February 1, 1914: The White Sox And Giants Stop In Egypt To Play Some Ball

      On February 1, 1914, with the Great Pyramid as a backdrop, the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants played to a 3-3 tie in an exhibition game in Egypt. The stop in Egypt was a part of a world tour that had been thought up by White Sox owner Charles Comiskey and Giants Manager John McGraw. The tour took 4 months to complete as the teams traveled from port to port by ship all around the world, beginning in Japan and ending in England. The tour would come to an abrupt end when World War I broke out, but more than 70 games were played before that happened and a wide variety of people from all over the world had gotten their first taste of the game that is played on a diamond.

     The tour began in October of 1913 in Cincinnati where the teams would embark on a coast-to-coast trip that saw them play 32 teams in 33 days. The North American tour ended in Seattle on November 19th where a ship was boarded that was headed to Land of the Rising Sun. The voyage was much rougher than expected, which led to a late arrival in Yokohama on December 6th. They were four days late, but they were ready to play some ball. After the stop in Japan they moved onto China, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt and all across Europe before wrapping things up in England.

     Along the way they played in front of heads of state and royalty as they spread the game that is played on a diamond. While in Egypt, the teams played in front of Abas Hilmi II, the Khedive of Egypt. The Khedive brought his 43 wives and staff of at least 100 to view the game. While they were playing in front of him the White Sox squad turned a triple play. With this being a new game that he had never seen before, the Khedive seemed to hardly notice the play that was such a rarity in the game. That caught the attention of future Hall of Famer Tip O'Neill. When stunned O'Neill mentioned it to Comiskey, his boss told him "He's got enough to do. If you had 43 wives to watch you wouldn't notice a triple play either!"

     As the teams continued their journey they would play in front of Pope in Italy and the King of England before it all came to an end. In most cities they would square off against each other, however, there were exceptions as teams were assembled by locals in Japan, Australia, and the Philippines. With the headlines turning to war, the teams boarded a ship for the United States on February 27, 1914. They were greeted in New York on March 6th with several new tales to tell as they had traveled the earth playing the game that they loved.

     Besides O'Neill there were a handful of other future Hall of Famers which included: Christy Mathewson, Sam Crawford, Tris Speaker, and Red Faber. Faber was loaned to the Giants during the tour, then went onto forge his Hall of Fame career with the White Sox.
   

     The information about this tour was very limited. That tends to happen with events that are dated such as the tour. I usually look through a wide variety of newspapers and other publications, gather some facts, then write the story. This was a challenge since the story of the games were exactly hitting the newspapers the next day. Some of the numbers such as the 32 games in 33 days might be a give or take a few on either end of those figures. I only came across a few decent articles that were from 1913 or 1914. This article was used as a primary reference point: http://tinyurl.com/m7d74cb it is a story about the return of the teams that was done on March 6, 1914, by the Lewiston Evening Journal out of Maine. The story about the triple play was found in a book called Then Ozzie Said to Harold... The Best Chicago White Sox Stories Ever Told. Another book that I purchased while writing this is called The Tour To End All Tours: The Story Of Major League Baseball's 1913-1914 World Tour. From what I have read online the book has gotten a lot of praise for the research done and I know I can't wait to jump into it. You can find it on Amazon and a variety of other sites  that are very reasonably priced.
   

January 31, 1994: Dominique Wilkins Becomes The 11th Player In NBA History To Score 23,000

   

On January 31, 1994, with a 24 point effort in a 90-85 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks star Dominique Wilkins became just the 11th player in NBA history to record 24,000 points in his career. Coincidentally Wilkins would score his 26,000th point on the same date in 1997 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, unfortunately the 27 points he dropped that night didn't lead to a win as the Minnesota Timberwolves went onto win that contest 97-95. Wilkins would finish his career with 26,668 points which is good for 11th on the all time list of points scored in NBA history.
   
     The night that his 23,000th point fell through the hoop was a memorable one as the Hawks had found themselves trailing 43-37 at the half. At the time the Mavs had a record of 3 wins and 40 losses and Wilkins a.k.a. "The Human Highlight Film"  even acknowledged that they were taking them lightly. It is always important to throw records out the window because any team that lacks focus can be beaten by a team that they consider to be inferior. The first half was fuel for a Hawks fire that would use Wilkins as the primary accelerant. In his own words, the 6 foot 8 big man said "We came in for the second half pretty mad." It was the kind of anger that works in your favor.

     The Hawks outpaced the Mavs 36-19 in the third quarter which decided the ballgame. 14 of Wilkins' 24 points came in that third quarter. His 23,000th point came with a dunk as the Hawks were in the midst of a 22-8 run. While the Mavs record didn't show it, they played with heart and determination to get back in it. They were down 73-62 after 3 quarters were in the books then outscored Atlanta 23-17 in the final frame. It just wasn't enough to overcome the third quarter that buried them.

     As mentioned before Wilkins finished his career with 26,668 points which is good for 11th on the all time list of points scored in NBA history. The 9 time All Star was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. The accomplishments of Wilkins also included a scoring title and 2 slam dunk titles. In 2001, the Hawks organization retired his #21 to honor him as one of the greatest to ever wear their jersey.

Check out Wilkins' career numbers and accomplishments here: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wilkido01.html

January 30, 2000: The Rams Win A Thriller In Super Bowl XXXIV

     On January 14, 2000, the St. Louis Rams capped off what was a magical season with a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. The game had one of the most thrilling finishes in Super Bowl history. Tennessee had found themselves down 16-0 before they came storming back to tie it. With just under two minutes left in the game Rams quarterback Kurt Warner found Isaac Bruce on a 73 yard bomb that would prove to be the game winner. Steve McNair and the Titans were not about to give up, McNair engineered a drive that nearly tied things up, only to have linebacker Mike Jones make "The Tackle" of a lifetime at the one-yard line to preserve the Rams victory.

     When the Rams began the season in '99 they were coming off a 4-12 mark a year before and were considered to be one of if not the worst teams in the league. During the offseason they signed quarterback Trent Green and the players and the fans alike were excited about where he could take them. Then in the third preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, Green suffered a devastating knee injury. The hopes of a good season seemed to be washed down the drain in one moment. Then came Kurt Warner, a 28 year-old quarterback that turned to stocking shelves at a grocery story in Iowa after not being able to make the cut in the NFL. Warner did find work in the Arena Football League and quickly turned the heads of many as he showed off his arm at that level. One of those heads turned was with the Rams organization and in 1998 the team signed him then sent him to play in NFL Europe for the Amsterdam Admirals where he led the league in passing yards and touchdowns as well. It was enough to get him an invite to play with the Rams the following season to backup the newly obtained Green. When the injury happened to Green, suddenly Warner was in the spotlight. Nobody could have predicted what that quarterback who had taken the long road to the NFL would do next.

     What he did was almost instantly gel with the team and with his head coach Dick Vermeil standing behind him 100%. He led them to a 13-3 record with a high-flying aerial assault that was complemented by Marshall Faulk who stood behind him in the backfield. The cast of players on that Rams squad has too many great names to mention them all but I'll go ahead and ring off a few. Along with Warner and Faulk, the offense had Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Ricky Proehl, and and offensive line that was anchored by Orlando Pace. Their defense, often unheralded, had names such as D'Marco Farr, Kevin Carter, London Fletcher, and Todd Lyght leading the way. While many might have thought their early season success was a flash in the pan, they would soon prove those naysayers wrong by winning the NFC crown and earning a berth in the Super Bowl.

     The Titans posted a 13-3 record, most seasons one would think that it would easily earn a division title, this season it was  good for second as the Jacksonville Jaguars went 14-2 to take the AFC Central. The Titans were led by Steve McNair and Eddie George on offense and Jevon Kearse and Samari Rolle on defense. Like the Rams they too had a wide variety of names in their cast of players that had performed at the top level and earned their way to the Super Bowl.

     The road to the Super Bowl was not a road easily traveled for either team. In the wildcard round the Titans pulled off an unbelievable win over the Buffalo Bills in a game that became known as "The Music City Miracle." The Bills led 16-15 in the waning minutes when one of the craziest plays in the history of the NFL happened that sent them to the next round. It all began with a kickoff to Lorenzo Neal who lateraled the ball to Frank Wycheck who then lateraled it to Kevin Dyson, and Dyson took it to the house and sealed a Titans victory. Truly an unbelievable game. The Titans had to face the Indianapolis Colts next and pulled off a 19-16 victory before they toppled the Jaguars 33-14 in the AFC title game. They would be facing a Rams team that had knocked off the Minnesota Vikings 49-37 in the divisional round, then eked out a 11-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC title game thanks to an unbelievable catch by Ricky Proehl late in the game which set the stage for the big game that would be held in Atlanta.

     After all the media coverage that led up to the big game was in the books and the game was underway, it seemed like it could turn into a defensive contest at a rapid rate as the Titans held the Rams to three field goals in the first half that led to a 9-0 St. Louis lead as they headed to their locker rooms. After a missed field goal by the Titans, Warner and company went to work. The Rams quarterback hit Isaac Bruce, Ernie Conwell, then found Torry Holt on a 9 yard grab that capped off a 68 yard drive and put them ahead 16-0. The deficit was not something that would cause Tennessee to lie down, they would not go down without a fight. A pair of Eddie George touchdowns put the score at 16-13, then with just 2:12 left in the fourth Al Del Greco kicked a 43 yarder through the uprights to tie it up. The joy of tying the ballgame was short lived when Warner found Bruce at the Titans 38 yard line on the next drive. Once Bruce found it in his hands, he did the rest, once again the Rams were ahead.

     With 1 minute and 48 seconds left on the clock, McNair took over on his own 12. The task of moving it 88 yards was in front of him and it was a challenge he readily accepted as he began a march up the field that will not soon be forgotten. As they marched deep into Rams territory, McNair was facing a 3rd and 5 and escaped the Rams defensive rush that looked like they had his number. The elusive McNair then fired a pass to Kevin Dyson for a 16 yard gain that put his team at the 10. Tennessee called a timeout with just six seconds left, it was their final timeout, which meant there was only time for one more play.

     That play was something. McNair targeted Dyson once again, and for a moment it looked like a tie ballgame was imminent. Then came Mike Jones who dragged him down from behind. With Dyson's arm extended in an effort to cross the goal line with the ball the clock ran to zeros. The Rams were Super Bowl Champions.

     As someone who grew up right outside of St. Louis, I can tell you this was a more than exciting time in my life. St. Louis was starved for a contender in football. The years of mediocrity with the Cardinals football team that headed to Arizona in 1988 simply seemed to continue when the Rams arrived on the scene in 1995.  The turnaround in 1999 was almost like living a dream. The story of Kurt Warner seemed like it was something you could only see on the silver screen, especially with it ending with him as the Super Bowl MVP. Warner threw for 414 yards on his way to winning the award, it is a still standing Super Bowl record. It was just simply amazing. Even if we might be from different cities, I think most of us have lived through the euphoria of a championship with one of our favorite teams. It does seem like the stars just align every so often and we get to feel that feeling. For me, there is nothing like it. I truly do hope that every fan gets to feel that feeling at least once in their lifetime.

January 29, 1985: Bryan Trottier Joins The 1,000 Point Club

     On January 29, 1985, New York Islanders centre Bryan Trottier became just the 19th man in the history of the NHL to score 1,000 points in his career. The milestone came on a night in front of a home crowd in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders fell into a 4-0 hole, before Trottier scored 2 goals and sparked his team to a 4-4 tie with Minnesota North Stars.

     With his team down but not out, Trottier scored both his goals in the second period to give the team new life. The first was a power play goal that he tipped in when Denis Potvin shot him a quick pass. The second was a thing of beauty, it happened with the team down a man, Trottier poled the puck away from Bob Rouse, then skated stride for stride down the ice with the Minnesota defenseman, at the last second Rouse tried to break things up with a stick check but he wasn't stopping Trottier who faked out the goalie Rollie Melanson then flipped in a backhander. One helluva a way for him to record his 1,000th point. Duane Sutter and John Tonelli each tallied a goal in the third that led to the tie.

     After the contest Trottier was more concerned with his team falling behind then having to overcome the deficit rather than his own personal achievements. Although he did say "I was just happy to score the goal. I'll let people that are good at describing things describe it. But I will always remember it. I'll reflect on the 1,000 points and be thankful to play with these guys on a good team."

     Trottier would score 1,425 points total before his career came to a close. He was a Stanley Cup Champion 4 times with the Islanders, then won it two more times late in his career as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 1997 he was honored as one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of skates when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. A true legend of the game Trottier's 1,425 points ranks 16th on the all time list and it is safe to say he will always remember the day that he tallied the 1,000 point of his career.

Check out Trottier's career numbers here: http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/t/trottbr01.html
   

January 28, 1958: Roy Campanella Paralyzed

     On January 28, 1958,  Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers was paralyzed after he hit a telephone pole with the car he was driving. The 36 year old catcher had taken home MVP honors three times, helped lead the Dodgers to five National League Pennants, as well as a World Series Championship in 1955. It was a devastating blow for Campanella and the fans in Brooklyn. They were getting ready to watch the team they had loved head west, and one of their own had just suffered a terrible injury, it was a hard pill to swallow. Like the fans in Brooklyn, Campanella would move on. He remained active within the Dodgers organization and would receive multiple honors from those that had watched him play the game he loved.

     The accident happened after 3 a.m. on that fateful day. Campy, as his teammates called him, was driving a '57 Chevy home from a liquor store that he owned and operated when he hit a patch of ice and careened into the pole that changed his life forever. The injuries sustained looked to be much worse initially as the doctors feared that he would be quadriplegic, within 24 hours he began to regain some feeling in his upper body and would gain control of his arms and hands so the worst case scenario had been averted. The accident ended the career of Campanella, but it didn't end his life, and he was thankful for that. He had a lot to live for, which included six children.

     Following the accident, his marriage fell apart, a few years later he met his third wife Roxie who remained by his side until he passed away in 1993. He did live a good life, it might not have been under the perfect circumstances, but he adapted and learned to live with his disability. I know a couple of people who have suffered the same fate as Roy Campanella. They both lost the use of their legs due to accidents. With the advancement of medical technology we do have hope that one day they will be able to walk again. The most important thing is, no matter what happens, the injuries sustained have not defeated them by any means, it is something they share with Roy Campanella.

     The Dodgers organization honored him with a record setting crowd of more than 90,000 in 1959. In '69 he joined the ranks of baseball's greatest in Cooperstown, New York, and in 1972 his #39 was retired by the Dodgers organization. Today, when I hear the name Roy Campanella the first thing that comes to mind is the accident. I think one of the reasons behind that is I never got to see him play. He did suffer injuries throughout his playing career that ended up limiting some but when he was on the field he was one of the best in the game. Campanella caught three no hitters, held a .276 career average, and was a guiding force behind a Dodgers team that were considered to be one of the best in the National League on a yearly basis. To have seen him play would have surely been a treat. Numbers can always tell a tale but there is nothing like seeing it with your own eyes.

If you would like to read about Campanella's life and career check out his bio that was published by the Society of American Baseball Research here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a52ccbb5

Campanella's career numbers and accomplishments: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/camparo01.shtml

January 27, 1982: The Trade That Brought Ryne Sandberg To The Windy City

     On January 27, 1982, the Philadelphia Phillies sent veteran shortstop Larry Bowa to the Chicago Cubs for another veteran shortstop Ivan De Jesus.... oh yeah the Cubs also got a 22 year old kid by the name of Ryne Sandberg who had appeared in just 13 games at the major league level. That 22 year old kid would go on to play 15 years in the Windy City and he became a legend along the way. The kid who was destined to have a spot in Cooperstown was almost an afterthought in the eyes of the newspapers that were printed in the following days, the focus was one the two veterans and the potential they might bring to their respective clubs, little did anyone know of the career that Sandberg had in store.

     The owner of the Phillies, Bill Giles didn't want to move the 36 year old Bowa, he was a 2 time Gold Glover, a 5 time All Star and had been a key component in the 1980 World Series Championship run. The decision came down to deal him after contract demands exceeded what the Phillies could offer. De Jesus was 29, he appeared durable as he appeared in more than 150 games a year for the each of the previous 5 years in Chicago. He was coming off a season in which he hit .194 though; by all accounts it looked like the Cubs had clearly won this trade. If you looked at it without Sandberg included it might have almost been a push, when you throw Sandberg's name in there the clear cut winner was easily the Cubs. Today it is still considered one of the most lopsided trades in history of the game.

     The Phillies just didn't have a spot for Sandberg and they believed he would ultimately be a utility man. He had hit .290 with their Tulsa affiliate and that is what caught the eye of the Cubs front office. Much like the Phillies, the Cubs also weren't sure about the position he would play. When you can hit a position will find you. The first plan was to have him play centerfield, that plan changed when Opening Day rolled around in '82 he was penciled in at third. He played 156 games in his rookie season and was a part of the conversation when it came to the rookie of the year after batting .271 with 7 home runs and 54 RBI.

     With the successful rookie year behind him, a position change would come when the Cubs grabbed third baseman Ron Cey in a deal with the Dodgers. Sandberg moved over to second where he would spend the majority of his Hall of Fame career. In his first year at second base he won his first of nine consecutive Gold Gloves. In '84 he earned the league's Most Valuable Player Award after batting .314 with 19 home runs, 84 ribbies. He also led the league in runs with 114 that season and triples as well with 19. A model of consistency, Sandberg was selected to 10 All Star games and his power numbers rose to the point that he led the National League with 40 home runs in 1990, that same year he won the annual Home Run Derby. He was a fixture in Chicago that the fans and players alike had great respect for as he strived to be his best. He retired in 1994 then returned to the Cubs in '96 and played for two more seasons before retiring at the age of 37.

     Over the course of his 15 years in Chicago, Sandberg truly achieved greatness, the team might have fell short in the postseason, but he gave those fans a lot to cheer for as he built his Hall of Fame resume. I'm going to reiterate a few of those numbers that earned him a plaque in Cooperstown, New York. Sandberg carried a .285 career average, he was a 10 time All Star, 9 time Gold Glover, 7 time Silver Slugger and picked up 2,386 hits, parked 282 home runs over the wall, and knocked in more than a 1,000 runs. Only one of those hits came in a different uniform and that happened in one of those first 13 games of his career in Philly.

     When it came to the original headliners of the deal Bowa hit .296 over 4 years in Chicago, De Jesus hit .249 over three years in Philly. While they were the original focal point, a 22 year old kid that was largely written off  by most pundits then became the true story in the deal. It might just be the best deal that the Cubs ever made. It's sort of crazy how it went full circle and Sandberg is now managing the team that traded him so long ago.

Today I will include the stats of Sandberg, Bowa, De Jesus in that order:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sandbry01.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bowala01.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dejesiv01.shtml

   

January 25, 1960: Danny Heater Scores A Record Setting 135

     On January 26,1960, the Heat was on in Burnsville, West Virginia when high schooler Danny Heater set a world record for most points scored in basketball game at any level with a 135 point performance. The six foot Burnsville guard scored 50 points by halftime then knocked down another 85 in the second half as he etched his name in the record books. No player at the high school level has yet to surpass the 135 point game that Heater put together and more than 50 years later the record seems nearly untouchable. Since 1913, only 19 males and five females players have crossed the 100 point threshold in basketball at the high school level. The closest challenger to Heater's unbelievable record was a kid named John Morris out of Portsmouth, Virginia who dropped 127 in a 173-47 beatdown just one year later.

     Before the game even began, Heater's coach Jack Stalnaker and teammates alike encouraged him to go out and break the state record, which stood at 74 points. The coach thought that if he could break that record it would catch the attention of college scouts. There was no way that Heater's family could afford to send him to school and that coach had faith in him and his ability to achieve success as a collegian, he saw it as a ticket. Heater almost didn't go along with it, as we all know when we play team sports it's about the team and not about one man.The kid didn't score for the first two minutes and thirty eight seconds, Stalnaker burned an early timeout and pulled Heater to the side and told him they were doing this for him, if he was thrown the ball, he needed to not dish it off to a teammate, he needed to score. That was a turning point. When Heater got the ball in his hands the next time he dropped it in with a layup, it was the first two points in what would be a history making performance.

     With 50 points by halftime everyone involved knew that the record would be surpassed and it didn't take long. The 74 mark was eclipsed just 10 minutes into the second half. Heater thought that was where the day would end and was expecting to come out of the contest, then his teammates told him to get back out there and go after the National record which had been set by Dick Brogenrife out of Ohio in 1953. Heater went back out there and in what he described as a dream, everything he put up fell through the hoop. In the last ten minutes he dropped 55 points. He was dominating the other team in a way that probably made them want to catch a quick bus out of there.

     Once the news spread into Charleston he had his moment in the sun, with fan mail pouring in, his picture in a weekly national sports magazine, and even had the Basketball Hall of Fame call and have him sign a commemorative postage stamp. Unfortunately, it was just a moment in the sun. Heater suffered a severe ankle sprain that led to poor performances and unimpressed scouts. He did receive a scholarship offer from the University of Richmond but he suffered a back injury in a car accident, then his family's home burned to the ground and he had to return home. Sometimes that's the way life takes a person. He moved on, found work, got married and lived a life that he still lives today in West Virginia. In 1988, the Lakeland Ledger published a story that was about how Heater was waiting for the day that the world record would fall, that was 28 years after the record setting game, he had to wait another 24 years before it finally happened when Jack Taylor out of Grinnell College surpassed him with a 138 point performance in 2012. While the world record is no longer owned by Heater, the high school record remains intact. The most recent high schooler to surpass the 100 point plateau came in March of 2013 when Herman Saygar out of Culver, Indiana dropped 113 in a game his team won by the score of 154-10.

     I jumped out of the box with this fact a little. I think it's the first fact that I have used from a high school event. I have a rule; if it intrigues me dig on in and that's what I did here. While we sometimes like to say a record is unbreakable, you never know when it might just happen. It truly is something I love about sports, any time you attend a sporting event at any level you might just witness something historic. The way I see it is each event has it's own place in the history books, some just rise to the top. Danny Heater rose to the top.

You can view the list of 100 point scorers here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_basketball_players_who_have_scored_100_points_in_a_single_game#High_school