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Lots Of Ballparks

   Today we wrap up the Ballparks Opening Week with 8 ballpark openings being profiled, yes I do know that this edition is a day late.

   Today we start at April 14, 1904 with the opening of American League Park II in Washington, DC. In the opener, the Philadelphia Athletics beat the Senators in an 8 inning game 8-3. Moving ahead 5 years we find the Saint Louis Browns opening Sportsmans' Park III. The Cleveland Indians opened the park with a -2 win over the Browns. In 1920 the Cardinals moved in and would stay until 1966.  

   Our next stop is 1953 and the opening of County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Braves slipped the winning run across in the 10th against the Saint Louis Cardinals for a 3-2 win. 1960 is our next stop as the Tacoma Giants of the Pacific Coast League opened Ben Cheney Stadium. The Portland Beavers spoiled the party with a 7-2 win.

  Moving along we arrive for two stops in Montreal, first in 1969 when the Expos played their first franchise game. The game was played at Parc Jarry and was an 8-7 win over the Cardinals. Next we have the Shreveport Captains of the Texas League opening Fair Grounds Field in 1986. The Captains took a 5-4 win over the Jackson Mets.
 
   Two years later, the Buffalo Bisons of the American Association opened Pilot Field with a 1-0 win over the Denver Zephyers. Our final park today is Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. The Norfolk Tides of the International League opened the park with a 2-0 win over the Ottawa Lynx.         

   The answer to Wednesdays trivia question is in its first two seasons, the san Diego Padres have had a 2-2 record at Citi Park in New York. There will not be a trivia question today as this will be my last daily blog for awhile, unless someone wants to pay my ISP bill for me. I need to send my time looking for full time employment and needs of my family :(. I would welcome any words of encouragement or even a Phoenix area job offer in my email sabrkev@gmail.com. I hope to resume soon.
Thanks to all my friends world wide,
Kevin Saldana
Mesa, AZ 

Baltimore, DC and New York

    Today Ballparks Opening Week continues. We jump right in with the April 13, 1891 opening of Boundary Field in Washington, DC. The park was home of the Washington Nationals of the American Association. The Boston Reds beat the Senators by a score of 6-0. At the end of the season, the Senators were one of four league teams to merge in with the established National League clubs. The Boston Reds were merged in with the Beaneaters. Boundary Field would be home to the Senators until they folded after the 1899 season. When the American League arrived in town for the 1901 season they had a stadium built for them.

   Our next park is Terrapin Park, the home of the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League. The Terrapins played the Buffalo Blues in the leagues first game as a major league on April 13, 1914. The Terrapins won the game 3-2 over the Buffalo Blues. The league lasted only two years, the ballpark was sold to the Baltimore Orioles of the International League. The Orioles used the park until July 4, 1944 when it burned down.

   Our final park today is Citi Field in New York. On April 13, 2009 the San Diego Padres stole the show in this opener, by taking a 6-5 win over the Mets.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Milwaukee Badgers played their National Football League games in the 1920s at Athletic Park. Todays trivia question is during the first two seasons at Citi Field, what is the San Diego Padres record there? The answer in tommorrows daily blog as Ballpark Opening Week continues.

From Pennsylvania to Minnesota And Out To California

   Today on our Ballpark Openers Week, we have 8 different ballparks to look at. For our first two April 12 ballparks, we go back over 100 years starting in the City of Brotherly Love in 1909.

  Just two days ago we looked at the 1971 opening of Veterans Stadium. Today we will look at its predessor, but its sucessor as well. Shibe Park was built for the American League Athletics for a 1909 opening. The A's broke the park in with an 8-1 clubbering of the Boston Red Sox. In 1938, the Phillies moved and stayed until 1970, well after the A's left town. The Phillies moved into Veterans Stadium in 1971 and stayed through 2003. On April 12, 2004 the Phillies opened Citizens Bank Ballpark. The Phillies could not repeat the A's feat of winning the first game in their new park, when the took a 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

   The A's moved into Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri in 1955. The stadium which had opened originally in 1923 for the minor league Kansas City Blues, required extensive rework before the A's arrival. A 90 day around the clock schedule allowed the A's to face the Detroit Tigers ontime. The A's would take a 6-2 win from the Tigers.

   We are not done yet with the parks built 100 years ago. Today is the centennial of Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC. The Senators took an 8-5 win from the Boston Red Sox.

  We now move ahead to April 12, 1960 and opening of Candlestick Park, San Francisco. The Giants took a 3-1 victory over the Saint Louis Cardinals. Few knew of the many windy surprises that were in store of the course of the next 4 decades. I myself saw a late June game there in 1998, I remember the hot chocolate all too well.

   Five years later Baseball hit a very big first with the opening of the Harris County Domed Stadium in Houston, Texas, AKA the AstroDome. The Phillies ruined the Astros party by taking a 2-0 victory from them.

   A few days later the Atlanta Crackers of the International League played their first game in Atlantas new park Atlanta Stadium. The park was built with the Braves arrival in mind. When the Braves arrival was delayed a year, the Crackers got to take the new park out for a spin. On April 12, 1966 the Braves got their turn in the new park. The Pittsburgh Pirates were the lucky team that night as the took a 3-2 win in 13 innings.    

   Our final ballpark is marking its first anniversary this year. Target Field in Minneapolis first opened its doors to the Twins and the Boston Red Sox, with the Twinks taking a 5-2 win from the visitors. Are you glad I have not have the chance yet to document all the minor league park openings thoughout history? I do have a few coming in a day or two :).
  
   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 16 times in National Football League history a game has ended with a score of 40-7. The first time that this happened was on November 22, 1925 when the Rock Island Independents beat the Milwaukee Badgers at Douglas Park in Rock Island. The most recent occasion was on December 17, 2006 when at Gillette Stadium the New England Patriots beat the Houston Texans.

   Todays trivia question is what was the name of the Milwaukee Badgers home park? The answer in tomorrows daily blog as Ballpark Opening Week continues.

Target field 2010

From Cincinnati To The Golden Gate

   Ballpark Opening Week continues today with a look at 4 ballparks that opened on April 11 and one minor league park that got its promotion to the Majors. We start many years ago in the far away year of 1912. The Cincinnati Reds new park was called Redland Field and would serve as the Reds home park until 1970. In their first game at their new park the Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs by a score of 10-6.

   We now move ahead a number of years to 1969. The Seattle Pilots were playing their first home game after splitting their franchise opening series 1-1 in Anaheim against the California Angels. Sick's Stadium had opened in 1938 as the home park of Emil Sicks' Seattle Rainers and had served the Rainers needs very well for the last 30 years. The Pilots opened their one home season against the Chicago White Sox with a decisive 7-0 win over their visitors.

   One of the more simpliest names for a ballpark adored the  new ballpark for the Texas Rangers in 1994. The name of the park when it opened was The Ballpark in Arlington. Since 2004 the park has been known as Ameriquest Field. The Rangers dropped their ballpark opener to the Milwaukee Brewers by a score of 4-3.

   Six years later fans of two teams got to see their first look at their teams new park, when Comerica Park in Detroit and Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco opened on the same day. Comerica Park replaced the legendary Tiger Stadium, the Tigers home park for the preceding 78 seasons. The Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners by a score of 5-2. The Giants were not so lucky in their first game at the park that replaced Candlestick Park. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the locals by a score of 6-5.

   The answers to yesterdays trivia question are as follows the Milwaukee Braves followed the Cincinnati Reds on the Dodgers home schedule for Dodger Stadium in 1962, The Philaadelphia Phillies were the next home opponent for the Colts at Colts Stadium in 1962, the Pittsburgh Pirates followed the Montreal Expos on the Phillies home schedule for Veterans Stadium in 1971, the Oakland A's were the Royals next home opponent for the Royals at Royals Stadium in 1973, the Cincinnati Reds followed the Milwaukee brewers on the Saint Louis Cardinals home schedule for Busch Stadium III in 2006.

    Todays trivia question is National Football League games have ended in any one of 991 combinations of final scores, how many NFL games have ended with a final score of 40-7? The answer in tomorows daily blog as Ballpark Opening week continues.       

From Los Angeles to Philadelphia

     Today on our Ballpark Openings week we look at Major League Baseball parks with an opening date of April 10. We start with two parks on April 10, 1962. One park was built as a temporary stadium for three seasons of use, the other is still in use today. On this date the Los Angeles Dodgers invited the Cincinnati reds to town to help them open their new park Dodger Stadium. The Reds made themselves very comfortable in the Dodgers new stadium, handing the hometown club a 6-3 loss. The dodgers did however win their next four home games, including two from the Cincy club. On that same day, the Houston Colt .45s invited the Chicago Cubs to town for their Major League debut. The Cubs had nothing to teach the newbies who pouded out an 11-2 win over their visitors. The Colts went on to sweep the three game series.

    Moving ahead to 1971, we arrive in Philadelphia for the opening of Veterans Stadium. The Phillies invited the Montreal Expos to town for the opener. The Phillies and Future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning took command and a 4-1 win from the Expos. Two years later the Kansas City Royals got their opportunity to open a brand new ballpark as Royals Stadium was ready for them. They invited the Texas Rangers to town for the event. The Royals feasted on the Rangers pitching in taking a 12-1 victory in their opener. Before the Royals were able to get too cocky with their own ballpaark, the hosted the California Angels for a quick mid-May two game series. In the second game the Royals became the first of seven clubs that future Hall of famer Nolan Ryan pitched a no-hitter against, when Ryan spun a 3-0 gem over the Royals. The Royals did recover to have a 48-33 record at Royals Stadium for the season. For the 1993 season the park was renamed Kaufman Stadium, in honor of Ewing Kaufman, their founder.

    Our final ballpark today is Busch Stadium III in saint Louis, Missouri. The third version of Busch Stadium opened on April 10, 2006, when the Milwaukee Brewers arrived in town as the visitors. The Cardinals and Mark Mulder were able to hold off the Brew Crew for a 6-4 win over the Brewers. Three of our five April 10 ballpaks are still open today. Colts Stadium was only intended as a temporary park before it gave way to the Harris County Domed Stadium, better known as the AstroDome in 1965. The Astros themselves are now in their third home park. Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia served as the Home of the Phillies until giving way to Citizens Bank Park in 2004.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is Frank McNally, whose 1907 birth is only described as occuring in Nevada, became the first Silver State native to reach the National Football League as a player when he began a 4 career as the center for the Chicago Cardinals in 1931. The state would not send another player to the NFL until 1941 and would not obtain a long run in the league until 1968. That streak continues too this date.

   Todays trivia question is which teams served the opponents for the second series to be played at each of todays featured new stadiums? The answers in tomorrows daily blog as ballpark openings week continues.       

  

And Flatbush Rejoiced

    On Wednesday, April 9, 1913, the citizens of Brooklyn, New York got their first look at the latest offerings of Charles H Ebbetts, Sr. For not only was the day the season opener for their beloved baseball team the Superbas, it was the opening of his latest gift to the fans Ebbets Field.

     The Superbas were allowed to open one dazy earlier then the rest of Major League Baseball. This move allowed the locals to start in the hole one day earlier then the rest of the league, as the Philiadelphia Philles first inning run stood up as the only run of the day. The team would finish the season in 6th place with a record of 65-84-3 a full 34.5 games behind their crostown rivals the New York Giants. They would change their nickanme the following year to the Robins in honor of their manager and go on to their first World Series appearance in 1920. It would be 1932 before they would be called the Dodgers.

   Many other ballparks have been opened on April 9 among them are DC Stadium in Washington, DC (1962), PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2001), Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio (2002) and New Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2002).

  The answer to yesterdays trivia question is National Football League players who were born in the State of Nevada have played 1,965 games. The Silver State has sent 45 native born players to the NFL, only 6 are currently listed as active. Todays trivia question is who was the first player from the State of Nevada to reach the NFL? The answer in tomorrows daily blog as ballpark openers week continues.    

Lets Go To Emeryville

    On April 8, 1913 the Fans of the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League got their first opportunity to their beloved Oaks play in their new ballpark. The Oaks welcomed the Portland Beavers to town. Unfortunately for the Oaks the Beavers were the only ones scoring runs this day, taking a 5-0 win over the locals. Oaks Park was located just NNW of Oakland in the City of Emeryville. The park continued  to be the Home of the Oaks until the franchise was moved to Vancouver, British Columbia after the 1955 season. At one point in time the Oaks had an infielder named Billy Martin. Martin as we all know went on to a fine career with the New York Yankees both as an infielder and in the dugout later as their manager. Martin was an Oakland native.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is Philadelphia Eagles halfback and NFL Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren scored 77 of the 78 touchdowns by a player born in Honduras. His career lasted from 1944-51. The one touchdown that not scored by Steve Van Buren that was scored by a player that was born in Honduras, was scored by his younger brother Ebert.

   Todays trivia question is how many NFL games have been played by players who were born in the State of Nevada? The answer in tomorrows daily blog as Ballpark Opening Week continues.

       

A Very Long Opener

    April 7, 1995 was opening day in the Midwest League. The Fort Wayne Wizards were hosting the brand new Michigan Battle Cats at Memorial Stadium. The Battle Cats got alot more baseball then they were expecting. The two teams battled into the 18th inning. The Battle Cats took a 4-3 lead in the top half of the inning. The Wizards were not yet done. They posted two runs on board in their half of the 18th, to win the game by a score of 5-4. This game was not your ordinary way to welcome a new club into the league. The Wizards have since moved into a new stadium Parkview Field and changed their name to the Tincaps. The Battle Cats left the league after the 2006 season. The team was transferred to Midland, a town just West of the Bay City-Saginaw area.
 
   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 8 all time National Football League players were born in Japan. All 8 players appear to have be military brats. Todays question how many touchdowns in NFL history were scored by players born in Honduras? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about another ballpark opening.

  

How Many Runs Can You Score

   Today we going to look at April 6th baseball games where things got a little out of hand in the runs scored department. We begin on April 6, 1890 in the california League. The Sacramento Senators were hosting the Stocktons at Snowflake Park. Senators leadoff hitter and centerfielder William B. Goodenough would lead the way going 5 for 8 with 1 double and 6 runs scored in the senators 36-1 beating of the Stocktons in 7 innings. The Stocktons fielders did no better then their hitters by kicking in 16 errors.

   If you think that was alot of scoring for a baseball game, you have not seen anything yet!! We move ahead to 1932 and the Arizona-Texas League. The Albuquerque Dukes were playing their first game at Tingley Field. The field was named in honor of the Mayor Clyde W. Tingley. Tingley would go on to become the Governor of New Mexico. The local fans were a bit worried when the visiting El Paso Texans jumped off to a 7-0 lead before the Dukes had their first licks. However, the Dukes took an 8-7 lead in their half of the first and off they went. By the time everyrthing was said and done the Dukes won by a score of 43-15.

  Just so that you, games like these were not restricted to a time many years ago, we arrive in 2003 and Tucson Electric Park. The Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League beat the visiting Edmondton Trappers by a score of 25-11. Both clubs are now out of the league as the Sidewinders now reside in reno as the Aces and the Trappers now live in Round Rock, Texas outside of Austin as the Round Rock Express. The City of Tucson is now for the moment back in the Pacific Coast League with the Tucson Padres. The Padres will play their first home game a week from Friday against the Salt Lake City Bees.

     The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 88 no-hitters were pitched during the 1910 professional baseball season. Only five of the games were less then 9 innings; four of them were perfect games and 5 pof them went into extra innings. The first gem of the year was pitched on April 17th in the debut of the Central California League. A pitcher identified only as Yeazell pitched a 6-0 no-hitter for the Napa club over the team from Saint Helena. The last gem was pitched exactly six months later when Pacific Coast League pitcher Frank Arellanes of the Sacramento Senators pitched a no-hitter over the Vernon Tigers. Arellanes gave up 2 runs and lost the game in 8 innings.

   Todays trivia question is how many all-time National Football League players were born in Japan? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about a very long ballpark opening game.

A Texas Sized Opening

    On April 5, 1888 the Texas League marked its first opening day as a fully professional baseball league. The six clubs in line on opening day were the Austin Senators, Dallas Hams, Fort Worth Panthers, Galveston Giants, Houston Red Stockings and the San Antonio Missionaries. The first break in the league came on June 8 when the Missionaries folded. Over the course of the next three months the Red Stockings, the panthers and the Giants all folded. The Senators moved to San Antonio and New Orleans Club moved over from the Southern League, after that league folded. On September 2, the league finally gave up the ghost and folded.


   The league had similar seasons in both 1889 and 1890, before taking the 1891 season off. The league would take 4 more seasons off, playing off and on before the 1902 season. With the 1902 season the league got on firm footing losing only 3 seasons due to World War II before today. On Thursday the league will open yet another season. Today the eight clubs in the league are the Arkansas (Little Rock) Travelers, Corpus Christi Hooks, Frisco RoughRiders, Midland RockHounds, Northwest Arkansas (Springdale) Naturals, San Antonio Missions, Springfield (Missouri) Cardinals and the Tulsa Drillers. The league has since the very begining had 205 games where a pitcher threw a no-hitter. This is a record for most no-hitters in one league. The first league no-hitter was pitched on June 24, 1889 by Jesse Derrick of Waco, a 3-0 gem over Austin.

     The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the nickname of the Oakland Club of the 1967 National Professional Soccer League was the Clippers. Todays trivia question is How many no-hitters were pitched in professional baseball during the 1910 season? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about some high scoring baseball games.

Welcome To The Jake

    On April 4, 1994 The fans of the Cleveland Indians were welcomed to their first new ballpark in 62 years. Jacobs Field became the 10th ballpark in the local area to be used for a home game for the local team since the first one debuted in 1871. The Seattle Mariners provided the opposition on that historical day. Indian fans had to until the 11th inning to watch future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray in his Indians debut score the winning run on a single by Wayne Kirby.

    In 2008 the name of the park was changed to Progressive Field. The field now ranks as third in games in Cleveland history. The park is still some 6400 games behind the all-time leader in Fenway Park.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Los Angeles Toros played in the National Professional Soccer League in 1967. The team was owned by Dan Reeves, who was owner of the Rams. After the 1967 season the league merged with the one year old, United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. The Toros were moved to San Diego for the 1968 season.

   Todays trivia question is what was the nickanme of the Oakland Club of the National Professional Soccer League in 1967? The answer in tommorrows daily blog about the Texas Leagues beginning.  

Lets Play Alot of Overtime

     On April 3, 1933 the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins gathered at the Maple Leaf gardens for the deciding game of their semi-final series for the right to face the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals. A then Canadian record 14,500 fans attended the game. At the end of regulation the game was scoreless and continued to be scoreless even after 5 overtime periods were played. The magic moment in the record setting game arrived at 1:50 AM and the 4:46 mark of the sixth overtime period when Ken Doraty sent the home club into the Stanley Cup Finals with a goal. Two goals earlier in the contest were nullied. The suggestion of a coin flip by league president Frank Calder before the sixth overtime period, was turned down by the Maple Leafs.

    Doraty was in his prime, the 1932-33 season and the following season were the 5"7" forwards only full seasons in the NHL. He scored only 15 goals and 26 assists in 103 career regular season games. In nine playoffs games between the Bruins and the Rangers he tallied 5 goals. In 15 NHL career games he had 7 goals and 2 assists, which is quite an achievement for any player. His winning blast was described as his fifth shot on goal of the night, he and his teammates immediately boarded a special waiting train for New York and a game with the Rangers the following evening.

   The answer to yestersdays trivia question is the New York Yankees Football club played in the National Football League from 1927-28. A club called the New York Yanks also played in the NFL from 1950-51.
Todays trivia question is in what league did the Los Angeles Toros play in? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about Jacobs Field in Cleveland.

More of Lots of Hockey

  Today is another one of those lots of Hockey days. We start on April 2, 1964 in the American Hockey League at Rhode Island Auditorium at Providence, RI. The hometown Providence Reds beat the Hershey Bears 11-3 to tie their playoff series at 1 game each. Two nights later, the Reds won the best of three series.

   We travel 5 years and a short distance away to the Boston Garden. The Bruins were determined to get off to good start in the Eastern conference semi final series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They pummeled the Maple Leafs 10-0 and went on to to win the series in a 4 game series sweep.
 
  We travel across the Canadian border and into the 1970s. We arrive in 1977 at the Montreal Forum, where the Montreal Canadians took out the Washington Capitols by a score of 11-0.

   We finally arrive at April 2, 2000 at the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia for an East coast Hockey League game. Thanks to a 7 goal third period the hometown Wheeling Nailers blow out the Toledo Storm by a score of 14-2.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Orange Tornadoes played in the National Football League in 1929-30. Todays trivia question is in what years did the New York Yankees played in the National Football League? The answer in tommorrows daily blog about a very long Hockey game.   

Trouble Hitting the Hardwood

   On April 1, 1967 the American Basketball Association had to adjust its league lineup before its first game was played. The Kansas City, Missouri Franchise was transferred to Denver, Colorado. The league also gave conditional approve to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Club. The club never met the conditions and several years later joined the National Basketball Association. Exactly two years later, the Houston, Texas Club was given approval to transfer to Greensboro, North Carolina for the 1969-70. That club would become the Carolina Cougars. 

    The answer to yesterdays trivia question is Jeff Petruic played his last season in Organized Hockey with the Quad Cities Mallards of the United Hockey League during the 2006-07 season, capping an 18 year career. Todays triva question is in what major sports league did the Orange Tornadoes play in? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about Hockey.

The Last of The Smoke

   On March 29, 2002 the Knoxville Speed of the United Hockey League hosted the Asheville Smoke. The two teams had to do a shootout to decide the game. The Smoke won by a score of 8-7. The following night the two teams traveled to the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville. Smoke left winger Jeff Petruic worked very hard to make sure that this game did not go to a shootout, he had 5 goals and 2 assists in the Smokes 15-3 win. Much to the Speeds chagrin the two teams met in Asheville again the following night. The score this time was even worse, the Smoke took a 16-3 win to close the season. The Smoke had 31 goals in 2 games and 39 goals in 3 games.

   What I find interesting is not only did neither team make the playoffs, neither team was heard from again. Both teams dropped out of the league before the 2002-03 season. Petruic continued on his long career 18 years in Organized Hockey and never a day in the NHL. He would return to the United Hockey League two more times before calling it a career after the 2006-07 season.

    The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the 24 Major League Baseball Clubs scored 14,532 runs in 1914. Todays trivia question is a very tough one, what was the name of the United Hockey League team that was the last hockey team that Jeff Petriuc played for? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about some basketball growing pains. With baseball season starting today, will I be doing a lot of Baseball? Probably, Have a great Baseball season everyone!!!

    On March 30, 1929, at Fort Wayne, IN, the Cleveland Rosenblums beat the Fort Wayne Hoosiers by a score of 19-18. The winning basket scored with 15 seconds to play. The Rosies led at the half by a score of 11-7. One of the Hoosiers players had a game high ten points. The game was game three of the American Basketball League championships. The Rosies finished the sweep the following night. The sport of Basketball has come a very long way since. A score of 19-18 in the professional ranks today will get you most of the way through the first quarter. The Rosenblums ended up folding in December of 1930 and league itself folded at the end of the 1930-31 season. The league however was reorganized  for the 1933-34 season for a 21 year run. The league stayed on the East Coast and neither team was heard from again.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is on June 12, 1900 the first 9 inning no-hitter in the history of the Virginia League was pitched by future Hall of Famer Christy Matthewson of the Norfolk Phenoms over the Hampton Crabs. The final score was 1-0.

   Todays trivia question is how many runs were scored in Major League Baseball in 1914? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about the Asheville Smoke Hockey team of 2002.

   


  

One Long Title Fight

     On March 29, 1889 a boxing match was held in San Francisco, California for the welterweight Championship of the world. The two fighters were Paddy Duffy of the United States the reigning champion and Tom Meadows of Australia. If the fans were expecting a hard fought 15 round fight as fans today would expect; they got more then their monies worth as the fight went an incredible 45 rounds. The fight set a record for the longest title fight. In the 45th round Meadows was disqualified and the fight ended in Duffys favor. Less then a year and a half later Duffy died of tuberculosis at the age of 25 on July 10, 1890.

    The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Continental Indoor Soccer League lasted 5 seasons from 1993-97. Only 5 of the leagues 18 cities were east of the Mississippi River, 2 clubs were from Mexico and 4 clubs were from California, one of which moved from Los Angeles to Anaheim.

   Todays trivia question is Which Baseball Hall of famer threw the first no-hitter in the history of the Virginia League? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about an early basketball championship game.          

More Three Pointers- Bryant Style

  One of the more interesting games statisically played between the Lakers and the Clippers was played on March 27, 1980 at the Forum in Los Angeles. The Clippers beat the Lakers at the free throw line outscoring the Lakers 7-2. The San Diego club attempted 9 of the games 12 three point shots. Freemen Williams of the Clippers was the only player in the game to cconnect on a three point attempt. The Lakers did win the game by a score of 126-88. Among the players in the game for San Diego were Joe Bryant, who is the father of current Lakers great Kobe Bryant.

  Fast forwarding 23 years and one generation later, we arrive at the Staples Center where the Lakers are playing the Washington Wizards. Joe Bryants son Kobe scored 8 three pointers in the first half on his way to 55 points. The game was the last meeting between Kobe and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.

      The answer to yesterdays triivia question is Rex Hudler. The Tempe born Hudler spent 13 years in the majors between the Yankees, the Orioles, the Cardinals, the Expos, the Phillies and the Angels. He did all that and still had time for a season in Japan. After retiring he spent time as an announcer for the Anaheim Angels. 

   Todays trivia question is what years did the Continental Indoor Soccer League operate? the answer in tomorrows daily blog about a very long boxing match.

A Short Lived West Coast League

    On March 27, 1898 the six club Pacific States League began play. The league played only last a short time however its legacy is felt today. The day before, the six club California League resumed play after a break of four seasons. Both leagues covered the same territory in Northern California.

   It quickly became obvisious that both leagues had too many clubs in the area. A month later on April 27th a merger between the two leagues was made. A single 8 club league was created. The Oakland Club of the PSL was dropped. It is not clear how the three San Francisco clubs went though the merger. It is believed that two of the clubs merged together and the third club that was originally named the Olympics but were renamed the Athletics went through. Two clubs were dropped at the end of the season, the moves left one club in San Francisco. The sole club is currently playing in the Pacific Coast League at Fresno as the Fresno Grizzlies, the AAA farm club of the World Champion San Francisco Giants. The San Jose Club from the PSL folded in August 1899. The Sacramento Club folded after the 1906 season. The Santa Cruz club later moved to Stockton. In January of 1901 the league was looking to expand by two clubs and include a club from Los Angeles. Having 12 clubs hit the playing field just 3 years before the league could not find a sixth club. The Stockton Club was voted out and the Los Angeles Club was voted in. That club is about to start playing its first season in Tucson as the Tucson Padres with hopes of moving in a year or two to the suburbs of northern San Diego. The club was moved from Portland, Oregon. It is hard to believe that a small four club league that played only a month has an impact today.

    The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 2 South Korean born players have played in the National Hockey League. They are Jim Paek and Richard Park, both of whom were born in Seoul. Paek played 3 seasons with the Pittsburgh Peguins, split a season between the Los Angeles Kings and the Penguins, he spent a final NHL season at the age of 27 with the Ottawa Senators. He bounced around in the minors and had some playing time in Great Britian before retiring at the age of 34. Park began his career with the Penguins in the 1994-95 season playing in one game. In his career, he has played with the Penguins, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Minnesota Wild, the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Islanders. He played last year with the Islanders and has not played with anyone this season.

   The NHL is not the only major sports league with players from South Korea. All four major sports organizations now have excellenet track records with players from all over the world. The National Basketball Association has had one South Korean born player and the National Football League has had two. The real champion in South Korean born players is Major League Baseball with 13 players.

   Todays trivia question is who is the only major league baseball player ever to be born in Tempe, Arizona. The answer in tomorrows daily blog where we will take a look at two basketball feats involving the three point shot. Have a great week everyone!!   

A New League South of the Border

  On March 26, 1964 the Class A Mexican Southeast League began play. It was the fourth league South of the Mexican border to be admitted into the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues an organization now simly known aas Minor League Baseball. The first three were the Mexican National League which did not survive its first year which was 1946. The second one was the Mexican League which was admitted in 1955 and is to this day running strong. The third league was the Mexican Center League which was admitted in 1960 and lasted until 1978.

   For the 1964 season the league had one club in each of the States of Campeche, Tabasco, Veracruz and Yucatan. The would later add a couple of teams and peak out at six clubs before it folded after the 1970 season. Only the team from Tabasco would be there in the final season.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the first NHL player to win the most valuable player wawrd went to Frank Nighbor the center for the Ottawa Senators for the 1923-24 playing season. He would later be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947.

   Todays trivia question is in the history of the league, how many NHL players were born in South Korea? The answer in tomorrows daily blog on another very short lived baseball league. 

    

This Is The End, ... For These Leagues

     On March 25, 1953 the Southwest International League folded. Exactly six years later the Arizona-Mexico League folded as well. These two leagues were part of a long line of professional baseball leagues that played successfully for more then a few seasons and then due to circumstances beyond their control were forced into the history books never to be heard from again. These two leagues actually shared a common history at one point in time.

   The Arizona State League became a Class "D" minor league in 1928. The league had functioned for a couple of seasons before that but, as a semi-pro league. For 1931 the league changed its name to the Arizona-Texas League and played that way for many seasons. The league also had two major breaks in its history. From mid 1932 until the 1937 season started and a few seasons off for World War 2. The league came back strong after the war.

    For the 1947 season the Sunset League a mostly Southern California League began play. The league played 4 seasons before starting to run into trouble. The league had trouble finding a sixth team to join the league for the 1951 season. The Arizona-Texas League was having the same problem. A merger called the Southwest International League was formed. The 10 club league lasted for one year before the Arizona-Texas League clubs withdrew to reform their own league. Despite a gimmick or two the former Sunset League clubs struggled to get through the 1952 season. One of its clubs was an all-black club that struggled through three homes and still failed to complete the season. The end came as described above.

   The Arizona-Texas had a few more seasons left in it. At one point in time the league admitted a couple of towns from Mexico and the leagues name was changed to the Arizona-Mexican League. The death knell for the league began to toll at the end of the 1957 season when the Dodgers and Giants moved west. The San Francisco Seals franchise of the Pacific Coast League was transferred to Phoenix and the the AZ-Mex League was forced to find a smaller town to fill the void. It did not work the league was doomed. An attempt to revise the league in 2003 did not work either as the revised league struggled to make it through just one season. Many other leagues not just in baseball alone share similar histories. If you wait long enough I will get to each and everyone of them.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is in the 1955-56 season Bob Pettit of the Saint Louis Hawks won the first Most Valuable Player award. Pettit who had previously been named Rookie of the Year, would later get elected to the Hall of Fame.

   Todays trivia question is who was the first MVP award winner in the National Hockey League?
   Tomorrow we go back down South of the Mexican border, way south of the border.  

Not The Arena Football League

  Today we are looking at the National Indoor Football League. The league began play in the year 2001 and played 7 seasons. For the most part they were a national league having clubs from coast to coast. On March 24, 2006 during the league second to last season a couple of the leagues wildest games were played.

   At the Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyoming the Wyoming Calavry defeated the Big Sky Thunder of Bozeman, Montana by a score of 86-30. A very impressive score to be sure, however the were not the scoring kings of the day. That honor went to the Rapid City Flying Aces who treated their vistors the Lincoln Capitols to a 90-8 beating at the Don Barnett Arena. The NIFL was like that somme clubs scored very high scores and som estruggled to score at all. Many times roles were reversed in the next meeting.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Soviet Union had collected 110 total metals, Russia has collected 69 metals for a total of 179 metals. The United States despite a 28 year disadvantage has collected a total of 182 metals. If the question were strictly gold metals it would be USSR 44, Russia 30 (74 total) and the United States has 51.

   Todays trivia question is who won the first National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about low minor league baseball in the Southwest USA.

    

Another New Football League

    Many team sports leagues come and go, that what makes sports history fun. One such league was originally called the World League of American Football. The ten club league lasted two years before taking the next two years off to rebrand itself as an all-European league for a  12 season run. The league played its first games on March 23, 1991.

   The ten teams were the Barcelona (Spain) Dragons, Birmingham (Alabama) Fire, Frankfurt (Germany) Galaxy, London (England) Monarchs, Montreal (Quebec) Machine, New York-New Jersey Knights, Orlando (Florida) Thunder, Raleigh-Durham (North Carolina) Skyhawks, Sacramento (CA) Surge and the San Antonio (Texas) Riders. For the second season the Skyhawks moved to Columbus, Ohio and became the Ohio Glory. One of the things  that I find interesting is that the London Monarchs would later play some home games in Birmingham, England.

   When the league went all Europe, it had clubs in England, Scotland, Germany, Netherlands and Spain. What many people dont realize is that there was league for American Football clubs already in Europe. The Europe Football League has operated since 1986. The EFL has had clubs in Austria, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Finland and Netherlands. The continent has also had the German Football League since 1979.
The NFL Europe folded after 2007 season but, the other leagues continue on.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is in 1896 4 skaters and 5 judges showed up on February 9 at Saint Petersburg, Russia for the World Figure Skating Championships. The ladies did not compete until 1906 and amazingly enough the first North American did not compete until 1924. The first time it was held outside of Europe was in 1930 when it was held at New York City.
  
  Todays trivia question is the USSR/Russian and American teams have won the most metals in at the World Figure Skating Championships. Of the two teams which has won the most metals? The answer in tomorrows daily blog on the National Indoor Football League.

        

A Young Champion

     Today we look at an event occuring on March 22, 1997. On that date at the age of 14 years and 10 months, Tara Lipinski of the United States won the World Figure Skating Championship. A year later she became the youngest individual gold medalist ever at the Winter Olympic Games.

    With her win at the Worlds she did not however launch a long winning streak as many had hoped. She did bump off Michelle Kwan who had won it the year before. She turned professional at an early age and left the amateur circuit for Kwan to dominate for several years afterwords. Kwan would rclaim her title as World champ the following year. We will never see another champion so young as the minimum age was raised jst before Lipinski won her title as she was grandfathered in as the limit was raised.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is June 19, 1987 the four team Arena Football league played its first league games. Todays trivia question is what year was the World Figure Skating Championships first held, how many skaters and how many judges were there? The answer in tomorrows daily blog on another football league beginning play.  
    

Time For Some Overtime

    I have had more jobs in my working career then I care to admit. Many of those jobs have asked me to work later then scheduled and paid overtime to get me to stay on the job. I have collected many hours of overtime over the years. The life of a professional athlete is no different in this manner. Frequently its a heroic effort that forces a contest into overtime. Today we are looking at a few of these games.

  We start on March 21, 1929 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Rangers and their co-tenants the New York Americans took a scoreless tie into double overtime. During the second overtime the Rangers scored and advanced into the semi-finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The overtime goal was the only one scored during the two game series!!

  We move now to 1953 and up the coast to the Boston Garden. The Boston Celtics fought a gallant fight with the Syracuse Nationals before the locals won out in the 4th overtime by a score of 111-105. Moving up to 1980 and over to the Windy City we arrive at Chicago Stadium with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets took the Bulls into triple overtime before disappointing the home fans with a 134-128 win.

   The overtime madness spilled over to the next day when on March 22, 1955 the Fort Wayne Pistons and the Minneapolis Lakers met at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum. The game went into overtime, the offense did not. The Pistons only scored one point and won!! The final score was 98-97.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question. The first grand slam in MLB history was an ultimate grand slam. On September 10, 1881 future Hall of Famer Roger Conner of the Troy Trojans emptied the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Worcester Ruby Legs for a 8-7 win. For those of you who might know the difference between a walk off grand slam and an ultimate grand slam, a walk off grand slam ends the game, where an ultimate grand slam wins the game by one run like Conners blast did.
   
    The answer to the second part was on October 10, 1920 Game five of the World Series in the first inning Elmer Smith of the Cleveland Indians cleared the bases with a grand slam. The Indians went on to win the game 8-1 and later the series 5 games to two. Four innings later in the top of the fifth inning Indians shortstop Bill Wambsganss made history himself. After catching a line drive he turned to find that the runner from first base was standing next to him and the runner who on second was rounding third base. Wamby turned the catch into an unassisted triple play. The hitter Brooklyn Robins relief pitcher Clarence Mitchell in his other at bat on the day grounded into a double play.

   Todays trivia question is on what date did the original Arena Football League play its first league games. The answer in tomorrows daily blog about an ice skating champion.

        

A Gatornationals First

    Most of posts that you will see on this blog are about team sports. We very frequently report on Baseball, Hockey, Football and Basketball. We sometimes report on Soccer and Lacrosse as well. We do take time out to report on Boxing as well. Today we are heading for the Drag Strip to report on the Gatornationals.
  
  The Gatornationals are held at the Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida near the University of Florida campus, the home of the Florida Gators. The race is held in March every year as the first East coast event of the racing season. The race was first held in 1970.

    On March 20, 1992 qualifying for the race was underway. Veteran racer Kenny Bernstein was looking to make his mark on the race. In his second qualifying run he became the first drag racer ever to break 300 mph when he hit a time of 301.70 MPH. The milestone fell at 4:42 PM, history was his.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is there were eight clubs that expected to be a part of the 2010 United National Gridiron League when the league pulled the plug and did not hit the playing field. The eight clubs were the Alabama Blackbirds (Birmingham), the Dallas (TX) Bluestorm, the Georgia Slashers (Columbus), the Louisiana Lancers (Shreveport), the Miami (FL) Scorchers, the North Carolina Comets (Winston-Salem), the Ohio Marauders (Massillon) and the Virginia Swarm (Salem).

   Todays trivia question is a two parter, who hit Major League Baseballs first grand slam home run? Part two who hit the first World Series grand slam? The answer in tomorrows daily blog on working overtime.     
   

   

United Indoor Football

    As we move into indoor football league season, we mark the anniversary of the first league games played by the United Indoor Football League on March 19, 2005. The league was to have had 12 teams scattered across the Midwest, however the Dayton, Ohio Warbirds were kicked out of the league just before opening day. The Warbirds then returned to the National Indoor Football League from which nine of the other league clubs had come from.

  The league for the most part enjoyed a fairly stable existence in its four year run. A July 2008 merger with the Intense Football League, a Texas based league brought forth the Indoor Football League. The current league with 22 teams has claim to the title of the Worlds largest indoor football league. Several of the UIFL clubs are still in the league. The league did have a close call with the Fairbanks Grizzlies earlier this month when an insurance problem brought an announcement that the club was going to fold. Community support and assistance from the league allowed the club to continue operations.

    The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the three charter teams of the National Basketball Development League that moved  in the 2005 off season are the Asheville Altitude, the Columbus Riverdragons and the Huntsville Flight. The new cities are Albuquerque, NM; Cedar Park, TX and Tulsa, OK. The Altitude came to rest in Tulsa, as the 66ers. The Riverdragons moved on to Cedar Park as the Austin Toros. The Flight ended up in Albuquerque as the Thunderbirds. The have since moved into suburbs and Rio Rancho.

   Todays trivia question is how many teams were going to play the 2010 season of the United National Gridiron League, a league that never show the playing field? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about Drag Racing.         

Lots of Scoring

   My readers of this blog have noticed that we have a tendency to feature alot of games that are considered as high scoring. Todays blog is no exception. The record for most points scored by a professional basketball team on March 18 is 158. That record is shared by the Philadelphia 76ers who beat the Lakers 158-128 on March 18, 1968 at the Spectrum and the Central Oregon Hotshots of the International Basketball League who beat the Vancouver Volcanoes in Bend, Oregon 158-137 on March 18, 2006.

   The record for most points scored in international Ice Hockey is 30. That record was set by the team from Iceland who scored a 30-0 win over Armenia on March 18, 2004. The league record was set by the Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League on March 18, 2005. The Fireantz scored a 12-2 win at home over the Asheville Aces. That same night at the junior hockey level at Ann Arbor, Michigan the United  States National team scored a 13-0 win over the Toledo GoalDiggers.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question on December 22, 1978 the Major Indoor Soccer League played its first game. Todays trivia question is three of the eight clubs that started the National Basketball Development League. All three surviving teams moved in the same off season to new homes. Name the three charter teams and each clubs new location, finally what year did these moves take place. The answer in tomorrows daily blog.           

The First Professional League

    On March 17, 1871 the very first all professional sports league was formed when the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs was formed. The league has been refered to as the National Association for a shorter name. The original cost for a franchise was ten dollars. The league very quickly raised $90 in franchise fees. The teams were the Boston (MA) Red Stockings, Chicago (IL) White Stockings, Cleveland (OH) Forest Citys, Fort Wayne (IN) Kekiongas, New York (NY) Mutuals, Philadelphia (PA) Athletics, Rockford (IL) Forest Citys, Troy (NY) Haymakers and the Washington (DC) Olympics.

   The teams played between 19 and 33 league games. The season began on May 4 and the final league game was not played until October 30. The league would play 4 more seasons with clubs moving in and out of the league lineup seeming at will. The scores of games were frequently quite high as totals in the 30s in runs scored were not uncommon. One league game set a record for most runs scored by both clubs that stands today a final score of 49-33. After five seasons it was time for the National League to come into play as a replacement. Two of the clubs that moved from the National Association are still members of the national League today, the Cubs and Braves.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the original Baltimore Bullets played seven seasons in the NBA. They started paly in the fall of 1947 and folded after the 1953-54 season. Todays trivia question is what date did the Major Indoor Soccer League play its first game? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about high scoring games.   

The Last Great Fire

    In the early days of team sports, one problem that plagued many teams was fire. In the early 20th century many baseball ballparks and hockey arenas burned to the ground, many in spectatular blazes like the one that burned Russwood Park in Memphis, Tennessee in early April of 1960. Some fires would force teams to move or to fold.
   
    Early on Saturday evening March 16, 1985 Crockett Park in Charlotte, North Carolina fell victim to one such fire. The three alarm fire was quickly brought under control by the Charlotte Fire Department in a mere fifteen minutes. An investigation quickly called the blaze arson. A 16 year old boy was later convited of the crime. The debris was quickly cleared but, the Charlotte O's of the AA Southern League were forced to play before temporary stands for the next four years. The team then relocated to the suburbs and Fort Mill, South Carolina. The AAA International League was played there since 1993. Since the Crockett Park fire no professional basebal park has burned down in the same way.

   The answer to yesterday trivia question is the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington is the furthest North any Major League Baseball Stadium has ever been located. The current top five ballparks are Safeco Field in Seattle, Target Field in Minneapolis, Rogers Centre in Toronto, Miller Park in Milwaukee and Fenway Park in Boston. One thing that I found very interesting is that Safeco Field in Longitude is between the Oakland- Alameda County Stadium in Oakland and AT&T Park in San Francisco.

   Tomorrow trivia question is How many seasons in the NBA did the original Baltimore Bullets play? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about the first ever professional Baseball League.   

Abe Saperstein

     Today we are marking the 45th anniversary of the March 15, 1966 passing of Abe Saperstein. Saperstein who was only a five footer, was born in London, England. After forming the Harlem Globetrotters, Saperstein routinely helped National Basketball Association teams by booking four team doubleheaders to help the local NBA team out at the gate. After feeling jilted by the NBA when the Lakers, saperstein formed a rival league the American Basketball League, a league that lasted 1.5 seasons. The Basketball world was never the same after his passing, it became a better world because of him.

    The answer to yesterdays trivia question is Fenway Park, which is further North then Tiger Stadium by a mere .02 degrees of latitude. Todays trivia question is among the 100s of parks used by Major League Baseball though the years, which Stadium is the furthest North? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about the last great ballpark fire in the USA.  

1985-86 Detroit Red Wings

     The Detroit Red Wings suffered through one of their worst seasons ever in the 1985-86 season. On March 14, 1986 they suffered through a 12-5 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. It was the fifth time they gave up 10 goals or more in the season. It was the last time they would do so. The finished their 80 games season with a record of 17-57-6. They would give up 415 goals in the 80 games. They would get only 266 goals in the season. Both were league worst records. They have since missed the playoffs only once since and have won the Stanley Cup four times.

   Exactly a year later a year later the Red Wing players were very glad they were not playing for either the New Zealand or Hong Kong national teams. The teams were playing in a tournament in Perth, West Australia. The team from Hong Kong lost their game 44-0 to South Korea. They probably did not feel as bad as the New Zealand team who took a 58-0 beating from the Australians. Ouch!!!

   Answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Oakland Raiders had three home fields before moving into the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum for the 1966 season. The fields were Kezar Stadium, Candlestick Park and Frank Youell Field.

   Todays trivia question is of the two stadiums, Fenway Park and Tiger Stadium, which one is further North? The answer in tomorrows daily blog on Abe Saperstein.   

Lacrosse

     On March 13, 1986 the Eagle Box Lacrosse League was organized. The leagues four teams were the Baltimore (MD) Thunder; New Jersey (East Rutherford) Saints, Philadelphia (PA) Wings and the Washington (DC) Wave. The league under the Eagle Box Lacrosse League name for 2 seasons. The first league games were played in January of 1987. The league then changed its name to the Major Indoor Lacrosse League and carried that name for nine seasons before changing to their current name The National Lacrosse League. For the 1999 season the league got competion when the Major League Lacrosse was organized to play as an outdoor league in the summer. As a side note on March 13, 1993 the league was forced to cancel games for the first time, when a blizzard struck the east coast and forced three games to get cancelled.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 21 of the 36 ice hockey games played at the 1948 Winter Olympic games had the winner score at least 11 goals in the game. Todays trivia question is the Oaklanad Raiders began play in the American Football League in 1960. Their primary home has been the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which opened in 1966. Where did the Raiders play before the Coliseum opened? Answer with the names of all homes used by the Raiders before the coliseum opened. The answer in tomorrows daily blog about the Detroit Red Wings season of 1985-86.

 

Extreme Basketball

    On March 12, 1970 the Cincinnati Royals of the American Basketball Association hosted the san Diego Rockets at the Cincinnati Gardens. The Royals scored 89 points in the first half. They got a little bit cold in the second half and the Rockets caught up. The game went into overtime, where the Royals were able to fend off the Rockets by a score of 165-151.

    On March 12, 1999 the Chicago Bulls hosted the New York Knicks at the United Center. The knicks scored 5 points in the second quarter. For a team to score 5 points in a quarter and win is a very difficult trick. The Knicks did not do it. The Bulls won by a score of 76-63. When you go to a Basketball game you never know if you will see a 5 point quarter or an 89 point half, thats a part of the joy of attending a Basketball game!!

   The answer to yesterday trivia question is the Continental Football League had 17 teams for its 1967 season: Akron (OH) Vulcans, Charleston (WV) Rockets, Eugene (OR) Bombers, Hartford (CT) Charter Oaks, Long Beach (CA) Admirals, Montreal (Quebec) Beavers, Norfolk (VA) Neptunes, Orange County (CA) Ramblers, Orlando (FL) Panthers, Philadelphia (PA) Bulldogs, Richmond (VA) Rebels, Sacramento (CA) Buccaneers, San Jose (CA) Apaches, Seattle (WA) Rangers, Toronto (Ontario) Rifles, Victoria (BC) Steelers and the Wheeling (WV) Ironmen. The league would peak out at 21 clubs two years later.

  Todays trivia question is How many of the 36 Ice Hockey games played at the 1948 Winter Olympic games at Saint Moritz, Switzerland did the winning club score at least 11 goals? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about Lacrosse.     

Nobody Move!!

    When the minor league version of the American Association began play in 1902, the league did a real good job of finding stable owners in stable cities for the league to play in. The league did such a great job that in the first 50 years of operation, that there were only two franchise shifts. After the 1913 season, the Cleveland Naps in an effort to keep the upstart Federal League out of its territory transferred the Toledo Club of the American Association to Cleveland. The move was made to tie up the ballpark in Cleveland and give any unwanted competition constant competition. In 1913 the Federal League Green Sox were managed by the great Cy Young. The Federal League War lasted but two seasons.

    On March 11, 1916 the Toledo Club was transferred back to the Glass City. The original league lineup was restored and remained intact until ironically the Toledo club moved again this time in June of 1952 to Charleston, WV. The city did not remain out of the league for long aas the following spring it was Milwaukees turn to move. When the Braves announced their move to Milwaukee, the Brewers moved to Toledo. The league went through several more moves before shutting down for a six year period in the 1960s.

   It is time to answer yesterdays trivia question about a five time Wimbledon champion, who won a silver metal at the 1908 Olympic games. The question inplies that all one had to do was to look up who won a silver metal in tennis and check their record at Wimbledon. The truth is the silver metalist won the award in a different sport, ladies archery. Many people may know the name, but not the person. Today when one hears a person bragging about many great achievements, they get a response of "Well, Lottie Dod". So who is is this Lottie Dod. She is the answer to yesterdays trivia question of course. Charlotte Dod was an English woman born in a well to do family. The families athletic achievements were very well known in their day. Charlotte herself was quite accomplished at Tennis, Archery, Golf and several other sports. Many were jealous over her great talents. Thus the mere name brings forth a tort to braggers.

     Todays trivia question is how many teams were in the 1967 Continental Football League? The answer in tomorows daily blog about two extreme Basketball performances. Have a great weekend everyone!!

         

A Hockey Debut

    On March 10, 1955, a hockey debut was made at the Montreal Forum. The Canadiens hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on that date. The debut was made very quietly. It was not a new player for either side. It was not a coach sitting behind the bench for the first time. It was not a famous referee or linesmen either. yet very quietly while the two teams went back to the locker rooms, a machine called the Zamboni slipped on to the ice. The machine which now an important part of the game, had been invented in the Los Angeles suburb of Paramount. In the end neither team scored a goal, the big winner was the zamboni.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Brooklyn Gladiators played in the American Association in 1890. The team had replaced the previous entry from Brooklyn which had left the league a berth in the National League. That club went on to become the Los Angeles Dodgers.

   Todays trivia question is name the 5 time Wimbledon champion, who won a silver metal at the 1908 Summer Olympics? The answer will be in tomorrows daily blog about the minor league version of the American Association.  

Wow!! Basketball

     Not all of the Basketball games that we discuss on this blog are of the high scoring, more then 144 point type of games. Some of the games feature lower scoring games where records are approached. Today we are looking at some of these games.

    We start today at March 9, 1971 at the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The San Francisco Warriors were hosting the Boston Celtics. The ball must have been very slippery as 70 turnovers were recorded, 45 of them by the Warriors. That fact played huge as the Celtics came away with a 134-112 victory.

   Moving ahead to 1984 we make a stop at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. The 76ers were hosting the Seattle SuperSonics. The 76ers had 20 of the games 32 blocked shots. I dont know about you but, I would rather have my team record alot of blocked shots instead of alot of turnovers. The 76ers came out with a 92-84 win.

   One year later at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Lafayette Lever of the Nuggets had 8 steals in one quarter. The performance lead the Nuggets to a 126-116 victory of the Indiana Pacers. The high scorers of the day award goes to the Nuggets, who nine years before posted a 155-128 win over the Virginia Squires. The game was played at the same place during their American Basketball Association days.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 10 clubs played during the 1961-62 season of the national Bowling League. The teams were the Dallas Broncos, the Detroit Thunderbirds, Fort Worth Panthers, the Fresno Bombers, the Kansas City Stars, the Los Angeles Toros, the New York Gladiators, the Omaha Packers, the San Antonio Cavaliers and the Twin Cities Skippers of Bloomington, Minnesota. There, I count 10 clubs.

   Tomorrows trivia question is a real tough one. The New York Gladiators were not the first team of any kind in the area to be called the Gladiators. In what league did the Brooklyn Gladiators play in and what year(s) did they play? The answer in tomorrows daily blog on a very special hockey debut.   

   

The National League Drops 4 Clubs

On March 8, 1900 in Baseball, the National League dropped 4 clubs from its league roster. Three of the dropped clubs were clubs that had been added by the league in the merger with the American Association following the 1891 season. The clubs that were dropped were the Baltimore, MD, the Cleveland, OH, the Louisville, KY and the Washington, DC Clubs. The Cleveland Spiders had been a member of the league since 1887. The Spiders were coming off an all-time worst season in history as they had a 20-134 record over the course of the 1899 season. Part of the reason for this record season was the fact the clubs owner also owned the Saint Louis Club and was using the Spiders as a farm club for the Cardinals. The cardinals had entered the league as a part of the merger. In reducing the number of clubs in the league, the practice of dual ownership of more then one club was outlawed.

   An unexpected occurance was the National League left the door wide open for a new league. After the 1900 season two groups attempted to take advange of the opening, the American Association and the American League. Through most of the hot stove league season the American Association seemed to have the edge. At the last minute the American League was able to gain control of the fight and force the American Association to a retreat into the Midwest, where they opened as an outlaw league. The following season, the became a class A minor league and operated for the next 60 years.

   The National League did later go back  to 12 clubs but, that was not until 1969. The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the National Lacrosse League has operated since 1988. The league has had its current name since the 1998 season. Major League Lacrosse played its first season in 1999. Todays trivia question how many teams played in the 1961-62 National Bowling League? The answer in tomorrows daily blog on Basketball.

Cool Papa Bell

Today is the 20th anniversary of the passing of one James Thomas Nichols. Nichols changed his name to Bell at one point in time and then aquired the nickname of "Cool Papa". Cool Papa Bell was one of the fastest baserunners in Negro League baseball. He was born in Mississippi, then moved to Saint Louis, Missouri. He started his career with his hometown Saint Louis Stars in the Negro National League. He would later play with the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays.

    Two of the more well known quotes about him concerned his speed. Satchel Paige said of him "I saw him hit a line drive right passed my ear, the ball hit him in the ass as he was sliding into second". I other was from Josh Gibson, "Cool Papa was some fast he could get out of bed, turn the light out and be back under the covers before the room got dark". That last one was a true story!! One evening Bell discovered when hee truned out the light that their was a delay in the switch. When Gibson returned to the room he was baited by Bell and his brag into a bet. Bell of course won and Gibson enjoyed sharing the story. He would then in 1974 join the storytellers in Cooperstown as Hall of Famers as part of a well deserved honor. He would also log in some time playing in Mexico. Very few of the player sin the old Negro Leagues remain alive today, many of them could still share stories of Bells greatness. Thank You Cool Papa Bell, RIP.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question about the United States Football League champions was the Stars won the other two championships. The Philadelphia Stars lost the championship game in 1983, won the game in 1984 and as the Baltimore Stars won the game in 1985.

   Todays trivia question is There are currently two professional lacrosse leagues operating in North America, the National LaCrosse League whose season runs from January to May and Major League LaCrosse whose season runs from May to August. Which league is older? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about the National League reducing to eight clubs in 1900. Have a great week!!           

United States Football League Opens

     On March 6, 1983 the 12 team United States Football League opened play for the first time. League owners were looking to give the fans year round football. Many fans liked the concept of following football year round.

   In the opening games, At Washington, DC the Chicago Blitz beat the Washington Federals by a score of 28-7. The Tampa Bay Bandits had a 21-17 win over the Boston Breakers. The Oakland Invaders beat the Arizona Wranglers by a score of 24-0 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Los Angeles Express beat the New Jersey Generals by a score of 20-15. The Philadelphia Stars beat the Denver Gold by a score of 13-7.

  The following day the Michigan Panthers scored a 9-7 win over the Birmingham Stallions. The scores of the opening weekend did nothing to tip off who would be the winners at the end of the season. The Michigan Panthers, who had the lowest score of any winning team and the fifth lowest score of any team defeated the Philadelphia Stars in the championship game by a score of 24-22. The Stars were the next team up from the Panthers among winning teams in scoring on the opening weekend.

  The history of the league itself is pretty well documented. They played three seasons, voted to move to a fall schedule sue the established NFL, "win" in court only to get a $1 in damages that was tripled to $3. A move that killed the league. Had the league stayed with the original plan and stayed with the spring schedule, who knows what might of happened. It is very possible that the league could be alive and well today. We will never know. What are your thoughts?

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is The Los Angeles Angels moved to Spokane, Washington; the Hollywood Stars moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and the San Francisco Seals moved to Phoenix, Arizona when the Dodgers and Giants moved West after the 1957 national League season. The cities of Phoenix and Spokane then made their league debuts. The city of Spokane is currently in the Northwest League and plays from late June until early September.

   Todays trivia question is which team won the other two championship games played by United States Football League teams? The answer in tomorrows daily blog looking at the passing of a Negro Baseball League legend.  

Those Poor Hartford Whalers

On March 5, 1983 the Hartford Whalers suffered though their 5th game of the season where they gave up 10 or more goals. In this game at the Colisee de Quebec, the Nordiques scored a 10-3 win over the Whalers. Fortunately for the Whalers, this was the last time it happened during the season that they were playing. Exactly four years to the day later the Whalers turned the trick at home agianst the Boston Bruins with a 10-2 win. Nine years to the day after the featured game in question, the Nordiques paid a visit to the Whalers, you guessed it, a 10-4 win for the visitors. Today neither club is in the league as the Whalers have since moved to Carolina and become the Hurricanes. The Nordiques have since moved to Denver and become the Colorado Avalance. Hartford now has a team in the American Hockey League, but Quebec only has a team in junior hockey, a member of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 15 goals in 29 World Cup games have been scored by the United States team. Three times they have scored 3 goals in a game, they did it twice in 1930 the first tournament. Todays trivia question is when the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants moved West after the 1957 season, three Pacific Coast League teams were forced to move, The Los Angeles Angels, the Hollywood Stars and the San Francisco Seals. Where did each of these teams move to? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about the United States Football League.

How Did That Happen?

  Yesterday I promised a look at the Hartford Whalers, as a last bit of proofreading before publishing I discovered the events being profiled were a day early. Today I am switching to my old standby, baseball. We are going to look at a league called the Piedmont League. The league had started out in 1920 as a North Carolina based league. As time progressed the league slowly drifted North. By the time the league folded after the 1955 season it was Virginia based with a couple of teams in Pennsylvania. On March 4, 1931, the league expanded by two clubs when the Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina clubs were admitted to give the league eight clubs.

    Exactly six years to the day later, the league expanded by two again to again give it eight clubs. The league welcomed the Charlotte and Winston-Salem, North Carolina clubs into the league. Wait another minute!! Charlotte was admited into the league on two separate occasions exactly six years apart. The first club moved to Rocky Mount, North Carolina after the 1935 season and the league had lost two clubs in 1932. This time the Hornets stayed in the league until after the 1942 season. Today the Charlotte Knights are long standing members of the AAA International League.   

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Baltimore Colts, who scored 27 points in a 70-27 loss to the Rams, who beat the Detriot Lions 65-24 the following weekend. The Colts-Rams game was played on October 22, 1950. Todays trivia question is how many goals have been scored by the United States Soccer team at the World Cup tourament in its history?

An NHL Record

  Today we are looking at two Hockey games. The first was played on March 3, 1920 between the Montreal Canadiens and the Quebec Bulldogs. The game was played at the Quebec Arena. In the first period the Canadiens took a commanding 4-0 lead over the home club. The second period they rattled off 7 goals. The Bulldogs could only respond with one goal their own. The third period the Bulldogs did manage to score two goals and increase their total to 3. By then it was way too late as the Canadiens scored five more to set a record 16-3 win, a record that has stood even today. Four Canadiens had hat tricks.

  The second game that we are looking at was played on March 3, 1958, this time it was the Canadian national team taking on the team from Finland. The game proved to very lucky for the Canadian team as they scored 7 goals in the first two periods. They then scored 10 goals in the third period to claim a 24-0 victory over the Finns.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia about the first commissioner of the North American Soccer League is Dick Walsh. Although Walsh spent a great deal of time in Baseball, he was still knowledgable enough to get the soccer job. He had spent 18 years as an executive with the Los Angeles Dodgers before getting the Soccer job. He resigned the soccer job to take a job as general manager for the California Angels baseball team.

   Todays trivia question is in back to back weekends in October of 1950, the Los Angeles Rams averaged 67.5 points. They scored 70 points against the Colts and 65 points agianst the Lions. between the Lions and the Colts, who scored more points against the Rams? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about the Hartford Whalers season of 1982-83.
  
 

Two Historical Basketball Games

    Today we are looking at two historical Basketball games, thus the tilte of this blog. We start on March 2, 1951 and the NBA's first all-star game. The game was played at Boston Garden. The East won by score of 111-94. The Eastern Conference team was coached by Joe Lapchick of the Knicks and the Western Conference was coached by John Kundla of the Lakers. The East was led by Ed Macualey of the Celtics who had a game high 20 points and Joe Fulks of the Warriors who had 19 points. Macualey won the Game MVP award.

   Scoring 20 points in an all-star game is a great accomplishment, but how about scoring 100 points in a regular season game. March 2, 1961 is a date special to many NBA fans still today. The famous game was played in Hershey, Pennsylvania between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks. The Knicks score of 147 was no match for the Warriors led by the great Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain. The Warriors outscored the Knicks 90-79. Chamberlain scored 59 of the 90 points, he scored 28 of his 100 points in the fourth quarter. He also scored 28 points at the free throw line. The evening was a truly great night for one of the best players ever to play the game. Wilts teammates combined to score a mere 69 points in the 169-147 victory.

    The answer to todays trivias question is two. On June 11, 1938 Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a no-hitter over the Boston Braves. The following day Tom Finger of the Corpus Christi Spudders pitched an 11 inning no-hitter over the Harlingen Hubs in the Class "D" Texas Valley League. The next day, Clare Bertram of the Moline Plowboys pitched a 7 inning no-hitter over the Waterloo Red Hawks. Two days later Vander Meer pitched his historic second consecutive no-hitter this time in the first night game at Ebbets Field against the Dodgers. There would not be another no-hitter in professional baseball for a full month.  

  Todays trivia question is who was the first commissioner of the North American Soccer League when the league was founded by merger of the National Professional Soccer League and the United Soccer Association? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about a record setting Hockey game.

 

Father Martins' League

   On March 1, 1936 the Canadian-American League was founded as an eight club baseball league. The league could have easily been called the New York-Ontario League. The State of New York got 3 clubs (Ogdensburg, Oswego and Watertown) and the Province of Ontario got 3 clubs (Brockville, Ottawa and Perth). The league qualified as a Class "C" League. The league only ever had 2 teams that did not come from that territory (Quebec City and Pittsfield, Massachusetts).

   The league opened play on May 20 and very quickly things got interesting in this league. One of the more interesting things involved the Watertown Club. Starting on June 24, the club played a series of neutral site games in the City of Massena. On June 30 club business manager William Buckley announced that the team was transferring to Massena permenantly. On July 12, the club returned to Watertown for a series of neutral site games and announced on July 16 the club was returning to Watertown for the rest of the season. Buckley saved himself a lot of paperwork but never submitting to the National Association the paper work for their approval of the first move. The team did move in the offseason to another city as the league added 2 more clubs for the 1937 season. On August 22, 1937 the league saw its first no-hitter when Leo Pukas of Ogdensburg pitched a 9-0 gem against Ottawa. Pukas was in the second year of a 5 year run with the league. The league would see a total of 13 no-hitters.

  On July 7, 1941 the league had its first All-Star Game, when the North beat the South by a score of 11-5 at Utica, New York. Even though half of the leagues clubs played in Canada, the fact that Canada was an active ally in World War II the league was able to play on. After the league struggled through the 1942 season, league officials were forced to suspend operations for the remainer of the war. After coming back after the war the league played on for six more seasons until it was pressured into folding after the 1951 season. The league had as its president through most of its history a Catholic priest Father Martin.

    The answer to yesterday trivia question is the country of Finland won the bronze metal for mens hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, when the defeated Slovakia by a score of 5-3. Todays trivia question is on June 15, 1938 Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers just 4 days after pitching one against the Boston Braves. Vander Meer is the only pitcher to date to pitch consective no-hitters in the Major Leagues. How many no-hitters were pitched between Vander Meers no-hitters in all of professional baseball? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about two historical NBA games.   

A Great Final Game

    When I watch a playoff series, there is one thing I hate to see, a sweep. I enjoy a good game seven of any playoff series in any sport. I really love it, when game seven is a close game. Its even better when that last game goes overtime. The Olympic Hockey tourament does not have the contesting teams play more then one game to decide who gets the Gold and who gets the Silver. Today we go back only one year to one of the greatest Gold metal games ever played.

    On February 21, 2010 the United States and the Canadian teams met in a preliminary round game, the United States won the game by a score of 5-3. The Canadians were forced to play in the qualification playoffs in order to advance to the quaterfinals against Russia. The Americans advanced automatically into the quarterfinals. The Canadians wanted to pay the Americans back for the extra game. The only way was to met the Americans again in the gold metal game. On Sunday, Febuary 28 they got their wish.

   The Canadians scored the lone goal in the first period when Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks scored at the 12:50 mark. The two clubs traded goals in the second period. With his team down by a goal at the 18:33 mark in the third period American coach Ron Wilson pulled goalie Ryan Miller. A minute and two seconds later the move paid off when Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils scored to tie the game with 25 seconds left in the game. The game moved into overtime!! At the 7:40 mark of sudden death overtime, Sidney "The Next One" Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins scored for Canada. The gold metal belonged to Canada.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is the Celtics lead the Lakers 196 games to 152 games for the Lakers. The Celtics have outpointed the Lakers 37,334 to 36,660 in the 248 games played, with 74 of these games in the playoffs. The Celtics have won all four game 7s the two teams have played. My source for this is SHRPsports.com. Todays trivia question is who won the bronze metal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Mens Hockey? The answer will be revealed in tomorrows daily blog about the baseballs' Canadian-American League.    

The Lakers and Celtics

   One of the highlights of any Basketball season is any game between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, clearly these two teams have carved out a great rivalry over the years. How far back has this great rivalry gone?

  On February 27, 1959, the two teams gathered at the Boston Garden for one of the great games of the 1950s. The Lakers had yet to move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles by this time. The Celtics were without the services of future Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who had an injured leg. The Celtics had to depend on the play of Bob Cousy and Tommy Heinsohn as well as rookie Billy Sharman. Cousy had 28 points and 31 assists. Heinsohn had a game high 43 points and Sharman had 29 points. The previous assists mark was 21. Cousy had 19 assists in the second half as the Celtics scored 90 points and 12 assists during the 52-44 fourth quarter.

   The Celtics 173-139 win broke the previous one team record by 27 points, the two team record by 30 points. The Lakers set a record for most points in a losing cause. The Celtics tied the record for most points in a single half with 83 points in the first half and then broke the record in the second half. The one thing that really stands out here is that this was one of many great games these two teams have played over the year.   
 
     The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 707 minutes of penalties were handed out within the first five minutes of a game in the Kontinental Hockey League game of January 9, 2010 between Vityaz Chekhov and Avangard Omsk. During the fight 33 players and both coaches were ejected. Only 4 players remained in the game. The officials had to order the game to be called off. Todays trivia question is the Lakers and the Celtics have played 348 games together in history to date, who leads the rivalry and how many games have they won? The answer in tomorrows daily blog about the last Olympic hockey game be played to date.
 

When Did They Have Time to Play Hockey?

     On February 26, 1981 the Minnesota North Stars went to the Boston Garden in an attempt to put an end to a 34 game streak without a win in Boston. A win in this game would be there first ever in Boston. The puck was dropped and for a grand total of six seconds a fine hockey game was played. Somebody dropped their gloves and fists started flying. Order was restored however briefly, at 8:58 chaos erupted again. Among the many records beaten into each were: Seven North Stars and five Bruin players were ejected, 42 penalties each club, 84 total penalties, 67 penalties in the first period alone, 34 first period penalties by the North Stars alone, 210 penalty minutes by the North Stars of a total of 406 minutes total.


     Oh Ya, as a sideline to all the fighting a hockey game was played. The Bruins ended up winning where it counted 5-1, the North Stars would have to wait another day to record their first ever win at the Boston Garden. The next time the two teams met in Boston was in the playoffs. On April 8, 1981, the teams went into overtime before the North Stars took the game. The made it two in a row the following day. The following November, they made it three straight with their first ever regular season win. Alls well thats ends well!!!

    The answer to yesterdays trivia question was two regular season September games have been played in the history of the National Hockey League. The two games were played in 2007 when the Los Angeles Kings opened play with the Anaheim Ducks in Toyko, Japan. each team won their "Home" game. Todays trivia question is what is the worlds record for most penalty minutes in a professional hockey game. Todays hint, it was not in the NHL. Opps did I give a hint, my bad. The answer in tomorrows daily blog about an early Lakers-Celtics game.

What A Fight

     The joke said "I went to the fights last night and a hockey game broke out". Todays blog is not about a hockey fight or series of brawls on the ice. I have writen about hockey on many occasions but have not written very much on the sport of Boxing. Today we write about one of the many great heavyweight boxing matches through the years where the title changed hands.

  In 1962 Charles L. "Sonny" Liston won the Heavyweight title by beating then champion Floyd Patterson. A rematch was held the following summer, Liston won the rematch as well. His second title defence was set for February 25, 1964 against a very brash, young, up and coming fighter named Cassius Clay. Clay was an Olympic Gold Metalist known for for his loud brash comments. The fight was held in Miami Beach, Florida. Liston was a 7 to 1 favorite over the young Clay. The fight was a good one for six rounds. Liston failed to come out of his corner for the 7th round and lost his title.

     A week later Clay announced that he was changing his name to Muhammad Ali. Fifteen months later, a rematch was held. This time Ali knocked out the former champ in the first round. Liston took some time off, tried to make a comeback but died at the end of 1970. Ali went on to become a great champion, working very hard to live up to his self proclaimed title "The Greatest".  

    The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 13 clubs were in the Continental Basketball Association for the 1987-88 season. Two clubs had their league debut with this season, 10 of the 13 clubs had debuted at the beginning of the 1985-86 season or later. Clearly the Lancaster Red Roses, who were an original member of the Eastern Basketball League in 1946, was then in a run from 1975-91 was the senior member of the league. 

   Todays question is how many regular season games have been played by the National Hockey League clubs in the month of September? The answer will be posted in tomorrows daily blog about a record hockey brawl.

The Flying Dutchman was a German

     Johannes Peter Wagner was born on February 24, 1874 in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to German parents. As a young boy he dropped out of school and worked in the local coal mines. In his off time he and his brothers enjoyed playing baseball. Johannes frequently went by the nickname of "Honus". Honus was described as barrel chested, massive shoulders, muscular armed, bow legged 5'11", 200 lbs with huge hands.

    After several stops in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut on July 19, 1897 with the Louisville Colonels. The Colonels won the game against the Washington Nationals by the score of 6-2. At the end of the 1899 seasons both clubs folded and Wagner moved on to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had all the tools required for success, a great hitter (3,418 hits and 8 batting titles) a great baserunner (722 stolen bases, thus the nickname "The Flying Dutchman" from the word for a german Deutsch)  A long career with the Pirates included many highlights including two World Series.

   Wagner retired with many records to his credit. One of his proudest moments was the 1936 announcement that he was one of the first 5 players to elected the newly created Baseball Hall of Fame. Many of his contempories called him the greatest shortstop to ever play the game.

     In answering yesterdays trivia question about the four Canadian cities that have had teams in both Baseball's International League and the American Hockey League, the first two should have been really easy guesses, those cities being Montreal and Toronto. The other two cities should have difficult for all but the most hardcore of sports fans to simply guess, those cities are Hamilton, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba. If you guessed those two correctly, you are either a Canadian who is a big long time fan of both leagues or you have been spending time reading my league histories.

   Todays trivia question is how many teams played in the 1987-88 season of the Continental Basketball Association? Bonus question, which one of those teams played in the league the longest? The answers will be posted as part of tomorrows daily blog about Cassius Clay meets Sonny Liston.

Are You it Was A Soccer Match?

    On February 23, 1901 the 1901 British Home Championship soccer tournament opened with a match between Scotland and Ireland at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland. The first half of the match saw the Scots jump out to a 5-0 lead. Unfortunately for the Irish things did not get any better for them in the second half as the Scots ripped off another six goals to record an 11-0 win. The match was a record result for the Scots. Team captain 23 year old Robert C. Hamilton scored 4 goals. Alexander "Sandy" McMahon also scored four goals in the match. Celtic Park where this match was played still stands and is still in use today by the Celtic Club.

   The answer to yesterdays trivia question is 28 cities have been members of both the American Hockey League and Baseball's International League. An arguement can be made that a 29th city is on the list however, the Maine Guides of the International League was not in Portland proper but in a suburb and represented the entire State of Maine in its five year run. The city that has had the most time betwen the two leagues is Rochester, New York which has been in the International League since 1899 and the American Hockey League since 1956. On the eight clubs that founded the American Hockey League, two cities were in both leagues at the time, two cities were never in the International League, three had already had their stints in the International League completed and one was a future member of the International League.

   Todays trivia question is four Canadian cities are on the list of 28 cities, name them. The answer will be at the end of tomorrows daily blog about Baseball Hall of Famer Honus Wagner.

  

The Miracle on Ice Game

     Today we mark the 31st anniversary of what many people have called through the years the greatest amateur hockey game ever played. There is nothing that I can write in this forum that would contribute anything new to our body of knowledge about this event.

      As 1980 dawned the United States was not feeling very proud of itself as a country. Many events in the 1970s caused many of my fellow citizens at the time to feel disappointment and shame toward our country. As the touranment opened, I remember my mom asking why I wanted to watch the hockey game. My answer was that the Americans were playing, as I teenager at the time I wanted to feel some pride and show some support. We were looking for something, anything to make us feel proud of our country. Victory after victory came to the team. The team got more and more attention. We hoped agianst hope that when they reached the metal round, that they could somehow get passed the Soviets. The Soviet Union had been the source of much of the disenchantment that we were feeling at the time.

      When it came time for the game itself, a live TV broadcast was not available. My sisters had a music station playing on the family stereo that was giving updates on the game as it happened, updating us everytime some one scored. We knew that the game was close and could go either way. When the Americans scored in the 3rd period to tie the game, we were immediately updated, game tied at 3 in the third period. We waited hopefully for the next update. It came when the game ended, we heard "We have a final score in Olympic Hockey USSR 3, USA 4!!!" We could not believe our ears, a major upset had occurred.

     We also knew that the Gold Metal was still up for grabs and that anyone of the four teams in the metal round could still win it. Two days later, I remember making sure that I was up by 8 AM when the USA-Finland game started. I wanted to make sure that I could see history as it unfolded that day. A victory over the team from Finland clinched the gold and suddenly America felt great about itself again. Several events would occur in the next year that reinforce that American pride. By 1983, I was proud to enlist in the United States Air Force and serve my country for the next 4 1/2 years.

    If you are old enough to remember the game, please share your memories with me in the comments sectiion below. For now we move on to the answer to yesterdays trivia question. Since 1975, when Bob Watson scored what was called Baseball's Millionth run, 793, 231 runs have scored in MLB. My thanks go out to Baseball-Reference.com for that answer. Todays question is since 1936 the American Hockey League has operated in much of the same territory as Baseball's International League, how many cities have had clubs in both leagues? The answer will appear in tomorrows daily blog about an Irish-Scotish Soccer game.