24/07/2025
July 24 - Say, is that birthday cake frosting cream or clear …?
Barry Bonds (1964) is a cautionary tale of hubris. As a 14-time all-star and 12-time Silver Slugger, there is little contention that he was hall of fame-bound. But that wasn’t enough for the prickly Bonds, especially once he saw the accolades lavished upon Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in their 1998 home run race. So a few hat and shoe sizes later, Bonds mimicked their feats in 2001, besting McGwire’s 70 homers with 73 of his own. He retired after the 2007 season with 762 home runs, bettering Hank Aaron’s 755. The BALCO scandal would break in September 2003, in which four trainers from the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative would testify to providing performance-enhancing substances to pro athletes. Bonds’ name was among those dropped.
Karl Malone (1963) may not have won a ring, but he collected three gold medals for Team USA. A legendary part of the pick-and-roll with John Stockton on the Utah Jazz, “The Mailman” dominated the lane for most of 18 seasons. A 14-time all-star, Malone garnered MVPs in 1997 and ‘99.
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“La Bamba” opened OTD in 1987, recounting the story of Richie Valens, a Hispanic rocker whose life and career were cut short on “The Day the Music Died” in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959.
“Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” opened OTD in 1987. It was Christopher Reeve’s final turn as the Man of Steel, having agreed to return for a big payday and if the story would focus on nuclear disarmament. The most poorly received Superman film, it scored all of 10% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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John Mellencamp released “Jack and Diane” OTD in 1982. It was his only no. 1 single.
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The “Pine Tar Incident” nearly made George Brett’s head explode OTD in 1983. With his Royals trailing the Yankees 4-3 with two out in the top of the ninth at Yankee Stadium, Brett hit a two-run homer to put the Royals on top. But Yankee manager Billy Martin protested to the umpires that the pine tar on Brett’s bat - commonly used to help a player’s grip - exceeded the allowable 18 inches. The umps checked it and determined that Martin was right, disallowing Brett’s home run and calling him out. That ended the inning, and the game, preserving the Yankees’ 4-3 win. Brett exploded out of the dugout but somehow failed to change the umpires’ minds. However, the Royals protested the game and AL president Andy McPhail ordered the game resume from the point of Brett’s home run. The game resumed on Aug. 18, and the Royals pulled out a 5-4 win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04CH9YZcpI
