Historically Speaking: 4-24-09

Well, then. Top of the mornin' to ya's beautiful people. Here's hoping you have a fantastic Friday, and a glorious draft weekend. Stop in. We'll be here. But get you're readin' done first...

* Varying sources disagree on the year, but it was today, nonetheless, in either 1961 or '62, when Sandy Koufax tallied 18 Ks in a Dodgers win against the Cubs. Koufax had accomplished the feat once before in August of '59, but it was on the second occasion that he tied Bob Fellers for being the only major-league hurler to single-handedly (Editor's Note: No pun intended.) register two-thirds of a game's outs on two occasions.

* Today in 1963, the Boston Celtics won their fifth straight National Basketball Association championship. The losers? The Los Angeles Lakers.

* April 24, 1965: New York Metropolitan skipper Casey Stengel logs victory number 3000 as a manager. His club edged the Giants, 7-6.

* It was on this glorious day in 1974 when the National Football League awarded a franchise to the city of Tampa Bay, Florida. They would be called -- drumroll, please -- the Buccaneers.

* And since we opened with a strikeout stat, California Angel pitcher Nolan Ryan rung up 15 Seattle Mariners today in 1978, marking the 20th occasion on which he would strike out as many. The hurler would exit without a decision, however, and Seattle would get the win, 6-5 in the 12th.

And your Sports Illustrated quote of the day came from the mouth of...



...one-time Anoka-Ramsey Community College (Coon Rapids, Minnesota) basketball coach Fred Paulsen (Note: not to be confused with Robert Paulson) who circa 1982, said this of his team's prospects: "We have a solid bench. Now all we need is some solid players."