The eight-team field is set for 2023. Instead of viewing ransacking of Dimorat-governed cities by leftist lunatics letting thugs go free and seeking to defund law enforcement, we should watch lefties and righthanders in one of America's most entertaining events - the College World Series. Regrettably, the event was cancelled three years ago because of woke deity Dr. Fraudci and COVID-19 pearl clutching. Mike Martin, in swan song 40th campaign two years ago as Florida State's baseball coach, was denied aspiration of becoming the latest former college basketball player coaching a school to a College World Series championship. The all-time winningest college baseball coach boasted the highest winning percentage among NCAA Division I mentors, winning almost three-fourths of his games. Martin, who guided the Seminoles to the CWS a total of 17 times (1980-86-87-89-91-92-94-95-96-98-99-00-08-10-12-17-19), played basketball for Wingate (NC) in the mid-1960s before the institution became a four-year school. One of his junior college hoop teammates was Morris "Mo" McHone, who went on to coach the San Antonio Spurs in 1983-84. Martin coached basketball for Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College in the early 1970s.

Ex-college hooper Pat Casey (Portland and George Fox OR) retired several years ago after directing Oregon State to its third CWS championship. He is the only coach in NCAA history to survive six elimination games en route to a national title (2006). His second titlist in 2007 was the first unranked team in history to capture NCAA crown. "When you are building (a program), nobody cares," Casey said. "Now, the higher the monkey climbs, the more of his butt you see."

Martin, national runner-up in 1986 and 1999, isn't the only revered coach frustrated by not capturing a national title. Richard "Itchy" Jones, who averaged 8.9 ppg for Southern Illinois' basketball squad in 1956-57, established a baseball dynasty in 21-year coaching career at his alma mater before accepting a similar position with the Illini in Champaign in 1991. Jones compiled a 1,240-752-6 record before retiring in 2005. In 1971, his second year at Southern Illinois, Jones guided the Salukis to within one game of the national title, finishing second at the CWS. In 1974 and 1977, Jones brought SIU back to the CWS, placing third both times. Buoyed by more than 20 eventual major leaguers, he became the 18th coach in NCAA Division I history to win 1,000 games.

Perhaps the most famous basketball coach also serving as baseball bench boss was Frank McGuire, who guided St. John's to 1949 CWS with Lou Carnesecca on his roster as an infielder. Also falling short of baseball title was ex-New Mexico State hooper Gary Ward, who guided Oklahoma State to 16 consecutive Big Eight Conference titles and 10 CWS appearances - including seven in a row and three runner-up finishes (1981-87-90) - in 19 seasons as coach from 1978 through 1996 before accepting a similar position succeeding his son at his alma mater for two years. Ward, who averaged 9.1 ppg and 5.4 rpg for the Aggies in 1960-61 and 1961-62, became only the 24th coach in college baseball history to secure 1,000 career victories, finishing with a 1,022-361-1 mark. Ex-MLB outfielder/first baseman Beau Bell, a Texas A&M hoops letterman in early 1930s, took his alma mater to first CWS appearance in 1951; former MLB infielder Sammy Esposito, a starting guard for Indiana in 1951-52 under bench boss Branch McCracken, coached North Carolina State to a third-place finish in the 1968 CWS, and Clarence "Ace" Parker, a hoops letterman for Duke in 1935-36, coached his alma mater to CWS in 1953 and 1961 after playing both major-league baseball and in the NFL. Former Northeastern State (Okla.) hooper Enos Semore guided Oklahoma to five consecutive CWS appearances from 1972 through 1976; Ownie Carroll, a Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1922, steered Seton Hall to its first two CWS appearances (1964 and 1971); Bill "Dutch" Fehring, John Wooden hoop teammate at Purdue from 1931-32 through 1933-34, coached Stanford in 1967 when it lost to eventual champion Arizona State in CWS semifinals; Paul Gregory, a Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1929-30, directed his alma mater to its first CWS appearance in 1971; Pete Butler, a Northern Colorado hoops letterman, piloted his alma mater to nine CWS appearances in an 11-year span from 1952 through 1962; Walter Rabb, a hoops letterman for North Carolina State in 1936 and 1937, piloted rival North Carolina to CWS in 1960 and 1966, and Bobo Brayton, a Washington State hoops letterman in 1944, guided his alma mater to CWS in 1965 and 1976.

Stanford's Everett Dean, compiling a 3-0 basketball tournament record in 1942, is the only unbeaten coach in NCAA playoff history. He is also the only NCAA basketball championship coach to win a CWS baseball game for the same school as a coach (1953). Four former college cagers who eventually played or managed at the MLB level - Dick Siebert (two with Minnesota), Don Lund (Michigan), Bobby Winkles (three with Arizona State) and Marty Karow (Ohio State) - combined to capture a total of seven CWS championships in the 1960s. Following is an alphabetical list of previous ex-college hoopers who went the extra step and reached the milestone of coaching a CWS titlist:

JOHN "JACK" BARRY, Holy Cross
Infielder, primarily a shortstop, hit .243 with the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox in 11 A.L. seasons from 1908 through 1919. Ranked fifth in the league in RBI in 1913 with 85 for the Athletics as a key component of Connie Mack's first dynasty. Participated in five World Series, four with the champion, in a six-year span from 1910 through 1915. Compiled a 90-62 managerial record with the Red Sox in 1917 before winning more than 80% of his games coaching his alma mater for 40 years (including capturing the 1952 College World Series). The 5-9 Barry was a basketball letterman for the Crusaders in 1908.

SAM BARRY, Wisconsin
Basketball Hall of Famer coached USC's 1948 baseball titlist. He is the Trojans' all-time winningest basketball coach.

PAT CASEY, Portland/George Fox (OR)
Retired in fall of 2018 following 24 years as coach of Oregon State's baseball squad, winning NCAA titles in 2006, 2007 and 2018. Directed OSU to seven straight NCAA appearances from 2009 through 2015. As a player, he posted one minor-league season in Class A, AA and AAA where he hit over .300. Tenth-round selection by the San Diego Padres in 1980 (1B-OF played eight years in farm systems of the Padres, Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins). Averaged 2.6 ppg for UP in 1978-79 as teammate of eventual NBA guards Darwin Cook and Jose Slaughter. Following Organized Baseball career, he led George Fox in scoring with 17.9 ppg in 1988-89, which was same school year he also coached the former NAIA member's baseball team to first of six consecutive campaigns with more than 20 victories. The Bruins had 12 losing records in a row from 1976 through 1987 before they went 15-14 in his inaugural season at their helm in 1988. His older brother, Chris, was football coach for George Fox.

RAY "PICK" FISHER, Middlebury (VT)
Righthander compiled a 100-94 record and 2.82 ERA with the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds in 10 years from 1910 through 1920. Ranked among the A.L. top 10 in ERA and complete games in back-to-back seasons (1914 and 1915). Started one World Series game for the Reds against the Chicago White Sox in 1919. Won 14 Big Ten Conference championships as baseball coach at Michigan for 38 years until the late 1950s (including 1953 College World Series title). Became a spring training pitching instructor for the Detroit Tigers after being blacklisted for almost 40 years because of salary disputes with Cincinnati's owners. Fisher played "class" basketball (1910 graduate) before becoming his alma mater's first full-time salaried member of the Physical Education Department.

MARTIN KAROW, Ohio State
Coach of his alma mater's 1966 College World Series winner after the Buckeyes finished runner-up the previous year. He was a basketball letterman in 1925 before the infielder went 2-for-10 in six games for the Boston Red Sox in 1927.

JERRY KINDALL, Minnesota
Infielder hit .213 in nine seasons (1956 through 1958 and 1960 through 1965) with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. Baseball coach at Arizona for more than 20 years, leading the Wildcats to three College World Series titles (1976, 1980 and 1986). He is the only player to hit for the cycle in the College World Series at Omaha (against Ole Miss on June 11, 1956). Kindall is the only individual to play for and coach CWS champions. The 6-2 1/2, 175-pounder played two seasons of varsity basketball for Minnesota under coach Ozzie Cowles, averaging 1.4 ppg as a sophomore in 1954-55 and 6.9 ppg as a junior in 1955-56. Excerpt from school guide: "Exceptionally quick reflexes and a good eye are his main attributes although he also has tremendous spring making him a good rebounder."

DON LUND, Michigan
Outfielder hit .240 in a seven-year career (1945, 1947 through 1949 and 1952 through 1954) with the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers. His only season as a regular was 1953 when he was the Tigers' right fielder. Coached baseball at his alma mater, winning the national championship in 1962, before running the Tigers' farm system until 1970. First-round selection as a fullback/linebacker by the Chicago Bears in the 1945 NFL draft. Rejected $100 a game offer from the Bears and never played pro football. He was a 6-0, 200-pound starting guard as a junior for the Wolverines' basketball team and starting center as a senior. Averaged 4.4 ppg in 46 outings. In his history of Michigan basketball, Jeff Mortimer wrote of the school's World War II squads: "Lund, rejected for military service because of a trick knee, was the mainstay of these teams." Following his playing career, he served as baseball coach for his alma mater (won 1962 College World Series), farm system director for the Tigers and associate athletic director at his alma mater.

DICK SIEBERT, Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.)
Lefthanded first baseman hit .282 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Athletics in 11 years in 1932 and from 1936 through 1945. All-Star in 1943 finished among the top Seven in the A.L. in batting average in 1941 and 1944. Minnesota's baseball coach for 31 years (753-361-8 record from 1948 through 1978) captured three CWS titles in a nine-year span from 1956 through 1964. His son, Paul, pitched with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and New York Mets for five years from 1974 to 1978. Siebert played two years of college basketball in 1929 and 1930. The March 1929 issue of the Concordia Comet mentions that, "Lefty Siebert, despite having never touched a basketball before enrolling at Concordia, was almost as good a basketball player as he was a baseball player."

JOHN "HI" SIMMONS, Northeast Missouri State
Missouri's all-time winningest baseball coach (481-284 record in 34 years) captured the 1954 NCAA title in one of his six College World Series appearances. One of his winning pitchers at the CWS was Norm Stewart, who went on to become Mizzou's all-time winningest basketball coach. School's baseball stadium is named after Simmons. All-conference center was senior captain of 1927-28 basketball squad.

BOBBY WINKLES, Illinois Wesleyan
Coached Arizona State to College World Series titles in 1965, 1967 and 1969 before managing the California Angels in 1973 and through the first 74 games of 1974 (170-213 major league record). Reggie Jackson, Rick Monday and Sal Bando were among the more than 20 future major leaguers he coached at ASU. Winkles led Illinois Wesleyan in scoring as a senior in 1950-51 (12 ppg). The 5-9, 170-pound guard was a first-team selection in the College Conference of Illinois.

Extra! Extra! Instead of bemoaning Plagiarist Biledumb's America where hideous Hunter is "smartest guy I know," males can become pregnant, first graders are indoctrinated about gender, vulnerable minors can get sex changes/abortions without parental notification, illegal aliens receive free cellphones plus middle-of-the-night flights across country and it's easier to secure crack pipe from government gratis than U.S. citizen find formula to feed baby, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former power-conference hoopers Dick Radatz (Michigan State), Don Schwall (Oklahoma), Jim Tabor (Alabama) and Sammy White (Washington) provided significant performances for the Boston Red Sox on this date. Also making MLB news on this date were several ex-hoopers from small colleges in Pennsylvania - Clyde Barnhart (Shippensburg), Al Downing (Muhlenberg) and Danny Litwhiler (Bloomsburg). Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 11 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 11

• In 1927, Pittsburgh Pirates LF Clyde Barnhart (played basketball for Shippensburg PA predecessor Cumberland Valley State Normal School prior to World War I) supplied three extra-base hits against the Brooklyn Robins for his 10th consecutive multiple-hit contest.

• Chicago White Sox 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) went 4-for-4 with three extra-base hits, scored four runs and had five RBI in a 14-8 win against the Washington Senators in 1937.

• In his final game with the Montreal Expos, 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) stroked three extra-base hits against the San Diego Padres in a 1969 game.

• LHP Al Downing (attended Muhlenberg PA on hoops scholarship but left before ever playing) traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970.

• San Francisco Giants 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) delivered two homers and five RBI in a 7-6 win against the Atlanta Braves in 1983.

• Hall of Fame C Rick Ferrell (Guilford NC hooper in mid-1920s) traded with his brother (P Wes Ferrell) from the Boston Red Sox to the Washington Senators in 1937.

• In the midst of a career-high 12-game hitting streak in 1961, Cincinnati Reds 3B Gene Freese (West Liberty WV captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team) contributed four RBI for the second time in a five-outing span.

• St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) furnished four hits for the first of two times in a four-game span in 1929.

• St. Louis Cardinals 2B Tommy Herr (hooper with Delaware's freshman team in 1974-75) supplied three hits in his second consecutive contest in 1984.

• INF Jerry Kindall (averaged 6.9 ppg for Minnesota in 1955-56) traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Minnesota Twins in a three-team swap including the Los Angeles Angels in 1964.

• Boston Red Sox RF Joe Lahoud (New Haven CT hoops letterman in mid-1960s) smacked three homers against the Minnesota Twins in a 1969 contest.

• LF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV hoops squad with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) among three St. Louis Cardinals who lashed back-to-back-to-back sixth-inning homers in the nightcap of a 1944 doubleheader.

• Washington Senators 3B Buddy Myer (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1923-24) manufactured two hits in his sixth successive game in 1929.

• In 1972, 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) homered for the Cleveland Indians and brother Jim Nettles homered for the Minnesota Twins in the same game. Four years later with the New York Yankees, Graig Nettles collected two homers and five RBI against the Texas Rangers in a 1976 outing.

• Third homer for Chicago Cubs RHP Claude Passeau (Millsaps MS hooper in late 1920s and early 1930s) in his last five starts accounted for decisive run in a 3-2 win against the New York Giants in 1941.

• Minnesota Twins RHP Jim Perry (averaged more than 20 ppg in late 1950s for former juco Campbell) posted his fourth triumph in span of five relief appearances in 1965.

• INF Paul Popovich (averaged 3.3 ppg for West Virginia's 1960 NCAA playoff team) wound up with the Chicago Cubs in 1969 after he was traded twice on the same day (by Los Angeles Dodgers and Montreal Expos). Two years earlier as a Cubs rookie, Popovich went 5-for-9 in a 1967 twinbill sweep of the New York Mets.

• Boston Red Sox RHP Dick Radatz (center on Michigan State's freshman hoops squad in 1955-56) secured victory by hurling 8 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while fanning 11 Detroit Tigers batters. Two days earlier, Radatz earned win by tossing six innings of scoreless relief while whiffing 10 Baltimore Orioles batters.

• Brooklyn Dodgers rookie 1B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) went 4-for-4 against the Cincinnati Reds in a 1947 contest. Three days later, Robinson started a 21-game hitting streak.

• New York Yankees 3B Red Rolfe (played hoops briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) supplied four extra-base hits against the Detroit Tigers in a 1936 outing.

• In 1961, Boston Red Sox RHP Don Schwall (All-Big Seven Conference second-team selection led Oklahoma in rebounding in 1956-57) won his first five MLB starts, compiling a 1.31 ERA in that span.

• Philadelphia Phillies rookie SS Gary Sutherland (averaged 7.4 ppg with USC in 1963-64) supplied four hits against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1967 contest. Nine years later as a 2B in his first game with the Milwaukee Brewers, Sutherland knocked in the go-ahead run against Oakland Athletics P Vida Blue in a 4-2 win in 1976.

• Boston Red Sox rookie 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) banged out two triples against the Chicago White Sox in the nightcap of a 1939 doubleheader.

• Boston Red Sox C Sammy White (All-PCC Northern Division first-five hoops selection for Washington in 1947-48 and 1948-49) clobbered a ninth-inning grand slam off Satchel Paige to defeat the St. Louis Browns, 11-9, in 1952. White completed his HR trot by rounding third base and crawling from half-way home and kissing the plate.

Extra! Extra! Instead of cursing NY Senator Chuck "Schmucky" Schumer for previous screed threatening Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and ex-Speaker Nanny Pathetic for delaying security bill in House to expand court security, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former college hoopers Dick Gernert (Temple), Wayne Gross (Cal Poly Pomona), Frank Howard (Ohio State) Vance Law (Brigham Young), Wally Moon (Texas A&M), Graig Nettles (San Diego State), Bill White (Hiram OH) and Dave Winfield (Minnesota) each whacked two homers in a MLB game on this date. Ex-NYU hoopers Hank Greenberg and Eddie Yost also supplied significant offensive outputs. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 10 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 10

• A pinch-hit single by Houston Colts .45s 2B Joey Amalfitano (played basketball for Loyola Marymount in 1952-53) triggered a 12-game hitting streak for him in 1962.

• Pittsburgh Pirates LF Carson "Skeeter" Bigbee (Oregon hoops letterman in 1915) provided four hits for the third time in a 19-game span in 1922.

• Boston Braves SS Dick Culler (#9 jersey retired by High Point for Little All-American in 1935 and 1936) contributed four hits in a 10-5 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1946.

• New York Giants SS Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for Louisiana State and Southwestern Louisiana in mid-1940s) stroked a double in his fourth consecutive contest in 1950.

• Chicago Cubs RHP Mark Freeman (LSU center averaged 3.6 ppg as senior in 1950-51) notched his only MLB complete game with a four-hit, 6-1 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960.

• Chicago White Sox 3B Gene Freese (West Liberty WV hoops captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team) went 4-for-4 against the Boston Red Sox in a 1960 outing.

• Boston Red Sox 1B Dick Gernert (Temple hoops letterman in 1948-49 when averaging 2.7 ppg) collected two homers and six RBI against the Kansas City Athletics in a 1957 game.

• LHP Joe Gibbon (two-time All-SEC forward for Ole Miss was nation's second-leading scorer as a senior in 1956-57) traded by the San Francisco Giants to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1969.

• Detroit Tigers 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoop scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) hammered a homer for the third consecutive contest in 1939.

• Oakland Athletics rookie 3B Wayne Gross (Cal Poly Pomona assists leader in 1974-75) swatted two homers against the Detroit Tigers in a 1977 outing.

• San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) supplied a double, triple and homer against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1993 game.

• Boston Braves 1B Buddy Hassett (hooper for Manhattan teams winning school-record 17 consecutive games in 1930 and 1931) went 4-for-4 against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1940 contest.

• Cincinnati Reds LHP Bill Henry (hoops letterman for Houston's 1947 NAIA Tournament team featuring co-captain Guy Lewis) notched his 11th consecutive scoreless relief appearance of 1962 season, lowering ERA to 1.08 through 14 outings.

• Washington Senators LF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 1956-57 and 1957-58 hammered two homers against the Boston Red Sox in a 1967 outing.

• Brooklyn Tip-Tops RHP Ed Lafitte (center for Georgia Tech's first intercollegiate basketball team in 1906) was hitting .371 after 13 games in 1915 upon going 3-for-4 at the plate against the Newark Pepper.

• Chicago White Sox 3B Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) launched two homers against the Minnesota Twins in a 1984 game.

• Philadelphia Phillies CF Jerry Martin (1971 Southern Conference MVP after he was Furman's scoring runner-up previous season) went 4-for-4 in a 7-5 triumph against the Atlanta Braves in 1977.

• Recently-acquired RF-1B Sam Mele (NYU's leading scorer in 1943 NCAA playoffs) knocked in six fourth-inning runs (three-run HR and bases-loaded triple) for the Chicago White Sox in a 1952 contest at Philadelphia.

• Los Angeles Dodgers LF Wally Moon (averaged 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50) smashed two homers against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1961 outing.

• Boston Braves LF Joe Mowry (Iowa hoops letterman in 1929-30 and 1930-31) went 3-for-3 against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 1933 game.

• 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 Cincinnati Reds in a 1984 contest.

• LHP Stan Partenheimer (played varsity hoops for Wooster OH in 1943-44) traded by the Boston Red Sox to St. Louis Cardinals in 1944.

• Oakland Athletics RHP Jim Perry (averaged more than 20 ppg in late 1950s for former juco Campbell) fired a one-hit shutout against the Baltimore Orioles in his 17th and final MLB campaign. Perry posted at least one whitewash in 16 of those seasons.

• Chicago Cubs SS Paul Popovich (teammate of Jerry West for West Virginia's 1960 NCAA playoff team) homered in back-to-back games against the San Diego Padres in a 1970 outing.

• Oakland Athletics RHP Steve Renko (averaged 9.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg as Kansas sophomore in 1963-64) allowed only five earned runs in his first five starts of 1978 campaign covering 30 innings.

• RHP Jeff Robinson (two-time NAIA All-District 3 hoops honoree in early 1980s for Azusa Pacific CA) awarded off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Texas Rangers in 1992.

• Cleveland Indians RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Missouri in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) hurled a no-hitter against the Washington Senators in 1966.

• 2B Junior Spivey (redshirted his only semester at Northwestern Oklahoma State on hoop scholarship before transferring to KS junior college) traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Washington Nationals in 2005.

• Chicago Cubs rookie 2B Jimmy Stewart (All-VSAC hoops selection for Austin Peay's NCAA DII Tournament teams in 1959-60 and 1960-61) stroked four hits against the New York Mets in a 1964 game.

• INF Gary Sutherland (Southern California's fifth-leading scorer in 1963-64 when averaging 7.4 ppg) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1976.

• St. Louis Cardinals 1B Bill White (two-year hooper for Hiram OH in early 1950s) smacked two homers in a 1965 contest against the Cincinnati Reds.

• San Diego Padres RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) collected two homers and six RBI in a 1978 outing against the Chicago Cubs.

• Washington Senators 3B Eddie Yost (NYU freshman hooper in 1943-44 under coach Howard Cann) went 7-for-10 (including four of A.L.-leading 36 doubles) in 1951 doubleheader split against the St. Louis Browns.

Extra! Extra! Instead of wondering how many transgender players will there eventually be in WNBA to satisfy zealots in gender identity police, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former West Chester State PA hoopers Harry Anderson and Howie Bedell made news with the Philadelphia Phillies on this date. Elsewhere, ex-hoopers from several Texas universities - Ray Benge (Sam Houston State), Bill Henry (Houston) and Dutch Meyer (TCU) - extended impressive personal performances. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 8 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 8

• Chicago Cubs RF George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Basketball Tournament with Tennessee State) went 4-for-4 in a 4-3 loss against the New York Mets in opener of 1962 doubleheader.

• In the midst of a career-high 13-game hitting streak, Philadelphia Phillies 1B Harry Anderson (averaged 7.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg for West Chester PA in 1951-52) supplied two homers among his four hits in the opener of a 1958 twinbill against the St. Louis Cardinals.

• Detroit Tigers RHP Elden Auker (All-Big Six Conference first-five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32) tossed a one-hitter against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1937.

• Posting his lone RBI with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1968, LF Howie Bedell (averaged 3.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg for West Chester PA in 1955-56) lofted a pinch-hit, sacrifice fly with one out in the fifth frame against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking RHP Don Drysdale's string of 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

• Philadelphia Phillies RHP Ray Benge (multi-year hoops letterman for Sam Houston State first half of 1920s) notched his sixth victory in span of eight starts.

• Pittsburgh Pirates LF Carson "Skeeter" Bigbee (Oregon hoops letterman in 1915) banged out at least three hits for the sixth time in a 13-game span in 1923.

• Baltimore Orioles CF Al Bumbry (Virginia State's runner-up in scoring with 16.7 ppg as freshman in 1964-65) collected four hits and five RBI in a 13-8 win against the California Angels in 1980.

• San Diego Padres 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) smacked a three-run pinch homer off LHP Billy Wagner in the bottom of the eighth inning in an 8-6 triumph against the New York Mets in 2008.

• Cincinnati Reds CF Harry Craft (four-sport letterman with Mississippi College in early 1930s) went 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle, with six RBI in a 23-2 victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940.

• Boston Red Sox 1B Walt Dropo (Connecticut's first player ever to average 20 points in single season with 21.7 ppg in 1942-43), en route to becoming 1950 A.L. Rookie of the Year, contributed two homers, seven RBI and five runs scored in a 29-4 romp over the St. Louis Browns in the most lopsided result in the 20th Century.

• New York Yankees 1B-OF Buddy Hassett (hooper for Manhattan teams winning school-record 17 consecutive games in 1930 and 1931) extended his hit streak to 20 games with a pair of singles against the Cleveland Indians in 1942.

• San Francisco Giants LHP Bill Henry (hoops letterman for Houston's 1947 NAIA Tournament team featuring co-captain Guy Lewis) earned victory en route to going unscored upon in his first nine relief appearances of 1967 season.

• RHP Cal Koonce (hoops standout for Campbell in 1960 and 1961 when North Carolina-based school was junior college) purchased from the New York Mets by the Boston Red Sox in 1970.

• Bonus baby LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) activated from the injury list by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955. They made room for him by optioning P Tommy Lasorda, who eventually managed them for 21 years from 1976 to 1996.

• Detroit Tigers SS Harvey Kuenn (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) collected four hits and four RBI against the New York Yankees in a 1954 contest.

• In 1945, Cleveland Indians 2B Dutch Meyer (Texas Christian hoops letterman in 1934-35 and 1935-36) supplied his third three-hit outing in a four-game span.

• LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg from 1977-78 through 1979-80) traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the San Diego Padres in 1988.

• Cincinnati Reds 1B Eddie Shokes (Duke hoops letterman in 1939-40 and 1940-41) supplied a career-high three hits against the Boston Braves in a 1946 contest.

• Kansas City Athletics 1B Norm Siebern (member of Southwest Missouri State squads capturing back-to-back NAIA Tournament hoops titles in 1952 and 1953) went 4-for-4 against the Chicago White Sox in a 1963 outing.

• Cleveland Indians 3B Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) hit decisive homer in top of ninth inning of an 8-7 win against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1995. Nine years later as a Philadelphia Phillies 1B, he collected a pair of homers and six RBI in 2004 game against the Chicago White Sox en route to 15 round-trippers during the month.

• Eventual MLB Hall of Fame OF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) fanned 14 Oklahoma batters as RHP in hurling a 1-0 shutout in the Gophers' 1973 College World Series opener.

Extra! Extra! Instead of chuckling at holier-than-thou Vogue magazine press puke so visually impaired they need glasses for conducting glamour photoshoot of Oval Office overlord/#MSDNC Inside misfit Jen "Circle Back" Sock-it-to-me after shunning stunning Melania Trump, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former San Diego State hoopers Tony Clark, Tony Gwynn and Graig Nettles made MLB news on this date. Ditto several ex-hoopers from Texas universities - Mike Adams (Texas A&M-Kingsville), Beau Bell (Texas A&M) and Ray Benge (Sam Houston State). Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 6 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 6

• Philadelphia Phillies RHP Mike Adams (played basketball for Texas A&M-Kingsville in 1996-97) notched 14 straight relief appearances without allowing an earned run before going on the disabled list in 2014.

• RHP Mike Barlow (Syracuse substitute from 1967-68 through 1969-70) traded by the Houston Astros to the California Angels in 1976.

• Cleveland Indians RF Beau Bell (two-year hoops letterman for Texas A&M in early 1930s) went 4-for-4 in a 5-4 win against the Washington Senators in 1940.

• Philadelphia Phillies RHP Ray Benge (multi-year hoops letterman for Sam Houston State first half of 1920s) hurled his first of two shutouts during the month in 1929.

• RHP Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC backup hooper and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Texas Rangers in 1973.

• Brooklyn Dodgers rookie RHP Joe Black (Morgan State hooper in mid-1940s) didn't allow an earned run in his first nine relief appearances covering 15 1/3 innings in 1952.

• Chicago White Sox 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) belted two homers in a 10-6 setback against the Boston Red Sox in 1936.

• Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) provided three extra-base hits against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 1998 contest.

• San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) stroked a ninth-inning single on a 3-0 delivery to end Tom Browning's bid for a perfect game with the Cincinnati Reds in 1988.

• Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) hammered two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1953 outing.

• Nine-year MLB INF Jerry Kindall (averaged 6.9 ppg for Minnesota as junior in 1955-56) coached Arizona to his second of three College World Series championships with the Wildcats by defeating Hawaii, 5-3, in 1980.

• LF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV hoops squad with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) notched the only for the Philadelphia Phillies off Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds in a 1941 game three years to the month after Vander Meer became the only MLB hurler to toss back-to-back no-hitters.

• In 1963, Chicago Cubs RHP Lindy McDaniel (hooper for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad), entering a contest against the San Francisco Giants as a reliever with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 10th inning, promptly picked Hall of Fame CF Willie Mays off second base an then fanned C Ed Bailey before leading off the bottom of the frame with a game-winning homer.

• New York Yankees 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) smacked two homers against the Seattle Mariners in a 1983 contest.

• Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD hoops guard for two years in mid-1930s) blasted two homers against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1940 outing.

• RHP Joe Niekro (averaged 8.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg for West Liberty WV from 1963-64 through 1965-66) traded by the New York Yankees to the Minnesota Twins in 1987.

• California Angels LF Tony Phillips (New Mexico Military juco hooper in 1977-78 as teammate of eventual Drake All-American Lewis Lloyd) homered twice in a 1995 game against the Boston Red Sox.

• RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) registered his only victory in 1961 (3-2 at San Francisco). He finished with the worst-ever season record (1-10 in final year with Philadelphia Phillies) for a Hall of Fame hurler.

• Brooklyn Dodgers LF Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) accounted for four hits in back-to-back games against the Chicago Cubs in 1954.

Extra! Extra! Instead of wondering if stumbling-and-bumbling Plagiarist Biledumb's predator/racial jungle Senatorial speeches and mid-1990s crime law legislation contributed to his definition of systemic racism highlighted by First Son's racial-slur texts, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former Cincinnati hoopers Ethan Allen and Sandy Koufax provided MLB headlines on this date. Ditto ex-juco hoopers Darrell Evans (Pasadena City CA), Jim Perry (Campbell NC), Gary Redus (Athens AL) and Jim Thome (Illinois Central). Ex-SEC hoopers Joe Gibbon (Mississippi), Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt) and Riggs Stephenson (Alabama) also supplied significant MLB performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 4 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 4

• Chicago Cubs LF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati basketball letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) went 4-for-4 in an 8-5 win against the New York Giants in 1936.

• Chicago Cubs RF George Altman (hooper appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Tournament with Tennessee State) notched his sixth straight multiple-hit game in 1961.

• RHP Elden Auker (All-Big Six Conference first five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32), supported by an inside-the-park homer from player/manager Mickey Cochrane (Boston University player in early 1920s) during a 10-run third inning, earned the triumph in an 18-9 decision over the Philadelphia Athletics.

• Seattle Mariners RHP Jim Beattie (Dartmouth's top rebounder in 1974-75 when selected team MVP and honorable mention All-Ivy League) tossed a two-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers in 1982.

• Chicago White Sox 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) scored four runs and banged out three hits for the second of three times in a five-game span in 1936.

• 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC hoops games in 1991-92) selected by the Detroit Tigers in first round (2nd pick overall) in 1990 amateur draft. Sixteen years later with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Clark cracked two homers among his four hits against the Atlanta Braves in a 2006 contest.

• Cleveland Indians CF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist) hit for the cycle against the Boston Red Sox in a 1952 outing.

• St. Louis Browns 3B Frank Ellerbe (Wofford hooper after transferring from Sewanee TN) went 4-for-4 in a 1921 game against eventual A.L. champion New York Yankees.

• Atlanta Braves 3B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) knocked in five runs in a 9-3 win against the New York Mets in 1972.

• St. Louis Cardinals 3B Howard Freigau (Ohio Wesleyan hooper) collected four hits, four stolen bases and five RBI in a 12-5 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1924.

• Pittsburgh Pirates LHP Joe Gibbon (two-time All-SEC forward for Ole Miss was nation's second-leading scorer as a senior in 1956-57) hurled his final MLB shutout (four-hitter against New York Mets in opener of 1967 twinbill).

• Pinch-hitter Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1918) hammered a two-out, bases-loaded triple in the ninth inning to spark the Cleveland Indians to an 11-10 verdict over the St. Louis Browns in 1925. Four years later after having his career-high 25-game hitting streak snapped in the final contest of May, 1B Hendrick collected two homers and six RBI for the Brooklyn Robins in an 11-8 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals in the nightcap of a 1929 doubleheader.

• RHP Jim Konstanty (Syracuse hooper in late 1930s) signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956 after he was released by the New York Yankees.

• Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) became the fourth hurler to toss three no-hitters, blanking the N.L.-leading Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0, in 1964.

• Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS where he became an All-CIC choice for 1968 NAIA Tournament team) collected three hits and three stolen bases against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1974 game.

• Cleveland Indians 1B Ed Morgan (Tulane hoops letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) manufactured four hits in a 10-2 win against the Boston Red Sox in 1931.

• Minnesota Twins RHP Jim Perry (averaged more than 20 ppg in late 1950s for former juco Campbell) fired a four-hit shutout against the Kansas City Athletics in 1963 en route to five winning starts this month.

• Chicago White Sox OF Gary Redus (J.C. hooper for Athens AL and father of Centenary/South Alabama guard with same name) ripped a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers in 1988.

• New York Giants RHP Hal Schumacher (multiple-sport athlete for St. Lawrence NY in early 1930s) secured his fourth shutout in less than a month en route to a total of seven whitewashes in 1933.

• Cleveland Indians 3B Riggs Stephenson (Alabama hoops letterman in 1920) went 4-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers in a 1922 contest. Eight years later as a Chicago Cubs LF, Stephenson amassed five hits, four runs and four RBI against the Boston Braves in a 1930 outing.

• Cleveland Indians 1B Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) smacked a pair of homers for the second time in five-game span in 2002.

• 1B-OF Preston Ward (second-leading scorer for Southwest Missouri State in 1946-47 and 1948-49) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 10-player swap in 1953.

• California Angels 3B John Werhas (Southern California's leading scorer in 1958-59 and 1959-60) whacked a pinch-hit homer against the Minnesota Twins in a 1967 game.

• In 1986, New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) homered twice in an 11-0 victory over the California Angels in support of RHP Joe Niekro (averaged 8.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg for West Liberty WV from 1963-64 through 1965-66), who hurled a no-hitter for 7 2/3 innings before yielding a safety.

• In the midst of five consecutive complete-game triumphs, St. Louis Browns LHP Tom Zachary (Guilford NC hoops letterman in 1916) tossed a five-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox in 1926.

Extra! Extra! Instead of wondering how liberal poster boys Mario Cuomo and Dr. Fraudci sleep at night profiting from misery books, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former college hoopers Cameron Drew (New Haven) and Dennis Rasmussen (Creighton) were MLB first-round draft selections on this date before eventually reaching the bigs. Ex-juco hoopers Darrell Evans (Pasadena City CA), Jim Thome (Illinois Central) and Larry Wolfe (Sacramento City CA) each homered twice in an American League game on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 3 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 3

• Chicago Cubs 2B Glenn Beckert (three-year basketball letterman for Allegeny PA) drove in P Ken Holtzman with the only run of the game in Holtzman's no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in 1971. The next year, Beckert banged out four hits against the San Diego Padres in a 1972 contest.

• New York Giants SS Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for Louisiana State and Southwestern Louisiana during World War II) went 4-for-4 and scored five runs in a 13-8 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954.

• New York Yankees LHP Al Downing (attended Muhlenberg PA on hoops scholarship but left before ever playing) won his sixth straight start in 1966.

• OF Cameron Drew (NECC first-team selection in 1984-85 when leading New Haven CT in scoring and rebounding) selected by Houston Astros in first round (12th pick overall) in 1985 amateur draft. Drew was chosen ahead of fellow first-rounders Joey Cora, Gregg Jefferies, Joe Magrane, Brian McRae and Rafael Palmeiro.

• 1B Walt Dropo (Connecticut's first hooper averaging 20 points in single season with 21.7 ppg in 1942-43) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Detroit Tigers in a nine-player swap in 1952.

• Overweight RHP George Earnshaw (Swarthmore PA hooper in 1922) fined by Philadelphia Athletics owner/manager Connie Mack in 1933.

• Detroit Tigers 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered twice in a 1985 game against the Seattle Mariners.

• OF Hoot Evers (hoops starter for Illinois in 1939-40) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Boston Red Sox in a nine-player swap in 1952.

• Chicago White Sox RHP Eddie Fisher (hooper for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) tossed a four-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Angels in 1963.

• New York Giants rookie C Paul Florence (Georgetown's leading scorer with 11.3 ppg in 1921-22) furnished a career-high three hits in a 10-5 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1926.

• In 1983, George Bamberger stepped down as manager of the New York Mets and was succeeded by Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding in 1956-57 and 1957-58).

• In 1978, Philadelphia Phillies 2B Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) became the first MLB player to smack two pinch-hit grand slams in a single season.

• Chicago Cubs 3B Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) logged four hits against the New York Mets in a 1988 outing. Law added three more safeties the next day.

• San Francisco Giants RF Rick Leach (averaged 15.5 ppg for Michigan's JV hoops squad in 1975-76) registered four hits against the Houston Astros in a 1990 game.

• RHP Dave Lemanczyk (hooper in NCAA Division II Tournament in 1970 and 1971 with Hartwick NY) traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the California Angels in 1980.

• LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg in three seasons from 1977-78 through 1979-80) selected in first round (17th pick overall) by the California Angels in 1980 amateur draft. Rasmussen was compensation for signing of free-agent P Nolan Ryan.

• Chicago White Sox CF Carl Reynolds (Southwestern TX hoops MVP and captain in mid-1920s) contributed four hits and five RBI in a 1930 game against the New York Yankees. Output was among four of first five contests of month where he provided at least three safeties.

• Cleveland Indians 3B Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) hit two taters in a 1997 game against the Chicago White Sox. He also homered in four of his next five outings.

• Boston Red Sox RF Sammy Vick (three-sport athlete for Millsaps MS) supplied a game-winning, pinch-hit single in bottom of the ninth inning for 7-6 success against the Cleveland Indians in 1921.

• New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) went 4-for-4 against the Oakland Athletics in a 1985 contest.

• Minnesota Twins 3B Larry Wolfe (scored career-high 33 points for Sacramento City College in juco game against Santa Rosa on 12-17-71) collected two homers and five RBI in 9-2 win against the Detroit Tigers in 1978.

• Washington Senators 3B Eddie Yost (NYU freshman hooper in 1943-44 under coach Howard Cann) homered in his third consecutive contest against the St. Louis Browns in 1949.

Extra! Extra! After duplicating bicycle ability by falling down at Air Force graduation ceremony, instead of wondering if Plagiarist Biledumb and fellow #Dimorats plus former FBI leadership prostitutes on #MessMedia TV will turn attention to warp speed a vaccine for TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome), you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former college hoopers Donn Clendenon (Morehouse GA), Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt) and Ed Morgan (Tulane) each manufactured at least four hits in a MLB game on this date as a first baseman. A pair of ex-hoopers from Kansas small colleges - Bob Veale (Benedictine) and Zip Zabel (Baker) - each tossed a shutout on this date in games involving the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 1 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 1

• Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman including basketball with Morehouse GA) contributed four hits against the New York Mets in a 1963 game.

• Chicago White Sox CF Guy Curtright (two-time All-MIAA selection led Northeast Missouri State in scoring each of four seasons in early 1930s) scored four runs in an 11-9 win against the Washington Senators in 1945.

• Brooklyn Robins 3B Wally Gilbert (Valparaiso hoops captain from 1918-19 through 1920-21) stroked four hits in a 10-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1930.

• Cleveland Indians 1B Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State hoops letterman) went 4-for-4 against the Seattle Mariners in a 1983 contest.

• Cincinnati Reds 1B Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1918) went 5-for-5, including three doubles, against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1931 outing. The previous day against the Cards, Hendrick secured four hits in the opener of a doubleheader.

• New York Mets CF Jim Hickman (freshman hooper for Ole Miss in 1955-56) homered twice in a 1965 contest against the Chicago Cubs.

• Detroit Tigers RF Lynn Jones (averaged 10.4 ppg for Thiel PA from 1970-71 through 1973-74) supplied his second four-hit game against the Milwaukee Brewers in a span of eight days in 1981.

• LF Danny Litwhiler (JV hooper with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) traded by Philadelphia Phillies to St. Louis Cardinals in 1943.

• Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS where he was All-CIC choice for 1968 NAIA Tournament team) whacked two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1979 outing.

• Philadelphia Phillies 1B Len Matuszek (starter for Toledo's 18-7 team in 1975-76) failed to notch a putout in a 12-3 defeat against the Chicago Cubs in 1984.

• St. Louis Cardinals LF Wally Moon (averaged 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50) had his 24-game hitting streak end against the Milwaukee Braves in 1957.

• Boston Red Sox 1B Ed Morgan (Tulane hoops letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) collected four hits and four RBI in a 13-1 win against the Washington Senators in 1934.

• OF Lyle Mouton (starter in Louisiana State's backcourt with All-American Chris Jackson for 1989 NCAA playoff team) traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1999.

• In 1962, Washington Senators RHP Ray Rippelmeyer (led SIU in scoring and rebounding in 1952-53 before transferring and pacing SEMO in scoring in 1953-54 and 1954-55 as All-MIAA first-team choice each year) registered his lone MLB victory (as reliever against Minnesota Twins).

• New York Giants RF Wally Roettger (Illinois hoops letterman in 1921-22 and 1922-23) went 4-for-4 against the Boston Braves in the opener of a 1930 twinbill.

• Boston Red Sox rookie 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) amassed five doubles over a two-game span in 1939.

• Kansas City Athletics RHP Dave Thies (two-time all-conference selection finished St. Mary's MN career in 1959 as school's all-time leading scorer) lost his lone MLB decision (against Washington Senators in 1963).

• LHP Bob Veale (scored 1,160 points with Benedictine KS from 1955-56 through 1957-58) amassed 16 strikeouts in shutting out the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-0, for the Pittsburgh Pirates' 12th consecutive victory in 1965. Veale also tossed a five-hit shutout in his second start of the month.

• San Diego Padres RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) whacked two homers against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1979 contest.

• Chicago Cubs RHP Zip Zabel (premier hooper for Baker KS from 1913 to 1915) hurled a two-hit shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1915.

Extra! Extra! Instead of expressing indignation that baseball-thrower deluxe Dr. Anthony Fraudci was highest-paid of all four million federal employees prior to leftist deity retiring, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Current and future SEC members Louisiana State (Joe Adcock and Lyle Mouton), Mississippi (Joe Gibbon), Mississippi State (Boo Ferriss), Missouri (Sonny Siebert), Oklahoma (Don Schwall) plus Texas A&M (Beau Bell) featured former hoopers providing significant MLB performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a May 31 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

MAY 31

• Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) collected two homers and five RBI against the Chicago Cubs in a 1956 contest.

• St. Louis Browns RHP Elden Auker (All-Big Six Conference first-five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32) registered his fifth straight win during the month in 1942. All of the victories were complete games.

• St. Louis Browns RF Beau Bell (two-year hoops letterman for Texas A&M in early 1930s) banged out four hits in an 11-10 triumph against the Detroit Tigers in 1936.

• In 1979, Seattle Mariners 1B Bruce Bochte (starting forward for Santa Clara's NCAA playoff team in 1969-70) amassed three hits, three runs and five RBI in a 12-10 win against his original club (California Angels).

• Kansas City Athletics LF Bob Cerv (ranked fourth on Nebraska's career scoring list in 1949-50 when finishing his career) clobbered a homer in back-to-back games for the third time this month in 1958.

• RHP Casey Cox (juco recruit averaged 1.7 ppg and 1.2 rpg for Cal State Los Angeles in 1961-62) awarded off waivers from the Cleveland Indians to Washington Senators as first-year waiver pick in 1963.

• 3B Frank Ellerbe (Wofford hooper after transferring from Sewanee TN) traded by the Washington Senators to St. Louis Browns in 1921.

• San Francisco Giants 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered in his third consecutive contest in 1983.

• Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1941) secured his sixth complete-game victory of the month in 1945.

• Philadelphia Phillies 3B Gene Freese (captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team for West Liberty WV) whacked his fifth pinch homer of the 1959 season. Two years later with the Cincinnati Reds, Freese smashed two round-trippers in an 8-7 triumph against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1961.

• Buttressed by nine doubles from Pittsburgh Pirates teammates, LHP Joe Gibbon (two-time All-SEC forward for Ole Miss was the nation's second-leading scorer as a senior in 1956-57) hurled a complete-game, 9-1 victory against the Atlanta Braves in 1961.

• Pittsburgh Pirates SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) delivered five hits in a 4-3 victory against the Cincinnati Reds in 1960.

• Boston Red Sox LHP Bill Henry (hoops letterman for Houston's 1947 NAIA Tournament team featuring co-captain Guy Lewis) hurled his second of two MLB shutouts (nightcap of 1954 doubleheader against Philadelphia Athletics) before becoming a reliever majority of career.

• Boston Red Sox RHP Tom Herrin (Louisiana Tech hoops letterman in 1947-48 and 1948-49) notched his lone MLB victory (20-10 decision over the Philadelphia Athletics in 1954).

• St. Louis Browns SS Billy Hunter (multi-sport athlete for Indiana PA post-WWII) went 7-for-9 in a 1953 doubleheader split against the Chicago White Sox.

• First victory of the 1957 campaign for Chicago White Sox RHP Bob Keegan (Bucknell hoops letterman in 1941-42 and 1942-43) was a four-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers.

• New York Yankees LF Charlie Keller (three-year hoops letterman with Maryland from 1934-35 through 1936-37) accumulated two homers and five RBI against the Cleveland Indians in a 1947 outing.

• First MLB homer for Boston Braves rookie 3B Fritz Knothe (member of Penn's freshman hoops squad in 1923-24) was a three-run blast off New York Giants RHP Hal Schumacher (St. Lawrence NY hooper in early 1930s) in 1932.

• Pittsburgh Pirates CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling a 35-3 record) had his 26-game hitting streak end in 2003, falling one contest short of the franchise record.

• Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS where he became All-CIC choice with 1968 NAIA Tournament participant) stroked three doubles against the San Francisco Giants in a 1979 outing.

• Boston Red Sox 1B Tony Lupien (Harvard hoops captain in 1938-39) provided four hits against the St. Louis Browns in the nightcap of a 1943 twinbill. Five years later with the Chicago White Sox, Lupien went 6-for-8 in a 1948 doubleheader split against the Detroit Tigers.

• Chicago White Sox RHP Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in the early 1920s) notched his fifth consecutive complete-game victory during the month in 1926.

• Chicago White Sox RF Sam Mele (NYU's leading scorer in 1943 NCAA playoffs) smacked two homers against the Boston Red Sox in a 1952 game.

• OF Lyle Mouton (starter in Louisiana State's backcourt with All-American Chris Jackson for 1989 NCAA playoff team) mashed two homers for eventual NCAA champion in 1991 College World Series opener against Florida.

• Washington Senators RHP Curly Ogden (Swarthmore PA hoops center from 1919 to 1922) twirled a shutout against the Boston Red Sox in 1924. He also commenced a streak hitting safely in nine of 12 starts until late August.

• New York Giants RF Dave Robertson (one of two reserves on North Carolina State's first basketball team in 1911) went 5-for-7 in 1915 twinbill split against the Brooklyn Robins.

• Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Don Schwall (All-Big Seven Conference second-team selection led Oklahoma in rebounding in 1956-57) tossed his second shutout of the month in 1963.

• Baltimore Orioles LF Larry Sheets (All-ODAC hoops selection in 1981-82 and 1982-83 with Eastern Mennonite VA) supplied three doubles among his four hits against the Seattle Mariners in a 1988 contest.

• St. Louis Cardinals RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Missouri in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) hurled his second of back-to-back five-hit shutouts in 1974.

• San Diego Padres OF Will Venable (All-Ivy League first-team selection as junior and second-team choice as senior averaged 9.3 ppg under Princeton coach John Thompson III from 2001-02 through 2004-05) went 4-for-4 in a 4-2 win against the Chicago White Sox in 2014.

• RF John Wathan (averaged 3.7 ppg in 11 games for San Diego in 1968-69) put the Kansas City Royals in front to stay with a three-run, inside-the-park homer in a 6-4 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1980.

• Washington Senators RHP Monte Weaver (hoops center for Emory & Henry VA in mid-1920s) posted his fifth triumph of the month en route to eight straight victories in 1934.

• Chicago Cubs RHP Zip Zabel (premier hooper for Baker KS from 1913 to 1915) hurled a five-hit, complete-game victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. He was in midst of compiling a 0.95 ERA in eight-game span covering 47 1/3 innings following his 1914 season debut.

• Washington Senators LHP Tom Zachary (hoops letterman for Guilford NC in 1916) went 4-for-4 at the plate in 1921 contest against the New York Yankees.

Dominoes seem to fall every time a school seeks greener pastures. The Ivy League is only Division I conference to remain intact since the late 1980s.

They didn't stay at "home," but did return there. Colorado appears on the verge of going full circle and returning to the Big 12 Conference as a member. If so, the Buffaloes would join the following institutions re-enlisting with a conference after leaving for various durations:

Hopefully, VP Harris didn't cackle similar to a hyena again when telling Americans to "enjoy" the long weekend. It might not dawn on her, but some gave all (not bail money for "righteous" rioters) as we contemplate honoring authentic heroes with the 79th anniversary of D-Day on the horizon. The fallen didn't have to worry about manipulation of waiting lists and receiving proper medical care from the VA because they didn't make it back home alive. Unless you're an inferiority-complex coward comparable to BSNBC up-tight host Chris Hayes hyperventilating while uncomfortable with calling fallen military "heroes", hoops aficionado/despicable NOKO despot Kim Jong Un, #NewYorkSlimes op-ed writer or presstitute-promoted #ShrillaryRotten telling lies in front of caskets at Dover Air Force Base and promoting Russian collusion hoax, a Memorial Day weekend generates sobering reminders of what is really important to our freedom. It's definitely not cancel culture. College basketball ultimate-sacrifice contributions are aplenty, magnified in first-class significance when compared to low-class Logan Act scheming by FBI/CIA/DOJ upper brass regarding General Michael Flynn. Who do you really believe the memorialized specifically and military in general would and do support more - pushy ex-President Trump or pussy press pestilence infested by jet-lagged #CNNSucks, "dynastic" dolts at MSNBC fawning over "Weissmann" Report, #Dimorats dumpster diving with fossil John Dean and weepy Obama #MessMedia manipulating lackey "dude" Ben Rhodes on election night?

While Baylor's football program became Animal House, the school's basketball roster developed a reputation the previous decade for having some "soft" players who played with the fervor of a man holding his female companion's purse at the mall much of a shopping excursion afternoon. But Baylor is believed to be the only non-service academy in America to have two former athletes go on to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Both men, Jack Lummus and John "Killer" Kane, earned the nation's highest military honor for heroics in World War II. Lummus played football, basketball and baseball for the Bears from 1938 through 1941. He was an All-Southwest Conference center fielder before signing with the NFL's New York Giants.

After one year of pro football, Lummus joined the U.S. Marines and was a platoon leader in the initial days of fighting on Iwo Jima. While leading a charge on enemy positions, Lummus stepped on a land mine and lost both legs. Despite heavy bleeding, he led his platoon to knock out several pockets of Japanese fire, a vital part of the U.S. victory. Alas, Lummus died of his wounds shortly after the battle.

Kane, who also played football and basketball, was one of the survivors on Baylor's ill-fated 1927 basketball squad that lost 10 of its 21-member traveling party in a bus-train wreck en route to Austin, Tex. As a result of the "Immortal Ten" tragedy, the remainder of the first of coach Ralph Wolf's 15 seasons was cancelled, and the first highway overpass in Texas was constructed.

Kane joined the Army Air Corps in 1932 and soon became a bomber commander of legendary proportions. It was said he was the best pilot and toughest commander in the Air Corps. It was often debated who feared him more - the Germans or his own men.

On August 1, 1943, Kane led what at the time was the deadliest air battle in history - a low-level, long-range bombing raid on Hitler's oil-refining complex in Rumania. The site produced a major portion of the Axis' fuel and was one of the most heavily-guarded locations in history.

Letting freedom ring on sacred line-of-duty ground, the heroism exhibited by ex-hoopers doesn't stop there. Al Brown, Creighton's leading scorer in 1925-26, survived the infamous Bataan Death March in the Philippines. Another survivor of the Bataan Death March was Johnny Winterholler, an All-Mountain States Conference second-team selection for Wyoming in 1937-38. Winterholler was serving with 4th Marine Regiment in 1942 when Corregidor fell to the Japanese. He was captured and spent 34 months as a POW. A hematoma pressed against his spinal cord and caused paralysis from the waist down. The Colonel never walked again and was eventually freed in February of 1945. Wheelchair basketball got its start at hospital where he was a member of the Rolling Devils. A hooper-turned-famous airman was Captain James Angelo Verinis (played for Connecticut in early 1940s), the co-pilot of the legendary B-17 bomber "Memphis Belle" inspiring the making of two motion pictures. Maurice "Footsie" Britt, a basketball letterman with Arkansas in 1939 although known more for football, became first recipient of the top three combat decorations in a single war (WWII) after taking part in the African, Sicilian and Italian campaigns. Britt was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor after suffering numerous wounds, including one causing his right arm to be amputated. In an intense fire fight, Britt personally killed five and wounded an unknown number of Germans, wiped out one enemy machine gun crew, fired five clips of carbine and an undetermined amount of M1 rifle ammunition plus threw 32 fragmentation grenades. Another multi-sport athlete of note was North Carolina State's Eddie Berlinski, a basketball letterman in 1936 and 1937 who made a daring escape with four dozen imprisoned U.S. Army officers from a German POW camp in early January 1945, braving frozen terrain and gunfire to make their way from infamous Oflag 64 for commissioned officers. Discharged with the rank of major, Berlinski had been at the camp in Poland more than two years following his capture in Tunisia.

Glenn Wilson, captain of Dartmouth's 18-7 team in 1954-55 when averaging around 11 ppg for the third straight season, joined the Air Force, where he served as a fighter pilot and flight instructor during the Cold War and Vietnam War. Wilson was shot down over North Vietnam and taken prisoner in early August 1967. As a POW, he spent 2,047 days in captivity and was tortured repeatedly until his release in early March 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming. Similarly, Carl Crumpler, a forward who scored 91 points for Alabama in 1947-48, was on his 45th combat mission in USAF on July 5, 1968, when forced to eject over North Vietnam and spent the next 1,714 days as POW in the Hanoi Hilton. More recently, Eric "Nasty Zasty" Zastoupil (2.5 ppg and 1.7 rpg for Army from 2006-07 through 2009-10) was on foot patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in mid-August 2012 when an IED explosion blew off lower half of First Lieutenant's left leg.

A well-timed case of appendicitis may have spared life of Purdue All-American and eventual UCLA Hall of Fame coach John Wooden. Surgery had him deemed sufficiently unhealthy to where he wasn't deployed as planned in January 1945 aboard the USS Franklin on a Naval mission in the South Pacific where it endured a deadly siege from Japanese dive bombers in the Battle of Okinawa. More than 800 sailors died and nearly 500 were wounded for the highest casualty count by a U.S. fleet carrier surviving WWII.

Despite not serving in military, All-Americans weren't exempt from the horrors of war. Tennessee's Ernie Grunfeld, a Romanian-born Jewish child of Holocaust survivors, never saw his father's parents because they were murdered in Auschwitz and West Virginia's Jerry West was 12 when his brother, David, was killed during the Korean Conflict. Amid bugle playing "Taps" in the background and issuing kudos to research by baseballsgreatestsacrifice.com, San Diego State All-American Milky Phelps and a striking number of all-conference hoopers are among the following ex-players warranting we-regret-to-inform-you salutes during Memorial Day weekend for making the supreme sacrifice:

• Kentucky players who competed multiple years for the Wildcats before they were killed during WWII included Mel Brewer (Army Second Lieutenant/died in France), Ken England (Army Captain of ski troop/Italy), James Goforth (Marine First Lieutenant/Marshall Islands) and Jim King (Army Second Lieutenant and co-pilot/Germany). Brewer, England and King were three of the top seven scorers for UK's first NCAA Tournament and Final Four team in 1942.

• Bart Avery, an Alabama letterman in 1942 and 1943, was killed in action on April 6, 1945, as a newly-promoted Captain aiding final push against the Germans.

• Dennis Bagley, a New Jersey native who emerged as top player for Belmont Abbey NC during second half of the 1960s, became a U.S. Marine who died in 1969 in an ammunition dump explosion in Quang Nam during the Vietnam War.

• Gene Berger, a Syracuse letterman from 1939-40 through 1941-42, died in late summer 1961 during flight maneuvers in the Pacific after taking off in AD6 Skyraider plane from the USS Lexington aircraft carrier. He was a Commander in the U.S. Navy and a Naval aviator.

• Herb Bonn, a standout for Duquesne in the mid-1930s, was a Navy pilot conducting night navigation operation off Hawaii on April 7, 1943, when his aircraft crashed into the South Pacific Ocean (all 10 on board presumed dead).

• Don Brown, Student Body President/son of famed comedian Joe E. Brown/guard for UCLA (class of '40), died in October 1942 when Army Air Corps captain's plane crashed near Palm Springs during a training exercise.

• Frank Bryski, an All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in 1939-40, was a Lieutenant who served in African, Sicilian and Italian campaigns prior to being killed in action in Italy on November 6, 1943.

• Archie Buckley, letterman from 1928 to 1930 as a Washington State forward, was a Lieutenant in charge of physical conditioning of Navy pilots aboard the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier on February 21, 1945, when he was among 123 crew members dead or missing after five Kamikaze bomb hits.

• John Burke, who played briefly for Georgetown in 1937-38, was a Lieutenant on May 8, 1943, when killed by friendly fire in a skirmish with Axis forces only two weeks before conclusion of the Tunisia campaign.

• Young Bussey, a letterman for Louisiana State in the late 1930s, participated in numerous landing assaults in the South Pacific during WWII before dying as head beach-master in early January 1945 during invasion of Lingayen Gulf to liberate The Philippines from Japanese occupation. His landing craft took a direct hit from mortar while storming the beach.

• Bob "Ace" Calkins, UCLA's top scorer in the late 1930s before Jackie Robinson arrived, was navigator on B-17 airplane ("The Flying Fortress") gunned down during WWII. He later died in an Italian prison camp from wounds suffered in the crash.

• Captain Ken Cameron, who averaged 2 ppg for California in 1948-49 and 1949-50, was a Prisoner of War for more than 1,230 days after Navy pilot was shot down in mid-May 1967. He was tortured so severely with ropes and beatings his fellow POWs reported when they returned home that Cameron was in extremely poor physical and mental health. In solitary confinement a great deal of the time, he refused to eat more than a minimum of food so the North Vietnamese wouldn't force him to appear in propaganda films or meet antiwar delegations due to his appearance. He passed away in Hanoi in early October of 1970.

• John Campbell, a four-year hooper for Dickinson PA, was a Second Lieutenant who failed to return from Army Air Corps sea sweep mission off northeastern Tunisia in late March 1943.

• Henry Chovanec, a Texas letterman from 1936 through 1938, was bomber pilot who died in late April 1943 when First Lieutenant tried to fly a battle-damaged plane that fell apart while starting to climb into sky for another WWII mission in New Guinea.

• Edward Christl Jr., a center and Army team captain for the Cadets' unbeaten squad in 1944 (15-0), was a First Lieutenant during WWII the next year when he was killed in action in Austria in early May. Artillery forward observer heroically volunteered to lead an infantry squad against fierce resistance from German SS troops. Army's arena is named after him.

• Frank Cleary Jr., a reserve forward for Georgetown in 1941-42, was a Marine Corps Lieutenant on June 16, 1944, when killed in action during the initial days of the Battle of Saipan.

• Richard "Stretch" Clinite, who played for Navy in the late 1940s under coach Ben Carnevale, was killed in action on May 13, 1953, when his F9F-5 Panther was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery over Wonsan Harbor, Korea.

• Bill Coleman, a Georgia Tech letterman in 1909, was in the Army in 1918 when he perished in plane crash in France during WWI.

• Joe Comer, captain of George Washington's 1940-41 squad, was an Army Lieutenant two years later when he died in a military plane crash.

• Andy Curlee, Auburn's captain in late 1930s, died on April 6, 1943, when the First Lieutenant was leading his squadron in Tunisia.

• All-PCC second-team selection Bill Dahlke, Washington State's captain and runner-up in scoring for team winning 1937 Northern Division playoff, died on March 18, 1945, near the Rhine River. F-Company Captain was killed instantly by a panzerfaust rocket while interrogating a German prisoner with an interpreter.

• Francis "Reds" Daly, a Georgetown letterman from 1938 through 1940, served as a Major in U.S. Marines and as battalion commander was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima on February 22, 1945.

• George Davison, a Washington State letterman in 1943, was a Second Lieutenant on March 18, 1945, when he was killed in action while his infantry regiment was attacking German Siegfried Line positions south of Zweibrucken.

• Jack Dean, a starting forward as freshman for DePaul's 1944 NIT runner-up was assigned to the ill-fated USS Indianapolis, which was sunk by a Japanese submarine and suffered the greatest single loss of life at sea in history of U.S. Navy. Out of 1,196 men on board, almost 300 went down with the vessel in late July 1945. The remaining 900 or so men were left floating in shark-infested waters with no lifeboats and most with no food or water. Dean reportedly survived for about 2 1/2 days in the ocean before succumbing.

• Colorado A&M's Lewis "Dude" Dent, voted the best all-around athlete in the Mountain States Conference in 1943, was an Army Lieutenant among forward observers giving firing coordinates on the radio when killed in action in France in August 1944.

• Staff Sgt. Al Dente, who played for Seton Hall's 16-2 team in 1942-43, flew 31 missions with the U.S. Air Force (332nd Bomber Squadron/94th Bomber Division) over Germany before he was shot down and killed on November 4, 1944.

• Edward Drake, who played for Rutgers in 1929-30, died on December 21, 1943, in a plane crash over the Mediterranean Sea shortly after his promotion to Major.

• Herman "Chuck" Drizen, a two-year starter for Villanova in the early 1940s, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor by Barack Obama in 2014. The Second Lieutenant in the Second Battalion/Company E" was among the first wave of Marines landing at Iwo Jima in late February 1945. Leader of an attacking platoon of 13, cut off from their unit, advanced about a 1/4 mile into enemy territory, destroying three tanks and killing an estimated dozen Japanese soldiers while suffering only one casualty. He died during the dreaded battle the next month on March 6.

• Bob Duffey, a backup swingman for Georgetown's 1943 NCAA Tournament runner-up, was a Sergeant killed in action on November 13, 1944, in European theater combat (Hurtgen Forest). Teammate Lloyd Potolicchio, who matched DePaul legend George Mikan's 11-point output in the 1943 national semifinals when the Hoyas eliminated the Blue Demons before bowing to Wyoming in title tilt, joined the Air Force. Potolicchio was boom operator Master Sergeant when killed in a refueling mission on January 17, 1966, in a B-52 crash off the coast of southern Spain. His KC-135 tanker was completely destroyed when its fuel load ignited, resulting in the B-52G breaking apart with B28RI hydrogen weapons falling to earth and plutonium contamination occurring near the fishing village of Palomares. In March 2009, Time magazine identified the Palomares accident as one of the world's "worst nuclear disasters."

• Pete Edmond, Texas letterman from 1913 to 1916, died on October 11, 1918, charging a German machine-gun position in the Battle of the Argonne Forest, one of the bloodiest campaigns in the history of American warfare.

• Second Lieutenant John Eggleton (Alfred NY) was an Army platoon leader on December 11, 1942, when he died while engaging German tanks and artillery on road outside Tunis in North Africa.

• Charles "Herb" Fash averaged 7.2 ppg for Saint Louis from 1933-34 through 1935-36. On January 21, 1945, the Lieutenant was one of 52 sailors killed when a torpedo bomber, returning from a South Pacific sortie, made a routine landing on the USS Hancock, taxied and disintegrated in an explosion as one of its 500-pound bombs detonated on the aircraft carrier.

• Pecos Finley, an All-Border Conference first-team selection in 1937-38 as New Mexico A&M's top scorer for team undefeated in league competition before participating in 1939 NIT, died in Japanese POW camp in 1942 following Bataan Death March.

• Alexander "Pat" Finnegan Jr., who averaged 1.8 ppg for Georgetown during WWI-shortened 1917-18 season, was a Second Lieutenant on October 2, 1918, when he passed away in Philadelphia during an influenza pandemic. He had been assigned as an instructor to Temple University.

• Bob Fischer, letterman in 1941 and 1942 as a Notre Dame guard, was serving with an Army squadron on November 17, 1944, when he was killed while bailing out of his fighter plane as it went down in flames over Italy.

• William Gamber, a hooper for Tri-State IN, was a pilot who died with three aspiring Army Air Corps fliers on November 18, 1942, on a routine training mission after leaving Mather Field in Sacramento. In 1947, it was determined their plane crashed hundreds of miles off course into 13,841-foot-high Mount Darwin in Kings Canyon National Park after a hiker initially discovered some of the wreckage on a glacier. Sixty-three years later, climbers discovered his body entombed in ice.

• Jay Gano Sr., who averaged 3.4 ppg for Idaho in 1947-48, was a 1st Lieutenant in 2nd Infantry when killed on October 10, 1951, on Heartbreak Ridge in North Korea.

• Bob Gary, captain for Washington & Lee VA, was a navigator on a routine training flight in early February 1944 when his bomber crashed Southeast of El Paso.

• Montana State's Cyrus Gatton, a pilot with the 11th Aero Squadron, was killed in action in Europe the first week in November 1918, a week before the Armistice was signed ending World War I.

• James Gillespie, Georgia letterman in 1939, served with the Navy Seabees when killed in action on Guam.

• John Goodrich, named outstanding all-around athlete in the class of 1940 for St. Lawrence NY, was a Naval patrol bomber pilot lost in action in 1944 over the English Channel.

• Eddie Grant, who played basketball for Harvard at the turn of the 20th Century before becoming an infielder for 10 years in the majors, died from shelling on October 5, 1918, in the Argonne Forest, France, during WWI while in charge of his battalion after his commanding officer was killed.

• Frank Haggerty, St. John's senior co-captain in 1939-40 who averaged 5 points per game in his three-year career under legendary coach Joe Lapchick, was a Second Lieutenant in Air Force. Haggerty was killed instantly on training mission in fall of 1942 when his plane crashed into the Catawba River in Charlotte area.

• Mason "Tex" Harris, a San Diego State letterman from 1938 through 1940, was killed in action in Germany on March 3, 1945. Serving in an armored division under General Patton, he was one of the valiant men holding out at Bastogne, France, when surrounded by the enemy.

• John "Frank" Hill, a Clemson letterman in 1942 and 1943, was an Army First Lieutenant killed in action in Germany on April 10, 1945. His division was isolated at a location deep in the enemy's rear.

• Henry "Red" Hinkley, a letterman for Southern Illinois from 1940-41 through 1942-43, was fighting with U.S. Army at an island near New Guinea, sought for its strategic location to refuel aircraft, when killed by machine gun fire on June 7, 1944.

• Ernie Holbrook was a three-year letterman as USC forward and hero of 1935 PCC playoff series against Oregon State. He died in mid-December 1944 during opening salvos of the Ardennes offensive in Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge.

• Bob Holmes was a forward who helped guide Central Methodist MO to MCAU title in 1942-43. In the Marines invasion of Iwo Jima in mid-February 1945, he was mortally wounded while spraying the enemy with machine gun fire. Holmes subsequently was buried at sea.

• Thomas P. Hunter, a three-year letterman who was a sophomore member of Kansas' 1940 runner-up, was killed in action against the Japanese on Guam, July 21, 1944, while fighting with the Ninth Marines as a First Lieutenant. Hunter was elected posthumously as captain of the Jayhawks' 1945-46 squad that compiled a 19-2 record.

• John "Jack" Inglis, a standout for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (N.Y.), was a Navy Seaman in fall of 1918 when stricken with influenza and dying while on furlough.

• Dave Kanning, who averaged 3.4 ppg and 4 rpg for Navy in 1961-62 and 1962-63, was an instructor pilot aboard a T-34B on June 2, 1980, when killed in an aircraft accident near Fairhope, Ala.

• Track star Jack Kelleher, who briefly played hoops for Washington State's 1941 NCAA Tournament runner-up, died in mid-September 1944 from wounds the Infantryman incurred in France in an assault of Germany's Siegfried Line.

• Nile Kinnick, Iowa's Heisman Trophy winner as a quarterback-halfback in 1939, played basketball for the Hawkeyes during his sophomore year, averaging 6.1 ppg to finish as their second-leading scorer. After bypassing pro football to attend law school, he was killed in a plane crash on June 2, 1943, on a routine training flight from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington off the coast of Venezuela while serving in the Navy. Kinnick's body never was recovered after his attempt to land in the water following a serious oil leak.

• Eugene Leger, a letterman for Maine from 1940 through 1942, was killed at Tinker Field in Oklahoma City on January 28, 1946, when fire swept the hangar where he was working on B-29's slated to photograph the Bikini tests.

• George Lenc, a four-year letterman for Augustana IL in the late 1930s, was completing cadet training as a bombardier and navigator in mid-November 1942 when his bomber crashed near Pasco, Wash.

• Felix Little, a player for Catawba NC in the late 1930s, was a Navy bomber pilot among nine crew and passengers who perished on December 18, 1944, when a port engine exploded and plane crashed while leaving runway in Brazil.

• Si Lobello, LIU's leading scorer for 1941 NIT titlist, served in the U.S. Army in the European Theater during WWII. He went missing during the Battle of the Bulge in early March 1945 and was later found to be killed in action.

• James Loenshal, a Dickinson PA hooper, was co-pilot on a mission to bomb an oil refinery near Vienna on February 7, 1945, when the Lieutenant in Army Air Force's aircraft disintegrated in mid-air upon receiving a direct hit from enemy anti-aircraft artillery.

• Walter "Whitey" Loos, an EIBC honorable mention selection as a Carnegie Tech PA center, died as a navigator in B-24 plane crash in Brazil in mid-January 1944 on the final leg of a journey to Europe.

• Harry Martin, who played for Syracuse in 1916-17, was killed in 1923 when his plane crashed during takeoff at Kelly Field, Tex. Lieutenant and Army aviator served in the AEF in France during WWI.

• Neil Martin, an Arkansas letterman in the late 1930s, was a Flight Leader for 3rd Squadron "Hells Angels" killed in action in Burma on December 23, 1941. In the midst of large air battle, Martin's P-40B Tomahawk was believed to be shot down by a Japanese bomber gunner. He was the first "Tiger" to die in combat.

• All 11 regulars on Pittsburgh's 1941 Final Four team participated in World War II and one of them, Harry Matthews, was killed in action.

• Center Bill Menke, the third-leading scorer for Indiana's 1940 NCAA champion who supplied a team-high 10 points in the Hoosiers' national semifinal victory over Duquesne, later became a Navy pilot and served in World War II. In January 1945, he was declared missing in action (and presumed dead) when he didn't return from a flight in the Caribbean.

• John Messina, a member of coach Frank Keaney's innovative fast-break system at Rhode Island State in the mid-1930s, was a First Lieutenant U.S. Army paratrooper when killed on July 13, 1943, during the invasion of Sicily.

• Joe Minsavage appeared in 12 games for Syracuse before joining the Navy. On June 19, 1943, he was aboard Liberty Ship Henry Knox in the Indian Ocean when torpedoed by a Japanese submarine while en route to Iran. He was lost at sea.

• Bob Morris, who averaged 6.5 ppg for Gettysburg PA in 1964-65, was killed in March of 1972 when U.S. Air Force captain's plane crashed in northeast Spain.

• Harry Mosher, who led Hartwick NY with 23.2 ppg in 1964-65, was a 2nd Lieutenant in U.S. Army in early February 1968 when killed in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive.

• Dick "Hook" Nein, who played for Navy in 1950-51, was a Lieutenant upon perishing on routine gunnery mission when his F86 crashed on November 8, 1954, as student pilot flew from Nellis AFB in Nevada.

• Fred Norton, who played hoops from 1915 through 1917 as Ohio State's first four-sport varsity letterman, was leader of the 27th "Eagle" Pursuit Squadron. First Lieutenant posthumously earned Distinguished Service Cross during WWI. In late July 1918, he absorbed two anti-aircraft rounds to the chest in a dogfight. Norton managed to land his Nieuport 8 behind Allied lines but it took two days for his fellow soldiers to transport him to the hospital, where he died from his wounds and complications from pneumonia.

• Army Air Force Lieutenant Ralph Nutter, who played for McNeese State's first basketball team when the Louisiana school was a junior college, died in a plane crash in June 1943.

• Mortimer "Whitey" O'Connell, who played a couple of seasons for Rutgers in the early 1930s, died on March 15, 1945, in a hospital in France.

• Kenneth Omley, who played for Rutgers in the late 1930s and early 1940s, died while in England on November 25, 1944, as a result of wounds received in a plane crash.

• Harry "Porky" O'Neill paced Gettysburg PA to two Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championships in the late 1930s and caught one game for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1939. After surviving the worst of the horrific fighting at Iwo Jima, the Marine first lieutenant was killed instantly on March 6, 1945, by a sniper's bullet piercing his throat and severing his spinal cord as he prepared to bed down on a starlit night. Gettysburg teammate Gerst Buyer, a First Lieutenant, had died on May 25, 1944, in Italy amid heavy Armored Division tank losses.

• First Lieutenant Jim O'Sullivan (Bates ME) was killed in action in the South Pacific on April 3, 1943, when Marine pilot crash landed at Guadalcanal after returning from a task force coverage mission.

• Captain Scott Pace, who played for Army in 2002-03, died in Afghanistan on June 6, 2012, when the helicopter he was piloting on patrol crashed after riddled by Taliban machine-gun fire.

• Carroll Bruton Parker, a Baylor letterman in 1944, was a seaman who was mortally wounded and died while being rushed to the hospital after Japanese conducted a single-bomber air raid in one of its desperate attempts to stop the American occupation of Leyte.

• Charles "Stubby" Pearson, captain of Dartmouth's 1942 national runner-up and valedictorian of his class the same year after earning All-EIBL first-team honors the previous season, was killed in action on March 30, 1945, while dive-bombing a Japanese ship off the Palau Islands. He reportedly was diving far below the pull-out altitude the U.S. Navy asked of its dive-bomber pilots. Pearson, who also served as captain of the school's football squad, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

• Clyde Pennington, a Clemson letterman in 1935 and 1936, was an Army First Lieutenant who died in a non-battle accident in North Africa on July 23, 1943.

• Four-sport letterman Tommy Peters, an All-Southern Conference first-team selection when leading league in scoring with 17.5 ppg in 1942-43, died during WWII on April 9, 1945, while with the Seventh Army in Germany after only one season at Davidson. Because communications were out, Lieutenant did not know of the company withdrawal to alternate positions. Covering his platoon, he delayed the enemy in their attack by his continuous small arms fire and innumerable grenades, accounting for an estimated 50 enemy casualties.

• San Diego State's Atwell Milton "Milky" Phelps, the NAIA Tournament's first bona fide standout when he sparked the Aztecs to the 1941 title after two runner-up finishes, gave his life for his country during WWII in the crash of a Navy torpedo bomber. He was in a training flight accident in November 1942 while preparing to become an Air Force pilot.

• Curtis Popham, Texas' co-captain in 1943, was killed during WWII.

• Les Powell, who averaged 11.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg for Utah State in 1965-66 and 1966-67, was a Corporal killed in action in Vietnam by a land mine in April 1969.

• Dale Brough Rex, a 6-7 center for Brigham Young in the early 1940s, was killed in action on December 18, 1944, while serving in the 5th Infantry in Europe. Three months earlier, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross after swimming across a 300-foot cold German river (Moselle) four times in order to help the wounded and weary during a retreat.

• Charles Richardson, a three-year letterman for Gettysburg PA from 1963-64 through 1965-66, was a First Lieutenant piloting a Cessna Super Skymaster that crashed in South Vietnam on October 8, 1968. He was with a psychological air unit equipped with loudspeaker used to urge Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops to defect.

• Robert Roach, a member of Omaha's squad before entering the military, was a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Forces in July 1945 when he died in the crash of his plane in Arizona, where he was an instructor.

• Foy Roberson Jr., a three-year letterman for North Carolina from 1938 through 1940, was killed in a collision at sea on December 21, 1941, while Second Lieutenant in Army Air Corps piloted a military aircraft.

• Jim Robertson was an All-Northwest Conference selection for Willamette OR in 1941-42. The Marine Corps airman's bomber, damaged by Japanese anti-aircraft fire during South Pacific mission (stronghold of Kavieng on island of New Ireland), overshot an island runway attempting landing in heavy rain and crashed into a lagoon shortly before midnight on April 20, 1944.

• Glenn Sanford, who enrolled at Hillsdale MI in the late 1930s, was an Army Second Lieutenant stationed in Oakland area in early November 1943 when his plane spiraled into the ocean on a routine patrol along the coast.

• James Scondras, a Holy Cross letterman in 1941 and 1942, was a First Lieutenant in U.S. Marines when killed by Japanese mortar fire on February 25, 1945, during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

• Don Scott, who made a free throw for Ohio State's national runner-up in inaugural NCAA Tournament championship contest in 1939, died on October 1, 1943, when U.S. Army Air Forces captain's B-26 Marauder bomber crashed in England while in training after football All-American halfback already completed nine bombing missions during WWII.

• Bernie "Lavoice" Scudday, a Texas letterman in 1942, was a First Lieutenant in Air Force on June 27, 1944, when killed after pilot's plane was hit by flak in the flight deck over France during a bombing run, went into a steep dive, crashed and exploded.

• Reedy Sears, Austin Peay State's top scorer in 1941-42, was on his 26th mission with Army Air Corps on October 17, 1944, when he died. After his aircraft was shot down over Cologne, Germany, he was killed by ground fire while either parachuting from disabled plane or trying to evade capture.

• Joseph "Ed" Shytle, who played in North Carolina's first-ever NCAA playoff game in 1941, was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was wounded at the Battle of Saipan and evacuated to the field hospital, where he died on July 8, 1944.

• Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, Syracuse's first African-American athlete in the late 1930s, became a fighter pilot in unit known as the Tuskegee Airmen. On May 9, 1943, Sidat-Singh was on a training run over Lake Huron when he radioed his engine was on fire. He ejected from the plane but, upon striking the water, Sidat-Singh's parachute pulled him down and caused drowning.

• Lieutenant General George Simler, who scored 29 points in 14 games as a Maryland freshman in 1940-41, was killed in a T-38 jet crash on takeoff at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas on September 9, 1972, shortly before he was to have been promoted to full general and assigned to head the Military Airlift Command at Scott AFB in Southern Illinois.

• Eber Simpson, who played for Army in 1941-42 and 1942-43, was the son of an Army Colonel who followed in his father's footsteps, serving in the Air Corps flying 102 missions and 193 sorties in the European Theater. Still in the service in mid-September 1946, he was returning home to Eau Claire, Wis., when his flight was grounded due to bad weather. Following a delay, the plane was cleared to depart but crashed shortly after takeoff, killing Captain Simpson and the four other men on board.

• Carleton MN captain F. Wayne Sparks, a "Little All-American" forward in 1936-37, died in a bomber crash during WWII.

• Captain James Standish, who was on Connecticut's roster in 1932-33, died in spring of 1943 after Army Camp Operation in Oklahoma.

• Roger Stearns, a Maine letterman in 1940-41, was Second Lieutenant killed in action in Northern Italy on April 22, 1945.

• Len Supulski, a standout end who also played basketball for Dickinson PA, died in the crash of a B-17 bomber during a routine Army Air Corps training flight near Kearney, Neb., in late August 1943.

• Charles Taggart, who played in 39 games for Syracuse in the early 1930s, was in the Navy on board the USS Frederick C. Davis on April 24, 1945, when the destroyer escort was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

• Sgt. Brooks Taylor, a star hooper for Pacific (Ore.) from its class of '43, fell to a Japanese sniper in a fierce battle at Sanananda in the New Guinea jungle.

• Burton "Stretch" Thomson, a 6-6 letterman for Iowa State in 1936 and 1937, was an Army Captain in early 1942 when the Japanese captured Corregidor in the Philippines. In mid-May, he was bound after traitorous sergeant in his unit betrayed him to the enemy, taken to a remote area and executed. His remains were recovered in 1946.

• Herb Tompkins, a three-year letterman for San Diego State and member of 1941 NAIB national championship team, was a Navy Corps officer who died when jet aircraft exploded and crashed near Kerr, Tex., on October 25, 1953.

• Ed Tuttle, a forward for Lenior-Rhyne NC, was an Air Cadet in the spring of 1942 when his plane collided head-on with another during training in Florida.

• Francis Wai, a juco transfer who played multiple sports including basketball for UCLA in the late 1930s, became the first American of Chinese descent to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military honor. On October 20, 1944, the Army captain commanded a group of trapped soldiers at Red Beach in Leyte, Philippine Islands. Repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire so troops could advance, Wai lost his life as the unit captured the last Japanese pillbox.

• Jimmy Walker was an All-SEC Tournament selection in 1934 and 1935 as an Alabama forward. While on duty as first lieutenant with the Navy, he was seriously wounded in an accident and died on December 22, 1943, in Brazil.

• William Ward, a Maine letterman in 1938-39, was taken prisoner with the fall of Bataan and died at Cabanatuan Prison Camp, Luzon, on July 20, 1942.

• Four-time All-MCAU forward Eugene "Peaches" Westover, class of '38 for Drury MO, was killed December 12, 1944, at the Battle of the Bulge while private first class served in Armored Division.

• Claude Whitney, an Indiana letterman in 1910 and 1911, was killed during World War I.

• W.C. Williams, a Clemson letterman in 1940, was an Army Air Corps Major who died while piloting personnel on a ferrying mission in a plane accident in Alaska's Aleutian Islands on August 29, 1944.

• Charles Wilson Jr., a Maine letterman from 1937-38 through 1939-40, was Commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Forces. Flying instructor was killed at Londonderry, N.H., on September 30, 1943.

• John Winzler, an All-Yankee Conference first-team selection for Connecticut in 1941-42, was a first lieutenant with the Marine Corps when wounded in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Doctors reportedly did not want him to return to battle, but he insisted on returning to Fifth Division before dying in action on March 3, 1945.

• Billy Wohn, a guard for Rice in 1952-53, died in a plane accident in August 1953 while on active duty in the Naval ROTC.

• Henry Woodward, a Clemson letterman from 1933 through 1935, was an Army Major killed in non-battle jeep accident on the Pennsylvania turnpike during maneuvers late in 1943.

• Gene Wright played for Georgia Tech in 1943-44 before he was called into the Navy between the regular season and SEC Tournament. He died months later on Utah Beach in the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.

• Oliver "Ott" Young, top scorer for Arkansas' freshman squad in 1941 before withdrawing from school in wake of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the next season when Razorbacks were SWC co-champions, died on February 3, 1945 on Luzon Island in the Philippines. Army Sergeant, a heavily-decorated combat veteran (two silver stars/bronze star/purple heart), was killed by machine-gun fire during an effort to secure a vital roadway.

• Gene Ziesel, who also played football for Creighton, was the co-pilot on a bomber shot down by the Germans at high altitude on January 11, 1943, over Italy. Previously, he was a POW in Turkey after his plane was grounded there, but he did not survive the second time.

Numerous standout players had their college playing careers sidetracked by WWII. Following is a list of All-Americans who had their college days interrupted in the mid-1940s while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces:

Air Force - Charles Black (Kansas) and Jack Parkinson (Kentucky).

Army - Don Barksdale (UCLA), Lew Beck (Oregon State), A.L. Bennett (Oklahoma A&M), Gale Bishop (Washington State), Vince Boryla (Notre Dame/Denver), Harry Boykoff (St. John's), Bob Brannum (Kentucky), Arnie Ferrin (Utah), Alex Groza (Kentucky), Ralph Hamilton (Indiana), Walt Kirk (Illinois), Allie Paine (Oklahoma), Don Rehfeldt (Wisconsin), Jack Smiley (Illinois), Odie Spears (Western Kentucky) and Gerry Tucker (Oklahoma).

Marine Corps - Aud Brindley (Dartmouth), John Hargis (Texas), Mickey Marty (Loras), Andy Phillip (Illinois), Gene Rock (southern California) and Kenny Sailors (Wyoming).

Navy - Bobby Cook (Wisconsin), Howie Dallmar (Stanford/Penn), Dick Dickey (North Carolina State), Bob Faught (Notre Dame), Harold Gensichen (Western Michigan), Wyndol Gray (Bowling Green State), Hal Haskins (Hamline), Leo Klier (Notre Dame), Dick McGuire (St. John's) and John Oldham (Western Kentucky).

In an incredible achievement, Phillip and Tucker returned to first-team All-American status in 1946-47 after missing three seasons while serving in the military. Black and Sailors also returned to All-American acclaim after missing two seasons. Meanwhile, Whitey Skoog served in the U.S. Navy before becoming a three-time All-American with Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Gus Broberg, an aviator with the Marines after being named an NCAA consensus first-team All-American for Dartmouth in 1940 and 1941, lost his right arm in a plane crash. He went on to study law and become a respected judge in Florida. Eventual Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas Maurice Britt was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor after suffering numerous wounds, including one causing his right arm to be amputated. In an intense fire fight during WWII, Britt personally killed five and wounded an unknown number of Germans, wiped out one enemy machine gun crew, fired five clips of carbine and an undetermined amount of M1 rifle ammunition plus threw 32 fragmentation grenades.

Fallen heroes also emerged post-WWII. Don Holleder, who averaged 9.3 ppg as a junior and 6.8 ppg as a senior for Army in the mid-1950s, was a major during the Vietnam War in October, 1967, when he was killed by a sniper's bullet in an ambush 40 miles from Saigon as he hurled himself into enemy fire attempting to rescue wounded comrades. Three months earlier, Don Steinbrunner, who averaged 3.9 ppg for Washington State in 1951-52 before playing with the NFL's Cleveland Browns, was an Air Force navigator shot down and killed over Vietnam.

Proud Americans honor and remember after they went from the playing field to battlefield! For instance, former Dayton standout Bucky Buckhorn had older brothers killed in WWII and the Korean War. That's why right-thinking Americans are disgusted when a Demonrat-controlled Senate several years ago had time for signing a letter encouraging the NFL to have the Washington Redskins change their "bigoted" nickname but wasn't "big" enough or sufficiently honorable to prevent stalling of a three-page veterans health bill. Perpetually-perplexing petty political parasites, transitioning from Tear Down This Wall to Tear Down This Stall, may forget their "sacred obligation" similar to previous POTUS' lame emphasis on climate change rather than military salutes at a Coast Guard ceremony. However, the remainder of us will be "Rolling Thunder" and not forget genuine heroes while tolerating kneeling knuckleheads/social scholars in the NFL, petty politicians (#SickWillie, #ShrillaryRotten, Schmucky Schumer, Speaker #NannyPathetic, #ShiftySackofSchiff, fake squaw Liz-lies-a-lotta War(whoop)ren, #AlBore, #DuhBlasio, Governor Half-Whitmer, avowed Odd Squad socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Know-Nothing "Biggest Loser" Nadler, et al), lame-stream #MessMedia misfits such as textbook "Meathead" Rob Reiner and humiliated heavyset Hollyweird heavyweight Harvey Swinestein plus putrid press like "hacked" Joy-less Reid and Behar more invested in denying #TheDonald any success than inching closer to world peace. If haggard Michael Moore is going to put his fine body on the line and God is on side of know-nothing nags #MadMaxine and wacky "Get Out of My Butt" Whoopi, then this view is we'd be in deep spit if not for supreme sacrifices made by authentic heroes honored during Memorial Day celebration. In the meantime, Plagiarist Biledumb's "not very good people" will have to decide whether to be castigated by self-righteous leftists for intentionally killing people by failing to don a mask and practice "socialism" distancing or be labeled a racist for not supporting walking-in-close-quarters protesters, donning a BLM T-shirt and defunding law enforcement.