THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, April 18, 2017, PAGE 3
‘Great faces’ on this day in sports history SPORTING
MISCHIEF
& MAYHEM
BY INIGO ‘NAUGHT Y’ ZENIC
AZELAYA
I MUST admit my long Easter weekend was filled with the NBA Playoffs, Major League Baseball and NFL Draft rumours and rumblings. Not to mention tons of great food and libations sharing the stage with celebrity headliner Donnell Rawlings aka ‘Ashy Larry’ from ‘Chappelle’s Show.’ So with that being said, as I found myself in recovery mode in my ‘man cave’ on Easter Monday, the functioning portion of my brain wandered on what great events happened in sports history on this day? I’m glad I let my mind wander, it turns out that April 18 had many appearances by numerous sporting greats, some coming, others going, all while making sports history. • Let’s have a look at who achieved what on this great day in sports history: 1809 - First run of 2,000 guineas horse race at Newmarket, England 1869 - 1st international cricket match, held in SF, wins by Californian 1908 - Tommy Burns KO’s Jewy Smith in the 5th round to win World Heavyweight Boxing title 1918 - Cleveland center fielder Tris Speaker turns an unassisted double play 1922 - Netherlands soccer team defeats Denmark 2-0 1942 - Stanley Cup: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 3 1944 - 48th Boston Marathon won by Gerard Cote of Canada in 2:31:50.4
JACKIE ROBINSON
BILL RUSSELL
EDDIE MURRAY
MIKE SCHMIDT
JOHN STOCKTON
JOE MONTANA
PEYTON MANNING
WAYNE GRETZKY
1977 - 81st Boston Marathon: Jerome Drayton of Canada 1st man in 2:14:46 and Miki Gorman of United States 1st woman in 2:48:33 1977 - MLB Hall of Fame 1st baseman Eddie Murray hits his first career home run 1981 - Pawtucket & Rochester start a 33-inning baseball game 1981 - Longest game in Professional Baseball: Pawtucket Red Sox tie Rochester Red Wings 2-2 in 32 innings (game resumed 23rd June) 1982 - Atlanta Braves win record 11th straight opening game (beat Astros) 1982 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA CPC Women’s Golf International 1983 - 87th Boston Marathon: Greg Meyer of United States 1st man in 2:09:00
and Joan Benoit of United States 1st woman in 2:22:43 1984 - Joan Benoit runs world record female marathon (2:22:43) 1987 - An unconscious skydiver is rescued by another diver in mid-air 1987 - Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt hits his 500th career home run off Don Robinson of the Pittsburgh Pirates 1988 - 92nd Boston Marathon: Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya 1st man in 2:08:43 and Rosa Mota of Portugal 1st woman in 2:24:30 1990 - Birmingham Fire issued an original franchise in WLAF 1991 - NBA Hall of Fame guard Jon Stockton breaks his own single season assist record with 1,136 1992 - Start of South Africa’s 1st Test Cricket since 1970 (v WI Bridgetown)
1993 - 54th PGA Seniors Golf Championship: Tom Wargo 1993 - Trish Johnson wins LPGA Atlanta Women’s Golf Championship 1994 - 98th Boston Marathon: Cosmas Ndeti of Kenya 1st man in 2:07:15 and Uta Pippig of Germany 1st woman in 2:21:45 1994 - Cricketer Brian Lara breaks the world Test record highest innings, reaching 375 runs on the third day of the fourth Test against England in Antigua 1995 - Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana announces his retirement from the NFL 1998 - NFL great QB Peyton Manning is selected first in the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts 1999 - NHL Great and Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky plays his last game, as his NY Rangers lose 2-1
to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2005 - 109th Boston Marathon: Hailu Negussie of Ethiopia 1st man in 2:11:44 and Catherine Ndereba of Kenya 1st woman in 2:25:12 2011 - 115th Boston Marathon: Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya 1st man in 2:03:02 (course record) and Caroline Kilel of Kenya 1st woman in 2:22:36
TOMMY BURNS
1945 - 1 armed outfielder, St Louis Brown Pete Gray, 1st game he goes 1 for 4 1946 - Jackie Robinson starts his historic run in Major League Baseball, as he debuts with the Montreal Royals 1950 - Sam Jethroe is 1st black to play for Boston Braves 1950 - Yankees win 15-10 after trailing Red Sox 9-0 in 6th 1959 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 games to 1 1962 - 16th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 3 1963 - Stanley Cup: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 1 1966 - Bill Russell becomes the first black head coach in NBA history, with the Boston Celtics 1968 - 1st ABA basketball championship game is played. 1976 - Judy Rankin wins LPGA Karsten- Ping Golf Open
– Until next week, I will leave you with this from Henry James: “It takes an endless amount of history to make even a little tradition.” • Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm, on KISS FM 96.1. Comments and questions to naughty@tribunemedia.net
Trippe family legacy continues in South Eleuthera By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Trippe family legacy continues its philanthropic efforts in the South Eleuthera community and its latest initiative has focused on youth development through sports. A state-of-the-art recreational court was unveiled Thursday, April 13 on the campus of the Wemyss Bight Primary School in Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera. The approximately $200,000 project includes a regulation basketball court for junior high to adult players (92’ x 50’), two additional youth-sized multipurpose courts and a ninefoot rock climbing wall. The project was financed by William “Doug” Douglass, who in 1994 cofounded investment firm K2 Advisors, now part of Franklin Templeton Advisors. Douglass has been coming to Eleuthera since 1962 and is the grandson of Pan Am Air Founder and South Eleuthera resident Juan Trippe, who died in 1981. “For me, sports and this community and all the Bahamas is one building block that can allow the children and young adults of this community to do something that’s positive where they can have a chance for teamwork, a chance to stay
out of trouble and have a chance to push themselves. I think Chris Brown, as a local product, is an example of what can be achieved if people are willing to push and are not afraid to fail,” Douglass said. “I consider this my home and it’s because of the leadership of my family. It was their leadership that has inspired me to continue to be here and continues to see what I might do and inspire all of you to do more for your community here in South Eleuthera. I came here as a child into the school with my grandmother when she was reading to the children and I grew up with so many of the kids that attended this school and I know the parents of the kids that attend the school today, it’s basically in my backyard, within two miles from my house.” Following a brief ceremony, students played the first exhibition on the courts and the venue has already been tapped to host several events benefitting the surrounding communities in the near future. “This is just a small thing, but I want it to be used by the entire community of all of Eleuthera and I want this to be an inspiration to others to do such projects in other settlements throughout this island, but also an example to do it in other out islands,” Douglass said. “I
THE TRIPPE FAMILY on the campus of the Wemyss Bight Primary School in Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera. have a challenge for whoever becomes the next administration and that challenge is that I would like to see a partnership between, education, sport and private donations around the country to develop other facilities - whether its sailing, basketball, squash, baseball, track and field - all of those things need to be done but can be accelerated. This is just the beginning and there should be more.” Wemyss Bight is also the home of one of the country’s most decorated Olympians and sporting icons of
THE RIBBON CUTTING for the state-of-the-art recreational court.
all time - Chris “Fireman” Brown. Brown, who has a street named in his honour in the community, was on hand for the unveiling of the recreational court. “The children of the community should be able to benefit from this. So many parents in the Bahamas are losing their children to gun violence but something like this gift should keep our kids inspired to become future Olympians, future NBA players, professional volleyball players and it’ll encourage them to stay away from the violence that is plaguing the country,” Brown said. “Hopefully in the years to come, we will be able to see a track and field stadium here. We know that is something we are known for and we breed Olympians. I have been carrying the torch for a while and I’m hoping that before I pass that baton on to someone else, and someday before I pass away, I’m hoping that we will be back here someday to witness a stadium where we can host track and field events here in Eleuthera and make the Commonwealth proud.” Recently, Brown assisted
with the hosting of the Grenada Invitational and will return home this upcoming weekend to compete in the IAAF World Relays. The world renowned quarter-miler has won four Olympic and four World Championship medals as a member of 4x400m relay teams. He told the gathering of Wemyss Bight students that his dream, like theirs, began on that very campus. “This is the beginning. This is where you sets your goals and your dreams. No matter who comes before you, no matter who comes before you and says you can’t do it, you can achieve those goals. I started here on this rock, this was the beginning for me, this is where I came from and I am returning home to show you guys that impossible is nothing as long as you put your goals first. “No matter what negative things come before you, always stay focused, listen to coaches, teachers, parents and those who want the best for you.” John “Giant” Carey and his Carey Construction Company were responsible for the construction of the
project. “I stand honoured that Carey’s construction could be a part of this. What I would like to see happen is to have synergy between our schools, churches and our hospitals in Eleuthera,” he said. “There is nothing like this facility anywhere else in the Bahamas where I have been. When we have gifts and buildings, we have to maintain it. This is not just a basketball court, it is a tennis court, volleyball, and the rock climbing so it can serve a wide variety of purposes to reach more of our community.” Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson applauded the efforts by all invested stakeholders. “It’s the work that goes on behind the scenes that we have to be thankful for. People call us a country, but the Bahamas is a sports power. The message on behalf of a grateful nation, this is what happens when you give back. The entire Bahamas benefits when individuals like Chris Brown and the Trippe family continue to give back to these communities.”