May 12 in sports history: Flawed gems by a Marlin, 'Toothpick'

1955: Burnett was not the only pitcher to hurl a no-no on this date. In a 4-0 win over the Pirates at Wrigley Field, 29-year-old Cubs right-hander Sam "Toothpick" Jones became the first African-American to throw a no-hitter.

Like Burnett's gem, this game had plenty of drama, as Jones walked seven and survived an incredibly dicey ninth inning. Jones, who, at 6-foot-4 and about 200 pounds, was an intimidating presence on the mound, walked the first three hitters before striking out the final three.

Jones credited his catcher, Clyde McCullough. "I just kept throwing what he told me," he said.

Besides headlines in newspaper sports sections and praise from teammates, Jones, known as "Toothpick" because he often had one in his mouth, received a special gift. In batting practice before the game, Cubs broadcaster Harry Creighton joked that he would give him a gold toothpick if he threw a no-hitter. He made good on his promise, giving one to Jones that he bought for 11 bucks.

1970:  Before the steroid era, hitting 500 homers in the big leagues punched your ticket to Cooperstown. On this date, "Mr. Cub"  himself, Ernie Banks, accomplished the feat.

Against the Braves, the shortstop deposited a Pat Jarvis offering into the left-center-field bleachers and sent Wrigleyville into hysteria. At the time, Banks was only the ninth player in big-league history to reach 500 homers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame seven years later, and in 1999, he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

1974: The 1970s were perhaps the era of most parity in the NBA, but one of the sport's premier franchises became the last team standing on this date.  The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks met in what turned out to be a truly epic final series, with neither team winning back-to-back games. 

In Game 7, Boston used a new strategy, with its best player, John Havlicek, serving more as a decoy than anything else. Havlicek consistently drew the Bucks defense away from the middle of the court, opening space for Jo Jo White, and especially Dave Cowens, to capitalize on high-percentage opportunities. Cowens finished with a game-high 28 points, as the Celtics topped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Bucks, 102-87, to win their 12th title. Havlicek was named series MVP.

2006: Already an Olympic gold medal winner, American sprinter Justin Gatlin set a world record in the 100 meters with a time of 9.76 seconds. The 24-year-old accomplished his mark at the Qatar Grand Prix, besting Jamaica's Asafa Powell's previous record by a mere one-hundredth of a second. Fascinatingly, four days later the IAAF revealed upon review Gatlin's time was actually 9.77. The result left many hoping for a Gatlin/Powell head-to-head race to determine the official record holder, and while the idea was entertained, it never happened.

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2010: Kelly Kulick is one of the most successful female bowlers in PBA history, and she was truly at her best a decade ago. On this date, she won the U.S. Women's Open, after taking home her second USBC Queens crown just a couple of weeks earlier. Later that year she also won the 33rd Malaysian Open.

2008: Perhaps the most exciting — and rare — plays in baseball is the unassisted triple play, and fans in Cleveland were lucky enough to witness one. In a game against Toronto, Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera had the feat essentially fall into his lap during the fifth inning. 

With men on first and second, Toronto put both runners in motion, and the batter, Lyle Overbay, ripped a line drive just to the right of second base. Pulled over to the second base side of the bag in a shift, Cabrera was able to make a diving catch on the liner, get up and immediately step on second base and then tag the runner who had been on first. It was only the 14th unassisted triple play in big league history.

2014: With the NBA playoffs (usually) in full swing in mid-May, it's no surprise to find LeBron James on this list. In Game 4 of the '14 Eastern Conference semifinals, the King equaled his playoff career high by dropping 49 points in a 102-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets. His buddy Chris Bosh drilled a tie-breaking three with under a minute left that propelled the Heat to a 3-1 series lead.

Happy Birthday ...

• Steve Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. He currently works as a TV analyst (41).

• Former NBA coach George Karl, who became the seventh coach in league history to win 1,000 games.  Karl never won a championship but was named the NBA Coach of the Year with the 2013 Denver Nuggets and then fired less than a month later (69).

• Tony Hawk, who revolutionized modern skateboarding. He became famous for being the first skateboarder to complete the “900,” an aerial spin performed from a ramp. He also lent his name to a popular video game (52).

• Golfer Jim Furyk, former FedEx Cup champ and PGA TOUR Player of the Year. Furyk has one major victory in his career, the 2003 U.S. Open, and 17 PGA TOUR victories (50).

R.I.P.

Chuck Knox, a head coach in the NFL for 22 years, with the Rams, Bills and Seahawks. He was 86.

May 11: Entry into 500-HR club but no Fame