Y.E. Yang Beats Tiger Woods For PGA Championship

On August 16, 2009, Y.E. Yang beats Tiger Woods out for the PGA Championship.

In one of the most stunning upsets in all of golf, Y.E. Yang -- the 110th ranked player in the world -- defeats Tiger Woods, ranked No. 1, to win the PGA Championship. The 37 year-old Yang was paired with Woods in the final round and began the day two strokes behind, but he made up ground thanks to several gutsy shots down the stretch. Woods struggled with the putter all day and finished with a three-over 75. The highlight of the final round came on the 14th hole, when Yang chipped in a 15-footer from the fringe that give him a one-stroke lead.

Going into the final hole, Woods was still trailing by a single stroke. Yang left nothing to chance and placed the ball squarely on the green, while Tiger's sailed into the rough. Woods missed his chip shot that could have tied it if Yang missed, but it didn't matter. Yang sunk his birdie shot anyway, giving him an unprecedented victory.

It was the first time that an Asian-born player won a major tournament. Yang had only started playing golf when he was 19 and had to wait to get out of the South Korean military to play it professionally. He had only just begun playing inside the United States and had won just a single event prior to the PGA Championship. Yang, whose initials stood for Yong-eun, received a congratulatory phone call from Lee Myung-bak, the president of South Korea, who was watching it live in the wee hours of the morning.

But the bigger story was with the man Yang defeated. Tiger Woods, who had been leading the tournament since day one, rarely lost on the final day when he was in the mix and had never lost when he was leading a major after three rounds (14 for 14). He had won 47 of 50 tournaments when he had a share of the 54-hole lead, including his last 36. He was Tiger Woods, the undisputed best, clutchest, most dominant golfer in history. And although he was having -- by his standards -- a rough season in his first year back from knee surgery, he had only solidified his status as the best golfer in the world by winning back-to-back golf tournaments two weeks before.

"I made absolutely nothing," said Woods, who spent much of the final round cursing himself under his breath. "I had a terrible day on the greens... I hit the ball great off the tee, hit my irons well. I did everything I needed to do except get the ball in the hole."

Michael Phelps Ties Mark Spitz Olympic Record Medal Count

On August 16, 2008, U.S. Olympics Michael Phelps ties Mark Spitz Olympic record medal count in remarkable fashion.

Without a doubt, the biggest storyline of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was that of American swimmer Michael Phelps, who was vying to win a record eight gold medals. At the previous Olympics, he had finished with six gold and two bronze, and now that he had perfected his training regiment and was a little bit older, experts believed it was his year. His expectations were not modest, as anything but a perfect eight-for-eight would be deemed a failure.

In his seventh event, Phelps competed in the 100-meter butterfly. If he won, he would tie fellow American Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics in 1972. 50 meters into the race, Phelps' quest for perfection was in enormous trouble, as he was in seventh place as they swam to the finish. But Phelps made up an enormous deficit and was neck-and-neck with Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic as they neared the finish.

With just a few feet to go, Cavic was clearly ahead of Phelps; but he tried to glide to the wall, while Phelps made the crucial decision to attempt a half-stroke. Phelps' maneuver worked and allowed him to close the gap. 

In an unbelievably close finish, both men placed their hands on the wall sensor at almost exactly the same time. 

When both men emerged from the water, they stared at the scoreboard in anticipation, as neither knew who would come away with the gold. The results finally emerged, and the Americans in the crowd cheered ecstatically: Phelps, with a record time of 50.58 seconds, had beaten Cavic by 0.01 seconds.

''I'm really at a loss for words,'' he told reporters. ''I'm excited. I just don't know what to say.''

Serbian swimming officials immediately filed a protest, but they dropped their appeal after seeing the footage of the race. The race was so close that even still pictures of it appeared inconclusive. 

But Olympic officials looked over the material and confirmed that after several reviews, Phelps had indeed won the race.

Cavic described the loss as "devastating," but he tried to assure that he was satisfied in defeat. ''I'm stoked with what happened," he said.

"I'm very, very happy. I don't want to fight this. It is a gold medal at stake. It's a difficult thing to lose, but you have to understand I came into this competition with the goal to win a bronze medal. I went my best time and did better than bronze. I got silver and almost got gold.''

The next day, Phelps completed his mission by winning his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics -- an amazing feat considering that in his second-to-last event, he was just a few hundredths of a second from losing.

United States Wins FIFA Women's World Cup

On July 10, 1999, in front of a Rose Bowl crowd of 90,185, one of the greatest moments in female athletics occurs, as the United States women's soccer team beats China to win the FIFA Women's World Cup. The score was tied at zero at the end of regulation, but on penalty kicks, the U.S. won 5-4. The game-winning kick, and one of the most replayed highlights in history, came from America's Brandi Chastain, who launched the soccer ball just right of Chinese goalie Gao Hong.

As the American crowd erupted, as the United States team raced onto the field in celebration, Chastain whipped off her shirt and twirled it in the air, revealing a black Nike sports bra. The image of Chastain's celebration would grace the cover of Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Newsweek.

It was a phenomenal moment in women's sports. Soccer was said to be irrelevant in America, and women's team sports had been nothing but obscure. But here was a case where a combination of the two had somehow worked.

The crowd of 90,185 was the largest for a women's sporting event ever, while an additional 40 million people watched the World Cup Final on ABC, the largest TV audience ever for a soccer game in America. The team was so huge that even president Bill Clinton was on hand for the final match. The men's soccer team, which had never even come close to winning the World Cup, couldn't approach that if they tried. The women were undeniably better than the men.

Just two years later, the Women's United Soccer Association, the world's first female professional soccer league, played its first game. The league was founded in an attempt to capitalize on the success of the U.S. women's te

am; some believed that the championship game proved that an all-women soccer league could be legitimized in this country. However, even though the league featured many of that team's players, such as Mia Hamm, Briana Scurry, and Chastain, the WUSA failed to reach its expectations. The league incurred zero mainstream attention, and in 2003, the league was forced to fold after accumulating close to $100 million in losses.

Pete Sampras Wins Wimbledon

On July 9, 2000, tennis player Pete Sampras wins his thirteenth Grand Slam tennis title at Wimbledon.

Sampras debuted on the professional tour in 1988 and played his last top-level tournament in 2002 when he won the US Open, defeating rival Andre Agassi in the final.

He was the year-end World No. 1 for six consecutive years (1993–1998), a record for the Open Era.

His seven Wimbledon singles championships is an Open Era record shared with Roger Federer, while Sampras' five US Open singles titles is an Open Era record shared with both Federer and former World No. 1 player Jimmy Connors.

Sampras is the last American male to win Wimbledon (2000) and the ATP World Tour Finals (1999).

Over his 15-year career Sampras totaled 762 wins and 222 losses for a 77.43 winning percentage, with 64 career titles. His highest ranking came at No. 1 on April 12, 1993.

In the Grand Slam, Sampras was the Australian Open in 1994 and 1997, Wimbledon seven times including four consecutive times from 1997-2000. He was on the US Open five times including back-to-back wins in 1995 and 1996.

Sampras also won the Tour Finals five times, including back-to-back wins in 1996-1997.

The best Sampras ever finished in singles at the French Open was in the semi-finals in 1996. He also made it to the third round of competition in the 1992 Olympic games.

In Doubles Sampras was not as impressive but still won two career titles, with 64 wins and 70 losses. His highest ranking as a duo came in 1990 when he and Jim Courier reached No. 27 overall on February 12, 1990.

The two titles Sampras won in doubles competition both came at the Davis Cup in 1992 and 1995, but he was never able to pair that success in the Grand Slam only making it to the first round in the US Open from 1988-1990, the second round of the Australian Open and French Open in 1989 and the third round of Wimbledon in 1989.

Since his retirement Sampras has played in many matches, with his first coming on April 6, 2006, three and a half years after his retirement. Sampras resurfaced in River Oaks, Houston, Texas, against 23-year-old Robby Ginepri. Ginepri won the match in two sets. Sampras later announced that he would be playing in World Team Tennis events.

The year 2007 saw Sampras become a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It also saw Sampras announce that he would play in a few events on the Outback Champions Series, a group of tournaments for former ATP players who have met certain criteria during their careers. Sampras won his first two events on tour, defeating Todd Martin in both finals.

On November 20, 2007, Sampras lost the first of three exhibition matches in Asia against Roger Federer in Seoul, Korea. Two days later in Kuala Lumpur, Sampras again lost to Federer in two tiebreaks. However, Sampras was able to win the last match of the series, winning in two sets on fast carpet.

On February 18, 2008, in an exhibition match during the SAP Open at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Sampras defeated another active player, former world No. 2 Tommy Haas. Sampras dispatched the German in 43-minutes.

On March 10, 2008, Sampras played another exhibition match against world No. 1 Roger Federer at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Sampras once again lost the match in three tight sets.

In 2009 Sampras won two Outback Champions Series titles. He defeated McEnroe in the final of the Champions Cup Boston in February and Patrick Rafter in the final of The Del Mar Development Champions Cup in March.

In 2010 with Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal, he played an exhibition doubles match at Indian Wells to raise money for the people of Haiti who had been affected by the earthquake.

On November 17, 2011, Sampras played and lost an exhibition match against Milos Raonic. This was the last match that Sampras had played in.

For his career Sampras still ranks as the fourth highest money winner in tennis history, with a total of $43,280,489 of prize money won.

St. Louis Cardinals' Stan Musial Breaks National League Hit Record

On May 19, 1962, St. Louis Cardinals great and Hall of Famer Stan Musial breaks Honus Wagner's National League hit record with hit number 3,431.

Stan "The Man" Musial in the 1966 season.

Musial would finish his career with a .331 batting average with 3,630 hits, 475 home runs and 1,951 RBIs in 22 MLB seasons. One amazing feat that Musial accomplished was that he had just as many hits at-home as he did on the road, with 1,815 at home, and 1,815 on the road.

Musial played all 22 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and was named an All-Star 24 times, including twice in 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1962 when the All-Star game was played twice, at the beginning of the season and at the traditional time half way through the season.

Musial was a three time World Series Champion with the Cardinals, 1942, 1944 and 1946. Musial missed out on the entire 1945 season after serving with the United States Navy.

Musial was also a three time National League MVP, winning the award in 1943, in 1946 he won the MVP after returning from Naval Duty and in 1948, when he won the MVP he finished just one home run shy of winning baseball's Triple Crown.

He was also a seven-time National League batting champion, including three consecutive years from 1950-1952.

In 1957 Musial received the Lou Gherig Memorial Award, which is given to the player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on the field and off it.

The St. Louis Cardinals retired Musial’s number six-jersey in 1963, after his retirement.

At the time of his retirement, Musial held or shared 17 major league records, 29 National League records, and 9 All-Star Game records.

In addition to overseeing businesses, such as a restaurant both before and after his playing career, Musial served as the Cardinals' general manager in 1967, winning the pennant and World Series, then quitting that position.

On August 4, 1968, a statue of Musial was erected outside of Busch Memorial Stadium on the northeast grounds of the St. Louis stadium.

The statue was moved from its original location to the west side of the new Busch Stadium for its first season in 2006, where it became a popular meeting place for generations of Cardinals fans.

Musial's statue is inscribed with a quote attributed to former baseball commissioner Ford Frick: "Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight."

Stan Musial at Busch Stadium in St. Louis for Stan Musial Day in 2010.

He was elected the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 with 93.2 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he appeared.

Musial was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

 In 2007, Musial received the Navy Memorial’s Lone Sailor Award, which honors Navy veterans who’ve excelled in civilian life.

In February 2011 President Barack Obama presented Musial with Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a civilian in the United States.

Tiger Woods Wins At August; 2005 Masters

 On April 10, 2005, Tiger Woods, with three holes left in the Masters and a one-shot lead over Chris DiMarco, makes history.

On hole 16, a par-three, DiMarco was looking at a solid chance for a birdie, while Woods had an impossible 30-foot putt on the fringe of the green. With Woods going first. DiMarco had a phenomenal shot at coming away with a share of the lead.

Tiger Woods after sinking what is considered his best putt on the 16th hole at Augusta in the 2005 Masters.

But in one of the vintage putts of his career, Woods' slow-rolling chip slowly curved its way near the hole, stopping on a dime an inch from the cup before dropping in, and the crowd on hand went absolutely bezerk. "Under the circumstances, it's one of the best shots I've ever hit, because it's the turning point," Woods said. "If Chris makes the putt, I make bogey, all of a sudden it's a different ballgame. ... It looked pretty good, then really good, then how could it not go in, then it went in," said Woods in a press conference after the Masters.

After Woods' make, DiMarco missed his birdie opportunity, leaving Woods with a two-stroke lead with two holes to go.

Tiger Woods with his 2005 Masters Trophy from August National.

But Tiger bogeyed on 17 and 18, leaving the door open for DiMarco, who paned holes to force a playoff.

In the sudden-death playoff, Woods' sunk a 15-foot birdie attempt on the first hole, ending the tournament in dramatic fashion and giving Woods' his first major since 2002. Afterward, Woods was given the coveted green jacket by Phil Mickelson, his rival, who had won the tournament the year before.

Besides the putt on 16 which is considered Woods' best putt, winning the Masters was notable for Woods, as he has ended his highly-publicized slump. One in which Woods had gone 10 straight majors without a win.

Freddy Adu Becomes Youngest Professional Athlete

On April 3, 2004, Freddy Adu becomes the youngest player in American Professional Sports in over a century, at 14 years old.

Freddy Adu as a member of the United States Men's National Team.

Adu started his career playing for D.C. United, making 87 appearances from 2004 through 2006. In 2007 he was traded to Real Salt Lake, where he made 11 appearances in 2007.

Halfway through the season with Real Salt Lake, Adu opted out of playing for Real, before a regular-season match, and later that day boarded a plane for Portugal to negotiate with Benfica.

Only July 30, Benfica issued a statement announcing that Adu had been transferred to their club. On Aug. 14, 2007, Adu made his debut with Benfica against Copenhagen in a UEFA League Qualifying match.

In 2011, Adu returned to Major League Soccer, signing with the Philadelphia Union, reuniting him with former D.C. Unites and US national U23 coach Piotr Nowak. Adu’s debut for the Union came on Aug. 13, against FC Dallas.

Adu, who was highly touted as a young professional played on the U17 United States National soccer team from 2002-2003, the U20 US National team from 2003-2009, and currently plays on the US U23 team and for the United States National Men’s team.

Wayne Gretzky Sets NHL Record

On March 23, 1994, NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky scored his record-breaking 802nd career NHL goal.  Gretzky surpassed his childhood hero Gordie Howe, whose record stood for almost 15 years.

The iconic photo from Wayne Gretzky's 802nd goal.

In the second period of a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Gretzky received a cross-ice feed from Marty McSorley and buried it into a yawning cage for the record-breaking goal.  “The Great One” would record an additional 92 goals in his career, finishing with a total of 894 regular season goals.  At the time of his retirement many considered this record to be untouchable.

Gretzky’s 20-year NHL career between the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers would see him play in 1,487 regular season games, scoring 894 goals, 1,963 assists for 2,857 points. He would score 204 power play goals, and 73 shootout goals, 91 of those were game winning goals.

Wayne Gretzky on the Los Angeles Kings in 1994.

Gretzky would make the playoffs in all but four seasons, as he played in 208 games, scoring 122 goals, 260 assists for 382 points.

Gretzky would be a star in International play as well, earning three Gold medals (1984, 1987, 1991) and one Silver (1981) in Canada Cup play. He would earn a Bronze in both 1978 World Junior Championship and the 1982 World Championships, as well Silver in the 1996 World Cup. Gretzky would also play for team Canada in the 1998 Winter Olympics, but would not medal.

Gretzky would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 22, 1999, becoming the tenth player to bypass the three-year waiting period. The Hall of Fame announced he would be the last player to do so. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000.

In addition, Gretzky's jersey number 99 was retired league-wide at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game. Gretzky's jersey number 99 is only the second number ever to be retired league-wide by a major North American sports league, the other being Jackie Robinson's number 42, which was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997.

After his playing career ended Gretzky would go on to coach in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes. He would coach them for four years, never making the playoffs and only once posting more wins than losses in regulation, 2007-2008 season the Coyotes were 38-37-7.

President Carter Announces United States To Boycot Moscow Olympics

On March 21, 1980, the President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia.

 

Led by the United States, 65 countries boycotted the games because of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, though some athletes from some of the boycotting countries participated in the games, under the Olympic Flag.

This prompted the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics that were held in Los Angeles, Calif.

Some of the later events of the games were also nearly marred by the death and unauthorized mass funeral of the immensely popular and beloved singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky.

Although approximately half of the 24 countries that boycotted the 1976 Summer Olympics (in protest of apartheid in South Africa) participated in these games, the 1980 Summer Olympics were disrupted by another, even larger, boycott led by the United States in protest of the 1979 Soviet war in Afghanistan. Many of the boycotting nations participated instead in the Liberty Bell Classic (also known as the "Olympic Boycott Games") in Philadelphia.

Eighty nations participated – the smallest number since 1956. However, the nations that did compete had won 71% of the medals, including 71% of the gold medals, at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Of the 80 nations represented at the Moscow Games, six nations made their first Olympic appearance in 1980: Angola, Botswana, Jordan, Laos, Mozambique, and Seychelles. Cyprus made its debut at the Summer Olympics, but had appeared earlier at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Sri Lanka competed for the first time under its new name (previously as Ceylon), Benin had competed previously as Dahomey and Zimbabwe competed for the first time under that name (previously as Rhodesia).

As a form of protest against the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, 15 countries marched in the Opening Ceremony with the Olympic Flag instead of with their national flags, and the Olympic Flag and Olympic Hymn were used at Medal Ceremonies when athletes from these countries won medals. Competitors from three countries New Zealand, Portugal and Spain; competed under the flag of their respective National Olympic Committees. Some of the teams who marched under other than their national flags were depleted by boycotts by individual athletes, and others did not march.

The Soviet Union took home the most medals with 195 total medals, including the most Gold medals of any country with 80. They also won 69 Silver medals and 46 Bronze medals.

The East Germans took home the second most medals with 126, including 47 Gold medals, 37 Silver medals and 42 Bronze medals.

The Bulgarians took home the third most medals with 41, including eight Gold medals, 16 Silver medals and 17 Bronze medals.

Tonya Harding Pleads Guilt On Attack Of Nancy Kerrigan

On March 16, 1994 Olympic Figure skater Tonya Harding pleads guilty to a felony attack on Nancy Kerrigan. The attack occurred just before the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.

Kerrigan was an American figure skating champion, a two-time Olympian, and a two-time Skate America Champion.

Nancy Kerrigan in 1993.

In 1991 she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships. She was the second woman, and the first American woman, to complete a triple axel jump in competition. She was also the first woman to successfully execute two triple axels in a single competition as well the first ever to complete a triple axel combination with the double toe loop.

Harding became notorious in conjunction with the January 6, 1994 attack on her competitor Nancy Kerrigan. The widely publicized attack took place during a practice session for the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and her bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt, hired Shane Stant to break Kerrigan's right leg so that she would be unable to skate.

Tonya Harding in 1993.

He followed her to Detroit after failing to find her at her training rink in Massachusetts, and struck her on the thigh a few inches above the knee with an asp baton. Her leg was only bruised, not broken, but the injury forced her to withdraw from the national championship. Harding won that event, and they both were selected for the 1994 Olympic team.

After Harding admitted to helping to cover up the attack, the USFSA and United States Olympic Committee initiated proceedings to remove her from the Olympic team, but she retained her place after threatening legal action. She finished eighth in Lillehammer, while Kerrigan, by then fully recovered from the injury, won the silver medal.

The attack on Kerrigan and the news of Harding's alleged involvement led to a media frenzy of saturation news coverage. She appeared on the cover of both Time and Newsweek magazines in January 1994. Reporters and TV news crews attended her practices in Portland and camped out in front of Kerrigan's home. CBS assigned Connie Chung to follow her every move in Lillehammer. Counting 400 members of the press jammed into the practice rink in Norway, Scott Hamilton complained, "The world press was turning the Olympics into just another sensational tabloid event". The tape-delayed broadcast of the short program at the Olympics remains one of the most watched telecasts in American history.

On Feb. 1, 1994, Gillooly accepted a plea bargain in exchange for his testimony against Harding. Gillooly, Stant, Eckhardt, and getaway car driver Derrick Smith all served time in prison for the attack. Eckhardt was sentenced to 18 months in prison for racketeering but was released four months early in September 1995.

Harding avoided further prosecution and a possible jail sentence by pleading guilty on March 16 to conspiring to hinder prosecution of the attackers. She received three years probation, 500 hours of community service and a $160,000 fine. As part of the plea bargain, she was also forced to withdraw from the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships and resign from the USFSA. On June 30, 1994, after conducting its own investigation of the attack, the USFSA stripped her of her 1994 U.S. Championships title and banned her for life from participating in USFSA-run events as either a skater or a coach.

The USFSA concluded that she knew about the attack before it happened and displayed "a clear disregard for fairness, good sportsmanship and ethical behavior". Although the USFSA has no control over professional skating events, she was also persona non grata on the pro circuit because few skaters and promoters would work with her. Consequently, she failed to benefit from the pro skating boom that ensued in the aftermath of the scandal.

Harding continued to maintain that she was innocent and professed her disgust with the attack, even going so far as to get an angel tattooed on her lower back, allegedly as a symbol of her innocence.

In her 2008 autobiography, The Tonya Tapes, she said that she wanted to call the FBI to reveal what she knew, but refused when Gillooly allegedly threatened her with death following a gunpoint gang rape by him and two other men she did not know. He subsequently changed his name to Jeff Stone and called the allegations "utterly ridiculous". Eckhardt, who legally changed his name to Brian Sean Griffith following his release from jail, died of natural causes at age 40 on Dec. 12, 2007.

After her figure skating career Harding got into boxing and had a record of 3-3. She also dabbled in auto racing and set a land speed record. On August 12, 2009, Harding set a new land speed record for a vintage gas coupe with a speed of 97.177 mph driving a 1931 Ford Model A, named Lickity - Split, on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Ali And Frazier's "The Fight Of The Century"

On March, 8, 1971, “The Fight Of The Century” takes place between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

 

Joe Frazier (left) and Muhammad Ali (right) posing for picture before their 1971 fight.

Frazier, defeated Ali to retain his Heavyweight boxing belt. The fight went to the score cards after 15 rounds of boxing, and Frazier was unanimously declared the winner.

Muhammad Ali (right) giving a good blow to Joe Frazier (left) in their 1971 fight.

The fight between Ali and Frazier was the first fight in heavyweight boxing history to have both fighter enter the ring as undefeated and as champions.

Joe Frazier (left) landing one of the bigger hits in the 1971 fight against Muhammad Ali (right).

Ali did not lose his belt in the ring though. His belt was stripped went he refused to fight for his country in the armed forces.

This was the first of three epic fights between Ali and Frazier.

World Baseball Classic Debuts

On March, 3, 2006, that the inaugural World Baseball Classic held its first ever games.  Two games were played on that day with South Korea beating Chinese Taipei 2-0 and Japan hammering China 18-2.  Both games were played in the Tokyo Dome.

The tournament featured teams from all over the world playing in venues all across the globe.  All continents of the world were represented at this competition except for Antarctica, and games were held in North America, Asia and Central America.  Japan would capture the first World Baseball Classic by beating Cuba 10-6 in the Championship game.  Daisuke Matsuzaka, the starting pitcher for the Japanese team, was named the tournament’s MVP.

Although interest and attendance was not as high as tournament directors had hoped, the inaugural World Baseball Classic was still deemed a success. A second Classic was held in 2009 and a third tournament was held in 2013 with the finals being played at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Winter Olympics Close At Squaw Valley

On Feb. 28, 1960, the eighth winter Olympic games close at Squaw Valley in Tahoe, Calif.

The Olympic Rings are still proudly on display at Squaw Valley ski resort in Tahoe, Calif.

Over 660 athletes from 30 nations participated at the Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, in 27 events in four sports.

The Soviet Union took home the most medals with 21, and the most Gold medals with seven. They also earned five Silver medals and nine Bronze medals.

The United States finished second in total medal count with 10, with three Gold medals, three Silver medals and four Bronze medals.

The Germans finished tied for the third most medaling country with Finland, but had the second most Gold medals behind the Soviet Union as the Germans took home four Gold medals. The Germans would also earn three Silver medals and one Bronze medal.

Finland also earned eight medals, including two Gold medals, three Silver medals and three Bronze medals.

The 1960 Winter Olympics were special because for the first time women were allowed to compete in speed skating. The Soviet Union had requested the inclusion of women's speed skating events in the program for the 1956 Games, but the IOC rejected the request.

The issue was revisited for the 1960 Games, and since women had been competing internationally since 1936 and there was a World Championship for women's speed skating, the IOC agreed to four events; 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 3,000 meters.

The events were held on the Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink, which was an outdoor skating oval, and featured artificial ice, a first for the Olympic speed skating competition. Given the altitude and the artificial ice, the rink was the fastest in the world, as evidenced by Norwegian Knut Johannesen’s world record in the 10,000-meter event. At 15:46.6 he was the first skater ever to break the 16-minute barrier, and eclipsed the previous world record by 46 seconds.

Despite Johannesen's victory, the Soviets dominated the speed skating events, winning all but two of the races. Yevgeny Grishin won both the 500 and 1,500-meter races, though he shared the 1,500 meter gold medal with Norwegian Roald Aas.

Lidiya Skoblikova from the Soviet Union was the other double gold medalist, when she won the 1,500 and 3,000-meter events. Polish skaters Helena Pilejczyk and Elwira Seroczyńska placed second and third in the 1,500-meter event, earning Poland's only medals of the Games and becoming just the second and third Poles ever to win Winter Olympic medals.

The ice hockey tournament took place at Blyth Arena and the Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink. Controversy over the amateur status of some of the players overshadowed the event. Canadian Olympic officials began to protest the use of "professional amateurs" by Eastern Bloc countries, and especially the Soviet Union.

They alleged that the Soviets were giving their elite hockey players phantom jobs in the military that allowed them to play hockey full-time, which gave Soviet teams an advantage that they used to dominate Olympic hockey tournaments for nearly 30 years.

This issue started coming to light during the 1960 Games and would culminate in a Canadian boycott of Olympic hockey tournament at the 1972 Winter Olympics. The team from the United States won an improbable gold medal, defeating the favored Canadian and Soviet teams, who took silver and bronze respectively.

This was the first Olympic gold medal in ice hockey for the United States and it would mark the last time a Soviet team would not win the Olympic tournament until the United States victory at the 1980 Winter Olympics.