Two thoughts...
1. Re: Anti-Semitism at the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Sadly, this was not an isolated incident. Let's not forget the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi Berlin, where Jesse Owens won four gold medals, but it was at the expense of one of Len's broadcasting mentors, the late Marty Glickman. Glickman, once the radio voice of the Knicks and Jets, along with Ben Stoller, both Jewish, were dropped from the US track team by USOC President Avery Brundage. Neither Glickman nor Stoller ever returned to the Olympics.
In case the name Avery Brundage sounds familiar, he was the president of the IOC during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. It was his decision not to postpone or cancel the remainder of the summer games after the hostage taking and murdering of almost a dozen Israeli athletes by Arab terrorists. Brundage's infamous quote of "The games must go on" rang hollow in the echo of the late Jim McKay (father of CBS Sports chief Sean McDonnough) somberly telling us on television "they're all gone". Another trivia tidbit... the late Howard Cosell, in his book I NEVER PLAYED THE GAME openly blamed Brundage for the hostage crisis and never forgave him for the rest of his life.
2. It's time for my super bowl prediction! In my head, I have to go with the Colts. They're a more complete team in all 3 phases (offense, defense, special teams) than the Saints. The Saints live and die by forcing turnovers on defense, and Peyton Manning is hardly mistake-prone. However, I'm rooting for the Saints... not because I'm a Jets fan and have any ill will towards the Colts, but because I think it's a great story having the Saints in the super bowl and lifting the city of New Orleans to incredible pride.
So... drum roll, please... BET THE OVER! With Dwight Freeney nowhere near 100% for this game, the game has evened out for the Saints, and we're going to see a barn burner, a track meet... heck, these two offenses might just blow up the scoreboard! Points should be scored like we're watching a pinball machine (well, the Who are performing at half-time, so why not root for a Pinball Wizard). I would be very surprised if both teams couldn't combine for 56-1/2 points, and I wouldn't be shocked if that was the point total by half-time!
Don't be shocked if we witness the highest scoring super bowl in history, but we likely won't see a lopsided score (e.g., San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 in SB XXVIII). I think we could witness a back and forth game like SB XIII, where Pittsburgh beat Dallas 35-31.
Are you ready for a 49-45 score, or maybe 40-35 (if we see some defense once in a while)? This is what I envision. Who wins? Whomever has the ball last! Don't be surprised if the Colts OR Saints win this game. Oh, and be prepared to have a conniption if the game goes into OT!
Don't you hate these kinds of predictions? :o)
Have a great weekend and enjoy the game!
If you're out at a party, please drive back home safely...
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