Stan the Man: A Gentleman and a Heckuva Ballplayer

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Stan Musial has long been one of the most admired people in St. Louis.

Other sports stars have come and gone, and, at times, some have temporarily exceeded Musial in popularity.

But Musial has been a fixture on that imaginary list and certainly will remain so, after his death yesterday at the age of 92.

As Rick Hummel observes in the St. Louis Post–Dispatch, it was the baseball fans in Brooklyn who hung the nickname "The Man" on Musial, but the folks in St. Louis eagerly embraced it.

He was retired long before I began collecting baseball cards, which was the point when I really started following baseball, but I already knew who he was, and as I matured, I became familiar with his many achievements. He was one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, clubbing 475 home runs and driving in nearly 2,000 runs. His career batting average was .331.

He was an All–star 24 times, a member of three world champion teams, a three–time MVP and a seven–time batting champion.

He was also a first–class individual.

My friend Randy, who lived in St. Louis as a child and returned as an adult, and I once posed for a photo in front of the statue of Musial that stood in front of Busch Memorial Stadium for a long time.

It is my understanding that, when the Cardinals moved into the new Busch Stadium, the statue was relocated there as well. That wouldn't surprise me. There have been many great Cardinals over the years, but none have been as revered in St. Louis as Stan the Man.

Jorge Ortiz writes in USA Today that Musial "was the perfect fit for the city that became his home and the era in which he played."

Ortiz concedes that, with his batting average, Musial would have succeeded in any major–league town in any era.

"But what set him apart from some of the game's greats was the unabashed kindness he displayed during and after his playing days," writes Ortiz, "a quality fully embraced in St. Louis."

He was the very embodiment of the middle American values I have seen in abundance on countless occasions.

The Duke of Earl

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"As I walk through this world
Nothing can stop the Duke of Earl."

Gene Chandler

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A little while ago, I heard that Earl Weaver has died at the age of 82.

And another piece of my childhood has slipped away.

There were many colorful characters in baseball when I was growing up, and I can honestly say Earl was one of them. He wasn't as flamboyant as some, but, in some ways, he was more unconventional than most.

The conventional wisdom in baseball has long been that pitching and defense win championships. But Earl Weaver didn't quite go along with that.

Sure, he went along with the "pitching and defense" part. At one time, in fact, he had probably the most feared pitching rotation in baseball with not merely one or two but three, even four, pitchers on his Baltimore Orioles roster who were capable of winning 20 games in a season.

As for defense, well, Hall of Famers like third baseman Brooks Robinson and outfielder Frank Robinson didn't make many mistakes in the field.

But he wasn't one of those managers who could ever be satisfied with scratching out a run with a bunt or a steal — even though he had speedy players on his club.

Weaver was an apostle of the "three–run homer."

Defense means different things in different sports. In a sport like basketball, for instance, a professional team that holds its opponents to an average score of 80 or less is probably regarded as a defensive juggernaut. On the college level, a great defense is probably one that holds a team to about 10–15 points below that.

But low scores have always been the norm for baseball — even a decade or two ago when juiced–up players were pounding home runs and driving in RBIs at record–shattering paces.

Things were at the opposite end of the spectrum when Earl was in charge in Baltimore. It was an era that should have favored teams that were built around pitching and defense and scratching out runs.

But Weaver managed team after team that won at least 100 games. In one memorable season, four of his pitchers won 20 games or more. For a time, the Orioles seemed to have the American League's Eastern Division under wraps.

"Earl was about winning," one of those pitchers, Jim Palmer, said earlier today. "That was what he did."

All things must come to an end, though, and so did the Orioles' dominance, but they almost always won more than they lost when Weaver was in charge. They were almost always competitive.

And, whether they were or were not, Weaver was always worth watching, but sometimes, like contemporary Billy Martin, he got into arguments with umpires and wound up being tossed out of games. He even holds the distinction of having been thrown out of both games of a doubleheader.

Weaver didn't particularly care for umpires. Neither did Martin, for that matter. And there were others, although none as notorious as those two.

Weaver's Orioles lost the 1979 World Series to a Pittsburgh Pirates team that rallied behind the song "We Are Family," but, as news of his passing spread today, his former players spoke of how they felt like a family when he was managing the team.

"His bark was worse than his bite," said Davey Johnson, who played under Weaver, "but you had to know him and kind of grow up with him, and then you loved him like a father."

Rest in peace, Earl.

When the Orange Got Crushed

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Before the 1977 NFL season, the Denver Broncos were practically invisible.

They never made the playoffs — so it follows that they had never been to a Super Bowl. In fact, they rarely had a winning season.

But that changed in 1977.

The Broncos didn't win with their offense that year. Half the teams in the AFC scored more points than Denver did.

Denver won with defense. No team in the AFC and only two teams in the NFC allowed fewer points than the Denver Broncos, whose defense earned the nickname "Orange Crush." Only one team — division rival and defending NFL champion Oakland — scored 20 points or more against Denver during the regular season.

My memory is that Denver's defense captured the imagination of the sports world that year. But, in the end, the Broncos couldn't capture the NFL title.

They've played in several Super Bowls now, but, on this day 35 years ago, the Broncos played in their first–ever Super Bowl. Appearing in the Super Bowl became almost a routine thing for Denver fans in the 1980s and less so in the 1990s (although the '90s brought the Broncos their first triumph), but in 1977 it was a brand–new experience for them and for their team.

And, as has been the case with most first–time Super Bowl teams, the outcome of the game wasn't favorable.

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I guess the enduring memory for me from Super Bowl XII is of Dallas' Butch Johnson snagging a Roger Staubach pass that seemed to be just beyond his reach, tumbling into the end zone and bouncing to his feet, ready to pounce on the ball — and he would have, too, if the official had not signaled a touchdown.

To this day, I still don't know if it was a legitimate catch, but in that pre–challenge era, there was no way for Denver coach Red Miller to dispute it.

It was just one of those can't–miss kind of games — for the Cowboys, not the Broncos.

Staubach completed more than two–thirds of his passes, helping the Cowboys race to a 13–0 halftime lead. Eventually, the Cowboys won, 27–10, giving Dallas coach Tom Landry his second — and last — NFL title.

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But even more remarkably, the most valuable player award went to not one but two defensive players, Dallas' Randy White and Harvey Martin.

White and Martin combined for seven tackles and two sacks of Denver quarterback Craig Morton.

Once upon a time, Morton had been Dallas' quarterback, but Morton was stymied in Super Bowl V, and Landry alternated between Morton and Staubach for the first half of the 1971 season before settling on Staubach.

Morton's career in Dallas was over. He stayed in Dallas a few more seasons, but Staubach was the starter, and Morton looked for a fresh start. A few years with the Giants didn't work out for him, and, in 1977, he found himself in Denver.

Morton completed only 42% of his passes that season — but, as I say, the Broncos only gave up 20 points or more once during the regular season so Denver really didn't need him to contribute much.

The Steelers scored 21 on the Broncos in the first round of the playoffs, but the Broncos unexpectedly scored more points than they had in any other game all year (even though Morton completed less than half of his passes) and advanced to the AFC championship game, where they beat the Oakland Raiders.

But Dallas' Doomsday Defense overwhelmed Morton, who completed about one–fourth of his passes and was intercepted four times.

Lombardi's Super Swan Song

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The second–ever Super Bowl, which was played 45 years ago on this day, was an emotional game for the eventual winners, the Green Bay Packers.

Their coach, Vince Lombardi, hadn't officially announced his retirement yet, but there were suspicions — on the street and in the Packers' locker room — that the game against the Oakland Raiders would be his last.

In his book about the 1967 NFL season, "Instant Replay," guard Jerry Kramer wrote about the days leading up to the Super Bowl and his thoughts and observations — and growing suspicions that Lombardi would be leaving.

At the team's afternoon meeting a couple of days before the game, Kramer wrote that Lombardi became unaccountably emotional as the team broke into smaller groups. Afterward, a teammate asked him what he thought it meant.

"Looked like there's no question about his retirement," Kramer replied.

Two days later, after the Packers beat the Raiders, 33–14, Kramer was one of the players who helped carry Lombardi off the field.

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Earlier, Kramer had recorded Lombardi's pregame speech — his last, or so everyone thought at the time. Lombardi would return to the sideline a couple of years later to coach the Washington Redskins, and he gave pregame speeches to motivate the 'Skins in the 1969 season, but he would never again deliver another speech before a Super Bowl.

It may have been on this day in 1968 that I began my lifelong attachment to the Packers. I grew up in the South — never, to my knowledge, ever got close to Green Bay, Wisconsin — but I've been a Packer fan as long as I can remember.

I think my family may have had a TV set on this day 45 years ago, but I'm not really sure about that. I remember that we did have a TV the following month because that was the month that Peggy Fleming won Olympic gold in figure skating, and my mother insisted that we eat our dinner in front of our TV set when figure skating was on.

But that's another story to be told at another time.

I kind of think I may have watched this game at my friend Larry's house. His family had a color TV, and not too many people had those in 1968. My family sure didn't. We had one of those old black–and–white portables (with a screen that was probably 13 or 15 inches) with the rabbit ears, and that was our family television.

My family lived in the country, and Larry's house was about a mile or so from ours so, if the weather was nice that day, I probably rode my bike to Larry's house, and if the weather wasn't so nice — if there was ice or snow on the ground (and there probably wasn't because we hardly ever had ice or snow in central Arkansas) — I probably walked all the way.

I have spotty memories of seeing Lombardi and the Packers on TV when I was small so I can't be sure I watched the game at Larry's. I only suspect that I did. Larry was probably my best friend in those days, and he was a Packer fan, too. If we watched the game together, I'm sure we were whooping and hollering all afternoon.

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For the second straight year, Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr was named the game's most valuable player — even though his numbers would pale next to the numbers that subsequent players piled up. He completed one pass for a touchdown and racked up a little more than 200 yards through the air.

That woulddn't have bothered me, though. Starr was my favorite player.

It's really a shame I don't have more of a memory of that afternoon because I had to wait 30 years to see the Packers play in another Super Bowl. The memory of the game that was played 45 years ago would have had to sustain me for three decades.

As it was, I spent most of that time not entirely sure that I saw the Packers play in that first or second Super Bowl — and wondering if I ever would see them play in one again.

The Perfectionists

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Forty years ago today, the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, capping a perfect season.

Only one other team since that time, the 2007 New England Patriots, has gone into a Super Bowl with a perfect record, but the Patriots lost that game to the New York Giants. True, the Pats had to win two more regular–season games than the Dolphins did — and, with their two playoff victories, the Patriots were 18–0 going into their Super Bowl.

That means that, when they were 18–0, the Patriots actually had compiled a better record than the '72 Dolphins did, but they failed to win the Super Bowl, and that is how teams are judged.

Not by perfect seasons.

Championships. That's what counts. In the 39 years since the '72 Dolphins' 17–0 season, 39 NFL champions have been crowned. Only one team has gone into the Super Bowl with a perfect record, and it did not emerge with its perfect record still intact.

But a single moment of imperfection on that day, as I have written here before, threatened the Dolphins' achievement.

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The Dolphins led, 14–0, in the fourth quarter when kicker Garo Yepremian lined up to attempt a 42–yard field goal that, for all intents and purposes, could have put the game on ice. Instead, it only put the outcome in doubt.

Yepremian's attempt was blocked, and he chased the ball as it bounced toward the sideline. But instead of falling on it, he picked it up and tried to throw the ball, but it slipped from his grasp and Redskins defender Mike Bass grabbed it in mid–air and ran 49 yards for a touchdown.

More than two minutes were left in the game, but the Dolphins held on to win the game and give Don Shula his first Super Bowl championship.

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To this day, Super Bowl VII is the lowest–scoring Super Bowl — and would have been even lower if Yepremian had fallen on the ball or, better still, made the field goal.

Thus, it was appropriate, I suppose, that a defensive player — Miami's Jake Scott — was named the game's most valuable player. Scott picked off two Billy Kilmer passes in the contest and racked up 63 return yards.

Super Bowl MVPs typically are quarterbacks — or, at least, an offensive player. Only eight defensive players have been named Super Bowl MVP, and two of them (Dallas' Randy White and Harvey Martin) shared the honor in 1978.

In fact, had it not been for Chuck Howley winning the MVP in a losing cause two years earlier (still the only member of a losing team to be named the game's most valuable player), Scott's triumph would have been as ground–breaking — on an individual level — as the Dolphins' team achievement of going through a season without a single blemish.

On this day 40 years ago, it was often suggested that Larry Csonka, the Dolphins' hard–nosed fullback, deserved to be considered. He carried the ball 15 times for 117 yards.

But Csonka's time would come the next year when the Dolphins won their second consecutive Super Bowl.

That was quite an achievement, especially since the Dolphins lost only twice in their 1973 encore. When you consider that everyone on Miami's schedule wanted to beat the team that had been undefeated the previous year, the pressure must have been unrelenting.

Miami's '72 accomplishment was even more impressive in that the Dolphins' starting quarterback, Bob Griese, went down with a broken leg midway through the season and did not return until the playoffs. Veteran backup Earl Morrall led the offense until the second half of the AFC Championship game against Pittsburgh.

A Tragic New Year's Eve

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Like most American boys, I was a baseball fan.

I'm not as much of a baseball fan today as I was then, but there was a time in my life when I collected baseball cards and I knew the names of the starting lineups of every major league club.

That was in the days before cable TV and the internet, before you could watch a baseball game every night of the week.

There was a "game of the week" televised every Saturday afternoon, and the all–star game was always an excuse for a special baseball broadcast. But, most of the time, I had to try to find a baseball broadcast on the radio if I wanted the experience of a major league game on a summer night.

Even though I couldn't watch much major league baseball when I was a child, I still felt fortunate to be living at a time when so many truly gifted players were playing — guys like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Lou Brock, Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson, etc.

Where I grew up, the St. Louis Cardinals were the primary team of interest. There were fewer teams in those days, and, although I didn't live in Missouri, I did live close enough to get there in a day — and my family did go to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play a few times.

One of the Cardinals' division rivals when I was growing up was Pittsburgh, and the Pirates had one of my favorite ball players of all time — Roberto Clemente — so I always made a special effort to pick up the Cardinals broadcast when St. Louis played Pittsburgh.

I almost never got to see Clemente play. Once a year, I could usually count on seeing him in the all–star game — he made 15 all–star appearances in his career — and he played in two World Series, winning the MVP in the 1971 Fall Classic.

But I have few memories of seeing him play in the game of the week. That's a shame because he really was a great player — and a truly generous man.

That's what led to his death on this night 40 years ago.

While most of his teammates were celebrating the dawn of a new year, Clemente was trying to make sure that aid for earthquake victims in Nicaragua reached the people who needed it. Three previous flights carrying emergency relief aid had been diverted by corrupt government officials and had never reached their intended destination.

So Clemente decided to accompany the fourth shipment, apparently hoping that his status as a major–league baseball star would guarantee that the aid would get to the survivors. He chartered an airplane for a New Year's Eve flight.

The plane, however, had a history of mechanical problems and was overloaded by about 4,000 pounds. It crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico shortly after takeoff. A two–week search of the Atlantic Ocean failed to produce a body.

I remember hearing the reports that his plane had gone down. I was spending New Year's Eve at a friend's house, and his parents had told us we could stay up to watch the inaugural broadcast of Dick Clark's "New Year's Rockin' Eve," which became an annual event — and, presumably, will remain so even though Clark died earlier this year.

As the name would imply, there were many musical guests slated to appear on the show, one of which was Three Dog Night. My friend and I were big fans of Three Dog Night in those days, and, if Clemente's plane had not gone down a few hours earlier, that would have drawn all our attention that night.

But we were both baseball fans, and we both liked Clemente. I remember the two of us sitting in front of the TV, all thoughts of Three Dog Night and New Year's Eve driven from our minds as we hoped against hope that Clemente might be found alive.

But his body was never recovered.

We went ahead and watched Dick Clark's special that night, but the excitement was gone. I remember falling asleep thinking not of the new year that had dawned but of the lives — especially Clemente's — that had been lost.

Christmas Eve

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When I was a child, there was a certain sameness to every Christmas and every Christmas Eve.

We lived about 330 miles from Dallas, where my parents grew up and where my grandparents lived until they died. My father was a college professor so, as soon as his school dismissed for the holidays and my brother and I were dismissed from our schools for the holidays, the family would pack up the car and hit the road for Dallas.

Both of my grandfathers died before I reached the age of 10, but we always stayed with my mother's mother when we were in town and we always visited my father's mother.

In addition to the family obligations, Christmas in Dallas always involved visiting all my parents' friends who were still in the area — and there were quite a few. Sometimes we planned group outings; if a good movie was showing, we might assemble for lunch and a matinee. If a Pink Panther movie was showing, seeing it was a sure thing.

The friends frequently gathered on Christmas Eve to drink wine and nibble on snacks. When I got a little older, I was allowed to join the festivity. I wasn't allowed to drink the wine until I was old enough to do so legally, but I drank soft drinks and enjoyed the snacks.

Well, that was how the holidays typically played out when I was growing up.

But I remember one special Christmas Eve — 40 years ago today — that I spent watching football with my father's mother.

Since I was a child, I have been a Green Bay Packers fan, and I guess I became a fan of the Packers in much the same way that most others do. They were the top team when I was little and I saw football on TV for the first time.

My family didn't have a TV until after the Vince Lombardi era, but our neighbors did, and that was where I saw football for the first time and became a Packers fan.

The Packers were terrible when I began following them and calling them my favorite team, but things changed — or seemed to — 40 years ago when Green Bay took the NFC Central crown from the Minnesota Vikings, who usually won that division in those years.

And on this day 40 years ago, the Packers played the Washington Redskins in the playoffs.

I remember little about that day except that I was excited about the Packers being in the playoffs. My mother and father and brother wanted to do some last–minute Christmas shopping, but I wanted to watch the football game. So my grandmother offered to stay with me that afternoon and watch the game while the rest of the family went shopping.

The Packers were never really in that game — the Redskins went on to lose to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl — but I remember sharing the experience of watching that game with my grandmother.

There weren't many times in my life when I got to share something with her like that, and she died less than four years later. It is a cherished memory for me now — even though I can't remember anything we said that afternoon. I just remember that she cheered when something good happened for the Packers, even though not much did.

Grandmother was a Cowboys fan — and her Cowboys went on to lose to the Redskins the next week — but she cheered for the Packers that day just because they were my favorite team.

The Immaculate Reception

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When I was growing up, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the bottom feeders of the NFL.

But all that changed rather suddenly in 1972.

The Steelers won their division and appeared in a postseason game for the first time in a quarter of a century.

That game was against the Oakland Raiders, at the time the most successful team in the NFL, 40 years ago today, and it seemed that the Steelers, who had been shut out in their only previous postseason appearance, would have to wait at least another year for their first postseason victory.

Neither team managed a score in the first half. The Steelers got two Roy Gerela field goals in the second half before the Raiders took a 7–6 lead on Kenny Stabler's 30–yard touchdown run and George Blanda's extra point late in the game.

Then the most wildly, improbable thing happened.

With time running out, Terry Bradshaw faced a fourth down 60 yards from Oakland's end zone. He scrambled around and flung a pass in the direction of John Fuqua. The pass ricocheted off defender Jack Tatum into the hands of rookie Franco Harris, who scooped it out of the air only inches from the ground and ran down the sidelines for the game–winning score.

Almost immediately, it was dubbed the Immaculate Reception.

And, almost immediately, critics claimed the Raiders had been robbed. It was, one wag suggested, the Immaculate Deception.

Well, yesterday, I watched programming on the NFL Network about the Immaculate Reception. I watched the replays that have been enhanced as much as possible by the technological advances of the last four decades.

And I have concluded that it was a legitimately completed pass.

It was, to be sure, a bizarre play, perhaps the most bizarre play I have seen in a lifetime of watching football.

It has been a source of debate for 40 years, and it probably will be a source of debate for another 40 years.

There will always be folks on either side of the issue who will never be persuaded that the other side might be right.

And that is one of the things that makes sports so special. You never know when an unforgettable moment is about to occur.

The Bowl Edition of My Top 25 Picks

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Utah State's Chuckie Keeton can take a step
toward joining the school's all–time greats
in today's Idaho Potato Bowl against Toledo.

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Earlier this fall, I speculated about the possibility that Notre Dame and Alabama would meet in the national championship game.

That possibility has gone far beyond speculation. It is a reality now. The Irish and the Crimson Tide will meet in Miami on Jan. 7.

Obviously, they are two storied programs. Between them, they have shared or won outright 25 national championships — and, in a few weeks, they can add another one to the list, no matter who wins the game.

That game has a lot for college football fans to be excited about, but most of the rest of the bowl schedule isn't so appealing.

There are about three dozen bowls now, which means that there are roughly 70 bowl slots available. Yet only eight bowls match teams from the Top 25. Eight other members of the Top 25 are playing unranked — albeit bowl eligible — foes.

When I was growing up, there were far fewer bowls. Even ranked teams — and the rankings in those days only covered the Top 20 — didn't get to play in one.

But with so many slots available, it is just wrong for any ranked team to have to play an unranked one.

This season, third–ranked Ohio State is banned from postseason participation, so that's a valid excuse, but there are so many bowls these days. With all those bowls, it seems to me there is no excuse for a ranked team having to play an unranked one.

Oh, well, that's my rant for today. Here is the bowl lineup that features the ranked teams.

Idle: #3 Ohio State

Today

• Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. #18 Utah State at 3:30 p.m. (Central) in Boise, Idaho on ESPN: Of all the bowls that have at least one Top 25 team involved, this one has the distinction of being ranked as the least interesting by Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel.
  
  Oh, Mandel ranks about a dozen bowls as being less interesting than today's Idaho Potato Bowl, but it is the least interesting of the bowls that have Top 25 teams playing in them.
  
  And that should tell you something. The numbers tell you something, too.
  
  Both teams rank in the Top 30 nationally in offense. For all intents and purposes, they are about even in that regard. But Utah State is, far and away, the better defensive team.
  
  So I pick Utah State to win.

December 22

• Las Vegas Bowl: Washington vs. #20 Boise State at 2:30 p.m. (Central) in Las Vegas on ESPN: These teams actually met once before — in a regular–season clash in 2007.
  
  Washington won that one, 24–10 (one of only four games the Huskies won that year and one of only three the Broncos lost).
  
  Not too long ago, offense ruled in Boise, but the star of this game should be Boise State's defense, the ninth best in the land. It should have no trouble with Washington's 99th–ranked offense.
  
  Washington has a pretty good defense, too — #30 in the nation — but it will be pressed more by Boise State's offense, which is mediocre but still ranked higher (#76) than Washington's.
  
  Of course, it can be argued that Washington faces stiffer competition in the Pac–12, and there is something to that — and the Huskies were on a roll in the second half of the season, winning four straight before losing the regular–season finale to Washington State in overtime.
  
  Boise State went 10–2 and hasn't lost since Nov. 3, when the Broncos lost to San Diego State.
  
  Thing is, though, that San Diego State team lost its season opener — to Washington.
  
  In an upset special, I'll take Washington.

December 27

• Military Bowl: Bowling Green vs. #24 San Jose State at 2 p.m. (Central) in Washington on ESPN: Excluding the Idaho Potato Bowl, this game qualifies as the least interesting bowl game featuring a Top 25 team, according to Mandel.
  
  But there is at least one interesting aspect of this game.
  
  When San Jose State has the ball, it will have the nation's third–ranked passer (David Fales) facing the nation's seventh–best defense. That should be entertaining.
  
  And if that battle turns into a stalemate, San Jose State defense (28th in the country) seems equipped to handle Bowling Green's offense (85th in the land).
  
  I favor San Jose State.
• Holiday Bowl: Baylor vs. #17 UCLA at 8:45 p.m. (Central) in San Diego on ESPN: This one really has the potential to be a good game.
  
  A couple of weeks ago, UCLA was one win away from playing in only the Bruins' third Rose Bowl in the last 25 years, and Baylor's football team apparently acquired a taste for winning football during Robert Griffin III's Heisman–winning season last year.
  
  RG III, as Griffin is known, is playing for an NFL playoff berth, but, believe it or not, the once lowly Baylor Bears have the nation's top–rated offense. (For the record, UCLA's offense is pretty good, too. It is ranked #20 in the nation.)
  
  "Not only can Baylor [be] counted on to rack up 600 yards, but it could allow as many if not more against the attack–minded Bruins," writes Mandel.
  
  Neither defense has been very impressive so my guess is that the offense that is clicking is the one that will win. I predict that will be Baylor in a high–scoring affair.

December 29

• Alamo Bowl: Texas vs. #15 Oregon State at 5:45 p.m. (Central) in San Antonio on ESPN: These teams met twice in the '80s, and Texas won both.
  
  And, frankly, as inexperienced as Oregon State is when it comes to postseason football (well, until fairly recently, that is), it is logical to expect the trend to continue.
  
  However one may feel about the Longhorns, there is no disputing this: Texas is often maligned for going 8–4 (that's a rebuilding season, as far as UT fans are concerned) but it is seldom mentioned that two of the teams that beat the Longhorns are ranked in the Top 12, and all four are playing in bowls.
  
  And Texas has a long history of playing in — and winning — bowl games.
  
  Interestingly, though, the offenses are about even — Oregon State's is ranked 34th and Texas' is ranked 37th.
  
  On defense, Oregon State appears to have a clear edge. The Beavers are ranked 33rd. Texas is 75th.
  
  Even more telling are the details of the matchup when the Beavers have the ball. Oregon State's 15th–ranked passing game could have a big day against Texas' 69th–ranked pass defense.
  
  And that is what I think will happen. I pick Oregon State.

December 31

• Chick–fil–A Bowl: #14 Clemson vs. #9 LSU at 6:30 p.m. (Central) in Atlanta on ESPN: This will be the third time these schools have faced each other — each time in a bowl, and each of the first two was won by LSU.
  
  Mandel thinks this will be the fourth–best bowl game, and it isn't hard to see why.
  
  Clemson has a clear advantage on offense; LSU has a clear advantage on defense. Which will prevail?
  
  Well, I've always been a big believer in defense so I will take LSU to win.

January 1

• Gator Bowl: Mississippi State vs. #21 Northwestern at 11 a.m. (Central) in Jacksonville, Fla., on ESPN2: Northwestern has been in bowls on a fairly regular basis for the last couple of decades, but the Wildcats haven't won one since Jan. 1, 1949, when they won the Rose Bowl.
  
  Mississippi State, meanwhile, has won its last five bowls. The Bulldogs last lost a bowl game on Jan. 1, 1999 — 50 years to the day after Northwestern's last bowl win.
  
  Obviously, a Northwestern victory would end all sorts of streaks at both schools. And the rankings would suggest that is a possibility. Is it?
  
  Could well be. Northwestern holds the statistical edge on both offense and defense — although it really is only an edge, nothing more.
  
  So I look at each team's record against teams that finished in the Top 25. Mississippi State cruised through the soft portion of its schedule, but then dropped three straight to the ranked teams on their schedule — each by 20 points or more.
  
  Northwestern went 0–2, but one of its losses (to #23 Nebraska) was by a single point, and the other was in overtime to #19 Michigan.
  
  I pick Northwestern to end its bowl skid.
• Capital One Bowl: #23 Nebraska vs. #6 Georgia at noon (Central) in Orlando, Fla., on ABC: If you can remember the one and only time these teams met, you really are an old–school fan.
  
  On Dec. 20, 1969, Nebraska routed Georgia in the Sun Bowl.
  
  I don't think it will be nearly that lopsided this time. I think it could be one of the most entertaining of the postseason games.
  
  Nebraska enjoys narrow statistical advantages in both offense and defense — but both teams are in the Top 30 in both categories so we're talking quality on both sides.
  
  Both programs have long, proud traditions so I guess you have to look at the intangibles.
  
  Nebraska seemed to stagger through its Big Ten title game, losing to Wisconsin. Georgia, meanwhile, gave Alabama a down–to–the–wire battle for the right to play Notre Dame for the national title and seems to have the momentum.
  
  I choose Georgia.
• Outback Bowl: #19 Michigan vs. #11 South Carolina at noon (Central) in Tampa, Fla., on ESPN: Neither team is a stranger to Tampa.
  
  This is Michigan's fifth Outback Bowl. The Wolverines won three of their first four visits. This is South Carolina's fourth Outback Bowl. The Gamecocks won two of their first three.
  
  They are, however, virtual strangers to each other. The teams met twice in the 1980s with each team winning on the other team's turf. They haven't faced each other since 1985.
  
  If this game had been played when I was growing up, Michigan would have been the overwhelming favorite. South Carolina was seldom invited to a bowl in those days — and even more rarely won one.
  
  But times have changed, and South Carolina showed me that it had some true grit when its top running threat went down with a season–ending injury. The Gamecocks, who were the only ones to beat Georgia until Alabama did it in the SEC Championship game, finished the season 10–2.
  
  South Carolina comes into this game with the momentum, and I think the Gamecocks will win.
• Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. #8 Stanford at 4 p.m. (Central) in Pasadena, Calif., on ESPN: The Rose Bowl is the "granddaddy of them all," they say.
  
  It was first played in 1902, and it has been played every year since 1916. For more than half a century, it was exclusively played between the champions from the conferences in which Wisconsin and Stanford compete.
  
  Yet this will be only the second time they have met in the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin won on that first occasion.
  
  They played four other times prior to that, and Wisconsin never lost. The Badgers didn't win them all — the teams tied in 1995 — but they might as well have.
  
  At first blush, it looks like Stanford might reverse that trend this time. Even with Andrew Luck gone to the NFL, Stanford managed to beat highly regarded Oregon and win its division, then win the league championship with its second consecutive win over UCLA.
  
  Wisconsin, on the other hand, wouldn't even have been in a position to play for the Big Ten crown if Ohio State or Penn State had been eligible to do so. Nevertheless, the Badgers were next in line — much to the chagrin, I'm sure, of Nebraska and the Cornhuskers' fans.
  
  It would be folly to underestimate Wisconsin — and it would be so easy to do, with Wisconsin's coach bolting for Arkansas.
  
  Given Arkansas' defensive tradition, though, it isn't hard to see what attracted the Razorbacks' attention. Wisconsin's defense is ranked 13th in the nation.
  
  I'm inclined to think this might be a low–scoring defensive struggle. Stanford's defense is 21st in the nation.
  
  And neither offense has been particularly impressive — but Wisconsin's (#62 nationally) has been more productive than Stanford's (#83).
  
  I pick Wisconsin.
• Orange Bowl: #16 Northern Illinois vs. #13 Florida State at 7:30 p.m. (Central) in Miami on ESPN: Of late, the Orange Bowl has been a showcase for teams from lesser conferences (i.e., Boise State, Hawaii) playing teams from elite conferences. Sometimes Cinderella wins. Sometimes she doesn't.
  
  That trend appears to continue this year. NIU is 12–1, but the Wildcats play in the MAC. The ACC, where Florida State plays, isn't on the same level as the SEC, but it is a level or two higher than the MAC.
  
  Sometimes those teams from the lesser conferences make statements in the Rose Bowl. Remember what Boise did to Oklahoma?
  
  OK, lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place. But it has been known to happen.
  
  With that disclaimer, I pick Florida State — with its second–ranked defense.

Janury 2

• Sugar Bowl: #22 Louisville vs. #4 Florida at 7:30 p.m. (Central) in New Orleans on ESPN: Let's see.
  
  Florida, which plays in the SEC (whose champion has won six straight national titles), has the fifth–best defense in the nation.
  
  On offense, Florida has struggled (#102 in the nation), but the Gators do, after all, play in the SEC — and Florida's offense was good enough to beat Texas A&M and future Heisman winner Johnny Manziel. Louisville's offense isn't much better (#47), but the point is that it is better — at least on paper.
  
  On paper, this should be a game that is decided by defense, so I will take Florida.

January 3

• 
  Fiesta Bowl: #7 Kansas State vs. #5 Oregon at 7:30 p.m. (Central) in Glendale, Ariz., on ESPN: Mandel writes that, next to the national title tilt, this should be the most interesting bowl game. And I'm inclined to agree.
  
  By far, Oregon has the most impressive offense. The Ducks are #4 in the nation; the Wildcats are #55.
  
  Kansas State has the advantage on defense, but it is much more narrow. KSU ranks 42nd in the nation; Oregon is 47th.
  
  I think Oregon's offense may overwhelm Kansas State's defense, and I expect Oregon to take care of business.

Janury 4

• 
  Cotton Bowl: #12 Oklahoma vs. #10 Texas A&M at 7 p.m. (Central) in Dallas on Fox: This game got a real shot in the arm when it turned out that the Heisman Trophy winner would be playing in it.
  
  Ever since the matchup was announced, I've figured it will be well attended. Both campuses are reasonably short drives from Dallas, and both schools have large fan bases that will follow them anywhere.
  
  For awhile, there was talk that A&M would be paired with Texas, reviving that old rivalry. But the Cotton Bowl officials instead invited Oklahoma, reviving a series that goes back more than a century but really only began to heat up when the Aggies migrated from the imploding Southwest Conference to the newly formed Big 12 Conference in the mid–1990s.
  
  This will actually be the 30th time the teams have played, and Oklahoma wins about two–thirds of the time. Lately, the Sooners have done better than that, winning eight of the last nine encounters. Current OU coach Bob Stoops beat the Aggies 11 times in 13 seasons.
  
  Both teams have Top 10 defenses — A&M is third in the land, OU is 10th — and either defense is likely to be capable of stopping the other team's offense (OU ranks 44th, A&M ranks 56th).
  
  I think this game could be close and quite competitive. It might even go into overtime. But when the dust settles, I think Oklahoma, with a better defense, will win.

January 6

• GoDaddy Bowl: Arkansas State vs. #25 Kent State at 8 p.m. (Central) in Mobile, Ala., on ESPN: At this stage, with only the national title game remaining in the college football season, this qualifies as an are–you–kidding–me? moment.
  
  Could anyone really care who wins this game — outside each school's student body and fan base?
  
  Well, it might be fun to watch, at least when Arkansas State has the ball. ASU is 17th in the country in offense, thanks mostly to its pass–happy ways. Kent State is 74th.
  
  It's hard for me to see, frankly, how Kent State could be ranked in the Top 25 when neither its offense nor its defense could crack the Top 70.
  
  I'm taking Arkansas State.

January 7

• BCS National Championship: #2 Alabama vs. #1 Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. (Central) in Miami on ESPN: This is the big one, the one college football fans have been waiting for.
  
  These teams have played six times in the past, and Notre Dame has won all but one.
  
  Bear Bryant faced Notre Dame in the first four meetings, and Alabama lost all four. I think, though, that he would approve of the defensive nature of this game.
  
  Most college football fans know — or should know — that 'Bama has the top–ranked defense in the nation. But Notre Dame's defense is ranked sixth, and it has overcome numerous challenges this season.
  
  The offenses are good, not spectacular. Alabama's is ranked 40th in the nation; Notre Dame's is 49th.
  
  I think this will be a low–scoring game. It might come down to a last–minute score.
  
  As an Arkansas graduate, I must admit that there is a part of me that wouldn't mind seeing the SEC's streak of national championships grow to seven. And I have friends who went to A&M who wouldn't mind if Alabama won — after all, in addition to having the Heisman Trophy winner, they would also have the only victory over this year's national champion.
  
  But there's another part of me that says Notre Dame is a team of destiny. What other conclusion can one reach after some of their amazing finishes this year?
  
  And that part tells me that, somehow, Notre Dame will find a way to win.

Last week: 6–3

Season: 209–58

Brave New World

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When they started calling him "Johnny Football," I figured he was sure to win the Heisman Trophy.

It's one of those nicknames that does more than imply success. It demands it. Like when they started calling Ted Williams Teddy Ballgame. With a nickname like that, I figured Johnny Manziel was bound to win the Heisman — someday, if not this year.

And even though I knew the historical odds were heavily against him, I knew that Manziel has had a phenomenal season — and that, after all, is what the Heisman is supposed to reward. It might have been remote, given the fact that he was sure to be up against upperclassmen who had paid their dues, but I figured he had a pretty good chance.

Even though he is a freshman, and no freshman had ever won the Heisman before.

That was sort of an article of faith when I was a kid. The Heisman only went to seniors — or, sometimes, juniors. Archie Griffin won it twice back in the 1970s. He's the only football player to do that — so far.

I remember when he did it. No one thought it could be done. A Heisman was a one–to–a–customer kind of thing. Griffin aside, it really was believed that a man could only win the Heisman once — and only after he had paid his dues. Juniors rarely won it; sophomores and freshmen never did.

But that has changed in recent years. The sophomore barrier went down a few years ago and, with Manziel's victory, the Heisman is no longer forbidden to freshmen, either.

(I haven't heard it mentioned much — everyone has been so carried away with Manziel becoming the first freshman to win the trophy — but, in the process of his achievement, Manziel kept Notre Dame's Manti Te'o from becoming the first strictly defensive player to win it. That's a barrier that may well last forever.)

It's one more thing that I have lived to see that I never thought I would live to see.

The times, they truly are a–changing.

But I'm not sure that I'll see a repeat next season. Manziel's coaches insist there will be no decline in production in 2013, but, as Sam Gardner observes for Fox Sports, Manziel will "carry a weight much more substantial than his 25–pound Heisman Trophy for a team that won't sneak up on anyone."

The Aggies were helped by the low expectations that accompanied their move to the Southeastern Conference, and Manziel had no spotlight on him when 2012 began.

All that will change next year.