Sports Fact of the Day 5/4/2008

5/4/1975:

Looking to upgrade their defense, the Phillies execute a master stroke when they trade Willie Montanez to the San Francisco Giants for center fielder Garry Maddox. Earning the nickname “Secretary of Defense,” Maddox will go on to win eight straight Gold Glove awards (175-82) and help the Phillies reach the postseason six times between 1976 and ’83, capped by the 1980 world championship. No slouch with the bat, he’ll fashion a .285 lifetime batting average with 248 career stolen bases and get the decisive hit, a 10^th-inning double, to help the Phillies beat Houston in the 1980 NLCS.

 

Birthdays:

Elmer Layden b. 1903

Betsy Rawls b. 1928

Rene Lachemann b. 1945

Butch Beard b. 1947

Ben Grieve b. 1976