May 25, 1919 – There are hidden talents to many of the athletes we celebrate that go beyond what they do while playing their particular sport. Former right-fielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Casey Stengel caught the attention of not only those in attendance at the game at Ebbett’s Field in Brooklyn where the Pirates were the battling Stengel’s former club the Dodgers but the national media was dazzled too.
When this mighty Casey came up to bat in the seventh inning, the Brooklyn crowd cheered their former star. Stengel then stepped up near the plate and tipped his hat to the fans and as he did he released a sparrow from under his baseball cap that flew agitated into the New York sky. Apparently, the right fielder had caught the bird while out in the field during the bottom of the sixth.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
5 Best Golf Simulator Designers in 2026: The Definitive Buyer’s Guide
Photo by Will Porada on Unsplash Trying to build your own golf simulator from
ACC Basketball’s Four-Way Tie
In my last article, I made a case for the 1988-89 season being the
Mark Morthier’s Favorite Sport Cards (1968 – 1971)
The first sports trading cards I remember collecting were the 1968 and 1969 Topps
What Atlanta Falcons Odds Suggest About the 2026 Season
Atlanta enters 2026 as a team that the betting market respects only in limited
How Sports Betting Went from Back-Alley Bookies to Big Business
Long before mobile apps and instant odds updates, betting on sports meant finding a
The Anatomy of a Perfect Long Run: Fuelling, Pacing, and Recovery Windows
Photo sourced via Pexels.com – Credit Kaan Durmus The long run is where good
Reliving the 1975 Los Angeles Rams Season
The Cleveland Rams joined the NFL in 1937 and won the NFL Championship in
Could the Heartland Support Another Women’s Professional Basketball League? (Part 2)
Last time, we explored a simple question. What if another women’s professional basketball league
