Of course, the teams meeting in this year’s 46th Super Bowl met in the 42nd such sport’s finals when the Giants defeated an 18-0 New England team. This is the 6th Super Bowl matching teams that have met before in the Super Bowl. All 6 such games were or will be televised by NBC (Wonder if they know that and if they will cite it? Andybsports.com readers know it and if you have any interesting facts or trivia, for that matter any comments, please leave word in our comments section.)
New York and Boston have never met in a basketball finals series. The Boston Bruins have won both Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Rangers, one in 1929; 2 games to none. The other was Boston winning 4 games to 2 in the 1972 Finals. A key game, perhaps the key game, was the series opener. The Bruins had dissipated a (5-1) lead, the Rangers tied the game, (5-5) and then the Bruins got the game winning goal from Garnet “Ace” Bailey. Perhaps, we can all gain some perspective about this upcoming Boston vs New York sports final by remembering Bailey was killed on one of the planes on September 11, 2001.
Andy B
Garnet "Ace" Bailey
There is a glorious history, involving New York vs Boston major sports league finals. None of that history includes the Yankees vs the Red Sox, as they have both been in the same league for well over 100 years and baseball, thankfully, has never adopted an intra-league World Series. (They have implemented enough bad stuff but that is a subject for a different day.)
Twice, Boston and New York teams met in The World Series and those series, contested 74 years apart in1912 and 1986, were the first two World Series in which a team facing elimination and down to its last half inning rallied to win the game and eventually the championship. In 1912, when the Red Sox beat the New York Giants (yes there was a New York Giants baseball team until they moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season) in the decisive 8th game of the World Series, (one tie) they rallied facing elimination in the final game and won the Title right there. When the Mets staged their incredible 2 out, no one on rally facing elimination and down ( 5-3 ) in the bottom of the 10th inning, it was Game 6 of the World Series. The Mets still had to win Game 7, which they did two nights later, overcoming a 3-0 deficit as late as the 6th inning in that game.
Since then three more teams have rallied to win the Baseball title despite facing elimination in a potential last inning. First the 1997 Florida Marlins, a wild card team, scored a run down (2-1) in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 7 to tie the game before Edgar Renteria singled home the winning run vs the Cleveland Indians, a team still without a World Series Title since 1948. By the way, Renteria made the last out when the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years and was Series MVP when the Giants won their first Title in 56 years.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, joined the 1912 Red Sox as the only teams to face elimination down to their last inning and win the World Series in that inning. They did so in the 2001 World Series vs the Yankees and their great relief pitcher Mariano Rivera, as Tony Womack delivered the key hit. Finally, in the most recent World Series, the wild card St.Louis Cardinals, twice down 2 runs and facing elimination in their last potential inning, rallied to tie the score both times. Then Series MVP David Freese, whose 2 out, 2 strike triple tied the game in the bottom of the 9th, won it in the 11th inning of Game 6. The Cardinals, despite trailing 2-0 in the 1st inning, won relatively easily to win their 11th title in Game 7, the next night.
Andy B
NYC vs Boston
“The Mountaintop” was truly an extraordinary play. The technical aspect was superb as both Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson gave great portrayals. Their chemistry is beyond words.
They do this night after night, Angela Bassett telling a 92nd Street Y audience some weeks back with a determination needed to tell the story of what Dr.King may have been thinking the night before his tragic death in April, 1968.
Angela Bassett, Andy B
“Jersey Boys ” is a spectacular show bringing back some great memories with the music of “The Four Seasons.” The show also tells the story of the group in an interesting and certainly humorous way.
The cast with Jarrod Spector as Frankie Valli, was superb. His singing is extraordinary as one can truly close one’s eyes and hear the great Frankie Valli when Jarrod sings. One note, I happened to sit next to dancer Sharonne Vinokurov, and it turns out she went to grade school with Spector. She had a great reunion with Jarrod afterwards, telling him how proud she was of his extraordinary performance. They walked around the block and hope to stay in touch.
I highly recommend “Jersey Boys “for the great music and story it tells.” Jersey Boys ” is playing at the August Wilson Theater.
Andy B
Jersey Boys
This week’s Conference Championship games, with the winners going to Indianapolis for the 46th Super Bowl (I like Roman numerals, did well with them in school but the NFL has enough similarities with ancient Rome) feature four teams, all with some connection to Indianapolis. The Super Bowl favorite, New England Patriots have had a storied rivalry with the hometown Colts, featuring quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Their AFC Title game opponents, the Baltimore Ravens represent a city that lost the Colts to Indianapolis when the Colts left Baltimore and its storied franchise history and moved, literally in the middle of the night, to Indianapolis. The NFC Championship matches the Giants whose quarterback Eli Manning is Peyton Manning’s brother while the Niners’ coach Jim Harbaugh came so close to leading the Indianapolis Colts to the Super Bowl in the 1995 season playoffs. In fact, a “hail mary” pass by Harbaugh nearly connected on the game’s final play in the Colts’ Title Game loss at Pittsburgh. Incredibly, last week, the Giants connected on a last play of the first half, “hail mary” TD, (Manning to Hakeem Nicks), one of four TD catches this post season by the former North Carolina standout.
The Giants and Patriots are an astounding (10-1) in Conference Championship Games. The Giants, who won just 3 of their 14 NFL Championship Games in the pre merger years from 1933-1964 ,have not lost in 4 previous NFC Championship Games. The Giants beat the Redskins after the 1986 season, the Niners after the 1990 season, the Vikings after the 2000 season and the Packers after the 2007 season. New York/New Jersey allowed just 4 touchdowns in those games winning by shutout in the ’86 and 2000 Title Games. Other than the 2000 season game when the Giants won (41-0), scoring 5 touchdowns, the Giants scored just 4 Td’s in the other 3 games, getting all their points on 5 Matt Bahr field goals in the ’90 season Title Game win at San Francisco. The Giants went on to win in three of their 4 Super Bowl appearances including a win vs New England and a loss to the Ravens. If the Giants win this week there will be a Super Bowl redux against one of those teams.
The Patriots are a stellar (6-1) in AFC Championship games, their only loss at Indianapolis, (where they hope to be for the Super Bowl ) after the 2006 season. New England (3-3) in Super Bowls, won Conference Championship games at Miami in 1985 and at Pittsburgh in both 2001 and 2004. They are (3-0) in home Title tilts, winning vs Jacksonville and their coach,Tom Coughlin in 1996 and vs the Colts in 2003 and San Diego in 2007.
The 49ers will be playing in their 13th Conference Title game and 9th at home. San Francisco (5-7) in Title games, (4-4) at home, will be appearing in one for the first time since 1997. They are undefeated in 5 Super Bowl appearances. The Niners’
are (4-3) vs the Giants in post season winning a wild card round game in 2002 and divisional games in 1981,1984 and 1993. The Giants have one win at each of the three conference playoff levels. The “G Men” won a wild card round game in 1985, a divisional game in 1986 and the Conference Title Game in 1990.
The Ravens will be playing in their 3rd AFC Title Game, all three on the road. They split the previous two, winning at Oakland in 2000 and losing to eventual Super Bowl Champion, Pittsburgh in 2008. The Ravens blasted the Patriots ( 33-14 ) in a 2009 wild card round game, their lone previous post season meeting.
Andy B
Indy Bound?
Three teams in NFL playoff history won three road games and then the Super Bowl at a neutral site. All three of those teams lost in their next playoff game, which in all three cases was a home game. After the Steelers won three road playoff games after the 2005 season and then won the Super Bowl, they missed the playoffs in 2006. But in 2007, they lost a wild card round playoff game at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Giants, who are making another amazing run now, had the all time run in 2007. They were winners on the road three times and then beat undefeated New England in the Super Bowl. However, the next year as the NFC top seed, The Giants lost at home to the Eagles.
Now this year after winning three road games and The Super Bowl last year, The Packers lose in their next playoff game which was at home to the Giants. The Giants win at Green Bay stretched the streak to 34 out of 34 years, that the home team has not won all the games in both the wild card round and the divisional round.
NY Giants
The city of Baltimore hosted the first divisional round playoff game after the AFC/NFC configuration was implemented in 1970. With John Unitas (once called “Yoonitass” by Bennett Cerf on the great television show, “What’s My Line”) at quarterback, The Baltimore Colts defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in that game en route to a Super Bowl triumph. When The Baltimore Ravens take the field to play the Houston Texans in the earlier Sunday game this week, 165 divisional games will have been played without the city of Baltimore hosting a winning game for their team. Since that first divisional game, The Colts lost divisional home games vs Pittsburgh in 1976 and Oakland in 1977. The Ravens lost a home divisional playoff game to the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. The Colts went on to win the Super Bowl. The Ravens, whose records really should include those of the Cleveland Browns, have played 11 of their 13 non Super Bowl playoff games on the road. They are (2-4) in divisional round games, which includes a win at Tennessee en route to their Super Bowl win after the 2000 season. Meanwhile the Houston Texans are in just their 2nd playoff game, the first was last week.
The finale of the divisional weekend takes place in Green Bay as the defending Super Bowl Champion Packers, who are 15-1 meet the (9-7, regular season) but ever dangerous (see the 2007 season when they won 3 road playoff games and then beat undefeated New England in the Super Bowl), New York Giants. Fifty years earlier these two teams met at the same field (then I believe still called City Stadium and now named Lambeau Field after Packers’ legend Curly Lambeau) and Green Bay under coach Vince Lombardi and with star running back Paul Hornung granted a weekend pass from the Army Reserves by President John Kennedy, eased to a 37-0 victory. The next year, Jerry Kramer kicked 3 field goals to provide the difference as The Packers won 16-7 on a bitterly cold day at Yankee Stadium. A third field goal attempt, this one successful unlike the first two potential game winners by current Giants placekicker Lawrence Tynes, lifted the Giants to an overtime triumph at Green Bay in the 2007 NFC Title game. As cited above, The Giants went on to win the Super Bowl. Green Bay won the NFL Championship Game vs the Giants in both 1939 and 1944, while The Giants prevailed in the 1938 game. The Packers are hosting a divisional round game for only the 4th time. They won the previous three and are (5-6) in the divisional round playoffs. The Giants are(4-5) in this round, (1-4) on the road. The winner of the Giants’ divisional round game has gone on to win the Super Bowl six times. The Giants have done so three times (1986,1990 and 2007) while the 49ers twice (1981 and 1984) and The Bears in 1985 also went on to win it all after beating the Giants in the divisional round.
When Bill Belichick and John Fox meet in Saturday night’s playoff game, I believe it will be only the second time that coaches who met in a Super Bowl(Belichick’s Pats won by 3 points vs Fox’ Carolina Panthers in the 2003 season Super Bowl) will be meeting in the divisional round playoffs. The other time George Seifert’s team, the Niners again beat Dan Reeves team, this time the Giants in the 1993 divisional round. Seifert’s Niners beat Reeves’ Broncos in the 1989 season Super Bowl. Fox’ current team is the Denver Broncos. Finally early in Alabama University’s easy BCS Title game win vs LSU, I noticed Alabama had a player named Hanks (Darius Hanks ,who had receptions of 9 yards or more on four of the 5 Alabama field goal drives). Recall Tom Hanks’ as Forrest Gump played for a coach who was undeniably supposed to be Bear Bryant at Alabama in the movie. Truth, fiction, notes and enjoy the games.
Andy B
Johnny "Yoonitass" Unitas
Last Saturday night, I was privileged to see Glen Campbell in a performance at Town Hall in Manhattan. The good memories flowed as Mr.Campbell performed his great hits and paid tribute to a few icons, especially the great songwriter, Jimmy Webb, who penned two of Campbell’s greatest hits, “By the Time I get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman.” Three of Campbell’s children performed with him and like all of the performers were outstanding. Amy Auerbach, a music trivia whiz, who is known to all the WCBS FM disc jockeys because of her frequent “Trivia Contest” victories, remembered a WCBS FM question asking what Campbell and Marty Robbins had in common? The answer is both had big hits with Texas cities as the title. Campbell,who did a beautiful version this night, had “Galveston” while Robbins hit big with “El Paso.” All in all, a great night as 1975 memories flashed (a portable radio in the receiving department at Franklin Simon) as Campbell sang “Rhinestone Cowboy.” He joked about John Wayne winning his only competitive Academy Award after working with Glen in the 1969 film, “True Grit.” With his songs and humor, Campbell provided a very nice evening.
This Saturday night for the 6th time there will be an AFC divisional playoff game. The New England Patriots will be in the game for the 5th time missing only in 2009, in the six odd numbered years starting in 2001, that there has been such a game. This will be the 4th time the game will be played in New England. The Pats are (3-0) in the home games but lost to Denver, their opponent this Saturday, at Denver in the 2005 season divisional playoff game. Denver also won at home vs New England in a 1986 divisional playoff game. The Broncos, victorious in their last home game of this season, are (13-3) all time in home post season games. Two of those losses were to Pittsburgh, the team that Denver beat last week. New England is (7-6) all time in divisional playoff games, (5-2) at home. Denver is (8-3) in such games, (1-1) on the road. The wild card game vs Pittsburgh, Sunday past, was the Broncos’ 8th wild card round game and the home team has won all eight.
Andy B
Glen Campbell
True Story: I was interviewing the actor Danny Aiello, and spouting some lesser known information about Mr. Aiello. He said, “You know a lot of useless information.” I noted a character he played in a movie said that very sentence. He countered “Which movie?” and I did not know the answer. In that spirit, some San Francisco 49ers divisional round playoffs notes.
The Niners will be making their 20th appearance in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, (only the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys have more such appearances ) and for the 15th time the game will be in San Francisco. SF is (12-7) in the divisional round with 15 of the 20 games at venerable Candlestick Park. At least one game, a win vs the Giants in 1981, was played on an extremely muddy field. (I am sure SF coach Jim Harbaugh and the Niners would not mind similar conditions, 30 years later, if the opponent is New Orleans, with their high powered passing attack). Also this will be the 12th time the divisional round game in San Francisco will be played on a Saturday afternoon.
This weekend is the 22nd with 4 NFL wild card round games. Next weekend will be the 42nd with 4 divisional round games as that started in 1970, 4 years after the NFL/AFL merger.
Speaking of 1970, this weekend’s Detroit at New Orleans game evokes memories of the November 8th, 1970 game between the two teams which New Orleans won on Tom Dempsey’s 63 yard field goal. Also that same day, in a time 50 or more yard field goals were extremely rare; a Pete Gogolak 54 yard field goal helped the Giants beat Dallas while George Blanda, well into his 40’s at the time, kicked a 50 plus yard field goal as time expired to beat the Cleveland Browns.
Andy B
Candlestick Park
As 2011 draws to its end, sadly, so many famous and good people passed on in 2011. Here are some brief recollections on five; an all time beauty, a great director, a player/author, a great publicist and a highly praised woman in the field of publishing.
Elizabeth Taylor was beautiful on the inside and out. She truly was a giver and some say a receiver as sympathy for an illness helped her win an Academy Award for Butterfield Eight. It still was a great performance. She was even better in” Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf “as she played the role of an alcoholic, caustic wife of a college professor with little or no makeup. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but few if any ever looked better than Taylor when she presented the Best film of 1969 award. Jerome Hellman ran up to receive it for Midnight Cowboy and loved being presented the award by Ms.Taylor almost as much as winning it.
Elizabeth Taylor
Sidney Lumet directed some of the greatest films ever made. He was uncompromising in his quest to bring out the intensity of the characters in his films. Whether Al Pacino was yelling “Attica,Attica” in Dog Day Afternoon or Rod Steiger’s concentration camp survivor could not be near a dog without it evoking horrible memories in the too powerful for TV,( Is it ever on at all and if so before 3 AM?!) “The Pawnbroker”, Mr.Lumet had no peer in bringing out such emotions.
Peter Gent was a pretty good receiver for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960’s but is better known as an author who took on some of the hypocrisy of the National Football League in such books as “North Dallas Forty.” I interviewed Mr.Gent , after he appeared on Bob Costas’ fine radio show “Costas Coast to Coast.” He was extremely gracious and intelligent. I learned a great deal from this genuinely sincere author/athlete. When Nick Nolte walked into the premiere of “Prince of Tides” roughly 20 years ago, he was going straight ahead and not turning around for anything or anyone. I spoke and said I was a friend of Pete Gent and Mr. Nolte , close to the entrance and beyond the horde of reporters, photographers and fans turned and smiled.
Publicist Claire O’Connor knew how to work the fine line between celebrity and members of the media. Though it is far from easy, she made it look so, perhaps because she was as genuinely charming and caring a person as I ever met. Once at an event Claire publicized, all the tables were full and that left actress Sylvia Miles without a seat. One reason Ms.Miles is such a good actress is her determination to get things. This night, a seat at a table was one such thing. Using her wonderful voice, Claire asked that Sylvia could sit. Two or three people jumped up ready to yield their seats as if doing so meant a prize in the lottery. They did so with such earnest because Claire ,as she always did, asked the right way.
People who worked with Cheryl Mullner at Simon and Schuster wrote heartfelt praise to her when she left her position there. She was personable and a great worker. Those letters are treasured by her parents a small consolation for losing a daughter. Cheryl,whom I never met, and Claire both fought the illnesses that took their lives in their early fifties with a rare kind of bravery. Maybe Cheryl is helping Gent with his book which will become a movie. Maybe Lumet will direct it, Taylor will star in it and Claire will publicize it. Bet it gets many angel’s wings as the equivalent of a thumbs up (there.)
Andy B
