Welcome back to Peculiar Side of Sports. Every so often something in sports perplexes me, and I just hate not knowing something. So, I do what any normal, sane sports fan does – I search ad nauseam for the answer by any means necessary. The good news is that I take all my hard work and relay the results to you. If you are a fan of Sports History, check out the other articles I have written – “Sports History” covering virtually all major sports.

Today, I take a look back to the most memorable, important events that have taken place between August 11th through 17th in sports history. While there are certainly many candidates, I have narrowed it down to two or three for each day. I ultimately selected the one event I feel had the biggest impact on the players, teams and fans at the time of the event, as well as the legacy it has left on sports history. If you want to scroll to the list, it is at the conclusion of this article.

Does any name in baseball lore have a name that still resonates with fans like Babe Ruth? No, “The Babe” is miles apart, leaps and bounds more synonymous with baseball history than the next level – the Hank Aarons and Jackie Robinsons. This week in sports history belongs to Babe Ruth on the heels of reaching several notable marks.

Quick, what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Babe Ruth? If you said the candy bar, please close this window and go read a book or something. If you said John Goodman, you’d be part-right – he did a fine portrayal of the Babe in his motion picture. What most fans will consider first is his sheer, raw, home-run hitting prowess. He was the first real slugger, the first to elevate home-run hitting to an art form.

On August 11, 1929, as a member of the New York Yankees, Babe hit his 500th homerun. Just let that soak in a bit. He played in an era where they were using glorified sticks, not massively engineered and re-engineered weapons of baseball destruction such as today. Consider what his training regime would have looked like – from reports at the time, there was no such regime. Ruth did what Ruth wanted, and if you wanted him on the team, just shut up and come along for the ride. By the way, for those thinking he was some overweight drunkard his entire career, you would be misinformed – that was towards the end of his career. Before Ruth, although home runs were counted as they are today, they weren’t as important to the game before Ruth made them that way.

It was August 12, 1934, as a member of the New York Yankees, Babe played his last game at Fenway, saying good-bye to the fans he once called his own. Of course that was before the Curse hit, when he was traded to the Yankees. Boston was never the same, and it took many, many decades before the curse was lifted. Seeing Ruth in a Yankees uniform was never easy for Sox fans – they knew what they missed out on.

On August 16, 1948, Babe Ruth died after a battle with throat cancer. At 53 years old, it was far too young, though many believed his lifestyle finally caught up with him. His legacy was cemented long before, and to this day the name Babe Ruth still resonates amongst young and old, as a member of sports history’s greatest.

Please take a moment to read my article “1920: The Most Important Year in Baseball History” if you haven’t already done so. Basically it takes you back in time to 1920 and the circumstances surrounding Ruth being traded to the Yankees.

August 11

1929 – Babe Ruth hits his 500th homerun, the first to reach that mark.

1991 – John Daly Wins the PGA Championship by one stroke. Daly burst on the scene in a big way with this win.

August 12

1934 – Babe Ruth plays his last game at Fenway Park in his career, as a member of the New York Yankees.

1950 – The New York Giants defeated the CFL’s Ottawa Rough Riders 20-6. Other games were played between the two leagues with the CFL teams winning several.

1973 – Jack Nicklaus wins his 14th Major Championship, beating the record held by Bobby Jones.

1994 – Major League Baseball Players Association went on strike.

August 13

1999 – Steffi Graf announces her retirement from tennis, with 107 titles and 22 Grand Slams.

August 14

1936 – The first Olympic basketball game was in Berlin.

1959 – The American Football League formed with teams from Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, New York and Los Angeles.

1982 – Pete Rose records his 12, 365th at-bat, passing Hank Aaron on the all-time list at-bat list.

August 15

1993 – Nolan Ryan wins his last, and his 324th, win.

August 16

1948 – Legendary baseball player, Babe Ruth, died of throat cancer. He was 53 years old.

1954 – The first edition of Sports Illustrated is published with Eddie Mathews on the cover (Milwaukee Brewers).

2008 – Usain Bolt becomes the first to ever break 9.7 seconds in the 100 metre sprint – he did it in 9.69 – at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

August 17

1933 – Lou Gehrig plays in his 1308th straight game, breaking the record for consecutive games.

1984 – Pete Rose comes back to the Cincinnati Reds as Player-Manager.

Thanks for reading! Have an interesting question you want answered? Feel free to leave comments below. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter – @LastWordMKovacs, as well as the site – @lastwordonsport.

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