Ricky Davis' infamous triple-double attempt.

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3/16/1974 - A's sign Herb Washington

The Oakland Athletics sign Herb Washington, then the world record-holder in the 50- and 60-yard dash, to a major league contract. Washington, who had no baseball experience outside of high school, was tapped for the sole purpose of running the bases. In 1974, Washington appeared in 92 games but never swung a bat and never played in the field. He remains the only non-pitcher to ever play in 100 games without having an official at-bat.

Washington had already signed a contract to play with the Toronto Northmen of the World Football League, and had to break his deal with them in order to join the defending champion Athletics. "The way it happened," Gregory Reed, Washington's agent, told Jet magazine in April 1974, "was that (Athletics owner Charlie O. Finley) was out in California talking to some track people about how he would like to be able to hire a sprinter. Someone referred him to Herb. He got in touch with him, offered him a better deal, and that was that."

"I think he will be responsible for the winning of at least 10 games during the season," Finley pronounced after Washington's signing. "Washington has already made the team and he hasn't even arrived in camp yet. That's how highly we think of him."

Although Washington was the most notable player to fill Finley's designated runner role, he wasn't the first. During the previous six years, the A's had utilized the speed of Allan Lewis, a man who Finley had nicknamed "the Panamanian Express." Like Washington, Lewis totaled more stolen bases (44) than plate appearances (29) while he was with the team, and retired with a .207 batting average and one career home run.

The Washington experiment had mixed results. On the one hand he did finish with 29 stolen bases, placing seventh overall in the American League despite his limited number of games. He was also thrown out 16 times, and was notoriously picked off in Game 2 of the 1974 World Series after substituting for Joe Rudi, who had gotten on base with a single. Washington represented the tying run but wandered too far from first and was tagged before he even had a chance to steal. Game 2 was the only World Series game that the Athletics did not win.

Washington received a championship ring, but did not last long in the major leagues. After 13 appearances in 1975, during which he collected two more steals, the world class runner was released. Herb went on to have a successful career as a businessman, owning several McDonalds franchises inside the Rochester area.

Finley, meanwhile, continued to stockpile pinch running specialists, though Washington was the only among them who couldn't be conventionally used. Herb's successor, Don Hopkins, stole 21 bases and was caught stealing nine times in 1975. Larry Lintz stole 31 bases in 1976 while taking only one at-bat; he was less successful in 1977, stealing 13 bases in 41 games while going to bat 30 times. Matt Alexander stole 63 bases for the A's from 1975 to 1977 and only went up to bat 82 times.

Oakland's final pinch-running specialist was Darrell Woodard, who stole only three bases in 1978 and was caught stealing four times.

3/16/2003 - Ricky Davis goes for a triple-double

The Cleveland Cavaliers were seconds away from blowing out the Utah Jazz when Ricky Davis committed basketball sacrilege. Davis, sitting on 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, was well aware that he needed a board to collect his first career triple-double. So when Jumaine Jones inbounded the ball to Davis near the Jazz basket -- where he was supposed to run out the clock -- Ricky instead lobbed a gentle flip off the backboard, which was his attempt at a shot, and collected the ball, his attempt at a rebound.

Seeing what he was doing, Utah's DeShawn Stevenson fouled him hard in retaliation a second after his "shot."

"I have nothing against Ricky," Stevenson said afterward. "But for someone to go out there and do that is not right. I'm not going to let that happen."

"He was trying to embarrass us, and that's not how the game should be played," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "This is not schoolyard basketball. Let him try to get it when the game means something. I was proud of DeShawn and I would have knocked him down harder. They can put me in jail for saying that, but that's the way it is."

Most agreed with Sloan's sentiments. Shooting at the other team's basket to pad one's stats drew cries for a suspension, and Davis was later fined an undisclosed amount. Fortunately, NBA rules safeguarded such a maneuver. Davis was not credited with a 10th rebound and triple-double because a rebound can only come from a legitimate shot at the hoop, which his certainly wasn't.

"Ricky had his finest game as far as blending in with his teammates," said Cavaliers coach Keith Smart, who lamented that it upstaged the team's impressive win. "None of that will be remembered, but what he did will follow him always."

As an interesting side note, the Associated Press actually misreported the story, saying that: "After Utah's Scott Padgett scored with six seconds left, Davis took an inbounds pass and was ready to attempt a shot at the wrong basket to get his 10th rebound. DeShawn Stevenson wrapped his arms around Davis before the attempt and was whistled for a foul. Davis made two free throws to complete the scoring."

However, anyone who watched the game could tell you that that's not what happened. Davis got his shot off before Stevenson fouled him. The AP made it sound like Stevenson prevented the triple-double, when in reality it was the rulebook that prevented it.