This Day in Sports History

1958 - Racing jockey Eddie Arcaro got win number 4,000, as he rode the winner at Santa Anita race track in Southern California.

1971 - Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins) became the quickest NHL player to reach 50 goals in a season.

1974 - Gordie Howe came out of retirement to play for the Houston Aeros with his two sons.

1993 - The New York Islanders retired Billy Smith's #31.

1993 - The Florida Marlins opened their first spring training camp.

1997 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) signed a contract worth $22.9 million over 2 years.

This information was taken from: http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl

Dale Earnhardt Remembering a Legend

Before I delve into this post, let me preface it by saying that in no way shape or form do I follow NASCAR, nor do I watch it, however I believe that somebody of this magnitude needs to be written about and remembered. It was 10 years ago at the Daytona International Speedway, on the final lap of NASCAR's super bowl the unthinkable happened. Earnhardt was sitting in third place behind good friend Michael Waltrip who was in the lead, and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt was blocking other drivers so Waltrip and Jr could finish first and second respectively. As they entered turn 4 Earnhardt's car was bumped and he went careening into the wall in excess of 100 MPH. When the first responders reached Earnhardt's car to rescue him, things looked bleak and their worst fears were confirmed. Earnhardt suffered at fractured skull, eight broken ribs, a broken ankle, and a fractured sternum. Two hours after the accident NASCAR president Mike Helton told the world what they did not want to hear, "Undoubtedly this is one of the toughest announcements I've ever personally had to make. After the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we've lost Dale Earnhardt." Dale Earnhardt did more for NASCAR than I will ever know. What a tribute it would be for Dale Sr if Dale Jr can somehow pull of the victory of NASCAR's hallmark race.

This Day in Sports History

1983 - The Indiana Pacers began a 28 game road losing streak.

1984 - Bill Bradley had his New York Knickerbocker number 24 retired at Madison Square Garden.

1995 - John Stockton (Utah Jazz) became the first player to register 10,000 assists.

1996 - Frankie Fredericks of Namibia became the first man to run 200 meters under 20 seconds indoors. He set the record at 19.92 seconds.

2001 - NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was killed in a crash during the Daytona 500 race.

This information was taken from http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl

Spring Has Finally Arrived....Well Sort Of

As we who live in the Northeast are experiencing a nice tease of the spring weather this week, Mets pitchers and catchers report for their first official workout at Digital Domain Park in Port St. Lucie Florida. While many pitchers and position players alike have already been training at the Mets complex for about a week, yesterday marked the first official day of spring training. Spring training is a great time for baseball fans, because it allows them to dream of what will come in the upcoming season. As a Met fan this time is especially crucial to me, because this is the one time of year when somebody cannot come up to me and tell me Oliver Perez pitched 2 and 2/3 innings while walking 8 and giving up 7 earned runs. My point is this, this time of year the possibilities are endless in what we fans can hope to see in the upcoming season. Spring training also allows the fans to interact with the players while they work out, and it also provides fans with a great chance to see the prospects which are the future. The boys of summer are back and hopefully the Mets will shock the baseball world and make the playoffs.

This Day in Sports History

1997 - Jeff Gordon became the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500.

1999 - O.J. Simpson's 1968 Heisman Trophy was sold for $230,000. A court judgment ordered the trophy to be sold to help settle a $33.5 million civil judgment against Simpson for the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend.

2004 - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig approved the swap of Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers) and Alfonso Soriano (New York Yankees). The Rangers would also get a minor league player in the deal.

2005 - The NHL announced the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season due to a labor dispute. It was the first time a major sports league in North America lost an entire season to a labor dispute.

This information was taken from: http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl

Albert Pujols to The Mets....Not as Far Fetched as You Might Think

As of noon today Albert Pujols broke off contract negotiations with the St. Louis Cardinals, and effectively let the other 29 Major League Baseball clubs that he will test the free agent waters come the end of this season. Pujols who is arguably the best baseball player on the planet right now will be 31 years old as he enters free agency. He has also been the definition of consistency averaging 42 home runs and 128 RBI's since making his major league debut in 2001. If the reports are true, Pujols wants a 1o year deal that would not only make him the highest paid player in baseball but also give him the highest average salary per year in baseball. Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez is currently the highest paid player in baseball with a 10 year $275 million dollar contract which averages $27.5 million dollars per year. The numbers that have been thrown about in the media have Pujols asking for a 10 year $300 million dollar contract. There are very few teams that could afford to sign Pujols to a contract of that magnitude. The teams that will most likely be in the mix for Pujols could include: the Mets, Angels, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, Red Sox(not likely considering they have Adrian Gonzalez at first), and Yankees( Also not likely because of Teixeira at first). This brings me back to the Mets. They have about $60 million dollars coming off the books and will most likely have a new owner. So for the new owner why not make a gigantic splash by signing Pujols. Yes, the Mets have Ike Davis at first, but in a recent interview with Joe and Evan on WFAN, Ike said he would gladly change positions if it meant Pujols coming to town. Ike said off air to WFAN's Evan Roberts, "I'd be a (expletive) middle reliever to get Albert" Only time will tell where Albert goes, but I sure hope it ends with Pujols meeting the New York media inside the Caesers Club at Citi Field prior to the start of next season.

This Day in Sports History

1968 - Vince Lombardi resigned as the coach of the Green Bay Packers.

1970 - Terry Sawchuck got the last shutout of his career and set the career record at 103.

1992 - Barry Bonds signed the highest single season contract. It was for $4.7 million.

1992 - Dennis Potvin's #5 became the first number to be retired by the New York Islanders.

1995 - John Stockton (Utah Jazz) became the NBA's career assist leader when he scored his 9,922nd assist to move past Magic Johnson.

This information was taken from: http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl