This is a 5 vs. 13 match up featuring a Super Bowl moment and an Orioles moment in a wild game against the New York Yankees here in the Robinson region. Winner moves onto the round of 16.
#5 – Jacoby Jones TD Catch In Super Bowl
This seeding really shows how great of a year it was for sports in the Charm City. Jacoby Jones makes an outstanding play to extend the Ravens lead to three scores in in the Super Bowl, and it’s sitting all the way down at a 5 seed. This play really showed of all that Jacoby Jones has to offer.
The straight-line speed to absolutely toast the 49ers CB off the line of scrimmage was one thing, but the play didn’t get really interesting until he caught the ball. After catching the throw, Jones had to make two San Francisco DB’s miss to get into the end zone, and he showed exactly how dangerous he is in open space by leaving them both grasping at air on his way to pay turf.
The Ravens only won the Super Bowl by three points, so I think this is underrated as a huge moment on their way to victory. They needed every bit of the 21-3 cushion this play provided to hold off San Francisco in the waning moments, and I think this play would be bigger if Jones didn’t go and outdo himself a quarter later.
#13 – Yankees Score 5 In 1st, Orioles Score 7 In Top Of 2nd
I live with one of the more “confident” Yankees fans on the planet, and when things are going well for the Bombers, he makes sure that everyone knows. Well, I certainly knew in the first inning of O’s – Yankees on July 31st. In a rare bad start, Chris Tillman simply couldn’t buy an out in the first inning in the Bronx, and the runs piled up until Ramiro Pena grounded out to mercifully end the beating at a costly 5 runs.
In years past, this probably would’ve been a “pack it in” game for the Birds, but they came out patient and ready to hit in the second. Jones singled to center to start the frame, and Wieters followed up with one of his own. Back to back strikeouts by Lew Ford and Wilson Betemit seemingly signified the end of a promising start to the 2nd, but noted Yankee Hunter Mark Reynolds reignited the rally with a 2 RBI ground rule double.
And from there it snowballed: Omar Quintanilla RBI single, Nick Markakis single, JJ Hardy free pass, and then Chris Davis stepped up and cashed in on Ivan Nova’s indiscretions by depositing his first career grand slam into the Orioles bullpen to put the O’s on top 7-3. New York never recovered, and the O’s tacked on four more runs to improbably take the game 11-5.
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Voting is open from 1:00 PM on Wednesday February 27 to 1:00 PM Thursday February 28.
