1983

Korean Air Lines flight 007 is shot down, a barracks in Beirut is blown up, and a war in Grenada is over almost before it begins. Cabbage Patch Kids are born, and a pair of Bears—Bryant and Halas—die. Hooray for the Orioles, Raiders, 76ers and Islanders; Miami in college football, North Carolina State in basketball.

IN SI 'S WORDS
A STREAK ENDS
Saturday dawned clear, breezy and almost cold. However, no sooner had the Twelves reached the America's Cup buoy, eight miles or so out into Rhode Island Sound, than the brisk northerly became a shifting, dying northerly, and at 1:50 p.m., with the wind around four knots, the racing was postponed until Sunday. Liberty then signaled for a lay day, putting the Race of the Century off until Monday when, of course, the Cup was lost.

The Australians celebrated the end of America 's 132-year reign long into the night. "This isn't goodbye to Newport ," Bond said. "It's an open invitation to come to Perth and try to win it back."
—SARAH PILEGGI

INCIDENTALLY
RETURN TO SENDER
How soon they forget. In The Blue Book of College Athletics for 1982-83, the ordinarily authoritative guide to almost everything you would want to know about intercollegiate sports, the address of Ohio State 's athletic department is given as "410 Woody Herman Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43210."

A squawk over a bat. What is pine tar anyway?

On top of the charts.

Not to be outdone by five-time U.S. Open victor Jimmy Connors (top), Tom Watson wins the British, also No. 5.

A big decade so far for the Islanders, the NHL champs in '80, '81, '82 and '83.

M*A*S*H smash: 50.2 million households catch the TV series finale.

Billy Martin is fired.