Home About us Products Services Contact us Bookmark
:: wikimiki.org ::
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, informally known as RFK Stadium, is a professional sports stadium that opened in the fall of 1961. Originally called D.C. Stadium, it served as home to the Washington Senators of Major League Baseball from the spring of 1962 through 1971, when the team moved to Arlington, Texas. The stadium was also the home of the Washington Redskins, a team in the National Football League, from 1961 until 1996, when they moved to FedEx Field in suburban Maryland. The stadium was renamed for slain presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1969. Concerts featuring renowned rock bands and performers still take place at the stadium. It has also hosted soccer matches in the (men's) and 2003 Women's World Cup. 2003 Women's World Cup.]] The stadium now serves as the home of the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball and D.C. United of Major League Soccer. A complex conversion is necessary to switch the stadium seating from baseball to soccer configuration and back again. This includes rolling the 3rd-base lower-level seats into the outfield along a buried rail, dropping the hydraulic pitcher's mound 3 feet into the ground, and laying sod over the infield dirt. In 2005, this conversion was done over 20 times. RFK Stadium was, for 35 years, known as home to the Redskins, whose return to prominence as a football power began the same year the Senators left D.C. The Redskins' first game in RFK Stadium was a 24-21 loss to the New York Giants on October 1, 1961. The team's first win in the stadium was over its archrival, the Dallas Cowboys on December 17, 1961. The Redskins' last win at RFK Stadium was a 37-10 victory over the Cowboys on December 22, 1996. As a baseball park, RFK Stadium is unique in having only an upper deck across the outfield, atop a high wall. Burly slugger Frank Howard hit a number of tape-measure home runs in his career, a few of which landed in the center field area of that upper deck. The stadium hosted the first 1962 All-Star Game, which was attended by Robert Kennedy's brother, President John F. Kennedy (in whose Administration Robert Kennedy served as Attorney General) and the 1969 All-Star Game, which was played in the daytime after a rainout the night before. Another memorable baseball moment occurred in a Cracker Jack Old Timers game in the early 1980s, when 75 year old Hall of Famer Luke Appling hit a home run. With its revival as a major league baseball facility, RFK Stadium now displaces Dodger Stadium as the fourth oldest major league ballpark, behind Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. Its first baseball game was the day before Dodger Stadium's first game, and it was first opened for football the previous fall.

Users

Current


- D.C. United (1996-)
- Washington Nationals (2005-)

Former


- Washington Redskins (1961-1996)
- Washington Senators (1962-1971)
- Washington Freedom (1998-2001)
- Washington Diplomats (1974-1981), (1991).
- Washington Darts (1971)
- Washington Whips (1968)

New developments

On September 29, 2004, Major League Baseball announced its intentions to move the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C. and rename them the Washington Nationals. RFK Stadium has undergone a $13 million dollar renovation, and will be used for a total of three years for the new baseball team, while a $440 million dollar state-of-the-art stadium is built on the north bank of the Anacostia River at South Capitol Street. Their first regular-season home game at RFK was April 14, 2005, vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. On April 14, 2005, just before the Nationals' home opener, the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission announced an agreement with the Department of Defense under which the military would pay the city about $6 million for the right to place recruiting kiosks and signage in the stadium. In return, the stadium would be dubbed Armed Forces Field at RFK Stadium. This plan was dropped within days, however, after several prominent members of Congress questioned the use of public funds for a stadium sponsorship.

Memorable games/moments at RFK Stadium


- After trailing the Cowboys 24-6 halfway through the third quarter on November 28, 1965 quarterback Sonny Jurgensen leads the Redskins to 21 fourth quarter points and a 34-31 comeback victory.
- The Redskins beat the New York Giants 72-41 on November 27, 1966. The 113 combined points are the most ever scored in an NFL game.
- In the Washington Senators' final home game, on September 30, 1971, the Senators lead the New York Yankees 7-5 with two outs left in the top of the ninth. Fans storm the field and tear up bases, grass patches, and anything else they can find for souvenirs. The Senators forfeit the game, 9-0.
- On December 31, 1972 the Redskins defeat the Cowboys 26-3 in the NFC Championship game to earn a trip to Super Bowl VII.
- In a Monday Night Football game on October 8, 1973 Redskins safety Ken Houston stops Cowboys' receiver Walt Garrison at the goal line as time expired to secure a win.
- December 17, 1977 - the Redskins defeat the Los Angeles Rams 17-14 in what would be head coach George Allen's final game with the team.
- October 25, 1981 - the Redskins narrowly beat the New England Patriots 24-22 to earn head coach Joe Gibbs his first win at RFK Stadium.
- January 22, 1983 - the stadium physically shakes as a capacity crowd of 54,000 chant "We Want Dallas" taunting the hated Cowboys in the NFC Championship game. The Redskins go on to defeat the Cowboys 31-17 to earn a trip to Super Bowl XVII where they beat the Miami Dolphins 24-17.
- September 5, 1983 - Redskins' rookie cornerback Darrell Green chases down Cowboys' running back Tony Dorsett from behind to prevent him from scoring. The Redskins go on to lose the game 31-30.
- November 18, 1985 - Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor sacks Redskins' quarterback Joe Theismann breaking his leg and ending his NFL career. Backup quarterback Jay Schroeder comes in and leads the Redskins to a 23-21 victory.
- January 17, 1988 Cornerback Darrell Green knocks down a Wade Wilson pass at the goal line to clinch a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game. The Redskins go on to defeat the Denver Broncos 42-10 in Super Bowl XXII.
- January 4, 1992 - in pouring rain the Redskins beat the Atlanta Falcons 24-7 in the Divisional round of the playoffs. As time winds down in the fourth quarter the fans shower the field with the free yellow seat cushions given them when they entered the stadium.
- January 12, 1992 - the Redskins destroy the Detroit Lions 41-10 in the NFC Championship game earning a trip to Super Bowl XXVI where they beat the Buffalo Bills 37-24.
- December 13, 1992 - Redskins coach Joe Gibbs coaches what would be his last win at RFK Stadium. The Redskins defeat the Cowboys 20-17.
- October 30, 1996 - Ten days after winning the first Major League Soccer title, D.C. United defeats the Rochester Rhinos 3-1 in the U.S. Open Cup final, achieving the first "double" in American soccer history.
- October 26, 1997 - D.C. United defeats the Colorado Rapids 2-1 to win their second consecutive MLS Cup.
- August 16, 1998 - D.C. United defeats C.D. Toluca of Mexico 1-0 to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, becoming the first American team to do so and marking their first victory in an international tournament.
- October 15, 2000 - the Kansas City Wizards defeat the Chicago Fire 1-0 to win their first MLS Cup.
- April 14, 2001 - the Washington Freedom defeat the Bay Area CyberRays 1-0 in the inaugural match of the Women's United Soccer Association.
- November 6, 2004 - D.C. United win the Eastern Conference final by tying the New England Revolution 3-3 and advancing on penalty kicks. They would go on to defeat the Kansas City Wizards 3-2 in the MLS Cup.
- April 14, 2005 - Washington Nationals defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3, before a crowd of 45,596, to win their first home opener in Washington, DC. They go on to sweep the 3-game series.

Food vendors inside the stadium

RFK is home to to such eateries as Forescore Grill, The Diamond Club, Burrito Brothers, Dominic's of New York and Stars and Stripes Brew. Category:Major League Baseball venues Category:Cookie cutter stadiums Category:Washington, D.C. sports Category:FIFA World Cup stadiums Category:FIFA Women's World Cup stadiums Category:Soccer venues in the United States ja:ロバート・F・ケネディ・メモリアル・スタジアム

Stadium

]] .]] A modern stadium (plural stadiums, Latin plural stadia) is a place, or venue, for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts or other events, consisting of a field or stage partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.

History of the stadium

The word originates from the Greek "stadion" (στάδιον), literally a (place where people) stand. The oldest known stadium is the one in Olympia, in western Peloponnese, Greece, where the Olympic Games of antiquity were held since 776 BC. Initially the Games consisted of a single event, a sprint along the length of the stadium. Therefore the length of the Olympia stadium was more or less standardized as a measure of distance (approximately 190 meters). The practice of standardizing footrace tracks to a length of 180-200 meters was followed by the Romans as well. Interestingly enough, a human's capacity to sustain maximum speed is known to diminish after about 200 meters of sprinting, a fact also seen in modern-day athletics. Greek and Roman stadia have been found in numerous ancient cities, perhaps the most famous being the Colosseum or the Stadium of Domitian, both in Rome.

The modern stadium

Types

Domed stadiums have roofs. They are called stadiums because they are large enough for, and designed for what are generally considered to be outdoor sports. (Those designed for what are usually indoor sports are called arenas.) Some stadiums have partial roofs, and a few have even been designed to have moveable fields. An all-seater stadium has seats for all spectators. Other stadiums are designed so that all or some spectators stand to view the event. The term "stadium" tends to be used mostly in connection with games like American football and soccer. An exception is the basketball arena at Duke University, which is called Cameron Indoor Stadium. The term "stadium" is also often used for baseball parks, especially since the construction of Yankee Stadium in 1923, but starting in the 1990s the cozier term "ballpark" has returned to favor for baseball-only facilities. 1990s's Koševo stadium.]]

Design issues

Different sports require fields of different size and shape. Some stadiums are designed primarily for a single sport while other stadiums can accommodate different sports. Stadiums built specifically for some form of football are quite common. The most common multiple use design combines a football field with a running track, a combination which generally works fairly well, although certain compromises must be made. The major drawback is that the stands are necessarily set back a good distance from the field, especially at the ends of the field. In the case of some smaller stadiums, there aren't stands at the ends. When there are stands all the way around, the stadium takes on an oval shape. When one end is open, the stadium has a horseshoe shape. All three configurations (open, oval and horseshoe) are common, especially in the case of American college football stadiums. football provides a typical example of a baseball stadium / ballpark.]] In the United States, where baseball and American football are the two most popular outdoor spectator sports, a number of football/baseball multi-use stadiums were built, especially during the 1960s, and some of them were successful. However, since the requirements for baseball and football are significantly different, the trend beginning with Kansas City in 1972-1973, and accelerating in the 1990s, has been toward the construction of single-purpose stadiums. In several cases a football stadium has been constructed adjacent to a baseball park. In many cases, earlier baseball stadiums were constructed to fit into a particular land area or city block. This resulted in asymmetrical dimensions for many baseball fields. Yankee Stadium, for example, was built on a triangular city block in The Bronx, New York City. This resulted in a large left field dimension but a small right field dimension, which added to the stadium's character. Before more modern football stadiums were built in the United States, many baseball parks, including Yankee Stadium, the Polo Grounds, Wrigley Field, Comiskey Park, Tiger Stadium, Fenway Park, Griffith Stadium, Milwaukee County Stadium, Shibe Park, Forbes Field and Sportsman's Park were used by the National Football League or the American Football League. The spectator areas of a stadium are often referred to as terraces, especially in the United Kingdom but also in some American baseball parks, as an alternative to the term tier. Originally set out for standing room only, they are now usually equipped with seating. Either way, the term originates from the step-like rows which resemble agricultural terraces. Related, but not precisely the same, is the use of terrace to describe a sloping portion of the outfield in a baseball park, possibly but not necessarily for seating, but for practical or decorative purposes. The most famous of these was at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. Poor stadium design has contributed to disasters such as the Hillsborough disaster and the Heysel Stadium disaster.

Corporate naming

In recent decades, the owners of sports stadiums in the United States found it worthwhile to subsidize costs by accepting corporate sponsorships. This trend, which began in the 1970s but accelerated greatly in the 1990s, has led to sponsors' names being affixed to both established stadiums and new ones. In some cases, the corporate name replaces (with varying degrees of success) the name by which the venue has been known for many years -- examples include San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, previously known as Jack Murphy Stadium. But many of the more recently-built ballparks, such as Milwaukee's Miller Park, have never been known by a non-corporate name. The sponsorship phenomenon has since spread worldwide. One consequence of corporate naming has been an increase in stadium name changes, for example when the namesake corporation changes its name, or if the naming agreement simply expires. Phoenix's Chase Field, for example, was previously known as Bank One Ballpark but was re-named to reflect the takeover of the latter corporation. San Francisco's historic Candlestick Park was renamed as 3Com Park for several years, but the name was dropped when the sponsorship agreement expired, and it was another two years before a new name of Monster Park was applied. On the other hand, Los Angeles' now-defunct Great Western Forum, one of the earliest examples of corporate re-naming, retained its name for many years, even after the namesake bank no longer existed. Perhaps the most interesting example is Houston's Minute Maid Park, which hurriedly dropped its original name of Enron Field when scandal engulfed the latter corporation -- it became Astros Field for a year before finding a new corporate naming sponsor. This new trend in corporate naming (or re-naming) is distinguishable from names of some older parks such as Crosley Field, Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium, in that the parks were named by and for the club's owner, which also happened to be the names of companies owned by those clubowners. See also: Naming rights

See also


- List of stadiums
- List of indoor arenas
- Strahov Stadium (largest stadium in the world)
- Telstra Dome (largest indoor stadium in the world(by playing surface))
- List of football stadiums by capacity Category:Sporting venues

Texas Rangers (baseball)

:For other meanings of the term Texas Rangers, see Texas Rangers. ---- The Texas Rangers are a Major League Baseball team based in Arlington, Texas, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. They are in the Western Division of the American League.

Franchise history

Washington Senators

When the second Washington Senators (the original Senators existed in the 1890's) moved to Minnesota in 1960, Major League Baseball awarded a team to Washington, D.C., giving it the name of the old franchise. In eleven seasons, the new Washington Senators posted only one winning season (1969). Frank Howard was the team's most accomplished player. Ted Williams of Boston Red Sox fame managed the team from 1969 to 1971, and moved with the franchise to Arlington, Texas in 1972. The team played its games at D.C. Stadium (renamed Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in 1968) on East Capitol Street and the Anacostia River. Team uniform colors: Red, blue and white, with script "Senators" across the player's chest

Efforts to bring baseball to the Metroplex

In 1962 the American League began to entertain the idea of bringing a professional baseball team to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Charles O. Finley, the owner of the Kansas City Athletics, sought to move his team to Dallas, but the idea was rebuffed by the other AL team owners. In 1964, the 10,000-seat Turnpike Stadium was constructed in Arlington for the minor-league Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs. The stadium, later renamed Arlington Stadium, would eventually serve as the Rangers' first home stadium. Meanwhile, the Senators received new ownership in 1968 in the form of Bob Short, the Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee. He sought to move the team from Washington. On September 20, 1971, he got his wish, receiving approval from AL owners to move the franchise to Arlington for the 1972 season. Washington fans were outraged, leaving the team's public relations director, Ted Rodgers, with the unenviable task of putting a positive spin on such events as fans unfurling a giant banner that contained Short's name, preceded by a popular four-letter invective. A photo of the banner appeared on the front page of a DC newspaper the following day. Fan enmity was so great that in the team's final game in RFK Stadium on September 30 against the New York Yankees, the Senators were forced to forfeit the game after angry fans stormed the field and damaged much of the stadium and playing surface.

First years in Texas

During the off-season, additions were made to Turnpike Stadium to increase its seating capacity, and it was officially renamed Arlington Stadium. Bob Short also announced that the franchise would be called the Texas Rangers. The team played its first game on April 15, 1972, a 1-0 loss at the California Angels. The next day, the Rangers defeated the Angels 5-1 for the team's first victory. The first home game was also against the Angels on April 21. After the season, Ted Williams retired as manager. Whitey Herzog was named the new manager, but he was replaced in the middle of the 1973 season by Billy Martin. In 1974, the Rangers began to come into their own as a team. They finished the season 84-76 and in second place behind the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics. (The 1974 Rangers are still the only MLB team to finish above .500 after two consecutive 100-loss seasons.) Mike Hargrove was named AL Rookie of the Year, Billy Martin was named Manager of the Year, Jeff Burroughs was named AL Most Valuable Player, and Ferguson Jenkins was named the Comeback Player of the Year. However, the following season, after a 44-51 start, Martin was fired as the Rangers manager and was replaced by Frank Lucchesi. The 1974 Rangers would set what has become a pattern for the franchise, cycles of mostly poor to mediocre seasons with losing records, followed by an occasional year of near-success, followed by disappointment the following year, then reverting to poor to mediocre seasons again.

The 1980s and early 1990s

After the 1977 and 1978 seasons, the Rangers would not have another winning season until 1986 under manager Bobby Valentine, when the team finished second in the AL West. During this time, the team had a host of talent, including Bert Blyleven, Buddy Bell, Fergie Jenkins, Mike Hargrove, Jim Sundberg, Toby Harrah and Rick Honeycutt. Valentine, who would eventually become the Rangers' longest-serving manager at 1,186 games, became steward over an influx of talent in the team in the late 1980s and 1990s. The signing of 41-year-old star pitcher Nolan Ryan prior to the 1989 season allowed Ryan to reach his 5,000th strikeout, 300th win and throw his sixth and seventh no-hitters with the Rangers. Coupled with powerful batters like Juan González, Rubén Sierra, Julio Franco, Harold Baines, and Rafael Palmeiro and a pitching staff that also included Charlie Hough, Bobby Witt, Kevin Brown, and Kenny Rogers, fans expected much from the team. However, the team never improved past being average, and Valentine was let go during the 1992 season. Meanwhile, in April of 1989, the Rangers' owner, Eddie Chiles, sold the team to an investment group headed by future President George W. Bush. Bush would serve as the Rangers' managing partner until he was elected Governor of Texas in 1994. During this time, the Rangers and the City of Arlington decided to construct a new stadium to replace the aging Arlington Stadium. Ground was broken on October 30, 1991 on what would become The Ballpark in Arlington (later renamed Ameriquest Field in Arlington).

Success in the 1990s

In 1993, Kevin Kennedy took over managerial duties, helming the team for two seasons. The 1993 squad was the first since the 1974 team to be in serious contention for a playoff berth into mid-September. He was let go in 1994 despite leading the AL West prior to the players' strike. The strike wiped out what could have been the Rangers' first division championship when commissioner Bud Selig canceled the remainder of the season. The year 1995 saw the beginnings of the most promise for the Rangers. With a brand new ballpark that hosted its first All-Star Game, Johnny Oates was hired as the Rangers' manager and promptly led them to an AL West division title in 1996. The first Rangers' playoff series in history, 24 years after the franchise came to Texas, saw the Rangers lose to the New York Yankees. But the team had finally made the playoffs. Oates was named AL Manager of the Year and Juan Gonzalez was named AL MVP. The team featured a powerful lineup of hitters with Ivan Rodriguez, Will Clark, Mark McLemore, Dean Palmer, Rusty Greer, Juan Gonzalez, and Mickey Tettleton but continued to struggle with pitching - a reputation that dogs the Rangers to this day - despite having Rick Helling, Aaron Sele, and John Wetteland on their roster. Oates again led the team to AL West championships in 1998 and 1999, but en route to a second straight last place finish, Oates was let go mid-way through the 2001 season. Meanwhile, Bush sold the team to an investment group led by Dallas businessman Tom Hicks in 1998. In 1999, Nolan Ryan became the first player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame to have a Ranger cap placed on his plaque.

The Alex Rodriguez experiment

Prior to the 2001 season, star free-agent shortstop Alex Rodriguez, previously of the Seattle Mariners, was signed by the Rangers in the most lucrative deal in baseball history: a 10-year, US $252 million contract. The move was considered controversial and was frequently maligned by the media who thought that Hicks was placing too much emphasis on one player instead of spreading out money among many players, especially for a team that lacked significant pitching talent. Although Rodriguez's individual performance was outstanding, the Rangers continued to struggle, and manager Jerry Narron was fired following the 2002 season. He was replaced by seasoned manager Buck Showalter. In the 2003 season, the Rangers finished in last place for the fourth straight year, and after a post-season fallout between Rodriguez and team management, the then-reigning AL MVP and new Rangers captain, Alex Rodriguez, was traded to the New York Yankees for Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias.

The present

Prior to the 2004 season, little hope was held out for the Rangers to improve on their losing ways. However, behind a young team that gelled together well (spurred partially by comments from former Ranger Alex Rodriguez that he didn't want to play with a "bunch of kids"), the Rangers battled with the Anaheim Angels and Oakland Athletics for first place in the AL West for much of the season. Mark Teixeira, Alfonso Soriano, Michael Young, and Hank Blalock became one of the better tandems of batting infielders in the league, and Young, Blalock, and Soriano were named to the 2004 All-Star Game. Soriano was named the All-Star MVP after going 2 for 3 with a three-run home run. The Rangers remained in contention until the last week of the season, eventually finishing in third place behind the Angels and A's, but they finished the season only 3 games out of first place. (By comparison, the fourth-place team, the Seattle Mariners, were 29 games out of first.) In 2005, the Rangers have struggled to find consistency amid controversy and injuries. Frank Francisco and Carlos Almanzar, two key members of the bullpen, have been sidelined for Tommy John surgery. Kenny Rogers, the team's ace pitcher, received a 20 game suspension from commissioner Bud Selig for attacking a cameraman at Ameriquest Field in Arlington. (The Rangers have announced that Rogers will not be offered a contract for the upcoming season.) Also, shortly after a spectacular homestand where the Rangers swept all three series (the first time in Rangers history that they ever swept an entire homestand), management unexpectedly placed opening-day starter Ryan Drese on waivers, where he was claimed by the Washington Nationals. After Drese's release and Rogers' suspension, the Rangers struggled to find consistency on the mound, and a disastrous road trip in August in which the Rangers went 1-12 all but assured that the Rangers would not make the playoffs in 2005. Whether the 2005 season is an aberration, or yet another sign of "failed promise", remains to be seen. On October 4, 2005, the Rangers announced that John Hart was stepping aside as general manager of the franchise, and that Jon Daniels was being promoted from assistant general manager to general manager. Daniels, at 28 years and one month, is the youngest general manager in major league history. However, Hart will remain with the club as a "special consultant", thus giving rise to media speculation that Daniels will be little more than a "yes man" for Hart.

Quick facts

:Founded: 1961 (American League expansion) :Formerly known as: the Washington Senators, 1961-1971. (Not to be confused with the team that was the Washington Senators prior to 1961, which became the Minnesota Twins, or the Washington Senators that existed from 1891-1899 and were contracted.) :Home ballpark: Ameriquest Field in Arlington (known as The Ballpark in Arlington 1994-2003) :Uniform colors: Blue, White, and Scarlet red :Logo design: A "T" superimposed on a baseball, set inside a circle with "TEXAS" on the top half and "RANGERS" on the bottom :Playoff appearances (3): 1996, 1998, 1999 The Rangers (when combined with their predecessor the Senators) are the oldest franchise that has yet to appear in a World Series; in fact, they have yet to win any playoff series. In their entire history the team has a combined one playoff win (on the road at Yankee Stadium of all places; they have never won a home playoff game). See also: Lone Star Shootout (Rangers-Astros rivalry)

Baseball Hall of Famers


- 9 Ted Williams, Manager 1972 (inducted for his playing career with the Boston Red Sox)
- 31 Ferguson Jenkins, P, 1974-75 & 1978-81
- 36 Gaylord Perry, P, 1975-77 & 1980
- 34 Nolan Ryan, P, 1989-93

Retired Numbers


- 26 Johnny Oates, MGR, 1995-2001
- 34 Nolan Ryan, P, 1989-93

Current roster

Minor league affiliations


- AAA: Oklahoma RedHawks, Pacific Coast League
- AA: Frisco RoughRiders, Texas League
- Advanced A: Bakersfield Blaze, California League
- A: Clinton LumberKings, Midwest League
- Short A: Spokane Indians, Northwest League
- Rookie: AZL Rangers, Arizona League

See also


- Rangers award winners and league leaders
- Rangers statistical records and milestone achievements
- Rangers players of note
- Rangers broadcasters and media
- Rangers managers and ownership

External links


- [http://www.texasrangers.com Texas Rangers official web site]
- [http://www.rangerfans.com Rangerfans.com - A Fan Site]
- [http://www.newbergreport.com The Newberg Report - A Fan Site]
- [http://www.lonestarball.com Lone Star Ball - A SportsBlog Nation Site] Category:MLB teams Category:Texas sports Category:Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Category:Dallas sports ja:テキサス・レンジャーズ ko:텍사스 레인저스

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. More specifically, Major League Baseball ("MLB") refers to the entity that operates North America's two top leagues, the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure which has existed between them since 1920. On an organizational level, MLB effectively operates as a single "league", and as such it constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues of North America. Major League Baseball is governed by the Major League Baseball Constitution, an agreement that has undergone several incarnations since 1876 then called the NL Constitution, with the most recent revisions being made in 2005. Major League Baseball, under the direction of its Commissioner, Bud Selig, hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts. As is the case for most North American sports leagues, the 'closed shop' aspect of MLB effectively prevents the yearly promotion and demotion of teams into the Major League by virtue of their performance. MLB also maintains a unique, controlling relationship over the sport, including most aspects of minor league baseball. This is due in large part to a 1922 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Federal Baseball Club v. National League which declared baseball is not considered interstate commerce (and therefore not subject to federal antitrust law), despite baseball's own references to itself as an "industry" rather than a "sport." The production/multimedia wing of MLB is New York-based MLB Advanced Media, which oversees MLB.com and all 30 of the individual teams' websites. Its charter states that MLB Advanced Media holds editorial independence from the League itself, but it is indeed under the same ownership group and revenue-sharing plan. MLB Productions is a similarly-structured wing of the league, focusing on video and traditional broadcast media.

Current Major Leagues

The Major League season runs from late March or early April to late September or early October. Players and teams prepare for the season in spring training, primarily in Florida and Arizona, during February and March. Three rounds of playoffs follow the season, culminating in the World Series in late October.

Teams and schedule

At the time of writing the Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig, has often floated the idea of international expansion and realignment of the major leagues. At the moment, however, the major leagues are each split into three divisions, and structured as listed in the table below. In all there are 30 teams in the two leagues: 16 in the older National League ("NL") and 14 in the American League ("AL"). Each has its teams split into three divisions grouped generally by geography. They are (number of teams in each division in parenthesis): NL East (5), NL Central (6), NL West (5), AL East (5), AL Central (5) and AL West (4). Each team's regular season consists of 162 games, a duration established in 1961. From 1904 to 1960, except for 1919, a 154-game schedule was played. Shortened seasons were played in 1918 due to the outbreak of World War I, and in 1972, 1981, 1994 and 1995 due to player strikes and lockouts. Games are played predominantly against teams within each league through an unbalanced schedule which heavily favors intra-divisional play. In 1997 Major League Baseball introduced interleague play, which was criticized by the sport's purists but has since proven very popular with most fans. Each year in June, Major League Baseball conducts a draft for first year players who have never signed a Major or Minor League contract. The MLB Draft is among the least followed of the professional sports drafts in the United States. For a detailed history of the length of the regular season, see Major League Baseball season.

All-Star game

Early July marks the midway point of the season, during which a three day break is taken when the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is staged. The All-Star game pits players from the NL, headed up by the manager of the previous NL World Series team, against players from the AL, similarly managed, in an exhibition game. The 2002 contest ended in an 11-inning tie because both teams were out of pitchers, a ridiculous result which proved highly unpopular with the fans. In 2003 and 2004, the league which won the game received the benefit of home-field advantage (four of the seven games of that year's World Series taking place at their home park). The 2005 contest, played in Detroit, followed this format, and it is expected that it will remain that way until the MLB says otherwise. Since the 1970s, the eight position players for each team who take the field initially have been voted into the game by fans. The remaining position players and all of the pitchers on each league's roster were, for a long number of years, solely at the discretion of that team's manager. In 2004, however, MLB instituted a system where some reserves and pitchers were selected by a vote of MLB players, and some were selected by the manager after consulting with the Commissioner's Office. By MLB regulation, every team in the majors must have at least one designated all-star player, regardless of voting. This rule exists so that fans of every team have a player to watch for in the All Star Game.

Post-season

When the regular season ends around October 1st, eight teams enter the post-season playoffs. The first six teams are each league's three division champions. The remaining two "wild-card" spots are filled by each league's team that has the best regular season record and is not a division champion. Three rounds of series of games are played to determine the champion: # American League Division Series and National League Division Series, each a best-of-five game series; # American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series, each a best-of-seven game series played between the surviving teams from the ALDS and NLDS; and # World Series, a best-of-seven game series played between the champions of each league. The team belonging to the league that won the mid-season All-Star game receives home-field advantage in that series.

MLB Steroid Policy

Over most of the course of Major League Baseball, steroid testing was never a major issue. However, after the BALCO steroid scandal, which involved allegations that top baseball players had used illegal performance enhancing drugs, Major League Baseball has finally decided to issue harsher penalties for steroid users. The new policy, which was accepted by Major League Baseball players and owners, was issued at the start of the 2005 season and goes as follows: The 1st positive test will result in a suspension of up to 10 days. The 2nd positive test will result in a suspension of 30 days. The 3rd positive test will result in a suspension of 60 days. The 4th positive test will result in a suspension of one full year. Finally, the 5th positive test will result in a penalty at the commissioner’s discretion. Players will be tested at least once per year, with the chance that several players can be tested a numerous amount of times per year. (See: List of Major League Baseball players suspended for steroids) This program would replaces the previous steroid testing program under which, for example, no player was even suspended in 2004. Under the old policy, which was established in 2002, a first time offense would only result in treatment for the player. The new agreement makes sure that first time offenders are rightfully suspended. In recent news, Bud Selig, the Commissioner of MLB, has proposed even tougher penalties for positive tests than the ones in place today. The new penalties that Bud Selig has proposed are a “three strikes and you’re out approach” and go as follows: The 1st positive test would result in a 50 game suspension. The 2nd positive test would result in a 100 game suspension. Finally, the 3rd positive test would result in a lifetime suspension from MLB. These new proposed penalties are much harsher, however they must be accepted by MLB players and owners before any changes can be made. MLB's reluctance to take a hard line on drugs (as many other sports feature far more strict testing and penalties) is widely seen as one of the main reasons why baseball has been dropped from the Olympics with effect from 2012.

References


- http://www.wnbc.com/mikedup/4077510/detail.html

Historical Major Leagues

In 1969, the centennial of professional baseball, a commission chartered by Major League Baseball identified the following leagues as "major leagues". The list is sometimes disputed by baseball researchers. The MLB list included the following:
- 1876-present: National League of Professional Baseball Clubs
- 1882-1891: American Association
- 1884: Union Association
- 1890: Players League
- 1901-present: American League
- 1914-1915: Federal League Some researchers contend that the following leagues deserve consideration as major leagues due to the caliber of player and the level of play exhibited:
- The National Association (1871-1875)
- The first year of the American League (1900)
- The Negro Leagues (primarily during the years from 1921-1946) In general, the official stance is that game and statistical records for these particular leagues were not kept in a consistent manner and/or those leagues did not have a significant direct impact on the major leagues. Specifically, the following can be said of these leagues:
- The NA is unquestionably recognized as the first professional league, and is the direct precursor to the NL, most of whose original eight teams came from the NA. The standard position is that the NA was a "transitional" league that was not quite up to major league standards. The NL was a wholly new entity that took the best remnants of the NA and imposed a discipline that was lacking in the failed NA.
- The AL itself asserted that it was a minor league in 1900, although it was already located in most of the cities it would be operating in the following year. However, in 1900 it operated independently and did not conduct raids on major league rosters. That changed in 1901.
- The Negro Leagues are the toughest call. Some historians have labeled their time the era of "shadow ball", a segregated parallel to the (all-white) major leagues. The fact that many young players were able to come into the majors in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and have immediate impact, possibly argues for major status. It could also be argued that the Negro Leagues were more properly equated to the highest levels of minor league ball, such as the Pacific Coast League. It is a debate that has no clear resolution, which is why most historians are content to simply regard them as a category unto themselves. Conversely, some historians question whether the Union Association really qualifies as "major", because it really only had one major-league calliber team (St. Louis) and its membership was a revolving door. The Union's chief claim to major status would rest on having had some direct impact on the other majors, due to roster-raiding. None of the three "non-major" groups listed above could make that claim.

See also

:For results of annual regular season final standings, see years in baseball
- History of baseball, for a detailed history of the Major Leagues
- 2005 Free Agents
- 1994 baseball strike
- 1981 baseball strike
- 1972 baseball strike
- Minor league baseball, for a list of Minor Baseball teams
- Negro League baseball
- Continental League - Proposed by Branch Rickey as a "third major league"; folded before play began, but forced majors to expand
- 19th century National League teams
- Current Major League Baseball Players by Nationality
- Major League Baseball television contracts
- Major League Baseball transactions
- List of Major League Rivalries
- MLB Draft

Players, ownership, ballparks and officials


- Baseball Commissioners
- List of highest paid baseball players
- List of major league players with articles
- List of Major League Baseball principal owners
- List of Major League Baseball stadiums
- List of Major League Baseball retired numbers
- List of Free Agents 2005-2006 season

Statistics, milestones and records


- Baseball statistics: BA, ERA, etc.
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- 30-30 club and 40-40 club
- 300-300 club
- List of lifetime home run leaders through history
- 500 home run club
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- 3000 hit club
- 300 win club
- 3000 strikeout club
- Major League Baseball franchise post-season droughts
- Perfect game
- Unassisted triple play
- Triple crown
- Hitting for the cycle
- Major League Baseball titles streaks
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- Major League Baseball attendance records
- Major League Baseball home run milestones
- List of most experienced baseball players never to play in a World Series
- List of Major League Baseball No-hitters
- Home run leaders by letter

Post-season awards


- Comeback Player of the Year Award
- Cy Young Award
- Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
- Hank Aaron Award
- Manager of the Year Award
- Most Valuable Player Award
- The Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award (prior to 2001, TSN Fireman of the Year)
- Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award
- Rookie of the Year Award
- Silver Sluggers

Exhibition and playoffs


- All-Star Game
- National League pennant winners 1876-1900
- American League pennant winners 1901-68
- National League pennant winners 1901-68
- MLB division winners (since 1969)
- American League Division Series (ALDS)
- National League Division Series (NLDS)
- American League Championship Series (ALCS)
- National League Championship Series (NLCS)
- World Series

External links


- [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp Official MLB website]
- [http://baseballhalloffame.org National Baseball Hall of Fame]
- [http://www.baseballreference.com Baseball-Reference.com]
- [http://www.baseballprospectus.com Baseball Prospectus]
- [http://www.baseballthinkfactory.com Baseball Think Factory]
- [http://www.all-baseball.com All-Baseball.com]
- [http://www.hardballtimes.com The Hardball Times]
- [http://www.ballparks.com Ballparks.com]
- [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/index ESPN.com - Baseball Index]
- [http://insidetheparks.com/ InsideTheParks.com]
- [http://www.gridmarks.com/mlb.html MLB Rankings] Category:Sports leagues of the United States
- ko:메이저 리그 야구 ja:メジャーリーグ simple:Major League Baseball

1971

1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar).

Events

January


- January 1 - British Divorce Reform Act comes into force
- January 2 - 66 die in stairway crush at Rangers v Celtic football match, Glasgow, Scotland. See Ibrox disaster.
- January 2 - A ban on television cigarette advertisements goes into effect in the United States.
- January 3 - BBC Open University begins in the United Kingdom
- January 7 - Howard Hughes breaks his silence to announce that his supposed biography is a forgery.
- January 8 – Tupamaros kidnap Geoffrey Jackson, British ambassador to Uruguay, in Montevideo; they keep him captive until September
- January 9 – Uruguayan president Jorge Pacheco Areco demands emergency powers for 90 days due to kidnappings and receives them the next day
- January 14 – 70 Brazilian political prisoners released in Santiago. Giovanni Enrico Bucher is released January 16
- January 15 - Aswan Dam officially opened
- January 18 – Strikes in Poland demand resignation of interior minister Kazimierz Switala. He resigns January 23 and is replaced by Franciszek Szlachcic
- January 19 – Representatives of 23 western oil companies begin negotiations with OPEC in Tehran to stabilize oil prices. February 14 they sign a treaty with six Persian Gulf countries
- January 19 - No, No Nanette premieres (46th Street Theatre, New York City)
- January 24 – Guinean government sentences to death 92 Guineans who helped Portuguese troops in the failed landing attempts in November 1970. 72 are sentenced to hard labor for life. 58 of the sentenced are hanged the next day
- January 25 - Charles Manson and three female "family members" are found guilty of the 1969 murder of Sharon Tate and others at Sharon's house
- January 25 - Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda's president
- January 25 - Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state
- January 31 - Apollo program: US spaceflight Apollo 14, commanded by Alan Shepard, lifts off on the third successful lunar landing mission

February


- February 2 - Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and assumes power in Uganda
- February 4 - In Britain, Rolls Royce goes bankrupt - state takes over
- February 5 - Apollo 14 lands on the Moon.
- February 7 - Tuscany, Italy, wrecked in an earthquake
- February 7 - Men of Switzerland vote for giving voting rights to women in state elections - but not in all canton-specific ones.
- February 7 – Wladyslaw Gomulka is expelled from central council of the Polish communist party
- February 8 - A new stock market index called the Nasdaq debuts
- February 9 - The 6.4 on the Richter Scale Sylmar earthquake hits the San Fernando Valley area of California.
- February 9 - Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to become voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
- February 9 - Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned moon landing
- February 11 - US, UK, USSR, others sign Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons.
- February 11-12 – Palestinian and Jordanian fighters clash in Amman
- February 13 - Vietnam War: Backed by American air and artillery support, South Vietnamese troops invade Laos.
- February 15 - "Decimalisation Day" - United Kingdom and Ireland both switch to decimal currency. See also decimalisation.
- February 15 – Angry Belgian farmers crash the EEC meeting in Brussels with three live cows with them
- February 16 – In Italy, local parliament elects the city of Catanzaro as the capital of Calabria – residents of Reggio di Calabria riot for five days because of the decision
- February 20 – 50 tornadoes rage in Mississippi – 74 dead
- February 20 - US Emergency Broadcast System sends an erroneous warning - many radio stations just ignore it
- February 21 - The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.
- February 26 - Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
- February 27 - Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start to perform abortus provocatus

March


- March 1 - Bomb explodes in men's room in the White House - Weather Underground claims responsibility.
- March 1 - Pakistani President Yahya Khan indefinitely postponed the pending national assembly session, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan.
- March 1 - Canadian John Robarts ends his term of office as 17th premier of Ontario
- March 5 – Pakistani army occupies the East Pakistan
- March 7 – Strike of British postal workers ends after 47 days
- March 10 - Twenty-sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution lowers voting age to 18.
- March 12 - Hafez al-Assad becomes president of Syria.
- March 16 – Government of Trygve Bratteli in Norway
- March 18 - A landslide at Chungar, Peru crashes into Lake Yanahuani killing 200
- March 23 – Military coup in Argentina – general Alejandro Lanusse takes power
- March 25 – Pakistani army starts massive killing in East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh, after an open, non-democratic denial by Pakistani president Yahiya Khan, a military ruler, of election results that gave Awami League an overwhelming majority in the parliament.
- March 26 - The Independence Day of Bangladesh.
- March 29 - Filming begins on The Godfather. Shooting starts on Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. The movie, released in 1972, won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.
- March 29 - William Calley is found guilty of 22 murders in My Lai massacre and sentenced to life in prison. He is later pardoned.
- March 29 - A Los Angeles, California jury recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers.

April


- April 1 - United Kingdom lifts all restrictions on gold ownership
- April 5 – In Ceylon, group calling himself People’s Liberation Front begins a rebellion against Bandaranaike government
- April 5 – Chile and East Germany form diplomatic relations
- April 5 - Mount Etna erupts
- April 7 – Greece releases 261 political prisoners, 50 of which are sent to internal exile
- April 8 – Right-wing coup attempt exposed in Laos
- April 9 - Charles Manson is sentenced to death but the sentence is commuted to life imprisonment.
- April 12 – Palestinians retreat from Amman to north of Jordan
- April 17 – Bangladesh makes official declaration of independence but Pakistani troops continue the fighting
- April 17 - Libya, Syria and Egypt sign an agreement to form a confederation.
- April 19 – Government of Bangladesh flees to India
- April 19 – Sierra Leone becomes a republic
- April 19 – Unemployment in UK is 3.4%
- April 19 - Soviet Union launches Saljut I.
- April 19 - Followers of Charles Manson, the Manson Family, are sentenced to gas chamber.
- April 20 - Supreme Court of the United States rules unanimously that busing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation.
- April 20 – Cambodian Prime Minister Lon Nol resigns
- April 21 – Siaka Stevens is elected the first president of Sierra Leone
- April 21 – François Duvalier, president of Haiti, dies—his son Jean-Claude Duvalier follows him as president-for-life
- April 24 – Soyuz 10 docks with Salyut 1
- April 24 – 500,000 people in Washington DC and 125,000 in San Francisco march against the Vietnam War
- April 24 - Tsunami 85 m high rises over Ryukyu Islands in Japan. It throws a 750-ton block of coral 2.5 km inland
- April 25 – Todor Zhivkov re-elected as the leader of the Bulgarian communist party
- April 25 – Franz Jonas re-elected as the new chancellor of Austria
- April 26 – Government of Turkey declares the state of siege in 11 provinces, Ankara included, because of violent demonstrations
- April 29 – Bolivia nationalizes American-owned zinc mine of Matilde
- April 29 - The third anniversary of the Broadway musical Hair was celebrated with a concert at a Central Park bandshell.

May


- May 1 - Amtrak begins operation of intercity rail passenger service in the United States
- May 1 – Ceylonese government promises amnesty for those guerillas who surrender before April 5
- May 2 – in Ceylon left-wing guerillas launch a series of assaults against public buildings
- May 3 – Harris public opinion poll claims that 60% of Americans are against the war in Vietnam
- May 3 – East German leader Walter Ulbricht resigns as a party leader but retains the positions of the head of state
- May 3 - Anti-war militants attempt to disrupt government business in Washington, D.C.; police and military units arrest as many as 12,000, most of whom are later released.
- May 3 - All Things Considered, National Public Radio's flagship news program, broadcasts for the first time.
- May 5 – US dollar floods the European currency markets and threatens especially the Deutsche Mark – Central banks of Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland stop the currency trading
- May 6 – Ceylon government begins a major offensive against the People's Liberation Front
- May 9 – Launch of Mariner 8 fails
- May 12 – Earthquake in Turkey destroys most of the city of Burdur
- May 15 – Israeli ambassador to Turkey, Efraim Elrom, is kidnapped. He is found killed in Istanbul May 25
- May 16 – Coup attempt exposed and foiled in Egypt
- May 19 - Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union
- May 26 – Austria and People's Republic of China form diplomatic relations
- May 26 - Qantas agrees to pay $500,000 to Bomb hoaxer-extortionist Mr Brown (Peter Marcini) (Later Arrested)
- May 27 – Six armed passengers hijack Romanian passenger plane and force it to fly to Vienna
- May 27 - Christie's auctions diamond later known as Deepdene - it is later found to be artificially colored
- May 28 – Portugal resigns from UNESCO
- May 30 - Mariner program: Mariner 9 is launched toward Mars
- May 31 - The birth of a new country, Bangladesh, is declared by the government in exile from territory formerly part of Pakistan.

June


- June 1 - Vietnam War: Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace, claiming to represent the majority of U.S. veterans who served in southeast Asia, speak against war protests
- June 6 - Soyuz program: Soyuz 11 launches.
- June 6 - A midair collision between a Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom jet fighter near Duarte, California claims 50 lives.
- June 10 – USA ends trade embargo of China.
- June 13 - Vietnam War: The New York Times begins to publish the Pentagon Papers. [http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/48.htm].
- June 13 - Gijs van Lennep wins the 24 hours of Le Mans together with Helmet Marko.
- June 14 - Norway begins oil production in North Sea.
- June 17 - Representatives of Japan and the United States sign the Okinawa Reversion Agreement, setting out a plan where the U.S. would return control of Okinawa.[http://www.niraikanai.wwma.net/pages/archive/rev71.html]
- June 20 – Britain announces that Soviet space scientist Anatoli Fedosejev has been granted asylum.
- June 21 – Britain begins new negotiations for EEC membership in Luxembourg.
- June 25 – Madagascar accuses USA of being connected to the plot to oust the current government – USA recalls its ambassador.
- June 28 - Assassin Jerome A. Johnson shoots Joe Colombo to the head in a middle of a Italian-American rally. Colombo goes into coma.
- June 30 - After a successful mission aboard Salyut 1, the world's first manned space station, the crew of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft are killed when their air supply leaks out through a faulty valve.

July


- July 3 - Doors musician Jim Morrison in found dead in his Paris apartment.
- July 5 - Right to vote: The voting age in the United States is reduced from 21 to 18 (provision of the 26th Amendment formally certified by President Richard Nixon on this day).
- July 9 - United Kingdom increases its troops in Northern Ireland to 11,000.
- July 10-11 – Coup attempt in Morocco - 1400 cadets take over the king's palace for three hours and kill 28 people; 158 rebels die when king's troops storm the palace. Ten high-ranking officers are later executed for involvement.
- July 13 – Ólafur Jóhannesson's government in Iceland.
- July 13 – Jordanian army troops launch offensive against Palestinian guerillas in Jordan.
- July 14 – Libya severs its diplomatic ties to Morocco.
- July 14 – Yugoslavian government allows foreign companies to take their profits from the country.
- July 16 - Francisco Franco makes Prince Juan Carlos his successor.
- July 16 - The four billionth baby was born. (see World Population).
- July 17 – Italy and Austria sign a treaty that ends the schism about South Tyrol.
- July 18 – Trucial States formed in the Persian Gulf.
- July 19-23 – Military coup in Sudan ousts Jaafar Muhammad al-Nemieri and major Hashem al-Atta takes over. Fighting continues until on July 22 pro-Nimeiri troops win. Al-Atta and 3 officers are executed July 23. Nimeiri launches an anti-communist campaign.
- July 26 - Apollo program: Launch of Apollo 15. On July 31 the Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover a day after landing on the surface.
- July 28 - Abdel Madgoub, Sudanese communist leader, is hanged.
- July 29 - The United Kingdom opts out of the Space Race with the cancellation of its Black Arrow launch vehicle.
- July 30 – In Japan, an All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 collides with a Japanese fighter jet – 162 dead.

August


- August 9 - India signs a twenty year treaty of friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union.
- August 9 - British security forces in Northern Ireland detain hundreds of guerilla suspects and put them into Long Kesh - the beginning of an internment without trial policy. 20 die in riots that follow.
- August 12 – 3000 people from Belfast and Londonderry flee to Ireland because of the violence
- August 12 – Syria severs diplomatic relations to Jordan because of border clashes
- August 14 – British troops stationed on Ireland border to stop arms smuggling
- August 14 - Emirate of Bahrain declares independence
- August 15 – Number of British troops in Northern Ireland rises to 12,500
- August 15 - President Richard Nixon announces that the United States would no longer convert dollars to gold at a fixed value, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system
- August 18 - Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam
- August 18 – British troops in firefight in Londonderry
- August 19-22 – Right-wing coup ignites a rebellion in Bolivia. Miners and students join troops to support president Juan Jose Torres but eventually Hugo Banzer takes over
- August 25 – Border clashes between Tanzania and Uganda
- August 25 – Large flood in Bangladesh and eastern Bengal – thousands flee the area
- August 26 - Civilian government in Greece.
- August 30 - The Alberta Progressive Conservatives under Peter Lougheed defeat the Social Credit government under Harry E. Strom in a general election, ending 36 years of uninterrupted power for Social Credit in Alberta.

September


- September 3 - Qatar regains independence from the United Kingdom
- September 3 - Manlio Brosio resigns as secterary general of NATO
- September 4 - A Boeing 727 carrying Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 crashes into the side of a mountain near Juneau, Alaska killing all 111 people on board
- September 8 - In Washington, DC, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass
- September 9 - 13 - Attica Prison riots - Revolt at the maximum-security prison in Attica, New York. In the end, state police and National Guard storm the facility - 42 dead, 10 of them hostages
- September 21 - Pakistan declares state of emergency
- September 24 - Britain expels 90 KGB and GRU officials and 15 are not allowed to return
- September 27 - October 11 - Emperor Hirohito travels abroad.
- September 28 - Cardinal Mindszenty, who has resided in US embassy in Budapest from 1956 is allowed to move out of Hungary.
- September 29 - Cyclone and tsunami in the Bay of Bengal in Orissa State in India kills 10,000.

October


- October 1 - Walt Disney World opens.
- October 20 - Dannii Minogue born.
- October 21 - President Nixon nominated Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. and William H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- October 21 - Gas explosion in Clarkston, Glasgow kills 20 people.
- October 25 - The United Nations General Assembly admits the People's Republic of China and expels the Republic of China (on Taiwan).
- October 27 - Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire.
- October 28 - British House of Commons votes in favour of joining the EEC by 356-244.
- October 28 - The United Kingdom becomes the 6th nation to launch a satellite into orbit, the Prospero X-3.
- October 29 - Vietnam War: Vietnamization - The total number of American troops still in Vietnam drops to a record low of 196,700 (lowest since January 1966)
- October 30 - Rev. Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party founded in Northern Ireland.
- October 31 - A bomb explodes at the top of the Post Office Tower in London.

November


- November 3 - The UNIX Programmer's Manual is published
- November 6 - US nuclear bomb test in Aleuts.
- November 10 - In Cambodia, Khmer Rouge forces attack the city Phnom Penh and its airport, killing 44, wounding at least 30 and damaging nine airplanes.
- November 12 - Vietnam War: Vietnamization - US President Richard M. Nixon sets February 1, 1972 as the deadline for the removal of another 45,000 American troops from Vietnam.
- November 13 - Mariner program: Mariner 9 becomes the first spacecraft to enter Mars orbit successfully
- November 15 - Intel releases world's first microprocessor, the 4004.
- November 23 - The People's Republic of China is given the Republic of Ch