Sports
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 […]
Baseball great Satchel Paige once said, “Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” These sportsmen and women would agree with that. NEVER TOO YOUNG Kirsten Wilhelm biked across the U.S. in 66 days…at age 9. Thomas Gregory swam across the English Channel…at 11. Marjorie Gestring, a diver […]
Loony laws even make it into the world of golf. Here are some official—but odd—rules of the game. Other than glasses or contact lenses, you’re not allowed to enhance your vision or estimate distance from the hole through the use of binoculars, a range finder, sextant, or global positioning system. The dress code of the […]
Night of the Living Eds In a baseball game in the early 1950s, Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bill Nicholson hit a high pop-up that was destined to come down somewhere near the mound. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bill Werle didn’t want to catch it, so he called for one of his fielders to step in. “Eddie’s […]
Let the winning streaks and championships and longest time without a championship get the headlines. Here are some of the briefest things in pro sports history. Team with the shortest time in the NFL Based in a suburb of Buffalo, New York, the Tonawanda Lumbermen (also known as the Kardex and Lumberjacks) played in the […]
They’ve closed up shop in Rio, and all we’re left with are the memories…and these oddities specific to this year’s Olympics. Swimmers and divers skilled enough to compete in the Olympics are probably the least likely people on Earth to drown in a pool, and yet at the Rio Olympics they were watched over by […]
Every so often a pro athlete is so good at their sport that even though they play by the rules, the league has to change those rules so it’s fair to the other players. In Major League Baseball, 1968 was known as “The Year of the Pitcher.” In the National League, Bob Gibson went 23-9 […]
While the history of the Summer Games is littered with stories of athletes who took performance-enhancing substances and got caught, these are about people who cheated at the Olympics in bizarre ways…and still got caught. Double Trouble Track and field star Madeline de Jesus represented Puerto Rico in the 1984 Summer Olympics. She was scheduled […]
What did children do before there were TVs and computers? These old children’s games are taken from the 1920s book Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium, by Jessie H. Bancroft.
Why is baseball our favorite sport? Because it’s full of oddball stuff like this. Foul Play September 19, 1940: Luke Appling of the White Sox was batting against Red Ruffing of the Yankees with two men on base. Appling fouled off the first pitch. Then he fouled off the second, third, and fourth pitches before […]
Hundreds of the best athletes in the world have convened in Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Here are some of the most interesting ones. Etimoni Timuani is a 100-meter runner from Tuvalu (as well as a former professional soccer player) is the Olympic delegation from Tuvalu—he’s the only representative of the tiny Island nation. […]
It was traditional for ancient Greek Olympic athletes to compete naked. Women weren’t invited as competitors or spectators. An Olympic torch weighs 3 1/2 pounds, a little more than four cans of beer. It’s made of wood, aluminum, and gold-plated brass, with a tank hidden in the base that holds 40 minutes’ worth of propane. […]
Every two years, we’re treated to another round of Olympics. Whether you watch them or not, it’s impossible to avoid all the hype—which, it turns out, isn’t all true. Next time someone refers to “Olympic tradition,” read them this.
There are dozens of Olympic events, but there’s only so much time and space. Here are some sports that were once, but are no longer, part of the Olympic games. Skijoring What is skijoring, exactly? It’s a combination of equestrian, dog sledding, and skiing. Human athletes strap on skis, and let horses pull them through […]
Why are so many sports movies set in Michigan? Uncle John’s not sure, but he likes them. PAPER LION (1968) Could writer George Plimpton hack it as a football player with the Detroit Lions? He tried it once, for a story he was writing. This film is based on his experience at the Lions’ training […]
