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praetor

(Encyclopedia)praetor prētˈər [key], in ancient Rome, originally a consul, and later a judicial magistrate (from c.366 b.c.). In 242 b.c. two praetors were appointed, the urban praetor (praetor urbanus), decidin...

racquetball

(Encyclopedia)racquetball, sport played indoors by two or four players, combining elements of court handball and such racket games as squash racquets. It is played on a standard handball court 40 ft (12.2 m) long, ...

Bican, Josef

(Encyclopedia)Bican, Josef, 1913–2001, Czech soccer player, b. Vienna. A forward with over 800 competitive goals, he is considered by many to be soccer's greatest scorer. Known as “Pepi,” Bican joined Rapid V...

Upshaw, Gene

(Encyclopedia)Upshaw, Gene (Eugene Upshaw, Jr.), 1945–2008, American football player and labor union leader, b. Robstown, Tex. He attended Texas College of Arts and Industries (now Texas A&M, Kingsville), whe...

Jágr, Jaromír

(Encyclopedia)Jágr, Jaromír, 1972–, Czech ice hockey player, b. Kladno. Jágr played professional hockey in Czechoslovakia as a teenager, and joined the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League in 1990...

Crosby, Sidney Patrick

(Encyclopedia)Crosby, Sidney Patrick, 1987–, Canadian ice hockey player, b. Cole Harbour, N.S. The first draft pick in 2005, Crosby, scored 120 points in his second season with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a center...

Scherbo, Vitaly

(Encyclopedia)Scherbo, Vitaly, 1972–, Belarussian gymnast. Often considered to be the best male gymnast of all time, he had won at least one world title on each apparatus by the time he retired in 1997. He won hi...

Port Angeles

(Encyclopedia)Port Angeles ănˈjələs [key], city (1990 pop. 17,710), seat of Clallam co., NW Wash., on Juan de Fuca Strait opposite Victoria, British Columbia; inc. 1890. A port of entry with a good harbor, Port...

Blatter, Sepp

(Encyclopedia)Blatter, Sepp (Joseph S. Blatter), 1936–, Swiss sports executive, grad. Univ. of Lausanne, 1959. He served as general secretary of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation and director of sports timing and p...

baseball

(Encyclopedia)CE5 A regulation baseball field. Minimum distance to the outfield fence is 250 ft; professional baseball fields constructed since 1958 have been at least 325 ft deep along the foul lines and 400 ft...