Sports Then and Now

One of the most memorable moments in the 2009 NFL season was the Indianapolis Colts scoring a last-second touchdown to pull out a 35-34 victory against the New England Patriots after the Patriots were stopped on 4th-and-2 at their own 28-yard-line, despite holding a six-point lead  with about two minutes to play.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s decision to go for the first down in this game was reminiscent of former Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer’s gamble to go for a first down in his team’s own territory with the game tied in the final minutes of a December showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The former Oklahoma head coach became head coach of the Cowboys following the departure of Jimmy Johnson after the 1993 season.

Johnson had led the Cowboys from a 1-15 season in his first year in Dallas to two straight Super Bowl titles, behind the famed “Triplets”; quarterback Troy Aikman, wide receiver Michael Irvin, and running back Emmitt Smith.

In Switzer’s first season, the Cowboys finished with a 12-4 record but were knocked off by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

In 1995, the Cowboys jumped out to an 8-1 start before being humiliated by the 49ers 38-20 in Dallas, leading owner Jerry Jones to come out and say that the team was outcoached.

The Cowboys would win the next two games before dropping another home game, this time against the Washington Redskins, as they entered their late-season showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Under first-year head coach Ray Rhodes, the Eagles had complied a 8-5 record entering this game,  but had gone 7-2 ever since Rhodes had benched starting quarterback Randall Cunningham and replaced with veteran backup Rodney Peete.

Still, Rhodes played the “no respect” card for the Eagles as they hosted the Cowboys on a 13-degree afternoon in Veterans stadium, with a wind chill of minus seven degrees. Read the rest of this entry →

Don Meredith was an original member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Imagine being part of the team that created Microsoft and then later helping launch Google. In a sense, “Dandy” Don Meredith had that kind of career in professional football as he was an important part of the development of two iconic franchises in the Dallas Cowboys and Monday Night Football.

Because Meredith, who passed away on Sunday following a brain hemorrhage, has been out of the spotlight for nearly as long as he was in it, it has taken his death for many to recount just how integral he was to the development of two sports brands that are now taken for granted.

A two-time All-American as a quarterback at Southern Methodist University, Meredith was originally chosen in the third round of the 1960 draft by George Halas and the Chicago Bears. However, he was soon traded back to his native state of Texas and the expansion Dallas Cowboys.

During his first two seasons, Meredith was primarily the backup to quarterback Eddie Lebaron. However, he did play an important role in the first victory in team history as he replaced Lebaron and tossed the game-tying touchdown pass as Dallas rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on September 17, 1961.

He finally took over the starting job for good in 1963 and soon the Cowboys began to move from the NFL cellar to the penthouse.

Known for his wit and humor, Meredith was a start contrast to the stoic coach of the Cowboys, Tom Landry. Meredith described Landry as a perfectionist who if he were married to actress and model Rachel Welch would also expect her to be a good cook.

However, though Meredith was known for his joking personality off the field, there was never any doubt that on the field he was all business and one of the toughest players around. Early in his career the Cowboys offensive line had more holes than Swiss cheese, but Meredith took every licking and kept on ticking. Read the rest of this entry →

Both the United States and England fell short in bids to host the World Cup.

So there we have it. After 18 months of political lobbying, journalist digging, scandal, corruption and a last minute Royal-infused dash to the line, England’s 2018 World Cup bid ended in dismal failure.

For many people normally following the live match score centre who have seen the bid process develop over the past few weeks the choice of Russia is perhaps no surprise. As pointed out in their bid presentation Eastern Europe has never hosted a World Cup and their country harbours a growing passion and, crucially, the financial support for a football tournament of this magnitude.

As an England fan I can perhaps grudgingly accept that. But I don’t think it is the losing that is the galling thing. It’s the fact we had the best technical and commercial bid yet came last out of all four countries. Then the decision to award Qatar the 2022 WC despite also having the weakest bid says it all – it was seen as ‘high risk’ by the FIFA report! It all leaves a bitter taste in the mouth

It is easy to accuse the English of sour grapes. But to put our failure purely down to perceived ‘arrogance’ and FIFA’s whiter than white vision of spreading the game to new boundaries is naïve. Read the rest of this entry →

Ron Santo averaged 23 home runs and 89 RBI in 15 Major League seasons.

Sad news being reported this morning that former Chicago Cubs great Ron Santo has passed away at the age of 70. Though remembered by many for his great play as the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973, in recent years he has been best known for his courageous battle with diabetes and his inexplicable omission from the Baseball Hall of Fame.

His combination of power and excellent defense made him the best third baseman in the National League throughout the 1960s. Santo was a nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove selection.

From 1963 through 1970 he was consistently one of the best players in the league. He topped 30 home runs and 100 RBI four times during that stretch and had at least 26 home runs and 94 RBI in each of those eight seasons.

He finished in the top eight in the MVP voting four times, including fourth in 1967 when he hit .300 with 31 home runs, 107 runs scored and 98 RBI.

In 1969 he was fifth in MVP voting while finishing with 29 home runs and a career-best 123 RBI. However, that season is best remembered by Cubs fans for the collapse that saw the Cubs lose the NL East Division to the New York Mets by eight games after having led by nine games on August 16th.

It is that lack of having played on a winning team that many attribute as a major reason that Santo has never been able to take his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The statistics for his 15 year career, which ended with a single season with the Chicago White Sox in 1974, are comparable or better than a number of third basemen who have received the call from Cooperstown.

He blasted 342 career home runs and drove in 1,331 runs with a .277 batting average. Those numbers work out to 23 home runs and 89 RBI per season for 15 years, which is better than many players who have a plaque in the Hall of Fame. Read the rest of this entry →

Despite this sack by Gerald Warren, Mark Sanchez and the Jets got the best of the Patriots the first time around.

With the NFL regular season approaching a crucial stage, the current leaders of the AFC conference, the New York Jets, are about to face a major test to their credibility as post-season contenders as they prepare to meet the New England Patriots.

The Patriots are currently snapping at their heels in the AFC East and both teams share a 9-2 record so far this season, so the Jets know that they need to overcome their division rivals when they meet on December 6th if they want to go all the way and the Super Bowl 2011 betting odds reflect this.

However, with the New England Patriots’ offence starting to put in some slick performances, the Jets know that the key to beating the Patriots will surely be shutting down Tom Brady. With the Jets well aware that when Brady gets into his rhythm he is almost entirely unplayable, they know that they will need to get into his head if they are to shut him down. Read the rest of this entry →

It the world of prognosticating, last weekend was not kind to college football’s omnipotent one as the Zultan of College Football proved that even the best can have a bad week.

The Minnesota Gophers, a thorn in the side of the Zultan all season, gave one final zing with a shocking win over the beloved Iowa Hawkeyes. Couples with the upset of Boise State by Nevada, the late comeback win by Auburn over Alabama and losses by Penn State, Purdue and Oklahoma State the result was a disappointing 4-6 week for the great one.

Yet, even when the Zultan was at a low point, his record was still equal or better than many of those who thought they would out-shine his talents.

Yes, there were 13 lucky soles listed below who posted a better week than the Zultan, but there were many who fared worse. It gives the all-knowing one at least a little glimmer of joy and hope as we look toward the upcoming bowls.

Even though the crystal ball showed a big crack late in the season, there is still plenty of time for the Zultan to repair his reputation with a strong showing in the second annual Sports Then and Now College Football Bowl Challenge.

Be sure to check back beginning on December 8th for the list of games and opportunity to win.

Speaking of winning, many have spent the entire fall trying every week to best the Zultan with the goal of posting enough weeks with a better record to earn the end of the season prize.

It was an exciting contest that came right down to the wire and ended just as the Big Ten has with a three-way tie. However, unlike the Big Ten that needs a computer to tell it which team will be considered its champion, the Champion of the Sports Then and Now College Football Contest was the competitor who shined the greatest in the weeks in which he defeated the Zultan. Read the rest of this entry →