Griffey Jr. and Sr. Team Up

On August 31, 1990, Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. become the first father and son duo to play on same team. Each Griffey goes 1-4, with back-to-back singles in the first inning for the Seattle Mariners.

Griffey Jr. also known as “The Kid” goes down as one of the best ball players during the 1990’s and was elected to the All-Century team in 1999.

A 13-time All-Star, Griffey was one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the sixth-most in MLB history behind only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and former teammate Alex Rodriguez. Jr. is also tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8 games, tied with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).

Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field over the course of his career.

Griffey also won seven Silver Slugger Awards, the 1997 American League MVP Award, the 1992 MLB All-Star Game MVP, the 2005 National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. Despite only winning one MVP award Jr. was in the conversation 10 times over the course of his career, being in the top five in voting five times.

He was a three-time Home Run Derby winner, and a four time American League Home Run Champion, and the 1997 American League RBI Champion.

Griffey Jr. would finish his career with a .284 average, 2,781 hits consisting of 524 doubles, 38 triples and 630 home runs. He would also have 1,836 RBIs, 1,662 runs scored, 1,312 walks, 184 stolen bases. He struck out 1,779 times.

Four times Griffey Jr. led the league in home runs with his highest single season total coming in 1997 and 1998 when he hit 56 home runs each season.

Junior’s career had some stellar moments including playing with his father Ken Griffey Sr. in 1990 and 1991.

On September 14, the pair hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the first off California Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill, becoming the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs. The duo played a total of 51 games together before Griffey Sr. retired in June 1991.

Griffey Jr. is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four different calendar decades.

On Jan. 22, 2013, the Mariners announced Griffey would be the seventh person inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.

Griffey Jr. will most likely be a first ballot Hall of Famer into Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame as he was one of the few athletes during the 1990’s and 2000’s to not be associated with steroids or performance enhancing drug use.

WNBA Hosts First Championship

On Aug. 30, 1997, the WNBA held its first ever championship game.  

The game took place at the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas and saw the Houston Comets defeat the New York Liberty 65-51 to capture the league’s inaugural championship.

The Houston Comets and New York Liberty had the two best records in the regular season finishing 18-10 and 17-11 respectively.  

Since the WNBA was only an eight team league, only four playoff spots were available with New York beating Phoenix in one semi-final and Houston getting past Charlotte in the other.  

Houston Comets guard Cynthia Cooper was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, capping off a great season for her.

To go along with the finals MVP, Cooper also won the regular season Most Valuable Player and was the league’s top scorer.  

She would go on to win both awards again the next season and won four championships as a member of the Houston Comets.

Cobb Makes His Debut

On Aug. 30, 1905 Ty Cobb made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers. Cobb was just 19 years old and played in 41 games in 1905. 

He would retire as the all-time hits leader, with 4,191 hits, now he second behind only Pete Rose. 

He still holds the career record for batting average with .367, in part to such a high batting average was his three seasons of hitting over .400, which is tied for a MLB record. 

But what is more impressive is that he only batted below .320 once. Now if you bat .319 you are awesome, to Cobb that was a poor season.

Cobb also won 12 batting titles, including nine in a row from 1907-1915, he also owns the most batting titles of all time. Cobb also has the most career steals of home, with 54.

Cobb remained with the Tigers until 1926, as he player managed the team from 1921-1926. Cobb played his final two years with the Philadelphia Athletics from 1927-1928.

Cobb was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1936 with 98.2 percent of the vote.

Brett Reaches 1,500 Hits

On August 29, 1982 Hall of Famer and Kansas City Royals great George Brett gets career hit 1,500.

Over his 21 major league seasons, Brett, a lifetime .305 hitter, would go on to collect 3,154 hits, consisting of 665 doubles, 137 triples and 317 home runs. He also had 1,596 RBIs, 1,583 runs scored, 1096 walks and 201 stolen bases.

Three times Brett led the league in hits, with his highest single season total coming in 1976 with 215.
Brett is also one of only four players to hit for a .300 batting average, have 300 or more home runs and have over 3,000 hits in a career. The others include three more Hall of Famers, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Stan Musial.

Brett finished his career with 13 All-Star appearances, with 13 consecutive appearances from 1976-1988. He was a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner in 1980, 1985 and 1988. He was a three time American League Batting Champion in 1976, 1980 and 1990. He was a Gold Glove winner in 1985 and that same year he won the World Series with the Royals. On the way to winning the World Series, Brett was named the ALCS MVP.

In 1980 Brett won his only MVP Award, as well the Hutch Award, which is given annually to an active Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire" of Fred Hutchinson, by persevering through adversity.

In 1986 Brett won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, which is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on the field and off it.

The Kansas City Royals retired his no. 5 jersey in 1994 and in 1999 he was inducted into Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame with 98.2 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he appeared. It was the fourth highest percentage of the vote given to a player ever just behind Cal Ripken Jr., Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver.

In 2013 Brett joined the Royals in a different capacity as a hitting coach.

Brock Sets A New Stolen Base Record

On August 29, 1977, Hall of Famer and St. Louis Cardinals great Lou Brock eclipses Ty Cobb's 49-year-old career stolen base record of 892 steals. Brock’s record-breaking performance came as he achieved career stolen base 893 in the loss to the Padres, 4-3.

Brock would go on to steal 938 bases, leaving him as the stolen base leader until Rickey Henderson broke the feat. Currently Brock is still second on the list, more than 300 stolen bases above Juan Pierre who is third on the list with 611.

Brock’s 19-year career with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals saw him play in six All-Star games, including four consecutive appearances from 1971-1975. He was a two-time World Series Champion in 1964 and 1967, both with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Brock won several awards during his career, including the 1967 Babe Ruth Award, given to the player with the best performance in the postseason. The award, created by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to the MVP of the World Series, one year after Ruth's death.

The award continued to be awarded exclusively for performances in the World Series until 2007, when the New York chapter of the BBWAA changed the award to cover the entire postseason. Though it precedes the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, which was not created until 1955, the Babe Ruth Award is considered less prestigious, as it is not sanctioned by MLB and is awarded several weeks after the World Series.

Brock also won the 1975 Robert Clemente Award, which is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It is named for Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. Originally known as the Commissioner's Award, it has been presented by the MLB since 1971. In 1973, the award was renamed after Clemente following his death in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake.

He also won the 1977 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, which is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on the field and off it.

In 1979 Brock won two awards, the National League Comeback Player of the Year award given to the player who has the best season after an injury or dismal season. That same season Brock won the Hutch Award, which is given annually to an active Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire" of Fred Hutchinson, by persevering through adversity.

Brock finished his career with a .293 batting average, with 3,023 hits, consisting of 486 doubles, 141 triples and 149 home runs. Brock also had 1,610 runs scores, 900 RBIs, and 706 walks in his career to go along with the 938 stolen bases. Eight times Brock led the league in steals with his highest single season total coming in 1974 with 118.

Although never an MVP, Brock was in the MVP conversation 10 times, with his highest finishing rank of second in 1974.

The St. Louis Cardinals retired his no. 20 jersey in 1979, and in 1985 Brock was elected into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame with 79.75 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he appeared.

Gagne Breaks Consecutive Save Record

On Aug, 28, 2003, Eric Gagne sets a record with consecutive save 44 of the 2003 season, with a total of 52 in a row dating back to the 2002 season.

Gagne would continue his streak into the midst of the 2004 season and eventually earn 84 consecutive saves. By far more than any other closer.

Gagne would finish his career with 187 saves, almost half of those were earned during his streak which last over three consecutive seasons.

Sandberg Notches Back-To-Back 30 Home Run Seasons

On Aug. 28, 1990, Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs hit home run 30 of the season, which helped the Cubs beat the Houston Astros at the Astrodome.

 It was the second year in a row the future Hall of Famer hit at least 30 home runs, becoming the first major league second baseman to do that. Sandberg wasn't done in 1990 either. He ended up with 40 home runs. After hitting an even 30 in 1989.

Sandberg played 16 years in the major leagues, his first with the Philadelphia Phillies, but as a result of a classic ill-advised trade on the part of Philadelphia, was sent to the Cubs in year two and played the next 15 seasons on the northside of Chicago.

Sandberg was a career .285 hitter, appeared in 10 all-star games, was National League Most Valuable Player in 1984, and elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. 

Since Sandberg retired second base has still be a position with limited power but a few players after him have completed the feat.

Jeff Kent hit 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons.

Alfonso Soriano hit 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons.

Chase Utley also hit 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons.

Dan Uggla is the current record holder with five consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs.

Five Way Wildcard Tie

On August 28, 2003, five National League teams were tied for the wildcard position, with another three teams within one game of the loss column. An eight-team race with only a month remaining in the regular season - you don't see that everyday.

Montreal Expos: The Expos were the best story of the year. Threatened by contraction only a year earlier, the Expos split time between Olympic Stadium in Montreal and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico.

Despite traveling to three separate countries over the course of their schedule, and despite having an incredibly small payroll, the Frank Robinson-led Expos were the feel-good story of 2003 and finished with a winning record. Sadly, the team lost nine of their next ten games to completely fall out of contention. The team's star player, Vladimir Guerrero, left for the Anaheim Angels a year later, and due to poor attendance numbers in Montreal, the team moved to Washington D.C. in 2005.

Houston Astros: Technically, the wildcard race was a seven-team race, but because the NL Central-leading Astros were tied with the Cardinals, eight teams were involved. Houston would lose the Central by a single game while finishing as the runner-up in the wildcard too. Houston later added Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite, and with their already formidable batting order, the Astros went to the World Series in 2005. There they were swept by the Chicago White Sox.

Philadelphia Phillies: Every season, the Phillies were the dark horse team that could have been a contender but oddly wasn't. This year was no exception. On September 19, with less than ten games to go, Philadelphia was atop the wildcard standings. But in true Philadelphia style, the Phillies lost seven of their last eight games to erase any shred they had of the postseason. In 2008, the Phillies finally made it to the World Series. Less than a handful of players from the '03 team were on the 2008 version.

Florida Marlins: With 72 year-old Jack McKeon at the helm, the Marlins went on a tear down the stretch. After August 28, the Marlins won 13 of their next 15 games and 21 of their last 29. They finished four games ahead of the runner-up Astros, turning what was a competitive wildcard chase into a runaway. The Fish then beat the Giants and Cubs to advance all the way to the World Series, and in beating the New York Yankees, became the second wildcard team to win it all.

After the season, the small-market Marlins decided it wasn't worth it to keep their star players around. From Ivan Rodriguez to Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera, Carl Pavano, Mike Lowell, A.J. Burnett, Dontrelle Willis, and Derrek Lee, the team went on a complete firesale. In only four years, every single player from the 2003 championship team was off the roster. And people wonder why the Marlins get bad attendances... It's hard to follow a team when you know they'll get traded as soon as they win.

St. Louis Cardinals: From 2000 to 2006, the Cardinals won the National League Central division ... except for 2003. Never down by more than a half a dozen games, the Cards went .500 in September and failed to make up enough ground. They finished just three games out of the Central and six games behind the Florida Marlins. With mostly the same players, St. Louis went to the World Series in 2004 and 2006, winning it all on their second try.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Just two years after beating the New York Yankees in the World Series, the D-backs were once again in playoff the mix. Injuries would prove costly however. The dynamic pitching duo of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, who had both won 20 games the previous two seasons, missed a combined 29 starts. Further injuries to Tony Womack, Matt Williams, and Byung-Hyung Kim sunk the Diamondbacks' fate. After winning the NL West two years in a row, Arizona finished 15.5 games out of first in the NL West and 7 games out in the wildcard.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Los Angeles stayed competitive thanks to their excellent pitching. The Dodgers posted the best ERA in the National League and featured Cy Young winner Eric Gagne, who had the greatest season of any closer in history: 55 saves, 0 blown saves, a 1.20 ERA, and 137 strikeouts in just 82.3 innings. The Dodgers' bats failed to carry their weight. LA ranked in the bottom five in the National League in runs, hits, doubles, walks, and home runs and lacked a single batter who hit over .300. LA lost 9 of their last 14 and finished six behind the Marlins for the wildcard.

Chicago Cubs: Last, but not least, the Cubs. Chicago would not win as many games as the Marlins, but by finishing ahead of the Astros and Cardinals, they conquered the NL Central and got into the postseason nonetheless. The Cubs and Astros were tied with only three games to go; Chicago won two of their final three games while Houston lost two of three.

The Cubs made it all the way to the National League Championship Series, where they collided with the wildcard-winning Florida Marlins. Chicago led the series 3-2 with games 6 and 7 being played in the windy city, and had their top two pitchers, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, going in both contests. The Cubs lost both matches. In one of them, a foul ball veering into the stands was deflected by Steve Bartman, who would become the most infamous fan in sports history. The Cubs' defeat was likely their most painful in franchise history; never had they come so close to victory in defeat.

Woods Wins U.S. Amateur Championship

On August 27, 1995, the ninety-fifth U.S. Golf Amateur Championship is won by Tiger Woods.
Currently the World No. 1, he has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years according to Forbes.

Woods turned professional in 1996, and by April 1997 he had already won his first major, the 1997 Masters in a record-breaking performance.

He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997. Through the 2000s, Woods was the dominant force in golf, spending 264 weeks from August 1999 to September 2004 and 281 weeks from June 2005 to October 2010 as world number one. From December 2009 to early April 2010, Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity.

Several different women, through many worldwide media sources, revealed his multiple infidelities. This was followed by a loss of form, and his ranking gradually fell to a low of No. 58 in November 2011.

He snapped a career-long winless streak of 107 weeks when he captured the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011. As of August 26, 2013, Woods, is still ranked the No. 1 golfer in the world.

Woods has broken numerous golf records. He has been world number one for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks of any other golfer. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record ten times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has the record of leading the money list in nine different seasons.

He has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18), and 79 PGA Tour events, second all time behind Sam Snead.

He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour, he currently has 106 wins.

Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer, after Jack Nicklaus, to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times. Woods has won 17 World Golf Championships, and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999.

In 1996 Woods was named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. 10 times Woods has been named the PGA Player of the Year including five straight selections from 1999-2003. He was the PGA Tour Player of the Year 10 times, including five straight selections from 1999-2003.

Woods has led the PGA Tour in money winning nine times including four straight years from 1999-2002. He won the Vardon Trophy eight times, including five consecutive years from 1999-2003. He has won the Byron Nelson Award nine times, including five consecutive years from 1999-2003.
Woods has also won the FedEx Cup twice in 2007 and 2009.

Henderson Breaks Brock's Record

On August 27, 1982, Oakland Athletics outfielder and Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson steals base 119 of the season, breaking Lou Brock's mark of 118 stolen bases in a single season.

Henderson would go on to steal 130 bases that season, setting the all time mark for the most stolen bases in a single season in the MLB. The record still stands to this day.

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 700 above the current active leader in stolen bases, Juan Pierre, who has 611 as of Aug. 26, 2013.
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. That is now owned by Mr. November, Derek Jeter, who has 348 stolen bases in pinstripes. Henderson had 326.

But he was more than just a speed demon around the bases. Henderson holds the major league records for runs scored and unintentional walks. Henderson is also the only player in American League history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times.

A 12-time stolen base champion, Henderson led the league in runs scored five times and was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.

Henderson was named the AL's 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.

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.

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.

49ers Run By The Vikings 34-14

SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers looked like the team that won the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game last year and made their sixth visit to the Super Bowl in franchise history Sunday, Aug. 25 in their game against the Minnesota Vikings.

TOD FIERNER / Courtesy
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks ripping the ball away from Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Christian Ponder in part of the 49ers 34-14 win.

It was a strong play by the defense that led the 49ers to their first score, a 30-yard field goal by kicker Phil Dawson. The kick came after Ahmad Brooks and Aldon Smith recovered a fumble and the 49ers offense went three and out after Colin Kaepernick missed on two passes around Frank Gore rushing for a loss of one.

Kaepernick was not able to get the offense going on his second offensive series as he would again miss on his third and fifth passes of the nights with a short completion mixed in.

But the vaunted defense of the 49ers kept San Francisco on top. Then Kaepernick finally woke up.
After completing only one of his first seven completions, the second year starting quarterback completed six consecutive attempts, the sixth a five-yard touchdown pass to Quinton Patton to give the 49ers a 10-0 lead after Dawson notched the extra point kick.

TOD FIERNER / Courtesy
San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick didn't look himself at the start of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Aug. 25, but he turned it around leading the 49ers to a convincing win.

The Vikings looked ok with Christian Ponder running the show, but only one series with Adrian Peterson on the field, and receiving no touches would not bode well for Minnesota.

The Vikings would manage one touchdown in the first half, a one-yard touchdown pass from Ponder to Zach Line. That came after back up quarterback Colt McCoy threw an interception at the 39 of San Francisco which Chad Greenway returned 11-yards to the 28.

TOD FIERNER / Courtesy
San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colt McCoy did what he needed to do Sunday against the Vikings to all but lock down that he will be the backup to Kaepernick once the start of the regular season rolls around.

The momentum the Vikings thought they had built after the touchdown was all but erased in a manner of moments as former California Golden Bears product Lavelle Hawkins returned Walsh’s kickoff 105-yards for a touchdown. With the Dawson extra point kick it was 17-7 in favor of San Francisco.

The 49ers would tack on three more points before the first half was over as a Nmandi Asmougha interception set the 49ers and McCoy in good field position. The offense, led by McCoy would get Dawson in range for a 40-yard kick, but a n offensive holding penalty would nullify the score, pushing Dawson back 10-yards for a second attempt. Dawson would split the uprights again, giving San Francisco a 20-7 lead with just seconds remaining in the first half.

The second half would see the Vikings score first just 5:35 in. The score came as Ponder led the offense 78-yards on 12 plays, finishing the drive with a three-yard pass to Joe Webb. After the Walsh extra point kick the score was 20-14.

That was as close as the Vikings would get to the 49ers in the second half.

The fourth quarter started as the 49ers offense scored their third touchdown, this time a four-yard rush by Jewel Hampton. Hampton had eight rushes with a long of 15, for 45-yards. He was the 49ers leading rusher in the game. After another Dawson extra point kick, the score was 27-14.

Another fourth quarter score for the 49ers came as third string quarterback B.J. Daniels and recently acquired Seneca Wallace led the offense 63-yards over 15-plays for an eventual Anthony Dixon one-yard burst across the goal line. With the Dawson kick it was 34-14, which would end up being the final score.

The game showed off what looked to be true going into the seasons for the 49ers, their defense is very strong, and will once again prove to be the difference maker in games against quality opponents. It also showed that the 49ers offense is capable of pushing around a solid defense as they did with the Vikings.

Also of note, Jonathan Baldwin who the 49ers acquired via trade with the Kansas City Chiefs caught two passes for 23-yards with a long of 19. Free agent signing Seneca Wallace played a few snaps, all but ensuring that Scott Tolzien would not be around for very much longer. The report Monday afternoon from the 49ers was that they had waived Tolzien.

The 49ers improved to 2-1-0 in the preseason with the victory over the Vikings while Minnesota dropped to 0-3-0.

The 49ers final preseason matchup comes against the San Diego Chargers this Thursday, Aug. 29 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be aired on the NFL Network.

Raiders Fall To Bears 34-26

OAKLAND, Calif. – There were some positives for the Silver and Black during the Friday, Aug. 23 preseason match up against the Bears. However, after the game was over, those positives might be overlooked.

DAN GLUSKOTER / Courtesy
Oakland Raiders first round draft pick D.J. Hayden played in his first NFL action Friday Aug. 23 against the Chicago Bears.

For the first time this preseason the Raiders first round draft pick D.J. Hayden put on a uniform and hit the field. However, he would be taken to the cleaners in the first quarter as the Bears Jay Cutler hit Matt Forte out of the backfield on a 32-yard swing pass for a score.

After Forte’s score the Bears were up 10-0 over a Raiders squad that looked helpless against the team that was looking to rebound after a 10-6 season that saw them miss the playoffs.

But that wasn’t the end for the Bears first half trouncing of the Raiders.

Former Raider, Michael Bush tacked on a 10-yard touchdown rush through a barrage of tacklers as the Bears took a 17-0 lead after Robbie Gould hit his second extra point of the night.

The second quarter saw the Bears offense continue to man handle the Raiders weak defensive line.

Again it was Bush who found the end zone, this time on a one-yard push. With the Gould extra point kick it was 24-0 with almost the entire second quarter to play.

The Bears would tack on another three-points with 1:06 left in the half as Gould hit his second kick, this time a 53-yard attempt to put the score at 27-0.

DAN GLUSKOTER / Courtesy
Oakland Raiders projected starting quarterback Matt Flynn might have played his way out of the starting job. It would be the second time in as many years Flynn lost out to a backup.

The Raiders would finally get on the board as Terelle Pryor came into the game after Matt Flynn had been pulled after tossing two interceptions. Pryor led the offense 40-yards on five plays in just over one minute to set up Sebastian Janikowski’s second field goal attempt of the game. He missed the first, a 49-yard kick wide right as he was forced to kick from the infield dirt in the first quarter.

Janikowski would connect on his second kick, a 58-yard attempt with time expiring in the first half to give the Oakland fans their first and only points of the half.

Up 27-3, the Bears took all of their starters out of the game in the second half as the Raiders looked to make the score closer.

After the Bears second team offense led by Josh McCown faltered to convert on a third and long Adam Podlesh punted to the Raiders. A penalty on the Bears for illegal formation set the Raiders up with good field position, at their own 42.

DAN GLUSKOTER / Courtesy
Oakland Raiders backup running back Rashad Jennings will look to spell starting running back Darren McFadden in the upcoming season.

Pryor would take advantage of the backup defense immediately. He would lead the team down field along with the help of former Jacksonville Jaguars backup running back Rashad Jennings. The offense would go 58-yards on five plays for the score, a Pryor scramble from 25-yards out. With the score and the Janikowski extra point kick the score was 27-10.

The Raiders Reggie Smith would recover a fumble on a third down as McCown and backup center Taylor Boggs missed communication on a snap. The recovery by Smith set the Raiders offense up with great field position on the 34 of Chicago. However, even with great field position the offense was not able to reach the end zone, falling back on another Janikowski field goal attempt. Janikowski would notch his second make of the night this time from 30-yards out to put the score at 27-13.

The Raiders defense would force another turnover off McCown as Joselio Hanson intercepted a pass intended for Eric Weems. Hanson was tackled down at the 23, giving the Raiders great field position once again.

This time the Raiders offense would find the end zone with their food position as Pryor hit rookie tight end Nick Kasa on an 18-yard strike over the middle, in which Kasa leaned back for the score. With the Janikowski extra point kick the score was 27-20.

DAN GLUSKOTER / Courtesy
Oakland Raiders projected backup quarterback Terrell Pryor's play Friday Aug. 23 against the Chicago Bears might have earned him the starting role going into the regular season. He will start the Raiders final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2013.

The Raiders defense once again help the Bears down, this time forcing a punt, setting up the offense with a 1-10 from their own 11. With Pryor on the bench in favor of getting another quarterback reps, the Raiders offense faltered as Matt McGloin after missing on two of his first three attempts threw an interception on his fourth pass as C.J. Wilson of Chicago jumped the pass intended for Jacoby Ford.

The fourth quarter saw the Bears reach the end zone first. With the ball on the Raiders side of the field the Bears wasted no time adding to their lead as Jesse Palmer and Matt Ford led the offense to a score as Ford rushed for 40-yards on three plays for a score. With the Gould extra point kick it was 34-20.

The Raiders would reach the end zone one more time as McGloin led the team 88-yards on 10 plays with a five-yard touchdown pass to Jamize Olawale. But that would be the end of the Raiders scoring on the night as the two-point conversion attempt by McGloin to Tray Sessions landed incomplete.
The final score was 34-26 in favor of Chicago.

The Raiders dropped to 1-2 in the preseason while the Bears raised their record to 2-1.
The Raiders final preseason match up is slated for this Thursday, Aug. 29 against the Seattle Seahawks. The game is at Centurylink Field in Seattle, Wash. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Playmakers Airs On ESPN

On Aug, 26, 2003, Playmakers, the first original dramatic series to air on ESPN, broadcasts its first episode on the world wide leader in sports. Set in a fictitious setting referred to simply as "The League," Playmakers revolved around the behind-the-scene lives of players on the equally-fictitious Cougars football team. The show dealt with many risque issues, including drug use, homosexuality, and the mistreatment of women, and had an extremely dark and edgy feel to it. The show garnered mixed reviews that generally applauded the show's cast and acting but criticized the at times melodramatic storylines.

Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times wrote, "It is hard to imagine that regular ESPN viewers will want to watch a show that is so suited in tone and temperament to watchers of TNT or the Lifetime channel. It is equally hard to believe that viewers who love 'E.R.' or 'The Practice,' will pick a football melodrama over other equally well-executed new shows this fall." But Tom Shales of the Washington Post wrote, "If pro football bores you, are you likely to find anything intriguing in 'Playmakers?' Surprisingly, yes. It's well enough acted and written to sustain interest as a story of professional people under almost preposterous pressure."

While the show never explicitly mentioned the NFL, Playmakers stirred controversy in a hurry as people put and two-and-two together; after all, there was only one professional football league in America that the show's ideas, if at all true, could have been based on. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue blasted the show and called it "a rather gross mischaracterization of our sport." ESPN's senior VP of programming, Ron Semaio, defended the show, saying, "Playmakers is no more about life in the NFL than 'Gomer Pyle' was about life in the Marine Corps."

Nonetheless, the NFL was not pleased with the show's negative portrayal of professional football. Playmakers was a ratings success for ESPN, but after being pressured by the NFL to get if off the year, ESPN, who had aired NFL games since 1987, did just that and canceled the program after 13 episodes.

''The NFL is entitled to its opinion,'' John Eisendrath, the show's creator, told the New York Times. "But I think they're wrong, and I think they're bullies. They're a monopoly. I think it fell to ESPN to have the strength to stand up to the NFL's opinion. It's offensive to me that they would bully ESPN that way, so I'm most offended by the NFL's attitude, which is blatantly hypocritical considering some of the things that go on in the league, which far exceed anything I wrote about.''

Gooden Wins 20

On Aug. 25, 1985, the New York Mets defeat the San Diego Padres 9-3, making Mets starting pitcher Dwight Gooden the youngest pitcher to ever win 20 games in a season. 

At 20 years and nine months old, the second-year Met was a full month younger than Bob Feller, who won 24 games for the Cleveland Indians in 1939. The win was also his fourteenth in a row.

Gooden finished the season with a 24-4 record, a 1.53 ERA, 16 complete games, and 268 strikeouts in 276-and-two-thirds innings -- all of which led the National League. He won the Cy Young Award that year, just one season after winning the Rookie of the Year Award, and joined Herb Score as the only pitchers to strikeout 200 batters in their first two seasons. He was already being touted as one of the greatest pitchers of all time and was a sure-fire Hall of Famer just on talent alone.

Sadly, Gooden never lived up to his expectations. The 1985 seasons was the final year he won 20 games, although he did follow that up with six solid seasons. After that, his career became a bona fide trainwreck, as he struggled to overcome addictions to both alcohol and cocaine. 

He retired with a record of 194-112, and as one of the biggest what-ifs in baseball history.

McGwire Hits His First Major League Home Run

On August 25, 1986, Oakland Athletics first baseman Mark McGwire hits his first of 583 Major League home runs.

In 1987, McGwire aka “Big Mac” broke the single-season home run record for rookies, with 49.
Throughout his career Mark McGwire hit 49 or more home runs five times en route to hitting 583 career home runs. Four times McGwire led the league in home runs. For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the best at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76).

1n 1998 McGwire aka Big Mac and Sammy Sosa both encountered on a record-breaking home run season. McGwire and Sosa would both end up breaking Roger Maris' single season home run record of 61 home runs, as Sosa went on to hit 66 home runs and McGwire 70.

McGwire’s 70 home run season was a Major League record until 2002 when Barry Bonds broke the feat when he hit 72 home runs. McGwire is still one of only two players to hit 70 or more home runs in a season. The other, Bonds.

McGwire finished his career with a .263 career batting average, 1,626 hits, and 1,167 runs, 1,414 RBIs to go along with his 583 home runs. His career on base percentage was .394, his career slugging percentage was .588 and his on base plus slugging was .982.

McGwire was the 1987 American League Rookie of the Year, and was a 12-time All-Star including six-straight appearances twice, from 1987-1992 and from 1995-2000. He was a two-time World Series Champion, once as a player with the Oakland Athletics in 1989 and once as a coach with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. He won a Golden Glove at first base with the A’s in 1990 and won three Silver Slugger awards, two with the A’s in 1992 and 1996 and one with the Cardinals in 1998.

McGwire also won the 1992 Home Run Derby and was given the Lou Gehrig Award in 1999.
Also in 1999 McGwire was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

McGwire also played for Team USA in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 helping Team USA earn a Silver medal. McGwire also helped the United States in international play during the Pan American Games and Intercontinental Cup in 1983 helping the USA earn a Bronze and Silver medals respectively.

In 1999, The Sporting News released a list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. The list had been compiled during the 1998 season and included statistics through the 1997 season. McGwire was ranked at Number 91.

In 2005, The Sporting News published an update of their list and McGwire had been moved up to Number 84.

However, in the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 balloting for the Baseball Hall of Fame, McGwire failed to attain election receiving 128 of the 545 cast (23.5 percent of the vote) in 2007, 128 of 543 (23.6) in 2008, 118 of 539 (21.9) in 2009, 128 of 539 (23.7) in 2010, 115 of 581 (19.8) in 2011, 112 of 573 (19.5) in 2012, and 96 of 569 (16.9) in 2013.

Currently McGwire is the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, after being the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2010-2012.

McGwire had a Hall of Fame career based on his stats and accomplishments but because of his trouble with performance enhancing drugs (PED) his call to the hall might come in to questioning.

MLB Suspends Rose For Life

On August 24, 1989, former Major League Baseball player and manager Pete Rose is suspended from baseball for life for gambling on the sport.

Rose had a long and storied career, which saw stints playing and coaching on the Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Rose would total 4,256 hits in his career with 3,215 singles.

Rose finished his career with a .303 batting average, 4,256 hits, 746 doubles, 135 triples, 160 home runs, 1,314 RBIs, 2,165 runs scored, 198 stolen bases and 1,566 walks.

Rose has 67 more hits than Ty Cobb who is the second ranked player on the list, and nearly 500 more hits than Hank Aaron who is ranked third all-time. Rose would also earn 17 more Major League records during his career, the most notable behind the hits record is most career games played, 3,562, which is 254 more than Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox who played in 3,308 games between 1961 and 1983.

Over the course of his career Rose played every single game of the season eight times, and five times led the league in games played. Rose led the league in batting average three times, with his highest single season average being .348 in 1969. He led the league in hits seven times with his highest single season hit total 230, coming in 1973. He also led the league in runs scored four times. His highest single season total of runs scored came in 1976 with 130 runs scored.

Rose would win the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1973 and was in the top 10 in MVP voting 10 times over his career. 1973 also was a season Rose was the National League batting champion. Rose was a three time World Series Champion in 1975, 1976 with the Reds and 1980 with the Phillies.

Rose won the Rookie of the Year award in 1963, was a Gold Glove winner twice, and a Silver Slugger once.

Rose would be selected to 17 All-Star games in his 24-season career. The most famous occurrence of Rose in an All-Star game came in 1970, when Rose smashed into then Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse on a play at the plate. Rose would give Fosse a separated shoulder with the incident, but scored the winning run in the process.

Rose even though the all-time hit leader in MLB, and owner of over 17 Major League records has not been elected into Cooperstown the baseball Hall of Fame because of gambling on baseball.

Bruntlett Turns Unassisted Triple Play

On Aug. 23, 2009, tensions were high both on and off the field the entire weekend, and on Sunday it looked like the Phillies would take their second game in a row going into the ninth. That’s when things got interesting.

With the Mets at bat, down 9-6, no outs and Pagan on third base, Luis Castillo grounded a ball to second, but Eric Bruntlett couldn’t handle it and Castillo would beat out a late throw.   

Daniel Murphy stepped to the plate next and it was deja vu all over again.  

A grounder to Bruntlett which he once again could not handle.  

The tying run was now on base and a nightmare was unfolding right in front of the Phillies’ second baseman’s eyes, but it didn’t seem as though he could do anything about it.

And then it happened.

A line drive off the bat of Francoeur headed to Bruntlett at second base.  

With the runners going, he made the catch for one out, touched second for another, and tagged Murphy who was caught in a hit-and-run.  

One man, three outs.  

It was only the fifteenth unassisted triple play in Major League history, and only the fifth time it had been completed by a second baseman.

No player has completed the feat since Bruntlett, however there are three other current major league players who have completed the feat including Asdrubal Cabrera, Rafael Furcal and the Bay Area born prospect Troy Tulowitzki. Of note is that the three previously mentioned players are all shortstops.

The most unassisted triple plays by position comes at shortstop with eight, second is second base with five, followed by first base with two. No player at any other position in Major League Baseball has completed an unassisted triple player.

The complete list of players to turn an unassisted triple play in chronological order include; Neal Ball, Bill Wambsganss, George Burns, Ernie Padgett, Glenn Wright, Jimmy Cooney, Johnny Neun, Ron Hansen, Mickey Morandini, John Valentin, Randy Velarde, Furcal, Tulowitzki, Cabrera and Bruntlett.

Perry Tossed From Game

On Aug. 23, 1982, Gaylord Perry, 43-years-old and in his twentyfirst major league season, had been accused of throwing a doctored baseball for years, but he had never been ejected for the act. That was until this day.

In the fifth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox, the Seattle Mariners right-hander is warned by home-plate umpire Dave Phillips after finding "a funny substance on the ball. I told him he would be ejected either by putting something else on the ball, or by the flight of the ball, as the rules provide."

Two innings later, Phillips does not even check the ball after Boston's Rick Miller misses a 1-0 pitch. Phillips immediately thumbs Perry. "If I think he's throwing an illegal pitch and I think this was obviously an illegal pitch, I can throw him out," Phillips says.

While Perry objects to his ejection, he never says whether he threw a doctored baseball or not.

Ryan Strikesout Henderson For 5,000

On August 22, 1989, Hall of Fame pitcher and California Angels great, Nolan Ryan strikes out career batter number 5,000 against the Oakland Athletics. It happened to be another future Hall of Famer, Rickey Henderson.

Ryan, who enjoyed the best years of his career with the California Angels, where he threw four of his MLB record seven no-hitters. The seven are three more than any other pitcher. He is tied with Bob Feller for most one-hitters, with 12. Ryan also pitched 18 two-hitters. Despite the seven no-hitters, he never threw a perfect game, nor did he ever win a Cy Young Award.

Only Ryan, Sandy Koufax (four), Cy Young (three), Bob Feller (three), and Larry Corcoran (three) have pitched more than two no-hitters. Corcoran was the first pitcher to throw a second no-hitter in a career (in 1882), as well as the first to throw a third (in 1884).

Ryan is one of only 29 players in baseball history to have appeared in Major League baseball games in four decades and the only pitcher to have struck out seven pairs of fathers and sons. While his lifetime winning percentage was .526, Ryan was an eight-time MLB All-Star, with 324 wins and 292 losses. With a career 3.19 earned run average.

Ryan would finish his career with 5,714 career strikeouts, which rank first in major league baseball history by a significant margin. He leads the runner-up, Randy Johnson, by 839 strikeouts. Similarly, Ryan's 2,795 bases on balls lead second-place Steve Carlton by 962; walking over 50 percent more hitters than any other pitcher in Major League history.

The list of current 3000 strikeout pitchers includes in this order from most to least, Nolan Ryan, 5,714, Randy Johnson, 4,875, Roger Clemens, 4,672, Steve Carlton, 4,136, Bert Blyleven, 3,701, Tom Seaver, 3,640, Don Sutton, 3,574, Gaylord Perry, 3,534, Walter Johnson, 3,509, Greg Maddux, 3,371, Phil Niekro, 3,342, Ferguson Jenkins, 3,192, Pedro Martinez, 3,154, Bob Gibson, 3,117, Curt Schilling, 3,116 and John Smoltz, 3,084.

Ryan and Koufax are the only two pitchers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame who had more strikeouts than innings pitched. Other than Jackie Robinson (whose number was retired by the entire MLB), Ryan is currently the only major league baseball player to have his number retired by at least three different teams: the Angels, Astros, and Rangers.

Ryan was inducted into Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1999 with 98.79 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he appeared.

While Henderson helped Ryan set an MLB record with strikeout 5,000, he would also go on to have a great career.

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 700 above the current active leader in stolen bases, Juan Pierre, who has 611 as of Aug. 21, 2013.

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. Henderson also holds the single-season record for stolen bases (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, Henderson led the league in runs five times and was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons. He also holds the major league record for runs scored and unintentional walks.

Henderson was named the AL's 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.

At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) 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.

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.

Mairchal Starts A Brawl With The Dodgers

On August 22, 1965, Hall of Fame pitcher and San Francisco Giants great, Juan Marichal hits Los Angeles Dodgers’ catcher John Roseboro on the head with his bat causing a benches clearing brawl between the two rival teams.

Marichal is also remembered for a notorious incident that occurred on August 22, 1965, in a game played against the Giants' arch-rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Twice in the first three innings, Marichal had thrown near the head of Dodger leadoff batter Maury Wills.

As Marichal was batting against Sandy Koufax in the last of the third inning, Dodger catcher Johnny Roseboro's return throws to the mound flew too close to his head and one grazed his ear. Words were exchanged, and Roseboro, throwing off his catcher's helmet and mask, rose to continue the argument.
Marichal responded by repeatedly hitting Roseboro's unprotected head with his bat.

The benches cleared into a 14-minute brawl, while Giants captain Willie Mays escorted the bleeding Roseboro (who would require 14 stitches) back to the clubhouse.

Marichal was ejected, suspended for nine days and fined $1,750 (equivalent to $12,749 as of 2013). He was also barred from attending the Giants' final series with the Dodgers, in Los Angeles on September 6–7.

Photos of the incident (Official Baseball Guide 1966, Sporting News, p. 19) also show Tito Fuentes (who was in the on-deck circle) wielding a bat threateningly, but Fuentes did not actually hit Roseboro and was not ejected.

Roseboro sat out the next couple of games and returned to the lineup on August 25. Roseboro filed a lawsuit against Marichal, but eventually settled out of court, supposedly for $7,000 ($50,996 as of 2013), Marichal and Roseboro would eventually go on to become close friends, reconciling any personal animosity and even autographing photographs of the brawl.

Many people protested the apparently light punishment meted out, since it would cost Marichal only one or two starts. The Giants were in a tight pennant race with the Dodgers (as well as the Pirates, Reds, and Braves) and the race was decided with only two games to play.

The Giants, who ended up winning the August 22 game and were down only one-half game afterward, eventually losing the pennant by two games.

Ironically, the Giants went on a 14-game win streak that started during Marichal's absence and by then it was a two-team race as the Pirates, Reds, and Braves fell further behind.

But then the Dodgers won 15 of their final 16 games (after Marichal had returned) to win the pennant.
Marichal won in his first game back, 2–1 against the Astros on September 9, (the same day Koufax pitched his perfect game against the Cubs,) but lost his last three decisions as the Giants slumped in the season's final week.

Marichal would go on to enjoy another 10 years of baseball playing for the Giants before leaving to play with the Boston Red Sox and finally the Los Angeles Dodgers before he retired in 1975.

Marichal was a 10-time All-Star, including two appearances in 1962 when Major League Baseball hosted two All-Star Games. He was also part of the Summer Classic for eight consecutive years from 1962-1969. In 1965 Marichal was also named the MLB All-Star Game MVP. Although he never won an MVP or Cy Young Award, Marichal was in the MVP talk seven times during his career, being in the top 10 in voting three times. He was also in the top 10 in Cy Young voting once.

Marichal ended his career with 243 wins, 142 losses and two saves in 471 games with 457 starts. He compiled a 2.89 ERA with 2,303 strikeouts, and 791 walks, 82 intentional over 3,507 innings pitched. Marichal threw 244 complete games in his career with 52 shutouts.

Marichal led the league in wins twice, with his highest single season total coming in 1968 with 26. He also led the league in complete games twice, with his highest single season total also coming in 1968 with 30. Marichal also led the league in innings pitched twice, with his highest single season total also coming in 1968.

Marichal also led the league in shutouts twice, with his highest single season total coming in 1965 with 10. Marichal also led the league in ERA once, with his lowest single season ERA coming in 1969 with a mark of 2.10.

Marichal was inducted into Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 with 83.7 percent of the vote on the third ballot in which he was nominated.

Although he had many memorable moments during his career, one the most memorable was his involvement in the brawl with the Dodgers.

Roseboro would go on to play five more years of baseball with the Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and Washington Senators before he retired.

Roseboro was a six-time All-Star selection , with two appearances in 1961 and 1962 when Major League Baseball hosted two All-Star Games. He was a three-time World Series Champion in 1959, 1963 and 1965, all with the Brooklyn-Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also a two-time Gold Glove winner, in 1961 and 1966 with the Dodgers.

Roseboro finished his 14-year career with a .249 batting average, with 1,206 hits, consisting of 190 doubles, 44 triples and 104 home runs in 1,585 games played. He also had 548 RBIs, 512 runs scored, 547 walks and 67 stolen bases. He struck out 677 times.

Although never an MVP Roseboro was in the MVP conversation three times with his highest voting reaching 13 in 1966 when he hit for .276 with 123 hits, 23 doubles, two triples and nine home runs. He had 53 RBIs and 47 runs scored that year with 44 walks and three stolen bases. He did win a Gold Glove that year.

After his playing career Roseboro served as a coach with the Washington Senators in 1971, and the California Angels from 1972-1974. Later, he served as a minor league batting instructor in 1977 and catching instructor in 1987 for the Dodgers.

Anderson Records 10 RBIs

On Aug. 21, 2007, Angels Garret Anderson gets 10 RBI’s against the New York Yankees.

The game was an 18-9 victory by the Angels over the Yankees. Anderson’s performance started in the first inning as he drove in two runs on a double off of Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina.

Anderson would continue his day with another RBI-double in the second inning, making his RBI total three, through two innings.

In the third inning Anderson would hit a three-run homer off the Yank’s, making his RBI total 6 through three innings and putting the score at 12-5.

Anderson would make his first out of the game in the bottom of the fifth, but when he came back up to bat in the sixth, Anderson continued his tear. He hit another home run, this time a grand slam, putting his RBI total for the game at 10, and putting the score at 18-5.

Anderson would get out in his final at-bat during the eighth inning, ending the day going 4-6 with 10 RBI’s, including a three run homer and a grand slam.

This would be Anderson’s most prolific game from the batters box. Anderson finished his career with 287 home runs, 1,365 RBI’s, a .293 average and 2,529 hits.

Fingers Gets To 300

On Aug. 21, 1982, Rollie Fingers gets save number 300 on his career.

Rollie Fingers completed save number 300 while a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Fingers who started his career as a member of the Oakland Athletics in 1968, the year the team moved from Kansas City to Oakland. He played for the Athletics from 1968-1976, earning himself three World Series titles with the club in 1972, 1973 and 1974. In 1974 he was also named the World Series MVP.

Fingers was a starter with the A’s until 1970 when he began making relief appearances. In 1971 A’s manager Dick Williams made up his mind that Fingers would be a relief pitcher and the rest is history.

In 1977 the San Diego Padres picked up Fingers, where he played from 1977-1980. Fingers won the National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year in 1977, 1978 and 1980 with the Padres. He was also a two-time National League saves champion in 1977 and 1978. In 1980 Fingers broke Hoyt Wilhelm’s record of most saves in a career with save number 228.

In 1981 Fingers was back in the American League with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was continuing to get saves at an impressive rate, and once again won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award but this time in the American League. He was also the American League saves champion in 1981. But the most impressive feat of all that season was that Fingers was named the American League MVP and the American League CY Young.

In 1982 Fingers recorded save number 300, and was the first closer in Major League history to do so. 

When Fingers retired in 1985 he finished his career with 341 saves, 114 wins and 118 losses, making him the first pitcher with 300 saves and also to have 100 wins, he also recorded 1,299 strikeouts in his career.

Fingers was elected into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. Both the Athletics and the Brewers have retired his jersey no. 34.

Fingers is regarded to as one of the pioneers of modern relief pitching, especially for defining the role of the closer.

Johnson Joins 30-30 Club Again

On Aug. 20, 1989 Howard Johnson joins Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays as the only players to have more than one season with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases.

 The players who had done it once before Johnson had done it twice included Ken Williams, Hank Aaron, Tommy Harper, Dale Murphy, Joe Carter and Eric Davis, as the only players to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a single season. Mays completed the feat twice and Bonds five times before Johnson did it his second time.

Since Johnson joined the club of players to complete the feat twice in 1989, these players have joined the club once; Darryl Strawberry, Jose Canseco, Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks, Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Shawn Green, Alex Rodriguez, Preston Wilson, Carlos Beltran, Jose Cruz Jr., David Wright, Jimmy Rollins, Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Trout last year.

Johnson would go on to complete the feat a third time in 1991, putting him in an elite class with just Bobby Bonds, and then later to be joined by Barry Bonds who completed the feat five times during his career and Alfonso Soriano who has completed the feat four times so far in his career.
Both Bonds, father Bobby and son Barry have the most 30-30 seasons with five each.

Other players to have more than one 30-30 season include; Ron Gant, Sammy Sosa, Jeff Bagwell, Raul Mondesi, Vladimir Guerrero, Bobby Abreu, Ian Kinsler and Ryan Braun.

Of the players to join the 30-30 club, only these players had a 40-40 season; Canseco 42 home runs, 40 steals; Barry Bonds 42 home runs, 40 steals; Alex Rodriguez 42 home runs and 46 steals; Alfonso Soriano 46 home runs and 41 steals.

The only players on the list to be inducted into the Hall of Fame include Mays, Aaron and Larkin.
Johnson ended his career as a two-time All-Star, a two-time World Series Champion, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He was also the National League Home Run Champion and NL RBI Champion in 1991.

Three times Johnson was in the MVP conversation, being in the top 10 in voting three times, and in the top five in voting twice.

Johnson would finish his 14-year career with a .249 batting average, with 1,229 hits with 237 doubles, 22 triples and 228 home runs. He also had 760 runs scored, 760 RBIs, 692 walks, 231 stolen bases and struck out 1,053 times.

Johnson led the league in runs scored once, with his highest single season total of 108 coming in 1991, although he did not lead the league that year. He also led the league in home runs once, with his highest single season total of 38 coming in 1991. Also in 1991 Johnson led the league in RBIs, that was also the year he hit his highest single season total of 117.

The 1991 season was a great one for Johnson as he set several records as he became the only switch-hitter to ever lead the NL in both home runs and RBIs in the same season. He also became the only Met to lead the National League in RBI. Finally he became the first switch-hitter to lead the National League in RBI. (Lance Berkman became the second in 2002.)

In 2001, Johnson was on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot but received no votes.

Gehrig Hits His Final Grand Slam

On Aug. 20, 1938 Hall of Famer and New York Yankees great Lou Gehrig hits his last grand slam of his career, a Major League Baseball record, 23.

Since only one player as tied Gehrig’s feat, another current Yankee, Alex Rodriguez who also has 23 in his career.

Of current players on the list with most all-time grand slams Rodriguez, 23, Jason Giambi, 14, Travis Hafner, 12, Raul Ibanez, 11, Robinson Cano, 8, Mark Teixeria, 8, Nick Swisher, 7, Lance Berkman, 6, Curtis Granderson, 6, Vernon Wells, 6, Eric Chavez, 5, Alfonso Soriano, 5, Russell Martin, 4, Ichiro Suzuki, 4, are on or have played on the Yankees at one point in their career.

Of the players with more than 10 grand slams in their career Jorge Posada, 10, Dave Winfield, 11, Bernie Williams, 11, Tino Martinez, 11, Reggie Jackson, 11, Cecil Fielder, 11, Don Baylor, 13, Gary Sheffield, 13, Joe DiMaggio, 13, Babe Ruth, 16, Dave Kingman, 16 played on the Yankees.

Gehrig goes down as one of the greatest players to ever don the Yankee’s pin-stripes and the nickname “Iron Horse” for the consecutive games played streak had his career cut short by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disorder now commonly known in the United States and Canada as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Despite the debilitating disease Gehrig finished his career with 2,164 games played with a .340 batting average, with 2,721 hits, with 534 doubles, 163 triples, and 493 home runs. He also had 1,995 RBIs, 1,888 runs scored, 1,508 walks, 102 stolen bases and stuck out 790 times in his career.

Gehrig lead the league in games played seven times, including not missing a game for 13-consecutive seasons. He led the league in RBIs five times, with his highest single season total coming in 1931 with 184. He led the league in runs scored four times with his highest single season total coming in 1936 with 167. He also led the league in home runs three times, with his highest single season total coming in 1934 and 1936 when he hit 49 home runs. Gehrig also led the league in walks three times with his highest single season total coming in 1935 with 132 walks.

Gehrig led the league in doubles twice, with his highest single season total coming 1927 with 52. He led the league in triples once with his highest single season total coming in 1926 with 20.

Gehrig also led the league in batting average once, with his highest single season total coming in 1930 when he hit .379. However, he did not lead the league that year.

Gehrig was a seven-time All-Star, a six-time World Series Champion with the Yankees. He also won two MVP awards in 1927 and 1936. He was the Yankees captain from 1935 to 1938 and the Yankees retired his no. 4 jersey on July 4, 1939. He became the first baseball player to have his uniform number retired on January 6, 1940; his July 4, 1939 farewell to baseball speech, fans voted as the fifth-greatest moment in Major League Baseball history in 2002.

Gehrig won a triple crown in 1934 batting .363 with 49 home runs and 165 RBIs, but did not win the MVP award that year. He became the only player in MLB history to collect 400 total bases in five seasons as he did so in 1927, 1930, 1931, 1934 and 1936.

With St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial, Gehrig is only one of two players with at least 500 doubles, 150 triples and 450 home runs in his career. He is also only one of four players with Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Musial to end career with a minimum .330 batting average with 450 home runs and 1,800 RBIs. He is also only one of two players to hit 40 doubles and 40 home runs in the same season three separate times.

The Yankees dedicated a monument to Gehrig in center field at Yankee Stadium on July 6, 1941, the shrine lauding him as, "A man, a gentleman and a great ballplayer whose amazing record of 2,130 consecutive games should stand for all time." Gehrig's monument joined the one placed there in 1932 to Miller Huggins, which would eventually be followed by Babe Ruth's in 1949.

Gehrig's birthplace in Manhattan, at 1994 Second Avenue (near E. 103rd Street), is memorialized with a plaque marking the site, as is another early residence on E. 94th Street (near Second Avenue).

(As of 26/12/2011, the first mentioned plaque is not present due to ongoing construction. The second mentioned plaque is present, but ascribes to his birthplace, not early residence.) The Gehrigs' white house at 5204 Delafield Avenue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, where Lou Gehrig died, still stands today on the east side of the Henry Hudson Parkway and is likewise marked by a plaque.

Gehrig was named a member of the MLB All-Century team in 1999, MLB All-Time team in 1997 and was inducted into Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 through a special election.
Also in 1999, editors at Sporting News ranked Lou Gehrig sixth on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."

Gehrig was also the first athlete ever to appear on a box of Wheaties.