April 17, 1951: Mickey Mantle's 1st Major League Game

April 17, 1951, 75 years ago: Opening Day at Yankee Stadium. There are 2 significant debuts on this day. Yankee co-owner Dan Topping had owned the football edition of the Brooklyn Dodgers, whose public address announcer was a professor of speech at St. John's University in Queens. Topping hired him, and he held the Yankee PA job for the next 57 seasons. His name was Bob Sheppard. Yankee Hall-of-Famer Reggie Jackson would dub him "The Voice of God."

The 1st name he introduced was that of the leadoff hitter for the visiting Boston Red Sox, their center fielder, Dom DiMaggio, brother of the Yankees' biggest star and center fielder, Joe DiMaggio. Making his major league debut that day, in right field, but being groomed to be Joe's successor in center, was a 19-year-old switch-hitter from the northeastern corner of Oklahoma, wearing Number 6. His name was Mickey Mantle.

The kid was overwhelmed by New York. Attendance on Opening Day was 44,860. His native Ottawa County was home to just 31,000. As he would say, many years later, "New York was tough on me. Playing baseball was the easy part."

Easy? Maybe if you're among the most talented baseball players who have ever lived. Batting against Red Sox starter Bill Wight, he grounded to 2nd base in the 1st inning, popped up to 3rd in the 3rd, singled home a run and later scored himself in the 6th, and flew out against Mickey McDermott in the 8th.

Jackie Jensen, later to win a Most Valuable Player award with the Red Sox, hit a home run for the Yankees. Joe DiMaggio went 1-for-4, Yogi Berra 1-for-2 with an RBI, Phil Rizzuto 0-for-3. For the Red Sox, Dom DiMaggio went 2-for-3 with a walk, and Ted Williams went 1-for-3 with a walk. Vic Raschi went the distance, and the Yankees won, 5-0.

Mantle struggled a bit that season, and even got sent down to the minors, but recovered, before getting hurt in the World Series. The rest is history... and myth.

Sheppard would later say that Mantle was his favorite name to announce. Mantle told him, "I got goose bumps when you announced my name." Sheppard told him, "So did I."

Bob Sheppard

*

April 17, 1951 was a Tuesday. These other Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Giants beat the Boston Braves, 4-0 at Braves Field in Boston. As with the other teams in the National League, they wore special uniform patches in honor of the League's 75th Anniversary.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2 at Ebbets Field. Robin Roberts outpitched Carl Erskine. Jackie Robinson hit a home run, and he, Duke Snider and Gil Hodges each had 2 hits, but it wasn't enough. The Dodgers started the season one game behind the Giants, and would end the season the same way. Little did anyone know how that would come about.

* The Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 6-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. It was the start of the 51st season for the A's, and their 1st regular-season game with a manager other than Connie Mack: Jimmy Dykes. As with the other teams in the American League, including the Yankees, they were wearing special uniform patches in honor of the League's 50th Anniversary.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Stan Musial went 1-for-2 with 2 walks, but the Cards lost, anyway.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. (It was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961.) Bob Lemon outpitched Hal Newhouser, and both went to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Newhouser would join Lemon on the Indians' 1954 American League Pennant winners.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds, 8-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* And the Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Browns, 17-3 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Bill Veeck, who had built the Indians into the 1948 World Champions, had bought the Browns, and this would be the season in which he tried everything to bring fans in, including "Grandstand Managers Night" and letting a 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel come to bat.

Football was out of season. But the NBA Finals were underway. The Rochester Royals led the New York Knicks, 3 games to 2. The next day, the Knicks would win Game 6. But on April 21, in overtime, the Royals would win Game 7. As the Rochester Royals (1952-57), the Cincinnati Royals (1958-72), the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (1973-75), the Kansas City Kings (1976-85) and the Sacramento Kings (1986-2022), they have not been back to the NBA Finals since. The Knicks would not get so close to their 1st NBA Championship again until 1970.

And Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals was played. The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens, 2-1 at the Montreal Forum, with Ted "Teeder" Kennedy scoring the winning goal, 4:47 into overtime. Unlike a lot of Teds and Teddys who were actually born Edward, including the future U.S. Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, this Ted Kennedy actually started out with the name Theodore.

All 5 games in this Finals would go to overtime. Sid Smith won Game 1 for the Leafs, Maurice "the Rocket" Richard won Game 2 for the Habs, Harry Watson won Game 4 for the Leafs, and, on April 21, the same day that the NBA Finals were decided, Bill Barilko, a hard-hitting but little-scoring young defenseman, won Game 5 and the Cup with an overtime goal.

Four months later, Barilko and a friend would take a fishing trip with a friend, an inexperienced pilot. The plane went off course, crashed, and wasn't found for 11 years.

Also, actress Olivia Hussey was born on this day. 

April 15, 1976: The Renovated Yankee Stadium Opens

April 15, 1976, 50 years ago: Yankee Stadium opens, after a renovation of two and a half years. Much of the original 1923 structure remains, but much of it is new. Some old-time Yankee Fans are relieved and thrilled. Others are appalled at the changes.

The support poles, and the obstructions they provided, were removed, while the upper deck was "cantilevered" and extended upward, so it no longer needed the poles' support. Seats and aisles were widened, dropping the Stadium's capacity from 65,010 (from a peak of 67,224) to 57,545.

The back wall of the Bleachers was raised to twice its height. No longer could a fan stand on the platform of the 161st Street Station of the Number 4 Train and watch the game for the price of a Subway token. And the "façade," actually a frieze, that wrapped around the roof of the Stadium was removed, as was the roof itself. A copy of the frieze was placed atop the Bleacher wall.

Robert Merrill sings the National Anthem. Bob Shawkey, the starting and winning pitcher from the 1st game there in 1923, throws out the ceremonial first ball. Among the guests with a connection to the Stadium's history are Babe's widow Claire Ruth, Lou's widow Eleanor Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, New York Giants legend Frank Gifford, and Joe Louis, who successfully defended the Heavyweight Championship of the World at Yankee Stadium 7 times.

A photograph of "the four great Yankee catchers" in uniform is taken: Bill Dickey as a special guest, Yogi Berra and Elston Howard as current Yankee coaches, and Thurman Munson as the current Yankee catcher, who has been named the team's 1st Captain since Lou Gehrig.

And, yes, there was a game. The opponent was the Minnesota Twins. While Babe Ruth had hit the 1st home run in the Stadium, the 1st home run in the renovated Stadium was hit by the Twins' Dan Ford, off Yankee starter Rudy May. And the Twins led 4-0 going to the bottom of the 3rd inning.

A groundout by Roy White got the Yankees on the board in the 3rd. They put it together in the 4th: With 1 out, Graig Nettles drew a walk. (Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you.) Oscar Gamble tripled him home, and was singled home by Willie Randolph. Randolph stole 2nd, and was singled home by Lou Piniella to tie the game. A wild pitch by Vic Albury got Piniella to 2nd, and Otto Vélez singled him home, and the Yankees had the lead.

The Yankees scored 6 more runs in the 8th, thanks to walks by White, Piniella and Fred Stanley; singles by Nettles, Randolph, Mickey Rivers and Chris Chambliss; and a double by Gamble.

Yankees 11, Twins 4. Dick Tidrow, in relief, was the winning pitcher. Two days later, Munson would have the 1st Yankee homer in the "New Stadium."

The Yankees won the 1st of 3 straight American League Pennants that season. From the Stadium's reopening until its closing in 2008, they won 15 AL Eastern Division titles, 10 Pennants, and 6 World Championships -- more than most teams, to this day, have won in their entire history.

Deserve's Got Everything to Do With It: 2026 Basketball Edition

Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman): "I don't deserve this! To die like this!"

Will Munny (Clint Eastwood): "Deserve's got nothing to do with it!"

-- Unforgiven, 1992, directed by Eastwood

As I occasionally (but not annually) do, I am ranking Playoff teams by how much they, and their fanbases, deserve to win a World Championship. This time, the NBA:

20. Oklahoma City Thunder, West 1st seed.

May Deserve Because: They've proven themselves to be worthy champions. And their fans have proven themselves worthy of a great team, which was not obvious when the team arrived in 2008.

May Not Deserve Because: They just won the title last year. They don't need another. Ownership sure doesn't deserve it: These are the guys who moved the Seattle SuperSonics, and they're now trying to build a new arena -- to replace the new arena they already have! What gives? Also, it's a conservative city, in a very red State. They don't deserve another title!

19. Miami Heat, East 10th seed, play-in team.

May Deserve Because: Honestly, I can't think of a good reason, unless you mean finally throwing off 27 years of conservative Mayors last year. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are interesting players, but not especially deserving. South Florida has a lot of ex-New Yorkers and ex-New Jerseyans, but, by itself, that doesn't help much.

May Not Deserve Because: One of America's most conservative cities, in one of America's most conservative States. They've won the title as recently as 2013, and been in the Finals as recently as 2023. There's no "guy to root for." And there's a reason those ex-New Yorkers and ex-New Jerseyans moved there: Because they wanted to get away from the multicultural society that their area has become.

18. Boston Celtics, East 2nd seed.

May Deserve Because: Boston is a liberal city, in a liberal State. And... that's about it.

May Not Deserve Because: The Celtics won the title as recently as 2024, and they've won more than any other team. They don't need another. And it's not like they have a great player who wasn't a part of that 2024 team, and hasn't won one.

17. Los Angeles Lakers, West 4th seed.

May Deserve Because: Los Angeles is a liberal city, in a Blue State. And that's about it.

May Not Deserve Because: They last won in 2020. How many more do they need? LeBron James certainly doesn't deserve another title.

16. San Antonio Spurs, West 2nd seed.

May Deserve Because: Victor Wembanyana is a special player.

May Not Deserve Because: They're in Texas. They last won in 2014, not that long ago. And Wembayana is only 22. He will, most likely, have many more chances. To put that in perspective: When they won their 1st NBA titles, LeBron James was 27, Michael Jordan was 28, Wilt Chamberlain was 30, Oscar Robertson was 32, Julius Erving was 33, and Jerry West was 34.

15. Golden State Warriors, West 10th seed, play-in team.

May Deserve Because: San Francisco is regarded as the liberal city, and California as the Blue State. Steve Kerr is rightly one of the most admired men in the NBA, maybe the most admired, now that Gregg Popovich has retired from coaching. Steph Curry is beloved. He and some of the Warriors have won titles, but his brother Seth Curry and Jimmy Butler have not. But Butler won't win one this time, as he is unavailable due to a season-ending injury.

May Not Deserve Because: The Dubs have dominated the West, winning it 6 of the last 11 seasons, including 4 NBA Championships. They don't need another. I wouldn't mind if they did, especially if they beat a Red State team in the Finals. But they don't need it.

14. Denver Nuggets, West 3rd seed.

May Deserve Because: Denver is a liberal city, in a Blue State. Nikola Jokić is probably the best player in the world this season.

May Not Deserve Because: They won in 2023, which is very recent. Nobody on the team needs a title all that badly.

13. Cleveland Cavaliers, East 4th seed.

May Deserve Because: Cleveland is a liberal city. And the city has won only 1 World Championship since 1964, so they deserve it. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell are legends who probably deserve to win a title.

May Not Deserve Because: Cleveland's status as a liberal city, but it hasn't been able to turn Ohio away from being a Red State. Harden is a jerk. And that 1 title was the Cavs, only in 2016.

12. Houston Rockets, West 5th seed.

May Deserve Because: Houston is a liberal city. The Rockets haven't won a title, or even been to the Finals, since 1995.

May Not Deserve Because: Houston is still in Texas, among the reddest of the Red States. As a city, it last won a title in 2022, with the Astros *. And their biggest star is Kevin Durant, not exactly a player who needs another title.

11. Toronto Raptors, East 5th seed.

May Deserve Because: Toronto is a liberal city, in a liberal country. Brandon Ingram deserves a title.

May Not Deserve Because: The Raptors only won in 2019.

10. Orlando Magic, East 8th seed, play-in team.

May Deserve Because: Orlando has never won a Championship, in any sport, unless you count the Orlando Pride winning the National Women's Soccer League title in 2024.

May Not Deserve Because: Florida is a Red State. And the Magic have no "He really deserves it" guy.

9. Atlanta Hawks, East 6th seed.

May Deserve Because: Atlanta is a liberal city. The Hawks haven't won a title since 1958, when they were in St. Louis. Indeed, since coming to Atlanta in 1970, they've only made the Conference Finals twice, in 2015 and 2021.

May Not Deserve Because: Georgia is still a Red State. Atlanta has proven itself to be a rotten sports city. While the Hawks haven't won a title, the city last won one only in 2021, with the Braves. And there's no especially-deserving player.

8. Phoenix Suns, West 7th seed, play-in team.

May Deserve Because: The Suns have never won a title in 55 seasons, going 0-3 in the Finals. The only title for an Arizona-based team is the 2001 Diamondbacks *. Devin Booker deserves a title. And the Phoenix area is full of ex-Chicago people.

May Not Deserve Because: One of America's most conservative cities, and it's in what's usually still a Red State.

7. Charlotte Hornets, East 9th seed, play-in team.

May Deserve Because: Charlotte is a blue city that, on occasion, has made North Carolina a Blue State. While Raleigh won a Stanley Cup in 2006, Charlotte has never won a title, with the Hornets never having reached the Conference Finals, and the Carolina Panthers having gone 0-2 in Super Bowls.

May Not Deserve Because: North Carolina is still a blue State, and there's no "guy to root for."

6. Detroit Pistons, East 1st seed.

May Deserve Because: Detroit is a liberal city, usually turning Michigan to be a Blue State. The city hasn't had a title since the 2008 Red Wings, and the Pistons haven't won since 2004 or been in the Finals since 2005. Just 2 seasons ago, they completed a run of season with only 20, 23, 17 and 14 wins, including a 28-game losing streak, tied for the longest losing streak in NBA, and major league sports, history. Their comeback under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff (son of former NBA coach Bernie) and general manager Trajan Langdon (former Duke star) has been remarkable.

May Not Deserve Because: The only reason I can think of is that they don't have a standout "He deserves it" guy. Cade Cunningham might be on his way, but he's not a legend yet. And 2004 wasn't that long ago.

5. Philadelphia 76ers, East 7th seed, play-in team. 

May Deserve Because: Philadelphia is a great city. It's a liberal city. Pennsylvania is a Blue State. It's been 43 years since they last won it all. It would make a few people I know happy, since I only live only 64 miles away. Joel Embiid deserves a title.

May Not Deserve Because: Their fans have been known to be a bit rough. And Kyle Lowry already has a title, with the 2019 Toronto Raptors.

4. Los Angeles Clippers, West 9th seed, play-in team.

May Deserve Because: Los Angeles is a liberal city, in a Blue State. The Clippers are not the lordly Lakers: The franchise has been playing for 56 years, as the Buffalo Braves from 1970 to 1978, the San Diego Clippers from then until 1984, and the Los Angeles Clippers since. Their fans have suffered, especially in comparison to Laker fans. Bradley Beal deserves a title, but he is injured an unavailable. And they are no longer owned by the racist real-estate developer Donald Sterling. They are owned by Steve Ballmer, one of the more sympathetic super-rich guys.

May Not Deserve Because: Head coach Tyronn Lue has already won a title, with the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. So has Brook Lopez, with the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks. Other than that, no big reason.

3. Portland Trail Blazers, West 8th seed, play-in team.

May Deserve Because: Portland is a liberal city, and it keeps Oregon a Blue State. It's been 48 years since they last won it all, although the Portland Thorns won the NWSL title in 2022. Damian Lillard deserves a title, but has been injured all season.

May Not Deserve Because: Can't think of a good reason, although one of the current Blazers, Jrue Holiday, already has 2 titles, with the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks and the 2024 Boston Celtics. So he doesn't need another. It would help his Hall of Fame candidacy, but it wouldn't assure his election.

2. New York Knicks, East 3rd seed.

May Deserve Because: New York is the greatest city in the world, a liberal city in a Blue State. But unless you want to count the WNBA or soccer teams, it hasn't won a World Championship in any sport since the Giants in 2012. The Knicks haven't won one since 1973 -- 53 years. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Brunson and OG Anuoby are good guys who deserve a title. It's time.

May Not Deserve Because: Knick fans already think they know more about basketball than anybody. They might become insufferable if their team actually wins another title. And does James Dolan actually deserve a title? No.

1. Minnesota Timberwolves, West 6th seed.

May Deserve Because: Minneapolis is a liberal city, in a Blue State, and has suffered this calendar year. The City and the State have not won a title in any sport since the 1991 Twins. The T-Wolves have played since 1989, and while they've been to the Conference Finals in each of the last 2 seasons before this one, the city hasn't been to the NBA Finals since the 1954 Minneapolis Lakers. And if we're going by who's played a long time to earn a title, the T-Wolves have the most guys: Mike Conley Jr., Rudy Gobert, Kyle Anderson and Julius Randle.

May Not Deserve Because: I can't think of a good reason, unless you boycott Minneapolis-based Target, which has its name on both the T-Wolves' arena and the Twins' ballpark.

So there you have it: The Minnesota Timberwolves deserve to win the 2026 NBA Championship, more than any other team.

I Wouldn't Mind It If...

I wouldn't mind the Yankees being 8-7 if they hadn't started the season 7-1. But they've lost 5 straight, by a combined 7 runs, and fallen into a tie for 1st place in the American League Eastern Division.

Last Tuesday, they started a home series with the Sacramento Athletics. Cam Schlittler started, and had the worst start of his career, allowing 3 runs over 5 innings. Fortunately, Amed Rosario hit 2 home runs, including a 3-run shot in the 8th, and the Yankees won, 5-3. Fernando Cruz was the winning pitcher.

Since then, though, the Yankees' hits and runs have been few and far between. Will Warren started against former Yankee Luis Severino on Wednesday night, and neither of them got past the 5th inning. The Yankees got 2 runs in the 1st, and that was it: The rest of the way, the got just 1 hit and 5 walks. The A's tied the game in the 4th, and in the 9th, David Bednar allowed a single, a double, and a sacrifice fly, and the Yankees lost 3-2.

The Thursday afternoon game was even more frustrating. Ryan Weathers, who has thus far been little more than a plug in a hole in the rotation, pitched his best game as a Yankee, going 8 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits and no walks, striking out 7. But A's starter Jeffrey Springs didn't allow a hit until Ben Rice singled in the 7th. The Yankees lost, 1-0.

Online, Met fans were joking about the Yankees losing 2 out of 3 at home to the "homeless" A's, who left Oakland and are playing the 2nd of what they hope will be 3 seasons in Sacramento, in the hope that their dome in Las Vegas will be ready in 2028. Then the A's went across town to Citi Field, and swept the Mets in 3 straight: 4-0, 11-6 and 1-0.

Not so easy, is it, you Flushing morons?

*

Then the Yankees went down to play the Tampa Bay Rays, at the restored dome of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, after a year of repairs while they played at the Yankees' Spring Training home in Tampa, Steinbrenner Field.

Luis Gil came off the Injured List to make his 1st start of the season. He wasn't ready, going 4 innings, and allowing 3 runs on 3 hits. Rice hit a home run, but the Yankees only got 4 other hits, and lost, 5-3.

Max Fried started on Saturday night. He went 8 innings, so it should have been enough to save the bullpen. Except the Yankees struggled again, with Austin Wells hitting a home run, but getting only 3 other hits in the 1st 7 innings.

The game went to extra innings. José Caballero singled home "ghost runner" Randal Grichuk in the top of the 10th. In the bottom of the 10th, Bednar blew it again, allowing single, single, intentional walk, getting a strikeout, and a fielder's choice allowed the winning run: Rays 5, Yankees 4.

Schlittler started again on Sunday, allowing 3 runs on 5 innings. But the Yankees got only 1 hit in the 1st 6 innings. Aaron Judge hit a home run in the 9th, but it wasn't enough: Again, Rays 5, Yankees 4.

*

As of this writing, the Yankees, the Rays, and the Baltimore Orioles are all tied atop the AL East at 8-7. The Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays are both 6-9, 2 games back. The Yankees' great start has been wiped out.

On the other hand, there have been times since Title 27 in 2009 when an 8-7 start would have been considered a big improvement. So I can't complain that much. But the Yankees currently have a team batting average of .202, an on-base percentage of .308, a slugging percentage of .345, and an average of 4.3 runs scored per game. That's not only unacceptable, it's ridiculous. Aristophanes-level ridiculous. So I can complain.

Tonight, they are back home, to start a 4-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, followed by 3 at home against the Kansas City Royals. Then it's off to Boston to face The Scum.

April 13, 1996: The MetroStars (Red Bulls) Debut

April 13, 1996, 30 years ago: The sports rivalry between the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas, dormant in soccer since the Los Angeles Aztecs folded after the 1980 North American Soccer League season, resumes, as each area's 1st team in Major League Soccer began play, against each other.

At the Rose Bowl in suburban Pasadena, California, the Los Angeles Galaxy played the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. A crowd of 69,225 attended, and the game was broadcast nationally on ABC.

Cobi Jones opened the scoring for the Galaxy, in the game's 37th minute. Arash Noamouz scored another in the 56th minute. Giovanni Savarese pulled one back for the MetroStars in the 77th, but that was as close as they would get: L.A. won, 2-1.

The "Gals" have gone on to win 5 MLS Cups. The MetroStars, or "Metro" for short, became the New York Red Bulls in 2005, but they and the New England Revolution are the only original MLS teams that have not yet won an MLS Cup.

Despite having had such stars as Savarese, Peter Vermes, Tony Meola, Tab Ramos, Clint Mathis, Lothar Matthäus, Eddie Pope, Juan Pablo Ángel, Thierry Henry, Dax McCarty, Tim Cahill, Sacha Kljestan, and the brothers Shawn and Bradley Wright-Phillips, the Red Bulls haven't gone all the way. They've won the Supporters' Shield, the overall regular-season title, in 2013, '15 and '18; and also finished 1st overall in the Eastern Conference in 2000, '10 and '16. They've reached the MLS Cup Final in 2008 and 2024, but never won it. They've also reached the Final of the U.S. Open Cup in 2003 and '17, but never won that, either.

April 12, 1966: Atlanta: "The City Too Busy to Hate"

Atlanta, 1966

April 12, 1966, 60 years ago: The Braves play their 1st game in Atlanta. Joe Torre hits the 1st major league home run in Atlanta Stadium, but the Pittsburgh Pirates spoil the festivities in 13 innings, 3-1, on a home run by Willie Stargell. (The stadium was renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1975.)

The Braves announced their move to Atlanta in 1965. That year was the high-water mark of the Civil Rights Movement. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law. The Selma-to-Montgomery March had just happened. The Civil Rights Act had been signed into law the year before. The lunch-counter sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and the integrations of the universities of Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama had all taken place, with mixed success in some cases and total success in others. All this had happened within the last 5 years. And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the current holder of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. King was from Atlanta. The Mayor at the time was Ivan Allen Jr. He ran his father's office-supply company, and took it to new heights, making himself one of the South's richest men. He lived long enough to get an offer he couldn't refuse: Staples bought him out in 1999.

In 1961, Allen ran for Mayor against segregationist Lester Maddox, who would later be elected Governor of Georgia. Allen won, and began to build on the work of his predecessor, William Hartsfield, for whom the city's famous airport is named.

As a businessman, Allen understood that he had the chance to change the image of his city. More than that, he had the chance to help change perceptions of the State of Georgia and of the South itself. The city underwent its greatest construction phase since after its burning in the Civil War 100 years earlier. He built the Memorial (now the Woodruff) Arts Center, in effect Atlanta's version of New York's Lincoln Center. He created MARTA, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, which reworked the city's bus system, and, after he left office, built its subway. He also got Interstate 285, a beltway, a.k.a. "The Perimeter" and "The O Around the A," built.

He got Atlanta Stadium (later Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium) built and, although it wouldn't open until after he left office, he got the Omni Coliseum approved. This enabled the city to go from no major league teams when he took office on January 1, 1962 to 3 of them when he left on January 1, 1970.

Allen posing inside the stadium his Administration was building, 1964.

It opened in 1965, and hosted the Beatles

before it hosted the Braves or the Falcons.

More low-income housing was built in his 8 years in office than in the previous 30. He needed to do this to alleviate the concerns of local black leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Sr., that he wasn't doing enough for the poor and was focusing too much on business, especially downtown -- a criticism since leveled at many urban mayors, black and white alike (including Newark's Sharpe James in the 1980s and '90s).

"It is wonderful to be idealistic and to speak about human values," Allen said, "but you are not going to be able to do one thing about them if you are not economically strong. If there is any one slogan I lived by as Mayor of Atlanta, that would be it."

So, with the concerns of both business and civil rights in mind, he brought the 2 concepts together. The day he was sworn in, he ordered all "WHITE" and "COLORED" signs removed from City Hall, and personally desegregated the City Hall cafeteria by dining with local black activists. He desegregated municipal hiring. He hired the city's first black firemen. He let it be known that black Atlanta policemen would be allowed to arrest white criminals. He desegregated the city's pools. By January 1964, 6 months before President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, 14 Atlanta hotels had already desegregated themselves.

Allen billed Atlanta as "The City Too Busy to Hate." That made the sports establishments stand up and take notice. Atlanta also offered a bigger stadium, if not necessarily a better one, than Milwaukee County Stadium: 52,000 to 44,000. (Milwaukee County Stadium would later expand to 53,000.) Today, the Braves' team museum is named for Allen.

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was a multipurpose facility, designed to host both baseball and football, and it didn't do a good job with either one, so much so that, by 1997, both the Braves and the Falcons had gotten new stadiums and their 1st home was demolished. That process was repeated in 2017, as both teams abandoned their still relatively new stadiums for brand-new ones, the Falcons with a retractable-roof stadium next-door, the Braves for a "ballpark village" in the city's northwest suburbs.

Just another oversized concrete ashtray.

At least it had real grass, not artificial turf.

But Atlanta has seen little success. From 1966 to 1990, the Braves won just 2 Division titles and no Pennants. Then, they won their Division in every completed season from 1991 to 2005, and won 5 Pennants, but just 1 World Series. They eventually won another in 2021. The Falcons have been to just 2 Super Bowls, and lost both ignominiously.

The NBA's Hawks should be so lucky: They reached the Conference Finals their 1st 2 seasons after moving from St. Louis, 1968-69 and 1969-70; then didn't make the Conference Finals again until 2015, and again in 2021. They haven't made the NBA Finals since 1961, or won them since 1958, both times in St. Louis.

And the city has failed with 2 NHL teams: The Flames arrived in 1972 and moved to Calgary in 1980, and the Thrashers arrived in 1999 and moved to Winnipeg in 2011. A Sun Belt city that lost 2 teams to Canada: This is NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's nightmare.

The city has had decent success with soccer. The Atlanta Chiefs won the North American Soccer League title in 1968, and reached the Final again in 1969. Atlanta United debuted in 2017, won the MLS Cup the next season, and won the U.S. Open Cup the year after that.

The Braves have a team Hall of Fame. Their inductees from their Atlanta years are: Players Hank Aaron, Rico Carty, Phil Niekro, Ralph Garr, Dale Murphy, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, David Justice, Terry Pendleton, Javy López, Greg Maddux, Larry "Chipper" Jones, Andruw Jones (no relation) and Tim Hudson; plus managers Joe Torre and Bobby Cox, and coach Leo Mazzone; team owners Bill Bartholomay and Ted Turner; executives Bill Lucas, Paul Snyder and John Schuerholz; trainer Dave Pursley; and broadcasters Ernie Johnson Sr., Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton and Joe Simpson.

The Falcons have a Ring of Honor. Their inductees are: Tommy Nobis, Claude Humphrey, Jeff Van Note, Steve Bartkowski, Mike Kenn, William Andrews, Gerald Riggs, Jessie Tuggle, Deion Sanders, Todd McClure, Warrick Dunn, Roddy White, Matt Ryan, and team owner Arthur Blank.

The Hawks don't have a team Hall of Fame, but they do retire numbers: 9, for Bob Pettit from their St. Louis years; 21, Dominique Wilkins; 23, Lou Hudson; 44, Pete Maravich; and 55, Dikembe Mutombo. They have also witheld 40 from circulation since Jason Collier died as an active player. They also have banners honoring former owner Ted Turner and former Mayor Kasim Reed, who was involved in keeping the team from moving.

There is also a Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, in Macon. It honors State natives who excelled in sports, stars from colleges such as the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, and these major league stars:

* Braves: Aaron, Nierko, Murphy, Smoltz, Glavine, both Joneses, Tim Hudson, Cox, Mazzone, Bartholomay, Turner, Lucas, Schuerholz, Johnson, Van Wieren, Caray, Bob Horner, Brian Jordan, Jeff Treadway (more for being a Georgia native than for being a Brave), Marquis Grissom, and executive Stan Kasten.

* Falcons: Nobis, Humphrey, Van Note, Bartkowski, Tuggle, Blank, Alfred Jenkins, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, founding owner Rankin Smith, coach Mario Campbell, and coach Dan Reeves, elected more for being a Georgia native and a UGa player than for coaching the Falcons into their 1st Super Bowl.

* Hawks: Wilkins, Lou Hudson, Wayne "Tree" Rollins, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

* Through 2025, no Flames, Thrashers, Chiefs or Atlanta United have been honored.

April 11, 1951: President Harry Truman Fires General Douglas MacArthur

April 11, 1951, 75 years ago: President Harry S Truman fires General of the Army Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander of United Nations forces in the Korean War.

MacArthur's offense: Insubordination. Truman had given him orders not to further engage the Chinese forces in Korea. MacArthur had sent a letter to Representative Joseph W. Martin of Massachusetts, the Republican Party's leader in the U.S. House of Representatives -- he had been Speaker in the 1947-48 session, and would be again in that of 1953-54 -- objecting to Truman's orders.

Had Martin not mentioned this letter to the media of the time, MacArthur probably would have gotten away with it. But Truman was incensed, and decided to give MacArthur, a 5-star General and perhaps the most popular living military man in America, a lesson that every American needs to learn: One of the guiding principles of the country is civilian control of the military.

But America did not accept this at first. MacArthur returned home, and was treated as a hero. The City of New York gave him the biggest ticker-tape parade in its history, breaking the record set for Charles Lindbergh in 1927, and lasting until the Mets won the 1969 World Series.

Martin talked his opposite number in the Democratic Party, Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas, into letting MacArthur speak before a Joint Session of Congress on April 19. There was nothing Truman could do: He did not control Congress, and had already sent Mac into forced retirement. (Mac shouldn't still have been on active duty, anyway: He was 71 years old.)

He reminisced about his time as a young soldier, and quoted "one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day, which proclaimed, most proudly, that 'Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.' And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty, as God gave him the light to see that duty. Good Bye."

For the record, the line is, "Old soldiers never die, they simply fade away."

MacArthur was more popular than ever, and people began to speculate that he would run for the Republican Party's nomination for President in 1952 -- and that he would win, easily.

He refused to campaign for that nomination, figuring he didn't need to work for it, because a popular groundswell would lead to his nomination. He was wrong: It was the man he had once called "the best clerk I ever had," Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was nominated due to a popular groundswell, the closest thing to a "draft" any Presidential candidate has ever had.

Truman could have run for what would have amounted to a 3rd term -- due to the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution having been ratified a few weeks earlier, he was the last President who could have done so -- but he chose not to. He would have lost badly, as Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, who turned out to be the Democratic nominee, did.

MacArthur lived until 1964. By that point, Truman's reputation, in the dumps when he left office, had recovered. He lived until 1972.