- 1917 - After hearing that Gabby Street had caught a ball dropped off the Washington Monument in 1908, Brooklyn Dodgers Manager Wilbert Robinson bragged that he could catch a ball dropped from an Airplane at Spring Training , even though he was in his mid-50s and well above his playing weight. Robinson circled unsteadily under the descending spheroid. Instead, a grapefruit was secretly substituted and it exploded on impact with his glove. Once he felt the ooze, Robinson thought it was blood, and screamed that he was dying until he tasted the juice. He later conceded that he probably would have been killed if a real baseball had been dropped from the plane. Aviatrix Ruth Law dropped the grapefruit as Outfielder Casey Stengel assumed culprit of the switch.
- 1943 - The major leagues approve a new official ball manufactured by Spalding Company for the upcoming season. Instead of the usual combination of cork and rubber, the inside of the ball is made up of recycled cork and balata, materials not needed in the War effort. Officials insist the ball will have the resiliency of the 1939 ball, but the players will express with dismay that they cannot drive the new ball and point out the dearth of Runs and Homers in 1942 even with the old ball.
- 1944 - It's True, Cy Young 's middle name is not Tucumseh, as generally accepted, but the middle initial T really stands for True.
- 1960 - The Chicago White Sox unveil an important uniform innovation. The Sox’ road uniforms feature players’ names on the backs of the jerseys, marking the first time that players’ names will appear on major league uniforms. The innovation will make it easier for fans watching games on Television to identify the players on the field. The idea is yet another creation of colorful White Sox owner and innovator Bill Veeck .
- 1986 - The father-and-son team of Hal and Brian McRae appears together in an exhibition game for the Kansas City Royals . Brian, who will be sent back to the minor leagues before the start of the season, will not make his major league debut until 1990. The following summer, Brian will play for his father, who takes over as Royals Manager .
- 2006 - Three games were played today in Round Two of the inaugural World Baseball Classic :
- ---
--At Angel Stadium , Slugger Hee-Seop Choi hit a three-run Home Run as South Korea humbled the United States , 7–3, to maintain their unbeaten run at the WBC and leave US' title hopes in jeopardy. Ken Griffey, Jr. hit a solo homer and an RBI Single .
- ---
--At Hiram Bithorn Stadium , Odális Pérez pitched 4 2/3 Shutout innings and David Ortiz powered the Dominican Republic to a key victory over Cuba , 7–3. Symbolic of that was a fifth-inning mammoth-blast by "Big Papi" -- hit clear out of the stadium. In the second game, Víctor Martínez belted a Grand Slam , Endy Chávez hit a two-run homer in consecutive days, and Carlos Zambrano combined with six pitchers on a seven-hitter shutout, and Venezuela defeated Puerto Rico , 6–0. Pool Two is all knotted up with 1-1 records among all four teams.
- ---Legendary pitcher Bob Feller , who has been in the Hall Of Fame longer than any other living player, said that controversial superstar Barry Bonds should be kept out of the exclusive club.
- --- Ryan Howard hit his Spring Training -leading seventh home run, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Detroit Tigers 3–2.
- ---MLB agreed to a five-year contract with the '' North American Sports Network '' to televise about 275 games live each season. ''NASN'', which gained rights to the All-Star game, the Playoff s and the World Series , is televising the World Baseball Classic . The subscription Network , based in Dublin, Ireland , Broadcast s in Britain , Ireland , Germany , Switzerland , Belgium , Iceland and the Netherlands . The deal is valued at $18 million to $20 million, according to ''Sports Business Journal''.
- ---The Atlanta Braves have extended their manager Bobby Cox a contract through the 2007 season, the team announced on its Web site.
|
