Larry Bird was a high school basketball star in his native Indiana. After
graduation, he received a scholarship to play for legendary coach Bobby
Knight at Indiana University, one of the finest teams in the country. However,
Bird was homesick and uncomfortable in the spotlight in Bloomington and
left the school after one month. He returned to French Lick, his hometown,
and eventually enrolled at the smaller Indiana State, far from a basketball powerhouse. There, Bird was a one-man offense, averaging 30 points per
game as a sophomore, junior and senior. He led the Sycamores to an
undefeated record in his senior season (1978-79) before losing to Earvin
“Magic” Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans in the most viewed NCAA
title game ever.

Bird warming up for Indiana State.

Larry Joe Bird will be 64 years old on December 7th.

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Babe Ruth, wearing his No. 3 uniform, receives a standing ovation as
he comes out of the Cleveland Indians’ dugout to take a bow at
Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on June 13, 1948.

On June 2, 1935, Babe Ruth, one of the greatest players in the history of
baseball, ended his Major League playing career after 22 seasons, 10
World Series and 714 home runs. The following year, Ruth, a larger-than-
life figure whose name became synonymous with baseball, was one of
the first five players inducted into the sport’s hall of fame.

George Herman Ruth was born February 6, 1895, into a poor family in
Baltimore. As a child, he was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for
Boys, a school run by Roman Catholic brothers, where he learned to
play baseball and was a standout athlete. At 19, Ruth was signed by
the Baltimore Orioles, then a Boston Red Sox minor league team. Ruth’s
fellow teammates and the media began referring to him as team owner
Jack Dunn’s newest “babe,” a nickname that stuck.

Ruth would later acquire other nicknames, including “The Sultan of Swat”
and “The Bambino.”

George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr.
(February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948)

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Bird entered the NBA in 1979 and had an immediate impact on the league, winning Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a
61-21 record and first place in the Atlantic Division just one year
after they went 29-53 and finished in last place. In his second
season.

Larry Joe Bird will be 63 in December.

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Mike Joy (left), Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon.

(Fox News) – Fox Sports NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip has announced that
he will retire at the end of the network’s broadcast season.

Waltrip was a member of the Fox Sports NASCAR team when it first went on
the air in 2001, when he helped call the Daytona 500 that was won by his
brother Michael, but is mostly remembered for the last-lap accident that
took the life of Dale Earnhardt.

Fox Sports CEO & executive producer Eric Shanks said “Darrell has been
the heart and soul of the Fox NASCAR booth since day one, so it’s incredibly bittersweet to know this is his final season.”

Waltrip, a 3-time series champion, said he has been talking about the decision
with his family for several months.

Darrell Waltrip (far right) with #17 Tide Chevrolet Monte Carlo & Race Team along with transporter.

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TIM MAGUIRE

Islam’s prophet Muhammad died on this day in 632 AD.

On this day in 1968, James Earl Ray, an escaped U.S. convict, was
arrested in London, England, and charged with the assassination
of African American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. on
April 4, 1968. in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day in 1967, Israeli airplanes attacked the USS Liberty in the Mediterranean during the 6-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors. 34 U.S. Navy crewmen were killed. Israel later called the incident a tragic mistake in identifying the ship. The U.S. has never publicly investigated the incident.

Frank Lloyd Wright (Frank Lincoln Wright) 
(June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959)

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer
and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures, 532 of which
were completed. Wright believed in designing structures that were in
harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called
organic architecture. His creative period spanned more than 70 years
and was recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as
"the greatest American architect of all time".

Fallingwater (Kaufmann Home) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The New York Yankees retired Mickey Mantle’s number (7) on this
day in 1969.

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