August 23, 1989
On the lighter
side, it was on this day in 1989 that “Youppi!” the beloved mascot of the
Montreal Expos, became the first mascot in the history of baseball to be
ejected from a Major League game. The game between the Expos and Los Angeles
Dodgers at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium would eventually be the second longest shutout
in MLB history (the Dodgers won 1-0 in 22 innings). In the eleventh inning of
the game, Dodgers’ manager Tommy Lasorda complained to the umpires about the
noise Youppi! was causing when he leapt onto the roof of the LA dugout. The
umpires, in turn, tossed the orange ball of fur from the game.
On a more serious
note, it was also on this day in 1989 that Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader,
was given a lifetime ban by MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti for gambling on
Major League Baseball games. For the better part of two decades, Rose
vehemently denied the accusations before doing an about-face in 2004, finally
admitting to betting on baseball. While Rose has applied for reinstatement
several times, former Commissioner Bud Selig (unfairly) refused to consider
reversing the ban. Hopefully new
Commissioner Rob Manfred, who took over for Selig earlier this year, will have
an open mind and reverse the decision that has kept Rose out of baseball for
more than 25 years.
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