It also made Washington, D.C. the 5th city/metro area to complete the circuit: They've won titles in all 5 of North America's major league sports.
1. New York. Won the World Series in 1905, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1969, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009; NFL Championships in 1927, 1934, 1938, 1956, 1968-69 (the 1st in the Super Bowl era), 1986-87, 2007-08 and 2011-12; NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973; Stanley Cup in 1928, 1933, 1940, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1994, 1995, 2000 and 2003; and the championship of the old North American Soccer League, the Soccer Bowl, with the New York Cosmos in 1972, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1982.
New York has yet to win the MLS Cup, but it has won a major league soccer title -- if not the Major League Soccer title. It also won ABA Championships in 1974 and 1976.
2. Philadelphia. Won the World Series in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930, 1980 and 2009; NFL Championships in 1926, 1948, 1949, 1960 and, in the Super Bowl era, 2017-18; NBA Championships in 1947, 1956, 1967 and 1983; the Soccer Bowl with the Philadelphia Atoms in 1973, although they have yet to win an MLS Cup; and completed the circuit with the Flyers winning the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975.
3. Chicago. Won the World Series in 1906, 1907, 1908, 1917, 2005 and 2016; NFL Championships in 1921, 1925, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1963 and, in the Super Bowl era, 1985-86; the Stanley Cup in 1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013 and 2015; the Soccer Bowl with the Chicago Sting in 1981 and 1984, and the MLS Cup with the Chicago Fire in 1998; and the NBA Championship with the Bulls in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
The Fire's 1998 title makes Chicago the 1st city to do it with all 5 current leagues, something New York and Philly have yet to achieve.
4. Los Angeles. Won the World Series in 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988 and 2002 (Anaheim counts); the NFL Championship in 1951 and the Super Bowl in 1983-84; NBA Championships in 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010; Sthe occer Bowl in 1967 (Los Angeles Wolves) and 1974 (Los Angeles Aztecs), and the MLS Cup with L.A. Galaxy in 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014; and finished the job with the Stanley Cup, with the 2007 Anaheim Ducks, or with the 2012 Los Angeles Kings if you don't want to count Anaheim.
L.A. is also the only 1 of the 5 to have also won a WNBA title, with the 2001, 2002 and 2016 Los Angeles Sparks.
5. Washington. Won the World Series in 1924; NFL Championships in 1937, 1942, and, in the Super Bowl era, 1982-83, 1987-88 and 1991-92; the NBA Championship in 1978; the MLS Cup in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004; and, finally, the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018, on the 40th Anniversary of the NBA title the Wizards won as the Washington Bullets.
Houston has done it, sort-of. The Astros won the 2017 World Series, the Rockets won the 1994 and 1995 NBA Championships, and the Houston Dynamo won the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cups. But do you consider the 1960s American Football League and the 1970s World Hockey Association to have been "major league"? The Houston Texans haven't won a Super Bowl, but the Houston Oilers won the 1st 2 AFL Championships, in 1960 and 1961. The Houston Aeros won the 1974 and 1975 WHA Championships.
Theoretically, the Texans could make it 4 out of 5; but Houston has no NHL team. Don't get any ideas, Gary Bettman. The Houston Comets won the 1st 4 WNBA titles, in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, but have gone out of business.
Boston has won 4 of the 5. They never won a title in the NASL, and the New England Revolution are a shocking 0-5 in MLS Cup Finals.
Dallas has won 4 of the 5, although their soccer title was the 1971 NASL title won by the Dallas Tornado. FC Dallas lost the MLS Cup Final in 2010. The Texas Rangers came so close to finishing it off in 2011, but blew leads in the 9th and 10th innings of Game 6 of the World Series before losing Game 7 -- one-upping the 1986 Boston Red Sox.
The San Francisco Bay Area has won 4 of the 5, needing only the Stanley Cup, falling 2 games short with the 2016 San Jose Sharks. It's won the World Series in both Oakland (1972, 1973, 1974, 1988) and San Francisco (2010, 2012, 2014). It's won Super Bowls for both Oakland (1976-77, 1980-81) and San Francisco (1981-82, 1984-85, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1994-95). It's won NBA titles (1975, 2015, 2017, and they're 1 win away from winning it for 2018) and an ABA title (1969). And it's won MLS Cups with San Jose in 2001 and 2003.
Detroit has won 4 of the 5, needing only soccer. They never won an NASL title, and they don't have an MLS team.
Toronto has won 4 of the 5, if you count the CFL Championship, the Grey Cup. The one they're missing is the NBA. The Raptors will keep trying. No other Canadian city comes close to having done it. They won in the NASL (1976 Toronto Metros-Croatia) and MLS (2017 Toronto FC).
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Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 1, tomorrow afternoon, away to the Columbus Crew -- possibly for the last time, barring a Playoff matchup, as the Crew's new owners want to move them to Austin, Texas for the 2019 season.
Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 2, this coming Saturday, a "friendly" against France, in Lyon. In the last few days, they've beaten Bolivia 3-0 at the Philadelphia Union's stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania; then lost 2-1 to Ireland in Dublin, on a goal in the 90th minute. These 3 games should have been warmups for the World Cup. Alas...
Days until the next World Cup kicks off in Russia: 6, next Thursday. But the U.S. team won't be playing. At least now, Donald Trump doesn't have to choose, and can root for his favorite country, the host nation, Russia.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 8, a week from tomorrow night, against the Philadelphia Union, in the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup, at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. They just knocked Man City NYC out of the Open Cup with a 4-0 win at Red Bull Arena this past Wednesday, and will play them again on Sunday, July 8, at Yankee Stadium II. Unless it's forced to be moved to Citi Field, East Hartford, or, this would be funny, Red Bull Arena. Their next game against the New England Revolution will be on Saturday, July 21, at Red Bull Arena. Their 1st game against D.C. United, and their 1st game ever at the new Audi Field, will be on Wednesday night, July 25. Their next league game against the Union will be on Sunday, October 21, at Talen Energy Stadium.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 21, on Friday, June 29, at 7:05, at Yankee Stadium II. Just 3 weeks.
Days until The Arsenal play again: 48, on Thursday, July 26, against Atlético Madrid in the International Champions Cup, a glorified friendly, at the National Stadium in Singapore.
Days until the 2018 trading deadline, after which we won't have to fear Yankee general manager Brian Cashman trading any proven good players for "prospects": 53, on Tuesday, July 31. Under 8 weeks.
Days until Arsenal play a competitive game with a manager other than Arsène Wenger: 64, in the 2018-19 Premier League season opener, on Saturday, August 11. Time, opponent and location as yet unknown.
Days until the next North London Derby: Unknown, but not until next season. The only thing we know for sure is that you never see a derby on the opening weekend. So, more than 64 days.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 85, on Saturday, September 1, home to Texas State University. A little under 3 months.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown. The 2018 schedule hasn't been released yet. But the season opener is usually on the 1st Friday in September. that would be September 7, which is 91 days from now.
Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 120, on Saturday, October 6, against the Edmonton Oilers, at... Scandinavium, an arena in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. Yes, that will be a regular-season game, part of the NHL Global Series. The Mulberry Street Marauders will warm up for it on October 1, with an exhibition game in Switzerland against SC Bern; while the Oilers will visit Kölner Haie in Cologne, Germany on October 3.
Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: Unknown, as, except for the Global Series, the Winter Classic and the Stadium Series, the NHL has not released its 2018-19 regular-season schedule. So we don't know when they will next face the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders or the Philadelphia Flyers.
Days until the next Congressional election, when we can elect a Democratic Congress that can impeach and remove Donald Trump from the Presidency: 151, on November 6. A little under 5 months.
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 162, on Saturday, November 17, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 167, on Thursday, November 22. A little over 5 months.
Days until a Democratic Congress can convene, and the impeachment process can begin: 209, on Thursday, January 3, 2019. A little under 7 months.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 229, on January 23, 2019. A little over 7 months.
Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 364, on June 7, 2019, in France. Exactly 1 year, or exactly 12 months. The U.S. team, as 3-time and defending Champions, has, as usual, a better chance than the men's team would have had in 2018 anyway.
Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 386, on June 29, 2019. A little over a year, or a little over 12 months.
Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 558, on December 18, 2019. A little over a year and a half, or a little over 18 months.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 593, on January 22, 2020. Under 2 years, or a little over 19 months.
Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 777, on July 24, 2020. A little over 2 years, or under 26 months.
Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 879, on November 3, 2020. Under 2 1/2 years, or a little under 29 months.
Days until Liberation Day: 957, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 3 years, or a little over 31 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.
Days until the next Winter Olympics (after the current one in Pyeongchang, Korea) begins in Beijing, China: 1,337, on February 4, 2022. Under 4 years, or a little under 44 months.
Days until the next World Cup for which the American team will be eligible is scheduled to kick off: 1,627, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 4 1/2 years, or under 54 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.
To be honest with you, with their previous postseason misadventures throughout their history, I was kind of expecting them to choke.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad they finally pulled it off though, especially when Ovechkin may have been NHL's answer to A-Rod. Hopefully Ovie will avoid the same mistakes that would plague A-Rod from the point after he won his one championship ring.