December 8, 1980: John Lennon is Killed

Howard Cosell and John Lennon, December 9, 1974.

Six years later, John would be dead.

December 8, 1980: The New England Patriots are playing the Miami Dolphins at the Orange Bowl in Miami, a game being broadcast on ABC Monday Night Football. As John Smith of the Patriots comes onto the field to attempt a last-play game-winning field goal, Howard Cosell gives an announcement about another Englishman named John:

Cosell: But it's suddenly been placed in total perspective for us. I'll finish this. They're in the hurry-up offense.

Frank Gifford: Third down, four. Foreman. (Chuck Foreman is stopped on a run.) It'll be fourth down. (Quarterback Matt) Cavanaugh will let it run down for one final attempt. He'll let the seconds tick off to give Miami no opportunity whatsoever. (Whistle blows.) Timeout is called with three seconds remaining. John Smith is on the line. And I don't care what's on the line, Howard: You have got to say what we know in the booth.

Cosell: Yes, we have to say it. Remember: This is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City -- the most famous, perhaps, of all of The Beatles -- shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that newsflash, which, in duty bound, we have to take. Frank?

Gifford: Indeed, it is.

Lennon had been shot at 10:50 PM, Eastern Standard Time. Cosell had read an initial report, before the full facts were known: Five shots had been fired, four of them hit Lennon, and, according to the doctors who tried in vain to save him, any one of the four that hit him, had it been the only one, would have done enough damage to kill him. He was pronounced dead at 11:15. He was 40 years old.

Cosell made the announcement a few minutes later. On December 9, 1974, Monday Night Football had broadcast a game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Redskins won, 23-17. Lennon had attended, and Cosell interviewed him at halftime.

Cosell was already 43 years old when The Beatles first arrived in America, and hardly in their target group, but his journalistic instincts kicked in, and, surprising those of us who knew him only as a blowhard who tried to convince people he knew more about things than he did, he handled it like a complete professional.

Lennon had been living in America for a little over 3 years, and knew who Cosell was, and said of American football, "It makes rock concerts look like tea parties." The interview went very well, and, off-camera, Cosell even introduced Lennon to another attendee, the outgoing Governor of California, Ronald Reagan. (I was sure I had seen video footage of Lennon and Reagan talking and laughing together that night, but I can't find a still photo of it anywhere.)

Now, 6 years earlier, almost to the day, Lennon was dead, and Reagan was the President-elect, having defeated incumbent President Jimmy Carter a month earlier. Less than 4 months later, Reagan would be shot as well, but would barely survive.

When Cosell spoke the words, "dead on arrival," the camera caught Smith looking right into it, and nodding, as if he had heard what Cosell had said. Of course, none of the players knew anything about it until the game was over. Smith missed his game-winning field goal. The game went to overtime, and Uwe von Schamann, born in West Berlin, Germany but raised in Fort Worth, Texas, won it for the Dolphins with a field goal, 16-13.

This being a Monday, the Pats-'Phins game was the only NFL game scheduled. This being December, no MLB games were scheduled. Only one game was played in the NBA: The Seattle SuperSonics beat the San Antonio Spurs, 104-99 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

Only one game was played in the NHL: The Calgary Flames beat the Los Angeles Kings, 4-2 at the Forum in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, California.

November 11, 1889: Washington Is Admitted As the 42nd State

November 11, 1889: Washington is admitted to the Union as the 42nd State. It is the only State named after a President, George Washington. It is also the only State with a green State Flag, and the only State with a State Flag with the face of a real person on it, rather than a representation of some principle or other.

Other States have been named after people, but not Presidents:

* Delaware: Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a colonial administrator.

* Pennsylvania: William Penn, its founder.

* Georgia: King George II of England.

* Maryland: St. Mary, mother of Jesus.

* South Carolina and North Carolina: King Charles I of England.

* Virginia: Queen Elizabeth II of England, "the Virgin Queen."

* New York: James, Duke of York, brother of King Charles II of England. James succeeded his brother, becoming King James II.

* Louisiana: King Louis IX of France, a.k.a. St. Louis, "the Crusader King." The City of St. Louis, Missouri was also named for him.

Washington was in the Northwest. It had been acquired as part of the Oregon Treaty of 1846. It has become known for its rainy climate; but, when the weather is good, it is known for its outdoor activities: Bicycling, camping in its forests, climbing Mount Rainier, riding the ferry from Seattle (including to Victoria, the Provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada), skiing in the Winter.

Its largest city, Seattle, is particularly known for the U.S. Navy base in nearby Bremerton; the accompanying aviation industry, as the birthplace of aircraft manufacturer Boeing; the computer industry, as the birthplace of Microsoft; and the coffee industry, as the birthplace of Starbucks. The State Capitol is Olympia.

Politically, Washington tends to vote Democratic. However, as with neighboring Oregon, and fellow Pacific Coast State California, the further inland you get, the more conservative people get. This is particularly true of "The Palouse": Eastern Washington (including Spokane), Eastern Oregon, and Northern Idaho, the State's Panhandle. The highest-ranking politician produced by the State has been Thomas S. Foley, who was Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995.

That political divide is evident in the 2 major colleges with sports programs: The University of Washington, in Seattle, is generally thought of as liberal; while Washington State University, in Pullman, 288 miles to the east, is considered conservative. The annual Thanksgiving weekdn football game between "U-Dub" vs. "Wazzu" is known as the Apple Cup, named for the State's best-known agricultural product.

Seattle was home to the 1st American team to win the Stanley Cup, the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans. But after their league failed in 1926, the city, and therefore the State, didn't return to the major leagues until 1967, when the NBA expanded to include the Seattle SuperSonics. 

After decades with the Pacific Coast League, with teams called the Siwashes, the Turks, the Giants, the Purple Sox, the Indians, the Rainiers and the Angels, baseball tried the Seattle Pilots in 1969, but they were bankrupt and failed after 1 season. When the Kingdome opened in 1976, the NFL expanded to the Seahawks, and MLB expanded to the Mariners.

The Sonics won the 1979 NBA title, but were moved in 2008. There were new stadiums for the Mariners in 1999 and the Seahawks in 2002. The Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. The Sounds won the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019.

The Seattle Sounders played in the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1983, and MLS expanded to include a new Sounders team in 2009. In 2021, the NHL expanded to include the Seattle Kraken, and the movement to bring in an expansion or moved team to become the new Sonics remains strong.

*

November 11, 1889 was a Friday. Baseball was out of season. Basketball was 2 years away from being invented. Hockey barely existed. There was 1 college football game on this day: Lehigh University beat Penn State, 106-0 at the Athletic Association's Grounds in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Lehigh coach Jake Robeson mercifully offered to stop the game with 5 minutes left on the clock, and it remains the worst loss in Penn State football history.

This was a long time ago: Teams would sometimes play 2 games in less than 1 week, and Penn State had played Lehigh's nearby arch-rival, Lafayette, just 2 days before, and lost that, 26-0. They did play 2 other games that season, and win both, also against Pennsylvania teams, Swarthmore and Bucknell. Penn State was not yet the power that it would become, and, because of the diversion of the schools' footballing prowess, Penn State have not played Lehigh since 1942, and Lehigh haven't beaten them since 1936.

October 13, 1967: The American Basketball Association Debuts

October 13, 1967: The American Basketball Association plays its 1st game, at the Oakland Coliseum Arena (now known as the Oracle Arena). The host Oakland Oaks defeat the Anaheim Amigos, 134-129.

For the Oaks: Andrew Anderson scored 33 points, Levern Tart 23, Jim Hadnot 20, Willie Porter 18, Mel Peterson 16, Ronald Franz 12, Steve "Snapper" Jones 6, Gene Wiley 4, Wesley Bialosuknia 2, and Al Salvadori played without scoring.

For the Amigos: John Fairchild scored 30, Stephen Chubin 21, Steven Kramer 14, Randy Stoll 14, Lester Selvage 14, Ben Warley 12, Jeffrey Congdon 9, Larry Bunce 7, Bill Garner 5, Bob Bedell 3, and Harry Dinnel played without scoring.

Like its failed 1961-62 predecessor, the American Basketball League, the ABA used the 3-point field goal, which the NBA would not adopt until the 1979-80 season. Its most memorable feature was its red, white and blue ball, as opposed to the NBA's traditional orange ball.

When the season ended, the Pittsburgh Pipers, led by Connie Hawkins, won the title, defeating the New Orleans Buccaneers. In 1968-69, with his contract situation settled, the Oaks would be led to the title by former San Francisco (and future Golden State) Warriors star Rick Barry. The Pipers folded in 1972. The Oaks moved to Washington after their title, becoming the Caps; then to Norfolk in 1971, becoming the Virginia Squires.

The Indiana Pacers won the title in 1970, 1972 and 1973, and these were the only major league titles won by an Indiana sports team between the 1944 and '45 Fort Wayne Pistons and the 2006-07 Indianapolis Colts.

The Amigos moved to Los Angeles and became the Stars, losing the 1970 ABA Finals to the Pistons. They immediately moved to Salt Lake City, becoming the Utah Stars, and won the ABA title in 1971, and it would be the only major league title won by a Utah sports team until Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup.

The Kentucky Colonels, based at Freedom Hall in Louisville, won the title in 1975. They remain the only major league team, in any sport, ever to call the Bluegrass State "My Old Kentucky Home."

And the team that began in the ABA in 1967-68 as the New Jersey Americans moved to Long Island the next season, becoming the New Jersey Nets. They won the ABA Championship in 1974 and 1976, and these remain the last two professional basketball league titles won by any team in the New York Tri-State Area. (The Knicks last won in 1973, and are 0-2 in NBA Finals since. The New York Liberty are 0-4 in WNBA Finals.)

The ABA lasted 9 seasons, and 4 of its franchises were absorbed into the NBA in 1976: The Nets (who moved to New Jersey in 1977 and Brooklyn in 2012), the Pacers, the Denver Nuggets (who lost to the Nets in the last ABA Finals) and the San Antonio Spurs (who began in 1967 as the Dallas Chaparrals, moved to San Antonio in 1973, and never won anything in the ABA, but have been consistently successful in the NBA, winning 5 titles).

There are 15 men who played in the ABA who were elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame: Hawkins, Barry, Roger Brown, Billy Cunningham, Mel Daniels, George "the Iceman" Gervin, Artis Gilmore, Spencer Haywood, Dan Issel, Bobby Jones, Maurice Lucas, Moses Malone, Charlie Scott, David Thompson, and the man perhaps most identified with the ABA, Squires and Nets star Julius Erving, a.k.a. Doctor J; plus coaches Larry Brown and Hubie Brown (no relation to each other, or to Roger, and Hubie was elected as a broadcaster).

I'll let Doug Moe, who both played and coached in the ABA, before coaching the Nuggets in the NBA, have the last word on a league so often derided as minor league, or a joke. He said it was the other way around:

One of the biggest disappointments in my life was going into the NBA after the merger. The NBA was a rinky-dink league. Listen, I'm very serious about this. The league was run like garbage.

There was no camaraderie. A lot of the NBA guys were aloof, and thought they were too good to practice or play hard. The NBA All-Star Games were nothing: Guys didn't even want to play in them, and the fans could care less about the games.

It wasn't until the 1980s, when David Stern became Commissioner, that the NBA figured out what the hell they were doing, and what they did was a lot of stuff we had in the ABA, from the 3-point shot to All-Star Weekend to the show biz stuff. Now the NBA is like the old ABA. Guys play hard, they show their enthusiasm, and there is a closeness in the league. Hell, the ABA might have lost the battle, but we won the war. The NBA now plays our kind of basketball.

*

October 13, 1967 was a Friday -- a Friday the 13th. Was that an omen for the ABA?

The opener in Oakland was the only game played in the ABA that day. But there was also a game played in the NBA, and it was the debut of the Seattle SuperSonics. Walt Hazzard, leader of the UCLA team that went undefeated and won the National Championship in 1964, leads all scorers with 30 points, but they lose 144-116 to the San Francisco Warriors, at the Cow Palace in the San Francisco suburb of Daly City, California.

The Sonics recovered from a bad 1st season, and became a perennial contender, winning the 1979 NBA Championship, and reaching the Finals in 1978, 1979 and 1996, before being moved in 2008, becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder. From March 1917 to February 2014, they were the only Seattle team to win a World Championship in any sport.

It was midweek, so there was no football played that day. And the baseball season ended the day before, when the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-2 at Fenway Park, in Game 7 of the World Series.

There was 1 NHL game played that day, between 2 of the new expansion teams: The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-1 at the St. Louis Arena.

Trevor Hoffman, formerly baseball's all-time saves leader, was born on this day. So was Javier Sotomayor, who was the 1st person to high-jump 8 feet. So was actress Kate Walsh.

June 16, 1996: Michael Jordan Completes His Comeback

June 16, 1996: The Chicago Bulls defeat the Seattle SuperSonics 87-75, to take Game 6 and the NBA Championship.

Michael Jordan thus completes his comeback from his "exile," after the death of his father, James Jordan; his not-really-a-suspension, due to his gambling addiction; and, as comedian Jordan Peele would later say, "your baseball career, now that was a tragedy!"

He sat out the 1993-94 season, and the Bulls lost the Eastern Conference Semifinal to the New York Knicks, who then lost the NBA Finals to the Houston Rockets. In March 1995, Jordan returned, or was allowed to, but, like Muhammad Ali, fighting Joe Frazier after only 2 tuneup fights, may have needed more time: The Bulls got swept in 4 straight by the Orlando Magic, who then got swept in the NBA Finals by the Rockets.

But in 1995-96, the Bulls dominated the NBA all season long, winning 72 games for a new regular-season record. With Phil Jackson coaching them, and Jordan, 1991-93 "threepeat" holdover Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper, Luc Longley and Toni Kukoc, the Bulls swept the Miami Heat in 3 straight, beat the Knicks 4 games to 1, and swept the Magic in 4 straight to win the Eastern Conference title, setting up a Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics.

It surprised no one that the Bulls won the 1st 3 games, 107-90 and 92-88 at the United Center in Chicago, and 108-86 at the KeyArena in Seattle. The Sonics took Game 4 at home, 107-86. But when the Sonics also took Game 5 in Chicago, 89-78, it put more than just the Bulls' status as a contender for the title of "greatest team of all time," but their title this time. People began to talk about the Sonics maybe becoming the 1st team to come back in the Finals from 3-0 down to win it. Only the 1951 Knicks had even forced a Game 7 before losing.

Game 6 was played in Seattle on Sunday, June 16 -- Father's Day, a fact not lost on Jordan. He scored 22 points, and led the Bulls to an 87-75 victory, and their 4th title in 6 years. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the Finals for the 4th time, but it was the title he cared about, as the TV cameras caught him in the locker room, tearfully hugging the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The Bulls would go on to make it 6 NBA Championships in 8 years, with Jordan being named Finals MVP every time. Then, general manager Jerry Krause began to break them up, thinking he could build a new dynasty without Jordan -- or Jackson, for that matter. He was wrong: He was fired as GM after the 2003 season, and died in 2017. In the 26 seasons since, the Bulls have won just 5 Playoff series, reaching the Conference Finals twice, in 2011 and 2015, after Krause left.

The Sonics? They ceased to exist in 2008, without ever having been to another Finals (the only one they won was in 1979), and were moved to become the Oklahoma City Thunder (where they reached the Finals and lost in 2012).

(UPDATE: The Thunder won the NBA Championship in 2025. The Bulls still haven't made the NBA Finals, and the Conference Finals only twice.)

The Bulls' 72-10 regular-season record was surpassed by the 2016 Golden State Warriors, who went 73-9, but lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Were the '96 Bulls the greatest team of all time? The argument in their favor is Jordan himself.

But the question in comparing them to other teams is not, "Who's going to guard Jordan?" On the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, Hal Greer. On the 1970 New York Knicks, Walt Frazier. On the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry West. On the 1983 76ers, Maurice Cheeks. On the 1985 Lakers, Magic Johnson. On the 1986 Boston Celtics, Larry Bird would personally take up the challenge. On the 1989 Detroit Pistons, the man who shut Jordan down better than anyone, Joe Dumars. On the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant. On the 2012 Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade.

No, the real question, for any Bulls team with Jordan, whether it's the 1st threepeat with Bill Cartwright at center or the 2nd one with Luc Longley, is, against those teams, is, how are they going to stop, respectively: Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed, Chamberlain again, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Parish, Bill Laimbeer, Shaquille O'Neal or LeBron James.

Jordan and Pippen, and Jackson as 1 of the Top 10 Coaches, were named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team. When the 75th Anniversary Team was named, Rodman was added.

*

June 16, 1996 was, as I said, a Sunday -- Father's Day. Football was out of season. Hockey season had ended 6 days earlier, when the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, completing a 4-game sweep over the Florida Pnathers.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte outpitched Dennis Martínez. At that point, Martínez had won 239 games in the major leagues, Pettitte 23. When their careers were over, Pettitte had won 256, Martínez 245.

Bernie Williams went 4-for-5 with an RBI. Tino Martinez went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Rookie Derek Jeter did not start, entered the game as a defensive replacement, and went 0-for-1.

* The New York Mets lost the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The Mets took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the 8th, and blew it.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 10-9 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-2 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Reds bat the Montreal Expos, 7-0 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Roger Salkeld pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres, 8-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Tony Gwynn went 0-for-3 with a walk, and had an RBI on a fielder's choice.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals, 13-5 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Brady Anderson, in his outlier year, went 3-for-5 with 2 home runs, a walk and 5 RBIs. Cal Ripken went 3-for-5 with a walk.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 10-9 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-1 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 11-3 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the California Angels, 6-4 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-6 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Edgar Martínez went 2-for-3 with a walk and 4 RBIs. Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros, 8-7 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 0-for-4 with a walk. For the Astros, Derek Bell went 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs.

June 7, 1978: The Fat Lady Sings for the Washington Bullets

Wes Unseld (left) and Elvin Hayes

June 7, 1978: Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Washington Bullets, losers in the Finals in 1971 (as the Baltimore Bullets) and 1975, finally get the job done, 105-98 over the Seattle SuperSonics at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

The Bullets, who began as (yes, a team with this name existed) the Chicago Packers in 1961, were led by coach Dick Motta and future Hall-of-Famers Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes. Bobby Dandrige wins a title after having done so with the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. Mitch Kupchak would win 2 more titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, and is now the general manager of the Charlotte Hornets.

The Bullets' close calls finally ending led to their fans taking up the slogan "The Fat Lady is singing." The expression "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings" dates to the close of composer Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (or "Ring Cycle"): At the end of the 4th and final opera, Götterdämmerung (meaning "Twilight of the Gods"), the valkyrie Brünnhilde sings a 20-minute aria, and since the opera's 1876 debut, when she was played by Austrian soprano Amalie Materna, she has traditionally been played by a large woman.

So when the Bullets made another Playoff run the next season, 1978-79, T-shirts with a cartoon image of a fat valkyrie were sold, with the caption, "THE FAT LADY WILL SING AGAIN." But she didn't -- at least, not for the Bullets: This time, while they got back to the Finals, again playing the Sonics, the Sonics won in 5 games.

And that was it: The Bullets got old fast. Unseld, already 33, played just 2 more seasons, and retired. Hayes was the same age, and left at the same time, going back to his hometown team, the Houston Rockets. Through the 1987-88 season, the Bullets remained a Playoff perennial, but from 1980 to 2004, 25 seasons, they won just 9 Playoff games. From 1980 to 2013, 34 seasons, they won only 2 Playoff series. 

The Bullets became the Washington Wizards in 1997, in response to gun violence in D.C., at the same time they moved from the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland to the downtown arena now known as the Capital One Arena. (The name “Baltimore Bullets” had been used for a previous franchise, named for a product the city was producing in big numbers in World War II.)

Those 2 Finals matchups with the Sonics, and the 1949 loss by the old Washington Capitols to the Minneapolis Lakers, remain the only NBA Finals appearances for Washington teams: They are 1-3 in 72 years. Given the rich heritage of high school and college basketball in the D.C. area, including Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, it could be argued that the area is perhaps the most underachieving in pro basketball.

The Washington Capitals would win their 1st Stanley Cup 4 years later to the day: June 7, 2018.

UPDATE: In both 2023-24 and 2024-25, the Wizards had the worst record in the NBA. At least they still exist in the same metro area, albeit under a different name and in a different arena. The Seattle SuperSonics, who usually kept making the Playoffs, and returned to the NBA Finals in 1996, were moved in 2008, becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder. They reached the Finals under that name in 2012, and won the title in 2025. The Sonics' name, colors and history is being held by the NBA in case of an expansion team, or a team moving to Seattle, which has a new arena.

The Wizards do not have a team Hall of Fame, but they do retire numbers. From their previous incarnation as the Baltimore Bullets: 10, for guard Earl "the Pearl" Monroe; and 15, for forward Gus Johnson. From their 1978 title as the Washington Bullets: 11, for forward Elvin Hayes; 41, for center Wes Unseld; and 45, for guard, later broadcaster, Phil Chenier.

All of those, except Chenier, have been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. It says something about what the Bullets/Wizards have done from 1980 onward that the only members of that Hall who have played at least 5 seasons for them have been Bernard King. (Bob Dandridge and Chris Webber played 4 seasons for them; Mitch Richmond and Ben Wallace, 3; Moses Malone, Spencer Haywood and Michael Jordan, 2; Ralph Sampson and Paul Pierce, 1.)

Hayes and Unseld were named to the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. Hayes, Unseld and Chenier have been elected to the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame. So has Steve Buckhantz, Chenier's former broadcast partner. So has Johnny Holliday, a legendary radio personality in Cleveland, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Washington area, who has worked with the Bullets/Wizards, the Senators, the Nationals, the Redskins/Commanders and the Capitals.

So has Abe Pollin, the owner who moved the Bullets to Washington, built the Capital Centre and then the arena now known as the Capital One Arena, and changed their name to the Wizards. So has Dick Motta, who coached the Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship. So has Bob Ferry, former Baltimore Bullets forward, who was the general manager who built the '78 title team. So has his son, Danny Ferry, who starred at nearby DeMatha Catholic High School, before moving on to Duke University and playing in the NBA, although not for the Washington franchise.

*

June 7, 1978 was a Wednesday. The World Cup was underway in Argentina, and these games were played:

* Brazil and Spain played to a draw, 0-0 at Estadio José María Minella in Mar del Plata.

* The Netherlands and Peru played to a draw, 0-0 at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.

* Scotland and Iran played to a draw, 1-1 at Estadio Olimpico in Córdoba.

* Austria beat Sweden, 1-0 at Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-1 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Ron Guidry advanced to 9-0 on the season, striking out 10 batters. Reggie Jackson, Roy White and Bucky Dent hit home runs.

* The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles dodgers, 3-2 at Shea Stadium. Ron Hodges grounded into a double play in the 8th inning, but it scored Steve Henderson with what turned out to be the winning run, making Charlie Hough a losing pitcher in relief of Burt Hooton. Pat Zachry went the distance for the win. Joel Youngblood hit a home run.

* The Montreal Expos beat the San Diego Padres, 8-3 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Dave Winfield went 0-for-4.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-4 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. With the Giants leading 4-3 with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, Randy Moffitt, brother of tennis legend Billie Jean King, allowed 3 straight singles, to Bake McBride, Larry Bowa and Mike Schmidt, to tie the game. Greg Luzinski, who had homered earlier, was walked to set up the double play at any base (or, at least, a force play at home), but reliever Gary Lavelle gave up a game-winning single to José Cardenal. This made Tug McGraw a winning pitcher in relief of Jim Lonborg.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-6 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Pete Rose went 2-for-5. Johnny Bench did not play.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Rusty Staub went 2-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs. Robin Yount went 1-for-5.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-3 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Unusually, Rod Carew went 0-for-4, dropping his batting average to .366.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-0 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Phil Niekro knuckleballed his way to a 4-hit shutout, backed by a home run from Biff Pocoroba.

* A doubleheader was split at the Oakland Coliseum. The California Angels won the opener, 4-1. Ken Brett outpitched Alan Wirth. The Oakland Athletics won the nightcap, 1-0. Matt Keough pitched 7 1/3rd innings of 4-hit shutout ball, and Bob Lacey and Elias Sosa finished the 5-hit shutout, outpitching Tom Griffin.

* The Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers were rained out at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader the next day. The Rangers swept, 5-4 and 3-2.

In the 2nd game, Bobby Bonds hit a sacrifice fly to score Bump Wills with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning. Oddly, while Bonds would be surpassed by his son, Barry, Wills would never match the achievements of his father, Maury. Over the 2 games, George Brett went 2-for-11 with an RBI.

* The Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays were rained out at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 25. The Jays won the 1st game, 2-1. The Indians won the 2nd game, 3-2.

* The Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates were rained out at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on August 17. The Pirates swept, 5-1 and 3-2. Willie Stargell went 0-for-3 with a walk in the 1st game, and then sat out the 2nd.

* And the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox were not scheduled.

June 1, 1979: The Sonics Were Super

June 1, 1979: The Seattle SuperSonics defeat the Washington Bullets, 97-93 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland, in Game 5, to take the NBA Finals 4 games to 1, and win their 1st NBA Championship. This avenged their defeat to the Bullets in the previous season's Finals.

Dennis Johnson is in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and Gus Williams probably should be. But the Sonics are the only NBA Champions between 1951 and 2022 not to have a single player in the NBA's 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players. But their head coach was one of those 75, as he had been for the 50 selected for the 50th Anniversary: Lenny Wilkens. His 1,332 wins as an NBA head coach once were the most in history, but he has since been surpassed by Gregg Popovich and Don Nelson.

Neither of these teams uses its 1979 name anymore. The Sonics reached the Finals again in 1996, but were moved in 2008, becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder. An agreement is in place where, if Seattle gets a new team, the Thunder will forfeit all legal rights associated with the Sonics. The 1979 Sonics title was Seattle's only World Championship, in any sport, between 1917 and 2014.

The Sonics were the only team after the 1951 Rochester Royals to win the NBA title and not have any players named to the league's 50th Anniversary Team, although Wilkens was named as one of the Top 10 Coaches. This would hold true for the 75th Anniversary Team.

The Bullets, wanting to get away from D.C.'s crime-ridden image, changed their name to the Washington Wizards in 1997, the same year they moved into the District, to the building now known as the Capital One Arena. They have not made the Finals since.

*

June 1, 1979 was a Friday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-0 at Yankee Stadium. Ron Guidry, still looking like the pitcher he was the season before, allowed only 2 hits, singles to Chet Lemon and Alan Bannister. He struck out 10. Lou Piniella hit a home run. Reggie Jackson went 1-for-3.

* The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-4 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Frank Taveras singled Doug Flynn home with the winning run in the top of the 11th inning. Joel Youngblood hit a home run.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Diego Padres, 9-8 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Dave Parker hit a home run. Willie Stargell went 1-for-5. Phil Garner went 4-for-5. For the Padres, Dave Winfield hit 2 home runs.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Steve Carlton was betrayed by an 8th-inning error by 2nd baseman Ramón Avilés that allowed 2 runs to score. Johnny Bench went 1-for-2 with 2 walks. Against his once-and-former team, Pete Rose went 0-for-4. So did Mike Schmidt. Del Unser and Garry Maddox hit home runs.

An inability to find a 2nd baseman who could hit (unlike Avilés and Ted Sizemore), field (unlike Avilés) and stay healthy (unlike Dave Cash) was a big reason why the Phillies reached 3 straight National League Championship Series, but lost them all. Later in the year, the Phillies acquired Manny Trillo. He became a big reason why they won the 1980 World Series.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants, 8-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-2 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-7 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The Dodgers scored a run in the 8th and a run in the 9th to tie it, and took a 7-6 lead in the top of the 11th. But in the bottom of the 11th, the Cards got singles by Keith Hernandez, Ted Simmons and Tony Scott to tie the game. After a strikeout, and an intentional walk to Ken Reitz, Dane Iorg singled Simmons home with the winning run.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-4 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Milwaukee. Robin Yount hit a home run. Paul Molitor went 2-for-4 with a walk. George Brett went 0-for-3, but had an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-2 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Eddie Murray went 0-for-4.

* The Houston Astros beat the Montreal Expos, 3-2 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the California Angels, 7-4 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Rod Carew went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and an RBI.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-2 at the Oakland Coliseum.

* And the Seattle Mariners, under circumstances considerably less important than their basketball neighbors, matched the SuperSonics with a win, beating the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-2 at the Kingdome in Seattle.

April 13, 2008: The End of the Seattle SuperSonics -- For Now

April 13, 2008: Although it is not yet official, the Seattle SuperSonics play their last game. They beat the Dallas Mavericks, 99-95 at the KeyArena. Earl Watson leads the Sonics with 21 points, and rookie Kevin Durant scored 19. In defeat, Dirk Nowitzki leads all scorers with 32.

The SuperSonics were Seattle's 1st true major league sports team. Before that, the city had the University of Washington, Seattle University, and the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, 1917 Stanley Cup winners, but they folded in 1926. The team known at various times as the Seattle Indians, the Seattle Rainiers and the Seattle Angels had won 7 Pennants, but they were all in the Pacific Coast League.

Losing the Sonics, a team that existed for 41 years, made the Playoffs 22 times, reaching 6 Conference Finals, winning 3 Conference Championships and the 1979 NBA title was a blow to the Queen City of the Northwest.

And, the thing is, it didn't seem to make any sense. Seattle's a big city: 650,000 people in the city, 4.4 million people in the metropolitan area. The arena was relatively new: It opened in 1994. Attendance wasn't an issue: Although their last 3 seasons in Seattle were competitively terrible, the attendance was good (15,955 in the next-to-last season, before they officially became a lame duck and dropped to 13,355).

Granted, since then, Oklahoma City has strongly supported the team. It proved to be a good city for the NBA. But they should have gotten an expansion team, not taken somebody else's team.

The NBA did a "Cleveland Browns" with the Sonics: The Thunder could take the organization and the players, but not the history or the trademarks. They do not hang banners for the titles won by the Sonics. The NBA committed itself to restoring the Sonics, but, through the 2021-22 season, has not done so.

UPDATE: The original version of the Sonics never had a team Hall of Fame. But they did retire 6 uniform numbers: 1, for 1970s and '80s guard Gus Williams; 10, for 1980s and '90s guard Nate McMillan; 19, for 1970s guard and head coach Lenny Wilkens; 24, for 1970s forward Spencer Haywood; 32, for 1970s and '80s guard Fred Brown; and 43, for 1970s and '80s guard Jack Sikma. They also raised a banner in honor of Bo Blackburn, who broadcast for them from their debut in 1967 until 1992.

Should the franchise be re-established, they would be entitled to re-raise those banners, as well as for their 1979 NBA Championship; their Western Conference Championships of 1978, 1979 and 1996; and their Division Championships of 1979, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2005.

Wilkens, Brown and Blackburn have been elected to the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame. So have 1990s guard Gary Payton, 1990s forward Detlef Schrempf (also a University of Washington graduate), and forward Steve Hawes, a UW graduate who played only the 1983-84 season with the Sonics.

For now, the Thunder do not have a team Hall of Fame, but are honoring the Sonics' retired numbers. To those, they have added 4, for 2000s and '10s forward Nick Collison. The only Thunder personnel yet elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame have been forward Carmelo Anthony, who played the 2017-18 season for them; and Billy Donovan, their head coach from 2015 to 2020, but elected on the basis of having coached the University of Florida to back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and '07.

There is an Oklahoma Hall of Fame, for citizens of the State in all walks of life, in Oklahoma City, but not yet an Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. 2007-16 forward Kevin Durant (taken in the team's last NBA Draft as the Sonics) and 2008-19 guard Russell Westbrook were elected to it while still with the Thunder. General manager Sam Presti was elected after the 2025 NBA Championship.

*

April 13, 2008 was a Sunday. There were 5 other games in the NBA that day:

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat, 84-76 at the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Toronto Raptors, 91-84 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls, 104-84 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Houston Rockets, 111-94 at the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena) in Denver. Allen Iverson scored 33 for the Nugs.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 106-85 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees lost to their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, 8-5 at Fenway Park in Boston. Daisuke Matsuzaka was the winning pitcher, while Phil Hughes didn't get an out in the 3rd inning. David Ortiz did not play, but the other main steroid cheat, Manny Ramirez, went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Of the Yankees' steroid users, Jason Giambi hit a home run, but Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-5. Derek Jeter did not play.

* The New York Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-7 at Shea Stadium. Gabe Kapler and Rickie Weeks hit home runs for the Brew Crew, David Wright for the Metropolitans.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. In the top of the 10th inning, Carlos Zambrano grounded out, but it allowed Ronny Cedeño to score the winning run. Mark DeRosa hit a home run for the Cubs, Jayson Werth and Eric Bruntlett for the Phils.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-4 at Nationals Park in Washington.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-2 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-1 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-4.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics, 7-1 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. 

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 11-0 at U.S. Cellular Field (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Javier Vázquez pitched 7 innings of 5-hit shutout ball. Matt Thornton and Nick Masset completed the 6-hit shutout. Paul Konerko went 2-for-5 with a home run and 5 RBIs. Joe Crede hit a grand slam.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers, 5-4 at Rangers Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Joe Inglett hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning, to score Marco Scutaro with the winning run.

* The Houston Astros beat the Florida Marlins, 5-1 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 13-5 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The San Diego Padres beat their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. How many Padre pitchers does it take to pitch a 5-hit shutout? On this afternoon, 5: Greg Maddux, 2 hits over 5 innings; Joe Thatcher, a hit in the 6th; Cla Meredith, a hitless 7th; Heath Bell, a hit in the 8th; and Trevor Hoffman, a hit in the 9th. The only run of the game came in the top of the 4th, Jim Edmonds scoring on a sacrifice fly by Paul McAnulty.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-4 at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Seattle Mariners, 10-5 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle. Ichiro Suzuki went 0-for-3, but drew 2 walks and stole a base.

Football was out of season. The NHL was in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and 4 games were played:

* The New Jersey Devils beat their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers, 4-3 at Madison Square Garden. John Madden (no relation to the football coach, broadcaster and video game impresario) scored the winning goal, 6:01 into overtime. Unfortunately for me, that was the only game the Devils won in that series.

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Boston Bruins beat the Montreal Canadiens, 2-1 at the TD Banknorth Garden (now the TD Garden) in Boston. Marc Savard scored the winning goal, 9:25 into overtime. Marc is not related to Canadiens legend Serge Savard, although Serge does have a son named Marc.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Washington Capitals, 2-0 at the Verizon Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington.

* And the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-3 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

And in English soccer, Manchester United beat Arsenal, 2-1 at Old Trafford in Salford. Owen Hargreaves scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute. This didn't quite clinch the Premier League title for United, but it did pretty much knock Arsenal out. United ended up beating Chelsea for the title by 2 points, and Arsenal by 4.