The Super Bowl LVI participants are set, and there are not too many who would have bet on the Cincinnati Bengals to face the Los Angeles Rams.  The Rams enter as a favorite, but that is perfectly fine for Cincinnati, who have overcome the odds to get to the big dance.

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The Rams will have the luxury of playing in their home, SoFi Stadium, but this has been a post-season where the road teams have been dominant.  Los Angeles went all in at the start of the season, trading their Quarterback, Jared Goff, and a slew of First Round Picks to Detroit for Matthew Stafford.  The move was every bit the upgrade they hoped for, and it helped propel Wide Receiver, Cooper Kupp, to new single-season receiving records and a possible MVP.

Defensively, the Rams are led by Aaron Donald, the three-time Defensive MVP and future first ballot Hall of Famer.  It is a complete team coached by Sean McVay, who at 36 years of age, will appear in his second Super Bowl, a first for any Coach under 40. 

The Bengals have never won the Super Bowl, and are appearing in their third, the last coming 23 years ago in a loss to San Francisco.  Cincinnati first beat Las Vegas at home, and then upset the top seed Tennessee Titans and defending AFC Champion, Kansas City on the road to get here.

Led by Quarterback, Joe Burrow, the Bengals are riding on momentum and emotion, and while Burrow is only in his second season, he already has a pedigree of a champion.  Along with his teammate and current start Wide Receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, the duo won the National Championship at LSU two years ago, and the image of Burrow smoking a cigar after the victory is an iconic moment that Bengals fans hope to see repeated.

Both teams are capable of comebacks, as shown in each Conference Championship Games, so don’t let any halftime score make you think the game is over.

This is a fresh Super Bowl match, and we can’t wait to see how this will play out.

Super Bowl LVI will be on Sunday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m. EST.

A product of the Dominican Republic, Starling Marte began his professional baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team that signed him in 2007 and which he debuted for in 2012.

Playing in Centerfield, Marte had at least 140 Hits from 2013 to 2016, showing a nice blend of power and speed, belting 53 Home Runs and 1478 Stolen Bases while going to the All-Star Game on the strength of his first .300 Season in 2016.  Defensively, Marte was fabulous, winning two Gold Gloves (2015 & 2016) and the Wilson Defensive Award in 2015.

Marte 80 Games in 2017 due to a PED suspension; Marte still managed to steal 21 Bases that year and stole 20 or more the next two years giving him seven straight.  With his contract coming due, Marte was traded to Arizona after the 2019 Season, leaving Marte’s numbers as a Pirate saw him bat .287 with 1,047 Hits, 108 Home Runs, and 239 Stolen Bases.

Bob Veale was a Pittsburgh Pirate for most of his career, signing as an Amateur Free Agent in 1958, debuting for the Pirates in 1962, and joining the starting rotation two seasons later.

From 1964 to 1967, Veale won at least 16 Games and was the league leader in Strikeouts (250) in '64.  He fanned at least 200 batters the next two years, and again in 1969, but he was also prone to delivering Walks, leading the NL four times in that category.

Late in his Pirates career, Veale helped Pittsburgh win the 1971 World Series.  He was sold to Boston shortly after, but he was never the same player.

Veale had a 116-91 Record as a Pirate.

Advanced metrics don’t always tell the story.

Doug Drabek was the ace of the Pirates staff during the years they went to three consecutive NLCS (1990-92), though his bWAR does not reflect this.  Still, Drabek WAS the ace, won a lot, and generated confidence in teammates and fans alike.

Drabek began his career with the New York Yankees and was traded to the Pirates after only one year.  Inserted into Pittsburgh starting rotation immediately, Drabek slowly became a workhorse for the team, first breaking the sub-3 ERA in 1989 (2.80), and he reduced that to 2,76 in 1990.  That was the year he led the NL in Wins (22), had a WHIP of 1.063, and won the Cy Young.  Drabek then took the Pirates to the playoff three straight years, winning 30 Games combined in 1991 and 1992, with a fifth-place Cy Young finish in the latter year.

The Pirates imploded after the 1992 Season, essentially disbanding due to cost-cutting.  Drabek joined Houston as a Free Agent.  With the Pirates, Drabek won 92 Games against 62 Losses with a 3.20 ERA, a 1.148 WHIP, and 820 Strikeouts.