June 19, 1846: Some say the New York Knickerbockers played games in 1845, but on June 19th, 1846, the first officially recognized baseball game took place in Hoboken, New Jersey. The Knickerbockers faced the New York Nine, who won the game by a whopping 23-1.
June 20, 1967: On this day, the great Muhammad Ali was convicted of draft evasion after he refused to serve in the armed forces. He was banned from boxing for three years, sentenced to five years in prison and fined $10,000. His case was appealed so he was able to stay out of prison.
June 21, 1939: On June 21, 1939, the New York Yankees announced that Lou Gehrig is retiring due to his ALS diagnosis, which on that day president Ed Barrow described as “infantile paralysis.” Gehrig had played his final game earlier in the season, on May 2, and two weeks later he delivered his famous speech, and two years later he passed away.
June 21, 1950: New York Yankees legend and centerfielder Joe DiMaggio recorded his 2,000th hit on June 21, 1950. DiMaggio hit a single off of Indians pitcher Chick Pieretti in route to an 8-2 Bronx Bombers victory. He would go on to tally 2,214 hits during 13 seasons in the league.
June 23, 1972: This was the birth of Title IX. On June 23, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed an act called the Higher Education Act, which barred gender discrimination in education, including funding for college sports. Women’s participation in team sports, especially in college, soared after the act was signed.
June 23, 2003: On June 23, 2003, Barry Bonds stole second without a throw during a Giants – Dodgers game in San Francisco. With that steal, Bonds became the first and only member of the 500/500 club: 500 stolen bases and 500 home runs. He finished his career with 762 home runs and 514 stolen bases.
Notable birthdays
June 19, 1903 New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig, who retired from the game almost 36 years to the day after he was born
June 19, 1978 German basketball great and Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki
June 22, 1947 Atlanta Hawks shooting guard “Pistol” Pete Maravich
June 22, 1962 NBA Hall-of-Famer and ten-time All Star Clyde Drexler
June 24, 1984 NBA shooting guard and Duke University great J.J. Redick
June 24, 1987 Soccer great and one of the most famous athletes on the planet, Leo Messi
