Paul’s Blog

Two big space firsts celebrate their anniversary today, the first man in space and the first launch of the Space Shuttle.

Yuri Gagarin was sent aloft in his Vostok I spacecraft in on this day 1961 and completed one orbit before returning to Earth. He became the first human to go into space as well as orbit — his mission really accelerated the Space Race that began with Sputnik and concluded with Apollo 11.

In 1981, Columbia became the first Space Shuttle to go into orbit with Apollo veteran John Young and Robert Crippen aboard. The shuttle or Space Transportation System (STS) proved itself a reliable vehicle and was retired in July, 2011.

Jim Brown turns 78 today!

Click on the image for a larger version. Pencil on Strathmore Multimedia board.

The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl, routing the Denver Broncos 43-8. The best offense in NFL history could not get going against a ferocious Seahawk defense that did not give them any room to breathe. The Seattle secondary actually played against tendencies, letting the Bronco receivers get off the line without chucking them. However, when the Denver players caught the ball on their short routes, the Seahawk defenders hit them like a ton of bricks. There were very few “yards after the catch”.

Manning was out of sync from the opening snap, which flew over his head for a quick 2-0 Seattle lead. As usual, Peyton had a tough time once the game got out of control. He is the best front running QB in history, but when things get hairy, he has a tough time making the big plays to get his team back in the game.

The Seahawk offense was hardly spectacular. Russell Wilson made a few 3rd-and-long throws to keep drives alive, but the real spark came from Percy Harvin. Since coming over from the Minnesota Vikings, Harvin had played only 37 snaps due to injury for his new team, but on Super Sunday, Harvin was ready to break out. His two jet sweeps netted 45 yards (which actually made him Seattle’s leading rusher for the game) and his 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to begin the third quarter essentially put the game away.

Both works on Strathmore Multimedia Board. Click on the images for a larger version.

Pencils

The New Orleans Saints, fresh off their upset win at Philadelphia, travelled to the rainy Pacific Northwest to face the #1 seed Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round and ran into a buzzsaw. The Seahawks opportunistic defense and the running of Marshawn Lynch dominated the Saints as the Seahawks won 23-15 in a game not quite as close as the score would indicate.

Lynch battered the Saints defense for 140 yards on 28 bruising carries, including 2 touchdown runs. The clincher was his 31 yard TD scamper with 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

Lynch and the Seahawks will now face their rival, the San Francisco 49′ers, in the NFC Championship game for the right to go to the Superbowl.

Pencils, ink, and watercolor on Strathmore Multimedia board. Click on the images for a larger version.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions staged a seesaw battle at Heinz Field with the Steelers eventually prevailing 37-27. The Steelers raced out to a 17-3 lead, then allowed the Lions to move up and down the field to the tune of 27 points in the second quarter. At the half, the Lions led 27-20 and Calvin Johnson already had 6 catches for 179 yards and 2 TD’s. However, in the second half, Dick LeBeau’s defense made some adjustments and the Steelers held Johnson without a catch and held the Lions without a point.

Behind Big Ben, Pittsburgh scored 17 second half points to take the lead and win going away. For the game, Roethlisberger was 29 of 45 for 367 yards and 4 touchdowns without throwing an interception. He powered the offense as the Steelers only managed 40 yards rushing on the day. Despite the fashion faux pas that are the Steelers’ throwback jerseys, they prevailed to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.