Football Giants Launch Season With Tie; Brooklyn Beaten (9/16/40)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 9/16/40 | Arthur J. Daley, Louis Effrat, Raymond R. Camp

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Guns and football – the All-American thread.

Rally Deadlocks Pittsburgh, 10-10 * – 2
Green Bay Winner over Eagles, 27-20 – 2
Redskins Top Dodgers by 24 to 17 Despite Losers’ Strong Comeback – 3
Cards and Lions in Scoreless Tie – 3
Pro Football Results – 3
Wood, Field and Stream ** – 5

* STEELERS COUNT IN FIRST

Steelers? What’s a steeler? Everybody knows Pittsburgh’s teams are the Pirates. Doesn’t tradition mean anything any more? Mark my words – this is the beginning of the end for pro football in Pittsburgh.

** ”The greatest advantage the criminal could have would be to know that the citizens are unarmed.”

I couldn’t figure out who runs the bang list, but this item seems like a natural for the gun nuts. I remind you – this is in the New York Times

[rdl6989]

If only the Lions could be that successful today.

[InvisibleChurch]

An Open Letter to All Young Men Losing Their Hair! -—— thanks!

[Lancey Howard]

As always, thanks for the pings!

[CougarGA7]

So the Pirates changed their name to the Steelers. What were they thinking. This is as scandalous as when the Racine Normals changed their name to the Cardinals.

[justiceseeker93]

Now why you would post pro football game stories if you are doing a New York Times history of WWII? It’s interesting, but irrelevant to your series.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Now why you would post pro football game stories if you are doing a New York Times history of WWII? It’s interesting, but irrelevant to your series.

Call it deep background.

If we are trying to see the war through the eyes of Americans of 70 years ago we need to examine the popular culture environment to some extent. Hence movie reviews, sports and other items that are only indirectly related to the war. I suspect more Americans could name the home run leaders in the American and National leagues than could identify Tobruk or Hanoi in September 1940. Similar comparisons would apply to football. Especially the college game but also the young NFL. I also suspect the sports section had more regular readers than the News of the Week in Review section in the Sunday edition. Incidentally, Homer’s father was playing semi-pro baseball in the Blue Mountain League in Eastern Oregon during this period. In a few years that would only be something to be recalled nostalgically from the South Pacific but for the time being it is real life. More so than the far off Battle of Britain or the even farther off Japanese invasion of Indo-China.

Besides, sports threads are kind of fun to put together.

[justiceseeker93]

OK, as an amateur historian, including sports, I see your point.

BTW, did you notice that "Whizzer" White, later a US Supreme Court justice, was mentioned in the game story of the Lions' scoreless tie against the Chicago Cardinals? (Why on earth did they schedule that game at a neutral site in rainy Buffalo? If both of their home fields were occupied by baseball, which I suspect, they could have moved it to later in the season.) Also, that might have been the last scoreless tie in NFL history, although I'm not at all sure.

I have to tell you that I've never heard of the Blue Mountain League. I've never even heard of the Blue Mountains, even though I've heard of the Green Mountains, White Mountains, Black Hills, and two Red Rivers. (LOL!)