Both conference top seeds, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, won divisional round games yesterday and each will be a fairly big home favorite in next week’s conference championship games.
In the first game, the Pats twice overcame 14 point deficits and outlasted the Baltimore Ravens, winning (35-31) as 7 point favorites.
The Pats will now play in the AFC Championship game for the fourth straight season. Their record is currently 1-2 in such games. Only the Buffalo Bills have appeared in four straight AFC Championship games. They did it in 1990-1993. (They won all four but went on to lose in all four of those Super Bowls).
The Seahawks have now won 8 straight home playoff games and are (10-2) all-time, in such games. They will host the NFC Championship game for the third time next week, having won in the previous two.
Quarterbacks Tom Brady of the Patriots and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks each threw 3 touchdown passes. Duran Harmon of N.E. and Kam Chancellor of Seattle each had key interceptions.
Jethro Pugh, a great Dallas Cowboys player, who in 14 seasons (1965-1978) was on playoff qualifying teams 12 times, died this week at age 70.
Those Cowboys’ teams did more than just qualify for the playoffs as they played for the NFL, or at least NFC crown, an incredible 9 times. They won 2 Super Bowls.
Pugh was a classy, modest man, who stood as tall in defeat as any, best exemplified by his handling the disproportionate amount of blame he took for the 1967 NFL championship game loss, which coincidentally was the last time the Cowboys ventured to Green Bay to face the Packers in a playoff game, which they will again tomorrow.
Green Bay’s winning play, a ONE yard touchdown sneak by Bart Starr, featured a key block on Pugh by Jerry Kramer (why is he not in the NFL Hall of Fame?!!).
First of all, it was one yard and the odds are a player will make that one yard, and second, films have indicated Kramer may well have been ahead of the play.
In any case Pugh, who did so much winning handled any adverse publicity with class. One can only hope for half as much from the players involved in tomorrow’s game.
The first game of the divisional round this weekend pits the Baltimore Ravens against the New England Patriots.
It is scheduled to begin at 4:40 pm Eastern time and will be telecast on NBC.
The Pats are hosting a divisional round game for an incredible ninth time in the 14 seasons that make up the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era in New England.
This will be the Pats’ 17th divisional round game but just the second time they will play in the divisional round’s first game. It is the first time in the team’s 11 home divisional round games that they are playing in the round’s opening game.
After the Minnesota Vikings home victory in the 2000 divisional round opening game, the home team’s record ballooned to an amazing (27-4) in the opening game of the divisional round (1970-2000).
With a far more modest (8-5) record starting in 2001, the home team stands (35-9) in the game.
This should be a relatively high scoring battle between the teams. Baltimore has covered the spread in all three previous post season clashes vs the Patriots, all three like this one, in New England, winning two outright.
It is truly sad when a 49 year old man passes away. Such is the case with Stuart Scott, the ESPN sports performer. Please keep in mind it is the fact he died and not the scathing criticism of him that follows, which is the sad thing.
Now is it the most classy thing on my part to recall Scott as one of the most annoying, “style over substance,” often factually incorrect, sports reporters among the plethora of such at the monolith ESPN?
Likely not, but after one too many, unanimously positive reviews of his life, and the fact it was not Gandhi, Martin Luther King nor Jonas Salk, who died here, that I had to respond.
First of all it is ESPN, that above all is the object of my criticism. They have become all too powerful and their charts/demographics and penchant for their “E” which is entertainment, has always riled me, the “S” for Sports (and even schmuck for caring) fan.
In Scott, they found and encouraged a reporter who gave twice as much “schtick,” for lack of a better word, than reports.
I found him beyond annoying, and even more than I want this type of reporting to cease, I wish Scott was not deceased so early and here to read it.
Surely in a better place, Scott might just suggest I looked for “style points” myself with “cease” and “deceased.”
Thus, though I do not back pedal in my criticism of Scott and certainly ESPN, perhaps there is some middle ground. My kudos to Scott for affecting so many people, including me.
Died too young–wish he were still around to consider my criticisms
Due to the owner’s and the television network’s greed, baseball went to a three round post season and it is the failures of all three pitchers elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame yesterday in those post season games that leaves me less than thrilled that they were accorded “first ballot” honors.
I think Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and especially John Smoltz (who also became an outstanding relief pitcher) were tremendous pitchers, with so called Hall of Fame credentials.
However, though each played on one championship team, is that enough to offset their multitude of post season pitching failures to get them “first ballot” election?
My opinion is no and also that the Hall of Fame is more concerned with having people in and less so with true standards. (Unless you are the all time hits leader or the all time home run leader, but that is another story.)
Joe DiMaggio, for whom a case could be made as the greatest baseball player ever this side of Babe Ruth, did not make the Hall in his first year of eligibility.
I will not insult Craig Biggio, as he was a very good player, but please tell me you acknowledge that one could write the history of baseball in Biggio’s time without including him–you certainly can.
Biggio was a “compiler,” who never played in a World Series. His election seems to throw more “proverbial dirt” at Pete Rose and Barry Bonds, the aforementioned all time hits and home run leaders. I wonder their reactions–are they insulted that a player like Biggio is in and they are not?
Tim Raines, twice an integral part of Yankees World title teams and, yes to show I am not a dinosaur, Edgar Martinez, the great designated hitter, belong in the Hall as would Smoltz, Martinez and Johnson eventually (but not on first ballots).
One world title for all those post season appearances for those Atlanta Braves. Surely in short series pitching and managing are tantamount. They failed oh so many times, yet three pitchers and their manager were elected to the Hall of fame in the last two years.
I strongly disagree with that result but alas baseball, its Hall of Fame, its playoff structure, and other things have deteriorated so much.
Chalk this up as another “clue at the scene of the crime,” that is the erosion of baseball.
Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
It was a great honor some years back to have met and interviewed the late, great Cleveland Indians’ pitcher Bob Feller.
His pitching prowess is well documented and Bob is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
From (1936-1941) four players who would go on to true baseball greatness, arrived on the major league scene.
It is a fond memory reading about them (Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Feller) in a chapter called “The Rookies” in John M. Rosenberg’s book “The Story of Baseball”
In addition to an incredible recall of games and baseball history, my interaction with Mr. Feller produced a nice story.
He gave me his business card and I noticed another number on the back. I called him to tell him the information and reached his voice mail.
Mr. Feller then called back leaving a message of profuse thanks. I think of all this man did in terms of giving, not to mention pitching, and feel good that he recognized my kindness. If only I could do more.
Andy B with Bob Feller
The first day of the new format AFC/NFC playoffs was December 26, 1970. That day in the first game, the Cincinnati Bengals visited the Colts (then located in Baltimore).
The second game was in Dallas with the Cowboys hosting the Detroit Lions.
On that day in 1970 in the divisional round, the Colts beat the Bengals by 17 points. Then the Cowboys won by a 5 point margin vs the Lions.
44 years later, in the wild card round on the same day, first the Colts (now in Indianapolis) beat the Bengals by 16 points. Then aided and abetted by a terrible non-interference call, the Cowboys defeated the Lions by 4 points.
Those results are pretty darn eery, if you ask me.
Click here for a great throwback video!
1970 Lions vs Cowboys
1970 Colts vs Bengals
I am proud to say that I watched most of the 1960 movie, “The Time Machine,” rather than almost any of the dull Carolina Panthers (27-16) win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The Panthers who entered the game with a (7-8-1) record were six point favorites vs a Cardinals team that was (11-5) before the contest. Carolina was able to play the game at home despite their woeful (for a division winner) record.
In 2010, a Seattle Seahawks team that finished (7-9), was afforded the home field for its wild card round game against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Despite being big underdogs, the Seahawks won the game.
If the favored Dallas Cowboys win today in their wild card round home game vs the Detroit Lions, it will be Carolina visiting the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks next week in the divisional round.
What goes around in mediocrity may just come back around, still in mediocrity.
Oh my mind and recall! I doubt anyone else noticed, but yesterday 35 years (and one day later), history repeated itself “in reverse,” in a bowl game, involving Houston University.
Yesterday, the Cougars roared back from a (34-21) deficit and defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers (35-34).
“35” is the operative number as 35 years (and one day earlier), Notre Dame University led by quarterback Joe Montana, who was fed chicken soup (it couldn’t hurt) during the game, to combat his illness, came back from a (34-12) deficit and defeated Houston University. The final score was, you guessed it, (35-34).
Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, who died yesterday at age 82, was among other things, a brilliant speaker and quite a sports enthusiast.
His thinking was complex and he was a gracious, accessible gentleman on the few occasions that our paths (his, one of hard work, determination and beautiful longtime romantic love, immersed deeply in family) crossed.
A few of my lighter recollections of those meetings will follow, but first my heartfelt condolences to his family. His wife Matilda was beyond gracious and accommodating on the occasions I interviewed her.
We met as she worked tirelessly for such causes as mentoring and proper immunization for children. Those two being bipartisan and more important great causes, if there ever were some.
Mr. Cuomo was a good enough baseball player to make it far in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system in the 1950’s.
I remarked to him that was pretty darn good and his retort, reminded that the Pirates of the ’50’s were one of the worst major league teams ever, how good could their minor league team have been?
Once, The New York Times asked regarding Mario Cuomo; Sandy Koufax or Saint Thomas Aquinas? I know a little bit more about Sandy and mentioned him to Governor Cuomo.
He amazed me with the fact, not that he was at the game nor that he knew that Koufax fanned 15 Yankees to set a then World Series record in game 1/1963.
No, what amazed me is his recalling that the superb Yankees second baseman, Bobby Richardson, who was extremely difficult to strike out, had struck out three times in that game.
The last time I saw Mr. Cuomo, other issues were on my mind. He saw that my collar needed fixing and did so. What a wonderful gesture. Those issues, while important and stressful, were less so after his act of kindness.
Now we all need to fix or straighten/ “buck up” our collective “collars” in these hard, derisive times. That is a much more difficult task, without one as brilliant, caring and communicative as Mario Cuomo.
Matilda and Mario Cuomo
Andy B Sports 