Ten years ago, Mike Tyson celebrated his 31st birthday two days early and in the most unusual of ways: by actually biting off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's right ear during a fight.

Nine ears earlier, almost to the day, he had followed a more exciting plan, beating Michael Spinks in a 91 second dismantling that solidified Tyson's standing as the world's undisputed heavyweight champion.

A couple of interesting things about Francona: almost exactly one month before he was born in 1959, his father Tito was traded to Cleveland for OMDQ favorite Larry Doby. It ended up being Papa Francona's best major league season, with career highs in a number of offensive categories including batting average (.363), homeruns (20) and OPS (.980).

Let's all pause for a moment to pay tribute to the man who helped bring Boston its first championship in 86 years (if sitting back and letting $120 million of payroll do its thing can be classified as "help"). He's bald. He deserves it.

Oh, and Phillies fans? I know you're angry, but please stop throwing batteries. They hurt.

(Quick question, mildly off topic: were any Red Sox fans out there disappointed when Francona was hired because of his reputation as a laid back individual? After the Grady Little Era, I was looking forward to a guy who could throw a Lou Piniella or Butch Hobson-level nutty - I'm talking pulling bases out of the ground and climbing the outfield walls. Not enough of that in today's game.)

(Photo: ESPN.com)