Most people anticipated that this Sunday was going to be a rematch of the infamous “Ice Bowl” game played back on New Year’s eve of 1967.  This game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys is the coldest game on record in pro football history with a game time temperature of 13 degrees below zero and wind chill of 46 degrees below zero!  To the dismay of Cowboys fans, we will instead see a rematch of another very cold game, the 1962 NFL Championship, between the Packers and New York Giants.  The Packers won that game played at Yankee Stadium in New York 16-7 with the temperature dipping down to 13 degrees and winds gusting up to 40 mph.  Brrrr!

The Packers had beat the Giants 37-0 the previous year as well to win the 1961 NFL Championship.  There is a reason they call Green Bay “Titletown.”  The Packers have won more championships, 12, than any other team in NFL history.  Nine of those came before the Super Bowl era, then they won the first two Super Bowls (1966 & 1967) and once again in 1996 (XXXI).  That last championship was played against New England which is the likely opponent if Green Bay makes it back this season.  On their way to winning Super Bowl XXXI, the Packers won the NFC Championship at Lambeau Field by defeating the Carolina Panthers in another very cold game (game time temperatures were just 3 degrees with wind chill of 17 below zero).

The frigid forecast for Sunday in Green Bay is single digit temperatures with below zero wind chill.  The last time a NFL conference championship game was played during subzero windchills was 3 years ago (2005) when it was the case for both games.  That season New England won at Pittsburgh and Atlanta lost at Philadelphia.  Neither game involved the Packers or was played at Lambeau Field, but the Packers have played in (and won) 3 of the 6 coldest games in NFL history.  Here is a list of those coldest games:

Tie 4) Green Bay at Minnesota, 12/10/1972, 0 degrees

Tie 4) LA Raiders at Green Bay, 12/26/1993, 0 degrees

Tie 4) LA Raiders at Buffalo, 1/14/1994, 0 degrees

3) Chicago at Minnesota, 12/3/1972, -2 degrees

2) San Diego at Cincinnati, 1/10/1982, -9 degrees

1) Dallas at Green Bay “Ice Bowl”, 12/31/1967, -13 degrees

As expected the Packers have been quite successful in the cold.  In fact, Brett Favre has a 43-5 record at home when the game-time temperature is 34 degrees or below.  Hopefully that trend will continue this Sunday night in the frigid temperatures with another Green Bay win.  Go Pack Go!

In other news today, Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB) received a 3-year contract extension through the year 2012.  As I had referred to in my 1/16 posting, Selig had also been in the news this week as MLB began Congressional hearings surrounding the use of steroids in baseball.  I have referenced his blog before, but I would recommend Kent Ninomiya’s posting titled “Bud the dud or stud?” (link: http://kentninomiya.tblog.com/post/1969972049" title="http://kentninomiya.tblog.com/post/1969972049" target="_blank"http://kentninomiya.tblog.com...).  Please check it out now or when you are done reading mine.

I personally hold Selig in high regard.  First, the former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, brought baseball back to Milwaukee after the Braves left for Atlanta.  For that, I will always be grateful because I can’t imagine growing up without my hometown team to cheer for.  Objectively though, he has made tremendous advancements in his 16 years since becoming the commissioner of MLB.  Here’s a short list highlighting some of those advancements:

> changed to the current 3 division format and added the wild card round to the playoffs in 1994

> added interleague play in 1997

> revenue sharing to help save smaller market teams

> avoided an imminent work stoppage in 2002

> stricter drug testing policy added in 2005 and has been tightened severely since

> MLB’s financial turnaround including record levels of attendance and revenue

That last one is probably the most impressive.  Attendance levels would indicate that baseball’s popularity is at an all-time high despite the dark shadow that the whole steroids issue continues to cast over the sport.  Selig deserves this contract extension and history will prove that he is the best commissioner the sport of baseball has ever seen.  When he retires in 2012, Selig will leave quite a legacy behind and hopefully then (if not sooner) will he receive the credit that he truly deserves.  Thank you , Bud, for saving Baseball in Milwaukee and thank you, Bud, for saving the sport of Baseball for everybody.

That's all I have for tonight.  Thanks for reading and I appreciate your comments and feedback.  If you are new (where have you been?), please click on the archives to read all of my other postings.  I found a VERY cool music-related website that I will try to let you all know about this weekend, so keep an eye out for that.  TGIF.

Check this out:  Here is a math trick so unbelievable that it will stump
you.
1. Grab a calculator. (you won't be able to do this one
in your head) Go ahead I'll wait...
2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number
(NOT the area code)
3. Multiply by 80
4. Add 1
5. Multiply by 250
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
7. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
8. Subtract 250
9. Divide number by 2
Do you recognize the answer???  Pretty cool, huh?

Quote of the day:  "It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it."  -Joseph Joubert (French Moralist from way in the late 1700's)

Download this:  "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Sheryl Crow (yes, Sheryl Crow) - This song originally recorded by Guns n' Roses is one of my favorites.  I figured most people have heard this version, but that most have not heard the Sheryl Crow version.  Great song!