Yankees Stop Hitting, Only Get Split With White Sox

The Yankees' 7-game, 2-team roadtrip to Chicago was never going to be easy. Both the American League's White Sox and the National League's Cubs are much-improved, and the Yankee attack is missing Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Clay Bellinger through injury.

Max Fried had been fantastic in his 1st game back from the Injured List. But on Monday night, he was shaky, allowing 3 runs in the 1st 3 innings. For all intents and purposes, it became a bullpen game for the Yankees, as 7 relievers allowed 2 runs the rest of the way.

But 4-run innings in the 4th and the 8th, including the 1st career home run by backup catcher Ali Sánchez, gave the Yankees a 9-5 comeback win. Brent Headrick, the Yankees' pitcher at the time they took the lead, was named the winning pitcher.

On Tuesday night, the Yankees got 6 brilliant innings from Gerrit Cole, and a scoreless inning each from Angel Chivilli and Headrick. Three runs in the top of the 2nd, including unexpected RBI doubles by Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann, produced a 3-0.

The South Siders nearly came back, though, tagging David Bednar for 2 runs in the 9th, before he shut the door for a 3-2 Yankee win.

The Yankees would not be nearly so lucky over the next 2 games at Rate Field, formerly known as Guaranteed Rate Field, U.S. Cellular Field and the new Comiskey Park. 

Both would be lost in extra innings. I hate extra innings: I say, If you're going to lose, do it in the regulation 9 innings. Don't string us along. The ghost runner rule makes it worse.

On Wednesday night, the Yankees wastes a 4-run top of the 1st, including a home run by prospect Spencer Jones, and a strong 6 innings from Cam Schlittler. Fernando Cruz and Paul Blackburn blew the lead, each team scored a run in the 11th inning, and Ryan Yarbrough, who really shouldn't be in the major leagues, allowed the winning run in the 12th. White Sox 6, Yankees 5.

Then, yesterday, came the dreaded day game after a night game. It was a terrific pitching duel between Ryan Weathers for New York and Sean Burke for Chicago -- no relation to the former New Jersey Devils goalie of the same name. The regulation 9 ended scoreless. Each team scored a run in the 10th, and Cruz choked in the 11th. White Sox 2, Yankees 1.

In the last 22 innings of the series, the Yankees scored just 1 run. And, unlike the old Comiskey Park, this stadium favors hitters.

The Yankees move uptown, to start a 3-game weekend series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

July 30, 1966: England Win the World Cup

Captain Bobby Moore raises the Jules Rimet Trophy,

while his teammates raise him

July 30, 1966, 60 years ago: England win the World Cup, beating West Germany 4-2 after extra time, on home soil, at the original Wembley Stadium in London.

England had never done well in past World Cups, but were determined to show the world that the country that had invented the sport (though the Greeks and the Chinese had football-like games 500 years before the birth of Christ) just how it could play the sport, especially on home soil.

England were managed by Alf Ramsey, who had played right back for England at the 1950 World Cup, and on the Tottenham Hotspur team that won the Football League title in 1951; and was hired to manage England after leading Ipswich Town to the League title in 1962. These were the players he selected:

* Goalkeepers: Number 1, Gordon Banks, Leicester City; 12, Ron Springett, Sheffield Wednesday; 13, Peter Bonetti, Chelsea.

* Defenders: 2, George Cohen, Fulham; 3, Ray Wilson, Everton; 5, Jack Charlton, Leeds United; 6, Bobby Moore, West Ham United, England's Captain; 14, Jimmy Armfield, Blackpool; 15, Gerry Byrne, Liverpool; 18, Norman Hunter, Leeds United.

* Midfielders: 4, Norbert "Nobby" Stiles, Manchester United; 7, Alan Ball, Blackpool; 9, Bobby Charlton, Manchester United, younger brother of Jack; 16, Martin Peters, West Ham United; 17, Ron Flowers, Wolverhampton Wanderers; 20, Ian Callaghan, Liverpool; 22, George Eastham, Arsenal.

* Forwards: 8, Jimmy Greaves, Tottenham Hotspur; 10, Geoff Hurst, West Ham United; 11, John Connelly, Manchester United; 19, Terry Paine, Southampton; 21, Roger Hunt, Liverpool.

England played all of their games in Group 1 at the national stadium, the original version of Wembley Stadium in West London. They got off to a slow start with a 0-0 draw against Uruguay, then beat Mexico and France, in each case by a 2-0 score, to win the Group. Uruguay also advanced.

Old Wembley

Group 2 was won by West Germany, with Argentina advancing as well. Group 3 was won by Portugal, with Hungary following. Two-time defending Champions Brazil only finished 3rd in Group 3, because defenders from Portugal and Bulgaria relentlessly fouled Pelé, by this point recognized as the best player in the world. Brazil would be back in 1970, but, for 1966, they were out.

And Group 4 was won by the Soviet Union, with another Communist nation, North Korea, surprising everyone by also advancing. North Korea's 1-0 win over Italy at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, is the most embarrassing defeat in Italy's history. (The most infuriating one was also against Koreans, co-host South Korea, in the 2002 World Cup.)

In the Quarterfinals, West Germany beat Uruguay, 4-0 at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, Yorkshire, home of Sheffield Wednesday. The other games were considerably more dramatic. It took until Hurst's goal in the 78th minute for England to beat Argentina, 1-0 at Wembley. With memories of Soviet tanks crushing the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 still fresh, the Soviet team beat Hungary, 2-1 at Roker Park in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.

And at Goodison Park in Liverpool, home of Everton, North Korea took a 3-0 lead on Portugal, before Eusébio -- one of several players from Mozambique that Portugal fielded before that African colony gained its independence in 1975 -- scored 4 goals, 2 spectacular ones from open play and 2 penalties, to lead Portugal to a 5-3 win. With Pelé literally kicked out of the tournament, Eusébio was its dominant player.

Bobby Charlton scored 2 goals for England in the Semifinal against Portugal at Wembley. A late penalty, converted by Eusébio, briefly put the game in doubt, but England held on for the 2-1 win. The other Semifinal, at Goodison Park, had echoes of both World Wars, but the opposite result of each, as West Germany defeated the Soviet Union, 2-1.

As a crowd of 96,924 filed into Wembley, "The Great War" and "The War" were on Ramsey's mind as he addressed his players before the Final: "Fear not if they shall defeat us at our national game on our soil; for, twice in this century, we have defeated them at their national game, on their soil."

England wore red, and West Germany wore white. Kickoff, as was traditional in England, came at 3:00 PM on a Saturday. In America, NBC aired the Final on a 2-hour film delay, using the black-and-white feed from the BBC. This marked the 1st time that soccer had ever been shown in the United States as a stand-alone television event.

In the 12th minute, disaster struck for England: Siegfried Held of Borussia Dortmund sent a cross into the penalty area. Wilson attempted to head it away, but sent it in the wrong direction, to Helmut Haller, then playing his "club football" for Italian side Bologna. He put the ball past Banks, and it was 1-0 to "Ze Germans."

The lead didn't last long, as Hurst put a header past Hans Tilkowski of Dortmund. The score remained 1-1 until the 78th minute, when England won a corner. Ball took it, and it reached Hurst, whose shot was deflected by Tilkowski, to Hust's West Ham teammate Peters, who scored. It was 2-1 England.

England just had to hang on for another 12 to 15 minutes. They couldn't: Jack Charlton fouled Uwe Seeler of Hamburg, West Germamy's Captain and best scorer, in the 89th minute. The ensuing free kick caused a scramble, where Wolfgang Weber of Köln took it, and shot. It deflected off Karl-Heinz Schnellinger of Italian team AC Milan, and went in past Banks. Banks claimed that the ball hit Schnellinger's arm, which would make the play, however unintentional, handball. But replays showed that the ball hit him on the back. And so, it was 2-2, and there would be extra time.

In the 95th minute, Bobby Charlton hit the post, took the rebound, and shot wide. Then, in the 101st minute, came the most controversial shot in the history of soccer. Ball put in a cross, Hurst took it, and fired. The ball hit the underside of the crossbar, bounced down, and was cleared.

The referee was Gottlieb Dienst -- in spite of his German-sounding name, he was from Switzerland: Had he actually been from Germany, he would have been ineligible to officiate. He wasn't sure if the ball had gone in. He asked a linesman, Tofiq Bahramov, from Azerbaijan but then representing the Soviet Union: He said the ball crossed the goal line, and Dienst gave the goal. 3-2 England.

Ever since, the Germans have argued that the ball did not fully cross the goal line, and blamed "the Russian judge" for it. Since the coming of Video Assisted Refereeing (VAR), it has been argued more strenuously than ever that the Germans were cheated by a home-team call. And computer analysis has suggested that "only" 97 percent of the ball got over the line, roughly the percentage that cost Liverpool a goal in a game against Manchester City, and thus the Premier League title, in 2019.

Hunt immediately turned to celebrate the goal with Hurst. Hunt went to his grave insisting that, if he thought the ball hadn't gone in, he would have rushed forward to tap it in, which makes sense.

I've seen the play many times. The ball clearly hit the top of the net before it came back down. It was a legitimate goal. You don't believe me? Judge for yourself.

In the 120th and final minute of play -- not counting whatever stoppage time would be added on to the end of extra time -- West German manager Helmut Schön sent his defenders forward in one last desperate attempt. But Moore, got the ball, found an unmarked Hurst, and passed it to him.

Some fans ran onto the field, and got closer to Hurst than any German players did. He completed what remains the only hat trick, the only 3-goal performance, by a man in a World Cup Final, matched only by American Carli Lloyd in the 2015 Women's World Cup Final. And this 4th goal for England ensured that the disputed goal from earlier wouldn't matter.

Geoff Hurst

As Hunt approached his shot, BBC announcer Kenneth Wolstenholme made the most famous call in the history of sportscasting -- yes, more famous than "The Giants win the Pennant!":

And here comes Hurst! He's got... Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over! It is now! It's four!

Kenneth Wolstenholme

There was a minute of stoppage time, but the Germans could do nothing with it. England had won, 4-2. Captain Moore led the England players up the famous Wembley steps, and received the World Cup trophy from his head of state, Queen Elizabeth II.

England have been inconsistent in international tournaments since. They didn't reach another Final until Euro 2020 (delayed until 2021, due to COVID). Their best World Cup performances since have been runs to the Semifinal in 1990 and 2018.

And so, in the 1960s, England, in the midst of Beatlemania, Swinging London and early James Bond, had a moment that brought the whole country together. Old rivalries were put aside for the greatest patriotic moment since the end of The War.

Famously, Denis Law, Manchester United teammate of Bobby Charlton, Nobby Stiles and John Connelly, was such a Scottish patriot that, instead of watching the Final hosted and won by his arch-rival "country," he played golf.

America would have its great moment in 1969: We went to the Moon. England had theirs in 1966: They won the World Cup. Neither has been able to match it since.

The old Wembley Stadium is 1 of 4 stadiums to have hosted an Olympic Games, a World Cup Final and a UEFA European Cup/Champions League Final. The others are the Olympiastadions in Berlin and Munich, and the Stade de France outside Paris.

*

This was the 3rd year in a row that Moore, Hurst and Peters had won a Final at Wembley. Together, the 3 players had helped East London team West Ham United win the 1964 FA Cup and the 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup. Being together on the 1966 England team led Hammers fans to say, "West Ham won the World Cup."

A statue of Hurst, Peters, and Everton’s Wilson hoisting Moore on their shoulders as he lifts the trophy, labeled "Champions," was placed across from the Boleyn Ground, a.k.a. Upton Park, West Ham's stadium at the time. (When the old Wembley was torn down in 2000, and the new one opened on the site in 2007, a statue of Moore, England's only World Cup-winning Captain, was placed outside.

But this cup success did not lead to League honors. Moore played for West Ham from 1958 to 1974, and over that stretch, their best finish was 6th in his rookie year, 1958-59, and again in 1972-73. In their Cup win year of 1963-64, they were 14th; in 1966-67, 16th, barely avoiding relegation. As teammate Harry Redknapp, later a Cup-winning manager, put it, "We had Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, and we finished 17th every year. Which should tell you how crap the rest of us were."

Peters would later move to North London's Tottenham Hotspur, where he won the 1971 and 1973 League Cups and the 1972 UEFA Cup. Earlier, Greaves had played for Tottenham, a.k.a. "Spurs," winning the 1962 and 1967 FA Cups and the 1963 Cup Winners' Cup.

With Manchester United, Bobby Charlton won the 1957 League title; and, having added Stiles, and Scotland’s Denis Law, and Northern Ireland’s George Best, won the 1965 and 1967 League titles; the 1963 FA Cup; and the 1968 European Cup. Connelly won the League with Burnley in 1960 and Man United in 1965.

With Liverpool, Byrne, Callaghan and Hunt won the 1964 and 1966 Football League titles, and the 1965 FA Cup. Callaghan stayed long enough to also win the 1973, 1976 and 1977 League titles; the 1974 FA Cup; the 1973 and 1976 UEFA Cups; and the 197 and 1978 European Cups.

Flowers was the senior player. With Wolverhampton Wanderers, a.k.a. "Wolves," he won the 1954, 1959 and 1959 Football League titles, and the 1960 FA Cup. With Leicester City, Banks won the 1964 League Cup. With Stoke City, he and Eastham won the 1972 League Cup. With Chelsea, Bonetti won the 1965 League Cup, the 1970 FA Cup, and the 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup.

With Everton, Wilson won the 1966 FA Cup. They then purchased Ball from Blackpool, and he helped them win the 1970 League title, by which time Wilson had been sold. Oddly, he played for 3 teams in the season after they won the FA Cup: 1966 Everton, 1971 Arsenal, and 1976 Southampton – but never won it himself. He then went to the North American Soccer League, and won the league title in 1979.

With Leeds United, Jack Charlton and Norman Hunter won the 1968 League Cup, the 1968 and 1971 Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, the 1969 League title, and the 1972 FA Cup. Hunter was still there for the 1974 League title.

All of the England players lived to see the 25th Anniversary of the achievement. All lived to see the 30th and the 40th, except for Bonny Moore: He died of colon cancer on February 24, 1993. He was only 51.

Alan Ball, the youngest member of the team, died on April 25, 2007. He was only 61. His father had also died young, in a car crash at age 57. John Connelly died on October 25, 2012, apparently of heart failure. He was 74. Ron Springett died on September 12, 2015, also apparently of heart failure. He was 80. Gerry Byrne died on November 28, 2015, of complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 77.

In addition to Byrne's battle with Alzheimer's, 4 other members of that team had experienced dementia by the time of the 50th Anniversary in 2016. Wilson, Stiles and Peters had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's; and Jack Charlton says, "I haven't got a memory now. I forget things easily." He is no longer allowed to drive, or to go fishing alone. His brother Bobby, the most beloved of living English footballers at the time, would also be diagnosed with dementia.

Stiles also battled cancer, as did Banks and Greaves. Greaves, the Football League's all-time leading goalscorer, had strokes, which left him wheelchair-bound.

Their numbers do not include Jeff Astle, perhaps the English footballer best known for having had football-related dementia. He starred as a forward for West Midlands club West Bromwich Albion, and played for England in the 1970 World Cup. He died in 2002. Nor do they include Gerd Müller, the German star who did not make that World Cup, but would eliminate England from the 1970 edition and win it in 1974, and was diagnosed in 2015, and died in 2021.

Pat Wilson, Ray's wife, said, "There are people he played with at Huddersfield and Everton with Alzheimer's. They are all over. They have talked about heading the leather ball causing it." The balls of that era were heavier than they are today, and, being made of leather, got heavier still when wet.

The surviving players had a golf outing every year, for as long as they could. John Stiles, Nobby's son, said, "It's a real shame he can't go to the get-together anymore, because he loved going. He loved the camaraderie they had. That is what made them so special. But, unfortunately, like so many who played in that era and headed those heavy balls, my father has now got dementia. Many other players have some sort of degenerative brain disease."

When an event like winning a world championship happens, they say the participants and the spectators "will never forget." Sadly, we now know that this is not necessarily true.

In 2018, Jimmy Armfield died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma on January 22; and Ray Wilson died of Alzheimer's disease on May 15. In 2019, Gordon Banks died of cancer on February 12, and Martin Peters died of Alzheimer's disease on December 21.

In 2020, Peter Bonetti died on April 12, of what was only listed as "a long illness"; Norman Hunter died from COVID-19 on April 17; Jack Charlton died of lymphoma on July 10, also having dealt with dementia; and Nobby Stiles died on October 30, from the combined effects of cancer and dementia.

In 2021, Jimmy Greaves died of cancer on September 19; Roger Hunt died on September 27, of what was only listed as "a prolonged illness"; and Ron Flowers died on November 12, of an undisclosed cause. George Cohen died on December 23, 2022. Bobby Charlton died on October 21, 2023. George Eastham died on December 20, 2024.

So, as of July 30, 2026, the following 3 players are still alive: Geoff Hurst, now 84; Terry Paine, 87; and Ian Callaghan, 84 -- and only Hurst among those who played in the Final. All 3 were interviewed on the subject of the 60th Anniversary of their triumph, and appeared to be in good health.

July 29, 1996: The Kent-Baerga Trade

Jeff Kent

July 29, 1996, 30 years ago: The New York Mets trade 2nd baseman Jeff Kent and reserve infielder José Vizcaíno  to the Cleveland Indians for 2nd baseman Carlos Baerga and reserve infielder Alvaro Espinoza.

At the time, this looked like a great trade for the Amazin's: Baerga was considered, along with Roberto Alomar, 1 of the 2 best 2nd basemen in baseball; Kent, the most disappointing player at that position. Espinoza was a good backup shortstop who could also play 2nd base and 3rd base. And Vizcaíno was an old-style good-field-no-hit middle infielder. It seemed like a no-brainer.

It was, but not in the way the Mets or their fans expected: Baerga was a flop in Flushing, while Espinoza was near the end of the line.

Carlos Baerga

The Indians, as has tended to happen to the now-Guardians in their history, didn't benefit much from the trade, either: After the season, they traded Kent and Vizcaíno to the San Francisco Giants for Matt Williams. (Each team also included another player that didn't matter much.) Williams helped the Tribe win a Pennant, while Kent helped the Jints win one, reached the postseason 8 times in his career, won the NL Most Valuable Player in 2000, and finished with 377 home runs, 351 of them while playing 2nd base, still a record. (His personality wasn't much, but he could hit.) In 2026, Kent was elected to the Hall of Fame, and his plaque shows him wearing a Giants cap.

The Mets needed to win 1 of their last 5 games in 1998 to get the National League's Wild Card berth. They won exactly none. They lost the 1999 NL Championship Series to the hated Atlanta Braves. They beat Kent and the Giants in the 2000 NL Division Series, but lost the World Series to the even more hated Yankees. Kent could have made a big difference on those occasions.

Oh yeah, about that 2000 World Series: It was essentially decided in the 12th inning of Game 1, on a game-winning single for the Yankees by... Jose Vizcaíno.

Jose Vizcaíno, October 21, 2000

So this might be an even more damaging trade than Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi in 1971, because it may have made a difference at a time when the Mets were very good, keeping them from reaching true glory. Certainly, it was more damaging than the trade that brought Kent to the Mets, in 1992 for David Cone.

Yanks Do Well In Philly, But Injury Concerns Grow

The Yankees headed down the New Jersey Turnpike, for 3 games against fellow Playoff contenders the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

On Friday night, the Yankees only got 4 baserunners in 7 innings off Phils starter Jesús Luzardo, and nothing off 2 relievers: 3 hits and a walk. But one of them was a home run in the 4th, by Paul Goldschmidt. It was the 388th of his career. He is now 1 behind Johnny Bench, 2 behind Yankee legend Graig Nettles, 4 behind the still-active Manny Machado, 5 behind Jim Edmonds, 8 behind Joe Carter, 10 behind Dale Murphy, 11 behind Al Kaline and Andrés Galarraga, and 12 short of 400.

Fortunately, Cam Schlittler was better than Luzardo: He went 7 1/3rd shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, no walks, and striking out 12. Yankees 1, Phillies 0.

Ryan Weathers started on Saturday night, and went 5 2/3rds, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7. The bullpen allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk. The Phillies went with a bullpen game, and it might have worked if Weathers hadn't done even better. Austin Wells hit a home run in the 3rd, Cody Bellinger had an RBI single in the 6th, and Jasson Domínguez hit one out in the 7th.

Yankees 3, Phillies 1. The Bronx Bombers had now won 9 of their last 12. Unfortunately, Bellinger hurt his hamstring, and has been added to an Injured List that still includes Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Spencer Jones has been called back up.

The Sunday night game was awful. Will Warren allowed 6 runs in 3 innings, including 4 in the 3rd. And Ryan Yarbrough allowed 5 runs in the 6th. Despite Ben Rice hitting his 31st homer of the season, the Yankees lost, 11-4.

The Yankees took 2 out of 3, and are lucky MLB doesn't count series wins by aggregate score, or they would have lost, 12-8.

The Yankees are now 59-46, 3 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division. They now head to Chicago for an entire week: Tonight, Tuesday night, Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon at Rate Field against the White Sox; and Friday afternoon, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field in an Interleague series with the Cubs.

The trade deadline is next Monday, at 6:00 PM Eastern Time. An hour after that, the Yankees begin a homestand: 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals (Interleague), 3 against the Atlanta Braves (also Interleague), and 3 against the Seattle Mariners.

Judge and Stanton are accompanying the team to Chicago, but neither is expected to be reactivated during the roadtrip. Nor will Bellinger, who is on the 10-Day IL. Clarke Schmidt has been throwing live batting practice, and could return in early August. Carlos Rodón could soon start throwing BP as well, but will likely take longer.

July 27, 1996: The Olympic Park Bombing

July 27, 1996, 30 years ago: The Olympic Park in Atlanta is bombed during a concert to celebrate the Olympic Games. One person was killed, 111 injured. While the Olympics have had plenty of controversies, rarely have the troubles of the outside world intruded on the Games. The 1972 Summer Games in Munich were touched by terrorism. So were the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.

At first, the FBI investigated Richard Jewell, the security guard who found the backpack containing the 3 pipe bombs. He had also helped to evacuate the area, keeping the deaths and injuries lower than they could have been. But, based on "psychological profiling," the FBI decided that he could have been the bomber, much as some people, including firemen, start fires so they can report them and be heroes.

It took nearly 3 months to clear his name, and he never recovered emotionally. The stress took a toll on his health, and, combined with diabetes and heart disease, led to his death in 2007. He was only 44 years old.

Finally, the FBI determined that this was the work of a man who'd committed 3 other bombings, in protest of America's abortion and gay rights policies. Eric Rudolph, a member of the radical "Christian Identity" movement, was finally caught in 2003, and pled guilty.

As of July 27, 2026, Rudolph is 59 years old, and remains incarcerated at the ADX Florence Supermax prison in Colorado. He is serving 2 consecutive life terms, and will never get out of prison except in a coffin. He has since written a letter from prison saying he now prefers the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche to the Bible.

July 25, 2016: Cashman's Surrender

July 25, 2016, 10 years ago: With the Major League Baseball trading deadline 7 days away, Brian Cashman, the general manager of the New York Yankees, traded his main relief pitcher, Aroldis Chapman, to the Chicago Cubs for infielder Gleyber Torres, outfielders Rashad Crawford and Billy McKinney, and pitcher Adam Warren.

This was only the beginning. 

The re-acquisition of Warren, in particular, angered me, as a Yankee Fan. He had previously pitched for the Yankees from 2012 to 2015, very badly. Cashman seemed to have figured out that he was useless, and traded him away. Now, he had gotten him back.

At the time, the Yankees were 50-48, as bad at that point of the season as they had been in 24 years. They were 7 1/2 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Eastern Division, and 4 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the 5th and last Playoff slot in the AL. The 1978 comeback against the Boston Red Sox had shown me that no Division lead is ever safe, although a Wild Card berth seemed considerably more likely.

That day, after the trade was made public, I wrote:

Cashman may have blown the Yankees' chances at either the Division or the Wild Card with this stupid trade he made. He sent Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs, weakening the Yanks' one real strength.

Now, we go back to what we had last year? (Dellin) Betances to pitch the 8th inning, and (Andrew) Miller to pitch the 9th. But who will pitch the 7th? The starting pitcher? Not as long as (Joe) Girardi continues to let his damned binder manage for him! Who? (Chad) Green? He was fine yesterday, but is he a long-term solution? (Chasen) Shreve? Don't make me laugh. Nick Goody? No goody. Richard Bleier? Forget it. Anthony Swarzak? I don't trust him yet. Somebody from the minors?

Luis Severino has been brought back up. Do we put him in the bullpen? Or move (Nathan) Eovaldi or Ivan Nova back there? No, because both Nate and Ivan have pitched well lately. Maybe Severino becomes the 7th inning guy, and the presumptive heir to the closer role?

Face it: Whoever the Yankees got from the Cubs had better be damn good, good enough to help us get through the 7th inning with a lead, because, as long as Girardi is managing, that's going to be an enormous hole in our staff.

So who did the Yankees get?

* Adam Warren. Yes, that Adam Warren, who has already failed as a Yankee relief pitcher. Maybe he's gotten better? No: His ERA this season is 5.91, his ERA+ is 68, and his WHIP is 1.429. That's right, boys and girls: Adam Warren has gotten worse. I don't want him pitching the 7th inning for the Yankees, or any other inning. Let him screw things up for some other team!

* Gleyber Torres, a 19-year-old Venezuelan shortstop. currently in A-ball-plus.

* Rashad Crawford, a 22-year-old outfielder currently in A-ball-plus. He and Torres are both at least 3 years away from being ready for the majors.

* And Billy McKinney, an outfielder about to turn 22, who is currently at Double-A, and missed the last quarter of last season with an injury. The odds of him ever becoming a major league contributor are slim.

Essentially, the Yankees traded the best closer in baseball for a proven failure and 3 hunches.

Even of all 3 eventually pay off, they've essentially thrown away a shot at the Playoffs this season.

Don't tell me they didn't have a shot: They did.

Had the GM made this trade while George Steinbrenner was the team's operational owner, George would have called the Commissioner, and told him to cancel the trade. Then he would have fired Cashman on the spot, for surrendering.

But by 2007, George's cognitive decline meant that his sons Hank and Hal took over. They built the 2009 World Champions. Hank was like his father: He wanted to win, and wasn't afraid to spend big to do it. But Hal wasn't that way: He wanted to make money, and if the team also won, he was okay with it. George died in 2010, and, by that point Hank was already ill with liver trouble, enabling Hal to win a power struggle between them, and his philosophy has ruled the organization ever since. (Hank died in 2020.)

In addition, one of the Steinbrenner daughters, Jennifer Swindal, divorced her cheating husband Steve, forcing him out of not just his role as George's chosen successor, but out of the family business entirely. The other daughter, Jessica, brought her 2nd husband, Joe Molloy, into the organization, and he was the chief operating officer during George's 1990-92 suspension. But he left the organization in 1998, when he and Jessica divorced under far less lurid circumstances. Jennifer's son, Steve Swindal Jr., and Jessica's son, Bob Molloy, now work for the team. Jessica's 3rd husband, Felix Lopez, was involved with the team, but, like Steve Swindal Sr., his wife found out he was cheating on her, and he was excommunicated in 2016.

George admitted to being a chauvinist, so he didn't like Jennifer or Jessica be involved in running the Yankees. Hal has no such qualms, and now his sisters are involved, and, along with Hal's cronies Cashman, Lonn Trost and Randy Levine, make up Hal's inner circle.

Back to 2016: Cashman's trade-deadline-week capitulation got worse. On July 31, he traded Andrew Miller, the team's 2nd-best reliever after Chapman, to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Clint Frazier, and pitchers Justus Sheffield, J.P. Feyereisen and Ben Heller. Sheffield was 20, Frazier was about to turn 22, Feyereisen was 23, and Heller was about to turn 25. Sheffield and Feyereisen were in Class AA, Frazier and Heller in Class AAA.

On August 1, Cashman sent a good starting pitcher, Iván Nova, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for players to be named later. On August 30, the trade was completed when the Yankees got outfielder Tito Polo and Stephen Tarpley. Polo was about to turn 21, Tarpley was 23, and both were in Class A.

Finally, also on August 1, Cashman traded outfielder Carlos Beltrán to the Texas Rangers for pitchers Erik Swanson, Dillon Tate and Nick Green Swanson was about to turn 23, Tate was 22, Green was 21, and all 3 were in Class A.

So the Yankees traded a Hall-of-Fame slugger who still had something left, a decent starting pitcher, their superstar closer and an additional excellent reliever. Here's what they got for those players:

* Tito Polo was in the Yankee organization less than 1 full year, before being traded to the Chicago White Sox. He never played a game in the major leagues.

* The Yankees released Rashad Crawford after the 2019 season. He never played a game in the major leagues.

* The Yankees released Nick Green after the 2021 season. He never played a game in the major leagues.

* Erik Swanson never appeared for the Yankees. More on him in a moment.

* J.P. Feyereisen was traded in 2019, before ever reaching the Yankees, and debuted in 2020 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He's barely played, and although he was on the roster of the World Champion Dodgers last season, he was released early in the season, and didn't get a World Series share, let alone a ring. He's 33, he hasn't pitched this season, and appears to be done. He's not a has-been, he's a never-was.

* Dillon Tate never appeared for the Yankees, and was traded in 2018 to the Baltimore Orioles, for a package that included Zack Britton, a reliever who gave the Yankees 4 good seasons before injuries struck him down in 2022.

* Billy McKinney debuted with the Yankees in 2018, and played 2 games, and then was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays as part of a package for pitcher J.A. Happ, who gave them good seasons in 2018 and 2019 before injury wrecked him in 2020. In 2023, the Yankees brought McKinney back as a free agent. At the age of 28, he finally developed into a serviceable backup outfielder, but was released after the season.

* Stephen Tarpley was called up for 3 games late in 2018, and did all right. But he was awful in 2019, and was traded to the Miami Marlins for a player who never reached the majors.

* Justus Sheffield appeared in 3 games for the Yankees, all in 2018, and, along with Swanson, was traded to the Seattle Mariners for pitcher James Paxton, who gave the Yankees a good 2019 season before getting hurt in 2020 and being traded. Swanson made his MLB debut for the Mariners in 2019.

* Ben Heller debuted for the Yankees on August 25, 2016, but kept getting hurt, and was released right before Spring Training 2021.

* Aside from some minor power in 2019, Clint Frazier, whom I nicknamed "Can't Miss Clint" due to all the hype about him, didn't do much for the Yankees, and was released after the 2021 season.

* Adam Warren actually pitched reasonably well for the Yankees over the rest of 2016, 2017, and early in 2018, before being traded to the Mariners for "international bonus slot money." (Read: "Increased ability to sign a promising player from Japan," something both the Yankees due to their fame and the Mariners due to their Pacific Coast location have specialized in.)

* As a Yankee, Gleyber Torres showed flashes of brilliance, but also flashes incompetence and laziness. He made 2 All-Star Games, and helped the Yankees reach the postseason in 6 of his 7 seasons with them. In 2024, he helped the Yankees win a Pennant.

With enough plate appearances to amount to 6 full ones, he batted .265, had an OPS+ of 112, hit 138 home runs, 441 RBIs, and 53 stolen bases -- averaging 23 homers, 73 RBIs and 9 steals. He never won a Gold Glove. Not showing up in the stats: His poor attitude.

He turned 28 in December 2024, an age at which he should be at his physical and performative peak. But his contract ran out. Cashman finally accepted that Torres was never going to be "his Jeter," and made no effort to sign him to a new contract. He he signed with the Detroit Tigers, making the All-Star Game in 2025. Was he worth acquiring? Maybe. Was he worth what the Yankees gave up for him? No. Was he worth the hype? No. Are most Yankee fans sorry he's gone? No.

As for all the others, none ever did anything for the Yankees. None.

It is true that Chapman was just a "rental" for the Cubs. Cashman signed him back for 2017. But he ended up falling apart at the worst possible times, including giving up a Pennant-clinching home run to Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros in 2019. When Chapman is pitching, you don't need to cheat: The reason you know what pitch is coming is that Chapman only has a fastball.

Essentially, Cashman traded 3 months of Aroldis Chapman -- August, September and October 2016 -- for 5 good years of Gleyber Torres, 4 good years of Zack Britton, 2 good years of J.A. Happ, 1 good year of James Paxton, and 1 semi-decent year of Clint Frazier.

Those 3 months gave the Cubs something they didn't have for 71 years: A Pennant. And something they didn't have for 108 years: A World Series win.

Throw in the fact that Beltran helped the Astros win the 2017 World Series, and that the team that the Cubs beat in 2016 was the Indians with Miller, and it can be said that, with these trades, Cashman won three Pennants -- for three different teams, none of which was the team he actually works for.

Ironically, if, at the 2016 trading deadline, Cashman had traded Chapman, Miller, Nova and Beltrán for Paxton, Britton (47 saves that season), and especially Happ (20-4), it might have been a great trade. As has so often been the case -- Richie Sexson, Vernon Wells, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Donaldson, to name a few -- Cashman got good players too late.

Since Cashman broke up the team that won the 2009 World Series -- a team built to win one more title before George Steinbrenner died, using his methods, not Cashman's "analytics" -- the Yankees have not won a Pennant. Everything else has changed, including the field manager. The only thing that hasn't changed is the general manager.

As of July 25, 2026, Brian Cashman still has a job.

July 25, 1956: The Andrea Doria Sinks

July 25, 1956, 70 years ago: The Italian cruiseliner SS Andrea Doria sinks off the coast of Nantucket.

Andrea Doria (1466-1560) was an admiral who reformed the Republic of Genoa, and a figure in what became known as the Italian Renaissance. Today, however, he is mainly remembered as the namesake of this ill-fated ship.

The Italian Line, now known as the Italia Line, launched the SS Andrea Doria in 1951, and it became its country's greatest cruise ship, a symbol of the national pride that had to be rebuilt after World War II and the Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini. It rivaled Britain's RMS Queen Elizabeth, France's SS Île de France, and America's SS United States in transatlantic sea luxury.

On July 17, 1956, at 11:00 AM local time, Andrea Doria left Genoa, Italy's main western port and hometown of the ship's namesake, on its 51st western crossing of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Later that afternoon, it stopped at Cannes, on the French Riviera. Boarding there was Mike Stoller, who had written "Hound Dog" with Jerry Lieber. As recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, it was the top rhythm & blues song of 1953. Also boarding there were Richardson Dilworth, then the Mayor of Philadelphia; and actress Ruth Roman and her 3-year-old son Richard; and actress Betsy Drake, then married to actor Cary Grant.

The ship then sailed southeast, arriving in Naples, Italy the next day, and that's where the majority of her passengers boarded. On July 20, she stopped at the British colony of Gibraltar on the coast of Spain, picked up a few more passengers, and headed across the Atlantic.

At midday on July 25, the MS Stockholm, a passenger liner of the Swedish American Line, left New York, heading for Gothenburg, Sweden. She was about half the size of Andrea Doria, and faster. There was fog off the coast of Nantucket, an island to the south of Massachusetts. Using radar, the 2 ships were aware of each other that night.

But they each made a critical mistake, independent of each other. Andrea Doria turned left, so that the ships would pass each other on their right, or "starboard" sides. But Stockholm turned right, so that they would pass each other on their left, or "port" sides. In other words, each ship was steered into the other's path. At 11:10 PM, Eastern Time, on July 25, both traveling at over 40 miles per hour, they collided.

Andrea Doria's generator room flooded, knocking out electrical power. Within 30 minutes, the decision was made to abandon ship. But the lifeboats were inaccessible due to the ship's listing: Those on the port side were too high in the air, and those on the starboard side were too low.

The crew and passengers did catch one lucky break: The Île de France had left New York the same day, and was only 44 miles away when her crew received the distress signal. She arrived 3 hours after receiving the signal, and, in another lucky break, the fog lifted.

Also having left New York that day, and nearby, were a U.S. Navy transport, the USNS Private William H. Thomas, and a destroyer, the USS Edward H. Allen. The Cape Ann, a freighter owned by the United Fruit Company, was also nearby. Each of these ships participated in the rescue. Even Stockholm, which was determined not to be in danger of sinking, participated in the rescue operations, launching its own lifeboats.

In all, 1,663 passengers and crew were rescued from Andrea Doria, including Stoller, Dilworth, Mrs. Grant and the Romans. But 46 people died. At 10:00 AM on July 26, the ship fell fully beneath the waves.

When the Stollers got back to New York, they were greeted by Lieber, who told them that "Hound Dog" had become a Number 1 hit for Elvis Presley. Having been in Europe most of the year, and unaware of goings-on back home in that pre-satellite TV, pre-social media world, Stoller said, "Elvis who?" Thanks to Elvis releasing that one recording, neither Lieber nor Stoller ever had to work another day in their lives. They went on to write several more hits, some specifically for Elvis, including "Jailhouse Rock"; plus most of The Coasters' hits, and several of The Drifters' hits.

The Captain of the doomed Italian liner was Piero Calamai, who had been decorated by his country in both World Wars. He retired after the rescue. To make matters worse, the following year, his brother Marco, also an Admiral, was lost at sea. Piero Calamai died in 1972, having said, "Before, I used to love the sea. Now, I hate it."

Stockholm underwent repairs, and returned to service. She was renamed several times, and last sailed in 2019, before COVID began shutting everything down, with cruise ships then being a major carrier of it. Her current name is MV Astoria, and, believed to be the oldest cruise ship afloat (launched in 1948), she is currently being retrofitted as a ferry between the Portuguese cities of Lisbon and Funchal.

But COVID hit the cruise industry hard. Stockholm/Astoria never returned to sea, and was scrapped in 2025.

It's not clear how many survivors of the Andrea Doria are still alive, but a few gathered today for a commemoration of the 70th Anniversary.

Yankees Sink Pirates 2 Out of 3

The Yankees closed a homestand with an Interleague series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs' ace, Paul Skenes, had pitched on Sunday, so the Yankees avoided facing him.

Ryan Weathers started on Monday night, but allowed 5 runs, and didn't get out of the 5th inning. The bullpen pitched shutout ball the rest of the way, though, including Angel Chivilli: The Dominican righthander, who turns 24 next week, was picked up in a trade with the Colorado Rockies this past January. Wearing Number 57, he got his 1st win as a Yankee by finishing the 5th inning and pitching a hitless 6th.

Jazz Chisholm had 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. Austin Wells and José Caballero each had 2 hits, and Caballero added 2 RBIs. The Yankees won, 8-5.

The Tuesday game was postponed due to rain. That set up an odd doubleheader for the Yankees, as Gerrit Cole was set to pitch the opener, while Max Fried came off the Injured List to pitch the nightcap. I was concerned that Fried might have been put back in the rotation too soon, as Cole seemed to be.

Over the 1st 6 innings, Cole looked great, taking a perfect game into the 5th inning, while striking out 8 batters. Then he allowed a single and a home run. With 2 out in the 7th, he had allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and no walks, striking out 11. Then he gave up another home run, and was losing, 3-0.

Ben Rice tied the game in the 7th, with his 30th home run of the season. But, after saving the Monday night game, Fernando Cruz fell apart in the 10th inning this time, and the Pirates won, 5-3.

But Fried was brilliant. He was allowed to go only 5 innings, throwing 57 pitches. He allowed a leadoff single in the 1st, and a leadoff walk in the 2nd, and that was it: 1 hit and 1 walk. He struck out 7. The bullpen allowed 2 hits and 2 walks the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the Yankees scored 2 runs in the 7th inning, on a walk to Cody Bellinger, a double by Jasson Domínguez, and a single by Anthony Volpe. Yankees 2, Pirates 0. Paul Blackburn pitched the 7th and the 8th, and was awarded the win. So the Yankees took 2 out of 3, and were 1 run away from a sweep.

*

With 60 games left in the regular season, the Yankees are 2 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division. Their 15-game winning streak snapped -- but leaving us wondering what their new method of cheating is -- the Boston Red Sox are 7 back. The Baltimore Orioles trail by 10, and the Toronto Blue Jays by 13 1/2.

The Yankees begin a roadtrip tomorrow night, with 3 Interleague games with the Philadelphia Phillies, followed by a week in Chicago: 4 against the White Sox, and 3 Interleague games against the Cubs.

July 22, 2006: The Emirates Stadium Opens

July 22, 2006, 20 years ago: The Emirates Stadium, the new home of North London's Arsenal Football Club, opens, just 500 yards from their former home since 1913, Arsenal Stadium, nicknamed Highbury for its neighborhood.

Arsenal had played at Highbury since 1913, but after the Taylor Report demanded that all British soccer teams convert to all-seater stadiums, its seating capacity was reduced to about 38,000. In order to compete for top players with the more successful teams in Europe, Arsenal needed a bigger stadium with better amenities to meet revenue needs.

The first event at the 60,704-seat bowl is a testimonial match for retiring forward Dennis Bergkamp.

The current Arsenal players are joined by several former club stars in a game against the club with whom the man Arsenal fans called "God" began, AFC Ajax of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The 1st half was each team's current players, although several on each side were unavailable due insufficient rest from the recently-concluded World Cup. Arsenal would have Bergkamp (the guest of honor usually plays in the testimonial, presuming he can), but no one else of note, as Thierry Henry was being held back for the "Legends" team in the 2nd half. In contrast, Ajax were able to field Maartin Stekelenburg, Jaap Stam, Wesley Sneijder, Jan Vertonghen, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, and a man who would later captain Arsenal, Thomas Vermaelen. In the 37th minute, Huntelaar scored the stadium's 1st goal.

Bob Wilson, the goalkeeper for Arsenal's 1971 Double-winning team, introduced the Legends teams. Ajax's players included Frank Rijkaard (who had just managed FC Barcelona to defeat Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League Final), Marco van Basten, Edgar Davids, Danny Blind, twins Frank and Ronald de Boer, Edwin van der Sar, and Ajax' greatest legend, Johan Cruijff, 59 years old and 22 years past his last competitve match, who managed and appeared as a substitute.

Arsenal's legends included Henry, David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Patrick Vieira, Steve Bould, Ian Wright, Emmanuel Petit, and 3 men who had played for both teams: Bergkamp, Marc Overmars and Nwankwo Kanu. Also appearing for Arsenal, though he had played for them for just 2 seasons, was Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who had captained the Netherlands at the World Cup, but had starred for Ajax's arch-rivals, Rotterdam side Feyenoord, and had played against Arsenal in the recent CL Final. No hard feelings on either side.

In the 55th minute, Henry put a shot past van der Sar, then the star goalie of Manchester United. Ronald de Boer missed a penalty in the 61st. Kanu gave Arsenal the lead in the 80th. Every Arsenal player seemed to be trying to Bergkamp the ball to let him score, but it just didn't happen. It did still end 2-1 in Arsenal's favor. Afterward, Bergkamp said a few words to the crowd, and was picked up on his teammates' shoulders, and given a lap of honor.

The 1st competitive match at the stadium didn't go so well: On August 19, 2006, Arsenal opened their Premier League season at home, against Birmingham team Aston Villa. Olof Mellberg, a Villa defender, scored the 1st official goal at the stadium in the 53rd minute. Gilberto Silva scored the 1st Arsenal goal in the 84th, and the match ended 1-1.

Arsenal were in a transition period, and not just from the old stadium to the new one. Paying off the stadium debt meant selling off some stars, including Vieira the season before, and Henry the season after; and some players who were not yet stars.

Manager Arsène Wenger had won 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups, including 2 Doubles in 1998 and 2002. But now, he had broken his great team up and rebuilt around youth: Whereas the centerpiece of his trophy-winning side had been French-Senegalese defensive midfielder Vieira, it would now be Spanish-Catalan attacking midfielder Cesc Fàbregas.

But it never seemed to be enough. There was a 2nd-place finish in 2008, trips to the Semifinals of both the CL and the FA Cup in 2009, and defeats in the League Cup Final in 2007 and 2011. But he couldn't finish the job. Over the next few years, for reasons of both finances and players' egos, Wenger would also have to sell Fàbregas, Ashley Cole, Freddie Ljungberg, Jens Lehmann, Aliksandr Hleb, Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie. Wenger still managed to win the FA Cup in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and keep the team in the top 4 places in the PL, thus keeping them in the CL.

Some of these players were more easily forgiven for leaving than others, but many fans blamed Wenger, rather than team management who had to pay off the stadium's debt, for a period of "decline" that would have been considered a spectacular success by most teams' standards. Many people, including Arsenal fans, blamed the new stadium itself, claiming it lacked sufficient "atmosphere." Fans of arch-rival Tottenham Hotspur, as they had with the previous stadium, called it "The Library," since it sort-of rhymed with "Highbury." Begging the question: How would a Tottenham fan know what the inside of a library sounds like?

On a personal level, knowing that the United Arab Emirates are a dictatorship, treating women, immigrants, and people of religions other than Islam badly, but ignoring such things if they happen to be wealthy tourists for their resort cities such as Dubai, I would prefer that both the stadium's name and the team's shirts would no longer have Emirates Airways as a sponsor.

In 2018, Wenger was given the 1960 Casey Stengel treatment, and he "resigned." Then came a true decline, but it was stopped before it could become disastrous. Mikel Arteta, one of the Cup-winning players Wenger had signed, became the manager, and won the 2020 FA Cup, before restoring Arsenal's PL position. In 2026, he won the PL title.

Statues of Wenger, Bergkamp, Henry, former Captain Tony Adams, 1930s manager Herbert Chapman, and Ken Friar, who started working for Arsenal as a 12-year-old messenger boy and, in 2022, is the 87-year-old president emeritus of the club, now stand outside the stadium.

The Emirates Stadium has hosted international matches, including 9 by the Brazil national team through the 2025-26 season. It has also hosted concerts, including by Bruce Springsteen in 2008, Coldplay in 2012, Green Day in 2013, and The Killers in 2022. In 2008, considered "a shining example of Anglo-French co-operation," it hosted a summit meeting between Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Great Britain and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France.

Fans of other big clubs, or would-be big clubs, wanted their own showplace stadium now. Manchester City had already gotten one in 2003. In 2016, West Ham United moved from Upton Park in the East End to the 2012 Olympic Stadium, renamed the London Stadium, not tucked so deep into East London, and, like Arsenal, their fans complained about a loss of atmosphere.

In 2019, Tottenham, a.k.a. "Spurs," having left their old White Hart Lane stadium, and spent 2 years playing home games at Wembley Stadium while the new stadium was built on the site of the old one, moved into Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which, to one-up Arsenal, had a slightly higher capacity of 62,850. Of course, Arsenal fans called The Lane "The Shithole," and noticed that the new stadium, from the outside, actually looked like a toilet bowl. Clearly, Spurs management didn't think the design through. Nevertheless, it has begun regularly hosting regular-season NFL games, as had the old Wembley, the new Wembley, and rugby venue Twickenham Stadium.

In Liverpool, Everton FC replaced Goodison Park with Hill Dickinson Stadium in 2025, while neighboring Liverpool FC have instead chosen to modernize and expand Anfield. Also in 2025, Manchester United approved a 100,000-seat "New Trafford," a.k.a. "Wembley of the North," adjacent to Old Trafford, hoping to open it by 2030. Contractual issues still stall West London team Chelsea FC's plans to either expand or replace Stamford Bridge, mostly rebuilt in the 1990s and 2000s but with one stand still in use since 1973.

Kevin Keegan, 1951-2026

That's Life was the title of a satirical consumer affairs "programme" on British TV network BBC1 from 1973 to 1994. "That's Life" was also the title of a song written by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon, best known in its 1966 version by Frank Sinatra.

This might surprise some of you, who know I'm a Yankee Fan, and might expect it to be "Theme from New York, New York," but my favorite Frank Sinatra song is "That's Life":

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king.
I've been up and down and over and out, and I know one thing
Each time I find myself flat on my face
I pick myself up and get back in the race!

Sinatra knew. So did Kevin Keegan, a man who was called "King."

Joseph Kevin Keegan was born on February 14, 1951 in Armthorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It's about 4 miles east of central Doncaster, 28 miles northeast of Sheffield, 87 miles east of Anfield in Liverpool where he would one day ply his trade, 125 miles south of St. James' Park in Newcastle where he would later ply it, and 175 miles north of Central London.

But it might as well have been on the other side of the world from one of the world's great capitals. The reason he was born in Armthorpe was because his aunt lived there, and her house had something his parents' house didn't have: Electricity, thus making it safer for childbirth. In the last full year of the reign of King George VI, nearly 6 years after V-E Day, and with television coming into homes in the developed nations of the world, electricity was still an issue in some parts of Great Britain.

His father's parents emigrated from Ireland to Newcastle, in the North-East of England. This made the Keegans "Geordies." Theories as to where the name comes from varies, the most popular being that the local miners used "Geordie safety lamps," designed by George Stephenson. "Geordie" is also the name of the dialect, which sounds a bit like Scottish. Charles Culpepper, an American sportswriter who wrote a book about English soccer, Bloody Confused!, said that Newcastle is "where England starts to think about turning into Scotland." (But don't tell any Englishman, even a Geordie, that. And absolutely don't tell a Scotsman that!)

At the age of 15, Keegan had impressed a player for Scunthorpe United, in Lincolnshire. He played for them at a senior level from 1968 to 1971, when Liverpool FC bought him. Manager Bill Shankly paired him up with Welsh forward John Toshack, and it was a brilliant choice: Together, they helped Liverpool win the Football League First Division and Europe's secondary tournament, the UEFA Cup (now known as the UEFA Europa League), in 1973; and the FA Cup in 1974, with Keegan scoring 2 goals in the Final.

This put Liverpool in the annual season-opening exhibition game, the FA Charity Shield (now known as the Community Shield), which annually pits the winners of the previous season's League title and FA Cup against each other at Wembley Stadium in London. Liverpool defeated title holders Leeds United, but not before a brawl broke out, which resulted in both Keegan and Leeds Captain Billy Bremner were sent off, both of them taking their shirts off as they left the pitch. Both were fined and suspended.

Having already planned to do so before that display of poor sportsmanship, Shankly then retired, and handed the team over to his top assistant, Bob Paisley. With Keegan and Toshack leading the line, the Mersey Reds won  the League and the UEFA Cup again in 1976; and the League again, and Liverpool's 1st of 6 European Cups (the tournament now known as the UEFA Champions League) in 1977. But a loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup Final denied them what would have been England's 1st-ever "European Treble." (United would win that in 1999, and Manchester City have since won it in 2023.)

Like a lot of sports stars, Keegan thought he should be paid more. English teams weren't willing to go high enough. German team Hamburger SV paid £500,000 for him, a new transfer record for both countries. He got his hair restyled in a "poodle perm" that set a trend among English footballers.

In 1978, and again in 1979, France Football magazine awarded Keegan the Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) as World Footballer of the Year. In 1979, he led Hamburg to the championship of the German league, the Bundesliga. That same year, with his celebrity higher than ever, he recorded "Head Over Heels In Love." As songs sung by athletes go, it's not bad. It reached Number 31 on the British chart, and Number 10 on the German one. The Bundesliga title qualified Hamburg for the 1979-80 European Cup, and they got all the way to the Final, but lost it to an English side, defending Champions Nottingham Forest. Hamburg fans, noting that he was just 5-foot-8 but very talented, nicknamed him "Mighty Mouse," after the cartoon character.

(Liverpool didn't miss him much: They bought Kenny Dalglish from Glasgow team Celtic FC, gave him Keegan's former Number 7 shirt, and had the greatest era in their history -- "King Kev" replaced by "King Kenny." Liverpool's Number 7 has subsequently been worn by such stars as Peter Beardsley, Vladimír Šmicer, Harry Kewell, Luis Suárez and James Milner.)

But he fell into dispute with Hamburg's manager, a Croatian named Branko Zebec. Rumors abounded that he would be sold, including one that would have brought him to America with the Washington Diplomats, which would have made him a teammate of Dutch superstar Johan Cruijff.

Instead, he was sold back to England, to Southampton FC in Hampshire on the South Coast. There, he was a teammate of team star Mick Channon, former Everton star Alan Ball, and former Arsenal star Charlie George, who had famously, if temporarily, traded in his long locks for a poodle perm. In 2 seasons with Keegan, the "Saints" finished 6th and 7th.

He played 63 matches for England, scoring 21 goals, but England failed to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, or for Euro 76. He played in Euro 80, and captained England at the 1982 World Cup.

The 1982 World Cup edition remains my "favourite" England "kit."

In 1982, he joined the team his family had loved, Newcastle United FC. They had fallen into the Second Division in 1978, but in just 2 seasons, Keegan guided them to promotion back to the First. He said that it felt like coming home, despite the distance between Doncaster and Newcastle, and said no one had ever made him feel more welcome. He had lost a step, and decided to retire after the promotion, before he could go into a noticeable decline.

After appearing as an analyst for ITV soccer broadcasts, he went into management, taking over at Newcastle in 1992. They had gotten relegated again in 1989, but he got them promoted to the newly-created Premiere League in his 1st season. The club had not finished 1st in the 1st division, under any name, since 1927. But on February 10, 1996, with forward Alan Shearer leading them, they were in 1st place, having lost only 3 League games all season. They were 9 points ahead of Manchester United, and had a game in hand.

Then came an 8-game stretch where they won 2, drew 1 and lost 5. They bounced back, winning 3 straight. Man U now led them by 3 points, although Newcastle still had a game in hand: 2 games remaining, to Man U's 1.

On April 29, after beating Leeds, Keegan was interviewed on Sky Sports, and went on an epic rant about Man U's manager, the master of mind games, Alex Ferguson. Ferguson stoked tensions when he cast doubt on the commitment of the likes of Leeds and Nottingham Forest to try as hard against Newcastle as they did against his Manchester United team, suggesting that Forest, who were due to play the Magpies for Stuart Pearce's testimonial, might even "let Newcastle win." Keegan was incensed, and said:

When you do that with footballers, like he said about Leeds, and when you do things like that about a man like Stuart Pearce, I've kept really quiet, but I'll tell you something, he went down in my estimation when he said that.

We have not resorted to that, but I'll tell you, you can tell him now if you're watching it, we're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and -- and -- I'll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them, love it!

Pretty much everybody who didn't love Man United loved hearing him say it. But pretty much everybody, regardless of how they felt about Man United, thought that King Kev had fallen victim to Fergie's mind games -- that he had, as they say in England, "lost the plot." On May 2, Newcastle could only manage a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, handing the League title to the idle Man United. They won the title by 4 points, and went on to win "The Double" by winning the FA Cup Final on May 11, beating Liverpool, 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in West London.

Once again, the words of the Sinatra song come to mind: "That's life, that's what all the people say. You're riding high in April, shot down in May."

Keegan was still one of the most popular figures in NUFC history, but the club fired him after 1 more season. He went to West London team Fulham, and got them promoted to the Premier League in 1999. He was then named manager of England, but couldn't get out of the Group Stage in Euro 2000.

Afterward, England played Germany in the last event at the old Wembley, before it was demolished so a new stadium could be built on the site. Germany won, 1-0. Afterward, the media cornered him in the bathroom of the dressing room, and he resigned. And so, Wembley's history as the home of English football ended with "Keegan quits in the toilet." (In England, "the toilet" is the entire rest room, not just the bowl.) Although Keegan has had a few managing jobs since, he has never again managed any national side.

He got Manchester City promoted to the Premier League in 2002, but left in 2005. In 2008, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, famously despised by the team's fans, quickly hired as manager, clashed with, and fired the 2 most popular figures in the club's recent history: Keegan and Shearer. The "Magpies" were relegated, and no one blamed either Keegan or Shearer. Number 7 and Number 9 remained beloved in "The Toon" (Geordiespeak for "The Town"). Everyone blamed Ashley.

Fans of opposing teams serenaded both Keegan and Shearer with "Stayed on the telly, you should have stayed on the telly." Both went back to punditry, Shearer on the BBC, and Keegan on ITV.

As the song goes, "But I'm gonna change that tune, when I get right back up, right back up in June."

Keegan remained there until earlier this year, when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He died yesterday, July 20, 2026, at the age of 75, leaving behind his wife of nearly 52 years, Jean Woodhouse, and their 2 daughters.

That's life, that's life and I can't deny it.

Many times I've thought about quittin', baby, but my heart ain't gonna buy it.

But if there's nothing shaking come this here July

I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball and die.

My, my.

Liverpool FC said his "indomitable spirit" would be "forever etched in our history. His later club called him "the beating heart of Newcastle United." The President of the Football Association, William, Prince of Wales, called him "a truly remarkable footballer and manager." And Alan Shearer called him "My hero. My manager. My friend. Sleep easy Boss."

King Kev wasn't the only player to have the nickname "King." Indeed, it's also been given to Pelé, Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish, French stars Eric Cantona and Thierry Henry, Liberia's George Weah, and Japanese star Kazuyoshi Miura. But, in England, Kevin Keegan was the most popular of all of these.

As Mel Brooks once said, "It's good to be the King."