May 22, 1975: Kentucky Wins a Pro Sports Championship

May 22, 1975: Kentucky and Indiana meet for a basketball title – not collegiate, but professional.

The Game is Game 5 of the ABA Finals, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, previously home to 6 NCAA Final Fours. Billy Knight scored 40 points for the Indiana Pacers in front of 16,622 fans. The effort was not enough, as the Kentucky Colonels won 110-105, to claim the title.

Hubie Brown was the head coach. The owner was John Y. Brown Jr. They were not related. In the team photo, Hubie is seated next to "Ellie Brown" -- John's wife, the former Eleanor Durrell.

Artis Gilmore was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship series. The Colonels had won 22 of their last 25 regular-season games, and were now, arguably (since most fans considered the result of the NBA Finals to be a huge upset), the best basketball team in the world.

Just 14 months later, they would no longer exist, as the NBA gave John Y. Brown a $3 million payoff and the right to buy the NBA's Buffalo Braves. Although Cincinnati is right across the Ohio River, and a team could have built a venue in Covington, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has never had another team that could be called "major league," in any sport, unless you count Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League, a team that began play in 2021.

The Colonels did not last long enough to establish a team Hall of Fame, or to retire any numbers. But Larry Conley, Darrel Carrier, Louie Dampier, Dan Issel, Artis Gilmore and John Y. Brown have all been elected to the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. Conley played only the Colonels' 1st season, 1967-68, and was elected because of his play for the University of Kentucky. Carrier was with the Colonels when they lost the 1971 Finals. Dampier, Issel and Gilmore, of course, were members of the 1975 ABA Champions.

*

May 22, 1975 was a Thursday. The NBA Finals were between Games 2 and 3, and the Golden State Warriors would pull a big upset in sweeping the Washington Bullets.

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals was played. The Buffalo Sabres beat the defending Champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Through the 2022 Playoffs, the Sabres would win only 2 more Stanley Cup Finals games.

And these 5 games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The California Angels beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Bill Singer outpitched Rick Wise. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-3 with a walk. Fred Lynn, on his way to becoming the 1st player to win a League's Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season, hit a home run.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 2-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Jim Kaat, for 5 2/3rds innings, and Rich "Goose" Gossage, the rest of the way, outpitched Mike Cuellar. Brooks Robinson went 2-for-3.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Bill Hands pitched a 5-hit shutout. Hank Aaron went 2-for-4 for the Brewers. Robin Yount went 0-for-4.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Diego Padres, 4-2 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Willie Stargell went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and 2 RBIs. Dave Winfield went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* And the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

May 18, 1971: A Title for Utah

Zelmo Beaty

May 18, 1971: The Utah Stars beat the Kentucky Colonels, 131-121 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, to win Game 7 and the Championship of the American Basketball Association.

As the Anaheim Amigos, the Stars lost the 1st ABA game to the Oakland Oaks in 1967, then moved up the Freeway to become the Los Angeles Stars. They lost the 1970 ABA Finals to the Indiana Pacers, then moved to Utah and won them. They would reach the ABA Finals again in 1974, losing to the New York Nets. But they kept losing money, and folded after 1 more season.

Bill Sharman, who won 4 NBA Championships playing for the Boston Celtics, coached them to the 1971 title, then took the Los Angeles Lakers to the next season's NBA Championship. He and Alex Hannum are the only coaches to win NBA and ABA titles.

The '71 Stars were led by center Zelmo Beaty, forwards Austin "Red" Robbins and Willie Wise, and guards Ron Boone and Glen Combs. All but Wise were named to that season's ABA All-Star Game.

Sharman and Beaty are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. So are Moses Malone and Roger Brown, who played for the Stars in their last season, 1974-75.

In 1979, the New Orleans Jazz moved to Utah. They reached the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, but have never won a title. The only Utah-based team to win a North American professional sports championship since is Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake, winners of the 2009 MLS Cup.

*

May 18, 1971 was a Tuesday. American soccer goalkeeper Brad Friedel was born.

This was also the day the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Chicago Black Hawks, 3-2, in Game 7 of the Finals to win the Stanley Cup. I have a separate entry for that event.

The NBA title had been won by the Milwaukee Bucks 18 days earlier. Football was out of season. These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The Montreal Expos lost the the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, in front of 10,226 fans. I wonder if any of them were from Montreal. I wonder if anyone back in Montreal noticed. Dave Cash, who later played for the Expos, singled Gene Alley home to win the game in the bottom of the 9th inning. Roberto Clemente went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Willie Stargell did not play.

* The New York Yankees lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 6-2 at Yankee Stadium. Mike Cuellar outpitched Fritz Peterson. Bobby Murcer went 3-for-4 with a home run. Brooks Robinson and Paul Blair homered for the O's, while Frank Robinson went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

* The New York Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves, 8-6 at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Hank Aaron hit his 605th career home run. The Mets got a home run from Tommie Agee, and 2 from Bob Aspromonte, who, that season, retired as the last active former Brooklyn Dodger.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-4. Al Kaline went 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 7-3 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Pete Rose and Johnny Bench each went 1-for-4, with Rose's hit being a solo home run.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Willie Mays went 2-for-4 with a walk. Ernie Banks, in his final season, struck out as a pinch-hitter.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Lou Brock went 2-for-4 with a walk. 

* The Houston Astros beat the San Diego Padres, 3-2 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 3-1 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Harmon Killebrew went 2-for-4. Rod Carew went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. Reggie Jackson went 0-for-4, but the A's got home runs from Rick Monday, Joe Rudi and Sal Bando.

May 18, 1971: Henri Richard vs. Al MacNeil

May 18, 1971: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals is played at Chicago Stadium. For most American hockey fans, it was the last and biggest game of the season, to determine the Champions.

For Canadians, it was bigger than that. There was a tension in the air -- and very few Americans even knew about it.

The Montreal Canadiens had won the Stanley Cup 12 times in the preceding 26 years, and had become symbolic of French Canada's struggle to be seen in the larger English-speaking nation, dominated as it was by the federal government in Ottawa and the bankers and broadcasters of Toronto. When Maurice "the Rocket" Richard was suspended following an on-ice incident prior to the 1955 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was seen by many as a swipe against French-Canadians and their culture, and there was a riot in Montreal.

The election of a Liberal Party government in the Province of Quebec led to some major reforms, whose lack of violence led to it becoming known as the Quiet Revolution. But that wasn't enough for some people, as terrorists began a kidnapping campaign in October 1970, known as the October Crisis. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act, which ended the crisis, but there were still tensions.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens kept winning, led by longtime Captain Jean Béliveau, and the Rocket's younger brother, Henri Richard, short and not as sensational, but speedy and effective, and known as "the Pocket Rocket." They made 5 straight Finals, 1965 to 1969, losing only in 1967. The 1969-70 season was something of a transition, but they got back to the Finals in 1971, with a new goaltender, Ken Dryden.

During the season, Claude Ruel, who had coached "Les Habitantes" (the Habitants, or the Farmers, or "the Habs" for short) to the 1969 Cup, resigned, and was replaced by Al MacNeil, who had coached their top minor-league team. He was the 1st man ever to coach the team who did not speak French. In the wake of both the Quiet Revolution and the October Crisis, that made him stick out like a sore thumb. A majority of the players were still of French descent and, while they spoke English, preferred to be spoken to in French.

Al MacNeil

The Canadiens made a key acquisition, trading 3 players to the Detroit Red Wings for Frank Mahovlich. Mahovlich had been feuding with Wings owner Bruce Norris, a man who won many power struggles, but never a popularity contest. One of the players the Habs gave up, Mickey Redmond, turned into a star, the 1st Wings player ever to score 50 goals in a season, a shocking stat given that the Wings had already had Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio and, yes, Mahovlich.

But Montreal never missed Redmond, because Mahovlich -- to this day, perhaps the greatest player in Toronto Maple Leafs history, and seeing his famed Number 27 on the back of a uniform in Canadiens bleu, blanc et rouge must have been a big shock for Canadians west of Ottawa -- became a key reason why they recovered. At 33, he was rejuvenated, playing alongside his 24-year-old brother, Pete Mahovlich, who was just coming into his own.

In the 1st round of the Playoffs, the Canadiens pulled one of the great upsets in NHL history, eliminating the defending Champions, the Boston Bruins, in spite of record-setting seasons by Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito. Then they beat the Minnesota North Stars to get into the Finals.

They faced the Chicago Black Hawks, led by the Golden Jet, Bobby Hull, and the nearly as deadly Stan Mikita. Bobby's younger brother, Dennis Hull, known as the Silver Jet, was also a talented player. In goal was Tony Esposito. No longer merely Phil's younger brother, his shutouts earned him the nickname "Tony O."

The Canadiens had traded him, and also Rogie Vachon, who became a star with the Los Angeles Kings. They also traded the veteran Lorne "Gump" Worsley, who, despite being 41, had something left. They traded 3 future Hall of Fame goalies, 2 of them early in their careers, getting little in return. That's how much they believed in Dryden.

The Hawks swept the Philadelphia Flyers in the Quarterfinals. In the Semifinals against the New York Rangers, they overcome a shocking triple-overtime goal by Pete Stemkowski in Game 6 to win at home in Game 7. They were tested, and favored going into the Finals with the Habs.

That season, Béliveau became the 4th player in NHL history to score 500 goals in a career. The season before, Hull became the 3rd. The 2nd was Howe, in 1962. The 1st was Maurice Richard, in 1957.

The Hawks had the better record, so they had home-ice advantage. They won Game 1 at Chicago Stadium, 2-1, when Pappin scored, 1:11 into overtime. Pappin scored again in Game 2, and Angotti scored twice, as the Hawks won, 5-3.

The next 2 games were at the Montreal Forum, and the Canadiens responded, winning Game 3, 4-2. Frank Mahovlich scored 2 goals, and Pete scored 1. The Habs also won Game 4, 5-2. Pete scored again, and Béliveau scored what turned out to be the last goal of his career.

MacNeil was not happy with the play of Henri Richard. He was 34, and his gray hair made him look a lot older. (His brother Maurice still had jet-black hair when he retired at age 38, and famously did commercials, in English and French, for Grecian Formula men's hair coloring.)

the team's Alternate Captain, he appeared to be on the downside of his career, and MacNeil benched him for Game 5 in Chicago. The Hawks won, 2-0, and were a win away from the Cup.

The noted Richard family temper flared up. Henri told the English-language media outlets, "He's the worst coach I ever played for." He told the French-language outlets, "MacNeil est incompétent." For Anglophone fans, no translation was necessary.

It had been 7 months since the October Crisis, and things had calmed down. But now, the tensions rose again. Going into the Forum for Game 6, MacNeil and his family needed bodyguards, lest another riot break out like it did for Henri's brother in 1955. The Hawks led 3-2 after 2 periods. But in the 3rd period, Frank Mahovlich tied it, and assisted on his brother Pete's goal at 8:55, which turned out to be the winner. The Finals would go to a Game 7 in Chicago.

In the last minute of the 1st period, Dennis Hull scored on his brother Bobby's assist. At 7:33 of the 2nd period, Danny O'Shea made it 2-0 Chicago. The Stadium was packed to the gills, and, with standing-room tickets, it was probably well above its listed capacity of 18,472.

But Hawks coach Billy Reay made his own coaching-benching mistake, as he put Bobby Hull and Mikita on the bench for extended periods, in favor of Angotti and Eric Nesterenko, the latter of whom was, like Bobby and Stan, one of the holdovers from the '61 Cup winners. Reay did this through a pair of 4-on-4 situations, a wide-open format that should have favored the Golden Jet. But rookie Rejean Houle had pretty much shut him down.

With 2:42 left in the 2nd period, Jacques Lemaire put the Habs on the board. With 1:40 to go, Lemaire assisted Richard, who tied the game. Richard had won Game 6 of the Finals, and thus the Cup, with an overtime goal. Now, 2:34 into the 3rd period, assisted by young players Houle and Guy Lapointe, he scored the difference-maker. But it took a spectacular toe-save by Dryden on Pappin, perhaps the most consequential (if not best) save in hockey history, to seal the deal. The Canadiens won, 3-2, and had their 17th Stanley Cup.

At this point, Ken Dryden had played in 6 regular-season games, and 7 games in the Stanley Cup Finals. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Playoffs. The next season, he won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year. He remains the only player in the "big four" North American sports to be named Rookie of the Year after being named a postseason MVP. (Todd Worrell of the St. Louis Cardinals might have been so honored in 1985 and '86, if the Cardinals had hung on to win the World Series.)

For the 10th time, setting a record, Jean Béliveau and Henri Richard were Stanley Cup winners. For a record 5th time, Béliveau received the Cup as team Captain from the President of the NHL, Clarence Campbell, who once again was restored to his place as the most hated man in Montreal.

Richard later admitted, "I should have kept my mouth shut until after the series." And he and MacNeil eventually reconciled. However, Richard wasn't the only Canadiens player unhappy with MacNeil. John Ferguson, a Vancouver Scotsman who spoke not a word of French, and who had just won his 5th Cup as a Canadien, also said that MacNeil was the worst coach he ever played for.

Béliveau retired. Richard was named team Captain. And MacNeil was returned to his previous job, as head coach of the Habs' top farm team, the Montreal Voyageurs. In what had to be a message to MacNeil, the Voyageurs were immediately moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the Maritime Provinces, in Atlantic Canada, certainly in Anglophone Canada, and nearly 800 miles from Montreal. But this is not as much of a punishment as it might appear: MacNeil was from Nova Scotia, and was the 1st native of the Maritimes to be an NHL head coach.

Scotty Bowman was hired to replace MacNeil, and he led the Canadiens to the Cup in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. That '73 Cup gave Henri Richard a record 11th World Championship. This tied the record for North American sports, set by Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics. They remain the only 2 men to have more championship rings as players than fingers. He retired in 1975, just before Bowman led the team to 4 in a row.

Henri Richard and Jean Béliveau each remained with the Canadiens as a "club ambassador," so each has his name appearing on the Stanley Cup 17 times. But since Maurice Richard was also an Ambassadeur, his name appears on it a record 20 times. Maurice Richard died in 2000, Jean Béliveau in 2014, and Henri Richard on March 6, 2020. (Not from COVID: He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2015.)

MacNeil received only 1 more head coaching job, with the Atlanta Flames in 1979. He moved with them to Calgary in 1980, coached them through the 1982 Playoffs, and remained in their organization as a scout. In the 2002-03 season, he was interim head coach for 11 games. As of May 18, 2022, he is still alive, and Canadien fans seem to have forgiven him for benching Henri in the '71 Finals.

UPDATE: MacNeil died on January 5, 2025, Dryden on September 5, 8 months later.

In 1998, The Hockey News released their list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. Béliveau was ranked 7th, Dryden 26th, Mahovlich 27th, Richard 30th, and Savard 81st. For the Black Hawks, Hull was 8th, Mikita 17th, and Esposito 79th. In 2017, all of those men, and also the Canadiens' Lapointe and Lemaire, were named to the NHL's 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players.

*

May 18, 1971 was a Tuesday. Brad Friedel, star American soccer goalkeeper, was born.

Game 7 of the American Basketball Association Finals was played on this day, at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Utah Stars beat the Louisville-based Kentucky Colonels, 131-121. I have a separate entry for this event. It would be the only title that the State of Utah could claim as a "major league" championship until Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup.

The NBA title had been won by the Milwaukee Bucks 18 days earlier. Football was out of season. These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The Montreal Expos lost the the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, in front of 10,226 fans. I wonder if any of them were from Montreal. I wonder if anyone back in Montreal noticed. Dave Cash, who later played for the Expos, singled Gene Alley home to win the game in the bottom of the 9th inning. Roberto Clemente went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Willie Stargell did not play.

* The New York Yankees lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 6-2 at Yankee Stadium. Mike Cuellar outpitched Fritz Peterson. Bobby Murcer went 3-for-4 with a home run. Brooks Robinson and Paul Blair homered for the O's, while Frank Robinson went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

* The New York Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves, 8-6 at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Hank Aaron hit his 605th career home run. The Mets got a home run from Tommie Agee, and 2 from Bob Aspromonte, who, that season, retired as the last active former Brooklyn Dodger.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-4. Al Kaline went 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 7-3 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Pete Rose and Johnny Bench each went 1-for-4, with Rose's hit being a solo home run.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Willie Mays went 2-for-4 with a walk. Ernie Banks, in his final season, struck out as a pinch-hitter.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Lou Brock went 2-for-4 with a walk. 

* The Houston Astros beat the San Diego Padres, 3-2 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 3-1 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Harmon Killebrew went 2-for-4. Rod Carew went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. Reggie Jackson went 0-for-4, but the A's got home runs from Rick Monday, Joe Rudi and Sal Bando.

May 17, 1970: Hank Aaron Is the 1st Player to 3,000 Hits & 500 Homers

Left to right: Stan Musial, unknown umpire,

Hank Aaron, Braves owner Bill Bartholomay

May 17, 1970: Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves singles home a run against Wayne Simpson of the Cincinnati Reds, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. It is the 3,000th hit of his career, making him the 1st player in Major League Baseball history to have both major career hitting milestones: 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

Aaron beats Willie Mays to this distinction by 62 days. Later in the game, he hit his 570th home run, and finished the game 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs. But the Reds carried the day, which went 15 innings. It was pitcher Don Gullett, batting for himself because he was the last unused man on the Cincinnati roster, who singled home the winning run, and the Reds won, 7-6, completing a doubleheader sweep.

The Reds had won the 1st game, 5-1, with Jim Merritt outpitching Pat Jarvis. Five days earlier, Jarvis had pitched against the Chicago Cubs, and gave up the 500th career home run of Ernie Banks. The Cubs won that game, 4-3 in 11 innings at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Over the 2 games, Aaron went 3-for-9 with a home run, 2 walks and 3 RBIs; Pete Rose went 2-for-9 with 2 home runs, 2 walks, and 3 RBIs; and Johnny Bench went 3-for-11 with a home run and and 3 RBIs.

Aaron joining the 500 Home Run Club in 1968, only 34 years old, was the first sign that maybe he would be the player to break Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs. Up until then, the player who seemed most likely to do it was Mays, who had surpassed Mickey Mantle as such when he surpassed Mantle on the home run list in 1964.

Among those on hand to congratulate Aaron on his milestone was Stan Musial, who, until then, was the last player to reach 3,000 hits. He finished his career with 475 home runs.

The list of players who have done 3000/500 is more surprising for who is not on it than it is for who is on it. The greatest hitter who ever lived? Most people will say either Ruth or Ted Williams. Ruth hit 714 home runs, a record that lasted until Aaron surpassed him with 755, but he finished with 2,873 hits. I suspect that if someone had told him that, one day, 3,000 hits would be considered a big deal, he would have gone for it.

As for Williams, he closed his career by hitting a home run in his last at-bat, his 521st homer. But, because he missed the equivalent of 5 seasons serving in 2 different wars, his career hit total was 2,654. Barry Bonds, who would use steroids to surpass Aaron's record and finish with 762 home runs, had 2,935 hits. Mantle's many injuries did not prevent him from hitting 536 home runs, but they did limit him to 2,415 hits.

Musial had 3,630 hits, but, as I said, fell short of 500 home runs, at 475. Carl Yastrzemski had 3,419 hits, but 452 home runs. Dave Winfield had 3,110 hits, but 465 home runs. Frank Robinson hit 586 home runs, but fell short of 3,000 hits, with 2,943. Mel Ott hit 511 home runs, but had 2,876 hits.

Here's the players who have done both:

1. May 17, 1970: Hank Aaron. He finished with 3,771 hits, including 755 home runs. In other words, without counting his home runs, he still had over 3,000 hits.

2. July 18, 1970: Willie Mays. He finished with 3,283 hits, including 600 home runs.

3. September 6, 1996: Eddie Murray. He is the only player, so far, to get his 3,000th hit first, and his 500th home run second. He finished with 3,255 hits, including 504 home runs.

4. July 15, 2005: Rafael Palmeiro. He finished with 3,020 hits, including 569 home runs. He would have finished with more, but he failed a steroid test, got benched, got released, and was not signed by anyone else, essentially blackballed from baseball.

5. June 19, 2015: Alex Rodriguez. He finished his career with 3,115 hits, including 696 home runs. But he, too, was exposed as a steroid user.

6. May 14, 2018: Albert Pujols. He finished his career with 3,308 hits, including 703 home runs.

7. April 23, 2002: Miguel Cabrera. As of May 17, 2022, he is still active. (UPDATE: He retired after the 2023 season, with 3,174 hits, including 511 home runs.)

So, out of 22,000 or so men who have played Major League Baseball since it began in 1871, only 7 have both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs -- and only 5 have done so honestly.

*

May 17, 1970 was a Sunday. Basketball player Hubert Davis and New Kids On The Block singer Jordan Knight were born.

These other games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The Montreal Expos beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Roberto Clemente went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Willie Stargell appeared as a pinch-hitter, and drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk.

* The Kansas City Royals swept a doubleheader from the Chicago White Sox, 3-2 and 8-4 at Comiskey Park. Both games went to extra innings. In the opener, Joe Keough doubled Amos Otis home in the top of the 10th. In the nightcap, the Royals scored 4 runs in the top of the 11th, including a home run by Pat Kelly.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Harmon Killebrew went 0-for-3 with a walk. Rod Carew went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, 4-3 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Lou Brock went 0-for-4. Ernie Banks also went 0-for-4, but had an RBI on a groundout.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros, 5-3 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium).

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 8-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Claude Osteen pitched a 4-hit shutout. Willie Mays went 1-for-3 with a walk. Willie McCovey went 0-for-2 before getting the rest of the game off.

* A doubleheader was split at the Oakland Coliseum. The California Angels won the 1st game, 7-1. The Oakland Athletics won the 2nd game, 6-5. Greg Garrett walked Bert Campaneris with the bases loaded, forcing Sal Bando home, in the bottom of the 10th inning. Over the 2 games, Reggie Jackson went 1-for-8 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Senators were rained out at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. The game was made up on June 29. The Senators won, 5-3. The Senators scored 3 runs, including a home run by Aurelio Rodríguez, off Mike Cuellar in the bottom of the 8th to come from behind, making Jim Shellenback the winning pitcher. Frank Howard also hit a home run. For the O's, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson each went 1-for-4.

* The New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies were rained out at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on July 2. The Phils swept, 6-1 and 3-2.

* The Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians were rained out at Fenway Park in Boston. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on July 3. The Red Sox swept, 2-1 and 5-4. Over the 2 games, Carl Yastrzemski went 4-for-7 with a home run, 2 walks, and an RBI.

* The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers were rained out at Yankee Stadium. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on August 6. The Tigers won the 1st game, 2-1. Mike Kilkenny outpitched Mel Stottlemyre. Al Kaline went 1-for-4, then got the 2nd game off.

The Yankees won the 2nd game, 7-5. Stan Bahnsen and Joe Niekro started, but Ron Klimkowski was the winning pitcher, and John Hiller was the losing pitcher. Roy White and Bobby Murcer hit home runs.

There was 1 other score to report: Game 2 of the American Basketball Association Finals was played at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum (now the Corteva Coliseum) in Indianapolis. The Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Stars, 114-111. The Stars went on to win the title in 6 games.

The NBA Championship had been decided 9 days earlier, with the New York Knicks beating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the Finals. The NHL Championship had been decided 7 days earlier, with the Boston Bruins sweeping the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Finals in 4 straight. And football was out of season.

May 13, 1976: The Last ABA Game

David Thompson (left) and Julius Erving

May 13, 1976: The New York Nets beat the Denver Nuggets, 121-106 at the Nassau County Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Hempstead, New York, and win the American Basketball Association Championship in 6 games.

(The Nassau Coliseum is in the Town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on Long Island, but its mailing address is Uniondale, NY.)

For the Nets, coached by Kevin Loughery; Julius Erving, known as Dr. J, scored 31 points, John Williamson 28, Brian Taylor 24, Jim Eakins 15, Bill Melchionni and Tim Bassett each scored 4, Al Skinner 3, Rich Jones 2, and Ted McClain 1.

For the Nuggets, coached by Larry Brown (with some irony, a Nassau County native): David Thompson, known as "Skywalker" before there was a Star Wars, led all scorers with 42 points, Dan Issel 30, Chuck Williams 14, Monte Towe 6, Ralph Simpson and Bobby Jones 4 each; and Byron Beck, Marvin Webster and Gus Gerard 2 each.

This turns out to be the last game in ABA history. It is also the last game that Erving plays for the Nets.

Before the 1975-76 season began, the Memphis Sounds, who had been the Memphis Tams (1972-74), the Memphis Pros (1970-72), and the New Orleans Buccaneers (1967-70), moved again, becoming the Baltimore Claws, but only played 3 exhibition games before being folded by the league for nonpayment of fees. The San Diego Conquistadors became the San Diego Sails, but folded 11 games into the season; the Utah Stars, only 2 seasons removed from a Finals berth and the 1971 ABA Champions, folded 16 games in.

So only 7 teams completed the season: The Nets, the Nuggets, the San Antonio Spurs, the Indiana Pacers, the Kentucky Colonels, the Spirits of St. Louis and the Virginia Squires. The ABA required the remaining teams to each put up $75,000 before merger talks with the NBA, and the Squires didn't, folding, and ending what remains Virginia's last sports team with major league pretensions. (The Washington Commanders have their offices and training camp in Virginia, but, as of the 2022 season, their stadium is in Maryland.)

Despite being 1 of only 2 teams, the Pacers being the other, to play every ABA season under the same name and in the same metro area, and being only 1 season removed from an ABA Championship, the Colonels folded. Team owner John Y. Brown Jr., who bought Kentucky Fried Chicken from "Colonel" Harland Sanders and made it a nationwide brand, took a $3.3 million payoff from the NBA.

Brown took the money he received for the Colonels and used part of it to purchase the NBA's Buffalo Braves, which he later parlayed into ownership of the Boston Celtics. In 1979, he was elected Governor of Kentucky. To this day, no major league team in any sport has called Kentucky home, unless you count Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League.

The Spirits' demise was a bit more interesting. The team known from 1967 to 1969 as the Houston Mavericks, and from then until 1974 as the Carolina Cougars, were owned by brothers Ozzie and Daniel Silva, textile magnates, who had previously tried to buy the NBA's Detroit Pistons. They had planned to move the Spirits to Salt Lake City if the NBA would accept them. It didn't, thinking both St. Louis and Salt Lake City too small as markets. However, in 1979, the NBA did not stop the New Orleans Jazz from moving to Salt Lake City.

In June 1976, the ABA owners agreed, in return for the Spirits of St. Louis ceasing operations, to pay the Silnas $2.2 million in cash up front, in addition to a 1/7th share of the 4 remaining teams' television revenues in perpetuity. As the NBA's popularity exploded in 1980s and 1990s, the league's television rights were sold to CBS, and then NBC, and additional deals were struck with the cable networks TBS and TNT, league television revenue soared into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

From 1976 to 2012, the Silnas collected approximately $255 million from the NBA, despite the fact that the Spirits never played an NBA game. (Nor has the NBA placed a new team in St. Louis since the Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968.) In 2014, the Silnas reached agreement with the NBA to greatly reduce the perpetual payments, and take a lump sum of $500 million. Ozzie died in 2016, at the age of 83. As of May 13, 2022, Dan is still alive, 77 years old, and still receiving money from the NBA, even though he hasn't owned a pro basketball team in 46 years.

When the 1976-77 season begins, the Nets, the Nuggets, the Pacers and the Spurs were in the NBA. But, as a result of having to pay an entry fee and a territorial indemnification fee to the Knicks, the Nets sold Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Nets went from the best team in their old league to the worst in their new one, while Dr. J helped the Sixers reach 4 NBA Finals, including in that 1st season, winning the title in 1983.

The Nets changed their name to the New Jersey Nets in 1977, moved to the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, then to the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford in 1981, then to the Prudential Center in Newark in 2010, and finally to the Barclays Center in 2012, becoming the Brooklyn Nets. They reached the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, but, for the most part, due to poor drafts, poor trades, and internal dissension that occasionally breaks them up, they have been an NBA failure.

However, it should also be noted that the 1976 ABA title is the last league championship won by a basketball team in the New York Tri-State Area. The Knicks won the NBA in 1970 and 1973, the Nets won the ABA in 1974 and 1976. Since then, between them, they are 0-4 in NBA Finals, winning just 6 Finals games in 40 years. The Nuggets haven't even reached the NBA Finals.

The NBA never adopted the ABA's red-white-and-blue ball, keeping their traditional orange. But in 1979, they adopted the 3-point field goal, which the ABA had, as had the American Basketball League of 1961-62.

UPDATE: The Nuggets finally reached the NBA Finals in 2023, and won. The New York Liberty won the WNBA Championship in 2024, finally succeeding the '76 Nets.

*

May 13, 1976 was a Thursday. The NBA Playoffs were in progress, but no games were played on this date.

The Montreal Canadiens beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, and won Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. They completed the sweep 3 days later. The World Hockey Association Playoffs were in the Semifinals, and the Houston Aeros beat the New England Whalers, 4-2 at The Summit in Houston. (Televangelist Joel Osteen later turned the arena into the Central Campus of his Lakewood Church.)

Football was out of season. And these 6 Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers, 3-2 at Yankee Stadium. Vern Ruhle outpitched Rudy May. Rusty Staub hit a home run for the Tigers, and Chris Chambliss hit one for the Yankees.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-5 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Luis Tiant outpitched Jim Kern. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Indians player-manager Frank Robinson did not put himself into the game.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-5 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Jim Palmer outpitched Bill Travers. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-3, but had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Reggie Jackson, in his only season with the Orioles, went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Robin Yount went 1-for-4.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 13-2 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. George Brett went 3-for-4 with a solo home run.

* And the California Angels beat the Texas Rangers, 7-5 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).

May 12, 1974: The End of the NBA's 1st Great Era

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, guarded by

Dave Cowens (left) and Don Nelson (right)

May 12, 1974: The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 102-87, at the Milwaukee Exposition & Convention Center Arena (The MECCA). This was the Celtics' 12th title, but their first without Bill Russell.

The Bucks were in their 2nd Finals, having won the title in 1971, but it took 50 years for them to get back, before they won the title in 2021. In between, they'd usually been good, but not Finals good.

This was also the last game for Oscar Robertson, closing out his career with the Bucks. In fact, this game was the end of an era for the NBA, as legends Jerry West, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, and Robertson's former Cincinnati Royals teammate Jerry Lucas announced their retirements. So would Wilt Chamberlain, although he hadn't played this season, due to a contract dispute between the NBA and the ABA.

A year and a half later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar demanded a trade, and got it, going to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bucks were usually good thereafter, but they would not return to the NBA Finals until 2021.

The 1974 NBA Finals was the end of an era, when men were men, and pretty much only the people in the arena saw the game, because television coverage was so rare. The era of Dr. J, Skywalker, Chocolate Thunder, Magic, Larry, the Human Highlight Film and Air Jordan, an era where substance took a back seat to style, was about to begin. The NBA made a lot more money during that period. But it was not better.

*

May 12, 1974 was a Sunday. The ABA Championship had been won 2 days earlier, by the New York Nets over the Utah Stars.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals was played that day. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins, 2-1 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, and went on to win the series in 7 games. The WHA Playoffs were between the Semifinals and the Finals. The Houston Aeros went on to sweep the Chicago Cougars in 4 straight.

And these games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees were swept in a doubleheader by the Milwaukee Brewers, at Shea Stadium, where the Yankees were groundsharing with the Mets while Yankee Stadium was renvoated. The Brewers won the opener, 7-3. Clyde Wright outpitched Mel Stottlemyre. George "Boomer" Scott went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Lou Piniella hit a home run.

The Brewers won the nightcap, 5-1. Kevin Kobel outpitched Dick Woodson. Dave May homered for the Brewers. Rick Dempsey, later to be traded to the Baltimore Orioles, where he would not be available to succeed Thurman Munson as the Yankees' catcher (Munson was the designated hitter in this game, after catching the opener.)

* The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. George Mitterwald singled Matt Alexander home, off Tom Seaver, in the bottom of the 9th. José Cardenal hit a home run for the Cubs, Rusty Staub for the Mets.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-3 with a walk. Mike Anderson hit a home run. For the Pirates, Willie Stargell went 0-for-4 with a walk, but Richie Zisk went 4-for-5 with 2 RBIs, and Al Oliver went 3-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

* A doubleheader was split at Atlanta Stadium. (It was renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium the next season.) The Atlanta Braves won the 1st game, 5-1. Hank Aaron went 2-for-3 with a walk and his 721st career home run, before being taken out of the lineup. He did not play in the 2nd game, which the San Francisco Giants won, 6-2.

* The Cincinnati Reds swept the Houston Astros, 5-0 and 4-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Fred Norman pitched a 5-hit shutout in the 1st game. Merv Rettenmund hit home runs in both games. Over the 2 games, Pete Rose went 2-for-7 with a walk and an RBI, while Johnny Bench went 2-for-7 with a home run, a walk and an RBI.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Dick McAuliffe, the Tigers' long-time 2nd baseman, doubled Carl Yastrzemski home in the top of the 10th inning, to win the game for the Red Sox. Yastrzemski went 2-for-4 with a walk. Al Kaline went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 5-4 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 15-9 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). The Padre bullpen melted down in the top of the 13th inning, so if new team owner Ray Kroc thought Opening Day was "the most stupid ballplaying I've ever seen," then he hadn't seen anything yet.

* The Kansas City Royals swept a doubleheader from the California Angels, 3-2 and 5-2 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Hal McRae singled Amos Otis home in the top of the 9th to win the 1st game. The Royals scored all 5 runs of the 2nd game in the 8th inning. George Brett did not play in the 1st game, and went 0-for-2 in the 2nd game before being replaced. He may have been injured.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. Reggie Jackson did not play. Harmon Killebrew went 0-for-2 with a walk. Rod Carew went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Baltimore Orioles and the Cleveland Indians were rained out at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on July 25. The Indians swept, 8-7 and 5-4. They won the 2nd game when Tommy McCraw singled John Ellis home in the bottom of the 13th inning.

* And the Montreal Expos and the St. Louis Cardinals were rained out at Jarry Park in Montreal. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on August 6. The Cards swept, 5-4 and 9-4.

May 5, 1973: The Sunderland Cup

May 5, 1973: "The Magic of the FA Cup" rears its head, as one of the great "Cup shocks" occurs in the Final at Wembley Stadium in West London.

Sunderland Association Football Club, in the North-East of England, won the Football League in 1936, and the Football Association Cup in 1937. But, for much of their history, they have been in the League's 2nd division, and had been relegated to it in 1970. They finished 6th in the 1972-73 season, and showed little sign of getting promoted back to the 1st division.

In contrast, Leeds United, of Yorkshire, were one of the top teams of the era. They won the Football League Division One in 1969; they finished 2nd in 1965, '66, '70, '71 and '72; finished 3rd in this 1972-73 season; were the holders of the FA Cup, and lost the Final in 1965 and '70; won the League Cup in 1968; and won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, now known as the UEFA Europa League, in 1968 and '71.

In their run to successfully defend the FA Cup, Leeds beat Norwich City of Norfolk, Plymouth Argyle of Devon, West Bromwich Albion of the West Midlands, Derby County of the East Midlands in the Quarterfinal, and Wolverhampton Wanderers of the West Midlands in the Semifinal.

Sunderland's path to the Final included beating Notts County of Nottingham, Reading of Berkshire, Manchester City, Luton Town of Bedfordshire in the Quarterfinal, and Arsenal of North London in the Semifinal.

Leeds were known as the most aggressive team in England. But Sunderland weren't intimidated, tackling fiercely and defiantly with an unremitting determination from the kickoff. Leeds looked anxious, lacking their usual composure. The match itself was decided by two crucial moments that would be talked about for years to come.

After 32 minutes, Sunderland took the lead, when Vic Halom chested down a corner from Billy Hughes. Assisted by Dave Watson between two defenders, the deflected high ball was controlled by Ian Porterfield, who shot home from 12 yards. Leeds, shocked, battled back with predictable determination. Sunderland's goalkeeper, Jimmy Montgomery, defied Leeds with a string of fine saves, preserving his team's lead.

The turning point of the match came midway through the 2nd half. Montgomery dived to palm away a close range header from Trevor Cherry. It fell into the path of Peter Lorimer, who blasted goalward from 10 yards, but Montgomery managed to divert the ball on to the underside of the bar, and Dick Malone scrambled to get the ball clear. The save is considered one of the greatest of all time.

The North-East team survived more pressure from Leeds, and the 1-0 score held up, to secure a notable upset for "The Mackems." As a shipbuilding town, the slogan was, "We make them, and you take them" -- or, in their North-East accent, "We mackem an' you tackem."

At the final whistle, Sunderland manager Bob Stokoe -- who, ironically, spent most of his playing career with Sunderland's arch-rivals, Newcastle United -- could be seen running around the sideline. This presaged Jim Valvano of North Carolina State, 10 years later, running around the court of the NCAA Tournament Final, "looking for someone to hug"; and formed the basis of the statue of Stokoe that would be dedicated outside their new home, the Stadium of Light. (From 1898 until 1997, they played at Roker Park.) 

Although I found plenty of pictures of Stokoe, and of his statue,

I couldn't find any of his run.

Bobby Kerr, Sunderland's Captain, received the Cup from Katharine, Duchess of Kent, as a representative of the royal family. It remains the team's last major trophy. Sunderland won Division Two in 1976, and got promoted to Division One. But they finished in 20th and last place in 1977, and were relegated again. 

They were in the top flight again from 1980 to 1985, the 1990-91 season, 1996-97, 1999 to 2003, 2005-06, and 2007 to 2017. In 2002-03, they finished with 19 points, a record low for the top flight since a win was made 3 points instead of 2 in 1982. In 2005-06, they finished with 15 points, a new record low. That record was broken in 2007-08, when Derby County got only 11.

Only once since has a team from outside the 1st division won the FA Cup: West Ham United, of East London, defeating Arsenal in 1980. Bob Stokoe lived until 2004.

*

May 5, 1973 was a Saturday. Hockey goaltender Johan Hedberg was born.

The Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Secretariat won it, with a time of 1 minute, 59 and 2⁄5ths seconds, a new race record. He would go on to win the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, also in record times, to win the Triple Crown. He still holds the records for the Derby and the Belmont.

American-style football was out of season. The NBA Finals were between Games 3 and 4, and the New York Knicks would beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. Game 4 of the American Basketball Association Finals was played at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum (still standing, now named the Corteva Coliseum) in Indianapolis, and the Indiana Pacers beat their arch-rivals, the Kentucky Colonels, 90-86. The Pacers would win the series in 7 games.

The Stanley Cup Finals were between Games 4 and 5. The Montreal Canadiens would beat the Chicago Black Hawks in 6 games. Game 4 of the World Hockey Association's 1st Finals was held at the Boston Garden. The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets, 4-2. The Whalers wrapped up the title the next day, 9-6, also at the Boston Garden.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Eddie Fisher (not the singer) went 5 1/3rd innings, before being relieved by Terry Forster, and they completed an 8-hit shutout, to outpitch Fritz Peterson.

* The New York Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 9-2 at Shea Stadium. Don Wilson outpitched Jim McAndrew. César Cedeño and Johnny Edwards hit home runs for the 'Stros.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 8-6 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Pete Rose went 1-for-3 with 2 walks. Johnny Bench went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-0 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Carl Morton pitched a 7-hit shutout, beating Steve Carlton. This was not "Win Day" for Carlton and the Phillies. Rookie Mike Schmidt went 1-for-3. Hank Aaron hit his 681st career home run.

* The California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4. Frank Robinson, by this point with the Angels, went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-5 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Reggie Jackson went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 2-0 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Joe Coleman took a 5-hit shutout into the 8th inning, and it was saved by John Hiller, the 4th of 38 saves he had that season, a new major league record. Al Kaline hit a home run.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-7 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-1 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Boston Red Sox went 2-for-4 with a walk. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-4. So did Rod Carew, who also drew a walk.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5 at San Diego Stadium (later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Willie Stargell went 0-for-4 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

May 4, 1968: The 1st ABA Championship

May 4, 1968: The 1st American Basketball Association Finals goes to a Game 7 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Pipers, coached by Vince Cazzetta, and led by Connie Hawkins -- unfairly banned from the NBA, although this will be rescinded while he can still play at a star level -- defeat the New Orleans Buccaneers 122-113, and take the title.

A modern replica of Connie Hawkins' Pipers jersey

Up until the Steeler dynasty of the 1970s, titles were few and far between for Pittsburgh sports teams. So, even though few people considered the ABA "major league" at this point, for the Steel City, it was a very big deal.

And basketball has not been a priority for Pittsburgh. In the 1st season of the league that became the NBA, 1946-47, they had the Pittsburgh Ironmen, playing at the Duquesne Gardens. They did not do well, and folded after the season. Neither the University of Pittsburgh nor Duquesne University has done well.

And the Pipers? They moved after 1 season, too, becoming the Minnesota Pipers for 1968-69. The President of the ABA was former Minneapolis Lakers star George Mikan, who was hired solely for the value of his name. The Minnesota Muskies had failed after that 1st season, and Mikan wanted a team in the Twin Cities. (Both the Muskies and the Pipers played at the Metropolitan Sports Center in suburban Bloomington.)

But attendance went down, as Minneapolis and environs weren't interested in pro basketball at the time. The Pipers went back to Pittsburgh -- according to Terry Pluto, in the definitive book about the ABA, Loose Balls, because team co-owner Gabe Rubin couldn't think of anywhere else to go.

Throw in the fact that the NBA reinstated Hawkins so that he would drop his lawsuit against him, and he signed with the Phoenix Suns, and the Pipers were doomed. The team was sold in 1970, and the new owners changed the name to the Pittsburgh Condors. It didn't work, and they flat-out folded in 1972.

No one has made a serious attempt to bring the NBA back to Pittsburgh since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. The closest they've come is the 1979 film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.

*

May 4, 1968 was a Sunday. Football was out of season. The NBA season had ended 2 days earlier, when the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games. And these baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Cisco Carlos outpitched Fred Talbot, allowing just 2 hits, a single to Mickey Mantle and a double to Steve Whitaker.

* The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-3 at Shea Stadium. Ernie Banks went 1-for-4 with an RBI. For the Mets, Ed Charles hit a home run. Dick Selma got the win. The next season, he would be a key figure in the Cubs' bid to win the National League Eastern Division, which fell apart in a "September Swoon" as the Mets made their "Miracle" run.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Rookie Reggie Jackson went 1-for-4 with a walk. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-2 with 3 walks.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-4.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Washington Senators, 5-3 at District of Columbia Stadium (later Robert F. Kennedy Stadium) in Washington. Frank Robinson did not play. Brooks Robinson went 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Frank Howard went 3-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-0 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Steve Hargan pitched a 3-hit shutout. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-4. Rod Carew did not play.

* The California Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-2 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Al Kaline went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros, 5-2 at the Astrodome in Houston. Hank Aaron went 1-for-4.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Gerry Arrigo pitched a 2-hit shutout, outpitching Bill Singer. Pete Rose went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and rookie Johnny Bench went 0-for-4.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants, 11-6 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Dick Schofield, playing shortstop in place of Dal Maxville, went 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs. Roger Maris walked as a pinch-hitter, moved to right field, and flew out. Willie Mays and Willie McCovey hit home runs for the Giants.

And in English soccer, North London team Arsenal went to South Yorkshire, and beat Sheffield Wednesday, 2-1 at Hillsborough Stadium.