Willie Mays was Mother’s Day gift to New York
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Willie Mays was Mother’s Day gift to New York

ByJoe Guzzardi

On Mother’s Day in 1972, Willie Mays returned to New York. The Giants’ hero from the 1950s was now a member of the Mets, and smacked his 647th career home run in the fifth inning of his first game back. Mets owner and president Joan Payson, mother of five, and San Francisco Giants’ chief executive…

Opening Day 1969: ‘The Kid’ returns
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Opening Day 1969: ‘The Kid’ returns

ByJoe Guzzardi

During the spring of 1969, spirits were high in the nation’s capital. The cherry trees along the Potomac River were in bloom. Cautious optimism prevailed that newly inaugurated President Richard Nixon would fulfill his campaign promise to end the Southeast Asian war. But more than anything for DC’s sports’ fans, legendary Green Bay Packers coach…

Remembering when the Irish ruled the ring
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Remembering when the Irish ruled the ring

ByJoe Guzzardi

The date: Sept. 7, 1892. The place: New Orleans. The event: the World Heavy Weight title battle, featuring challenger John J. Corbett taking on champ John L. Sullivan. No Super Bowl has so captivated the nation’s attention and aroused its passion more than the bout between Gentleman Jim and Sullivan, who most referred to as…

Satchel Paige: The pitcher meets the dictator
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Satchel Paige: The pitcher meets the dictator

ByJoe Guzzardi

In 1937, Dominican Republic President Rafael Trujillo, a one-time cattle rustler, forger, blackmailer, and then-dictator, decided that, in the name of national unity and to demonstrate his absolute power, he would create Hispaniola’s best baseball team. Trujillo, who preferred polo and sailing to baseball, turned over the Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo’s daily operations to Dr….