Last word Immaculate Reception...

I've been going around on this one with Dan for the past couple of days, too. NBC "rediscovered" its original video of the play and aired it either before or during halftime of Denver's 24-21 win over Pittsburgh in the Jan. '98 AFC title game, the day little Mark was born. I recorded it that day and spent much time over the next week or so replaying it. They only showed the actual play and immediate aftermath. In '72, NBC had an endzone camera that provided another look at the play, but I never got to see that replay in '98.

Sadly, I cannot locate that VHS tape, which I haven't seen for years, though I will continue to look. So much was jumbled in our move last year that lots of our old tapes are either misplaced or just plain missing. I will continue to search.

Remember, NBC got out of the NFL business almost immediately after that Denver-Pittsburgh game, as its last NFL game was the subsequent Broncos-Packers Super Bowl. Hopefully, when they start doing the Sunday night games in 2006, they will herald the return of the NFL to NBC by airing the play again. I would love to see the entire game, or even the 4th Q, of the original NBC/Gowdy telecast, but apparently this no longer exists. If memory serves me correctly, even getting that original clip of the Immaculate Reception a few years ago was a huge stroke of luck, as apparently it was uncovered by a far-flung NBC affiliate from one of its newscasts that aired that night in '72. That's probably why the only bit we saw was the actual play and immediate aftermath for 15 seconds or so, none of the phone call upstairs by Swearingen or various NBC replays from the time.

The issue was settled 33 years ago this Friday, it was a TD. But even from my memory of NBC's coverage that day in '72, there was never a replay that was conclusive on the play. The only mystery is the original call by Fred Swearingen...he didn't signal the TD until after he went on the phone. It was the right decision because there would have been violence and death, South American soccer style, had that TD not been allowed to stand.

The physics guys can say what they want, however, I still think they're missing something from even their calculation, because, among other things, Fuqua was not running downfield at the moment the rocket pass from Bradshaw came, he was
moving sideways and a bit back toward the ball, these guys are wearing football equipment, the impact of Tatum's simultaneous hit, etc. Don't know how these guys can replicate all of that.

My only bone, for eternity, is that Fuqua was between Bradhsaw and Tatum, Fuqua was going for the BALL, Tatum went straight for FUQUA, and slammed him right when the ball arrived. Fuqua/ball, Tatum/Fuqua. "Football physics" would indicate the ball most likely had to hit Fuqua, no? Was it simultaneous touch? Possibly. Fuqua-only touch? Very possible, too. The only thing I never believed was that it was a Tatum-only touch. I never thought it was Tatum-only at the time, and still don't to this day. Put a gun to my head and make me say what I think the truth of the play was, with my life on the line for the correct answer, and I say it hit Fuqua.

The debate means nothing, however, because I've also never worried too much and accepted that they called it a TD, however depressed I was at the time. The whole thing was miraculous, especially that Franco kept the play going and made the play for the ages.

What I find funny, however, is that to this day, most Steelers fans swear the right call was made, while most Raiders fans believe they were wronged. About all I haven't heard in the last 33 years is which side might be Republican, and which side might be Democrat...