Immaculate Deception?

So, I recently dove into the rabbit hole of a Pittsburgh sporting event so drenched in numerology it practically came with a conspiracy theorist starter kit. The saga starts with the suspiciously early death of Bob Moose, the “goat” of the infamous Pirates game on 10/11/72. Flip that date around and—voilà—you’ve got 9/11/01. Coincidence? Maybe. Suspicious? Definitely.

Fast forward two months to 12/23/72, and the city of Pittsburgh seemingly cashes in its cosmic chips for what NFL Films would later anoint as “The Immaculate Reception.” This wasn’t just a football play; it was a miracle with cleats—a Hail Mary that flipped the Steelers’ fortunes faster than you can say “sports dynasty.” After four decades of mediocrity, Pittsburgh snagged its first-ever playoff win, setting the stage for four Super Bowl titles before the decade’s end.

The key players? Wide receiver Frenchy Fuqua, rocking the number—“33”—and fullback Franco Harris, who channeled divine intervention to snag a deflected ball, galloping into the end zone with 5 seconds on the clock. Oh, and the time when he crossed the goal line? 3:29. Yep, 33 again.

The Immaculate Reception didn’t just give Pittsburgh bragging rights—it spawned a “supposed” blood feud with the Oakland Raiders that defined the 1970s. Hard hits, playoff heartbreaks, and, of course, more “33s” than you can count. Fun fact: the Raiders got some payback in 1973, winning 33–14. Coincidence again? Sure, why not.

If this play was scripted—and let’s be real, it’s starting to feel like a Hollywood pitch—it deserves an Emmy for execution. Either way, Pittsburgh’s sports karma took a bizarre and entertaining turn in the 1970s, leaving us with legends and rivalries.

The conclusion? Whether by fate, divine intervention, or the NFL’s scriptwriters, the Immaculate Reception remains an extraordinary plot twist in sports history. Bravo, football gods. Bravo.

23 thoughts on “Immaculate Deception?”

  1. I was as big a Raiders fan as an A’s fan as a kid and the only thing worse than this play (which I think was unscripted but should have been called back for a downfield clip) is that goddamned Kirk Gibson home run in the ‘88 World Series. And now Oakland has lost the last of its major league franchises in the last ten years.

    Titus Andronicus. Ha, ha, ha!

    Marcus Andronicus. Why dost thou laugh? It fits not with this hour.

    Titus Andronicus. Why, I have not another tear to shed:
    Besides, this sorrow is an enemy,
    And would usurp upon my watery eyes
    And make them blind with tributary tears-

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    1. PS- If memory serves, the Steelers were set to honor Franco Harris and this play a couple of years ago when he up and “died” suddenly.
      K Starr: Thoughts?

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    2. Villapiano (the clipee) and Harris became good friends later when Villapiano’s father taught Harris’ mother to speak English. Because it turns out their families grew up in the same small town in Italy or some such BS.

      My final heartbreak with the Pirate’s was Barry Bonds failure (not just in the post-season overall) but his inability to throw out Sid Bream (!) at home plate in the early 90s playoff game with Atlanta.

      It’s incredible that two small-market towns like Oakland and Pittsburgh had so much sports drama. I sympathize with you only to the degree that we all need some pleasures in life and they definitely messed with our emotions.

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      1. And Willie Stargell “died” on the same day as the official opening of PNC Park against…wait for it…the Reds.

        And let’s not forget Roberto Clemente’s “death” on New Year’s Eve 1972 during a humanitarian mission after achieving exactly 3000 hits. The body never recovered…’natch.

        We are all “branded” to one extent or another. Some brands reach a wider market and are therefore more controlled and manipulated, but we are all responsible for how our particular “product” affects those within our sphere of influence..

        Then again, we all die and all traces of our existence are eventually erased…so there is that aspect to consider…lol.

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        1. St. Wilver Dornell Stargell was a pusher? Clutch the pearls!

          I wonder if Dale Berra- that’s Yogi’s son for those keeping score at home- was asked to cop in court to Pop’s dispensing uppers to link Stargell to a lesser charge if brought rather than drag him down with the other cocaine fiends he may have been supplying. He was, as has been noted many many times, the absolute ruler of that We Are Family clubhouse.
          I suggest this because it’s not certain at all that Shohtime was innocent of gambling charges but was “too big to convict” and his punk translator was paid to take the rap.

          But that begs the question: Is there some powerful player(s) that demanded a cut of Ohtani’s stock and this was the only way to get it. The feeble ban on a few marginal players also suddenly involved in gambling stinks of a desperate attempt at due diligence by the utterly ineffectual lame duck Manfred administration as well as misdirect away from those possible unseen powers.

          And another thing: The White Sox lost a record 121 games last year. IMO that is not bad management but symptomatic of a dysfunctional system. The root cause? Octogenarian owners who refuse to sell or die. They can get all the organ transplants they want but until they can transplant younger brains, old people shouldn’t be making final decisions for anything as big as a major league franchise. The Pale Hose are just the most visible victims at the moment of such unwarranted top down authority. The Dallas Cowboys are just entering that tunnel.

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      2. I was at that game with my sister. That was game 7 for the national league championship in 1992, The Pirates led 1 and 2 to 0 the whole game until the bottom of the ninth. We were in the outfield seats and after Sid Bream slid home I remember Barry Bonds and Andy van Slyke fall to their knees. Scripted? Maybe.

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        1. It feels a bit too theatrical for my liking. Watching the play on YouTube, Bonds already has the ball in hand before Bream—one of the slowest runners in baseball and a former Pittsburgh player and resident—even reaches third base. The throw needed to be off-target just enough to force the catcher to lunge, ensuring a late or missed tag, all while maintaining the appearance of being legitimate. I call BS.

          A Braves fan left the following (telling) comment below the video: “As a Braves fan, we got very lucky to even get to this play. Watch the entire bottom 9th inning and in particular, Berryhills’s at bat. There were two pitches that easily could have been called strikes and weren’t. And it was Berryhill at bat, so any grounder in the infield would have been a game ending double play. And don’t forget Lind’s error on 2nd that turned out to be crucial. As I said, were lucky to be in this position.”

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          1. Having watched Bonds throughout his Giants career it was often remarked that he had the weakest arm of any gold glove outfielder. He was a good fielder with a quick and accurate arm but no real distance. The throw on Bream was typical of what he was capable of. My hesitance about this being scripted is based on the fact that no one outside of Pittsburgh or Atlanta gave two fux about who won. Baseball’s post season was being passed around by the networks as if no one wanted it but they couldn’t let any future potential wane by treating baseball like hockey. I think the issue was cable making huge inroads and the TV grandees weren’t really sure which way to turn. Now, of course, you can expect the NY-LA nexus to continue to dominate all platforms because all these platforms are owned by the same Blackrock style octopi.

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            1. Ted Turner and “Hanoi Jane” might have a different perspective. While I agree that Pittsburgh didn’t capture much national attention, the Braves were undeniably “America’s Team” in the early ’90s, largely due to their widespread exposure on TBS. With basic cable, fans across the country could catch every Braves game, a distinction matched only by the Cubs on WGN.

              Regarding the game, you acknowledged that Bonds “had a quick and accurate arm but lacked distance.” His throw came after charging in to field a single, not retreating to the wall, so it didn’t require long-range strength. He had the ball in hand before the lumbering Sid Bream even reached third base.

              Now, consider the rest: an umpire suddenly unable to call balls and strikes correctly, a second baseman botching a routine grounder, and the Pirates’ ace closer serving up the decisive hit to a third-string catcher. All these improbable moments culminated in a dramatic comeback victory during the final half-inning of the series’ final game. And yet, you’re still hesitant to call this a “scripted” event?

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              1. That’s quite a Rube Goldberg machine there- I’ll concede Turner had a lap on the cable future but “America’s Team”, while available to most of the country, was most decidedly not. Though the Braves have been perennials since ‘91, they had finished last for four straight years prior. How they flipped and forever stay in the race is one of the unsung heroics of all time- because Atlanta has never caught the imagination of the country, no matter the hype.
                That said, I’m telling you, that throw was Bonds taxed to the limit.
                ‘And another thing- Bream himself says that there were pitchers in the bullpen way faster that should have pinch run for him. Cox maintained he was out of bench players but he had first base covered if he pulled Bream. And there were two outs.
                IMO, Lind and Belinda choked.

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                  1. Is there a loyalty oath I have to sign admitting my erroneous thinking?
                    I don’t know how to link, but in my list of posts here there is one titled “Tipping One’s Hand” which should explain my position on sports rigging.

                    My only concern is that sometimes these puppets are given too much credit. A well timed penalty flag would have reset the table and the Steelers could have taken another shot at a “win”.

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  3. My only satisfaction as a newly arrived Broncos fan was the 2016 Superbowl victory, only to be reminded by Mathis right after that Cam Newton standing there watching a fumble he made be recovered by the Broncos was a sure sign that the fix was on. Is on. Is always on. I am reminded of words I often say to myself … sports are rigged, and anyway, will always disappoint.

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    1. Spot is entertainment and big business no different to TV (infact sport is mostly TV). I very much doubt it is scripted play for play on a regular basis. But the overall results need to be adjusted otherwise you would just end up with one team dominating for ever.

      I find cricket the most interesting of all sports both from a sporting point of view and a business point of view. It is probably the only sport in the world where the second tier (domestic T20 matches) make more money than the elite level. The domination of India financially is also unique among world sport.

      People outside of the cricket world don’t realise how big the sport is. Just last week 373 691 people turned up to watch the India v Australia 4th Test.

      I can’t find the world wide viewing Audience but in Australia it peaked at 8.6 million people (out of a population of 25 million) over 1/3 of the country. Cricket is even more popular in India so we would be looking at ove 500 million viewers there. Plus the huge indian population living all over the world. This is just one of a five test match series each match lasting for five 7 hour days. It’s not a world cup final or anything like that.

      If you are talking match fixing look no further than cricket. There are countries that had over half their players found guilty. And of course there is the infamous Hanse Cronje plain crash.

      India brings in about 62 percent of the total revenue for cricket world wide. Yet the game is supposedly controlled in England.

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      1. That is very interesting. Cricket rules seem impenetrable to me and being 62 I doubt I have the time or stamina to investigate it.

        You are correct about one team dominating. When I played high school baseball there were teams that we ALWAYS beat and other teams that ALWAYS beat us.

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  4. The Oakland Raider receiver Morris BRADSHAW died today. One day after I post about the Raiders and Terry BRADSHAW. Right on queue buddy…thanks.

    Excuse me while I get stupid with the numerology: In his one season with the PATRIOTS…he had (6…9) receptions for (111) yards. His longest reception was 48 (3) yards on 12 (3)/ 19 (1)/ 82 (1)…(33-11). His only touchdown reception as a PATRIOT was an (11) yard pass with (11) seconds left in their 30-19 (3-1) victory on 1/2/83 (3-11). Bradshaw “died” (1-3) 2025 (9) at the age of 72 (9). His birthdate 10/29/1952 adds up to (1991). His player numbers were 81 (9) and (88). His career receptions were (90), receiving yards 1416 (3), TDs 12 (3). With the Raiders he caught 84 (3) passes for 1,305 (9) yards and (11) touchdowns. He was a member of the Super Bowl (11) and (15…6…9) championship squads.

    Bizarre…no?

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    2. Mostly Off Topic.

      As I have mentioned: I no longer partake, but back in the day Terry was in a commercial making great fun of the miniscule portions of “food” offered at those trendy designer restaurants with cheffy shit-for-brains behind the wheel. I laughed out loud… Even if he didn’t script it, his body contortions and facial expressions were perfect.

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  5. “The Immaculate Reception” was without any doubt scripted. There’s now on youtube a wide, all-22 angle of the play, they say it’s a newly found coaches’ video or something like that, which seems farfetched, it’s probably an AI fake. Nonetheless, if we assume it’s a realistic reenactment of the play, a few things can be observed from the video:

    • before the last pump DE No. 82 runs left for no reason instead of running to Bradshaw
    • in my opinion DE No. 84 could have easily sacked Bradshaw, but bites into the fake like a schoolboy
    • watch Franco closely before the throw, he’s watching Bradshaw and the moment he started the last fake, he starts running downfield as if it was a signal to him
    • Warren conveniently slipps whe Bradshaw throws the ball
    • watch Tatum closely, he’s watching the ball all the time when it’s in the air, he could have easily knocked it to the ground, instead he’s literally body-checking the ball with his chest/shoulders into the air (they say he went for the hit on Fuqua, but it’s nonsense, he clearly went for the ball)
    • the controversy whether Tatum or Fuqua deflected the ball was misdirection, it was clearly Tatum otherwise the ball wouldn’t have the momentum to travel 10 yards in the air
    • in a real-life situation you don’t start celebrating until the ball hits the ground
    • although Warren was celebrating, he still could have stopped Franco, he had the angle, I don’t think he’s running at full speed and the tackling attemp is weak. When he “noticed” Franco with the ball, he had like 8 yards or so of advantage
    • I think the ball hits the ground before Franco’s catch, but the video is inconclusive, it almost seems like some frames of the catch are missing

    Here’s the video, play it at 0.25 speed:

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    1. Outstanding insight! I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to feature your observations in a post titled ‘Immaculate Deception Confirmed!’ The inclusion of projector sounds in the so-called ‘coaches video’ definitely raises suspicion.

      Your comment couldn’t have come at a better time—I revisited this play just last night and became fully convinced about the next-to-last play on your list. Warren had a clear jump on the play and the perfect angle to make the tackle, potentially stopping it at the 20 or even the 15-yard line. Anyone who’s ever played a pickup game would instantly recognize this!

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