We're going to stay on the subject of college football because 1) It's the biggest story in sports and 2) It's a good lead-in to today's video link. By the way, our #2 reason is close enough to our #1 reason that it could almost be considered 1A, the lame excuse a manager gives to the former #1 pitcher who's been replaced by #2. In college football there's no dispute over the #1 team in the country - clearly Ohio State by virtue of their 42-39 win over #2 Michigan which is still #2 in the BCS Championship Series standings but USC is #2 in the coaches' poll and the Harris poll. The answer to who plays Ohio State in the championship game will be easily solved. Read on...
Should USC win their two remaining games against #5 Notre Dame and cross-city rival UCLA, USC will finish #2 and your championship game will feature OSU and USC. This sets up the second biggest game of the year this Saturday when arch-rivals USC and the Fighting Irish hook up. Should USC lose to either team, there will be a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan January 8th in Glendale, Arizona. Now wasn't that a lot easier than what the media is treating as the great mystery of the year???
Now, to one of the most bizarre endings of any football game. It happened on November 20th, 1982 when California defeated Stanford 25-20 with the Golden Bears returning a kickoff for the winning touchdown with 4 seconds remaining. The 55-yard return featured 5 laterals with Kevin Moen starting and ending the laterals by not only running into the end zone but by running over the Stanford band already on the field. Link to the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq5cpNRY16k...
An interesting footnote on the Ohio State 42-39 win over Michigan Saturday: if you played the numbers 4-2-3-9 in the Ohio lottery you would be picking up $2.19 million this morning. The game ended at 7:13 and the drawing was held at 7:29...
Ten Timeline Memories...
- [1620] Peregrine White is born aboard the Mayflower in Massachusetts Bay. Peregrine is the 1st child born of English parents in present-day New England...
- [1960] Frank Gifford gets knocked into Monday when the Eagles Chuck Bednarik hits the Giants running back from the blindside in a game that clinches the Eastern Conference title for the Eagles. Gifford is heard mumbling "hum-uh-nah-hum-uh-nah-hum-uh-nah" into retirement. As a reward Giff winds up with Kathie Lee...
- [1977] Walter Payton runs for 275 yards in a 10-7 win over Minnesota, breaking the single-game rushing record held by O.J. Simpson (273 in 1976). In 2000, "Dancing With The Stars" champ Emmitt Smith breaks Payton's record...
- [1982] 7-year old Drew Barrymore becomes the youngest host of "Saturday Night Live"...
- [1983] An estimated 100 million viewers watch the controversial ABC-TV movie, "The Day After", depicting a nuclear holocaust...
- [1984] McDonald's makes its 50th billion hamburger (on the same date, Tums and Rolaids announce selling their 50th billion tablets)...
- [1994] David Crosby gets a liver transplant (Melissa Etheridge gets the old one)...
- [1995] Princess Diana admits being unfaithful to Prince Charles on a BBC-TV show (the prince retaliates by ringing up Camilla)...
- [1998] Afghanistan offers safe haven to Osama bin Laden (I just love hearing Christiane Amanpour pronounce "Afghanistan" and "Pakistan", don't you?)...
- [1998] 46 states agree to a $206 billion settlement of health claims against the tobacco industry (let me guess, North and South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky turned it down. Am I right people?)...
Commentary...
The Tommy Noonan Memorial Tribute is on for tonight (5-7) at Gallagher's Restaurant, 52nd Street between Broadway & 8th Avenue. The ceremony will be held upstairs. Friends of Tommy Noonan are welcome to attend...
"Happy Trails" to two giants in their particular field. On the eve of the big Ohio State-Michigan game, the legendary Wolverine coach, Bo Schembechler suffered a fatal heart stoppage while taping his TV show in the WXYZ-TV studios in Detroit's suburban town of Southfield. Schembechler had a history of heart problems and died at 77...
Ruth Brown's nickname of "Miss Rhythm" should have included the words "and Blues". The legendary r&b singer set the stage for so many female singers that followed her, including Etta James, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin and so many others. Ruth Brown personified Rhythm & Blues, right down to her initials of R & B. Miss Brown died from complications of a stroke and heart attack at 78...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in every timeline]...
Airplay: 1995] A new Beatles recording, "Free As A Bird" begins airing on radio stations. The song debuted on ABC-TV the night before...
Released on this date: 1962] "Big Girls Don't Cry" - Four Seasons...
Debuted on this date: 1928] The Boston Bruins lose to Montreal 1-0 as the Boston Garden opens...1966] The musical "Cabaret" with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, opens on Broadway...
"Banned in Boston" (and everywhere else): 1969] The Nixon administration announces a halt to residential use of the pesticide DDT as part of a total phase-out...
Obit: 1975] General Francisco Franco dies of natural causes after nearly 4 decades of absolute rule in Spain. Franco was 82...
MVP...MVP...MVP: 1962] Mickey Mantle wins his 3rd MVP...
Wedding Bells: 1947] Britain's future queen, Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Montbatten, Duke of Edinburgh in Westminster Abbey (still married, the Duke in addition to being known as the current queen's husband is also officially known as her "consort" or as he put it "I felt like I'd been turned into an amoeba")...
"Book 'em Dano": 2003] Michael Jackson is booked on suspicion of child molestation in Santa Barbara (CA)...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Bo Derek (50), Joe Walsh (59), Judy Woodruff (60), Veronica Hamel (63), Norman Greenbaum (64), Dick Smothers (68), Richard Dawson (74), Estelle Parsons (79), Kaye Ballard (79), Evelyn Keyes (87) and Sen. Robert Byrd (89)...
Timeline Countdown: 3 days until Thanksgiving, 25 days until Chanukah, 35 days until Christmas, 41 days until 2007, 48 days until the NFL playoffs and 76 days until Super Bowl XLI in Miami...
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