Magic waits at the scorer's table in his first game back from retirement. (Photo by Getty Images/Staff)

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1/30/1958 - Frick removes fan voting

Baseball commissioner Ford Frick announces that fans will no longer decide the starters for the MLB All-Star Game.

The year before, Cincinnati fans had voted all but one of the Reds' position players into the National League's starting lineup; the only one who didn't make it was first baseman George Crowe, who was narrowly beaten out by Stan Musial of St. Louis, where the All-Star Game was being held. Citing an "over-balance of Cincinnati votes," Frick had reduced the number of Reds in the lineup from seven to five, appointing Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in place of Wally Post and Gus Bell, and was prepared to replace Crowe with Musial before he lost out to him. Still, he was unsatisfied with the ballot-stuffing that had taken place, and the fact that it had happened in back-to-back years; in 1956, five of the Reds' batters had been voted in as well, with their other three starters finishing second in their respective positions.

Now, only players and managers would decide the starters of the midsummer classic, and could only vote for players on opposing rosters. "We abandoned the fan poll with a great deal of regret," Frick said at the time. "But we couldn't count them honestly and with fair sectional presentation. With each player, coach and manager selecting an opponent team, it should be as fair and equitable as possible."

Frick's decision was logical, but unpopular, and after much urging on the part of the fans, their right to pick the All-Star starters was reinstated in 1970 by commissioner Bowie Kuhn -- Frick's replacement.

1/30/1996 - Magic returns to the court

Magic Johnson returns to the court, playing in his professional basketball game since retiring over four years ago, when he learned he was HIV-positive. The 36 year-old future Hall of Famer showed why he was considered one of greatest players of all time, totaling 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench as his Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors, 128-118.

"I never thought I'd be back here doing this again," said Johnson, who had been forced to sell his five percent share of the team. "I had so much fun. I really enjoyed myself."

Johnson checked in 2 minutes and 21 seconds into the game, when Elden Campbell picked up his second foul. Magic received a roaring ovation from the fans at the Great Western Forum and did not disappoint them. By halftime the Lakers had scored 72 points, and by the end of the game they had collected a season-high 44 assists. Expectations were high only one game into his comeback.

"He's going to improve this team so much more," said Lakers forward Cedric Ceballos, who scored a game-high 33 points on 15-18 shooting. "He's still got it. He said he's not going to be the Magic of 26, but he's still got it."

Magic was a different player in his second stint with the Lakers. In his championship heyday, Johnson had been the tallest point guard in the league (at 6 feet 8 inches), but he had gained almost thirty pounds since his retirement and played the power forward position instead. Magic averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds in 32 games and noticeably improved the Lakers, who were 24-18 at the time of his signing. Los Angeles won 29 of their last 40 games to finish with the fourth best record in the Western Conference.

In the postseason, Los Angeles fell to the Houston Rockets in the first round despite holding home court advantage. Half a month later, Johnson announced that he was retiring for good. "I was satisfied with my return to the NBA, although I would have hoped we would have gone further into the playoffs," Johnson said. "But now I'm ready to give it up. It's time to move on. I'm going out on my terms, something I couldn't say when I aborted a comeback in 1992."

Further reading:

• New York Times: The Stars Are Out; It's Showtime Again for Lakers