четвъртък, 10 март 2011 г.
10 Little Known Sports Trivia Facts
Below are ten sports trivia facts that many sports buffs probably don’t know.
1. Until 1859, the umpire sat behind home plate in a padded rocking chair.
2. Babe Ruth was the first baseball player credited to ordering a bat with a knob on it. They were produced by Louisville Slugger in 1919.
3. Boxing was filmed for the first time in 1894 in a match between Mike Leonard and Jack Cushing.
4. The fastest serve in a game of tennis was in 1963 by Michael Sangster. It was clocked at 154 mile per hour.
5. Horse racing is one of the oldest sports around. It was originated by nomads around the year 4500 B.C. It is possible that the sport began before this time but 4500 B.C. is when they first started keeping written records.
6. If a horse wins a race “hands down” it means the jockey never raised his whip during the race.
7. Even though it was outlawed in 1920, the last legal spitball was thrown by New York Yankee Hall of Famer, Burleigh Grimes in 1934. At the time of the outlaw, anyone already using a spitball was allowed to continue. Burleigh Grimes continued for another fourteen years.
8. Official baseball rules state that an umpire may not be replaced during a game except if he becomes ill, injured, or if he dies.
9. Before the turn of the century, prize fighters fought bare fisted. Matches sometimes lasted more than one hundred rounds and were counted by knock outs.
10. In bowling, three strikes in a row was called a turkey. The term originated in the 1800s when at holiday time, the first member of a team to score three strikes in a row won a free turkey.
1. Until 1859, the umpire sat behind home plate in a padded rocking chair.
2. Babe Ruth was the first baseball player credited to ordering a bat with a knob on it. They were produced by Louisville Slugger in 1919.
3. Boxing was filmed for the first time in 1894 in a match between Mike Leonard and Jack Cushing.
4. The fastest serve in a game of tennis was in 1963 by Michael Sangster. It was clocked at 154 mile per hour.
5. Horse racing is one of the oldest sports around. It was originated by nomads around the year 4500 B.C. It is possible that the sport began before this time but 4500 B.C. is when they first started keeping written records.
6. If a horse wins a race “hands down” it means the jockey never raised his whip during the race.
7. Even though it was outlawed in 1920, the last legal spitball was thrown by New York Yankee Hall of Famer, Burleigh Grimes in 1934. At the time of the outlaw, anyone already using a spitball was allowed to continue. Burleigh Grimes continued for another fourteen years.
8. Official baseball rules state that an umpire may not be replaced during a game except if he becomes ill, injured, or if he dies.
9. Before the turn of the century, prize fighters fought bare fisted. Matches sometimes lasted more than one hundred rounds and were counted by knock outs.
10. In bowling, three strikes in a row was called a turkey. The term originated in the 1800s when at holiday time, the first member of a team to score three strikes in a row won a free turkey.
The Wide World of Sports
Baseball, football, and basketball may be our favorite games, but in other countries, different sports are just as popular. Here are a few of them.
Cricket
It started in England, but now cricket is popular in many of its former colonies, especially in the West Indies and India. Like baseball, a batsman must hit a ball tossed by a pitcher (called a bowler)—except the ball must be hit on a bounce. There are usually four innings in a game. An inning ends when 10 batsmen make an out; then the fielding team gets to bat. Hundreds of runs are often scored, and games can take days to complete.
Foot Tennis
In Malaysia, this game is often played between two teams of two players each. A net is stretched at no particular height across the middle of a playing area, and a wicker ball about the size of a soccer ball is used. Players try to pass the ball back and forth over the net using only their feet, knees, and thighs. Each time the ball drops, the other team gets a point.
Hurling
This rough game is played mainly in Ireland. Players use their hands, feet, and a curved wooden stick called a hurley to advance a ball. Points are scored when the ball is either swatted between goalposts or past the goalkeeper and under the crossbar.
Jai alai
First played in the Basque region of Spain, it has spread to Mexico, France, and Italy. In jai alai, an incredibly fast-moving game, players use a two-foot-long curved basket to catch and throw a small hard ball against a 40-foot-high wall. The court, called a fronton, has three sides. Players must catch the ball on the fly or on one bounce as it caroms off any of the three walls. The ball moves up to 188 miles per hour!
Kite-Fighting
Kite-fighting is a highly competitive sport played in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, and South America. Each player hopes to get his or her kite to fly highest. The players try to cut their opponents' kite strings with sharp objects imbedded in their kites. The kite that flies highest and longest wins.
Octopush
This underwater hockey game was first played in South Africa in the 1960s. The players wear skin-diving equipment, such as masks, flippers, and snorkels, in a swimming pool. With miniature hockey sticks and an ice hockey puck, the players follow all the rules of ice hockey—on the floor of the pool.
Petanque
This French game is similar to bocce, an Italian game. To start, a player throws a small wooden ball, called a jack, toward the opposite end of a long narrow rectangular-shaped court. Each team takes turns throwing a metal ball (boule) as close to the jack as possible. Points are awarded to each ball closer to the jack than the closest ball of an opponent. Strategy tip: Toss your ball in the air so it lands on an opponent's ball, knocking it far away from the jack. Games can be set up on almost any flat stretch of ground.
Rugby
The rugby ball looks like an American football and the object is to cross the goal line with the ball or kick it between goalposts. Popular in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, and South Africa, this brutal sport is actually a lot different from our brand of football. Rugby players can kick the ball forward or run with it, but they can only pass it to teammates sideways or backwards. Tackling is a big part of the game, but rugby players wear almost no protective equipment. Ouch!
Snow-Snake
This age-old Native American sport is still played today. The “snake” is a polished wooden rod whose front end is shaped like a snake's head. It slides at speeds of up to 100 mph down a long, curved trail in the snow. Each team gets four chances to throw the snake. The team whose snake goes the farthest wins.
Cricket
It started in England, but now cricket is popular in many of its former colonies, especially in the West Indies and India. Like baseball, a batsman must hit a ball tossed by a pitcher (called a bowler)—except the ball must be hit on a bounce. There are usually four innings in a game. An inning ends when 10 batsmen make an out; then the fielding team gets to bat. Hundreds of runs are often scored, and games can take days to complete.
Foot Tennis
In Malaysia, this game is often played between two teams of two players each. A net is stretched at no particular height across the middle of a playing area, and a wicker ball about the size of a soccer ball is used. Players try to pass the ball back and forth over the net using only their feet, knees, and thighs. Each time the ball drops, the other team gets a point.
Hurling
This rough game is played mainly in Ireland. Players use their hands, feet, and a curved wooden stick called a hurley to advance a ball. Points are scored when the ball is either swatted between goalposts or past the goalkeeper and under the crossbar.
Jai alai
First played in the Basque region of Spain, it has spread to Mexico, France, and Italy. In jai alai, an incredibly fast-moving game, players use a two-foot-long curved basket to catch and throw a small hard ball against a 40-foot-high wall. The court, called a fronton, has three sides. Players must catch the ball on the fly or on one bounce as it caroms off any of the three walls. The ball moves up to 188 miles per hour!
Kite-Fighting
Kite-fighting is a highly competitive sport played in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, and South America. Each player hopes to get his or her kite to fly highest. The players try to cut their opponents' kite strings with sharp objects imbedded in their kites. The kite that flies highest and longest wins.
Octopush
This underwater hockey game was first played in South Africa in the 1960s. The players wear skin-diving equipment, such as masks, flippers, and snorkels, in a swimming pool. With miniature hockey sticks and an ice hockey puck, the players follow all the rules of ice hockey—on the floor of the pool.
Petanque
This French game is similar to bocce, an Italian game. To start, a player throws a small wooden ball, called a jack, toward the opposite end of a long narrow rectangular-shaped court. Each team takes turns throwing a metal ball (boule) as close to the jack as possible. Points are awarded to each ball closer to the jack than the closest ball of an opponent. Strategy tip: Toss your ball in the air so it lands on an opponent's ball, knocking it far away from the jack. Games can be set up on almost any flat stretch of ground.
Rugby
The rugby ball looks like an American football and the object is to cross the goal line with the ball or kick it between goalposts. Popular in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, and South Africa, this brutal sport is actually a lot different from our brand of football. Rugby players can kick the ball forward or run with it, but they can only pass it to teammates sideways or backwards. Tackling is a big part of the game, but rugby players wear almost no protective equipment. Ouch!
Snow-Snake
This age-old Native American sport is still played today. The “snake” is a polished wooden rod whose front end is shaped like a snake's head. It slides at speeds of up to 100 mph down a long, curved trail in the snow. Each team gets four chances to throw the snake. The team whose snake goes the farthest wins.
Sports fast facts
Fishing is the biggest participant sports in the world.
Football (soccer) is the most attended or watched sport in the world.
Boxing became a legal sport in 1901.
More than 100 million people hold hunting licenses.
Jean Genevieve Garnerin was the first female parachutists, jumping from a hot air balloon in 1799.
In 1975 Junko Tabei from Japan became the first woman to reach the top of Everest.
The record for the most Olympic medals ever won is held by Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina. Competing in three Olympics, between 1956 and 1964, she won 18 medals.
The record for the most major league baseball career innings is held by Cy Young, with 7,356 innings.
The first instance of global electronic communications took place in 1871 when news of the Derby winner was telegraphed from London to Calcutta in under 5 minutes.
In 1898, one of the first programs to be broadcasted on radio was a yacht race that took place in British waters.
Sports command the biggest television audiences, led by the summer Olympics, World Cup Football and Formula One racing.
Gymnasiums were introduced in 900BC and Greek athletes practiced in the nude to the accompaniment of music. They also performed naked at the Olympic Games.
The very first Olympic race, held in 776 BC, was won by Corubus, a chef.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. There were 311 male but no female competitors.
In his time, Michael Schumacher was the highest paid sportsman, ahead of Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer. (Not including sponsorship endorsements.)
The high jump method of jumping head first and landing on the back is called the Fosbury Flop.
The Major League Baseball teams use about 850,000 balls per season.
About 42,000 tennis balls are used in the plus-minus 650 matches in the Wimbledon Championship.
The longest tennis match took place at Wimbledon 2010 when John Isner of the United States beat Nicolas Mahut of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 in a match that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, played over 3 days, June 22, 23 and 24.
A baseball ball has exactly 108 stitches, a cricket ball has between 65 and 70 stitches.
A soccer ball is made up of 32 leather panels, held together by 642 stitches.
Basketball and rugby balls are made from synthetic material. Earlier, pigs’ bladders were used as rugby balls.
The baseball home plate is 17 inches wide.
The very first motor car land speed record was set by Ferdinand Verbiest.
The record for the most NASCAR wins is held by Richard Petty: 200 wins (and 7 championships).
Golf the only sport played on the moon – on 6 February 1971 Alan Shepard hit a golf ball.
Bill Klem served the most seasons as major league umpire – 37 years, starting in 1905. He also officiated 18 World Series.
The oldest continuous trophy in sports is the America’s Cup. It started in 1851, with Americans winning for a straight 132 years until Australia took the Cup in 1983.
Volleyball was invented by William George Morgan of Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895.
A badminton shuttle easily travels 180 km/h (112 mph).
Ferenc Szisz from Romania, driving a Renault, won the first Formula One Grand Prix held at Le Mans, France in 1906.
See: Sports fast facts
Football (soccer) is the most attended or watched sport in the world.
Boxing became a legal sport in 1901.
More than 100 million people hold hunting licenses.
Jean Genevieve Garnerin was the first female parachutists, jumping from a hot air balloon in 1799.
In 1975 Junko Tabei from Japan became the first woman to reach the top of Everest.
The record for the most Olympic medals ever won is held by Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina. Competing in three Olympics, between 1956 and 1964, she won 18 medals.
The record for the most major league baseball career innings is held by Cy Young, with 7,356 innings.
The first instance of global electronic communications took place in 1871 when news of the Derby winner was telegraphed from London to Calcutta in under 5 minutes.
In 1898, one of the first programs to be broadcasted on radio was a yacht race that took place in British waters.
Sports command the biggest television audiences, led by the summer Olympics, World Cup Football and Formula One racing.
Gymnasiums were introduced in 900BC and Greek athletes practiced in the nude to the accompaniment of music. They also performed naked at the Olympic Games.
The very first Olympic race, held in 776 BC, was won by Corubus, a chef.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. There were 311 male but no female competitors.
In his time, Michael Schumacher was the highest paid sportsman, ahead of Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer. (Not including sponsorship endorsements.)
The high jump method of jumping head first and landing on the back is called the Fosbury Flop.
The Major League Baseball teams use about 850,000 balls per season.
About 42,000 tennis balls are used in the plus-minus 650 matches in the Wimbledon Championship.
The longest tennis match took place at Wimbledon 2010 when John Isner of the United States beat Nicolas Mahut of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 in a match that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, played over 3 days, June 22, 23 and 24.
A baseball ball has exactly 108 stitches, a cricket ball has between 65 and 70 stitches.
A soccer ball is made up of 32 leather panels, held together by 642 stitches.
Basketball and rugby balls are made from synthetic material. Earlier, pigs’ bladders were used as rugby balls.
The baseball home plate is 17 inches wide.
The very first motor car land speed record was set by Ferdinand Verbiest.
The record for the most NASCAR wins is held by Richard Petty: 200 wins (and 7 championships).
Golf the only sport played on the moon – on 6 February 1971 Alan Shepard hit a golf ball.
Bill Klem served the most seasons as major league umpire – 37 years, starting in 1905. He also officiated 18 World Series.
The oldest continuous trophy in sports is the America’s Cup. It started in 1851, with Americans winning for a straight 132 years until Australia took the Cup in 1983.
Volleyball was invented by William George Morgan of Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895.
A badminton shuttle easily travels 180 km/h (112 mph).
Ferenc Szisz from Romania, driving a Renault, won the first Formula One Grand Prix held at Le Mans, France in 1906.
See: Sports fast facts
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