Mike Harrington's favorite stories of 2020
In the pandemic world of 2020, easily the biggest story I followed all summer was the sudden arrival of Major League Baseball in Buffalo for the first time since 1885 (or 1915, if you want to get all technical on me and count the old Federal League).
Banished from their home by the Canadian government, the Toronto Blue Jays played 26 home games here. The Yankees were the opponent for seven of them. The Mets, Red Sox, Rays, Orioles, Marlins and Phillies all visited as well.
It was the dream the Rich family and Buffalo fans harbored during the 1980s and '90s and now it came true – but nobody could watch the Jays' run to a surprising playoff berth in person, save for the few thousand cardboard cutouts in the stands. It made for a surreal atmosphere. But it was great publicity for the ballpark and city, with every game broadcast across Canada and many going around the USA as well.
As for the Sabres? Another lost season, another fired GM. But less than two weeks before the pandemic shut down sports, I spent a wonderful hour in a card shop in Winnipeg meeting 77-year-old Joe Daley, the first Sabre back in 1970. He played goal without a mask!
And in a February trip to Cleveland, I saw firsthand how tough things were for old friend John Beilein early in his NBA career. He looked beaten after a 133-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and, a couple of weeks later, he took a surprising exit. The NBA in 2020 wasn't for him.
(4) updates to this series since Updated
"A lot of us who were there since the beginning can't deny the nostalgia in all of this," Bob Rich says.
Buffalo's callup to the major leagues ended in a victory 105 years in the making.
The great Sahlen Field experiment has produced a result only the most optimistic fans north of the border could have envisioned.
Niagara County native John Beilein just turned 67 and instead of getting his AARP discounts, he’s taking his lumps as a rookie head coach in the NBA.
Empire became a giant on the Western New York sports scene in the 1990s and early 2000s before signing off in 2005.
The Blue Jays' first game in Rogers Centre is April 8 against the Angels but they admit they are also planning alternative sites.