Gretzky Scores 50

On Dec. 30, 1981, Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky scored his 50th goal of the season in just his 39th game.  Gretzky broke the record of 50 goals in 50 games that was held by both Maurice Richard and Mike Bossy.

Wayne Gretzky entered game #39 with 45 goals and needed to score five to get to 50 before the new year.  With already four goals to his name, Gretzky buried an empty netter for his fifth goal of the game to reach 50 in the Oilers 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.  Gretzky went on to break Phil Esposito’s record of 76 goals in a season when he recorded his 77th in February.  “The Great One” finished the year with 92 goals, a record which still stands today.

Scoring in the National Hockey League is way down when compared to the numbers being put up in the 1980’s.  With that being said, Gretzky’s record of 50 goals in 39 games figures to be safe for a very long time.

Gretzky would finish his career as the all-time leading scorer in NHL history with 894 goals, 1,963 assists for 2,857 points in the regular season.

Gretzky would also excel in the playoffs, in his 20 seasons in the NHL, Gretzky made the playoffs 16 times with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kinds, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. He would score 122 goals, 260 assists for 382 points in just 208 playoff games.

Gretzky would also excel in the International format for his home country of Canada. In 63 games split between World Junior Championships, Canada Cup, World Championships, Rendez-vous ’87, the World Cup and the Winter Olympics in 1998, Gretzky would score 34 goals, 69 assists for a total of 103 points in 63 games.

After his playing career was over Gretzky went on to coach the Phoenix Coyotes from 2005-2009. While he was outstanding as a player he was not that as a coach, missing the playoffs every year, posting his best record in 2008 when he coached the team to a 38-37-7 record, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division with 83 points.

Gretzky at the time of his retirement, Gretzky held or shared a remarkable 61 records, which in itself is a record.  Wayne holds many of the significant offensive records for the regular season, playoffs and the All-Star Game.  Gretzky also represented Canada on several different occasions in International play, including the Winter Olympics, World Championships, World Cup and Canada Cup.

One year after his retirement, at the 2000 All-Star Game, the National Hockey League announced that Wayne Gretzky’s famous no. 99 would be retired league wide.  Gretzky became only the second man in professional North American sports to have his number permanently retired, with Jackie Robinson’s no. 42 being the first by Major League Baseball.

San Francisco Giants Sign Zito

On Dec. 27, 2006, that the San Francisco Giants signed free agent starting pitcher Barry Zito to a seven-year deal worth $126 million.  Zito’s contract made him the highest paid pitcher in Major League history at the time of the signing.

Barry Zito had a terrific season in 2002 when he had a 23-5 record with a 2.75 ERA in 35 starts and went on to win the American League Cy Young as a member of the Oakland Athletics.  However, his next four seasons in Oakland were up and down, as he compiled a rather mediocre 55-46 record.  The Giants felt that a change of scenery would help resurrect his career, so they signed him to be the ace of their pitching staff.  Unfortunately for San Francisco, Zito is not the pitcher he once was as he put together an ugly 40-57 record during his first four years as a Giant.

Things had gotten so bad for Zito that the Giants left him off their post-season roster last year.  The move turned out to be the right decision, as they went on to defeat the Texas Rangers to capture the World Series Championship.

2011 proved to be another disastrous year for Zito as injuries left him sidelined for most of the season after he started off the season with a 3-4 record in nine starts, putting up a 5.87 ERA.

However, Zito would begin to turn around in the eyes of Giants’ fans and baseball fans alike in 2012 as the Giants made their run for their second World Series Championship in three years.

The 2012 season would see Zito post his best record since leaving the Oakland Athletics in 2006. He would post a 15-8 record in 32 regular season starts with a 4.15 ERA in 184 and one-third innings. During the season Zito earned his 150^th major league win, becoming the 246^th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to hit the mark.

Zito also pitched amazing down the final stretch of the season, as he did not lose a single start after Aug. 2, while the Giants won his final 14 starts of the season.

But it wasn’t his regular season outings that put him the graciousness of San Francisco baseball fans. It was his post-season performances.

Back on the post-season roster was a big thing for Zito, and he proved it against the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Divisional Series. Zito wasn’t up to par though in his start against Cincinnati as he was pulled after in the third inning after allowing two runs. However, the Giants rebounded in the series and would move on to the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In the Championship Series against St. Louis Zito would shine. Pitching arguably his best game ever, Zito pitched seven and two-third shutout innings in Game 5 against the Cardinals, leading the Giants to a major victory. The victory would be Zito’s first in the playoffs since 2006 as a member of the Oakland Athletics when he won a showdown against former Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana in the American League Divisional Series.

The Giants would up beating the Cardinals and head to the World Series to face off against the Detroit Tigers, a team that beat Zito when he was on the A’s in 2006 in the American League Championship series.

Detroit would eventually go to the World Series in 2006 and lose to the Cardinals.

But it was 2012, and the Giants, with Zito were in the World Series, and who was better to pitch the first game of the World Series in San Francisco, none other than Zito. He earned the win while outpitching Detroit’s Justin Verlander, who was up for another American League CY Young award.

Zito pitched five and two-third innings of one run ball, and even helped his cause with the bat on the offense side of the game with an RBI single to help the Giants take Game 1 of the World Series 8-3.

The Giants would go on to sweep the Tigers, leaving Zito a perfect 1-0 in World Series appearances, and giving him an amazing 2-0 record with a 1.69 ERA in three post season appearances in 2012, while earning his second World Series Championship ring, but the first in which he helped the Giants in the post-season.

At the end of the season Zito was awarded the 2012 HUTCH Award, which is given annually to an active Major League Baseball player who "best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire" of Fred Hutchinson, by persevering through adversity.

The award was created in 1965 in honor of Hutchinson, the former MLB pitcher and manager, who died of lung cancer the previous year.

 2013 would be another mediocre year for Zito with the Giants. After starting the year with a 1-0 shutout win of the St. Louis Cardinals, he would end the season with just a 5-11 record, in 25 starts.

Following the end of the season, Zito took out a full-page add in the San Francisco Chronicle thanking Giants fans for their support^. The Giants declined Zito's 2014 option, buying it out for $7 million.

Largent Breaks NFL Record

On Dec. 27, 1987, the Seattle Seahawks played against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.

The game wasn’t too amazing, but a record set by Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent was, as he made his record breaking 751 receptions in the NFL.

Although Largent got his record of 751 catches and beyond, the Seahawks lost 41-20 as the season wound down. Largent had a touchdown catch in the game as well.

Largent would finish his career as the All-Time leader in the NFL with 819 receptions, 13,089 receiving yards, and 100 receiving touchdowns, and 177 consecutive games with a catch.

Though shortly after his retirement, former San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice would surpass all of his records.

Largent is still known today as one of the best white receivers to play the game, compiling over 13,000 receiving yards, 819 catches and 100 touchdowns.

His career accolades include being named to the Pro Bowl seven times, being an eight-time All-Pro selection, being named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade team, winning the 1988 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, the Bart Starr Man of the Year Award.

Largent was inducted into the Canton Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

He was enshrined into the Seahawks Ring of Honor, as well as having his no. 80 jersey retired by Seattle in 1992 and being named to the Seahawks 35^th Anniversary team in 2010.

After his football career Largent would go into Politics, where he has been in the U.S. House of Represenatives from Oklahoma’s first district from Nov. 29, 1994 to Feb. 15 2002. Largent would win all four elections he was up for by at least 24 percent of the vote.

NBA Christmas Special

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Most fans of basketball do one thing on Christmas, sit down and watch the NBA games being aired that day. With such a special day upon us I wanted to go back and look into the history on the NBA playing on Christmas Day.

HISTORY OF NBA ON CHRISTMAS

The first NBA games played on December 25 came in 1947, a year after the NBA's inception, when the New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers at Madison Square Garden 89–75.

In the early days, regional proximity dictated most of the matchups on Christmas Day. Teams would usually play their geographical rivals to cut down on holiday travel and allow them to have more time with their families.

According to Dr. Jack Ramsay, coach of the Portland Trail Blazers from their only championship season of 1976–77 to 1986: "Christmas meant being at home with the family and having a game we always won. That was a perfect Christmas to me.”

Dr. Jack Ramsay has the most coaching victories on Christmas Day, with 11, a record that Phil Jackson tied in 2008.

In the early 1980s, after three straight years of memorable moments involving the New York Knicks, including Bernard King scoring 60 points in 1984, the most ever scored by a player on Christmas Day, and with the advent of television, the NBA scheduled games over the holiday as a showcase featuring the best teams and players.

The Knicks have played the most games on Christmas Day, with 47, and are 22–25 on the holiday. The Knicks' 22 wins are the most by a team on Christmas Day.

Doc Rivers participated as a player with the Knicks in 1992 and as a coach with the Boston Celtics since 2008. Bryant has played 14 games on Christmas Day, the most of any player and more than he has on any other date on the calendar, playing his first in 1996, and most recently in 2011.

FANCY JERSEYS

Many teams and players that have played on this day have worn special uniforms and sneakers. Since 2009, the Knicks wear their third jersey, the green/orange alternate which they first used exclusively for St. Patrick's Day since the 2005–06 season. During the game between the Heat and the Lakers in 2010, players on both teams wore holiday sneakers, including lime-green Nike kicks on Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. LeBron James and Chris Bosh wore holiday-red shoes with garish green laces.

Since the 2008–09 season, teams playing on Christmas Day wear a patch featuring the NBA logo inside a snowflake. For the 2012–13 season games, special edition monochrome uniforms will be used. The uniforms, colloquially known as "Big Color", was designed by Adidas.

This year the NBA will be wearing the new sleeved jerseys made by Adidas, the Adi-zero jersey's which the Warriors debuted last year.

MEMORABLE GAMES

The NBA playing on Christmas Day has featured some of the most memorable games ever played, including Bernard King scoring 60 points for the New York Knicks in 1984, Patrick Ewing helping the Knicks come back to beat the Boston Celtics after trailing by 25 points in 1985, and again beating Michael Jordan and the Bulls on last second jumper in 1986, Scottie Pippen's last second block in 1994, the first showdown featuring Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal as opponents in 2004, Phil Jackson becoming the fastest coach to win 1,000 games in 2008, showdowns between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in 2009 and 2010, and the opening of the 2011–12 season as a result of a lockout.

Rivalries have also been showcased during games played on this day. During the 1990s, each Christmas featured a game involving either the New York Knicks or the Chicago Bulls, with both teams playing against each other in both the Bulls championship season of 1992–93 and 1994, and would have played each other in 1998, if there had not been a lockout.

The only year during the 1990s in which neither team played on Christmas Day was during the Bulls first championship season in their second three-peat, in 1995–96.

During the 2000s, the NBA showcased the Shaq–Kobe feud. Since 1999, each Christmas has featured games involving either the Celtics or the Lakers, with the two teams playing on the holiday in 2002 and every year since 2008 and facing off against each other during the first of the Lakers' most recent back-to-back championship seasons of 2008–09, the first meeting between the two teams since that year's finals.

Today the Christmas NBA scene is set with five games this year starting at 9 a.m. with the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. The second game of the day features the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. The third game features the two teams returning from last years NBA Finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder face off in Miami against the Heat. The fourth game sees the Houston Rockets take on the Chicago Bulls. With the 2012 NBA Christmas Day finale being set up between the Clippers and Nuggets.

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I hope everyone enjoys their holiday and watches some NBA hoops, which could be historical.

Immaculate Reception

On Dec. 13, 1972, one of the most exciting plays in NFL history happened between the Raiders and Steelers, the Immaculate Reception.

The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Oakland Raiders in an AFC divisional playoff game Dec. 23, 1972. The Steelers had won nine of their last 10 games. Oakland came in with a six-game winning streak.

With 22 seconds left in the game, the Steelers had a fourth-and-10 on their own 40-yard line down 7-6. Terry Bradshaw scrambled out of the pocket, was nearly sacked twice before letting a 30-yard pass fly to running back John Fuqua. The ball deflected off of defender Jack Tatum and Fuqua and was knocked towards the line of scrimmage about 15 yards. There, Franco Harris scooped up the ball and ran 40-yards to the end zone untouched.

The remarkable comeback was complete as the Steelers beat the Raiders 13-7.

Neither team played well and the Steelers actually had a 6-0 lead before Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler scampered for 30-yards in the fourth quarter for the only score for the Raiders. The seven-point total was the lowest of the season for Oakland.

Pittsburgh lost the AFC Championship to the Miami Dolphins a week later. The Dolphins went on to have the only undefeated season in modern football. Had the Raiders played Miami, the outcome might have been different for the Dolphins.

The New England Patriots would try to recreate the undefeated season with a longer, 16-game schedule in 2007. However, the Patriots would eventually lose to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Since 2007 no team has come close to have an undefeated season, as no team has gone 16-0 into the playoffs.

The Mail Man's Streak Begins

On Dec. 18, 1991, former Utah Jazz great and Hall of Famer, Karl Malone also know as the “Mail Man” started a streak of 575 games scoring in double figures.

His streak would be the third longest in NBA history only behind Michael Jordan (840) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (787).

Malone would go on to finish his career as the second player on the All-Time scoring leader board for the NBA, only behind Abdul-Jabbar.

He would finish his career with 36,928 points in 1,476 games marking an average of 25 points per game.

During his career with the Jazz and Lakers, Malone would earn two MVP awards in 1997 and 1999 with the Jazz; he would be named to 14 NBA All-Star games, where he was named the MVP of the All-Star game twice.

He would also be named an 11-time All-NBA First Team player; two-time All-NBA Second Team player, one time All-NBA Third Team player. He would also earn defensive awards, being named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times from 1997-1999, the NBA All-Defensive Second Team once, and the NBA All-Rookie Team.

In 1996, Malone would be named to the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary All-Time Team.

In 2006, the Utah Jazz would retire Malone’s no. 32 jersey.

Malone would also help the United States to two gold medals in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and 1996 Atlanta Olympics as part of the Dream Team and Dream Team II.

1932 NFL Championship Game

On Dec. 18, 1932, at the end of the 1932 NFL season, the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans finished tied atop the standings.

The Bears were 6-1-6, the Spartans were 6-1-4.

To resolve the tie and crown an NFL champion, a playoff game was staged in Chicago, on Dec. 18, 1932.

At the time, there were no playoff formats as the team with the best record at the end of the season was crowned the best of the year.

A blizzard made playing outdoors at Wrigley Field impossible. The game was moved to Chicago Stadium, an indoor venue that had a smaller field. The field was just 60 yards long and 30 yards wide.

The lone touchdown was a controversial pass play from Bronko Nagurski to Red Grange.

The Bears won the game 9-0. A year later, the first officially scheduled playoff game was held as the NFL entered a new era with postseason play.

Few historical artifacts remain from the impromptu postseason game. One such item is a game program that survived a fire at the offices of the Chicago Bears in the 1960s.

The program cost just 10 cents and was four pages long. The roster of each team was less than 25 players in 1932. The Spartans moved two years later and became the Detroit Lions.

Since the first playoff game 1932 the NFL has had much success building a playoff system that went on to include the AFL in the late 1960’s and after the two leagues merged the Super Bowl was created. The Super Bowl is now one of the most watched television events every year.

Simpson Breaks NFL Record

On Dec. 16, 1973, that Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson became the first man to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. Simpson accomplished the feat in just 14 games as that was the length of the schedule at the time.

Simpson entered the final game of the season against the New York Jets needing 197 yards to reach 2,000 for the season. The Bills were intent on getting Simpson to the milestone as they gave him the ball 34 times. In the end, he would finish the game with an even 200 yards and an amazing 2,003 rushing yards for the season. O.J. was the only running back to reach the 2,000 yard mark while playing just a 14 game schedule.

Since the NFL changed to a 16 game schedule in 1978, six men have joined Simpson in the 2,000 yard club.

In 1984 Los Angeles Rams' Eric Dickerson ran for 2,105 yards which still stands as the NFL record. Detroit Lions' Barry Sanders joined the club in 1997 and the very next year Denver Broncos' Terrell Davis became the fourth member. Baltimore Ravens' Jamal Lewis had the second highest total in NFL history in 2003 with 2,066 yards, and in 2009 Tennessee Titans' Chris Johnson totaled 2,006 rushing yards. Last year Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards, putting himself above Lewis and into sole possession for second most rushing yards in a single season, only behind Dickerson.

Though OJ Simpson is just one of six men to rush for 2,000 yards he is more known for his involvement in the 1994 murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, his wife. In 1995 O.J. was acquitted after a lengthy, internationally publicized criminal trial, the People v. Simpson. In 1997, a civil court awarded a judgment against Simpson for their wrongful deaths; to date he has paid little of the $33.5 million penalty.

Than in the late 2000’s O.J. was back in the headlines, again for something other than football. Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with numerous felonies, including armed robbery and kidnapping, that surrounded his memrobilia. In 2008, he was found guilty and sentenced to thirty three-years’ imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole.

The Mitchell Report

On Dec. 13, 2007, the Mitchell Report was released to the public. 

The infamous report implicated nearly 90 Major League Baseball players that were tied to steroids. 

There were seven former MVP winners mentioned in the report. 

The most notable name was that of Roger Clemens. 

Other big names included Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Miguel Tejada. 

The Mitchell Report helped forced baseball to change rules regarding steroid testing.

Highest Scoring NBA Game Ever

On Dec. 13, 1983, the highest scoring NBA game ever takes place.

In 1983, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Denver Nuggets by a stunning score of 186-184.

The game was tied 145-145 at the end of regulation.

The game went to three overtimes but it is still a remarkable amount of points in one game.

Each team had two players score at least 41 points in the contest.

Kiki Vandeweghe had 51 points for the Nuggets while Isaiah Thomas 47 for the Pistons.

Gretzky Scores 50

On Dec. 12, 1981, Wayne Gretzky makes history with his 50^th goal of the season.

Wayne Gretzky is no stranger to making history. He has done it plenty of times. One example came on this day in 1981 . Gretzky scored his 50^th goal of the season. It was just his 39^th game and that meant he had reached 50 faster than any player before him. He would finish the season with 92 goals.

The 92 goals would be the most Gretzky would score in a single season, although he was close two years later as he scored 87 goals in the 1983-1984 season.

Gretzky would finish his career as the all-time leading scorer in NHL history with 894 goals, 1,963 assists for 2,857 points in the regular season.

Gretzky would also excel in the playoffs, in his 20 seasons in the NHL, Gretzky made the playoffs 16 times with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. He would score 122 goals, 260 assists for 382 points in just 208 playoff games.

Gretzky would also excel in the International format for his home country of Canada. In 63 games split between World Junior Championships, Canada Cup, World Championships, Rendez-vous ’87, the World Cup and the Winter Olympics in 1998, Gretzky would score 34 goals, 69 assists for a total of 103 points in 63 games.

After his playing career was over Gretzky went on to coach the Phoenix Coyotes from 2005-2009. While he was outstanding as a player he was not that as a coach, missing the playoffs every year, posting his best record in 2008 when he coached the team to a 38-37-7 record, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division with 83 points.

Ashe Reaches The Top

On Dec. 12, 1968, Arthur Ashe becomes the first black to be ranked No. 1 in tennis.

But before Ashe was tennis’ No. 1 player, he excelled in college at UCLA.

In 1963, Ashe became the first black player ever selected for the United States Davis Cup team.

In 1965, Ashe won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) singles title and contributed to UCLA's winning the team NCAA tennis championship.

Ashe, an African American, was the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.

In 1968, Ashe won the United States Amateur Championships against Davis Cup Teammate Bob Lutz, and the first US Open of the open era.

He also aided the U.S Davis Cup team to victory. He is the only player to have won both of these amateur and open national championships in the same year.

He won three Grand Slam titles before retiring in 1980, ranking him among the best tennis players from the United States.

Ashe remains the only black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. He is one of only two men of black African ancestry to win any Grand Slam singles title, the other being France's Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983.

Hicks Buys Dallas Stars

On Dec. 11, 1995, Thomas Hicks buys the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League for $84 million.

The Dallas Stars were founded in 1967 as the Minnesota North Stars, however the franchise relocated to Dallas for the 1993–94 NHL season.

The Stars played out of Reunion Arena from their relocation until 2001, when the team moved less than 1.5 miles into the American Airlines Center.

In 2000, Neal Broten was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2009, Brett Hull became the first Dallas Stars player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, followed by Ed Belfour and Joe Nieuwendyk in 2011.

In 2010, brothers Derian and Kevin Hatcher were inducted to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Since Hicks took over as owner of the Stars the team has won seven division titles in Dallas, two President's Trophies as the top regular season team in the NHL, the Western Conference championship twice, and in 1998–99, the Stanley Cup. Joe Nieuwendyk won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs that year.

Ali Steps In Ring For Last Time

On Dec. 11, 1981, Muhammad Ali's fights in his 61^st career fight, losing to Trevor Berbick. It would be his last fight in his professional career.

At the ripe age of 18 Cassius Clay, now known as Muhammad Ali, earned a Gold for the United States in the 1960 Rome Olympics in the Light Heavyweight class.

At the age of 22, Ali won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston.

Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975.

In 1967, three years after Ali had won the heavyweight championship, he was publicly vilified for his refusal to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War.

Ali would go on to become the first and only three-time lineal World Heavyweight Champion.

Nicknamed "The Greatest," Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches.

Notable among these were three with rival Joe Frazier, which are considered among the greatest in boxing history, and one with George Foreman, where he finally regained his stripped titles seven years later. Ali was well known for his unorthodox fighting style, epitomized by his catchphrase "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee", and employing techniques such as the Ali Shuffle and the rope-a-dope.

Ali brought beauty and grace to the most uncompromising of sports and through the wonderful excesses of skill and character, he became the most famous athlete in the world.

He was also known for his pre-match hype, where he would "trash talk" opponents, often with rhymes.

In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.

Ali finished his career with 61 fights, winning 56 times, 37 by knock out, with only five losses. His fastest win came via knockout when he was just 19 years old. On Feb. 7, 1961, then Clay beat Jim Robinson in the first round just 1:34 into the fight.

NFL And AAFC Merge

On Dec. 9, 1949, the NFL merged with the All-American Football Conference. As part of the merger, three AAFC franchises joined the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Colts, and Cleveland Browns joined the NFL. The remaining AAFC franchises folded. Two days later, the Browns beat the 49ers in the final AAFC title game.

The Baltimore Colts ended up disbanding as a team following the 1950 season, but would re-enter into the NFL in 1953. The Colts would win two Super Bowls in their four appearances. With there most notable appearance in Super Bowl III against the New York Jets, when Johnny Unitas quarterback of the Colts lost to “Broadway” Joe Namath.

More recently Peyton Manning led the Colts to a win in Super Bowl XLI (41) as they beat the Chicago Bears, solidifying Manning as one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL and his entrance into the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

The Cleveland Browns still have never been to a Super Bowl, however a team that was built from them the Baltimore Ravens would win Super Bowl XXXV, their only appearance in history up until last season when the Ravens beat the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers have gone on to become one of the elite franchises in NFL history winning Five Super Bowls (and dropping one) ranking them tied for second all-time. They trail only the Steelers, who have six wins, and are tied with the Dallas Cowboys.

Bryant, Jamison Score 50

On Dec. 6, 2000, Antawn Jamison of the Golden State Warriors and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers each score 51 points in the game. It marked only the third time in NBA history that opposing players have scored at least 50 in a game. The previous time that happened was 38 years ago when Wilt Chamberlain scored 63 points and Elgin Baylor scored 50-points as the Bucks and Lakers played.

Jamison also scored 51 points in the game prior to the one he and Bryant both scored over 50.

While Antawn Jamison has gone on to be a NBA journeyman, Kobe Bryant has lit up the record books. Currently he is ranked fourth all-time in the NBA, with 31, 617 points. Bryant joins just four other players to score over 31,000 points in the NBA as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan are above him, and Wilt Chamberlain is behind him.

With Bryant on the comeback trail right now, he could possibly pass Jordan this year to take sole possession of third place in the NBA’s All-Time scoring leader list.

Barry Sets NBA Record

On Dec. 6, 1966, Rick Barry of the then San Francisco Warriors makes an NBA record 14 free throws in one quarter. Barry who used an unconventional style of free throw shooting, the granny shot, is the owner of several NBA records although his free throw percentage record was broken by a later Warrior, Mark Price.

Some of Barry’s records include being the youngest player to score 57 points in a game. He did so at age 21, 261 days. The record still stands today as the most a rookie has ever scored also.

Highest average of steals per game by a forward in a career, with an average of 1.99, 1,104 steals in 554 games.

While holding several playoff records including:

Scoring 30 or more points in all games, any playoff series: In the six game series against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1967 Finals.

Field goal attempts in a six-game series: 235, in the 1967 Finals against the 76ers.

Field goal attempts in a game: 48, on April 18, 1967 in the Finals against the 76ers.

Field goal attempts in a quarter: 17, on April 14, 1967 in the Finals against the 76ers.

Barry also holds a few All-Star game records as well including, most field goal attempts in a game 27, in the 1967 All-Star game, most steals in a game, 8, 1975. Most personal fouls, six, twice, 1966 and 1978.

Red Sox Hire Francona

On Dec. 4, 2003, the Boston Red Sox hire Terry Francona as manager.

Francona played in the Major Leagues for 10 years for the Montreal Expos from 1981-1985, the Chicago Cubs in 1986, the Cincinnati Reds in 1987, the Cleveland Indians in 1988, and the Milwaukee Brewers in 1989-1990.

Francona wasn’t an All-Star caliber player but he did play the game posting a career .274 batting average with 16 home runs and 143 RBI’s in his career.

After his playing career was over Francona began coaching, spending several years in the Chicago White Sox organization. In 1991, he managed the rookie league Sarasota White Sox of the Gulf Coast League. In 1992, he ran the South Bend White Sox of the mid-level Class A Midwest League. As manager of the AA franchise Birmingham Barons from 1993–1995, he posted a 223-203 record and won two distinctions: Southern League Manager of the Year in 1993, Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year in 1993, and top managerial candidate by Baseball America in 1994, the same year Michael Jordan played for Birmingham. Birmingham won the Southern League championship in 1993.

He managed in the Dominican Winter League with the Águilas Cibaeñas, and he also won the championship and the Serie del Caribe in 1994–95. That team included Miguel Tejada, Manny Ramirez, and Tony Batista.

In 1996 he started his Major League coaching career, becoming the third-base coach for the Detroit Tigers, working under their new skipper, Buddy Bell, a former teammate of Francona on the Reds.

fter the season ended, he was hired as manager of the Phillies, who had won the NL pennant in 1993 but then had three consecutive losing seasons.

In Francona's four seasons (1997 through 2000) as the Phillies skipper, the club never rose above third place in the National League East. His best finish with the Phillies was 77–85 in 1999. In 1998 and 1999, the Phillies finished in third place, behind the Atlanta Braves and their division-rival New York Mets.

He was fired following the 2000 campaign, and spent the following season as a special assistant to the general manager with the Cleveland Indians in (2001), which was followed by two one-year terms as a bench coach for the Texas Rangers (2002) and Oakland Athletics (2003).

In 2004, he was finally given the head managerial spot he desired. The Red Sox hired Francona to manage their club in 2004, after Grady Little's contract was not renewed following the Red Sox loss in the 2003 American League Championship Series.

Francona led the Red Sox to a 98–64 record in 2004, the second-best record in the American League behind their biggest nemesis, the New York Yankees. The club jelled in the second half and was the hottest in baseball after the All-Star break.

As the American League wild card, the Red Sox swept the AL West champion Anaheim Angels, three games to none, in the Division Series. In the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Red Sox fell behind the Yankees, three games to none, including a 19–8 loss in Game 3 at home in Fenway Park. However, the club regained its composure and won the last four games of the series, the first time in Major League Baseball history that a team rallied from an 0–3 deficit to win a playoff series (only the third team to even make it as far as Game 6, and the only team to even force a Game 7 after trailing a series three games to zero). The Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals, 4–0, in the 2004 World Series, ending the so-called Curse of the Bambino.

During the 2005 season, Francona was hospitalized after complaining of severe chest pains. Tests revealed significantly clogged arteries, but it was concluded that Francona had not suffered a heart attack. This incident, as well as a life-threatening pulmonary embolism suffered in 2002, ongoing treatment for blood clots, and painful knees, have led to circulation issues which necessitate wearing extra clothes, including two pairs of tights. This is also why his regular uniform top is usually hidden by a pullover.

Two years later, the Sox won the AL East Division, finishing two games ahead of the Yankees. Under Francona's leadership, the Sox swept the Angels in the Division Series before dropping three of the first four games to the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS. The Sox, facing elimination, went on to win their next three games, defeating Cleveland to advance to the 2007 World Series, where they swept the Colorado Rockies in four games. Terry Francona is the only manager in Major League history to win his first eight consecutive World Series games and just the second manager to guide two Red Sox clubs to World Series titles, the other being Bill "Rough" Carrigan who led Boston to back-to-back championships in 1915 and 1916.

As of October 1, 2008, Francona's career regular-season managerial record was 755–703 (.518), while his post-season record was 22–9 (.710). Among managers who have managed at least 20 post-season games, he has the highest winning percentage. Francona is the first manager in MLB history to win his first eight games in the World Series.

Francona was 7–0 in playoff elimination games until Game 5 of the 2005 ALDS, against the Chicago White Sox, when he became 6–1 and 9–0 in ALCS elimination games until Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he became 9–1.

On June 2, 2009, Francona recorded his 500th win as manager of the Red Sox, making him the third manager in club history to have 500 wins. The only other two to win at least 500 games as manager of the Red Sox are Joe Cronin (1,071), and Mike Higgins (560).

On May 6, 2010, Francona became the fourth person to manage 1,000 games for the Red Sox.

On July 23, 2011, Francona got his 1,000th win as a manager. He became only the second manager in Red Sox history (after Joe Cronin) to accomplish this feat. Later that season, he presided over one of the worst collapses in the history of Major League Baseball when the Red Sox went 7-20 for the month of September and squandered a nine-game lead over the Rays for the AL Wild Card spot in the postseason. Following the season, the Red Sox declined to exercise Francona's 2012 option.

Francona was hired as manager of the Cleveland Indians on October 6, 2012, and officially introduced on October 8. Thus returning to the dugout after a one-year hiatus of managing in baseball and doing sports broadcasting duties. The Indians chose Francona over Sandy Alomar Jr., who served as the club's interim manager for the final six games after Manny Acta was fired on Sept. 27.

Francona and Alomar, who spent the past three seasons as a coach in Cleveland, were the only candidates to interview for the Indians' opening.

Alomar stayed in Cleveland under Francona's staff as bench coach.