Friday-Sunday, September 23-25, 2005

Nothing rocky about the Brockton Bomber...

Rocky Marciano who would remain undefeated throughout his boxing career won his biggest fight on the night of September 23, 1952, winning the heavyweight championship with a 13th round knock out of Jersey Joe Walcott...

With champion Walcott installed as a 3-1 favorite and despite being knocked down for the first time in his career in the first round by a left hook from the champ, Marciano traded bombs with Walcott for 12 rounds before ending it all with a 13th round knockout. Marciano's most important victory goes down as one of the greatest fights of all time, to this day. Legendary sports writer Red Smith, a fan of Walcott's who was disappointed by the result of the fight summed it up by saying "After 23 years as a professional fighter, the former champion went out in a total disgrace that no excuses can relieve." Most people had a different spin on the fight calling it Rocky Marciano's finest hour...

The fight in Philadelphia was attended by more than 40,000 fight fans who paid over $500,000 to see the crowning of a new champ. In addition the bout was neither on home TV nor on radio but it was televised into 50 theaters in 30 cities earning a profit of $125,000. It would become the first major pay-per-view fight in history...

If you're wondering what the new champ took home, Rocky Marciano earned $100,000 for his efforts. There would be a rematch of the same 2 fighters one year later with the same results but it didn't take the champ 13 rounds, just one. This time Marciano was the one defending his title...

More September 23 Memories...

1642) Harvard holds its first commencement...

1952) Vice Presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon gives his famous "Checkers" speech...

1952) Rocky Marciano wins the heavyweight crown (feature story)...

1956) Future Monkee Mickey Dolenz begins his career in NBC's "Circus Boy" series...

1961) NBC's "Saturday Night At The Movies" debuts with "How To Marry A Millionaire"...

1962) The New York Philharmonic Hall opens, the first unit in Lincoln Center. The hall will later be renamed Avery Fisher Hall...

1962) "The Jetsons" premieres on ABC-TV. It's the network's first program in color...

1962) Dodger Maury Wills breaks Ty Cobb's 47-year old stolen base record when he swipes #97 on his way to 104...

1964) "Fiddler On The Roof" starring Zero Mostel opens on Broadway...

1967) The Doors release "People Are Strange"...

1969) The London Daily Mirror reports that Paul McCartney is dead...

1969) "Marcus Welby MD" premieres on ABC-TV...

1972) Mott The Hoople releases "All The Young Dudes"...

1977) Cheryl Ladd replaces Farrah Fawcett on "Charlie's Angels"...

1988) Jose Canseco is baseball's 1st to steal 40 bases and hit 40 home runs...

1991) Islanders Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin are inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame...

Happy Birthday to...

1920) Mickey Rooney...

1938) Ben E. King...

1943) Julio Iglesias...

1949) Bruce Springsteen...

1959) Jason Alexander...

1967) Harry Connick, Jr...

Saturday, September 24, 2005...

The Mets clinch their first pennant...

Mark it down, September 24, 1969. That's the day the New York Mets clinched their first division title. They're guaranteed of taking the National League East by virtue of their 6-0 win over the Cardinals at Shea Stadium...

The late Bob Murphy gives us the call, "the crowd is chanting, we're number one!". Here's the rest of his call, "Gentry pitching, working hard here against Joe Torre. Now in the set position, here's the pitch, ground ball to shortstop, Harrelson to Weis, there's one, first base...double play. The Mets win ! It's all over! Ohhhh, the roar going up from this crowd ! An unbelievable scene on the field...fans are pouring out on the field."

The Mets surprised the baseball world by not only clinching and winning the National League East but by upsetting the great pitching staff of the Orioles in winning their first World Series. It was a great day for the Flushing faithful...

More September 24 Memories...

1957) The Brooklyn Dodgers play their last game before a small crowd at Ebbets Field. They win the game 2-0 over the Pirates...

1961) "The Bullwinkle Show" debuts in prime time on NBC-TV. The show was originally on ABC in the afternoon as "Rocky and His Friends"...

1961) "I Love Lucy" bows out after a 10-year run...

1964) "The Munsters" debuts...

1968) "60 Minutes" premieres on CBS-TV...

1968) "Mod Squad" debuts on ABC-TV...

1972) Joe Namath passes for 6 touch downs in the Jets 44-34 win over the Baltimore Colts...

1976) Patricia Hearst is sentenced to 7 years in prison for her role in a 1974 bank robbery. She serves 22 months before President Jimmy Carter sets her free on a clemency order...

1977) "The Love Boat" sets sail on ABC-TV...

1977) Styx sets sail with "Come Sail Away"...

1982) Prince releases "1999"...

1983) Billy Joel's tribute to the 4 Seasons, "Uptown Girl" debuts on the charts en route to the top 3...

1988) James Brown shoots it out with a Georgia state trooper, is arrested...

1994) Eric Clapton performs on the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live"...

1996) President Clinton and other major nuclear powers sign a treaty to end all testing and development of nuclear weapons...

Happy Birthday to...

1921) Jim McKay...

1924) Sheila MacRae...

1942) Gerry Marsden...

1952) Joseph Kennedy II...

1964) Rafael Palmeiro...

Sunday, September 25, 2005...

The "Say Hey Kid" steals September headlines...

On this date in 1965 Willie Mays, still a Giant at that point, would become at age 34 the oldest player to hit 50 home runs in a single season. He had also set the record for the youngest player to hit 50 home runs 10 years earlier at the age of 24...

After Willie Mays was signed by the Mets in the twilight of his career, he was honored by the team with his own night. On the night of September 25, 1973 a sold-out Shea Stadium paid tribute to future Hall of Famer Mays. Willie did not play in that game but the Mets won it for him by edging the Montreal Expos 2-1...

Just 3 days earlier (September 22) in 1969 Willie became the second player, behind Babe Ruth to hit 600 home runs...

More September 25 Memories...

1954) Elvis Presley appears live on the "Grand Old Opry" and performs "Blue Moon of Kentucky"...

1962) Sonny Liston KOs Floyd Patterson in the first round to win the heavyweight championship...

1965) The half hour Saturday morning cartoon "The Beatles" starts a 4-year run on ABC-TV...

1965) At the age of 34 Willie Mays becomes the oldest player to hit 50 home runs (feature story)...

1971) "Peace Train" is released by Cat Stevens...

1973) Willie Mays has a night at Shea Stadium (feature story)...

1975) Jackie Wilson collapses while performing "Lonely Teardrops" in Cherry Hill, NJ. 41 at the time, he had suffered a heart attack resulting in brain damage. He dies in 1984 after spending the rest of his life in hospitals, mostly in a coma...

1979) The Eagles release their "The Long Run" LP...

1980) Led Zeppelin drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham dies of alcohol consumption...

1997) NBC sportscaster Marv Albert pleads quilty to assault and battery of a lover. He is fired by NBC hours later...

1997) "ER" is performed live on TV...

2003) George Plimpton writes his final chapter at 76...

Happy Birthday to...

1918) Baseball Hall of Famer, Scooter Phil Rizzuto...

1931) Barbara Walters...

1944) Michael Douglas (who will never forget his wife's birthday)...

1947) Cheryl Tiegs...

1961) Heather Locklear...

1969) Catherine Zeta-Jones (who will never forget her husband's birthday)...