The Old Guard vs. the New Breed II

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Previously on "The Old Guard vs. The New Breed":

I’ve always wanted a system to rate a professional sports team’s season that gave credit to three things: winning games, winning pennants and winning championships. It would be a way of acknowledging regular season accomplishments, (which to me are more revealing of a team’s overall capability), and giving credit for earning pennants, (remember them?), while still acknowledging the importance of how the season ends. Here is my latest thinking on the subject:

1) List all the teams in the league by regular season winning percentage and give each team a point for every team they beat out. In a 30-team league, the best winning percentage would give that team 29 points. If there’s a tie, they’d each get 28 points, and so on down the list.
2) If they won a pennant, give a team a point for every team in their league, conference or division that they beat out. If you win a 6-team division, you get 5 points if you win a 5-team division, you get 4 points. If there’s a tie, go with the results of a playoff game or of a tie-breaker system or, if there is none, give both teams at the top of a 6-team division 4 points, since that’s how many teams they beat out.
3) Give the post season champion a point total equivalent to the number of teams in the league. The runner-up gets half that. The semi-final losers get half of what the runner-up got. The quarterfinals losers get half of what the semi-finals losers got. If there was a round before that, the losers there get half of what the quarterfinal losers get. Fractions are lowered to the next number. If that becomes zero, the team gets zero. When there isn’t a unified championship, (the NFL/AFL 1960-65, NBA/ABA 1968-76, NHL/WHA 1973-79), this test will be applied separately to each league, (although #1 will still be computed using all the teams in both leagues).


I decided to experiment with this concept by looking at what two New York City area, (including new Jersey, Brooklyn, Long island, etc.), sports fans might have experienced over the years. We’ll call them the father and the son, (I later added two more generations). The father grew up with the Yankees in baseball, the Giants in football, the Knicks in basketball and the Rangers in hockey. The son wanted his own teams to root for and decided to root for the Mets, the Jets, the Nets and the Islanders in those sports, (I decided to add the Devils to this group when they moved in: it gives Junior an extra team but in the 60’s he had from 1-3 teams instead of 4 so it balances out). Who would have ‘won’ each year? The father will dominate early: The Jets began as the Titans in the AFL in 1960. They became the Jets in 1963. The Mets opened for business in 1962 and got the business from the rest of the National League. The Nets were founded as the New Jersey Americans of the ABA in 1967 and became the New York Nets the next year, returning to New Jersey in 1977, then the Brooklyn Nets in 2012. The Islanders were created in 1972. The Devils moved in from Colorado in 1982. So the son had a lot of catching up to do but he had hope. Did he catch up? If so, when? How many times has each won the year? Who wins the most ‘rings’, (championships)?

The early Mets fans were called “The New Breed”, so that’s what I Call Junior’s teams. Pop’
S teams are “The Old Guard”. I’ll post the results one year at a time at the rate of one day at a time. I hope people will have some fun following. Just a bit of summer fun and a trip down memory lane before the leaves fall.

1960: The Old Guard, (OG): 46 The New Breed (NB): 9 Historical Total: OG 46 points and 1 victory NB 9 points.

The Knicks were a dismal 27-48 (.360) and last in the East but the Minneapolis Lakers were even worse at 25-50 in their last year in that town before moving to LA. The Cincinnati Royals were even worse at 19-56, (which allowed them to get Oscar Robertson). So the Knicks get 2 points for beating out those teams. The playoff format at that time featured the #2 and 3 teams in each division playing in the semi-finals with the winner taking on the pennant winner in the conference finals so the last place Knicks were out but the Lakers made the playoffs in the West. The Rangers finished last in a single division 6 team NHL with a 17-38-15 record, (49 NHL points). They didn’t beat anyone out and got no points.

The Yankees had the best record in baseball, 97-57 (.630) in the last pre-expansion year so they get 15 points for that. They won an 8-team league and get 7 points for that. The Pirates beat them in the World Series and got 16 points for doing so. The Yankees get half that total for 8 more points. That’s a total of 30 points. The Giants had an off year at 6-4-2 (.600), fourth best in a 13-team league, (the Dallas Cowboys started pre-maturely and finished 0-11-1; the Minnesota Vikings smartly waited until 1961), so they get 9 points for that. They also had a better record than 5 AFL teams to push it to 14. I’ll use the 1959-60 season for basketball and hockey since their championships were determined in 1960.
Daddy is smiling with a total of 41 points.

The New York Titans had no hope of matching that. If they’d had the best AFL record and won the championship they’d have finished with 18 points. Instead, they finished 7-7 (.500). there were three teams in an 8 team AFL that had winning records so the Titans got 4 points for beating out the other four teams. Five NFL teams had losing records so the Titans- and Junior wound up with 9 points. Sorry, kid!

1961 OG: 76 NB: 9 History: OG: 122 points, 2 victories and 1 ring NB: 18 points

. The Knicks again finished 4th and last in the NBA East with a 21-58 (.266) record, which was worst in the league. They beat out no one and missed the playoffs and got nothing. The New York Rangers improved slightly to 22-38-10 (54 NHL points) and 5th place in a 6-team league but still missed the playoffs. They got 1 point for the second worst record, beating out Boston Bruins in the standings.The Yankees had an all-conquering year with the best record in baseball and a World Series victory. They are also now in a 10-team league, although the National league wouldn’t expand until the following year. They thus get 17 points for the best winning percentage (109-53, .673), 9 points for winning the pennant in a 10-team league and 18 points for winning the World Series, a total of 45 points. The Giants win the NFL East with a 10-3-1, (.769) record, second only to western champion Green Bay Packers, who blitz them 37-0 in the championship game. There were now 14 NFL teams, so the Packers get 14 points and the Giants 7 foo being the runner-up. They also got 12 points for having a better record than 12 teams and another 5 points for having a better record than 5 AFL teams The Giants had won a 7-team division, so they got 6 points for that. That’s a total of 30 points So Dad proudly counts 76 points.

The Titans went 7-7 again but were third in the East, beating out the 6-8 Buffalo Bills. But the San Diego Chargers were the only team with a winning record in the West, so the Titans had a better record than 4 AFL teams and 5 NFL teams got 9 points again. But cheer up Junior: another team to root for is on the way: the 1962 Mets!

1962 OG: 82 NB: 6 Historical: OG: 204 points, 3 victories and 2 rings NB: 24 points
The Knicks were still in last place but improved to 29-51, which was better than the expansion Chicago Stags, 16-62, (who became the Baltimore Bullets two years later and are now the Washington Wizards). That gave them 1 point. The Rangers continued their improvement to 26-32-12, (64 NHL points) and finished ahead of both the Red Wings and the Bruins, putting them in the playoffs where they lost to the eventual champion Maple Leafs in 6 games. That gives them ¼ of the 6 points the Leafs got for winning the Stanley Cup, (in what was still a 6-team league), rounded down to 1 point plus two for the two teams they beat out, a total of 3.

Those Yankees keep winning World Series. They didn’t have the best record in baseball this year, (96-66). Both the Giants and the Dodgers who tied for the NL lead, (101-61), were better, as were the Reds (98-64). There were 20 teams in the major leagues now, so the Yankees beat out 16 of them and won a 10-team league. Then they beat the Giants in the World Series when Bobby Richardson caught Willie McCovey’s line drive. That gave the Yanks 45 big fat points. The New York football Giants went a strong 12-2 but lost the NFL title game. 7-16 to the 13-1 Packers. There were 7 team divisions, so the Gints scored 25 points plus 8 more for having a better record than any AFL team for a total of 33. Daddy winds up with 82 points, thanks to the always reliable Yankees and Giants.

The Titans, in their last year under than name and in those awful uniforms, fell into last place in the AFL East with a 5-9 record but still beat out the injury-plagued Chargers (4-10) and the horrible Raiders, (1-13) from the western division for 2 points and were also better than four NFL teams for a total of 6 points. The Mets, of course, were the worst team in 20th century baseball at 40-120 and gave junior nothing. Growing up is hard.

1963 OG: 70 NB: 6 Historical: OG: 274 points, 4 victories and 2 rings NB: 30 points

Daddy’s old reliables came through again, although both were defeated for the championship. The Yankees had the best record in baseball at 104-57 and won a 10-team league but ran into a wall against the famous pitching staff of the Los Angeles Dodgers and got swept in the World Series. Still, they earned Daddy 38 big points. The Giants went 11-3 to win the NFL East, which was the 14-team league’s third best record behind the Bears (11-1-2) and the Packers (11-2-1) and they won a 7-team division but lost to the Bears in the title game, 10-14. But that’s another 24 points. They were also better than 7 AFL teams for a total of 31 points. The ball rolled back down the hill for the last place Knicks, who had the worst record in the NBA at 21-59. The Rangers were 22-36-12, (56 NHL points), which was better than the Boston Bruins but nobody else for 1 point, giving Daddy 70 points.

Junior’s Jets were last in the AFL East at 5-8-1, which better than the West’s last place team, the Denver Broncos, (2-11-1) and 5 NFL teams for 6 points. Nobody was worse than the New York Mets, who followed up their 40-120 record of 1962 with a 51-111 record in 1963, (Hey! That’s 10 games better).

1964 OG: 40 NB: 6 Historical: OG: 314 points, 5 victories and 2 rings NB: 36 points

Well, at least the ever-reliable Yankees came through, winning Pop another pennant, their 29th in 42 years with a 99-63 record, on game better than the White Sox and two better than the Orioles. After that terrific pennant race, (remember them?), there was a terrific World Series against the NL champion, (and they had a great race, too), St. Louis Cardinals, 93-69, who won in 7 games. That gives the Yankees 38 points again. The football Giants decided to rebuild by trading all their best players with disastrous results: a 2-10-2 record, the worst in the NFL better only than the AFL Broncos (2-11-1): 1 point. The Knicks were still in last, with the worst record in the NBA: 22-58. The Rangers, (22-38-10, 54 NHL points) again beat out the Bruins but nobody else: 1 point. But 40 points was enough to close out the kid for another year.

The Jets were not off the tarmac yet: a 5-8-1 record, better than the Oilers and Broncos and four NFL teams, including the Giants: 6 points. The Mets had the worst record in baseball for the third straight year: 53-109, still another improvement, by 2 games this time. But things might be changing: Sonny Werblin, the Jet’s new owner, had gotten out his checkbook to sign the quarterback of the national champions, Alabama, a fellow named Joe Namath (for an unheard of $400,000) and the Heisman Trophy winner, Notre Dame’s John Huarte, ($200,000). One of them should give the Jets some decent quarterbacking.

1965 OG: 19 NB: 7 Historical: OG: 333 points, 6 victories and 2 rings NB: 43 points

Daddy is dazed and confused. The previous year his beloved Giants collapsed to last place and now his pride and joy Yankees had a losing record! Their 77-85 result beat out four American League and three National League teams for 7 points but that was it. The Giants bounced back to 7-7, which was better than 4 teams in the East and 2 more in the West and 4 AFL teams, including the Jets for 10 points. The Knicks improved to 31-49 but were still last in the East. They did beat out the Warriors who, without Wilt Chamberlain collapsed to 17-63. That got the Knicks a point. The Rangers again beat out the Bruins but no one else at 20-38-12 (52 NHL points). That gives Daddy his final point to finish with a measly 19 points.

But that was still enough to beat the little whippersnapper. The Jets had their usual 5-8-1 record, better than the Patriots, Oilers and Broncos and four NFL teams for 7 points. The Mets had their usual worst record in baseball, 50-112 and no points. But things seemed to be changing….

1966 NB: 9 OG: 3 Historical: OG: 336 points, 6 victories and 2 rings NB: 52 points with 1 victory.

Pops was sitting in his easy chair, looking straight ahead as he had done through so many Yankee and Giant victories. But now he had a 100-yard stare. The mighty Yankees had finished LAST! It wasn’t a typical last place team. Their record was 70-89, but it was still last. At least the beat out Junior’s Mets, (66-95) and the Cubs, (59-103), so they still generated points but just 2 of them. Meanwhile the Giants had had their worst-ever season, 1-12-1, giving up a record 501 points in 14 games. They had the worst record in pro football and generated no points at all. The Knicks were still last in the NBA East at 30-50 but beat out the Pistons, who were 22-58 in the West for 1 point. The Rangers were dead last in the NHL at 18-41-11 (47pts) and gave poor old dad nothing. 3 points, Dad. That’s all you got from 1966: Four last place teams!

Junior got a single point from the Mets but the Jets reached .500 at 6-6-2, better than the Oilers, Dolphins, Broncos, as well as the Bears, Steelers, Lions, Vikings and Giants for 8 more points and a total of 9 to win the year for the first time. Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead! And people were talking about a new basketball league being born and the NHL expanding so Junior may have a couple more teams to root for in the future. Then we’ll see what the real deal is!

 

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1967 OG: 23 NB: 15 Historical: OG: 359 points, 7 victories and 2 rings NB: 67 points with 1 victory.

Order was restored, somewhat. The Yankees were just as bad: 72-90, finishing ahead of the Athletics, Astros and Mets (61-101) for 3 points. The Giant against rose to 7-7 which was better than 8 NFL and 4 AFL teams for 12 more points. Both the Knicks and the Rangers made the playoffs. The Knicks (36-45) finished ahead of 3 teams and lost to the Celtics in the semi-finals for 5 points. The Rangers (30-28-12 (72pts), finished ahead of the Red Wings and Bruins and lost to the Canadiens in the semis for 3 points, giving Daddy 23 points.

The Jets actually had the best record of any New York team, (8-5-1), better than 4 AFL and 11 NFL teams. But the Mets sagged back down to the worst record in baseball, (61-101), adding nothing to Junior’s total, which stood at 15 points. His father didn’t think much of Joe Namath, a long-haired guy who chased women all the time. Not much of a role model! (He preferred Mickey Mantle, a short-haired guy who chased women all the time.)

 

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1968 NB: 62 OG: 42 Historical: OG: 401 points, 7 victories and 2 rings NB: 129 points, 2 victories and 1 ring.

It all started so well for Dad. The Rangers had their best team in years, going 39-23-12 for 90 NHL points, the second-best record in the league behind the Canadiens. The league had expanded from 6 to 12 teams and the Rangers were better than 10 of them. But they couldn’t catch Montreal in the eastern race, (the expansion teams were all in the West). Then they lost in the quarterfinal round to the Blackhawks. With it now being a 12-team league, that got them an extra point for 11. Junior didn’t even have a hockey team year. The Knicks also improved to a winning record, 43-39, better than 6 NBA teams and 6 teams in the new ABA. They lost to the 76ers in the semis and got 3 more points out of that for a total of 13. That gave Pops a fat 24 points in the spring, from teams that hadn’t contributed much to this point. The Yankees shook off the doldrums and began to rebuild, finishing with their first winning record since 1964 at 83-79, better than 5 MLB teams. In the fall, the Giants had another 7-7 year, helped by scrambling Fran Tarkington, who they’d gotten from the Vikings. Now there’s a quarterback! A boyish looking son of a Virginia preacher, well- groomed, failing polite, a businessman and….married! With this paragon behind center, the Gints beat out 8 NFL and 5 NFL teams for 13 more points, giving the head of the Household 42 points, more like the old days.

Junior’s ABA team, then known as the new Jersey Americans, (Hey! Weren’t the players on the other team Americans, too? The gall…) finished 36-42, better than 3 ABA and 4 NBA teams. But he still didn’t have a hockey team to root for so he entered summer down 7-24. The Mets had their best record ever, 73-89. That was still worse than the Yankees but better than the Astros, White Sox, Angels and Senators for 4 points. Pop wondered why junior rooted for a team that was never goona do anything. Going into the fall, he was ahead 29-11.

Joe Willie Namath guided the Jets to their best record ever, 11-3, better than 7 AFL and 14 NFL teams. They won the AFL East, now a 5-team division thanks to expansion. That’s 25 points. So what, the Raiders with Daryle Lamonica was the best team in the AFL. Everybody knew that. But the Jets beat them, 27-23, to get a chance at the overall pro football championship in the Super Bowl. There were now 26 pro football teams so winning that game would be the difference between 13 and 26 points more points. But even the 13 would beat Daddy. At least the old man would get the pleasure of watching the Baltimore Colts, the best team in football, crushing Junior’s Jets. Only they didn’t, the 16-7 winning in an upset Joe Willie had predicted. That’s 51 points for Junior from the Jets alone for a total of 62. Junior not only had beaten Daddy for the second time – this time in a year when both did well, instead of both doing poorly – he’d done it with 3 teams instead of 4 and got his first championship ring, (they used one they’d gotten in a Cracker Jack box). The Old Man didn’t speak to him again, until about April.

 

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1969 NB: 78 OG: 42 Historical: OG: 443 points, 7 victories and 2 rings NB: 207 points, 3 victories and 2 rings.

Dad got off to an even better start. The Knicks had their most wins to date with a 54-28 record, better than 10 NBA teams. They then swept the Baltimore Bullets, who had won the East with the NBA’s best record, in four games. The lost to the eventual champion Celtics in the NBA semis in six games. That got them 13 points. The Rangers had another strong season at 41-26-9, (91 pts), better than 9 NHL teams, including the entire western division. Unfortunately, the Rangers were in the East. They lost to the eventual champion Canadiens in the quarterfinals. That got them 10 points. Junior’s basketball team, now called the New York Nets, were a dismal 17-61, which topped the expansion Phoenix Suns, (16-66) but no one else. That gave Pop a 23-1 lead coming out of the spring. The Yankees and Giants were still spinning their wheels. The Yankees fell back to 80-81, better than 5 AL and 3 NL teams for 8 points. The Giants were 6-8, better than 6 NFL and 5 AFL teams. That gave Dad another 42 point season. But it wasn’t enough.

This was the year of the Mets. After a dismal start, losing to the expansion Expos in their first game and an uncertain spring and summer, the team went off on a legendary streak. As of August 13th they were 62-51 and in 3rd place, 10 games behind the Cubs. But a 38-11 finish gave them an astonishing 100-62 record, which won them the new six team National League East by 6 games over those same Cubs and gave them a better record than every team except the mighty Baltimore Orioles, who rolled to a 109-53 record and swept the first ALCS in three games over the Twins. But the Mets did the same to the Atlanta Braves, (why were they in the West and the Cubs in the East?) and then shocked the world by beating the Orioles in 5 games after losing the opener. That got them 51 points, all by themselves. Joe Namath’s Jets had a strong follow-up season to their title with a 10-4 record, better than 7 AFL and 10 NFL teams and good enough to again win the five team AFL East. They lost in the AFL semi-finals, (the second-place teams made the playoffs for the only time in AFL history), to the eventual champion Chiefs. That earned them 26 points and Junior wound up with 78 points, the most either he or his father had ever earned. And he didn’t even have a hockey team yet. The Old Man finally realized that his teams were in for a real battle as each year went by.

 

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1970 OG: 90 NB: 26 Historical: OG: 533 points, 8 victories and 3 rings NB: 233 points, 3 victories and 2 rings.

The Comeback: Dad’s teams were now winning on all fronts, producing what might turn out to be his greatest year. The big story was his Knicks won their first ever NBA title in an all-conquering year in which they had the best record in the sport, won the NBA EAST and then beat the Lakers in an incredibly dramatic NBA final. They had a better record than 24 pro basketball teams, won a 7-team division and a 14 team NBA for a total of 44 points. That, by itself, put Junior in his place! But the Rangers weren’t slouches, either, going 38-22-16 (92 NHL points), beating out 8 teams. They then lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion Boston Bruins for 9 points. Over the summer, the Old Man was delighted to see the Yankees make a major comeback to 93-69, ten games better than the Mets. That was better than no less than 20 MLB teams, (but not the Orioles who the AL East and everything else). Then the Giants went 9-5, better than 17 NFL teams, (but couldn’t catch the Cowboys and they got beaten out for the Wild Card by the Lions). That’s a total of 90 points, kid…a new record!

Junior’s Nets went 39-45, better than 8 pro basketball teams and lost to the Kentucky Colonels, (why didn’t the NBA take them?) in the ABA quarterfinals for 9 points. The Mets regressed to the mean for a team that lacked offense, going 83-79 but beating out 12 MLB teams. The Jets got wiped out by injuries and fell hard to 4-10, better than 5 NFL teams. That gave junior just 26 points, way short of Dad, who took more pleasure in this win than those years in the early 60’s when Junior had nothing. Now it meant something to beat him!

 

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1971 OG: 57 NB: 33 Historical: OG: 590 points, 9 victories and 3 rings NB: 266 points, 3 victories and 2 rings.

The Knicks again told the tale. They finished 52-30, beating out 23 pro basketball teams and winning what was now a 4-team eastern division. They lost in the semis to the Bullets, (Baltimore finally beating New York!) That was worth 30 points. The Rangers also had a very good season, 49-18-11 (109 NHL points. That was better than 12 teams but second to the Bruins in the East. They lost in the semis to the Black Hawks. That was another 15 points. The Yankees slipped to 82-80, better than 11 teams, (but not better than the Mets). The Giants collapsed to 4-10, beating out only the 1-13 Bills. But Daddy had 57 points.

The Nets finished 40-44, ahead of 11 pro basketball teams and lost in the ABA quarterfinals to something called the Virginia Squires, which got them another point. The Mets were 83-79 again, better than 13 teams, (including the Yankees). The Jets improved slightly to 6-8, better than 8 NFL teams. That added up to 33 points. Junior still didn’t have a hockey team to root for but that was coming.

 

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1972 OG: 70 NB: 46 Historical: OG: 660 points, 10 victories and 3 rings NB: 312 points, 3 victories and 2 rings.

Papa as cruisin’ along quite nicely. The Knicks slipped to 48-34 during the regular season, second in the East to the Celtics but fought their way to the NBA Finals before losing in finals to the Lakers, who had the NBA’s best record to date, 69-13 and then 12-3 in the playoffs with all-time professional sports record of 33 straight wins during the regular season. No shame in that and 25 points for Daddy. The Rangers were 48-17-13 (109) points, better than a dozen NHL teams but second to the Bruins in both the Eastern Division and the Stanley Cup Finals, (in 6 games) for another 19 points. The Yankees had another winning record- barely at 79-76 in the first season impacted by labor troubles, (an owner’s lock-out to start the season). That was better than 12 MLB teams, (but not the Mets). The Giants improved to 8-6, better than 14 NFL teams. That gave Dad an insurmountable 70 points.

Junior’s Nets went 44-40 despite having the league’s most famous player, Rick Barry (31.5ppg). But it was still better than 16 pro basketball teams. Like the Knicks, the fought their way to the finals but lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. That gave Junior 21 points. The Mets had their best record of the Seaver Era after the 1969 champions, going 83-73, better than 14 MLB teams, (including the Yankees). The Jets went 7-7, (including a famous game in Baltimore where Johnny Unitas, in his last year there, threw 4TD passes but Joe Namath topped that with 6 in a 44-34 win). That gave Junior 46 points. The difference was that he still had no hockey team. But the NHL had announced the creation of the New York Islanders so now Junior could take on the Old Man on equal terms. Enough of him telling Junior “Life isn’t fair – it’s a good lesson for you!”

 

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1973 OG: 80 NB: 39 Historical: OG: 740 points, 11 victories and 4 rings NB: 351 points, 3 victories and 2 rings.

Another Rite of Spring: the Knicks and the Rangers give Dad an unsurmountable lead. The Knicks won their second, (and last to date) NBA championship. They had a strong regular season at 57-25, better than 13 NBA and 10 ABA teams, but still finished far behind the 68-14 Celtics. They beat the Bullets in 6 in the quarters, shocked the Celtics in 5 in the eastern finals, lost the opener to the defending champion lakers in the Finals and then shocked them with 4 straight wins, handing Dad 40 big points right off the bat. It’s like monopoly money. The Rangers had another strong year: 47-23-8 for 102 NHL points, better than 13 NHL and 12 WHA teams. They were third in the NHL east and the lost in the eastern finals for 29 more points for Daddy. This cushioned the blow of the Yankees slipping under .500 at 80-82, (better than 10 MLB teams) and the Giants falling all the way to 2-11-1, better than only the 1-13 Houston Oilers. But Poppa is still sitting pretty with 80 big points. And George Steinbrenner had bought the Yankees, replacing CBS, who had treated them like a brand name and not spent much money on improving the organization. “The Boss”, for all his faults, wanted to win.

Junior now had a hockey team in the islanders but not much of one at 12-60-6 (30 points), the worst record in the sport. That produced no points at all. The Nets were a disappointing 30-54. Rick Barry had jumped back to the Warriors in the NBA and Julius Erving was still in Virginia with the Squires. They were better than only 2 teams and lost in the quarters for only 3 points, so Junior was already looking at a 3-69 deficit going into the summer. The Mets weren’t much better than the Yankees but, not unlike the first half of the 2021 season, they benefited from a flat division: the Cardinals were the only other team not to have a losing record and they finished second at 81-81. They were ahead of 15 MLB teams overall. They upset the reds in the NLCS and then took the A’s to the 7ths game of the World Series before losing for 32 points. That mostly negated the Knick’s championship but nothing could be done about the Rangers-Islanders gap. The Jets didn’t help, going 4-10 and finishing ahead of 4 NFL teams. At least the Giants were one of them. But 39 points isn’t halfway to 80. Life is fair now but sports isn’t.

 

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1974 OG: 68 NB: 53 Historical: OG: 808 points, 12 victories and 4 rings NB: 404 points, 3 victories and 3 rings.

The big news was that Julius Erving was now a New York Net. Perhaps Junior would still be in the race after spring. But Poppa’s Knicks weren’t going away, winning 49 games against 33 losses. As usual, they were behind the Celtics in the east but this time they lost to Boston in the eastern finals in 5 games. Still, they were better than 12 NBA and 7 ABA teams and got 4 more points from the playoffs for 23. The Rangers still had a big advent age over the Islanders, but not quite as big. Daddy’s hockey team went 40-24-14, (94 NHL points), 3rd in the East but better than 11 NHL teams and 11 more in the WHA. They also lost in the semis- to the Philadelphia Flyers. That got them 26 points and Daddy 49 spring points. Steinbrenner’s Yankees rose to 89-73, two games short of the Orioles in the East and better than 19 MLB teams. Unfortunately, the Giants hit bottom at 2-12, tied with the Colts for the worst record in the NFL. (What must Johnny Unitas and Charlies Conerly have thought?) But Daddy had 68 points. Surely that would be enough to hold off Junior.

The Nets climbed on Dr. J’s back and rose to 55-29, the beat record in the ABA. They beat out 9 ABA teams and 14 NBA teams and won the 5-team eastern division and then the ABA championship for 37 big points. But the Islanders were still pecking away at the eggshell and finished 19-41-8 (56pts). That wasn’t the worst record in hockey, but they only beat out three teams, putting Junior behind 40-49 coming out of the spring. At least he had a chance. Unfortunately, the Mets ran into problems. Tom Seaver had a hip injury and went 11-11 and the bullpen fell apart and they fell to 71-91, better than just 3 teams. Going into the fall the deficit increased to 43-68. If the Jets could win the Super Bowl…But they didn’t, being one of six 7-7 teams in the NFL and ahead of 10 others to make the final tally 53-68. Closer but Daddy’s still puffing on that cigar.

 

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1975 NB: 58 OG: 56 Historical: OG: 864 points, 12 victories and 4 rings NB: 462 points, 4 victories and 3 rings.

This was a heart-pounding year in the Old Guard-New Breed rivalry. The Knicks began to slide downward, going 40-42, better than 7 NBA and 5 ABA teams. They lost in the first round to the Rockets, which, in a 14-team league got them no additional points. The Rangers also slid a bit, to 37-29-14 and 88 points, better than 10 NHL and 9 WHA teams. Junior’s Islanders, (see below), also had 88 points and beat Dad’s Rangers in a best of 3 first round. (Pass the Maalox!) It was an 18-team league so they got one extra point for that and wound up with 20 points. The Yankees slipped back to 83-77, beating out 7 American League and 8 National League teams. But they didn’t win their division and so missed the playoffs. The Giants were 5-9 and beat out 9 NFL teams but those 9 points were it for them. That gave Dad 32 spring points, 15 more in the summer and 9 in the fall for a total of 56. Could that hold off Junior?

Junior’s Nets went 58-26, tied with the Kentucky Colonels for the second-best record in the ABA and tied at the top of the Eastern Division standings. (The Denver Nuggets were 65-19 in the West). That gave them a better record than 7 ABA and 12 NBA teams. The Nets and the Colonels had a one game playoff for the eastern crown and the Colonels won, 108-99, so the Nets didn’t get anything for finishing at the top of the eastern standings. (The Colonels got 4 points). The Nets were then upset by the Spirits of St. Louis in the quarterfinals of a 10-team league. That got them another point for a total of 20. The Islanders shocked the hockey world by improving to 33-25-22 for 88 points- same as the Rangers. They then beat the Rangers in that first round series, the Pittsburgh Penquins in the quarter-finals and lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in the semis. That’s 23 points, giving Junior a 43-32 lead coming out of the spring. The Mets came back a bit to go 82-80 and beat out 13 MLB teams to make it 56-47 going into the fall. That left it to the Giants and the Jets, both of whom stunk. But the Jets stunk worse, going 3-11 which was better than the 2-12 Chargers and Saints but no one else. But the Giants 9 points weren’t enough for Dad and Junior had his first triumph of the decade, 58-56.

 

[SWC75]

1976 NB: 73 OG: 59 Historical: OG: 923 points, 12 victories and 4 rings NB: 535 points, 5 victories and 4 rings.

This time it was Junior who emerged with the big lead after the spring as both the Knicks (38-44) and the Rangers (29-42-9 for 67pts) plummeted into last place and missed the playoffs. They both beat out 9 teams in their home and rival leagues for a total of 18 points, leaving the Old Man down 18-55 going into the summer. The good news for Daddy is that the Yankees were back – until they got swept by the Big Red Machine in the World Series. But they went 97-62, being out 21 teams in both leagues and winning a six-game division. This was the last year of 24 MLB teams so they got half that number for being runners up and produced 38 big points, which would have moved Poppa to within a point of Junior if there were no New York Mets. But the lowly Giants went 3-11 and beat out just three NFL teams and it was no consolation that the lowly Jets did exactly the same thing. The Old Guard wound up with 59 points.

Junior basically won his second title in a row in the spring as his New York Nets won the last ABA title. The league was down to 9 teams, two of which failed to finish the season. They didn’t bother with divisions, so they finished second to the Denver Nuggets, who they beat in a 6 game final for 32 points. And the Islanders also finished second – in the NHL East to the Flyers with a 42-21-17 (101) record. They beat out 9 NHL and 11 WHA teams and lost in the semis to the eventual champion Canadiens, collecting another 23 points. The Mets had their last good team of the Seaver Era, going 86-76, finishing third, 15 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. But they beat out 15 other MLB teams. That, together with the Jets 3 points gave Junior 73 points and a second straight championship.

 

[SWC75]

1977 OG: 79 NB: 34 Historical: OG: 1,002 points, 13 victories and 5 rings NB: 569 points, 5 victories and 4 rings.

The ABA was no more. From Wikipedia: “The Nets, Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs joined the NBA for the 1976–77 season. With Erving and Nate Archibald (acquired in a trade with Kansas City), the Nets were poised to pick up right where they left off. However, the New York Knicks upset the Nets' plans when they demanded that the Nets pay them $4.8 million for "invading" the Knicks' NBA territory. Coming on the heels of the fees the Nets had to pay for joining the NBA, owner Roy Boe reneged on a promise to raise Erving's salary. Erving refused to play under these conditions and held out in training camp.

After several teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers lobbied to obtain him, the Nets offered Erving's contract to the New York Knicks in return for waiving the indemnity, but the Knicks turned it down. This was considered one of the worst decisions in franchise history. The Sixers then decided to offer to buy Erving's contract for $3 million—in addition to paying roughly the Nets same amount as their expansion fee—and Boe had little choice but to accept the $6 million deal. For all intents and purposes, the Nets traded their franchise player for a berth in the NBA. The Erving deal left the Nets in ruin; they promptly crashed to a 22–60 record, the worst in the league.”

Dad’s Knicks limped along at 40-42 but that was better than 7 teams in the now 22 team league. They didn’t make the playoffs, so those 7 points were all they got. But that was still better than the poor Nets, who went from generating 32 points for Junior to none. But Junior still won the spring on 29 points from the Islanders, 47-21-12 (106), who were better than 25 NHL and WHA teams and once again lost the division to the Flyers and the semi-finals to the eventual champion Canadiens. The Rangers were again in last place, with a better record than 11 teams but not in the playoffs. So junior was ahead 29-18 going into the summer. But the fortunes of the Yankees and the Mets were going sharply in opposite directions as the Mets traded “The Franchise”, Tom Seaver and plummeted into last place at 64-98, better than only 3 MLB teams while the Yankees won their first World Series in 15 years. They had a 100-62 regular season, better than all but the Royals and Phillies in a 26 team sport, (the Blue Jays and Mariners were now in business), beat the Royals in the ALCS and their old sparring mates, the Dodgers in the series for a whopping 55 points. That clinched it. In the fall the Giants and Jets again looked up at the world from last place, although the Gints were a bit better at 5-9 to another 3-11 year for the Jets for a ridiculous third year in a row. Dad broke out his victory cigar, (Junior doesn’t smoke- at least not that), for the first time in three years, 79-34. He also broke the 1,000 point barrier, historically. That was worth another cigar.

 

[SWC75]

1978 OG: 84 NB: 43 Historical: OG: 1,086 points, 14 victories and 6 rings NB: 612 points, 5 victories and 4 rings.

Instant replay: The Knicks improved enough to score a winning record at 43-39, 2nd in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference to the 76ers, who swept them in the quarterfinals. They had a better record than 10 teams including the Nets who again had the worst record in the NBA at 24-58. That gave the Knicks 12 points to none for the poor Nets. But the Rangers were still in last place, although with a fairly strong record for a last place team: 30-37-13 (73NHL points). They beat out 7 NHL and 1 WHA teams and got an additional point for losing in the first round of an 18-team league. The WHA was down to 8 teams and let the Soviet and Czech All-Stars play each of their teams in single games that counted in the standings. I did not include those teams (who went 4-10-2) in my calculations. Junior’s Islanders were far superior to the Rangers, going 48-17-15 (111), beating out 16 NHL and all 8 real WHA teams plus winning their (4- team) division for the first time. Unfortunately, they were upset by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the quarterfinals and only got a total of 29 points. But that still put Junior ahead, 29-21, after the spring. But it wouldn’t matter.

In 1977 the Yankees, Royals, Phillies and Dodgers won the four MLB divisions. The Yankees beat the Royals and the Dodgers beat the Phillies in the league championship series. Then the Yankees beat the Dodgers in the World Series. In 1978 the Yankees, Royals, Phillies and Dodgers won the four MLB divisions. The Yankees beat the Royals and the Dodgers beat the Phillies in the league championship series. Then the Yankees beat the Dodgers in the World Series. It was the only time in the, (much missed), era of four divisions, (with actual pennant races), from 1969-1993 that that happened. This year’s Yankees tied the Red Sox, (99-63) for the best record in the AL East and in MLB. When Bucky Dent hit that home run, he not only gave the Yankees the divisional pennant but he also gave Daddy 31 points for having a better record than anybody else in a 26-team port and a 7-team division. When they won their second World Series in a row they got another 26 points for being the champions of a 26-team sport. That’s 57 points, folks! The Mets finished last in the NL East with a 66-96 record, better than the sophomore teams, (the Blues Jays and the Mariners) but no one else. Dad was in charge, 78-31. The Jets improved to 8-8, finished out of the playoffs but ahead of 12 teams, including the 6-10 Giants, who finished ahead of only 6 teams. But that made the score for the year Dad 84, Junior 43. Wait till next year!

 

[SWC75]

1979 OG: 54 NB: 50 Historical: OG: 1,140 points, 15 victories and 6 rings NB: 662 points, 5 victories and 4 rings.

This one was quite a battle all year. Junior’s Nets rose from the dead to go 37-45, better than Dad’s Knicks who were 31-51. They were 3rd and 4th in the Atlantic Division and better than 6 and 4 teams, respectively. The Nets lost in the first round of a playoff for a 22 league, which got them another point. The Islanders once again topped the Rangers but the older New York team was doing some rising itself. The Isles won the 4-team Patrick Division with 51-15-14 (116) and were better than 16 NHL and 7 WHA teams in the last year of that dying league. The Rangers were third in the Patrick but had a winning record of 40-29-11 (91), better than 12 NHL and 6 WHA teams. And, to Dad’s delight and Junior’s dismay, they beat the Islanders in six games in the semi-finals before losing to the champion Canadiens in the finals. They got 26 points to the Islander’s 30, giving junior a 37-30 lead after the spring sports. But the NHL was about to get a new dynasty.

The Yankees had an off year, going 89-71 and finishing 4th, better than 19 MLB teams. The Mets were having a bad era, again finishing last at 63-99, beating out only the Blue Jays and Athletics form the American league. Their two points made it Old Guard 49, New Breed 39 going into the fall. The 8-8 Jets were better than the 6-10 Giants but it wasn’t enough: the Jets had a better record than 11 NFL teams, the Giants better than 5 of them. That made the final score Dad 54, Junior 50, the Old Man’s 8th win of the decade. By now, Junior had a junior and he shocked his Old Man by deciding to root for Grandpa’s teams: he liked to win.

 

[SWC75]

1980 OG: 64 NB: 46 Historical: OG: 1,204 points, 16 victories and 6 rings NB: 708 points, 5 victories and 5 rings.

So Pop entered the new decade with Junior 2 sitting on his lap, rooting for the Old Guard teams to continue their dominance. Neither the Knicks nor the Nets fit the bill, finishing 4th and 5th in the Atlantic Division with records of 39-43 and 34-48, respectively. Neither made the playoffs. But that was enough of a gap that the Knicks were better than 10 teams and the Nets only 5. Hockey was now one big, happy 21 team family with the demise of the WHA. The Islanders had a disappointing regular season, 39-28-13 (91 NHL points), their worst in 5 years. But they were still better than the Rangers, 38-32-10 (86) and 15 other teams. The Rangers were better than 13 teams. The Flyers beat out both with 116 points and then beat the Rangers in 5 in the quarterfinals. But the Islanders did what they didn’t do in those 5 superior seasons before this: they won the Stanley Cup by beating those same Flyers in the finals, giving Junior his 5th ring, 37 points and a 42-26 lead going into the summer.

But the Yankees had their greatest team of this era, going 103-59, the best record in their sport and beating out the team with the second best record, Earl Weaver’s Orioles, (100-62) for the AL East title. But poppa and Junior Squared were aghast to see them get swept by those same Royals that the Yankees had beaten in the 1977 and 1978 ALCS. Then they watched the Phillies, a team with a measly 91 wins, win their first ever World Series. But having the best record in a 26 team sport and winning a 7 team division gave them an advent age over the Islanders and the semi-final failure didn’t prevent the Yankees from negating the hockey result with 37 points of their own. What could Junior’s Mets do in response? Well, they didn’t finish last. They went 67-95, which beat out the Cubs, Angels and Mariners for 3 points. But Poppa and Junior 2 were ahead now 63-45. The fall was another anti-climax as both the Giants and the Jets went 4-12 and beat out only the ‘Aints’, who went 1-15 after their now bag-headed fans thought that they’d contend. That made the final score 64-46 and Junior 2 taught Grandpa how to do a disco dance, just like John Travolta.

 

[SWC75]

1981 OG: 85 NB: 70 Historical: OG: 1,289 points, 17 victories and 6 rings NB: 778 points, 5 victories and 6 rings.

The Knicks had their best season since their last championship, finishing 50-32, better than 16 of the 23 NBA teams but alas, only 3rd in the East, behind the Sixers and the Celtics, both of whom finished 62-20. The Nets fell back into last place, 24-58, better than only the Pistons and the Mavericks. The Knicks lost in the first round to the Bulls, getting an extra point, 17-2. The Islanders were at the height of their power, scoring the best record in the 21 team NHL, 48-18-14 (110 hockey points), winning the five team Patrick Division and cruising through the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Rangers and North Stars by a combined 15 games to 3 for a haul of 45 points. The Rangers barely made the playoffs at 30-36-14 (74), better than 7 teams, then made it to the semi-finals by upsetting the Kings (99 points) and the Smythe Division champs, the Blues, (107) before becoming the bug on the Islanders windshield in a four-game sweep for another 5 points. That brought the spring score to 47 for the New Breed and 29 for the Old Guard.

The baseball season was wounded but not destroyed by a strike that blew away the middle third of the season. Then the owners made the odd decision to use a split season concept rather than simply adding together the records from before and after the strike. The Yankees won the AL East in the first half, 34-22 but had a poor second half at 25-26. The combined record of 59-48 was the fourth best in the East with the Brewers first at 62-47 but that didn’t matter. The Yankees met the Brewers for the Eastern title as the winners of the first half and beat them in five games. They then met the Athletics, who had the best combined record in the American League at 64-45 and swept them in three games. They then beat the Dodgers in the first two games of the World Series and it appeared that they would win the championship they should have won the year before. But just as the Yankees had lost the first to games to L.A. in 1978 and come back to win four in a row now the Dodgers did that to the Yankees. They had the second best combine National league record to the unfortunate Cincinnati Reds, in the last year of the “Big Red Machine” era had the best record in all of baseball at 66-42 but missed the playoffs entirely by finishing second in both the first and second half. If they’d used combined records, it would have bene the brewer vs. the A’s and the Cardinals, (who also finished second in both halves) against the Reds. Instead they all watched the World Series on TV. I’ll use the combined records for the first tier of my system. The Yankees were better than 24 teams but didn’t “win” the combined division. By being the runner up in a sport with 26 teams they got another 13 points for a total of 37 points. The Mets avoided all controversy by winning nothing with a combined 41-62 record, better than the Cubs, Padres, Twins and Blue Jays but no one else.

Pop and Junior Squared had a lead of 66-51 going into the fall. Both the Giants and Jets had winning records, a nice change. The Giants were 9-7, third in the NFC East but better than 16 teams and enough to clinch the year for the Old Guard. The Jets were 10-5-1 after a tie with the Dolphins, who won the AFC East at 11-4-1. The Jets were better than 23 teams. Both teams made the expanded playoffs, (there were now 4 wild cards). The Jets lost to the Bills, 27-31 in the first round and got one point for that. The Giants beat the Eagles 27-21 but lost to the 49ers, 24-38 in the quarterfinals for three extra points. The Niners went on to win their first ever NFL title. The Old Guard won their 16th title, 85-70 but Junior got his 6th ring, just as many as the OG.

 

[SWC75]

1982 NB: 87 OG: 39 Historical: OG: 1,328 points, 17 victories and 6 rings NB: 865 points, 6 victories and 7 rings.

The Nets and the Knicks changed places, the older franchise sagging into last place with a 33-49 record, better than 5 teams while the Nets rose to 44-38, second place in the Atlantic Division, better than 12 teams. Unfortunately, they got swept by the Bullets in the first round of a 23 team league, getting them just one playoff point for a total of 13. The Islanders again rolled through the NHL, having the best regular season record (54-16-10…118pts) in a 21-team league and a 5-team division and blowing by the Penquins, the Rangers, the Nordiques and the Canucks for their third straight Stanley Cup, winning 15 games and losing 4, including sweeps in the last two series for another 45 points. The Rangers were in second place in the Patrick Division with 39-27-14 (92), better than 14 teams. With the loss in the quarterfinals, they got 16 points, getting Junior an imposing 58-21 lead coming out of the spring.

The Yankees now entered a second fallow period, following the 1965-75 period. They wouldn’t see any post season action from 1982-93. (They wouldn’t see any in 1994, either but no one did. They had the best record in the American League in that strike year, presaging a return of the dynasty). They fell to 79-83, 5th in the East and better than just 10 teams so that’s all the points they got. They could not negate what the Islanders did this time around. But they were still better than the Mets, who were back in last place in the NL East at 65-97, better only than the Reds, who fell all the way from 66-42 to 61-101, (winning more games in the strike-shortened 1981 than in the full-season of 1982 and the Twins, who went 60-102). That made it 60-31 going into the fall.

The Giants had no chance to overcome that. They couldn’t even top the Jets. The NFLPA, jealous of the MLBPA, decided to have a strike of their own, reducing the NFL regular season to 9 games. Like Baseball, the NFL decided to have extended playoffs to make it even less meaningful. The Giants went 4-5, better than 8 teams but only one in the NFC East, (the Eagles), and managed to miss even the extended playoffs. The Jets, on what for them was a roll, again finished second to the Dolphins with a 6-3 record, (Miami was 7-2), better than 20 teams and then blew out the Bengals 44-17 and upset the 6-1 Raiders 17-14 before losing the AFC championship game to the Dolphins, 0-14, getting them 7 more points.

That gave Junior the championship for the year by a commanding 87-39, his first since 1976 and 6th overall, including his 7th ring, one more than Granddad. Junior Squared jumped over to Junior’s lap. His teams win.

 

[SWC75]

1983 NB: 60 OG: 50 Historical: OG: 1,378 points, 17 victories and 6 rings NB: 925 points, 7 victories and 8 rings.

The Nets still beat out the Knicks but both had winning records. The Nets went 49-33, better than 15 NBA teams. The Knicks were 44-38, better than 11 teams. They finished 3rd and 4th in the Atlantic Division. The Knicks then swept the Nets in the quarterfinals before getting swept by the eventual champion 76’ers in the semis of a 23-team league for 16 points to the Nets’ 17 points.

The Islanders won their fourth straight Stanley Cup but they finished 2nd to the Flyers in the Patrick Division with a 42-26-12 (96) record, better than 14 teams in a 21 team league. That got them 34 points. The Rangers were a dead even 35-3-5-10 (80), better than 10 teams. They beat the Flyers but lost to the Islanders in the quarterfinals for 12 points. (The Isles swept the next NHL dynasty, the Edmonton Oilers in the finals). NOTE: The Colorado Rockies became the New Jersey Devils at this point. At first I decided not to consider them because both Poppa and Junior had a team in each sport. But I recalled that Junior did not have a team in each sport until the islanders were created in 1972 and Poppa kept telling him that it was a good lesson that “Life is unfair”. So I decided to add the Devil’s achievements to Junior’s totals as a good lesson to Poppa. They were 17-49-14 (48 points), better than 2 teams but not in the playoffs. Junior still had the lead coming out of the spring but this time it was close, even with the Devils: 53-28.

The Yankees bounced back to go 91-71 and finish 3rd in the AL East, better than 20 MLB teams. The Mets still stunk, finishing last in the NL East at 68-94, better than just the 60-102 Mariners. (But the Mets were about to smell a lot better in the next few years.) Junior was still ahead but only by 54-48 going into the fall.

The Jets slipped to 7-9, better than 6 NFL teams but the Giants slipped even farther to 3-12-1, better than 2 teams. This new coach, Parcells didn’t seem to be working out. Junior, (and Junior II), won the year again 60-50. it was Junior’s 7th win but he now had 8 rings, two more than Pop. He showed them off, one on each finger. Junior 2 was sooo proud.

 

[SWC75]

1984 NB: 85 OG: 75 Historical: OG: 1,453 points, 17 victories and 6 rings NB: 1,010 points, 8 victories and 8 rings.

The Knicks and the Nets were almost Siamese twins, going 47-35, better than 16 teams and 45-37 better than 14 teams. They were 3rd and 4th in the Atlantic Division. Both won in the quarterfinals and lost in the semi-finals. That put Pop ahead 21-19. The Islanders actually got better: 50-26-4 (104 points), the best record in the 6-team Patrick Division and second best in the 21 team NHL to the Edmonton Oilers, (119) points. The Isles won their way back to the finals but couldn’t win a record-tying 5th straight Stanley Cup. The new dynasty, the Oilers, beat them in five games. But they still earned Junior 34 points. The Rangers were a solid 43-29-9 (93), better than 14 teams. They lost to the Islanders in the quarterfinals for 16 points. The Devils were again terrible, 17-56-7 (41), better only than the Penquins, giving Junior another lead after the spring of 54-37.

This was the year the Mets rose from the dead, jumping to 90-72, their best record since the Golden year of 1969. They got beaten out by the Cubs, (no wild cards yet), but were better than 22 teams, including the Yankees. The Yankees didn’t slip much, to 87-75. It was indicative of the state of the franchises that the Mets going 90-72 was a big deal and the Yankees going 87-75 was disappointing. They were better than 20 teams. Junior’s lead survived the summer at 76-57.

Maybe this Parcells guy wasn’t so bad after all. His Giants shot up to 9-7, better than 15 teams, and made the playoffs, beating the Rams in a Wild Road game 16-13 before losing 10-21 to the eventual champion 49ers in the quarterfinals. In a 28-team league, that was another 3 points for a total of 18. The Jets were 7-9, better than 9 teams but not good enough to get them into the playoffs. But Junior had his third straight win and 8th overall, 85-75and hit the 1,000-point mark. Junior 2 was sooo proud…

 

[SWC75]

1985 NB: 74 OG: 49 Historical: OG: 1,502 points, 17 victories and 6 rings NB: 1,084 points, 9 victories and 8 rings.

The Knicks fell apart, falling to 24-58, last place in the Atlantic division and better only than the Pacers and Warriors. The Nets stayed together, finishing third at 42-40, better than 13 teams. But they got swept by the Pistons in the quarterfinals to end up with 15 points. The Islanders slipped to 40-34-6, (86 NHL points), third in the Patrick Division and better than 11 teams. One of them was the Rangers, who were a lowly 26-44-10 (62), better than 4 teams, one of which was the Devils, 22-48-10 (54), who beat out the Penquins again and the Maple Leafs. The Rangers lost to the Flyers in the first round and the Islanders lost to them in the quarterfinals of a 21-team league so the Islanders/Devils earned 15 points and the Rangers 5. Junior/Junior2 led 30-7 coming out of the spring, not because they had one more team but because the Knicks and Rangers stunk.

1985 was perhaps the greatest combined Yankees-Mets season and would have been a great time for a Subway Series. It was the talk of the city and the sports world all summer but the Blue Jays and Cardinals had other plans. They had to wait 15 years when neither team was as good. The Yankees were 97-64 and better than 22 teams. The Mets were 98-64 and better than 23 teams. Wild cards anybody? The Juniors were still ahead 53-29.

Something similar happened in football. The Jets had one of their best teams, going 11-5 but finishing a game behind the Dolphins, tied with the Patriots in the AFC East. The Giants went 10-6 and were in a three-way tie with that record atop the NFC East with the Cowboys, who won it on tiebreakers and the redskins. The Jets were better than 21 teams, the Giants better than 17 teams. In the wild card round, the Jets lost to the Patriots 14-26 at home. and the Giants beat the defending champion 49ers 17-3 in San Francisco. They then got wiped out by the all-conquering Bears in the wind and cold of Chicago, 0-21. That got the Giants 3 points and the Jets 1 for a total of 20-22.

The final total for the year was 75-49 for the Juniors. Pop went out back to do his smoking. It wasn’t quitting like he promised Momma but not telling her was the next best thing.

 

[SWC75]

1986 NB: 106 OG: 91 Historical: OG: 1,593 points, 17 victories and 7 rings NB: 1,190 points, 10 victories and 9 rings.

The Nets slipped to 39-43, better than 10 NBA teams but the Knicks were still terrible at 23-59, the worst record in the 23-team league. The Nets got swept by the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs for one more point and an 11-0 advantage for the Juniors. The Islanders were still solid at 39-29-12 (90 points), better than 16 of 21 NHL teams. The Rangers were still worse at 36-38-6 (78), better than 7 teams. The Devils were still worse than the Rangers at 28-49-3 (59), better than 3 teams. But the Rangers upset the first place Flyers and then the second place Capitols before losing to the eventual champion Canadiens in the semifinals, giving them an extra 5 points. The Isles got swept by the caps in the first round for one point and the Devils watched it all on TV. That gave the Juniors a 31-11 lead coming out of the spring.

The summer was all about the Mets, whose season was a series of winning streaks as they won 108 games vs. 54, the best of 26 MLB records and the 6 team AL East. They then what I considered to be the best baseball post season ever, beating the Astros in 12 and then 16 innings to close out the NLCS while the Red Sox rallied from being down 1-3, (these were now 7 game series), and to their last strike to beat the Angels. The Mets became the second team to overcome losing two home games to beat the Red Sox in a 7-game series, (the first was the Royals the year before), rallying from 3 runs down in the 10th inning in game 6 and also form a three run deficit in game 7. That got them and the Juniors 56 huge points. What were the Yankees doing? They were a solid 90-72, better than 21 MLB teams. But the Juniors went into the fall with a commanding 87-32 lead. But it wasn’t over.

The New York Giants won their first NFL championship in 30 years, crushing the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, 39-20. They’d had a regular season record of 14-2, tied with the defending champion Bears for the best in the 28 team NFL. They also won the 5 NFC East. The Redskins knocked off the Bears in Chicago, 27-13 while the Giants annihilated the 49ers 49-3. They then shut out the Skins 17-0 before taming the Broncos for the title. That got Pops even more points than the Mets gave the Juniors, 59. But the Jets weren’t chopped liver, going 10-6, better than 16 teams. They, as usual, finished second to the Dolphins but beat the Chiefs, 35-15 in the Wild Card game before losing to the Browns in Cleveland 20-23, (losing a 10-point fourth quarter lead). That gave the Juniors 19 points and another seasonal victory, 106-91, in one of the best combined seasons the Old Guard and New Breed ever had.

 

[SWC75]

1987 NB: 44 OG: 36 Historical: OG: 1,629 points, 17 victories and 7 rings NB: 1,234 points, 11 victories and 9 rings.

The Knicks and Nets stunk equally: 24-58, tied for the worst record in the Atlantic Division. They each got 1 point because the Clippers went 12-70. The Islanders 35-33-12 (82), barely beat out the Knicks 34-38-8 (76), who beat out the Devils, 29-45-6 (64). The Isles beat out 12 teams, the Knicks 9 and the Devils nobody. The Isles lost to the Flyers in the quarterfinals for 2 points while the Ranger lost in the first round for one. The Juniors had the lead coming out of the spring, but it was only 15-10.

The Mets had 9 pitchers on the DL at one point, got off to a bad started and could never catch the Cardinals. But at 92-70, they were better than 22 MLB teams, including the Yankees, who were 89-73 and better than 19 teams. That made it 37-29

The Giants and Jets, in a strike-shortened year in which replacement players were used for three weeks, both fell into last place with identical 6-9 records, each better than 7 teams. That made the final score: New Breed 44, Old Guard 36 in a year full of frustration for both.

 

[SWC75]

1988 NB: 87 OG: 52 Historical: OG: 1,681 points, 17 victories and 7 rings NB: 1,321 points, 12 victories and 9 rings.

The Knicks started to put things together and finished 38-44, a modest record but tied with the Bullets for second in the Atlantic Division. That was better than 7 NBA teams and got them into the playoffs, where they lost to the Celtics in the first round for a total of 8 points. The Nets were not put together, finishing at 19-63, which was still better than the 17-65 Clippers for a single point. The Islanders improved to 39-31-10 (88 points) to win a flat 6 team Patrick Division. They had more points than 15 NHL teams. Then they lost to – ugh! The Devils in the first round to halt at 21 points. The Devils had their first decent team at 38-36-2 (82), tied with the Rangers, 36-34-10 (82), both better than 11 teams. The tie-breaker is total wins so the Devils went on to the playoffs and the Rangers stayed home. The devils made it to the Semi-finals where they lost to the Bruins for another five points. With their 16 points added to the Isles 21, the Juniors moved ahead by 38-19.

For the Mets, 1988 seemed like 1986 all over again. They started 30-11. Keith Hernandez pulled a hamstring and missed 82 games during which they went 41-41. When he came back and was joined by another one of the team’s young stars, Greg Jeffries, the team went on a 29-8 tear to finish 100-60 winning the 6 team NL east by 15 games. To win the pennants, they just had to beat the Dodgers, who they had whipped 10 times in 11 games. They had a 2-1 lead and led 4-2 at Shea in the 9th inning of game 4 when a tiring Dwight Gooden, trying to complete the game, walked John Shelby on four straight pitches and decided he’s better not walk Mike Scioscia, who had hit 3 home runs that year. Mike hit the ball over the right field fence and the Dodgers went on to win the game in 12 innings. The series went seven, where the Dodgers won 6-0 after two Mets errors led to a 5 run second inning. Then the Mets watched the Dodgers pitching take the bats out of the power Oakland A’s, “bash brothers” hands in a 5 game World Series win. I’ve always thought that the Mets’ pitchers would have done the same thing and a second championship might have taken the pressure off in future years. As it was, the Mets had a better record than everybody but the 104-58 A’s for a total of 36 points. The Yankees were 85-76, better than 16 teams but very much in the Mets’ shadow. “The Boss” was fuming. So was Poppa, behind 35-74.

The Giants tied the Eagles at the top of the NFC East with a 10-6 record but lost in the tie-breakers and missed the playoffs. (Parcells was fuming, too.) They were better than 17 teams, (the NFL had seven 10-6 teams this year). The Jets were 8-7-1, fourth in the AFC East and better than 13 teams. The Juniors won for the 7th year in a row, 87-52. Pass the Geritol.

 

[SWC75]

1989 OG: 81 NB: 27 Historical: OG: 1,762 points, 18 victories and 7 rings NB: 1,348 points, 12 victories and 9 rings.

The Knicks rose to the top of the 6 team Atlantic Division with a 52-20 record, better than 19 NBA teams. They lost in the quarterfinals to the Bulls in 6 games. That produced 27 points. The Nets still had too many holes and finished 26-56, better than 4 teams and out of the playoffs. The Islanders’ run of 14 consecutive winning seasons ended as they sagged to 28-47-5 (61 points) and last place in the Patrick Division and tied for the lowest point total in the league. In other words, 0 points from the former dynasty. The Devils sagged, too, to 27-41-12 (66), better than the Isles and 3 other teams. They also missed the playoffs. The Rangers did not, going 37-35-8 (82), third in the division and better than 12 teams. They got swept by the Penquins in the first round, giving them 13 points. But Poppa was finally ahead going out of the spring, 40-7.

The Mets never really got going all season but were good enough to go 87-75 anyway. They were beat out for the NL East title by the Cubs again but had a better record than 17 teams. The Yankees had a poor year at 74-87, better than 8 teams. Poppa still led 48-24.

The Giant’s clinched Pop’s first win in 8 years by going 12-4 while the Jets had the opposite record. Only the 14-2 Niners had a better record than the Giants, who were thus better than 26 teams and the winner of the 5 team NFC East. But they lost to the Rams in the quarter-finals 13-19, giving them 33 points. The Jets were better only than the 3-13 Falcons and the 1-15 Cowboys, making the final score Old Guard 81, New Breed 27. Junior Squared wondered what the future would bring.

 

[SWC75]

1990 OG: 92 NB: 44 Historical: OG: 1,854 points, 19 victories and 8 rings NB: 1,392 points, 12 victories and 9 rings.

The Knicks slipped a little to 45-37 and third place but the Nets were on the bottom with the worst record in the NBA, 17-65. The Knicks were better than 16 teams, (there were now 27), and made it to the quarterfinals, where they lost to the eventual champion Pistons. That earned them a total of 19 points, 19 more than the Nets earned.

The Rangers won the 6 team Patrick Division with a modest record of 36-31-13 (85 points), barely beating out the Devils who were 37-34-9 (83). The Islanders were fourth at 31-38-11 (73). The Rangers were better than 12 teams, the Devils better than 10 and the Isles better than 5. They all made the playoffs. The Rangers beat the Isles, 3-2 in the first round but lost to the Capitals, who had beaten the Devils in that first round, in the quarters. That gave the Rangers 14 points and the Devils/Isles 17. Dad was ahead 33-17 after the spring.

The Mets had the last good year of their greatest era, going 91-71 but again finishing second, this time to the Pirates. They were better than 21 teams. The Yankees had their worst record since before they got Babe Ruth, falling into last place with a 67-95 record that seemed more like what the Mets would do. Only the Atlanta Braves were worse at 65-97. People wondered what the future held for those two franchises. The Juniors moved ahead, 38-34.

But the Giants came through in a big way for Pop, going 13-3, winning the five team NFC East, beating the only team with a better record, the two-time defending champions 49ers, 15-13 in the NFC title game and then the AFC champion Buffalo Bills, (who had also gone 13-3) in the Super Bowl 20-19 when Scott Norwood’s field goal drifted to the right. That was 58 big points for Big Blue and Poppa. The Jets limped home at 6-10, better than just 6 teams, to make the final score Old Guard 92, New Breed 44. Junior Squared decide to shift back to Grandpa’s teams -they won. He no longer fit in Grandpop’s lap, however.