Articles
In what is remembered as one of baseball’s all-time classic pennant races, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, long-time bitter rivals, battled down to the last day to determine the American League pennant. Yankee star Joe DiMaggio made a dramatic return to the lineup after missing several weeks due to illness for the final showdown – a two game season ending series in Yankee Stadium. The... Continue reading
Jim Rice followed in the footsteps of his left field predecessors, Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski all of whom played their entire careers for the Red Sox. In 1978, he won the AL MVP award, becoming the only major leaguer ever to lead the major leagues in triples, home runs, and RBIs in the same season. He is also the only player in major league history to have over 200 hits while hitting 39 or... Continue reading
Giants move to San Francisco in 1957
The New York Giants were seeking a new stadium to replace the crumbling Polo Grounds. Attendance was falling, the team was playing poorly, and Minneapolis was seriously courting them. At the same time, the Dodgers were being courted by Los Angeles and major league baseball would not allow the move unless another team located to the west coast. Dodgers'... Continue reading
Detroit won the AL pennant with a regular season record of 93-58, three games ahead of the second place Yankees. For the season, they outscored their opponents 919 to 665.
The season started out poorly for the Tigers who were 2-9 after two weeks of play and in last place at the end of April. They got red hot and went 35-10 between June 26 and August 15, 1935. They defeated the Chicago Cubs in... Continue reading
Don Drysdale won 25 games and the Cy Young Award in 1962 and, in 1968, set a record with 58.2 consecutive scoreless innings. During the streak, he pitched 6 consecutive complete game shutouts.
Considered the fastest woman ever, Wilma Rudolf won three Gold Medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In front of 80,000 spectators, and on a blistering 110 degree day, Rudolph won the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds flat. She then won the 200-meter dash in Olympic record time, and was on the winning 400-meter relay team. She was named United Press Athlete of the Year in 1960 and, in 1961, won... Continue reading
Steve Prefontaine went to Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, and was considered a mediocre cross country runner in his Sophomore season. He then met coach and mentor Bernard Emil Weik II and in his Junior and Senior years, he won every meet, including setting the national record for the two mile race in the Oregon state championships.
Prefontaine decided to enroll at the University of... Continue reading
Rocky Marciano was born in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1923. He was a typical American kid, playing baseball and football and dreaming of playing one professionally. He didn't take up boxing until he was drafted into the Army at the age of twenty. In 1947, he had a tryout with the Chicago Cubs as a catcher, but was let go because he couldn't make the throw from home plate to second base... Continue reading
Fernando Valenzuela played in the Mexican League in the mid 1970s and caught the eye on several major league scouts. The Los Angeles Dodgers bought out his contract for $ 120,000. in 1979. He played briefly in the minor leagues that summer, and then excelled in the Texas League in 1980, before being promoted to the big league club towards the end of the season. In 10 relief pitching appearances... Continue reading
Seabiscuit was foaled in 1933, and grew up on Claiborne Farm in Kentucky. He was undersized, knobby-kneed, and known for sleeping and eating.
His initial trainer was the legendary Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, who had trained Triple Crown Winner Gallant Fox. He felt Seabiscuit (no comma) was too lazy and relegated him to a punishing schedule of smaller races. He failed to win his first ten races, and... Continue reading
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