This Month in Sports History: August

In this Aug. 1, 1996, file photo, Michael Johnson of the United States, celebrates after he won the men’s 200 meter final in a world record time of 19.32 at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Johnson, along with fellow Olympic champions Dan O’Brien and Babe Didrikson, will be among the 24 athletes inducted into the Hall of Fame being opened by track and field’s governing body later this year.

The USA’s Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Canoga Park, Calif., walks the track at Olympic Stadium in Barcelona Aug. 2, 1992 after winning the gold medal in the Heptathlon competition during the XXV Summer Olympic Games.

San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds smiles in the dugout as he watches his home run counter on the centerfield wall change to 600 after he hit his 600th career home run, a solo shot against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning Friday, Aug. 9 2002 in San Francisco.

American track and field athlete Jesse Owens winks as he poses in the Olympic village with his Olympic oak plants after winning the gold medals in the 100-meter dash and the running broad jump at the XI Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 4, 1936. Owens is wearing the victory wreath around his head.

Endurance swimmer Lynne Cox during a recent practice swim in the Norton Sound off Nome in Anchorage, Alaska on August 7, 1987. The California woman was preparing for an unprecedented 2.7-mile swim in frigid waters and fast tides from the U.S. island of Little Diomede to the Soviet island of Big Diomede.

Ty Cobb, outfielder for the Detroit Tigers, poses in this undated photo at an unknown location. His 24-year major league career began at age 18 with the Tigers in 1905, and he managed them from 1921 to 1926, retiring in 1928 with the Philadelphia Athletics. Cobb, who was nicknamed the "Georgia Peach," was born in Narrows, Ga., in 1886 and died in Atlanta in 1961.

United States’ Michael Phelps shows the gold medal after the men’s 100-meter butterfly final during the swimming competitions in the National Aquatics Center at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008.

Mary Decker-Slaney grimaces and clutches her leg after a collision with rival Zola Budd during the women’s 3,000-meter final at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Aug. 11, 1984.

Representatives of the National Basketball League and Basketball Association of America, shake hands after agreeing to a merger of the two circuits into an 18-team organization to be known as the National Basketball Association, Aug 3, 1949, New York. Grouped around the smiling Maurice Podoloff, center, are left to right: Ike Duffey, Leo Ferris, Ned Irish, and Walter Brown.

A sculpture breaks apart as part of the performance during the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Friday Aug. 13, 2004.

Olympic broad jump medalists salute during the medals ceremony Aug. 11, 1936 at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. From left on podium are: bronze medalist Jajima of Japan, gold medalist Jesse Owens of the United States and silver medalist Lutz Long of Germany. Long and German Olympic officials give the Nazi salute, while Owens gives a traditional salute.

Outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team Roberto Clemente is shown, 1967.

American athlete Jesse Owens, left, breaks the tape in a record time of 21.1 seconds in the elimination heats of the men’s 200 metres Olympic Games race, in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 4, 1936. Canada’s Lee Orr, centre, finished second.

San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds, upper left, embraces his son Nikolai as teammates come out to congratulate Bonds after he hit a home run, his 755th, during the second inning of their Major League Baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Diego, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. With the hit, Bonds caught Hank Aaron and tied the career home run record.

Jack Nicklaus smiles broadly as he holds his trophy at the PGA National Championship at the Canterbury Golf Club in Cleveland, Ohio on Aug. 13, 1973.

Unidentified racing drivers watch fire men cleaning the track after the spectacular crash of World Champion Niki Lauda in todays West German Grand Prix here. After colliding with other cars Lauda’s Ferrari caught fire. Niki Lauda was rushed to hospital.

United States’ Michael Phelps swims to the gold medal in the men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay final during the swimming competitions in the National Aquatics Center at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008.

Wrigley Field’s first night game is underway with the Chicago Cubs host to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, August 9, 1988 in Chicago. The game was halted by rain in the fourth inning.

In this Aug. 27, 2007 file photo, Michael Vick arrives at federal court in Richmond, Va., with his lawyer, Billy Martin, right. Vick is scheduled to plead guilty to state dogfighting and animal cruelty charges Tuesday Nov. 25, 2008 in a deal that calls for a suspended sentence and probation.