Historically Speaking: 10-19-09

Baseball, hockey, and kinda-sorta boxing are all after the jump. Well, what're you waitin' for? An invitation?

* Today in 1957, Maurice "Rocket" Richard became the first hockey player in National Hockey League history to score 500 goals. He retired three years later with another 44 added to his career total.

* We're not talking The Machine, but it was today in 1976, one year after that Machinesque season, that the Cincinnati Reds went up 3-0 on the New York Yankees. They would ultimately sweep. This story is not unlike this day in 1990, when the Reds went up three games to none on the Oakland A's. They swept again.

* It was on this date in 1981 that the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Montreal Expos for the National League championship. The Dodgers would go on to defeat the Yankees in the World Series, four games to two. The Series saw a multi-MVP handed out that year for the first time ever. The first name listed, however, is Guerrero, as in P-E-D-R-O. Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson are the only others that have shared the award.

* You know what never gets old? Billy Martin stats: Twenty-two years ago today, Bill Martin was, for the fifth time, named manager of the New York Yankees. He filled the position vacated by Lou Piniella, who filled the position vacated by Billy Martin, only this time, Piniella was moved to the general manager position.

* The boxing people decided to give Mike Tyson his license back today in 1998. He had it removed after he bit Evander Holyfield's ear. The people have yet to decide when they will give Holyfield back his ear.

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



...one-time Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw, who, in 1975, commented on his salary of $75 grand: "Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish whiskey. The other 10 percent I'll probably waste."