When Aramis Ramirez hit three home runs in Sunday’s game, he became the first Pittsburgh Pirate to do it since Darnell Coles on Sept. 20, 1987–against the Cubs.
When Cliff Floyd, Luis Castillo, Mike Redmond and Dave Berg homered Sunday, it gave the Florida Marlins their first four-home game since last June 24–against the Cubs.
And when the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep Sunday of the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park, they were the first team to open a new ballpark with a sweep since the Atlanta Braves took three at Turner Field in 1997–against (who else?) the Cubs.
Uncool runnings
Brazil bobsled coach Joe Zammikiel contends the Salt Lake Organizing Committee used “strong-armed pressure” to tighten qualifying standards for the 2002 Winter Olympics in order to restrict countries from competing.
SLOC and bobsled’s governing organization deny his accusation.
Paul Skog, a lawyer who works with the celebrated Jamaican bobsled team, said the qualifying rule “doesn’t seem to be in the vein of the Olympic spirit.”
SAY WHAT?
`We’re cracking jokes and the next thing I know, he blows by me for a layup.’
Midland, Mich., snow-machine company owner Joe VanderKelen on playing Michael Jordan in a pickup game last month.
