Sports Then and Now

The miracle reception by Franco Harris led to the first of many playoff victories for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We have spent the last week counting down the top 50 moments in NFL Playoff History  (since the beginning of the Super Bowl era in 1966), but it is now time to look at the “Best of the Best.”

So, here is the top 10 of the 50 Most Memorable NFL Playoff Moments.

10. 1999 AFC Wild Card Game-Bills vs. Titans “The Music City Miracle”
The Buffalo Bills appeared on their way to a victory over the Tennessee Titans when Steve Christie made a 41-yard field goal to give Buffalo a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds to go.

All the Bills had to do was kickoff to the Titans and not allow a big return and they would advance to the next round.

On the kickoff, Christie hit a pooch kick that was caught by Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal at the Titans’ 25-yard line.  Neal handed the ball off to tight end Frank Wycheck who turned toward the left sideline and threw it back to wide receiver Kevin Dyson.

Dyson caught it and then ran 75 yards for a shocking touchdown with three seconds left.

The play was reviewed to see if Wycheck’s pass was a backwards lateral or a forward pass.  If it were forward, it would negate the touchdown and give the game to the Bills.

Replays seemed to show the pass was parallel, not going forward or backwards, thus making it a lateral in referee Phil Luckett’s mind who upheld the decision.

The Music City Miracle gave Tennessee a 22-16 win and propelled them to their first Super Bowl. Read the rest of this entry →

After a last place finish in their maiden season in the WPS, the FC Gold Pride has taken a giant step to add some punch to their much maligned offense by acquiring All-star mid-fielder Camille Abily from the Los Angeles Sol.

Abiliy, a proven goal scorer and play-maker, scored eight goals and added one assist last season for the Sol. She was the team’s second leading scorer, two goals fewer than her teammate Marta, who scored ten times. The FC Gold Pride scored a total of 17 goals as a team, while finishing with a record of 4-10-6. Read the rest of this entry →

After spending a fortune on Matt Holliday, will the Cardinals have the money to resign Albert Pujols?

Watching the post-season wraps ups for Major League Baseball this past November, you could have been easily convinced that Albert Pujols was the greatest player to every swing a bat.  If you were convinced, it was not only because everyone and their brother was talking about it as the MVP unveiling drew nearer, but also because even a quick look at Pujols’s numbers leaves people wide eyed.  He’s every smart fantasy player’s automatic number one draft choice and someday the term “highlight” itself will be replaced by “Pujols”.

So why is it that the Cardinals have all but decided to jettison Pujols by giving Matt Holliday his new opus magnum  $120 million contract?

First of all, am I the only one who realizes that Matt Holliday is not another Albert Pujols.  That’s not an insult as we could go decades before we see another AP.  But if the Cardinals are telling Holliday that he is worth this much green, how much will they have to give Pujols , the better player, in order to keep him?

Holliday will be getting roughly $17 million per year over the next seven years, not counting a list of bonuses for things like MVP, Silver Slugger, and playoff wins (exactly the same bonuses as Pujols’s current contract.) Read the rest of this entry →

Drew Pearson and Roger Staubach answered the prayer of Cowboy fans with the "Hail Mary" to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in the 1975 NFC Playoffs.

You know that a game or moment is truly special if it is forever known by a special moniker. As we continue the countdown of the top 50 moments in NFL Playoff History (since the start of the Super Bowl era in 1966) we are now getting to moments that have endured as classic parts of NFL history.

Below are moments 11-20.

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20. 1996 AFC Divisional Playoff-Jaguars vs. Broncos
The Jacksonville Jaguars, a two-touchdown underdog, knock off the NFL-best 13-3 Denver Broncos 30-27 in one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoff history.

After falling behind 12-0 in the first quarter, the Jaguars score on six straight possessions in the final three quarters to shock the Broncos and advance to the AFC Championship Game in just their second year of existence.

19. 1979 AFC Championship-Oilers vs. Steelers
In the final seconds of the third quarter, the Houston Oilers were at the Steelers’ 6-yard-line when quarterback Dan Pastorini lobbed a pass for Mike Renfro in the back of the end zone, who appeared to make the catch and get both of his feet in bounds for the game-tying touchdown.

But the two judges at the back of the end zone stood frozen for what seemed like an eternity debating whether or not Renfro made the catch.

The side judge, Donald Orr, came in and ruled the pass incomplete, saying that Renfro did not have possession of the ball before he went out of bounds.

However, replays showed that Renfro had possession of the ball and both feet in bounds when he made the catch and the call should have been a touchdown for the Oilers.

Instead, the Oilers had to settle for a field goal, and eventually lost the game 27-13. Read the rest of this entry →

Andre Dawson finally earned induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his ninth year of eligibility.

After a far longer than deserved wait due to the over-inflation of statistics during baseball’s “Steroid Era”, Andre “The Hawk” Dawson has finally earned his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Dawson received 77.9% to eclipse the needed 75 percent mark and earn induction in his ninth year on the ballot.

The news was not as joyful for perennial bridesmaid Bert Blyleven or for first-time nominee Roberto Alomar as they both were tantalizingly close to earning induction. Blyleven earned 74.2% of the vote (five  votes short of induction) while Alomar received 73.7% (eight short).

Dawson will join former Chicago Cubs teammate Ryne Sandberg, who made a staunch case for Dawson’s selection during his own Hall of Fame induction in 2005. He also joins former Montreal Expos teammate Gary Carter as prominent former Expos in the Hall of Fame.

During his 21 major league seasons, Dawson hit 438 home runs, drove home 1,591 runs and stole 314 bases. He is one of only three players in major league history (Willie Mays and Barry Bonds are the others) with more than 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

Read the rest of this entry →

The defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys seemed headed for an early playoff exit until Roger Staubach brought them back against the San Francisco 49ers in the 1972 playoffs.

As we dig further into our countdown of the top 50 moments in NFL Playoff history (since the start of the Super Bowl era in 1966), we explore some games that have become an important part of football lore for propelling great players and teams toward Super Bowl glory.

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30. 1972 NFC Divisional Playoff-Cowboys vs. 49ers
The legend of “Captain Comeback” begins with in this game as Roger Staubach replaces starting quarterback Craig Morton late in the third quarter and leads the Cowboys to 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a 30-28 comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The winning score comes with 52 seconds left when Staubach finds Ron Sellers for a 10-yard touchdown.

29. 1977 AFC Championship Game-Raiders vs. Broncos
Late in the third quarter and trailing 7-3, the Raiders force a fumble when safety Jack Tatum hits Broncos running back Rob Lytle at the 2-yard line, knocking the ball loose.

The ball is picked up by Raiders nose tackle Mike McCoy who begins running down the field for an apparent touchdown that would give the Raiders the lead, when whistles are blown to stop the play.

The referees ruled that Lytle was down before the fumble even though he was clearly still in the air when he fumbled.

The reversal of fortune gave the Broncos the ball at the 1-yard line where Jon Keyworth ran in for a 1-yard touchdown to extend the Broncos’ lead to 14-3.

The Broncos would eventually win the game 20-17 to advance to their first Super Bowl. Read the rest of this entry →