December 13, 1983: The Highest-Scoring Game in NBA History

Isiah Thomas (left) and Dan Issel

December 13, 1983: The Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets, 186-184 in triple overtime at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. It is the highest-scoring game in NBA history.

The Pistons led 38-34 after the 1st quarter. The game was tied 74-74 at the half. The Nuggets led 114-108 at the end of the 3rd quarter. This fact, alone, my stun some of you who grew up in the 1990s, when Pat Riley shunned his former "Showtime" philosophy with the Los Angeles Lakers to go with a defense-first philosophy with the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, and frequently won games that required only 90 or so points to do so.

It was 145-145 at the end of regulation, 159-159 at the end of the 1st overtime, 171-171 at the end of the 2nd, and 186-184 Pistons at the end of the 3rd. The teams combined for 142 field goals and 93 assists.

For the Pistons, in their 1st season with Chuck Daly as head coach: Isiah Thomas scored 47 points, John Long 41, Kelly Tripucka 35, Terry Tyler 18, Bill Laimbeer 17, Vinnie Johnson 12, Earl Cureton 9, Ray Tolbert 3, Cliff Levingston 2 (he started, but played only 13 minutes), Walker Russell 2, and Ken Benson and David Thirdkill none. Daly, Thomas, Tripucka, Laimbeer and Johnson.

For the Nuggets, coached by Doug Moe: Kiki Vandeweghe 51, Alex English 47, Dan Issel 28, Mike Evans 16, Richard Anderson 13, Danny Schayes 11, Rob Williams 9, T.R. Dunn 7, Bill Hanzlik 2, and Howard Carter and Kenny Dennard none.

This game broke the record set on March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, when Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points, en route to his Philadelphia Warriors beating the New York Knicks, 169-147.

A month after the 186-184 game, on January 11, 1984, also at McNichols Arena, the Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs, 163-155, no overtime necessary. Vandeweghe scored 50, and the teams combined to score 99 points in a quarter.

The previous highest-scoring game was fairly recent: On March 6, 1982, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 171-166 in triple overtime in San Antonio. The highest-scoring game in regulation was on November 2, 1990, also at McNichols Arena. The Nuggets lost that one, 162-158 to the Golden State Warriors.

The highest-scoring game since the 186-184 game has been on March 1, 2019, at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, with the Chicago Bulls beating the Atlanta Hawks, 168-161 in 4 overtimes.

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December 13, 1983 was a Tuesday. There were 7 other games in the NBA that night:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics, 102-100 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Golden State Warriors, 133-122 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. Purvis Short scored 39 in defeat.

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Washington Bullets, 94-89 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 107-105 at The Coliseum in the Cleveland suburb of Richfield, Ohio. Adrian Dantley scored 35 points.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 96-88 at the Chicago Stadium.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns, 129-110 at The Summit in Houston. (The arena has since been converted into the Central Campus of the Lakewood Church, Dr. Joel Osteen's "megachurch.")

* And the Portland Trail Blazers beat their arch-rivals, the Seattle SuperSonics, 102-89 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. There were 5 games in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders beat the Edmonton Oilers, 8-5 at the Nassau Coliseum. Butch Goring scored 3 goals for the Isles, Mike Bossy 2. Wayne Gretzky was held to 1 goal. This was a rematch of the previous season's Stanley Cup Finals. In this season's Finals, the Oilers would end the Isles' dynasty and begin their own.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Hartford Whalers, 3-2 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The Los Angeles Kings beat the Detroit Red Wings, 7-5 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

* The St. Louis Blues beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Black Hawks, 4-1 at the St. Louis Arena.

* And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Quebec Nordiques, 6-2 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

October 1, 2007: The Colorado Rockies' Disputed Holliday

October 1, 2007: A Playoff for the National League Wild Card Playoff berth is held at Coors Field in Denver. The Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres had both finished with a record of 89-73, 1 game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Western Division. Since only 1 Wild Card berth was available per League, they would have to play each other for it.

The Rockies had won 13 of their last 14 scheduled games just to get that far, for a shot at only their 2nd Playoff berth ever, after the 1995 NL Wild Card. The Padres had won the NL West the 2 preceding seasons.

Jake Peavy, having won the Triple Crown of Pitching, started for the Padres, and lasted into the 7th inning, bolstered by a 5-run 3rd inning that included a home run by Adrián González. Rockies starter Josh Fogg got knocked out in the 5th inning, but the Rockies still only trailed, 5-4, thanks to home runs by Yorvit Torrealba and Todd Helton.

The Rockies scored runs in the 5th and the 6th to take a 6-5 lead, but the Padres tied it in the 8th. The game went to extra innings. Brian Giles led off the top of the 13th inning with a walk, and Scott Hairston looked like the hero of the game, hitting a home run off Jorge Julio to give the Padres an 8-6 lead. Ramón Ortiz came in to pitch for the Rockies, and he got out of the inning with no further damage.

Counting the postseason, Hall-of-Fame reliever Trevor Hoffman appeared in 914 games for the San Diego Padres. This one, along with Game 3 of the 1998 World Series, when he gave up a game-winning home run to Scott Brosius, is one he'd like to have back. He gave up a double to Kazuo Matsui, an RBI double to Troy Tulowitzki, and an RBI triple to Matt Holliday.

Helton was intentionally walked to set up the double play. But Jamey Carroll hit a fly ball to right field. Giles caught it, and threw home, to try to get Holliday, who had tagged up at 3rd. Home plate umpire Tim McClelland ruled him safe, and the Rockies had won, 9-8.

The Padres lost their minds, sure that catcher Michael Barrett had tagged Holliday. This play is one of the reasons that instant replay review was instituted in Major League Baseball, but it wasn't in use yet. The replay showed that Padre catcher Michael Barrett had dropped the ball. Holliday was safe.

Needing a Playoff for the Playoffs, the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the 13th inning, 9-8. Jamey Carroll hits a sacrifice fly, and Matt Holliday scores on a disputed play at the plate.

The Rockies closed the regular season (and this game counts as such, as it's officially not a postseason game) winning 14 of their last 15. They swept the Philadelphia Phillies 3 straight in the NL Division Series, and the Diamondbacks 4 straight in the NL Championship Series. They had won 21 of their last 22, a late-season run unmatched in the history of Major League Baseball.

Which made it all the more stunning when the Boston Red Sox swept them in 4 straight in the World Series. They won the Wild Card again in 2009, but didn't make the Playoffs again until 2017. The Padres didn't make the Playoffs again until 2020, and this play still burns their fans up. 

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October 1, 2007 was a Monday. There was 1 other score: On ESPN Monday Night Football, the New England Patriots, in the middle of their almost-unbeaten season, beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 34-13 at Paul Brown Stadium (now Paycor Stadium) in Cincinnati.

August 1, 1876: Colorado Is Admitted As the 38th State

The State Flag

August 1, 1876: Colorado is admitted to the Union as the 38th State.

Aside from the continuing readmission of the Confederate States, this was the 1st new State since Nebraska, 9 years earlier. The previous States were admitted in this order, with the 1st 13 being listed by when their legislatures ratified the new Constitution of the United States:

1. Delaware, December 7, 1787.

2. Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787.

3. New Jersey, December 18, 1787.

4. Georgia, January 2, 1788.

5. Connecticut, January 9, 1788.

6. Massachusetts, February 6, 1788.

7. Maryland, April 28, 1788. 

8. South Carolina, May 23, 1788.

9. New Hampshire, June 21, 1788. Getting 9 of the 1st 13, or three-quarters, guaranteed the Constitution's overall ratification.

10. Virginia, June 25, 1788.

11. New York, July 26, 1788. Getting the largest Northern State, New York, and the largest Southern State, Virginia, was seen as vital for overall acceptance of the Constitution. Hence, The Federalist Papers, designed to persuade legislators to ratify the document, were written by Alexander Hamilton of New York, plus 5 by John Jay, also of New York; and James Madison of Virginia, who had written the bulk of the Constitution.

12. North Carolina, November 21, 1789, the 1st State admitted after the 1st convening of Congress on March 4, 1789, and the 1st admitted after the Inauguration of the 1st President, George Washington, on April 30, 1789. Georgia, Virginia and both Carolinas are the only States to have been part of the Original 13 and the Confederate 11.

13. Rhode Island, May 29, 1790.

14. Vermont, March 4, 1791, the 1st State admitted that was not part of what we now tend to call "The Original 13 Colonies."

15. Kentucky, June 1, 1792, the 1st "Western" State.

16. Tennessee, June 1, 1796.

17. Ohio, March 1, 1803, the 1st State admitted as a result of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

18. Louisiana, April 30, 1812, the 1st State admitted as a result of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

19, Indiana, December 11, 1816.

20. Mississippi, December 10, 1817.

21. Illinois, December 3, 1818.

22. Alabama, December 14, 1819.

23. Maine, March 15, 1820.

24. Missouri, August 10, 1821. Maine and Missouri were admitted, albeit a year and a half apart, as a result of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, an attempt to assure a balance of Free States and Slave States. Maine's land had been part of Massachusetts.

25. Arkansas, June 15, 1836.

26. Michigan, January 26, 1837.

27. Florida, March 3, 1845.

28. Texas, December 29, 1845.

29. Iowa, December 28, 1846.

30, Wisconsin, May 28, 1848.

31. California, September 9, 1850, the 1st State from the land won from the Mexican-American War, and the 1st State on the Pacific Coast.

32. Minnesota, May 11, 1858.

33. Oregon, February 14, 1859.

34. Kansas, January 29, 1861, the last State admitted before the American Civil War, admitted as some Southern States were seceding.

35. West Virginia, June 20, 1863. Virginia had seceded from the Union, so West Virginia seceded from Virginia, and rejoined the Union.

36. Nevada, October 31, 1864.

37. Nebraska, March 1, 1867, the 1st State admitted after the Civil War.

A reminder: My cutoff date for this project is 1869, because of 3 significant events that occurred that year, 2 of them sporting events on back-to-back days: The completion of the 1st transcontinental railroad, the end of the 1st professional baseball season, and the 1st American football game.

Colorado is in the Rocky Mountains, which include the State's most famous physical feature, the 14,115-foot-high Pikes Peak. The Colorado Territory had been separated from the Kansas Territory, which was obtained as part of the Louisiana Purchase. It has become known for gold mining (a gold rush in 1859 helped start the movement for Statehood) and skiing (Aspen and Vail are world-famous ski resorts).

In politics, it was traditionally Republican until 1992, when a large influx of Hispanic voters switched it to being usually Democratic. Still, there is a bit of a divide: Denver and Boulder, the latter having a Hippie image, make for "The People's Republic of Boulder." The rest of the State is so conservative, it might as well be called "West Nebraska" or "East Utah."

No Colorado native has ever become President. Its highest-ranking politician has been Federico Peña, who served as Mayor of Denver (1983-91), and, in the Administration of President Bill Clinton, served as Secretary of Transportation (1993–1997) and Secretary of Energy (1997–1998). Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, was born in Denver, and was the Democratic nominee for President in 2004, but lost. Mamie Eisenhower, wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, grew up in Denver.

It is home to the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado State University in Fort Collins, the University of Denver (multi-time National Champions in hockey), and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Its capital, Denver, is also its largest city. Denver is home to MLB's Colorado Rockies, the NFL's Denver Broncos, the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, and MLS' Colorado Rapids. (UPDATE: The NWSL's Denver Summit began play in 2026.)

Denver has never hosted a Super Bowl, although the Broncos have been in 8; and was not selected as a host city for the 1994 World Cup. The Broncos have won the Super Bowl in 1998, 1999 and 2015; and the Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup in 1996, 2001 and 2022. The Rockies have won the National League Pennant in 2007, but never the World Series. The Nuggets reached the ABA Finals in 1976, but never the NBA Finals. The Rapids won the 2010 MLS Cup.

(UPDATE: Denver was not selected as a host city for the 2026 World Cup. But the Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Championship.) 

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August 1, 1876 was a Tuesday. The only major sports league in North American was baseball's National League, and these 3 games were played:

* The Hartford Dark Blues beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 8-4 at the Hartford Ball Club Grounds in Hartford, Connecticut.

* The St. Louis Brown Stockings beat the Cincinnati Reds, 19-3 at the Avenue Grounds in Cincinnati.

* And the Chicago White Stockings beat the Louisville Grays, 15-7 at Louisville Baseball Park in Louisville, Kentucky.

Despite some later teams having similar names to these, the only one of these teams still in existence today is the Chicago White Stockings, who have been known as the Chicago Cubs since 1903.

June 18, 1984: The Assassination of Alan Berg

June 18, 1984: Radio talk-show host Alan Berg is shot and killed in the driveway of his Denver home. He was 50.

Born in Chicago in 1934, he moved to Denver because it was his wife Judith's hometown. He went to the University of Denver, but returned to Chicago to practice law. He hated it, and went into radio broadcasting. He developed a brain tumor, and while it was removed, he fixed his hair to give himself bangs to hide the scar.

He and his wife split up, but his star rose in Denver radio. In 1981, he began hosting a late-night talk show on KOA, 850 AM. Its 50,000-watt signal allowed his show to be heard in 30 States. And he was confrontational: In addition to mocking the conservatives who would call into to his show, he would invite bigots, even white supremacists, onto his show, and take them on, and demolish them.

At about 9:30 p.m. on June 18, 1984, Berg returned to his Adams Street townhouse after a dinner date with Judith, with whom he was attempting reconciliation. Berg stepped out of his black Volkswagen Beetle, and was shot 12 times. He was officially pronounced dead at the scene at 9:45 p.m.

The murder weapon, a semi-automatic Ingram MAC-10, which had been illegally converted to an automatic weapon, was later traced to the home of one of the neo-Nazi group The Order's members by the FBI. Two members of The Order were convicted, killing him because he was Jewish and he challenged on the air the beliefs of an author who wrote that Jews were from the family line of the devil. Both died in prison: David Lane in 2007, and Bruce Pierce in 2010.

Berg was assassinated at the height of the Reagan era, and liberal radio was going into decline. By 1988, Rush Limbaugh would be nationally syndicated out of WABC in New York.

Berg's life and death have inspired a number of productions, including Eric Bogosian's play Talk Radio. Bogosian would also star in a film version, directed by Oliver Stone.

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June 18, 1984 was a Monday. It was a travel day for most Major League Baseball teams, and only 4 games were played, 3 of them on the West Coast:

* The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Aging knuckleballer Phil Niekro outpitched Milt Wilcox. Dave Winfield went 2-for-4. Don Mattingly went 1-for-2 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* The Texas Rangers beat the California Angels, 6-2 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Former Angel Frank Tanana outpitched Tommy John. Gary Ward homered for the Rangers. For the Angels, Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew each appeared only as a pinch-hitter, and neither reached base.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals, 10-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. Dave Kingman, Rickey Henderson and Davey Lopes hit home runs for the A's. George Brett did not play for the Royals.

* And the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 8-4 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Harold Baines went 3-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs.

 

June 12, 2023: The Denver Nuggets Finally Win a Title

NOTE: While these entries are dated 2022, I decided to backdate the posting dates of events from 2023 onward to the same date in 2022.

June 12, 2023: After 47 seasons in the NBA, and 9 seasons before that in the American Basketball Association, the Denver Nuggets finally win a league championship.

The Nuggets were founded with the ABA in 1967. In 1976, they reached the Finals, but lost to the New York Nets. Those two teams, along with the Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs, were then invited into the NBA. They became a perennial Playoff team, but never a great team: They reached the Western Conference Finals in 1986 and 2009, and had a famous 8th seed over 1st seed upset of the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994, but they never made a serious threat to take the overall Championship.

In 2015, Michael Malone was named head coach, after having been head coach of the Sacramento Kings and assisting at 4 other NBA teams. He inherited Serbian center Nikola Jokić, a.k.a. "Joker." He went on to be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2021 and 2022. In 2016, the Nuggets drafted Kentucky guard Jamal Murray. In 2019, having picked up forward Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets won the Northwest Division, and reached the Conference Semifinals. In 2020, they won the Division again, and reached the Conference Finals.

Calvin Booth, a center who spent 10 years in the NBA, was named general manager. In 2021, he picked up center JaVale McGee, who had won titles with Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors and LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers. They reached the Conference Semifinals. In 2022, with the addition of forward Aaron Gordon, they got knocked out in the 1st Round. It began to look like the Nuggets were victims of a tough Western Conference.

Before the next season, Booth picked up guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who had played with LeBron and McGee on the 2020 NBA Champion Lakers; and forward Bruce Brown. They went 53-29, winning the Division, then beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Playoffs, then the Phoenix Suns, and then swept LeBron and the Lakers in 4 straight, reaching the NBA Finals for the 1st time in franchise history.

They faced the Miami Heat.  in the NBA Finals. After winning titles with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal in 2006, and with Wade and LeBron in 2012 and '13, the Heat had rebuilt. With title-winning coach Erik Spoelstra still running them, and the legendary Pat Riley still as team president, they reached the Finals in 2020 but lost to the Lakers, and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 but lost to the Boston Celtics.

They had experience: Haslem had been on all 3 Heat title teams, and Kevin Love had been on the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron. They had star power: Bam Adebayo had made his 2nd NBA All-Star Game, Jimmy Butler had been in 6, Love had been in 5, and Victor Oladipo had been in 2. (UPDATE: Tyler Herro had already been recognized as a star, but his 1st All-Star Game was yet to come. He missed the 2023 Playoffs due to injury.) They also had some confusion: They had their own Serbian star, the similarly-named Nikola Jović.

The Nuggets won Game 1 at the Ball Arena in Denver, 104-93. But, despite Jokić scoring 41 points, the Heat took Game 2, 111-108, to gain a road split. It was the 3rd time in that year's Playoffs that Jokić had scored 40 or more in a game, and the Nuggets had lost them all. It looked like they were in trouble.

Ball Arena

The action shifted to the Kasey Center in Miami, and, between them, Jokić and Murray took over. The former scored 32 points, with 21 rebounds (18 on defense) and 10 assists; the latter scored 34, with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, plus a steal. It was the 1st time in NBA history -- regular season or postseason -- that a pair of teammates had each recorded a triple-double with at least 30 points in the same game. The Nuggets won, 109-94.

They also won Game 4 in Miami, 108-95. Game 5 was back in Denver, and the Heat put up a fight. They led 24-22 after the 1st quarter, and 51-44 at the half. The Nuggets' shooting was cold. But in the 2nd half, their got hot, and the Heat's, ironically, went cold. A 26-20 3rd quarter and a 24-18 4th quarter gave the Nuggets a 94-89 win, and their 1st World Championship.

Jokić averaged 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists throughout the Playoffs, becoming the 1st player in NBA history to lead the league in points (600), rebounds (269), and assists (190) in a single postseason. Wilt Chamberlain had never done that. Nor had Bill Russell, nor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, nor Shaq, nor LeBron, nor Tim Duncan, nor any other big man, nor any not-as-big man like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. He was named the Finals' MVP.

The Colorado Avalanche -- like the Nuggets, and the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, and soccer's Colorado Rapids and Arsenal F.C. -- had won the Stanley Cup the year before. This made Denver the 1st city ever to simultaneously hold the Championships of the NBA and NHL. Despite their many titles, it had never happened for New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago or Los Angeles. But Denver held both titles -- but for only 1 day.

UPDATE: Jokić was named NBA MVP again in 2024. He would likely join the Nuggets' team Hall of Fame, except that, for the moment, they don't have one.

But they do retire numbers. From their ABA years, they have retired 33 for forward David Thompson, 40 for forward Byron Beck, and 44 for center Dan Issel. From the 1980s, they have honored Issel; 2, for forward Alex English; 12, for guard Lafayette "Fat" Lever, and head coach Doug Moe, with a banner with his number of coaching wins on it, 432. From the 1990s, they have retired 55 for center Dikembe Mutombo.

Beck, Issel, Thompson, English and Moe have been elected to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. So have 1970s guards Chuck Williams and Ralph Simpson, 1980s guard Bill Hanzlik, 1980s forward Glen Gondrezick, 2000s guard Chauncey Billups (mainly because he was a Denver native, having starred for other teams), longtime general manager Carl Scheer, and longtime trainer Robert "Chopper" Travaglini.

No member of the '23 Nuggets had been named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players in 2021.

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June 12, 2023 was a Monday. Football was out of season. The Stanley Cup was won the following night, by the Vegas Golden Knights over the Florida Panthers.

And these 8 Major League Baseball games were played, with 4 of them going to extra innings:

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. The Rockies scored 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning, on a bases-loaded walk by Randal Grichuk, and an error with Nolan Jones at bat. The Red Sox could only come back with 1 in the bottom of the 10th.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-5 at Comerica Park (now Fifth Third Park) in Detroit. Spencer Torkelson singled Andy Ibáñez home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Torkelson, filling in for the injured Miguel Cabrera, hit like him, going 3-for-6 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-4 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Jonathan India grounded into a fielder's choice that scored TJ Friedl with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers, 9-6 at Globe Life Field in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. The Angels scored 4 runs in the top of the 12th, on home runs by Shohei Ohtani and Chad Wallach. The Rangers could only pull 1 run back in the bottom of the 12th.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-8 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3 at the Oakland Coliseum.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Miami Heat, 8-1 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

May 16, 2012: MLB's Oldest Winning Pitcher -- and Oldest Player With an RBI

May 16, 2012: The Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-1 at Coors Field in Denver. Jamie Moyer starts for the Rockies, going 6 1/3rd innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. In the bottom of the 4th inning, he hit a ground ball up the middle for a single, and 2 runs scored.

Moyer was 49 years, 5 months and 28 days old. This made him the oldest pitcher ever to win a game in Major League Baseball, and the oldest batter ever to record a run batted in.

He was born on November 18, 1962 in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Souderton, 34 miles northwest of Veterans Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Phillies while he was growing up. He made his major league debut on June 16, 1986, pitching for the Chicago Cubs from 1986 to 1988, the Texas Rangers in 1989 and 1990, the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991, in the minor leagues in 1992, with the Baltimore Orioles from 1993 to 1995, with the Boston Red Sox in 1996, with the Seattle Mariners from 1996 to 2006, with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2006 to 2010, missed the 2011 season with Tommy John surgery, and returned to pitch with the Rockies in 2012.

He made his last appearance on May 27, 11 days after this milestone. I really thought he would keep pitching until his age matched his uniform number, 50. He would have had to have pitched at least 1 game in 2013.

He retired with a record of 269-209, a 4.25 ERA, and 2,441 strikeouts. He also has the dubious distinction of giving up more home runs than any other pitcher: 522, surpassing another Phillies pitcher, Robin Roberts, with 505. (As you might guess, the pitcher who gave up the most hits is Cy Young, with 7,092. In the post-1920 Lively Ball Era, it's Phil Niekro, with 5,044.)

Moyer was an American League All-Star in 2003. He reached the postseason with the Mariners in 1997, 2000 and 2001; and with the Phillies in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Moyer claims to have been at both of the Phillies' World Series win parades: In 1980, as a student at Souderton High School and a spectator; and in 2008, as a player on the team.

Someone determined that, at the time he retired, Moyer had pitched to 8.9 percent of all batters who had ever appeared in a major league game between 1871 and 2012 -- nearly 1 out of every 11. He debuted in 1986, when Pete Rose, Reggie Jackson and Tom Seaver were still active, and last pitched in 2012, when the Rookies of the Year were Mike Trout and Bryce Harper.

To put it another way: He made his debut in 1986, with the Chicago Cubs, when their home park, Wrigley Field, didn't yet have lights; and made his farewell in 2012, when the Miami Marlins' LoanDepot Park opened.

In 1992, he pitched to Eric Young Sr. In his record-breaking win of 2012, Eric Young Jr. pinch-hit for him.

He pitched for the Texas Rangers, who played their 1st game when he was 9 years old; the Seattle Mariners, who played their 1st game when he was a freshman in high school; and the Colorado Rockies, who played their 1st game when he already had 34 major league wins under his belt.

Perhaps the freakiest Jamie Moyer Fact of them all: There have been only 2 players named Moyer in major league history. The other was Ed Moyer, who was not related, but was also a pitcher, and appeared in 3 games for the Washington Senators in 1910. He died on November 18, 1962 -- the very day that Jamie Moyer was born.

UPDATE: Here's another one. In 2024, DJ LeMahieu appeared in 68 games for the New York Yankees, at the age of 34. Nolan Ryan debuted in 1966, 58 years earlier, and had pitched against Willie Mays, Ernie Banks and Roger Maris. Both Ryan and LeMahieu were major league teammates of Jamie Moyer.

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May 16, 2012 was a Wednesday. These other Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-1 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Kyle Drabek, son of former Yankee pitcher Doug Drabek, outpitched Hiroki Kuroda. Derek Jeter did not play. Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 6-3 at Citi Field.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-4 at Nationals Park in Washington.

* The Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-4 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-1 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-3 at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 11-7 at Comerica Park (now Fifth Third Park) in Detroit.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Adam Jones won it with a home run in the top of the 15th inning.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-1 at Rangers Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Houston Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-3 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The San Diego Padres beat their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2 at Petco Park in San Diego.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-2 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-1 at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco.

Football was out of season. There were 2 games played in the NBA Playoffs. The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 107-91 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia., And the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 77-5 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena (now the Paycom Center) in Oklahoma City.

There was 1 game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and I rather enjoyed it: The New Jersey Devils beat their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers, 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. David Clarkson scored the winning goal, 2:31 into the 3rd period.

April 9, 1993: The Colorado Rockies' Record Opener

April 9, 1993: For the first time, a Major League Baseball game is played in the Mountain Time Zone. The Colorado Rockies play their first home game, beating the Montreal Expos, 11-4 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado.

Pennants had been won in the Class B Western League by the Denver Grizzlies in 1900; the Class A Western League by the Grizzlies in 1911 and 1912; the Class A Western League by the Denver Bears in 1913 and 1952; the Class AAA American Association by the Bears in 1957, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1981 and 1983; and in the AA by the Denver Zephyrs in 1991.

Denver had tried and failed to get a major league team in the expansions of 1961-62, 1969 and 1977. In the 1977-78 off-season, a deal was in place to move the Oakland Athletics to Denver. With the success of the Denver Broncos and their "Orange Crush" defense, people joked that the A's should be renamed the Orange Sox. But the deal fell through. Finally, in 1991, Denver, along with Miami, received a National League expansion franchise to begin play in 1993. They would share Mile High Stadium with the Broncos for 2 seasons, until Coors Field was ready to open in 1995.

Eric Young, a graduate of New Brunswick High School and Rutgers University, hit the first home run in club history. His son Eric, a graduate of nearby Piscataway High School, now plays for the Rockies. Walt Weiss and Dante Bichette played in this game; now Weiss is the Rox' manager, Bichette is their hitting instructor, and Dante Jr. is a Yankee prospect. Bryn Smith, a former Expo, was the Rockies' starting and winning pitcher.

Attendance was 80,227. Although the Cleveland Indians topped that for doubleheaders and the 1948 and '54 World Series at Municipal Stadium, and the Dodgers for the '59 Series at the L.A. Coliseum before Dodger Stadium opened, this remains the largest crowd ever for a single regular-season MLB game.

The Rockies set records for most fans in a season and most fans per game in the 1993 season, and broke the record for most fans per game in 1994, although the season being cut short due to the strike prevented them from breaking the record they had just set for most fans in a season. With no current MLB stadium having a seating capacity higher than Dodger Stadium's 56,000, these records are probably unbreakable.

UPDATE: The Rockies do not have a team Hall of Fame, but they have retired uniform numbers: 17, for 1997-2013 1st baseman Todd Helton; and 33, for 1995-2004 right fielder Larry Walker, their 1st 2 players in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Honored alongside those numbers along the facing of the upper deck at Coors Field is a stanchion with the initials KSM. Keli McGregor had worked with the Rockies since their inception in 1993, rising from senior director of operations to team president in 2002, until his death on April 20, 2010.

Helton, Walker and McGregor have been elected to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. So have founding owner Jerry McMorris, founding manager Don Baylor, founding general manager Bob Gebhard, 1993-97 1st baseman Andrés Galarraga, 1993-99 outfielder Dante Bichette, and 1993-99 3rd baseman Vinny Castilla.

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April 9, 1993 was a Friday. These other games were played in Major League Baseball that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 11-6 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Danny Tartabull, Jim Leyritz and Randy Velarde hit home runs, in support of a rare start by Bob Wickman, who pitched 5 innings for the win. Leyritz had 4 RBIs on the day. Don Mattingly went 1-for-5, and the recently signed Wade Boggs went 2-for-5.

* The New York Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 7-3 at Shea Stadium. Indicative of the bad year he would have, Anthony Young allowed 4 runs in the top of the 10th inning.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 11-7 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Pete Smith pitched 8 innings of 3-hit shutout ball, and Mike Stanton a perfect 9th.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Florida Marlins, 2-1 at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Indians, 13-10 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-5 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Having recently left the Pirates through free agency, Barry Bonds was booed upon his return, but went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 8-2 at Busch Memorial Stadium.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals, 8-7 at Royals Stadium (soon to be renamed Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. Starting off his final season, George Brett went 2-for-5.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-1 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The California Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-5 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-5 at the Oakland Coliseum. Starting off his final season, Robin Yount went 2-for-5. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-5 with an RBI, but in midseason, the A's traded him to Toronto.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-0 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Erik Hanson allowed 6 hits over 6 innings, Rich DeLucia 1 in 2, and Norm Charlton 1 in 1, to complete a 9-hit shutout. Ken Griffey went 0-for-2 with 2 RBIs, 1 on a sacrifice fly, the other on a bases-loaded walk. Cal Ripken went 2-for-5.

There were 8 games played in the NBA:

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Boston Celtics, 105-90 at the Boston Garden. Isiah Thomas led all scorers on the night with 43 points.

* The Charlotte Hornets beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 122-113 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Alonzo Mourning scored 33 points.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks, 88-87 at The Omni in Atlanta.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Washington Bullets, 114-95 at The Coliseum in the Cleveland suburb of Richfield, Ohio.

* The Orlando Magic beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 95-92 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets, 98-97 at the America West Arena (now the Mortgage Matchup Center) in Phoenix.

* The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 109-105 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* And the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Sacramento Kings, 111-97 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

And there were 2 games in the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers, 10-4 at Madison Square Garden. This was the 16th of an NHL record 17 straight wins for the Pens. Mario Lemieux scored 5 goals, and Joe Mullen scored 3.

And the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks, 8-1 at the Saddledome in Calgary. Joe Nieuwendyk had 2 goals and 3 assists. Theo Fleury had 2 goals and 1 assist. Gary Suter had no goals, but 5 assists.

January 27, 1976: Dr. J's Foul Line Dunk

January 27, 1976: The American Basketball Association All-Star Game is played at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. The Denver Nuggets, in 1st place in what had become a single 7-team division (3 teams had folded already this season), took on an All-Star team made up of players from the other 6, and won, 144-138.

But that's not what everyone remembers from this game. They remember the 1st-ever professional basketball Slam Dunk Contest, won by Julius Erving of the New York Nets. "Dr. J" made a leaping dunk from the foul line.

The other competitors were David Thompson of the Nuggets, Artis Gilmore of the Louisville-based Kentucky Colonels, and George Gervin and Larry Kenon of the San Antonio Spurs. All but Kenon have since been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. The performances they put on led a writer from Sports Illustrated to write, "The dunk contest was the best halftime invention since the bathroom."

The Nets would beat the Nuggets in the ABA Finals -- the last league championship won by a New York Tri-State Area basketball team to this day. Both teams would enter the NBA before the next season, as would the Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs. In 46 years, the Spurs are 5-1 in NBA Finals, the Nets 0-2, the Pacers 0-1, and the Nuggets... 0-0.

The NBA would adopt the 3-point line that the ABA (and, before it, the 1961-62 ABL) used in 1979, and the All-Star Game Slam Dunk Contest in 1984. They would not, however, adopt the league's famed red, white & blue ball, sticking with their more familiar orange.

UPDATE: In 2023, the Nuggets finally made their 1st NBA Finals, and won it. In 2024, the New York Liberty ended New York's drought by winning the WNBA Championship. In 2025, the Pacers returned to the Finals, but lost.

*

January 27, 1976 was a Tuesday. Baseball and football were out of season. In spite of the ABA having its All-Star Game that night, the NBA played 7 games:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 114-113 at Madison Square Garden.

* The Buffalo Braves beat the New Orleans Jazz, 129-105 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons, 85-83 at The Coliseum in the Cleveland suburb of Richfield, Ohio.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Golden State Warriors, 110-103 at the Chicago Stadium.

* The Kansas City Kings beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 107-89 at the Kemper Arena (now the Hy-Vee Arena) in Kansas City.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 127-116 at The Summit in Houston. (It's now the Central Campus of televangelist Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.)

* And the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Washington Bullets, 118-105 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

There were 5 games in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders beat the Minnesota North Stars, 4-3 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The Atlanta Flames beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 8-4 at The Omni in Atlanta.

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-2 at the St. Louis Arena.

* The Los Angeles Kings beat the Washington Capitals, 2-0 at The Forum in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, California.

* And the Montreal Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks played to a tie, 2-2 at the Pacific Coliseum in in Vancouver.

And there were 3 games in the World Hockey Association:

* The Quebec Nordiques beat the Cincinnati Stingers, 9-1 at the Colisée de Québec.

* The Toronto Toros and the Edmonton Oilers played to a tie, 4-4 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* And the Phoenix Roadrunners beat the San Diego Mariners, 4-3 in overtime at the San Diego Sports Arena (now the Pechanga Arena).

January 12, 1981: "Dynasty" Premieres

January 12, 1981: Dynasty premieres, ABC's Aaron Spelling-created-and-produced attempt at a nighttime soap opera to compete with CBS' Dallas.

John Forsythe stars as Denver oilman Blake Carrington. Linda Evans played his new wife, Krystle Jennings. But stealing the show was Joan Collins as Blake's 1st wife, Alexis Colby.

Many other stars, including Rock Hudson and Diahann Carroll, aere brought in during the show's run, and other stars were born, including Heather Locklear (as Sammy Jo Dean, Krystle's money-hungry and man-hungry niece) and Emma Samms (who, in Season 3, replaced Pamela Sue Martin as Blake and Alexis' daughter Fallon). Locklear and Samms made lots of teenage boys Dynasty viewers.

A weird twist of fate: The house that stood in for the Carrington mansion was owned by hotel and credit card magnate, and founding owner of the NFL's San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Barron Hilton. His granddaughter, model-turned-actress Paris Hilton, eventually dated Brandon Davis, the grandson of Marvin Davis, on whom Blake was (very loosely) based. The mansion is in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, a short drive from the houses that stood in for Wayne Manor on Batman and the Governor's Mansion on Benson.

On May 15, 1985, the show concluded its 5th season with the Carrington family going to the European nation of Moldavia, where Amanda Bedford, daughter of Blake and Alexis, was to marry that country's Prince Michael. But the episode ended with terrorists launching a military coup, and shooting up the chapel.

(In real life, Moldavia was then a "republic" within the Soviet Union. Since independence, it has called itself Moldova. And Amanda was played by Catherine Oxenberg, who actually is a Princess, a grandniece of Peter II, the last King of Yugoslavia. Michael was played by Michael Praed.)

As with Dallas' 1980 "Who Shot J.R.?" storyline, the show's fans waited all Summer to find out who lived and who died as a result of "The Moldavian Massacre." As it turned out, in the Season 6 premiere on September 25, only 2 minor characters died: Luke Fuller (Billy Campbell), boyfriend of Steve Carrington (originally played by Al Corley, then from Season 3 onward by Jack Coleman), gay son of Blake and Alexis; and Lady Ashley Mitchell (Ali McGraw), girlfriend of Jeff Colby (John James), who had previously been married to Fallon. (The marriage failed along with the spinoff they starred in, The Colbys.) Jeff was the son of Cecil Colby (Lloyd Bochner), a business rival of Blake's, and later married Alexis, making her both his mother-in-law and his stepmother.

(This is one reason I don't like soap operas: Too much to keep track of.)

The Moldavian Massacre was the moment Dynasty left it all out on the field, and the aftermath felt a bit hollow. It was later considered the show's "Jump the Shark Moment." The show made it through 8 seasons, concluding on May 11, 1989. The 2-part miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion aired on October 20 and 22, 1991.

Dynasty was rebooted by The CW in 2017. It wasn't a continuation like the recent 2012-14 Dallas reboot. They didn't skimp on the stars, either. But there were some twists. The show was set in Atlanta, and the house that stood in for its Carrington Manor is in the Atlanta suburbs.

The show was centered not on Blake, but on Fallon. The WASPy Krystle is now the Hispanic Cristal. And Sammy Jo, the Heather Locklear character, is now a man, and a gay love interest for Blake's son Steven, and Steven's homosexuality is no longer a barrier between him and his father.

*

January 12, 1981 was a Monday. Hockey star Niklas Kronwall was born.

Baseball was out of season. The NFL was between the Conference Championship Games and Super Bowl XVI, which the San Francisco 49ers would win over the Cincinnati Bengals. No NBA games were scheduled. There were 4 games in the NHL:

* The Montreal Canadiens, on their way down from their dynasty, beat the Edmonton Oilers, not yet ready to begin theirs, 5-0 at the Montreal Forum.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Minnesota North Stars, 4-3 at the Boston Garden.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Hartford Whalers, 5-2 at the Hartford Civic Center (now the PeoplesBank Arena).

* And in the fictional Carringtons' real hometown, the Washington Capitals beat the Colorado Rockies, 2-1 at the McNichols Arena in Denver.

January 1, 1978: Broncomania Makes Denver a Major League City

January 1, 1978: The American Football Conference Championship Game is played at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. It is the culmination of not just a great season for the home team, but of their city's coming of age.

The Denver Broncos were an original franchise in the American Football League in 1960. They played at Bears Stadium, built in 1948 as 18,000-seat ballpark, home of the Class AAA Denver Bears. For the Broncos, it was expanded to 34,000 seats with the addition of outfield seating. The name was changed to Mile High Stadium in 1966, and by 1968 much of the stadium was triple-decked and seated 51,706.

Denver had never previously had a major league sports team, unless you count the original version of the Denver Nuggets, who played in the Amateur Athletic Union from 1932 to 1948, in the National Basketball League in the 1948-49 season, and in the NBA in the 1949-50 season, before folding. The Bears had won a few minor-league Pennants, and Colorado was a college sports hotbed. It was hoped that the establishment of the Broncos would make the growing city "major league."

But, at least competitively, the Broncos did not cooperate. They never had a winning season for the length of the AFL, topping out at 7-7 in 1962. In 1973, their 4th season in the merged NFL, they went 7-5-2, including a notable tie with the Oakland Raiders in their 1st Monday Night Football game on ABC. In 1976, they finished 9-5, just missing the Playoffs.

In 1977, Mile High Stadium was transformed into a 76,273-seat horseshoe, whose east stands could be moved in to conform to the shape of a football field, or out to allow enough room for a regulation baseball field. The old-time ballpark had become, by the standards of the time, a modern football stadium.

With a new coach, Robert "Red" Miller, the Broncos stood out, and not just because of their bright blue helmets and their brighter orange jerseys. Craig Morton, who had quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys into Super Bowl V (but lost it), led an offense with running backs Otis Armstrong and Rob Lytle, and receivers Haven Moses and Rick Upchurch.

The defense, known as the Orange Crush after a brand of soda, was spectacular. With end Lyle Alzado, tackles Rubin Carter and Paul Smith, linebackers Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson, cornerbacks Steve Foley and Louis Wright, and safety Billy Thompson, they were hard to score upon. And Jim Turner, who had kicked the Jets to Super Bowl glory 9 seasons earlier, was still a formidable weapon.

The Broncos won their 1st 6 games, holding opponents to an average of less than 6 points per game. When they won their 5th, demolishing the defending NFL Champion Oakland Raiders, 30-7 at the Oakland Coliseum on October 16, people began to take notice. The Raiders ending their streak in Denver, 2 weeks later, restored some doubt. But beating the team that won the 2 Super Bowls before that, the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-7 at home, restored the feeling.

All the while, the City of Denver, the State of Colorado, and indeed the entire Rocky Mountain region was turned on by this. Orange decorations were everywhere. It seemed to carry over: The new Nuggets, formed as the Denver Rockets in the ABA in 1967, got off to a strong start. Even the NHL's Colorado Rockies, struggling for attendance, were playing well in their 2nd season in the city, after a difficult 1st one.

Still, at the time, Americans tended not to regard a city as "major league" unless it had a team in Major League Baseball. Denver wasn't there yet. But now, in the Autumn of 1977, there was talk that Charlie Finley might sell the Oakland Athletics to Denver oil baron Marvin Davis, so he could move the A's to Mile High Stadium for the 1978 season, and it seemed serious.

As Terry Frei, a sportswriter for the Denver Post in 1977, wrote in his 2008 book '77: Denver, the Broncos, and a Coming of Age:

Those of us in Colorado at the time got to watch and be a part of a town turning into a city. The transformation was already underway, involving forces that had nothing to do with sports. Yet, looking back, I'm convinced that never has one team, one season, one year, been such a crucial part of a market's transformation and even maturation. 

Frei seemed to suggest that Denver had become the 1st American city to truly be major league without having a major league baseball team. Miami and New Orleans had NFL teams, and New Orleans then also had an NBA team. But they were cities with a certain specific character, where they could be major American cities without being "major league." Washington, D.C. had lost its baseball team after the 1971 season, but it was the nation's capital, so, of course, it was major league.

Denver became the 1st city to truly cross that divide, because of "Broncomania." It had gripped Denver so much that people began to joke that the A's should drop their green & gold color scheme, and become the Orange Sox. (In the end, they stayed in Oakland for a while longer.)

The Broncos went 12-1, winning the AFC Western Division for the 1st time in their 18 seasons, before losing the regular season finale, 14-6 away to the Dallas Cowboys. At the time, that loss seemed meaningless, a dropped piece of cake at the end of a nice picnic.

On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1977, the Broncos played their 1st Playoff game. And it was against the mighty Steelers. The game was tied 14-14 at the half, but the Broncos dominated the 2nd half, and won, 34-21. This set up a duel in the mountains with the Raiders for New Year's Day, January 1.

Turner missed 3 field goals and had an extra point blocked. But the Raiders also had a problem, as their Hall of Fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff left the game with a shoulder injury. While the Raiders got to the Broncos' 2-yard line on their 1st drive, they were held to a field goal. Morton threw a 74-yard pass to Moses to make it 7-3, and that score held until halftime.

In the 3rd quarter, the Raiders' Clarence Davis fumbled, and Brison Manor recovered it at the Raider 17. The Broncos got to the 2, and then came one of those controversial plays that seemed to follow the Raiders around in the 1970s.

Lytle tried to jump over the goal line with the ball, but was hit in midair by Jack Tatum, and fumbled. The Raiders' Mike McCoy recovered, but the officials ruled that Lytle's forward progress was stopped before the fumble. Replays showed otherwise. The officials then penalized the Raiders half the distance to the goal line for their unsportsmanlike conduct in arguing the call, and Jon Keyworth scored the touchdown, giving the Broncos a 14-3 lead.

The Raiders and their fans have whined about it ever since. But after the Broncos then recovered a fumbled punt, Morton threw a touchdown pass to Jack Dolbin, but it was ruled an incomplete pass, and the replays showed that this call was also incorrect, leading to one of Turner's missed field goals. So, given the fact that the Raiders were saved from being down 21-3 with a quarter and change to go, and given how many bogus calls went their way in those days, they need a big steaming cup of shut the hell up.

Early in the 4th quarter, Ken Stabler threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dave Casper, and it was 14-10 Denver. A Floyd Rice interception appeared to put the Raiders in the driver's seat, and they got to the Bronco 22. But Bob Swenson intercepted Stabler, and returned the ball to the Raider 17. Morton then threw a touchdown pass to Moses, making it 20-10, though Turner's extra point was blocked.

With 3:16 left, Stabler threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Casper, making it 20-17. But the Broncos managed to run the clock out, and they had their 1st Conference Championship. The capital city of the Rocky Mountain region, and their favorite sports team, had grown up.

This win put the Broncos into Denver's 1st World Championship in any sport, Super Bowl XII, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. They would face the Dallas Cowboys, who, on this day, defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 23-6 at Texas Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas, for the National Football Conference Championship.

But there would be no happy ending: They didn't handle the increased attention well, they didn't handle the distractions of the Big Easy well, and they certainly didn't handle the Cowboys well. Dallas won, 27-10, in a game considered one of the least interesting Super Bowls.

The Broncos didn't finish the job, but they did something more important. Like the 1967 Boston Red Sox, who lost the World Series after an "Impossible Dream" of a Pennant, the '77 Broncos lifted up their city, they made themselves an iconic team, and they made Bronco fans recognized as among the best in the NFL. The team would lose 3 more Super Bowls, before winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s, and splitting a pair of Super Bowls in the 2010s.

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January 1, 1978 was a Sunday. Because of this, the traditional New Year's Day bowl games were moved to the next day, January 2. Number 1 Texas were upset by Number 5 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, Number 2 Oklahoma were upset by Number 6 Arkansas in the Orange Bowl, Number 3 Alabama beat Number 9 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, and Number 4 Michigan were upset by Number 13 Washington in the Rose Bowl. Notre Dame, rather than numerically-rightful Alabama, were recognized as National Champions.

Baseball was out of season. There were 3 games played in the NBA: 

* The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 96-87 at Madison Square Garden. This was Walt Frazier's 1st game back at The Garden after the Knicks shockingly traded him to the Cavs.

* The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Kansas City Kings, 107-102 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

* And the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Chicago Bulls, 114-96 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. Gus Williams led all scorers on the day with 32 points.

There were 3 games in the NHL:

* The Atlanta Flames and the Buffalo Sabres played to a tie, 2-2 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* The Vancouver Canucks beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 3-2 at the Chicago Stadium.

* And the Los Angeles Kings beat the Colorado Rockies, 5-1 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

And there were 3 games in the World Hockey Association:

* The Quebec Nordiques beat the Birmingham Bulls, 5-2 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

* The New England Whalers beat the Cincinnati Stingers, 4-3 at the Riverfront Coliseum (now the Heritage Bank Center) in Cincinnati.

* And the Houston Aeros beat the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1 at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.