Streakbusters

Today's the day.

Those tired of hearing about the New England Patriots and their mastery over the rest of the NFL are once again looking to the Pittsburgh Steelers to put an end to another New England winning streak.

The Pats, who are 12-0 going into this afternoon's 4:15 p.m. ET contest at Foxborough, Massachusetts, are just four wins away from becoming just the second team in NFL history to go through an entire regular season with an undefeated mark.

In case you forgot, three years ago, the Steelers put a stop to another impressive winning string by the Patriots - Bill Belichick's squad set an NFL record with 18 straight wins between the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

On Oct. 31, 2004, rookie Ben Roethlisberger threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns to lead Pittsburgh to an improbable 34-20 victory at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

So, will the Minutemen run into a Steel wall once again? It could very well happen, given Pittsburgh's tough defense and the wily skills of Big Ben at QB. You also have to keep in mind that Pittsburgh (9-3), with a two-game lead over Cleveland, wants to wrap up another AFC Central division title as soon as possible.

It's a great matchup. Brady vs. Big Ben. The NFL's No. 1 offense vs. the league's No. 1 defense. A possible preview of the AFC Championship Game. And most interestingly, will the Pats' zero in the loss column be wiped away by a Terrible Towel? Catch the game if you can, it promises to be a classic.

Chicago Bears 'T' Time

Sixty-seven years ago today, the Chicago Bears set an all-time NFL record for the most lopsided win in league history when they shut out the Washington Redskins 73-0.

The final score can be included among those numbers that you most often remember in sports history. Like the Babe's 714, Gretzky's 802, Roger Maris's 61 and Jack Nicklaus's 18.

The Bears, showcasing their new T-formation attack, proved to be unstoppable in this contest, which happened to be the 1940 NFL Championship Game. Led by Hall of Fame quarterback Sid Luckman, the Bears were THE dominant team back in the day. I wonder how they'd do against Mike Ditka's 1986 Bears, another monster of a team in NFL annals? Who do you think would win?

Djokovic the Joker

Two days after making Novak Djokovic my choice to root for in the 2007 U.S. Open, I found myself more firmly in support of the 20-year-old Serb. Sure he won his first-round match convincingly against Robin Haase at Louis Armstrong Stadium (6-2, 6-1, 6-3) today but in my research to learn more about the No. 3-ranked player in the world, I discovered he and I have got a certain kinship. I get a kick out of doing impersonations and apparently so does Novak.

Tennis Anyone?

I've decided that I'm going to follow the 2007 U.S. Open. That's right, after years of giving the tournament a cursory glance, I'm going to pay attention like a student in the first row of class.

The thing is, I love New York's Grand Slam spectacle, and I have memory files lodged in my brain of Jimmy Connors' fist-pumping theatrics, John McEnroe's tenacity, not to mention the overwhelming dominance of players like Pete Sampras, Steffi Graf and Ivan Lendl at the Open.

In the past, I remember singling out a player from each of the two fields and following them throughout the tournament. Back in the day, I was all about Boris Becker and Gabriela Sabbatini. So before the 2007 Open gets underway Monday, I'm proclaiming my favorites to get me juiced for the action.

Who to pick? I could lean on my parents for advice (hey, they've come through for me in so many other areas of life). My mother's a fan of Roger Federer's (she says he resembles me - surely not his game) while my dad was recently raving about a certain up-and-coming player from Europe - I believe it's Novak Djokovic. I've got to say, there's something about pulling for a team or athlete that your parents root for. Must be in the blood.

But I also like to follow players that exhibit otherworldly hustle and determination on the court. That's why I liked Becker and Connors so much. Great tactitians are favorites of mine - I enjoyed watching Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario's surprise drop shots. I also like players that wear their emotions on their sponsor-laden sleeves. Connors and McEnroe immediately come to mind.

So, with that said, on the men's side, I'm throwing my mojo to Djokovic, who I learned became the first player since Boris Becker (Bingo! A tie to the past!) in 1994 to defeat the top three ranked players at an ATP event. At the Rogers Cup event in Montreal, Djokovic beat the third, second and first players in the world – Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. In the women's field, I'm picking Jelena Jankovic, a fellow Serbian, for her emotional and aggressive play on the courts. Now then, the table is set. I'm ready for some tennis!

U-S-A! U-S-A!

In honor of our nation turning 231 yesterday, let's remember some of the most magnificent national team performances turned in by athletes wearing the red, white and blue.

Here goes (in random order):

1999 USA Women's World Cup Championship Team - I recently saw an HBO special on this team's accomplishment and it brought me back to that summer when Mia, Brandi, Julie and the others on that team captured our hearts.

1980 USA Hockey Team - A year before I became a teenager, I remember watching the highlight of Bill Baker scoring the tying goal in the closing moments of the opening game against Sweden. It was an electric foreshadowing of what was to come.

1992 USA Basketball - Ah yes. The Dream Team. Since M.J., Magic, Bird, Barkley & Co. ran roughshod over the competition at the Barcelona Games, the world has caught up faster than you can scream "offensive foul on Ginobili!"

Okay, so these are the ones that come to mind first. Forgive me if I've egregiously omitted any Yankee Doodle dandies.

I can't wait to see more fireworks.

Tuesday's Team: 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers

So how about Portland getting the lucky ping pong ball bounce in the NBA Draft Lottery, landing the right to pick No. 1 in the draft later this month?

The prevailing opinion is that Ohio State standout center Greg Oden will be wearing the Blazers' red and black uni starting in 2007-08.

Will the arrival of Oden cause Blazermania to return in full force?

Hey, a former No. 1 draft pick helped create Blazermania in the first place, so why not?

Thirty years ago today, Blazermania was at its pinnacle - the day when the 1976-77 Trail Blazers won the NBA Championship. After being down 2-0 in the Finals to Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers, Portland stormed back to win four consecutive games, capped by a 109-107 win in Game 6 on this date. It marked the first time a team answered a 2-0 deficit with four straight wins in the league's championship series.

The centerpiece of that team was that former No. 1 draft pick (1974): a red-headed big man by the name of Bill Walton.

What's even more amazing is that the Blazers had never even made a trip to the playoffs prior to the 1977 postseason. This team literally came out of nowhere and the city of Portland came along for one heck of a wild ride.

Just look at the attached picture. No one makes classic sporting event signs like that anymore. Here's to Rip City!

Tuesday's Team: 1969-70 New York Knicks

"Here comes Willis, and the crowd is going wild," proclaimed broadcaster Marv Albert back on May 8, 1970.

If you were a New York Knickerbockers fan, the news that injured Knicks team captain and center Willis Reed was in uniform and making his way to the court just before the tipoff of Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals no doubt had you fired you up.

The Knicks and Lakers were tied at three games apiece, and Reed, who sustained a severe injury to his right thigh in Game 5 of the series and missed the following contest, was back to help his team. He got things started on the right foot, scoring on New York's first two possessions. And for much of the game, he played tough defense against the Lakers' mighty center, Wilt Chamberlain, and energized his teammates and Madison Square Garden fans.

The Knicks went on to a memorable 113-99 win to claim their first NBA championship. Reed's grand entrance onto the Garden floor has dominated the discussion of this Finals series in the past 27 years. But let's not forget the contributions of his teammates and the great coaching of Red Holzman. The '69-70 Knicks were a team to be reckoned with and their league-best 60 wins proved it.

So today, on the anniversary of their 1970 NBA title, let's hear it not only for Reed, but also for Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Dick Barnett, Cazzie Russell, Dave Stallworth, Mike Riordan, Bill Hosket, Nate Bowman, Don May, John Warren, Phil Jackson and Coach Holzman. They all deserve to be recognized as winners.