Eric Thomas

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Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eric Thomas made his first & only Pro Bowl squad in 1988 when he finished the season with 7 INT’s and helped the Bengals make it all the way to Super Bowl XXIII. In the AFC Championship game he intercepted Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly in the 1st quarter, and had a crucial pass breakup late in the 4th quarter as the Bills were closing in. Happy Birthday Eric!!

As a youngster I always thought the dudes wearing # 22 were the coolest.

Tim Harris

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The 1989 Green Bay Packers finished 10-6, their best record since 1972, with 4 of those wins coming by just 1 point. The ‘Cardiac Pack’ defense was led by our dude, Tim Harris, who led the NFL with a career high 19.5 sacks in ‘89. Happy Birthday Tim!!

Pete Sampras

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On This Day- September 9th, 1990. Pete Sampras defeats Andre Agassi to claim his first Grand Slam Title, while becoming the youngest winner in the history of The U.S. Open at just 19 years old. Agassi & Sampras would face off against each other 34 times between 1989-2002, with Sampras winning 20.

Mark Whiten

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It was back on September 7th, 1993 when ‘Hard Hittin’ Mark Whiten became the 12th MLB Player to hit 4 HR’s in one game!! He finished with a record 12 RBI’s in a 15-2 Cardinals win over the Cincinatti Reds.

Cal Ripken #2131

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Flashback to September 6th, 1995 when Cal Ripken Jr played in his 2,131st consecutive game, passing the great Lou Gehrig. The ‘Iron Man’ would add a little icing to the cake that day with a 4th Inning Homer.

I’m giving away a copy of our new zine ‘Summer Reruns’ to the first person that sends over a mailing address along with the name of the other All-Star who hit a homer right before Cal that night. Happy Friday Dudes !!

John Vanbiesbrouck

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Happy Birthday Beezer! John Vanbiesbrouck was the 1st pick in the 1993 NHL Expansion draft by the upstart Florida Panthers. He made three All-Star Teams during his five seasons in the Sunshine State, while also leading the Panthers to their one and only Stanley Cup Appearance in 1995-96.

Happy Birthday Ernest Givins!!

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Oilers wide receiver Ernest Givins’ Rookie Year of 1986 happened to be the only season in which he would top the 1,000 yard receiving mark. Ernest would put together eight more solid years in Houston while catching bombs from Warren Moon in the ‘Run & Shoot’ offense and finishing as the All-Time leader in receptions & receiving yards in Oilers/Titans history. Happy Birthday Ernest !

Call Him Pass Ball Petralli

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Our man Geno Petralli had quite the bad day back on August 30th, 1987, when he stepped in behind the plate to catch ole’ knuckleballer Charlie Hough. In the afternoon affair against the Detroit Tigers, Geno would allow a record 6 passed balls, allowing the Tigers to score 7 unearned runs, in their 7-0 win. Petralli had a record 35 passed balls in ‘87, with 32 of them coming while trying to wrangle in one of Charlie’s knucklers. He’s also the weirdo who bit Bo Jackson in 1993, during the infamous Nolan Ryan vs Robin Ventura dust up.

MDP

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Big brother William ‘The Fridge’ Perry got all of the attention and limelight, but it was little bro, Michael Dean Perry, who had himself one hell of an NFL career. MDP was a 6x pro-bowler, 2x 1st Team All-Pro, 2x 2nd Team All-Pro, & the 1989 AFC Defensive Player of the Year. He even had his own burger at Cleveland area McDonalds called the ‘MDP’ It was basically a Big Mac with an extra patty & bacon. Happy Birthday Michael Dean !!

Back to Back. Not Once. But Twice

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Back on August 25th, 1993 Atlanta Brave teammates Fred McGriff & David Justice hit back to back homers, not once but twice during in a 9-1 victory against the San Francisco Giants. The Braves had acquired McGriff just a month earlier from the Padres, and he became a key player a Braves lineup who would finish the season on a 51-19 run to overtake the Giants, and win their third straight NL West crown. Crime Dog finished with a career high 37 homers that year.