Citi Series Out of the Way, Now Let's Focus On What Really Matters

The bacteria that causes Legionnaire's disease was found in a cooling tower at Yankee Stadium last night. They say the place will be safe for occupancy for the start of tonight's series with the Minnesota Twins.

I don't know about this... This year alone, we've already had close to 100 people catch it in New York, and 12 die from it.

You let Met fans into your stadium, and...

*

Anyway, Friday night was the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and it was appropriate that the Mets were the opponents on the weekend. A moving pregame ceremony was held at Yankee Stadium, with members of the 2001 Yankees and the 2001 Mets, and people connected with the losses of that day of treachery.

Carlos Rodón started for the Yankees, allowing 2 runs, only 1 earned, on 3 hits, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. In contrast, Nolan McLean, the rookie that Met fans were saying is better than Cam Schlittler, got tagged for 5 runs in 5 innings. This included a 3-run home run from Cody Bellinger in the 2nd inning, and a leadoff homer by Ben Rice in the 5th.

The Mets threatened in the 9th, but, with considerable appropriateness, Juan Soto grounded into a double play to end it. Yankees 6, Mets 4.

At the same time, Rutgers lost to Boston College, 28-21. Not an especially bad loss, as was the one to UMass the week before. But, now, they're 0-2.

The Saturday afternoon game was bad. Gerrit Cole had nothing, giving up 5 runs, 3 of them home runs, and not getting out of the 5th inning. Tim Hill and Bradley Hanner were both worse. And Zac Thornton pitched well for the Mets. Bellinger and Spencer Jones each had 2 hits, but the rest of the Yankees combined only got 3. Mets 12, Yankees 2.

Yesterday's game was a splendid pitcher's duel. Schlittler went 6 innings, allowing just 1 hit, a double to Brett Baty in the 5th, and 2 walks, striking out 8. Rice homered again in the 1st, giving him 38 on the season. Admittedly, it was a short-porcher. Austin Wells hit one that was not, reaching the 2nd deck. Both were hit off Christian Scott. That was all the scoring: Yankees 2, Mets 0. Oh, yes: Soto struck out to lead off the 9th. He did hit one of the Saturday homers, though, and was booed throughout the weekend.

*

So, now that the Citi Series (not a Subway Series) is over, we can focus on what really mattered. Here's where things stand. First, yesterday's loss by the Mets and the win by the San Diego Padres over the San Francisco Giants means the Mets are officially eliminated from the National League Playoff hunt.

In the American League Eastern Division, the Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 4 games with 15 games to go. Their Magic Number to clinch a Playoff berth is 1, meaning they can get it with a win over the Twins tonight.

The remaining games:

* Tonight, tomorrow night, and Wednesday afternoon: Home to the Minnesota Twins.

* Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon: Away to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

* Day/night doubleheader on September 22, night games on September 23 and 24: Home to the Tampa Bay Rays. Hopefully, the Yankees will still be close enough for this to give them the chance to take the Division.

* Night games on September 25 and 26, and a day game on September 27: Home to the Baltimore Orioles.

The Rays have today off, then 3 at home to the Sacramento Athletics, then 3 at home to the Boston Red Sox, then a day off, then the 4 in The Bronx against us, and they close with 3 away to the Phillies. Beyond any question, even if you take out the 4 games between us, they have a tougher schedule.

We can still win the Division. And that would put us in the best possible position to win the whole thing.

Let's win the whole thing.

September 14, 1926: The King-Byng Affair

William Lyon Mackenzie King

September 14, 1926, 100 years ago: Canada holds a general election. It is won by the Liberal Party, which means that its Leader, former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, will be returned to the job. And that means that the people of Canada were sending a message to their "mother country," Great Britain: We may still be a part of your Empire, but we will decide our own fate.

Since "Confederation" gave Canada a partial independence in 1867, the nation's head of state had been the British monarch, represented in-country by a Governor-General; and the head of government had been the Prime Minister, the Leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons.

In 1921, Julian Byng, 1st Baron Byng of Vimy, was named Governor-General of Canada by King George V. Lord Byng had been the commanding officer of the Canadian Corps at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Vimy, France during World War I. As a result, he was called Canada's greatest military hero, and he replaced the Duke of Devonshire as Governor-General.

Julian Byng

The titles of the outgoing and incoming Governors-General was not unusual: From 1867 to 1952, the Governors-General included 2 Dukes, 6 Earls, 2 Lords who went on to become Earls after their fathers died, 3 Marquesses, 2 Viscounts, and 2 Barons.

Among them were the donors of the trophies for the championships of ice hockey and Canadian football, respectively: Frederick Stanley, who had to resign as Governor-General because his father had died, and passed to him the title of Earl of Derby; and Albert Grey, the 4th Earl Grey, grandson of Charles Grey, for whom Earl Grey tea was named.

In 1920, Robert Borden, who had been Prime Minister through World War I, retired, and handed the office off to Arthur Meighen. But in the next election, in 1921, his Conservative Party lost to the Liberal Party, and Mackenzie King -- usually referred to by his 3rd and 4th names, not by all 4 -- became the new Prime Minister. On October 29, 1925, Meighen returned to power with a coalition government, as he took the Tories to a lead in the Commons, but not a majority.

Arthur Meighen

King, however, thought he could retake the government by peeling off some members of the coalition. He combined the Liberal and Progressive caucuses to gain a plurality, and hung on to power. But the following year, due to a scandal that didn't involve King himself, the coalition fell apart.

King turned to Lord Byng, and asked him to exercise his power and dissolve Parliament, so that a new election could be called. Byng refused, citing the will of the people that had given Meighen the lead in the most recent election, and the right to form his coalition. On June 29, 1926, Byng asked Meighen to form a government, and he did.

Because of the possibility of losing a vote in the Commons, Meighen advised Byng to appoint the ministers of the Crown in an "acting" capacity only, to avoid triggering the automatic by-elections Ministers faced when accepting their appointments at the time. King used the technique to mock the government, and to further his accusation that Meighen had acted irresponsibly by accepting Byng's appointment, attracting Progressive support to take down the fledgling government. The government lost a motion regarding the "acting" Ministers by one vote, only 3 days after Meighen's appointment. With no other parliamentary leader to call upon, Byng called a new election for September 14.

King effectively campaigned against Byng, instead of against Meighen, and won the most seats in the House of Commons, although his party won a smaller proportion of the popular vote than the Conservatives. However, this was largely because the Liberals did not run candidates in all ridings, and had an informal electoral pact with the Progressives and Liberal-Progressives. In particular, the election results in the Province of Manitoba had the Conservatives capture almost 40 percent of the vote, twice the vote share of any other party, but not finishing 1st in a single riding, so they won no seats. Thus, King's Liberals were able to govern.

It became known as "The King-Byng Affair," and Byng returned to Britain at the end of the year. He was raised to the rank of Viscount. Meighen resigned as Conservative Leader. He ended up being knighted for his service to the British Empire. He was the last Prime Minister of Canada who saw himself as being a member of the British Empire, and so he was the last Prime Minister of Canada to be knighted as a result. He became Sir Arthur Meighen, despite the fact that his 1st government lasted 527 days, and his 2nd government lasted 89 days.

The incoming Prime Minister had not only defeated his predecessor: He had, for all intents and purposes, forced the Governor-General to resign, showing the Crown that Canada was its own nation, with its own government, speaking for its own people. Since 1926, no Governor-General of Canada, and no monarch of Great Britain, has tried to impose his or her will on the Prime Minister. All of which makes it weirder that the Prime Minister would be named "King."

With the Great Depression having started, Mackenzie King would lose the 1930 election, to a Conservative Party now led by Richard B. Bennett. But Bennett could not get Canada out of the Depression, and held off calling a new election for as long as he constitutionally could, finally standing for one in 1935. King and the Liberals won it.

Canada entered World War II along with Britain in 1939. Despite this, an election was held on time in 1940, and the Liberals slightly increased their majority. Another was held on time in 1945 -- between V-E Day and V-J Day, as it turned out, just as Britain's was -- and the Liberals lost seats, but hung on to enough seats to keep their majority. King retired in 1948, as Canada's longest-serving Prime Minister.

Julian Byng died in 1935, Mackenzie King in 1950, Arthur Meighen in 1960. Today, when Lord Byng is remembered, it is mainly as the husband of Evelyn Byng. During her time in Canada, she became a fan of the sport of ice hockey, and the Byngs attended Ottawa Senators games together in the nation's capital.

Evelyn Byng

In 1925, Evelyn donated the Lady Byng Trophy, to be awarded to "the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." After her death in 1949, the NHL changed the trophy's name to the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

The process of Canada becoming self-governing was further affirmed in 1982, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Queen Elizabeth II signed the Constitution Act, "repatriating" Canada's Constitution, meaning that Canada can amend the document as it sees fit, without getting the permission of Britain's Parliament. The British monarch remains Canada's head of state, but has little say over Canada's governance.

In 1952, right after becoming Queen of the United Kingdom, and thus also the Queen of Canada, Elizabeth II had to appoint a new Governor-General of Canada. She chose Vincent Massey. He had the diplomatic credentials, but he was not of noble birth, the 1st Governor-General for whom this was true. Indeed, from Massey onward, no Governor-General of Canada has even received a knighthood.

In 1959, upon Massey's retirement, Queen Elizabeth appointed Georges Vanier, the 1st Francophone Governor-General. The Vanier Cup, the championship of Canadian college football, is named for him. In 1984, the Queen appointed Jeanne Sauvé, who became not only the 1st female Governor-General, but also the 1st lifelong civilian.

In 1999, the Queen appointed Adrienne Clarkson, who is of Chinese descent, making her the 1st nonwhite Governor-General. Given the strong Asian presence in Canada, especially in the West, it is not surprising that the country had an Asian head of state before it had a black one. It is also not surprising that the 1st black head of state was a Francophone: In 2005, following Clarkson's retirement, the Queen appointed Michaëlle Jean, who was born in Haiti.

In 2021, the Queen appointed Mary Simon, who is Inuk on her mother's side, making her the 1st Governor-General of Indigenous descent. She was the last of the 13 appointed by Queen Elizabeth. All previous British monarchs had appointed 17.

As of September 14, 2026, 5 of the last 6 Governors-General have been women, including the incumbent, Louise Arbour, a former United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights.

*

September 14, 1926 was a Tuesday. Dick Dale, the lefthanded guitarist whose instrumentals helped launch "surf rock," was born on this day. 

September 13, 1996: The Death of Tupac Shakur

September 13, 1996, 30 years ago: Tupac Shakur dies, 6 days after being shot in Las Vegas. The rapper and actor was 25 years old, but had already built a career that still has hip-hop fans hailing him as one of the best and most influential rappers of all time.

Lesane Parish Crooks was born on June 16, 1971 in East Harlem. His mother, Afeni Shakur, "wanted him to have the name of revolutionary, indigenous people in the world. I wanted him to know he was part of a world culture, and not just from a neighborhood." So, when he was one year old, she renamed him Tupac Amaru Shakur, after a Tupac Amaru II, a descendant of the last ruler of the Incas, executed in Peru in 1781, after his failed revolt against Spanish rule.

Both of his parents had been members of the Black Panther Party. His godmother, JoAnne Chesimard, a.k.a. Assata Shakur, was convicted for her role in the murder of a New Jersey State Trooper in 1973, escaped from prison, and fled to Cuba.

In 1984, Afeni and Tupac moved to Baltimore. At the Baltimore School for the Arts, he studied acting, poetry, jazz and ballet, and became friends with Jada Pinkett. Later to become an actress, Jada has called Tupac the love of her life. This became one of the complications in her marriage to rapper-actor Will Smith.

In 1988, the Shakurs moved to Marin City, California. Marin County, north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, is mostly wealthy. Marin City is at the other end of the economic spectrum. Tupac did not graduate from high school, although he later got his GED. But he "graduated" to stardom in the West Coast hip hop scene, with his 1991 album 2Pacalypse Now, after briefly being with the Oakland-based group Digital Underground.

That would be the 1st of 4 albums released his lifetime, along with Strictly 4 My N.I.G.A.A.Z... in 1993, Me Against the World in 1995, and the 1st double-length album in hip-hop history, All Eyez on Me, in 1996. Like many other rappers, he got into acting, and had more success than most, including co-starring with Janet Jackson in the 1993 film Poetic Justice. Most of his roles were similar to his image, as an introspective but tough guy.

But Tupac was no saint. In 1993, he was arrested in Atlanta for shooting 2 off-duty police officers, who were charged with making false statements. All charges ended up being dropped. In 1994, he was convicted of 2 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, although he was acquitted of several other charges. He was sentenced to 18 months to 4 1/2 years in prison, and ended up serving 8 months at New York's Riker's Island.

In 1993, Tupac became friends with Christopher Wallace, the Brooklyn-based rapper who called himself The Notorious B.I.G. and Biggie Smalls. (Tupac also had multiple identities, including 2Pac and Makaveli.) It appears that Tupac was the man who told Biggie that Sean Combs -- at the time, known as Puff Daddy -- would make him a star. Which happened.

On November 30, 1994, while in New York recording verses for a mixtape of Ron G, Tupac was shot in the studio's lobby. He recovered at the home of actress Jasmine Guy, who became his friend after he appeared on the sitcom A Different World.

 The relationship between Tupac and Biggie had deteriorated. Biggie recorded a song titled "Who Shot Ya?" As rappers frequently do, Tupac recorded an answer song, "Hit 'Em Up." Not only did it accuse Biggie and his people of knowing who the shooter was, but included the line, "You claim to be a player, but I fucked your wife!" It was an insinuation that Tupac had had sex with singer Faith Evans, whom Biggie had married. The video was devastating, as Tupac delivered the line to a Biggie lookalike, complete with "pimp cane," who just nodded his head at the accusation. Only 2 people have ever known whether it was true: Tupac, who said it, and never changed his story; and Faith, who has always denied it.

And so the feud -- really, a sub-feud within the East Coast vs. West Coast rap rivalry -- between Biggie and Tupac became the nastiest feud in music history. (Salieri didn't actually have anything to do with the death of Mozart.) If there were ever "peace talks," the general public wasn't aware of them.

On September 7, 1996, Tupac was in Las Vegas, with his boss, Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight, to see the Heavyweight Championship fight between Mike Tyson, a longtime friend of Tupac's, and British boxer Bruce Seldon. It didn't last long: Seldon was the current champ, but former champ Tyson knocked him out in the 1st round.

This fight was at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, a new 17,000-seat arena at the MGM Grand Las Vegas casino-hotel. Afterward, in the hotel's lobby -- apparently, Tupac hadn't learned to stay out of lobbies -- someone in their group saw Orlando Anderson, a member of the Crips gang in Compton, California, known as "Baby Lane." That someone had a beef with Anderson, and assaulted him.

Tupac soon stopped by his hotel room, and then headed with Knight to his Death Row nightclub, Club 662, in a black BMW 750iL sedan, part of a larger convoy. At about 11:15 PM, at a traffic light on Las Vegas Boulevard, a white, 4-door, late-model Cadillac sedan pulled up to the passenger side, and an occupant rapidly fired into the car. Tupac was hit 4 times: Once in the arm, once in the thigh, and twice in the chest. Knight was not hit, but was cut by shards of glass.

Tupac was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, and was put on life support. He died 6 days later, at 4:03 PM on September 13. He was 25 years old. He was cremated the next day.

Did Anderson, or somebody working for him, do it? Las Vegas police interviewed him once, and did not arrest him. He later died in an unrelated shooting. Some of Tupac's associates have suggested that Biggie, Diddy, and their people were involved. Biggie had an airtight alibi, but that doesn't mean that someone didn't do it on his behalf -- or without his order. Still, it doesn't fit with Biggie's personality: Maybe someone working for him did it, but he wouldn't have sanctioned it.

Six months later, Biggie was shot and killed on a visit to Los Angeles. Tupac's people have been implicated, but, as with Tupac's own murder, there has never been enough evidence found to bring an indictment. Officially, both murders remain unsolved.

Like some other performers, including Jimi Hendrix, several albums of material have been released under Tupac's name since his death. Also like Hendrix, his fans have gobbled them up, only to realize that there was a reason why the performer didn't release the material while they lived: The performers, themselves, didn't think it was worthy, and it showed.

As with Elvis Presley and Doors lead singer Jim Morrison, there are people who believe that Tupac's death was faked, and that he is still alive. It gets weirder than that: I was listening to the radio late one night, around 2002 or so, and I heard a man calling up the station, saying, "Tupac is talking to me, man." The host assured the caller that Tupac was dead. The caller seemed to understand that, but said that Tupac was talking to him from beyond the grave.

In 2017, in his 1st year of eligibility, Tupac was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

UPDATE: On September 29, 2023, Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a member of the Compton Crips gang, was arrested for ordering Tupac's murder. On August 31, 2026, he was convicted in Las Vegas. That would seem to solve the case. He has also been linked to Biggie's murder, but, officially, that remains unsolved.

September 13, 1926: Emile Francis Is Born

In the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Gil Hodges managed the Mets. Wilbur "Weeb" Ewbank coached the Jets. and William "Red" Holzman coached the Knicks. These men received everything they needed to win a World Championship, including a little bit of luck.

Emile Francis was the biggest man in New York hockey at the time. He had everything he needed -- except a little more luck.

Emile Percival Francis was born on September 13, 1926 is born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. He tended goal in professional hockey from 1943 to 1960, including in the National Hockey League from 1947 to 1952. With the Chicago Black Hawks in 1948, he designed an improved goaltender's glove, based on a baseball catcher's mitt. He was a member of the New York Rangers team that reached the 1950 Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Detroit Red Wings in 7 games. If that had been the extent of his contribution to the game, that would be enough to remember him.

After retiring as a player, "the Cat" went straight into coaching, and was named the Rangers' general manager in 1964, naming himself head coach in 1965. He built a team that included Eddie Giacomin in goal; defensemen Brad Park, Gary Doak, Dale Rolfe, Jim Neilson, Rod Seiling and Ab DeMarco; left wings Vic Hadfield, Glad Sather and Dave Balon; centers Jean Ratelle, Phil Goyette, Bobby Rousseau, Pete Stemkowski and Walt Tkaczuk; and right wings Rod Gilbert and Ron Stewart.

Gilbert remains the Rangers' all-time leading scorer. He, Ratelle and team Captain Hadfield formed "The GAG Line," short for "Goal-A-Game." All three of them, plus Park and Seiling, would be named to the "Team Canada" for the 1972 "Summit Series" with the Soviet Union. Gilbert, Ratelle, Park and Giacomin would join Francis in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

This team was good, and good enough to not play dirty. There were no thugs on the roster. Later goons like Nick Fotiu, Tie Domi and Ulf Samuelsson would have had no place on it.

On January 12, 1969, the Jets won Super Bowl III. On October 16, 1969, the Mets won the World Series. On May 8, 1970, and again on May 10, 1973, the Knicks won the NBA Championship. The pieces for the Rangers seemed to be in place: A smart builder, a strong and deep team, and a new Madison Square Garden with a passionate fan base to support them.

But it just didn't happen. There were too many other good teams at the time. In 1968, the 1st season of "The New Garden," the Rangers reached the Quarterfinals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but lost to the Black Hawks of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito. In 1969, they got to the Quarterfinals again, but lost to the Montreal Canadiens of Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard and Yvan Cournoyer, who went on to win the Cup. In 1970, again, they got to the Quarterfinals, but were beaten by the Boston Bruins of Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, Tony's brother, who went on to win the Cup.

In 1971, they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Quarterfinals, the franchise's 1st Playoff series win in 21 years. They faced the Black Hawks, and in Game 6 at The Garden, Stemkowski scored in the 3rd overtime to win it. It became the franchise's "Where were you?" moment. But they lost Game 7 in Chicago.

In 1972, it looked like it was all coming together: They beat the defending Champion Canadiens in the Quarterfinals, then swept the Black Hawks in 4 straight in the Semifinals. But the Bruins were back, and were just too strong for them. Nobody spoke of a "curse" on the Rangers, and there was no great moment of calamity: Francis' Broadway Blueshirts were simply beaten by a better, stronger, more experienced team.

In 1973, the Rangers beat the Bruins in the Quarterfinals, and hope rose that this could be it. But they lost to the Black Hawks in the Semifinals. This was the 1st season for the expansion team in the suburbs of Long Island, the New York Islanders. In 1974, the Rangers beat the Canadiens in the Quarterfinals, as they were in a transition between the Béliveau-Richard years and the Guy Lafleur years, and goalie Ken Dryden took a year off to finish law school. But the Philadelphia Flyers were on the rise, and beat the Rangers in the Semifinals, then won the Cup by beating the Bruins.

In 1975, the 3rd-year Islanders shocked the Rangers in the 1st round of the expanded Playoffs. Suddenly, there was a new "team of the future," and the Rangers looked like a team of the past. Francis' transactions seemed to take on an air of desperation, a "The future is now" idea. His waiving of Giacomin to make room for the prospect John Davidson was right in the long term, but the public relations of it, and of the subsequent trade of Ratelle and Park to the Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais, earned himthe wrath of Ranger fans. It's been suggested that the change of Ranger fans from "the classiest fans in hockey" to the boors of "the Blue Seats" began at this time.

Francis was fired as head coach in late 1975, and as GM in early 1976. He later served as head coach and GM of the St. Louis Blues, helping find new owners that saved the team (Ralston Purina, who briefly had the St. Louis Arena renamed the Checkerdome); and of the Hartford Whalers.

He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and died on February 19, 2022, at the age of 95. Apparently, he and the Rangers made up, because they annually present the Emile Francis Award to a notable supporter of youth hockey. The Emile Francis Trophy is presented by the American Hockey League to the winner of its Atlantic Division.

His son, Bobby Francis, won the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year with the 2002 Phoenix Coyotes. (Established for the 1973-74 season, Emile never won it.)

Emile Francis will never be as well-remembered in New York sports as Gil Hodges, Weeb Ewbank or Red Holzman -- or Billy Martin or Joe Torre, or Bill Parcells. He might be better-remembered than Mike Keenan, who walked out on the Rangers right after they finally won the Cup in 1994. He should be remembered as a man who gave everything had to build a hockey winner in New York.

While Emile Francis was their boss, the New York Rangers were good, if not quite good enough. Certainly, there was no reason to say they "sucked."

September 12, 1976: A Hit for Minnie Miñoso -- at Age 53

September 12, 1976: The Chicago White Sox sweep a doubleheader from the California Angels at Comiskey Park, 2-1 and 5-1.

In the 10th inning of the opener, Sid Monge walked future Yankee Jim Spencer, and gave up a game-winning double to Brian Downing, making a winning pitcher out of future Yankee Rich "Goose" Gossage.

Minnie Miñoso, age 53, batted 9th as the designated hitter, and went 1-for-3, singling off Monge in the 2nd inning. He got the 2nd game off. A longtime player for the White Sox, he was coaching for them, and team owner Bill Veeck, seeing yet another opportunity to perk up publicity for his team, activated him. At the time, Miñoso was believed to be the oldest player ever to get a hit in a major league game.

This is because Charlie O'Leary, another coach briefly reactivated for a late-season game, in his case in 1934, was believed to have been born in 1882, so Miñoso got credit for breaking his record. Later, it was discovered that O'Leary was born in 1875, so he was just short of turning 59. So, while Miñoso's achievement was remarkable, it was not unprecedented.

In 1980, Veeck sent him up to bat again, making him a 5-decade player (1940s to 1980s), but he did not get a hit. So O'Leary remains the oldest player to come to bat, the oldest to get a hit, and the oldest to score a run.

Mexican lefthander Francisco Barrios went the distance for the win in the 2nd game. But his career would end tragically: In 1981, while still an active player, he injured his elbow, then, during the strike that season, he was arrested for cocaine possession in a Chicago bar owned by Chicago Bears player Doug Buffone.

He entered a rehab program, but the White Sox released him before the season ended. He signed with a team in the Mexican Pacific League, and pitched for them in 1982. The Milwaukee Brewers were interested in him. But he died of a heart attack, probably brought on by cocaine use. He was 28 years old.

September 12, 1976 was also the opening Sunday of an NFL season. Two new expansion teams made their regular-season debuts. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Houston Oilers, 20-0 at the Astrodome in Houston. And the Seattle Seahawks lost to the football version of the St. Louis Cardinals, 30-24 at the Kingdome in Seattle.

The following week, the Buccaneers lost their 1st home game, 23-0 to the San Diego Chargers at Tampa Stadium. The Seahawks lost their 1st 5 games, before beating the Buccaneers in Tampa on October 17. They finished 2-12. The Bucs were worse: They went 0-14, and their drought stretched to 0-26 the next season, before finally beating the New Orleans Saints on December 11, 1977.

September 12, 1966: "The Monkees" Premieres

Left to right: Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz

September 12, 1966, 60 years ago: Here they come… The Monkees premieres on NBC. They are designed to appeal to kids who loved The Beatles, but didn't like how they got "weird" with Rubber Soul and Revolver and talk about being "more popular than Jesus now."

Trade publications Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter ran an advertisement in their September 8, 1965 editions, seeking "Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series." As many as 400 hopefuls showed up to be considered as one of "4 insane boys." Of these, 14 actors from the audition pool were brought back for screen tests, and the last 4 were chosen after audience research:

* Peter Halsten Thorkelson, a.k.a. Peter Tork, born February 13, 1942 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Willimantic, Connecticut. He had been recommended to the producers by his friend, Stephen Stills, after Stills failed his audition, before becoming a member of first Buffalo Springfield, and then Crosby, Stills & Nash (& sometimes Young). Allegedly, Stills was rejected because of crooked teeth.

Tork was a skilled multi-instrumentalist, who had performed at various Greenwich Village folk clubs before moving west, where he worked as a busboy. He became the keyboard player.

* Robert Michael Nesmith, a.k.a. Mike Nesmith, born December 30, 1942 in Houston, and grew up across Texas in Dallas. His mother, Bette Nesmith Graham, had invented a correction fluid, and founded the company that became Liquid Paper. Mike had served a brief stint in the U.S. Air Force, and, like Jones, had recorded for Colpix, under the name "Michael Blessing."

Oddly, he was the only one of the 4 men chosen to be Monkees who had come for the audition based on seeing the trade magazine ad. He showed up to the audition with his laundry, and impressed the producers with his laid-back style and droll sense of humor. He also wore a woollen hat to keep his hair out of his eyes when he rode his motorcycle. The hat remained part of Nesmith's wardrobe. He became the band's guitarist.

* George Michael Dolenz Jr., a.k.a. Micky Dolenz, born March 8, 1945 in Los Angeles, and grew up in the nearby suburb of Valley Glen, California. The son of screen actors George Dolenz and Janelle Johnson, he had prior screen experience under the name "Mickey Braddock" as the 10-year-old star of the Circus Boy series in the 1950s. He became the drummer.

(Later singer George Michael's real name wasn't "George Michael," it was Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. And the sportscaster George Michael was born George Michael Gimpel. None of these men was related to either of the others.)

* David Thomas Jones, a.k.a. Davy Jones, born December 30, 1945 in Manchester, England, which led to his nickname, "The Manchester Cowboy." A former jockey, he had achieved some initial success on the musical stage, appearing with the cast of the Broadway musical Oliver! on The Ed Sullivan Show on the night of The Beatles' live American debut. He was appearing in Columbia Pictures productions, and recording for the Colpix record label, and had been identified in advance as a potential star for the series. He became the lead singer.

The show's music had several songwriters, including the team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, who wrote their theme song and their 1st Number 1 hit, "Last Train to Clarksville"; the then-married team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, who wrote their Number 3 hit "Pleasant Valley Sunday"; and a young Neil Diamond, who wrote their Number 1 hit "I'm a Believer" and their Number 2 hit "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You." John Stewart, who took Dave Guard's place in The Kingston Trio, wrote "Daydream Believer," which became their 3rd and last Number 1 hit. 

Their silly adventures in wildly-colored outfits helped to inspire cartoons like Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? The fact that they were also a band helped inspire cartoons like The Archies and Josie & the Pussycats. And, because of The Monkees' success, another English singer named David Jones ended up changing his name, becoming David Bowie.

While the program showed them playing their own instruments, they did not do so on the recordings on which they sang. Nor did they write most of their own songs. Finally, they objected, and had one Top 40 hit that was all their own: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere."

It took 2 years, but TV viewers figured out that these guys were not as good as The Beatles. But they were certainly better than, say, The Partridge Family. But the 1960s nostalgia wave kicked in, and by the mid-1980s, they were popular on "the oldies circuit."

Davy Jones died on February 29, 2012, at the age of 66. Peter Tork died on February 21, 2019, at 77. Michael Nesmith died on December 10, 2021, at 78. As of September 12, 2026, Micky Dolenz is the last survivor, 81. His daughter, Ami Dolenz, also became an actress. Mike's son, Christian Nesmith, also became a musician.

September 12, 1966 was a Monday. Musician Ben Folds and Northern Exposure actor Darren E. Burrows were born.

Yankees Sweep Rockies, Will Commemorate 9/11 with Mets

The Colorado Rockies have the worst record in the National League, 2nd-worst in all of Major League Baseball behind the Los Angeles Angels. They came into Yankee Stadium II on Tuesday, and it seemed like a good time for the Yankee bats to get going again.

Cam Schlittler started the opener, and was brilliant, again: 7 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts. For the season, he is now 13-6, with an ERA of 2.01 and a WHIP of 0.918. If he doesn't receive the American League's Cy Young Award, it will be a travesty.

Aaron Judge returned from injury. He went 0-for-3, including 2 strikeouts, before being replaced in right field for cautionary reasons, but Heliot Ramos. The Yankees scored an unearned run due to an outfield error in the 1st inning, got an RBI double from Ryan McMahon in the 5th, and a 3-run home run from Ramos in the 8th. Tim Hill made it interesting by allowing a 2-run homer in the 9th, but the Yankees held on, and won, 5-3.

Will Warren started on Wednesday night, and he was strong as well: 6 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts. The bullpen allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk. The Yankees won, 6-1. Judge went 2-for-4, and the Yankees got home runs from Luis García Jr., George Lombard Jr. and Cody Bellinger. Two "Juniors" and the son of an ex-major leaguer. But not Jazz Chisholm Jr.: He was put on the Injured List, and Anthony Volpe was recalled, with the idea that, instead of shortstop, he would play 2nd base.

Manager Aaron Boone -- almost certainly, under orders from general manager Brian Cashman -- was careful with Max Fried again last night, only allowing him to throw 80 pitches. That got him through 3 1/3rd innings, so even though he allowed just 1 run on 1 hit and 2 walks, striking out 7, it felt like a "bullpen game." Michael Fulmer finished the 4th, John Schreiber got the next 4 outs, Ryan Yarbrough the next 4, Brent Headrick the last out in the 7th, and the returning Luis Gil pitched the 7th and the 8th.

García homered again, in the 1st. Two runs scored in the 2nd, 1 on a single by Volpe. The Rockies closed to within 4-2 in the top of the 7th, but the Yankees made them pay for that in the bottom of the 7th. Bellinger led off with a double, Jasson Domínguez walked, García moved the runners over with a groundout, and Spencer Jones singled them home.

Lombard popped up, but McMahon and Austin Wells walked, and then Volpe hit an opposite-field home run, getting the fans back on his side. The Yankees won, 10-3, completing the sweep. Schreiber was credited as the winning pitcher.

The Yankees are 3 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division, with 16 games to go. They maintain the 4th seed in the AL Playoffs. Judge, Bellinger, Volpe, Cole, Fried and Gil are all back. Chisholm and Ryan Weathers could be back by September 22. Clarke Schmidt might come back to contribute in the regular season. Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham are less likely to return.

*

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. There were about 3,000 people who died that day, and another 5,000 are estimated to have died due to subsequent health issues caused by the toxic air at the site. Osama bin Laden did eventually pay for that, and al-Qaeda is no longer a serious threat to anyone.

A ceremony was held at the site of the original World Trade Center. Four Mayors attended: Incumbent Zohran Mamdani, Bill de Blasio, Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani. Eric Adams, though still alive, did not attend.

The contrast between the young Mamdani and the aged Giuliani was staggering -- as was the bigotry of Giuliani, who said Mamdani shouldn't be there because he's a Muslim. Staggering, but, giving Giuliani's past, not surprising.

Also in attendance were former Presidents and First Ladies Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. and Laura Bush, Barack and Michelle Obama, and Joe and Jill Biden. Joe is dealing with cancer, and is older than Giuliani. Bloomberg, as far as I know, is healthy, but is even older than Biden. Both of them looked better than Giuliani.

Donald Trump and whoever he currently considers to be his First Lady were not invited. Everyone else I mentioned, even Giuliani, refused to make the event about themselves. Trump wouldn't do that.

Major League Baseball did the right thing in scheduling the 1st game of a Yankees vs. Mets series for tonight at Yankee Stadium, to commemorate the event. Both teams were exceptional in handling relief efforts after it.

There will be a pregame ceremony tonight, and, presumably, both teams will wear specialized logos on their uniforms.

Sports has helped people to heal many times, and 9/11 might be the greatest example. It can do so again.