A Day in Sports

    The most famous event to occur in history on December 17th was the Wright Brothers first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Since them many events have made history on December 17 in the sports pages. In my book I have documented 20 of those events in several different sports. Today we are highlighting those events.
   The first of these events was in 1914 when in Baseballs Pacific Coast League the Mission-Sacramento franchise was transferred to Salt Lake City, Utah. The franchise is still in the league it now resides outside of Austin, Texas as the Round Rock Express. The club had returned to Sacramento for a brief period in the mid 1970s. Interestingly enough on December 17, 1960 in the same league, another Sacramento franchise was transferred to Honoloulu, Hawaii. That franchise is now at Colorado Springs, Colorado since it moved from Hawaii after the 1987 season. A couple years after the move to Hawaii, the league admitted the club from Indianapolis, Indiana. That is one long road trip!!!
   In 1963 Soccer tried  to prove that baseball is not the only sport that makes headlines on December 17. In international soccer the team from Tahiti scored an 18-0 victory over the Solomon Islands.
  In 1967 the American Football League tried to make its mark when Nolan Smith of the Chiefs scored a 106 yard kickoff return in a game against the Broncos. Did it help the Chiefs win the game? Your going to have to read the book!!   
  In 1968 it was basketballs turn. The Phoenix Suns, just two months after playing their first franchise game, gave up a season high 145 points to the Philadephia 76ers. The loss at home dropped their season record to 7-24. They finished that first season with a 16-66 record.
  In 1978 Hockey figured it was their turn when Danny Gare of the Sabres scored 7 seconds into a game with the Vancouver Canucks.
  Finally our look at December 17th ends with 2006 and a Lakers game at the Staples Center they lost to the Washington Wizards 147-141 in overtime. The game featured 31 three point goals between the two clubs.
  Tomorrow we look at a Major league merger.