in Cleveland but certainly in 1966, hand the Browns, really the old Browns a key (16-6) defeat that was a big factor in them failing to make the playoffs for the only time from (1964-1969) and took place after a title game win in 1964 and a title game loss in 1965.
In 1966 as mentioned above the Patriots suffered a last game defeat that kept them out of the playoffs.
Today a loss in Miami means they likely but far from definitely will not be the AFC “1” seed.
A Denver win as a 10 point favorite vs the San Diego Chargers makes them the AFC “1” seed for the second time in three seasons.
