Sports Fact of the Day 8/3-8/12/2008

Aug. 3:
8/3/1982:
Better known for his defensive prowess (eight Gold Gloves), Kansas City Royals second baseman Frank White has his finest game at the plate as K.C. beats Detroit, 6-5, at Royals Stadium. White hits for the cycle including getting the toughest portion of that feat, a triple, in the ninth inning to drive home the winning run. White had a two-run homer in the first inning, a double in the third, an RBI single in the seventh and the game-winning opposite-field three-bagger to end the game off Detroit starter and loser Pat Underwood.

Birthdays:
Lance Alworth b. 1940
Marcel Dionne b. 1951
Rod "Shooter" Beck b. 1968
Troy Glaus b. 1976
Tom Brady b. 1977

Aug. 4:
8/4/1936:
Jesse Owens wins his second gold medal (of an eventual four) at the Olympic Games in Berlin by capturing the broad jump with a leap of over 26 feet. Having already won the 100-meter dash, Owens will also win the 200 meters and be part of the victorious 4 x 100 United States relay team. His brilliance on the track and his dignified demeanor off it greatly help to stanch the palpable unease at this Olympiad, dominated by Adolf Hitler's oppressive Nazi party propaganda.

Birthdays:
Maurice "Rocket" Richard b. 1921
Mary Decker Slaney b. 1958
Roger Clemens b. 1962
Jeff Gordon b. 1971
Eric Milton b. 1975

1985:
The 40-year-old Chicago White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver earned his 300th career victory as the White Sox defeated the Yankees, 4-1, in New York.

"Seaver became the 17th pitcher to reach the 300-win plateau-the 13th righthander, the fourth oldest and the third to have pitched in both leagues. He is the only 300-game winner to have written three books on pitching mechanics and probably the first one able to cite Bernoulli's Law to explain why a fastball rises." -Craig Neff, August 12, 1985

Packers Fact:
Seven different players rushed for more than 100 yards for the Packers' 1944 NFL championship club. Fullback Ted Fritsch led the squad with 322 yards.

Aug. 5:
8/5/1952:
Coming from behind three times in the five-hour game, the New York Giants score twice in the last of the 15th inning to beat their interborough rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 7-6, at the Polo Grounds. Don Mueller's infield single scores Dusty Rhodes to end the lengthy struggle. Each club had homered in the 14th inning-Andy Pafko for Brooklyn and Bob Elliott with a pinch shot to tie it for New York. Gil Hodges' grand-slam homer and eight innings of four-hit relief by Joe Black go for naught for Brooklyn as the Giants delight over 43,000 fans with their last-ditch victory.

Birthdays:
Roman Gabriel b. 1940
Patrick Ewing b. 1962
Otis Thorpe b. 1962
John Olerud b. 1968
Mark Mulder b. 1977

1986:
Philadelphia's lefthander Steve Carlton became the second pitcher in baseball history to fan 4,000 batters when he struck out Cincinnati's Eric Davis during an 11-6 Phillies loss against the Reds.

"Lefty's slider confuses the hitters because it acts like a fastball until the last instant. He probably gets more check-swing strikeouts than any pitcher in baseball history. When batters do swing, they often find themselves chasing a pitch that winds up in the dirt." -Jim Kaplan, July 21, 1980

Packers Fact:
The Packers chose linebacker Wayne Simmons with their top pick (number 15 overall) in the 1993 draft. But they also traded with Dallas to obtain a second first-round selection that year. They chose safety George Teague at number 29.

Aug. 6:
Trying to keep his defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on an even keel and prevent them from resting on their laurels, head coach Bill Belichick warned: "If you live in the past, you die in the present."

Birthdays:
Pauline Betz b. 1919
Clem Labine b. 1926
Dale Ellis b. 1960
Tony Fernandez b. 1962
David Robinson b. 1965

1977:
The horse racing jockey Steve Cauthen won the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga and set a record with his 300th New York win of the year.

"When the gate opened, Nearly On Time, garnished with 103 pounds, including Steve Cauthen skipped to the lead and rolled merrily along. At the top of the stretch Cauthen was five lengths in front, and the remarkable 17-year-old could have ridden backward the rest of the way and still won." -William Leggett, August 15, 1977

Packers Fact:
Irv Comp passed for a team-best 1,159 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Packers' team that won the NFL championship in 1944. The two-way star also tied for the team lead with 6 interceptions.

Aug. 7:
8/7/1999:
Tampa Bay third baseman Wade Boggs becomes the 23rd major leaguer to achieve 3,000 hits and the first to belt a home run to reach the milestone. He connects off Chris Haney of the Indians for only the 188th homer of his career, but the Devil Rays drop a 15-10 slugfest to Cleveland at Tropicana Field. Boggs will get only 10 more hits before retiring with 3,010. He produced seven 200-hit seasons, won five AL batting titles, compiled a .328 lifetime batting average and will earn enshrinement in the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Birthdays:
Don Larson b. 1929
Abebe Bikila b. 1932
Carlos Monzon b. 1942
Alan Page b. 1945
Sidney Crosby b. 1987

1954:
Roger Bannister of Great Britain held off Australia's John Landy to win the mile race at the British Empire Games.

"The duel was the most widely heralded and universally contemplated match footrace of all time. It was also the most ferociously contested of all mile events. In the first showdown between two sub-four-minute milers, Bannister refused to be shaken, and with 90 yards to go he lengthened his plunging stride. He came up shoulder to shoulder, fought for momentum, pulled away to a four-yard lead and ran steadily and stylishly through a deafening clamor to the tape." -Paul O'Neil, August 16, 1954

Packers Fact:
In 1994, the Packers traded with Miami to move up several spots in the first round and take Guard Aaron Taylor, a former Notre Dame offensive lineman with the 16th overall pick.

Aug. 8:
8/8/1982:
Belmont Stakes winner Conquistador Cielo, Eddie Maple up, wins his seventh consecutive race, cruising to victory in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. Cielo carries 128 pounds, 14 more than each of his rivals in the race, but he still wins easily over the mile-and-an-eighth distance. Despite losing his next and last outing two weeks from now in the Travers Stakes, also at Saratoga, Cielo will be named Horse of the Year and earn an Eclipse Award before being retired to stud at Claiborne Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

Birthdays:
Togo Palazzi b. 1932
Frank Howard b. 1936
Ken Dryden b. 1947
Nigel Mansell b. 1953
Roger Federer b. 1981

1988:
The Chicago Cubs played host to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first night game ever played at Wrigley Field. The game got rained out in the third inning.

"Wrigley Field is a Peter Pan of a ballpark. It has never grown up, and it has never grown old. Let the world race on-they'll still be playing day baseball in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field; outfielders will still leap up against he vines, and the Cubs ... well, it's the season of hope." -E.M. Swift, July 7, 1980

Packers Fact:
End Don Hutson amassed an NFL-leading 85 points for the Packers' 1944 NFL champions when he scored 9 touchdowns and kicked 31 extra points. It marked the fifth consecutive year that he was the league's top point man.

Aug. 9:
8/9/1930:
Playing under a mobile light system raised up on cherry pickers, five years before the advent of night baseball in the major leagues, the Homestead Grays defeat the Kansas City Monarchs, 1-0 in 12 innings at Muehlebach Field in Kansas City in a classic Negro Leagues pitching duel. Smokey Joe Williams pitches a one-hitter with 27 strikeouts for the Grays, while Chet Brewer counters by tossing a four-hitter for the Monarchs with 19 K's (including 10 straight at one stretch). The purchase and upkeep of the portable lights was a big financial gamble for Monarchs owner J.L. Wilkinson, but it paid off handsomely with additional bookings and increased revenue during the Great Depression.

Birthdays:
Bob Cousy b. 1928
Rod Laver b. 1938
Brett Hull b. 1964
Deion Sanders b. 1967
Troy Percival b. 1969

1975:
The Saints were 13-7 losers to the Houston Oilers in the first preseason football game played in the New Orleans Superdome.

"Last Sunday night New Orleans opened the gates to its Superdome, and among the early arrivals in the capacity crowd of 72,434 was coach Bum Phillips, whose Houston Oilers were to play the host Saints on the AstroTurf surface the locals are calling Mardi Grass." -Peter Finney, August 18, 1975

Packers Fact:
In 1998, the Packers moved up 10 spots in the first round by trading with Miami. They picked defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday with the 19th overall pick.

Aug. 10:
8/10/1932:
Hometown favorite Buster Crabbe sets a new Olympic record in the 400-meter freestyle swimming finals at Los Angeles. Crabbe's winning time of 4:48.4 is sufficient to hold off Jean Taris of France, who leads for much of the race until Crabbe's strong finishing kick proves decisive in the last 50 meters. All six swimmers in the championship heat of this event better the previous Olympic record of 5:01.6 set by Alberto Zorilla of Argentina at the 1928 Olympiad at Amsterdam.

Birthdays:
Rod Holzman b. 1920
Rocky Colavito b. 1933
John Starks b. 1965
Riddick Bowe b. 1967
Samari Rolle b. 1976

Aug. 11:
8/11/1991:
In only his second major league start and first for the Chicago White Sox, Wilson Alvarez pitches a no-hitter, blanking the Orioles, 7-0, at Baltimore. The left-hander fans seven, allows five walks and benefits from a diving catch by Lance Johnson in the eighth inning to preserve the gem. He also becomes the first pitcher from Venezuela to pitch a no-hitter in the big leagues.

Birthdays:
Bill Monbouquette b. 1936
Vada Pinson b. 1938
Otis Taylor b. 1942
Craig Ehlo b. 1961
Edgardo Alfonzo b. 1973

1991:
Golfing phenom John Daly got to play in the PGA Championship as a last-minute replacement for another golfer, who had dropped out. Daly drove all night, made it to the 1st tee just in time to start play, and won the tournament.

"Daly has been lifted onto the ride of rides, thrown into the celebrity sky by some ultimate athletic catapult. He is the grand overnight sensation [possessing] a quality, a something, that made the most casual golf spectator appreciate his work." -Leigh Montville, September 9, 1991

Packers Fact:
After going 6-5-1 in 1947, the Packers suffered an uncharacteristic drought in which they did not post another winning season until going 7-5 in Vince Lombardi's first year in 1959.

Aug. 12:
8/12/1978:
New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley is paralyzed for life by a vicious but legal hit by Jack "the Assasin" Tatum of the Raiders in a meaningless exhibition game at Oakland. Stretching out for a reception in the center of the field, Stingley is savagely coldcocked by Tatum, whose reputation and nickname were built on a pattern of no-holds-barred play. He crumples to the turf, his spinal cord severed, his career over and his life in ruins. Confined to a wheelchair, he'll eventually return to Purdue, get his degree and create a youth foundation for underprivileged youngsters in Chicago.

Birthdays:
Fred Hutchinson b. 1919
George McGinnis b. 1950
Pete Sampras b. 1971
Antoine Walker b. 1976
Plaxico Burress b. 1977

1984:
Carl Lewis duplicated Jesse Owens's feat by winning a fourth gold medal in track and field at the Los Angeles Summer Games.

"Lewis is so completely in control he's able to let go of himself. In the last 50 meters, when his rivals' muscles begin to bind, Lewis remains relaxed. So total is his relaxation while running, he says, he makes sure he goes to the bathroom before each race." -Gary Smith, July 18, 1984

Packers Fact:
In 2001, the Packers moved up in the first round by swapping first-round draft choices with the Seahawks and obtaining a third-rounder, too. Quarterback Matt Hasselback also moved from Green Bay to Seattle in the deal.