Notes on a scorecard, and HOF addendum...

Jake, Mike Anderson, and Wesley Duke after a Broncos TD...


Man, that was fun, almost as good (or maybe better) than watching USC get beat by Texas last week! It was not the prettiest win for Denver, but Broncos made the big plays they had to make, and I had seen enough of Mr. Cool Brady and his twang (how did a kid from a very middle-class San Mateo neighborhood pick up some of that hip-hop talk?) and was tired of the Patriots, and once again it was Champ making the play of the night (even though he almost botched it at the end--Daria was right, hang on better next time, Champ!). On a radio show I did this week in Providence, the host was telling the audience what a huge coaching edge New England had with Belichick over Shanahan. I had to remind him that although Belichick is great, Shanahan has a couple of Super Bowl wins, too, and is hardly at a strategic disadvantage against any coach. The Patriots have only won twice in Denver since their 20-17 win in...1968, when Mile High was still called Bears Stadium, Marlin Briscoe made his debut at QB for the Broncos, and Daria was 1 year old!

This one was one of my favorite non-Super Bowl Bronco wins of all-time. Nice to know the "kick" is still there!

Shanahan's trade for Bailey has paid huge dividends, because there are few defensive playmakers like him in the game, and we've seen how the endless supply of Denver RBs made Portis expendable last year. Remember, Champ's interception for a TD in Week Two vs. San Diego turned that game around and the Bronco season as well. And in both of these playoff games today, the value of the home field was underlined and highlighted, with an exclamation point to boot. At least in the NFL playoffs, there is a tangible reward for regular-season performance. Home field can really mean something in the NFL, unlike most of the other sports.

As for the HOF, Paul makes a very interesting point about how McGwire's voting might go next year. I will also be very curious to see how the writers judge Big Mac, though I suspect he will probably slip through on the first ballot because he seemed a genuinely nice fellow who had a pretty good relationship with the writers in the day, and might be given the benefit of the doubt by enough of them to get to 75%. Whatever, it will be pretty close, I think. If he doesn't get in next season, however, that could be a warning shot to future nominees like Palmeiro and others whose reputations have also been stained. (I know there is no hard evidence against McGwire like in Palmeiro's case, but almost every voter has to suspect Big Mac was juiced). And Paul makes another point about the mere suspicion of so many of today's star players being on the stuff. This topic will become a big one as some of these guys become eligible for the Hall in the coming years.



Also, Paulie's house sounds like a fun place, with Dom now in Ski Club and that new wireless network for games over the internet. Not to mention cheering for the Brothers of CBA.

And, by the way, my vote for the new mascot for the Brothers is...Samuel L. Jackson!