Another NFL season begins tonight with the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots facing the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers with 6, have the most Super Bowl crowns. Of course the Patriots with enormous success have four but last year was their first since 2004. The Steelers won titles in both 2005 and 2008.
First week predictions:
New England 24 Pittsburgh 14
The Jacksonville Jaguars will upset the Carolina Panthers.
The Packers, a touchdown favorite will win by 4 points at Chicago vs the Bears.
It was a Thursday then and a Wednesday now but how can it be that 50 years have gone by since Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game vs the Chicago Cubs on September 9, 1965?!!
This was one of the greatest pitched games by both hurlers, Sandy and the Cubs’ Bob Hendley.
The lone run of the game was scored by the Dodgers without a hit. Hendley allowed but one hit in the game, that to Lou Johnson.
So many years later, I recall hearing the news of the game on Friday morning September 10th from Dick Reeves on WCBS radio.
Koufax capped his most incredible season 5 Thursdays later by winning (2-0) in game seven of the World Series at Minnesota vs the Twins.
Sure there are some mysteries left in the baseball regular season but I say most of it is settled.
It is very likely that the Los Angeles Dodgers, once the Brooklyn Dodgers will face the New York Mets in what amounts to a quarterfinal series, in what has become the baseball tournament.
As of now it is a series likely to open in Los Angeles on Friday night (you know the network, I think TBS will want New York and LA at night) October 11th.
Last year in a Friday night opener in the same round, but a week earlier on Friday October 3rd, the Cardinals overcame a big Dodgers’ lead and beat Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers in game one.
“St. Loo” again beat Kershaw and L.A. in game 4 to clinch the series. They lost the NLCS to the eventual World champion San Francisco Giants as was the case in 2012.
The Dodgers won the NLCS vs the Mets in seven games in 1988 en route to their last world title. The current 27 year World Series title drought is the second longest in Dodgers history.
Only the World Series title drought before the lone Brooklyn title in 1955 was a longer World Series title drought for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have never gone longer than the current drought length of 27 years without a World Series appearance.
Last season after losing their opening game at home vs Virginia Tech, Ohio State was supposedly out of the national title picture. However, unlike many previous Ohio State teams, the 2014 vintage took advantage of its opportunity and claimed the school’s second title in 46 seasons.
Tonight a preseason top ranked Ohio State team is a two touchdown favorite at Virginia Tech in a Disney Monday night game as a prelude to its Monday night NFL package.
Last year Ohio State did not deserve to be in the four team playoff.
However, what were they supposed to do, lose?
They scored a great comeback win vs Alabama and then beat Oregon also on a Monday night for the title.
It is the story of a great “qb” named Brady
About whom, so many are jealous.
He has won 4 Supes
also come close in others.
This year will be tough
but he is so great.
One day you jealous folks will grow up
and say and know Brady is great!
Last year the drives were so effortless
rarely a tough 3rd down
When has he failed
with any real time left?
Grow up accept his greatness!
The Brady Bunch Lyrics – Theme Song Lyrics
As you might expect I am predicting that the New England Patriots will win a 12th AFC East title in the last 15 seasons.
They will struggle at times, I predict with a degree of certainty they will lose at least two within the division, and to the Colts in Indianapolis in a game that will be hyped beyond reasonable taste.
The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins will contend while the New York Jets will improve quite a bit.
In the end, it will be New England.
Let’s guess and it is a true guess:
New England (11-5)
Buffalo (9-7)
Miami (8-8)
New York Jets (7-9)
It is always tough for me to go along with the crowd, but count me in concerning the Philadelphia Eagles.
They are impressive and will go (11-5) and win the NFC East.
The Dallas Cowboys, who won the division last year before eventually losing an excruciating game to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round, will decline and go, say (9-7).
Next will be the New York Giants at (8-8). Eli Manning won 2 Super Bowls that few expected but I say do not expect another 4 years apart.
The Giants twice won Super Bowls 4 years apart with excellent regular season teams in 1986 and 1990 and again with Eli Manning quarterbacking mediocre regular season, but Super Bowl champions in 2007 and 2011.
Once the Washington Redskins won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks and an excellent coach named Joe Gibbs. Now they are less than average, say (6-10).
As baseball’s not all that important regular season heads into Labor Day, almost all the mystery is gone as to the playoff teams, with one notable exception and that is the AL West and second AL wild card team.
Barring the truly unexpected, the NL playoff teams will be division winners, the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and LA Dodgers with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs meeting in the so called “play in” game.
There is some mystery in the AL aside from the KC Royals winning their division and likely being the top seed. Both the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, battling for the AL East title, (another division race victimized by the fact the non winner has the safety net of the wild card), should be in the playoffs.
Only involving the AL West and the second wild card is there real mystery. Suddenly the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and perhaps the Angels of Anaheim are in a race where only two of them will be in the playoffs. Houston leads Texas by two games in the AL West while Texas has a slight lead over Minnesota for the second wild card spot.
I truly “missed the boat” last week in not picking Montana University to at least cover the spread, if not upset North Dakota State. Who knew they were playing?
Far worse who knew that the still “powerful” Brent Musburger got to call a game involving his home state team, (Montana) and was “rewarded” with an upset win vs North Dakota State!!!
“Too late (and though I should) NOT turning back now.” In that spirit, these predictions.
Tonight 4 plus point(s) underdog Michigan to upset Utah in Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan debut.
On Saturday night, Notre Dame to get a 7 point win vs Texas. Notre Dame is favored by 10 points.
This week in the Disney Saturday night game, Alabama also to win, but not cover as 12 point favorites. Let’s say (27-17).
On 1/1/2015 Wisconsin won in an upset and Ohio State upset Alabama. Ohio State did what they had to in winning both playoff games, but I will always say either TCU or Baylor (TCU if I had to pick one) and not Ohio State, deserved the shot as the 4th playoff team.
This year Ohio State has to go (12-0) for “over bettors” to win. They may do that, likely are the best team, but will not repeat as champions. The late college football expert, Beano Cook taught me that philosophy and was rarely, if ever wrong in that regard.
Anyway, mark it down and I will own up to it, no matter what the result!
I know there is still much baseball to be played, but last night’s St. Louis Cardinals’ comeback win vs the Washington Nationals makes me ready to say the Cards, with an awesome (86-46) record and a six game lead in both the division and for the NL “one seed” will reach that goal.
Additionally, it is time to say once again and likely once and for all, that this will go down as an extremely disappointing year for the Washington Nationals, who are six and a half games behind the New York Mets for the NL East lead and a playoff spot.
A far more productive Washington Nationals’ team and season ended at the hands of a Cardinals’ rally in the decisive 5th game of the NLDS in 2012. I feel the Cardinals have all but ended this very disappointing Nationals’ season with the win last night. The Cards have won four straight games vs the Nationals (the ESPN game summary from last night’s game erroneously indicated 10 straight wins).
It is unfair and ridiculous, that no matter how many games the Cards win, all it gives them is being one of eight teams in the divisional round of the ‘offs.
Additionally, due to the result of a glorified exhibition game, the once regal All star Game, “St. Loo” would not have home field advantage should they circumvent the dangerous, likely “Pirates/Cubs and Dodgers/Mets winners waters,” to advance to that point.
