BOB’S PICKS FOR THE NFL CONFERENCE TITLE GAMES: PACKERS +4 AND STEELERS +6

After the home teams were favored and swept the first six games of this season’s NFL playoffs both straight up and against the Las Vegas point spread, the two underdog road teams both won last Sunday – Green Bay over Dallas and Pittsburgh over Kansas City.

I’m impressed by all four of the surviving teams in this 12-team tournament – particularly the quarterbacks. When in doubt, it often pays off to pick the teams getting points. That’s what I’ll be doing this Sunday.

ATLANTA (-4) 30, Green Bay 28 -- The Falcons have a terrific offense but I’m not bailing out now on red-hot Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He is on an amazing roll – even without injured top target Jordy Nelson…Green Bay’s defense has picked things up lately and rates the edge over the Falcons…Atlanta won 33-32 at over the Packers Week 8, but Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb, Ty Montgomery and Jared Cook all missed that game for Green Bay. The Packers have a banged-up secondary but I trust Rodgers to overcome all obstacles and keep it close all the way to the end.

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 14: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at the Georgia Dome on January 14, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) (PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES--Streeter Lecka / Staff)

NEW ENGLAND (-6) 27, Pittsburgh 24 –The Steelers are 0-5 at Gillette Stadium versus Tom Brady. But Pittsburgh with Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown all healthy is too tempting to pass up getting a generous six points? Brady wasn’t his usual sharp self in last week’s win over Houston. I’m sort of worried that it was a fluke. If he is in SuperTom form on Sunday, the Steelers would be in deep trouble.

OFFENSE RULES FOR THE FOUR NFL PLAYOFF SURVIVORS

The four teams in Sunday’s NFL conference championship games all ranked in the top 10 in the 32-team league in scoring offense and total offense this season. ESPN research notes that it will be only the third time in the last 40 seasons that all four teams in the conference finals ranked in the top 10 in both categories (NFL rank in parentheses):

Atlanta – 33.8 points per game (1st)…426.0 yards offense per game (2nd)

New England – 27.6 points per game (3rd) and 386.3 yards offense per game (4th)

Green Bay – 27.0 points per game (4th) and 368.8 yards offense per game (8th)

Pittsburgh – 24.9 points per game (t10th with Buffalo) and 372.6 yards offense per game (7th).

Three of the four teams in the conference finals (New England is the exception) didn’t rank nearly as high in scoring defense and total defense:

New England – allowed 25.5 points per game (27th) and 371.2 yards per game (25th)

Pittsburgh – allowed 20.4 points per game (10th) and 342.6 yards per game (12th)

Green Bay – allowed 24.3 points per game (21st) and 363.9 yards per gamer (22nd)

Atlanta – allowed 25.4 points per game (27th) and 371.2 yards per game (25th).

Scoring differential per game – New England +12.0…Atlanta +8.4…Pittsburgh +4.5…Green Bay +2.6

Yardage differential per game – New England +59.9…Atlanta +44.6…Pittsburgh +30.0…Green Bay +4.9.

A COUP FOR THE RATTLERS AND THE DWORKINS

The Major League Lacrosse Rochester Rattlers with play their seven home games at downtown Rhinos Stadium this summer. They played at Aquinas Institute last year.

The Rattlers will help fill the scheduling void at Rhinos Stadium left by the sale of the National Women’s Soccer League champion WNY Flash to interests in Cary, N.C.

The more events at Rhinos Stadium the better. Cheers to Wendy and David Dworkin, the civic-minded owners of the Rhinos, for embracing the Rattler as partners. Best-case scenario: The two teams complement each other and attendance increases for both – 5,000-plus per game for the Rhinos and 3,000-plus per game for the Rattlers in the world’s best outdoor lacrosse league.

Playing at Rhinos Stadium could be the boost the Rattlers need to stay here beyond this year.

FISCAL 2016: RED WINGS IN THE BLACK BUT BATAVIA PUTS RCB IN THE RED

The Red Wings had a very good 2016 season on the field (81 wins was the most since 1997) and Rochester Community Baseball, Inc., had a profitable season ($121,000) operating the Triple-A International League Red Wings.

But – again – operating the Single-A New York-Penn League Batavia Muckdogs resulted in a $247,000 loss last year. The bottom line was a $126,000 loss for Rochester Community baseball.

Why does RCB continue to operate the Muckdogs despite losing around $1,5 million total over the past nine years? Because RCB will get 5 percent-per-year of the sale price for the Muckdogs up to 50 percent. This will be the 10th and final season of the current agreement between RCB and the not-for-profit Genesee County Baseball Corp

RCB officials believe the price for the Batavia franchise would be at least $6 million. Fifty percent of that would be $3 million for RCB – far more than the money spent keeping professional baseball alive in Batavia.

Other details from the RCB 2016 annual report to shareholders: Paid attendance for the Red Wings dropped 1 percent from 2015 ($434,897 compared to $440,360) but the turnstile count improved a bit (from 273,597 to 276,522)…A tough year on the stock market resulted in RCB taking a big hit in investment income ($213,000 in 2015 to $21,000 last year). RCB showed a $445,000 profit operating the Red Wings in 2015.

THOUGHTS ON A FEW ALSO-RANS IN THE 2017 BASEBALL HALL OF FAME ELECTION

Vladimir Guerrero – Missed election by 15 votes on his first try. A great hitter. Excellent all-around player until years playing on concrete-hard outfield in Montreal caught up with his knees. Figures to be elected next year.

Edgar Martinez – He improved by 31.6 percent in this year’s voting and missed election by 73 votes. He figures to be elected soon…Good to see the anti-DH voting bloc coming around…He was a great hitter and would’ve been a third baseman/first baseman for Seattle all those years if not for the DH rule.

Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling – These two former Rochester Red Wings pitching stars have similar credentials for the Hall of Fame. Mussina had more wins (270 to 216) and Schilling had a lower ERA (3.46 to 3.68), a brilliant K-to-W ratio (4.3-to-1) and a spectacular post-season pitching line (11-2 record; 2.23 ERA)…In voting for the Class of 2016, Mussina added 30 votes (189 to 229) and Schilling dropped 31 votes (2230 to 199). The outspoken Schilling’s far-right politics cost him his job at ESPN and might cost him election to the Hall of Fame. I don’t believe that would be fair.

Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner – Hoffman missed election by 5 votes and Wagner missed election by 287 votes. Hoffman had a big advantage in longevity but I think Wagner was the better relief pitcher in a briefer career.

Sammy Sosa – He received 38 of 442 votes this year and his 8.6 percent keeps him on the ballot for another year (the 16 players who received 5 percent of fewer votes all were eliminated from future consideration). Sosa figures to banished from eligibility soon.

Jorge Posada – In his first year of eligibility, he received 17 votes (3.8 percent) and will be removed from future consideration. He was a very good player on great Yankee teams but not a Hall of Famer.

KEVIN OKLOBZIJA’S ALL-AMERKS TEAM !1986 through 2016)

New Rochester Americans Hall of Famer Kevon Oklobzija on Wednesday night unveiled his All-Time Amerks All Star Team for the 31 years he covered the team for the Democrat and Chronicle (1986 through 2016):

Goalies (3) – starter Darren Puppa, Martin Biron and Ryan Miller

Defensemen (7) – Richie Dunn, Dave Fenyves, Don McSween, Mike Hurlbut (“point on the power play”), Jim Hofford, Brian Campbell and Bill Houlder

Left wings (4) – Mike Donnelly, Scott Metcalfe, Jimmy Jackson and Craig Fisher

Centers (5) – Chris Taylor, Domenic Pittis, Peter Ciavaglia and Scott Nichol, Paul Gardner

Right wings 4) – Jody Gage, Donald Audette, Dan Frawley and Jason Pominville

Coach – John VanBoxmeer.

Trainer – Kent Weisbeck.

PEGASUS WORLD CUP IS LOOMING

The world’s richest horse race, the $12-million Pegasus World Cup, will be run at 1 -1/8th mile Saturday, Jan. 28, at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

The big story line is the showdown between the two top 2016 Horse of the Year candidates – Arrogate and California Chrome.

The biggest disappointment is the apparent lack of serious challengers in the 12-horse field. Thwo interesting probably also-rans: Eragon, coming off three straight impressive victories in his native Argentina; and Keen Ice, upset w inner over the great American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers Stakes at Saratoga but 0-for-8 since.

SHORT SHOTS

New items at Frontier Field for the 2017 Red Wings season will include onion rings, grilled chicken breast sandwiches and meatballs.

Will Sunday’s NFL Conference Championship games showcase the four best starting quarterbacks in the history on the NFL conference title games? Close, but probably not. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell submits 1992’s quartet of Pro Football Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Jim Kelly, Dan Marion and Steve Young.

Forget what the NCAA says. Including the 101 victories the NCAA has docked Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim – at least for now – he has 993 career wins at his alma mater. He needs 7 more wins to join Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski as the only Division 1 coaches with at least 1,000 wins. SU has an 11-8 record (3-3 in the ACC) with 12 games remaining in this regular season – all in the ACC (six home and six away). The 7 wins Boeheim needs to hit 1,000 could be tough to reach this season.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO…

Friday, January 20 – Nick Foles (28)…Matt Albers (34)…David Ekstein (42)…Rae Carruth (I hope he has an unhappy 43rd birthday)…Jalen Rose (44)…Brian Giles (46)…Mark Stepnoski (50)…Rich Gannon (51)…Ron Harper (53)…Ozzie Guillen (53) Bill Maher (61) and Buzz Aldrin (87) are invited to the birthday party.

Saturday, January 21 – Brandon Crawford (30)…Jonathan Quick (31)…Dany Heatley (36)…Byung-Hyun Kim (38)…Alan Benes (45)…Doug Weight (46)…Hakeem Olajuwon (54)…Detlef Schrempf (54)…Jack Nicklaus (77). Geena Davis (61) is invited to the birthday party.

Sunday, January 22 – Greg Oden (29)…Ray Rice (30)…Jason Peters (35)…Carlos Ruiz (38)…Chone Figgins (39)…Bucky Brooks (46)…Greg Gilbert (55)…Mike Bossy (60)…Becky Pearson (61)…Serge Savard (71)…Red Wings Hall of Famer Dave Leonhard (76). Diane Lane (52), Linda Blair (58) and John Hurt (77) are invited to the birthday party.

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