On This Date in Baseball: May 5

1935 - At Braves Field, young pitcher Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals faced the Boston Braves and 40-year-old veteran Babe Ruth. Dean walked Ruth his first two times up, then with two strikes on the Bambino, Dean waved his outfielders back and threw a fastball down the middle that Ruth missed for a strikeout. Dean won the game, 7 - 0, and in his first at bat, hit a home run over Ruth's head in right field. Dean will face Ruth again on May 19th, holding him hitless again, and winning that game as well.

1999 - At Wrigley Field, the Colorado Rockies became the first team in 35 years and only the third in the 20th century to score in every inning in a 13 - 6 win over the Chicago Cubs. The last time a team scored in all nine innings was also at Chicago, when the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cubs on September 13, 1964. Hmmmm...imagine that. Yet more proof that...

2001 - Sammy Sosa homered and had four RBI, and Julian Tavarez pitched seven solid innings as the Chicago Cubs beat the Dodgers 20 - 1 at Wrigley Field. Chicago scored eight runs in each of the last two innings.

While the Cubs looked good for a night, they still finished behind the Cardinals in the Central Division in 2001 because Jesus hates them.

Quote of the Day

"Let me start by telling you this, (pointing at the committee chairman with his index finger) I have never used steroids, period."

-Rafael Palmeiro (Whatever, liar.)

"I'm not here to discuss the past. I'm here to be positive about this subject. Asking me or any other player to answer questions about who took steroids in front of television cameras will not solve the problem. . . . My lawyers have advised me that I cannot answer these questions without jeopardizing my friends, my family and myself. I intend to follow their advice."

-Mark McGwire (virtually killing any chance to be enshrined in Cooperstown)

"Everything I have heard about steroids and human growth hormones is that they are very bad for you."

-Sammy Sosa (suddenly forgetting how to speak English)

On This Date in Baseball: March 17

1886 - The Sporting News, the weekly that will become "The Baseball Paper of the World," publishes its first issue.

1936 -Much-heralded rookie Joe DiMaggio makes his debut with the New York Yankees, collecting four hits including a triple. The day is marred when the St. Louis Cardinals win 8 - 7.

1966 - Pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale play hardball when negotiating with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The duo signs movie contracts showing they are serious about retiring from baseball if their salary demands are not met.
2005 - During more than 11 hours of the Committee on Government Reform hearing concerning major league player use of steroids, Mark McGwire refuses to talk about the past and does not deny taking performance enhancing drugs. Other players testifying included Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and former big leaguer Jose Canseco, whose recent book prompted the congressional hearing. Palmeiro is later found guilty of steroid usage.