Back to back to back to back HOMERUNS to tie the game! Than Nomar Garciaparra seals the deal in the 10th!

Afterwards Nomar spoke about the homerun:

Beverly Hills was Rocking!

The tragic story of one of my favorite baseball players, Mickey Mantle. Hopefully youngsters and others who see this will not fall into the same traps in life that cost Mickey his health and ultimately his life.

To lighten the mood, here is a video of the classic comedy routine Abbott and Costello. You can read more about the history of the routine here on Wikipedia.

With all this talk about the current day Dodgers’ win streak, we wanted to show a historic video of one of the greatest Dodgers of all time, Sandy Koufax:

1929 The Cardinals scored ten runs in the first and fifth innings defeating the Phillies, 28-6. The twenty-eight runs set a National League record for the most runs score in one game by one team.

1933 At Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the first ever All-Star game is played. Babe Ruth’s two-run home run helps the American League defeat the Senior Circuit, 4-2.

1936 After the first batter is thrown out trying to bunt, Bob Feller, a 17-year old farm boy from Van Meter, Iowa, strikes out 8 consecutive batters in three innings during an All-star break exhibition game against the Cardinal’s’ Gas House Gang. It is the rookie’s first appearance in a major league uniform.

1938 At Crosley Field, Yankees’ hurler Lefty Gomez is defeated for the first time in four All-Star starts as the NL wins the All-Star game 4-1. National League shortstop Leo Durocher becomes the first Dodger to start in an All-Star Game and gets a ‘bunt’ home run.

1941 A center field monument dedicated to Lou Gehrig is unveiled by the Yankees. The memorial is a tribute by his teammates of their beloved captain who died last month of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

1942 Powered by first-inning home runs by Indians’ shortstop Lou Boudreau and Tigers’ first baseman Rudy York, the American League All-Stars defeats the NL at the Polo Grounds, 3-1. The game also features the first and only starting sibling battery in all-star history as losing pitcher Mort Cooper throws to backstop Walker Cooper, his brother.

1945 Tommy Holmes hits safely in his 34th consecutive game surpassing Rogers Hornsby’s modern National League record of 33 (Keeler had 44 pre-1900) established in 1922.

1949 At Crosley Field, Walker Cooper goes 6-for-7, including three home runs and three singles, five runs scored and ten RBIs, to power the Reds over the Cubs, 23-4.

1953 In his first major league start, Al Worthington blanks the Pirates, 6-0. The Giants’ rookie will repeat the feat in his next start blanking the Dodgers to tie a major league mark.

1956 Indians’ outfielder Jim Busby hits his second grand slam in consecutive days to beat the A’s, 4-2.

1958 A day after he walks outfielder Willie Kirkland with the bases loaded to give the Giants a 5-4 victory, Cardinal reliever Larry Jackson hits Jim Davenport with the bases full in the ninth inning to again force in the winning run.

1966 Tying an American League record, Boog Powell knocks in 11 runs in a doubleheader. In game one, the Oriole first baseman hits two home runs, including a grand slam, two doubles and a sacrifice fly to drive in seven runs in the Orioles 11-0 victory over the Kansas City A’s and in the nightcap he adds 4 RBIs.

1970 Brave Felix Milan goes 6-for-6 and collects 4 RBIs in a 12-4 victory over the Giants. He is the first Braves’ player to get 6 hits in one game.

1983 On the 50th anniversary of the Mid-summer classic, Fred Lynn hits the first grand slam in All-Star competition in a record seven-run third inning as the American League also sets a one-game record for runs scored in a 13-3 victory at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the site of the first All-Star game in 1933. The victory ends the National League’s 11-game winning streak.

1986 At Atlanta, first baseman Bob Horner becomes the eleventh major leaguer to hit 4 HRs in one game. Three of the four homers, however, are solo shots allowing the Expos to still beat the Braves, 11-8.

1989 Mike Schmidt becomes the first retired player to be elected to start an All-Star Game. The Phillies third baseman, who announced his retirement on May 29, is hitting only .203 this season and decides not to play.

2000 Vin Scully, 72, is voted the No. 1 sportscaster of the 20th century by members of the American Sportscasters Association. The Dodger veteran broadcaster’s 51-year career has included play-by-play of 25 Fall Classics and 12 All-Star games.

2000 Homering off Reds’ hurler Osvaldo Fernandez, Cardinals’ Keith McDonald becomes only the second player in history to hit a homer in his first two major league at-bats. Bob Nieman of the St. Louis Browns is the other player to accomplish the feat (9/14/51).

2001 Playing in the 101st different park since 1876, the Cubs beat the Tigers in Comerica Park, 15-8. The Cubs win for the first time in Detroit in 56 years dating back to Game 3 of the 1945 World Series when Claude Passeau’s threw a 3-0 shutout in Briggs Stadium.

2002 Daryle Ward becomes the first player in the brief history of Pittsburgh’s PNC Park to hit the Allegheny River on the fly. His fifth inning towering grand slam, which is estimated to travel 479 feet, help the Astros to rout the Pirates, 10-2.

2003 Keeping his promise to dye his hair if his last-place Devil Rays won three in a row at any point this season, Devil Rays’ skipper Lou Piniella becomes a blonde. Last night’s 3-2 victory over the White Sox gave Tampa Bay their first three-game winning streak since last September.

2004 Recently acquired outfielder Richard Hidalgo establishes a club record homering in five straight games for the Mets. In 16 games with New York, the former Astro has eight home runs compared to hit just four with Houston in 56 games.

1898 Lizzie (Stroud) Arlington becomes the first woman to play organized baseball as she pitches for Reading in the Eastern League. Some believe she also pitched in Atlantic League exhibition games after being hired by Ed Barrow, the league’s president.

1921 The Red Sox establish an American League record losing four consecutive doubleheaders with no other contests between the eight losses. The dubious streak began on June 29th.

1929 At the Polo Grounds, the New York Giants become the first team to use a public address system.

1935 Brothers Tony and Al Cuccinello each hit a home run in the same game making it the first time in major league history that brothers on opposing teams have hit round trippers. Tony’s Dodgers beat Al’s Giants, 14-4.

1937 Hal Trosky hits three home runs helping the Indians beat the Browns, 14-4.

1937 In the first game of a doubleheader, Frank Demaree goes 6-for-7 (three doubles and three singles) helping the Cubs edge the Cardinals, 13-12, in 14 innings. The Californian adds two more singles in the second game - a 9-7 Chicago victory.

1947 Striking out as a pinch hitter in an Indian 6-5 loss to the White Sox, 22-year old Larry Doby becomes the first black to appear in the American League. The former Newark Eagle standout will play in the major leagues for 13 years amassing 1,515 hits, just three less than Jackie Robinson.

1953 Blanking the Pirates at Forbes Field, 2-0, Robin Roberts hurls his 28th consecutive complete game. The Phillies right-hander has finished every game he started since beating the Cardinals on August 28, 1952.

1961 Cardinals’ first baseman Bill White hits three home runs and a double in a 9-1 rout over the Dodgers.

1965 Dave Boswell and Jim Perry are winning pitchers as the Twins sweep a doubleheader from Red Sox to move into first place for good.

1969The Orioles break a three game losing streak as Dave McNally (12-0) wins his 14 consecutive game defeating the Detroit, 9-3. Tigers’ outfielder Mickey Stanley plays his 220th consecutive errorless game.

1987 The A’s first baseman Mark McGwire becomes the first rookie to hit 30 homers before the All-Star Game as Oakland defeats the Red Sox, 6-2.

1989 Pirate left-fielder Barry Bonds homer makes him and his Dad, Bobby, the all-time father and son home run leader with 408. Previously the Bells (Gus & Buddy) and the Berras (Yogi & Dale) were tied with 407.

1989 Mark McGwire hits his 100th career home run off of Royals’ hurler Charlie Liebrandt.

1991 In an unanimous vote, final approval is given by baseball owners for the Rockies and the Marlins to join the National League in 1993.

1998 Defeating the Orioles 1-0, the Yankees improves their to record 61-20 equaling the best 81-game start in major league history. The mark matches the record of the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1907 Chicago Cubs.

1998 In a game that is halted for 3 1/2 hours by rain and takes 6 hours, 9 minutes to complete, the Rangers beat the Mariners, 9-2.

1998 Roger Clemens strikes out Devil Ray’s outfielder Randy Winn to record his 3000th career strikeout becoming the 11th pitcher in major league history to reach the milestone.

1998 Juan Gonzalez becomes the second player in major league history to go over the 100 RBI mark before the All-Star game. His major league-leading total 101 RBIs is second only to Tiger slugger Hank Greenberg who had 103 in 1935 and finished the season with 170.

2000 In 12-9 comeback victory over the Astros, Luis Gonzalez becomes the first Diamondback to hit for the cycle. The Arizona outfielder doubled in the first inning, singled in the third, tripled in the eighth and homered in the ninth to accomplish the feat.

2001 Pirates’ skipper Lloyd McClendon is fined $1,000 for walking off the field with first base in the June 26 Brewers game. It’s the first time a manager has been fined for ’stealing’ a base.

2002 Baseball legend Ted Williams, considered by many the greatest hitter in the history of the game, dies of cardiac arrest at the age of 83. The first-ballot Hall of Famer, who was a lifetime .344 hitter, won MVP and Triple Crown twice, led American League in batting for six seasons, and hit .406 in 1941 during his 19-year career with the Red Sox.

2004 In an effort to honor local military personnel, the Twins give away a G.I. Joe action figures to the first 5,000 children attending Royals’ game. The team, in an effort to appease protesting peace groups, who see the promotion glorifying war, asks Hasbro, the toy’s maker, to remove the customary gun from G.I. Joe’s side, but the hand grenades remain visible.

2004 At Dodger Stadium, Diamondback third baseman Chad Tracy’s ninth inning run-scoring single on an 0-2 change up ends Eric Gagne’s record streak of 84 consecutive saves. The new mark established by the Los Angeles closer is 30 more than the prior mark set by Tom Gordon for the Red in 1999.

2005 Passing Eddie Murray, Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez hits his 20th career grand slam, now the second-most in major league history. The Dominican Republic native trails only Yankee legend Lou Gehrig, who holds the major league record with 23.

1912 In a slugfest, the Giants and Braves score a total of 17 runs in the ninth inning. New York scores seven runs in the top of the frame, but the Braves scored 10 runs in the bottom of the ninth to narrow the margin, 21-12.

1925 At Forbes Field, Max Carey becomes the first switch-hitter to hit for the cycle. The Pirate outfielder’s performance helps Pittsburgh to bash Brooklyn, 21-5.

1951 Bobby Avlla’s five hits, including three home runs, helps the Indians beat the Red Sox at Fenway, 14-8.

1980 Five-foot five Fred Patek hits three home runs to help the Angels beat the Red Sox, 20-2.

1982 Pete Rose becomes the fifth major leaguer to appear in 3000 games. It is also ‘Charlie Hustle’s’ 523rd consecutive game.

1983 Yankee outfielder Bobby Murcer retires as an active player.

1992 Kelly Saunders fills in for Baltimore’s Rex Barney becoming only the second woman to be a public address announcer at a major league game.

1994 In a 7-1 defeat to the Indians, the Tigers’ string of 25 straight games of hitting a home run ends. The streak tied the major league record set by the 1941 New York Yankees.

2001 Hitting his 38th homer of the season, Barry Bonds breaks the major league mark established by Reggie Jackson (1969) and Mark McGwire (1998) for home runs hit before the All-Star game. The Giants’ left fielder still has 17 games to add to the record.

2002 Luis Castillo extends his hitting streak to 34 games breaking the 1922 record established by Rogers Hornsby for the longest hitting streak by a second baseman. The Dominican’s infielder streak, the 14th longest in major league history, also ties Benito Santiago’s record set in 1987 for longest established by a Latin player.

2002 A 4 1/2 -hour closed-casket public viewing is held at Busch Stadium for Jack Buck, the 77-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster, who died from complications following lung surgery. The bronze statue depicting him at the microphone outside the stadium is stuffed with cards, stuffed animals, photographs and other memorabilia in memory of the KMOX legend.

2004 On Father’s Day with his dad present, Ken Griffey, Jr. nails a 6th inning fastball of Cardinal hurler Matt Morris over the right field wall at Busch Stadium for his 500th career home run. The Reds’ center fielder becomes the 20th major leaguer and the sixth youngest (34) to reach the milestone.

1893 At New York’s Polo Grounds - Southeast Diamond, the Gothams (who will eventually be known as the Giants) offer free admission to both escorted and unescorted women making it the first ‘Ladies Day’ in baseball history. The females fans see their home town favorites beat the Cleveland Spiders, 5-2.

1916 Braves’ hurler Tom Hughes no-hits the Pirates, 2-0.

1938 Red Sox first baseman Jimmie Foxx is walked six straight times by the Browns in a 12-8 Boston victory.

1933 Last year’s National League batting champ, Lefty O’Doul, and pitcher Watty Clark, a 20-game winner last season, are traded by the Dodgers to the Giants for first baseman Sam Leslie.

1941 Johnny Vander Meer becomes the first hurler to start a game by throwing four consecutive bases on balls before retiring a single batter. The Giants will beat the Reds, 6-0.

1953 The Browns halt the Yankees’ winning streak at 18 and snap their own 14-game losing streak by defeating New York, 3-1.

1957 In a three and two-third innings relief appearance, Dixie Howell hits two home runs helping the White Sox beat the Senators, 8-6.

1964 In a 7-1 victory over the Astros, Cardinal third baseman Ken Boyer hits for the cycle. In the same game, Lou Brock makes his debut in a St. Louis uniform with two hits, including a triple, and also steals a base.

1969 In an effort to return major league baseball to Milwaukee, the White Sox play a home game at County Stadium in which only 13,133 fans show up to see the ‘home’ team beat the Seattle Pilots, 8-3.

1971 Recently traded from Senators, Mike Epstein homers in his first two at-bats (giving him four consecutive home runs over two games) helping the A’s defeat his former team, 5-0. All the runs score on solo homers.

1978 Reds’ Tom Seaver no-hits the Cardinals, 4-0. It is Tom Terrific’s first no-hitter after coming close three times his 12-year career.

1989 Sammy Sosa becomes the youngest Dominican to play in the majors. Batting lead off, the Ranger twenty-year, seven months old rookie goes 2-for-4 including a double as Texas loses to the Yankees., 8-3.

1991 Braves’ outfielder Otis Nixon establishes a National League record and ties the 1912 major league mark set by the A’s Eddie Collins by swiping six bases in one game.

1991 Against the Reds, Phillies’ rookie Andy Ashby strikes out the side on only nine pitches to become the 12th pitcher in National League history to accomplished the feat and the first in franchise history.

2001 At Turner Field in a game which featured thousands of swarming moths, Boston beat the Braves and bugs in extra innings, 9-5. Although the insects had little bearing on the outcome of the game, the insects clearly bothered the some players, including Dave Martinez who claimed to having sucked one into his mouth.

2001 John Olerud becomes the 21st player to hit for the cycle more than once his career. Among all of the players who have accomplished hitting a single, double, triple and home run in the same game, the Mariners’ first baseman has the fewest career triples with just 12 in his 13-year major league stint.

2005 After a pitch goes between his legs, Richmond Braves flycatcher Esix Snead charges the mound and pummels the Syracuse SkyChiefs hurler, David Bush. The action incites an International League brawl which will results in 40 players, a coach and a manager being fined and/or suspended, including a ten-day hiatus for Snead.