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.

Tuesday's Team: The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On this date in 1974, the National Football League officially awarded a franchise to the city of Tampa. Later named the Buccaneers, they would join Seattle as the two expansion teams to start play in the 1976 season.

Fast forward to the U.S. bicentennial year. The Bucs made their offical debut on Sun., Sept. 12th, but dropped a 20-0 decision to the Oilers at the Houston Astrodome. Things didn't get better from there. In fact, the team became quite familiar with the numeral 0. In Week 2, they were shut out in their inaugural home game, losing 23-0 to San Diego. From there it was L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L. Nothing like an 0-14 record to start things off right.

In fact, the team didn't earn its first win until Dec. 11, 1977, when they beat New Orleans 33-14.

You can bet NFL Films got its fair share of bloopers from this struggling squad in orange.

I can't end this post without mentioning that under Coach John McKay, the Bucs would get to the playoffs in Year 4. On offense, QB Doug Williams and RB Ricky Bell paced a balanced attack, and on defense, the Selmon brothers (Lee Roy and Dewey) anchored a unit that allowed the fewest points in the league.

On Jan. 26, 2003, the foibles and fumbles of 1976 were long forgotten as the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII, beating the Oakland Raiders, 48-21.

One last thing: Did you know that other cities considered for the two new franchises included Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Honolulu, Memphis and Phoenix? Funny how things change, huh? Today it's Los Angeles knocking on the door for a team.

Flashback Friday: Michael Jordan Scores 63

On April 20, 1986, Michael Jordan was in the zone. He was so dialed in he had the ghosts of Boston Garden shuddering.

In the second game of a first-round series vs. the Celtics, M.J. almost single-handedly led the Bulls to an improbable win over one of the greatest teams in NBA history. He was all over the famed parquet court, scoring at will and wreaking havoc on the defensive end.

Chicago lost 135-131 in double OT but Jordan set an NBA Playoff scoring record with 63 points. The Celtics simply had no answer for him. Double-teams, triple-teams, you name it - Jordan still had the upper hand. Here's a great video remix that'll help bring home M.J.'s dominance from that day.

And now on the eve of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, is Jordan's playoff mark in jeopardy? Kobe Bryant, who has reached the 50-point plateau 10 times this year on the heels of an 81-point game in 2005-06, is poised to set a new individual playoff scoring record in the coming days.

Kobe's playing style is strikingly similar to Jordan's as is his ability to take over a game. The Lakers have a huge obstacle in the Phoenix Suns so look for L.A. to lean on the league's top scorer for their best chance of producing an upset. Kind of what the Bulls tried with M.J. against the Celtics in 1986.

Reversing the Curse of Madden

What do NFL icons Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb and Shaun Alexander all have in common?

If you read the headline of this blog post, you probably concluded that Hall of Fame commentator John Madden has something to do with it in some way, shape or form. If you did, you're right on target like Montana to Rice.

This all has to do with a phenomenon that's become known as The Madden Curse. It's this theory that says that whoever graces the cover of EA Sports' popular Madden football video game has, shall we say, a bad experience awaiting them in the ensuing season. Culpepper (2001, injured knee), Faulk (2002, injured ankle), Vick (2003, broken leg), Lewis (2004, broken wrist), McNabb (2005, sports hernia) and Alexander (2006, fractured foot) all went down with serious injuries after appearing as Madden cover boys.

What to make of it? Many say it's a curse. Others say it's coincidence.

Well, the next chapter of this story has begun, as Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young was officially tabbed as Madden '08's cover subject on Tuesday night. See what Vince had to say about the Curse during his interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

If being on the cover of Madden is a curse, Vince has got one thing going for him: he's already broken the notorious Sports Illustrated cover jinx - twice. V.Y. was on SI's front page the week before he led the University of Texas to a 70-3 win over Colorado in the Big 12 Championship Game (Dec. 3, 2005) and on the SI cover the week before he helped lead Tennessee to a 24-17 win over Jacksonville (Dec. 17, 2006).

Tuesday's Team: The Swingin' A's of 1981

Rickey Henderson, where have you gone? Mike Norris? Shooty Babitt? Back in 1981, these were household names for Oakland A's fans (Can't you just picture A's Nation back in the 80s? Yeah, think of slick hats that have the white mesh netting in the back complemented by loud, yellow shirts. Come to think of it, I recall having the same type of gear in tribute to my team, only it was in shades of Dodger Blue. Check that. It was more like bright disco blue. I was in eighth grade and I was stylin'. I think it was in the following year that I added the white Goody comb to my back pocket.) Back to the lecture at hand - the 1981 Oakland A's. Managed by the incomparable Billy Martin, this team shot out of the gate like a rocket, recording the best start to a season in major-league history (11-0). The club went on to the postseason that year, albeit with an asterisk - they were a first-half division winner due to the MLB players' strike. They closed out the season with another streak, but it was of the losing kind. The New York Yankees swept them three games to none in the AL Championship Series. But 26 years ago this month, the Swingin' A's were on top of the world.

Kevin Willis Returns

The Dallas Mavericks made it official last Thursday, signing veteran center/forward Kevin Willis for the remainder of the season. Willis, 44, originally signed a 10-day contract with the Mavs on April 2 and made his first appearance in an NBA game for the first time since the 2004-05 season. I couldn't help but wonder how Willis's acquaintances responded when he told them his intention to return to the NBA after not playing in the league for so long. I think it would be something akin to what Arnold says here in this clip from Diff'rent Strokes, a show that was on the air during Willis' NBA rookie year (1984-85).

Flashback Friday: Celtics win 1st title

Fifty years ago today, the Boston Celtics won the first of their record 16 NBA titles, as they held on to beat the St. Louis Hawks in Game 7 of their championship series, 125-123, in double OT.

Since it's Friday the 13th, why not mark the Celts' special occasion with a box of Lucky Charms? Both the Celtics and the General Mills cereal favorite boast leprechaun mascosts, so it makes perfect sense to build up your bad-luck immunity by celebrating the exploits of Russell, Cousy, Heinsohn, et al., doesn't it? Hey, just trying to help. Pass the milk.

Tuesday's Team

The honor for the inaugural Tuesday's Team feature goes to the 1981-82 Los Angeles Kings. In case you were busy watching Fantasy Island on Saturday night, April 10, 1982, here is a replay of that Kings squad staging one of the greatest comebacks in sports - "The Miracle on Manchester." Now, 25 years later, this one's for you L.A. hockey fans. As Mr. Roarke so casually commanded, "Smiles, everyone, smiles."

There's snow place like Cleveland

So how's that for a way to open the season? Four consecutive days' worth of games - snowed out. That's what happened in Cleveland over the weekend as baseball fans there had to deal with cold, wintry weather instead of enjoying days (and nights) at the ballpark.

After the Indians' home opener vs. Seattle was called off in the top of the fifth inning due to heavy snow last Friday, the teams attempted to play doubleheaders on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, all to no avail.

And now, get this: the Tribe will be going to Milwaukee to play a "home" series vs. the Los Angeles Angels due to forecasts for continued inclement weather in Ohio. A three-game set will be played at Miller Park, the NL Brewers' domed home, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Interestingly, this marks only the second time since 1961 that a major league game was forced to move games to a new location. The first time it occurred was Sept. 13-14, 2004, when the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins moved their scheduled series from Miami to U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago to avoid Hurricane Ivan.

The asking price for tickets to each Indians-Angels game is $10. If you're a baseball fan in Milwaukee, it's a great deal. If you're an Indians fan, you're probably growling like a Snow Bumble. But take heart, Cleveland fans, you still have some 70-some chances to make it out to Jacobs Field this season, including Home Opener-Take 2 vs. the Chicago White Sox on Friday.