A pretty high percentage (75) of the 8 teams playing tomorrow or Friday in NFL tilts won last week.
All four teams in the first two games, Green Bay (Packers) at Detroit (Lions) and K.C. Chiefs at Dallas won last Sunday.
At night, the Baltimore Ravens, who won, face the Cincinnati Bengals who lost to (10-2) (tied with the Rams for the best NFL mark and a TD “fave” vs (2-10) New York Giants (be careful Pats!), New England last week.
Finally, on Friday (Alvin “Pete” Rozelle, a great commissioner save playing on 11/24/63, a day Ruby shot and Killed L.H. Oswald (oh these “3 namers”) warned of over exposure and a game on this day illustrates what it has become, the defending champion Philly Eagles, who dissipated a (21-0) lead going “under” to Dallas (24-21), days back, are a TD “fave” vs the surprising “Chi” Bears, who “long shot lead” the NFC North, by a half “math,” in a 3 team race among the Lions, Packers and Bears—oh my!
Milt Plum is 90 years old and in that (26-14) Lions win vs eventual (14-1) repeat champion Green Bay, one year “before,” in which Roger Brown and the “D”et” “D” “d”ominated, Plum not only threw 2 TD passes to Gail Cogdill but also booted a 47 yard field goal.
It is “ridiculously” early in the winter sports seasons and “mucho” time and games remain in “pig,” however, some cities and their current major sports league notes will follow.
Cue Randy Newman, I still “Love L.A”–the song, the memories, but no longer the teams, but oh have those teams achieved and do they loom!
Of course, the Dodgers repeated as baseball title winners becoming just the eighth franchise to do so and in winning a third “5” year crown, they joined the Yankees, who have 7 such, including one 5 and two 4’s and the currently stagnant Cardinals of St. Loo (they won titles in ’26,’46 and 2006 and also in ’34, ’44 and ’64) as teams with at least 3 crowns in a same # year which, (a rhyme) is an obscure note.
Meanwhile, the football L.A. Rams after “ramming” (pun intended) the still “div” leading Tampa Bay Bucs in a “King—night tilt yesterday, now lead the NFC with a (9-2) mark but are just one “math game” ahead of (8-3) Sea (rhyme) while (7-4) SF a TD fave vs (6-5) Carolina (they trail T.B. by a half game going into tonight’s game.
Again, so early in both basketball and the N.H.L. , but note the (12-4) Lakers, (9-4) sans another “would be” king, in his record 23rd season, wearing the # but Leb you ain’t close to being as great as that other “23,” (Mr. Jordan), however you have had a remarkable career and you/the Lakers, also loom.
Later this week some “status/perspective” with Denver, Detroit, Houston and Indiana teams including college sports, where applicable.
Clearly, anniversaries today one 62 years, another which I call “Spardi Day,” exactly 56 and today some insight into great television fiction about a seminal series “Dallas” and another shooting “there” with all it entails.
56 years back near 3 Td underdog Michigan ruined Ohio State’s repeat title hopes, winning (24-12) with “Mich” alum, in totally unlike Joe Davis “homer fashion,” calling the tilt objectively on ABC television.
Yesterday marked another “exact” one, 45 years since it was revealed (Chris Van Hollen “as”) that Kristin, (it was you Kristin that shot J.R. said Linda Gray as “Sue Ellen”) played by Mary Crosby, “binged,” I mean shot J.R.
Below read some recollections by the beautiful, classy, highly intelligent Victoria Principal (“Pam” on “Dallas”) regarding the classic story line and the great Larry Hagman, the iconic J.R. on “Dallas.”
Victoria Principal, pictured above.
Two nights back, it was great to view a 1974 episode of the fine television show, “Mannix,” which starred Mike Connors (a U.C.L.A. basketball player in his day), that presented two great guest stars, Paul Burke and the now 90 plus, sensational Carol Lawrence.
The “ep,” “The Survivor Who Wasn’t,” aired on December 15, 1974, a day on which the then 14 games NFL regular season ended and a surprise party for my parent’s 25th anniversary was held.
I suppose the ratings battle that Sunday night went to ABC, airing Frank Sinatra in “The Main Event” (Mr. Cosell’s intro still reverberates good feelings), not Mannix on CBS.
Ms. Lawrence the original “Maria,” on stage in “West Side Story” is a big favorite of another married couple, Arlene and Jessie, whose “shows experience” is laudatory, extensive and cultured.
Left to right Mike Connors, Paul Burke and Carol Lawrence pictured in a 1974 episode of “Mannix.”
Today an episode of “What’s My Line” called the best contestant ever, that aired on June 1, 1958.
The contestant was the personable Peter J. Lomagistro.
Panelists were Eamonn Andrews and essentially regulars, Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennett Cerf.
John Charles Daly was the seminal show’s host.
Click below to view the episode.
In doing the above regarding the great player, coach and classy well spoken man, Lenny Wilkens more than the once record wins and up there with the ’79 title that warms in the Sea/Tor “cold” it is a recollection of certain great college basketball, just before my time–within it, Lenny getting through and performing in such great fashion for Providence College.
Of course the coaching, taking over a (5-17) Seattle Super Sonics team in ’78 from Bob Hoskins (ode to the actor with that name) and going to #7 of the final before losing to the Bullets and after an N.I.T. final and NBA such loss in consecutive years (’60 and ’61), the title in 5 vs the Bullets won on a Friday night in 1979.
Lenny teamed with the great baseball hitter, Tommy Davis with Boy’s High under legendary coach Mickey Fisher, recalled on my “Tribute to Marty Glickman” show by the journalist, Dick Schaap.
So Lenny go down the lane or as Marty reminded, “across it,” and find those greats and others, secure in the knowledge of your greatness and contributions while on this planet.
Oh to have been able to play–penetrate, assist and much more, as the great Lenny Wilkens, pictured above.
We can live with a little football, albeit tinged with nostalgia.
The past weekend, the NFL’s tenth of eighteen in 2025, had 7 rematches of either NFL or conference title tilts.
(6-3) Chicago (Bears) won vs the Giants, a 4 to 0 score manifesting, not (14-10), which was the result in their most recent NFL title game in ’63, but (24-20) vs the now (2-8) Giants. “Chi” won the ’63 title game, with quarterback Bill Wade scoring both in close, neither a “tush push,” touchdowns.
Last night (the far too high scoring NFL did have (10-7) scores in the weekend’s first and last games) the defending champion, (7-2) Philadelphia Eagles repeated their (17-13) triumph in the ’60 title game vs the Green Bay Packers, (coach Vince Lombardi’s only post-season loss), winning (10-7).
Elsewhere, the (7-3) Chargers vs the (5-4) Steelers (’94 AFC title game upset, vs the Cowher coached, Pittsburgh Steelers), the (8-2) Denver Broncos, also by an above referenced (10-7) score, (’77 AFC title game, Enberg’s “Haven Moses to the promised land”) and the (7-2) L.A. Rams (2021 title tilt vs the S.F. 49ers) repeated wins from the most recent or only conference title games between the teams.
Conversely, the (3-7) Miami Dolphins, a huge underdog vs the now (6-3) Buffalo Bills and (6-3)Detroit Lions at (3-6) “Wash,” reversed the most recent/only conference title game results between the teams.
In ’91 Wash “title tilted” Det while a year later Buffalo won at Miami in an NFL “semi”/AFC title game.
Starting in 1956, with Yogi Berra in #7, Dodgers final World Series games had home runs to open the scoring in what is now 13 of their last 15 W.S. (they have an (8-7) record in them).
The HR to produce the game’s first run(s) in a Dodgers final W.S. tilt occurred in ’56,’59,’63,’65,’66, not ’74 or ’77, and then again in ’78,’81,’88,2017, 2018, 2020, 2024 and 2025).
In L.A. wins to clinch the title, opposing players, Willie Randolph (’81), and in the 3 straight Dodgers’ winning W.S. Randy Arozarena (2020), Aaron Judge (2024) and Bo Bichette last week. (Since it was #7, no matter what, a Dodgers final W.S. game was to have had a homer account for the tilt’s first runs.— Surely esoteric, but I cite it.
More for those that are interested: some greats start Yogi in ’56 add Gil Hodges ’59, Frank Howard ’63, Frank Robinson ’66, not quite but close George Springer in 2017 and about there, but with a pretty big sample size, not in post-season, Aaron Judge in 2024.
’56,’66 and 2017 were Dodgers’ losses as was 2018 when the Red Sox, 100 years after their 5th crown (it would be 86 years until #6, with them so close in #6/’86 W.S. another “set the clock,” back night, I suppose, classic World Series game, as was #7 this year, beat L.A. and unlikely series MVP Steve Pearce homered to start the 5th and final game scoring.
Only once, that in ’78, did a Dodgers player homer to start the scoring in a Dodgers W.S. final game, in which the Dodgers lost. It was a Davey Lopes “solo” that opened the scoring.
A great memory for me and again I once loved the Dodgers was #7/’65, as with Bichette 60 years later it was definite a homer had started the scoring in a Dodgers’ final W.S. game, that one, a win for the team that homered to open the scoring.
It was Lou Johnson, a vital contributor to that ’65 title team, whose drive hit the Minnesota Metropolitan Stadium foul pole (remember Warner Wolf calling it the “fair pole’) to open the scoring.
Finally, Mickey Hatcher’s 2RHR with Franklin Stubbs aboard, started the scoring in the L.A. #5 title clincher at Oakland vs the A’s in 1988.
Lou Johnson, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 