Yesterday, Aryna Sabalenka completed a dominant Australian Open, winning all 14 sets and a second straight title, defeating Zheng Qinwen (6-3, 6-2) in the final.
Earlier today and it is still early, this title tilts day, Jannik Sinner won his first major title, overcoming a 2 set deficit to win the crown vs Daniil Medvedev.
Medvedev had overcome a 2 sets to none deficit vs Alexander Zverev in one “semi,” while Sinner ousted the great Novak Djokovic in the other one.
Jannik Sinner, pictured above.
It is very likely (Isaiah Likely is a Baltimore Ravens player and they are seeking a third title) the song by the great “Seals and Croft,” which emits “we may never pass this way (again)’ is appropriate, as for just the second time in the annals (more details later), there are simultaneous first time major league baseball, NHL and NBA champions.
With an asterik (ode to Roger (Maris) and The Dick Van Dyke Show–please comment if you know), it is possible we can have an unprecedented four, if the longest shot remaining, the Detroit Lions win their next two games.
The Lions have won a title, in fact they have won four (not too many have more–rhyme), doing so with crowns in “The Year of Detroit, 1935), 1952, 1953 and 1957.
A technicality/asterik is that the Lions have never appeared in a Super Bowl, (the game for the NFL Title since 1970, and the “all the way” football crown starting in 1966), no less won one.
In fact Detroit is in just their second NFC Title Game/NFL semi-final game.
At the present time, the baseball Texas Rangers winning it all for the first time in their 62nd completed season, (1961-2023 with no completed season in 1994), having played in Washington D.C. and Texas, Denver Nuggets (they claimed a first title in their 56th season including the defunct ABA and 47th NBA season) and Las Vegas Golden Knights in just their 6th season (incredibly they made the NHL Final in their first season, losing to another first and still only time champion, the Washington Capitals, then in their 44th NHL season (’75-2019) with no NHL season in 2004-2005).
Once before did the sports world enter this round or the post baseball part of the NFL season with simultaneous first time champions in the other three major North American sports leagues.
The St. Louis Blues, with the late, great Laura Branigan’s “Gloria,” as their inspirational song won their first NHL title (still the only, but as with all these first time winners–that is great/enough in itself, at least in most instances) in what was their 51st NHL season (’68-2019), (again no NHL season in 2004-2005).
That calendar 2019 year was also one in which the Toronto Raptors in their 24th (Willie (Mays) wore #24 and S.F. by the way the host team vs the Lions in tomorrow’s NFC Title tilt will have Willie Mays Day on the numbers configuring 2/4/24 or February 4, 2024 and stay tuned here for a confluence of greats regarding one of another great’s, Mickey Mantle’s home runs) season and the Washington Nationals in what was their fiftieth completed season (1969-2019 with no completed season in 1994) as both the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals.
The 2019 year’s NFL “semis”/title tilt participants included the Tennessee Titans nee Houston Oilers, who had not and still have not won an NFL crown in then their 54th possibility (50 such, ’70-2019 in the NFC/AFC configuration with 4 more in seasons that culminated with NFL/AFL Championship/Super Bowl games (’66-’69) and what is now, (we will denote as), 58 such possibilities.
Playing as the Houston Oilers the Titans/nee Oilers franchise won the first two AFL crowns in 1960 and 1961. In 2019, the Kansas City Chiefs, who that season won their first AFC/NFC configuration Supe and certainly their first title in 50 years, “semi’d” the Titans in the earlier title game.
The later/late NFC Title game matched two teams that had won many crowns, the Green Bay Packers and again tomorrow’s NFC Title game hosts, the San Francisco 49ers. (S.F. prevailed vs Green Bay only to dissipate a 4th quarter double digit lead in the aforementioned Supe loss to the Chiefs).
I was not quite “there” literally or figuratively for the seminal Woodstock Event in the incredible year of 1969 (think the moon and the miracle Mets also), when Melanie, born Melanie Safka, was one of just three female solo performers but surely was “there” big time for her great song “Brand New Key.”
Sadly, the key that opens the door to life no longer fits as Melanie died far too young at age 76.
Having ridden many “bicycles past,” still sans “the key,” as with many, many on this planet, Melanie’s beautiful song about loneliness and need, with a great tune, will always resonate.
Add among others, “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” inspired by people at Woodstock, lighting candles after the rain began to fall.
Click below to view Melanie’s great song, “Brand New Key.”
This Sunday’s at Baltimore vs the Ravens, 2023 AFC Title Game will bring Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid’s eleventh title tilt appearance (only Bill Belichick with 13 and an (8-5) record has more such appearances, Reid will pass the great Tom Landry, who had 10), only the third to be a Reid team road game.
Reid’s teams, the Philadelphia Eagles (1-4) and Chiefs (3-2) are a combined (4-6) in the previous ten.
All but the ’01 loss at St. Louis, vs the heavily favored Rams and the ’08 game at Arizona, vs the Cardinals were Reid team home title games, as the previous 5, in this Reid and the Chiefs’ 6th consecutive title game appearance, were home games.
The Chiefs nee Dallas Texans played and won all three of their AFL Title games, all of which were road games. (In ’62 as the Texans at the Houston Oilers, in ’66 at Buffalo in the first of what is now 58 Bills’ seasons sans a crown, corresponding “exactly” with this the season in which the 58th (ode to the great, 4 time Supe winning, Steeler’s player, Jack Lambert) and in ’69 in the last AFL game (was there an All-Star Game that followed that last title game?) at Oakland vs the Raiders).
Playing within the AFC for now 54 seasons, the Chiefs have made 7 AFC Title Games, the first and the upcoming one “sandwiching” five straight home such games, the last 5 completed seasons (’18-’22).
Adding it up, Reid coached teams (4-6) in such games have or will have played 8 of the 11 at home.
Meanwhile the Chiefs in either AFL or AFC title games are currently (6-3) with (after the tilt is played, earlier than the NFC game on Sunday) half (5) of their such tilts at home.
Noting: all but one of the total 10 Chiefs games and all 11 of Reid’s (6 with the Chiefs were Conference Title Games/NFL Semi-final games.
The ’62 AFL Title Game was of “the all the way” variety. No Super Bowl nee NFL/AFL Championship game followed. It was four years later that the two 1962 champions, the then Dallas Texans and by then the Kansas City Chiefs and Green BAy Packers met in the NFL/AFL Championship Game, which is now considered the first of what will be 58 Super Bowls played after that such game on February 11, 2024.
Click below or eventually on You Tube for highlights of the Chiefs’ AFL Title Game win at Oakland, vs the Raiders on January 4, 1970. One week later, the Chiefs prevailed vs the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings (not as large favorites as the Colts, who famously also lost, were vs the New York Jets the year before) in what was the last AFL/NFL and considered the fourth Super Bowl.
At (the Len Dawson pass) 2:12, the play begins (I am not a big fan of replay, love Otis Taylor and am appalled he is “not in” the Football Hall of Fame) notice the great Otis Taylor is also “NOT IN” but was ruled to be on that play.
Alas in both cases, apply, as is not always but often the “case” (pun or comment intended) the saying “justice is blind.”
Yesterday, after the Detroit Lions won just their second division round game (the other being a slot 4 win vs Dallas (Cowboys) in 1991, as was the case thirty years ago when they won at Houston vs the Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans), the Kansas City Chiefs won at Buffalo vs the Bills, and were the lone road team to prevail in the 2023 Slots/Division Round.
Now in the earlier game, the AFC Title Game, the Chiefs will play at Baltimore vs the Ravens.
Then the Lions will be at San Francisco, vs the 49ers, in what is a 1957 NFL semis redux, as in an unscheduled playoff for the ’57 Western Conference crown, the Lions overcame a (27-7) deficit and advanced to what was a home title game rout of the Cleveland Browns.
Tom Tracy had two touchdowns in the Lions comeback win in that 1957 Western Conf
After “Lam” Jackson (Lamar Jackson is now (1-2) in slots games and (2-3) in ‘offs games) accounted for four touchdowns, (2 rushing and 2 passing) in the Ravens (34-10) “ease job” (though tied at the half), vs Houston (Texans), the S.F. 49ers now (16-3) (our usual ode to Ron Perranoski ’63 when those #’s appear) in home slots games, needed much fortune and an eventual game winning 6 yard TD run by Christian McCaffrey, to (24-21) Green Bay.
The Texans fell to (0-5) in slots games, losing by a greater margin each time-7 to the Ravens in ’11 (I will try a “big gulp,”), 13 to the Pats in ’12, by 18 to them in ’16, by 20 dissipating a 24 point lead at the K,C, Chiefs in ’19 and by the above cited 24 point margin yesterday.
Both the Ravens, who will now host an AFC Title Game/NFL “semi” for the first time in their 28 years as the Ravens, and Niners, who will host an eleventh such “semi,” (12th if you count the unscheduled Western ‘off in ’57 vs Detroit (Lions), who are near TD favorites vs Tampa Bay (Buccaneers) to be the S.F. opponent in the later tilt next week. (All 11 Niners’ NFC title tilts were/will be in the later game and unopposed surely the ’57 ‘offs tilt won by Detroit en route to their last crown with nary a final round appearance and but one semi appearance since, was “late” at least in the East), were approximate 10 point “faves” yesterday.
Next week’s tilt vs today’s Bills/Chiefs Slot 4 game winner, will mark the third time a Baltimore team will host either an NFL (that was the “all the way, 7 years before the Supe and the last season before AFL play began, title tilt that was in and around in the excellent Barry Levinson directed film, “Diner” in ’59, a repeat victory vs the New York Giants) or AFC/NFL “semi” title tilt (in ’70 the Colts got a big John Unitas to Ray Perkins TD play in a win vs the then Oakland Raiders en route to the Supe crown).
S.F. as stated above is approaching a 180 degree term with an 11th time hosting such a tilt, after raising their “slots” mark to (19-7) with a very fortunate 5th straight ‘offs win vs the Pack (That ties the Steelers’ 5 straight wins vs the Colts for the most by one team vs another in consecutive fashion. I believe a major difference is that SF’s ‘offs advantage is (6-4) vs the Pack, while Pitts has won ALL 5 such tilts vs the Colts).
I think on You Tube, one can click and view Joe Montana’s TD pass to Dwight Clark that with “Toe” Wersching’s XP (Wersching is Ray) gave S.F. the lead in the final minute and to stay in a 1981 NFC Title Game win vs Dallas.
The Niners went on to win their first Supe crown, doing so in Pontiac, Michigan, vs the Cincinnati Bengals.
Last week, the Buffalo Bills scored a (31-17) victory Over the Pittsburgh Steelers, squaring the team’s all-time ‘offs record vs each other, at 2 games apiece.
I note that the winner of the three previous (before last “postponed from Sunday’s,” Monday Bills’ win, there had been three such games), Bills/Steelers ‘offs tilts, all played in Pittsburgh, won at least, their next ‘offs game.
In the case of the ’74 Steelers, who “slot 3’d” the Bills, in one O.J. Simpson’s lone ‘offs tilt, two wins followed, yielding the team’s first of six (tied with the Patriots of New England for the most such wins) Super Bowl crowns.
After a slot 1 win (then with the early Saturday afternoon start, I recall listening to Al “Grampa Munster” Lewis on WBAI “during”) vs Buffalo, the ’95 Steelers survived a near desperation/”Hail Mary” pass by the Colts’ Jim Harbaugh, he who finally titled as he coached 2023 Michigan, in the subsequent AFC Title game, before losing (covering the spread in defeat), vs the Dallas Cowboys in the Supe.
At that point, the Dallas team had won 3 of the previous 4 Super Bowls. This point in time relays they have not won as much as a “div round game since that ’95 season, going 28 seasons sans such a victory (’96-2023).
Conversely, from 1967-1995, a period of just one more season (29), Dallas achieved all 15 of their “slots”/div round victories, three coming in all 3 years the pre NFC/AFC configuration NFL had “quarters” (1967-1969).
In ’92, Buffalo won a slots 1 tilt at Pittsburgh and followed that with an AFC Title tilt win at Miami. They were obliterated (52-17) by you guessed it, Dallas in the subsequent Supe.
Quickly, tonight’s Green Bay at San Francisco clash will be the tenth ‘offs game contested between the Packers and 49ers. Only once after the previous nine, (the Pack in ’96) did the winner of such a game go on to a Super Bowl victory.
Also only two other times, hence three out of 9 with G.B. winning 2 subsequent games in ’96 making the teams (4-6) in ‘offs tilts subsequent to their ‘offs meeting, did the G.B./S.F. playoff game winner, prevail in its next game. (G.B. title tilted second year team Carolina (Panthers) and then New England coached by Bill Parcells in the ’96 ‘offs, the latter dropping Parcells to (2-1) in Super Bowl games. In ’12, S.F. under Jim Harbaugh, that man again, “slot 2’d” the Pack after Jim’s brother John, still in and the coach of the current AFC top seed, Baltimore Ravens pulled off a miracle win at Denver in slot 1, and followed that with a win at Atlanta (Falcons) in the title tilt/NFL “semi.” In the Supe that season John Harbaugh’s Ravens defeated Jim Harbaugh’s Niners. Finally in ’13, after S.F. “wild card rounded” G.B. they slot 3’d Carolina before losing the title tilt/semi at Seattle vs the Seahawks. All three SF ’13 season ‘offs tilts were played on the road).
Each team’s title game win vs the other, (Green Bay at S.F. in ’97 and S.F. vs G.B. in ’19) as well as one “slots” (Green Bay in ’95 and S.F. in 2021) and wild card game (S.F. on Young’s pass to Ter Owens with “Super” Summerall, i.e. Pat Summerall or is it AKA Pat Summerall? in ’99 and G.B. in overtime in ’02, the first year sans Mr. Summerall on NFC broadcasts) were followed by losses in said team’s next ‘offs tilt.
Alas, the Ravens/Niners Supe/ “Harbaugh Bowl” is maybe best known for the fact a power outage at the New Orleans Superdome, the game’s venue caused a delay.
Thus click above, to view the immensely talented Vicki Lawrence sing “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia.”
I could “say” more, but to “R.E.M.” it, I have “said too much,” but “maybe not enough.”
The collapse by Atlanta (located in Georgia) in the Supe 4 years later and Colin Kaepernick, the S.F. “Q.B.” vs the Ravens, anyone?!!
Saturday night “presents,” plausibly live on television, a tenth (all since ’95) San Francisco 49ers/Green Bay Packers playoffs tilt.
After losing 4 of the first 5, “S.F.” has won the last four and are more or less “double digit” “faves,” vs the Pack in S.F, in what will be the teams’ fifth “slots” clash, having split the previous four.
The Niners are (18-7) in “slots”/division round games, obviously 18 of 25 wins, in what was 18 of 25 such games, at home.
They are (15-3) in home slots games, (for the record the losses being in ’72, (a big blown one vs Dallas), ’87 vs Minne Vikings and to the Packers in ’95).
S.F. has won 5 straight such games, however, their title drought is actually the same # of years as “more or less disgraceful,” Dallas (Cowboys) at 28 seasons (’95-2022) while Dallas’ drought is from (’96-2023) with the caveat, that they have not even won as much as a “slots” tilt, since ’95.
Green Bay an impressive (10-3) with the title on the line (pre Supe, NFL Title tilts wins in ’36, ’39, ’44, ’61,’62 and ’65 with losses in ’38 and ’60 (the last one Vince Lombardi’s only ‘offs loss) and (4-1) in Supes winning under Vince, in ’66 and ’67 plus ’96 and 2010 with a loss in ’97), is (9-10) in the slots (i.e. NFL “quarters” which began in ’70 and I note a “quarter” win in ’67 making them (10-10) in “quarters.”
The Packers split in a couple of unscheduled conference playoffs tilts/”semis,” losing at Chicago vs the Bears a week after Pearl Harbor Day (the tilt played on December 14th with “Fees” and “Lees” leading Chi, as George McA”FEE” carried 14 times for 119 yards and Norm Stand”LEE” “going” 14-79 and 2 short td runs) in ’41, and winning in overtime and with controversy, that led to goalpost extensions in ’65 at home vs the Colts).
The ’41 Bears and ’65 Pack won their next game and were champions, while the ’67 Packers also became champions, but needed the famed Ice Bowl win vs Dallas and the beyond anti climactic Supe win, vs Oakland (Raiders) to do so.
Only the ’96 Packers among the nine previous winners of a Niners/Packers playoffs game went on to win it all.
In fact, only twice after the aforementioned SF/GB ‘offs tilts, did said winner prevail in its next ‘offs tilt.
The ’12 Niners won at Atlanta in the title tilt after “slotting” Green Bay while the next season, S.F. followed its wild card round win at Green Bay, with a “slots” win at Carolina vs the Panthers.
Both times (in ’12 with 2023 Michigan college pig title winning coach Jim Harbaugh, losing to brother John’s Baltimore Ravens team in the Supe and in ’13 when Seattle (Seahawks) held them off in the NFC Title game) S.F. lost its subsequent game.
Noteworthy and finally, ’13 John is still the”Balti” coach, a team that, as is the case with S.F, is a 2023 conference top seed.
Anthony Carter, pictured above and also a standout player at Michigan, had an incredible game in the Vikings’ “Slot 2″/”div round” win at the Niners in ’87.
The 54th (ode to the great Chuck Howley, who finally made the Pro Football Hall last year) year of the NFL “slots”/divisional round/ “quarterfinals” (there were such (’67-’69), begin with a game (the 213th slots game) at Baltimore, where the first such game was played, a Colts’ win en route to the crown vs the Paul Brown coached, third year Cincinnati Bengals in 1970, with the Ravens hosting the Houston Texans.
I heard a “not quite there” quip that if the Houston Texans made the Supe, it would be rescheduled to the earlier Saturday “window.”
That use of exaggerated comedy, not even in the same stratosphere as that of Sid Caesar, would “apply” to the fact all 8 of the Texans’ wild card tilts were played in the earlier Saturday game/”window.”
However this will be the first of their 5 slots games to be played then.
Houston is (0-4) in previous such games, including a loss at Baltimore to the Ravens in the “Slot 3″/earlier Sunday game in 2011.
That was the Texans’ first such game.
Losses at New England (twice, in 2012 in the later Sunday slot 4 tilt and in ’16 on Saturday night in slot and in a “blown 24 point lead”/ (51-31) loss at K.C. , vs the eventual champion, Chiefs in slot 3 (earlier Sunday tilt), in 2019, followed.
A great actor, Robert Shaw is pictured above.
In addition to his prowess, I “cryptic” it with his “you FOLLA” more than once said in the superb film, “The Sting.”
The “Slots”/NFL Divisional Round is almost upon us, after 5 of 6 essentially not competitive wild card round games.
The top seeds (only they, starting in 2020 are afforded such) Baltimore (Ravens) and San Francisco (49ers) swing into action Saturday January 20, each a 10 point “fave” the former vs the Houston Texans and the latter vs Green Bay (Packers), who on the exact 56th anniversary of their repeat title/NFL/AFL Championship Game/Eventual Supe 2, triumph on 1/14/1968, won in Dallas, leading (27-0), as a touchdown plus underdog.
On Sunday, in the later game, the Buffalo Bills whose eventual (31-17) ‘offs tilt triumph, vs Pittsburgh (Steelers) was correctly postponed from Sunday to yesterday/Monday, will host the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in what is a redux of a classic K.C. win, also in Slot 4 on a day now in “French Polynesia” Rivkah called.
Also on Sunday, the Detroit Lions, after their (24-23) first ‘offs win since ’91, ending a 9 game ‘offs loss skein, vs the L.A. Rams, will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who capped the defending NFC Champion Philly Eagles’ incredibly bad “free fall,” ripping them (32-9) as field goal underdogs, last night.
A true great, Boyd Dowler who wore #86 and is 87 years old, caught what was his 5th and final post-season touchdown pass, all from the so great, Bart Starr, in the Pack (33-14) win vs the then Oakland Raiders in that aforementioned, eventually called second Super Bowl.
Andy B Sports 