The American Basketball Association was born in 1967, and was put out of its misery nine years later. But its impact on pro basketball, and on the entire landscape of sports in America, lives on today. The NBA didn’t adopt the ABA’s iconic red, white and blue ball, but the upstart league did create a new way to play the game. The ABA blew up the old rules on how to build franchises, opened up new territories for the sport, and in the past year, provided rich, comic material for the movie Semi-Tough. It even made two ABA team owners rich into perpetuity – simply by signing their names, sitting back and cashing hundreds of millions of dollars in checks for the next 32 years.
The ABA comes back to life, on Sports: Now and Then.
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WYPR Sports "Now and Then" May 2008
There was a time not all that long ago when horse racing was the sport that held the nation in thrall. Writers like Damon Runyon and Red Smith told colorful stories of great jockeys like Eddie Arcaro and Willie Shoemaker and of amazing horses like Citation, Whirl Away and Seabiscuit. Today, when the world flashes by you in a blink, not to mention the two minutes it takes for Big Brown to cross the finish line, horse racing fights to stay relevant. More than 100,000 people will cram into Pimlico for Preakness on May 17th, but what happens at the track on the day before and, more importantly the day after a Triple Crown race? Milton Kent will explore all that and more in this edition of our WYPR sports magazine, now under its new name, “Sports: Now and Then.”
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Maier interferes with Tarasco
WYPR Sports "It Might Have Been" April 2008
In the first game of the 1996 American League Championship Series, the Orioles were leading the New York Yankees in the late innings. Yanks rookie Derek Jeter hit a fly ball to center field, but before outfielder Tony Tarrasco could catch it, 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall and grabbed the flyball. Umpire Rich Garcia, who later claimed he had not clearly seen the play, ruled it a homerun, instead of obvious fan interference. The Yankees won the game, went on to win the series and the World Series, their first of four. The Orioles, meanwhile, won the division crown the next year, but have suffered 10 straight losing seasons. Did one blown call send the Orioles into their downward spiral? What if Jeter's flyball had been ruled an out? Would the Orioles have gone on to win the series and the World Series? Host Milton Kent explores these questions with actors Robert Wuhl, Josh Charles and baseball writer Buster Olney. Orioles Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. adds his own take on Jeffrey Maier. And Baltimore Sun sports columnist David Steele helps set the scene. It Might Have Been "Jeffrey Maier Curse" Segment A
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Super Bowl III program
"It Might Have Been, " February 2008 edition
“Some old wounds never heal. And for many older Baltimore sports fans, January 12th, 1969 is a date that still lives in infamy. On that date, the New York Jets of the upstart American Football League pulled off one of the biggest upsets of all-time, defeating the NFL’s Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III. That single game set into motion a set of events that led to the departure of Colts Head Coach Don Shula to Miami, the sale of the Colts by owner Carroll Rosenbloom to Bob Irsay, and eventually, the relocation of the franchise to Indianapolis 15 years later. On this month’s edition of “It Might Have Been,” host Milton Kent asks the question, “What Would Have Happened If the Colts Had Won Super Bowl III?” Joining Milton are ex-Colts linebacker Mike Curtis, who played in that fateful Super Bowl; Pro Football Hall Of Fame Coach Don Shula; former Baltimore Sun sports editor and columnist Bill Tanton, who reported on Super Bowl III; current Sun columnists Mike Preston and David Steele, as well as a commentary by local sportswriter Stan “The Fan” Charles.
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Bowl Championship Series logo
"It Might Have Been," January 2008 edition
OhioState and LSU met this month in New Orleans in something called the Bowl Championship Series Championship Game. But the Buckeyes went into the contest to determine a national champion with one loss, while LSU had two losses. With no major unbeaten teams left at the end of the season, the question remains: why doesn’t major college football have a playoff system to determine a championship on the field? What are the reasons why there hasn’t been a playoff system? In this month’s edition of “It Might Have Been,” Milton Kent of The Baltimore Sun talks with Drew Sharp of The Detroit Free Press and Keith Jarrett of The Asheville Citizen-Times about the Appalachian State unbelievable upset of No. 5 Michigan at the beginning of the season. Then, Milton speaks with Appalachian State Athletic Director Charlie Cobb, the defending three-time NCAA Division II champion, about the playoff system among smaller schools. Finally, Milton hosts a roundtable discussion about a playoff system with Mike Freeman of CBS Sportline, Heather Dinich of ESPN.com and Sun sports columnist David Steele. It Might Have Been-BCS Segment 1
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Mike Tyson Ali/Frazier Leonard/Hearns
“It Might Have Been,” October 2007 edition “What if Sugar Ray Leonard had lost his first fight with Thomas Hearns? What if Smokin’ Joe Frazier had won the ‘Thrilla In Manila’ with Muhammad Ali? Host Milton Kent debates the outcomes of each of these two epic bouts with a panel including Tom Loverro of TheWashington Times, Mark Kram, Jr. of ThePhiladelphia Daily News and syndicated sports writer Kevin Blackistone. Then, the panel discusses how Mike Tyson might have been remembered if he hadn’t lost to James “Buster” Douglas and begun a long, downward slide that destroyed his career and his hopes of being regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all-time. Once more, Baltimore Sun sports columnist David Steele contributes “The Point After,” recalling Baltimore’s proud boxing heritage, including the career of star-crossed former heavyweight contender Larry Middleton.
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1st Mariner Arena
“It Might Have Been,” September 2007 edition “What if Baltimore had a world-class arena to replace the antiquated First Mariner Arena? The old BaltimoreCivicCenter was considered state-of-the-art when it opened in 1962. It was the home of the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets during their heyday in the late 1960s and early 70s. But the Bullets moved to Landover, then Washington to better and more modern arenas. And the NHL refused to put an expansion team in CharmCity because of the arena. While other smaller cities are building new arenas, Baltimore is finally considering replacing First Mariner Arena, but is it too late to attract a major league basketball or hockey team? Host Milton Kent is joined first by Donald Fry of the Greater Baltimore Committee, who heads the effort to build a new arena. Then, Milton talks with Jenny Carlson, a sport columnist with TheDaily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City and Randy Kovitz of The Kansas City Star about how the experience of their cities in building new arenas. Sun columnist David Steele contributes “The Point After,” looking back on the glory days of the arena’s first tenant, the Baltimore Bullets and the almost forgotten star Gus Johnson.
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Ripken Hall of Fame Plaque
“It Might Have Been,” July 2007 edition
Who really belongs in baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown? Orioles shortstops and third baseman Cal Ripken, Jr. was inducted into the Hall with longtime San Diego Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn, Sr. But what should happen to some of the players who achieved records during the major league’s infamous “Steroid Era?” Should Mark McGuire be voted into the Hall? What about Sammy Sosa or Barry Bonds in the future? Host Milton Kent is joined by fellow Baltimore Sun sports columnist David Steele and freelance journalist Mark Stewart. “The Point After” is contributed by Andrew Monaco, a San Antonio the radio and television sports reporter, who discusses the compelling cases of the banned “Shoeless” Joe Jackson of the scandalous 1919 Chicago “Black” Sox and Negro League star Buck O’Neill.
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Len Bias on draft day
“It Might Have Been,” June 2007 edition
What if University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias hadn’t died 21 years ago? Considered perhaps the greatest college basketball player of his era, Terrapin All-American forward Len Bias died of a cocaine overdose the day after he was drafted as the second overall pick in the NBA college draft by the World Champion Baltimore Celtics, with super-stardom on the horizon. Host Milton Kent is joined by WYPR’s Senior News Analyst Fraser Smith, ESPN pro basketball writer Jerry Bembry and Baltimore Sun sports columnist David Steele for a wide-ranging discussion on the impact of Bias’ death of the University of Maryland, the NBA and the larger society. “The Point After” is contributed by Mark Stewart, a freelance journalist and former U-M classmate of the late basketball star.
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