This Day in Sports History - 12/31/1972

Roberto Clemente dies when the chartered DC-& on which he is traveling crashes into the Atlantic Ocean one mile from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is 38. The plane is carrying relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. During his stellar 18-year career, all with the Pirates, Clemente batted .317 and collected exactly 3,000 hits. He won four betting titles, led the NL in hits twice, was named to 12 All-Star teams, and won 12 Gold Gloves. He was also the NL MVP in 1966 and the World Series MVP in 1971. He will be elected posthumously to the Hall of Fame in 1973.

This Day in Sports History - 12/30/1962

Under coach Vince Lombardi, the Green Bay Packers win the NFL Championship for the second straight year by defeating the New York Giants, 16 - 7, at Yankee Stadium on a day in which the temperature in New York is 13 degrees F with wind gusts of 40 mph. The Packers capped the 1961 season by devouring the Giants, 37 - 0, in the Championship tilt in Green Bay.

Happy Birthday Ozzie Smith

Happy Birthday Ken Stabler

Josh Hamilton

2012 Stats: 148 Games, .285 BA, 43 HRs, 128 RBIs & .930 OPS

Josh Hamilton signed a 5 year contract with the Los Angeles Angels worth $125 million. Last off-season the Angels signed Albert Pujols & C.J. Wilson and the signing of Hamilton should help the team immensely. Hamilton will play in an outfield that includes Rookie of the Year Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos. If Hamilton repeats his homerun and hits numbers this year he will reach the milestones of 200 HRs and 1,000 Hits.

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Zack Greinke

2012 Stats: 34 Games, W-L: 15-5, 3.48 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 200 Ks

The top free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke signed a 6 year contract worth $147 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2012 Greinke started the season with the Milwaukee Brewers and finished it with the Los Angeles Angels. Greinke is 9 career wins away from 100 and has a strikeout-walk ratio of 3.5. In 2009 he won the Cy Young Award while leading the AL in ERA and WHIP. Greinke joins a rotation which includes Clayton Kershaw, Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley. The Dodgers are definitely going "all-in" and expect to see them playing in October.

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Shane Victorino

2012 Stats: 154 Games, .255 BA, 11 HRs, 55 RBIs, 39 SBs, .704 OPS and 72 Runs Scored

Shane Victorino spent the 2012 season between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Victorino signed this off-season with the Boston Red Sox for $39 million over 3 years. Victorino had a down year in 2012 but will look to rebound in a lineup that will include Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz & Jonny Gomes among others. Victorino will have the ability to bat in the lower part of the lineup and alleviate some of the pressure he felt in the first half of last season in Philadelphia. Victorino has been in the top five in the NL from 2008-2011 in triples and look for him to have a solid amount of triples this season as he will be playing in Fenway Park.

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This Day in Sports History - 12/17/1972

Falcons RB Dave Hampton loses a chance at a 1,000-yard rushing season during a 17 - 14 loss to Kansas City at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Hampton comes into the game, the last of the regular season, needing 70 yards to reach the coveted figure. A run early in the fourth period puts Hampton at exactly the 1,000-yard mark, and the game is stopped to present him with the football. But Hampton loses six yards on the next play when tackled on a pitch-out. Hampton gains only one more yard to finish the season at 995. He will fall just short again with a 997-yard season in 1973. He finally attains the 1,000-yard figure with 1,002 yards rushing in 1975 with 61 yards in the final game of the season.

Dan Haren

2012 Stats: 30 Games, W-L: 12-13, 4.33 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 142 Ks

The Washington Nationals signed Dan Haren to a 1 year deal worth $13 million. Haren will join a rotation that already includes Stephen Strasberg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Ross Detwiler which helped lead the Nationals to the AL East title. Haren's 2012 numbers may not seem too good, but he will bring a veteran presence to a very young rotation. Look for Haren to have more wins and a lower ERA in 2013 and maybe even lead the Nationals back to the playoffs for a second straight season.

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This Day in Sports History - 12/9/1984

Los Angeles Rams RB Eric Dickerson rushes for 215 yards during a 27 - 16 triumph over the Houston Oilers at Anaheim Stadium, to give him 2,007 yards on the season. This record breaks the previous single-season mark of 2,003 set by O.J. Simpson with the Buffalo Bills in 1973. Dickerson will finish the season with 2,105 yards, a mark which still stands at the close of the 2010 NFL campaign.

B.J. Upton

2012 Stats: 146 Games, .246 BA, 28 HRs, 78 RBIs, 31 SBs & .752 OPS

The Atlanta Braves signed OF B.J. Upton to a 5 year $75 million contract. In 2012 the Braves made the playoffs but lost in the Wild Card round to the St. Louis Cardinals. Upton will play CF and can bat in a few places in the lineup and he is 90 hits away from 1,000 in his career. With the retirement of Chipper Jones look for the Braves to either go after a 3B or LF with Martin Prado filling in the other position. 

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