Sports Fact of the Day 6/30-7/7/2008

June 30:
6/30/1970:
John Newcombe outlasts Australian countryman Roy Emerson, 11-9, in the fifth set to advance to the semifinals at Wimbledon. Trailing two sets to one, Newcombe survives seven deuces and five break points on his serve in the first game of the fourth set, changing the tide of the match. A winner here as an amateur in 1967, he'll go on to defeat Andres Gimeno and Ken Rosewall to win this year' title and return next year to beat American Stan Smith in the 1971 finals.

Birthdays:
Roy Green b. 1957
Mitch Richmond b. 1965
Garret Anderson b. 1972
Chan Ho Park b. 1973
Michael Phelps b. 1985

1929:
Bobby Jones sank a pressure putt on the 18th hole of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot to force a playoff with Al Espinosa. Jones won the 36-hole playoff by 23 strokes.

"On the green, Bobby Jones crouched partly on one knee studying the slanting line of the treacherous putt. There was a dip or a break in the green of at least a foot-and-a-half that had to be judged. Bob was usually a fast putter. This time he took a few seconds longer than usual, for an addition to the speed of the fast green he had to decide how big the break was." -Grantland Rice, August 16, 1954

Packers Fact:
Tackle Kevin Barry has studied Tae Kwon Do for nearly a decade to help with his discipline and flexibility on the field.

July 1:
7/1/1999:
Overcoming the embarrassment of surrendering an own-goal in the fifth minute of play, the USA women's soccer team rallies to defeat Germany, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the World Cup tournament at Landover, Maryland. Playing before President Clinton and the First Lady, but trailing at halftime, 2-1, the American side scores two second-half goals on corner kicks to overcome their occasionally shaky defense. Brandy Chastain scores on a rebound after a perfect corner kick by Mia Hamm to tie the game at 2-2 shortly after the intermission. Then, in the 66th minute, Shannon MacMillan sets up Joy Fawcett for the game winner. Team USA will go on to defeat Brazil and China for the World Cup title.

Birthdays:
Rod Gilbert b. 1941
Mike Haynes b. 1953
Nancy Lieberman b. 1958
Carl Lewis b. 1961
Jerome Iginia b. 1977

1980:
Clocked in a time of 3:48.8, Great Britain's Steve Ovett lowered Sebastian Coe's mile record by two-tenths of a second.

"Ovett reached three-quarters of a mile in 2:51.0, more than two seconds faster than Coe had run, and it seemed that the mile record was in for an astounding revision. ... For 200 meters he carried on powerfully, but into the last curve his reckless early speed finally told." -Kenny Moore and John Rodda, July 14, 1980

Packers Fact:
Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings is nicknamed "Superman".

July 2:
7/2/1970:
For the third time in less than a month, Yankee second baseman Horace Clarke breaks up a no-hitter in the ninth inning. Tonight, with one out in the ninth, Clarke singles to spoil Tiger right-hander Joe Niekro's no-hit bid. On June 4, he led off the ninth with a single to break up Kansas City lefty Jim Rooker's attempt for a no-no, and on June 19 he did exactly the same thing to right-hander Sonny Siebert of the Red Sox. Neither Niekro or Rooker will ever pitch a no-hitter; Siebert had one in 1966 for Cleveland.

Birthdays:
Rene Lacoste b. 1904
Larry Costello b. 1931
Richard Petty b. 1937
Jose Canseco b. 1964
Sean Casey b. 1974

2000:
France stunned Italy, 2-1, and won the European championship at Rotterdams' De Kuip Stadium. For "Les Bleus," it was their first European title since 1984.

"By becoming the first World Cup holder ever to win the European crown, France earned a spot among the best teams of all time, in the category of Brazil's Pele-led world champions of 1970 and European Cup-winning clubs from Real Madrid (1956-'60) and Ajax Amsterdam (1971). Indeed, the French fielded a frighteningly gifted and complete lineup." -Grant Wahl, July 10, 2000

Packers Fact:
Defensive tackle Johnny Jolly, a sixth-round draft pick in 2006, was a high school teammate (Forest Brook in Houston, Texas) of Cleveland running back Lawrence Vickers, who also was a sixth-rounder that year.

July 3:
7/3/1973:
The Perry brothers, Gaylor and Jim, who will eventually combine for 529 big league victories (314 by Gaylord), hook up as opposing starters for the only time in their careers as the Tigers visit Cleveland. Older brother Jim leaves the game in the sixth inning, trailing 4-2, but he'll get a no-decision when his Detroit teammates rally for a 5-4 victory, pinning the loss on Gaylord. Norm Cash hits two homers off Gaylord, accounting for three of the five Detroit runs. The Perry brothers, both right-handers from Williamston, North Carolina will combine for 39 years of big-league service (22 by Gaylord), and Gaylord will be named to the Hall of Fame in 1991.

Birthdays:
Frank Tanana b. 1947
Elmo Wright b. 1949
Moises Alou b. 1966
Neil O'Donnell b. 1966
Teemu Selanne b. 1970

1970);
Margaret Court outlasted Billie Jean King to win the Wimbledon championship.

"Wimbledon treasures its great matches and this year's Court-King battle has already been stashed away as a classic. To recount all the peaks and valleys is impossible, but it should by remembered that the girls were on center court for two and a half hours in a 14-12, 11-9 match that set all sorts of endurance records." -Walter Bingham, July 13, 1970

Packers Fact:
Offensive lineman Daryn Colledge, was born in Fairbanks and grew up in North Pole, Alaska on S. Santa Claus Lane.

July 4:
7/4/1982:
In a star-spangled Wimbledon final on Independence Day at the All England Club, Jimmy Connors beats defending champion John McEnroe in five sets, requiring over four hours on Centre Court. After losing a third-set tiebreaker, Connors wins the last two sets to capture his second Wimbledon title and first since 1974; he had lost in the finals three times since. In an extremely close match in which each player wins 173 points, a double fault by McEnroe costs him a break of service in the final set that directly leads to Connors' eventual triumph.

Birthdays:
Al Davis b. 1929
Rick Casares b. 1931
Emerson Boozer b. 1943
Pam Shriver b. 1962
Vinny Castilla b. 1967

1983:
New York Yankees pitcher Dave Righetti gave team owner George Steinbrenner a special birthday gift against the Red Sox.

"Try this one out, patriots. It's July 4, the birth date of his club owner and his country, and Yankee Doodle Dandy Dave Righetti is facing Boston at Yankee Stadium. ... Suddenly it's the top of the ninth, two men are out, and up comes Wade Boggs, who has more hits this season than anyone in the majors. Righetti fans him for the first Yankees no-hitter in 27 years, and the Stadium erupts." -Jim Kaplan, July 25, 1983

Packers Fact:
Safety Tyrone Culver, a sixth-round draft pick in 2006, played at the same southern California high school (Palmdale) as wide receiver Derek Hagan, a third-round choice of the Dolphins this year.

July 5:
7/5/2000:
The scourge of increasingly violent involvement by parents in youth sports in America reaches its nadir in Reading, Massachusetts, when hockey coach Michael Costin, a father of four, is beaten to death by 270-pound Thomas Junta. Junta felt that Costin was allowing too much rough play in a scrimmage involving 10- and 12-year-old players, especially directed at his own son. The aftermath of this senseless tragedy focuses on a nationwide trend of overzealous parents living through their children, pushing them to excel at all costs instead of just playing sports for fun. Junta will be convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to a prison term of 6 to 10 years.

Birthdays:
Curt Blefary b. 1943
Goose Gossage b. 1951
Johnny Rodgers b. 1951
James Lofton b. 1956
Amelie Mauresmo b. 1979

1992:
Andre Agassi battled Goran Ivanisevic through five sets in the men's final at Wimbledon. Agassi, who had lost three Grand Slam finals, finally won his first major championship.

"America's favorite out-there, happenin' commercial dude, the hipster with the shades, the earring, the spandex undies and the squrrel-tailed hair, the guy who was none other than the adorably blow-dried Andre Agassi himself-turned out to be right after all. Image is everything." -Curry Kirkpatrick, July 13, 1992

Packers Fact:
The Packers entered the 2007 season with more victories on Kickoff Weekend (47) than all but one other NFL. The Chicago Bears held theh record with 49 all-time wins in season openers.

July 6:
7/6/1957:
Gardnar Mulloy, 42, and Budge Patty, 33, combine to upset the top-seeded Australian tandem of Neale Fraser and Lew Hoad in four sets to win the Wimbledon men's doubles championship. Mulloy becomes the oldest person to ever win any event at the tournament. The veteran American duo continually disrupt the timing and rhythm of their younger opponents with a steady diet of soft returns, angled slices and strategic lobs to seize control of the match. Queen Elizabeth presents Mulloy and Patty with a silver trophy following their crowd-pleasing triumph.

Birthdays:
Darrell Royal b. 1924
Brad Park b. 1948
Willie Randolph b. 1954
Ron Duguay b. 1957
Lance Johnson b. 1963

July 7:
Journeyman catcher Doug Mirabelli, who became knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's personal catcher for several years with the Red Sox, put his singular plight into perspective: "Trying to catch a knuckleball is like trying to catch a butterfly with a waffle iron."

1975:
The unbeaten filly Ruffian and Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure staged a much-publicized match race at Belmont Park.

"It turned into a disaster. Unbeaten Ruffian, the superlative filly, had raced a blistering half mile ... when suddenly the [bones] in her right foreleg splintered, piercing her flesh. Doctors could do nothing for her, and she had to be destroyed." Jack Mann, July 14, 1975


Packers Fact:
Along with Denver (106 victories) and New England (101), the Packers (102) were one of the only three NFL teams to record 100 or more regular-season victories in the 10-year span from 1996 to 2005.