TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - APRIL 4TH

1888 - Tris Speaker, baseball great, hit more doubles than Pete Rose is born.

1911 - Hugh Chalmers, automaker, suggests idea of baseball MVP.

1916 - Mickey Owen, American baseball player (d. 2005) is born.
1924 - Gil Hodges, Princeton Indiana, player/manager

(Brooklyn Dodgers, NY Mets) is born.

1933 - Bill France, Jr., NASCAR pioneer (d. 2007) is born.

1938 - A Bartlett Giamatti, pres of Yale/baseball commish

(1989), born in Boston, Massachusetts is born.
1939 - JoAnne Carner, Kirkland WA, LPGA golfer (1976 US Women's Open) is born.

1974 - Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting his 714th.
1976 - 5th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Judy Rankin.

1985 - Tulane University cancels its basketball season amidst scandal.
1986 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 213th point of season.
1988 - 50th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beat Oklahoma 83-79.
1988 - Eddie Hill becomes the world's first driver 

to cover the quarter mile in under 5 seconds.
1989 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last NBA game in Seattle.
1989 - NY Yankee Tommy John ties record of playing 26 seasons, his

287th win puts him 19th overall as Yanks beat Twins on opening day 4-2.

1994 - LA Dodger Darryl Strawberry begins substance abuse treatment.
1997 - Anaheim Ducks clinch their 1st-ever playoff berth.
1997 - Braves officially open Turner Field against Cubs.
1998 - NFL Europe (Formerly WLAF), kicks off season.

1999 - Early Wynn, American baseball player (b. 1920) dies.