April 7, 1984: Jack Morris Tosses a No-No

     On April 7, 1984, Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers no-hit the White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Tigers prevailed 4-0 as Morris became the first Tigers pitcher to achieve the feat since 1958 when Jim Bunning no-hit the Red Sox in Boston. The no-hitter for Morris was the only one of his legendary career that included 254 wins, 5 All Star appearances, 4 World Series rings, and a World Series MVP award.

     Chet Lemon gave Morris all the offense that would be needed with a two run shot in the 2nd, and in the top of the fifth Lou Whitaker and Kirk Gibson added a couple of more runs to the board with a pair of RBIs. When the bottom of the fifth inning rolled around Morris realized that he had not allowed a hit. He said that a turning point came one inning earlier when he walked the bases full before inducing Greg Luzinski into an inning-ending double play. Morris acknowledged that he didn't have his best stuff that day, saying that he didn't think he had ever carried a no-hitter past the fifth inning.

     While the no-no had creeped into his mind, Morris stayed locked in and was delivering a split-finger fastball that could not be touched. In the eighth, first baseman Dave Bergman who had just been acquired via trade made two spectacular plays to preserve the no-no. Bergman hadn't stepped on the field until the seventh when he came in as a defensive replacement; needless to say he earned his paycheck that day.

     Morris walked the first batter he faced in the seventh. He said he was more nervous in that inning than he was in the ninth. After the eighth some fans at Comiskey were leaning over the rail yelling "Hey Morris you got a no-hitter going" in an attempt to jinx him. Morris laughed about it, and it might have even loosened him up as he headed into the final frame. Before he took the field Morris told his pitching coach Roger Craig "I'm going to get it", and get it he did.

     The first man Morris had to face in the ninth was the always dangerous Carlton Fisk. he said that he wasn't all gung-ho on pitching the no-hitter until he was able to sit Fisk down with a forkball that was grounded out to Bergman at first. Then the adrenaline kicked in; he was two outs away from making history. His next victim was Harold Baines who smashed one right back at the pitcher, Morris knocked it down, then gunned it over to first. One more out. Morris followed the out by Baines by giving up a walk to Greg Luzinski on a 3-2 pitch that many thought should have been a strike. It didn't matter after Morris struck out Ron Kittle on his 120th pitch of the ballgame. As his catcher Lance Parrish rushed to the mound to hug Morris history had been made during what would be one truly historic season for those Detroit Tigers.

Morris struck out eight and walked six in the contest. You can check out the box score here:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198404070.shtml

April 6, 1893: Jack Burke Versus Andy Bowen in The Longest Boxing Match Ever

     On April 6, 1893, Jack Burke and Andy Bowen fought a 110 round bout that lasted 7 hours and 19 minutes. The fight set the record for longest boxing match in the history of the sport and it is a record that still stands today. No winner was determined at the end of the affair as the referee John Duffy declared a draw after both the exhausted combatants could not muster the strength to throw a punch in the 110th round.

     An estimated 8,500 fans showed up to witness the fight that would decide who would hold the lightweight title of the South. Bowen, a veteran boxer, hailed from New Orleans and came in weighing at 129. While Burke, a newcomer in the sport, was native of Galveston, Texas and weighed in at 130. When the fight came to an end at 3:45 a.m both boxers had dropped nearly 10 pounds.

     The rounds were 3 minutes apiece. By the time the 50th round came to be both boxers were starting to slow down. Little did they know that they weren't halfway to the finish line. Burke broke both his wrists in the contest, but continued to battle, that is insane. In the 51st round Bowen asked Burke why he wasn't fighting back and Burke replied "I can't both my hands are gone." Yet, he continued to battle. As it turned out Burke broke both of his wrists in the contest, but somehow was able to hang in until the fight was called in the 110th round.

     One month later Bowen squared off against Jack Everhardt in what was a 85 round fight that lasted more than 4 hours. In that match Bowen broke his left hand around the seventieth round, then went onto beat Everhardt with one hand. He was a gladiator, but he was not immortal. On December 14, 1894, Bowen suffered a skull fracture in a fight against Kid Lavigne. One day later he was dead. It was the only fight that Bowen lost in his career. He had fought 26 times since his career began in 1887, with 18 wins, seven knockouts, six draws, and one no decision.

     The information on Burke is a little more murky than that of his opponent. Some publications say that he considered retiring but chose to continue his career in the ring. However, I was not able to find the records I would need to confirm it. What I do know is Burke passed away in 1942 after sustaining injuries in an car accident. At the time of his death Burke called Plainfield, New Jersey home, and it was said that everyone around Plainfield knew the tale of the 110 round battle. Burke was very proud of the fact that he had dueled with Bowen in the record setting bout that we are still talking about today.

April 5, 1971: Joe Theismann Heads To Canada

     On April 5, 1971, Joe Theismann surprised the world of football by signing a three-year contract to play for the Toronto Argonauts. The Notre Dame signal caller had been picked in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins. Theismann spent  three seasons with the Argonauts, before the Redskins obtained his rights in 1974. Theismann went onto have a legendary career with the Skins that included a Super Bowl victory in 1982.
 
     Just 27 days before the deal with the Argonauts was announced, the Dolphins held a press conference to announce they had reached an agreement with Theismann. The problem with the agreement was there was no signature involved. It was a handshake agreement. The Dolphins then mailed him a contract, and Theismann felt the terms were very different than the terms he had agreed to. This opened the door for the Argonauts, who had largely given up on the idea of signing him. However, their head coach Leo Cahill had made his interest known. The deal Toronto put on the table was two years for $125,000 which Theismann did put a signature on. The spurned owner of the Dolphins, Joe Robbie issued a statement saying that he expected Theismann to still honor the agreement that they had reached. The Dolphins owner even sent his head coach Don Shula to South Bend, Indiana in an effort to convince the young quarterback to reconsider. There wasn't much the coach could do as Theismann had signed a legally binding agreement.

     In Toronto, Theismann led the Argonauts all the way to the Grey Cup in 1971, only to have a fourth quarter fumble cost them the championship. Injuries spoiled the '72 season, however, he bounced back with a solid '73 season before heading back to the states. After joining the Redskins in '74, Theismann returned punts. It wasn't until 1978 that he took over for a retiring Billy Kilmer. Theismann guided the Redskins ship for the next seven seasons, which included  2 Pro Bowl appearances and the Super Bowl victory. Theismann became a legend in Washington which probably would have never happened if he had not signed with the Argonauts on this day.

April 4, 1974, Hank Aaron Joins The Babe

     On April 4, 1974, with 52,154 fans in the stands at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hammerin Hank Aaron got a hold of the 714th home run of his career. Aaron's historic shot that had equaled Babe Ruth's record that had stood for 40 years, came in his first at-bat of the season with two men on in the first inning to give Atlanta a quick 3-0 lead.  It came on a 3-1 pitch that was served up by Reds hurler Jack Billingham that Aaron parked right past the 375 sign on the left field wall. With 714 flashing on the scoreboard, and the crowd in Cincinnati giving him a standing ovation, Aaron trotted around the bases and right into the record books. Four days later, in front of a home crowd in Atlanta, Aaron surpassed the Babe, and became baseball's all-time home run king.

     The game was interrupted for six minutes following the blast as Aaron was congratulated by Vice president Gerald Ford, Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, and Bill Bartholomay, the board chairman of the Braves organization. A grateful Aaron expressed his thanks before saying "I'm just glad it is almost over with." Aaron would go onto score another run in the fifth inning which tied Willie Mays' record of runs scored on the all-time runs scored list.

     It looked like the Braves were going to run away with this one as they had built up a 6-1 fifth inning lead before the Reds started to rally. Dave Concepcion's solo shot in the bottom of that fifth inning cut the lead to 6-2, then a three-run shot off the bat of Tony Perez in the eighth put the score at 6-5. With two out in the ninth, George Foster got on with a pinch hit single before Pete Rose doubled him in to tie the ballgame. Extra innings was going to decide this one. Rose was the hero once again in the 11th as he picked up a two-out double off Buzz Capra, who then threw a wild pitch that got passed catcher Johnny Oates and ended up near the dugout as Rose came wheelin around to score the game winning run. Sounds like one helluva game. A truly historic milestone that was followed by an epic comeback on Opening Day in Cincinnati.

     Aaron finished his career with 755 long balls. His record stood until 2007 when Barry Bonds surpassed it on his way to the current record of 762. Many, including me, look at Aaron as the true Home Run King, as he did it the right way without any performance enhancers. Aaron was a model of consistency that worked hard year after year to achieve what he did. 733 of his 755 dingers came with a Braves uniform on. His first 12 years in league, the team was stationed in Milwaukee. At the age of 23, Aaron and the Braves won the World Series. Before the Braves left Milwaukee the '65 season, Aaron had crushed 398 home runs. Over the next nine year in Atlanta he hit 335 more before returning to Milwaukee as a member of the Brewers in 1975. He played two more years, and hit 22 more home runs before calling it a career. The man who had once came in for an injured Bobby Thomson during a Spring Training contest was now a legend in the game. His first home run as a major leaguer came in St. Louis on April 23,1954 against the Cardinals' Vic Raschi, his last came on September 14, 1975, against Spaceman Bill Lee as the Brewers battled the Red Sox in Boston. It was the end of a legendary career that will forever be celebrated at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Several records that Aaron set still stand today

• The total bases record: 6,856
• The RBI record: 2,297
• Extra base hits: 1,477
• and 17 consecutive seasons with a l50 or more base hits

You can look at Aaron's career numbers and list of accomplishments here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/aaronha01.shtml

Aaron's Home Run Log: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.cgi?id=aaronha01&t=b

April 3, 1977: Jean Ratelle Joins The 1,000 Point Club

     On April 3, 1977, Bruins center Jean Ratelle scored the 1,000th point of his career in a 7-4 division clinching win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Boston. Rattell's 1,000th point came in the second period when he dished off a pass to Greg Sheppard who put it behind the Toronto netminder to extend the Boston lead to 3-1. Ratelle scored 1,267 points before he hung up his skates after the '80-81 season. His career spanned over 21 years. His first 15 seasons he donned the jersey of the New York Rangers before being sent to Boston in the blockbuster deal that included Phil Esposito. While Ratelle never did get to see his name etched on Lord Stanley's Cup, his career is not one to be forgotten as he will forever be remembered in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

     The night Ratelle scored his 1,000th was one to remember. Stan Jonathan put Boston on the board in the first, then Peter McNab scored his 38th goal of the season on a play that was setup by Wayne Cashman in the second to extend the lead to 2-0, before Toronto's Bob Neely put one past Gerry Cheevers to cut the lead in half. It was followed by Ratelle's milestone marker that extended the Boston lead to 3-1. The 1,000 point plateau had been reached 16 years after he first stepped on the ice as a professional. Jonathan scored his second goal of the contest in the third, and Brad Parks added another to extend the Boston lead to 5-1, but the Leafs didn't go down easily. They stormed back into the contest with a goal by Lanny McDonald, and two more by Darryl Sittler to close the gap to 5-4 with time winding down. With their backs against the wall Toronto yanked their goalie and Sheppard and Don Marcotte added a pair of empty netters before the final horn sounded.

      The victory was the 14th out of the last 18 for the Bruins which included two ties as well. It clinched the Adams division by two points, and gave them a week to get ready to make a run at the Stanley Cup. The Bruins did reach the Finals, but ran into a Canadiens powerhouse from Montreal. The Habs swept the Bruins in four straight, but the ride that got them there was a memorable one that included one of the greatest highlights in the career of Mr. Jean Ratelle.

Take a look at Ratelle's career numbers here: http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/ratelje01.html

April 2, 1986: The NCAA Adopts The 3-Point Rule

     On April 2, 1986, the NCAA adopted the 3-point shot in basketball. The decision came after 5 years of experimenting with the three-pointer among the 20 different conferences. During the experimentation period the different leagues tested the rule from different distances. When the 12 member rules committee met in April of '86 they settled on 19 feet 9 inches as the one most desirable for college coaches. In 2007 the distance was pushed back to 20 feet 9 inches. While the rule was not well received by some coaches, and fans alike, it was a rule that was here to stay.

April 1, 1982: The Knicks Overcome a 26-Point Deficit at The Garden

     On April 1, 1982, trailing by 26 with four minutes left in the third quarter, the New York Knicks began to mount a comeback of epic proportions on the way to a 111-110 victory in front of a home crowd at Madison Square Garden.

     The Knicks were trailing  91-65 when they began to erase the deficit. The Knicks had narrowed the gap to 107-92 with 6 and a 1/2 minutes to play. They continued to whittle away at the lead, and with just 1:22 left on the clock Michael Ray Richardson drained a three-pointer to bring the score to 110-109 Cavs.

     Moments later, Richardson came up with a key steal and dropped the game winner with just 63 ticks left on the clock. The Cavs had several opportunities to come back, but couldn't make it happen, so the game went into the books as the biggest comeback in Knicks history.

     The comeback would be equaled in 2004, when they mounted a 26-point comeback against the Milwaukee Bucks, and surpassed in 2012 when they mounted a 27-point comeback against the Sacramento Kings.