March 20th:
1934: A woman took the mound for a major league team. Babe Didrikson – considered one of the greatest female athletes in U.S. history – appeared in one inning for the Philadelphia A’s in a spring training game. In that inning, she held the Brooklyn Dodgers scoreless.
1965: UCLA does it again. The Bruins men’s basketball team bested Michigan 91-80 in the NCAA National Championship game. That made it back-to-back natys for Coach John Wooden’s bunch.
2020: A new home for the GOAT. After 20 seasons with New England, Tom Brady signed a two-year, $50 million contract with Tampa Bay. In his first season with the Buccaneers, he led the team to a Super Bowl win.
Time to wish a happy birthday today to . . . Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley, who’s 81. Boston Bruins Hall of Fame defenseman Bobby Orr is 78. New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson is 68. Former professional wrestler Sting is 67. Ex–Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard Jamal Crawford is 46. Philadelphia Flyers center Trevor Zegras is 25, and Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is 24.