Tag: sports history

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MLB General

Oct 19 in Sports History: When Kenny Rogers sucked


In 1999: Current postseason hero Kenny Rogers wasn’t so much in Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS. With the Mets attempting to come back from a 3-0 series deficit to force a seventh game, Rogers walked in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th to give the Braves their fifth pennant of the decade. The Mets had fought back with a dramatic game-winning grand slam by Robin Ventura in Game 5 and overcame Braves’ leads of 5-0 and 7-3 in Game 6 to force extra innings. Rogers’ walk of Andruw Jones was the only series in history to end on a base on balls.

In 1981: Rick Monday of the Los Angeles Dodgers was the hero in the NLCS with a dramatic, two-out, solo home run of Montreal’s Steve Rogers to give the Dodgers the pennant in the deciding fifth game. The game was played in what was believed to be the coldest temperatures ever for a postseason game, and it was quickly dubbed “Blue Monday,” due to the facts that the game was played on a Monday and Rick Monday (who coolly stopped two morons from attempting to burn a flag in the outfield a few years earlier) almost single-handedly knocked the Expos out of their only postseason appearance.

In 1987: Billy Martin was hired by George Steinbrenner to manage the New York Yankees for the fifth time. Martin replaced the fired Lou Pinella, whom he had spent the entire season criticizing from the broadcast booth. Pinella, in a strange twist, was named General Manager. Martin lasted until halfway through the 1988 season when he was fired and replaced by
Lou Pinella.

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MLB General

Oct 18 in Sports History: 3 for 3 on 3



Mr. October

In 1977: Reggie Jackson of the New York Yankees tied Babe Ruth’s record by blasting three home runs in a single World Series game. Jackson only saw three pitches the entire evening in Game 6, but he drove each one farther than the last. When it was over, the Yankees had defeated the LA Dodgers 8-4 to win their 21st championship, Jackson was named MVP and became forever known as “Mr. October.”

In 1997: The worst World Series in history opened on a warm, bandwagon-y Miami evening as the Florida Marlins – with a powerhouse tradition all of five years – entertained the suffering-for-eons Indians from Cleveland in cavernous Pro Player Stadium, the football home of the Miami Dolphins. Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga purchased a fine National League pennant winner with the likes Devon White, Kevin Brown, Moises Alou, Gary Sheffield and Al Leiter. With the exception of a fine Game 7 won by Florida, each game tried to top the last in terms of uninspired play, poor pitching and sloppy defense. It was the lowest rated World Series ever up to that point as fans didn’t feel like tuning in to watch two football cities struggle at baseball in snowy weather. Heaping insult upon insult, Hanson sang the National Anthem to open the series. All of the aforementioned players were jettisoned by Huizenga for financial reasons within a few months of winning the series.

In 1920: An interesting little battle which would’ve seriously altered baseball history took place in a meeting between divided American League owners. Wanting American League president Ban Johnson out of office, the owners of the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox and Tigers threatened to jump to the National League if the remaining owners who wanted Johnson to stay on did not join their movement. Both sides eventually agreed to replace Johnson – who they felt was doing very little to help put and end to the gambling that was destroying the game (re: Black Sox Scandal) – with Kennesaw Mountain Landis, baseball’s first commissioner.

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MLB General

Oct 17 in Sports History: an earthquake hits the World Series


In 1989: The third game of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s was postponed due to the biggest earthquake to hit the Bay Area since 1906. ABC-TV had just taken the air with the game about 30 minutes away when the 7.1 magnitude Loma Prieta quake hit, causing minor structural damage to Candlestick park and major damage to the surrounding area. Over 60 people were killed, but it could have been much worse as a 60-foot section of the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland collapsed; but fans getting to the ballpark or home to catch the early start time of the World Series had the bridge and many other roads which suffered damage uncharacteristically quiet at rush hour. The Series would resume 10 days later with the A’s completing a sweep of the Giants.

In 1971 and 1979: The Pittsburgh Pirates clinched their last two World Series in Baltimore on the same day by taking a pair of Game 7‘s from the Orioles. In Game 7 of the ‘71 Fall Classic, Steve Blass threw a 4-hit gem and Roberto Clemente homered as the Pirates won 2-1. In Game 7 of the ‘79 Series, Willie Stargell hit a three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning to help push the Pirates past Baltimore 4-1. 1979 was the last time a team had overcome a three games to one deficit to win a World Series.

In 2000: Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche cemented his place as the game’s greatest goaltender when he passed Terry Sawchuk on the all-time wins list with 448. Roy defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime to take first-place all time. Roy, who was only the third goalie and 51st player taken overall in the 1984 draft, won three Vezina Trophies as the league’s outstanding goalie and three Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP.

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Pittsburgh Pirates

Oct 13 in Sports History: Pirates win the World Series


In 1960: In perhaps the greatest Game 7 in sports history, Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski hit the first series-winning, bottom-of-the-ninth homerun in 57 World Series’ to defeat the heavily favored New York Yankees. With the score tied 9-9 at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, Mazeroski connected off a 1-0 Ralph Terry pitch and drove it over the left field fence to give the Pirates their first title since 1925. Overlooked was the fact that the Pirates spoiled a remarkable comeback by the Yankees in the top half of the inning. Trailing 9-7 after unknown Hal Smith’s three-run homer in the eighth, the Yankees rallied behind Mickey Mantle and Bobby Richardson to tie the game. Maz trumped them all with his famous blast in the ninth, and sent jubilant Pirates fans onto the field and into the streets of Pittsburgh in celebration. It was one of the most contrasting World Series’ ever, as the Yankees won their games by scores of 16-3, 10-0 and 12-0, while the Pirates won the closer ones, 6-4, 3-2, 5-2 and 10-9. According to baseball library.com, Game 7 was the only WS game in history in which no strikeouts were recorded by either team. Mazeroski, known more for his defense than his bat, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 1982 After 70 years, the International Olympic Committee posthumously restored the two gold medals Jim Thorpe had won in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Thorpe had easily won gold and set records in the pentathlon and decathlon. He was stripped of his medals, however, when the IOC discovered that the had been paid to play minor league baseball, which compromised his amateur status. Thorpe, a Native American, was widely considered the greatest athlete of his generation. Not only did he dominate the Olympics, but he also played professional baseball for the New York Giants, Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. He was an All-American running back in college, played pro football for the Canton Bulldogs and was even the first president of the National Football League. olympic.org

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Anaheim Angels

Oct 12 in Sports History: The other choke of 1986


In 1986: As much as fans of the Boston Red Sox moped about the monumental chokes their team performed on the postseason stage, it is somewhat forgotten in the Buckner hoopla that the California Angels pulled off one of the biggest gag jobs of all time in the 1986 ALCS. Up three games to one at home in Game 5 and leading 5-2 going into the top of the ninth inning, Don Baylor hit a home run close the gap to one. Then, with Donnie Moore on the mound, Dave Henderson stroked a two-out, two-strike, two-run homer for a 6-5 lead. The Angels rallied to tie it at six, but Henderson, who would’ve been the goat because he dropped a fly ball in the seventh that could have cost the Sox, hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to send the series back to Boston, where the Sox took it in seven games. It later turned tragic as Moore, who was never the same pitcher after that game, committed suicide years later.

In 1989: Although in the midst of a 1-15 season, the Dallas Cowboys laid the foundation for their championship teams of the 1990s by trading disgruntled star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in a 12-player deal. The Cowboys sent Walker and some late-round draft picks to Minnesota in exchange for first and second round draft picks, “The Trade” was very complicated, as the Cowboys dealt many of those picks, but it eventually netted Dallas cornerstones Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith and Darren Woodson; and it propelled the Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins in four years. The Vikings, on the other hand, decimated their defense and are still searching for their first title. As one final groin-punch to the Vikings and former GM Mike Lynn, Walker ended up back on the Cowboys a few years later. (scout.com)

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MLB General

Oct 11 in Sports History: Don Zimmer charges the mound!



Ole!

In 2003: In Game 3 of the ALCS, several brawls broke out as the Yankees and Red Sox showed the world that – gasp – they might not like each other or something. In the fourth inning, Pedro Martinez threw a pitch over Karim Garcia’s head and words were exchanged. When a Roger Clemens pitch sort of came a little inside to Manny Ramirez the next inning, Manny went ballistic and both benches cleared. That’s when Don Zimmer, all of 72 years old, charged Pedro like an extremely pissed off, chubby, white, pale bull, and Pedro game him an “ole” into the Fenway Park turf. It was both hilarious and embarrassing to watch at the same time. The Yankees won the game 4-3.

In 1972: The Cincinnati Reds became the first team since 1912 to win a series when coming to bat trailing in the bottom of the ninth inning. Behind 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth and deciding game of the NLCS, Johnny Bench tied the game with a solo homer off Bob Moose. Two singles and a wild pitch later, the Reds were celebrating a trip to the World Series with a 3-2 win in the game and the series.

In 1992: Deion Sanders did double duty as he suited up for a pro football game with the Falcons against the Dolphins, then took a jet to Pittsburgh in time to join his Braves for Game 5 of the NLCS. “Prime Time” was a two-time loser that day, as Miami defeated Atlanta 21-17 and the Pirates staved off elimination against the Braves 7-1 as Deion watched from the bench. Sanders was criticized on the air for playing football by CBS analyst Tim McCarver. Neon got his revenge by throwing water on him in the locker room during the celebration after Game 7.

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MLB General

Oct 10 in Sports History: World Series edition



unassisted triple play

In 1920: An amazing trio of firsts occurred in the decisive Game 7 (of a nine-game series) of an otherwise drab World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Brooklyn Robins. In the first inning, Cleveland’s Elmer Smith hit the first grand slam in World Series history. In the fourth, the Indians’ Jim Bagby became the first pitcher to hit a home run in the WS; and in the eighth, little-used second baseman Bill Wambsganss converted the first (and only) unassisted triple play in World Series history to help the Indians take the Series 5-2. It was a bittersweet moment for the Indians; while they were celebrating their first championship, they were still mourning the death of Ray Chapman, who died earlier that summer as a result of a Carl Mays bean ball.

In 1926: While Babe Ruth was always considered a World Series hero for his feats in the postseason (pitching 29-plus scoreless innings for the Sox, calling his shot against the Cubs), he was actually a huge goat in the Yankees’ loss to the Cardinals in the decisive seventh game. Trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth at Yankee Stadium, Ruth reached first off a walk from a very hung over Grover Alexander (who won Game 6). With two outs and the slugging Bob Meusel at the plate with a 3-1 count, Ruth inexplicably took off on an attempt to steal second base without any type of sign from the coaches or manager. He got a horrible jump and was easily pegged for the final out of the series. Ruth was roundly booed, criticized and mocked in the newspapers for losing the series for the Yanks.

In 1904: Citing that the American League was a minor or “junior” league, New York Giants manager John McGraw refused to meet the Boston Americans (who had defeated the Pirates of the NL in 1903) in what would have been the second World Series. Arguments over rules, potential gate shares and personal animosity between McGraw and AL president Ban Johnson also led to the cancellation of the Series. Besides 1994 — when a player’s strike wiped out the postseason — it was the only time a World Series was not contested.

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College Football

Oct 9 in Sports History: The biggest ass whoopin’ of all time



Coach John Heisman

In 1916: There are blowouts, and then there are BLOWOUTS. And then there are B-L-O-W-O-U-T-S. And after that we have what Georgia Tech did to tiny Cumberland University of Lebanon, TN in a college football game. Georgia Tech, coached by the legendary John Heisman (some award’s named after him, I don’t know), led 63-0 after the first quarter, 126-0 at halftime, slowed down in the third quarter at 180-0, and called off the dogs (I’m not being facetious, they cut time off the clock in the second half). When all was said and done, Tech impressed the pollsters with a 222-0 close shave in Atlanta. According to a game account by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, neither team made a first down; because Cumberland did not have a gain longer than 10 yards and Tech scored before they ever needed one. Tech’s Jim Preas kicked 17 out of 18 extra points. In the first half. (Heisman used a different team in the second half ). Cumberland.edu

In 1919: The Cincinnati Reds finished off the Chicago White Sox five games to three in the World Series. The Reds first World Series championship would quickly become tainted as some of the White Sox players admitted to hooking up with gamblers and throwing the series for money. The “Black Sox” Scandal would cast a shadow over baseball for decades. Eight White Sox players would be banned from baseball for life. (baseball-almanac.com)

In 1906: The first-ever World Series played in one city pitted the powerful Chicago Cubs, winners of a record 116 games, against the Chicago White Sox, affectionately known as the “Hitless Wonders.” The first game got underway under snowy skies, with the White Sox winning 2-1. They eventually shocked the Cubs and took the series. The games were so popular in Chicago that the two teams would meet at the end of every season for the next decade or so, even if they were not pennant winners. (baseball-almanac.com)

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MLB General

Sports History: Baseball postseason edition

In 1969 and 1995: New playoff formats were used for the first time in baseball history. In 1969, the League Championship Series (LCS) debuted, with the Braves meeting the Mets and Baltimore going against the Twins to determine the pennant winners, eschewing the tradition of the first-place finishers in the regular season meeting in the World Series. In 1995, the League Division Series (LDS), an additional round of playoffs, made its first appearance, with two series’ in each league. In the American League, it was Yankees-Mariners and Red Sox-Indians, while the National featured Reds-Dodgers and Braves-Rockies. New York and Colorado were the first ever “Wild Card” teams.

In 1959: A World Series game was played west of the Mississippi River for the first time, with the Los Angeles Dodgers meeting the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the Fall Classic. It was also the largest crowd in World Series history, with over 90,000 in attendance at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Dodgers won the game 3-1 and the series in six games.

In 1922: For the first time, an entire World Series was broadcast over the radio. Legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice handled the broadcasting duties while the second straight “Subway Series” between New York teams saw the Giants sweep the Yankees in five games (Game 2 ended in a 3-3 tie).

and of course, on Oct. 1, 1903: The first-ever modern World Sereis game is played at Boston’s Huntington Avenue Grounds between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Beaneaters. It was known more as the “Championship of the United States” during that first year. The Pirates won the first game 7-2, but Boston would take the Series behind the pitching of Cy Young, five games to three.

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MLB General

Oct 3 in Sports History: the shot heard round the world


In 1951: Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants hit one of the most famous homeruns in baseball history. His ninth-inning, two-out, three-run shot off the Dodgers‘ Ralph Branca became known as “the shot heard ‘round the world“ and clinched an unlikely pennant for the Giants. The teams were battling in the third game of a playoff series to determine the NL pennant winner. The Dodgers led 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth when Thomson stepped up to the plate and delivered the famous round-tripper (although the Dodgers to this day accuse the Giants of stealing signs that allowed Thomson to know what pitch was coming) that sent the jubilant Giants and their fans to the 1951 World Series. After Thomson’s homer, Giants’ broadcaster Russ Hodges made the famous call, “THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!” (baseball library.com)

In 1995: After a 252-day trial, former football star OJ Simpson was acquitted by a jury of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Simpson was later found to be liable for their deaths in a civil trial and was made to pay over $30 million in damages. (espnradio.com)

In 1974: Almost 32 years to the day he was fired as manager of the Washington Nationals, Frank Robinson became the first black manager in the major leagues when he took the job as skipper of the Cleveland Indians. He would also continue to play for the Indians the next two seasons. (baseballlibray.com)

And in 1989: 15 years after Robinson‘s hiring, Art Shell became the first black head coach in the NFL when he took over the Los Angeles Raiders. He led the Raiders to the AFC Championship game in his second season with a 12-4 record. He was rehired by owner Al Davis to be the head coach of the Raiders for the 2006 season.