An NFL season that will culminate with its champion being crowned at the football Giant’s home field, 55 years after its most notable game was also played on their home field, begins tonight.
In tonight’s tilt the defending champion Baltimore Ravens visit the team slightly favored to win this season’s title, the Denver Broncos.
En route to winning it all last year, the Ravens won as over a one touchdown underdog at Denver, in the divisional round of the playoffs. Denver is just over a touchdown favorite tonight.
The key play was a shocking Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones game tying 70 yard touchdown pass in the last minute. It was an inexcusable mistake in the Denver secondary and the Ravens, to their credit, went on to win it all.
The most famous title game played 55 years ago at New York’s Yankee Stadium resulted in the Baltimore Colts overtime victory vs the New York Giants. It was the first of 5 Baltimore NFL championships.
Three titles were won by the Baltimore Colts before they left literally in the middle of the night for Indianapolis. The Ravens have two titles. I do not see either the Ravens or Giants as big contenders this season but perhaps that is why they will be contenders.
Click this link to watch newsreel about 1958 title game from Yankee Stadium
Kramer’s Reality Tour, conducted by the affable and humorous Kenny Kramer (the real Kramer, not “Cosmo” as on the show) in its 17th year and full of great information about the television show, “Seinfeld.”
The tour has baseball overtones. Sticking with baseball, the “Tour” is a home run, maybe even a grand slam home run.
It is over three hours long, never dull and starts with Kenny Kramer talking about the show, offering great tidbits especially about its creator, a comic genius named Larry David.
Next there is a chance to purchase some wonderful souvenirs from “Kra Mart” a play on words but it is doing well while the other “is going out of business.”
Then there is a bus tour on a big, comfortable bus. When entering the bus there are television monitors with well edited scenes from the show, including some bloopers.
There are many sights to see and Mr. Kramer combines the great knowledge often associated with tour guides with a terrific sense of humor and perspective that few have, never mind the average tour guide.
People on the tour get to see the real diner, get the lowdown on an interesting name for a restaurant and so much more.
Last, but certainly not least, the bus stopped and those who wanted could purchase soup from the infamous “Soup” proprietor.
It was as advertised as the lobster bisque soup was beyond delicious (we need a new word.) Al, the proprietor, was at least civil to me, though his printer stopped just after I tendered money to him.
Unlike “George” on the show, I must have been good at ordering the soup. There was a big piece of bread and a delicious chocolate with my soup. This was another really nice thing on a fabulous tour.
Kramer’s Reality Tour is conducted on Saturdays and Sunday. Saturday tours begin at noon. Reservations are a must. Book online at kennykramer.com or call 212 268-5525 or 1800 KRAMERS. Tickets are still only $37.50 as was the original price (depicted in a Seinfeld episode) 17 plus years ago. It is well worth the money.
Kenny Kramer
Last year in the final Baseball regular season series, the Oakland A’s needed and got a three game sweep of the Texas Rangers in Oakland to take the AL West crown.
Starting today, again in Oakland, the A’s host the Rangers in a three game series. Going into the game, the Rangers have a one game lead.
Starting today in Boston, two very likely American League division winners clash. They are the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.
In the race for the two bogus, but surely important wild card berths, the A’s, as cited also in contention for the AL West title, have a five and a half game lead for playoff qualification.
The Tampa Rays, whose fine manager and good man (as he helps the impoverished), Joe Maddon, whom I fear will never overcome the bad karma associated with not bringing in a left handed pitcher to face David Ortiz in # 5 2008 ALCS, have seen their qualification lead shrink to three games.
Joe Maddon
It is the first day of the last month of the regular season in major league baseball. While I still think the National League playoffs/tournament participants are set, of course there is the possibility of that changing.
Certainly there is a contest for seeding in the form of the NL Central race where the winner will avoid the one game “play in” (talk about a tournament term— it still bothers me a great deal that there are wild card teams in baseball).
As September baseball starts, it is the upstart Pittsburgh Pirates, who lead the St. Louis Cardinals by one game and the Cincinnati Reds by three and a half games in the division. All three very likely will make the post season.
After picking up Marlon Byrd and John Buck earlier in the week, Pittsburgh now has gained the services of 2006 American League MVP, Justin Morneau from the Minnesota Twins.
If the season ended before play starts today, there would be games between the Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers on the exact 39 year anniversary of their NLCS clashes on October 5th and 6th, 1974.
Those would only be quarterfinals, in 1974 they were semi finals. Alas, one should not look back all that often, and looking ahead, there is much baseball left to be played.
Perhaps it is a bit late to pay tribute to a man who was most certainly “early” in discovery, a true visionary, Sid Bernstein, who died last week after an incredible life, at age 95.
Sid is best known for bringing the amazing “Beatles” to the United States and in organizing their historic Shea Stadium performance in 1965.
He was and did so much more. There were other great performers in his realm (Judy Garland and Jimi Hendrix to name two of so many).
On each day, Sid arose, went to work and did so in a most dignified manner. He reached out to so many and brought delight to innumerable quantities.
I met Mr. Bernstein a number of times always addressing him as Sid, which went along with his great penchant for connecting with people.
The last time I saw him was on opening night for the Broadway, Beatles, tribute type show, “Rain,” in 2010.
As though I were the most important reporter in the world, Sid took his time amidst the tumult, (a word he surely used) to answer my question.
Sid Bernstein talked of the Beatles and 1964 and the world of 2010. He was a big part of history but was oh so modest.
Maybe now he is working on intergalactic promotions which will manifest in a great “group/talent” bringing joy on some distant planet. If anyone can do that, it is Sid Bernstein.
click to listen to tribute song on you tube
I still think five teams are set for the National League “bracket” of the baseball “tournament.”
The teams very likely will be the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.
However, the Arizona Diamondbacks are now within 5 games for playoff qualification. Also don’t look now but the Washington Nationals are only 7 games behind.
The Cardinals are now one and a half games ahead of the Pirates in the NL Central. Pittsburgh acquired two good players from the Mets in Marlon Byrd and john Buck.
The Pirates still figure to make the post season games for the first time in 21 years. Perhaps John Buck will get his name called by Joe Buck during the World Series. That was virtually impossible before the trade and now is possible.
Former Mets Byrd and Buck
There was quite a basketball game last night, a two overtime thriller in which the home team had to scramble back from a 19 point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Basketball you say, but which league? It was in the WNBA and in the game the second place Los Angeles Sparks trailed the last (6th) place Tulsa Shock by 19 points in the ten minute WNBA fourth quarter.
However, they fought back to win the game in two overtimes and now the Sparks trail the first place Minnesota Lynx by only one game in the WNBA West.
I believe there is some exciting, good play in the WNBA. I hope to have some coverage of the upcoming WNBA playoffs.
Last year due to the Olympics, the WNBA season went well into October, hence conflicting with the baseball post season as well as big time football. This year the overlap will not be as pronounced.
The Fox Sports site, in reporting on a WNBA game between the Sparks and Shock referred to the Shock as the Detroit Shock.
The Shock, who lost a heartbreaker in two overtimes at Los Angeles vs the Sparks last night, are near the end of their fourth season as the Tulsa Shock and not the Detroit Shock.
Somehow this mistake in reporting comes as no “shock” to me.
I checked again and they have corrected their mistake. The mistake was there as of 1 PM eastern time and I am noting it.
Also worth noting, was the thrilling game referenced above that the favored and second place Sparks won in 2 overtimes vs the last place (6th) Shock.
L.A. trailed by 19 points in the fourth quarter. Quarters are 10 minutes long in the WNBA. Perhaps we will devote some coverage to the WNBA playoffs.
This despite the fact they will coincide with the baseball stretch run and playoffs as well as the start of regular season football.
Tomorrow night, Monday August 26th, at 9 eastern time, HBO will air “Glickman,” a documentary about the life of the great sportscaster, Marty Glickman.
I know some of the people involved in the documentary and sense this will be a really good piece of work.
Certainly the subject, Marty Glickman, who died in 2001 has greatness all about him. His life was compelling and surely the documentary will touch on the transcendent events involving Marty and Sam Stoller, as each was denied a chance to participate in the 1936 Olympics.
This is the first documentary for James L. Friedman; a writer, director and producer, who worked with Marty on a late night sports show. I recall that show airing on WNEW in New York.
In just thinking about WNEW, my anticipation for this documentary grows. Great memories of Marty’s broadcasts of New York Giants’ football games on that station are rekindled.
Of course things can change very easily during the course of a baseball season. However, it really looks as though two of the three National League divisional races are over and that we probably know all five NL baseball tournament participants at this relatively early point in the season.
Surely, the Atlanta Braves with a 14 game lead will win the NL East. Barring a monumental change, it will be the Braves’ first divisional title since 2005. That year Atlanta grabbed the last of their 14 straight divisional titles, the first three being far more impressive, “one quarter” and not “one eighth” titles.
It is very likely the Los Angeles Dodgers will win the NL West. If and almost certainly when they do it will be just their 5th division title since 1988, when they last won the NL Pennant and for that matter, the World Series.
Three teams from the NL Central will likely comprise the other three teams in the National League side of the baseball tournament.
In any order those teams are the St.Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. At the moment the Arizona Diamondbacks, the closest of those teams “on the outside looking in” are 7 games behind for playoff qualification.
Andy B Sports 