Preview for the World Cup We Deserved -- But Not the One We Wanted

In 1966, during the World Cup in England, FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the governing body for world soccer, having already chosen Mexico as the host for the 1970 World Cup, chose the host nations for the World Cups of 1974, 1978 and 1982. For 1974, they chose West Germany. For 1978, they chose Argentina. For 1982, they chose Spain.

This was not especially unusual: They seemed to alternate between Europe and South America, occasionally mixing it up, and would continue to do so until Asia and Africa began to be more represented:

The Americas: 1930 in Uruguay, 1950 in Brazil, 1962 in Chile, 1970 in Mexico, 1978 in Argentina, 1986 in Mexico, 1994 in the United States, 2014 in Brazil; and now, 2026 in a joint effort between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Europe: 1934 in Italy (then run by the Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini), 1938 in France, 1954 in Switzerland, 1958 in Sweden (two straight in Europe), 1966 in England, 1974 in West Germany, 1982 in Spain, 1990 in Italy, 1998 in France, 2006 in a united Germany, 2018 in Russia.

Asia: 2002 was a joint effort between Japan and South Korea; and 2022 in Qatar.

Africa: 2010 in South Africa.

The 1942 edition was canceled due to World War II, and the 1946 edition was canceled due to The War's aftermath, in each case before a host nation could be chosen.

In 1966, out of West Germany, Argentina and Spain, Spain seemed to be the most controversial choice, since it was then run by a Fascist government. By 1982, it would be a thriving democracy.

But in 1976, Argentina fell to a Fascist military dictatorship, and the 1978 World Cup was a morass of corruption. The host nation could have won honestly. It won, but did not do so honestly. Fans, and even players, feared for their safety. Everything that was feared for Italy 1934 and Spain '82, but which those tournaments avoided, came too close to happening at Argentina '78.

In 1974, the South American nation of Colombia was selected for 1986. But, between financial concerns and the country's ongoing drug conflicts, its government bowed out in 1982, the only time a country has withdrawn from hosting a World Cup. Since it was the Americas' turn, and Mexico had the infrastructure in place, it was held there again.

In 1994, America hosted. With so many big cities with big stadiums, it was the highest-attended World Cup ever, with several legends putting on great performances. It was a great tournament -- until the Final, when Brazil and Italy, 2 teams that should have put on a great show, put on a 0-0 snoozefest that Brazil won on penalties. But that put the U.S. in the running to host again.

Gaps between a first and second hosting: Mexico, 16 years; the U.S., 32 years; Germany, 32 years; Italy, 56 years; France, 60 years; Brazil, 64 years.

During the 2018 World Cup, with Asian and Europe having hosted the last 2, FIFA was going to choose an Americas bid or an African bid. The joint U.S.-Canada-Mexico bid was chosen. The only other country to bid was Morocco, and they regrouped, setting up their own joint bid, accepted for 2030: Morocco, Spain and Portugal. It will be the 1st World Cup spread over 2 different continents, giving Africa a 2nd tournament, 20 years after its 1st, but also keeping with the usual Europe/Americas alternation.

But 2026 was thought to be the right year for America to host, in conjunction with celebrations for the 250th Anniversary of American independence. It was going to be a great Summer.

Then Donald Trump got back into the White House. And he had hijacked the America 250 celebrations. Don't even get me started on a UFC stage on the White House grounds that's taller than the White House itself.

Iran qualified for the World Cup. Then Trump started a war with them. He brought back his travel bans, which have affected Iran and some other qualifying countries, mostly-black ones: Haiti, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The proclamation includes an exemption for any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, the Olympics, or other major sporting events -- but not for the traveling fans of said national teams.

Then there's the transit issues. I thought the rail spur that New Jersey Transit built from Secaucus Junction to the Meadowlands Sports Complex would ease arrivals and departures at MetLife Stadium, and (ha, ha) reduce car traffic. But NJT jacked up the price of a ticket from Penn Station to the Meadowlands from $13 to $150!

After work by Governors Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Kathy Hochul of New York, it's down to $98. I'm reminded of something Malcolm X said, over issues far more important: "If you stick a knife nine inches into my back, and pull it out six inches, that's not progress." (Not that I'm blaming the Governors.)

And too many of the stadiums are suburban islands in a sea of parking, with inadequate or nonexistent public transit access: MetLife, Gillette Stadium outside Boston, Hard Rock Stadium outside Miami, Arrowhead Stadium on the outskirts of Kansas City, AT&T Stadium outside Dallas, SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles, Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. (And we're expected to give FIFA credit for temporarily replacing the corporate names on these venues with their cities' names? Uh-uh!)

The whole thing is a mess, before a single ball is kicked. It wasn't like this in 1994. But then, in 1994, our President was Bill Clinton. In 2026, it's Donald Trump.

To paraphrase The Dark Knight, maybe this is the World Cup that November 2024 America deserved, but it sure as hell isn't the one that American soccer fans wanted.

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Anyway, here's predictions:

* Group A: Mexico 1st, South Korea 2nd, Czechia one of the 3rd-place advancers, South Africa out.

* Group B: Switzerland 1st, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2nd, Canada one of the 3rd-place advancers, Qatar out.

* Group C: Brazil 1st, Morocco 2nd, Scotland and Haiti out.

* Group D: Turkey 1st, USA 2nd, Paraguay one of the 3rd-place advancers, Australia out.

* Group E: Germany 1st, Côte d'Ivoire 2nd, Ecuador one of the 3rd-place advancers, Curaçao out.

* Group F: Netherlands 1st, Sweden 2nd, Japan one of the 3rd-place advancers, Tunisia out.

* Group G: Belgium 1st, Egypt 2nd, Iran and New Zealand out.

* Group H: Spain 1st, Uruguay 2nd, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia out.

* Group I: France 1st, Senegal 2nd, Norway one of the 3rd-place advancers, Iraq out.

* Group J: Argentina 1st, Austria 2nd, Algeria one of the 3rd-place advancers, Jordan out.

* Group K: Colombia 1st, Portugal 2nd, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uzbekistan out.

* Group L: Croatia 1st, Ghana 2nd, England one of the 3rd-place advancers, Panama out. This may be the closest thing this World Cup has to a "Group of Death."

* Round of 32: South Korea over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil over Sweden, Germany over Paraguay, Morocco in an upset over the Netherlands (although, given Morocco's run to the Semifinal last time, it's not that big of an upset), Côte d'Ivoire over Senegal, France over Japan, Mexico over Norway, Croatia over Ecuador, Belgium over Czechia, Turkey over Canada, Spain over Austria, Ghana over Portugal to end Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup play, Switzerland over Algeria, USA over Egypt, Argentina over Uruguay in the best rivalry of the Round, Colombia over England.

* Round of 16: Morocco over South Korea, France over Germany, Brazil over Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia over Mexico, Spain over Ghana, Belgium over Turkey, Argentina over USA (who's kidding who), Colombia over Switzerland.

* Quarterfinals: France over Morocco, Spain over Belgium, Brazil over Croatia, Argentina over Colombia.

* Semifinals: Spain over France, Argentina over  Brazil in a big rivalry.

* Final: Spain over Argentina.

Who do I really want to win? I'm not sure I want a country that voted for Trump twice, and came close a 3rd time, to win. So, France.

It all gets underway today, at 3:00 PM, U.S. Eastern Time, at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City, as Mexico takes on South Africa.

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It's a good day to do a countdown:

* Days until the next World Cup: 0. Today.

* Days until the next U.S. soccer team game: 1, tomorrow night at 9:00 PM, Eastern Time, vs. the South American nation of Paraguay, at SoFi Stadium, outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series: 26, on Thursday, June 25, at 7:10 PM, at Fenway Park. Just 2 weeks.

* Days until the World Cup Final: 38, on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands.

* Days until the next New York Red Bulls game: 41, on Wednesday, July 22, at 7:30 PM, away to the Philadelphia Union, at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. It's that far off because of the World Cup. Under 6 weeks.

* Days until the next Red Bulls "derby" game: See the previous answer.

* Days until the next Arsenal match: 55, on Wednesday, August 5, at 2:30 PM U.S. Eastern Time, against Spanish team Real Betis, in a preseason friendly, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Under 8 weeks.

* Days until the New Jersey Devils open their 2026-27 regular season: Unknown, as the schedule has not been released yet. The season usually begins on the 1st Thursday in October, which, this year, is October 1. If so, that's 112 days. Under 4 months.

* Days until the next New Jersey Devils rivalry game: See the previous answer.

* Days until the new Premier League season opens: 73, on August 23. Arsenal's opponent is as yet unknown. And, of course, given the British TV networks, the game could be moved up a day or two.

* Days until the next North London Derby: Unknown. The teams never open the season against each other, so it will probably be longer than that. They have played each other in August, but it's usually once in October or November in N5, then once in February or March in N17, and the occasional cup tie.

* Days until the next East Brunswick High School football game: 78, on Friday night, August 22, at 6:00 PM, home to John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge. A little over 11 weeks.

* Days until the next Rutgers football game: 84, on Thursday, September 3, at 6:00 PM, home to the University of Massachusetts. Just 12 weeks.

* Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge football game: 127, on Friday, October 16, at Vince Lombardi Field in Old Bridge. A little over 4 months.

* Days until the next election for the U.S. Congress and for the Governor of New York: 145, on Tuesday, November 3. Under 5 months. In New Jersey, polls are open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. In New York, they're open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. If Trump is to be held accountable for anything, the voters must give the Democratic Party control of each house of Congress.

* Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 163, on Saturday, November 21, at a time TBA, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Under 6 months.

* Days until the next Summer Olympics: 764, on July 14, 2028, in Los Angeles. A little over 2 years. If Trump is still hanging on by that point, perhaps there will be another boycott.

* Days until the next election for the President of the United States: 880, on Tuesday, November 7, 2028. Under 2 1/2 years, or a little under 29 months. Time to end the Trump Era for once and for all, and to make America good again.

* Days until the next Inauguration for the President of the United States: 954, on Saturday, January 20, 2029, at 12:00 Noon. Under 3 years, or a little over 31 months. And stay out, you fat Fascist son of a bitch.

* Days until the next elections for the Governor of New Jersey and the Mayor of New York City: 1,244, on Tuesday, November 6, 2029. I am fully confident that Governor Mikie Sherrill can govern the State well enough to convince voters to re-elect her. I am not at all confident that Kid Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who has already screwed up two blizzards, can keep himself popular enough to avoid a primary challenge. He might even open the door for a competent, though probably evil, Republican to win.

* Days until the next Winter Olympics: 1,331, on February 1, 2030. The next ones will be held at various locations in the French Alps, a region that has included the sites of the Winter Olympics in 1924, the 1st one, in Chamonix; 1968, Grenoble; and 1992, Albertville.

In fact, a lot of the Winter Olympics have been held in the Alps: 1928 and 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland; 1936 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; 1956 and 2026 in Milan and Cortina, Italy; 1964 and 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria; and 2006 in Turin, Italy. Indeed, from Grenoble in the west to Milan in the east, it's only 230 miles, or roughly the distance between Midtown Manhattan and downtown Washington, D.C.

* Days until the next World Cup after this one: 1,458, on June 8, 2030, in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

June 11, 1986: "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" Premieres

June 11, 1986, 40 years ago: The film Ferris Bueller's Day Off premieres.

John Hughes directed Matthew Broderick as high school senior Ferris, Jennifer Grey as his sister Jeanie, Lyman Ward and Cindy Pickett as his parents, Alan Ruck as Ferris' best friend Cameron Frye, Mia Sara as his luscious girlfriend Sloane Peterson (Ferris? Cameron? Sloane? Who gives kids last names as first names?), Jeffrey Jones as vice principal Edward R. Rooney, Edie McClurg as Rooney's secretary Grace, Ben Stein as an economics professor (presaging his similar role in the TV series The Wonder Years), and Charlie Sheen as a ginker who Jeanie meets at the police station.

The action takes place in Chicago and in the fictional town of Shermer, Illinois, 15 miles northwest of the city, based on Hughes' real-life hometown of Northbrook. (Until he was 12, he lived in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Hence, Cameron wears a Red Wings jersey with Gordie Howe's name and Number 9.)

Northbrook's original name was Shermerville, and his alma mater, Glenbrook North High School, is on Shermer Road. We know it's 15 miles because of the differences in the mileage on the odometer on the Ferrari between North Lake Shore Drive and Cameron's house.

Hughes set a lot of his films in this fictional town, including Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. The "home" scenes of National Lampoon's Vacation, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and Home Alone were also set there. Not all were filmed in Northbrook: Some of these were filmed in nearby Winnetka, Illinois. The Bueller house and the streets around it were in Long Beach, California; the rest of the movie was shot in Chicago and the suburbs, including the Frank Lloyd Wright-ish Frye house, in Highland Park, Illinois.

In the film, Ferris decides this spring weekday (I usually think it's April, but this is not specified in the script) in his senior year at Shermer High School is too nice a day to spend in school. So he fakes out his parents, pretends to be sick, convinces Cameron (who appears to actually be sick) that neither one of them is sick, and gets his girlfriend Sloane out of school on a phony death in the family. Then they head for the big city, have some fun, run a couple of cons, and head home, and have to face the consequences of their actions... sort of.

All the while, Mr. Rooney is trying to catch Ferris cutting school. That Sloane is also cutting appears to be incidental to him. That Cameron is also cutting appears not to be something he's even aware of. He heads for the mall, thinking Ferris might be there, and gets embarrassed. He goes to the Bueller home, and gets nearly shredded by their Rottweiler and attacked by Jeanie (who's also trying to catch Ferris in the act, and fails, hence the police station).

How many times have I seen this movie? Nine times? More than that: Maybe 15. After 40 years, it remains the only movie I have ever gone to the theater to see, and literally laughed all the way home from. And it helped make Jennifer Grey a star, which is a good thing. Although Mia Sara didn't become a big star: Other than this, her biggest movie has been Timecop, and that was 8 years later.

Yeah, Ferris was a legend. A great guy. Right? As ESPN's Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend!":

* He lied to his parents.

* He got away with that, and he rubbed the fact in his sister's face.

* He cut school. A lot. How many times, in that semester, alone? Say it with me: "Nine times!" "If I go for 10," he admitted in one of his periodic breaks of the fourth wall, as he set up his synthesizer to produce fake sounds of snoring, sneezing and coughing, "I'm probably gonna have to barf up a lung, so I'd better make this one count." Gee, not real big on remorse, are ya, F.B.?

I mean, think about it: Since he knew Spring was coming, and that he would probably want to take a day off to enjoy it, shouldn't he have saved up his sick days, instead of using so many? It's like in basketball: You get a limited number of fouls per game, before you get tossed. It's 6 in the NBA, 5 in college, usually 5 in high school. Use them wisely.

* He took advantage of his sick best friend. Cameron was sick. Probably with the flu. Does Ferris consider this? Does Ferris consider that spending the day with a clearly sick Cameron might make him sick? Does Ferris consider that it might make Sloane, the girl he allegedly loves, sick? Does he consider that it might make anyone else Cameron interacts with sick? Not by a long shot. And then, Ferris steals a car, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California, belonging to Cameron's father.

* He took advantage of his girlfriend. No, I don't mean in a sexual way – at least, not onscreen. First, Ferris has Sloane thinking that her grandmother has died. Remember her reaction? This was not the face of a girl who knew that her boyfriend was behind this. It wasn't until she saw Ferris – standing in front of the Ferrari, wearing the trenchcoat, the shades and the hat, impersonating her father – that she realized, "My Grandma's alive! And my boyfriend is awesome!" No, he's not: He had you thinking your Grandma was dead! All so he could cut school.

* He scammed the entire Chicago metropolitan area. "SAVE FERRIS" signs went up everywhere, from the Shermer water tower to the electronic portion of the familiar Wrigley Field marquee!

I can see getting an entire school to think you're sick as a dog. But conning the Cubs? Well, maybe. We're not talking about an organization that's been known for smart decisions. Besides, pay a sports team enough money, and they'll put anything (short of profanity or defamation) on one of their signs or boards.

But the water tower? This was not some kid spray-painting it on: This was a professionally-painted "SAVE FERRIS," which would not have been approved by the municipal government unless they were convinced that the kid in question needed contributions to pay for his health care.

And, since we've seen the Bueller house, and we know that Mrs. Bueller is a real estate agent and Mr. Bueller works in a high-rise office downtown, apparently as some kind of executive rather than a cubicle drone, we know they're not exactly hurting for cash, if not stinking rich like the Fryes. They can afford health insurance for their kids.

So why would the town allow this message on their water tower? Maybe it was a bribe. Nah, can't be. After all, it's not like the Chicago area is known for political corruption...

* Don't get me started on the fact that the attempt to get into Chez Quis, the fancy French restaurant on the Near North Side, was a rotten thing to do, and should have failed, for a dozen reasons, and almost did.

* He hijacked a parade. Bueller is a German name, and German-Americans – by 1986, they no longer had to worry about discrimination or suspicion like they did in the era of the World Wars – celebrate their heritage on Steuben Day, on or around September 17, the anniversary of the birth of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who left the Prussian army under dubious circumstances, and then helped George Washington whip the Continental Army into shape during the War of the American Revolution.

Parades in his memory are held in New York, Philadelphia and, as seen in the movie, Chicago. Hughes filmed during Chicago's real Steuben Day parade on September 28, 1985, so while the film has it in the Spring, for some reason, at least it really was Steuben Day when they filmed.

So how did a high school student playing hooky get to jump on a float in a municipal parade (i.e. sponsored by the City government) and sing Wayne Newton's semi-German song "Danke Schoen" and the Beatles' cover version of the Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout"? In real life, someone who tried that would have been pulled off the float by the cops before finishing the 1st verse! (Well, maybe Ferris could have bribed the cops to look the other way. Another bribe? Nah... )

* And he got away with it all, thus inspiring others to try things they shouldn't do. Remember what Rooney told Grace, his secretary, near the beginning of the film? "What bothers me about Ferris Bueller is that he gives good kids bad ideas."

A 2011 article by Cezary Jan Strusiewicz that Cracked magazine put in its online edition included FBDO on a list of movies whose bad guys weren't so bad after all:

Mr. Rooney was the mean old Dean of Students who spent the entire movie trying to prove that Ferris was skipping school while pretending to be sick. What a mistrustful tight-ass. Why the hell does he care so much if one student takes a day off?

Let's get the obvious out of the way: this is his goddamned job... People are always all up the public schools system's digestive tract for not taking a more active interest in their students and that's exactly what Mr. Rooney was doing. It doesn't matter if, on a personal level, he's a dick or not -- he is literally paid with your tax money to make sure kids aren't doing exactly what Ferris did. The kid can go to a museum and drive a sports car on the weekend. During the week, he and the other kids are Rooney's responsibility so they can, you know, get an education.

And you know what? He was right all along. Ferris was skipping school. Worse yet, he lied to his parents and friends about being sick and pretty much got the whole town involved in the farce. He lied, he stole, and he caused millions in property damage by destroying Cameron's dad's beautiful car. That's not adorable, that's just being an egocentric cock. It wouldn't have been a satisfying movie ending to see Rooney expose Bueller for his douchebaggery, but it would have been by far the more just outcome. What happens instead is that Rooney loses his wallet and almost has his nipples ripped off by a Rottweiler.

In the end, Ferris gets saved by Jeanie, his sister – posing as his mother! This is one thing I've always hated about movies & TV shows set in high schools: The kids are, all too often, played by grownups. At the time of filming, September through November 1985, Broderick was 23 and had a serious 5:00 shadow. Grey was 25, and didn't make Jones' Rooney think, "Wait a minute, Mrs. Bueller looks damn good for 45." She pretended to be Ferris' mother, and Rooney bought it. And Ruck was a whopping 29. Only Sara, 18, was actually of high school age. Considering the things Jeanie was saying and thinking about Ferris all through the movie, this is really out of character.

True, her police-station conversation with Charlie Sheen (oh, yeah, there's something you want to go through in real life) made her think differently, but, come on: This guy (in addition to being Charlie Sheen, but you didn't yet know what he was going to become) was a damn ginker! (Metalhead, for those of you who didn't grow up where I did.) He admitted that he was arrested for drugs. (I'm presuming possession, if not also intent to sell.) Anything he says, I'm taking with an entire mine of salt.

And Strusiewicz and I aren't the only ones upset that Ferris keeps putting one over on the film's adults. Social scientist Martin Morse Wooster said the film "portrayed teachers as humorless buffoons whose only function was to prevent teenagers from having a good time."

Looking back, it's easy to see that Ferris wasn't such a great guy. And the movie has its flaws. In her book Screening Generation X: The Politics and Popular Memory of Youth in Contemporary Cinema, author Christina Lee said it was a "splendidly ridiculous exercise in unadulterated indulgence," and the film "encapsulated the Reagan era's near solipsist worldview and insatiable appetite for immediate gratification -- of living in and for the moment."

Indeed, with its Reagan Era selfishness, showing teenage neuroses and at the same time ignoring them, its synthesizer-driven soundtrack, and its protagonists getting to avoid serious consequences, this might be the most Eighties movie there is.

On the other hand, Ben Stein, who played the economics teacher – and who had previously been a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon, who probably would have called Ferris one of "these bums, you know, blowing up the campuses" – and was very much a Reagan guy, and remains a political conservative, gave the film his seal of approval, and not just because it launched his career as an actor and a game-show host:

It will never die, because it responds to and calls forth such human emotions. It isn't dirty. There's nothing mean-spirited about it. There's nothing sneering or sniggering about it. It's just wholesome. We want to be free. We want to have a good time. We know we're not going to be able to all our lives. We know we're going to have to buckle down and work. We know we're going to have to eventually become family men and women, and have responsibilities and pay our bills. But just give us a couple of good days that we can look back on.

And you know what? This is a good thing. For 1 hour and 43 minutes, Ferris Bueller's Day Off lets you relax and laugh. Should we think about all this stuff while we're watching it? No. Save that for afterward. While the movie is rolling, enjoy the escapist fare.

I sure did. Many times. And I will again. After all, like the man said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

But then, it's a movie. If you miss it, you can play it again.

Then there's the "Ferris Club" theory: That the whole thing is happening in Cameron's head, and Ferris isn't real. That's a story for another time.

The Chicago Cubs game shown on the TV? It's from June 5, 1985, against the Atlanta Braves, and while the score was indeed tied in the 8th inning, it was 2-2, not "nothin'-nothin'." The Braves went on to win, 4-2 in 11 innings. But the game at which Broderick, Sara and Ruck were filmed was on September 24, 1985, and the Cubs lost to the Montreal Expos by a football score, 17-15.

Director John Hughes died in 2009, of a heart attack, only 59 years old. Del Close, who played the unnamed English teacher ("In... what... way... "), died in 1999. Virginia Capers, the school nurse who tells Sloane about her grandmother's death, not knowing that it isn't true, died in 2004.

Larry "Flash" Jenkins, along with Richard Edson one of the parking garage attendants who takes the Ferrari for a joyride, died in 2019. Comedian Louie Anderson, in an early role as a deliveryman for a florist, died early in 2022. Joey D. Vieira, the pizza guy who gives Rooney the "nothin''-nothin'" score, and then, when asked, "Who's winning?" tells him, "The Bears," died in 2025. As of June 11, 2026, every other notable actor from the film is still alive.

One more note: The Final of the 1st-ever Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, replacing the former Middlesex County Tournament, was played at Memorial Stadium in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. East Brunswick High School beat Madison Central of Old Bridge, 14-3. I was then a junior at EBHS, and the scorekeeper for their baseball team.

It was one of the best nights of my life, and that's before I knew that Ferris had been released the same day.

Yankees Bounce Back Late vs. Red Sox

If you're wondering why I've barely mentioned the Knicks yet, it's because I'm not a Knicks fan. I'll have something to say when the Finals ends, regardless of the result.

The struggling Yankees were set to face the hated Boston Red Sox in a 3-game weekend series at Yankee Stadium II. It would be without Aaron Judge, whose rib injury will keep him out until after the All-Star Break; without Giancarlo Stanton, still hurt; without Austin Wells, dealing with headaches; without Max Fried, still hurt; without Clarke Schmidt, still hurt; and without Gerrit Cole, whose turn in the rotation wouldn't come up until the next series.

This had all the makings of a bad weekend.

The Friday night game did nothing to dissuade those makings. Ryan Weathers had his worst start of the season, 5 runs in 6 innings. And, as is so often the case when the opposing pitcher is a former Yankee, Sonny Gray had a solid start for The Scum. Despite home runs from Ben Rice and Trent Grisham, and 3 hits from highly-touted prospect Spencer Jones, the Sox won, 5-3.

The Saturday night game got rained out, and rescheduled for the opener of a separate-admissions day-night doubleheader on Saturday, August 29.

Sometimes, an unexpected day off after a loss is a bad thing, because it lets the loss linger in your mind longer. Sometimes, it's a good thing, because it stops the opposition's momentum.

Cam Schlittler started yesterday afternoon, coming off his worst start of the season. He was a bit better this time, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and a walk over 5 2/3rds innings. The bullpen allowed just 2 baserunners, both singles, the rest of the way.

But the Yankees weren't getting it done, either. They had no baserunners in the 1st 3 innings. They loaded the bases in the 4th, and got nothing. They took a lead in the 5th, on a double by José Caballero and a single by Paul Goldschmidt, but the Sox tied it in the 6th, leading to Schlittler's replacement. A Trent Grisham double in the bottom of the inning was wasted.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th, it was still 1-1. Great game if you like pitching duels, not so much if you want your team to win.

Then Cody Bellinger hit a home run. Then Amed Rosario singled. Then Rosario stole 2nd. Then Grisham singled Rosario home. Then Grisham stole 2nd. Then Anthony Volpe drew a walk. Then Jazz Chisholm hit a home run. Nice inning.

David Bednar closed it out. It wasn't a save situation, but he hadn't pitched since Monday night, so he needed the work. Final score: Yankees 6, Red Sox 1.

The Yankees are 38-26, a winning percentage of .594, thus a pace to go 96-66. Technically, they are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for 1st place in the American League Eastern Division. Mathematically, they are .003 behind them, and 1 game behind in (Cliché Alert) the All-Important Loss Column.

Nobody else in the Division is a factor at the moment: The Toronto Blue Jays are 7 games back, the Baltimore Orioles 8, and the Sox 10 1/2. Of course, Boston's record didn't matter, because, Cliché Alert: In this rivalry, you can throw out the records.

The Yankees now go on a Midwestern roadtrip, facing the Cleveland Guardians and the Toronto Blue Jays, before coming home to face the Chicago White Sox.

June 8, 1966: The NFL-AFL Merger Is Announced

The AFL's logo, and the logo the NFL was using at the time

June 8, 1966, 60 years ago: After 6 years of "war," the established National Football League and the upstart American Football League reach an agreement on a merger.

The process began 2 months earlier, when Al Davis, head coach of the AFL's Oakland Raiders, was named Commissioner of the AFL, replacing Joe Foss, who had been Commissioner since the league's founding in 1959. Davis' approach, much like the pirate on his team's helmet, was "Take no prisoners." That spooked the NFL team owners, who were tired of the rising salaries that the bidding war between the leagues was producing.

So Tex Schramm, general manager of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, contacted Lamar Hunt, founder of the AFL and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. Hunt, more respected by the AFL team owners than Davis was, went behind Davis' back, and undercut Davis in his desire for all-out war. This resulted in Raiders vs. Chiefs being a very nasty rivalry that lasts to this day, in spite of the Raiders' moves.

On June 8, Hunt and Schramm called a press conference in New York, and announced that they'd agreed upon these points:

* The AFL's 8 teams, which would be 10 teams by the time the process was completed, would join the NFL and its 14 teams, which would soon grow to 16, and the combined 26-team league would keep the NFL name.

* All existing teams would remain in their respective metropolitan areas for the time being. Some teams soon built new stadiums out in the suburbs of their anchor cities, including the AFL's Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills; and the NFL's New York Giants, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. But no team in the combined NFL would move to a different metro area until the Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1982. (That, however, began a new era in which several teams moved, and others at least threatened to do unless their current cities built them new stadiums.)

* Each league's champion would meet in an "AFL-NFL World Championship Game," starting with the end of the upcoming season. As it turned out, it would be informally nicknamed "the Super Bowl" at the time, officially so for the one at the climax of the 1968 season, and, for the 1970 season, officially named that with a Roman numeral added: Super Bowl V.

* Starting in 1967, there would be a common draft between the two leagues.

* Also starting in 1967, there would be preseason exhibition games between teams in the two leagues. So the first "AFL-NFL World Championship Game," retroactively renamed Super Bowl I, became, in Hunt's words, "the only time a pure AFL team played a pure NFL team."

* Starting in 1970, with everybody in one league, the National Football Conference would be made up of "original NFL" teams, while 3 such teams -- the Baltimore Colts, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers -- were moved over to join the AFL teams in the American Football Conference.

* Each Conference would be divided into Eastern, Central and Western Divisions. Each Division's champion, plus a "wild card" team, would go into the Playoffs, resulting in 4 Playoff teams in each Conference, competing to be the Conference Champions, who would then face each other in the Super Bowl.

* Each league would keep its current television contract: CBS would keep the NFL/NFC games, and NBC would keep the AFL/AFC games. For interconference games, whichever was the visiting team would decide it: If an NFC team was visiting an AFC team, CBS would televise it; if it was the other way around, it was on NBC. This would hold until 1993, when new contracts were signed. (CBS ended up broadcasting so many Dallas Cowboys games that people joked that their initials stood for "Cowboys Broadcasting System.")

* And Pete Rozelle, currently the Commissioner of the NFL, would remain in charge of the combined league.

That last point ticked Davis off: He wanted to be Number 1 in everything he did, from running the Raiders to football competition. He resigned as AFL Commissioner in July, replaced by Milt Woodard, who had been Assistant Commissioner under both Foss and Davis, and served until the merger was completed in March 1970.

June 7, 1966: The Mets Draft Steve Chilcott -- Instead of Reggie Jackson

June 7, 1966, 60 years ago: Major League Baseball holds its 2nd annual Amateur Draft. The top pick goes to the team that had the worst record the season before: The New York Mets.

They chose Steve Chilcott, a 17-year-old catcher from Antelope Valley High School in the Los Angeles suburb of Lancaster, California.

What happened to Steve Chilcott? A baserunning blunder wrecked his throwing shoulder. He never reached the major leagues, and he played his last professional game in 1972, only 24 years old. He moved to Santa Barbara, and became a firefighter and a contractor. In a 2005 interview, he said, "I've had a good life, although, at first, it was hard for me to find things to do, because I had such a desire to be a professional athlete. I had to find my place in the world."

With the 2nd pick, the Kansas City Athletics chose Reggie Jackson, an outfielder from Arizona State University.

There were other good picks in that draft. The Houston Astros chose pitcher Wayne Twitchell. The Boston Red Sox chose pitcher Ken Brett. The Washington Senators chose outfielder Tom Grieve. The Cleveland Indians chose pitcher John Curtis. The Cincinnati Reds chose pitcher Gary Nolan. The Pittsburgh Pirates chose shortstop (later 3rd baseman) Richie Hebner. The Chicago White Sox chose outfielder Carlos May.

That was just in the 1st Round. In the 2nd Round, the White Sox chose catcher Johnny Oates. In the 3rd Round, the St. Louis Cardinals chose pitcher Clay Kirby, and the Minnesota Twins chose 3rd baseman Steve Garvey. (He didn't sign with them. Two years later, the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him as a 1st baseman, and he signed with them.)

In the 5th Round, the Astros chose catcher Cliff Johnson, and the Pirates chose shortstop (later 2nd baseman) Dave Cash. In the 6th Round, the Pirates chose 2nd baseman Gene Clines. In the 8th Round, the Dodgers chose pitcher Charlie Hough. In the 9th Round, the California Angels chose pitcher Ken Forsch, and the Dodgers chose outfielder (later shortstop) Bill Russell.

With perhaps the most interesting pick in the draft, in the 10th Round, the New York Yankees chose a lefthanded pitcher from the University of Alabama: Ken Stabler. Instead of baseball, he chose football, and became a Hall of Fame quarterback with the Oakland Raiders. (John Elway, who later actually did play one season in the Yankee system, followed the same path.)

In the 15th Round, the Dodgers chose catcher (later 2nd baseman) Ted Sizemore. In the 19th Round, the Dodgers chose 3rd baseman Ron Cey. In the 20th Round, the Angels chose pitcher Dave LaRoche. In the 31st Round, the Chicago Cubs chose pitcher Bill Stoneman, and the Angels chose pitcher Bill Bonham. And in the 32nd Round, the Mets chose 2nd baseman Kurt Bevacqua.

So while Reggie turned out to be the best player in that Draft, he was far from the only good player who the Mets overlooked. But why did they overlook him? Arizona State head coach Bobby Winkles, who later managed the A's after Reggie left them, told him that the Mets were concerned that he was a black man with a white girlfriend. This was in 1966, a year before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all laws against interracial marriage were unconstitutional.

In fact, Reggie's girlfriend, Jennie Campos, was a Mexican-American, who faced prejudice as well. Reggie and Jennie married, but it didn't last, as Reggie's wandering eye was as active as his batting eye. But he has managed to keep his private life mostly private. There have been no public stories about him mistreating women.

We can say that, as usual, the dumb Mets were so dumb in not taking Reggie. But the catcher they ended up with was Jerry Grote. How do we know a healthy Chilcott would have done better than Grote? We don't. So this is more about who they didn't take than about who they did.

With Reggie, the A's moved to Oakland in 1968, won 5 straight American League Western Division titles from 1971 to 1975, and won 3 straight World Series from 1972 to 1974. He signed with the Yankees for the 1977 season, and led them to back-to-back World Series wins, also winning an AL Eastern Division title in 1980 and an AL Pennant in 1981. After his relationship with team owner George Steinbrenner went from great to terrible, he signed with the Angels, and helped them to AL West titles in 1982 and 1986.

He retired with 563 career home runs, reached the postseason 11 times in 21 seasons, won 6 Pennants and 5 World Series, including the Series Most Valuable Player award twice, and was a 1st-year-of-eligibility electee to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Having Reggie wouldn't have helped the Mets much. Maybe it would have been better for Cub fans in 1969, since they probably wouldn't have had a big lead to blow, so it's less painful for them. And it would have reversed the result of the 1973 World Series, when Reggie homered in Game 7, and the A's beat the Mets.

But just as the A's players took their earliest possible chances to bolt from team owner Charlie Finley, his cheapness, and his micromanaging, the opposite happened with the similarly cheap president of the Mets, M. Donald Grant: He got rid of his good players before they demanded "too much." Can you imagine George Steinbrenner seeing Reggie Jackson playing the 1976 season for a National League team, and then going after a Mets legend, and making him a bigger star with the Yankees? So, having Reggie on their team might have ended up actually being more painful for Met fans. 

Yankees Struggle vs. Guardians, Face Red Sox

The Yankees played a midweek series at home, against the Cleveland Guardians. With both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sidelined due to injury, runs were expected to be harder to come by.

They were. Though I didn't expect our worst output to provide our best result.

On Tuesday night, Cam Schlittler had the worst start of his career. Not a terrible one, just a weak one: 4 1/3rd innings, 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits, although no walks, 3 strikeouts. He might have gotten away with it, had not the bullpen been bad, as Tim Hill allowed a run, and Camilo Doval allowed 3.

But the Yankees just couldn't get going and sustain it. Paul Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs, including his 379th career home run, surpassing Matt Williams on the all-time list, and tying him with Orlando Cepeda and Tony Pérez. But the rest of the Yankees only got 5 hits and no RBIs, and they lost, 9-4.

Gerrit Cole made his 3rd post-injury start on Wednesday night, but while his control was all right, he was hit hard: 5 1/3rd innings, 4 runs on 6 hits, although only 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and José Caballero hit home runs, but, other than that, the Yankees had just 3 hits and a walk, and lost, 5-4.

Thursday afternoon, the dreaded day game after a night game. It turned out to be a dandy of a pitcher's duel between Carlos Rodón and Cleveland's Slade Cecconi. (Cliché Alert: Those names don't go together.) Through 6 innings, each had allowed just 1 run, and was looking like he wouldn't allow any more.

In the top of the 7th, Aaron Boone brought in Brent Headrick, and I cringed. But he got through the innings with no hits, and just a walk. Which brings up another Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt brought Codi Heuer in, and, with 1 out, he walked Chisholm. He got Cabellero out, but Chisholm stole 2nd, and Heuer threw a wild pitch that got him to 3rd. Ryan McMahon, not known for his bat, singled Chisholm home. That proved to be the last run: Yankees 2, Guardians 1.

Things were looking up. The Yankees ended the day just half a game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division, although 2 back in the loss column. And they had done this despite all their injuries.

But, at night, came the bombshell: Judge, who had missed the entire series, had a broken rib, and would be out at least 4 to 6 weeks -- through the All-Star Break, and a little bit beyond.

If you have any "George Carlin words" to offer, now would be a good time.

And tonight, we start a series with The Scum themselves, the Boston Red Sox. Without Judge, without Stanton, without Max Fried, without Clarke Schmidt, all due to injury -- and without Cole, since his turn in the rotation will be skipped.

Here's the projected pitching matchups:

* Tonight, first pitch scheduled for 7:05, on YES: Ryan Weathers vs. Sonny Gray, who seems to be able to pitch well for any team except when he was with the Yankees.

* Tomorrow, 7:35, on Fox: Will Warren vs. Ranger Suarez.

* Sunday, 1:35, on YES: Schlittler vs. Connelly Early.

I'm not lookin' forward to this.

June 4, 1976: Triple Overtime at the Boston Garden

Gar Heard's shot

June 4, 1976, 50 years ago: Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals is played at the Boston Garden. It’s been called the greatest game in NBA history.

The Boston Celtics made Paul Westphal the 10th pick in the 1972 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, 1972-73, the Celtics went 68-14, still the best record in team history. But they lost the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks. In 1974, coached by former Celtic star Tommy Heinsohn, they went all the way, beating the Milwaukee Bucks in the Finals. Westphal had a ring in his 2nd season.

But he would not have a place on the Celtics. In 1975, they traded him and a pair of 2nd round draft picks to the Phoenix Suns for Charlie Scott. With a starting five of Westphal and Ricky Sobers at guard, Garfield Heard and Curtis Perry at forward, and Alvan Adams at center, with guard Dick Van Arsdale and center Dennis Awtrey coming off the bench, coach John MacLeod's Suns made the Playoffs for only the 2nd time in team history, beating the Seattle SuperSonics and the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, and advancing to their 1st NBA Finals.

And the Finals would be against Westphal's former team, the Celtics. Heinsohn had a starting five of guards Scott and Jo Jo White, forwards John Havlicek (who'd been with the Celtics since the 1962-63 title) and Paul Silas, and center Dave Cowens, and a bench that included forward Don Nelson, who'd been with them since their 1966 title, Heinsohn's team was strong and battle-hardened.

Surprising no one, the 1st 4 games were all won by the home teams: The Celtics won Games 1 and 2 at the Boston Garden, 98-87 and 105-90; while the Suns won Games 3 and 4, the 1st finals games in Arizona in any sport, at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the 1st saddle-roofed arena in North America, 105-98 and 109-107.

Game 5, at the Boston Garden, has gone down in legend. The Celtics jumped out to a 36-18 lead after 1 quarter, and led 61-45 at the half. But the Suns came back, closed to within 77-72 after 3 quarters, and regulation ended 95-95.

The 1st overtime could not find a winner, ending 101-101. Havlicek appeared to have hit a game-winning shot at the end of the 2nd overtime, making it 111-110 Boston. The fans incorrectly thought the game was over, and stormed the court. When referee Richie Powers tried to get it cleared, a Celtic fan assaulted him. The fan was arrested.

Westphal knew he had 2 seconds left. The recently-folded American Basketball Association had the 3-point field goal, but the NBA would not adopt it until 1979. And the Suns had to inbound the ball under their own basket, and get the ball all the way down the court, 94 feet.

Paul Westphal

Westphal called timeout -- knowing that the Suns didn't have any left. This resulted in a technical foul, giving the Celtics a single free throw, which White made, making it 112-110 Boston. But now, the Suns could inbound at halfcourt, in the hope of trying the game. It was the basketball equivalent of the football tactic of running the ball out of your own end zone, giving the other team 2 points for a safety, but giving your punter more room. It was the kind of tactic that would later make Scottish soccer manager George Graham say, "If it works, you're a hero. And if it doesn't work, you're a villain."

Perry made the inbound pass to Heard, who fired a turnaround jumper at the top of the key, over Nelson. He made it, sending the game to a 3rd overtime. Broadcasting the game on CBS, Brent Musberger yelled, "I don't believe it!" Even after the Bill Russell era, seasoned observers were not used to seeing the Celtics pushed this hard on their own parquet floor.

Gar Heard

But the Suns were exhausted, despite the Celtics' starting 5 averaging 50 minutes, to the Suns' 46, with Heard topping out at 61 minutes out of the 63. The Celtics took control from the opening tipoff of the 3rd overtime, taking a 128-122 lead. The Suns closed to 128-126, but that was as close as they got.

Scoring for the Celtics: White 33, Cowens 26, Havlicek 22, Silas 17, Jim Ard and Glenn McDonald each with 8, Nelson and Steve Kuberski each with 4, and Kevin Stacom played 3 minutes without attempting a shot.

Jo Jo White

For the Suns: Westphal and Sobers each scored 25, Perry 23, Adams 20, Heard 17, Awtrey 7, Van Arsdale 5, Nate Hawthorne 4, and Phil Lumpkin and Keith Erickson did not score, although Lumpkin had 4 assists and a rebound, and Erickson had an assist. Pat Riley, who, like Erickson, had been a reserve on the Los Angeles Lakers' 1972 title, did not get into the game, despite it lasting 63 minutes.

Emotionally drained, the Suns did not recover, and lost Game 6 at home, 87-80, and the Celtics were World Champions again.

Maybe both teams were drained: No player on either roster ever won another title, Havlicek retiring in 1978 with 8. The Celtics got old in a hurry, and needed a serious rebuild. If Kuberski's name doesn't mean anything to you, note this: He was the last Celtic to wear Number 33 before Larry Bird.

The Suns missed the Playoffs the next season, but they didn't need as much tinkering as the Celtics did. They made the Playoffs every season from 1978 to 1985, including returns to the Conference Finals in 1979 and 1984. In 1993, Westphal would coach them to the Western Conference title, but they lost the NBA Finals to the Chicago Bulls. That Finals, too, would have a triple-overtime game, Game 3 in Chicago. That one, the Suns won. So 2 NBA Finals games have gone to three overtimes, and the Phoenix Suns have been in both of them. 

Westphal, Havlicek, Cowens, Scott and White would be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. So would the Suns' Riley and the Celtics' Nelson, each as coaches.

The Suns reached the NBA Finals again in 2021, but none of the games went to overtime. They lost to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics have since been to 9 Finals, winning in 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008 and 2024; and losing in 1985, 1987, 2010 and 2022.

Referee Richie Powers died in 1998, Nate Hawthorne in 2005, Celtic backup guard Jerome Anderson (who did not play in this game) and Phil Lumpkin in 2009, Jo Jo White in 2018, John MacLeod and John Havlicek in 2019, Tommy Heinsohn in 2020, Paul Westphal in 2021, Paul Silas in 2022, and Dick Van Arsdale in 2024.

Still alive from this game, 50 years later: Celtic players Dave Cowens, Don Nelson, Charlie Scott (also known by his Muslim name, Shaheed Abdul-Aleem), Jim Ard, Tom Boswell, Steve Kuberski, Glenn MacDonald, Ed Searcy and Kevin Stacom; and Suns players Pat Riley, Gar Heard, Alvan Adams, Dennis Awtrey, Ricky Sobers, Curtis Perry, Keith Erickson and John Wetzel.