I’m feeling particularly trivial this morning.
Some Things Everyone Needs to Know About Sports
- Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds pitched his first Major League game in 1944 — at 15 years old.
- Today, 6 April, marks the day in 1896 when the Olympic Games began once again, after a 1500-year hiatus (the Roman Empire declared the games “pagan”).
- In 1970, at its first running, the New York City Marathon had 127 participants. Unused bowling trophies were given as prizes. In 2007, over 100,000 people participated, competing for over $600,000 in prize money.
- Not really a sports issue, per sé, but since I saw Sam playing with one of these the other day: There are 1,929,770,126,028,800 different color combinations possible on a Rubik’s Cube. I think the farthest number to the left indicates a quadrillion. I also think that’s why I’d throw it against the wall.
- Likely the most bizarre incident in Olympic history is Polish-born athlete Stanislawa Walasiewicz, aka Stella Walsh. She won the gold medal in 1932 and the silver in 1936, both for the 100-meter dash. In 1980, at 69 years old and living in Cleveland, she was an innocent bystander in an armed robbery. She was shot and killed. At her autopsy, they pulled the sheet back and discovered both male and female body parts. [It’s never been proven whether she was afflicted with hermaphrodism or whether she was either completely male or female. In my opinion, it really doesn’t matter. Interesting, however.]
- Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades – David, Clubs – Alexander the Great, Hearts – Charlemagne, Diamonds – Julius Caesar. [I say “who cares?” as long as each king is surrounded by an ace, queen, jack and ten of the same suit.]
- BEST: At Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Florida, on 26 June 1985, organist Wilbur Snapp played “Three Blind Mice” following a call by umpire Keith O’Connor. The umpire was unamused, and Snapp was ejected from the game.
HA. One for the music geeks.
Bon Dimanche, mes amis.