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TSN Archives: Shift Leaves Mellifluous Scully With Local Accent (March 19, 1990, issue)

Ahead of the 1990 MLB season, NBC lost the national-TV rights, leaving Vin Scully to call only Dodgers games. And that was fine with him, he told The Sporting News.

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TSN Archives: Scully Still Gets — and Gives — Goosebumps (July 21, 1986, issue)

By the 1980s, Vin Scully was at the height of his profession. Why, at 57, did he keep pushing? "Because after all these years, when I hear the roar of the crowd, I still get goosebumps," Scully told The Sporting News.

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TSN Archives: Vin Scully Is Dodgers’ MVP (Jan. 10, 1970, issue)

Dodgers came and went, milestones were reached and records broken, and all the while one man was on the call: Vin Scully. Writing in The Sporting News, Hall of Fame sportswriter Jim Murray, in 1970, called him the Dodgers' MVP.

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TSN Archives: Vin Scully earns TV plum only four years out of Fordham (Oct. 15, 1953, issue)

Vin Scully saw his first World Series in 1952. A year later, only a few years out of Fordham University, he would call his first Fall Classic, The Sporting News wrote in October 1953. The rest is history.

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TSN Archives: Jackie Robinson inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame (Aug. 4, 1962 issue)

After Jackie Robinson had broken another color barrier, becoming the first Black player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 23, 1962, sports writer Doc Young wrote about what Jackie meant to all Blacks in America.

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TSN Archives: Michael Jordan retired; Bob Costas weighed in (Jan. 25, 1999)

NBC's Bob Costas offered in The Sporting News what he called “some random secondary observations” after Chicago icon Michael Jordan announced Jan. 13, 1999 that he was retiring (again).

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TSN Archives: Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet of hockey (March 19, 1966)

Chicago icon Bobby Hull, 27, was enjoying arguably his best season in his ninth of 15 with the Blackhawks when in March 1966 The Sporting News profiled "the Golden Jet."

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TSN Archives: Walter Payton’s lessons in greatness (Nov. 15, 1999)

Upon Chicago icon Walter Payton's death from cancer in 1999, The Sporting News offered up lessons he learned from him, and memories made with him.

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TSN Archives: Ernie Banks puts it all together (Sept. 3, 1958)

Chicago icon Ernie Banks had 42 home runs by late August 1958, and The Sporting News profiled him as some began to ask if the man who would come to be called "Mr. Cub" could break Babe Ruth's hallowed single-season home run record.

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TSN Archives: Darrell Green, Washington cornerstone (Oct. 27, 1997)

In 1997, D.C. icon Darrell Green, 37 at the time, was still holding down his cornerback spot, and, The Sporting News noted, the Washington DB could still run, cover and, if he got beat, recover.

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TSN Archives: Isiah Thomas has had a bumpy rookie year (Feb. 20, 1982)

The Pistons — led by Detroit icon Isiah Thomas — won back-to-back NBA championships in 1989 and '90. But in 1982, Isiah was a 20-year-old rookie out of Indiana University, just learning through the ups and downs of his first season as a pro, as The Sporting News chronicled in February that year.

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TSN Archives: Walter Johnson Proves Hero in Deciding Game 7 (Oct. 16, 1924)

Washington icon Walter Johnson, who went 23-7 in the regular season and that year would win his second AL MVP award, wasn’t at his best in the 1924 World Series but shut down the Giants in extra innings in Game 7 to get the only World Series victory in his Hall of Fame career. The Sporting News, est. 1886, covered it all.

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TSN Archives: Gordie Howe, at 42, yields to injury (Jan. 2, 1971)

Gordie Howe, at 42 in January 1971, was nagged by a rib-cartilage injury that at least allowed him to see more of his hockey-playing sons' games, The Sporting News wrote. Howe retired later that year after 25 years with the Red Wings, and by 1973 he and his two boys were playing for the Houston Aeros of the WHA.

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TSN Archives: Barry Sanders rushing toward 2K (Dec. 15, 1997)

Detroit icon Barry Sanders was very much on The Sporting News' mind before, during and after the 1997 NFL season. TSN featured him in the season preview, covered and columnized about him during the year and named him the 1997 NFL player of the year after his 2,000-yard rushing season.

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TSN Archives: Wes Unseld Offers Off-Court Assists (March 27, 1976)

Washington icon Wes Unseld’s impact off the court was measured by his treatment of a severely injured college player from the D.C. area, The Sporting News wrote in March 1976.

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TSN Archives: Lawrence Taylor, linebacker at large (Nov. 17, 1986)

New York icon Lawrence Taylor was the primary cover subject in the Nov. 17, 1986, issue of The Sporting News as Peter King chronicled LT's comeback from substance-abuse issues in a story headlined, "A Taylor-Made Turnaround".

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TSN Archives: Walt Frazier leads Knicks in style (Feb. 14, 1970)

In 1970, Walt "Clyde" Frazier was equal parts style and substance as he helped lead the Knicks to the first NBA title in franchise history.

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TSN Archives: Joe Montana, the best (April 24, 1995)

The Sporting News' award-winning columnist Dave Kindred mused on the greatness of Joe Montana upon the quarterback's retirement from the NFL in April 1995.

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TSN Archives: Barry Bonds’ 71 homers are a lot, how about 755? (Oct. 8, 2001)

The Sporting News' MLB Insider, Ken Rosenthal, looked beyond Barry Bonds’ 73 home runs in 2001 and looked at Bonds’ shot at Hank Aaron's career home-run record.

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TSN Archives: Joe Montana, the bottom line (April 24, 1995)

After Joe Montana announced that he was retiring from the NFL in 1995, The Sporting News went to those who even if they weren’t his best friends were certainly in closest touch with him during his playing days: his centers.

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TSN Archives: Jerry Rice was some catch (Dec. 24, 1990)

By the time Bay Area icon Jerry Rice had reached his sixth season with the 49ers, the discussion — including in The Sporting News in December of that year — had already begun: Was he the best wide receiver ever?

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TSN Archives: Lou Gehrig’s Death Shocks All in Game (June 5, 1941)

After Lou Gehrig, 37, succumbed June 2, 1941, to ALS, The Sporting News, in addition to multiple stories about "the Iron Horse," wrote in an unsigned editorial: "Gehrig's baseball deeds were dwarfed by the courage with which he met his last fight."

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TSN Archives: Babe Ruth bookends — Yankees acquire Ruth, Babe Ruth Day 1947

New York icon Babe Ruth became much more than just a record-shattering slugger. He was a phenomenon, and The Sporting News (est. 1886) chronicled it all, including here: his acquisition by the Yankees from the Red Sox and 1947's Babe Ruth Day, as his health declined.

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TSN Archives: The book on … Steve Nash, Suns guard (Jan. 19, 1998)

Three years after The Sporting News had described Phoenix icon Steve Nash as a lightly recruited “crown jewel” at Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference, TSN gave NBA readers a scouting report.

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TSN Archives: Randy Johnson, dissected (June 12, 2000)

Having led the Diamondbacks to the postseason in their second season (his first with the team) in 1999, Phoenix icon Randy Johnson got the "See A Different Game" treatment in the June 12, 2000, issue of The Sporting News.

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TSN Archives: Sandy Koufax Spins Strikeout Tale (Oct. 19, 1963)

Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax struck out a record 15 Yankees in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series, part of a remarkable season after which he was voted the NL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, as well as The Sporting News' Player of the Year.

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TSN Archives: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s retirement leaves large void (July 3, 1989)

Los Angeles icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 42, retired after the Lakers' NBA Finals loss to the Pistons in 1989. The Sporting News assessed his place in basketball after a remarkable career.

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TSN Archives: Magic Johnson scores with the Showtime Lakers (April 27, 1987)

The Lakers became Magic Johnson’s team in 1987. He led the Lakers’ to an NBA Finals win over the Celtics and was named MVP as well as The Sporting News' Player of the Year.

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TSN Archives: Harmon Killebrew named A.L. Player of Year (Oct. 25, 1969)

Twin Cities icon Harmon Killebrew was voted by fellow AL players as The Sporting News' AL Player of the Year, presented in the Oct. 25, 1969, issue of TSN.

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TSN Archives: Kirby Puckett, an appreciation (July 22, 1996)

Kirby Puckett was forced to retire because of problems with his vision in 1996. Five years later, he would be a part of the 2001 Hall of Fame class and, sadly, 10 years later he would be dead, at 45.

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TSN Archives: Fran Tarkenton named 1975 NFC Player of the Year (Jan. 31, 1976)

When Twin Cities icon Fran Tarkenton, frequently overlooked, finally received the ultimate in recognition by being named The Sporting News NFC Player of the Year, his reaction, according to TSN itself, amounted to a "So what?"

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TSN Archives: Al Kaline, 16 years a Tiger, finally on a winner (Oct. 5, 1968)

Legendary Detroit columnist and longtime TSN contributor Joe Falls wrote about Motown icon Al Kaline in The Sporting News in 1968, shortly after the Tigers had clinched a spot in what would be a classic World Series they won over the Cardinals, four games to three. It was Kaline's first and only World Series.

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TSN Archives: “NBA Players Hail Dr. J as No. 1” (April 25, 1981)

Julius Erving was The Sporting News' 1980-81 Player of the Year, as voted on by his fellow players, and would go on to win the 1981 MVP award, his first in the NBA after having been the ABA MVP three times.

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TSN Archives: Bobby Clarke, the modest Flyer with firepower (March 10, 1973)

When The Sporting News wrote about Bobby Clarke, 23, in March 1973, he was on his way to winning the Hart and Pearson (now Lindsay) trophies on a Flyers team that was becoming the “Broad Street Bullies” who would win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and ’75.

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TSN Archives: Allen Iverson, the mercurial Sixers star in two columns

Two columns in The Sporting News captured the differing ways 76ers star and Philadelphia icon Allen Iverson could be viewed during his career, the good and the maddening.

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TSN Archives: John Elway, back-to-back Super Bowl winner, retires (May 3, 1999)

By the time John Elway retired in 1999, he had gone from an impatient risk-taker to being a savvy, reliable Hall of Fame QB — and back-to-back Super Bowl champion, The Sporting News wrote.

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TSN Archives: Todd Helton’s roadmap to .400 (Sept. 4, 2000)

Denver icon Todd Helton entered September 2000 batting .395 in only his third full MLB season. The Sporting News laid out a roadmap for the month to the magic mark.

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TSN Archives: Mike Schmidt Selected TSN Player of Decade (Jan. 29, 1990)

A cover story in the Jan. 29, 1990, issue of The Sporting News, under the main headline “Nobody Did It Better”,offered a wide-ranging and candid conversation with Mike Schmidt, upon being named TSN’s Player of the Decade for the 1980s.

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TSN Archives: Joe Sakic is sneaky good (Jan. 14, 2002)

Shaped by immigrant parents and an early tragedy, Joe Sakic let his actions on the ice speak for him, and the Avalanche reaped the rewards — and Stanley Cups.

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TSN Archives: Bob Lilly is what makes Cowboys so rugged (Nov. 18, 1972)

The Sporting News wrote about Dallas icon Bob Lilly in November 1972, the season after the Cowboys broke through in Super Bowl VI by shutting down the Dolphins, 24-3, in no small part because of Lilly.

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TSN Archives: Roger Staubach wins NFC Player of the Year (Jan. 22, 1972)

Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach was named The Sporting News NFC Player of the Year for the 1971 NFL season when Dallas was a week away from defeating the Dolphins, 24-3, for its first Super Bowl victory. Staubach was named MVP of the game.

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TSN Archives: Emmitt Smith sets NFL career rushing record (Nov. 4, 2002)

The Sporting News asserted in November 2002 that it was Dallas icon Emmitt Smith’s relentless pursuit of football immortality and his knowing how to achieve it that led him to break Walter Payton’s career rushing record.

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How Jordan beating Magic paved the path for NBA GOAT

'Individually, Michael Jordan authored one of the best all-around performances in championship series history,' The Sporting News wrote, after the Bulls closed out Magic Johnson's Lakers in 1991.

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TSN Archives: Bobby Orr Is Great — And There Are No Dissenters (May 9, 1970)

Opponents marveled in The Sporting News about Bobby Orr, 22, as he led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 1970, part of a remarkable fourth season with the team in which he won the Hart, Norris, Ross and Smythe trophies.

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TSN Archives: Boston and Red Sox icon Ted Williams, 1918-2002 (July 15, 2002)

Ted Williams' goal was simple, The Sporting News wrote upon his death in 2002: to be called 'the greatest hitter who ever lived.' His lifetime passion for putting bat to ball pushed him from skinny rookie to mercurial superstar and, finally, to cherished elder statesman.

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TSN Archives: Dave Kindred on Ted Williams, a nod to a god (July 15, 2002)

Some eight years after they sat poolside in sunny Florida, Dave Kindred recalled in The Sporting News his visit with Ted Williams as "the chance to be in the company of greatness."

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TSN Archives: Ted Williams, 22, hits .406 for Red Sox (Nov. 20, 1941)

The Sporting News wrote about hitting .400 in the Nov. 20, 1941, issue, shortly after Boston icon Ted Williams, at 22, batted .406 for the Red Sox. No one has hit .400 since.

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TSN Archives: Ted Williams, a hitter first, a hitter always (Nov. 14, 1994)

In 1994, Boston icon Ted Williams invited TSN's Dave Kindred to Florida to talk hitting. “He doesn’t see well, and he walks with a wobble, the result of a stroke nine months ago,” Kindred would write. “The good news is that at 76 he still is animated in conversation, bright and booming, sassy and passionated.”

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TSN Archives: 'A Negro in the Major Leagues'

The Sporting News hailed in an editorial Jackie Robinson's arrival in the language of the era, but TSN's coverage of Black players before and after — including Robinson himself — was hardly so enthusiastic.

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TSN Archives: Debating Jackie's future

This point-counterpoint appeared in The Sporting News dated Jan. 8, 1947, with an editor’s note that read in part, “Will Jackie Robinson … make the grade in the majors next season, if brought up?"

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TSN Archives: Jackie makes the team

It was a Page 1 story in The Sporting News when on April 10, 1947, Branch Rickey purchased Jackie Robinson's contract from the Montreal Royals, making him the first Black major leaguer.

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Dodgers split on Jackie

During spring training 1947, The Sporting News gauged how Dodgers teammates might accept Jackie Robinson if he made the big club. The answers were split.

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TSN Archives: 5 short stories from Jackie's debut

The Sporting News' coverage of Jackie Robinson's debut on April 15, 1947, had multiple stories across multiple pages, befitting an event the likes of which MLB and TSN, est. 1886, had never seen.

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