Extra! Extra! Rather than putting any stock into what sue-happy Mary Poppins karaoke reject Ms. Misinformation says, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Former Notre Dame hoopers Ron Reed and Cy Williams made National League news in games involving the Philadelphia Phillies on this date. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a May 4 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

MAY 4

• Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) cracked a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning of a 10-6 triumph against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1961.

• RHP Ray Benge (multi-year hoops letterman for Sam Houston State first half of 1920s) won his first four appearances with the Boston Bees in 1936.

• Chicago Cubs 1B Larry Biittner (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Buena Vista IA in 1966-67) banged out four hits against the Cincinnati Reds in the nightcap of a 1980 doubleheader.

• Boston Red Sox 2B Denny Doyle (averaged 2.7 ppg for Morehead State in 1962-63) delivered four hits against the Kansas City Royals in a 1976 game.

• Oakland Athletics 3B Wayne Gross (led Cal Poly Pomona in assists in 1974-75) contributed two homers and five RBI in an 11-5 win against the New York Yankees in 1979.

• In the midst of a career-high 23-game hitting streak in 1980, Cleveland Indians 1B Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State hoops letterman) supplied at least one RBI in his eighth consecutive contest.

• LHP Bill Henry (hoops letterman for Houston's 1947 NAIA Tournament team featuring co-captain Guy Lewis) traded by the Cincinnati Reds to San Francisco Giants in 1965.

• Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 plus Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) went 4-for-4, including two homers and two doubles, against the Milwaukee Braves in a 1959 game.

• In 1927, New York Giants RHP Mul Holland (Virginia hoops letterman from 1923-24 through 1926-27 was All-Southern Conference Tournament selection as sophomore) posted his lone MLB victory.

• Chicago White Sox 3B Irv Jeffries (posted team-high scoring average of 11.5 ppg for Kentucky in 1927-28) hit safely in his first five starts in 1931.

• San Francisco Giants RHP Frank Linzy (listed on Oklahoma State's freshman hoops roster in 1959-60) notched his third save in a week en route to not allowing an earned run in his first 12 relief appearances of 1967 season.

• Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) logged three doubles in a 9-4 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1953.

• San Diego Padres 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) whacked two homers against the Chicago Cubs in a 1985 contest.

• Kansas City Royals rookie CF Bob Oliver (All-Valley Conference basketball choice for American River Community College CA in 1962) went 6-for-6 against the California Angels in 1969. Four years later as an Angels 1B, Oliver provided the contest's lone RBI against the Baltimore Orioles while supplying three hits for second time in a three-game span.

• St. Louis Browns LHP Joe Ostrowski (leading scorer in 1942-43 for Scranton PA) tossed his second complete-game victory in as many starts in 1950.

• Atlanta Braves RHP Ron Reed (Notre Dame's leading rebounder in 1963-64 and 1964-65) incurred the defeat in a 20-inning marathon against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973.

• In 1966, Houston Astros RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) tossed the last of 45 MLB shutouts in his 19-year Hall of Fame career.

• RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Missouri in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) shipped by the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers as part of a conditional deal in 1973.

• RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the St. Louis Cardinals for OF Tom Brunansky in 1990.

• Cleveland Indians 2B Freddy Spurgeon (Kalamazoo MI hooper in 1921-22) supplied four hits and four RBI against the St. Louis Browns in a 1926 outing.

• Detroit Tigers 2B Gary Sutherland (averaged 7.4 ppg with Southern California in 1963-64) stroked four hits against the Minnesota Twins in a 1976 contest.

• Philadelphia Phillies CF Cy Williams (Notre Dame forward in 1909-10) collected three extra-base hits against the New York Giants in a 1923 game.

Extra! Extra! Rather than lose your lunch over loathsome liberals claiming they support families while allowing Plagiarist Biledumb to get away with his shabby treatment of seventh grandchild (Joan Navy Roberts in Arkansas), you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Former NCAA Tournament hoop starters Steve Hamilton (Morehead State) and Rollie Sheldon (Connecticut) became MLB pitchers involved in American League trades on this date during first half of 1960s. Ex-Penn hoopers Fritz Knothe and Tommie Upton also made MLB news on this date. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a May 3 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

MAY 3

• En route to hitting safely in 15 of his first 18 MLB starts, Philadelphia Phillies rookie 1B Ed Bouchee (freshman hooper for Washington State in 1951-52) went 4-for-4 in a 9-6 win against the Chicago Cubs in 1957 outing.

• In 1977, Chicago Cubs RHP Ray Burris (basketball-baseball standout in Southwestern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame) fired a five-hit shutout against the Houston Astros for his first of five victories in the month.

• Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) cracked two-run homers in the 8th and 12th innings in a 5-4 win against the Cincinnati Reds in 1966.

• Detroit Tigers C Mickey Cochrane (five-sport athlete with Boston University) collected four hits, including three for extra bases, against the Chicago White Sox in a 1937 contest.

• New York Yankees LHP Al Downing (attended Muhlenberg PA on hoops scholarship but left before ever playing) tossed a three-hit shutout in the opener of 1964 doubleheader against the Washington Senators, notching 13 of his A.L.-leading 217 strikeouts.

• Boston Red Sox LF Hoot Evers (Illinois hoops starter in 1939-40) scored four runs against the St. Louis Browns in the opener of a 1953 doubleheader.

• Washington Senators C Rick Ferrell (played forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) registered four hits against the St. Louis Browns in a 1939 game.

• First triumph in 1982 campaign for Baltimore Orioles LHP Mike Flanagan (averaged 13.9 ppg for UMass' freshman squad in 1971-72) was a three-hit shutout against the Seattle Mariners. Seven years later with the Toronto Blue Jays, Flanagan provided the final whitewash of his 18-year career (four-hitter against the Oakland Athletics in 1989).

• INF Jake Flowers (member of 1923 "Flying Pentagon" championship hoops squad for Washington College MD) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Brooklyn Robins in 1927.

• LHP Steve Hamilton (Morehead State's leading scorer and rebounder in 1956-57 and 1957-58) traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Washington Senators in 1962.

• In 1998, Cleveland Indians RF David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg) jacked milestone 200th of his 305 MLB career homers.

• Boston Braves 3B Fritz Knothe (member of Penn's freshman hoops squad in 1923-24) knocked a go-ahead, two-run homer in bottom of the eighth inning in 6-4 win against the Cincinnati Reds in 1933.

• Teammates OF Irv Noren (hoops player of year for California junior college state champion Pasadena City in 1945) and INF Tommie Upton (led Southeast Missouri State in scoring three years last half of 1940s and was school's career scoring leader upon graduation; while serving in military, Upton was All-EIBL first-team selection with Penn in 1945-46) traded by the Washington Senators to the New York Yankees for promising OF Jackie Jensen and three other players in 1952. Upton never played for the Yanks.

• New York Giants RF Dave Robertson (one of two reserves on North Carolina State's first basketball team in 1911) went 4-for-4 and swiped two bases in a 3-2 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1915.

• RHP Steve Roser (hoops center for Clarkson NY before passing up senior season after signing professional baseball contract in 1940) purchased from the New York Yankees by the Boston Braves in 1946.

• RHP Rollie Sheldon (third-leading scorer as sophomore for Connecticut's 1960 NCAA Tournament team) traded by the New York Yankees to the Kansas City Athletics in 1965.

• Chicago Cubs SS Roy Smalley Jr. (one of top scorers for Drury MO in 1942-43 and 1943-44) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1950 contest.

• Boston Red Sox 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) jacked two homers against the St. Louis Browns in a 1940 outing.

• St. Louis Cardinals RHP Ray Washburn (Whitworth WA scoring leader in 1958-59 and 1959-60 when named All-Evergreen Conference) tossed a two-hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds in 1967.

• Chicago Cubs RF Bob Will (all-league athlete was hoops captain for Mankato State MN in 1954-55) stroked two doubles in midst of four consecutive two-hit contests in 1960.

Do you want to be an authentic hero or a textbook zero resembling petty politicians, press pestilent pundits and big tech termites futilely trying to intimidate resourceful Conservatives? For several years, Fox News aired a riveting two-part program featuring Navy SEAL Team 6 member Robert O'Neill (senior chief petty officer is recipient of two Silver and five Bronze Stars) as "The Man Who Killed Usama Bin Laden." Amid focusing on the 12th anniversary ridding Planet Earth of UBL, it seems we should also be celebrating authentic courage from the college basketball ranks stemming from an individual instrumental in tracking down the terrorist ringleader of 9/11 attack. But the selfless ex-athlete from a Midwest major university hasn't "come out of the closet" for security reasons and might be underground with a fake identification unless, of course, ax-grinding Left Coast Sen. Dianne "Fossil" Feinstein rats him out amid another of her vendettas or some sycophant from the old Obama Administration eventually unmasks him via a smut merchant Michelle Wolf monologue while Lurch Kerry exhibits loose lips with the Iranians.

In the documentation about dispatching UBL to hell (equivalent status even if nonsense about satisfying 72 virgins transpired in some towelhead aspirational dream), the White House unveiled a photograph of President Barack Obama and his Cabinet inside the Situation Room, watching the daring commando raid unfold on May 1, 2011. But POTUS (JV player for Occidental CA) apparently wasn't the tallest ex-college hooper in the room. Standing just outside the frame of that famous pic was an anonymous Central Intelligence Agency officer ("CIA John") who pursued UBL as a dogmatic deputy chief and reportedly was also influential as one of the principal proponents of drone deterrence. Two days after the world's most-wanted man was transformed into marine treat when deposited in the North Arabian Sea, "CIA John" accompanied then CIA Director Leon Panetta to Capitol Hill, where the Senate Intelligence Committee received a full briefing on the mission.

According to AP accounts at the time, the meticulous senior intelligence analyst was the first individual to put in writing that a legitimate CIA lead had been assembled on possibly locating UBL. He spearheaded the collection of clues for nearly 10 years, leading the agency to a fortified compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and its epic counter-terrorism success. Our freedom-loving nation is eternally grateful that his manhunt accuracy as a deep-cover agent in pinpointing UBL's whereabouts stood in stark contrast to his free-throw marksmanship as a deep-bench player (barely over 30%) as a member of multiple NCAA playoff teams.

Sy Hersh muckraking notwithstanding, box-office hit "Zero Dark Thirty" was an inspiring movie focusing on a young female CIA operative allegedly also from flyover country. She exhibited her tenacity, dedication and courage in primarily monitoring a vital courier for al-Qaeda's upper brass. According to Esquire, the shooter who killed UBL (subsequently acknowledged as Butte MT native O'Neill) gave the magazine out of his gun as a souvenir to bloodhound "Maya." While the film doesn't do justice to the male super spy, the patriot is likely to defer anyway to the concept "there is no 'I' in team" insofar as it was a remark his college hoops coach frequently cited. Naturally, Langley issued a perfunctory "no comment" because concern exists about publishing his name and running biographical details might make him a target for Muslim radical retribution.

Over the decades, there have been other notable "Secret Agent Men" in the CIA who were former college hoopsters. In fact, a Final Four player isn't required to hit a decisive basket or be selected Most Outstanding Player to be a hero. He doesn't even need to participate on the court. Bob Ames, a member of the Tom Gola-led La Salle teams in 1954 (national champion) and 1955 (runner-up to San Francisco), never got off the bench at the Final Four those two years although he was the only La Salle player to hit more than three-fourths of his free throws the season the Explorers won the NCAA title.

"Our coach, Ken Loeffler, only used seven guys, and Bob was the eighth man," said Frank Blatcher, a starter for the Explorers each season and their leading scorer with a total of 42 points at the Final Four on the championship team. "He had the talent. He just never got a chance to show it."

Ames, a pre-law major who scored a total of eight points in three NCAA playoff games in 1955, did have an opportunity to show his ability in another more vital endeavor, however. He joined the CIA and worked his way up the chain of command to become the Director of the CIA's Office of Analysis of the Near East and South Asia. "The Spy Who Loved Basketball" worked closely with both the Carter and Reagan administrations.

Regrettably, Ames was killed in Beirut in 1983. A truck loaded with TNT on a suicide mission rammed into the facility where Ames was staying while serving as a liaison trying to allay contacts among the Lebanese, Syrians and Israelis in hopes of calming the escalating discord.

"Here was a guy that turned out to have had a greater influence on our lives than just about any 1,000 other basketball players you can name," Blatcher said. "It just shows you that you don't have to be a star to accomplish something." Something like becoming a genuine American hero.

Elsewhere, the CIA's deputy director under George Bush in 1976 was Hank Knoche, the leading scorer in the Mountain States (Big Seven) Conference with 16.4 points per game for Colorado's 1946 NCAA Tournament team. Knoche, the father of former American University coach Chris Knoche, reputedly was the first player selected in the NBA's first college draft in 1947 after enrolling at Washington and Jefferson (Pa.) to play on a 16-4 team with two of his brothers. But he never appeared in the then-fledgling league, which doesn't have any official draft records prior to 1949. The franchise that selected him, the Pittsburgh Ironmen, folded shortly after the draft, and his rights reverted to the New York Knicks.

"I didn't know I was the first No. 1 pick until a writer from Atlanta called me for a story," Knoche said. "An NBA historian had informed him of my alleged status."

The elder Knoche, who went to live in the Denver area, chose not to play in an uncertain situation for little money. "I never received any contact from the Ironmen," he said. "The Knicks sent a contract offer in the mail, but it was for just $3,500 and that's if I made the team (many NBA standouts earn five times that amount every quarter).

"I chose to play industrial basketball, where I remember playing six times one year against seven-footer Bob Kurland (Oklahoma State three-time first-team All-American who never played in the NBA). That wasn't much fun going against Kurland because I was just a 6-4 center."

Knoche was recalled to the military during the Korean War, where he was assigned to intelligence work for the Navy and later embarked on a civilian career leading to a job with the CIA.

Another former college hooper who carved out a CIA career was Pete Sivess, a center for Dickinson PA in 1935-36 before compiling a 7-11 record as a righthanded pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies in three years from 1936 through 1938. While Moe Berg is the most famous MLB player linked with the CIA, his career as a spy pales in comparison to baseball contemporary Sivess, who is credited with defining CIA policy for handling Eastern Bloc defectors. During the height of the Cold War, Sivess conducted a "first haven" on Maryland's Eastern Shore where defectors were shipped to be debriefed. Probably the highest-profile spy Sivess monitored was "notorious double agent" Nicholas Shadrin, who died on a trip to Vienna in 1975 in a kidnapping attempt by Moscow's counterspies.

In the shadowy world of the CIA, no precise clues exist as to whether a basketball background for "CIA John" contributed to helping POTUS develop a comfort-zone bond with him similar to other ex-college hoopers in his inner circle - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (Harvard), Attorney General Eric Holder (Columbia), "body man" Reggie Love (Duke) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen (Navy). But it isn't ridiculous to suggest there might not have been a second inauguration for President Obama if he didn't trust "CIA John."

A vital hurdle approving the raid came when the SEAL Squadron leader briefed Mullen on merits of the mission. According to O'Neill's anonymous interview with Esquire, Vice Admiral William McRaven, head of Joint Special Ops Command, compared the raid and its fighters to the basketball movie Hoosiers in a final briefing with the participants in Operation Neptune's Spear.

A pithy precept occasionally surfaces in basketball trash talking that "some talk a good game and some play a good game." Depending upon your point of view, Time's Person of the Year in 2011 and each subsequent year could have been "CIA John." Surely, ex-Time managing editor Rick Stengel, a backup for Pete Carril-coached Princeton in the mid-1970s, would have encouraged leftist lunatic co-workers to give "CIA John" special consideration after the White House acknowledged him and his colleagues as "unbelievably competent professionals" prior to joining Obama's State Department.

The dumber-than-doorknob Obama Administration admitted doctoring State Department videos. Wanna bet whether "CIA John" was photo-shopped out of the famous Situation Room pic? Perhaps Plagiarist Biledumb of Logan Act lore was involved in similar General Flynn intrigue while donning aviator sunglasses and profanely instruct his German Shepherd (Major) to bite underlings annoying him. In midst of feeling so clever switching from unmasking opponents to masking entire nation, "the big guy's" alleged e-mail pseudonym - Peter Henderson - seems to have been "borrowed" straight from KGB mole in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series.

Deserved or not, other ex-college hoopers may get the bulk of the glory ranging from taking credit for UBL's demise to some searing social issue actually paling in comparison. When, if ever, will our nation get the opportunity to pay homage to a genuine hoop hero comparable to Ames, Knoche and Sivess? Heaven only knows we need an authentic hero these days to offset riots in major U.S. cities, lying by eventual Presidential nominee in front of caskets as former server-swiping Secretary of State #ShrillaryRotten, lawless #Demonrat West Wings supported by ideologically-driven lame-stream media, punk politicians peppering opposing views with inane questions plus collegiate academic scandals and athletes treating women as bad as Sharia-Law zealot Islamic radicals. But at the moment, the stirring tale will simply be "The Greatest Hoop Story Never Fully Told."

Four Notre Dame players named All-American in 20-year span from 1936 through 1955 were born this month. The Fighting Irish and Kentucky are tied for most A-As born this month with five apiece. May 9 is the day to celebrate the most birthdays this month for former All-Americans. Syracuse (May 10), UK (May 12) and Michigan State (May 18) each had two A-As born on the same day. Following are birthdates in May for All-Americans and Hall of Fame coaches:

MAY

1: All-Americans Billy Owens (born in 1969/attended Syracuse) and Alan Seiden (1937/St. John's) plus Hall of Fame coach Amory "Slats" Gill (1901/bench boss at Oregon State).
2: All-Americans Troy Murphy (1980/Notre Dame), William "Red" Stroud (1941/Mississippi State) and Keith Wilkes (1953/UCLA).
3: All-Americans Ken Owens (1959/Idaho) and Kelvin Ransey (1958/Ohio State).
4: All-Americans Sam Clancy Jr. (1980/Southern California), Johnathan Motley (1995/Baylor) and Kyle Singler (1988/Duke).
5: All-Americans Alfred "Butch" Beard (1947/Louisville), Bill Buntin (1942/Michigan), Bill Haarlow (1913/Chicago), Paul Hoffman (1925/Purdue), Harold Miner (1971/Southern California), Mike Silliman (1944/Army) and Anthony "P.J." Tucker (1985/Texas).
6: All-American Chris Paul (1985/Wake Forest).
7: All-Americans Ethan Happ (1996/Wisconsin), Jerry Harkness (1940/Loyola of Chicago) and Paul Unruh (1928/Bradley).
8: All-Americans Quentin Grimes (2000/Houston), Juan "Pepe" Sanchez (1977/Temple) and Kemba Walker (1990/Connecticut).
9: All-Americans Ed Beisser (1919/Creighton), Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell (1993/Indiana), Erick Green (1991/Virginia Tech), Howard "Butch" Komives (1941/Bowling Green State), Calvin Murphy (1948/Niagara), Chris Porter (1978/Auburn), Elmore Smith (1949/Kentucky State) and George Wilson (1942/Cincinnati).
10: All-Americans Eddie Finnigan (1911/Western Reserve OH), Malachi Flynn (1998/San Diego State), Rudy Hackett (1953/Syracuse), Mike Maloy (1949/Davidson) and Rony Seikaly (1965/Syracuse) plus Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun (1942/Northeastern and Connecticut).
11: All-Americans Leo Barnhorst (1924/Notre Dame), Price Brookfield (1920/West Texas State), Darrell Floyd (1932/Furman), Ed Gayda (1927/Washington State) and Barry Parkhill (1951/Virginia).
12: All-Americans Keith Bogans (1980/Kentucky), Jack Gray (1911/Texas), Kevin Grevey (1953/Kentucky) and Gene Tormohlen (1937/Tennessee) plus Hall of Fame coach Everett Shelton (1898/Wyoming).
13: All-Americans Louis "Bosey" Berger (1910/Maryland), Mike Bibby (1978/Arizona), Wayne Estes (1943/Utah State), Trajan Langdon (1976/Duke) and Dean Meminger (1948/Marquette).
14: All-Americans Jim Ashmore (1935/Mississippi State), Walter Berry (1964/St. John's) and Vern Gardner (1925/Utah).
15: All-Americans Gene Banks (1959/Duke), Don Nelson (1940/Iowa), Freeman Williams (1956/Portland State) and Nate Wolters (1991/South Dakota State).
16: All-Americans Charles "Tub" Bradley (1959/Wyoming) and John Salley (1964/Georgia Tech).
17: All-Americans Winford Boynes (1957/San Francisco), Bill "Pickles" Kennedy (1938/Temple), Jon Koncak (1963/Southern Methodist) and Danny Manning (1966/Kansas).
18: All-Americans Chester "Chet" Aubuchon (1916/Michigan State), Donyell Marshall (1973/Connecticut), Ron Mercer (1976/Kentucky), John "Jack" Stephens (1933/Notre Dame) and Sam Vincent (1963/Michigan State).
19: All-Americans Michael Smith (1965/Brigham Young) and Jarrod Uthoff (1993/Iowa).
20: All-Americans Larry Hennessy (1929/Villanova), Howard Wood (1959/Tennessee) and Julian Wright (1987/Kansas).
21: All-Americans James Bailey (1957/Rutgers), Isaiah Canaan (1991/Murray State), Leo Klier (1923/Notre Dame) and Jack Twyman (1934/Cincinnati) plus Hall of Fame coaches Clarence "Big House" Gaines (1923/Winston-Salem State) and Gene Keady (1936/Western Kentucky and Purdue).
22: All-Americans Lauri Markkanen (1997/Arizona), John Moir (1915/Notre Dame) and Larry Siegfried (1939/Ohio State).
23: All-American Rod Thorn (1941/West Virginia) and Hall of Fame coach Tom Penders (1945/Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island, Texas, George Washington and Houston).
24: All-Americans Howie Dallmar (1922/Penn), Irwin Dambrot (1928/CCNY) and Mitch Kupchak (1954/North Carolina).
25: All-Americans Chester "Chet" Giermak (1927/William & Mary), Kendall Gill (1968/Illinois), K.C. Jones (1932/San Francisco), Bill Sharman (1926/Southern California) and Derrick Williams (1991/Arizona).
26: All-American Tom McMillen (1952/Maryland).
27: All-Americans David Greenwood (1957/UCLA), George McCloud (1967/Florida State) and Dick Schnittker (1928/Ohio State) plus Hall of Fame coach George "Jud" Heathcote (1927/Montana and Michigan State).
28: All-Americans Bob Brannum (1925/Kentucky), Armon Gilliam (1964/UNLV), Glen Rice Sr. (1967/Michigan), Elwood "Woody" Romney (1911/Brigham Young) and Jerry West (1938/West Virginia) plus Hall of Fame coach Ward "Piggy" Lambert (1888/Purdue).
29: All-Americans Carmelo Anthony (1984/Syracuse), Bob Burrow (1934/Kentucky), Bill Curley (1972/Boston College), Markelle Fultz (1998/Washington), Stanley Johnson (1996/Arizona) and Raef LaFrentz (1976/Kansas).
30: All-Americans Harrison Barnes (1992/North Carolina), Evan Eschmeyer (1975/Northwestern), Morris "Moe" Goldman (1913/CCNY), Bob Mattick (1933/Oklahoma A&M) and Billy McCaffrey (1971/Vanderbilt).
31: All-Americans Ron Bonham (1942/Cincinnati), Bob Ferry (1937/St. Louis), Matt Harpring (1976/Georgia Tech) and Nate Robinson (1984/Washington).

Birthdays in January for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in February for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in March for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in April for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in May for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in June for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in July for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in August for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in September for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in October for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in November for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in December for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches

In the aftermath of several near combined no-hitters, it's time to take a look at former college hoopers who went on to hurl a no-no at the major-league level. Brooklyn native Sandy Koufax attended Cincinnati one year on a combination baseball/basketball scholarship under coach Ed Jucker in both sports before signing a pro baseball contract. Koufax was the third-leading scorer with 9.7 ppg for the Bearcats' 12-2 freshman squad in 1953-54 before hurling no-hitters in four straight seasons during first half of the 1960s.

Two former Bucknell products - Bob Keegan and Christy Mathewson - are among the following ex-college basketball players going on to toss a MLB no-hitter (listed in reverse order):

Date	No-Hit Ex-Hooper	MLB Team	Opponent	Score	Basketball College
5-14-1977	Jim Colborn	Kansas City Royals	Texas Rangers	6-0	Whittier CA
8-24-1975	Ed Halicki	San Francisco Giants	New York Mets	6-0	Monmouth NJ
7-30-1973	Jim Bibby	Texas Rangers	Oakland A's	6-0	Fayetteville State NC
8-14-1971	Bob Gibson	St. Louis Cardinals	Pittsburgh Pirates	11-0	Creighton
9-18-1968	Ray Washburn	St. Louis Cardinals	San Francisco Giants	2-0	Whitworth WA
6-10-1966	Sonny Siebert	Cleveland Indians	Washington Senators	2-0	Missouri
9-9-1965	Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers	Chicago Cubs	1-0*	Cincinnati
6-4-1964	Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers	Philadelphia Phillies	3-0	Cincinnati
5-11-1963	Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers	San Francisco Giants	8-0	Cincinnati
6-30-1962	Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers	New York Mets	5-0	Cincinnati
8-20-1957	Bob Keegan	Chicago White Sox	Washington Senators	6-0	Bucknell
6-12-1954	Jim Wilson	Milwaukee Braves	Philadelphia Phillies	2-0	San Diego State
9-3-1947	Bill McCahan	Philadelphia Athletics	Washington Senators	3-0	Duke
8-21-1926	Ted Lyons	Chicago White Sox	Boston Red Sox	6-0	Baylor
4-30-1922	Charlie Robertson	Chicago White Sox	Detroit Tigers	2-0*	Austin College TX
5-5-1917	Ernie Koob	St. Louis Browns	Chicago White Sox	1-0	Western Michigan
6-13-1905	Christy Mathewson	New York Giants	Chicago Cubs	1-0	Bucknell
7-15-1901	Christy Mathewson	New York Giants	St. Louis Cardinals	5-0	Bucknell

*Perfect game.

Extra! Extra! Instead of debating whether hideous Hunter Biledumb should be forced to don ankle monitor at White House Correspondents' Dinner, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Former Texas A&M hoopers Davey Johnson and Wally Moon delivered significant MLB offensive performances on this date. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 28 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 28

• Oakland Athletics RHP Ray Burris (baseball-basketball standout in Southwestern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame) hurled a four-hit shutout against the Minnesota Twins in 1984.

• In 1966, CF Billy Cowan (co-captain of Utah's 1960 NCAA playoff team) traded by the Atlanta Braves to the Chicago Cubs for cash and 3B Bobby Cox, who went on to become one of MLB's all-time winningest managers with the Braves.

• Cincinnati Reds 1B George Crowe (four-year letterman from 1939-40 through 1942-43 for Indiana Central after becoming first high school player named state's Mr. Basketball) collected two homers and five RBI against the Chicago Cubs in a 1956 game.

• In 1928, St. Louis Cardinals CF Taylor Douthit (California hoops letterman from 1922 through 1924) collected four hits against the Chicago Cubs, giving him 13 safeties over a four-game span.

• California Angels RHP Dave Frost (averaged 10.5 ppg and 4 rpg for Stanford from 1971-72 through 1973-74) fired a six-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox in 1979.

• San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) collected five hits in a 7-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in 1998, registering the ninth game of at least five hits in his career.

• Chicago Cubs 1B Jim Hickman (freshman hooper for Ole Miss in 1955-56) hammered a three-run homer in each of his first two plate appearances in 10-8 win against World Series-bound Cincinnati Reds in 1972.

• Baltimore Orioles 2B Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) hit safely in first 17 games of the 1971 campaign (career-high).

• RF Jerry Martin (1971 Southern Conference MVP after he was Furman's runner-up in scoring the previous season) accounted for all of the Philadelphia Phillies' offense with a three-run homer in a 3-2 victory against the San Diego Padres in 1978.

• In 1960, Los Angeles Dodgers OF Wally Moon (averaged 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50) manufactured three hits in his third consecutive contest.

• INF Tim Nordbrook (hoops letterman in 1968-69 for Loyola LA) traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1978.

• Cincinnati Reds LF Gary Redus (J.C. hooper for Athens AL and father of Centenary/South Alabama guard with same name) stole four bases in a 1984 game against the San Francisco Giants.

• 1B-OF Bud Sharpe (Penn State hoops letterman in 1902) traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to Boston Doves in 1910.

• RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Mizzou in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) defeated the Angels, 2-1, as the Cleveland Indians tied a MLB record by winning their first 10 contests of the 1966 season.

• Baltimore Orioles RF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman hoops team in mid-1960s) grounded into a double play against the Chicago White Sox to snap his streak of 10 consecutive safeties in 1981.

• Utilityman Roe Skidmore (scored 41 points for Millikin IL in game against Illinois College on 1-28-66) shipped by Chicago White Sox to Cincinnati Reds in 1972 to complete a deal made the previous month.

• Washington Senators RHP Dick Such (averaged 8.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg in 1964-65 and 10.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg in 1965-66 for Elon) posted his lone MLB victory (against Milwaukee Brewers in 1970).

• C-UTL Billy Sullivan Jr. (Portland hoops letterman in 1927-28) purchased from St. Paul (American Association) by the Cincinnati Reds in 1935.

• Pittsburgh Pirates LHP Bob Veale (scored 1,160 points for Benedictine KS from 1955-56 through 1957-58) fired his second three-hit shutout of the month in 1965.

• New York Yankees rookie RF Sammy Vick (three-sport athlete for Millsaps MS) scored game-winning run in the bottom of 12th inning after his second triple in a 3-2 triumph against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1919.

• Toronto Blue Jays DH Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) smacked two homers against the California Angels in a 1992 outing.

Extra! Extra! As a new season shifts into high gear, you can read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Former college hoopers Bill Almon (Brown), Lou Boudreau (Illinois), Walt Dropo (Connecticut), Tony Gwynn (San Diego State), Gil Hodges (St. Joseph's IN/Oakland City IN), David Justice (Thomas More KY), Vance Law (Brigham Young), Ken Singleton (Hofstra) and Roy Smalley Jr. (Drury MO) supplied multiple extra-base hits in MLB games on this date. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 27 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 27

• Pittsburgh Pirates SS Bill Almon (averaged 2.5 ppg in half a season for Brown's 1972-73 basketball team ending school's streak of 12 straight losing records) supplied three extra-base hits in a 13-5 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1986.

• Cleveland Indians SS Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference co-champion) blasted two homers in a 4-2 victory against the Detroit Tigers in 1940 game.

• Minnesota Twins 3B John Castino (medical redshirt for Rollins FL in 1973-74 under coach Ed Jucker) contributed four hits and four RBI in 20-11 victory against the Oakland Athletics in 1980.

• Two NBA players - Gene Conley of the Boston Celtics and Dave DeBusschere of the New York Knicks - opposed each other as RHPs in 1963. Conley (All-PCC first-team selection led North Division in scoring in 1949-50 as Washington State sophomore) hurled 4-plus innings as starter for the Boston Red Sox while DeBusschere (three-time All-American for Detroit from 1959-60 through 1961-62) relieved for 2/3 of the fourth inning with the Chicago White Sox.

• First MLB hit for INF Pat Crawford (Davidson hoops captain in early 1920s) was a pinch homer for the New York Giants in a 1929 game against the Boston Braves.

• Chicago White Sox 1B Walt Dropo (first player in Connecticut history to average 20 ppg in single season with 21.7 in 1942-43) homered twice and scored four runs in a 1955 outing against the New York Yankees.

• San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) smacked two homers in a 6-4 victory against the San Francisco Giants in 1986.

• Baltimore Orioles RHP Dick Hall (averaged 13.5 ppg from 1948-49 through 1950-51 for Swarthmore PA Middle Atlantic States Conference Southern Division champions) hurled a two-hit shutout against the Washington Senators in 1961.

• 1B Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State hoops letterman) stroked a bases-loaded double in the top of the 19th inning to spark the Cleveland Indians to an 8-4 win over the Detroit Tigers in 1984. Six years earlier with the Texas Rangers, Hargrove homered in his third consecutive contest in 1978.

• Minnesota Twins 2B Tommy Herr (hooper with Delaware's freshman team in 1974-75) stroked four singles in a 7-6 win against the Baltimore Orioles in 1988.

• Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) homered twice against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1951 outing.

• Cleveland Indians DH David Justice (Thomas More KY leader in assists in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg) delivered three extra-base hits against the Chicago White Sox in a 1998 contest.

• Minnesota Twins LHP Bill Krueger (led WCAC in free-throw percentage as freshman en route to averaging 5.1 ppg for Portland from 1975-76 through 1979-80) won for the fourth time in as many starts this month in 1992, compiling an 0.84 ERA in first 32 innings.

• Montreal Expos 2B Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) banged out three extra-base hits against the Chicago Cubs in a 1986 game.

• Cleveland Indians RHP Jim Perry (averaged more than 20 ppg in late 1950s for former juco Campbell) fired a four-hit shutout against the California Angels in 1974.

• Detroit Tigers LF-2B Tony Phillips (New Mexico Military juco hooper in 1977-78 as teammate of eventual Drake All-American Lewis Lloyd) had a .403 batting average through first 19 contests in 1993 after extending his hitting streak to 12 games in a row.

• C Hugh Poland (Western Kentucky hoops letterman from 1931-32 through 1933-34) traded by the New York Giants to the Boston Braves in 1943.

• In 1981, Baltimore Orioles RF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman hoops squad in mid-1960s) went 4-for-4, including a pair of doubles for the second straight game.

• Chicago Cubs SS Roy Smalley Jr. (one of top scorers for Drury MO in 1942-43 and 1943-44) tripled twice and scored three runs against the Cincinnati Reds in a 1949 game.

• Cleveland Indians 2B Riggs Stephenson (Alabama hoops letterman in 1920) assembled three straight three-hit games against the Chicago White Sox in 1922.

• RHP John Stuper (two-time all-conference junior college hooper in mid-1970s with Butler County PA) tossed his lone complete game with the Cincinnati Reds (two-hit, 2-1 win against San Francisco Giants in 1985).

• St. Louis Cardinals RHP Ray Washburn (Whitworth WA scoring leader in 1958-59 and 1959-60 when named All-Evergreen Conference) notched his second shutout and fourth complete-game win in as many starts at the beginning of the 1963 campaign.

• Boston Braves rookie RF Chuck Workman (two-time All-MIAA first-five selection was leading scorer in 1937 when Central Missouri won inaugural NAIA Tournament) went 8-for-11 against the New York Giants in his first three games of the 1943 campaign.

Did you know that WR DeAndre Hopkins, a first-round draft selection in 2013, played basketball for Clemson in 2010-11? Hopkins, immersed in pre-draft trade speculation prior to his release by the Arizona Cardinals in late May, led the NFL in touchdown catches with 13 in 2017 and supplied at least 96 receptions in five of the previous eight seasons with the Houston Texans and Cardinals. Historically, the first 15 NFL drafts from 1936 through 1950 had a former college basketball regular selected among the top 10 picks. Four of the top six choices and five of the top 11 in the 1957 draft were ex-college hoopers. To our knowledge, none of them featured the excess baggage of Jameis "Crab Legs" Winston, the #1 selection several years ago who was also a versatile athlete but in baseball.

Back in 1963 when men were men before social scholar kneeling knuckleheads, commissioner hugging plus all of the ESPC-contrived Sam Who I Am draft-day crying/kissing and diversity sensitivity training (#BringBackOurMen), six of the top 22 picks, including five from schools that have always been or subsequently became members of the Big Ten Conference, were in the same category. Ex-hoopers for Notre Dame provided five top seven NFL draft choices in 23-year span from 1946 through 1968. Baylor, Michigan and Ohio State have had four former hoopers chosen in the opening round of NFL draft.

In the average NFL draft, nearly half of the athletes selected also competed in basketball in high school. There might not be a former college hooper selected in opening round of this year's NFL draft, but following is an alphabetical list of first-round draft choices who played varsity college basketball for a current NCAA Division I university:

Hooper/1st-Round Choice	Pos.	College	Selected in Draft By	NFL Pick Overall
Neill Armstrong	OE-DB	Oklahoma A&M	Philadelphia Eagles	8th in 1947
Doug Atkins	DE	Tennessee	Cleveland Browns	11th in 1953
Terry Baker	QB-RB	Oregon State	Los Angeles Rams	1st in 1963
Sammy Baugh	QB	Texas Christian	Boston Redskins	6th in 1937
*Hub Bechtol	E	Texas Tech/Texas	Pittsburgh Steelers	5th in 1947
Johnny Bright	RB	Drake	Philadelphia Eagles	5th in 1952
Jim Brown	RB	Syracuse	Cleveland Browns	6th in 1957
Ray Buivid	QB	Marquette	Chicago Cardinals	3rd in 1937
Bob Carey	WR	Michigan State	Los Angeles Rams	13th in 1952
Fred Carr	LB	Texas Western	Green Bay Packers	5th in 1968
Shante Carver	DE	Arizona State	Dallas Cowboys	23rd in 1994
Lynn Chandnois	HB	Michigan State	Pittsburgh Steelers	8th in 1950
George Connor	OL-DT-LB	Notre Dame	New York Giants	5th in 1946
Olie Cordill	HB	Rice	Cleveland Browns	5th in 1940
Ernie Davis	HB	Syracuse	Washington Redskins	1st in 1962
Glenn Davis	HB	Army	Detroit Lions	2nd in 1947
Len Dawson	QB	Purdue	Pittsburgh Steelers	5th in 1957
Mike Ditka	TE	Pittsburgh	Chicago Bears	5th in 1961
Rickey Dudley	TE	Ohio State	Oakland Raiders	9th in 1996
Billy Joe Dupree	TE	Michigan State	Dallas Cowboys	20th in 1973
Ray Evans	TB-DB	Kansas	Chicago Bears	9th in 1944
James Francis	LB	Baylor	Cincinnati Bengals	12th in 1990
Reuben Gant	TE	Oklahoma State	Buffalo Bills	18th in 1974
Tony Gonzalez	TE	California	Kansas City Chiefs	13th in 1996
Otto Graham	QB	Northwestern	Detroit Lions	4th in 1944
Harry "Bud" Grant	E	Minnesota	Philadelphia Eagles	14th in 1950
Bob Griese	QB	Purdue	Miami Dolphins	4th in 1967
Kevin Hardy	DL	Notre Dame	New Orleans Saints	7th in 1968
Tom Harmon	HB-DB	Michigan	Chicago Bears	1st in 1941
Napoleon Harris	LB	Northwestern	Oakland Raiders	23rd in 2002
Todd Heap	TE	Arizona State	Baltimore Ravens	31st in 2001
King Hill	QB	Rice	Chicago Cardinals	1st as bonus pick in 1958
Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch	OE	Michigan	Cleveland Rams	5th in 1945
DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Clemson	Houston Texans	27th in 2013
Paul Hornung	RB	Notre Dame	Green Bay Packers	1st as bonus pick in 1957
Jack Jenkins	FB-LB	Vanderbilt	Washington Redskins	10th in 1943
Ed "Too Tall" Jones	DL	Tennessee State	Dallas Cowboys	1st in 1974
Matt Jones	E	Arkansas	Jacksonville Jaquars	21st in 2005
Billy Kilmer	QB	UCLA	San Francisco 49ers	11th in 1961
Ron Kramer	WR	Michigan	Green Bay Packers	4th in 1957
Johnny Lattner	HB	Notre Dame	Pittsburgh Steelers	7th in 1954
Bobby Layne	QB	Texas	Chicago Bears	3rd in 1948
Marcedes Lewis	TE	UCLA	Jacksonville Jaguars	28th in 2006
Ronnie Lott	DB	Southern California	San Francisco 49ers	8th in 1981
Johnny Lujack	QB	Notre Dame	Chicago Bears	4th in 1946
Don Lund	FB-LB	Michigan	Chicago Bears	7th in 1945
Bob MacLeod	B	Dartmouth	Brooklyn Dodgers	5th in 1939
Jim McDonald	B	Ohio State	Philadelphia Eagles	2nd in 1938
Banks McFadden	HB	Clemson	Brooklyn Dodgers	3rd in 1940
Rich McGeorge	TE	Elon	Green Bay Packers	16th in 1970
Donovan McNabb	QB	Syracuse	Philadelphia Eagles	2nd in 1999
R.W. McQuarters	CB	Oklahoma State	San Francisco 49ers	28th in 1998
Leonard Mitchell	DE	Houston	Philadelphia Eagles	27th in 1981
Mack Mitchell	DE	Houston	Cleveland Browns	5th in 1975
Julius Peppers	DE	North Carolina	Carolina Panthers	2nd in 2002
Pat Richter	TE	Wisconsin	Washington Redskins	7th in 1962
Andre Rison	WR	Michigan State	Indianapolis Colts	22nd in 1989
Jack Robbins	QB	Arkansas	Chicago Cardinals	5th in 1938
Dave Robinson	LB	Penn State	Green Bay Packers	14th in 1963
Reggie Rogers	DL	Washington	Detroit Lions	7th in 1987
Art Schlichter	QB	Ohio State	Baltimore Colts	4th in 1982
Don Scott	HB	Ohio State	Chicago Bears	9th in 1941
Del Shofner	E	Baylor	Los Angeles Rams	11th in 1957
Norm Snead	QB	Wake Forest	Washington Redskins	2nd in 1961
Joe Stydahar	T	West Virginia	Chicago Bears	6th in 1936
David Verser	WR-KR	Kansas	Cincinnati Bengals	10th in 1981
Doak Walker	HB-DB	Southern Methodist	New York Bulldogs	3rd in 1949
Byron "Whizzer" White	B	Colorado	Pittsburgh Steelers	4th in 1938
Alfred Williams	DE	Colorado	Cincinnati Bengals	18th in 1991
Jack Wilson	HB	Baylor	Cleveland Browns	2nd in 1942
Kendall Wright	WR	Baylor	Tennessee Titans	20th in 2012

*Bechtol played in the AAFC, where he was a second-round pick (9th overall).

Extra! Extra! Unless you're aroused regarding a fossil fool (Plagiarist Biledumb) running for reelection, you can read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Former Alabama hoops lettermen Riggs Stephenson and Jim Tabor supplied significant MLB games with their bats on this date. Former in-state hooper Marv Breeding (Samford) also made "offensive" news. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 24 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 24

• San Diego Padres SS Bill Almon (averaged 2.5 ppg in half a season for Brown's 1972-73 basketball team ending school's streak of 12 straight losing records) contributed four hits for the second time in four days in 1978.

• Philadelphia Phillies LF Morrie Arnovich (Wisconsin-Superior hooper in early 1930s) went 4-for-4, including three doubles, in a 7-3 win against Brooklyn in 1937.

• Cleveland Indians LHP Rick Austin (member of Washington State's freshman basketball team in 1965-66) held opposition scoreless in his first six relief appearances in 1971.

• Chicago White Sox 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) belted two homers in a 10-4 win against the Detroit Tigers in 1935.

• Baltimore Orioles rookie 2B Marv Breeding (Samford hooper in mid-1950s) went hitless for the only time in his first 12 MLB games.

• Boston Braves SS Dick Culler (#9 jersey retired by High Point for Little All-American in 1935 and 1936) went 4-for-4 in an 8-6 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945.

• Brooklyn Dodgers rookie SS Ben Geraghty (Villanova hoops letterman from 1933-34 through 1935-36) supplied his fourth straight multiple-hit game in 1936.

• Oakland Athletics rookie 3B Wayne Gross (led Cal Poly Pomona in assists in 1974-75) went 4-for-4 with four RBI against the Chicago White Sox in the nightcap of a 1977 doubleheader.

• Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) tied a MLB record by striking out 18 batters in a nine-inning game at Chicago in 1962.

• Toronto Blue Jays RHP Dave Lemanczyk (averaged 4.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg for Hartwick NY teams compiling 51-21 record from 1969-70 through 1971-72) tossed a one-hitter against the Texas Rangers. It was one of three shutouts for him in 1979.

• San Francisco Giants RHP Frank Linzy (listed on Oklahoma State's freshman hoops roster in 1959-60) posted his third save against the Houston Astros in a 10-day span in 1966.

• LF Danny Litwhiler (member of hoops JV team with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) collected four of 22 hits by the Boston Braves and chipped in with four RBI in a 14-5 victory over the New York Giants in 1947. Johnny Mize, who later had a basketball arena named after him at Piedmont College GA, socked three successive homers for the Giants. Five years earlier with the Philadelphia Phillies, Litwhiler went 4-for-4 against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942.

• Kansas City Athletics 2B Jerry Lumpe (member of Southwest Missouri State's 1952 NAIA Tournament hoops championship team) provided his fifth multiple-hit game in as many outings to start the 1960 campaign en route to compiling a .471 average while hitting safely in his first 13 contests of the season.

• San Diego Padres RHP Roger Mason (multiple-year hoops letterman in late 1970s for Saginaw Valley State MI) didn't allow an earned run through his first nine relief appearances in 1993.

• New York Yankees SS Gene Michael (led Kent State in scoring with 14 ppg in 1957-58) contributed a career-high four RBI against the Minnesota Twins in 1971.

• Washington Senators rookie CF Irv Noren (player of year for California community college hoops state champion Pasadena City in 1945) went hitless for the only time in his first 13 MLB starts in 1950.

• Oakland Athletics CF Billy North (played hoops briefly for Central Washington in 1967-68) stole three bases against the Chicago White Sox in the nightcap of a 1977 twinbill.

• Kansas City Royals 3B Bob Oliver (All-Valley Conference basketball choice for American River Community College CA in 1962) belted two homers for the second time in a four-game span in 1970.

• RHP John Pyecha (led Appalachian State in scoring, rebounding and field-goal shooting in 1951-52 and 1954-55) lost his only MLB pitching appearance with the Chicago Cubs in 1954.

• New York Yankees 3B Red Rolfe (played hoops briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) ripped two homers against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1940 game.

• New York Giants RHP Hal Schumacher (multiple-sport athlete for St. Lawrence NY in early 1930s) and Hall of Fame teammate Mel Ott each socked two homers against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1934 game. Schumacher, who contributed five RBI in the contest, socked six round-trippers during the season.

• Baltimore Orioles RF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman hoops squad in mid-1960s) smacked two homers against the California Angels in 1979 in the midst of seven multiple-hit outings in an eight-game span.

• Minnesota Twins RHP Mike Smithson (teammate of Tennessee All-American Ernie Grunfeld averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.6 rpg under coach Ray Mears in 1974-75 and 1975-76) hurled a four-hit shutout against the Seattle Mariners in 1985.

• Chicago Cubs LF Riggs Stephenson (Alabama hoops letterman in 1920) clubbed three doubles for the second time in a six-game span in 1932.

• Boston Red Sox rookie 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) tallied four hits for the first of four times in a 30-game span to early June in 1939.

• Chicago White Sox LHP Matt Thornton (averaged 5.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg for Grand Valley State MI from 1995-96 through 1997-98) yielded his only run in 12 relief appearances during the month in 2012.

• Pittsburgh Pirates CF Bill Virdon (Drury MO hooper in 1949) went 4-for-4 against the New York Mets in a 1964 game.

• Boston Red Sox SS Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) went 4-for-4 against the Washington Senators in a 1934 contest.

• San Diego Padres RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) collected four hits and five RBI against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1975 outing.

The 45th anniversary of death of rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley occurred last year. "Memphis Mafia" was the tag given by him to hangers-on whose principal functions were to deliver everything to "The King" on a silver platter. His closest friends and employees embraced the acronym TCB ("Taking Care of Business"). But Elvis' Jailhouse Rock on 45 RPM record takes on a whole new meaning as soft-on-crime Memphis descends deeper into a cesspool. Junk judicial system in #Dimorat-governed municipalities was depicted again in Memphis a year ago allowing early-morning jogger/kindergarten teacher to be kidnapped and murdered by stalker before live-streamed shooting spree killing of four people by another demented local loser. In the fall, Northwestern State's football squad cancelled remainder of its season in late October after a Memphis product allegedly shot and murdered a teammate.

In music lingo, Don't Be Cruel while cancelling "Gone With the Wind" screenings, but it is Now or Never to face some Fever facts. Within a month of Elvis' commemoration, Memphis was All Shook Up when reminded again how it resembles a hell-hole In the Ghetto facing huge problem of a fundamental absence of dignity and direction. Resembling community-at-large, multiple former Memphis-connected hoopers generated Heartbreak Hotel headlines by running afoul of the law. Any Day Now, it might be hailed as more Memphis Mayhem or Memphis Mess than Memphis Mafia, but Elvis would have been singing a spinoff called Jailhouse Jock stemming from the inordinate number of Memphis Misfits including a pair of coach Penny Hardaway's recent prize hoop prospects - Emoni Bates (felony gun charge in Michigan dismissed following plea deal) and Mikey Williams (arrested in San Diego in mid-April 2023 on charge of assault with deadly weapon). Hardaway may be ambivalent to gun toting after he was charged with intimidating his girlfriend with a handgun in late 2000. While sitting out 1990-91 season with the Tigers because of scholastic shortcomings, Hardaway was robbed at gunpoint outside his cousin's residence and hit in the foot by a stray bullet.

Rather than focusing on avoiding being kicked to the curb, former Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale might not have been intentionally seeking Trouble evoking suspect values of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in imploring Memphis to remove Confederate statues. MLK Jr. was assassinated in Memphis in 1968 after traveling there in support of striking African-American city sanitation workers. But unless delusional Fizdale simplistically thought his instant-impulse personal pinata, The Devil in Disguise (#TheDonald), is solely responsible for total eclipse of values in Memphis the last three decades or so, Suspicious Minds could counter that culture rot needing sanitized in "Home of the Blues" should dwell a mite more on personal responsibility and scholars worshiped simply because they can jump "high" and dribble a basketball.

It isn't Always On My Mind and wasn't delivered like some masked Antifa anarchist, but Fizdale is well known for his insulting "Take that for data!" NBA playoffs rant. In a Return to Sender of sorts, only A Fool Such As I should remind him about former Tigers coach Dana Kirk's grotesque graduation data (six of his 60 four-year scholarship players earned diplomas during 1980s before he was imprisoned). Amid excessive educational exploitation and abject failure of local leadership exemplified by sordid AAU sexual abuse stories earlier the last decade, the academic anemia can't possibly be portrayed in a more favorable light in the 21st Century by Fizdale or anyone credible in his vocation. After all, many pro and college coaches are more concerned about patronizing African-American lifeline fond of free "Obama" phones by phoning it in driving hard-left free advertising down our throats dumping on Donald rather than steadfastly supporting stronger scholastic standards.

Physician (or left-coast native coach in this instance), heal thyself! OK, genius! Do you want USC's mascot steed in your home state of California put to sleep since its name (Traveler) is same as Lee's famous horse? Should Elvis statue on Beale Street come down because he initiated Blue Suede Shoes meeting with a Republican President (Richard Nixon won stunning 1/3 of black vote in national elections)? Social scholar probably supports substituting Presley with Fizdale's most visible veteran player (wayward Zach Randolph). Anyone defending Memphis' misguided priorities is indeed "stupid or sick" unless, of course, you're a social genius like San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. At the risk of needing to write SSN on forearm to cope with torrent of left-wing indignation, Shake, Rattle and Roll while trying to answer some sarcastic questions. Does this selective outrage include putting MLK memorial on chopping block because he was a sexist and womanizer? How about boycotting race baiter Al "No So" Sharpton since he is a tax cheat or banning any sports reference to "lefty" #AudacityofHype following feeble mom-jeans heave at MLB All-Star Game impressing only the less-than-intelligent community?

How did p-c pansies ruin our sensibilities to the point of contemplating whether ESPN (Extra Sensitive Pious Network), a sports network without balls except those exposed by Scott Van Pelt's old radio show partner, should possibly prohibit former sage Bob Ley (short for Robert; sounds same as Lee) from generalizing about African-American activity crossing border into Charlottesville? In order to adequately TCB, Fizdale (now in Utah Jazz front office after member of Minnesota Timberwolves traveling party reportedly was robbed at knifepoint this spring) and other victim-hood leaders should focus on issues far exceeding the importance of inanimate objects. #TheDonald might call the municipality a spit-hole when it comes to supplying authentic student-athletes. Monument Mania moguls, including equally left-leaning USA Today sanctioning ESPN's foolishness, need to help reduce the following alarming number of Memphis-based or Memphis-connected collegiate members of alternate-universe KKK (Known Knucklehead Kings) detailed in the following alphabetical "lineup" list:

Andre Allen, Memphis (coach was John Calipari) - Arrested in fall of 2010 and faced charges including possession of marijuana with intent to sell, improper display of registration and violation of light law. Police also noticed a loaded handgun in Allen's pants although he had a handgun carry permit. The backup to standout point guard Derrick Rose was suspended from the Tigers' 2008 squad before it reached the Final Four for failing an NCAA-mandated drug test. He spent his first season out of uniform focusing on academics and dealing with charges of soliciting a prostitute. In the fall of 2014, Allen was arrested after officials said they found money, pot and a stolen loaded gun in his Cadillac. In late March 2019, he was arrested at his residence after narcotics detectives executed a search warrant.

Vincent Askew, Memphis State (Kirk) - Freshman starter for the Tigers' 1985 Final Four team was arrested in mid-August 2008, accused of unlawfully having sex with a minor (16-year-old girl) in a Miami hotel room. He pleaded guilty to a charge of child abuse with no great bodily harm and was placed on probation for three years. Briefly coached Elliston Baptist Academy in Memphis before leaving the job under a cloud. Attended summer school at Kansas under Larry Brown before budding transfer returned to Memphis. KU was placed on probation stemming from wrongdoing in connection with improper inducements to Askew.

Adrian Banks, Arkansas State (Dickey Nutt) - ASU's scoring leader early in the 2007-08 campaign when arrested for firing a handgun within Jonesboro city limits in the wee hours of the morning (suspended for about a month). Juco recruit told police he found the gun at a nightclub where a fight was breaking out. "I found the gun on the ground and didn't want anyone to get shot, so I shot the gun until it was empty," Banks said according to the police report in what could be described as Exhibit A for logic of the moronic.

Sean Banks, Memphis (Calipari) - C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2004 and three accomplices allegedly linked to a ring known as the James Bond Gang were arrested in his home state of New Jersey in early August 2011 after a couple of luxury-home burglaries and high-speed chase. More than $20,000 in jewelry and other valuables taken during the two heists were found in the stolen SUV. A marijuana arrest, disruptive behavior and academic issues forced Banks' departure from Memphis midway through his sophomore season. Suspended several games in high school after being a passenger in a car that police attempted to stop for driving erratically before it sped off. Upon ditching the auto, Banks and the other passengers tried to run off, but were caught. According to ShamSports.com, Banks' background included an arrest for burning a gang insignia into a teenage girl's leg. In late September 2013, he was arrested in connection with a domestic violence complaint involving the mother of his child.

Arthur Barclay, Memphis (Calipari) - Democratic Party politician represented the 5th Legislative District in the N.J. General Assembly from when he was sworn into office in early 2016 until resigning in mid-June 2018 following assault charge related to domestic violence (punching girlfriend in face breaking her nose although judge dismissed case after victim failed to appear at hearing). Five years later, he was issued a summons for causing serious injury to a pedestrian while driving with a suspended license. Barclay, who tagged along with high school teammate Dajuan Wagner from Camden, N.J. (sixth pick overall in 2002 NBA draft following freshman season), averaged 2.2 ppg and 3.2 rpg from 2001-02 through 2004-05 (redshirt in 2002-03).

Emoni Bates, Memphis (Hardaway) - Arrested in mid-September 2022 on felony gun charges (Eastern Michigan transfer and eventual 2023 NBA second-round draft choice was sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor gun charge). Bates, previously ranked as the #1 prospect in his high school class, was pulled over on a routine traffic stop after failing to stop at an intersection.

Corey Beck, Arkansas (Nolan Richardson Jr.) - Arrested at 2:00 a.m. midway through 1992-93 season for allegedly driving while intoxicated before pacing the NCAA champion Hogs in assists and steals the next campaign. In early November 2004, he was jailed for the third time in two years for failure to pay child support and violating his probation. According to court documents, Beck flunked multiple drug tests for cocaine, admitted to marijuana use and lied to his probation officer about where he lived. In the fall of 2007, he was shot in the hand and face defending himself during an attempted auto theft in Memphis. Arrested in summer of 2008 for contempt of court stemming from failure to pay child support for four daughters. In summer of 2010, he was booked into jail at almost 3:00 a.m. following an arrest for driving while intoxicated. Arrested in late January 2013 for failure to pay fines and costs in connection with his conviction for driving while intoxicated and other traffic offenses in 2011. In early 2013, Beck was arrest for failure to pay fines and costs.

William Bedford, Memphis State (Kirk) - All-American as a junior in 1985-86 was arrested in February 2001 after Taylor, Mich., police said they found 25 pounds of marijuana in his car. Subsequently served time in a Fort Worth, Tex., prison on drug-related charges. In 1987, he was subpoenaed by a Maricopa County (Ariz.) grand jury investigating drug use among Phoenix Suns players and testified against his teammates after receiving immunity. In March 1988, Bedford admitted he was addicted to cocaine and marijuana and was committed to the NBA's treatment facility in Van Nuys, Calif. Known as "Willie B" - as in "Will he be at practice?" - Bedford relapsed the following October and was readmitted to the clinic. When he returned, his behavior on and off the court grew more erratic. He received a dozen traffic tickets and 10 license suspensions in less than four years. In September 1997, Bedford, who was on three years probation at the time, tested positive for cocaine and was sent to a Texas state jail for one year. Also arrested in Texas for failing to pay more than $300,000 in child support.

Leron Black, Illinois (John Groce) - Memphis native, after missing much of season because of a knee injury, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor aggravated assault stemming from his arrest in mid-February 2016 for allegedly pulling a knife on a bouncer at a nightclub.

Jarekious Bradley, Kent State (Rob Senderoff)/Southeast Missouri State (Dickey Nutt) - Memphis recruit was arrested in mid-July 2011 after an incident with his former girlfriend resulted in charges of aggravated burglary and criminal damaging. A woman claimed Bradley came inside her apartment without permission and demanded money he felt she owed him. At one point, deputies say, Bradley tried to remove money from the woman's purse, prompting a physical confrontation between them with the woman incurring an injury. Other individuals in the apartment gave Bradley money and he left.

Antonio Burks, Memphis (Calipari) - C-USA Player of the Year in 2003-04 was shot by a robber (subsequently sentenced to 97 years in prison) in the abdomen during a dice game in 2009 in the backyard of a vacant duplex. In early June 2015, he was arrested after a fight with his girlfriend. In the fall of 2006, Burks was arrested for not appearing in court regarding a speeding ticket. In late July 2021, Burks was arrested for illegal gambling.

Charles Carmouche, Memphis (Josh Pastner) - Starting guard for the Tigers' 2011 NCAA tourney team, sandwiched between stints with New Orleans and Louisiana State, was booked in New Orleans in December of 2017 for possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Randy Carter, Minnesota (Clem Haskins) - Four-year starting forward from 1990-91 through 1993-94 was sentenced to six months in a federal "boot camp" after Memphis product pleaded guilty to cocaine distribution charge involving a government informant.

Raynardo Curry, Western Kentucky (Dennis Felton) - Two-time leader in steals was kicked off WKU's team following 2001-02 season after drug arrest. Faced similar charges earlier in the year. Memphis product previously served three days in jail after pleading guilty to receiving stolen property worth less than $300.

Michael Dixon Jr., Missouri (Mike Anderson and Frank Haith)/Memphis (Pastner) - Big 12 Conference Sixth Man of the Year before receiving same award in AAC in 2013-14 was accused of forcible rape in late summer following Mizzou's 30-5 season in 2011-12, but it was determined there was insufficient evidence to the criminal charges. He was suspended for "a violation of team rules" by the Tigers before choosing to transfer after it was revealed there was another similar incident 2 1/2 years earlier when the alleged victim declined to press charges following coach Anderson reminding her how campus life could become uncomfortable if she proceeded. In a campus police report unearthed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, an MU employee at the time involved in the first incident said Dixon threatened her if she got pregnant ("kick her in the stomach and push her down the stairs"). Dixon was also suspended in mid-December 2010 for violating team rules. Playing professionally overseas, he was involved in fatal auto accident in Athens, Greece, in early December 2016.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis (Calipari) - NCAA unanimous first-team All-American in 2007-08 pleaded guilty to his involvement in a scheme where nearly 20 NBA players were indicted for fraudulent chiropractic/dental claims. Detroit product Roberts reportedly was a witness threatened by ringleader Terrence Williams, a Louisville All-American in 2008-09 who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and identity theft charges.

Robert Dozier, Memphis (Calipari) - Police took simple assault domestic violence report during 2007-08 campaign before complaint stemming from argument at 3:30 a.m. outside a nightclub was dismissed. Georgia denied him admission in his home state because of questions about SAT score. In mid-February 2019, he was arrested on a domestic assault charge in attack reportedly leaving victim with dislocated shoulder and finger.

Tony Dumas, UMKC (Lee Hunt) - The Kangaroos' leading scorer from 1991-92 through 1993-94 was sued in spring of 1996 by his pregnant girlfriend, accusing him of drinking excessively and subjecting her to a "pattern of physical, verbal and emotional abuse." Several months earlier, member of UMKC's Metro Memphis pipeline was arrested and charged with falsely reporting to police that his car had been stolen.

Tyreke Evans, Memphis (Calipari) - C-USA Rookie of the Year in 2008-09 as Derrick Rose's successor (17.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.9 apg and 2.1 spg) was arrested at gunpoint in spring of 2010 and charged with reckless driving (120 to 130 MPH in purple Mercedes on Sacramento interstate). Dismissed and disqualified from the NBA for two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21) after violating terms of league's Anti-Drug Program. He was suspended for one game by the Indiana Pacers early in 2018-19 campaign for tardiness and missed contests later in the season for personal reasons.

Sylvester "Deuce" Ford Jr., Memphis (Larry Finch)/Louisiana State (Dale Brown) - Dismissed from LSU for ubiquitous "violation of team rules" after averaging 11.5 ppg and 5.4 rpg in 17 games in 1995-96.

Cameron Golden, Arkansas State (John Brady) - Three-year starting guard dismissed from squad in fall of 2015 following Memphis product's aggravated robbery arrest.

Greg Hardy, Mississippi (Andy Kennedy) - Backup freshman forward in 2006-07 was arrested as an NFL defensive end. Memphis product missed majority of the 2014 season following charge of attacking and threatening his girlfriend. Arrested in Texas in fall of 2016 on a cocaine possession charge.

Cedric Henderson, Memphis (Finch) - Forward who averaged 13.8 ppg and 5.2 rpg from 1993-94 through 1996-97 was found not guilty in spring of 2016 of domestic violence charges.

Jason Henry, Arkansas (John Pelphrey) - Sentenced to six years in prison after his conviction on prostitution charges. According to a police report, pimp known as "Allstar" was booked in late March 2015 on multiple sex crimes, including the possible rape of a 14-year-old girl. West Memphis product started twice as a freshman but was suspended three times by the Hogs during the 2008-09 campaign and dismissed from the program prior to sophomore season.

Baskerville Holmes, Memphis State (Kirk) - A starting forward who averaged 9.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg for the Tigers' 1985 Final Four team, he was arrested twice for domestic violence. Later, Holmes, an out-of-work truck driver, and his girlfriend were found shot to death March 18, 1997 in an apparent murder-suicide. He was 32.

Jerrell Houston, Mississippi State (Rick Stansbury)/Tennessee State (Cy Alexander) - Redshirt forward kicked off MSU's squad midway through 2005-06 campaign for violating unspecified rules. Memphis native broke a team rule at the beginning of the school year and was suspended for the exhibition season.

Ron Huery, Arkansas (Richardson) - Received a five-year prison sentence in mid-2008 for violating his probation and attempting to break into his ex-girlfriend's home. Arrested in mid-July 2005 on charges of rape, first-degree false imprisonment and third-degree domestic battery, plus a misdemeanor charge of obstructing governmental operations stemming from an incident involving an ex-girlfriend. In 1994, he was put on probation for eight years after a cocaine conviction in his hometown of Memphis, where he was also charged with drunken driving and driving on a revoked license. In 2002, Huery, who scored 1,550 points for the Razorbacks, sold his ring from the 1990 Final Four to help pay off fines and interest on 1991 traffic charges.

LaKeith Humphrey, Kansas State (Lon Kruger)/Central Missouri State (Jim Wooldridge) - Sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the late November 2006 death of his former girlfriend, who was shot through her bedroom window about 3:40 a.m. in his hometown of Memphis. Humphrey, a J.C. recruit, averaged 12.6 ppg and 3.6 apg for the Wildcats' NCAA playoff team in 1988-89.

Jeremy Hunt, Memphis (Calipari) - Pleaded guilty to reckless aggravated assault and driving under the influence stemming from an early-morning crash in fall of 2011 when his Land Rover struck a truck stopped in a curb lane. The truck driver, checking on another motorist, lost both legs in the accident. Hunt, who averaged 9.5 ppg for the Tigers from 2002-03 through 2004-05, was previously in trouble with the law in January 2005 when he was charged with domestic assault (accused of striking his girlfriend at least six times in the face and kicked her on both sides). Later that year, Hunt broke his hand after getting into a fight. In the spring of 2012, he was accused of choking his girlfriend during an argument around 5:30 a.m. Sentenced to 43 days in jail after another DUI conviction following arrest in mid-November 2016.

Joe Jackson, Memphis (Pastner) - C-USA player of the year in 2012-13 was arrested in summer of 2017 on felony drug and gun charges. Police officers found 100 ecstasy pills, two guns and $4,500 in $100 bills inside a Louis Vuitton backpack found on the backseat of a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro.

Otis Jackson, Memphis State (Wayne Yates and Kirk) - All-Metro Conference first-team selection in 1981-82 when leading league in assists accepted pretrial diversion before declaring publicly he did not acknowledge government following indictment as county court clerk on four counts of official misconduct for pressuring his employees to raise or contribute more than $50,000 to his 2012 re-election campaign.

Chris Jones, Tennessee signee (Bruce Pearl)/Louisville (Rick Pitino) - J.C. player of the year in 2013 was leading the ACC in steals and Cardinals in assists late in the 2014-15 campaign when dismissed from their squad following multiple suspensions. He allegedly threatened to "smack" a female student. Within a few days of his dismissal, he was charged with raping one woman and sodomizing another between 2 and 4 a.m. despite having a 9 p.m. curfew. "I'm not worried about anything that anybody has to say about me," Jones told the Louisville Courier-Journal. In late June 2017, Jones was shot in his right thigh after a fight reportedly led to gunfire on a basketball court next to a Memphis police department precinct.

Jelan Kendrick, Memphis (Pastner)/Ole Miss (Kennedy)/UNLV (Dave Rice) - Kicked off Memphis' squad before playing a game for the Tigers as a result of chronic bad behavior, including a couple of altercations with teammates. Consistent off-the-court problem at Ole Miss, where he departed after banishment from game action three times, including the duration of the 2012 SEC Tournament and NIT. Anger management woes fostered transient history playing for multiple high school and AAU teams.

Elmer Martin Jr., Arkansas (Richardson) - Memphis product was backup forward for the Razorbacks' 1994 NCAA titlist and starter at the end of the next season received a 15-year prison term in late July 2008 after pleading guilty to drug charges. A county deputy prosecutor said that delivery of a controlled substance charges involved cocaine, and that intent to deliver charges involved cocaine and Ecstasy. During two weeks earlier in the year, detectives made two controlled cocaine purchases from Martin.

Cornelius "Scooter" McFadgon, Memphis (Calipari)/Tennessee (Buzz Peterson) - The Volunteers' leading scorer in 2003-04 (17.6 ppg) was charged with drug-related offenses in Texas in June 2014 after police said they found a kilogram of cocaine and 193 pounds of marijuana in SUV he was driving. Indicted in mid-August 2017 as part of a "Cocaine Cowboy" operation and described as "a high-level distributor." Sentenced to 20 years behind bars.

Eric McGill, Southeast Missouri State (Rick Ray)/Southern Illinois (Barry Hinson) - Part-time starting guard as SEMO freshman in 2015-16 was dismissed for a violation of department policies and procedures. He started 12 of SEMO's first 14 games prior to benching for violating team rules.

Kevin Millen, Georgetown (John Thompson Jr.) - Backup for Hoyas in mid-1990s was sentenced to two years' probation and ordered to return to his home in Memphis and stay away from Washington after being arrested twice in fall of 1998 stemming from accusations of stalking and making threatening phone calls to Thompson. Charged with unlawful entry after being detained by campus security for allegedly trying to reach the office of the university president. In the wake of several dozen alleged menacing phone calls to the school's athletic office earlier in the year, he was arrested the previous week and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Court records indicated Millen was upset over job opportunities arranged by Thompson that didn't pan out. Millen had an unsuccessful primary run for Congress in Tennessee in 2010.

Taurean Moy, LeMoyne-Owen TN (William Anderson) - Memphis product, who set a national H.S. single-game record with 24 three-pointers in December 2000 a day before he was arrested and charged with assault and possession of marijuana, was kicked out of Eastern Oklahoma State midway through the 2002-03 junior college campaign. The next spring, he was charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child in Nebraska, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to three years in prison. Charged with domestic assault in the spring of 2009 before pleading guilty to failure to have a Tennessee Sex Offender Registry identification card - or a sex offender designation on his license - with him when he was stopped on traffic charges in November 2011. All but nine of his 110 field goals were three-pointers in 2009-10 when he averaged 12.5 ppg for LeMoyne-Owen.

Austin Nichols, Memphis (Pastner)/Virginia (Tony Bennett) - Dismissed from UVa roster after first game in 2016-17 following suspension for "violation of team rules." Nichols, AAC Freshman of the Year in 2012-13 before transferring, said dismissal from Cavaliers stemmed from "self-medicating."

Kendrick Perkins, Memphis commitment (Calipari) - Charged with disorderly conduct, public intoxication and misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a woman in the face outside of a Houston nightclub in summer of 2013. In mid-August 2011, Perkins was forced out of similar establishment in his hometown of Beaumont, Tex., and arrested about 4:00 a.m. after attempting to fight the venue's manager. Perkins chose to bypass college and went straight to NBA out of high school.

Brandon Powell, Florida (Billy Donovan)/Marshall (Donnie Jones) - Arrested in mid-June 2007 with Gators kick return specialist as part of a reverse sting drug operation. Disciplined internally as freshman in 2006-07 after videotape showed Memphis product punched a Vanderbilt fan when Commodore fans stormed the court following an upset of top-ranked UF. Dismissed from Thundering Herd squad early in 2008-09 campaign.

George "Tic" Price, Virginia Commonwealth (Chuck Noe)/Virginia Tech (Charlie Moir) - Forced to resign as Memphis State's coach as the 1999-00 season unfolded following allegations of a sexual affair with a student. Records show he called female student 1,100 times.

Lafester Rhodes, Iowa State (Johnny Orr) - All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection in 1987-88 was charged with second-degree burglary for allegedly ransacking a woman's apartment in the spring of 1988. Although nothing was stolen, police said the burglary charge was filed because a crime likely was committed after a forced entry. Slashing of water bed arouse out of a domestic dispute with Memphis product's apparent ex-girlfriend. Orr told Rhodes' CBA coach that Lafester "couldn't read past a sixth-grade level."

Jimario Rivers, Memphis (Pastner and Tubby Smith) - Juco transfer who averaged 6.6 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 2016-17 and 2017-18 was wanted by authorities in early 2019 for aggravated assault after reportedly attacking his girlfriend at a grocery store.

Derrick Rose, Memphis (Calipari) - All-American as freshman for 2008 Final Four team was cleared with a couple of friends of all charges stemming from a civil rape lawsuit in a Los Angeles court. Rose, a Chicago product, and his co-defendants maintained the sex was consensual.

Matt Simpkins, Memphis (Calipari) - California product dismissed from the Tigers' squad midway through 2008-09 season. History of discipline and academic issues, bouncing around to six different high schools and prep schools across the country.

D.J. Stephens, Memphis (Pastner) - The Tigers' leading rebounder as a senior in 2012-13 was arrested in fall of 2016 in connection with a domestic violence incident involving his child's mother.

Myron Strong, San Francisco (Jessie Evans) and Texas-El Paso (Tony Barbee) - Kicked off UTEP's squad in late summer 2010 for violating school and athletic department policies according to Miners first-year coach Tim Floyd.

Marcus Tarrance, Middle Tennessee State (Kermit Davis Jr.) - J.C. recruit from Memphis was arrested on a charge of domestic violence in fall of 2013.

Marlon Towns, Arkansas (Richardson)/Murray State (Tevester Anderson) - Memphis product suspended for four games following arrest in fall of 1999 on charges of domestic assault and marijuana possession. He averaged 6 ppg for the Hogs as freshman in 1995-96 before averaging 6.9 ppg and 3.6 rpg for the Racers in 1998-99 and 1999-00. Arrested with UA teammate Kareem Reid in spring of 1996 for possession of marijuana.

David Vaughn III, Memphis State (Finch) - NBA washout, a first-round pick as an undergraduate in 1995, wound up destitute in Orlando in the aftermath of a domestic violence arrest, two jail stays and failed drug tests. Before turning his life around, things became so bleak that the son of Finch's sister nearly died from infection after multiple spider bites on his foot. Vaughn's father, who entered the pros early in 1974 after playing for Oral Roberts, also had a checkered past.

Lagerald Vick, SMU commitment (Larry Brown)/Kansas (Bill Self) - Although never charged with a crime, a KU probe resulted in recommendation of two years probation after determining Memphis product likely committed domestic violence in late 2015. At the time, coach Self-less said Vick was sidelined two games due to "illness." There was no description for ailment when Vick took a leave of absence from KU's squad midway through the 2018-19 campaign to return to his hometown "to help out with family issues."

Clyde Wade III, Memphis (Calipari) - Arrested in spring of 2011 after police found him in possession of marijuana and a loaded handgun during a traffic stop. Arrested in spring of 2012 on domestic assault charges after the mother of their twins told police he flung her by her hair and struck her with several household objects. Indicted in summer of 2017 on charges including money laundering and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin. Didn't play in 2003-04 while facing federal fraud and conspiracy charges (alleged identity and credit card theft scheme) of which he was eventually acquitted. He and his ex-girlfriend were behind bars on domestic assault charges in spring of 2022.

Shawne Williams, Memphis (Calipari) - Three times in Indiana, friends from Memphis ran afoul of the law while in Williams' company. All-Conference USA selection as a freshman in 2005-06 pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug possession after being arrested in Memphis on felony drug charges for selling a codeine substance in mid-January 2010. Allowed to stay on diversion program despite testing positive for marijuana several times. Williams and former teammate Kareem Cooper were detained on separate charges in the summer of 2010 when detectives spotted Williams driving his Dodge Charger without a seat belt. Cooper, who transferred from Memphis to UTEP under coach Tony Barbee, was charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to manufacture/deliver/sell and felony possession of a firearm (handgun loaded with 20 rounds). Williams pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance following a mid-December 2012 arrest. Three years later, he was arrested and charged with DUI and multiple other infractions following hit-and-run in his 2014 Rolls Royce.

Tre'Von Willis, Memphis (Calipari)/UNLV (Kruger) - All-Mountain West Conference first-team selection pleaded no contest to domestic battery stemming from his arrest in summer of 2010 after allegedly choking a female acquaintance six years older than California product at an apartment complex about 3 a.m.

Qyntel Woods, Memphis commitment (Calipari) - J.C. recruit who went straight to the NBA after scoring 52 points in a community college game was promptly released by the Portland Trail Blazers midway through the 2004-05 campaign following pleading guilty to animal abuse after being under investigation for more serious charges related to dog fighting. In 2003, he was cited for marijuana possession and driving without insurance and a suspended license.

Dominic Woodson, Memphis (Pastner)/Tennessee (Donnie Tyndall) - Suspended or in the Tigers' doghouse much of freshman season in 2013-14 before lying to police regarding accusations stemming from a series of altercations with a UM football player. Also departed the Vols' program upon struggling to secure significant playing time.

Lorenzen Wright, Memphis (Finch) - His badly-decomposing body, indicating at least five shots from multiple shooters, was found in a secluded field near a golf course in southeast Memphis in late July 2010. A 911 operator took an emergency call from Wright's cell phone and believes he heard gunshots in the background. Wright's ex-wife, to whom he was in arrears on his $26,000-a-month alimony and child-support payments for his six children, claimed she overheard him on the telephone telling someone he was going to "flip something for $110,000." She told police he twice left her home about 2 a.m. carrying money and a box of drugs. Court documents show Wright, an All-American in 1995-96 as a sophomore, acknowledged to the FBI in 2008 that he sold a Mercedes sedan and Cadillac SUV to an individual known by authorities to be part of a drug kingpin gang. Despite earning an estimated $55 million over his 13-year NBA career, Wright's $1.3 million home in Atlanta was repossessed along with a $2.7 million home near Memphis he owned. In a book she wrote, his ex-wife claimed she was trapped in an abusive marriage. But Sherra Wright-Robinson was arrested in California in mid-December 2017 in connection to his death and charged with conspiracy, first-degree murder and criminal attempt first-degree murder along with deacon from her previous church. The case blossomed when an FBI dive team search a lake in Walnut, Miss., and found a gun authorities said was used in the murder. In 2014, she agreed to a confidential settlement in a dispute over how she spent $1 million in insurance earmarked to benefit their six children. She received a 30-year sentence in summer of 2019 after pleading guilty to facilitation of first-degree murder. Mastermind Sherra was denied parole this year and the man she "romantically" recruited to help her commit dirty deed - serving life in prison after his first-degree murder conviction in Wright's slaying - was sentenced this summer on additional lesser charges of conspiracy and attempted murder in the 12-year-old case.

Galen Young, Charlotte (Melvin Watkins and Bobby Lutz) - Young, a J.C. recruit who became UNCC's leading scorer and rebounder as C-USA first-team selection in 1998-99, was arrested for drunk driving in 2007 while on a suspended license. Upon Memphis product pleading guilty, he was fined $2,000 and suspended from driving for two years.

Delusional #Dimorats probably believe if there were more midnight basketball programs, many of these inhumane incidents never would have occurred. It's an educational travesty that shameless schools allowed majority of suspect characters to set foot on a college campus. Former North Carolina A&T coach Jerry Eaves, starting point guard for Louisville's 1980 NCAA titlist, said too many athletes are academically unqualified to play at the collegiate level. "We must quit messing around," Evans told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "We have to stop (ineligible athletes) from playing. I mean 100% halt, period. It has to end now. No more time. No more talking. No more messing around. It has to end."

In a typical season, about 1/5 of the NCAA DI head coaches are "next man up" in-house promotions. The following eight active mentors serve as promoted bench boss for a power-conference member:

Head Coach (Years as Aide)	Power-League School	Stint as Assistant at Same University Under Predecessor
Mike Boynton Jr. (1)	Oklahoma State	2016-17 under Brad Underwood
Matt Painter (1)	Purdue	2004-05 under Gene Keady
Rodney Terry* (2)	Texas	2021-22 and 2022-23 under Chris Beard
Hubert Davis (9)	North Carolina	2012-13 through 2020-21 under Roy Williams
Jon Scheyer (9)	Duke	2013-14 through 2021-22 under Mike Krzyzewski
Adrian Autry (12)	Syracuse	2011-12 through 2022-23 under Jim Boeheim
Tom Izzo (12)	Michigan State	1983-84 through 1994-95 under Jud Heathcote
Greg Gard (15)	Wisconsin	2001-02 to 2015-16 under Bo Ryan

*Terry served as interim head coach for more than half of 2022-23 campaign.

Extra! Extra! As online outlets Buzzfeed and Vice Media unravel into bankruptcy, you can read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Former hoops All-Americans Ernie Andres (Indiana) and Billy Werber (Duke) made news as infielders for the Boston Red Sox on this date. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 21 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 21

• Lone MLB RBI for 3B Ernie Andres (NCAA consensus first-team basketball All-American with Indiana in 1939) helped the Boston Red Sox outlast the Philadelphia Athletics, 12-11, in the opener of a 1946 doubleheader.

• St. Louis Browns rookie RF Beau Bell (two-year hoops letterman for Texas A&M in early 1930s) contributed four hits and four RBI against the Chicago White Sox in a 1935 game.

• Chicago White Sox RF Ken Berry (freshman hooper for Wichita in 1959-60) contributed multiple hits in his sixth straight game in 1967. He assembled a career-long 20-game hitting streak later in the campaign.

• Chicago White Sox 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) banged out four hits against the St. Louis Browns in 1937 season opener.

• Baltimore Orioles CF Al Bumbry (Virginia State's runner-up in scoring with 16.7 ppg as freshman in 1964-65) supplied four hits against the Boston Red Sox in a 1982 contest.

• Washington Senators RHP Casey Cox (juco recruit averaged 1.7 ppg and 1.2 rpg for Cal State Los Angeles in 1961-62) won his first three starts in 1970.

• Pittsburgh Pirates INF Gene Freese (West Liberty WV hoops captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team) pinch-hitting for Willie Stargell, delivered a decisive three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning for an 8-5 win against the Chicago Cubs in 1964.

• In his MLB debut, Philadelphia Phillies RHP Bob Greenwood (St. Mary's hoops letterman second half of 1940s) tossed 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. His first strikeout victim was All-Star CF Duke Snider.

• LHP Steve Hamilton (All-Ohio Valley Conference selection was Morehead State's leading scorer and rebounder in 1956-57 and 1957-58) traded by the Washington Senators to the New York Yankees for P Jim Coates in 1963.

• New York Mets CF Jim Hickman (freshman hooper for Ole Miss in 1955-56) homered in both ends of a 1963 twinbill against the Milwaukee Braves. A grand slam helped him secure five RBI in the opener.

• Chicago White Sox RHP Howie Judson (Illinois' third-leading scorer with 8.5 ppg as sophomore in 1944-45) won his 1949 season debut (5-2 against Detroit Tigers) before dropping next 14 decisions through August.

• California Angels C Art Kusnyer (led Kent State in field-goal percentage in 1965-66 as team's third-leading scorer and rebounder) contributed a career-high three hits against the Texas Rangers in a 1972 outing.

• Cleveland Indians CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's hoops leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record) collected three hits and three stolen bases against the Minnesota Twins in a 1994 contest.

• St. Louis Cardinals LF Wally Moon (averaged 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50) went 4-for-4 against the Chicago Cubs in the nightcap of a 1957 doubleheader.

• Oakland Athletics CF Billy North (played hoops briefly for Central Washington in 1967-68) went 4-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers in a 1976 game.

• Boston Red Sox SS Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) registered multiple extra-base hits in his third consecutive contest in 1934.

• St. Louis Cardinals 1B Bill White (two-year hooper with Hiram OH in early 1950s) supplied multiple hits in five of his first seven games in 1962.

• Chicago White Sox RHP Jim Wilson (hoops letterman for San Diego State's 1942 NAIA Tournament participant) opened the 1957 campaign with a 10-inning shutout against the Kansas City Athletics.

• New York Yankees DH Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) smacked two homers against the Texas Rangers in a 1990 game.