Sports Fact of the Day 8/31/07-9/4/07 (5 total)

No links with these, sorry, just too time-consuming to do for 5 days worth.

8/31/1993:
Pedro Munoz leads off the bottom of the 22nd inning with a home run, giving the Minnesota Twins a 5-4 victory over Cleveland at the Metrodome. At 6 hours and 17 minutes, it's the longest game in the history of both franchises. After the Twins tie the score in the ninth, the teams remain scoreless until Munoz hits his opposite-field homer off Jason Grimsley to end it.

Birthdays:
Jim Finks b. 1927
Jean Beliveau b. 1931
Frank Robinson b. 1935
Edwin Moses b. 1955
Hideo Nomo b. 1968

9/1/1972:
Bobby Fischer becomes the first American chess champion of the world when reigning titleholder Boris Spassky of Russia resigns his position in the 21st game of their 24-game, summer-long match in Reykjavik, Iceland. Fischer wins seven games and loses three; there are 11 draws. Tinged with Cold War overtones, the match and its widespread publicity raise the game to new levels of interest in the United States.

Rocky Maricano b. 1923
Guy Rodgers b. 1935
Tim Hardaway b. 1966
Cuttino Mobley b. 1974
Clinton Portis b. 1981

9/2/1979:
A breakdown of special teams costs the New Orleans Saints big-time in their season opener at the Superdome. Tied in overtime with Atlanta, a poor center snap sails over the head of punter Russell Erxleben, who chases the ball down at his own five-yard line. Trying a desperation pass (a la Garo Yepremian in Super Bowl VII), Erxleben has his ill-advised aerial picked off by James Mayberry of Atlanta, who runs it back for the game-winning touchdown, giving Atlanta the victory, 40-34. It's the first time since OT was introduced by the NFL in 1974 that a game ends on an interception return.

Birthdays:
Marv Throneberry b. 1933
Terry Bradshaw b. 1948
Jimmy Connors b. 1952
Eric Dickerson b. 1960
Lennox Lewis b. 1965

9/3/1920:
It's a somber scene at League Park as the Cleveland Indians return for their first home game since the mid-August fatal beaning of popular shortstop Ray Chapman by Carl Mays at the Polo Grounds. A pregame tribute honors his memory, but the Tribe can't msuter any runs against the Tigers left-hander Dutch Leonard and lose, 1-0. With future Hall of Famer Joe Sewell taking over for Chapman at shortstop, the Indians will close ranks and go on to their first American League pennant and World Series championship.

Birthdays:
Eddie Stanky b. 1916
Bennie Blades b. 1966
Luis Gonzalez b. 1967
Damon Stoudamire b. 1973
Jevon Kearse b. 1976

9/4/1985:
Battling stifling humidty, heat prostration and each other for nearly three hours, Steffi Graf and Pam Shriver stage an epic U.S. Open quarterfinal match on the intimate Grandstand court. Just past her 16th birthday, German wunderkind Graf prevails in three tiebreaker sets, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4). Shriver leads the third set 4-1 and serves for the match at 5-3, but Graf stays alive with a break, helped by a rare running volley and a great get off a drop shot for a crosscourt winner. Wholly spent by this ordeal, Graf will lose in the semis to Martina Navratilova, but in years to come she'll win five U.S. Open titles.

Birthdays:
Dawn Fraser b. 1937
Ray Floyd b. 1942
Tom Watson b. 1949
John Vanbiesbrouch b. 1963
Mike Piazza b. 1968