55 Fun Facts About Crazy Sports

What did the White Sox detonate between games of a 1979 doubleheader promotion?

A crate of disco records was detonated by radio DJ Steve Dahl on Disco Demolition Night, July 12, 1979; fans stormed the field, and the White Sox forfeited the second game to Detroit.

Cleveland forfeited a 1974 game to Texas after a riot during a promotion selling cups of beer for how much?

Ten Cent Beer Night on June 4, 1974 sold cups of Stroh's for 10 cents each; drunken fans stormed the field in the ninth with the score tied 5–5, and umpire Nestor Chylak forfeited the game to Texas.

How tall was Eddie Gaedel, who batted once for the Browns in 1951 as a Bill Veeck stunt?

Eddie Gaedel stood 3 feet 7 inches; wearing number 1/8, he walked on four pitches for the St. Louis Browns on August 19, 1951, and the American League voided his contract the next day.

What did a Randy Johnson fastball hit and kill during a 2001 spring training game?

A dove flew across the plate during a March 2001 spring-training game against the Giants and was obliterated by Randy Johnson's fastball; the umpire ruled it no pitch.

In 1993 a fly ball bounced off which outfielder's head and over the wall for a home run?

José Canseco, playing right field for Texas at Cleveland on May 26, 1993, let Carlos Martínez's fly ball bounce off his head and over the fence; days later he hurt his elbow pitching in a blowout.

On 'Grandstand Managers Night' in 1951, how did St. Louis Browns fans make the team's decisions?

On August 24, 1951, more than a thousand Browns fans ran the game by holding up YES and NO placards on each decision against the Philadelphia Athletics; St. Louis won 5–3 in a season it lost 102 games.

Who was the first woman to play in an NHL game, in goal for Tampa Bay in 1992 preseason?

Manon Rhéaume played goal for Tampa Bay against St. Louis on September 23, 1992, the first woman in an NHL game; she later won Olympic silver with Canada at Nagano 1998.

In the 1988 Bears–Eagles 'Fog Bowl', visibility on the field dropped to roughly how far?

Dense fog rolled off Lake Michigan late in the first half of the December 31, 1988 playoff at Soldier Field, cutting visibility to about 15 to 20 yards; Chicago won 20–12 on second-half field goals.

In 1968 NBC cut away from a Jets–Raiders game with a minute left to show which film?

NBC switched to the TV movie Heidi at 7 p.m. Eastern on November 17, 1968, with 65 seconds left; Oakland then scored two touchdowns in nine seconds to beat the Jets 43–32.

Which rule change followed the Raiders' 1978 'Holy Roller' fumble-and-bat touchdown against the Chargers?

The NFL ruled from 1979 that only the fumbling player may advance a fumble in the last two minutes of a half or on fourth down; Stabler fumbled, Banaszak and Casper pushed it forward, and Casper fell on it.

How did Greg Chappell order his brother Trevor to bowl the last ball to New Zealand in a 1981 ODI?

Greg Chappell had Trevor bowl the final ball underarm along the ground so Brian McKechnie could not hit the six New Zealand needed; legal at the time, it outraged both countries and NZ's prime minister called it disgusting.

Wrestler Antonio Inoki spent most of his 1976 Tokyo bout with Muhammad Ali doing what?

Antonio Inoki spent nearly all 15 rounds lying on his back kicking Ali's legs on June 26, 1976 in Tokyo; the bout was scored a draw, and Ali left with blood clots in his badly bruised legs.

In which event were animals deliberately killed at the 1900 Paris Olympics?

Live pigeon shooting at Paris 1900 killed nearly 300 birds; Belgium's Léon de Lunden won the main event by downing 21 pigeons.

Why was Dorando Pietri disqualified after finishing first in the 1908 Olympic marathon?

He fell five times in the stadium. Queen Alexandra gave him a gilded silver cup as consolation, and the finish made him world famous.

How did Eric 'the Eel' Moussambani win his 100 m freestyle heat at Sydney 2000 in 1:52.72?

He had learned to swim eight months earlier in a lake and a 12-metre hotel pool, and had never seen a 50 m pool before the Games.

What happened on the last corner to hand Steven Bradbury 2002 Olympic short-track gold?

He was about 15 metres back with 50 to go. It was the first Winter Olympic gold for any Southern Hemisphere country, and 'doing a Bradbury' entered Australian slang.

What was the record of the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, the worst in Major League history?

The 1899 Spiders went 20–134 after the Robison brothers shifted their best players to their St. Louis club; crowds vanished and the team played 112 of its 154 games on the road.

What did Cubs outfielder Rick Monday grab from two protesters at Dodger Stadium in 1976?

He was in centre field when the pair knelt to light it. He handed the flag to a Dodgers pitcher, and the crowd broke into 'God Bless America'.

George Brett's 1983 go-ahead home run against the Yankees was briefly nullified because of what?

He charged out of the dugout in a rage. The league president overturned the umpires and the game was finished 25 days later with the Royals winning 5–4.

1976 Rookie of the Year Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych was famous for doing what on the mound?

Mark Fidrych was famous for talking to the baseball on the mound; the 1976 AL Rookie of the Year also knelt to smooth the dirt by hand and got his nickname from his resemblance to Big Bird.

In 1964 Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall recovered a fumble and ran 66 yards to where?

Jim Marshall ran 66 yards the wrong way into his own end zone on October 25, 1964 and tossed the ball away, giving the 49ers a safety; Minnesota won anyway, 27–22.

'The Play' ending the 1982 Cal–Stanford game finished with Kevin Moen scoring through what obstacle?

The band thought the game was over. Moen flattened a trombone player in the end zone and Cal won 25–20.

Which NBA rule change was prompted by Darryl Dawkins shattering two backboards with dunks in 1979?

Breakaway rims that snap down and spring back were adopted after Dawkins, who claimed to hail from the planet Lovetron, shattered backboards in Kansas City and Philadelphia within a month in late 1979.

Why did Barbados deliberately score an own goal against Grenada late in a 1994 Caribbean Cup qualifier?

Barbados needed a two-goal win; leading only 2–1, they scored an own goal to force extra time, where a golden goal counted double, and won 4–2 while Grenada tried to score in either net.

Where had Rosie Ruiz joined the course when she 'won' the 1980 Boston Marathon?

Rosie Ruiz joined the course about half a mile from the finish; two Harvard students saw her burst from the crowd on Commonwealth Avenue, and she had reportedly ridden the subway during her qualifying New York Marathon.

What did Alan Shepard use as a golf club to hit two balls on the Moon during Apollo 14 in 1971?

Alan Shepard fitted a six-iron head to a lunar sample scoop handle; bulky gloves forced one-handed swings, and although he joked the second ball went 'miles and miles,' later image analysis put it at about 40 yards.

How did Devon Loch, the Queen Mother's horse under Dick Francis, lose the 1956 National?

He was five lengths clear at the time. Nobody has ever fully explained it, and 'to do a Devon Loch' became British shorthand for a late collapse.

How did 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres end up winning an NHL game in goal for Carolina in 2020?

He was the arena's practice goalie in Toronto and had to play against the home team. He is the first emergency backup ever credited with an NHL win.

Which two NFL teams merged for the 1943 season after wartime service thinned their rosters?

The Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers combined as Phil-Pitt for 1943 and went 5–4–1; in 1944 Pittsburgh instead merged with the Chicago Cardinals as 'Card-Pitt' and finished 0–10.

How old was Henri Cornet, declared winner of the 1904 Tour de France after the top four were disqualified?

Henri Cornet was 19 during the July 1904 race; Maurice Garin and the rest of the top four were later disqualified for cheating that included taking trains and cars.

What happened to the baseball that Cubs fan Steve Bartman deflected in the 2003 playoffs?

A restaurant group bought it for more than $100,000 and had a special-effects expert detonate it. The Cubs gave up eight runs in the inning after the deflection.

Who scored the goal that beat England 1–0 for the USA at the 1950 World Cup?

Haitian-born Joe Gaetjens headed in Walter Bahr's shot in the 38th minute at Belo Horizonte on June 29, 1950; the American part-timers mostly held day jobs.

How old was Bobby Riggs when Billie Jean King beat him in the 1973 'Battle of the Sexes'?

Bobby Riggs was 55 when Billie Jean King, then 29, beat him in straight sets at the Astrodome on September 20, 1973; he had routed Margaret Court on Mother's Day four months earlier.

How many rounds did the longest gloved boxing match, Bowen v Burke in 1893, last?

Andy Bowen and Jack Burke fought 110 rounds over 7 hours 19 minutes in New Orleans on April 6, 1893; the referee called it no contest when neither man could leave his corner.

At the 1974 World Cup, Zaire's Mwepu Ilunga became famous for doing what as Brazil lined up a free kick?

He was booked. He later said he knew the rules perfectly well and wanted to be sent off in protest at unpaid bonuses.

How much was Mike Tyson fined by the Nevada commission for biting Evander Holyfield's ears in 1997?

The Nevada State Athletic Commission fined Tyson $3 million, ten percent of his $30 million purse, and revoked his licence after the June 28, 1997 disqualification; Holyfield needed stitches on his bitten right ear.

What did a fan throw at Ron Artest to spark the 2004 'Malice at the Palace' brawl?

Fan John Green threw a cup of Diet Coke that hit Artest as he lay on the scorer's table on November 19, 2004; Artest charged into the stands and was suspended for the remaining 86 games including playoffs.

Why was Ian Woosnam penalised two strokes in the final round of the 2001 Open Championship?

Caddie Miles Byrne had left a spare driver in the bag after the range, giving Woosnam 15 clubs, one over the limit; he went on to tie third and sacked Byrne two weeks later.

After 'Eddie the Eagle' finished last at the 1988 Olympics, the IOC introduced a rule doing what?

He was Britain's first Olympic ski jumper and had trained partly on borrowed equipment. The 'Eddie the Eagle rule' still stands.

Cramping against Ivan Lendl at the 1989 French Open, Michael Chang shocked him with what?

Michael Chang hit an underarm serve in the fifth set of his fourth-round match against Lendl; on match point he stood near the service line to receive, Lendl double-faulted, and Chang won the title at 17.

Why was no champion declared in the 1919 Stanley Cup Final between Montreal and Seattle?

The Spanish flu epidemic struck both teams and the series was cancelled after five games with it tied 2–2–1; Canadiens defenceman Joe Hall died of pneumonia on April 5, 1919.

Why did Australian sculler Bobby Pearce stop rowing mid-race in his 1928 Olympic quarter-final?

Bobby Pearce paused to let a family of ducks cross his lane, won the quarter-final anyway, and went on to take the single sculls gold at Amsterdam 1928.

How long did the 1912 Olympic wrestling semi-final between Martin Klein and Alfred Asikainen last?

Martin Klein and Alfred Asikainen grappled for 11 hours 40 minutes in the Greco-Roman middleweight semi-final at Stockholm 1912; Klein won but was too spent to face Sweden's Claes Johansson, who took gold by default.

In 1990 the Griffeys became the first father and son to do what together?

Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. hit back-to-back home runs off the Angels' Kirk McCaskill on September 14, 1990, two weeks after becoming the first father and son to be teammates; Senior was 40, Junior 20.

How did Auburn beat Alabama in the 2013 Iron Bowl on the game's final play, the 'Kick Six'?

Alabama tried a 57-yard field goal with one second left; Chris Davis fielded it nine yards deep in his end zone and returned the missed field goal 109 yards for the touchdown that won 34–28.

Paul, the octopus in a German aquarium, correctly picked the winner of how many 2010 World Cup matches?

He called all seven of Germany's games, including two defeats, plus Spain over the Netherlands in the final, by choosing a mussel from a flag-marked box.

The United States withdrew from the 1908 Olympic tug of war in protest at what?

The protest was thrown out. British police teams took gold, silver and bronze.

At the 1900 Paris Olympics, the 200 m obstacle race in the Seine required swimmers to do what?

Swimmers had to climb over a pole and a row of boats, then swim under another row of boats; Australia's Frederick Lane won in the Seine, and the event was never held again.

How did Fred Lorz cover part of the 1904 Olympic marathon before being exposed?

He quit with cramps at nine miles, hitched a ride, then started running again when the car broke down at mile 19.

The modern sport of wife carrying was first introduced in 1992 in which country?

Wife carrying began as a competition in Sonkajärvi, Finland in 1992; the popular 'Estonian-style' carry has the partner hanging upside down with legs over the runner's shoulders.

Which cheese do racers chase down Cooper's Hill every Spring Bank Holiday?

A 7–9 pound wheel of Double Gloucester gets a one-second head start and is seldom caught; the first runner to the bottom of Cooper's Hill wins the cheese.

The World Bog Snorkelling Championship is held near which Welsh town?

The championship has run since 1985 in the Waen Rhydd peat bog outside Llanwrtyd Wells in Powys; competitors cover two lengths of a 60-yard trench on flipper power with no conventional strokes.

Which French comic-book artist dreamed up chess boxing before it became a real sport?

Enki Bilal imagined chess boxing in his 1992 graphic novel Froid Équateur; Dutch performance artist Iepe Rubingh turned it into a real sport with the first bouts in 2003.

Extreme ironing was invented in 1997 in which English city by Phil Shaw?

Phil Shaw started extreme ironing in Leicester in 1997 when, faced with a pile of ironing but wanting to go rock climbing, he combined the two; boards have since been pressed underwater and on the M1.

What did trainers dose 1904 Olympic marathon winner Thomas Hicks with, leaving him hallucinating?

Thomas Hicks's trainers dosed him with brandy, raw eggs and strychnine, then used as a stimulant, during the 1904 St. Louis marathon; he finished hallucinating and had to be helped across the line.