August 3, 1975: The Superdome Opens

August 3, 1975, 50 years ago: The Louisiana Superdome opens in downtown New Orleans. Trumpeter Al Hirt and clarinetist Pete Fountain, both based in that city known as the birthplace of jazz, perform at the opening concert.

The "Big Mushroom" was designed to take the place of Tulane Stadium, on the campus of Tulane University, as the home of the school's football team, and of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, and of 2 of college football's most popular games, the Sugar Bowl and the historically black schools' Bayou Classic. On the very day of the Superdome's dedication, Tulane Stadium was condemned. It was demolished in 1979.

Between August 28 and September 14, 1975, the Superdome continued to celebrate its grand opening, with appearances by Bob Hope, Telly Savalas, Dorothy Lamour, Karen Valentine, and Raquel Welch. The Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, The Charlie Daniels Band, The O'Jays, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds, and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus also performed. On October 3, Johnny Cash led a concert that included his wife June Carter, Waylon Jennings and his wife Jessi Colter, and Merle Haggard.

The 1st football game in the Superdome was on August 6, an exhibition game in which the Saints lost to the Houston Oilers, 13-7. Their 1st regular-season game in the building was on September 28, a 21-0 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Tulane's dome debut was better, a 14-3 win over the University of Mississippi.

On November 29, the Bayou Classic was played there for the 1st time. The Grambling State University Tigers defeated the Southern University Jaguars, 33-20. And on December 31, New Year's Eve, the Sugar Bowl was first held there. Alabama beat Penn State, 13-6. 'Bama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was not wearing his famous houndstooth hat. When asked why, he said, "My mama told me never to wear a hat indoors." He had never coached a game under a dome before.

With the closing (but not, as of this writing, the demolition) of the Astrodome in Houston, the Superdome is the oldest actively used domed stadium in the United States. It has hosted the Super Bowl more times than any other venue:

1. 1978, Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10.

2. 1981, Super Bowl XV: Oakland Raiders 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10.

3. 1986, Super Bowl XX: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10.

4. 1990, Super Bowl XXIV: San Francisco 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10.

5. 1997, Super Bowl XXXI: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21.

6. 2002, Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17.

7. 2013, Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31.

8. 2025, Super Bowl LIX: Philadelphia Eagles 40, Kansas City Chiefs 22.

It has hosted 6 NCAA Final Fours:

1. 1982, North Carolina over Georgetown.

2. 1987, Indiana over Syracuse.

3. 1993, North Carolina over Michigan.

4. 2003, Syracuse over Kansas.

5. 2012, Kentucky over Kansas.

6. 2022, Kansas over North Carolina.

The NBA's New Orleans Jazz played there from 1975 until their 1979 move to Salt Lake City, as the Utah Jazz. Muhammad Ali regained the Heavyweight Championship of the World from Leon Spinks there in 1978, and Sugar Ray Leonard regained the Welterweight Championship from Roberto Duran there in 1980.

It also hosted some preseason baseball games: Minnesota vs. Houston in 1976; the New York Yankees vs. Baltimore in 1980; the Yankees vs. the New York Mets, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in 1981; the Yankees vs. Montreal and Texas in 1982; the Yankees vs. Montreal and Toronto in 1983; Philadelphia vs. St. Louis in 1984; San Francisco vs. Oakland in 1989; Los Angeles vs. Oakland in 1991; the Mets vs. Oakland in 1993; the Yankees vs. Boston in 1994; and the Chicago Cubs vs. Minnesota in 1999.

Baseball doesn't look right in the Superdome, does it?

The Class AAA New Orleans Pelicans played their home games there in 1977. New Orleans tried to get the Oakland Athletics to move there in 1979, and the Pittsburgh Pirates for 1982, but were unsuccessful.

It has also hosted a Mass by Pope John Paul II in 1987, and the 1988 Republican National Convention, which nominated George H.W. Bush for President.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina nearly ruined New Orleans, including causing serious damage to the Superdome. It was used as a shelter for those who had lost their homes, with disastrous results. The Saints split their home games that season between Tiger Stadium on the Louisiana State campus in Baton Rouge and the Alamodome in San Antonio; Tulane used 5 different smaller college stadiums in Louisiana; the Bayou Classic was moved to what's now named NRG Stadium in Houston; and the Sugar Bowl to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Superdome reopened the following September 25.

Current seating capacity is 73,208. The post-Katrina renovation of 2005-06 was designed solely to make it usable again. Another renovation was undertaken in 2011, to do some modernization -- which also ended the building's baseball capability. There has been talk of a new domed stadium to replace it, but no plans are underway.

Naming rights were sold in 2011, making it the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The 2017 move of the Saints' arch-rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, to the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium confused matters, and Mercedes-Benz allowed their naming rights on the Superdome to lapse. In 2021, it became the Caesars Superdome, with the rights bought by the Caesars casino company.

The Superdome (left) and the Smoothie King Center

The New Orleans Arena opened next-door in 1999. Since 2014, it has been named the Smoothie King Center. Since 2002, it has been home to the NBA team known as the New Orleans Hornets until 2013, and the New Orleans Pelicans ever since.

January 1, 1935: The 1st Orange Bowl & the 1st Sugar Bowl

January 1, 1935, 90 years ago: The 1st Orange Bowl is played, at Miami Field in Miami. Unlike in a few later appearances, having the home-field advantage did not help the University of Miami, as they lost to Bucknell University, 26-0.

The Bison defense held the Hurricanes to just 4 1st downs and 28 yards total offense en route to the victory. The Bucknell offense gained 278 yards, and earned its 6th shutout of the season.

The Orange Bowl was pattered after the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, with its pregame Tournament of Roses Parade. The Fiesta of the American Tropics parade was held in 1926, but there was no game. Then came the Florida land bust that year, and then the Great Depression in 1929, killing Florida tourism.

In 1932, trying to revive Florida tourism, Miami was ready to try again. A parade was held on January 1, 1933, and a Festival of Palms Bowl was played at Moore Park on January 2, with the University of Miami beating Manhattan College, 7-0. In 1934, again at Moore Park, Miami lost to Duquesne University of Pittsburgh. For the following season, the organizing committee received official sanction from the NCAA, and, for that reason, the 1935 edition was not only the 1st to carry the Orange Bowl name, but is recognized as the 1st Orange Bowl, rather than the 3 earlier Festival of Palms Bowls.

And so, every year, from 1936-37 to 2001-02, the King Orange Jamboree Parade would be held in downtown Miami on New Year's Eve, and the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day, except when January 1 fell on a Sunday, moving the game back to January 2. Traditionally, NBC televised both. The Parade's attendance dropped, and it was canceled in 2002.

Bucknell, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, downgraded its football program in 1948. In 1973, with the NCAA reclassifying, they were put in Division II. In 1978, they were promoted to Division I-AA, which was renamed the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2006. They have played at the same stadium since 1924. In 1989, it was renamed Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, in honor of the school's most famous graduate, the New York Giants pitcher who was 1 of the 1st 5 players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Clarke Hinkle, star running back for the Green Bay Packers in the 1930s, before this Orange Bowl, remains Bucknell's greatest football player. They have never again appeared in a bowl game, and have never won a conference championship.

Miami, on the other hand, would have a decent football history until the 1980s, when they became a bit indecent, but also one of the best programs in the game. In 1937, they moved into Burdine Stadium, built on the site of Miami Field, named for the late Roddy Burdine, department store owner and major booster of the City of Miami. The stadium was renamed the Miami Orange Bowl in 1959, and would host 5 Super Bowls, including the New York Jets' famed upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

The Miami Dolphins played at the Orange Bowl from 1966 to 1986, then moved into Joe Robbie Stadium in suburban Miami Gardens in 1987. The Orange Bowl game was first played there in 1997 and 1998, moved back to its namesake stadium in 1999, and has been played at the Miami Gardens facility, now named Hard Rock Stadium, from 2000 onward. The University of Miami last played at the Orange Bowl in 2007, and moved to Miami Gardens. The stadium was demolished in 2008, and the new home of the Miami Marlins, now named LoanDepot Park, opened on the site in 2012.

From 1968 to 1996, the Champion of the Big Eight Conference was officially awarded a berth in the Orange Bowl, something that had unofficially been done since 1954. It was accepted all but twice, by Nebraska in 1974 and 1975, in favor of a better shot at the National Championship. They paid dearly for this, losing both times. Since the 2014 season, the Champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference has been guaranteed a berth in the Orange Bowl, unless it qualifies for the National Championship Playoff.

The Orange Bowl has featured 16 teams that won the National Championship for the preceding calendar year: Miami in 1988 and 1992; Oklahoma in 1954, 1987 and 2001; Nebraska in 19871, 1972, 1995 and 1997; Georgia Tech in 1952; Alabama in 1965; Clemson in 1982;  Notre Dame in 1990; Colorado in 1991; and Florida State in 1994.

*

January 1, 1935 was a Tuesday. This was also the day the 1st Sugar Bowl was played, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Tulane University beat Temple University, 20-14.

The most notable play of the game came in the 2nd quarter, when Tulane's quarterback, John McDaniel, caught a Temple kickoff, ran to the right to draw tacklers, then threw a lateral pass to his teammate Monk Simons, who ran 75 yards for the touchdown. Two more Tulane touchdowns in the second half outweighed Temple's early lead.

Tulane had been built on a sugar plantation, and sugar was long the leading crop in the State of Louisiana. Hence, the game was named for a local crop. New Orleans civic leaders wanted to copy Pasadena, California's Rose Bowl for a few years, and finally got it set up for 1934-35. There was no pregame parade, however.

Tulane had been one of the South's leading football schools, winning titles in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1920, and the Southern Conference in 1925, 1929, 1930 and 1931. That league was the forefather of both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

In 1933, Tulane was a founding member of the SEC, and won the title in 1934, giving them the credibility to host the bowl game. They would win the SEC again in 1939 and 1949, but went into decline, and left the league after the 1965 season, surpassed in football importance in their State by Louisiana State University (LSU), and even by the black college rivalry between Grambling State and Southern University. They would later win the title in Conference USA in 1998, and are now members of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), having won the AAC title in 2022.

The game was held at Tulane Stadium from 1935 until 1975. In 1975, the Louisiana Superdome opened, and the game has been held there every year since, with the exception of 2006, when it was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, due to repairs on the Superdome from Hurricane Katrina.

Tulane Stadium

Temple have also never again reached the football heights they reached in the 1930s. They devalued their program in 1958, but began moving back up in 1991, becoming members of the Big East Conference. In 2013, they joined the American Athletic Conference (AAC), winning it in 2016.

After the inaugural Sugar Bowl, they didn't go to another bowl game until the 1979 season, and then not again until 2009. They won the Garden State Bowl in 1979, the New Mexico Bowl in 2011, and the Gasparilla Bowl in 2017. But they've never been to another traditional New Year's Day bowl game.

Tulane Stadium hosted Super Bowls IV, VI and IX, and was home to the NFL's New Orleans Saints from 1967 to 1974, before they and the Green Wave moved into the Superdome for the 1975 season. Tulane Stadium was demolished in 1979, the 1st of the 4 classic New Year's Day bowl game facilities to go. (The Orange Bowl followed in 2008, while the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl stadiums still stand.) In 2014, Yulman Stadium was opened on the site of Tulane Stadium.

The Superdome

The Sugar Bowl has usually invited the SEC Champion, although this was not made official until the 1976 season. With the advent of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in the 1998 season, hosting the SEC Champion was no longer a given. Given the success of the SEC since the start of the National Championship Playoff in 2014, it's been almost impossible.

The Sugar Bowl has featured the National Champions of the preceding calendar year 23 times: Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1959 and 2007; the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in 1960, 1961 and 1963; Alabama in 1962, 1979, 1980 and 1993; the University of Miami in 1990 and 2001; Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1939; Texas A&M in 1940; Oklahoma in 1950; Maryland in 1952; Georgia Tech in 1953; Notre Dame in 1974; the University of Pittsburgh in 1977; Georgia in 1981; Penn State in 1983; Florida in 1997; Florida State in 2000; and Ohio State in 2021.

Also on this day, the Rose Bowl was played at the stadium of the same name, outside Los Angeles in Pasadena, California. Alabama completed an undefeated season, ruining Stanford's, 29-13. The Cotton Bowl debuted on New Year's Day 1937.

Dub Jones, 1924-2024

We can now close the books on an interesting chapter in the history of professional football: The All-America Football Conference of 1946 to 1949, the league that produced 3 teams that joined the NFL. Namely, the Cleveland Browns, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts.

William Augustus Jones was born on December 29, 1924 in Arcadia, Louisiana, and grew up in nearby Ruston. He was a star two-way back at Louisiana State University, then transferred to the school then known as LSU's arch-rivals: Tulane University. It was World War II, and Tulane had a U.S. Navy training program.

After serving in The War, he turned pro, and he turned out to be the last surviving player who:

* Played for the 1st Southern team in major league sports, the 1946 Miami Seahawks of the All-America Football Conference.

* Played for a football team called the Brooklyn Dodgers, in the AAFC during the 1947 season.

* Played on the Cleveland Browns' AAFC Champions of 1948 and 1949. They had also won the title in that league in 1946 and 1947.

* Played in the AAFC at all.

* Played in the 1950 season-opening "merger" game between the AAFC Champion Browns and the 1948 and 1949 NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles, which the Browns won, 35-10 in a stunning upset.

* Played on the Browns' NFL Champions of 1950 and 1954. 

* And he may also have been the last living player who regularly played both offense and defense. He was good enough to make the Pro Bowl in the 1951 and 1952 seasons.

Like many of the Browns in that era, he switched uniform numbers midway through his career, in his case from 86 to 40.

He was an assistant coach under Blanton Collier on the Browns' 1964 NFL Championship team. In other words, they've never won an NFL title without him being involved in some way. He died in Ruston yesterday, November 2, 2024, as the NFL's oldest living former player, just 57 days short of his 100th birthday.

With his death, there are now 2 surviving players from the 1955 NFL Champion Cleveland Browns: Bob Smith and Sam Palumbo.

And the oldest living former NFL player is George Sims, who just turned 97. He is from Seymour, in north Texas, a two-way back from Baylor University, who played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1949 and 1950.

Dub's son, Bert Jones, also starred at LSU, and was an All-Pro quarterback for the Baltimore Colts, making them the 1st father and son to both play in the Pro Bowl. 

And Then There Was One

The Yankees started a big series in Tampa Bay this Labor Day afternoon. Alex Rodriguez was back, as the designated hitter. CC Sabathia was on the mound. These were good signs.

The Rays scored single runs in the 2nd and 3rd inning, but the Yankees struck back in the top of the 4th, with the following sequence: A leadoff double by Robinson Cano, a single by A-Rod (the 2,873rd hit of his career, tying Babe Ruth on the all-time list), Raul Ibanez tripling them home, and Russell Martin singling Ibanez home. 3-2 Yankees.

But CC allowed the Rays to tie it in the bottom of the 5th. Joe Girardi only let CC go 7 innings -- having thrown 116 pitches. CC is not fragile cargo like, oh, I don't know... Joba Chamberlain. CC Sabathia is a man. He should be treated as such. But Girardi trusted the damn binder again.

David Robertson came in, which you would expect if the Yankees were leading going into the 8th. He allowed a single by Jeff Keppinger, who was then replaced by pinch-runner Rich Thompson, who was then caught stealing, and then Rays manager Joe Maddon put on his diva act and got tossed like the bitch that he is.

Robertson got the 2nd out, but then Ryan Roberts singled to left, and unlike Thompson, he successfully stole 2nd. And Chris Gimenez singled him home.

A-Rod struck out to lead off the 9th. Eric Chavez reached on an error, and Eduardo Nunez pinch-ran for him and stole 2nd. (Hey, two can play at that game.) Two chances to get the tying run home.

Ibanez grounded out, moving Nunez to 3rd. And Curtis Granderson made his return from a brief injury, batting for Russell Martin... and struck out. Game over.

Rays 4, Yankees 3. WP: James Shields (13-8). SV: Fernando Rodney (41). LP: Robertson (1-5).

And the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0.

On July 18, the Yankees' lead in the American League East was 10 games. Now, on September 3, it is 1 game.

The ghost of Thurman Munson demands an explanation for this bullshit!

*

In other news, Rutgers opened the Kyle Flood era by beating Tulane, 24-12, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

The NFL season begins this Wednesday night.

And Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez appears to be dating Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria.

*

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 4, this Friday night, home to South Brunswick. A little over 3 weeks. I'm glad it's a home game: It's always good to open the season at home, and South Brunswick is particularly tough to get to: Despite the distance, it's not close to public transportation. But that's the only thing I have against them: Though they are neighbors, they are not rivals. I intend to attend this game, which will hopefully end around 9:00 PM, so I can get somewhere and see most of this game which starts at 9:30:

Days until the U.S. National Soccer Team plays again: 4, this Friday night, against Jamaica in their capital of Kingston. The Stars & Stripes come off their 1st-ever win over arch-rival Mexico on Mexican soil, beating El Tri 1-0 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Maybe Jurgen Klinsmann is starting to figure out how to pick a lineup. The U.S. team will also play Jamaica the following Tuesday, at Columbus Crew Stadium in Ohio. The next games will be in October at Antigua & Barbuda (that's one country), and against Guatemala in Kansas City.

Days until Rutgers plays football again: 5, this Saturday afternoon, home to Howard University, the historically black school of Washington, D.C. that likes to bill itself as "The Black Harvard." Should be an easy win for Rutgers' football team, but they'll never win the battle of the bands.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 8, a week from tomorrow, Tuesday night, September 11, at Fenway Park. Hopefully, the Red Sox and their fans will respect the anniversary. After all, both planes that hit the old World Trade Center -- those words don't sound right, and they certainly don't look right, but there is a new one -- took off from Boston's Logan International Airport.

Days until Arsenal play another competitive match (not counting preseason friendlies, which are already underway): 12, on this Saturday, September 15, home to Southampton, the newly-promoted South Coast team. This weekend, there are no Premier League games due to an international break, a.k.a. an Interlull, so Arsenal can't build on that fantastic 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield yesterday.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 19, against the New England Revolution in Foxboro on Saturday, September 22, and to Chester to face the Union on Saturday, October 27. Last Wednesday, they went to Washington to play D.C. United and came away with a 2-2 draw.

Days until the Devils play again: 39, opening the season on Friday night, October 12, away to the Washington Capitals. If, that is, the owners don't lock the players out again. If they don't, then it's under 6 weeks. The home opener is the next night, against the Boston Bruins.

Days until the Devils play another local rival: 44, on Wednesday night, October 17, the 3rd game of the season, the 2nd home game, at the Prudential Center, against the Rangers, the 1st meeting between the teams since Adam Henrique put The Scum in their place. The 1st meeting with the Philadelphia Flyers will be on Thursday night, November 1. I'd say the game will be at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly, but that's dependent on the arena's name not being changed... again. The 1st meeting with the New York Islanders will be on Saturday night, November 17, at the Nassau Coliseum. Barring a big change, there will be only 3 seasons left at the Coliseum -- and possibly only 18 more Devils-Islanders games, unless the Isles build a new arena, move to the Barclays Center, or somehow make the Playoffs in the next 3 seasons.

Days until the 1st Nets game in Brooklyn: 59, on Thursday, November 1, against the now actually crosstown Knicks. Just under 2 months.

Days until the 2012 Presidential election: 62. Just over 2 months. Register to vote... and on November 6, vote!

Days until the next North London Derby: 75, on Saturday, November 17, at the Emirates Stadium. The return fixture will be on Saturday, March 2, 2013, at White Hart Lane.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving clash: 80. Come on you Boys in Green! Beat those Purple Bastards!

Days until Alex Rodriguez collects his 3,000th career hit: 363 (estimated around September 1, 2013). This is taking his recent injury into account. Under 1 year.

Days until Super Bowl XLVIII at the Meadowlands: 517 (February 2, 2014). Under 17 months.

Days until the 2014 Winter Olympics: 522 (February 7, 2014).

Days until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil: 647 (June 12, 2014). Under 22 months.

Days until Alex Rodriguez hits his 700th career home run: 742 (estimated, around September 15, 2014).

Days until the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1,432 (August 5, 2016). Under 2 years.

Days until Alex Rodriguez hits his 756th career home run to surpass all-time leader Hank Aaron: 1,488 (estimated -- I'm guessing around the end of 2016, around September 30).

Days until Alex Rodriguez hits his 763rd career home run to become as close to a "real" all-time leader as we are likely to have: 1,731 (estimated -- estimating 28 home runs a year, taking his current injury into account, I'm guessing around April 30, 2017, at age 41). Under 3 1/2 years -- if he can.

Wasted Weekend

This weekend, I had a grand total of one beer. Which is one under my usual intake. But I still feel wasted.

Yes, on Friday night, East Brunswick High won, beating Woodbridge, 7-0. But those new helmets? Oy! Dear Old Alma Mater dropped the copies they made of the Jets' helmets ("EB" replacing "NY" and "BEARS" replacing "JETS"), and even dropped the green center stripe, for a helmet with outstretched bear paws. Ew!

I loved the 1978-83 edition with the bear paw prints on the sides, and the 1984-97 version with the script "Bears" and the paw prints on the shoulders, and I was fine with the 1998-2009 look that mimicked the Jets. But this is awful.

Yes, on Saturday night, the New York Red Bulls beat the Kansas City Wizards 1-0 on a goal by Dane Richards. And, yes, the Yankees did beat the Boston Red Sox 6-5 in 10 innings in the 1st game of a rain-forced doubleheader. And they went into that 2nd game with a chance of winning the American League Eastern Division title for the 18th time, including 13 in the last 17 years.

But on Saturday afternoon, Rutgers University lost. At home. On Homecoming. To Tulane. This is not 1934: Tulane is no longer a college football power. Rutgers was down 17-14 and driving into Tulane territory at the end, needing only 20 or so yards for a game-tying field goal, and they committed stupid penalties.

Then, in the second game of the doubleheader, again it went 10 innings, but this time the Yankees lost to the Red Sox, 7-6. And the Tampa Bay Rays, who obliged the Yankees by losing on Thursday and Friday nights, won. So, on Sunday, the Yankees no longer controlled their own destiny: Even if they won, Tampa would still have had to lose for the Yanks to win the Division.

On Sunday morning, it got worse: Arsenal, with all their injuries, went into Stamford Bridge and held defending Double winners Chelsea scoreless for the first 37 minutes. No Cesc Fabregas, no Robin van Persie, no Theo Walcott, no Nicklas Bendtner, not surprising that they hadn't scored. But no Thomas Vermaelen, and with the unreliable Lukasz Fabianski in goal in place of the slightly more reliable Manuel Almunia, it was stunning that they were even. Sorry, forgot to "speak English" there: They were level.

Then Didier Drogba, as he always does against Arsenal (or anyone else, for that matter), scored. Can't blame it on the players who were hurt, or those who weren't, including "Flappy-hand-ski": No one was stopping this one.

Arsenal were still only 1-0 down in the 85th minute, so the 1 point that would have come with a draw, and maybe even the 3 points that would have come with a miracle 2-1 win, were not out of reach. They were still in it. But Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa (like many Brazilian players he is professionally known by just one name, Alex) scored another wonder goal to make it a 2-0 final.

On the one hand, Arsenal put up a great effort despite being, yet again, at half-strength. If they can do that at Fortress Stamford Bridge, think of what they can do with a healthy lineup. On the other hand, until they learn how to stop Drogba, they're not going to beat Chelsea, and until they can beat Chelsea, they're not going to win the Premier League. Same is true for every other team.

And finally, on Sunday afternoon, the Yankees just went through the motions, losing 8-4 to the Red Sox. In the top of the 8th, they were down 8-3, but had the bases loaded with 2 out. A hit, and they could close the gap. A home run, and they would be within 2 runs, and maybe they could get to Jonathan Papelbon again. But Jorge Posada, who is looking more and more done all the time, hit a weak grounder instead of his usual October output. In a game that turned out to be meaningless, the Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in 12 innings.

I said after the last Yanks-Rays series that if the Yanks could take 2 out of 3 in their 3 remaining series, 6 out of 9, they would win the Division. Instead, they won just 3 out of 9, and finished 1 game back. Had they won 6 out of 9, they would have finished 2 up.

*

So the Rays win the AL East for the 2nd time in the last 3 years. They get home-field advantage against the Western Division Champion Texas Rangers, winning their 5th Division Title in franchise history, but their 1st in 11 years, and their all-time record in postseason games is a whopping 1-9. Of course, all of those games were against the Yankees. This is the 1st time they'll be facing someone else. I suspect they'll fall flat, and if we want a Yanks-Rays rematch for the Pennant, the Rays will probably hold up their end of the bargain.

The Yankees, meanwhile, go into the Playoffs as the AL's Wild Card, and will face the Central Division Champion Minnesota Twins. This is the Twins' 11th Division Title (4 in the old version of the AL West, the last 7 in the AL Central), and their 7th in the last 9 years. On 3 of those occasions (2003, '04 and '09) they played the Yankees, and their record against the Yankees in postseason play is a dispiriting 2-9, only slightly better than the Rangers'. And they will be without injured 1st baseman and 2006 AL Most Valuable Player Justin Morneau. But the Yankees have been a sub-.500 team the last 2 months -- 29-31 -- so, who knows.

Game 1 will be Wednesday night in Minneapolis, the 1st-ever postseason game in the Twins' new Target Field. Game 2 will be Thursday night in Minneapolis. Game 3 will be Sunday night at the new Yankee Stadium. If Game 4 is necessary, Sunday night at Steinbrenner Memorial Coliseum. If Game 5 is necessary, Tuesday night in Minneapolis.

The National League East was won by the Philadelphia Phillies, for the 4th straight time, and the 10th time overall. This is the 1st time any Philadelphia baseball team has ever reached 4 straight postseasons. Connie Mack's Athletics once did 3 straight, 1929-31; and also did 4 out of 5, 1910-14 but missing in 1912.

They will have home-field advantage over the Central Division winners, the Cincinnati Reds, who won their 10th Division title, but only their 3rd in the Central after moving over from the old NL West (and that counts 1994 when they were in 1st place when the strike hit -- I count it, MLB officially doesn't). They have faced each other just once in postseason play, in 1976, when the Big Red Machine, in their last year before they began to get broken up, swept the rising Phils of Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton.

The San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres on the final day to clinch the NL West, and allowing the Atlanta Braves to win and beat the Padres out for the NL Wild Card. For the Giants, it is their 8th NL West title. The Giants and Braves had a memorable duel in 1993 for the last title in the old version of the NL West, with the Braves winning 104 games to the Giants' 103. However, this is the first time they have ever faced each other in postseason play.

Overall postseason berths, counting only in the cities where they currently play:

Yankees 49 -- 50 if you count being in 1st when the Strike of '94 hit.

Braves 17 -- 18 if you count being in position to win the Wild Card when the Strike of '94 hit, and 22 if you count their Boston (1901-52) and Milwaukee (1953-65) appearances.

Reds 13 -- 15 if you count being in 1st when the Strike of '94 hit and their lost '99 "play-in game" against the Mets for the Wild Card.

Phillies 13.

Twins 12 -- 15 if you count what they did as the original Washington Senators (1901-60).

Giants 9 -- 10 if you count their lost '98 "play-in game" against the Cubs for the Wild Card, 26 if you count their New York days (1901-57).

Rangers 4 -- 5 if you count being in 1st when the Strike of '94 hit, but they never made it as the new Senators (1961-71).

Rays 2.

*

Nice to see Philadelphia Eagles fans give Donovan McNabb a standing ovation when he came back to Lincoln Financial Field as the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins. They booed him when he arrived, and they booed him through much of his tenure as the quarterback for the Broad Street Birds. Now, they cheer him, knowing that, at the end of last season, the Eagles had Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb, and chose to dump the wrong one. Oh yeah, the Redskins won, 17-12.

Nice to see New York Giants fans give Tiki Barber a standing boo when he was introduced as part of the Ring of Honor at the new Meadowlands Stadium at halftime of yesterday's game. A, It was only by getting rid of Tiki that the Giants became a Super Bowl winner; B, Is it just me, or do the Giants only seem to have problems with Coach Tom Coughlin when Tiki opens his fat mouth?

He may be the all-time leading rusher in New York Tri-State Area pro football history -- 10,449 yards, while Curtis Martin got 10,302 of his 14,101 yards with the Jets -- but if Tiki were as smart as he thinks he is, he would have sent identical twin brother Ronde Barber (who did get a ring, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of all teams) to take the boos in his place. Who among the 82,000 on hand would've known?

Oh yeah, the Giants won, 17-3, beating the Chicago Bears thanks to 10 sacks of Bear quarterback Jay Cutler. And the Jets throttled the Buffalo Bills, 38-14 in Orchard Park. As Governor Mario Cuomo used to say, the Bills are the only NFL team in the State of New York, but at the rate the Jets are going, come February, they may get a parade up Broadway in Manhattan, thanks to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

In the increasingly unlikely event that the lying hyocritical lunatic Carl Paladino wins the Governorship, he wouldn't spend the money on a parade for the Jets.

Not because he's a crazy conservative who doesn't think the government should spend any money, except on him, but because he's from Buffalo. His home team hasn't gone as far as the rules of the time allowed them to go since 1964 and '65, when the Bills won the last 2 AFL Championships before the AFL winners were allowed to play the NFL winners in a World Championship Game. The Bills never got to play Super Bowl -II against the Cleveland Browns or Super Bowl -I against the Green Bay Packers.

The quarterback of those Bills teams was Jack Kemp, who liked to tell his political audiences, "I suffered 11 concussions as a professional quarterback. Eleven concussions. Nothing left to do but run for Congress!" Always got a laugh.

He also liked to say, "People say I'm arrogant, but I know better!" Well, he wasn't as arrogant as Crazy Carl Paladino.

Kemp was a conservative, but he wasn't a Tea Partier. He liked to say that, due to his sports background, he had showered with more black people than most Republicans had ever met. He believed in cities. He believed in helping people get jobs. He also believed tax cuts were the way to do it; well, nobody's perfect.

He died of cancer in 2008, at age 73. If he had lived 2 more years, and seen just how far the Republican Party had strayed from what he tried to build in the 1970s and '80s, I think he would have died of a broken heart.