April 9, 2012

125 years ago
1887

Born on this date
Florence Price. U.S. composer. Mrs. Price was a pianist, organist, and music teacher who wrote four symphonies, four concertos, and numerous other orchestral, chamber, and vocal works. She became the first Negro American female composer to have a work played by a major orchestra when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed her Symphony No. 1 in E minor in 1933. Mrs. Price died of a stroke on June 3, 1953 at the age of 66.

100 years ago
1912

Baseball
Exhibition
Harvard University 0 @ Boston Red Sox 2

Just 3,000 fans braved cold and snowy weather to attend the was the first game ever played at Fenway Park.

80 years ago
1932

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York Rangers 4 @ Toronto 6 (Toronto won best-of-five series 3-0)

Ace Bailey’s goal with 4:53 remaining in regulation time was the winner in the first Stanley Cup final game ever played at Maple Leaf Gardens. It was the Maple Leafs’ first Stanley Cup since becoming the Maple Leafs in 1927, and the first for the franchise since 1922, when the team had been known as the St. Patricks.

70 years ago
1942

War
Japanese troops overwhelmed American and Philippine troops at Bataan.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 2 @ Detroit 5 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-0)

60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
The Unexpected, hosted by Herbert Marshall, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Born Again, starring Billy Halop, Dolores Mann, and Mira McKinney

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Innocent Bystanders, starring John Anderson, George Kennedy, Steven Terrell, and Janet Lake



Baseball
U.S. President John F. Kennedy threw out the first ball as the Washington Senators defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-1 in the first baseball game at District of Columbia Stadium. 42,143 fans saw Bennie Daniels pitch a 5-hitter to get the win for the Senators.

40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
James F. Byrnes, 89. U.S. politician and judge. Mr. Byrnes, a Democrat, represented South Carolina's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1911-1925, and represented the state in the U.S. Senate from 1931-1941. He was an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1941-1942, but resigned in order to joint the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, serving as Director of the Office of Economic Stabilization (1942-1943) and Director of the Office of War Mobilization (1943-1945). After Harry Truman took office as President upon the death of Mr. Roosevelt in 1945, Mr. Byrnes was appointed U.S. Secretary of State, serving until January 21, 1947, when he resigned as the result of deteriorating relations with Mr. Truman. Mr. Byrnes served as Governor of South Carolina from 1951-1955, opposing forced racial desegregation of schools. Mr. Byrnes died 23 days before his 90th birthday.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
New York 6 @ Montreal 4 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Boston 5 @ Toronto 4 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Chicago 6 @ Pittsburgh 5 (OT) (Chicago won best-of-seven series 4-0)
Minnesota 2 @ St. Louis 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Bobby Rousseau scored 2 goals and Pete Stemkowski scored the winning goal with 5:05 remaining in regulation time as the Rangers defeated the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum.

Ken Hodge scored 2 goals in the 3rd period, including the winner with 3:49 remaining, as the Bruins scored 4 goals in the period to overcome a 3-1 deficit and edge the Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens in a game that was broadcast across Canada on CBC radio.

Pit Martin set a record for the fastest overtime goal--just 12 seconds into the period--to give the Black Hawks the series sweep over the Penguins at Civic Arena. Bobby Hull scored 3 goals for Chicago and Dennis Hull added another. Ken Schinkel scored 2 goals for the Penguins. Gerry Desjardins, who had missed more than a calendar year with a broken arm before returning to action late in the season, plaeyed the entire game in goal for the Black Hawks.

Barclay Plager's goal with 8:10 remaining in regulation time gave the Blues the win over the North Stars at St. Louis Arena.

30 years ago
1982

Died on this date
Wilfrid Pelletier, 85. Canadian musician and conductor. Mr. Pelletier, a native of Montreal, was a classical pianist who accompanied the Metropolitan Opera in New York and often worked as a duo with Arthur Loesser in the 1920s and '30s. He helped to found the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and was its first artistic director and conductor (1935-1941), and was principal conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec (1951-1966). Mr. Pelletier was one of most influential music educators in Canada in the 20th century, serving as director of the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec (CMADQ) from 1943-1961.

Francisco Barrios, 28. Mexican-born U.S. baseball pitcher. In 7 seasons (1974, 1976-1981) with the Chicago White Sox, Mr. Barrios compiled a record of 38 wins and 38 losses, with an earned run average of 4.15. His best season was 1977, when he was 14-7 with a 4.13 ERA. The highlight of Mr. Barrios’ career occurred on July 28, 1976, when he and Blue Moon Odom combined to allow 11 bases on balls but pitch a no-hitter as the White Sox edged the Oakland Athletics 2-1 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mr. Odom pitched the first 5 innings and was credited with the win, and Mr. Barrios, who entered the game after Mr. Odom walked the leadoff hitter in the 6th inning, pitched the last 4 innings to earn the save. Mr. Barrios missed most of the 1981 season with a shoulder injury, but he accompanied the team to Edmonton for an exhibition game on May 21 against the Trappers, their Pacific Coast League farm team. Mr. Barrios was wearing a cowboy outfit, and made for an amusing sight as he walked around Renfrew Park. He died of a drug overdose in his native Hermosillo.

25 years ago
1987

On television tonight
Our World, hosted by Linda Ellerbee and Ray Gandolf, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Liberation Summer: 1944



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Boston 3 @ Montreal 4 (OT) (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Quebec 4 @ Hartford 5 (Hartford led best-of-seven series 2-0)
New York Rangers 3 @ Philadelphia 8 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
New York Islanders 3 @ Washington 1 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
Chicago 1 @ Detroit 5 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Toronto 3 @ St. Louis 2 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
Winnipeg 3 @ Calgary 2 (Winnipeg led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Los Angeles 3 @ Edmonton 13 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

20 years ago
1992

Music
This blogger was in attendance as the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Uri Mayer, performed at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The featured soloist was pianist Dang Thai Son.

Politics and government
The Conservative party, under Prime Minister John Major, won a reduced majority in the House of Commons in the British general election. The Conservatives captured 336 seats to 271 for the Labour Party, 20 for the Liberal Democrats, and 24 for other parties.

Crime
Former Panamanian President General Manuel Noriega was convicted by United States District Court in Miami of racketeering, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Gen. Noriega had been seized by U.S. forces after their invasion of Panama early in 1990.