They lost their heads, never recovered

Some might wonder whether Richard Bloch wakes up at night screaming, “Tails! Tails!�

The Arizona Cardinals are headed to the Super Bowl. The Diamondbacks have won a World Series. And the Phoenix Suns? Well, their success level rates a poor third among the area’s pro sports teams.

That could have been avoided had Bloch, the owner who convinced the NBA that Phoenix could support a pro team, had not called “heads� during an infamous coin toss 40 years ago. It came up tails and the Milwaukee Bucks ended up getting Lew Alcindor in the draft.

The Suns have been on the wrong side of the NBA tracks ever since. They’ve been to the Finals twice, in 1976 and 1993, losing both times. They’ve had prequels (Gail Goodrich was a Sun before helping the Lakers to the 1972 title) and sequels (Shaquille O’Neal, like so many others, is preparing to retire in Arizona after winning four titles elsewhere).

There’s little chance the Cardinals will bring Bloch with them for the Super Bowl coin toss. One Bloch “heads� move is enough.

Trivia time

Matt Leinart is about to become the seventh former USC quarterback to hold a clipboard on the sideline during the Super Bowl. Name the others.

Maybe Samantha would have helped?

Residents of Pottsville, Pa., had a strong desire to see the Cardinals fail Sunday, even beyond a possible rooting interest in the Eagles, Pottsville being only about 70 miles from Philadelphia.

The 1925 Pottsville Maroons beat the Chicago Cardinals in the NFL title game, but the Cardinals are recognized as the 1925 champs because the Maroons were sanctioned by the league.

Mayor John D.W. Reiley told the Allentown Morning Call: “We’re going to have to call a meeting of the warlocks and witches to reinstitute this hex we have on the Cardinals.�

Reiley, who told the paper he is Roman Catholic, should know better. Invoking black magic has to be a Cardinal sin.

Sign language

A Pittsburgh Steelers fan added insult to the Baltimore Ravens’ night Sunday, displaying a sign that read: “You’re still Cleveland to us.�

Trivia answer

Pete Beathard (Kansas City Chiefs, 1967), Mike Rae (Oakland, 1977), Rob Hertel (Philadelphia, 1981), Rob Johnson (Tampa Bay, 2003), Rodney Peete (Carolina, 2004) and Matt Cassel (New England, 2008). None played in the game.

And finally

TV personality Stephen Colbert, noting that a patch the New York Mets will wear on their uniforms this season looks suspiciously like the Domino’s Pizza logo: “It’s all part of the Mets’ pledge to eliminate themselves from the playoffs in 30 games or less.�