Steve Dalkowski is a former Minor League Baseball left handed pitcher. He is sometimes called the fastest pitcher in baseball history with a fastball that may have gone as fast as 110 mph (177 km/h), while others stated that his pitches only traveled at 105 mph (169 km/h) or less. His fastball earned him the nickname "White Lightning". He was also notorious for his unpredictable performance and inability to control his pitches. His alcoholism and violent behavior off the field caused him problems during his career and after his retirement. After he retired from baseball he spent many years as an alcoholic, making a meager living as a migrant worker. He cleaned up in the 1990s but his alcoholism has left him with dementia and he has difficulty remembering his life after the mid 1960s. Writer and director Ron Shelton played in the minor leagues alongside Dalkowski. His 1988 film Bull Durham contains a character named "Nuke" LaLoosh (played by Tim Robbins) who is based loosely on his life.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Dalkowski

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1889: The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States was constructed betweeen Willamette Falls to downtown Portland, Oregon. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/electric_power_transmission)

1937: The Duke of Windsor married Wallis Simpson. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom)

1940: World War II: The Battle of Dunkirk ended with a German tactical victory. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk)

1944: Charles de Gaulle became Prime Minister of France. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Gaulle)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"A time is marked not so much by ideas that are argued about as by ideas that are taken for granted. The character of an era hangs upon what needs no defense. Power runs with ideas that only the crazy would draw into doubt. The "taken for granted" is the test of sanity... In these times, the hardest task for social or political activists is to find a way to get people to wonder again about what we all believe is true. The challenge is to sow doubt." -- Lawrence Lessig (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lawrence_Lessig)