15 Captivating Moments in Sports History!

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Charlotte Hopkins

2.    Honus Wagner narrowly escaped a tag while sliding into Third Base during a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 19, 1909, as captured in an AP Photo. Wagner hit 101 home runs in his 21 years in baseball. In the days when he played home runs were not as common as they are today.

3.    W. C. Fields demonstrated his billiard skills to the renowned billiards champion Bob Cannefax in 1924. Cannefax was known for his exceptional billiards skills and his showmanship. During exhibitions and matches, he had a knack for incorporating entertaining trick shots into his gameplay. One of his most famous trick shots involved setting up an entire rack of balls, sinking each one in a predetermined pocket. His showmanship and trick shots added entertainment to the world of billiards.

4.    Gustaaf van Slembrouck, participating in the 1927 Tour de France, takes a leisurely moment to enjoy a cigarette while cycling. A year earlier in the 1926 Tour de France, he had a tire puncture during the race. At that time, cyclists were responsible for their own mechanical repairs. Van Slembrouck didn't have a spare tube, so he found a straw, cut it into pieces, and used the pieces to line the tire, allowing him to continue the race. Remarkably, he went on to finish the Tour despite this unusual repair.

5.    Sam Bartram, the goalkeeper, found himself alone on the field, unaware that the match had been called off 15 minutes earlier due to dense fog in 1937. After the game, new guidelines were established that allowed referees to suspend games if visibility dropped below a certain level. There were also improvements made to stadium lighting, ensuring that future games wouldn't face the same issues with fog-related cancellations.

6.    On August 15, 1939, in Cheney, Washington, Captain Turk Edwards, a member of the Washington Redskins professional football team, received an honorary membership in the Spokane tribe from Chief Black Spirit, who bestowed upon him the name "Chief Red Feathers.

7.    WWII hero and amputee, Bert Shepard, preparing to take to the mound for his one and only major league appearance with Washington against the Red Sox on August 4, 1945. His story reminds us that with courage and a never-give-up attitude, anything is possible, both on and off the baseball field.

8.    Up at bat is Pete Gray, the one-armed outfielder for the Browns. He lost his arm at the age of six when he fell off a produce wagon and his arm got trapped in the spokes. Gray played for one season in 1945. Despite having only one arm, Gray not only played professional baseball but played it exceptionally well. His incredible determination and skill as an outfielder earned him a place in baseball history. Gray's father taught him that with passion and perseverance, there are no limits to what he can achieve in the world of sports.

9.    Young prospects vying for a spot on the Brooklyn Dodgers' roster during the 1948 baseball spring training. Baseball training camps weren't solely focused on physical skills. Coaches were known to include what they deemed "team-building activities" like relay races, obstacle courses, dodgeball, and games of tag.

10. Eddie Gaedel was the shortest player to play in the MLB. His baseball career included one turn at bat in 1951. He came to bat for the Browns during the first inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers and walked on four pitches. He was then replaced by a pinch-runner. His appearance in the Browns game was just a stunt and a promotional event for a popular sporting goods store. Gaedel's uniform, with the number "1/8" on the back added more fun to the day.

11. Ty Cobb giving hitting advice to a young Mickey Mantle. Cobb was known for his unique batting style and his ability to "choke up" on the bat handle, gripping it closer to the barrel. This unconventional approach gave him better control. Cobb was also known for sliding into bases with his sharpened spikes, aiming to injure infielders who dared to stand in his way.

12. Engineers participating in a game of baseball while wearing B.F. Goodrich Mark IV space suits at the U.S. Naval Air Material Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, around 1958. This playful experiment highlighted the importance of designing suits that would allow astronauts to move and function more naturally in space. While it may not have been a traditional baseball game, it added a touch of humor and served as a memorable and entertaining example of the early days of space exploration research.

13. At a game in 1962, hockey players from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks paused the game to embark on a quest to find a contact lens lost by Jack Evans. A young fan named Vince Paciorkowski, who was at the game with his father found the missing contact lens on the ice. As a token of appreciation, the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks invited Vince and his family to attend their next game as special guests.

14. In 1971, at age 15 Debra Jane Sivyer was one of the first ballgirls for the Athletics. One particularly memorable moment occurred when she caught a foul ball that had been hit by Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson during a game. Instead of just tossing the ball back into play, she decided to ask Jackson to autograph it for her. Reggie Jackson gladly obliged and signed the ball for Debra Jane.

15. Kent Tekulve waiting to be called out from the dugout in 1979. It was said that when Tekulve took the mound the game was over for the other team. He was famous for his submarine-style pitching. Before each pitch, Tekulve would touch the rosin bag not with his pitching hand but with his glove hand, a rare practice for a submarine pitcher.