Times Have Changed???
Thursday, February 16, 1978 - Daily 15 cents
146 pages
Where were you in 1978 when the daily Los Angeles Times cost 15 cents and was 146 pages long? In case you missed it, or can't remember, the headlines read - Spinks Dethrones Ali. According to the story, Leon Spinks, a 24-year old ex-marine won the title fight by defeating Muhammad Ali in a 15 - round split decision in Las Vegas. This was a shocking upset for most boxing fans. Ali was bleeding from the mouth most of the fight as he grew old in the ring at the age of 36 and fell to the relentless pursuit of the 1976 Olympic light-heavyweight gold medalist. This was the eighth professional fight for Spinks.
Thirty one (31) years later, I pulled out my newspaper to view another sports related story. The highlighted story featured Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal who shared the MVP (most valuable player) award for the NBA All Star game in Phoenix, AZ. Another story addressed the Capitol lock down as lawmakers sought to find a budget solution to California's $41 billion deficit.
Los Angeles Times
Monday, February 16, 2009 - Daily 75 cents
92 pages
Latimes.com (no charge)
Times have changed?
