November 1, 1946: The 1st NBA Game

The 1946-47 New York Knicks

November 1, 1946, 80 years ago: The the 1st NBA game is played, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. (Until 1949, the National Basketball Association was known as the Basketball Association of America, or the BAA.) A crowd of 7,090 -- about half of capacity -- attends, and the New York Knickerbockers beat the Toronto Huskies, 68-66.

For the Knicks, coached by Neil Cohalan, 41, and formerly head coach at Manhattan College:

* Number 6, guard Ossie Schectman, 27, from Kew Gardens, Queens, and Long Island University in Brooklyn, where he was coached by Hall-of-Famer Clair Bee, scored the 1st NBA basket, and ended up with 11 points on the night.

* Number 9, guard Leo Gottlieb, about to turn 26, from The Bronx, never went to college, led all scorers with 14.

* Number 7, forward Stan Stutz, 26, from Worcester, Massachusetts, and the University of Rhode Island, scored 9.

* Number 5, forward Ralph Kaplowitz, 27, from The Bronx, where he was a teammate of Gottlieb at DeWitt Clinton High School, and also played for Hall-of-Famer Howard Cann at New York University, scored 7.

* Number 11, center Jake Weber, 28, from Rushville, Indiana, and Purdue University, scored 6. At 6-foot-6, he was the tallest player on the team.

* Number 12, Hank Rosenstein, 26, from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and played for Hall-of-Famer Nat Holman at City College of New York, scored 5.

* Number 15, guard Dick Murphy, 25, from College Point, Queens, and played for Cohalan at Manhattan College, scored 5.

* Number 4, forward Nat Militzok, 23, from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and Cornell University, scored 5.

* Number 14, forward Tommy Byrnes (not to be confused with Yankee pitcher Tommy Byrne), 23, from The Bronx, another Clinton High graduate but too young to have played with Gottlieb and Kaplowitz, scored 4.

* Number 8, guard Sidney "Sonny" Hertzberg, 24, from Flatbush, Brooklyn, and a CCNY teammate of Rosenstein, scored 2.

* And Number 10, guard Bob Mullens, on his 24th birthday, from Staten Island, and Fordham University, played, but scored none. In a weird twist of fate, before the season was out, Mullens would be traded to the Huskies. So would Militzok.

So that's 11 players, only 2 of them from outside New York City, 3 of them Irish and the rest Jewish. This would not have been odd for a college team from New York at that time, so it's not odd for the 1st real major league team from The City.

For the Huskies: Ed Sadowski scored 18, George Nostrand 16, Charlie Hoefer 8, Mike McCarron (from Elmhurst, Queens, and Seton Hall) 6, Ray Wertis 6, Dick Fitzgerald 6, his brother Bob Fitzgerald (both from Elmhurst, and Fordham) 4, Harry Miller (from West Orange, New Jersey, and Seton Hall) 1, Frank Fucarino (from Astoria, Queens, and an LIU player) 1, Roy Hurley none, and Hank Biasatti none. (I wonder if anyone attended the game thinking they were actually getting a recent college star, Stanford's Hank Luisetti.)

Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, site of the 1st NBA game

This film purports to be from that first game. Is it? It could be: The teams are the Knicks and the Huskies, and the Huskies are wearing white as home teams tend to do in basketball. However, the Knicks did make 2 more visits that season, winning both, on December 20, 1946 and March 28, 1947, so this film could be from any of those 3 games.

The Knicks are 1 of only 2 charter NBA teams still playing in their current city. The other is the Boston Celtics. These 2 teams have just started their 81st season. The Celtics started their 1st on November 2, 1946, losing to the Providence Steamrollers, 59-53 at the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence.

Neither, however, is pro basketball's oldest franchise. The Philadelphia SPHAs were founded in 1917, as the team of the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association. They, too, were a charter BAA/NBA team, as the Philadelphia Warriors. They are still playing today, as the Golden State Warriors, having moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962. On November 7, the Warriors made their debut, beating the Pittsburgh Ironmen, 81-75 at the Philadelphia Arena.

The Knicks went 33-27, good enough to make the Playoffs. The Huskies went 22-38, going through 4 head coaches, the last being former New York Yankees 3rd baseman Red Rolfe, who lasted the longest, going 17-27. They missed the Playoffs, and went out of business after just 1 season. The NBA did not return to Toronto until 1995 with the Raptors.

Maple Leaf Gardens, built for the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs in 1931, closed in 1999, the last of the NHL's "Original Six" arenas in use. It has been converted into retail space, like its great rival, the Montreal Forum.

Also missing the Playoffs: The Celtics, who took a few years to get going; the Providence Steamrollers, named for a 1920s football team, and went out of business after the 1948-49 season; the Detroit Falcons, who folded after that 1st season; and the Pittsburgh Ironmen, whose 15-45 record was the worst in the league, and also folded after the 1st season.

The NBA has never returned to Pittsburgh, although the Pipers won the 1st ABA Championship, in 1967-68. The Ironmen's most notable attribute is that their players included Petar Maravich, known as "Press" because he had delivered The Pittsburgh Press newspaper as a boy. If his name sounds familiar, it's because, 20 years later, at Louisiana State, he was the head coach, and his players included his son, Peter Press Maravich, a.k.a. Pistol Pete.

In the 1st Round of the Playoffs, the Knicks defeated the Cleveland Rebels, who folded after that 1st season. The Warriors eliminated the St. Louis Bombers, who lasted through the 1949-50 season.

In the Semifinals, the Warriors eliminated the Knicks. And the Chicago Stags beat the Washington Capitols, whose 49-11 record had been the best in the league. They lasted through the 1950-51 season.

In the Finals, the Warriors beat the Stags, 4 games to 1, clinching the title on April 22, 1947, at the Philadelphia Arena: Warriors 83, Stags 80. Joe Fulks of the Warriors was the league's 1st scoring champion.

As I mentioned, Ossie Schectman of the Knicks scored the 1st NBA basket. He died on July 30, 2013, at the age of 94. He was the last surviving player from the original Knicks. Jerry Rullo, a Philadelphia native who played for the Warriors, was the last surviving player from the NBA's 1st season, living until the 70th Anniversary, October 21, 2016, age 93.

October 31, 2001: Derek Jeter Becomes Mr. November

October 31, 2001, 25 years ago: Game 4 of the World Series. It's not just Halloween -- the 1st time a Major League Baseball game has been played on the day, due to the postponement of a week of games following the 9/11 attacks -- it's also a night of a Full Moon.

During batting practice at Yankee Stadium, Arizona Diamondbacks 1st baseman Mark Grace, who so long played for the Chicago Cubs without winning a Pennant and is enjoying his 1st World Series, could be seen on the official Series highlight film looking up, and saying, "Full Moon! You know what that means: Strange things happen!"

The Yankees trailed the Diamondbacks 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th, and were about to fall behind in the World Series by the same margin of games. This was due in large part to the fine pitching of Curt Schilling, who was asked about the "mystique" of Yankee Stadium. He said, "Mystique, Aura, those are dancers in a nightclub." Schilling had outpitched the Yankees' Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. Grace had homered for the Snakes, Shane Spencer for the Yankees.

(Three years later, pitching for Boston, he would prove he was still not intimidated by Yankee Stadium, saying, "I can't think of anything better than making 55,000 Yankee fans shut up.") 

Byung-Hyun Kim, a "submarine" style pitcher from Korea, tried to close the Yankees out. But Paul O'Neill singled, and, after Bernie Williams struck out, Tino Martinez came to the plate as the Yankees' final hope. Tino electrified the crowd by slamming a drive toward the right-center-field Bleachers. The home run tied the game, and sent it into extra innings.

On the video, a fan in the front row of the Bleachers tried to catch the ball, but it bounced off his hand. Now, imagine you are that fan: Are you excited that the Yankees have come back in this World Series game, or are you mad that you were unable to catch this historic homer (and probably hurt your hand in the process)?

As the clock struck midnight, for the 1st time ever, a Major League Baseball game was played in the month of November. It was the bottom of the 10th, and Derek Jeter stepped to the plate against Kim. A fan held up a sign saying, "Mr. November."

Michael Kay, broadcasting this game for the Yankees on radio station WABC, later asked, "How did he know to hold up that sign for Jeter?" The answer is easy: He didn't hold it up specifically for Jeter. Jeter was just the batter when the clock struck 12, making him the first batter for whom it could be held up.

At 12:03 came a typical Jeter hit, an inside-out swing to right-center, and it just... barely... got over the fence for a game-winning home run. Kay yells out, "See ya! See ya! See ya!" Yankees 4, Diamondbacks 3. The Series was tied. The old ballyard was shaking. The "Yankee Mystique" had struck again. It was hits like this that got Jeter the nickname "Captain Clutch."

The next night, the 1st game to officially be played in the month of November, a fan made up a sign that said, "BASEBALL HISTORY MADE HERE" on what looked like an ancient scroll. Another fan made up a sign that said, "MYSTIQUE AND AURA APPEARING NIGHTLY." (Two years later, in what became known as the Aaron Boone Game, that same fan made up one that said, "MYSTIQUE DON’T FAIL ME NOW." It didn't.)

In 2022, Major League Baseball ranked its Top 20 Games of all time -- and by "all time," they meant games for which they had a complete record, so they could broadcast it in full. In other words, from about 1975 onward. This game ranked 12th.

The Yankees needed to win just 1 game in Arizona. They didn't. 

October 31, 1986: The East Brunswick-Stevens Halloween Bowl

Flynn's game-ending sack

October 31, 1986, 40 years ago: For the 5th time in 3 seasons, East Brunswick High School and John P. Stevens High School play each other in football, at John E. McGowan Memorial Stadium, on Stevens' campus on the north side of Edison, Middlesex County, New Jersey.

J.P. Stevens (or just "Stevens" for shorter) opened in 1964, and first played EB in 1969, and had usually beaten them. The Hawks' wins over the Bears in 1977 and 1978 were not only key to them winning the Middlesex County Athletic Conference and Central Jersey Group IV Championships, but also made the difference in keeping E.B. out of the Central Jersey Group IV Playoffs. Another loss to Stevens kept EB out in 1981. EB were only 3-6 in 1982, but Stevens' team that year won it all, going 11-0, and is regarded as one of the best teams in Middlesex County football history.

In 1983, Stevens beat EB and made the Playoffs. In 1984, EB went to Stevens and beat them in the regular season, going on to win the MCAC title, finish the regular season undefeated, and reach and host the Central Jersey Group IV Final. But running back George Boothe, a key player, injured for the regular-season game, was healthy again, and he scored 3 touchdowns as Stevens beat EB, 27-26. A failed 2-point conversion became a "cursed team" moment for EB. It was our "Black Saturday."

In 1985, Stevens again went undefeated, beating EB by 1 point, 18-17, and then beating us again in the Central Jersey title game, 19-7. That game was moved to Stevens' crosstown rivals, Edison High, due to snow rendering their field unplayable, but Edison's was okay -- not that we could run or pass on it.

So going into the 1986 season, both teams had heavy losses due to graduation, but had enough talent to go for Conference and Sectional honors again. The regular-season matchup was set for Stevens, on October 31, Halloween Night. Stevens came in with a 22-game winning streak, not having lost since the '84 defeat by EB, and not just the Number 1 ranking in the County according to The Home News, but the Number 4 ranking in the State according to The Star-Ledger, the Newark-based Statewide newspaper. It was also their Homecoming, a crowd of over 5,000 came in.

EB were 3-2-1, having had both our Playoff chances and our GMC Red Division chances taken away the previous Saturday, in a 20-17 loss at Perth Amboy, where the officiating was, to put it politely, highly questionable. I was there, and I'm still questioning it, 40 years later. So we had a lot of frustrations and who better to take them out on than the team that had ruined our State Championship hopes 2 years in a row.

Both The Home News and radio station WCTC named it their Game of the Week. Bruce Johnson broadcast the game for WCTC; John Meggiolaro, Jimmy Allinder and Phil Hill did so for local cable station EBTV. But because of CTC's setup and Edison Township's own cable coverage, EBTV couldn't get space in the press box above the home stands. They had to set up over the visitor's side, at the south end's 30-yard-line, making for an awkward angle. It also exposed them to the weather, and it was unusually cold for Halloween. Then again, that made them feel like regular fans.

Stevens, coached by Tony Simonelli, wore their plain white helmets, with their home dark green jerseys and gold pants; while EB, coached by Marcus Borden, and like Simonelli he had taken his job for the 1983 season, wore their white helmets with a green center stripe, a script "Bears" on each side, and paw-print stickers for big plays, to go with all-white uniforms with green trim. Stevens kicked off at 7:00 PM sharp.

Neither team could score on its opening possession. On their 2nd, EB got a 34-yard field goal from left-footed kicker Josh Miller, who went on to become an NFL punter. On the Hawks' next possession, the Bears forced a fumble and recovered it in Stevens' territory, but could not capitalize, and I thought we would end up paying for that. Sure enough, Ray Patricco threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Sharp. But the extra point by Leon Theodorou, whose field goal won the regular-season game the season before, was wide right, and the 1st quarter ended 6-3 to Stevens.

Early in the 2nd quarter, Bryan Fortay, a sophomore but already one of the most heralded quarterbacks in the State, found a wide-open Bill Breunig in the west corner of the south end zone, capping a long drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass. Miller's extra point put EB up, 10-6. Stevens were driving as the clock ran out in the 1st half, but Ken Prus intercepted Patricco to end the threat and the half, with the score still 10-6.

In the middle of the 3rd quarter, Stevens had a 4th & 4 on EB's 33, and Patricco found Tony Mayers wide open. Had he caught the ball, he would have been unopposed for a touchdown, but he dropped the pass. But on their next possession, he didn't drop a pass, and took it 28 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. But when Stevens went for the two-point conversion, Mayers tripped in the end zone, leaving the score at Hawks 12, Bears 10.

Miller missed a 43-yard field goal attempt. A pass interference call wiped out an interception by Prus and gave Stevens a 1st down. But a strong defensive stand, led by linebacker Robb Schaffer, forced Stevens to punt. Breunig took Mayers' punt on his own 40, then handed it to Prus, who headed for the east sideline, and took off, untouched, and took it to the house. It was the kind of end-around play that Stevens, with the now-graduated George Boothe, had used so effectively against EB the preceding 2 years. Miller added the extra point, and the 3rd quarter ended Bears 17, Hawks 12.

In the 4th quarter, the Bears held the Hawks on one series, then another, holding them on 4th down by maybe 8 inches according to the officials' measurement, with 4:09 to go. A Fortay-to-Prus pass on 3rd & 10 gained a 1st down with 3:06 to go.

Stevens' defense held, but on Fortay's punt, Stevens went for the block, but, instead, were called for roughing the kicker, giving the Bears a new 1st down with 2:14 to go. It was the kind of penalty that usually happened against East Brunswick -- called correctly, or otherwise -- rather than in their favor.

With 1:03 to go, Fortay threw 31 yards to Prus for what could have been a touchdown, but the Bears were flagged for holding. Stevens got the ball back on their own 27 with 55 seconds to go, but a dropped pass, a completed pass for a 1st down, an incomplete pass to stop the clock, and a sack of Patricco by John Flynn, and the clock ran out: East Brunswick had won, 17-12, ending J.P. Stevens' winning streak; throwing E.B.'s fans, myself included, into ecstasy; and throwing both the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division and the Central Jersey Group IV power point totals into chaos.

On EBTV, Phil Hill said, "J.P. Stevens has been tricked, and East Brunswick has been treated." And so it was true. That was a great night. Along with winning the Middlesex County baseball title the preceding June, and the County basketball title (also beating Stevens) the following February, one of the greatest nights I had as an EBHS student. We knew our chances of making the Playoffs or getting even a share of the Division title were slim, so this win made our season.

The game is on YouTube. I recently watched it for the first time since it happened. It felt great. Maybe not as great as it did that night, but still great after four decades.

The following Friday night, we beat Cedar Ridge of Old Bridge, 28-0. That was our 8th game, and thus the last one for which any "power points" we gained would count. (It's complicated, and I won't explain it here.) The Friday night after that, we beat Sayreville, 33-14, to finish with a record of 6-2-1.

A weird thing: In my father's senior year at Barringer High School in Newark, in my mother's senior year at Belleville High School, and in my senior year at East Brunswick High School, the football teams at each school ended up winning 6, losing 2, and tying 1. And none made the State Playoffs. Of course, Dad and Mom didn't have the State Playoffs to make, as the NJSIAA didn't start them until 1974. Even more unfortunately, when my sister was a senior at EBHS, the team didn't do nearly as well, breaking the pattern.

Under most circumstances, 6-2-1 would have been considered a really good season. But losing our 1st-ever home night game, 22-0 to Madison Central, and then getting hosed by the officials away to Perth Amboy left us feeling a bit under-satisfied.

Then came Thanksgiving Day, where, without our even playing, a combination of results left us with a share of the Division title. It was a weird occurrence in a season of weird occurrences, but it gave us a championship.

Another oddity: It was Josh Miller, our kicker, who became the only player in the 1st 60 years of EBHS football to play in the NFL -- and as a punter. He was an All-Pro with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and won a Super Bowl XXXIX ring with the New England Patriots. He is now a successful radio show host.

Fortay wasn't so lucky. Although he led us to another Conference Championship in 1987, we got wrecked by Madison Central in the Playoffs, and they did it to us again the next year, both in the regular season and in the Playoffs. He did, however, also help our basketball team win the Middlesex County Championship in 1987, and reach the Tournament Final again in 1989.

He was still recruited to play at the University of Miami, already a program producing a string of good quarterbacks (and receivers, and linebackers, and defensive backs), by head coach Jimmy Johnson. But Johnson got an offer he couldn't refuse: The head coaching job of the Dallas Cowboys.

Miami brought in Dennis Erickson, who had coached Timm Rosenbach at Washington State. But he was committed to other quarterbacks Miami already had: First, the unrelated Dennis Erickson, who led them to the National Championship in 1989; then, Gino Torretta. who led them to the National Championship in 1991, and nearly another in 1992, when he won the Heisman Trophy. Based on those results, it can hardly be said that he made the wrong decision.

Fortay transferred to Rutgers, leading them to a 6-5 season in 1991 and 7-4 in 1992, including another Halloween thriller, tossing a touchdown pass on the last play of the game to give RU a 50-49 Homecoming win over Virginia Tech. But a 26-24 loss to the University of Cincinnati the next week ended RU's bowl hopes.

Fortay went undrafted. His only pro football experience would be in 1995: First, in the World League of American Football, an NFL-sponsored league that played in the Spring, with the Frankfurt Galaxy in Germany; then, in the Fall, with the Miami Hooters of the Arena Football League. He had just turned 24, but his football career was over. He joined his father's business, training racehorses; and then went to law school, and has practiced law for insurance companies. He turns 55 in 2 days, and appears to have done well for himself.

I'm reminded of something the late British TV show host Clive James once said: "Achievement without fame can be a very rewarding life, while fame without achievement is no life at all."

As it turned out, though, the most famous member of the EBHS football teams of 1985, '86 and '87 was a linebacker, who had come to America from Türkiye with his family. He was a good player by high school standards. He went to the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University School of Law, became a radio talk show host, and created politically-themed program The Young Turks. His name is Cenk Uygur.

I knew Miller and Fortay, and spoke with them many times. I did not know Uygur well, and the only times we did talk, it was about the team, never about politics.

October 31, 1926: The Death of Harry Houdini

October 31, 1926, 100 years ago: Harry Houdini could escape from anything. Except death, the one thing from which no person escapes.

Erik Weisz was born on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary, then part of the Austrian Empire. When he was 4 years old, his family took him to America, to Appleton, Wisconsin. To fit in with the largely German population, his name was re-spelled Erich Weiss, although pronounced the same way.

The family moved to New York, where little Erich became a trapeze artist and a competitive cross-country runner. In 1890, he read The Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, by the Frenchman regarded as the master of modern magic, Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin.

Incorrectly thinking that adding a letter I to the end of a French name meant "like," he wanted people to think he was "like Robert-Houdin." He also admired an American magician named Harry Kellar, and so he took the stage name "Harry Houdini."

By 1908, his own reputation solid, Harry had lost his respect for his forebear, believing him to have taken credit for others' innovations. Much like later magician James "The Amazing" Randi, he took to debunking famous people he considered frauds, especially in magic, and published The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin.

Although he mastered many magic tricks, he became best known as an escape artist. All over the world, over the 1st 2 decades of the 20th Century, he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon, he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets, being locked in trunks, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it.

In 1894, he married Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner, a Brooklyn-born daughter of German immigrants. She became known as Bess Houdini, and assisted him in his act. They never had children, and Bess' niece, Marie Blood, believed that Bess had a medical condition that prevented it.

On October 22, 1926, before a show at the Princess Theatre in Montreal, Houdini was in his dressing room, with some students at nearby McGill University. One, Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead, asked Houdini if it was true that punches in the stomach did not hurt him. He said they didn't. However, this was only true if he was properly braced for them. He had recently broken an ankle, and was sitting down, and getting up would have been painful. Whitehead began punching Houdini, and did so several times before Houdini told him to stop.

The show went on as scheduled, but Houdini was in pain throughout. For the next 2 days, the pain was bad enough that he couldn't sleep. Finally, in Detroit for a show at the Garrick Theater, he saw a doctor, who diagnosed him with appendicitis and a fever, and told him to have immediate surgery. (With a fever, this would have been a bad idea.) He went onstage that night, anyway, and his fever reached 104, and he passed out. He was taken to Grace Hospital, and died there from peritonitis on October 31, at the age of 52.

Did he already have appendicitis before the punches? It's been suggested that he didn't take the pain as seriously as he should have, since he thought it was from the punches. But after taking statements from the other McGill students, his insurance company concluded that the death was due to the dressing-room incident, and paid Bess a double indemnity.

And so, the Master of Magic was dead -- perhaps appropriately, on Halloween. Bess operated a tea house until her own death, in 1943. Whitehead was not charged with any crime in connection with Houdini's death, and lived in obscurity and poverty until 1954.

To this day, when asked to perform a seemingly impossible task, some people ask, "What do you think I am, a magician?" Some take it a step further, and ask, "What am I, Houdini?" And any seemingly miraculous escape is called "pulling a Houdini" or "a Houdini act."

In a 2015 episode of the YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History, "Epic" Lloyd Ahlquist played Houdini, while his wife Josie Ahlquist played Bess Houdini. His opponent, as played by "Nice" Peter Shukoff, was more recent magician David Copperfield.

October 31, 1926 was a Sunday. British entertainer Jimmy Savile was born. Meaning this day stunk in two ways: We lost the greatest magician of all time, and gained a cruel sex fiend.

World Series Legitimacy Tiers

World Series Legitimacy Tiers

Tier 4: Completely Illegitimate, because the winning team was exposed as a cheater

1997 Florida Marlins (Steroids: Gary Sheffield)

2001 Arizona Diamondbacks (Steroids: Luiz Gonzalez, Matt Williams)

2003 Florida Marlins (Steroids: Iván Rodríguez)

2004 Boston Red Sox (Steroids: David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez)

2007 Boston Red Sox (Steroids: David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez)

2013 Boston Red Sox (Steroids: David Ortiz)

2017 Houston Astros (Mechanics: Buzzers)

2018 Boston Red Sox (Mechanics: Apple Watches)

2022 Houston Astros (Mechanics: Buzzers)

Tier 3: Partly Legitimate, due to a shortened season (Less than 154 games)

1903 Boston Americans (Red Sox -- 138 games, seasons were 154 from 1904-61/62)

1918 Boston Red Sox (126 games, shortened at the end by World War I restrictions)

1919 Cincinnati Reds (140 games, shortened at the beginning by World War I restrictions)

1981 Los Angeles Dodgers 110 games, shortened in the middle by the Strike of '81)

1995 Atlanta Braves (144 games, shortened at the beginning by the Strike of '94)

2020 Los Angeles Dodgers (60 games, shortened by COVID restrictions)

Tier 2: Mostly Legitimate, but the opposing team had at least one significant injury

1904 Boston Americans (Red Sox)

1921 New York Giants (Yankees' Babe Ruth was injured in Game 2)

1925 Pittsburgh Pirates (Senators' Bucky Harris and Ossie Bluege both got hurt in the Series)

1941 New York Yankees (Dodgers' Freddie Fitzsimmons was injured in Game 3)

1942 St. Louis Cardinals (Yankees lost players due to the war effort)

1943 New York Yankees (Cardinals lost players due to the war effort)

1944 St. Louis Cardinals (Browns lost players due to the war effort)

1945 Detroit Tigers (Cubs lost players due to the war effort)

1946 St. Louis Cardinals (Red Sox' Dom DiMaggio was injured in Game 7)

1950 New York Yankees (Phillies lost Curt Simmons to Korean War)

1952 New York Yankees (Dodgers lost Don Newcombe to Korean War)

1953 New York Yankees (Dodgers lost Don Newcombe to Korean War)

1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (Yankees' Mickey Mantle was injured)

1964 St. Louis Cardinals (Yankees' Mel Stottlemyre was injured in Game 1)

1967 St. Louis Cardinals (Red Sox' Tony Conigliaro was injured)

1975 Cincinnati Reds (Red Sox' Jim Rice was injured)

1985 Kansas City Royals (Cardinals' Vince Coleman was injured)

1986 New York Mets (Red Sox' Bill Buckner was playing through injury)

1989 Oakland Athletics (Series disrupted by earthquake)

1996 New York Yankees (Braves' David Justice was injured)

Note: I'm counting 1904 in the "injury" category because the New York Giants basically forfeited. While no Giants were injured in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, it's much easier to imagine them bouncing back without it happening than with it.

World War II did not affect the Yankees or the Cardinals much in either 1942 or 1943, the Cardinals or the Browns much in 1944, or the Tigers or the Cubs much in 1945. But it did affect their respective regular-season opponents, and thus their paths into the World Series, significantly. The Yankees were missing Tommy Henrich in '42; and missing him, Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Keller and Phil Rizzuto in '43.

It should be noted that the Yankees lost Whitey Ford to the Korean War in the 1951 and '52 seasons, but not '53. So both '52 teams lost a key pitcher, so that makes the Yankees' '52 title more legitimate than those they won in '50 and '53. But the Giants lost Willie Mays for '52 and '53 as well, so, given that they won the Pennant with Mays in '51 and '54, that also casts the Dodgers' Pennants for those seasons in doubt.

Tier 1: Completely Legitimate, as far as we know

1905 New York Giants

1906 Chicago White Sox

1907 Chicago Cubs

1908 Chicago Cubs

1909 Pittsburgh Pirates

1910 Philadelphia Athletics

1911 Philadelphia Athletics

1912 Boston Red Sox

1913 Philadelphia Athletics

1914 Boston Braves

1915 Boston Red Sox

1916 Boston Red Sox

1917 Chicago White Sox

1920 Cleveland Indians (Guardians)

1922 New York Giants

1923 New York Yankees

1924 Washington Senators

1926 St. Louis Cardinals

1927 New York Yankees

1928 New York Yankees

1929 Philadelphia Athletics

1930 Philadelphia Athletics

1931 St. Louis Cardinals

1932 New York Yankees

1933 New York Giants

1934 St. Louis Cardinals

1935 Detroit Tigers

1936 New York Yankees

1937 New York Yankees

1938 New York Yankees

1939 New York Yankees

1940 Cincinnati Reds

1942 St. Louis Cardinals

1947 New York Yankees

1948 Cleveland Indians (Guardians)

1949 New York Yankees

1954 New York Giants

1956 New York Yankees

1957 Milwaukee Braves

1958 New York Yankees

1959 Los Angeles Dodgers

1960 Pittsburgh Pirates

1961 New York Yankees

1962 New York Yankees

1963 Los Angeles Dodgers

1965 Los Angeles Dodgers

1966 Baltimore Orioles

1968 Detroit Tigers

1969 New York Mets

1970 Baltimore Orioles

1971 Pittsburgh Pirates

1972 Oakland Athletics

1973 Oakland Athletics

1974 Oakland Athletics

1976 Cincinnati Reds

1977 New York Yankees

1978 New York Yankees

1979 Pittsburgh Pirates

1980 Philadelphia Phillies

1982 St. Louis Cardinals

1983 Baltimore Orioles

1984 Detroit Tigers

1987 Minnesota Twins

1988 Los Angeles Dodgers

1990 Cincinnati Reds

1991 Minnesota Twins

1992 Toronto Blue Jays

1993 Toronto Blue Jays

1998 New York Yankees

1999 New York Yankees

2000 New York Yankees

2002 Anaheim Angels

2005 Chicago White Sox

2006 St. Louis Cardinals

2008 Philadelphia Phillies

2009 New York Yankees

2010 San Francisco Giants

2011 St. Louis Cardinals

2012 San Francisco Giants

2014 San Francisco Giants

2015 Kansas City Royals

2016 Chicago Cubs

2019 Washington Nationals

2021 Atlanta Braves

2023 Texas Rangers

2024 Los Angeles Dodgers

2025 Los Angeles Dodgers

2026 Milwaukee Brewers

Therefore, counting Completely Legitimate as 1.00, Mostly Legitimate as 0.75, Partly Legitimate as 0.50, and Completely Illegitimate as 0.00,  then, by this measure: New York Yankees, 24.50; St. Louis Cardinals, 10.75; Los Angeles Dodgers, 7.00; Philadelphia Athletics, 5.00; Boston Red Sox, 4.75; Pittsburgh Pirates, 4.75; Cincinnati Reds, 4.75; New York Giants, 4.75; Detroit Tigers, 3.75; Oakland Athletics, 3.75; Baltimore Orioles, 3.75; Chicago White Sox, 3.00; San Francisco Giants, 3.00; Chicago Cubs, 3.00; Cleveland Indians, 2.00; Minnesota Twins, 2.00; Toronto Blue Jays, 2.00; Philadelphia Phillies, 2.00; Kansas City Royals, 1.75; New York Mets, 1.75; Atlanta Braves, 1.50; Boston Braves, 1.00; Washington Senators, 1.00, Los Angeles Angels, 1.00; Washington Nationals, 1.00; Texas Rangers, 1.00; Milwaukee Brewers, 1.00; Brooklyn Dodgers, 0.75; all other teams, 0.00.

If you count moved teams as combined totals: New York Yankees, 24.50; St. Louis Cardinals, 10.75; New York/San Francisco Giants, 7.75; Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, 7.75; Philadelphia/Oakland Athletics, 8.75; Boston Red Sox, 4.75; Pittsburgh Pirates, 4.75; Cincinnati Reds, 4.75; Detroit Tigers, 3.75; Baltimore Orioles, 3.75; Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins, 3.00; Chicago White Sox, 3.00; Chicago Cubs, 3.00; Cleveland Indians, 2.00; Toronto Blue Jays, 2.00; Philadelphia Phillies, 2.00; Kansas City Royals, 1.75; New York Mets, 1.75; Atlanta Braves, 1.50; Boston Braves, 1.00; Los Angeles Angels, 1.00; Washington Nationals, 1.00; Texas Rangers, 1.00; Milwaukee Brewers, 1.00; all other teams, 0.00.

Major League Sports Team Rankings, 1871-2026 (If You Don't Count Moves)

Note: This includes Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League. If a team currently in one of those leagues won a title in a previous league, that gets counted as a trip to the Finals, but not as a World Championship. It does not include the Women's National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, or the National Women's Soccer League.

It only counts teams in their current metropolitan areas. In other words, the Los Angeles Dodgers just won their 8th World Championship, not their 9th -- or, if you count 1890, 1899 and 1900, as you could if you counted teams in all their cities, their 12th.

Ties broken by titles won in another league (if any), then by most Finals appearances, then by Semifinals appearances, then by most recent World Championship.

The current titleholders are in bold.

1. New York Yankees, 27 World Series, all-time leader

2. Montreal Canadiens, 24 Stanley Cups, all-time leader

3. Boston Celtics, 18 NBA Championships, all-time leader

4. St. Louis Cardinals, 13 MLB Championships including 11 World Series, 23 Finals

5. Toronto Maple Leafs, 13 Stanley Cups, 21 Finals

6. Green Bay Packers, 13 NFL Championships, all-time leader, including 4 Super Bowls, 16 Finals

7. Los Angeles Lakers, 12 NBA Championships

8. Detroit Red Wings, 11 Stanley Cups

9. Boston Red Sox, 10 World Series

10. Chicago Bears, 9 NFL Championships including 1 Super Bowl

11. New York Giants, 8 NFL Championships including 4 Super Bowls, 20 Finals

12. Los Angeles Dodgers, 8 World Series, 14 Finals

13. Chicago Cubs, 7 MLB Championships including 3 World Series, 17 Finals

14. Pittsburgh Pirates, 7 MLB Championships including 5 World Series, 9 Finals

15. Boston Bruins, 6 Stanley Cups, 20 Finals

16. New England Patriots, 6 Super Bowls, joint all-time leader, 12 Finals

17. Chicago Blackhawks, 6 Stanley Cups, 12 Finals

18. Pittsburgh Steelers, 6 Super Bowls, joint all-time leader, 8 Finals

19. Chicago Bulls, 6 NBA Championships, 6 Finals

20. Cincinnati Reds, 5 World Series, 10 Finals, 13 Semifinals

21. Washington Commanders, 5 NFL Championships including 3 Super Bowls, 10 Finals, 12 Semifinals

22. Philadelphia Eagles, 5 NFL Championships including 2 Super Bowls, 9 Finals

23. Edmonton Oilers, 5 Stanley Cups, 9 Finals, 13 Semifinals

24. Golden State Warriors, 5 NBA Championships, 9 Finals, 12 Semifinals

25. Dallas Cowboys, 5 Super Bowls, 8 Finals

26. San Francisco 49ers, 5 Super Bowls, 7 Finals, 21 Semifinals

27. San Antonio Spurs, 5 NBA Championships, 7 Finals, 15 Semifinals

28. Pittsburgh Penguins, 5 Stanley Cups, 6 Finals, 10 Semifinals

29. Cleveland Browns, 4 NFL Championships, none of them Super Bowls, 12 Finals

30. New York Rangers, 4 Stanley Cups, 11 Finals

31. Detroit Tigers, 4 World Series, 7 Finals

32. Kansas City Chiefs, 4 Super Bowls, 6 Finals

33. New York Islanders, 4 Stanley Cups, 5 Finals, 7 Semifinals

34. Detroit Lions, 4 NFL Championships, none of them Super Bowls, 5 Finals, 7 Semifinals

35. Denver Broncos, 3 Super Bowls, 8 Finals

36. New York Knicks, 3 NBA Championships, 7 Finals, 16 Semifinals

37. Baltimore Orioles, 3 World Series, 6 Finals, 11 Semifinals

38. San Francisco Giants, 3 World Series, 6 Finals, 8 Semifinals

39. Miami Heat, 3 NBA Championships, 6 Finals, 8 Semifinals

40. Detroit Pistons, 3 NBA Championships, 5 Finals, 13 Semifinals

41. Chicago White Sox, 3 World Series, 5 Finals, 7 Semifinals

42. New Jersey Devils, 3 Stanley Cups, 5 Finals, 7 Semifinals

43. Tampa Bay Lightning, 3 Stanley Cups, 4 Finals

44. Colorado Avalanche, 3 Stanley Cups, 3 Finals

45. Philadelphia Flyers, 2 Stanley Cups, 8 Finals

46. Los Angeles Rams, 2 NFL Championships including 1 Super Bowl, 7 Finals, 15 Semifinals

47. Philadelphia Phillies, 2 World Series, 7 Finals, 12 Semifinals

48. Atlanta Braves, 2 World Series, 6 Finals, 13 Semifinals

49. Philadelphia 76ers, 2 NBA Championships, 6 Finals, 12 Semifinals

50. Cleveland Guardians, 2 World Series, 6 Finals, 10 Semifinals

51. Houston Astros, 2 World Series, 5 Finals, 11 Semifinals

52. New York Mets, 2 World Series, 5 Finals, 9 Semifinals

53. Miami Dolphins, 2 Super Bowls, 5 Finals, 7 Semifinals

54. Kansas City Royals, 2 World Series, 4 Finals, 8 Semifinals

55. Houston Rockets, 2 NBA Championships, 4 Finals, 8 Semifinals

56. Seattle Seahawks, 2 Super Bowls, 4 Finals, 5 Semifinals

57. Milwaukee Bucks, 2 NBA Championships, 3 Finals, 9 Semifinals

58. Toronto Blue Jays, 2 World Series, 3 Finals, 8 Semifinals

59. Carolina Hurricanes, 2 Stanley Cups, 3 Finals, 7 Semifinals

60. Minnesota Twins, 2 World Series, 3 Finals, 6 Semifinals

61. Los Angeles Kings, 2 Stanley Cups, 3 Finals, 5 Semifinals

62. Baltimore Ravens, 2 Super Bowls, 2 Finals, 5 Semifinals

63. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2 Super Bowls, 2 Finals, 4 Semifinals

64. Florida Panthers, 2 Stanley Cups, 3 Finals, 3 Semifinals

65. Miami Marlins, 2 World Series, 2 Finals, 2 Semifinals

66. St. Louis Blues, 1 Stanley Cup, 4 Finals, 8 Semifinals

67. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1 NBA Championship, 4 Finals, 5 Semifinals

68. Dallas Stars, 1 Stanley Cup, 3 Finals, 8 Semifinals

69. Portland Trail Blazers, 1 NBA Championship, 3 Finals, 7 Semifinals

70. Vegas Golden Knights, 1 Stanley Cup, 3 Finals, 5 Semifinals

71. Calgary Flames, 1 Stanley Cup, 3 Finals, 4 Semifinals

72. Washington Wizards, 1 NBA Championship, 3 Finals, 3 Semifinals

73. Texas Rangers, 1 World Series, 3 Finals, 3 Semifinals

74. Oklahoma City Thunder, 1 NBA Championship, 2 Finals, 6 Semifinals

75. Dallas Mavericks, 1 Super Bowl, 2 Finals, 5 Semifinals

76. Anaheim Ducks, 1 Stanley Cup, 2 Finals, 5 Semifinals

77. Indianapolis Colts, 1 Super Bowl, 2 Finals, 5 Semifinals

78. Milwaukee Brewers, 1 World Series, 2 Finals, 4 Semifinals, 9 Quarterfinals, 12 Playoff Berths

79. Arizona Diamondbacks, 1 World Series, 2 Finals, 3 Semifinals

80. Washington Capitals, 1 Stanley Cup, 2 Finals, 2 Semifinals

81. Denver Nuggets, 1 NBA Championship, 1 Final, 6 Semifinals

82. Los Angeles Angels, 1 World Series, 1 Final, 6 Semifinals

83. New York Jets, 1 Super Bowl, 1 Final, 6 Semifinals

84. New Orleans Saints, 1 Super Bowl, 1 Final, 3 Semifinals

85. Washington Nationals, 1 World Series, 1 Final, 1 Semifinal

86. Toronto Raptors, 1 NBA Championship, 1 Final, 1 Semifinal

87. Buffalo Bills, 6 Finals including 2 AFL Championships

88. Indiana Pacers, 5 Finals including 3 ABA Championships

89. Brooklyn Nets, 4 Finals including 2 ABA Championships

90. Minnesota Vikings, 4 Finals

91. Winnipeg Jets, 3 Finals including 3 WHA Championships

92. Phoenix Suns, 3 Finals, 10 Semifinals

93. Cincinnati Bengals, 3 Finals, 4 Semifinals

94. Tampa Bay Rays, 3 Finals, 3 Semifinals

95. Vancouver Canucks, 3 Finals, 3 Semifinals

96. Utah Jazz, 2 Finals, 6 Semifinals, 17 Quarterfinals

97. Buffalo Sabres, 2 Finals, 6 Semifinals, 15 Quarterfinals

98. Carolina Panthers, 2 Finals, 4 Semifinals, 7 Quarterfinals

99. Atlanta Falcons, 2 Finals, 4 Semifinals, 6 Quarterfinals

100. Orlando Magic, 2 Finals, 4 Semifinals, 5 Quarterfinals

101. San Diego Padres, 2 Finals, 3 Semifinals

102. San Jose Sharks, 1 Final, 4 Semifinals

103. Tennessee Titans, 1 Final, 3 Semifinals, 8 Quarterfinals

104. Ottawa Senators, 1 Final, 3 Semifinals, 7 Quarterfinals

105. Arizona Cardinals, 1 Final, 2 Semifinals

106. Nashville Predators, 1 Final, 1 Semifinal, 5 Quarterfinals

107. Colorado Rockies, 1 Final, 1 Semifinal, 4 Quarterfinals

108. Atlanta Hawks, 4 Semifinals, 20 Quarterfinals

109. Seattle Mariners, 4 Semifinals, 6 Quarterfinals

110. Jacksonville Jaguars, 3 Semifinals, 6 Quarterfinals

111. Minnesota Timberwolves, 3 Semifinals, 4 Quarterfinals

112. Los Angeles Clippers, 1 Semifinal, 6 Quarterfinals

113. Memphis Grizzlies, 1 Semifinal, 4 Quarterfinals, 14 Playoff berths

114. Sacramento Kings, 1 Semifinal, 4 Quarterfinals, 11 Playoff berths

115. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 Semifinal, 2 Quarterfinals

116. Houston Texans, 7 Quarterfinals

117. Charlotte Hornets, 3 Quarterfinals

118. New Orleans Pelicans, 2 Quarterfinals

119. Minnesota Wild, 1 Quarterfinal, 15 rounds of 16

120. Columbus Blue Jackets, 1 Quarterfinal, 6 rounds of 16

121. Seattle Kraken, 1 Quarterfinal, 1 round of 16

122. Las Vegas Raiders, 1 Playoff berth

123. Sacramento Athletics, no Playoff berths in 2 seasons

124. Utah Mammoth, no Playoff berths in 2 seasons

October 29, 1956: "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" Premieres

Huntley (left) and Brinkley, covering a political convention together

October 29, 1956: NBC debuts its new evening news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report. With the Suez Crisis beginning that day (I have a separate entry for that event), the Hungarian Revolution, and a Presidential election campaign entering its final stages, the timing was excellent.

NBC decided that Chet Huntley and David Brinkley had worked so well together at the recent Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and then at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, that they should work together on the evening news.

Except they didn't actually work together -- at least, not at the same desk, or even in the same city: Huntley, a 44-year-old former radio announcer from Montana, reported from the NBC studios at the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center in New York, also used by WNBC-Channel 4 (then WRCA); while Brinkley, a 36-year-old North Carolinian who was a veteran of United Press International and NBC's White House correspondent, reported from the NBC studios in Northwest Washington, also used by WRC-Channel 4.

The Report is remembered for its signoff: Huntley saying, "Good night, David." And then Brinkley saying, "Good night, Chet." Brinkley later said, "We both despised it. Two grown men saying good night to each other on the air struck me as rather dubious." It became a national joke, though both men were highly respected.

And so, while ABC was frequently changing anchors, including taking on the man that Huntley and Brinkley replaced, John Cameron Swayze, NBC had Huntley-Brinkley (usually referred to with just the 2 men's names, not the full title), while CBS had Douglas Edwards until 1962, and then Walter Cronkite until 1981.

For 14 years, they covered every major news story, including 4 Presidential elections, civil rights milestones, the Cold War including the Vietnam War, political assassinations, urban riots, and the space race from the 1st satellite to "Man on the Moon." They remained together until Huntley's health began to fail, and their last broadcast together was on July 31, 1970.

The following Monday, August 3, the current NBC Nightly News format began. John Chancellor anchored it until 1982, then Tom Brokaw until 2005, then Brian Williams until 2015, then Lester Holt until 2025, and Tom Llamas since then.

Huntley died in 1974, from smoking-related cancer, only 62 years old. Brinkley remained with NBC until 1981, signing with ABC and taking over their Sunday morning news program. Formerly Issues and Answers, it was renamed This Week with David Brinkley, keeping the This Week name after he retired in 1996. He died in 2003, at 82.

From 1978 to 1983, ABC World News Tonight took the Huntley-Brinkley format one man and one place further: Frank Reynolds would be the main anchor, from their studio in Washington; Max Robinson, thus becoming the 1st black evening news co-anchor long before Holt could become the 1st black evening news solo anchor, manned "the national desk" in Chicago; and Peter Jennings was at "the foreign desk" in London. This format ended in 1983, when, like Huntley, Reynolds died from the effects of smoking. Robinson was also in failing health, and Jennings soon became the sole anchor.