HSBT

Participants,

We have a situation that I am asking for your feedback regarding our beloved trophy.  But first, a little history:

The original trophy was purchased in 1989 and was able to display the years and names of winners up through the 2000 Super Bowl.  At that time, it was determined that we needed to add room for future trophy winners and the only feasible way to do that was by adding a new base – which we did.  Well, that base has served us well up through our current Super Bowl season.

Now, we have run out of room on the current plaque and need to decide what our next course of action should be for future year winners (see THE Trophy below, which now is being proudly displayed at JTB’s home).  I offer a couple proposals and want your collective feedback before we move forward:

Option 1
Purchase another plaque like the one we have just filled up and install it on either the left, right or backside of the current bottom plaque.  Assuming we do this, we will have room for another 18 years of trophy winners.  Then, I presume we would then continue with that plan and eventually have a plaque on all 4 sides – similar in concept to the Stanley Cup (however, that trophy is round).  By doing so, we will have enough room through the year 2072 – almost “In the Year 2525” (Zager and Evans song…).  From a cost perspective this would be relatively economical.

Option 2
Purchase another (and larger) base and commit to having only a plaque on the front side of the trophy.  This will increase the prominence and size of the trophy significantly and would also increase annual mailing costs for the previous year’s winner.  With a larger base (to support the increased trophy weight), we should be able to fit about 24 or so names on the plaque – taking us to about the year 2042.  At that time I will communicate to all participants (any guess as to how many we may have by then?) and we will collectively decide our next course of action.

I look forward to your feedback and will communicate the comments and ideas of all participants so we may decide our next course of action on this very serious matter.  If you have an Option 3 or 4, please also provide that, too!  Unlike Facebook, The Office of The Commish does not maintain a record of your preferences…

Spring has finally arrived and we are a mere 3-1/2 months away from the start of NFL training camps!

I remain,
~~ The Commish

HSBT Update – JTB Wins!

Congrats to JTB on his come-from-behind win to capture the 30^th Anniversary HSBT Trophy!  It’s his 1^st trophy victory in only his 4^th year and took a gutsy pick in the Super Bowl (Philadelphia 28, New England 24) to overcome a 160-point deficit against Greg the Great.  It became a seesaw battle of these 2 titans in the 2^nd half and Greg the Great would have captured his 7^th HSBT Trophy had the Patriots beat the Eagles.

For Pete the Terp, his 2-year victory run is now over and he will busy getting the trophy engraved and shipped to JTB.  Congrats also to him for his consecutive wins in 2016 and 2017.  An amazing record that I’m sure he hopes to start again next season.

Final HSBT Standings

• JTB – 1^st place with 1,052 points (348 in the Super Bowl)
• Greg the Great – 976 points (it’s hard to bet against the Patriots)
• 2018 Winner – 825 points (picked a defensive tussle, which clearly did not happen)
• Comeback Kid – 795 points (with a leading 404 points in the Super Bowl)
• Buffalo Bill – 790 points (252 points in the Super Bowl, 3^rd best for the day)
• Ben the Butler – 490 points (also envisioned a low scoring game)
• Pete the Terp – 473 points (another low scoring game pick)
• HenricoFiveOh – 447 points (had the lowest game score of the day)

A Couple Interesting HSBT Stats

• JTB’s record of 6-5 is the lowest for a trophy winner since HenricoFiveOh did the same in 2008
• JTB eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for the 1^st time; he now joins an elite club with Comeback Kid, Greg the Great and Pete the Terp
• No participant was able to collect the 100 Super Bowl Bonus Points

Once the 2018 season totals are updated, I’ll send out more detailed stats for your reading enjoyment (and they will also be posted on our website on the Cumulative Stats tab).

Super Bowl LII Wrap-Up
Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33.  The Dynasty vs. The Destiny.  Did anyone envision these stats?

• 1,151 total yards (all-time playoff record)
• 74 points being scored (33 in a losing cause is another record)
• 879 passing yards (a record 505 by Pats QB Brady) and 7 TD tosses (1 of them to Eagles QB Nick Foles)
• 2 missed extra points and a missed (short) FG attempt
• 1 combined total punt

The Eagles (underdogs in all 3 playoff games this season), literally manhandled the Patriots and put up points at will.  Unfortunately for the Philly faithful, so did the Patriots – until Eagles TE Zach (who had not dropped a pass all season…) made that super-clutch TD catch deep in the 4^th quarter (2:21 remaining) to seal the deal.  The “Ertz So Bad” play, followed up by the Brady strip sack on the last series and let the riots begin in the City of Brotherly Love.

Again, congrats to JTB for his comeback win to capture his 1^st ever HSBT Trophy.  I did have an opportunity to speak with him shortly after his victory on Sunday night, and he commented, “I can hardly believe it.  It’s a dream come true and I can’t wait to proudly display the trophy.  I’ve got a special place ready for it.  I knew it was going to come down to who won the game before the winner was officially announced.  The Commish was watching the game with me (and family members) and I let out a huge roar after the Brady strip sack ended the game!”

So, as we close another year of the HSBT, I will let you know when the Cumulative Stats are updated.  Winter Olympics start this week in South Korea and the NFL Combine is later this month.  World Cup soccer is this summer.  NFL Training camps open in a few short months and the regular season is not far off.  And before you know it – HSBT 31 will be ramping up.

Until then, have a great 2018  and I remain
~~ The Commish

Participants,

In case you’re interested, here is a link to the NFL’s Official Program for the game.  Fun read and over 260 pages (includes advertising…)

Super Bowl LII Official Program

We already have 1 pick officially submitted for tomorrow’s game (The Commish only sees who submitted the pick, not the game score), so somebody is very confident!

A Few Final Thoughts
Head to the grocery store early today, as I’ve noticed that many of the key ingredients for the most popular SB delicacies are now in short supply.  Also, please be sure you are current with your TV subscription bill (has anyone switched to YouTube TV yet?  The Commish will be looking at that as a new option to “cut the cord” and save a few $$.  Looks pretty enticing and all you really need is the Roku functionality).  If you have decided to go to the game, let me know where you are sitting and what food vendors you plan to visit (reference my earlier email on food options).  Let us know if you try the regional favorite – lutefisk (I did notice that there is no shortage of lye in the stores).  You can find that near Section 322.

Interesting Tidbits

• Every point scored by the Eagles during the playoffs (53) are by players who were not on the team roster a year ago
• Both #1 seeds have made it to this game
• The Patriots have not forced a turnover in the playoffs, and no team has ever won the SB without doing so – will they get 1 (or more) on Sunday?
• Philly QB Foles is the only player in NFL history to record a 100-plus passer rating in each of his first three career postseason games (minimum 20 attempts/game)
• 2 Hands Down for the Patriots – this is their 10th Super Bowl appearance
• This is the 9th year in a row that New England has been in the playoffs (which Bill’s fans are keenly aware of…)
• The Lombardi Trophy is made from sterling silver by Tiffany & Co.  The HSBT Trophy is not (but is more valuable)
• The Pats, as “home” team, chose to wear their white (road) uniforms.  They have never lost the SB wearing white (3-0).  In the last 13 Super Bowl’s, the team wearing white has won 12 times
• If you are still undecided on going to the game, eBay has what you need for that last minute decision:  The “Platinum Plus Package” for $145,000. It includes four seats (row 14, 40-yard line), Delta Sky Suite with food and adult beverages, pregame on-field access and post-game party with the winning players, and a stay at a house 10 minutes from the stadium). Free delivery on the tickets, too.  Better hurry and get a plane ticket (maybe you get preferential treatment on Delta).  If you are not interested in all that extra fluff, StubHub has a ticket (game seat only) for only $66,655, plus fees.  Might need a couple of credit cards to pay for that one.

Enjoy the game and excitement of knowing who will be the winner of the HSBT Trophy!

~~ The Commish

One game left and oh, so many possibilities for the HSBT participants as they attempt to wrestle the coveted trophy from Re-Pete the Terp.  Who will be the next one to proudly display the trophy on their mantle for the upcoming year?  After you have successfully made your picks in a timely manner on Sunday (or earlier), kick back in your favorite chair or sofa with the usual “Super Bowl health food” menu (total consumption not to be less than 15,000 calories – but be sure to eat at least 1 stalk of celery with Ranch dressing on those Buffalo Wings) and a few (well, maybe one more..) adult beverages and get ready to watch 2018 Winner capture the 30^th Anniversary HSBT Trophy.  Whoa!  Did The Commish make that bold prediction?

Let’s take a little deeper look at the HSBT before jumping into The Commish’s expert analysis and prediction for Super Bowl 52.

HSBT Facts

• Greg the Great sits atop the leaderboard with 864 points, the most all-time at this stage of the competition. Will he eclipse Pete the Terp’s record of 1,322 points for the season?  A win this Sunday and he will be the 1^st to have captured the trophy 7 times
• The largest comeback to win the trophy on Super Bowl Sunday is 226 points from – Comeback Kid in 1993. Right now, he’s 473 points behind Greg the Great, so it will take a very special comeback for him to win his 6^th trophy
• There are only 2 participants with a winning record – the last time we were so bad at picking the winning teams this deep in the playoffs was 2008
• The smallest winning margin is 9 points (2011 Winner). This year could set a new record, with 2018 Winner and JTB (the Ohio contingent) in 2^nd and 3^rd place at the moment
• A Patriots win gives the Super Bowl Bonus of 100 points to Buffalo Bill, Greg the Great, Pete the Terp and 2018 Winner

REMEMBER, your game score is due before the 6:30pm kickoff.  With 1 exception (I won’t mention names so as not to point any fingers at Ben the Butler…) everyone has been on time with their picks for the entire playoffs.  I will be looking for some very interesting picks as everyone tries to jockey for 1^st place.  In his 6 trophy wins, Greg the Great has not relinquished the lead when ahead after the Conference Championship games.  Pete the Terp, do you have his mailing address?

A Few Super Bowl Facts

• The last time the Eagles and Patriots met for the title was in 2005. To get to the Super Bowl, the Eagles had to beat the Falcons and Vikings in the playoffs.  Sound familiar?
• If the Patriots win on Sunday, New England QB Tom Brady will be the first ever QB to win a Super Bowl and also lead the NFL in passing yards in the same season
• Tom Brady has played in 7 Super Bowls. The entire Eagles 53-man roster has combined 7 games of Super Bowl experience
• Both teams leader in receiving yards is their Tight End
• During the regular season, the Patriots scored 458 points and Eagles scored 457. Defensively, the Eagles allowed 295 points and the Patriots allowed 296
• Seats can be purchased for Sunday’s game. You, too, can be there for a cool $4,250 per seat (plus the usual Ticketmaster fee).  It will cost you more to actually get a good seat.
• If you go, please let The Commish know so we all can see you when the camera pans the stadium
• And if you go – be sure to try out the stadium food specials:
  • 612 (Minneapolis Area Code) Burger – brisket/chuck blend, sriracha mayo, sharp American cheese, peppadew and a gherkin (burp…)
  • Sota Dog – all-beef hot dog, tater tots, chive sour cream, and paprika on a poppy seed bun. Slop on the ketchup for those tots
  • Walleye Chowder (it’s near the U.P., so that is Walleye Heaven – right Buffalo Bill?) – potatoes, wild rice, vermouth (save some for your SoCo Manhattan), and dill along with a sourdough roll
  • Kramarczuk’s Wild Rice Bratwurst – with carmelized onions and lingonberry chutney
  • For the Patriots fan – New England Clam Roll (made with Kettle-chip encrusted fried clams)
  • For the Eagles fan – South Philly Roast Pork Sandwich (includes sautéed broccoli rabe for a health food kick)
  • For the Bills fan (yep) – enjoy the “2-Minute Drill Dog.” Served with bacon, buffalo ketchup (presumably has Ted’s Hot Sauce), blue cheese, diced celery (for the health-conscious) and Ranch dressing – it will remind every Bills fan of a menu item at the Anchor Bar downtown or the Bar Bill in East Aurora.  Bring your own Buffalo Wings to the stadium and enjoy
  • If all of that seems to be too many calories, you can opt for something lighter – like the Mac N Cheese. It has Chipotle chicken (I’m sure they have removed the skin), 3 cheeses (hey, Wisconsin is nearby so it must be good), Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Cool Ranch Doritos.  Maybe you can get a discount for 2 orders…  Caloric content has to be under 7,500, right?
  • If dessert is all you seek, go for Blue Unicorn. A simply light and elegant after meal treat with Blue Moon ice cream (is it made with their beer?), Fruity Pebbles, strawberries, sprinkles, bubble gum sauce and whipped cream.  All majestically served by a vendor called Bubble Waffles.  Maybe you need to get 2, as I’m not sure you will not find that elsewhere in the US.  If you ask, they might add some chocolate sauce on top to satisfy the most demanding sugar palette.  You can find them in Section 111.
• This will be the 2^nd SB played in Minneapolis. The 1^st was in 1992, when the Redskins defeated the Bills (their 2^nd of 4 consecutive trips to the Big Game), 37-24.  The ‘Skins and QB Mark Rypien jumped out to a 24-0 lead and the Bills (featuring the “K Gun” offense, with Jim Kelly at the controls and 2,000+ yards from scrimmage RB Thurman Thomas) just couldn’t recover against the league’s #4 D.  Bad trip down memory lane that is sure to bring up some of that over-indulged food from the above menu…

Super Bowl Analysis and Prediction
For the 52^nd consecutive time, neither team is playing the Super Bowl on their home field.  Almost, Vikes.

While most pundits have been filling the winter air with obscure and irrelevant oral diarrhea, the primary moving air at NFL headquarters is from the fans that keep our computers cool and humming.  The analyst’s predictions are completed and ready to share.  While this communication is being sent a little earlier than normal, I wanted to provide all Participants with as much time as possible to make their key Super Bowl game predictions.

Without further adieu (drum roll, please), here is the scoop on how Sunday’s game will play out:

Background
The G.O.A.T. vs. The (Under) Dog.  Nobody has been better in the Super Bowl than Tom Brady.  Period.  And nobody gave the continually underdog Eagles a shot at winning a playoff game this season.  Yet, here they are.  The last time these 2 teams met in the Super Bowl (2005 in Super Bowl 39), the Pats prevailed in part (mostly) due to Eagle QB Donovan McNabb’s mismanagement of the game clock during a crucial drive in the 4^th quarter.  Being unable to get into FG range and then tossing an errant pick, spelled doom for the Eagles, who came out on the short end, 24-21.

This is Giselle’s husband’s 8^th Super Bowl.  He is the last QB to start the season as a backup and win the Super Bowl (in 2001, when he replaced the injured Drew Bledsoe, who went on to the lead the Buffalo Bills to – a higher draft pick the next season), which is very good news for the Eagles Nick Foles – except he is playing against…  Tom Brady

Eagles Strategy to Win

• First, they must terrorize QB Tom all day (night) long. Can the best front 7 in the league do it?
• Second, QB Nick Foles must play like he did in that romp over the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. Keep in mind he has played in the past like Blake Bortles in the Jags win vs. Buffalo earlier in the playoffs
• Third – get at least 100 combined yards from scrimmage by RB’s Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount. When that happens, they are 7-0 this season (including the playoffs)
• Lastly – they need something big from their special team corps. And, will RB LeGarrette Blount (18 TD’s last year in New England) make the Patriots wish they had not let him go?  He may score 3 TD’s on Sunday…

Patriots Strategy to Win

• Now that we are officially over Thumb Mania – it never reached –gate status (which the Patriots have made famous in the NFL), is all the Pats need to do to win is show up on game day?
• Which New England RB is going to romp, like James White did last year (3 TD’s, including the game winner)? You can bet there will be a player under the radar who does something big
• Gronk is back (until he gets whacked again…) and there isn’t a DB in the league that can stop him for an entire game
• Don’t overlook the Eagles. None of the Patriots prior 7 SB opponents boasted both a top 5 scoring offense and top 5 scoring D, as the Eagles do

Game Prediction
First, Justin Timberlake’s halftime show should not contain a wardrobe malfunction (who can forget the last one with Janet Jackson?).  Let’s also hope that all players can avoid the flu bug.

As for THE Game,

One for the other Thumb, as the Pats make their customary adjustments when they fall behind 10-0 in the 1^st quarter (how about that 1^st play from scrimmage for the Eagles, resulting in a TD?).  They steamroll their way to title #6 in the last 16 years.
New England 34, Philadelphia 16

Or…

Proving that the Underdog can still bark and bite, the Eagles win their 1^st Lombardi Trophy since beating (Packers Head Coach) Vince Lombardi for the NFL Championship in 1960 on the day after Christmas (and, yes, they were home underdogs in that game, too).  Did Pats K Gostkowski really miss that 4th quarter 52-yd FG attempt (in SB 52) with 00:52 on the clock?
Eagles 27, Patriots 24 (in an OT thriller!)

Be sure to stay up to date with the suspense of the HSBT Trophy by going to our “Standings” tab on the website.  The Commish will be updating point totals with each Super Bowl score.  As is customary, The Commish will also let all Participants know (via email) who the winner of the HSBT trophy is (much more valuable than the Vince Lombardi version) as soon as the game ends.  Next week you can expect to receive The Commish’s expert review of the game and an official salute to the winner of the 2018 HSBT Trophy.

Best of luck with your picks and enjoy the game!!

I remain,
~~ The Commish

Well, now that we know who the SB52 teams will be, it was a bit surprising that the heavily favored Patriots struggled right up to the end against a staunch Jags team (that was a really clutch TD catch for the win by WR Amendola with 2 ½ minutes remaining) and that the heavily un-favored #1 seeded home team Eagles swooped in for the kill early and often in their clobbering of the Vikings.  Case (Keenum) closed.

The HSBT had some key winners, some who fell behind, and probably one who wished he had revered his Sunday picks.  More on that after the Championship Game analysis:

New England Patriots 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
If anyone had concerns that Pats QB Tom Brady would be hampered by the stitches in the thumb of his throwing hand, you can toss those out like his precision passing display all day long.  For a while it looked like the #3 seeded Jags might be able to pull this off, and held a 14-10 halftime lead.  With TE Gronk out with a concussion for the 2^nd half, there was need for concern among the New England faithful.  But as we’ve seen about 500 times over the past 15 years, Brady lit up the highly-rated Jags pass D with 290 yards and a pair of sweet TD’s at crucial times to secure their annual trip to the Super Bowl.

HSBT Results – JTB and 2018 Winner took honors in this game, each with 224 points.  Comeback Kid and Greg the Great also had a fine game, each with 206 points.  Fortunately, we had only 1 goose-egg.  Greg the Great continues to hold the lead with 694 points halfway thru the Sunday games.

Philadelphia Eagles 38, Minnesota Vikings 7
So much for the possible home field game for the Super Bowl…  Although Minnesota scored the 1^st TD on a nice toss by QB Keenum to TE Rudolph, it was downhill sledding (maybe at the speed of Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation…) for the hapless Vikes after that.  Eagles QB Nick Foles was lethal and the alleged terrific Vikings D was sent back to the Norse land with nothing to show for their efforts but those horned hats.  Eagles offensive lineman, Lane Johnson, is one win away from buying everyone in Philly a beer (his promise last summer).  That will be close to 1.2 million beers for those of legal age…  Hurry up if you want to establish residency in the City of Brotherly Love.

HSBT Results – In a repeat of the day’s earlier game, 2018 Winner secured the most points (233), with Greg the Great coming in 2^nd with 170 points and Henrico FiveOh in 3^rd with 170.  Speaking of Henrico FiveOh (who has been particularly quiet this season), had he reversed his score and instead had the Eagles as 38-10 winners (vs. the Patriots as 38-10 winners), he would be your new leader in the clubhouse.

HSBT Standings Update
10 games down and 1 to go…  Almost 1/3 of the points for the season will be earned on Sunday, Feb 4.   Interestingly, we have only 2 participants with a winning record (Greg the Great at 7-3 and 2018 Winner at 6-4).  In addition, only 4 participants have a shot at the SB Bonus 100 points and they are counting on a Patriots win, while the remaining participants are hoping for a “Home of the Cheesesteak” upset victory.

Here are the HSBT Standings after the Conference Championship Games:

• Greg the Great – 864 points (even with a 376-point showing on Sunday, his lead has been reduced)
• 2018 Winner – 753 points, and is really putting the pressure on the leader
• JTB – 704 points, and in solid contention for his 1^st trophy
• Buffalo Bill – 538 points, and that lousy goose-egg in the Eagles game did not help
• Pete the Terp – 441 points and the current trophy holder needs some help for a 3-Pete
• Ben the Butler – 394 points and maybe those very late score submissions (just in time) did not help
• Comeback Kid – 391 points (“More wings and Beef on Weck, please”)
• Henrico FiveOh – 347 points (he will have an interesting Super Bowl pick, for sure)

Our record for most points in the Super Bowl is 552, so everyone still has a shot…  Enjoy your week and look for my SB52 analysis and predictions just before the Big Game on Feb 4.

Until then, I am
~~ The Commish