Hank Aaron Hits Record Breaking Home Runs

On August 6, 1972, Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron hits career home runs 660 and 661 home. The home runs are a record for a single player on a single team.

Henry Aaron also known as "Hammerin' Hank Aaron," is a retired American baseball right fielder that played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 through 1976. Aaron spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) before playing for the Milwaukee Brewers of the American League (AL) for the final two years of his career. Aaron is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on their "100 Greatest Baseball Players" list.

After playing with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League and in the minor leagues, Aaron started his major league career in 1954. In his final season, he was the last

Negro League baseball player on a major league roster.

His most notable achievement was breaking the career home run record set by Babe Ruth. During his career, Aaron performed at a consistently high level for an extended period of time. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.

Aaron made the All-Star team every year from 1955 through 1975 and won three Gold Glove Awards. In 1957, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, while that same year, the Braves won the World Series.

Aaron's consistency helped him to establish a number of important hitting records. He holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBIs) (2,297), the most career extra base hits (1,477), and the most career total bases (6,856).

Aaron is also in the top five for career hits with 3,771 (third), behind only Detroit Tigers Ty Cobb (4,191) and Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose (4,256) and runs with 2,174, which is tied for fourth with Babe Ruth, and only behind San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds (2,227), Cobb (2,246) and Oakland Athletics Rickey Henderson (2,295).

Aaron is one of only four players to have at least seventeen seasons with 150 or more hits, the other three are New York Yankees Derek Jeter, Rose and Cobb.

He also is in second place in home runs (755), to Bonds (762) and at-bats (12,364) to Rose (14,053) and in third place in games played (3,298), behind only Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski (3,308) and Rose (3,562). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power hitting records outright, including most total bases with 6,856, most RBI’s with 2,297, extra-base hits 1,477.

Aaron is also the only player with 700 home runs and 3,000 hits, and one of only two players with 600 home runs and 3,000 hits, the other being Willie Mays. He is also one of only four players with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, the others being Mays, Eddie Murray and Rafael Palmeiro.

Aaron finished his career with .305 batting average, 25 All-Star game appearances, and two NL Batting titles in 1956 and 1959, and was a four-time NL home run champ in 1957, 1963, 1966-1967.

The Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers retired his no. 44 jersey. He was named to Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

Aaron was inducted into the Cooperstown Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1982, on the first ballot in which he appeared, with 97.83 percent of the vote.

Tom Glavine Earns Win 300

On Aug. 5, 2007, Tom Glavine becomes the 23rd pitcher to reach 300 wins, joining a prestigious group that included Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, and Nolan Ryan. Glavine won 20 games five times in his career as well as two Cy Young Awards and one World Series championship.

A high school hockey star, he was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL before signing on with the Atlanta Braves. At first he struggled, losing a National League-high 17 games in 1988, but he eventually found his groove and posted double-digit wins in 18 of the next 19 seasons.

Glavine spent the bulk of his career in Atlanta, where he teamed with John Smoltz and Greg Maddux to form one of the best pitching rotations in baseball. With the help of those three, Atlanta won 14 division titles in a row, and quickly fell back to earth when Maddux and Glavine left for bigger markets (Glavine in '02 to New York, Maddux in '04 to Chicago).

Glavine along with former teammate Maddux and manager of the Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox were inducted into Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame this summer with Frank Thomas, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre.

Nolan Ryan And Dave Winfield Scuffle

On Aug 4, 1993, Nolan Ryan gets into an altercation with Dave Winfield.

Ryan was one of the most intimidating pitchers of his time. He was the only man to strike out 5,000 batters and was synonymous for his wicked fastball and propensity to pitch inside. 

But in 1980, he was involved in an altercation with Dave Winfield after beaming him with a fastball. Winfield, a notorious seagull murderer, rushed the mound to take a few swings at Ryan, who protectively huddled on the ground to shield his pitching arm. 

The reaction Ryan received was poor and he vowed to do better the next time he got in a fight.

He didn't get a chance to redeem himself until August 4, 1993, when a young Robin Ventura charged the mound in the third inning.

By then Ryan was 46 years old and pitching in his final season. When he nailed Ventura in the ribs, the 26-year old third baseman blitzed the Hall of Fame pitcher. "I decided I was going to be the aggressor," Ryan said. "I wasn't going to just take it." Nolan was more than prepared and wrapped him in a head lock, landing six blows to the top of Robin's head as the benches cleared. Both Ventura and White Sox manager Gene Lamont were ejected, while Ryan, who barely moved off the pitcher's mound, stayed in the game. He then retired twelve of the next thirteen batters and earned his 322nd career win.

"It's no secret that he was throwing at me, and I have to do what I have to do to protect myself and I don't care who it is," Ventura said after the game. "I'm all right. He gave me a couple of noogies, but that was about it."

Ventura went on to have a terrific career in the big leagues, good enough to make it on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2010. He finished with 18 career grand slams, the third most in history, and six Gold Gloves. Yet he could never surpass the lasting image of his career: getting worked by 46 year-old Nolan Ryan.

Carl Lewis Wins Olympic Gold In 100-Meters

On August 4, 1984, United States Olympian Carl Lewis wins the Gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

In addition to winning the Gold medal in the 100-meter dash, Lewis won the 200-meter spring, 4x100-meter relay and the long jump at the 1984 Olympics.

In 1988 is Seoul, Lewis continues his reign in the 100-meter dash by earning his fifth Olympic Gold medal, and his sixth with the Gold medal in the long jump as well. He wouldn’t be able to keep his streak of Gold medals alive though as he earned a Silver medal in the 200-meter dash.

In 1992 in Barcelona, Lewis won Gold in the 4x100-meter relay and the long jump.

In the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta Lewis earned his ninth Gold medal of his Olympics career, also his last in the long jump.

But it wasn’t just at the Olympics where Lewis shined, in the Inaugural World Championships in 1983 at Helsinki, Lewis took Gold in the 100-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay and long jump.

In the 1987 World Championships in Rome, he earned Gold in all three events again, topping the field in the 100-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay and long jump.

Again in 1991 at the World Championships in Tokyo, Lewis continued his reign on the track taking Gold in both the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay.

"The best race of my life," Lewis said of his 100-meter dash. "The best technique, the fastest. And I did it at thirty."

Lewis was referring to what would be the deepest 100 meters race ever to that time, with six men finishing in under ten seconds, with Lewis not only defeating his opponents, but he reclaimed the world record with a clocking of 9.86 seconds. Lewis's world record would stand for nearly three years.

However, he was dethroned in the long jump, taking home his only Silver medal in his World Championships career.

Lewis would be dethroned by Mike Powell who took Silver behind Lewis at the Olympics in 1988.

The two battled, in what is considered by some to have been one of greatest competitions ever in any sport.

Powell's 8.95 meter jump and Lewis's final two jumps of 8.87 and 8.84 meters still stand as of October 2011 as the top three low altitude jumps ever. The farthest anyone has jumped since under legal conditions is 8.74 meters.

In reference to his efforts at the 1991 World Championships, Lewis said, “This has been the greatest meet that I’ve ever had.”

In 1993 at the Stuttgart World Championships, Lewis placed third, taking home his only Bronze medal in World Championships competition.

At the San Juan Pan American Games in 1979, Lewis took Bronze in the long jump before coming back for Gold at the 1987 Indianapolis Pan American Games. He also took Gold in the 4x100-meter relay.

In the Goodwill Games of 1986 in Moscow, Lewis took home Gold in the 4x100-meter relay, but was only able to grab Bronze in the 100-meter dash.

The 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle saw Lewis take Silver in the 100-meter dash while taking Gold in the long jump.

At the 1994 St. Petersburg Goodwill Games, Lewis took Gold in his only event, the 4x100-meter relay.

In the Olympic Boycott Games of 1980 in Philadelphia Lewis took Bronze in the long jump.

Lewis goes down as one of most glorified American athletes with his nine Gold and one Silver medal in Olympic competitions.

Rickey Henderson Sets MLB Consecutive Seasons Steals Record

On August 3, 1989, Oakland Athletics great and Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson sets the American League record mark of 50 steals in nine consecutive seasons.

Henderson was a left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics.

Nicknamed "The Man of Steal", he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and base runner^/ holding the record for most career leadoff home runs with 81, and winning three Silver Slugger awards in 1981, 1985 and 1990. His 1,406 career steals are almost double the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock, and more than 780 above the current active leader in stolen bases, Juan Pierre, who has 614.

Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland A’s and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988-2011.

He also holds the major league records for runs scored and unintentional walks.

Henderson also holds the single-season record for stolen bases with 130 in 1982, and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times.

A 12-time stolen base champion, he was also among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.

Henderson was named the American Leagues Most Valuable Player in 1990, and he was the leadoff hitter for two World Series champions: the 1989 Oakland A's and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. Henderson was in the MVP conversation eight times during his career, and in the top five in voting three times.

At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in base on balls.

His 25-year career elevated Henderson to the top ten in several other categories, including career at bats, games, and outfield putouts and total chances.

His high on-base percentage, power hitting, and stolen base and run totals made him one of the most dynamic players of his era.

Henderson also won a Gold Glove in 1981.

At the end of his 25-year career Henderson accumulated a .279 batting average with 3,055 hits comprised of 510 doubles, 66 triples and 297 home runs. He also added in a major league record 2,295 runs scored, 1,115 RBIs, 2,190 walks and a major league record 1,406 steals with a major league record 335 times caught stealing. Henderson struck out 1,694 times.

A dozen times Henderson led the league in stolen bases with his highest single season total coming in 1982 with 130 stolen bases, the major league record for a single season. Five times he led the league in caught stealing, with his highest single season total coming in 1982 with 42, a major league record for caught stealing in a single season.

Five times Henderson led the league in runs scored with his highest single season total coming in 1985 with 146 runs scored. Four times Henderson led the league in walks, with his highest single season total coming 1989 with 129 walks. Once Henderson led the league in hits, 1981 when he had 135 hits, however his highest single season total came in 1985 with 172, although he did not lead the league that year.

He was further known for his unquenchable passion for playing baseball and a buoyant, eccentric and quotable personality that both perplexed and entertained fans.

Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers^.

In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance with 94.8 percent of the vote.

The Oakland Athletics also retired Henderson’s no. 24 jersey in 2009.

Houston Rockets Trade Hakeem Olajuwon To Toronto Raptors

On August 2, 2001, following in the footsteps of New York Knicks, who had recently traded Patrick Ewing to Seattle, the Houston Rockets trade an aging Hakeem Olajuwon, their best player in franchise history, to the Toronto Raptors for a pair of draft picks. Olajuwon was one of the 50 greatest players in history and had spent the previous 17 years in Houston. But upon making it clear that the Raptors were offering him more money, the Rockets moved him in a sign-and-trade.

Many wondered if the alliance of Olajuwon and Vince Carter would make the Raptors, who came within a jump shot of beating the Eastern Conference champion 76ers, a legitimate contender. But those who felt this way overestimated Olajuwon, who had been trailing off in his later years in Houston. With the Raptors, on a new team, in a different country, Hakeem's performance faltered. In 61 games, Olajuwon shot only 46.4% from the floor while averaging just 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game -- all career lows.

The Raptors lost to the Detroit Pistons in the first round that year. Before the start of the next season, the 39 year-old Olajuwon called it quits after suffering a back injury, ending one of the best careers in NBA history. Olajuwon was so irrelevant in Toronto that many people may be surprised to learn he even played there.

Olajuwon ended his career as one the most prolific scoring centers to have played the game and was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2008. Olajuwon finished his career as a two-time NBA Champion in 1994 and 1995, and was the NBA MVP in 1994, and the NBA Finals MVP in 1994 and 1995. Olajuwon was also selected to the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

New Orleans Saints Debut In NFL

On August 2, 1967, that the New Orleans Saints played their first ever pre-season game.  The Saints lost to the Los Angeles Rams 16-7 in the first professional football game ever held at Anaheim Stadium.

The Saints first season in the NFL started off with a bang as John Gilliam took the opening kick-off of the year and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.  However, the Saints would go on to lose the game and finished the season with a 3-11 record, which surprisingly was the most ever wins by a team in their expansion year.  New Orleans had been one of the worst franchises in the league for quite awhile, but all that changed a few seasons ago.

The New Orleans Saints had a magical 2009 season, in which they started the year 13-0, on their way to the no. 1 seed in the NFC.  They smashed the Cardinals 45-14 in the divisional round and beat the Vikings 31-28 to reach the Super Bowl.  The Colts entered the Superbowl as the favorite, but that didn’t stop the Saints from winning it all for the franchise’s first ever Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Since their spectacular win in 2009, the Saints organization has been in ‘hotwater’ regarding bounties and coaching issues with over the last two seasons, and as recently as the 2011 NFC Divisional Playoff game against the 49ers here in San Francisco.

Reggie Jackson Is Enshrined In Cooperstown

On August 1, 1993, slugger Reggie Jackson is enshrined in Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

During his 21-season career Reggie Jackson played for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and the California Angels.

Jackson finished his career as a 14-time All-Star, including eight consecutive appearances from 1977-1984. He was a five time World Series Champion, including three consecutive with the Oakland Athletics from 1972-1974 and back-to-back titles with the New York Yankees in 1977-1978. He was the World Series MVP in 1973 and 1977. He won the American League MVP in 1973, and was awarded the Babe Ruth award in 1977. He was also a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner in 1980 and 1982.

Jackson was in the MVP discussion 13 times, while in the top five in voting five times.

Jackson ended his playing career with a .262 batting average with 2,584 hits with 463 doubles, 49 triples, 563 home runs, 1,375 walks with 1,702 RBIs, 1,551 runs scored and 228 steals. He struck out a major league record 2,597 times.

Jackson led the league in runs scored twice, with his highest single season total coming in 1969 when he scored 123 times. He led the league in home runs four times, although his highest single season total came in 1969 with 47 when he did not lead the league. He also led the league in RBIs once with 117 in 1973, although his highest single season total came in 1969 with 118. He did not lead the league that year.

Jackson was the first major leaguer to hit one hundred home runs for three different clubs, having hit over 100 for the Athletics, Yankees, and Angels.

Jackson is also the only player in the 500 home run club that never had consecutive 30 home run seasons in a career.

Jackson, while a home run slugger, also was the all-time leader in strikeouts. Over the course of his career he led the league in strikeouts five times with his highest single season total coming in 1968 with 171.

Because of his post-season heroics with the New York Yankees where he hit three home runs in a single game during the 1977 World Series Jackson has been nicknamed “Mr. October.”

Jackson was inducted into the Cooperstown Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993 with 93.6 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he was on.

The Oakland Athletics retired his no. 9 jersey in 2004 and the New York Yankees retired his no. 44 jersey in 1993.

Giants' Mel Ott Hits 500th Home Run

On August 1, 1945, Mel Ott is the first in National League player to hit 500 home runs, joins two American League players in New York Yankees great Babe Ruth and Philadelphia Athletics great Jimmy Foxx.

Since Ott joined the 500 home run club, the feat has been achieved by, in this order, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Matthews, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson, Willie McCovey, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Eddie Murray, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield.

Ott has the third fewest home runs of any member in the 500 home run club just above Murray, 504 and Sheffield, 509. He is also one of four New York and San Francisco Giants on the list, with Mays McCovey and Bonds joining him in that order.

In his 22-year career Ott played for the New York Giants and was a 12-time All-Star, with 12 consecutive appearances from 1934-1945. He was part of the 1933 New York Giants World Series Championship team. Ott never won an MVP award but was in the MVP discussion 13 times during his career, and in the top five in voting three times.

During his career Ott set quite a few Major League Baseball records including being a six-time National League Home Run champion, including three consecutive seasons from 1936-1938. He became the youngest player to hit 100 home runs, as well the first National League player to hit 500 home runs. He also holds a major league record by leading his team 18 consecutive years in home runs from 1928–1945.

Ott also passed Rogers Hornsby to become the all-time NL home run leader in 1937 and held that title until Willie Mays passed him in 1966.

Ott also held several other records outside of hitting the long ball. He was a very patient batter, as he led the National League in walks six times, including three consecutive years from 1931–33. He also shares an MLB record by drawing a walk in seven consecutive plate appearances from June 16 through 18, 1943.

Other offense records that Ott holds are twice scored six runs in a game, on August 4, 1934 and April 30, 1944. He was also the first National League player to post eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, only Willie Mays, Sammy Sosa, Chipper Jones, and Albert Pujols have joined him.

His defensive skills were also above par, as he twice led all National League outfielders in double plays in 1929 and 1935.

Ott finished his career with a .304 batting average, 2,876 hits with 488 doubles, 72 triples, 511 home runs, 1,708 walks with 1,860 RBIs, 1,859 runs scored and 89 steals. He struck out 896 times.

Twice Ott led the league in runs scored, 1938 and 1942, although his highest single season total of 138 came 1929. He led the league in home runs six times, although his highest single season total of home runs, 42, came in 1929 when he did not lead the league. He led the league in RBIs once, 1934, although his highest single season total of 151 came in 1929 when he did not lead the league. He led the league in walks six times, although his highest single season total of 118 came in 1938, when he did not lead the league in walks.

Near the end of Ott’s playing career he coached the New York Giants from 1942 until his retirement in 1947 and one season after retirement in 1948. The Giants best finish during that time was in third place in 1942. Ott also set a record for managers, as he was the first manager to be ejected from both games of a doubleheader, when the Giants lost both games to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 9, 1946.

MLB Trade Deadline Reaction

When I woke up Thursday morning there was grumbling the Oakland Athletics might be in the Jon Lester sweepstakes. Within 20 minutes of my groggy eyes checking in on MLB Networks on the television and twitter on my phone I saw that Yoenis Cespedes was going to be part of the deal.

At first I was shocked that the A’s would trade a middle of the order bat, and especially a guy like Cespedes, who said he wanted to play his entire career in Oakland, would be traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jon Lester.

As the trade began to formalize I saw the return of Jonny Gomes and cash to the Oakland franchise while a competitive balance Comp B pick would be heading to Boston to balance out the deal.
 

Overall, I was more shocked than anything. I thought the July 5 deal with the Chicago Cubs for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel were the icing on Billy Beane’s 2014 cake, but boy was I wrong.

Within just a few hours after the Cespedes-Lester trade the talking heads on MLB networks were talking about the second of the A’s moves.

This time it was a lesser deal. How could it have been any bigger? Wait, let me retract that statement, they could have traded Lew Wolf for a new owner. But back to reality, the A’s were trading a minor league, but major league ready pitcher in Tommy Milone, to the Minnesota Twins for Sam Fuld.

Milone had asked to be traded after being sent to AAA Sacramento when the A’s landed Samardzija and Hammel in the deal with the Cubs. But to trade Milone for a guy the A’s had DFA’d earlier in the season? It almost seemed comical. That they had kept a guy like Daric Barton on the roster in order to drop Fuld, and now were trading a major league ready pitcher away to get Fuld back.

While obtaining Fuld makes sense with injuries to Coco Crisp and Craig Gentry, the value to get Fuld back seemed a little much. But such is baseball, and such is life.

The addition of Fuld, Gomes and Lester gave the A’s the best and deepest rotation in baseball, and added to the depth in the outfield ... that is until the Detroit Tigers pulled out a last second three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays to land David Price.

The Cespedes-Lester trade might have been overshadowed by the Price trade but shouldn't be as the two teams might be on a collision course to face each other once again in the playoffs.

The green and gold franchise would stand pat for the rest of the day much like their cross Bay Area counter parts in the San Francisco Giants, as general manager Brian Sabean did not pull the trigger on any trades before the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline on July 31.

While Beane and Sabean took totally different routes to get through the trading deadline both are still on the look out for something that could bolster their second base corps before the waiver-trading deadline is reached at the end of August.

For both the Athletics and the Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley look like the most eligible candidates to fuel another chance at a World Series run, for one or both of the Bay Area franchises.