Sports
Is there anything more “old timey” than old timey baseball from the early days of baseball? Yes—old timey baseball’s players’ colorful (by which we mean weird, crude, and mean) nicknames. Dummy In the early 20th century, “dumb” was a word that meant “physically unable to speak.” Power hitter William Hoy was left with profound hearing […]
The phrase “their season ended early” refers to when a sports team gets knocked out of the playoffs. Lasting to the playoffs is way better than these teams did. American Professional Football Association Before it was called the NFL, the major pro football league was the American Professional Football Association, which began play in 1920. […]
Many NASCAR, Formula One, and IndyCar drivers put themselves through some very peculiar rituals, in the belief that if they don’t, bad luck will curse them to lose their race…or worse. For the first segment in the story, read Race-Day Superstitions. Austrian Formula One driver Alex Wurz always raced in mismatched shoes. Dale Earnhardt left every […]
Each December, the Downtown Athletic Club awards the Heisman Trophy to the year’s top college football player. Many have gone on to huge success in the NFL, such as Cam Newton, Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson, Marcus Allen, and, uh, O.J. Simpson. Some of the other 80-odd guys to win the prize have taken a different […]
To Uncle John, the idea of running 26.2 all at once is quite absurd in and of itself. But there are some marathons out there that are truly running away from normal as fast as they can. The Great Wall Marathon Seeing the Great Wall of China is on many people’s “bucket list” of the […]
In 2016, Fox debuted a show called Pitch, a drama about the first female Major League Baseball player. It’s really not so far-fetched.
Two of the most famous curses in sports history are no more: The Boston Red Sox finally won a World Series in 2004, and the Chicago Cubs followed suit in 2016. That got us thinking: Are there any similar curses in pro football? The Curse of Bobby Layne Through the end of the 2015-16 NFL […]
It’s as much of a Thanksgiving tradition as eating too much. Here’s a look at why Turkey Day ALWAYS includes an NFL game featuring the Detroit Lions…and another one featuring the Dallas Cowboys. This Thanksgiving, millions will gather around their TV screens to watch the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings. Then, the Dallas Cowboys will […]
Teddy Roosevelt: President, soldier namesake of the Teddy bear…and architect of modern football. In 1905, football was even more rough and violent than it is today. Between 1900 and 1905, 45 people actually died from injuries sustained while being kicked, punched, or tackled while playing the sport—primarily internal injuries, broken necks, and severe concussions. (Football […]
Here’s how surfers do it, dude. Catch a Wave When a surfer rides a wave toward shore, it may look as though the board and rider are being propelled by the rushing water. But they’re not. In fact, the act of surfing is more like riding a skateboard down a hill. The difference is that […]
After more than a century of being “cursed,” the Chicago Cubs won the World Series over Cleveland. Who could have ever seen in coming? Only a few people. Parks and Recreation In 2014, the long-running NBC sitcom “flashed forward” to the year 2017. In one episode, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) goes to Chicago to try […]
“The Curse” has been broken! The Chicago Cubs are in the World Series for the first time since 1945. Here’s a comparison between now and then. Embed from Getty Images Today there are 30 team in all of Major League Baseball. In 1945, there were only 16. As far as the other major team sports […]
Ever since the trampoline-jumping, basketball-dunking Phoenix Suns Gorilla burst onto the scene in 1980, teams have wanted their mascots to be bigger, faster, stronger…but sometimes it comes with a price. This article was first published in Uncle John’s Uncanny Bathroom Reader. Rocky the Mountain Lion In 2013, the Denver Nuggets’ mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion, […]
Many NASCAR, Formula One, and IndyCar drivers put themselves through some very peculiar rituals, in the belief that if they don’t, bad luck will curse them to lose their race…or worse. This article was first published in our 29th annual edition, Uncle John’s Uncanny Bathroom Reader. Don’t Drive a Green Car Just a few months […]
In 1994, a players’ strike ended the Major League Baseball season in August. A third of the regular-season games were canceled, depriving some players of a chance to make baseball history with these records. This article was first posted in our 29th annual edition, Uncle John’s Uncanny Bathroom Reader. First .400 Hitter in 50 Years […]
The three things that the Chicago Cubs are most famous for: the ivy-covered wall of Wrigley Field, longtime play-by-play man Harry Carey, and the supposed “curse” that has kept them from winning a World Series in more than 100 years. The Chicago Cubs are in the Major League Baseball playoffs, having won first place in […]
When a player signs or is traded to a new team, his favorite number—possibly the one he’s been wearing since childhood—isn’t always available. Unless he’s a respected veteran and the number he wants belongs to a rookie, it’s very common for a trade or purchase to occur. This was first published in our 29th annual […]
Memphis is one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the U.S. to not have a team in the NFL. But it’s not for a lack of trying. Here’s a brief history of how pro football just never seems to come (or stick around) to the football-loving Tennessee city. In 1974, the NFL announced its first […]
