Lets take a look at this week in sports history and look back at some of the memorable moments.

August 18:

1986 – Pete Rose, made his 4,256th and final career hit, extending the all-time MLB hits record. Pete was a controversial figure and of course received a lifetime ban from baseball for betting on his own team when he managed the Cincinnati Reds.

1992 – The “Dream Team” (USA men’s basketball) won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona, defeating Croatia. The first Dream Team included players like Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

August 19:

1936 – American runner Glenn Cunningham won silver in the 1500m at the Berlin Olympics, cementing his legend as the “Kansas Ironman.”

1951 – St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck sent 3’7” Eddie Gaedel to pinch-hit, making him the shortest player in MLB history. It was his only appearance in a major league game, and he worked a walk giving him a career on base percentage of 1.000.

August 20:

1920 – The American Professional Football Association (which became the NFL) was founded in Canton, Ohio.

1974 – Nolan Ryan struck out 19 batters in a game, tying his own record at the time. That record has been broken 5 times, twice by Roger Clemens, and once each by Randy Johnson, Kerry Wood, and Max Scherzer.

2008 – Usain Bolt won the 200m gold medal in Beijing, completing a 100m/200m double in world-record time. Bolt beat his own record many times during his Olympic runs.

August 21:

2016 – The USA men’s basketball team won gold at the Rio Olympics, their third straight Olympic title. Players included Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony among others.

August 22:

1965 – Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle announced his retirement, ending a Hall of Fame career. He finished with 33,070 yards, 242 touchdowns and 248 interceptions.

1989 – Nolan Ryan struck out Rickey Henderson for his 5,000th career strikeout, a record still unbroken. I don’t believe this record will ever be broken since pitchers no longer pitch as deep into games or have careers as long as Nolan did. The three pitchers closest to Ryan (Randy Johnson – 4,875, Roger Clemens – 4,672 and Steve Carlton – 4,136).

August 23:

1987 – Stefan Edberg won his first career Grand Slam title at the US Open (mixed doubles).

1989 – Pete Rose accepted a lifetime ban from baseball for gambling. At the time of his death (September 30, 2024) the ban still stood, but I believe he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame as a player. Rose is the all time hits leader.

2000 – Venus Williams won the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, part of her historic summer run before the US Open.

2008 – The Beijing Olympics closed, highlighted by Michael Phelps’ record 8 gold medals.

As I continue writing these, I will begin highlighting some of the events and writing more about them. Thanks for reading