This Day in Sports History - 1/12/1975

The Pittsburgh Steelers capture their first NFL Championship in franchise history, downing the Minnesota Vikings, 16 - 6, in Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. The Steel Curtain defense dominates throughout and creates a 2 - 0 halftime lead on a safety when DE Dwight White sacks QB Fran Tarkenton in the end zone.

This Day in Sports History - 2/7/2010

Four years after Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints celebrate a Super Bowl win over the Indianapolis Colts, 31 - 17, in Miami. The underdog Saints fall behind 10 - 0 in the first quarter before two second period field goals make the score 10 - 6. New Orleans coach Sean Payton has a surprise in store on the second half kickoff: a successful onside kick. The Saints drive for a touchdown, add another field goal for a 16 - 10 lead, and then fall behind 17 - 16. But a two-yard pass from Drew Brees to TE Jeremy Shockey and a two-point conversion put the Saints back on top, 24 - 17. The Colts march for a game-tying TD when cornerback Tracy Porter returns an interception 74 yards for a score. Brees has 32 completions in 39 attempts for 288 yards, two TDs and no interceptions.

Super Bowl XLVI Preview

This Sunday February 5th will be Super Bowl 46 between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. Here are 46 facts and stats that hopefully you'll enjoy.

1. This is a rematch of a game from Week 9 as well as Super Bowl XLII
2. Bill Belichick was assistant for the Giants for 12 years
3. New England had 8 players selected for the Pro Bowl
4. New England was 3-1 vs. NFC while New York was 4-0 vs. AFC
5. The Giants have two players from Ohio State (Jake Ballard & Jim Cordle)
6. Eli Manning has a record 15 TDs in the 4th Quarter
7. Tom Brady is tied with Joe Montana with 16 playoff wins
8. This will be Tom Brady's 5th Super Bowl start; which ties him with John Elway
9. New England did not beat any team during the regular season who had a winning record
10. This is New England's 7th Super Bowl appearance & New York's 5th
11. Tom Brady was drafted as a catcher in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos
12. BenJarvis Green-Ellis went to the same High School as actor Carl Weathers
13. Victor Cruz had a Giants record with 1,536 receiving yards during the regular season
14. Tom Coughlin & Bill Belichick were assistant coaches on Giants Super Bowl XXV team
15. New England OC Bill O'Brien has been named the new Head Coach for Penn State
16. Former New England LB Larry Izzo is the Assistant Special Teams Coach for the Giants
17. TEs Rob Gronkowski & Aaron Hernandez combined for 169 receptions
18. New England allowed nine QBs to pass for 300 or more yards during the regular season
19. Jason Pierre-Paul had 16.5 sacks this season; only Michael Strahan & LT have had more in a season
20. Tom Brady has 3 seasons with 35 or more TD passes
21. The last time Wes Welker didn't have a reception in a game was 2005
22. Safety Antrell Rolle led the Giants with 96 tackles
23. Mark Anderson & Andre Carter each had 10 sacks for New England
24. Chad Ochocinco had just 15 receptions during the season
25. Mark Herzlich played lacrosse in High School
26. Stephen Gostkowski's FG % is 84.8
27. DT Vince Wilfork has 2 career INTs
28. Antrell Rolle & Vince Wilfork were college teammates
29. The Giants last six 1st round draft picks are major contributors to the team (Matthias Kiwanuka, Aaron Ross, Kenny Phillips, Hakeem Nicks, Jason Pierre-Paul & Prince Amukamara)
30. Matt Light protected Drew Brees' blind side in college
31. This is the 9th Super Bowl rematch of a regular season game decided by TD or less; 7 of the previous 8 games were won by team that lost 1st game
32. In his first 10 postseason games Tom Brady was 10-0 with 3 INTs; in his last 11 he's 6-5 with 16 INTs
33. Manning & Brady will be 3rd set of QBs to meet in multiple Super Bowls; the others were Bradshaw-Staubach & Aikman-Kelly
34. Lawrence Tynes is 1st player to score winning points in 2 playoff overtime games
35. The Giants drafted LBs Greg Jones & Jacquian Williams in the 6th round of 2011 NFL Draft
36. Chris Snee is Tom Coughlin's son-in-law
37. Bill Belichick is not a member of the NFL Coaches Club
38. The only 100 yard receiving game that Wes Welker has had in the playoffs was Super Bowl XLII loss to the Giants
39. Julian Edelman has played as a WR & CB this season
40. New England TEs coach Brian Ferentz is the son of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz
41. Eli Manning is 6-1 in road or neutral site games in the playoffs
42. John Mara is the 3rd generation of his family to own the Giants
43. The Patriots have retired 8 player's numbers; the Giants have retired 11
44. Tom Brady has 2 Super Bowl MVPs, Eli Manning & Deion Branch each have 1
45. Tom Brady, Kevin Faulk & Matt Light are only current Patriots who won the 3 New England Super Bowls
46. Giants OC Kevin Gilbride was OC under Tom Coughlin for the Jaguars in 1995 & 1996

This Day in Sports History - 1/17/1971

In the fifth Super Bowl - the first following the NFL-AFL merger - the Baltimore Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 16 - 13, at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The two teams combine for 10 turnovers on six interceptions and four fumbles. The winning Colts commit six of the turnovers, three of them on interceptions. Colts quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Earl Morrall, and the Cowboys' Craig Morton combine to complete just 22 passes in 50 attempts. Baltimore ties the score 13 - 13 on a two-yard run by running back Tom Nowatzke with 7:35 left on the clock. With 1:09 remaining, Morton throws an interception to Baltimore linebacker Mike Curtis, who returns it 13 yards to the Dallas 28. As time expires, rookie kicker Jim O'Brien boots a 32-yard field goal to win.

My Four Favorite Commercials from Super Bowl XLV

One week ago, like many other people I was watching Super Bowl 45 between the Packers and Steelers. I was at a Super Bowl party with about 30 people and I was probably the only one there who actually cared about watching the game. As much as I enjoy watching the game I do love the commercials. Here are my favorite four from this year's Super Bowl, why four?, because that's all I liked.


The first one was an NFL commercial. It combined two of my favorite things: TV shows and football.



Next is this Volkswagon commercial. It's just super-cute, simple and has some humor.



The next one is a Budweiser commercial. I haven't liked a Budweiser commercial since the "Budweiser Frogs", but this was funny and I like the song "Tiny Dancer"


The final one that I liked was this Chrysler commercial. It makes a clear point, you know what they're selling (which is more of an issue in some ads than you'd think) and it uses Eminem and one of his excellent songs.

Super Bowl XLV Preview

This Sunday February 6th will be Super Bowl 45 between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Here are 45 facts and stats that hopefully you'll enjoy.

1. First time that there will be more Super Bowls than US Presidents
2. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a 6-1 Super Bowl record
3. The Green Bay Packers have a 3-1 Super Bowl record
4. Packers are first #6 seed from NFC to make the Super Bowl
5. Packers have 3 players from Ohio St. (Ryan Pickett, Matt Wilhelm, A.J. Hawk)
6. Steelers have help opponents to under 17 points eleven times this season
7. Steelers are 22-3 in games where Troy Polamalu has an interception
8. Ben Roethlisberger has a 10-2 playoff record
9. Aaron Rodgers is NFL's all time leader in passer rating
10. Clay Matthews had 13.5 sacks this season
11. Charles Woodson played in Super Bowl 37 for Oakland
12. James Harrison has been fined $100K this season
13. Packers RB coach Edgar Bennett played for Packers in Super Bowl 31 win
14. Lamar Woodley has 10 sacks in 6 career playoff games
15. Packers OLB coach Kevin Greene played for Steelers from 1993-1995
16. Steelers DC Dick LeBeau played cornerback in NFL for 13 years
17. Rashard Mendenhall had a 3.9 yards/att during the regular season
18. Tramon Williams has 3 INT in playoffs, one returned for TD
19. 1st Super Bowl where both teams are more than 75 years old
20. Mike Tomlin has 5 straight playoff wins
21. Packers have lost 15 players to season ending injuries
22. Pittsburgh has 25 players with Super Bowl experience; Green Bay has 2
23. A.J. Hawk had a team leading 111 tackles this season
24. Packers defense forced 15 fumbles and 24 interceptions
25. Steelers defense forced 24 fumbles and 21 interceptions
26. Lawrence Timmons had a team leading 135 tackles
27. Lawrence Timmons, James Farrior and James Harrison each had over 100 tackles
28. Hines Ward has 7 receptions 166 yards and 1 TD in 2 career Super Bowl games
29. Ben Roethlisberger is looking to become 5th QB with 3 Super Bowl wins (Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman & Tom Brady)
30. Aaron Rodgers is 27 years old; Brett Favre was 27 years old when he one Super Bowl 31
31. James Harrison has longest play in Super Bowl history with a 100 yard interception return in Super Bowl 43
32. Mike McCarthy was born in Pittsburgh
33. Packers have 21 players/coaches in the Hall of Fame, Steelers have 18
34. Mike Tomlin is youngest coach to take team to 2 Super Bowls
35. Both teams play a 3-4 defense, making this the first Super Bowl to match two 3-4 defenses
36. Steelers were 4-2 against common opponents while Packers were 3-3
37. Packers FB John Kuhn was on Pittsburgh's 2005 Super Bowl team, he could become the 48th player to win a Super Bowl with more than one team
38. Packers DC Dom Capers was Steelers DC from 1992-1994
39. Steelers led NFL with 48 sacks; Packers were 2nd with 47
40. "The Terrible Towel" is made by a company in Wisconsin
41. Greg Jennings had 12 TDs during the regular season
42. Mike Wallace averaged 21 yards/reception during the regular season
43. Steelers WR Antwaan Randle El threw 2 TDs during the regular season
44. Donald Driver was a 7th round draft pick in 1999
45. The Packers have not trailed by more than 7 points all season
    

This Day in Sports History - 1/24/1982

Led by rising star QB Joe Montana, who completed 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards and 1 touchdown while also rushing for 18 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground, the San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowl XVI, 26 - 21, over the Cincinnati Bengals at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. It's the only Super Bowl that will ever be played at the Silverdome, although Michigan will host Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit. Announced by Pat Summerall and John Madden, it's also the highest-rated Super Bowl telecast to date.

The Super Bowl Shuffle:The Bears

Super Bowl XLIV Preview

This Sunday, February 7th, is Super Bowl Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts will be playing the New Orleans Saints for the biggest prize in sports; The Lombardi Trophy. So here are 44 things to know that can help you impress your friends. At the end of it I will give you my prediction (which will most probably be incorrect).

1. This is NO's first SB appearance
2. This is IND's 4th SB appearance (2-1 in past 3 SB)
3. This is the first time since 1993 that both SB teams were #1 seeds in their conferences
4. Each team has 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (NO: Malcom Jenkins & Will Smith; IND: Roy Hall & Anthony Gonzalez)
5. Against common opponents NO is 5-0 & IND is 3-2
6. The NFC has won 12 consecutive coin-tosses
7. NO Coach Sean Payton was an assistant to Jim Fassell and the Giants in SB XXXV
8. IND Coach Jim Caldwell is the 5th rookie Head Coach to make the SB
9. IND has 12 Hall-of-Famers while NO has only 5
10. Peyton Maning has 7 career playoff games with 300 yards passing
11. Drew Brees had 7 games this season with 300 yards passing
12. NO back-up QB Mark Brunell has thrown 182 career TD passes
13. Reggie Wayne & Dallas Clark each had 100 catches & 10 TDs this season
14. IND's Linebackers have outtackled NO's Linebackers 263-237
15. IND's Defensive-Lineman have outsacked NO's Defensive-Lineman 24.5-18
16. Dwight Freeny had 13.5 sacks this season
17. Raheem Brock has 28.5 sacks in his 8 year career
18. IND has not given up any 2nd half points in the playoffs
19. NO running back Reggie Bush has 258 combined yards (rushing, receiving & returning) this post-season
20. NO linebacker Jonathan Vilma had 110 tackles in the regular season
21. IND's Assistant Offensive Line Coach; Pete Metzelaars; played for the Bills in their 4 consecutive SB losses
22. Reggie Bush is averaging 7.7 yards/carry in the playoffs while only averaging 5.6 yards/carry in the regular season
23. NO wide receiver Marques Colston was drafted in the 7th round (252nd pick overall) from Hofstra
24. The Saints have 8 defensive TDs this season; 3 of them are on interception returns by Darren Sharper
25. 25 Colts & 4 Saints have played in a past SB
26. Both Manning & Brees have played games at Sun Life Stadium (site of Super Bowl 44) this season
27. Manning is trying to be the 15th player to win the MVP award & SB in the same year
28. Brees is trying to be the 4th QB to win the SB with a completion % of 69 or higher
29. Manning is tied with Colts Legend Johnny Unitas for 3rd all-time with 17 games with 4 or more TD passes
30. Manning has been sacked only 10 times this season
31. NO defensive end Will Smith had 13 sacks this season
32. NO linebacker Scott Fujita has a BA in political science & an MA in education
33. NO has a TO Ratio of +11 while IND's is only +2
34. Since 2007 IND is 19-1 when Dallas Clark scores a TD
35. NO would be the first team to win the SB after losing it's last 3 regular season games
36. NO has lead the NFL in scoring & total offense the last 2 seasons
37. IND has outscored their opponents 416-317 in regular season
38. NO has outscored their opponents 510-341 in regular season
39. IND kicker Matt Stover has a career 83.7 FG%
40. IND defense has given up 10 points per game in the playoffs
41. NO has outscored their opponents 139-48 in the 4th quarter this season
42. 29 of Jeremy Shockey's 48 catches have been for 1st downs
43. Pierre Garcon & Austin Collie have combined for 27 rec. 360 yards & 3 TDs in the playoffs
44. Reggie Wayne has 77 receptions in his playoff career (4th most all-time)

Hope you enjoy these facts & stats. As for the game it's going to be a great one. The possibility of Dwight Freeny not playing probably makes the game closer than it would be if he was healthy. The official prediction for Super Bowl XLIV is Colts 44 Saints 38. Enjoy the game; and remember please drink responsibly.

Best by the Numbers - Boston Edition

Once again we have a players list based on their uniform numbers. This time we focus on the 4 professional sports teams in the Boston area (Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots & Bruins).

1. Andrew Raycroft
2. Eddie Shore
3. Dennis Johnson - This Celtic great played with Bird, McHale & Parish and had his #3 retired by the team in 1991
4. Adam Vinetieri - I know that Hall of Famer Bobby Orr wore #4 for the Bruins but I went with Vinetieri to show some love for the kickers
5. Kevin Garnett
6. Bill Russell - The 11 time NBA Champion was an excellent defensive player
7. Trot Nixon
8. Carl Yastrzemski - in 1967 "Yaz" became the last player to complete the Triple Crown
9. Ted Williams - Not only was he a feared hitter, but he was also a Veteran from WWII and the Korean War
10. Jo Jo White
11. Drew Bledsoe
12. Tom Brady
13. Delonte West
14. Bob Cousy - Cousy lead the league in assists for 11 straight years.
15. Kevin Millar
16. Satch Sanders
17. John Havlicek - "Hondo" played his college ball at The Ohio State University
18. Daisuke Matsuzaka
19. Josh Beckett
20. Ray Allen
21. Roger Clemens
22. Asante Samuel
23. Craig Janney
24. Manny Ramirez - Man-Ram was the MVP of the 2004 World Series
25. K.C. Jones
26. Wade Boggs
27. Carlton Fisk - One of the greatest catchers of all time was immortalized in 1975 against the Reds in the World Series
28. Curtis Martin
29. Shawn Springs
30. Tim Thomas - The Hockey player; not the Basketball player
31. Cedric Maxwell
32. Kevin McHale
33. Larry Bird - In his career he averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds a game
34. David Ortiz
35. Reggie Lewis
36. Lawyer Milloy
37. Rodney Harrison
38. Curt Schilling - Two words: "Bloody Sock"
39. Lawrence Maroney
40. Mike Haynes
41. Victor Martinez
42. Mo Vaughn - Won the MVP award in 1995
43. Kendrick Perkins
44. Danny Ainge
45. Pedro Martinez - One of the greatest moments of his career was the 1999 All-Star game when he struck out 5 of the 6 batters he faced
46. Jacoby Ellsbury
47. Rod Beck
48. Lee Smith - Is currently 3rd on the All-Time Saves list with 478 Saves
49. Tim Wakefield
50. Mike Vrabel - The former Ohio State LB was used as an eligible receiver many times and has caught over 10 TDs in his career
51. Jerod Mayo
52. Ted Johnson
53. Larry Izzo
54. Tedy Bruschi - In 2005 Bruschi suffered a stroke, but came back to play later that year getting the Comeback Player of the Year Award
55. Junior Seau
56. Andre Tippett
57. Steve Nelson
58. Jonathan Pappelbon
59. Vincent Brown
60. Scott Rehberg
61. Clay Buchholz
62. Jon Lester - Less than 2 years after being diagnosed with lymphoma he threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals
63. Joe Andruzzi
64. Dave Wohlabaugh
65. Damien Woody
66. Scott Pollard
67. Dan Koppen
68. Ryan O'Callaghan
69. Ryan Wendell
70. Logan Mankins
71. Russ Hochstein
72. Matt Light
73. John Hannah - His last name is a palindrome
74. Rich Baldinger
75. Vince Wilfork
76. Brandon Gorin
77. Ray Bourque - From 1985 - 2000 Bourque was the team captain of the Bruins
78. Bruce Armstrong
79. Jim Lee Hunt
80. Troy Brown
81. Randy Moss
82. Daniel Graham
83. Wes Welker
84. Ben Watson
85. Nick Buoniconti - Was probably best known for being part of the '72 Miami Dolphins team; but before that he played for the Patriots
86. Stanley Morgan
87. Ben Coates
88. Terry Glenn
89. Bob Dee
90. Toby Williams
91. Marc Savard
92. Ray Agnew
93. Richard Seymour
94. Ty Warren
95. Tully Banta-Cain
96. Adalius Thomas
97. Jarvis Green
98. Shawn Crable
99. Mike Wright

Honorable Mention: 00. Robert Parish - I don't give the # 0 or 00 on this list normally but "The Chief" was a great player for the Celtics for a long time

Best by the Numbers - New York Edition

Below is a list of New York athletes according to their jersey number. Please note that there may be players who are better than those listed below not on the list. This is my list, if you want make your own list and put in whoever you'd like.

1. Eddie Giacomin
2. Derek Jeter: The All-Time Yankees Hits Leader
3. Babe Ruth
4. Lou Gehrig: The Iron Horse
5. Joe Dimaggio: Joltin' Joe's consecutive games with a hit record of 56 still stands.
6. Wally Backman: Member of the '86 Mets is now a Minor League Manager for them.
7. Mickey Mantle
8. Yogi Berra
9. Adam Graves
10. Eli Manning: MVP of Super Bowl XLII
11. Mark Messier
12. Joe Namath
13. Don Maynard
14. Theo Fluery
15. Thurman Munson: 3 time Gold Glove winner. AL Rookie of the Year (1970). AL MVP (1976)
16. Frank Gifford: The former Giant was a long-time color commentator for Monday Night Football
17. Plaxico Burress
18. Darryl Strawberry
19. Willis Reed
20. Alan Houston
21. Paul O'neill: Was traded to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly
22. Al Leiter
23. Don Mattingly
24. Ottis "OJ" Anderson: MVP of Super Bowl XXV
25. Joe Girardi
26. Dave Kingman
27. Michael Peca
28. Curtis Martin
29. Leon Washington
30. Willie Randolph
31. Mike Piazza
32. Elston Howard
33. Patrick Ewing: Most Knicks fans are probably still upset he didn't dunk the ball against the Pacers
34. Charles Oakley
35. Mike Richter
36. Jerry Koosman: Was a member of the '69 Mets
37. Casey Stengel
38. Jack Hillen
39. Rick DiPietro
40. Joe Morrison
41. Tom Seaver: Tom had 311 career wins
42. Mariano Rivera: The only current Baseball Player to wear the #42
43. Jeff Nelson
44. Reggie Jackson: Mr. October
45. Tug McGraw
46. Andy Pettite
47. Jesse Orosco
48. Pete Schourek
49. Ron Guidry: Louisiana Lightning
50. Eric Barton
51. Bernie Williams
52. Pepper Johnson
53. Harry Carson
54. Rich "Goose" Gossage
55. Hideki Matsui: MVP of 2009 World Series
56. Lawrence Taylor
57. Mo Lewis
58. Carl Banks
59. Brian Williams
60. D'Brickashaw Ferguson
61. Adam Koets
62. Joba Chamberlain
63. Dewayne Robertson
64. Jim Burt
65. Brandon Moore
66. Pete Kendall
67. Kareem McKenzie
68. Jaromir Jagr
69. Jason Fabini
70. Sam Huff
71. Rick Lyle
72. Osi Umenyura
73. Joe Klecko: Was part of the "New York Sack Exchange" with Mark Gastineau, Abdul Salaam & Marty Lyons
74. Nick Mangold
75. Francisco Rodriguez: "K-Rod"
76. Jumbo Elliott
77. Phil Esposito
78. Wayne Hunter
79. Alexi Yashin
80. Wayne Chrebet
81. Amani Toomer
82. Mark Ingram
83. Santana Moss
84. Joe Jurevicius: Played for the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV
85. Wesley Walker
86. Ken Whisenhunt: The current coach of the Arizona Cardinals was a TE for the Jets
87. Laverneous Coles
88. Eric Lindros
89. Mark Bavaro: Giants TE who went to Notre Dame for college
90. Dennis Byrd
91. Justin Tuck
92. Michael Strahan: Holds the single-season record with 22.5 sacks
93. Petr Nedved
94. Ryan Smith
95. Tom Baldwin
96. Barry Cofield
97. Mathias Kiwanuka
98. Jesse Armstead
99. Wayne Gretzkey: "The Great One's" number has been retired by all of the NHL

Chris Mortenson discusses the Cleveland Browns

After the Browns signed Donte Stallworth and trade for 2 DL over the weekend Chris Mortenson says he likes the moves and that Cleveland may make a Super Bowl run.

Rookie TE Kevin Boss discusses the Super Bowl on ESPN's First Take

Justin Tuck talks about the Super Bowl on ESPN's First Take

Shaun O'Hara on ESPN's First Take

David Tyree on ESPN's First Take

Archie and Peyton Manning discuss Eli and the Giant's Super Bowl win

Primetime guys and the Super Bowl Wrap-up

Sportscenter discusses the magnitude of Super Bowl 42

Sportscenter discusses Plaxico's GW Touchdown