Historically Speaking: 5-22-09

There's no Chicago day baseball today because the Cubs will be in San Diego, where Jake Peavy is slated to start. Awkward! That Zambrano/Peavy match should be interesting, though, just as the Santana/Matsuzaka tilt and the Myers/Burnett (on a smaller-ish scale) could be. But enough about dumb evening baseball, we gots learnin' to do.

* Back in 1884 a one-armed pitcher named Hugh Daily struck out 13 batters today. Impressive. I can barely even use the can with one arm.

* Technology poked America's pastime today as the Brooklyn Dodgers announced in 1938 that they would install lights at Ebbets Field.

* Couple of expansion notes: It was today in 1970 when the NHL announced that both Vancouver and Buffalo would be awarded franchises for the 1970-71 season; and in 1991the NFL announced they too would add a pair for the 1994 season: the Jacksolina Paguars and the Caroville Janthers. It was in that same year that the NBA uttered a "me, too" and tossed the Toronto Raptors into their league's mix to, you know, fit in with the cool kids.

* It was 1993 when Riddick Bowe handled his business against opponent Jesse Ferguson in a heavyweight title defense. Bowe was awarded a technical knockout in the second round in Washington, D.C. that evening, the second defense of his title since taking it from Evander Holyfield seven months prior.

* You have your opinions; I have mine. Mine have a problem with this sentence: The year was 2003 when high school basketball star LeBron James signed a $90 million endorsement deal with Nike.

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



...former Chicago Cubs manager Don Zimmer who, in 1990 saw his team produce a 4-4 road trip and, afterwards, had this to say: "It just as easily could have gone the other way."