On December 14, 1980, Elston Howard, the first black player to play for the New York Yankees, dies of heart failure at the age of 51. Howard won the 1963 Most Valuable Player Award for the Yankees.
The sports of baseball and softball are dropped from the for the 2012 Olympic Games scheduled to take place in London. It is the first time in 69 years that events have been cut from the games. There is criticism that these events are American-dominated, though the Cuban national team won Gold in 2004 and Australia won Silver. Japan and South Korea have appeared in the Silver Medal game in the past as well. Another reason given is that top professional players do not always appear, though Nippon Pro Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization have routinely sent their top stars, as does the Cuban National League.
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July 7, 2005
