Greatest Sports Moments

[DemocratSinceBirth]

I mean the sports momements that meant the most to you.

1) Muhammad Ali's comeback victory over Jerry Quarry in 1970 after his three and one half year exile.

2) Muhammad Ali's shocking victory over the ertswhile "invincible" George Foreman.

3) Muhammad Ali's victory over Leon Spinks in their rematch. I wish he would have let me remember him like that instead of losing to Larry Holmes and a tomato can like Trevor Berbick.

4) Sugar Ray Leonard's victory over Roberto Duran in the "No Mas" fight. Sugar Ray lost the first fight because he "stupidly" tried to out fight Duran instead of out box him. The second fight wasn't even close.

5) Sugar Ray Leonard's victory over Marvin Hagler after fighting only two times in four years.

6) The Mets 69 and 86 World Series victories

7) The Miami Heat winning the NBA Championship with my man Shaq Daddy keeping his promise.

[Counciltucky]

1. Hmmm...

1) The Yankees winning the 1996 World Series (first Yankee World Championship of my life).

2) Aaron Boone's Game 7 walkoff home run, 2003 ALCS.

3) Warren Holloway's game-winning touchdown for Iowa as time ran out, 2005 Capital One Bowl.

4) Cal Ripken's 2131st consecutive game.

5) Mark McGwire's 61st home run.

6) Pretty much any game the Nebraska football team has lost.

[H2O Man]

2. The Liston - Clay fight

was a great moment in sport's history. Charles "Sonny" Liston was who Big George would base his early persona upon. At the time, very few people appreciated how good Cassius Clay was.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. I Was Too Young To Aprpreciate It.

But I was old enough to appreciate the others.

I still rememember watching the Spinks-Ail rematch when John Travolta kissed Ali on the cheek in the dressing room. I believe Willie Nelson was in it too. I said to my friend "who said it's lonely at the top."

I wish he would have let me remember him like that.

I also wish Leonard would have let me remember him after the Hagler fight than losing a couple after that.

[H2O Man]

5. I wish Muhammad

had retired after the 3rd Frazier fight. Actually, I wish he had after Foreman. But in his fights after Manilla, he took a lot of punishment. One of the overlooked fights was against Ernie Shavers. I had the chance to see Ernie fight before, and I do not stretch the truth when I say that even at ringside, one could hear the extreme power of his punches. And "the Acorn" hit Ali with way too many shots.

The first Liston fight was one of the best heavyweight title fights. People couldn't appreciate it at the time. Many seriously wondered if Sonny threw the fight. He didn't. Clay fought one of the best fights of his career. Angelo has said the first Liston, the Williams, and the second Quarry fight were the three where Muhammad's physical skills were at their peak.

Of course, there were those three and a half years he couldn't fight. We'll never know how good he would have been. Many fans have forgotten that he was preparing to sign to fight Oscar Bonavena in Japan at the time. He also was aware of a few guys who would fight in the tourney that Jimmy Ellis won -- young Jerry Quarry, Thad Spencer, and a tough Philly fighter named Leotis Martin. And there was another kid from the Philly gyms, Joe Frazier. Of course, Yank wouldn't have let Joe fight Ali for at least 2 years. But the Champ would have cleaned the division.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. .

I remember Leotis Martin. He beat an old Sonny Liston. He also had a detached retina that ended his career. I can't remember the chronology any more but I think the third Norton fight occurs after the Thrilla in Manilla. Ali spoke of retiring after the Foreman fight but he also spoke of fighting till fifty.

It's hard for average folks to appreciate the rush an athlete gets from playing his sport.

[fishwax]

4. let's see ... for me

1.) Oklahoma Sooners beat Florida State in the Orange Bowl to win the 2000 national championship. Having suffered through years of losing seasons, embarassing losses, and underperforming teams since I showed up on campus, that season was completely magical.

2.) The Denver Broncos first super bowl win, over the Green Bay Packers. In particular, the John Elway play in which he helicoptered his way to a touchdown on a naked bootleg. What a play.

3.) "The Drive" against the Cleveland Browns to send the Broncos to their second super bowl (and the first that I was cognizant of). Having been born into a family of Broncos fans, that was a great moment.

4.) Sid Bream, the slowest man in the national league, scoring from first base on a Francisco Cabrera single to cap a three-run, ninth-inning rally in game seven of the NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates. I'd been a Braves fan since the helpless early 80s, when they were the worst team in baseball but had my favorite player (Dale Murphy).

5.) The Sooners beating Texas in 2001, because it was among the most exciting games I've ever been to and had one of the greatest defensive plays in the history of the college game--Roy Williams' "superman" play in which he leaped over the offensive line and hit QB chris simms as he was preparing to throw, causing an interception in the endzone for the TD that sealed the game.


6.) OU beating Missouri for a trip to the Final Four in 2002. I still think they should've won it all that year, but they blew it against Indiana in the national semifinal.

7.) Rich Beem fighting off Tiger Woods to win the 2002 PGA Championship. He came so out of nowhere and was such a huge underdog. I just thought it was a great story. It's the only golfing event I've ever actually recorded on tape.

[Lefty48197]

6. 1984 World Series in Detroit

lower centerfield bleachers, watching Alan Trammell jack two HR's into the left field seats in game #4.

[Bluzmann57]

7. Here's a few

1) The Cubs winning the NL East title in '84, '89, and '03. I'm a diehard, it doesn't take much to satisfy me when it comes to the Cubs.

2) My Packers winning the Super Bowl in 1996. I do remember the first two, but did not appreciate the signifigance of them until much later.

3) The Iowa Hawkeyes going to the Final Four against all odds in 1980. This team wasn't really supposed to go far, but Ronnie Lester, the best point guard in the USA, came back and nearly carried the Hawks until facing Louisville in the national semifinal.

4) Team USA taking down the hated USSR team in the 1980 Olympics. Quite frankly, this is the number one sports moment ever, in my book. The USA overcame huge odds and won not only against the Russians, but against Finland for Olympic gold. It is doubtful that a moment like that will ever happen again in my lifetime.

Just a few of my personal faves. Not earth shaking, save for the U.S. Hockey victory, but I like 'em anyway.

[NJ Democrats]

8. That mean the most...

Lots of Yankees stuff
1) '96 Yanks win.
2) 98, 99, 00 Yanks WS wins
3)'01 WS Games 3-5
4)Wells Perfect Game
5) Cone Perfect Game
6) Clemens 300 Win & 4000 k
7) Boone HR
8) Giants kicking the Vikings ass '01 playoffs
9)Miami Heat title
10) Lakers' 2 peat
11)Rangers getting back to playoffs this year.

I think that is most of them. Of course there was Bonds and Big Mac's records but they don't mean so much anymore.

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

9. A Couple Of The Top of my Head

(01) Reggie Miller in the clutch - There are so many instances of Reggie turning a basketball game around in the favor of pacers after being down for the count, I can't even list them all.

(02) The 1992 Indianapolis 500 - Al Unser and Scott Goodyear racing towards the finish line for the closest finish in the History of the Indianapolis 500.

[Awsi Dooger]

10. Canes over Nebraska '83

I went to every game from age 6 until leaving for college and that program never had any hint of being anything other than mediocre. One title was astonishing, and the dynasty almost gravy.

Dolphins defeating Washington to culminate unbeaten season in '72. We got season tickets that year. After Dallas dominated us a year earlier in the Super Bowl, the final win was hardly a given and the entire city understood the historical impact of 17-0. Hell, you've got posters here and everywhere desperately rooting for another team to go unbeaten every season, simply because they think it will somehow stain or lessen the '72 Dolphins. Continued good luck, BTW. You're only 19 games away.

Ali over Foreman. I didn't really remember the pre-exile Ali and this was the first time I knew him as heavyweight champ. That victory truly shocked me.

Seattle Slew dominating Affirmed in the '78 Marlboro Cup. Slew had freakish ability but his reputation didn't match that level. If he had died of the virus or never raced at age 4 he would have been deemed by many ignorant fans the best of a poor lot. I knew he was tons better than Affirmed but the long period of inactivity, only 3 minor races in 14 months, and new trainer were huge questionmarks. Slew dominated the race on the front end and was never seriously threatened. Could have broken the world record for 1 1/8 miles if Cordero had kept him closer to the rail and asked for more down the stretch.

[redirish28]

11. these are my most memorable sport moments

1) Super Bowl 32

2) the 1986 and 1987 AFC Championship game

3) game 5 of the 87 ECF between the Pistons and the celtics

4) Theismann having his leg broke by LT

5) the 1988 NBA finals between the Lakers and the Pistons

6) game 7 of the 2000 WCF Between the lakers and the trail blazers

7) Kirk gibson's game winning homerun agaisnt oakland in hame 1 of the 88 world series


many others but these are the best ones

[fishwax]

16. you must be a bronco fan

:)

Super Bowl 32 and the '86 AFC championship game made my list, too :thumbsup:

I'd kind of forgotten about Gibson's home run ... I wasn't a Dodgers fan (and was pulling for the A's), but that was a helluva moment.

[Scurrilous]

12. The Dolphins defeating the previously unbeaten Bears on MNF in '85.

I believe this game still holds the record for the most watched Monday Night Football game of all time.

[TahitiNut]

14. "The Miracle on Ice" and "The Catch"

:shrug:

[Captain Hilts]

19. Yep. Miracle on Ice greatest moment in my lifetime. nt

[northzax]

15. mine-

in no particular order: (I had to have been watching for them to count here)

1: Kirk Gibson's gimpy HR-
2: Flutie's Hail Mary
3: The World Series Quake
4: Desmond Howard's fingertip catch at the Big House

[Dinger]

17. Brett Favre Throwing For 399 Yds & 4 TD's The Day After He Lost His Father

Not necessarily in the order, but here are mine:

(I'm mainly a football fan, so please excuse my ignorance with regard to to ther sports):

1) Brett Favre throwing for 399 yards & 4 TD'sagainst the Raiders the day after he lost his father

2) The Ice Bowl

3) The Miracle On Ice

4) Nadia Commeneci's (sp?) olympic performance

5) Mark Spitz's 7 Gold Medals

6) Brett Favre's 3 MVP's

7) Rudy Galindo's Gold Medal performance (ice skating) in the U.S. Championship against incredible odds - another
miracle on ice

8) Jason McElwain's 6-3 pointers in basketball - I bawled every time I saw it

9) Rudy Ruettiger's performance against Georgia Tech :

" Devine allowed Ruettiger to play against Georgia Tech on November 8, 1975. It was the final play of Rudy's senior season with the fighting Irish. Rudy recorded a sack and that is all his Notre Dame stat line has ever shown. Ruettiger was carried off the field by his teammates following the game. "

10) Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points

11) The immaculate reception

etc.

[Captain Hilts]

18. B. Thompson home run, Flutie Hail Mary, Im. Recept., Dwight Clark.Mets'86.

[opiate69]

20. The Miracle on Ice..

and the Miracle at the Kingdome..

[Justpat]

21. Secretariat's 31 length win of the Belmont when he won the TC.

Seattle Slew's undefeated campaign through the Triple Crown.

[frylock]

22. magic johnson's junior skyhook in game 4 of the '87 finals..

ps - Hagler was robbed.

[rockymountaindem]

23. The Broncos' SB wins, and the 2004 WS for the Red Sox

For the Sox, I stopped shaving as a good luck charm the day before they took the field for game 4 in the ALCS (long story, lol). By the end of the WS, some of my friends didn't recognize me on the street. Ahh... good times.

[LisaM]

24. Red Wings winning the Cup in 1997, Michigan winning NCAA football

also the 1997 season.

Two long-term proud franchises that really deserved it. I will NEVER forget how I felt when the Wings won the cup. Neither team had, prior to that, won their respective championships in my lifetime, and they are not new teams.

I like it when the fans have been waiting a long time for a win and finally get one.