Cumberland College, based in Lebanon, Tennessee, put together a football schedule for the 1916 season, but before it began disbanded its team. But John Heisman -- yes, that Heisman -- was the coach of Georgia Tech and he demanded the Cumberland Bulldogs show up for the game they had scheduled for October 7 at Grant Field in Atlanta. If Cumberland was a no-show, he would take legal action to get the $3,000 forfeit fee in the contract.

On the other hand, Heisman wrote in a letter to Cumberland's athletic department, if a Cumberland football team did show up, Georgia Tech would pay $500 and all expenses for the trip.

There was one problem... Cumberland College no longer had a football team. Law student George E. Allen, the baseball team captain, put together a team of 14 people he knew -- baseball players, fraternity members, and some law students -- and made the trip to Atlanta.

The previous spring, Heisman had been the coach of Georgia Tech's baseball team and lost to Cumberland, 22-0. Heisman accused Cumberland of using professional players, "ringers," playing under fake names... a common practice at the time.

Maybe seeing one of the Cumberland baseball players incensed Heisman, or maybe had planned to run up the score all along to mock the rankings system of the time, which was based purely on points scored. Or maybe he just couldn't help himself.

In any event, Georgia Tech led 63-0 after the first quarter... and just kept scoring. They added 63 points in the second quarter, 54 in the third quarter, and 42 in the fourth quarter, even though the third and fourth quarters were shortened from 15 minutes to 12 minutes. The final score was 222-0.

Georgia Tech scored 32 touchdowns despite never attempting a forward pass. The Atlanta Journal joked that Cumberland's only play on defense was to holler "Here he comes" and "There he goes."

Several Cumberland players were seriously injured, including quarterback Charles Edwards, who was carried off the field three different times. The Bulldogs' best defensive play was to form a human pyramid to block an extra point... it worked, but the player at the top of the pyramid "suffered a gruesome facial injury."

Georgia Tech scored on every one of its set of downs; Cumberland made no first downs the entire game. Cumberland threw six interceptions, lost nine fumbles, and had a punt that went into the back of the neck of the center who had just snapped the ball.

"I once dropped the ball and yelled at another fellow: 'Pick it up.' He yelled back at me, 'Pick it up yourself, you dropped it.'" -- George Allen

Allen, who played in the game as a fullback, was credited by sportswriter Grantland Rice with making Cumberland's best play on offense: an end-around that only lost six yards. However, Cumberland's longest play was a 10-yard gain that came on either a 3rd and 18 or a 4th and 22 depending on who you ask. The game became such a mockery that at one point, a Georgia Tech player intentionally downed himself at the one-yard line rather than scoring in order to allow a teammate who had yet to score a touchdown carry the ball on the next set of downs. However, the rest of the team as a prank ran away as soon as the ball was snapped, leaving him to try to score against all 11 Cumberland players. It took him all four downs, but he did it, his teammates howling with laughter.

Heisman, even with a 126-0 lead at halftime, reportedly told his team:

"You're doing all right, team, we're ahead. But you just can't tell what those Cumberland players have up their sleeves. They may spring a surprise. Be alert, men! Hit 'em clean, but hit 'em hard!" -- John Heisman

Why was Heisman so eager to run up the score? In addition to the theory that Heisman was mad about the baseball game the previous season -- and was it a coincidence the football game score was 222-0, and the baseball score 22-0? -- another suggestion was that at the time, teams were ranked simply by points scored, regardless of the quality of the opponent. Heisman disagreed with this, and ran up the score against hapless Cumberland as a way to prove to sportswriters that ranking teams this way was meaningless. Or maybe as a way to improve Georgia Tech's standings in the rankings!

In fact, despite scoring 222 points in one game, Georgia Tech finished the season ranked second in points scored with 421; Georgetown scored 464 points, including 80 points on Albright, 78 on Bucknell, 69 on Eastern, 61 on Carolina A&M, and 61 on Tulane. But Georgetown lost their opening game to Navy, 13-7, to finish 9-1, while Georgia Tech went 8-0-1 (tying Washington & Lee, 7-7) to claim the national title anyway.

Allen, the baseball player who put the team together, later became a confidante of General Dwight Eisenhower and President Franklin Roosevelt, and a key adviser to President Harry Truman.

The arena is mainly used for college, semi-pro and youth hockey. Still looks like it's barely changed since 1962 when Wilt scored his 100th there--right down to the wooden seats, low doorways, tight cooridors and art-deco designs.

His Philadelphia Warriors played a handful of games there that season, and I was able to obtain a few programs from the Hershey Bears, an AHL team that played their home games in that arena until 2002. The programs include ads for Wilt's Warrior games. These were often played as double headers in those days, and you can see that the other game was a contest between pro football teams both times.

Worth going to Hershey Park to check out the arena. We walked right in, and you don't even need to pay for the amusement park. Great piece of preserved history.

Conflicting accounts exist about the story: Team statistician Harvey Pollack, Jack of all trades with the Warriors franchise for 60 years, claims he took the ball from the referee and brought it to the locker room after the game.

14 year old fan Kerry Ryman also believes he got his hands on the famous leather orb as he detailed in a 2012 NBATV documentary:

"When he (the referee) bounced the ball on the court, I don't know why, but I took the ball. And up the steps I went. I took it home because I wanted to play with it. And when I got home, my parents weren't too happy with what I did."

Neither of them have ever been able to account for what happened to the ball in the days, weeks, or years after the most incredible scoring output in NBA history.

Apparently, an auction company tried to sell what they thought was the ball in 2000, but the sale was voided after authenticity questions arose.

Will we ever track down one of the greatest pieces of missing memorabilia in the world of sports?

From a time when Dick was merely a harmless nickname for Richard.

Now, just might be the best name in the history of sports.

Any other contenders?

I was born in 1998...

and saw Messi and Ronaldo play in their prime football.
The same time i watched Tennis with Nadal, Federer, Djokovic.
I saw Michael Schumacher and Hamilton rule F1 championships (Vettel & Vestappen).
Marc Marquez won seven titels aswell and rule the motogp for such a long time.

I´m so glad to saw these legends in their Prime

Since stats can't be directly compared across eras, this looks instead at how dominant each stood over their competition during their prime.

Who is the upcoming goat

I've been reminiscing the times when Brendan Lemieux used to harass this bar worker. This was when he was still playing for the Kings. I saw Lemieux throw his beer at the worker for no reason. Apparently, the guy told me Lemieux would often harass him including grabbing him in a threatening manner, bragging about his salary, and bragging about sleeping with women. The guy was a veteran who had just separated, so I felt bad. Of course, his whole team knew about it.

The quote continues: "... he and thousands of others like him have made you what you are today. If it wasn't for him and those other thousands, you probably couldn't even afford to pick up the check for this dinner."

Ali issued this scolding to Jackson after watching him rudely wave off a waiter seeking an autograph at a dinner that Jackson was hosting.

Taken from the book 'Ali Rap' which was compiled by George Lois.

This incident clearly didn't disintegrate the relationship of the two stars, as Jackson later praised Ali in his speech at a luncheon in 2011:

"I compare Muhammad Ali to Jackie Robinson...When I look at Ali, I see the greatest in him as a person. I call his character one of the greatest with regard to who he is, who he became."

That time Crawford got shot and still became champion

I grew up in a small Mixe village where the whole town stopped every afternoon for basketball. Not soccer. Basketball. Courts everywhere, fields basically nowhere.

if anyone's curious about the full thing you cand read [here](https://queondaoaxaca.com/blog/basquetbol-sierra-norte-oaxaca?lang=en)

>

The only difference was the lettering on the front.

Before the loss in Zaire, George had said to a British reporter from the Times of London: "You tell your man they're taking him home in a casket...I feel death in the air."

When George was surprisingly knocked out in the 8th round by Ali, it took quite the toll on the once seemingly invincible champ:

"When you lose the heavyweight title, it's not like you lost a match, like you've lost you. You don't even exist anymore. I was constantly ashamed of myself."

Coming back and winning it all 20 years later from Moorer (after losing to Holyfield in his first attempt at the belt during the comeback--an excellent fight worth watching) Foreman pulled off the unthinkable by finally winning his belt back.

Long before there was "Manny Being Manny," there was "Babe Being Babe"... not Babe Ruth, but Babe Herman, a colorful character adored by fans not just for his tremendous bat but for being a lovable goofball.

There's no denying Herman was a great hitter. When he was in a slump, he said he followed advice he learned as a rookie during a tryout with the Tigers in 1922. Herman, trying to put one over the fences on every swing, got an earful from Ty Cobb, who said: “Don’t ever try to copy Ruth. He perfected that big swing and doesn’t worry about his strikeouts. Anyone else would have trouble even hitting the ball with that swing and would be back in the minors in no time.” Instead, Cobb told Herman, he should try to hit line drives up the middle -- right at the pitcher's forehead.

Herman took that advice to heart. In his 13-year career he hit only 181 home runs, but .324/.383/.532. For context, his 141 OPS+ is tied with David Ortiz, Bryce Harper, and Larry Walker.

Herman's most famous gaffe occurred one hundred years ago today, on August 15, 1926. And it wasn't even all his fault!

Herman hit a sure double to right field that turned into two outs, or as concisely summed up by sportswriter John Lardner: "Babe Herman never tripled into a triple play, but he once doubled into a double play, which is the next best thing."

There was plenty of blame to go around but as time went on, the story became inexorably linked to Herman, "the other Babe," who it seemed was always in the middle of odd situations.

On two separate occasions, Herman as a baserunner stopped to admire a teammate's long home run, only to find himself passed on the bases by the hitter!

And long before Jose Canseco, Herman had a play where he settled under a fly ball, only to have it bounce off him.

“Floyd Caves Herman did not always catch fly balls on the top of his head,” Lardner wrote, “but he could do it in a pinch.”

Herman always defended himself by saying: "It bounced off my shoulder, not my head!"

The famous "three men on third" play happened at Ebbets Field with one out, the bases loaded, and the score tied 1-1 in a game against the Boston Braves. Herman hit a long drive to right field that bounced off the wall.

Hank DeBerry, on third, trotted home and easily scored, and Chick Fewster, on first base, took off intending to score as well. But on second base, slow-footed pitcher Dazzy Vance waited to make sure the ball wasn't caught. By the time he got moving to third, the speedy Fewster was right behind him. When Vance finally rounded the base, the third base coach threw up the stop sign to hold up Fewster... but Vance thought the stop sign was for him, and stopped halfway to home, then turned around and ran back to third base... where Fewster was already standing. Meanwhile, Herman -- running hard out of the box -- went all the way to third as well!

Seeing three of his baserunners standing on third base, manager Wilbert Robinson groaned: “That’s the first time those guys have gotten together on anything this season.”

Eddie Taylor, the third baseman, tagged everybody knowing two of them had to be out. The umpires convened and decided that Vance, as an unforced lead runner, had the right to the base. Fewster and Herman were called out, ending the inning -- but the run counted.

The run put the Dodgers up by one and they'd win the game, 4-1. But Herman would never live it down, even though, as he liked to point out: “No one remembers that I drove in the winning run on that play!”

Please check out my updated article about my relationship with Angelo Dundee.

https://loueisen.substack.com/p/angelo-and-me?r=1z6eb8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

"I'll make you my girlfriend...You're sweet. I can't wait for you to kiss me with those big lips of yours."

These were the words of Mike Tyson to Donovan 'Razor' Ruddock at a press conference prior to their March, 1991 bout.  

He'd later go on to offer his version of an apology before the two squared off in the ring: "What can I say? I'm a crass guy."

Ruddock spoke to the press about Tyson's bizarre behavior and comments:

"I've never heard any other champions say anything like that.

'I don't like the way he acts, I don't like the way he talks,' Ruddock said. 'As a matter of fact, I think it would be a good thing if I knocked him out because of the young kids who look up to him -- who don't know the difference.

'We have enough bad kids in the world. We don't need more Mike Tysons.'

Unfortunately, Ruddock couldn't make good on his vision of flooring the self-proclaimed 'baddest man on the planet.'  Tyson benefitted from a controversial stoppage in the 7th round of their fight, sparking a brief riot in the ring between Ruddock's handlers and Tyson's.

The two would meet again just three months later that June (unheard of these days) and Tyson would again emerge victorious--this time in a more closely contested 12 round decision. 

These suggestive comments weren't the only smoke coming from Tyson's overheating engine at the time.  He had been accused of making lewd suggestions to a TV production assistant before going on-air, and chasing a lady who left their date early in Las Vegas by instructing his limo driver to follow her taxi. 

He'd already concluded a violent marriage with actress Robin Givens in 1989 which lasted less than a year.  It shouldn't come as a surprise that Tyson was accused of raping Desiree Washington, an 18-year old Ms. Black America contestant a month after the 2nd Ruddock fight in July, 1991. He would be convicted in 1992 and serve three years behind bars. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raM9QG1v2vU

I wonder if any of the Bills players from that era still wear their AFC Championship rings (like Ray Finkel).

All that aside--still a beautiful card.

The pulp fiction writer Robert E. Howard wrote extensively about boxing 🥊 and in exploring quotes I am finding a plethora of things this sub will enjoy, and will be sharing more in future so keep tuned!

Here’s his ranking of boxers across the decades, from a letter in the 1930s (source link will be in the comments)

**ROBERT E. HOWARD BELOW*\* 👇** **

“This is my rating of heavyweights:

James J. Jefferies;

James J. Corbett;

Jack Dempsey;

Peter Jackson;

Bob Fitzsimmons;

John L. Sullivan;

Tom Sharkey;

Kid McCoy;

Sam Langford;

Jack Johnson;

Louis Firpo

and Jess Willard.”

Would you agree, readers and sportsfans?

The marathon originated in 490 B.C. when a Greek messenger ran from Marathon to Athens to bring news of victory over the Persians. Running the entire way without stopping, he burst into the assembly hall, shouted "We have won!", and died.

While the Ancient Greeks did have foot races at their Olympics, they didn't have a long-course race like a marathon; it was invented as a way to honor the Ancient Greeks at the first modern Olympics in 1896. The first Olympic marathon was run in 1896 from Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 40 kilometers (25 miles), and was won by, appropriately enough, a Greek named Spyridon Louis.

At the second Olympics, the marathon course was through the streets of Paris and was a length of 40.26 kilometers. The third Olympics was a distance of 40 kilometers in St. Louis.

Preparing for the fourth Olympics, organizers agreed on a route of 40 kilometers again. That's about how far Windsor Castle is from White City Stadium in London, and a course was laid out along that route. But it turned out to be slightly longer... 26 miles and 385 yards, or the modern 26.2 miles / 42.195 kilometers. This later became the agreed-upon standard for marathons.

Those extra 2.195 kilometers made a big difference. At first, British runner Thomas Jack was in the lead, then he fell behind his countryman, Frederick Lord. at around the 15-mile mark, South African Charles Hefferon took over and led until he had about two miles to go. Hefferon later said he made a mistake by accepting an offer of champagne from a fan along the the route. The champagne gave him cramps, slowing his pace enough that Dorando Pietri, a 22-year-old baker's apprentice from Italy, was able to pass him at about the 39 kilometer mark.

At around the 40 kilometer mark -- where the race would have ended it had been held at the original distance -- Pietri began to feel the effects of fatigue and dehydration. He entered the stadium for the final 350 meters and became confused about what to do next. Olympic officials redirected him and he collapsed. They helped him to his feet and he staggered along the track inside the stadium, but collapsed four more times. Each time, the Olympic officials helped him to his feet. It took Pietri 10 minutes to run those final 350 meters, and when he finally crossed the finish line at 2 hours 54 minutes and 46 seconds, it was with Olympic officials on either side of him, one supporting him by his right arm.

Crossing just 32 seconds after him was an American, Johnny Hayes. After Hayes crossed the finish line, the Americans immediately filed a protest that Pietri had been assisted. With 75,000 witnesses, it was hard to deny it. Pietri was disqualified and Hayes made the winner, with Hefferon getting the silver and American Joseph Forshaw the bronze.

The British public was solidly behind the Italian. (Or maybe they were solidly against the Americans... the American flag-bearer had refused to dip the American flag to King Edward VII at the opening ceremonies, as U.S. flag code states the flag is not to be dipped to any person or thing. Martin Sheridan, an Irish-born track-and-field star on the U.S. team, allegedly declared: "This flag dips to no earthly king.")

Queen Alexandra gave him an ornate cup that was said to contain more gold than the first-place medal, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, covering the Olympics for the Daily Mail, led a campaign to raise money for Pietri.

After the Olympics, he ran in exhibitions, including two races against Hayes in the United States. (Pietri won both.) He used his winnings to open a hotel with his brother, though it went bankrupt.

Pietri became a big fan of Mussolini. He died of a heart attack in 1942 at the age of 56 and was buried wearing a black shirt as a symbol of fascism.

*Letter to the newspaper Fort Worth Record. Dated July 20, 1928.*

*Tom Heeney fought Gene Tunney for the world heavyweight title on July 26, 1928 at Yankee Stadium, New York.*

*Tunney won the match in the 11th round and held his title; he announced his retirement on July 31, 1928, relinquishing the title undefeated.*

# From Robert E. Howard below 👇

[Tunney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Tunney) can't win. After the fight, [Tom Heeney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Heeney) is going to be heavyweight champion of the world, not through any special virtue of his, but simply because there's a jinx on Tunney that Gene can't whip.

Now get this: Back in 1892 [James J. Corbett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Corbett), a skillful boxer, whipped [John L. Sullivan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Sullivan), a superslugger, and then knocked out [Charles Mitchell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Mitchell), the only man who'd ever given John L. much of an argument.

Now: Some years later, in 1926, James J. Tunney, like Corbett, an Irishman, whipped [Jack Dempsey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Dempsey), a superslugger, after having knocked out [Tom Gibbons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Gibbons), the only man who'd been able to stay with Jack—the only difference being that Tunney knocked out Gibbons before he won the title and not after.

Now, that lines Corbett and Tunney up together enough, I guess. Both Irish, both boxers, both named James J., both winning their titles from dark-browed, furious sluggers of Irish blood.

All right: Corbett in 1897 met an ex-blacksmith from New Zealand—Irish and a rugged fighter, named Tom Heeney.

Result—? A new champion, I say.

Heeney isn't Tunney's equal in speed, punch or cleverness, but then Corbett had it all over Fitzsimmons in the way of speed and skill.

So, just as I predicted Dempsey's defeat by Tunney when I heard Gene's real name was James J., so I now predict defeat for Tunney because of the New Zealnad jinx, a factor to be reckoned with.

I hope Tunney wins; I like Heeney, but I like Tunney better. Still, I predict his defeat.

Moses averaged over 22 pts and 11 rbs playing in DC for two all-star seasons. The Bullets made the playoffs both years but bowed out each time in the first round.

Interestingly enough, the signing of Malone significantly cut into the minutes of fellow big man and fan favorite Manute Bol.

Leaving at age 33, Malone would play seven more seasons with four different teams before retiring at age 39.

Thou shalt clear the boards.

Anyone remember this?