Today In Sports History 4/12

Our past has shaped present by many things in history including sports, here is how sports marked our history.

Baseball

1877 – Catcher’s mask first used in a baseball game.
1909 – Philadelphia’s Shibe Park for baseball opens.
1931 – Joe McCarthy debuts as New York Yankees’ manager.
1955 – First Major League Baseball game in Kansas City; Kansas City Athletics beat Detroit Tigers, 6-2.
1960 – Bill Veeck and Chicago Comiskey Park debut the “Exploding Scoreboard”.
1961 – Douglas MacArthur declines offer to become baseball commissioner.
1965 – First National League game at Houston’s Astrodome (Philadelphia Phillies beat Houston Astros 2-0).
1966 – Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium opens; Pittsburgh Pirates beat Atlanta Braves 3-2.
1970 – New York Yankees dedicate plaques to Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio.
1972 – The Players’ Association and owners agree to terms ending the first players strike in baseball history.
1980 – Milwaukee Brewers beats Boston Red Sox, 18-1 (Cooper and Money hit grand slams).
1988 – Frank Robinson replaces Cal Ripkin as manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
1992 – Matt Young no-hits Cleveland Indians, but loses 2-1.
1992 – New York Mets lose first three home games for first time since 1962.
2004 – Barry Bonds hit his 660th career homerun, tying his godfather, Willie Mays for third on the all-time homerun list. The 72-year old Mays greets Bonds at home plate with an $18,000 torch studded with diamonds forming the numbers 660, 25 (Barry’s number), and 1, the number to needed move ahead.

Basketball

1954 – 8th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat Syracuse Nationals, 4 games to 3.
1958 – 12th NBA Championship: Saint Louis Hawks beat Boston Celtics, 4 games to 2.
1992 – Second lowest NBA scoring game – Detroit Pistons 72, New York Knicks 61.
2007 – In the USA, Don Imus is fired by CBS for making controversial comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

Football

Golf

1942 – 9th Golf Masters Championship: Byron Nelson wins, shooting a 280.
1952 – Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Houston Weathervane Golf Tournament.
1953 – 17th Golf Masters Championship: Ben Hogan wins, shooting a 274.
1954 – 18th Golf Masters Championship: Sam Snead beats Ben Hogan to win his third Masters tournament, shooting a 289.
1959 – Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open.
1964 – 28th Golf Masters Championship: Arnold Palmer wins, shooting a 276.
1964 – Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Baton Rouge Ladies’ Golf Open Invitational.
1981 – 45th Golf Masters Championship: Tom Watson wins, shooting a 280.
1981 – Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA American Defender/WRAL Golf Classic.
1987 – 51st Golf Masters Championship: Larry Mize wins, shooting a 285.
1987 – Ayako Okamoto wins LPGA Kyocera Inamori Golf Classic.
1992 – 53rd PGA Seniors Golf Championship: Lee Trevino wins.
1992 – 56th Golf Masters Championship; Fred Couples wins, shooting a 275.
1998 – 62nd Golf Masters Championship: Mark O’Meara wins.
2009 – Angel Cabrera becomes the first Argentine to win the Augusta National Masters golf tournament.

Hockey

1938 – NHL Stanley Cup: Chicago Blackhawks beat Toronto Maple Leafs, three games to one.
1941 – NHL Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins sweep Detroit Red Wings in four games.
1988 – New Jersey Devils 4-2 over New York Islanders-Devils lead 3-2 in first round.
2009 – Women’s world hockey championships in Hameenlinna, Finland won by United States defeating Canada 4-1.

Olympics

1980 – US Olympic Committee endorses a boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympic games.

Tennis

1986 – 16-year-old Steffi Graf wins her first professional tennis tournament. (Hilton Head).

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