Little Omaha and I were having a fun email exchange last night. LO has had a good month at work and we were joking that his favorite color is “Green’ and he said his favorite team is the “GREEN “Bay Packers. I then asked him if his favorite player of all time was Pittsburgh Steelers great, L.C. “Green” wood. LO said LC and “Mean” Joe Greene were right up there. Then we started reliving what I would call the greatest play in sports history, the “Immaculate Reception.”

It’s one of those sports moments where you remembered exactly where you were when it happened. It was Saturday, December 23rd, 1972. I had a sore throat and a cough and my dad took me to Dr. Dewey White, one of the all time great doctors and people I knew. Andy, his son, was a great guy and an outstanding tennis player and was Mr. Mountain Brook. Dr. White said I had strep throat, so I was in our playroom watching the game with my dog, Napolean. Napolean was a French Poodle, my mother was into that France thing, so we had a couple of French Poodles. He was a tough little fella though as he got hit by 3 separate cars in his career and survived all 3. He was an all time great dog for me. Him, a couple of my black Labs, Cody and Josh, and another French Poodle, Biscuit, were all time greats. We also had a dog named Chris, an Irish Setter. He was the most rambunctious, hyperactive dog you’d ever meet. My father and mother were always saying to him “Stay, Stay,” and he never would. He’d get on Mountain Brook Golf Course, run in the sand traps and gobble up the golfers’ golf balls. The golfers were irate and the pro, Paul Stapp, wanted to shoot the dog. One of my dad’s best friends from Nashville, Joe “Buddy” Whitson, was in town and at our house and heard my parents saying “Stay,, Stay” and he just named the dog “Stay.” Uncle Buddy was quite a character. My mother and father would have their Vanderbilt Phi Delta Theta and Theta Sorority friends down from Nashville for the weekend and the Birmingham friends would come over for parties. Great group of men. War heroes, the Greatest Generation. Uncle Buddy would walk around the party and say to the women, “Let’s have an affair.” He, the Nashville men, and my father’s Birmingham friends gave my dad a pretty hard time but in a funny way. They really liked him, but would get on him some. His nickname at Vanderbilt was “Bathless” White, not because he was dirty, but that he just wore the same clothes and was an easygoing, agreeable guy, who put up with their chatter. When my Dad got married to my mother, Uncle Buddy was walking down the aisle as one of the groomsmen and walked by my father and said, “David, you’re zipper’s down.” It wasn’t but my father was a wreck and sweated it out through the entire wedding. There was a classic group of Birmingham friends as well. Jack Blackwell, 99 years young today, was and is one of them. He’s a WW2 vet and working out twice a week and his mind is as sharp as a sharpened No.2 pencil.

Back to the Irish Setter, Chris. Hatton Smith, my oldest sister, Lisa’s boyfriend, who you may know as he is from B’ham, took Chris up to W&L because our golf pro had had enough. As expected, “Stay” escaped from Hatton’s fence and we figured a week later he was probably in L.A.. Quite a dog. He was a great one most of the time.

Onto the Immaculate Reception. Little Omaha and I were talking about Ken Stabler running the ball in for a touchdown to put duh Raiduhs ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 7-6, with 40 seconds left. The Steelers got the ball back and had no success on the first 3 downs. On 4th and 10 from their own 20 with 22 seconds left and no timeouts, the game looked lost. I had become a big Steelers fan that season, and while it wasn’t over, chances looked pretty slim to none. Terry Bradshaw dropped back to pass, avoided the pass rush and heaved it downfield for the Steelers fleet footed running back, John “Frenchy” Fuqua. The great enforcer, Raiders safety Jack Tatum, ran up and laid serious wood on Fuqua just as the ball was arriving. The ball ricocheted off Tatum’s should pad and was dropping unabated to the turf when the great Franco Harris reached down and caught it 2 feet above ground and started racing for the Endzone. It was surreal. Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano looked like he was going to tackle Harris, but tight end John McMakin blocked him to the turf. Villapiano said after the game it was an illegal block in the back, clipping then, but replays showed it was a clean block. Harris was racing down the sideline now heading for the game winning TD. Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh was rockin, and there was one man left to beat, Raiders defensive back Jimmy Warren. Warren had a good angle on Harris and looked like he could shove him out of bounds, but the great Harris stiff armed Warren to the ground and cleared the end zone for the game winning TD in the first round of the AFL playoffs. LO and I were saying it’s just one of those moments where you’ll never forget where you were. I was sitting in my beanbag chair with Napolean and went berzerk when Harris caught it and ran it in. The Steelers won 13-7, but lost in the AFC Championship game to the eventual Super Bowl VII champions, the Miami Dolphins, at Pittsburgh. That was the year the Dolphins went 17-0 with a 14-7 victory over the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl played in L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The Dolphins are the only undefeated team in the history of the National Football League. That mark may never be equaled. The Patriots had their sites set on it in 2007, winning 16 in a row, but the great Eli Manning and the Giants defeated them in Super Bowl 42 in January 2008, 17-14. That was the game in which Giants wide receiver David Tyree caught a bomb from Manning catching it while it was on the back of safety Rodney Harrison’s helmet. It is the greatest catch in Super Bowl history to this day. It led to a game winning TD and Eli’s name etched in as one of the great Quarterbacks of all time. He added to that legacy when he led his Giants over the Patriots and Tom Brady in the 2012 Super Bowl 46 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Giants won 21-17 and that featured another spectacular throw and catch from Eli in his own endzone heaving it downfield to Mario Manningham who caught it over his left shoulder. It led to the game winning TD. it was the perfect throw and catch.

The Steelers of the 1970’s, to me, are the greatest teams of all time. They won 4 Super Bowls in the 70’s and are the gold standard all time for Professional Football, the gold standard for the game overall. I would argue that all 22 of their starters belong in the Hall of Fame. Running back Franco Harris, quarterback Terry Bradshaw, running back “Frenchy” Fuqua, running back Rocky Bleier, their phenomenal wide receivers, the great “Swanny,” Lynn Swann, the great John Stallworth, from? Alabama A&M University and a Tuscaloosa native, why didn’t Bear Bryant want him? The offensive line led by mauler Mike Webster, their center, and that “Steel Curtain “Defense. Mean Joe, Dwight White, L.C. , Ernie Holmes, what a front. Maybe the greatest, toughest and meanest linebacker of all time in Jack Lambert. Jack Ham was another amazing linebacker/ player. The Steelers’ also had all time great cornerback Mel Blount and their phenomenal safety Donnie Shell. Know I’m leaving some out, but this team was built to win.. The great Chuck Noll was their coach. He said of Harris, after the Immaculate Reception, “Good things happen to people who hustle.” The Steelers won Super Bowls 9, 10, 13 and 14. The greatest collection of players and teams to ever suit up in my opinion.

This week on Tour

The Workday Charity Open

With the John Deere Classic getting cancelled in May because of the pandemic in Illinois at the time and tournaments getting cancelled back in late March, the PGA went outside the box and decided to play 2 weeks in a row at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin Ohio, Jack Nicklaus’s course. Tiger may have been the most talented player to ever play the game, but Jack was the greatest to me. He didn’t have the technology that players in Tiger’s era and players today had and have, but he was hitting it well over 300 yards with Persimman Drivers. Tiger was using metal stuff and Jack’s drivers were made of wood. He also won 18 Majors to Tiger’s 15, and finished 2nd a record 19 times. Winning the Masters in 1986 at age 46 clinched it for me. Beyond that, he was the ultimate gentlemen, and while he was a ferocious competitor and had concentration skills that were beyond spectacular, he was a great sportsmen, and when guys like Tom Watson and Arnie would defeat him occasionally, he would handle it in as classy a manner as anyone ever did in sports, always congratulating them for their great play and never making excuses for why he didn’t win. It was a refreshing approach. He didn’t lose a lot though. He lost more than he won, as all golfers do, but he won a lot and was the ultimate champion and gentleman. He still is today.

This is an inaugural tournament on tour and one of the players’ favorite venues as the course is immaculate and the service by the tournament staff is considered second to none. Next week is the great Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. All the top players in the world will be there except for maybe Tiger, who’s looking at selected tournaments and majors this year at 44 years old. He has won the Memorial 5 times. As of now, it’s unclear if he’s playing.

Featured groups this week are Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Jason Day at 6:45 AM CT, tomorrow, Patrick Cantlay, the Memorial defending champion, FIGJAM Mickelson, and Jordan Spieth tee off at 12:10 PM CT. Patrick Reed, Matthew Wolff, 2nd last week to DeChambeau at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and Rickie Fowler are at 11:59 AM CT,. And Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Gary Woodland are off at 6:34 AM CT. 7 of the top 15 players in the world are playing. Justin Rose is in the field as is Xander Schauffele and Bubba Watson are too.

Muirfield is a 7,392 yard, Par 72 layout. Challenging course and one with many thrills on the backside.

Key Holes

No.11, 567 yards, Par 5

Double dogleg, left then right, water is in play on the tee shot, the second shot and approach in. The green is shallow from front to back and there is a big bunker up front. The only way to get there, according to the write up, is a long draw off the tee and a high cut second shot in. Could lead to a 3 shot hole and putts for birdie to take advantage of the competition.

No. 16, 201 yards, Par 3

This Nicklaus designed hole is very similar to the Par 3, 16th at Augusta National. The key is to not hit it left in the lake that guards he entire left side of the green.

No.17, 478 yards, Par 4

There are 4 bunkers in play off the tee, and while it’s an expansive landing area, driving accuracy is at a premium with the sand. The second shot is to an elevated green with several bunkers in front and in back. Quite a challenge.

No.18, 480 yards, Par 4

Driver off this tee will hav4 to be accurate as there are several bunkers on the right side and a chance to hit it in the creek on the left side. The second shot is uphill to a tightly shaped green Jack may be waiting to shake hands, or I guess now, an air fist bump. The winner will get a thrill with that on Sunday. Jack’ll definitely do that at the Memorial next week.

Weather

Thursday, 91 PM, T-storms possible, wind 5 MPH.

Friday, 89, Scattered T-storms, Wind 8 MPH.

Saturday, 86, Scattered T-storms, Wind 9 MPH.

Sunday, 85, Scattered, Wind 10 MPH.

So will be humid and maybe wet all weekend.

TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-5 PM CT, Golf Channel

Saturday-Sunday, 12-2 PM CT Golf Channel; 2-5 PM CT CBS

Winner

I’m going to take a little reach this week with the 24 year old from Portola Valley, California, by way of Stanford University. This guy finished tied for 8th last Sunday and shot 66. It’s a reach, but that’s more fun.

Maverick McNealy