Monday, February 27, 2006

SOME OTHER GREAT MOMENTS

In response to E's post.

I can think of a few that should make the list that I personally enjoyed in my lifetime:

- Jim Leyritz Homer off Mark Wohlers in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series that ruined him and started and new Yankee legacy.

- Kirby Puckett's Homer in the 10th inning of game 7 to win the 1991 World Series. I find this homer, this game and this series more interesting than Joe Carter's Walk-off shot in the 1993 series.

- Tom Watson beating Jack Nicklaus at Pebble Beach for the 1982 U.S. Open. It was one of the few times that I was ever rooting against my Dad's guy Nicklaus.

- The Patriots overcoming the Rams in the 2002 Super Bowl. I especially liked how Madden said they should sit on the ball and play for overtime and how they defied him by marching down the field and booting the ball through the uprights.

- The Pine Tar game in 1983. I was watching it live on sattelite dish. I remember that the announcers weren't sure why they were measuring Brett's bat against home plate. If you see the tape Graig Nettles celebrates by pounding his mit just moments before the ump calls Brett out and Brett storms out of the dugout. Nettles later wrote a book about that season and hated the decision to replay the game, but did say that it would in some funny way give rookie Don Mattingly a chance to extend a hit streak that this particular game ended. If he had connected, Mattingly would have had something like 28 games straight. That would have been the weirdest hitting streak on record. The whole thing resulted from Billy Martin seeing Brett's bat earlier in the series, and remembering that Thurman Munson was called out for the same violation after hitting a single in the 1970s. A bad rule no doubt, but I couldn't understand why the league office would overturn the umpires when blown calls have ruined many more significant contests.

- Pete Rose beating Cobb. It never should have been broken. How did he do it? How could anyone ever catch Rose now?

- Ripken beating another impossible record and leaving only Dimaggio's hitting streak as untouchable.

- Nolan Ryan umpteenth no-hitter. Sandy Koufax retired at 30. How could Ryan be strking out a guy per inning at the age of 45?

- Barry Bonds hitting his last legitmate homer back in 1993.

- Mark McGwire hitting his last legitmate homer in 1991.

- Bonds inviting McGwire's children to watch him break Daddy's record in 2001.

More to follow after some thought

3 comments:

Dude said...

Some sports moments transcend sport and that was the focus of E's list. My own personal favorite sports moments includes the following:

I am too young to remember the Immaculate Reception, but Swish would rank this one first on his list.

I do remember the Kenny Stabler forward fumble which led to a touchdown and a rule change.

I remember the Giants handing the ball off with seconds to go rather than taking a knee, which led to a fumble, a Philadelphia return for a touchdown, and the firing of the offensive coordinator.

I remember watching Monday Night Football in bed on a little b/w TV with the sound very low so my folks wouldn't know. MIN just put a punt on the DAL one-yard line, then the very next play from scrimmage, Tony Dorsett took the ball 99 yards for a score. I was incredulous, but couldn't cheer, lest the folks hear.

I remember watching Jack Morris throw a no-hitter on NBC's first game-of-the-week in 1984. The last hitter was Greg Luzinski and the Chicago fans were on their feet rooting for the no-no.

1988 Kirk Gibson. The definition of a classic moment.

The best regular-season game I ever watched was a 1991 ATL/PIT televised game. Zane Smith, threw a one-hitter, but the hit was a David Justice solo shot. Tom Glavine also threw a one-hitter, which was a 9th inning single by Jay Bell. With Bell on first, Andy Van Slyke hit a bomb, but Otis Nixon ran three steps up the center field wall to catch it and preserve the ATL victory.

The best series I ever watched, and the best that ever was, in my opinion, was the 1991 World Series, which culminated in ten innings of goose-eggs in game seven authored by John Smoltz and Jack Morris. Puckett's homer ended it, as listed by Tom. I also remember the Chuck Knoblauch juke of Lonnie Smith as a pivotal moment in this series.

I will never forget Jerome Bettis' fumble just last month, and Ben Roethlisberger's miracle tackle, and the wife-inflicted stab wound which slowed down the ball carrier just enough.

Dude said...

I forgot to mention Ripken's victory lap, which was an extremely moving eight minutes. The fact Ripken hit a HR in that game was excellent. Also, eight minutes of silence from Chris Berman was something to cherish.

Tom said...

That reminds me of Wade Boggs jumping on that back of that horse after the 1996 World Series.

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