The White Sox’s new owner Bill Veeck surprises the Opening Day crowd at Comiskey Park when he, Rudie Schaffer, and Paul Richards take the field wearing battered Continental Army uniforms to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial

The White Sox’s new owner Bill Veeck surprises the Opening Day crowd at Comiskey Park when he, Rudie Schaffer, and Paul Richards take the field wearing battered Continental Army uniforms to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial

ByTom

The White Sox’s new owner Bill Veeck, known for his promotional genius, surprises the Opening Day crowd at Comiskey Park when he, Rudie Schaffer, and Paul Richards take the field wearing battered Continental Army uniforms to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial. The trio, caring a fife, drum, and flag, strike a pose in their tattered garb, reminiscent of Archibald MacNeal Willard’s painting The Spirit of ’76, a popular piece of art depicting Revolutionary War veterans that was displayed at Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition 100 years earlier.

Jim Palmer

Jim Palmer outduels Ferguson Jenkins 1-0 on opening day

ByThis Day in Baseball

Orioles’ right-hander Jim Palmer and Boston’s Ferguson Jenkins, both future members of the Hall of Fame, stage a classic pitching duel at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium on Opening Day. The Birds, behind the eight-inning, six-hit effort by ‘Cakes,’ beat the Red Sox and Fergie, who goes the distance, 1-0, thanks to an unearned run scored in the fourth inning.

First game played at the superdome

First game played at the superdome

ByThis Day in Baseball

April 5, 1976 The first professional baseball game was played in the Superdome. Unlike with football and basketball, the Superdome didn’t have a baseball tenant when it initially opened. New Orleans had been unable to lure a big-league baseball team for the opening of the facility. Superdome officials settled for a three-game exhibition series between the…

seaver hall of fame January 7

Tom Seaver becomes first pitcher to earn $200,000 annually

ByBaseball

In a deal negotiated in the groundskeeper’s office under the third base stands at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, 31 year-old right-hander Tom Seaver agrees to a three-year contract with the Mets. The pact makes ‘Tom Terrific,’ who posted a 25-9 record last season while leading the league in strikeouts with 243, the first hurler in baseball history to earn $200,000 annually.

After being released by the Padres, Bobby Tolan (.255, 5, 48), signs as a free agent with the Phillies.

After being released by the Padres, Bobby Tolan (.255, 5, 48), signs as a free agent with the Phillies.

ByThis Day in Baseball

After being released by the Padres, Bobby Tolan (.255, 5, 48), signs as a free agent with the Phillies. The outfielder-first baseman, who plays only 15 games for Philadelphia, will ink a deal with the Pirates in June.