We Lost a Good Man: the Great Tom Brookshier

Submitted by Podolsky on Sun, 01/31/2010 - 14:35

We lost a good man yesterday. Tom Brookshier, who was the heart of the Eagles and the voice of the NFL, died, they said, from cancer. For a long time it seemed like nothing could kill Brookie.

When I was 14 growing up in Philly, he was an All-Pro corner for the Eagles championship team in 1960 which defeated Lombardi's Packers. He was one of my idols along with Tommy MacDonald. When he broke his leg halfway through the '61 season it cost the Eagles dearly. They wound up falling a half game short of the Giants for the division title. 

The injury forced Brookshier out of the game and he was quickly snatched up by the CBS-owned station WCAU in Philly. Brookie was a natural and within five years he started doing occasional work for the network and by 1972 he was being groomed to eventually be the lead analyst on CBS' top game.

That year ('72) the Cowboys were playing the Colts in the Super Bowl and Dallas' star running back Duane Thomas was the center of attention all week because he refused to speak to the media. But after he was named the MVP in Dallas' 24-3 victory, word came down that he would consent to an interview. Brookshier was assigned.  

Obviously nervous, Brookie went into a long-winded description of Thomas' running style and successes that day, concluding, finally, with the question: "Are you really that fast?" It seemed like Brookshier would never ask him a question.

"Evidently," was Thomas' one-word response. And that was the end of the interview.

Brookie got over that and rose to be loved by football fans across the country when paired with Pat Summerall. It was like two old friends watching a game while having a beer. America loved it, but the real show went on the two days before the game, when Summerall and Brookshier tore up every town they visited and knew every bartender in every NFL city. They once tried to get a horse into their hotel room. Somehow they were always picture perfect on Sundays.

When I got to CBS Sports in 1977 I was already in awe of Brookshier but he didn't give me a chance to gush. He'd just buy you a beer and treat you like the friend he was to so many. After a few more controversies, CBS decided to split up Pat and Tom, pairing John Madden with Summerall.

A few years laster I asked Summerall how much he missed Brookshier. "It's not Sundays that I miss Brookie," Pat told me. "It's Saturday nights."

Summerall continued to drink heavily even without Brookshier on the road alongside. His wife and close friends felt he had gotten to the point of no return and put together an intervention. It was Brookshier who Summerall's wife asked to deliver Pat to the meeting, and Brookie delivered. To this day Summerall talks about how Brookshier saved his life.

After Brookie left CBS in the late '80s he became a majority partner of WIP-610 radio in Philly and turned into an all sports talk format. Thanks to Tom it's enjoyed the kind of success WFAN has in New York. 

It's funny that it was cancer that felled Tom Brookshier in the end, because he seemed so indestructible. Philadelphia will miss him, the Eagles will miss him along with any fan who has ever heard him talk about football or just about anything else.

                                                     --30--
 

The NFL Has Raised Super Bowl Tix from $8 to $800

Submitted by Podolsky on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 12:50

In 1973 I went from covering high school football in Wilmington, De. to covering the Super Bowl champion and undefeated Miami Dolphins for the Palm Beach Post. It was a great experience and when the Dolphins went back to the Super Bowl that year, it was especially exciting for me.


The game was played at Rice Stadium in Houston, which held 70,000 fans. It was Super Bowl VIII, and the Dolphins with Larry Csonka, Paul Warfield, Bob Griese Nick Buoniconti and the No-Name Defense, were taking o Fran Tarkenton and the Minnesota Vikings. The Dolphins were a 6-point favorite, which seemed far too low to someone like myself who knew the team was confident about winning it again. It caused me to make the first bet of my career: $50 on the Dolphins minus the six.

Now here's the amazing thing. The price of a ticket to the game was $8. That's right, eight dollars!!! I was able to buy a couple of seats through the Dolphins for friends in the area. The ticket brokers were circling our lobby offering $40 for the $8 tickets, which sounded like a nifty profit.

The NFL didn't like losing out on all that extra cash and kept pushing the price of the ticket up to cut down the profit for the brokers. For Supe 44 being played at Dolphin Stadium this year the price of the worst ticket in the house is $800. 

Well, the league, I guess, has successfully slowed down the brokers, since StubHub and the rest are only selling these tix for only double their face value, or $1600. But once again the fan is screwed.

The NFL has a long history now of screwing the fan. TV money always comes first. If you bought a bunch of season tickets hoping to take your family out to some 1 pm games and get a little sunshine, the NFL likes to screw with your mind and change many of these games to 4:15, especially if your team is goon. Now with the new NBC contract, your 1 pm game can now be moved to 8:30 without a whisper of consultation.

And we all know how much fun it is to go to Sunday night games in December or early january with school and work starting you in the face five hours after arriving home.  

Now the league is taking in $70 million for this one game just from face value ticket sales. And who's not to say that the NFL doesn't secretly scalp their own tickets to legitimate brokers, also. There's been plenty of talk about this ever since Super 14 in L.A. when Georgia F, owner of the Rams, was strongly whispered to have scalped thousands of tickets.

As for the game. The Colts look as strong as the Dolphins did 36 years ago. And the Saints are just happy to be there. Give the points and go home happy.



                                             --30--

It's a Jets-Saints Super Bowl

Submitted by Podolsky on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 16:04

Last week we went with all the dogs on the money line (taking the odds instead of the points). And if you bet the games Saturday or Sunday you would have come out with a small profit even though we went 1-3. The Jets were the lone winner, but we were getting odds of of 3.20-1 on the Jets to win outright and that brought us back into the plus column.


This week we're going with the points.


NY Jets + 7 1/2 at Indianapolis--There's an awful lot to be said for momentum and the Jets certainly have it. In fact they believe they can't lose. Sure the Colts want to show the world they can beat the Jets after laying down in week 15. Manning and the boys were mad they couldn't have a shot to be undefeated. Now they want to prove they can win this game with their regulars playing.

But that game gave the Jets a lot of confidence. Confidence they can stay with the Colts and confidence they can beat them. If the Colts get more than a 7-point lead early this could get ugly. They want blood and will try to roll up the score. But f they stumble early like the Chargers did and allow the Jets to stay in the game, the Jets will be very tough to dispose of. 

The pick:  NY Jets plus the points. 

                                                                *****       

Minnesota + 3 1/2 at New Orleans--I don't see this game being nearly as close. The Vikings are going to have a difficult time at somebody else's dome. the Saints are very, very tough in their building and they play there like they can't lose, taking chances and going for broke. The crowd lifts the Saints to their highest level.

Don't see Fahrve staying under control, either. The Vikings defense is decent but can't see them slowing down Brees and Company.

The pick: New Orleans, easily.



                                                        --30--

   


East Carolina Takes a Chance on Ruffin McNeill

Submitted by Podolsky on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 15:42

Terry Holland will probably be remembered as the guy who couldn't win it all with Ralph Sampson, the biggest and maybe most talented player in college basketball. 


But today he is a winner after selecting Ruffin McNeil as the head football coach at East Carolina. Skip Holtz had built the Pirates into a perennial threat to win Conference USA, and a thorn in Virginia Tech's side. But when Holtz finally moved on (to USF), Holland stepped out on a limb and hired McNeill, who has never been a head coach.

Ruffin McNeil spent the last 10 years of his life coaching defense at Texas Tech under Mike Leach. The last two years he was the defensive coordinator and you could see the improvement immediately. When Leach got fired (for being too successful) Texas Tech used McNeil like a $10 whore. They told him he had a chance to get the head coaching job if he stayed and coached the team in the Alamo Bowl after Leach's departure. 

He not only coached but won the Alamo Bowl and then was told he could have a job in "development" after the Red Raiders hired Tommy Tuberville. It was obvious from the quotes in the Texas papers that the players loved McNeill. This job is perfect for McNeil, and a great hire for East Carolina. 


                                                                   ****



                                                                      --30--




 

NFL Muddled Chargers Chances; SD Lost 22 Seconds on TD

Submitted by Podolsky on Mon, 01/18/2010 - 11:11

The NFL made things a lot easier for the Jets Sunday, by taking 22 precious seconds away on the Chargers final TD drive. On third-and seven at the Jets 13 Rivers threw to jackson who caught the ball and dove across the goal line. But a zebra came rushing in from the sideline waving his arms with 2:36 remaining, indicating Jackson was down at the one.


With the Chargers hurrying to score, even CBS didn't have time to look at it. But the naked eye told you he had scored and we wanted another look. When Rivers finally got everyone lined up and dived over for the TD, only 2:14 remained. At that point in the game the Chargers couldn't challenge the call, because it would have cost Turner his final time out. It forced Turner to go for an on-side kick. When CBS did finally replay Jackson's catch it was obvious he had scored.

Had Turner known he had 2:36 remaining, with a time out and the two-minute warning to stop the clock he probably would have kicked deep. On their previous kickoff after San Diego's first TD, the Jets took over at their own 16. Instead this time they set up at the Chargers' 38 and were in good position to go for it on fourth-and-one at the SD 29 to clinch the game.

If the Chargers kicked deep and the Jets took over, say at their 25, there's no way Rex Ryan goes for it at his 34. He punts and the Chargers get the ball back at about their own 35 with at least a minute to play. If Rivers moves his team 35 yards, Kaeding gets a chance to finally make a field goal.

What a difference 22 seconds can make!


                                          --30-- 

Texas Tech Used Ruffin McNeill Like a $10 Whore

Submitted by Podolsky on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 12:39
(Note:  Scroll down for this weekend's NFL picks) 

Ruffin McNeill, at 51, thought he was about to get the job of his lifetime. He thought he was going to be Texas Tech's next head football coach. Instead of the job, Texas Tech offered him the shaft. 


Being a black man, McNeill must have known his chances of being a head coach for a Big 12 school were slim to begin with. There were only five black head coaches out of 119 Division I jobs last year. But McNeill had been the defensive coordinator under Mike Leach for 10 years at Texas Tech and his teams were better than most.

When Tech Chancellor  Kent Hance fired Leach Dec.30th--suspiciously a day before Leach was scheduled to get an $800,000 payment from the school--he asked McNeill to be a good guy and help the school out by taking over and guiding the team through the Alamo Bowl, just a few days away.

McNeill had mixed emotions. He knew Leach had gotten screwed, but he was also told he was a candidate for the head coaching job, especially if the team won the Alamo Bowl. So McNeill became the good soldier and grabbed the bait when it was really bait and switch that the school iwas offering.

One minute McNeill was one of the most successful and secure defensive coordinators in college football. The next minute he was one of the most promising head coaching candidates around. And today he's gone, out of a job and out of Texas Tech.

Oh, Hance dressed it up and said he'd like to keep McNeill around to head up something called Development. That's what pro teams do with well-liked washed-up black players to make it look like they have a big heart. 

They give them some going-nowhere administration job dealing with the the fans or, in this case, the parents of the players and call it "community relations." They're always dirty jobs that the school doesn't want to deal with. Like when the Las Vegas casinos hired Joe Louis and Willie Mays to be gladhanders at their front doors. 

After 10 years of dedication to the school and having an outstanding record on the field, Texas Tech used Ruffin McNeill like he was a 10-dollar whore. And they didn't even say thanks.

                                              --30--            

Defense Alway Rules in the NFL Playoffs

Submitted by Podolsky on Thu, 01/14/2010 - 11:54

We're having a nice run in the late season NFL games and the first round of the playoffs, so we're taking a shot by publishing our thoughts. here's how this week's second round of the playoffs shapes up. 


As you handicap these four games, keep in mind two things: (1) the best defense usually wins, and (2) dome teams have a miserable record in the playoffs. 

Saturday

Arizona + 7 at New Orleans--The Saints are a little stale and didn't exactly finish the season on a strong note. The Cardinals  are floating on air after holding off the Packers. Kurt Warner and Drew Brees ought to put on some kind of a show, but there's one important fact here: the Cardinals have been through all this a year ago, while this is the first time for the Saints. That experience is huge.
The play: Arizona, cautiously.

                                                   *****

Baltimore + 6 1/2 at Indinapolis--The Ravens win at new England was impressive last Sunday, but it was aided by New England's mediocre play and especially on defense. Throwing just 9 or 10 passes for 40 yards while winning reminded me of the Dolphins who advanced to Super Bowl IX with Bob Griese running more than passing. In fact it was Larry Csonka who carried the team, along with that great defense, similar to the way Ray Rice carried the Ravens. But Baltimore's defense isn't nearly as good as the Dolphins' No-Name Defense was. 

Much has been made of Indy's blowing a chance for an undefeated season. In fact by resting his starters Caldwell took all the momentum away from his team. It's been a month since they actually had to win a game, and that's not playoff sharp. Throw in the fact that Indy is one of the worst defensinve teams in the league (just check the stats) and you've got a big stop sign in front of you if you were about to lay the points.
The play: Baltimore, cautiously.

                                                                  *****

Sunday

Dallas + 2 1/2 at Minnesota--This shapes up as a great defensive battle, but we see the Cowboys coming out on top. Dallas has all the momentum and their D has been playing lights out the last month or so. Farvre might have a very sticky time against the Cowboys who have always found a way to beat him.
The play: Dallas, with gusto.
                                                                   *****
  • NY Jets + 7 1/2 at San Diego--The Jets defense has been so good the past seven games that you have to winder why they're such a big dog here. In those last seven games New York hasn't yielded more than 15 points in any game and in fact their opponents averaged only 7.2 points a game over that span.

Coupled with that is a jets running game that is as good at the Ravens and good enough to control the clock. Their offense, shaky with rookie QB Sanchez, has still managed to win six of those last seven games, losing only 10-7 to Atlanta. Sanchez, it seems, finally understands his role is to manage the game and not lose it, unlike when the Jets played at New Orleans a month into the season. At that time the Jets were surprisingly good and the Saints were on fire. But the Jets defense still only gave up 10 points against Brees and Co. and lost thanks to Sanchez's rookie mistakes.

San Diego will be a big test for the jets' defense because their receivers are so big and good coupled with a QB in Rivers who might be the best in the NFL. The Bolts' defense has been more than adequate most of the year and you gotta think they'll find a way to survive and advance. Especially with their playoff experience.But not easily.
The play: New York Jets, with conviction.

                                                               *****

A note: A fast look and you'll see that we've gone with all four dogs this weekend. If they all win/ and or cover it will probably be the first time. But we feel there's a good chance that at least two of these dogs will win outright, which makes playing the money line come into play. Three of the four dogs are at least 2-1 underdogs on the money line, and you can get as much as 2.50 to 1 in some cases. If you like the dogs this is a great way to play it. And you can leverage you chances by parlaying the dogs you like the most. For example, earlier this week, when the Jets were getting as much as 2.95 on the money line, a $66 parlay of the Jets and the Cowboys would return $507 in winnings. 

            

                                          --30--


     





Profitable Bowl Angle: Bet the Dogs to Win Outright

Submitted by Podolsky on Fri, 01/08/2010 - 13:37

In case you hadn't noticed, we finished the season on a strong note, tabbing the final three BCS gems correctly, including pointing out potential upsets by Boise State and Iowa. Along the way we also predicted upsets by Navy, Utah and Wisconsin. This brought our season-long record to 95-92-5, our seventh straight year with a winning mark.


Years ago, when I was at CBS and they were only playing 16 bowl games, Beano Cook surprised his friends by suggesting we take the dog in every game. When some of us questioned him he presented his logic: "The worst you'll do is go 8 and 8," Beano reasoned, because five of the dogs will win outright."

We've carried Beano's suggestion a step further and looked at the possibility of betting every dog on the money win, with the idea that 40% of them will win the whole game. The last few years this has been a winning angle, but it's even better when you refine it one step further.

If you just take the dogs dogs on the money line that were getting three points or more and play them taking the odds, intead, you've got a very profitable angle. This year, in fact, 13 of the 26 games featuring a favorite of 3 or more were won outright by the dogs. using a simple betting increment of $100 a game on each dog here's how you would have done:


   TEAM                   $Line Odds         Profit
Wyoming   +11            +3.50                $350
M. Tenn.    + 3 1/2       +1.50                 150
Utah          + 3             +1.35                 135
SMU          +12            +4.00                 400
Marshall     +3              +1.35                 135
Wisconsin   +3 1/2        +1.50                 150
Air Force     +5             +1.70                  170
Navy           +6 1/2        +2.20                  220
FSU            +3              +1.35                 135
Ohio St.       +4              +1.60                 160
UCONN        +4              +1.65                 165 
Boise St.      +7              +2.40                  240
Iowa            +5 1/2         +1.90                  190 
                                                               _______
Total                                                        $2,600.00

The 13 dogs who lost on the money line (getting 3 or more0 were: Boston College, kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Stanford, Temple, Northwestern, Cincinnati, Northern Ill., Oklahoma State, East Carolina, Michigan State and Texas. Betting $100 each on the money line on those 13 produced a loss of $1300, against a profift of @600 for a total profit of $1300 for the bowl season, wagering just $100 a game.

Of course, if you bet all 34 games using Beano's suggestion of taking every dog plus the points, you also showed a profit, only smaller, with the dogs covering in 20 of the 34 games. Betting $100 a game  produces a revenue of $2000 minus a loss of $150 ($1400 plus the $140 vig) for a net profit of $460.



Mike Leach Skunked by Texas Tech

If you're a football fan you have to have admired the precision and speed of the Texas Tech offense Mike Leach taught the last 10 years. Nobody could stop it and for a school in Buddy Holly country of Lubbock Texas, they sure scared the hell out of everyone. They even went to a bowl every year Leach was there. 

Now, from out of the blue he gets fired over disciplining Craig James' son after he got a concussion. Craig James was a star running back at SMU, and now a popular broadcaster with ESPN. He still carries a lot of weight in Texas. James was also the kind of father most coaches don't like to have around. He was always attending practice, for the most part uninvited, and he was  always hanging around the AD's office and chatting it up with other administrators at Tech. His son wasn't getting a lot of playing time so James had an ax to grind with Leach. Many players and assistant coaches noted that Adam James had a poor work ethic and acted like he deserved special treatment because of who his father was. 

When Adam came to practice after his concussion he wasn't prepared to ride a bike on the sidelines like other injured players. He came in street clothes with sunglasses on, complaining about the glare of the sun. So Leach sent him indoors to cool his heels. I'm sure Leach had had enough of James and his father which led to the quote attributed to Leach : "Put him in the coolest, darkest place you can find." A trainer confirmed Leach had Adam James sent to an equipment garage (not a closet as James said).

What this really came down to was money. Leach was a hot commodity after last season and squeezed a $12.5 million deal out of Tech which they didn't want to agree to, but felt they had to because of public pressure. Part of the deal was an $800,000 bonus if Leach was still the Tech coach this past December 31st. He was fired just a few days shy of that, obviously avoiding the bonus payment.

Maybe Leach shouldn't have let Craig and Adam James get to him and maybe he should have worked with the school when they asked him to come up with some guidelines for treating injured athletes. Leach is a brilliant but wacky guy and obviously much too stubborn for his own good. But was his sin enough to take down one of the most successful programs in college football? 

The Texas Tech administration better hire somebody fast who can win big right away. They've already rejected their defensive coordinator, who won the Alamo Bowl for them. He'll be looking to move right away, too, since they passed the deadline theyset to hire him. If they can't beat Texas or Oklahoma next year the people of Lubbock are going to scream for the necks of the AD and the president, who were too stubborn in their own right and too frugal. 

It's also obvious they were looking for a reason to dump their coach. That's the true picture. Leach, unfortunately, got the frame. 

This season 68 of the 119 division I college football schools went to bowl games. If I ran one of the 51 who didn't go bowling this year I'd be inviting Mr. Leach to my campus. Maybe USC should give him a call. The last I heard Pete Carroll was bailing on them.


                                                     --30-- 

 

 

It's Alabama In a Walk

Submitted by Podolsky on Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:41

Thursday, Jan. 7


Texas +4 vs. Alabama (at Rose Bowl)--This is not Vince Young's Texas team, but Colt McCoy's. The difference is astounding. Nebraska would have never been able to sack Vince Young nine times. NINE TIMES, for Pete's sake, nine! McCoy is fragile and they like to throw the short routes to protect him. 

Alabama's defense will be a carbon copy of Nebraska's, except the Tide is better in the defensive backfield. Can't see McCoy making anything more than a few first downs against this D. 

Texas' defense is no slouch either, particularly against the run, but all bets are off when the ball is in the air. Texas has been burned by the long pass too often late in the season to say their defense matches up well with Alabama's. 

The Tide also has the edge in coaching. While both coaches have won the BCS Championship before, Texas coach Mack Brown has lost key people from his staff more often than Saban has, and we feel Saban who is a defensive specialist, is a more hands-on coach than brown, who likes to delegate and cheer.  

The bottom line is that Alabama should be able to move the ball against the Texas defense while we don't think the Longhorns can do the same. 'Bama should also win the hidden yardage game created by great D and special teams, to set up a few more scores.

The play: Alabama. We also like the Tide enough to suggest playing the special spreads, and laying 10 1/2 and taking 2 to 1. Finally, under 46 also looks attractive.

                                                            *****

Take Boise, Iowa Plus the Points

Submitted by Podolsky on Mon, 01/04/2010 - 18:52

Monday, Jan. 4

Boise State +7 vs. TCU (at Phoenix)--TCU has been a favorite of ours all year--and what's not to like. Their defense is great and their offense seems to get in gear for big games. And the Horned Frogs can win on the road which is truly the mark of a very good team.
But Boise is also undefeated, and although their schedule wasn't nearly as tough, they did win the big one (against Oregon) , and they did give TCU all it wanted a year ago, losing 17-16. Boise can get the ball downfield in a hurry and we think they have the better QB in Kellen Moore. This looks like another tight contest.

The play: Boise State.

                                                      *****

Tuesday, Jan. 5

Iowa + 5 1/2 vs. Georgia Tech (at Miami)--Tech has the toughest triple option in football to stop and watching that offense is like watching candy--you van't get enough. But the Tech defense leaves a lot to be desired and Iowa might have enough defnse to slow Tech down and enough offense to take advantage. Iowa won two huge games on the road this year--at Wisconsin and at Penn State, and we think they're gutty enough to win this one, too.

The play: Iowa.

                                          *****

Tune in Thursday for our BCS championship game selection.

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