NFL: SUPER BOWL XLVII, SOME BACKGROUND /// WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

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.  .  .   SPORTS NOTEBOOK posts its columns Tuesday and Friday of each week. Ed. & Publ., Marvin Leibstone; Copy & Mng. Ed., Gail Kleiner.

NFL    ----    TEAM sports are wars of a different kind, presumed to be safer, of which it’s been argued that American football can often resemble the bang-bang/kill-kill variant (minus the ammo), football’s cap for that being the nation’s Super Bowl, which competes post-season winning franchises from the National Football League’s American Football Conference and the National Football Conference, this year the AFC’s Baltimore Ravens versus the NFC’s San Francisco 49ers.

Though not top-seeded for the year’s NFL playoffs, each conference championship team led its respective division throughout much of the NFL 2012/13 regular season, the Ravens finishing with 10 wins and six losses, the 49ers with 11 wins, four losses and a tie. In the playoffs, the two teams bested franchises that had finished the regular season with more wins than they had, scooting past the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots.

When it comes to the wide array of football’s game-winning competencies, the differences between the Ravens and the 49ers are hardly that which eliminates all doubt about which will defeat the other, though in some key categories the Ravens have a slight edge if data is any indication of likelihood of victory, weak though data can sometimews be up against that which cannot be explained by numbers.

Anyway, of the Ravens regular season wins were two four-game winning streaks. The 49ers accrued five two-game winning streaks. Two of the Ravens regular season wins reached higher than 40 points each, including a 55-20 spread vs. the Oakland Raiders. The 49ers put up 40+ points in each of two wins during the regular season. The Ravens top five regular season and playoff wins totaled more than 170 points, while the 49ers accrued more than 190 points from its top five wins.

Too, the Ravens average gain in yards per individual play has been around 7.1, the 49ers, 7.7, and number of first downs won by the Ravens and the 49ers during the playoffs exceeded 35 each, both having accumulated more than 350 net rushing yards, with average number of ball possession minutes for the 49ers, 38 minutes, for the Ravens, 25. When it comes to total net yards passing, the Ravens are ahead with 600+ vs. the 49ers having accumulated under 500.

And, comparing quarterback pass completion ratings during the playoffs, we have Ravens QB Joe Flacco and the 49ers Colin Kaepernick nearly identical, each having hit their targets more than half of passes attempted.

An upshot from the above-cited numbers, then, is that the Ravens/49ers Super Bowl XLVII contest could be very close, unless .  .  .

.  .  .  OMG, What in heck just happened?

Approximating real war, football has its suddenly appearing variables, “the lightning-quick unexpected,” e.g., no-one could have predicted the kick and punt returns that became touchdowns for Denver during the playoffs, or that Ravens QB Flacco’s 70 yard pass during overtime vs. the Broncos + a Ravens field goal that followed; or, that the retiring/aging Ravens linebacker, Ray Lewis, would put up more than 30 tackles during the playoffs; or, that 49ers QB Kaepernick would accumulate more than 165 yards rushing in a winning game, 69 of which were for a TD.

If data can prove anything, it’s that those unseen occurrences, that “fog of war” releasing confusion onto a battlefield, can dominate, maintain, bring even an obvious underdog to victory. Whether it will be a Ravens or 49ers win, is surely anyone’s guess.

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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC  ---   So what if the International Olympics Committee eliminated baseball from Olympic competition? Hey, fans and sportswriters, we have the WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC, about to occur for the third time (it’s to be held every three years), and in a much better organized manner than that which the IOC could provide when responsible for more than 30 other sports, the WBC best for fans as well as for ballplayers from sixteen countries---Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, China-Taipei (Taiwan), Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea. Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States, Venezuela. 

Starting March 2 and until March 19, teams will divide into four “Pools” for three rounds of elimination play, each round at several venues. Round One will occur at Japan, at China-Taipei (Taiwan), Puerto Rico, and at Phoenix, Arizona. Round Two will happen at Japan, and at Miami, Florida. Round Three (Championship Round), will be at AT&T Park, San Francisco, California. Last WBC winning team (2009), was Japan .  .  .  

If there’s a downside to the WBC, it’s that the event (39 games, viewed on the MLB Network) will occur at the same time that Major League Baseball teams conduct their spring training, which is why such players as Mike Trout of the L.A. Angels have declined joining America’s WBC roster, and a downside for the U.S. is that several All-Star and MVP players will choose to play for their country of origin, e.g., the Detroit Tigers third baseman, Miguel Cabrera, choosing to play for Venezuela.

Here’s the breakout into “Pools” ---

Pool A: Japan, China, Cuba and Brazil. Pool B: Korea, the Netherlands, Australia and Taipei-China (Taiwan). Pool C: Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Spain. Pool D: Mexico, Italy, Canada, the United States. 

Below is the U.S. WBC team Roster, established by, and to be managed by, former New York Yankee and Los Angeles Dodger manager, Joe Torres---      

Player	Pos.	Team
Mark Teixeira	1B	Yankees
Brandon Phillips	2B	Reds
Jimmy Rollins	SS	Phillies
David Wright	3B	Mets
Joe Mauer	C	Twins
Ryan Braun	LF	Brewers
Adam Jones	CF	Orioles
Giancarlo Stanton	RF	Marlins
Ben Zobrist	INF	Rays
Willie Bloomquist	INF	D-backs
Shane Victorino	OF	Red Sox
Jonathan Lucroy	C	Brewers
J.P. Arencibia	C	Blue Jays
R.A. Dickey	SP	Blue Jays
Ryan Vogelsong	SP	Giants
Derek Holland	SP	Rangers
Kris Medlen	SP	Braves
Craig Kimbrel	RP	Braves
Heath Bell	RP	D-backs
Chris Perez	RP	Indians
Vinnie Pestano	RP	Indians
Luke Gregerson	RP	Padres
Glen Perkins	RP	Twins
Steve Cishek	RP	Marlins
Jeremy Affeldt	RP	Giants
Tim Collins	RP	Royals
Mitchell Boggs	RP	Cardinals

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