March 5, 1922: Babe Ruth Decides His Contract With A Coin Flip

   

     On March 5, 1922, New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth solved a contract dispute with a flip of a coin. Ruth, along with the owners of the club Colonel T.L. Huston and Colonel Jacob Ruppert were involved in what was described as a marathon negotiating session. Shortly before midnight the Bambino offered to flip a coin to decide the issue. If he won the flip he would get what he was demanding; if he lost he would take the Yankees best offer. When Huston flipped the half-dollar piece Ruth called tails and won the toss. He would now be the highest paid player in all of baseball with a salary of $52,000 a season over the next 5 years.

     The contract also included $500 per every home run hit. In '21 Ruth had blasted 59 home runs and had high expectations to continue to park the ball in the seats. They were expectations he would meet. At the time newspapers and fans alike merely speculated as to what Ruth was being paid. What they did know was he was the highest paid man in the game. He was being paid more than the Commissioner of Baseball Kennesaw Mountain Landis as well as the President of the American League Ban Johnson.

     The newspapers of the day speculated that Ruth could be making as much as $100,00 per year as they were kept in the dark when it came to the actual amount. When Huston was asked about Ruth's salary he stated that it would make a railroad president proud. According to the Reading Eagle, their decision to not publish the actual amounts was their fear that it would cause the other stars in baseball run amuck stark mad.

     Ruth had to sit out the first six weeks of that '22 season after being suspended by the Commissioner for participating in a barnstorming tour following the World Series. Despite that fact he still hit 35 dingers and knocked in 99 ribbies. He would continue to bash the baseball for years to come and every penny he earned would be money well spent. By today's standards $52,000 would equate to a little more than $724,000. What a bargain.

March 4, 1968: Frazier Pummels Mathis

   

     On March 4, 1968, in front of a capacity crowd in Madison Square Garden, Smokin Joe Frazier knocked a Buster Mathis out in the eleventh round of a battle that would decide who would retain Muhammad Ali's vacated Heavyweight Title. The fight came with great controversy as Ali was considered the true champion, but because of his well documented refusal to serve in Vietnam his title was stripped. A new champion would be crowned, and that new champion's name would be Joe Frazier.

     Frazier and Mathis had went toe-to-toe before. Frazier fell to the big man twice, with one of those bouts coming during the 1964 Olympic trials. An injury forced Mathis to miss those games while Frazier went onto win the Gold Medal for the United States. When Mathis beat Frazier he was tipping the scales at 295 pounds, while Frazier was 100 pounds lighter and still a raw young boxer who was refining his craft. Four years after those Olympic trials Mathis would be meeting a different Joe Frazier. 

     Before the fight began there was a war of words as both Frazier and Mathis believed that they would be crowned the Heavyweight Champ. Mathis acknowledged that Frazier had improved, but believed he had as well. He was weighing in at 243 and was considered to be one of the fastest big men around. Mathis questioned who had Frazier beat. He considered the men that came before him as has beens, and that he would be the first real challenge for the Gold medalist. When Frazier spoke he said he learned a lot since those days as an amateur and he was a much improved boxer. He told reporters "I hope Buster has improved as he will need it. I have never been a predicting fellow, but I'm going in there to win and there will be a change when this is over."  With the war of words in the books the real war was on the horizon.

     Outside of the The Garden dozens of picketers held signs proclaiming Ali as the rightful champion; inside two men prepared for battle. By the end of that battle there would be blood and there would be a new champion. Unbeaten as a pro, Frazier held a 20-0 record with 18 of those wins coming via knockout. Mathis had an equally impressive record at 23-0 with 17 knockouts. As mentioned before mathis came into the fight weighing in at 243; Smokin Joe stood at 204. Frazier would use the lighter weight as an advantage as he wore Mathis down as he beat him into submission. 

     For the first six rounds Mathis held his own. Frazier would walk in on him and Mathis would dance away while throwing jabs. When Frazier cornered him he would cover up, go into a crouch, then come out of it swinging. Then he began to wear down. Slowly but surely, he was covering up less, landing fewer punches, while Frazier began an assault that would lead to a title. By the time the eleventh round rolled around Mathis  had blood pouring from his nose, when Frazier ended it with a short left hook that sent him crashing to the ground. With the referee Arthur Mercante counting him out, Mathis got to his feet, and fell against the turnbuckle as Mercante stopped the fight. Frazier was the Champion.

     Some didn't recognize Frazier's title as the "World Champion" because it was simply recognized by the New York State Athletic Commission which covered New York, Maine, Massachusetts, and Illinois. He would go onto beat Manuel Ramos, Oscar Bonavena, Dave Zyglewicz, and Jerry Quarry before defeating Jimmy Ellis where he not only retained the NYSAC title he also took home the WBA and WBC titles as well and was now the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. After successfully defending the title against Bob Foster in November of 1970- what was dubbed as the Fight of the Century was set to take place with Frazier taking on Ali. He proved that he was the rightful owner of the title 

     Frazier held that title until George Foreman took it from him in 1973. Along the way he fought Muhammad Ali in a legendary battle that would make history with a 15 round unanimous decision over the former champ. Frazier defended his title two more times before George Foreman took it from him. Frazier fought seven more fights going 3-3-1. Two of those losses came in legendary bouts against Ali and the other loss came with George Foreman as his challenger. In the age of legendary boxers. While every title must eventually be passed on, Frazier proved to be one of the greatest in the age of the legendary boxer. His dominance over Buster Mathis is just one of many tales in a career that boasted a 32-4-1 record. 27 of those 32 wins came by knockout. 

Watch a condensed version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukYPc5sV_Fk

March 3, 1920: The Montreal Canadiens Set The Single Game Scoring Record

     On March 3, 1920, the Montreal Canadiens set a still standing NHL record when they scored 16 goals against the Quebec Bulldogs in a 16-3 annihilation in Quebec. The Canadiens had recorded a 14-7  win over the Toronto St. Patricks in January of that same year, then surpassed that record setting performance with the 16 goal outburst that would prove to be a record that has stood the test of time.

     The Bulldogs came into the game with one of their bigger stars in George Carey out with an arm injury and their netminder Frank Brophy was nursing a strained ligament. Brophy did play, but he did spend a lot of time looking at the puck in the net behind him. 36-year-old winger Didier Pitre was Brophy's worst enemy in the first  period as he scored the first goal, then stood by and watched Odie Cleghorn score a goal, before capping off a hat trick as he led the way in the 4-0 first frame. The door blew wide open in the second period as the Canadiens exploded for 7 more goals while Quebec was able to answer back one time. Down 11-1 after two the Bulldogs probably would have forfeited and got the hell out of there.

     The Canadiens notched five more goals in the third while the Bulldogs snuck two more past Georges Vezina. With the 16-3 beatdown complete the game would be called an uninteresting contest. If they only knew that  the game would become a truly historic marker in NHL history they might have put a little bit of a different spin on it.

The closest challenger to Montreal's 16 goal single game record came in 1944 when the Detroit Red Wings blasted 15 past the New York Rangers. That game was the most lopsided affair in NHL history. You can read about it here: http://onthisdayinsports.blogspot.com/2014/01/january-23-1944-red-wings-destroy.html

March 2, 1970: Pistol Pete Breaks The Single Season Scoring Record

     On March 2, 1970, LSU's Pistol Pete Maravich broke former Houston star Elvin Hayes' single season scoring record when he knocked down 55 points in a 97-87 victory over Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi. Needing only 7 points to break the record Maravich surpassed it with 9:54 seconds left in the first half with an 18-foot jump shot. Maravich would score 1,381 points before the '69-'70 season came to a close which stands as a record for most points scored in one collegiate basketball season.

     Mississippi State led most of the first half before Maravich found his extra gear. Pistol Pete scored  30 of the last 32 LSU points which included 13 straight field goals as he led the Tigers rally . He would play in one more regular season game, then continue the season in the NIT where the Tigers fell to Marquette in the semifinals. This marked the end of one of the finest college careers that has ever taken place in the sport of college basketball as Maravich looked forward to playing ball at the professional level.

     Over 11 years in the NBA Maravich scored 15,948 points, grabbed 2,747 rebounds, and dished out 3,563 assists. He was a 5 time All Star who spent time with the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans/Utah Jazz, then spent one season with the Boston Celtics where he finished his career. The list of accolades for Maravich are long, but none of them are as impressive as the single season scoring record that he obtained on this day so many years ago. In the history of college basketball only 14 players have crossed the 1,000 point threshold. To think about that is truly something when you think about how many kids have played the game. Maravich was something special.  

You can view the list here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_men's_basketball_season_scoring_leaders

March 1, 1969: The Mick Calls It A Career

     On March 1, 1969, at the New York Yankees Spring Training facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 37-year-old Mickey Mantle held a press conference to announce that he would be retiring from the game of baseball. Mantle spent 18 seasons wearing the Yankees pinstripes and carried a .298 career average along with 536 home runs into the sunset. He joined the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio in the long list of Yankees legends to carry the team to multiple championships. Mantle himself celebrated seven World Series titles, appeared in 20 All-Star games, won three American League MVP awards, and even won the triple crown in the career that ended in Cooperstown, New York. Unfortunately, Father Time knocks on even the greatest of mens doors and the day Mantle announced his retirement there was a knock.

     The press conference began with the President of the club Mike Burke telling the press that Mantle had reached a firm conclusion. Then he turned the mic over to Mickey. Instead of making a statement Mantle said "I'm open for questions."  As expected the first question was why. Mickey said "I'm not going to play baseball. That's all I know." He went onto say "I can't play anymore. I don't hit the ball when I need to. I can't steal when I need to, and I can't score from second when I need to." Mickey had been plagued by injury for years and they had simply caught up with him. After speaking with his skipper Ralph Houk the decision had been made. Mantle was a proud man and did not want to bring his teammates down with play that was not up to par.

     Mantle broke into the league in 1951. That same year Willie Mays joined the Giants. The kid from Oklahoma didn't have the greatest rookie year as he spent half the season in the minors and hit just .267 in 96 games at the major league level. However, he hit 15 home runs with 65 ribbies which was a glimpse at the potential he truly had. That potential would soon develop into one of the most fear bats in the game.

     The first time he hurt himself was in the 1951 World Series. It was a knee injury that happened in the second game when he tripped over a drain in the outfield which led to him being carted off the field. He came back strong from the injury in '52 as he replaced the legendary Joe DiMaggio in the dangerous Yankees lineup. During that '52 season he hit .311 blasted 23 dingers and knocked in 87 runs. Mantle hit over .300 in ten seasons total, which included an eye-popping .353 in 1956. That '56 season was the grandest of them all statiscally. Along with the .353 average, Mantle parked 52 balls in the seats and picked up 130 ribbies as he took home one of baseball's highest honors, the triple crown. That was also the first MVP season for The Mick who took home that honor again in '57 and '62 as well.

     Mantle hit gargantuan shots that led him to legendary status long before he hung up his cleats. At the time of his retirement only Babe Ruth and Willie Mays could boast more than Mantle's 536 homers. He single-handedly coined the term "tape measure shot" in '53 when he hit a ball against the Senators Chuck Stobbs that was estimated to have traveled 565 feet as it sailed out of Griffith Stadium in Washington. He displayed his raw power during the World Series regularly. In fact, he hit 18 home runs in the Fall Classic which is a record that still stands today.

     While Mantle did battle injuries he played in 2,401 games in a Yankees uniform. It was a team record until 2011 when Derek Jeter surpassed him. He played in 12 World Series and is at or near the top in many categories when it comes to World Series records. His #7 was retired by the Yankees and in 1974 he joined baseball's immortal bunch by being enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

February 28, 1960: The Original Miracle On Ice

     On February 28, 1960, down 4-3 headed into the third period of the Gold Medal contest against Czechoslovakia the United States hockey team exploded for six goals on the way to a 9-4 victory in Squaw Valley California. This was the first ever Gold Medal for the United States in hockey and is often referred to as the "Forgotten Miracle."

     The day before it took everything that the United States had to topple the Soviet Union squad 3-2. Solly" Sologubov stopped by the American locker room and told the team to try using oxygen to offset the mile-high air of Squaw Valley. The Russian captain had to do quite a bit of convincing before the United States team captain Jack Kirrane looked at Solly and said "Okay Solly bring it in." The Russian then proceeded to roll a cart with a tank into the room, and with the exception of Bill Cleary each of the American took a few breaths of oxygen before they went out and destroyed their opponent.
Coming off such a victory had the Americans searching for that extra gear it would take to win the top prize. They skated to a 3-3 tie after one period, then fell behind 4-3 after two. While in sitting with their heads down in the locker room the captain of the Soviet squad Nikolai "

    A 24-year-old carpenter from Warroad, Minnesota by the name of Roger Christian was the biggest star of the third period as he three of his four goals in that final frame. 5 minutes and 59 seconds into the third period Christain sent a 20 foot shot past the Czech netminder to tie it, then at the 7:40 mark Bob Clearly put the Americans in front 5-4 as he cleaned up a rebound. At the 11:01 mark a penalty was called against Czechoslovakia which led to three goals in a 67 second span. Those goals were scored by Bob Cleary, Christian, and Bob's brother Bill. Weldon Olson picked up the last goal for the Americans as the Czechoslovakian's sat stunned by the offensive outburst. While we all celebrate the Miracle on Ice in 1980 this game was a miracle comeback in itself. It would take 20 years for the United States to reach the top of that mountain again. With the 1980 victory being well publicized it is one that is sure to never be forgotten. With coverage being much different two decades earlier the 1960 United States hockey team never has gotten the recognition that is deserved. Today they do.

February 27, 1977: Stan Mikita Joins The 500 Club

     On February 27, 1977, Chicago Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita became the eighth player in NHL history to record 500 goals in his career. Unfortunately, his Hawks fell to the Vancouver Canucks on home ice, however, the milestone was still celebrated by Mikita, his teammates, and everyone in attendance. The historic goal came during the third period when he fired the puck past Vancouver netminder Cesare Maniago. Mikita lit the lamp 41 more times before his Hall of Fame career came to an end.

     With many historic milestones in sports we often hear that the player feels that the weight of the world is on his shoulders. Stan Mikita felt the same way. Once he reached 499 he knew that everyone from his teammates to the fans were waiting for him to score his 500th. The day he scored the historic marker he arrived early, took a nap, and watched a little bit of golf on tv. He was simply trying to work with a clear head and it would prove to be an effective way to go about things.

     Once the game was underway the fans in the stands cheered each and every time the puck would touch Mikita's stick as they anticipated the history making moment. They waited and waited and with time winding down it seemed like they might have to wait for history to be made on another night. Then it came. He lit the lamp just six minutes and four seconds to go in the contest, and the wait had come to an end. While the Canucks held the Hawks at bay and won the game, a weight had been lifted and Mikita was happy that he was able to score his 500th goal in front of his hometown fans.

     Along with his 541 goals Mikita had 926 assists to bring his points total to 1,467. Regarded as one of the best centers of his time, Mikita led the league in scoring four times, won two MVP awards, appeared in nine all star games, and etched his name on Lord Stanley's Cup once. Forever a legend, Mikita was inducted into Hockey's Hall of Fame in 1983.

You can watch Mikita score his 500th here: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=115049

If you would like to read more about the life and times of Stan Mikita check this out: http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p198303&type=Player&page=bio&list=

You can also view his career numbers along with a list of accomplishments here: http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/mikitst01.html