Sometimes it’s magical how the apparent worst can somehow be remindful of the best of times. Which is how this month’s column hopefully serves as a history lesson for younger generations — and a refresher course for those of us in a more experienced category.
When Luke Jackson, the managing editor in charge of keeping PressBox staff in step while on line (a challenging chore for sure), emailed me with a “due date” for this issue, my initial reaction was normal. I immediately did my best Lamar Jackson imitation and started scrambling, for an idea that had sufficient “shelf life” to last through the final month of 2023 and the first of the New Year.
What better place to land than the 65th anniversary of the so-called “Greatest Game Ever Played,” the Baltimore Colts’ 23-17 overtime win against the New York Giants on Dec. 28, 1958? (I call it “so-called” for reasons explained later.) That game, billed as a contest for the world championship, is regarded as the one that actually put the National Football League on the world radar.
There are statistical flaws that indicate otherwise, but chances are that the historical game, the first ever in overtime, will go without official challenge as the “greatest” for as long as somebody can remember. Considering that one has to be at least a young septuagenarian to have a recollection, that won’t be as long as we would like to think. It’s also a good reason why you won’t be hearing about many, if any, more celebrations.
So, what brings me to this point? Good question. I’ve always wanted to write something about this game, which will always rank as the best I ever saw when I wasn’t actually working, but for whatever reason there never seemed to be the right time.
Truth of the matter is, beyond personal, there probably still isn’t a good reason, but it did seem to offer a lesson in how we tend to judge or compare one game, player or era against another. It is an impossible task, but one we nevertheless attempt on a fairly routine basis — as I’m about to do on the most extreme of measures.
The NFL thrives on the phrase “any given Sunday,” first coined by legendary commissioner Bert Bell, which now also includes Monday, Thursday and occasional Saturdays. The translation meaning any team is capable of winning any particular game. The interpretation can also include the quality of games played, ranging from sensational to clunkers.
As a random example, I give you Week 12, which produced several spectacular, exciting and suspenseful games, some decided in the final seconds. It also produced one that checked the last two boxes, close and final seconds, that might rank as the worst game of the year.
The Bears beat the Vikings, 12-10, in that game, in which the losing team suffered four interceptions and the winning team lost two fumbles that didn’t turn out to be the game-changers they threatened to be. I managed to watch that whole thing, perhaps for nothing better to do, but mostly because it was close enough, and important enough, to watch to its conclusion.
The next day, while lamenting the quality of play, all I heard from others who had watched was the phrase/question; “Six turnovers, can you believe it?”
I could only chuckle because, as a matter of fact, six turnovers is not that big of a deal, and if you don’t think so, I refer you to Dec. 28, 1958. Would you believe there were six turnovers in the “Greatest Game Ever Played” — in the first half? There were seven in total, to this day the most overlooked statistic from the game many believe revolutionized football.
It is a reminder that mistakes are often part of the excitement, and the classic played 65 years ago checked that box as well as all the others. The game is best remembered for a 76-yard drive with less than two minutes to play that led to a tying field goal and another of 80 yards in overtime that immortalized Johnny Unitas.
That game produced more books and/or documentaries than probably any other ever played. Not to mention 17 Hall of Famers. It was one of those times when you remember where you were when it happened. If you were home, watching on television, you had to sweat out a TV blackout before power was restored and Alan Ameche scored the touchdown that ended the game.
Along with an estimated 10,000 fans from Baltimore, I was in the first base upper deck at Yankee Stadium, the opposite end zone from the dramatic field goal and touchdown. I think the tickets cost $6, top price was $12 and bleachers were $3.50.
Only three months before, John Steadman had added me to the sports staff of The News American. For a number of reasons, one being the absence of publicity because of a newspaper strike in New York, another being the relative lack of interest in the still-fledgling NFL, tickets were readily available and there were special trains from Baltimore.
With 10 tickets in hand, I made the trip with friend and former Loyola College sports editor Dave Bryan and our fiancées, and we were joined by a group of six New Yorkers that included Ed (Nap) Doherty, former player and eventual longtime Greyhounds basketball coach.
Suffice it to say they were different times — including ticket and train ride the price per person was no more than $12, which was still a hefty part of the weekly paycheck. Also different memories — especially for Doherty, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native and diehard Dodgers fan.
It was only his second visit to Yankee Stadium, and the previous one was every bit as memorable. It had been a little more than two years before, Oct. 8, 1956 — the date of Don Larsen’s perfect game against Doherty’s beloved Dodgers. He never went back.
From a personal standpoint, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” came at the end of the first — and the anniversary marks the 65th — year of the journey Steadman put me on so many memories ago. It was a good time to be starting, with the Colts riding high, and the Orioles on the verge of becoming “The Best Damn Team In Baseball” for a period of almost three decades.
Along those lines I must note that PressBox has provided a platform for me to stay involved. In this day and age of media confusion, it is no small task for an outfit like ours to stay as relevant as we have.
And, while there have been some trying times in the recent past, I’m confident that 2023, not unlike 1958, is a good time to be involved. At this stage of the game I might not be as active as in the past — but I’m still engaged and encouraged by the Ravens’ sustainability and what looks to be a promising run by the Orioles in the immediate future.
It’s also a good time to realize that things aren’t always as bad, or as good, as we think they are. And I offer those words, more from experience than wisdom, not only for the Orioles, Ravens and all other teams — but also for the communities they represent.
The epic battle between the Colts and Giants probably wasn’t the greatest game ever played — there have been many suggested replacements as such. But it’ll do until nobody remembers.
The Bears-Vikings fiasco? I’m sure it wasn’t the worst game I’ve ever seen — maybe not even the worst one of the year. But it’ll do for now.
And the Pollyanna in me suggests sports and life have a lot in common. Things are never as good as we want them to be — or as bad as we perceive them to be.
That said, it’s a good time to pause, take a vacay and wish everyone Happy New Year.
Cheers to all!
Jim Henneman can be contacted at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts
Issue 284: December 2023 / January 2024
Originally published Dec. 13, 2023