Historically Speaking: 2-20-09

Our server's been down for a couple of days, but we've got it back up and running. And by "server's been down," I mean one of us has been drunk, one of us has been busy, and the other's been lazy. Trouble is, I can't remember who's been what. Oh, well. We've got the weekend to sort that all out.

* Seventy years ago, the Boston Red Sox announced that they would begin playing games on Sundays.

* On this day in 1952, Emmett Ashford became the first black umpire in organized baseball. He joined the Southwestern International League as a substitute.

* Nineteen years later, Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins became the fastest player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season.

* In 1993, the Florida Marlins opened their first spring-training camp.

* And in the year 2000, Garth Brooks began training with the New York Mets.

Your Sports Illustrated quote of the day came from the mouth of...



...professional boxer Ricardo Mayorga, who, at a 2004 press conference to promote his then-upcoming fight with Felix Trinidad, told his opponent: "Make sure you buy your father a pair of sneakers so he can run to the ring and pick up the pieces after I'm finished."