My buddy and co-worker, Frank Terry, were living in Fresno, toiling at KMAK radio. All week we eagerly awaited the weekend and another chance to split the Giant San Joaquin Valley for The City, certainly the hippest town in the country then. I found City Lights Books and the beatniks hanging out--Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Kerouac, et al--more interesting than the football. And music was way out there. Honolulu friends, the Kingston Trio, played at The Purple Onion. All of this happened before Haight-Ashbury zapped public consciousness.
In 1965, I landed at KHJ-Los Angeles. Freebie tickets to Rams games came with the gig. Thus began my streak of never missing a Ram game, either in person, on the radio, or TV or other devious techniques. Exhibit A: http://www.stlouisrams.com/article/66600/
Drowned by the droning pre-pre-pre-games shows, and with only 18 hours before tomorrow afternoon's kickoff here are my personal Top Ten Super Bowls, live, as it were, from Middle Kaneohe. And a note about why each game is rated in this group, which comprises 10 of the 44 NFL Championship Games.
#1 SUPER BOWL XXXIV ~ St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
It felt like it took forever, but the Greatest Show On Turf squad came about through circumstances that were stranger than fiction. In 1999 the Rams were forced into starting Kurt Warner at quarterback, the first start in the league opened the season. Weeks before he was tossing groceries in a Hi-Vee store. Then the team virtually stole Marshall Faulk from the Colts. The draft was productive, topped by #1 pick Torry Holt; he set the rookie receiving record in this game. And it all came down to the last play--by the Rams defense, of all things. Linebacker Mike Jones tackled the Titan receiver on the Rams one-yard line as the gun went off. It has been known as a game-saving play. In fact, if Tennessee had scored the game would have been tied, leading to overtime. Warner set his first of three Super Bowl passing records, including the final bomb to Isaac Bruce. I cried extensively when it was over.
As a Rams season ticket holder, I was entitled to one ticket to this pre-historic game for every two Rams tickets. I had six This entitled me to three at the outlandish price of $9.00 each. L.A. home games cost $6.00. Infuriated by this 50% increase, I drove to a friend's place, north in Sausalito. Same weekend the first Love-In was being held in San Francisco. I skipped all the madness to watch what was then called the NFL Championship game. Because thousands of tickets were unsold, the contest was blacked out in L.A. Both NBC and CBS held up the local replay. The showed the game at midnight. My friend, Mitch Fisher, decided to not watch or learn about the game so he could watch the midnight replay. It was his wife's birthday. Mitch took her to a fancy Sunset Strip restaurant. But ... when the elevator doors opened, out walked several Packer assistant coaches--grinning and whooping. Bummer for Mitch ... along with Chiefs fans.
In 1976 I met and became close friends with Russ Francis, former 6' 6" 255 lb. Kailua High School quarterback. He eneterd the NFL as the New England Patriots first-round draft choice in 1975. I was doing a morning drive show in Honolulu; Russ would phone in each week during the season for a report to his huge Hawaii following. Once, I was home at Diamond Head, when Russ phoned me at halftime of a Monday night game. This was before cell phones. We spent much time together in his off-seasons. Russ was sitting on my wide living room sofa when the 49ers phoned him to say he had just been traded to them. Then, when San Francisco made it to the SB (played at Stanford Stadium), #81 invited a few island friends to the game and the three-day party that raged before the big event. After a breakfast hosted by the 49ers we rode in a motorcade of new Mercedes bussess to the game. Watching from 40-yard-line seats, our crazed crew survived the scare of Marino and Miami scoring first. Then the "home" team got hot. Russ caught everything that Joe Montana threw to him, all for first downs. And he blocked his okole off. Being there, in person, feeling the electricity and excitement of the pro-49er crowd, partying until dawn...as they say, "You had to be there." And I was.
#4 SUPER BOWL XIV ~ Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
The day I resigned the KHJ gig, I had the tickets transferred to me, personally. I bought them and re-sold them at cost to my Southern California friends. Back home in Honolulu in 1976 I still controlled six season tickets to Rams home games. This meant I was eligible to buy up to four tickets to the Rams first SB appearance. I was afraid to go to the game, played in the Rose Bowl. Did not want to fly back home across the Pacific surrounded by dunken 49er fans returning home. Do you remember? Rams were ahead of the Steelers going into the fourth quarter when their fortunes soured. I was even more pissed off because a friend of Mitch Fisher's "bought" two tickets to the game. Complaining about, "Lousy seats, behind big speakers," this dude still has not paid me. Result: Double bummer. Mahalo plenty, Mark Patterson!
#5 SUPER BOWL III ~ New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
In 1968, my partners at Watermark had not yet created and launched AMERICAN TOP 40 with Casey Kasem. I had a flash: stage the first "pop festival." It was a three-day event, the MIAMI POP FESTIVAL, held at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida. (Many of our crew were hired to work at Woodstock.) Mitch Fisher was also in the group. He was one of about two dozen people who, along with Joe Namath, guaranteed a win for the New York Jets. We watched the game a few miles away at our compound. I still don't know if the Jets won it, or the Colts lost it. Jets caught the breaks; Colts made several big boo-boos. And Broadway Joe ran off the Orange Bowl a winner. The moment is burned into our brains: Namath grinning, trotting off the field, holding up a his index figure, waving "We're-number-one". We hippies were not at the game, but it's vibes swallowed up everyone in and around Miami. To me it was even more exciting than our festival, although I never let on at the time.
#6 SUPER BOWL XXVI ~ New England Patroits 20, St. Louis Rams 17
More Mitch Fisher connections to the Big Dance. Born in Boston, Mitch followed the Patriots from their start. After this one, I had to listen to his bragging rants until the next season. Karma, destiny, and a lethal placekicker stole Kurt Warner's second SB win. What we learned horrifyingly from this game, as it ended with a winning New England field goal: The Prevent Defense Sucks!
#7 SUPER BOWL XL ~ Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10
I followed the career of Jerome Bettis, starting with his Notre Dame years, then becoming a Rams #1 draft pick. In one of his early rookie games, he took off around right end for over 70-yards, streaking past the Saints defense. Before he became The Bus, Bettis was a Corvette. Alas, as they had done with Eric Dickerson, the Rams let another superstar running back go. Off went #36 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he found success, more money and loving fans. He was almost the goat in the AFC Championship Game, fumbling on the Colts one-yard line. Just before the Indy players could grab the ball, Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made a shoestring tackle to save the win. And there were rumors that this would be Bettis' last season. Plus, the SB was being played in his hometown, Detroit. Seeing Bettis hoist the Lombardi Trophy was the best. Terrific for him, although he was not in a Rams uniform.
This one coulda, shoulda, been Kurt Warner's third SB victory, but Warner and the feisty Cardinals lost. It would be his final game. In Warner's three SB appearances he racked up the top three passing games in SB history. His two losses were by a combined seven points, in the final seconds of each game. If anyone, belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame it is #13. Even more important to him are his family, faith and functioning off-field. His personal life is more inspiring than his on-field accomplishments. I believe Warner is the most inspirational player in the league since Walter Payton.
Hey, at least the winner was a Los Angeles team. Watched it on TV during a sex, drug and rock'n'roll session in a Waikiki condo. Everyone seemed to be cheering for the Raiders, judging by the hollering coming from lanai all over the place.
#?? SUPER BOWL XLIV ~ Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints
Based on average scores of above games, the final score could be 27-14.
To be continued. Meanwhile, enjoy Da Game. This one I'm watching on a 50" LG HI-DEF LED TV! Now, what would all that have sounded like around the time of Super Bowl !?
This year the NFL debuts the LVP--Least Valuable Player Award. The winning loser receives a 2010 Toyota. The keys will be personally delivered by Boss Toyota, Akio Toyoda (pronounced Toyota; above.) A mild furor ensues when the winner/loser Crabbe (The Grab) Wilburn, 6' 3" 228 lb. fifth wide receiver on the losing team ignites the brawl, which resulted in four of his teammates being ejected from the game. He owns four cars, but usually drives the Bentley.
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