Hand of God

Diego Maradona, perhaps one of the greatest football players in the world, is recovering after surgery to remove blood clots on his brain.  His doctor, Dr. Leopoldo Luque, said the 60-year old superstar laughed and grabbed his hand after the procedure at La Plaza Clinic, south of Buenos Aires.  The surgery was performed to address a subdural hematoma, an accumulation of blood between a membrane and his brain.  Maradona however has tainted his legacy and is even branded a cheater during the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals in Mexico City on June 22, 1986.  Peter Shilton, England’s goalkeeper and Maradona, palmed it over Shilton’s head and the goal was allowed by Tunisian referee Ali Bennaceur.  Maradona described it as “El Mano De Dios” (Hand Of God).  Four minutes later, Maradona scored to put Argentina 2-0. During the Final against Germany, Argentina won its second World Cup crown.  Ten years later, Maradona finally admitted “I had the good fortune that God allowed the goal to stand, the goal was supposed to be disallowed”.  But it was not to be Maradona’s last bout of high-profile cheating, he was subsequently banned twice for failing drug tests.  Maradona is currently coach of Argentina and celebrated his 60th birthday last October 30, 2020.

Did you know?

Jake Lamotta

During his early career, Jake LaMotta refused to cooperate in a fight-fixing schemes with the Mafia, which controlled boxing in New York.  In 1943, he upset eventual champion Sugar Ray Robinson.  Since he was going nowhere, he finally succumbed to the mob’s pressure and for a meager purse, he was given a crack at the World Middleweight title held by an equally rugged fighter, Marcel Cerdan of France.  LaMotta defeated the French champion at Briggs Stadium on June 16, 1949 when Cerdan damaged his arm in the third round after LaMotta threw him to the canvass.

The Bronx Bull won when the fight was stopped in the 10th round.  A return match was set, but the Frenchman then aged 33, died in a plane crash on October 27, 1949, en route to the fight venue.  Sugar Ray Robinson defeated LaMotta in the 13th round in February 1951, to end his reign.  He retired in 1954 after two unsuccessful comebacks.

Raging Bull

In 1980, Martin Scorsese directed Robert de Niro to play La Motta in the film bio “Raging Bull”, which garnered 8 Oscar nominations.  De Niro won the best actor award.  To make it real, De Niro prepared for the role by sparring with La Motta himself for one year and giving the former champ multiple black eyes, several smashed teeth and one cracked rib.  He also cracked two of Joe Pesci’s ribs who played his trainer.  De Niro underwent a celebrated physical transformation, morphing from a young killer to a bloated wreck.

Bing Grosby

Singing star of stage and screen suffered a fatal heart attack in Spain on October 14, 1977 after doing what he loved, playing a round of golf, he was 74.  His 1942 recording of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was for many years the best-selling song ever made.  I had the opportunity to visit Irving Berlin’s grave in Woodlawn Cemetery at the Bronx, New York City in 2013.  The first woman to swim the English Channel Gertrude Ederle is also buried in the same cemetery.