August 28, 2012

110 years ago
1902

Born on this date
Wally Roettger. U.S. baseball player and coach. Mr. Roettger was an outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals (1927-1929, 1931); New York Giants (1930); Cincinnati Reds (1932-1933); and Pittsburgh Pirates (1934), batting .285 with 19 home runs and 245 runs batted in in 599 games. He was with the Cardinals when they won the World Series in 1931, and hit .286 with no homers or RBIs in 3 games in the series. Mr. Roettger was at the University of Illinois as head baseball coach (1935-1951) and assistant basketball coach (1936-1949). He was suffering from high blood pressure and deteriorating eyesight when he committed suicide by slitting his wrists and throat on September 14, 1951, 17 days after his 49th birthday.

100 years ago
1912

Born on this date
Luis Aparicio, Sr.. Venezuelan baseball player, coach, and manager. Mr. Aparicio was a shortstop with seven different clubs in the National Baseball Series in 11 years from 1931-1945, and played in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League with Navegantes del Magallanes (1946); Sabios de Vargas (1947-1952); and Gavilanes (1953). He was the first batter in VPBL history, singling and scoring the first run on January 12, 1946. Mr. Aparicio coached with Gavilanes after his playing career ended, founded the Rapiños de Occidente club in 1957, and managed Águilas del Zulia in their inaugural season in 1969-70. Mr. Aparicio died of a heart attack on January 1, 1971 at the age of 58, and was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. His son Luis, Jr. played shortstop in the American League from 1956-1973, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

90 years ago
1922

Radio
The New York City station WEAF aired the first commercial ever heard on radio. Queensboro Realty Company paid $100 for the 10-minute spot.

60 years ago
1952

Crime
In Venoqua, Wisconsin, Mrs. Carl Herreid, 68, was shot dead in her hospital bed in the presence of her roommate, who was paralyzed and unable to talk. Mr. Herreid, 70, was arrested in a store several blocks away, in possession of a pistol.

Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds traded veteran pitcher Ewell Blackwell to the New York Yankees for Johnny Schmitz, Ernie Nevel, Bob Marquis, and Jim Greengrass. Mr. Blackwell had led the National League with 22 wins in 1947, but had come down with a sore arm, recording only a 3-12 record with the Reds in 1952.

50 years ago
1962

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC Light Programme
Tonight’s episode: The Devil's Foot

40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
Prince William of Gloucester, 30. U.K. royal family member. Prince William, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II's uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, and ninth in succession to the throne, was competing in an air race near Wolverhampton in the west Midlands when his plane crashed and burst into flames, and he and co-pilot Vyrell Mitchell were killed.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Come on Eileen--Dexys Midnight Runners & the Emerald Express (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A.: (Billboard): Eye of the Tiger--Survivor (6th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Abracadabra--Steve Miller Band
2 Eye of the Tiger--Survivor
3 Hard to Say I'm Sorry--Chicago
4 You Should Hear how She Talks About You--Melissa Manchester
5 Hold Me--Fleetwood Mac
6 Take it Away--Paul McCartney
7 Vacation--Go-Go's
8 Wasted on the Way--Crosby, Stills & Nash
9 Hurts So Good--John Cougar
10 Jack & Diane--John Cougar

Singles entering the chart were You Don't Want Me Anymore by Steel Breeze (#66); Don't Fight It by Kenny Loggins with Steve Perry (#70); Big Fun by Kool & The Gang (#71); Sweet Time by REO Speedwagon (#76); She Looks a Lot Like You by the Clocks (#86); Love Come Down by Evelyn King (#87); Up Where We Belong by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (#90); and Mystery Girl by the Dukes (#98). Up Where We Belong was from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Eye of the Tiger--Survivor (5th week at #1)
2 Abracadabra--Steve Miller Band
3 Hard to Say I'm Sorry--Chicago
4 Hurts So Good--John Cougar
5 Eyes of a Stranger--Payolas
6 Your Daddy Don't Know--Toronto
7 Love in Control (Finger on the Trigger)--Donna Summer
8 Even the Nights are Better--Air Supply
9 Hold Me--Fleetwood Mac
10 Keep the Fire Burnin'--REO Speedwagon

Singles entering the chart were Still in the Game by Steve Winwood (#44); You Remind Me by Sheriff (#48); and I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton (#49).

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-6) 20 @ Winnipeg (6-1) 27
Toronto (5-2-1) 20 @ British Columbia (4-3) 19

Dieter Brock completed touchdown passes to defensive end Pete Catan and fullback Dan Huclack as the Blue Bombers barely held on to defeat the Rough Riders before 25,904 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. Milson Jones rushed 1 yard for the other Winnipeg touchdown. Mr. Catan had entered the game as an eligible receiver with the Blue Bombers in possession on the Ottawa 2-yard line in the 2nd quarter, and got open for a touchdown. Jordan Case passed 5 yards to Jim Reid for the first Ottawa touchdown in the 3rd quarter, and rushed 1 yard for a touchdown with just 1:03 remaining in the game. The Rough Riders were able to stop the Blue Bombers and gain possession of the ball, and a pass interference call against Winnipeg’s Nate Johnson gave Ottawa the ball on the 10-yard line, but Mr. Case threw an incomplete pass into the Winnipeg end zone on the last play.

Defensive end Rusty Olsen sacked B.C. quarterback Roy Dewalt for a safety touch with 8:01 remaining in the game, and the 2 points provided the win for the Argonauts over the Lions before 27,285 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. Lui Passaglia, whose kicking had been hampered all season because of an injury, was unsuccessful on a 43-yard field goal with 1:13 remaining, and the resulting single point left the Lions 1 point short. Toronto quarterback Condredge Holloway completed touchdown passes to Paul Pearson and rookie Scott McGhee, while Mr. Dewalt threw a touchdown pass to John Pankratz and rushed for a touchdown of his own, which was followed by a pass from Mr. Dewalt to rookie Merv Fernandez for a 2-point convert. The Argonauts’ win was their first in Vancouver since 1969.

25 years ago
1987

Died on this date
John Huston, 81. U.S. film director and actor. Mr. Huston won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). Other notable movies that he directed included The Maltese Falcon (1941); Across the Pacific (1942); Key Largo (1948); The Asphalt Jungle (1950); The African Queen (1951); Moulin Rouge (1952); Beat the Devil (1953); Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957); The Misfits (1961); Fat City (1972); The Man Who Would Be King (1975); Prizzi's Honor (1975); and The Dead (1987). One of his more notable acting roles was in Chinatown (1974).

World events
Mutinous army troops in the Philippines launched an attack that was repulsed about 300 yards from the presidential palace in Manila. President Corazon Aquino’s son was wounded, and three of his bodyguards were killed. Other rebels seized Cebu City and Camp Aguinaldo military base. Colonel Gregorio Honasan, leader of the revolt, said that he was not attempting a military coup, but was acting because the government had lost its “political will” and because Mrs. Aquino had established a personality cult.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (6-3) 39 @ Saskatchewan (2-6-1) 13

Damon Allen started at quarterback for the Eskimos and led the team to a 15-0 lead before leaving with an injury in the 2nd quarter, and rookie Tracy Ham, seeing his first extended playing time in the CFL, did an adequate job replacing him for the rest of the game. Mr. Allen threw his first touchdown pass to Stephen Jones for 31 yards just 1:39 into the game and connected with Rick House for a 25-yard TD later in the 1st quarter. Tom Richards did a brilliant job of straddling the sideline as he returned a punt 88 yards for an Edmonton touchdown in the 2nd quarter, giving the Eskimos a 25-3 halftime lead. Assistant coach John Hufnagel, who had come out of retirement to play quarterback for the Roughriders, completed 20 of 29 passes for 224 passes and a 15-yard touchdown to Ray Elgaard in the 3rd quarter before suffering a career-ending Achilles tendon injury. Mr. Ham threw his first CFL touchdown pass to Rick House from 10 yards in the 3rd quarter and then scored his first CFL touchdown on a 1-yard rush with 2:31 remaining in the game. Mr. Ham completed 11 of 23 passes for 170 yards and rushed 5 times for 18. For Mr. House, it was his first action after missing 7 games with a shoulder separation. Attendance at Taylor Field in Regina was 24,000.

Baseball
Mike Schmidt hit his 522nd career major league home run, passing Ted Williams and Willie McCovey, to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 8-1.

20 years ago
1992

Football
CFL
Calgary (6-2) 45 @ Edmonton (6-2) 38 (OT)

Quarterback Doug Flutie rushed 13 times for 141 yards and a touchdown and completed touchdown passes to Allen Pitts and PeeWee Smith as the Stampeders beat the Eskimos before 31,812 fans on a rainy night at Commonwealth Stadium. Andy McVey scored the other Calgary touchdown on a 4-yard rush with 19 seconds remaining in regulation time, set up by a terrible call against Edmonton safety Dan Murphy, who hit Mr. Flutie, who was carrying the ball upfield, in bounds, but was penalized for unnecessary roughness. Mr. Flutie’s touchdown pass to Mr. Smith covered 7 yards and came with just 5 seconds left in the 1st overtime period; it was the only scoring in overtime. Mark McLoughlin converted all the Calgary touchdowns and added 5 field goals and a single. Edmonton quarterback Tracy Ham threw 2 touchdown passes to Craig Ellis, while defensive end Leroy Blugh returned a Calgary fumble 2 yards for a touchdown. Blake Marshall rushed 3 yards for the other Eskimo touchdown, which was followed by a 2-point convert on a pass from Mr. Ham to Jim Sandusky, giving the Eskimos a 38-31 lead with 1:44 remaining in regulation time. Edmonton running back Blake Ezor didn’t carry the ball once in his fifth and last CFL game.



Baseball
Kevin Seitzer and Scott Fletcher each had 5 hits to help the Milwaukee Brewers set an American League record for a single game with 31 hits—26 of them singles—in a 22-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays before 50,408 fans at SkyDome in Toronto. The 31 hits tied a major league record set by the New York Giants against the Cincinnati Reds on June 9, 1901.

Pinch hitter Lenny Webster doubled home Shane Mack with 1 out in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees before 29,361 fans at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.

Billy Hatcher hit 4 singles in 5 at bats to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the California Angels 7-1 before 29,872 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Boston first baseman Jack Clark struck out 3 times in as many at bats, drew a base on balls, and made 6 putouts, an assist, and an error in the 1,994th and last game of his 18-year major league career.

Dennis Eckersley struck out Brook Jacoby with 2 out and runners on first and third bases to end the game as the Oakland Athletics held on to defeat the Cleveland Indians 7-6 before 30,422 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Oakland designated hitter Harold Baines batted 2 for 3 with a home run, base on balls, 2 runs, and 3 runs batted in.

Jeff Kent, playing his second game after being acquired in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, hit a single, double, and triple, scoring 2 runs and driving in 3, to help the New York Mets rout the Cincinnati Reds 12-1 and complete a sweep of their twi-night doubleheader before 20,343 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Mr. Kent batted 0 for 4 in the first game, which the Mets won 4-3.

Mark Clark, Todd Worrell, and Lee Smith combined on a 3-hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals as they edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 before 28,254 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The only run came in the 1st inning when Andres Galarraga hit a sacrifice fly to score Bernard Gilkey. Losing pitcher Bob Ojeda allowed just 4 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings.

Gary Sheffield, Darrin Jackson, and Jerald Clark each drove in 3 runs to help the San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-6 before 15,916 fans at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium. Messrs. Sheffield and Jackson hit home runs for San Diego, as did Fred McGriff. Gary Redus and Barry Bonds homered for the Pirates.

10 years ago
2002

Football
CIS
Concordia (1-0) 46 @ Montréal (0-1) 17