May 14, 1995: The Blackburn Title

Alan Shearer (left) and Blackburn Captain Tim Sherwood

May 14, 1995: The Premier League title is not yet decided. Blackburn Rovers of Lancashire can win it, making it their 1st League title since 1914. But they lose, 2-1, to Liverpool, at Anfield, the former club and former home ground of their current manager, Kenny Dalglish. The crowd believes that the title has been blown.

But soon, word comes that Manchester United, 2-time defending Champions, having only managed a 1-1 draw, away to East London team West Ham United, and that gives Blackburn the title by 1 point. Team Captain Tim Sherwood accepts the PL trophy.

Liverpool fans, who hate Manchester United, and not especially thrilled with the thought of handing the title to them, gratefully give the new Champions a standing ovation.

It turns out to be the only major trophy won by Blackburn's striker, Alan Shearer, who later moves to Newcastle United, and becomes the Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer.

Elsewhere in English soccer, an embarrassing season ends for North London team Arsenal with a 2-1 loss to crosstown opponent Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge in West London. The Gunners finish 12th, and that remains their worst performance since 1976.

United went on to lose the FA Cup Final as well, to Everton, the blue club in Liverpool. They became the 8th team to "achieve" a "Runner-Up Double," finishing 2nd in the League and losing the FA Cup Final in the same season:

* 1928: Huddersfield Town of Yorkshire finished 2 points behind Everton, and lost the Final 2-1 to Blackburn.

* 1932: Arsenal finished 2 points behind Everton, and lost the Final 2-1 to North-East team Newcastle United.

* 1939: Wolverhampton Wanderers, of the Birmingham area, finished 1 point behind Everton, and lost the Final 4-1 to Hampshire team Portsmouth.

* 1962: Lancashire team Burnley finished 3 points behind Suffolk team Ipswich Town, and lost the Final 3-1 to North London team Tottenham Hotspur.

* 1965: Yorkshire team Leeds United lost the league title to Manchester United on goal average (the 1st tiebreaker at the time, now goal difference), and were defeated in the Final, 2-1 after extra time, by Liverpool -- meaning they came the closest of these teams to winning either, let alone both.

* 1970: Leeds did it again, finishing 9 points behind Everton, and lost the Final 2-1 to West London team Chelsea after a replay.

* 1986: Everton finished runners-up to Liverpool in both competitions, the only time a club has run 2nd in each to the same team. Liverpool beat them by 2 points in the League, and 3-1 in the Final.

* 1995: Manchester United finished 1 point behind Blackburn, and lost the Final 1-0 to Everton.

Oddly, Everton were involved 6 of the 8 times, once as victim, and 5 times as beneficiary.

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May 14, 1995 was a Sunday. Actress Rose Lavelle was born.

An embarrassing season ends for Arsenal with a 2-1 loss to crosstown opponent Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge in West London. The Gunners finish 12th, and that remains their worst performance since 1976.

There were 3 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

* The Quebec Nordiques beat the New York Rangers, 4-2 at Le Colisée de Québec, and close their 1st Round Stanley Cup Playoff match to 3 games to 2. But the Rangers won Game 6, eliminating the Nordiques, who are moved to Denver the next season, to become the Colorado Avalanche. I have a separate entry for this event.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitals, 6-5 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Luc Robitaille scored the winning goal, 4:30 into overtime. The Penguins won the series in Game 7.

* And after 67 years, the last competitive sporting event is held at the Boston Garden. The Boston Bruins lose Game 5 of the 1st Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 3-2, and are eliminated. The last goal is scored by Adam Oates. The team that eliminates the Big Bad Bruins? The New Jersey Devils.

There were 3 games played in the NBA Playoffs:

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic, 106-95 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets, 114-110 at The Summit in Houston. (It's now the Central Campus of televangelist Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.) Kevin Johnson scored 43 points for the Suns.

* And the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 80-71 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

And these games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox, 3-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Jack McDowell started for the Yankees, Zane Smith for the Sox. The Yanks scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th, but Mike Macfarlane hit a home run off Steve Howe in the bottom of the 9th to win it.

* The New York Mets lost to the Montreal Expos, 3-2 at Shea Stadium. Mark Grudzielanek grounded out to 1st base in the top of the 13th inning, allowing Mike Lansing to score the winning run. Rico Brogna hit a home run for the Mets.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Orel Hershiser outpitched Arthur Rhodes. Cal Ripken went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-3 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Ron Gant hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to win the game.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Florida Marlins, 6-3 at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-7 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Andújar Cedeño hit 2 home runs. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-5.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Minnesota Twins, 12-3 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.

* The California Angels beat the Kansas City Royals, 8-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 8-3 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Houston Astros, 5-2 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Brian Jordan singled Scott Cooper home with the winning run in the top of the 11th inning.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Darren Lewis singled Royce Clayton home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Barry Bonds went 0-for-4, but had an RBI on a groundout.

* And the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 10-2 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Alex Rodriguez went 1-for-2 before being pinch-hit for.