the mad sports man

hard to believe it's been 30 years since this:

tomorrow is the possible announcement that L.A. will pull out of the 2024 Olympics and solely run for 2028, leaving Paris to have 2024.  both can be "officially" announced September 13 in Lima, Peru.  although rare, this has happened before.  infact a century ago.  and it also involved Paris and Los Angeles.  Pierre de Coubertin came up with the plan in Lausanne at the 1921 IOC session.  the world was still reeling after the first world war and sport was struggling.  de Coubertin came up with the plan of having to decide back to back hosts and wanted both hosts in Europe to keep travel costs down.  there were two different votes.  first one was for the double allocation announcement, the second was to announce the games announcement.  Paris was awarded the 1924 games, and it was Amsterdam was announced the 1928 hosts over L.A.  L.A. was eventually chosen to host the 1932 games unopposed at a later session.  if this years double...

Adrian Beltre collected his 3000th hit with a double off of  Baltimore's Wade Miley, becoming the 31st player and first Dominican born player to reach it.  he is also the third primary third baseman to reach there (behind George Brett and Wade Boggs).

1.  in 1991, Dennis "El Presidente" Martinez threw the Montreal Expos only perfect game in a 2-0 win at Dodger stadium. Chris Gwynn (younger brother of Tony) flew out to Marquis Grissom for the final out, to which Expos play-by-play guy Dave Van Horne uttered "El Presidente, El Perfecto."  was the last Expos no hitter/perfect game before moving to Washington.  catcher Ron Hassey became the first catcher to catch two perfect games (he caught Len Barker's perfect game in 1981). 2.  three years later Kenny Rogers became the next pitcher to throw a perfect game in a 4-0 Texas win over the California Angels. he threw 98 pitches and had struck out 8.  Rusty Greer preserved the game with a great diving catch on Rex Hudler for the first out in the 9th.  Greer caught Gary DiSarcina's fly ball to end the game.  Rogers was the third lefty to record a perfect game (Sandy Koufax in 1965 and Tom Browning in 1988).

on this day in 1976, Hank Aaron hits his 755th and final home run in Milwaukee off of Dick Drago of the California Angels.  the Brewers won the game 6-2.  Jerry Augustine got the win, Danny Frisella picked up the save and Gary Ross took the loss.

in tonight's 24-19 loss to Ottawa, Montreal's Nik Lewis caught his 1000th pass in his illustrious career that started in 2004.  he joins Geroy Simon (1029), Ben Cahoon (1017) and Terry Vaughn (1006).  he finished tonight with 1003 catches.  and we are only into week 5 of the season.

the L.A. Dodgers are the 4th team to won multiple 10+ game winning streaks this century, joining the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays, the 2013 Atlanta Braves and 2001 St. Louis Cardinals.  crazy fact - neither of the previous three won a world series.  crazy eh.

at the 1976 summer games in Montreal, Nadia Comaneci scored the first ever perfect 10 score in gymnastics for her uneven bars routine. Omega believed that no one would ever get a perfect score in gymnastics, when they manufactured their scoreboards to go as high as 9.99.  when the score was posted, it came out as 1.00, the only way of judges could indicate that she had the 10, while confusing the spectators.  they then figured out that she scored the 10 and gave her an ovation.  she would receive six more 10's.  she left Montreal with 5 medals (3g 1s 1b).

the 1971 all star game at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Reggie Jackson hit a home run for the ages.  in the bottom of the third, Jackson hit a Dock Ellis pitch that ended up hitting one of the light towers that was on the right field roof.  it was estimated to go 520 feet.  the A.L. won 6-4.  Jackson was one of six players that homered in the game.  Frank Robinson was MVP of that game.  it was the only AL all star win between 1962 and 1983.

1.  in 1979, the most ill fated promotions happened.  Disco Demolition night was in between games of a double header between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox in Chicago.  Detroit had won the first game 4-1.  then came the promotion.  Steve Dahl headed the promotion, and the days leading to the promotion had invited radio listeners to bring their records they wanted destroyed to the ball park and they could get in for 98 cents (the radio station frequency of WLUP was 97.9).  the promotion ended up filling the ball park and an extra 15 to 20 thousand stuck out side Comiskey Park (some didn't stay out for long).  Harry Caray had even commented during the first game that there was "and odor of marijuana in the air."  first game ended, and soon afterwards Dahl, his broadcasting partner Garry Meier and Lorelei raced onto the field on an ATV with the box of records and a detonater.  after making a speech he detonated the box, blew up the rec...

in a 4-3 win over the N.Y. Mets, Nolan Ryan strikes out Danny Heep to record his 4000th strikeout in front of a home crowd in Houston.  Ryan eventually finishes his career with 5714 - the only pitcher to record more than 5000 K's

this past Tuesday night in Brooks, Edmonton Prospects pitcher Zane Foth-Thomas threw the Prospects first ever no hitter in a 7-0 win over the Brooks Bombers.  he walked five and struck out four in the win.  congrats to Zane.

with two hits today, Ichiro Suzuki passes Rod Carew for most hits by a foreign born player.  Ichiro now has 3054.  Carew - born in Panama - retired with 3053 in 1985.  wow.  considering he spent 8 years with the Orix Bluewave in Japan (1992-2000) before joining the Seattle Mariners in 2001.  impressive.

to all of my friends in the U.S. happy fourth of July.  i hope it's a great day. and enjoy the fireworks tonight.

on this day in 1963, Juan Marichel of the S.F. Giants and Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves were involved in a 16 inning pitcher's duel with the Giants winning 1-0 with Willie Mays winning it with a home run. Marichel went 16, striking out 10 and walking 4, while Spahn went 15 1/3 walking one and striking two out in the game.

happy Canada Day eh.  Canada's 150th birthday.  one CFL game later tonight as Winnipeg visits Saskatchewan.  got back from Edmonton beating Montreal 23-19 while B.C. beat Toronto 28-15.  both games ending June.  and on Thursday Calgary and Ottawa kicked off the weekend with a thriller with Calgary winning 43-39.  going to be some partying and fireworks across Canada.  enjoy the day eh!

in 1981, Terrance Stanley Fox passes away due to pneumona and a chest infection after cancer had spread to his lungs a few months before.  he had originally lost his right leg after osteosarcoma was found in his knee.  Fox thought it came from a car accident in which he came out with a sore knee.  doctors said otherwise.  the knee started hurting again when he had it looked at and discovered the osteosarcoma.  on April 12, 1980.  he started the Marathon of Hope in St. Johns Newfoundland.  he started it after dipping his right leg into the Atlantic before starting his run.  on September 1 outside of Thunder Bay, he was forced to abandon his run when he suffered an intense coughing fin and suffered congestion in his chest.  he asked to be taken to the hospital.  he announced that cancer had come and spread to his lungs and was forced to abandon his cross country journey.  he had gone 143 days, 5373km (3339 miles) and had raised $1.7 m...

a rather unusual - um - no hitter.  Babe Ruth (with the Red Sox and a pitcher at the time) started the first game of a double header against the Washington Senators.  he walked Ray Morgan.  he then proceeded to get into a heated exchange with home plate umpire Brick Owens (both apparantly with short tempers), with Owens ejecting Ruth.  Ruth then proceeded to punch Owens.  Boston's catcher Pinch Thomas was also ejected.  in come Ernie Shore to take over, with Sam Agnew taking over the catching duties.  Morgan was thrown out trying to steal second.  Shore then proceeded to get the next 26 batters in a row as the Red Sox won 4-0.  it is officially scored as a no-hitter shared by two batters, but for many years it was listed as a perfect game.  Shore had also struck out two.

on this day in 1894 the Olympic movement was founded.  the movement was created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, inspired to create the games after attending the Olympian Games, held by the Wenlock Olympian Society, in 1890.  at meeting of the first Olympic Congress (June 16-23 under the newly created IOC) de Coubertin brought ideas and work created by Evangelos Zappas (held an Olympic games precursor in Athens in 1859) and William Penny Brookes (Wenlock Olympian Society). on the last day of the Congress, it was decided that the first Olympic Games would be held in 1896 in Athens. (de Coubertin wanted the first games in Paris in 1900 and was convinced to hold them in Athens in 1896.  Paris still got the 1900 games)  Demetrius Vikelas was named first president until the first games were held.  Pierre de Coubertin then became president until 1925 when Henri de Bailet-Latour.  de Coubertin had stepped down after the Paris games in 1924.  today every nation h...

1.  in 1964 Jim Bunning tosses the 7th perfect game in Major League history as the Phillies beat the Mets 6-0 in the first game of a double header at Shea Stadium.  he only threw 90 pitches and struck out 10 - which includes 6 of the last 9 batters he faced.  this perfect game happened to fall on Fathers day and his wife and one of his daughters.  he had become the second pitcher after Cy Young (Cleveland Spiders, Boston Americans/Red Sox) to throw at least a no hitter in the A.L. and N.L.  he threw a no hitter with Detroit against Boston in 1958 (Nolan Ryan - California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, Hideo Nomo - Dodgers and Red Sox,  and Randy Johnson  - Seattle and Arizona).  side stat: Gus Triandos had become the first catcher to catch at least a no hitter in both leagues.  he caught this perfect game and Hoyt Wilhelm's no hitter with the Baltimore Orioles in 1958. 2. at the FIFA World Cup in 1986 in Mexico, Diego Maradona sc...