Namath

If you're old enough to remember Earl Morrall not seeing Jimmy Orr in the end zone and Tom Matte fumbling on the first play of the second half, you probably don't want to be reminded that this season is the 25th anniversary of the season that ended with Super Bowl III.The interesting thing, though, is that this year could be Super Bowl III in reverse for Baltimore. As you remember, the Colts -- the team with Morrall at quarterback -- were the 17-point favorites over the New York Jets, the team with Joe Willie Namath at quarterback.

I'll have to double-check Wolf Blitzer's collegiate loyalty and also Lee Corso's political affiliation, but last week, I believe I became the charter member of the uber-liberal anti-Terps media elite. The charges were levied in successive days, when I found myself interviewing voters and writing about a presidential election on a Tuesday and then witnessing the Maryland football team's dismemberment on national TV on a Thursday. I knew the day was coming. I knew my brief turn as a reporter chipping in with campaign coverage would end and I would return to the cozy confines of a sports press box. I just thought the difference between the two assignments might be a bit more striking.

PHILADELPHIA -- Lomas Brown will never be confused with Joe Namath when it comes to guaranteeing a victory."There is no question in my mind that we're going to win this game," the Detroit Lions offensive tackle had said Wednesday. "It's just a matter of how much are we going to win it by and how long is it going to take."But the Lions were humiliated by the Philadelphia Eagles in yesterday's NFC wild-card game, 58-37, and those 66,099 fans at Veterans Stadium are still waiting for the Lions to take control.

Television has searched long and hard over the years for a solid way to portray high school athletics. Unless you count The Waverly Wonders, a 1978 sitcom starring Joe Namath - and why on Earth would you? - the medium has mostly has failed. The latest attempt, Friday Night Lights, a one-hour drama airing Tuesdays on NBC (locally, channels 11 and 4) is a noble effort that largely does well and should do better, given time. Alas, based on the ratings from last week's premiere, Friday Night Lights, a heavily promoted and critically acclaimed look at Texas high school football, may not be given the chance.

THOSE PLUCKY Republicans keep campaigning on, refusing to knuckle under to the prevailing wisdom that says Democrats are a lock to win all citywide and councilmanic offices come Election Day, Nov. 2.Tony Campbell, the Republican running for City Council president against Sheila "Shoe of Vengeance" Dixon, believes he has a legitimate shot at winning the race."

Joe Montana, unlike so many sports heroes, did not announce his retirement yesterday at a scheduled news conference.No. That was a love-in, in the true, San Francisco sense of the words.The faithful had been gathering for hours in the city's Justin Herman Plaza. The public address system had kept them busy with a medley of Joe's golden-oldie highlight hits. The honored guests, from the Mayor to Madden, proceeded to all lay palms at Joe's humble feet.L "One more year! One more year!" the audience began to chant.

Larry Bruno , a former Geneva (Pa.) College football star who turned down a chance to play for the Steelers and later coached Joe Namath in high school, has died. He was 88. The Steelers drafted Bruno, a running back, in the 13th round in 1947, but he chose to go into coaching. His career at Monaca (1949-58) and Beaver Falls (1959-78) high schools was highlighted by a Namath-led Beaver Falls team that went 10-0 in 1960 and won a western Pennsylvania championship. There were no statewide playoffs.

Broadway Joe Namath took off his jacket, grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down at the Wyndham Baltimore and explained why he'd come to town. He was here to promote the Arthritis Huddle, he said, a pharmaceutical-sponsored organization that seeks to educate arthritis sufferers about ways to reduce pain and improve the quality of their lives. The former quarterback, who has arthritis, is best known for guaranteeing and delivering the New York Jets' upset victory over the Colts in Super Bowl III in 1969.

While Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has won some people with his play the past two weeks, Joe Namath's mind had long been made up. He didn't need to see Flacco out-shine Indianapolis Colts phenom Andrew Luck and outplay Denver Broncos future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning to conclude that Flacco is one of the league's better quarterbacks. In a phone interview with The Baltimore Sun this week, Namath said that he has a been of fan of Flacco's ever since he first saw him play with the Ravens and he doesn't believe “you can give Flacco too much credit.” “A lot of that respect comes from knowing how tough the position can be at times, what kind of valleys we can get into mentally, emotionally.

Joe Namath, in an interview last night with Dan Marino on HBO's Real Sports, said he never gets tired of talking about the legendary guarantee of the New York Jets' 1969 Super Bowl victory over the Baltimore Colts. "No way," Namath said. "Don Larsen, who pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees [in 1956], came up with the perfect answer. I was standing there and someone asked Don, `Do you ever get tired of talking about your perfect game,' and Don said, 'Why should I?' " Marino asked Namath if the Jets played the Colts in the Super Bowl 10 times in 1969, how many times would the Jets have won?