Jul
4
2010
In the National Football League, there has been no team in history to have had far more success in the modern Super Bowl than the Pittsburg Steelers. As being a member of the NFL since 1933, the Steelers have participated in far more American Football Conference title games – and won far more of them than any other team within the League. In addition, their record of six Super Bowl wins makes them very first on that list too. One of the truly elite teams in professional football, the Pittsburg Steelers played in a Super Bowl game one or a lot more times while in each decade for four straight decades. Four of their six Super Bowl victories, nonetheless, all took place throughout the reign of their legendary quarterback, Terry Bradshaw.
Mister Steel Arm
Younger fans of the game may only know Bradshaw from his current activity like a commentator for Fox Sports, and to be a longtime verbal foil for Howie Long. There was a time, though, when “Mister Steel Arm” – as he was known through his time with the Steelers – was a single of the best field generals of his time. Bradshaw had a strong arm, to be sure, but it was his strong presence on the field that played the largest role in his ability to lead the dominating Steelers teams from the 1970s. Never the flashiest of players (he seldom had games in which he threw the ball for a lot more than a couple hundred yards), Bradshaw nevertheless knew how to win games and was allowed to make his own play calls for the fourteen seasons he spent from the NFL.
Leading the troops
Drafted by the team in 1970, Bradshaw did not become the starter until the following season. The early years of Bradshaw’s tenure as quarterback gave little indication in the greatness that he would enjoy later. Actually, his frequent interceptions, and Louisiana accent, gave the media plenty of ammunition to support their narrative that he was perhaps not smart sufficient to lead a team at the highest level on the game. Once he hit his stride, even so, he was undoubtedly the most effective of his time. In the course of his fourteen seasons, the Steelers won eight division championships to go with a total of four Super Bowl titles.
Far better than remembered
These days, Bradshaw is remembered – when he is remembered being a player at all – as a quarterback who relied primarily upon the Steel Curtain defense to win games and titles. Far too few fans of today’s game recognize just how powerful his passing could be, and how the threat of a Bradshaw deep pass could loosen up any opposing defense and strengthen the running game. Bradshaw has always maintained a reserved perspective on his a lot of accomplishments, and has even taken in stride the ridicule he experienced like a quarterback for his alleged lower than average intelligence. In response to the notion that he was not smart enough to have been as good of a field general as history records, Bradshaw has simply pointed out that he didn’t need to be any smarter than he was because football isn’t rocket science. The truth is that if it were, his accomplishments would qualify him being a rocket scientist!
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Jun
20
2010
The Pittsburgh Pirates, they have had numerous of excellent players on their team over the years, but many modern baseball scholars tend to believe that the greatest of them to play for the Pirates, maybe even 1 on the ideal game enthusiasts to play during this “dead-ball” era, was J. “Honus” Wagner, known then as “the Flying Dutchman”. From 1897 until 1917, for 20 years of his profession, he spent wearing the Pirates uniform. He obtained the nickname of “the Flying Dutchman” to honor his Germanic roots along with his quickness inside the field. Possibly the most phenomenal significant league shortstop player.
Entering the League
He started his Key League beginning in 1897, playing for that National’s with Louisville Colonels. He demonstrated his strength in both field and up at the plate. He only had one year while in 1898 and 1914 that he in fact hit under .300. For nine (9) seasons in the course of this run he managed to also bring 100 house runs each season. No wonder Ty Cobb later remarked the Wagner would be believed to reign superior and the more total out of those two game enthusiasts.
Prior to the 1900 season, he got traded to the Pirates, and quickly took the team by impact with his .381 season average, the lead of the entire league that year. He repeated his leading way for a total of 8 times throughout this profession. His hitting title wouldn’t be touched for about 100 years later in 1997 when Tony Gwynn broke the record of eighth title batting.
Dead-Ball Era’s King
Throughout this dead-ball era a baseballs design limited every player’s ability in driving the ball out the park, residence runs consequently were much rarer than they are today. Producing the judging on the game enthusiasts production who had been competing prior to Babe Ruth’s era much more of an overall slugging number and triples as counting their residence runs and their hits. Their slugging numbers are derived by adding the total number the bases the batter earns, then dividing the sum by quantity of times at bat. The Flying Dutchman took the lead within the National League with his slugging common in 1900 with .574, along with that he had a total of twenty-two triples.
The career triples he hit placed him 3rd on that list, behind just Cobb and Sam Crawford. Let’s put it this way, only four (4) other game enthusiasts inside Key League today that come even within the twenty triple. Wagner also had a job impressive lifetime hits at 3,415, taking more than six hundred doubles, and more than 1700 runs. A fine, true example of what every single total baseball player would like to strive for. And in 1936 he took a well deserving place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Mar
9
2010
Northwestern had seen this before. Their 38-35 overtime loss to Auburn in the 2010 Outback Bowl was almost the exact opposite of their victory at Purdue during the regular season. In that game, the Boilermakers had six turnovers, including three in the final two minutes of the first half that led to 13 quick points. Still, Purdue only trailed 27-21 in the final minute with a first and goal inside the Northwestern 10 yard line. Agonizingly, Purdue could not convert and Northwestern was given a win thanks mostly to the other team’s mistakes. They were able to pay that win forward on New Year’s Day.
Northwestern had 625 yards of total offense, including 532 yards passing from quarterback Mike Kafka. They could not overcome five interceptions, a lost fumble, two missed field goals, and a missed extra point though. Kafka, playing in his final collegiate game, set an all time bowl record with 47 completions and 78 attempts. Auburn did not fare much better in the generosity department. The Tigers also lost four fumbles to keep the Wildcats in it. Those fumbles helped make for what was one of the craziest endings in bowl history. The ending of this game was so crazy that Auburn stormed the field three times thinking it had won before the game was officially over.
With 3:20 remaining into the game, Kafka made a two yard run while Stefan Demos a kicker made it 35-27 when he missed extra points. Afterwards, Northwestern made a fumble followed by a drive down that field a tying touchdown. After that touchdown, Kafka set up Sidney Stewart to an 18 yard touchdown that drew wildcats within two. Subsequently Brendan Mitchell held the game tying a two point’s conversion as well as a fumble during kickoff return to give Northwestern right back the ball. The game continued to an overtime after Demos the 44-yard field goal.
After Auburn scored only a field goal on its overtime possession northwestern needed only a touchdown to win the game. At first it looked as if Auburn had locked up a victory when Kafka was sacked and fumbled to the Tigers. The fumble was overturned on a replay review, however, and Auburn had to return to its sideline. Auburn rushed the field once more when Demos missed yet another field goal a few plays later, but a roughing the kicker penalty was called and a first down was awarded to Northwestern.
After northwestern failed to score a touchdown following the penalty it lined up for another field goal. This time backup kicker Steve Falherty was called on to try a tying field goal because Demos was injured on the previous attempt. Instead of trying to tie Northwestern ran a fake field goal attempt. Zeke Markshausen took a between the legs handoff from Dan Persa on the fake attempt, but was tackled before scoring. That finally let Auburn storm the field – for real this time – as it had locked up a hard earned bowl victory.
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