Yankees Take 2 of 3 From Resurgent White Sox

Two years ago, the Chicago White Sox lost 121 games, the most in American League history, and the most in Major League Baseball since 1899. Last season, they lost 102.

This past Tuesday night, they came into Yankee Stadium II with a record of 38-32, enough to lead the American League Central Division. The White Sox are no longer a joke. The Yankees had to take them seriously.

They did. Spencer Jones, Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt and José Caballero all hit home runs, in support of Gerrit Cole, who went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. The Yankees won, 12-2.

Also of note: As they had done on the weekend at Fenway Park in Boston, where their national team are playing their World Cup Group Stage games, Scotland fans, "the Tartan Army," came in, wearing their full regalia, sat in the upper deck in left field, and cheered the Yankees on as if Yankee Stadium were Hampden Park in Glasgow.

On Wednesday night, World Champion Knicks Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart threw out ceremonial first balls. Carlos Rodón went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7. Goldschmidt homered again, giving him 383 for his career. In this series, he has passed Albert Belle and the still-active Manny Machado, who each have 381; and Frank Howard, Jim Rice and Ryan Howard, who each have 382; and tied Larry Walker. Next up: Harold Baines with 384. At 385 are Dwight Evans and the still-active... but injured Aaron Judge. Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm also homered for the Yankees, who won, 10-5.

Yesterday afternoon saw the Yankees' best start of the series, by Ryan Weathers: 6 1/3rd innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts. But he left with the score just 1-1, as Ryan McMahon had hit a home run. In the top of the 8th inning, the bullpen blew it. Fernando Cruz started by allowing a double. Aaron Boone brought Tim Hill in, and he hit the 1st 2 batters he faced. He got a strikeout, but, having faced the minimum 3 batters, Boone didn't want to take any further chances, and brought in Camilo Doval. He completed the collective SNAFU, allowing a home run to former Yankee Andrew Benintendi. He got the last 2 outs, but it was too late.

Over the last 2 innings, the Yankees got only a single by Goldschmidt, with 1 out in the 9th. White Sox 5, Yankees 1.

Still, taking 2 out of 3 from a good team is good. The Yankees lead the AL Eastern Division by 3 games, 2 in the loss column, over the Tampa Bay Rays. At 45-28, they have the best record in the AL. The only teams in the NL with a better record are the Los Angeles Dodgers at 48-27, the Atlanta Braves at 46-27, and the Milwaukee Brewers at 45-27.

Tonight, they start a home Interleague series with the Cincinnati Reds.

June 19, 1926: NBC Is Founded

Their 1979-86 logo. It's my favorite because

it's the only one they've ever used

that combines the letter N with a peacock.

June 19, 1926, 100 years ago: The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) founds the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the 1st major broadcast network in America.

RCA was then owned by General Electric (GE), American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T), Westinghouse, and United Fruit Company (forerunner of Chiquita Brands). In 1932, GE had to sell its shares of RCA, due to antitrust charges.

In 1986, with Ronald Reagan as President, and the federal government no longer caring about antitrust laws -- AT&T had been broken up in 1982, but that was a process begun under the Carter Administration -- GE was able to buy RCA, and therefore NBC, in its entirety. In 2011, Comcast bought NBC from GE, and remains the owner.

The 4 longest-continuously-running television series in American history are all still currently running on NBC: The weekly news program Meet the Press, which debuted in 1947; the morning news and entertainment program Today, or The Today Show, 1952; The Tonight Show, originally just Tonight, 1954; and Saturday Night Live, which, since 1975, has tried to do for Saturday what The Tonight Show does for weeknights.

RCA chairman David Sarnoff made NBC the first coast-to-coast radio network. In 1927, he established a 2nd radio network, which became known as NBC Blue or "The Blue Network." In 1939, he began to move NBC into television. In 1943, antitrust laws forced him to sell Blue, which became ABC. By 1947, NBC had beaten CBS in the race to become the 1st nationwide TV network.

Microphone logo, 1943-57 

In 1948, NBC became the 1st network to televise the two major American political parties' national nominating conventions. Their teaming of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley to do cover the conventions in 1956 led to the two of them co-anchoring the 1st half-hour nightly news broadcast, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, which lasted until 1970.

Huntley-Brinkley was replaced by the much more generically-titled NBC Nightly News, with John Chancellor as anchor. He was succeeded by Tom Brokaw in 1982, Brokaw was followed by Brian Williams in 2005, Williams was succeeded by Lester Holt in 2015, and Holt was succeeded by Tom Llamas in 2025.

In 1957, NBC debuted its Peacock logo, designed to symbolize the transition to color television. It would be shown with the following announcement: "The following program is brought to you in living color on NBC."

Peacock logo, 1957-75

Its official name is Johnny Chimes, after the three-note programming cue that NBC has used since 1929: "G₃ E₄ C_4." In 1959, NBC introduced the animated "Snake" logo that would appear at the end of every broadcast, with the Chimes playing as the animation played out. It also appeared at the base of every sportscaster's microphone.

But the Snake never proved as popular as the Chimes, which remained NBC's main identifier on radio, or the Peacock, which became even more identified with the network. So much so that, when they decided to retire the Peacock in 1975, there was an uproar. The Snake was retired at the same time, but few people cared. The Peacock was used for the last time to start The Tonight Show on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1975. And host Johnny Carson roasted the network over it. He could do that: The network was not going to fire its most popular employee over a few non-profane jokes.

This 50th Anniversary logo never caught on.

The Peacock was brought back in 1979, in a combination of the new "N" logo. In 1986, NBC dropped the N, switching from an 11-feathered Peacock facing the viewer's left, which every version thus far had been, to a 6-feathered Peacock facing right, which they have used ever since.

NBC was a sports pioneer. Their 1st coast-to-coast broadcast of anything was the 1927 Rose Bowl. NBC became the 1st network to broadcast a baseball game, in 1939; a football game, that same year, first at the college level, then in the NFL; the 1st to broadcast the World Series, in 1947; and the 1st to broadcast coast-to-coast in color, with the Rose Bowl again, in 1962.

In the 1966 season, NBC owned the broadcast rights to the American Football League, while CBS held those to the NFL. As part of the leagues' merger that season, both got to cover Super Bowl I. Regrettably, due to the high cost of videotape, which led to so many events, sports and otherwise, being taped over, no complete color videotape copy of Super Bowl I exists.

This is also true for most of NBC's World Series broadcasts up until 1975. Some black & white copies, meant as backups, survive. It's only because of a resourceful New York sports fan that the 1969 "miracles," the Jets' win in Super Bowl III and the Mets' home games (3, 4 & 5) in the World Series, have been saved in their entirety. (The subsequent 1970 NBA Finals, won by the Knicks, were on ABC.)

NBC's headquarters is at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, on 6th Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets in Midtown Manhattan. Nicknamed "30 Rock," it has officially been known as the RCA Building from its opening 1933 to 1988, the GE Building from then until 2015, and the Comcast Building ever since.

NBC also owns the cable networks CNBC and Bravo, the Spanish-language network Telemundo, and the streaming service Hulu; and, with Microsoft, co-owned the cable network MSNBC, until 2026, when it restructured its cable holdings, creating the holding company Versant, and MSNBC became MS NOW.

NBC's affiliates for major league cities include:

* New York: WNBC-4 (formerly W2XBS, WNBT and WRCA)

* Philadelphia: WCAU-10 (formerly KYW-3)

* Baltimore: WBAL-11

* Washington: WRC-4

* Boston: WBTS-15 (formerly WBZ-4)

* Atlanta: WXIA-11

* Tampa: WFLA-8

* Miami: WTVJ-6

* Pittsburgh: WPXI-11

* Cleveland: WKYC-3

* Cincinnati: WLWT-5

* Detroit: WDIV-4

* Chicago: WMAQ-5

* Milwaukee: WTMJ-4

* Minneapolis: KARE-11

* St. Louis: KSDK-5

* Kansas City: KSHB-41

* Dallas: KXAS-5

* Houston: KPRC-2

* Denver: KUSA-9

* Phoenix: KPNX-12

* San Diego: KNSD-39

* Los Angeles: KNBC-4

* San Francisco: KNTV-11

* Seattle: KING-5

Yankees Follow Knicks' Pattern vs. Blue Jays

The Yankees followed their road sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a visit to those pesky Toronto Blue Jays. Ryan Weathers started on Friday night, against Trey Yesavage, the Jays' answer to Cam Schlittler, as the Yankees found out last October. Neither had much: Weathers allowing 6 runs on 5 hits over 4 1/3rd innings, including yet another home run against the Yankees by former Houston Astro cheater George Springer; and Yesavage allowing 5 runs on 4 hits over 5.

The difference was that the Jays got good pitching the rest of the way, while the Yankees got a little less than that. Jake Bird and Fernando Cruz each allowed an additional run. Despite a home run from Cody Bellinger, the Yankees lost, 8-5.

Schlittler started on Saturday afternoon, against Kevin Gausman, who always seems to pitch well against the Yankees, both with the Jays and earlier in his career with the Baltimore Orioles. Cam gave us 7 innings with just 1 run, but Gausman did the same, the only run he allowed coming on a home run by Jasson Domínguez, who was called up when Trent Grisham went on the Injured List.

But Bellinger led off the top of the 9th with a single, and Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run. David Bednar struck out the side to save it for Fernando Cruz: Yankees 3, Blue Jays 1.

The game ended at 5:44 PM. At 11:28, the Knicks won the NBA Championship.

The Sunday afternoon game was also tight -- until the end. As with the day before, the Yankees seemed to be copying the Knicks: Struggle early, win late.

Will Warren, like Weathers a hole-in-the-rotation filler due to injuries, threw 98 pitches -- in only 4 innings. He allowed 8 hits and 3 walks, but somehow allowed only 2 runs. The Yankees scored 2 of their own in the bottom of the 2nd, and it was 2-2 after 5. Each team scored a run in the 6th. Neither team scored in the 7th or the 8th.

For a while, early in the season, Goldschmidt looked done. But, in the absence of Judge, Stanton, and now Grisham, he and Ben Rice have really picked up the pace. With 1 out in the top of the 9th, Goldschmidt singled. Ryan McMahon was sent in to pinch-run for him. And then Rice crushed a drive down the right-field line for a home run.

That should have been enough. But the Yankees weren't done. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Domínguez drew a walk. Bellinger flew out, but Jazz Chisholm walked. And then José Caballero hit one out. Bednar was already warming up, and came in even though it wasn't a save situation. He allowed a leadoff single and a 2-out double, but never really got into trouble. Yankees 8, Blue Jays 3. Camilo Doval, who pitched a perfect 8th, was named the winning pitcher.

*

So, after taking 2 out of 3 from the Peskies, and 5 out of 6 on the roadtrip so far, the Yankees are 43-27, for a winning percentage of .614, on a pace to go 99-63. They have the best record in the American League, although 3 teams in the National League have a better record. They lead the AL Eastern Division by a game and a half over the Tampa Bay Rays (1 game in the loss column), 10 over the Jays, 10 1/2 over the Orioles, and 13 1/2 over the despised Boston Red Sox.

Tonight, they come home, and play the Chicago White Sox. They'd better be careful: These are not the Pale Hose who set a modern baseball record with 121 losses 2 years ago, or the South Siders who lost 102 last season. The White Sox are no joke: They are 38-32, leading the AL Central, and are coming of a 2-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves and 2 out of 3 from the Atlanta Braves -- along with the Milwaukee Brewers, 2 of the 3 NL teams that have a better record than the Yankees. Take them lightly at your peril.

June 16, 1996: Michael Jordan Completes His Comeback

June 16, 1996, 30 years ago: 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, then won in 2025).

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.

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.

How Long It's Been: The Knicks Won an NBA Championship (UPDATE)

NOTE: This is an update of a piece I wrote on the 40th Anniversary, in 2013.

June 13, 2026: The New York Knickerbockers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and taking the NBA Championship.

This was a moment of great celebration for the New York Tri-State Area. It was the Knicks' 1st World Championship in 53 years:

May 10, 1973: The New York Knickerbockers beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 102-93, at the Forum in Inglewood, California, winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and taking the NBA Championship.

For the Knicks, this capped their greatest period ever: 1970 to 1973, 4 seasons, 3 trips to the Finals (all against the Lakers), 2 titles.

Their only 2 titles -- until this past Saturday night.

Hail the champions:

* William "Red" Holzman, head coach
* Eddie Donovan, general manager
* 6 Tom Riker, center
* 7 Dean "the Dream" Meminger, guard
* 10 Walt "Clyde" Frazier, guard
* 12 Dick Barnett, guard
* 15 Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, guard
* 17 Henry Bibby, guard
* 18 Phil Jackson, forward
* 19 Willis Reed, center, Captain
* 22 Dave "Double D" DeBusschere, forward
* 23 Luther Rackley, center
* 24 Bill Bradley, forward
* 32 Jerry Lucas, forward
* 40 John Gianelli, center
* 43 Harthorne Wingo, forward

Frazier, Barnett, Reed, DeBusschere and Bradley also played for the Knicks on their 1969-70 title. Jackson was in the organization at that time, but missed the entire season due to injury.

Members of the 1970 Knicks who were not also 1973 Knicks were center Nate Bowman (Number 17), forwards Don May (5), Dave Stallworth (9), Bill Hosket (20) and Jazzy Cazzie Russell (33); and guards Mike Riordan (6) and John Warren (16).

Frazier, Barnett, Reed, DeBusschere and Bradley would have their uniform numbers retired by the Knicks. Holzman would be honored with a banner with the number 613 on it, for the number of games he won as Knicks coach. Frazier, Jackson, Reed, DeBusschere, Bradley, Lucas and Holzman would be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Frazier, Reed, DeBusschere and Lucas would be elected to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players -- though it should be noted that Lucas was elected for what he did with the Cincinnati Royals; he was a stabilizing veteran presence for the '73 Knicks. They were also selected for the 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players.

Bibby was the father of later NBA All-Star Mike Bibby. Bradley was elected to 3 terms in the U.S. Senate, representing New Jersey, and ran for President in 2000.

And, yes, kids, that Phil Jackson, the one who would coach the Chicago Bulls to 6 titles and the Lakers to 5. He was a decent player, not a great one. As was Pat Riley, who played for the Lakers against the Knicks in those Finals, and would later coach the Lakers to 4 titles, the Knicks into a Finals, and the Miami Heat to a title.

After one more year, Reed, DeBusschere and Lucas all retired, and the Knicks began to fall apart. Pearl, obtained from the Baltimore Bullets (forerunner of the Washington Wizards) after the Bullets beat the Knicks in the '71 Eastern Conference Finals, was the last to remain, in 1980.

The Knicks would have a mini-revival in the early 1980s with Bernard King, be stellar through most of the 1990s, reaching the Finals in 1994 and 1999, but be stymied, first by Larry Bird's Boston Celtics, then by Isiah Thomas' Detroit Pistons, then by Michael Jordan's Jackson-coached Bulls. Finally, the Knicks would collapse, because owner Charles Dolan and his son, team operator James Dolan, trusted Isiah to be general manager, and even coach.

Now, the Knicks are back, having won their 1st World Championship since 1973, 53 years. How long has it been?

*

The teams now named the Utah Jazz, the Dallas Mavericks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Orlando Magic, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Toronto Raptors, the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans did not yet exist. The teams now named the Brooklyn Nets, the Indiana Pacers, the Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs did, in the American Basketball Association.

The Bullets were about to leave Baltimore for Washington, and were a long way from becoming the Wizards. There was an NFL team in Baltimore, but it was the Colts, not the Ravens. There was one in Houston, but it was the Oilers, not the Texans. 

The home of the Knicks and the NHL's Rangers was still being called "the New Madison Square Garden Center." It is now the only arena used by an NBA team then that are still used now -- although the Baltimore Civic Center (now the CFG Bank Arena), the Cobo Arena in Detroit (now the Huntington Bank Arena), the Milwaukee Arena (a.k.a. The MECCA, now the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena), the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium, the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston (now the Fertitta Center), the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, The Forum in Inglewood outside Los Angeles, the Oakland Coliseum Arena and the Portland Memorial Coliseum still stand, and are still being used.

The Islanders had just completed their 1st season, and the building they shared with the New York Nets of the ABA, the Nassau Coliseum, was a year and a half old. The Yankees, recently purchased by George Steinbrenner, and the Giants were terrible, and were still playing in Yankee Stadium, but only for a few more months, as the renovation would start in October. The Mets and the Jets were playing at Shea Stadium, and while the Jets were falling apart as Joe Namath's knees did, the Mets would have a lousy 1st 5 months -- and then a torrid September that would lead to a Pennant and very nearly a 2nd World Championship in 5 years.

The Devils' franchise had been created, but at this point it only existed on paper, as the Kansas City Scouts, to begin play in the fall of 1974. And there was the World Hockey Association's New York Raiders, playing at The Garden, but they were a mess and moved to South Jersey, fooling no one into thinking they were a Philadelphia team.

The biggest thing that would happen in New York Tri-State Area sports in 1973 was the Belmont Stakes, as Secretariat moved "like a tremendous machine" in winning by 31 lengths to clinch the Triple Crown.

1973 was the last season for NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, like Reed, DeBusschere and Lucas, would hang on for one more year. Lew Alcindor had just recently changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Julius "Doctor J" Erving would soon move from the ABA's Virginia Squires to the Nets. Bill Walton was still at UCLA, winning the recent National Championship, the 7th straight for coach John Wooden, in the middle of an 88-game winning streak.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were in junior high school. Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley were in grade school. Shaquille O'Neal was a rather large baby. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and LeBron James weren't born yet.

The same day the Knicks won the title, the Montreal Canadiens won their 18th Stanley Cup, beating the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Finals. It was their 6th Cup in the last 9 seasons. The New England Whalers, then based in Boston, had just won the 1st WHA title, the AVCO Cup, beating ex-Blackhawk star Bobby Hull and his Winnipeg Jets. The Indiana Pacers were about to win their 3rd ABA title in the last 5 years, beating the Louisville-based Kentucky Colonels.

The defending World Champions in the other sports were the Oakland Athletics, with future Yankee legends Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter beating the Cincinnati Reds of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan; and the Miami Dolphins, who had won Super Bowl VII over the Washington Redskins to complete the only perfect NFL season in the playoff era (1932 to the present).

The Heavyweight Champion of the World was the undefeated George Foreman, who had just demolished Joe Frazier to take the title. Muhammad Ali had recently been dealt a loss and a broken jaw by Ken Norton, so it looked like Ali and Frazier were finished, and Foreman would be Champion for a while. Looks were deceiving.

The designated hitter had just debuted, Willie Mays' career was coming to a strange close, Hank Aaron had begun his approach to Babe Ruth's all-time record of 714 home runs, and Nolan Ryan had just pitched his 1st no-hitter and his 1st 19-strikeout game, on his way to a single-season record of 383 strikeouts.

Current Knicks coach Mike Brown was 3 years old. Giants coach John Harbaugh was 10. Rangers coach Mike Sullivan was 5. Islanders coach Peter DeBoer was about to turn 5. Jet coach Aaron Glenn was 10 months old. Yankee manager Aaron Boone was 2 months old. Nets coach Jordi Fernández, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and Devils coach Sheldon Keefe weren't born yet.

The Olympic Games have since been held in America 4 times, Canada 3 times, twice each in Russia, Korea, Japan, China, France and Italy; and once each in Austria, Bosnia, Spain, Norway, Australia, Greece, Britain and Brazil. The World Cup has since been held in America, Mexico and Germany twice; and once each in Canada, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Italy, France, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar.

There were 26 Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Title IX had recently become law, and abortion had just been nationally legalized. The feminist and gay rights movements were underway.

The President of the United States was Richard Nixon, but the Senate was about to convene a special committee to investigate what was then being called "the Watergate matter." Nixon was now the only living President, as Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson had both died within the last 5 months. Their widows, and  those of Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, were still alive.

Spiro Agnew as Vice President, but, in probably the most amazing thing about Watergate, Nixon's Vice President would have to resign his office, and it would have absolutely nothing to do with Watergate.

Gerald Ford was House Minority Leader. Jimmy Carter was Governor of Georgia. Ronald Reagan was Governor of California. George H.W. Bush was out of elective office, but had recently been appointed Chairman of the Republican National Committee, replacing a young Senator named Bob Dole. Bush's son had just been discharged from the Texas Air National Guard -- whether he had shown up for duty in the preceding year remains a mystery. Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham had just moved in together, renting a house in New Haven, Connecticut, where they were both students at Yale Law School.

Barack Obama was in junior high school in the city where he was born, Honolulu, Hawaii. Joe Biden was in his 1st year as a U.S. Senator. And Donald Trump and his father were about to be sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for racist renting practices. Melania Knauvss was 3 years old.

The Governor of New York was Nelson Rockefeller, although he would soon resign to run something called the Commission on Critical Choices for Americans. (It couldn't have been that critical, because until I first wrote this piece, in 2013, I'd never heard of it.) Lieutenant Governor Malcolm Wilson would assume the job.

The Mayor of New York was John Lindsay, whose 2nd term was limping to a pathetic close. Abe Beame, who had been City Comptroller when Lindsay beat him for the Mayoralty in 1965, held the job again and was running again, and would defeat John Marchi, a State Senator from Staten Island whose upset victory in the 1969 Republican Primary forced Lindsay to run for re-election as an independent -- and win. But Beame's Mayoralty would be even more troubled than Lindsay's, and pave the way for that of Ed Koch.

Another weird race was across the Hudson River in New Jersey. Governor William T. Cahill had proposed the State's 1st income tax. Not signed into law, merely proposed it. Charlie Sandman, a very conservative loudmouth who represented the southernmost portion of the State in Congress, ran against Cahill in the Republican Primary, and won. But he got slaughtered in the general election by Essex County Prosecutor Brendan Byrne, when it was revealed that a local mob boss was caught on tape saying Byrne was the one politician in the area who couldn't be bought. Byrne won 66 percent of the vote.

Then, the next year, he got the State income tax passed, and dropped to an approval rating of 17 percent. People began calling him "One-Term Byrne." Unlike Jim Florio nearly 20 years later, he shook off the stupid tax protests, and got re-elected in 1977 with 56 percent of the vote.

The Prime Minister of Canada was Pierre Trudeau. The monarch of Great Britain was Queen Elizabeth II -- that has now changed -- and the Prime Minister was Edward Heath, who, like Senator Edward Kennedy and the Queen's great-grandfather, King Edward VII, was nicknamed "Ted."

No Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1972, so its holder was still the 1971 recipient, Chancellor Willy Brandt of West Germany. The Pope was Paul VI. Pope Leo XIV, then Robert Francis Prevost, was 17 years old, and was about to graduate from St. Augustine Seminary High School in Holland, Michigan. It closed in 1977. There have since been 10 Presidents of the United States (11 if you count Trump twice -- I wouldn't even count him once), 13 Prime Ministers of Britain, and 6 Popes.

England's Football League was won by Liverpool in a close race over London's Arsenal. The FA Cup was won by second-division North-East club Sunderland in a shock over Yorkshire's mighty Leeds United. The European Cup, for the 3rd season in a row, was won by Johan Cruyff's powerful but beautiful Amsterdam club Ajax. Soon, Cruyff would move on to Spain's FC Barcelona, and build that club's system, and thus build significantly on the legend it already had.

The New York Cosmos -- not yet with Pele and Franz Beckenbauer -- were playing at Hofstra University's football stadium, now named James M. Shuart Stadium, across from the Jets' training complex and the Nassau Coliseum, and were dethroned as North American Soccer League Champions by the Philadelphia Atoms. Hardly anybody in North America cared.

Major novels of 1973 included Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Demon Seed by Dean Koontz (which would be made into a 1977 film in which Julie Christie plays a woman who gets impregnated by a computer), Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, and Postern of Fate, the last novel written by Agatha Christie.

Robert Ludlum published The Matlock Caper, but it wasn't about a lawyer in Atlanta who looked like Andy Griffith -- or one in New York who looks like Kathy Bates. In non-fiction, Hunter S. Thompson published Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, Peter Maas Serpico (the film verison with Al Pacino as the real-life New York cop would premiere in December), and Flora Rheta Schreiber Sybil.

J.R.R. Tolkien would live another 4 months. George R.R. Martin was teaching at Clarke University in Iowa. Stephen King was teaching at a high school in Maine, and his 1st novel, Carrie, had been accepted for publication the next year. J.K. Rowling was 7 years old.

No one had yet heard of George Smiley, the Punisher, Lestat de Lioncourt, Rocky Balboa, T.S. Garp, Arthur Dent, Jason Bourne, Hannibal Lecter, Celie Harris, Kinsey Millhone, Jack Ryan, Forrest Gump, John McClane, Alex Cross, Bridget Jones, Robert Langdon, Bella Swan, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Lisbeth Salander, Katniss Everdeen, Walter White, John Wick or Maggie Bell.

Major movies released in the spring of 1973 included the film version of Godspell, an updated version of Raymond Chandler's story The Long Goodbye with Elliott Gould as Philip Marlowe and ex-Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton as the killer, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid with James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson in the title roles and Bob Dylan with a cameo, the Anthony Hopkins & Claire Bloom version of Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House, the blaxploitation/feminist films Cleopatra Jones and Coffy, and, released the day before the Knicks won the title, Paper Moon, with real-life father and daugther Ryan and Tatum O'Neal as Depression-era con artists. (Ryan died in 2023. I wonder if he ever paid Tatum the $200.)

Gene Roddenberry had just seen his project Genesis II flop on CBS. George Lucas was about to release American Graffiti. Steven Spielberg was working on his 1st feature film, The Sugarland Express. The cartoon Super Friends was about to premiere, meaning that George Reeves would be succeeded as Superman (sort of) by Danny Dark, and Adam West as Batman by Olan Soule. Shannon Farnon became the voice of Wonder Woman. Roger Moore was about to debut as James Bond in Live and Let Die. Jon Pertwee was playing The Doctor.

Bonanza finally went off the air, while Gunsmoke hung on a little longer. Johnny Carson had recently moved The Tonight Show from New York to Los Angeles. M*A*S*H wrapped up its 1st season, All in the Family its 3rd. CBS had recently revived The Price Is Right, and was about to revive Match Game, which had aired on NBC from 1962 to 1969. Paul McCartney's 1st solo TV special had recently aired on ABC, to coincide with his Wings album Red Rose Speedway.

Paul's fellow ex-Beatle George Harrison released Living in the Material World. Bob Dylan was about to release "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." Elvis Presley had released the soundtrack to his recent TV special Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite. Frank Sinatra was about to start recording his comeback album, Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back. The Jackson 5 had released Skywriter.

Led Zeppelin were on tour in the U.S., including the Garden concert that would be filmed for The Song Remains the Same. David Bowie released Aladdin Sane, Bob Marley Catch a Fire, the Eagles Desperado, Paul Simon There Goes Rhymin' Simon, the Carpenters Now & Then, Earth Wind & Fire Head to the Sky, Chicago Chicago VI, Aretha Franklin Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), Carole King Fantasy, and John Denver Farewell Andromeda. The Number 1 song in America was "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Tony Orlando & Dawn.

Robert Kardashian had just co-founded Radio & Records magazine, stepping aside from his legal practice. Bruce Jenner was training to better his 1972 Olympic performance in the decathlon -- 10th place. Kris Houghton was in high school. None of them had ever heard of each other.

Inflation was about to have its 1st big increase of the post-World War II era: What $1.00 bought then, $7.63 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 8 cents, and a Subway ride in New York 35 cents. The average price of a gallon of gas was 37 cents (but was about to soar thanks to the OPEC price hike), a cup of coffee 51 cents, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) $1.47, a movie ticket $1.72, a new car $2,900, and a new house $35,100. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 939.34.

The portable telephone had just been introduced by Motorola. Cordless home phones and the desktop computer were still a ways off. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee were turning 18. Social media was the stuff of science fiction.

Skylab was launched, and became the biggest lemon in the history of space travel -- so far. Automatic teller machines were still a relatively new thing, and many people had never seen one. The very first home video game system, the Magnavox Odyssey, had been introduced the preceding September. There were heart transplants, liver transplants and lung transplants, and artificial kidneys, but no artificial hearts. There were birth control pills, but no Viagra.

In the Spring of 1973, the World Trade Center opened in New York, becoming the tallest building(s) in the world -- only to be topped just a month later by the Sears Tower in New York. The American Indian Movement ended their 10-week standoff at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. LexisNexis and Federal Express (FedEx) began operations. A military coup ended democracy in Greece. Mark Felt retired from the FBI -- and, at this point, only he, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, and Post editor Ben Bradlee knew he was Woodward's Watergate source, nicknamed "Deep Throat."

Noel Coward, and Pablo Picasso, and Jeannette Rankin died. She was the 1st woman elected to Congress, the Montana Representative who voted against America's entry into World War I, and then became the only member of either house of Congress to vote against America's entry into World War II. She lost her seat because of both votes, but was only able to come back the first time. Also dying in the Spring of 1973 were Robert Armstrong and Merian C. Cooper, the male lead and the director of King Kong.

Sasha Alexander, and Heidi Klum, and Neil Patrick Harris were born. So were sports stars Derek Lowe, Tedy Bruschi, Roberto Carlos and Haile Gebreselassie.

May 10, 1973. The New York Knicks were World Champions. It took them 53 years, 1 month and 3 days to do it again.

And now, they have overcome.

Stanley Cups Won by Current NHL Teams, as of 2026

Ties broken by Finals appearances, then by Conference Finals appearances:

1. 24 Cups, Montreal Canadiens: 1916, 1924, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993; lost 10 Finals: 1917, 1925, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1967, 1989, 2021; 1919 Finals never completed

2. 13 Cups, Toronto Maple Leafs: 1918, 1922, 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967; lost 8 Finals: 1933, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1959, 1960

3. 11 Cups, Detroit Red Wings: 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008; lost 13 Finals: 1934, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1995, 2009 

4. 6 Cups, Boston Bruins: 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, 2011; lost 14 Finals: 1927, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1988, 1990, 2013, 2019 

5. 6 Cups, Chicago Blackhawks: 1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, 2015; lost 7 Finals: 1931, 1944, 1962, 1965, 1971, 1973, 1992

6. 5 Cups, Edmonton Oilers: 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990; lost 4 Finals: 1983, 2006, 2024, 2025

7. 5 Cups, Pittsburgh Penguins: 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, 2017; lost 1 Finals: 2008

8. 4 Cups, New York Rangers: 1928, 1932, 1940, 1994; lost 7 Finals: 1929, 1932, 1937, 1950, 1972, 1979, 2014 

9. 4 Cups, New York Islanders: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983; lost 1 Finals: 1984

10. 3 Cups, New Jersey Devils: 1995, 2000, 2003; lost 2 Finals: 2001, 2012 

11. 3 Cups, Tampa Bay Lightning: 2004, 2020, 2021; lost 1 Finals: 2015

12. 3 Cups, Colorado Avalanche: 1996, 2001, 2022; never lost a Finals

13. 2 Cups, Philadelphia Flyers: 1974, 1975; lost 6 Finals: 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1997, 2010

14. 2 Cups, Carolina Hurricanes: 2006, 2026; lost 1 Finals: 2002; lost 3 Conference Finals: 2009, 2019, 2023

15. 2 Cups, Los Angeles Kings: 2012, 2014; lost 1 Finals: 1993; lost 1 Conference Finals: 2013

16. 2 Cups, Florida Panthers: 2024, 2025; lost 1 Finals: 1996; never lost a Conference Finals

17. 1 Cup, Dallas Stars: 1999; lost 4 Finals: 1981, 1991 (both of those as Minnesota North Stars), 2000, 2020

18. 1 Cup, St. Louis Blues: 2019; lost 3 Finals: 1968, 1969, 1970

19. 1 Cup, Vegas Golden Knights: 2023; lost 2 Finals: 2018, 2025; lost 2 Conference Finals: 2020, 2021

20. 1 Cup, Calgary Flames: 1989; lost 2 Finals: 1986, 2004; never lost a Conference Finals

21. 1 Cup, Anaheim Ducks: 2007; lost 1 Finals: 2003; lost 3 Conference Finals: 2006, 2015, 2017

22. 1 Cup, Washington Capitals: 2018; lost 1 Finals: 1998; lost 1 Conference Finals: 1990

23. No Cups but 3 WHA Championships, Utah Mammoth: 1976, 1978, 1979 as (original) Winnipeg Jets

24. 3 Finals, Vancouver Canucks: 1982, 1994, 2011

25. 2 Finals, Buffalo Sabres: 1975, 1999

26. 1 Finals, Nashville Predators: 2017

27. 1 Finals, San Jose Sharks: 2016

28. 1 Finals, Ottawa Senators: 2007

29. 1 Conference Finals, Winnipeg Jets (new version): 2018

30. 1 Conference Finals, Minnesota Wild: 2003

31. 1 Conference Semifinals, Seattle Kraken: 2023

32. 1 Conference Semifinals, Columbus Blue Jackets: 2020 

Stanley Cup Droughts, as of the 2026 Finals

Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes, who won the Stanley Cup last night, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Finals.

Teams ranked by their most recent title; then, for teams that have not won the title, fewest seasons without one:

1. Current Champions, Carolina Hurricanes, 2026

2. 1 year, Florida Panthers, 2025

3. 3 years, Vegas Golden Knights, 2023

4. 4 years, Colorado Avalanche, 2022

5. 5 years, Tampa Bay Lightning, 2021

6. 7 years, St. Louis Blues, 2019

7. 8 years, Washington Capitals, 2018

8. 9 years, Pittsburgh Penguins, 2017

9. 11 years, Chicago Blackhawks, 2015

10. 12 years, Los Angeles Kings, 2014

11. 15 years, Boston Bruins, 2011

12. 18 years, Detroit Red Wings, 2008

13. 19 years, Anaheim Ducks, 2007

14. 23 years, New Jersey Devils, 2003 

15. 27 years, Dallas Stars, 1999

16. 32 years, New York Rangers, 1994 

17. 33 years, Montreal Canadiens, 1993

18. 36 years, Edmonton Oilers, 1990

19. 37 years, Calgary Flames, 1989

20. 43 years, New York Islanders, 1983

21. 51 years, Philadelphia Flyers, 1975

22. 59 years, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1967

23. Never in 5 years, Seattle Kraken, joined NHL in 2021

24. Never in 26 years, Minnesota Wild, joined NHL in 2000

25. Never in 26 years, Columbus Blue Jackets, joined NHL in 2000

26. Never in 27 years, Winnipeg Jets, founded as Atlanta Thrashers in 1999; their city last won the Stanley Cup in 1902

27. Never in 28 years, Nashville Predators, joined NHL in 1998

28. Never in 34 years, Ottawa Senators, joined NHL in 1992; the original Senators last won the Stanley Cup in 1927

29. Never in 35 years, San Jose Sharks, joined NHL in 1991

30. Never in 47 years, Utah Mammoth, founded in WHA in 1972 as Winnipeg Jets, joined NHL in 1979

31. Never in 56 years, Vancouver Canucks, joined NHL in 1970; their city won the Stanley Cup in 1915

32. Never in 56 years, Buffalo Sabres, joined NHL in 1970

If I were ranking the teams that have not yet won titles by how close they have come:

23. Utah Mammoth, last won WHA Championship in 1979 as (original) Winnipeg Jets

24. Nashville Predators, last reached Finals in 2017

25. San Jose Sharks, last reached Finals in 2016

26. Vancouver Canucks, last reached Finals in 2011

27. Ottawa Senators, last reached Finals in 2007

28. Buffalo Sabres, last reached Finals in 1999

29. Winnipeg Jets (new version), best finish is in Conference Finals in 2018

30. Minnesota Wild, best finish is in Conference Finals in 2003

31. Seattle Kraken, best finish is in Conference Semifinals in 2023

32. Columbus Blue Jackets, best finish is in Conference Semifinals, last in 2020