This Day in History February 8, 1972

I'm really going out on a limb and sharing something I normally wouldn't for today's feature.  On this date in 1972, Big Show was born.  Who is Big Show?  I had the same question.  Paul Wight is the real name of the "largest athlete."  He stand seven foot and weight 440 pounds.  By the age of 12, he already was six foot tall and weighed 220 (also had chest hair).  He is a wrestler, and I have never heard of him.  Oh, he also starred has starred in some films I haven't seen.  But maybe this will be of interest to some of my readers.

For more info:
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/big-show.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Show_(wrestler)

Active Accessories On-The-Go Accessory Pouch Review

I am quite pleased to tell you about a great accessory I have just discovered!  This was developed by a woman who has the same issue I do!  You see, I often go to the gym and work out after work.  I am a teacher, and I often wear earrings and necklaces.  I am often pretty pathetic when it comes to storing these during my workouts.  I take the jewelry off and put it in my car or just in my workout bag.  And the problem is that I often lose earrings.  I have lost more than one.  I have tried other pouches, but they never work!  They are either too small or too big.

This is a fantastic little pouch that meets my needs perfectly!  It is stylish, and it holds my accessories perfectly.  It has more than one pocket, and it holds a lot.  I highly recommend this for the active lady in your life--or maybe for you!

 This is my new favorite workout accessory.  It fits easily in my gym bag, and I know that all my jewelry is secure in there.

Here is what it looks like on the inside.  I absolutely love the fact that it it small and spacious.  You would be amazed at just how much you can fit inside of the compartments!  While it might be a little late to get it on amazon for Christmas, it would be a great item for the beginning of the New Year!

Check it out on amazon!


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

This Day in History January 3, 1983

I am the first to tell you that sports means virtually nothing to me.  I will tolerate football, but I can very happily live without it.

But on this date in 1983, Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys made the NFL record books with his 99-yard touchdown run!  But true to the lovely Cowboy spirit, they still lost!  I know that at one time the Cowboys were a good team, but although I lived there for many years, I am still not a fan.  The closest thing to a fan I ever was was when I lived near Tampa, Florida, and Tony Dungy was the Buccaneer's coach.

This is still on the record books--it has been tied, but it has not been broken, and it is believed it never will be.

For more information, please check out these sites:
http://www.profootballhof.com/history/story.aspx?F_y=2009&F_m=12&F_d=21&CustomURL=tony-dorsetts-shoes&print=y
http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/35233/brees-latest-monday-night-record-breaker

This Day in History November 30, 1887

This is a picture from this date (Thanksgiving) in 1887 when the first ever softball game was played.  It happened in Chicago where a group of about 20 men gathered in a gymnasium to hear the outcome of the Harvard-Yale football game.  Following Yale's victory, one of the men (a Yale alumnus) picked up a boxing glove and threw it at someone (a Harvard supporter) who hit it with a pole.  George Hancock (considered the inventor of softball) called out "Play ball!" and the rest is history.  This first game was played with a tightened boxing glove as a ball and a broomstick for a bat.

This new game was called "indoor," "indoor outdoor," or "indoor baseball," and was later renamed softball by Walter Hakanson  in 1926.  Other names throughout the years have been "kitten ball," " pumpkin ball," "diamond ball," and " mush ball."  I am not a sports enthusiast, so I apologize if I am not overly excited about this fact in history, but I did find the evolution of the sport quite interesting.  Softball tends to be something that women play (so I thought), and here is was developed by a group of men.  Go figure!

For a lot more information, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softball
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11423.asp
http://www.sanjeev.net/trivia/george-hancock-invented-a-new-game-on-november-30-1887-it-wa.html

This Day in History September 18, 1999

All right, this will be one of the few times I talk about sports history.  Possibly the only time I mention baseball.  Amazingly, I actually know who this person is, and I remember this.  Even though I really do not follow sports at all.  I try to know just enough sports to make my students believe I know a little bit, but that's it.  Usually.

Sammy Sosa was born November 12, 1968 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.  He was the fifth of seventh children, and his father passed away when he was seven.  Because he could not afford baseball materials, he made a glove out of milk cartons, a bat out of a tree branch, and a ball out of a rolled sock and tape.  He was described as being skinny and malnourished, even years later when he was recruited by professional teams.

Sosa picked up a real bat for the first time at the age of 14, and he played for small leagues in Santo Domingo.  At the age of 16, the Texas Rangers recruited him and gave him a signing bonus of $3500.  And guess where he sent most of that money?  To his mother!  He then used some of what was left of the bonus ($200) to buy himself a treat--a used bike.

His first season in 1989 was pretty bad--1 home run in 84 bats.   He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the middle of the season (a choice later regretted by the general manager of the Texas Rangers).  His struggles continued during his three years with them--averaging 9 runs per season.   He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1992.

This is when things began to change for Sosa.  All he ever knew was baseball, and he wanted to support his family.  So he worked very hard to perfect his game.  In his first full year with the Cubs, he scored 33 home runs and was well on his way to becoming an all-star.  Eventually, this led to a 4-year 42 million dollar contract.  Little did anyone know that Sosa would be making history very soon.

For 37 years, Roger Maris held the record for the most home runs in the Major League during one season--61 home runs.  In 1998, St. Louis Cardinals Mark McGuire scored 62 home runs.  And in that same year, Sosa tied that record.  It was a very emotional time for Sosa, and he even received a call from the son of the man with the original record.  And Sosa did not stop there--he went on to score 66 homers total that season!
He became a superstar, especially in his native Dominican Republic.  He also was named the MLB's most valuable player by a landslide vote.

On this day in 1999, Sosa accomplished another great feat.  He became the only player to hit 60 home runs in two different Major League seasons.  He was even more excited over this record.  Before Sosa, the only player that had only gotten close to that record was Babe Ruth who hit 59 home runs in 1921 and 60 in 1927.

Now, I could go on and on about his continued records and amazing feats, but if you are interested in learning more, check out these sites:
http://latinosportslegends.com/sosa.htm
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=122544

The best thing I read about Sosa was that he was happily married and has 4 children.  How nice to hear about a young "superstar" who has a happy marriage!  Yes, I realize he is in his 40's, but I still think that makes him young!