End of an Era

Bill Cowher, head coach of the storied Pittsburgh Steelers for the past 15 years, officially stepped down from his position on Friday.

Cowher, a Pennsylvania native, was well known for his jutting jaw and tough-love coaching style. Over the course of his impressive tenure, he placed together an overall record of 161-99-1, including a victory in Super Bowl XL.

Cowher was one of only two people to hold the head coaching job at Pittsburgh over the past 38 years. Chuck Noll held the position from 1969 to 1991, winning four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s.

NFL Wild Card Weekend, Part 1

Chiefs vs Colts (AFC)

Even though this AFC matchup pits a sagging #6 against a strong #3, the experts a calling it the Upset Special of the playoffs. But beware; the experts aren’t always right.

Its no secret that Indianapolis has one of the weakest run defenses in the league. With Kansas City throwing Larry Johnson at defenses an average of 26 times and 112 yards per game, that Indy defense is in for a long day.

But lets not forget that Kansas City hasn’t exactly been a brick wall against rushers this season either. While viewers will be closely watching LJ rip up the Colts defensive line, don’t forget to keep an eye on rookie phenom Joseph Addai doing the same against a Chiefs defense that gives up over 100 rushing yards a game. Though Addai only logged two 100+ yard rushing games this year (including a monster 171 yard performance against Philadelphia), look for him to add his third this Saturday.

But Addai is the least of Kansas City’s worries this weekend. The Chiefs defense must find a way to contain the NFL’s most prolific passer, Peyton Manning. With well over 4000 yards passing and 31 touchdown connections, Manning is a serious threat in any game. Part of his success is in no small part due to the talented Indianapolis receiving corps of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, both with 1300+ yards this season. With the Chiefs defense allowing over 250 yards passing per game, the dynamic duo of Harrison and Wayne should have a field day in KC’s secondary.

Another big push for Indianapolis is their home-field advantage. The Colts mounted an 8-0 record in the dome this year, giving them a huge edge over anyone that comes to Indy. With the Chiefs sitting on a pitiful 3-5 road record, including a late-season overtime loss to the Browns, Kansas City is in trouble.

The Colts started their season on a 9-0 run, but finished 3-4 with late season losses to the Titans, Jaguars, and lowly in-state rival Texans. However, big wins over the Bengals and Dolphins justifies the late swoon.

The Chiefs battled to keep their heads above .500 all season long, almost blowing the feat by finishing the season 3-5. Wins over Denver and division leaders San Diego and Seattle bolster their 9-7 mark.

The bottom line? There’s no way Kansas City will be able to shut down Manning and his star receivers.

My take: Indianapolis 34, Kansas City 17.

Dallas vs. Seattle (NFC)

This NFC game is the Pick ‘Em of the Wild Card round. These two teams are not only evenly matched, but also limped into the playoffs together, both dropping 3 of their last 4 games of the season.

Despite their equal 9-7 records, these two teams couldn’t have had more divergent seasons. Dallas flip-flopped their wins and losses with the fading Drew Bledsoe at the helm early on, and didn’t seem to truly find their groove until their Week 10 victory over Arizona, after which they rolled off three more consecutive wins. They triumphed in the games they should have, and even tacked on a few big-win games, including handing the streaking Colts their first loss of the season.

Seattle’s biggest win of the year was an early-season rout of the New York Giants. Since then, they’ve feasted on a slew of sub-.500 teams to reach their 9-7 mark. Of those 7 losses, you ask? Minnesota, Arizona, and San Francisco … twice.

When comparing offensive weapons, you have to give the nod to Dallas. Though playing with a rookie QB, they have two receivers (Owens and Glenn) who racked up over 1000 yards receiving. While no dominant running back has been seen wearing the silver star since the days of Emmit Smith, Julius Jones continues to improve as he rushed for 1,084 yards. Marioni Barber III, a second-year running back out of Minnesota, led his non-QB teammates in touchdowns, crossing the goal line 14 times for Dallas.

Seattle does have the always-dangerous Shaun Alexander, who is a constant threat to eat up some serious yards during a game. Though he fell way off his record-setting touchdown pace from last year, finding the end zone only 7 times compared to 2005’s 27, Alexander remains one of the premier running backs in the league. However, injury kept him out of 6 games this season and held him under 1000 yards rushing for just the second time in his career. Against a stingy Dallas defense that gave up only 103 yards rushing per game, it could be a long night for Seattle’s ground attack. Couple that with no receivers over 1000 yards and a quarterback with almost as many interceptions as touchdown passes, and you have the potential for an offensive sputter from the ‘Hawks.

I’m calling it: Dallas 27, Seattle 13.
Next up: Sunday’s Wild Card playoff games.

Red Sox Welcome Dice-K

Looks like I'll be able to keep wearing my #18 Sox jersey to Fenway this season, sweet!

The Local Sports Scene

Shifting our attention to the local Reading sports scene today ...

In a heated battle against the Reading Fire Department, the Silva Brothers softball team took Game 1 of the best-of-five series last night, fending off a late rally for the 14-9 victory.

Though most teams take a friendly approach to Division 4 games, it’s painfully obvious there is no love lost between these two opponents once they take the field. Having faced each other in the playoff numerous times over the years, Silva Brothers and the RFD approach every game against each other as if it’s Game 7 of the World Series.

After dropping two of three games against the RFD during the regular season, Silva Brothers claimed sole possession of second place, and home team advantage, over their rivals in the final game of the season. As the 2 and 3 seeds in the playoffs, these teams will meet in a Round 1 rematch of last year’s Finals.

The matchup is by far the Red Sox – Yankees of the Reading Men’s Softball League. But unlike the recent 5-game flop the Sox performed at the hands of the Yankees, the good guys prospered this time around.

Silva Brothers jumped out to an early lead, plating 3 two-out runs in their first at-bat. Several extended rallies provided a 9 run lead, thanks in part to two home runs from Bobby Eaton. Eaton blasted shots deep into the night of the cavernous right field, allowing him plenty of time to round the bases.

Pitchers Chuck Mottola and Eaton tag-teamed a potent RFD lineup, limiting them to only a handful of runs through the first 4 innings. It wasn’t until the 5th and 6th innings that the RFD squad began to line the ball into the gaps and plate runs, pulling within 4 with only two innings left to play.

But the Silva Brothers defense held strong. Eaton made a run-saving, not to mention life-saving, snag of a line drive up the middle that nearly took off his head. Johnny Douglass, or Johnny One More to his teammates, tracked down a long fly ball that traveled beyond the light poles in right field.

Chris D’Ambrosio, manning the right-center position in the outfield, made a spectacular inning-ending double play with an outfield assist to help squash a mounting RFD rally. With a runner on second and one out, D’Ambrosio camped under a high pop fly and launched a strike to third baseman Charlie Tool to nail the tagging runner.

The first scary moment of the game came when catcher Bobby Kamina was struck above his left eye by a foul ball. The blow sent Kamina to the ground for a few minutes and opened a gash along his eyebrow. He was able to walk from the field on his own, but left the game after the incident, replaced by his son Jack.

Another hushed silence occurred when One More was sent tumbling past first base trying to beat out an infield hit. The covering second baseman slipped while covering and ended up laying across the bag, cutting One More’s legs out from underneath him and driving his shoulder into the ground when he landed. Though banged and bruised up, One More was able to take his position the next inning.

As is usually the case with games between these teams, this contest wasn’t without its controversy. An RFD batter had harsh words for Silva Brothers first baseman Dave Salomon that almost erupted into a larger melee. The runner overran first base on an infield hit, and Salomon, not receiving a Time Out call from the umpires, gave him an insurance tag after the play to make sure he hadn’t made an attempt at second base. The RFD runner took offense, but Salomon quickly diffused the situation and retaliated with his bat, driving in a run and scoring in the bottom half of the inning.

That same RFD player received a warning from the home plate umpire in later innings, as well. As the pitcher, he questioned a Ball call, only to have the home plate umpire stride out to the mound and warn the player about his comments. No further incident occurred in the game.

Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday evening at 6:30, and is sure to bring more excitement and highlight-reel action to the field. The Silva Brothers look to enjoy the return of several regular-season stars unable to make the first game, including starting shortstop Erik Stortz and hobbled power-hitting first baseman Paul Schille.