This Day in History – 1888 – The Great Blizzard of 1888 begins along the eastern seaboard of the United States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.  Snowfalls of 40-50 inches (102-127 cm) fell in parts of New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut and sustained winds of over 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet.

Birthdays

        MLB Baseball

Bobby Abreu   *All-Star*   *Gold Glove*
Born:  March 11, 1974, Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela
Height: 6′ 0″   -    Weight: 210 lbs
Position: Right Fielder
Pro-career: 1996-present
Career Stats:  Batting avg  .299;   Home runs  256; Stolen bases  348; RBIs   1187
Teams: Houston Astros (1996-1997); Philadelphia Phillies (1998-2006); New York Yankees (2006-2008); Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2009-present)
Honors: *All-Star* selection (2004, 2005)
            *Gold Glove* Award winner (2005)
            Silver Slugger Award winner (2004)
            2005 Home Run Derby winner
            AL Player of the Month winner
            NL Player of the Month winner
          ———-
Brian Anderson
Born: March 11, 1982, in Tucson, Arizona
Height: 6′ 2″   -    Weight: 215 lbs
College: University of Arizona
Position: Outfielder
Pro-career: 2005-present
Career Stats:   Batting avg .227;    Home runs  22;    RBIs    80
Teams: Chicago White Sox (2005-2009); Boston Red Sox (2009); Kansas City Royals {2010-present)
          ———-
Chris Burke
Born: March 11, 1980, Louisville, Kentucky
Height: 5′ 11″   -    Weight: 195 lbs
College: Chris Burke
Position:  Second baseman / Outfielder
Pro-career:  2004-2009
Career Stats:   Batting avg   .241;    Home runs  22;    RBIs  106
Teams:  Houston Astros (2004-2007); Arizona Diamondbacks (2008); San Diego Padres (2009)
          ———-
Dock Ellis   *All-Star*
Born: March 11, 1945; Los Angeles, California
December 19, 2008; Los Angeles, California
Height: 6′ 3″   -    Weight: 205 lbs
Position:  Pitcher
Pro-career: 1968-1979
Career Stats:  Win-Loss  138-119;   ERA  3.46;  Strikeouts   1,136
Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (1968-1975); New York Yankees (1976-1977); Oakland Athletics (1977); Texas Rangers (1977-1979); New York Mets (1979); Pittsburgh Pirates (1979)
Honors:  *All-Star* selection (1971)
               World Series champion (1971)
               1976 AL Comeback Player of the Year
               Pitched no-hitter on June 12, 1970
          ———-
Rich Hill
Born: March 11, 1980, Boston, Massachusetts
Height: 6′ 5″   -    Weight: 205 lbs
College: University of Michigan
Position:  Starting Pitcher
Pro-career: 2005-2009
Career Stats:   Win-Loss  21-20;    ERA   4.87;   Strikeouts    355
Teams: Chicago Cubs (2005-2008);  Baltimore Orioles (2009)
          ———-
Dan Uggla   *All-Star*
Born: March 11, 1980; Louisville, Kentucky
Height: 5′ 11″   -    Weight: 215 lbs
College: University of Memphis
Position: Second Baseman
Pro-career: 2006-present
Career Stats:  Batting avg  .257;  Home runs  121;  RBIs   360
Teams: Florida Marlins (2006-present)
Honors:  *All-Star* selection (2006, 2008)
               Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year: 2006

        NFL Football

Lee Evans
Born: March 11, 1981, Sandusky, Ohio
Height: 5′ 10″   -    Weight: 202 lbs
College: University of Wisconsin
Position:  Wide Receiver
Pro-career: 2004-present
Career Stats: Receptions  340; Receiving yards  5,356;  Receiving TDs  39
Teams: Buffalo Bills (2004-present)
Honors: Academic All-Big Ten (2000)
             First-team All-Big Ten (2001, 2003)
          ———-
Chris Gamble
Born: March 11, 1983, Sunrise, Florida
Height: 6′ 1″   -    Weight: 200 lbs
College: Ohio State University
Position: Cornerback
Pro-career: 2004-present
Career Stats:   Tackles 413;   Sacks 1.0;   INTs  24;  TDs      2
Teams:  Carolina Panthers (2004-present)
          ———-
Dan Kreider
Born: March 11, 1977, Manheim, Pennsylvania
Height: 5′ 11″   -    Weight: 255 lbs
College: University of New Hampshire
Position: Fullback
Pro-career: 2000-present
Career Stats:    Receptions  60;   Receiving yds  471;  TDs   2
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-2007); St. Louis Rams (2008); Arizona Cardinals (2009-present)
Honors: Super Bowl champion (XL)

         NBA Basketball

Elton Brand
Born: March 11, 1979 in Cortland, New York
Height: 6′ 8″   -    Weight: 275 lbs
College: Duke University
Position: Power Forward
Pro-career:  1999-present
Career Stats:  Games
Teams: Chicago Bulls (1999-2001); Los Angeles Clippers (2001-2008)
Honors: 2000 NBA Co-Rookie of the Year (with Steve Francis)
             2-time NBA All-Star (2002,2006)
             2006 All-NBA Second Team
             2006 NBA Sportsmanship Award
          ———-
Jim McMillian
Born: March 11, 1948, Raeford, North Carolina
Height: 6′ 5″   -    Weight: 215 lbs
College: Columbia University
Position: Forward
Pro-career: 1970-1979
Teams: L.A. Lakers; Buffalo Braves; New York Knicks; Portland Trail Blazers

        NHL Ice Hockey

Michal Handzus
Born: March 11, 1977, Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
Height: 6′ 5″   -    Weight: 217 lbs
Position:  Center
Pro-career:  1998 – present
Career Stats:  Games  681;  Goals  140;   Assists   223 
Teams: Los Angeles Kings; St. Louis Blues; Phoenix Coyotes; Philadelphia Flyers; Chicago Blackhawks
          ———-
Bill Houlder
Born: March 11, 1967, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Height: 6′ 2″   -    Weight: 217 lbs
Position:  Defenseman
Pro-career: 1987 – 2003
Career Stats:  Games  846;   Goals   59;  Assists   191
Teams:  Washington Capitals; Buffalo Sabres; Mighty Ducks of Anaheim; St. Louis Blues; Tampa Bay Lightning; San Jose Sharks; Nashville Predators