Thursday, January 31, 2013

Some Super Bowl Series Trivia

Welcome to Super Bowl Week and the beginning of Mardi Gras season in the Big Easy. Here's the trivia with a little lagniappe.

Baltimore vs San Francisco: By now, you've heard practically everything about this series from the sports pundits of TV and radio. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly a storied rivalry, but one could begin this week. Baltimore leads the series 3-1, winning the last three games. San Franciso's only win over the Ravens came in Baltimore's inaugural season of 1996. Elvis Grbac and the Niners beat Vinny Testaverde and Eric Zeier of the Ravens 38-20. Ray Lewis is the only player from that game still in the league. This is also the highest scoring game in the series. Neither team has ever shut out the other, nor have they ever gone to overtime.

The Harbaugh Bowl: Older brother, John, leads the Harbaugh series 1-0, winning the brothers' only meeting in 2011, 16-6. Although John never played in the NFL, Jim did. He was drafted in 1987 by the Chicago Bears and played for 14 seasons. In the 1995 AFC Championship game, Jim was one dropped pass in the end zone away from beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and appearing in Super Bowl XXX to face the Dallas Cowboys. Jim wore the number 4, his number at Michigan, for most of his career. He wore 14 in his rookie year and 12 his first year with the Colts. Kicker Dean Biasucci wore 4 in 1994.  Jim even played for the Ravens in 1998. He finished his career as a player in San Diego from 1999-2000. After the 2000 season, Jim retired and the Chargers drafted a quarterback who ended up winning a Super Bowl with another team. His name: Drew Brees.

AFC vs NFC (The New Orleans Super Bowl Edition): This is the 10th Super Bowl held in the Crescent City. The NFC teams lead the series in New Orleans 5-4, but the AFC team won the last meeting there. In an exciting game between the New England Patriots and the defending champion St. Louis Rams, they were tied 17-17 inside the last two minutes. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, in for an injured Drew Bledsoe from earlier in the playoffs, drove the team down the field. Kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48 yard field goal to win Super Bowl XXXVI, 20-17. The first one in New Orleans, was Super Bowl IV, at Tulane Stadium. The Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. The biggest New Orleans Super Bowl blowout happened in Super Bowl XXIII, when the San Francisco 49ers put on an offensive clinic and nailed the Denver Broncos 55-10. This was also the highest scoring Super Bowl in New Orleans. New England made the most Super Bowl appearances in New Orleans with three (XX, XXXI, and XXXVI) and are 1-2 there. There have been no shutouts, nor has the game ever gone to overtime.

Other Stuff...

So who will win? According to the computer models, San Francisco will win. However, I bet those same computer models would have picked the Baltimore Colts to win Super Bowl III, the Vikings to win Super Bowl IX, the Buffalo Bills to win Super Bowl XXV, the Rams to win Super Bowl XXXVI, and the Colts to win Super Bowl XLIV. But as they say, that's why they play the game.

And who's my pick? By a sliver of a margin, I pick San Francisco. Both teams' defenses are among the best, but the team who runs the ball better will win.

If you're visiting New Orleans, catch a parade or two. There are lots of good parades in the Greater New Orleans area. If you're in Metairie on Saturday night, I'll be marching in the Krewe of Caesar with the Echoes of New Orleans Drum & Bugle Corps.

Here's some lagniappe. In fact, there are two. The first Harbaugh Bowl was a bit of a snoozer, so here's some old highlights of Jim Harbaugh as a player. The first is a YouTube video of his final 1995 AFC Championship drive with the Colts against the Steelers. The second is also a YouTube video from when he played at Michigan. Keep an eye out for other future NFL players, such as Jamie Morris (#23) and Jumbo Elliott (#72) for Michigan, and Chris Spielman (#36) and Cris Carter (#2) for Ohio State. I claim no rights of ownership to either of these videos.

Indianapolis vs Pittsburgh - Final Drive


Michigan vs Ohio State - 1986


Have a great day!!

Monday, January 28, 2013

NBA Last Place Update - January 28

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. It's official! The 1973 Philadelphia 76ers' record of futility is safe for another year. Now on to the update.

   Is it true? Can it be? Yes, the defending champion 11-32 Charlotte Bobcats have overtaken the 11-31 Washington Wizards as this week's Kings of the Cellar. Now the Wizards have been on a bit of a tear. They're 7-3 in their last ten games, winning their last two. Charlotte, on the other hand, is 2-8 in their last ten games. The 13-32 Cleveland Cavaliers round out the bottom three.

   Since the last update, the Wizards went 3-1, the Bobcats went 1-2, and the Cavs performed the best of the bottom three by going undefeated at 3-0.

   This week's honorable mention goes to 17-24 Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota is 1-9 in their last ten games, losers of its last four. They host both Los Angeles teams this week in their homestand. They host the Clippers on Wednesday and the Lakers on Friday. Then the Timberwolves host the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday. More on them in a sec. Minnesota should win at least one game, but if they play like they did last week, they could have an 0-fer.

Next Losses...

   Charlotte starts a nearly two week long road trip tonight by visiting the Chicago Bulls. Then they spend the rest of the week in Texas. The Bobcats will go to San Antonio to take on the Spurs on Wednesday and then to Houston to take on the Rockets on Saturday. This has all the makings of an 0-fer week. However, they could escape with a win.

   The Wizards host the Sacramento Kings tonight. Then they go on the road to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. On Friday, they'll visit the Memphis Grizzlies and finish the week in San Antonio the play the Spurs on Saturday. Will the Wizards go 0-4? Doubt it. Washington should get at least one win, based on how they played last week.

   Cleveland hosts the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday and then visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday. The Cavaliers return home on Saturday to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Will the Cavs have an 0-fer or go undefeated? Uh, no on both counts. If they play as well as they did last week, Cleveland should go 2-1, but will probably go 1-2.

Other Stuff...

   Last week, New Orleans Hornets owner, Tom Benson, changed the name of the Hornets to the Pelicans starting next season. Really? It's not that the Pelicans is a bad name, but the Hornets is a good team name. Although the name change is not totally embraced by fans (myself included), we understand why. For those of you who don't know, the pelican is the Louisiana state bird. Also, New Orleans had a minor league baseball team called the Pelicans. The New Orleans Pelicans existed from 1887-88, 1892-96, 1901-59, and 1977. They won minor league titles in 1886, 1905, 1910, 1911, 1915, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1933, and 1934. Hall of Famers Earl Weaver, Dazzy Vance, Joe Sewell, and Bob Lemon once played for the team. A few other notable names, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Tony La Russa, and Jim Riggleman also played for the Pelicans. The last New Orleans Pelicans team, the 1977 team, went 57-79. Again, our objection isn't about changing the name to the Pelicans, but about changing the name from the Hornets. The name Pelicans doesn't exactly strike fear in an opponent. Then again, neither do team names like the Heat, Magic, 76ers, Clippers, Lakers, Pistons, Nets, and a team once from New Orleans, the Jazz. So...Geaux Pelicans!!

   The Duke Lady Blue Devils are still the only undefeated team in NCAA Women's basketball. They are 16-0 and ranked 4th in the AP Top 25.

   On the flip side, the winless ranks among the women still include Weber State (0-19) and Jacksonville State (0-21). The St. Peter's Peacocks got their first win last week, defeating the Manhattan Jaspers 60-49. My beloved Lady Privateers of the University of New Orleans failed to get their second win of the season against Grambling State. Maybe the UNO ladies can get their second win this week.

   On the men's side, Grambling State is still the lone winless team at 0-17. Can they run the table and have a season 0-fer? Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Monday, January 21, 2013

NBA Last Place Update

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. The 8-30 Washington Wizards once again repeat as this week's Kings of the Cellar. In terms of games behind, they are in a statistical tie with the 10-32 Cleveland Cavaliers and the Wizards lead the 10-30 Charlotte Bobcats by a game. Since the last update, nobody had  an 0-fer. Washington went 2-2, Cleveland went 1-2, and defending champion Charlotte went 1-3.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the once mighty Los Angeles Lakers. The 17-23 Lakers are 2-8 in their last ten games, losing their last two. They are also 2-8 on the road since December 7, losing their last five road games. They play Chicago and Memphis on the road on Monday and Wednesday. Then they go home and host Utah on Friday and Oklahoma City on Sunday.

   At this rate, the Wizards will get their tenth win of the season this or next week. Once they do, the 1973 Philadelphia 76ers' record will be safe for another year. Washington already has more wins than last season's Bobcats. The 1973 76ers were 3-35 after 38 games.

Next losses...

  Once again, Washington has a busy week. They finish their West Coast road trip by visiting the Portland Trailblazers tonight and begin their return home by going to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz. The Wizards are back home on Friday to play the Chicago Bulls. Then they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. This has all the makings of an 0-fer, but the Wizards could win a game or two if they play well.

   Cleveland has a bit of a homestand this week. They host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. Then they go on the road to play the Toronto Raptors on Saturday. As with the Wizards, this has the makings of an 0-fer week, but the Cavs could pull off at least one win.

   Charlotte does have a homestand this week. They host the Houston Rockets tonight, the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. As with their Kings of the Cellar wannabes, this could be an 0-fer and most likely will be. The Bobcats are 4-26 since November 23.

Other Stuff...

   Congrats to the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens. I wanted this matchup to happen, but that's what I get for picking New England to beat the Ravens. More on this game in another entry.

   Duke, Arizona, and Louisville have all lost their status as undefeated this season. On the women's side, Duke is still undefeated at 15-0. Will the Lady Blue Devils continue their streak?

   On the flip side, Maryland-Eastern Shore got their first win over the Delaware State Hornets, taking them from the winless ranks. That leaves 0-16 Grambling State as the lone winless team in Division I basketball. On the women's side, Weber State (0-17), Jacksonville State (0-19), and St. Peter's (0-17) still remain among the winless ranks. Who will get their first win or will they have a giant 0-fer?

   In a bit of an honorable mention, in NCAA women's basketball, Grambling State has two more wins than their men's team, going 2-16. My beloved University of New Orleans Lady Privateers are 1-15 this season. These two teams will play each other on Wednesday.

Have a great day!!!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Some NFC/AFC Championship Series Trivia

As they say in college basketball, now it's down to the Final Four. Here is this week's series trivia.

San Francisco vs Atlanta: In this battle of former NFC West opponents, San Francisco leads the series 44-30-1, but Atlanta is 8-5 against the 49ers since 1998, winning their last four meetings. This is their first meeting since 2010. Atlanta is 19-18-1 against the 49ers at home and is 6-1 versus San Francisco in the Georgia Dome since 1998. They first met in Atlanta's inaugural season of 1966. Hall of Fame QB John Brodie's 49ers dominated QB Randy Johnson's (no, not The Big Unit) Falcons 44-7, leaving Atlanta still seeking its first ever victory. They met in the postseason once. In 1999, the Falcons beat the 49ers 20-18 in the NFC Divisional round on their way to losing Super Bowl XXXIII to the Denver Broncos. They went to overtime three times. San Francisco leads that series 2-0-1. They last went to overtime in 2001, a 37-31 49ers victory. The last time San Francisco shut out Atlanta was 20-0 in 1986. The last time Atlanta shut out San Francisco was 7-0 in 1977. Their only tie was 10-10, also in 1986.

Baltimore vs New England: This is their second consecutive meeting in the AFC Championship game. More on that in a  bit. The Patriots lead this series 7-2, but Baltimore won their last meeting in Week 3 earlier this season, 31-30. New England is 5-1 at home against the Ravens, winning their last two meetings in Foxboro. They first met in Baltimore's inaugural season in 1996, after moving from Cleveland. QB Drew Bledsoe's Patriots beat QB Vinny Testaverde's Ravens in a high scoring game 46-38. They met in the postseason twice. That series is tied 1-1. Baltimore won the first meeting in the AFC Wild Card game 33-14 in 2010.  New England won their second playoff meeting in last season's AFC Championship game 23-20 and went on to lose the the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. They went to overtime once in 2010. The Patriots won that game 23-20.Neither team has ever shut out the other, but Baltimore has never kept New England in single digits for a final score.

Other Thoughts...

Each of the for teams in the AFC and NFC Championship games has been to at least one Super  Bowl. However, only Atlanta has yet to win one. New England last won Super Bowl XXXIX. Baltimore's lone win is Super Bowl XXXV over the New York Giants. San Francisco last won Super Bowl XXIX over the San Diego Chargers.

If New England goes on to win the Super Bowl, it will be their second consecutive Super Bowl win in New Orleans. It would be their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance and fourth overall in New Orleans. New England got spanked by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX and lost Super Bowl XXXI to the Green Bay Packers. They first won Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans over the St. Louis Rams.

If Baltimore goes on to win the Super Bowl, future Hall of Fame LB Ray Lewis will be the only member of the Super Bowl XXXV Champion Ravens still on the team.

If Atlanta goes on to win the Super Bowl, it will obviously be their first ever championship, but it will also be the first time since Super Bowl XXXIV that a team won the Super Bowl in a divisional opponent's stadium. The St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in that game, which was held in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons and Rams were in the NFC West at the time.

In this group, the 49ers have gone the longest without appearing in a Super Bowl. If San Francisco goes on to win the Super Bowl, it will be their sixth, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most wins. The 49ers are undefeated in the big game. It will also be their second appearance in New Orleans for a Super Bowl. The last time they played one in New Orleans, Hall of Famers, QB Joe Montana, and WR Jerry Rice, and the Niners put on an offensive clinic that game. With the help of Hall of Fame DB Ronnie Lott and the vaunted 49er defense, San Francisco nailed Hall of Fame QB John Elway and the Denver Broncos 55-10.

I must confess to hoping for the Harbaugh Bowl, but it's up in the air for every team. Atlanta pulled out a great win, but San Francisco is not Seattle. Yes, both NFC West teams have mobile quarterbacks and a decent running game, but the Niners have a better defense, reminiscent of the old New Orleans Saints Dome Patrol defense. Whoever dominates the line of scrimmage will win the game. The Ravens appear to be outclassed by the Patriots on paper, but as they say, that's why they play the game. Baltimore has beaten the odds before against the Patriots in the playoffs. New England should win, but don't count the Ravens out.

Have a great day!!!

Monday, January 14, 2013

NBA Last Place Update - January 14

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. Let's have some fun.

   The 6-28 Washington Wizards continue the losing, uh, winning ways this week. Even though they won their last two games, the Wizards are still this week's Kings of the Cellar. They lead the 9-30 Cleveland Cavaliers by half a game and the defending Kings of the Cellar 9-27 Charlotte Bobcats by two games. The 11-26 New Orleans Hornets went on a bit of a tear and going 3-1 since the last update and 6-4 in their last ten games, taking themselves off the radar for now.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 16-18 Minnesota Timberwolves. They are 3-7 in their last ten games, losing their last three. Minnesota is 4-9 since December 17. They also allowed opponents to score in triple digits for the past five games and seven of the last eight. The Timberwolves are 3-5 in that stretch.

   The 1973 Philadelphia 76ers were 3-31 after 34 games. Last year's Bobcats were 4-30 after the same number of games.

Next Losses...

   Washington has a busy week, starting today. They host the Orlando Magic tonight and then go on a road trip out west. The Wizards will visit Sacramento to play the Kings on Wednesday, go east to Denver to play the Nuggets, and finish the week on Saturday, when they go to Los Angeles to play the Clippers. Depending on which Wizards team shows up, they could go 2-2 or have an 0-fer. Washington should win at least one game this week.

   Cleveland will finish their road trip out west this week. They will visit the Sacramento Kings tonight and then go to Portland on Wednesday to play the Trailblazers. They head eastward on to Salt Lake City on Saturday to take on the Utah Jazz. Cleveland is 1-4 in their last five road games and will most likely win only one game or have an 0-fer this week.

   Charlotte goes to Boston tonight to play the Celtics. They host the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday and then go to Orlando on Friday to play the Magic. The Bobcats finish up the week by hosting the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.Unless the Magic or Pacers play pitifully, Charlotte should have an 0-fer this week.

Other Thoughts...

   When making a prediction about last week's BCS National Championship game, I said, "Unlike last year with LSU, this should be a good game." Well, if you're an Alabama fan, then that prediction is correct, but that's it. Maybe if they played three out of four, they would be good games, but not that one. Congrats Alabama!

   Duke, Michigan, and Arizona are still unbeaten in college basketball, In fact, both the men's and women's teams at Duke are undefeated so far this season. Who will remain unbeaten?

   On the flip side, Maryland - Eastern Shore and Grambling State for the men, and Weber State, St. Peter's, and Jacksonville State for the women, are winless so far this season. Who will get their first victory?

   It appears my book, The Acts of 1 - A Collection of Short Stories, has completed its initial sales cycle. It sold better than expected since its publication in October. It is and will remain available on Amazon for the kindle and paperback. Now it's time to get the next two books finished and published.

Have a great day!!!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Some NFL Series Trivia - Divisional Round

The plot thickens and the picks get harder. Gotta love this time of year. Here's some series trivia for this week's playoff games.

Baltimore vs Denver: Baltimore leads the series 6-4, but the Broncos won their last meeting earlier this season in Week 15, 34-17 in Baltimore. Denver leads the series at home 3-1, winning their last two meetings at Mile High. They met in the playoffs once, in the Wild Card round in 2000. The Ravens won that game 21-3 and went on to win Super Bowl XXXV over the New York Giants, They never met in overtime nor has either team ever shut out the other.

Green Bay vs San Francisco: Green Bay leads the series 34-27-1 and is 14-3 against the 49ers since 1989. San Francisco leads the series at home 16-11-1, but the Packers are 6-1 at Candlestick Park since 1989, winning their last three meetings there. They met in the postseason five times. Green Bay leads the playoff series 4-1, winning their last meeting in 2002, 25-15. They met in the NFC Championship game in 1998. Green Bay won that game 23-10 and went on to lose Super Bowl XXXII to the Denver Broncos. They went to overtime once in 1996. The Packers won that game 23-20. The last time Green Bay shut out San Francisco was 13-0 in 1967. The last time San Francisco shut out Green Bay was 35-0 in 1954. Their only tie was 24-24 in 1965.

Seattle vs Atlanta: Seattle leads the series 8-5, winning their last three meetings. Atlanta trails the Seahawks at home 2-4, but the Falcons won their last meeting in the Georgia Dome in 2007. This is their first meeting in in the playoffs. They went to overtime once. in 2002.  Seattle won that game 30-24. Neither team has ever shut out the other nor kept each other in single digits.

Houston vs New England: The Patriots lead the series 3-1 and spanked Houston earlier this season in Week 14, 42-14. New England leads the series at home 2-0. They never met in the postseason, but they did go to overtime once, in their first ever meeting in 2003. New England won that game 23-20. Houston's only win against the Patriots came in 2009 by a score of 34-27. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

Other Thoughts...

    The SEC has now won seven consecutive national championships and eight of the last ten. That's more than any other conference in the BCS era. In fact, that's more than any other conference in the modern era. However, this is nothing new if you count Independents. In the early era of college football, although not a formal league yet, Ivy league schools won every national championship from 1869-1900. From 1869-1922, Ivy League schools won 44 national titles, including ties. Yale has the most during that time with 17 national championships. Although the SEC didn't exist yet, the first team from what is now the SEC to win a national championship was LSU in 1908. Again each of these teams were listed as Independent at the time.

   In Monday's Last Place Update, I said the New Orleans Hornets should win at least two. Although it wasn't mentioned, the one game I thought the Bees would definitely lose was Monday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. New Orleans won that game. They host the Houston Rockets tonight. Can the Hornets win their third straight game for the first time this season?

Have a great day!!

Monday, January 7, 2013

NBA Last Place Update - January 7

Welcome to this week's last place update. Let's get started.

   Once again, the 4-28 Washington Wizards are this week's Kings of the Cellar. They are 1-9 in their last ten games and losers of five in a row. The 8-27 Cleveland Cavaliers trail the Wizards by 2.5 games and the 8-25 New Orleans Hornets trail Washington by 3.5 games.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 12-21 Orlando Magic. They edged the Dallas Mavericks for the mention, even though both teams are 2-9 in their last ten games. However, Orlando got the nod by losing eight straight, including losses to teams (yes, plural) vying for Kings of the Cellar. Those teams are New Orleans and Washington.

   Since the last update, Washington had an 0-fer, going 0-4. Cleveland and New Orleans did a little better by going 1-2. Cleveland's win came against the Charlotte Bobcats, who were barely edged out of the bottom three this week. New Orleans' win was a 99-96 OT victory over Dallas.

  The 1973 Philadelphia 76ers were 3-29 after 32 games. The defending champion Charlotte Bobcats were 4-28 after 32 games.

Next Losses...

   Washington has a short week...or a long one, depending on your point of view. They host the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight and don't play again until Saturday, when the Atlanta Hawks come to DC. They could win one of the two, but chances are, they will pull another 0-fer.

   Unlike the Wizards, Cleveland has a busy week. They go to Chicago tonight to take on the Bulls and return home to host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. Then they head to the West Coast by stopping in Denver on Friday to play the Nuggets, and end up in Los Angeles on Sunday to take on the Lakers. If they play well, the Cavaliers could pull of a couple of wins, but are more likely to either win one game or pull an 0-fer.

   New Orleans also has a busy week. They have a bit of a homestand by hosting the San Antonio Spurs tonight, the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Then they head off to the East Coast and visit the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Hornets have a chance to go 2-2, but they also have a chance to pull an 0-fer. They should win at least one game in this stretch.

Other Thoughts...

   Right now, every couch potato and armchair quarterback is talking about Redskins' head coach Mike Shanahan's decision to keep RGIII in the game against the Seahawks. Hindsight is 20-20 and this is why they pay him the big bucks. With survival in the playoffs on the line, would you have pulled your quarterback in the same situation?

   As you already know, the BCS National Championship game is tonight. The key to this game depends on whose defense prevails. Alabama is winless against Notre Dame in bowl games and the Crimson Tide beat the Fighting Irish only once. Unlike last year with LSU, this should be a good game.

   In men's college basketball, Duke, Michigan, and Arizona are all undefeated. The last team to finish the season undefeated was the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. Which of these teams is most likely to win them all?

Have a great day!!!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Some NFL Series Trivia - Playoffs

Welcome to the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. Let's get started.

Cincinnati vs Houston: This is a rematch from last year's Wild Card round, when Houston easily disposed the Bengals 31-10. This will be their second ever postseason meeting. The Texans lead the series 4-3. Cincy won the first three meetings and Houston won the rest, starting in 2008. The Texans lead the series at home 2-1, winning that first ever playoff game last year. They never went to overtime nor has either team ever shut out the other.

Minnesota vs Green Bay: This is a rematch from last week. Green Bay leads the series 54-49-1 and is 10-4 against the Vikings since 2006. However, Minnesota broke the Packers' five game win streak against them last week, earning them a spot here. Green Bay leads the series at home 29-23-1, going 11-4 versus the Vikings at Lambeau Field since 1999 and winning the last three meetings there. As stated last week, they met in the playoffs once before, in the Wild Card round in 2005. The Vikings won that game 31-17. So this will be their second ever postseason meeting. They went to overtime six times, with Minnesota leading that series 4-1-1. The last time Green Bay shut out Minnesota was 34-0 in 2007. The last time Minnesota shut out Green Bay was 3-0 in 1971. Their only tie was 10-10 in 1978, their first overtime game in the series.

Indianapolis vs Baltimore: This a game of former and current teams from Baltimore. Indianapolis leads the series 9-3, going 8-1 against the Ravens since 2002. However, Baltimore won their last meeting in 2011. The Ravens trail the series at home 3-4 and is 1-4 against the Colts in Baltimore since 2005. They met twice in the playoffs, both times in the AFC Divisional round. The winner of those games went on to the Super Bowl. Indy won both games. In 2007, the Colts won 15-6 and went on to win Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears 29-17. In 2010, Indy beat the Ravens 20-3 and went on to lose Super Bowl XLIV against the New Orleans Saints 31-17. They never went to overtime nor has either team ever shut out the other.

Seattle vs Washington: The Seahawks are playing in Washington again...DC that is, for the first time since 2005. Washington leads the series 11-6 and is 6-2 against the Seahawks since 1998. The Redskins are 5-3 at home against Seattle, winning their last three meetings in DC. They met twice in the playoffs and the Seahawks lead the postseason series 2-0. They met in the NFC Divisional round in 2006. Seattle won that game 20-10 and went on to lose Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-10. They met again in the Wild Card round in 2008, with the Seahawks winning 35-14. They went to overtime once, in 2005. Washington won that game 20-17. The last time Washington shut out Seattle as 29-0 in 1989. The last time Seattle shut out Washington was 14-0 in 1980.

Other Thoughts...

There are no historical scores today, because none of these teams ever faced each other on this day.

Once again, the NBA Last Place Update is racking up a lot of views. And again, it has more views than the previous two entries combined. Who will make a run at the 1973 Philadelphia 76ers' record of futility?

My book of short stories, The Acts of 1, is on a free promotion today and tomorrow only for the Kindle. The ebook will be available for the Nook sometime next week. In one of the stories not mentioned in the blurb, a drama professor shows his class a silent movie once considered lost. There appears to be more to this movie than meets the eye. If you want to know what that is, click the link below and order your copy. Hope you enjoy the ebook.

The Acts of 1 - A Collection of Short Stories


Have a great day!!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Last Place Update - January 1

Happy New Year and welcome to the first Last Place Update of 2013.

   The 4-24 Washington Wizards are this week's Kings of the Cellar. The Wizards are 1-9 in their last ten games and 2-11 in their last 13. They lead the 7-25 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 7-23 New Orleans Hornets by one and two games respectively.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 12-19 Dallas Mavericks. They are 1-10 in their last eleven games, losers of six straight. They beat out the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic, who also lost six straight and Orlando lost to bad teams.

   And what happened to the defending Kings of the Cellar champion, the 8-23 Charlotte Bobcats? They win a game and nearly pull themselves off the Update's radar. Even if it is one game, way to go Bobcats!

   Since the last update, Washington went 1-2, beating the Magic. New Orleans went 2-1 with wins over the Bobcats and Magic. Although Cleveland wasn't covered in last week's Next Loss, the Cavs went 1-2, with their lone win coming against the Wizards.

  The Bobcats were 3-25 after 28 games last season, as were the 1973 Philadelphia 76ers at the same point.

Next Losses...

   Washington hosts honorable mention Dallas today, then goes to Indiana to play the Pacers tomorrow. The Wizards host the  Brooklyn Nets on Friday and finish the week by going to Chicago to play the Bulls on Saturday. This could be an 0-fer, but if the Mavericks continue their losing ways, the former Bullets can go 1-3. If the Wizards put a couple of good games together, they could go 2-2, but chances are, it's an 0-fer or a 1-3 run.

   Cleveland hosts the Sacramento Kings tomorrow and then go to Charlotte to beat, uh, play the Bobcats on Friday. The Cavaliers wrap up the week with a home game against the Houston Rockets. Cleveland should go 1-3, but could have an 0-fer if Charlotte does to them what they did to the Bulls.

   New Orleans hosts the Atlanta Hawks today and then spend the next couple of games in Texas. They go to Houston to play the Rockets on Wednesday and finish the week by playing the Mavericks in Dallas on Saturday. Based on the Hornets' youth and the way their opponents have been playing, New Orleans should go 1-2, but could go 2-1 again and if they play to potential, they could even have a 3-fer.

   Charlotte has a short week. They host Cleveland on Friday and then go to Detroit to play the Pistons. This should be an 0-fer, but if they play like they did against the Bulls, the Bobcats could go 1-2.

Other Thoughts...

   The Los Angeles Clippers now have the best record in the NBA. Hats off to an historically hapless team who now plays like champions. The 25-6 Clippers won their last 17 games.

   With all the NFL firings, the one surprise is the Chicago Bears sacking Lovie Smith. He led his team to a 10-6 record after a mediocre 8-8 record last season. He was the best head coach the Bears had since Mike Ditka and was the only one, other than Ditka, to lead the Bears to a Super Bowl. Smith will be a head coach somewhere next season.

   Now that head coach Sean Payton is back, some New Orleans Saints fans are calling next season The Wrath of Sean. If the Saints can improve on their worst ever defense..well, anything is an improvement...they could surprise some teams.

  During the Wild Card round, it's fun to guess who could make an impact further in the playoffs. In the AFC, it's a toss-up between Houston and Baltimore, with the nod going to the Texans. In the NFC, it's a toss-up between Green Bay and Washington. Although the Packers would make the greater impact, the Redskins are the true wild card in the playoffs. They have a 5-3 road record and won their last seven games. However, their three road wins in that streak are against teams with losing records. Then again, that's why they play the game.

   Happy New Year and have a great day!!!