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Sports News Blog Archives
Sports News Blog posts insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domain of the sports facet of life. Sports News Blog: Sports-History News 1 SPORTS HISTORY -- Bludgeoned by a milestone: August 07, 2007 by JOHN MARSHALL, The Associated Press
The image will be played over and over, in countless loops well into the future: Barry Bonds making the swing that moves him past Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list, trotting the bases as flashbulbs pop across the stadium. But within that frame will be another, more reluctant, member of history: the other guy. Ralph Branca, Greg Norman, Everson Walls, Isiah Thomas - each secured their places in the annals of sport by being victims of the moment, "posterized" for eternity with head hung low, grimaced look on their faces as the celebration goes on around them. So to honor the victim of No. 756, whoever that might be, we bring you some of the more memorable poster boys in sports history. Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) JORDAN'S SHOT The victim: Bryon Russell. When: 1998 NBA Finals. The moment: In what should have been a perfect ending to one of the greatest careers in any sport, Jordan lost Russell, a Utah Jazz guard, with a wicked crossover - OK, maybe he carried the ball - and finished off Chicago's second three-peat with his hold-the-pose jumper. Too bad Jordan had to come out of retirement. It's still a great moment, one that no one, particularly Russell, will ever forget. Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD The victim: Ralph Branca. When: 1951 National League playoff. The moment: "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" It was one of the most famous calls in baseball history and Branca, pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers, was on the receiving end when Bobby Thomson hit a game-ending homer that gave the New York Giants the NL pennant. Branca won a pedestrian 88 games in 10 seasons, but will forever have a place in history thanks to the "The Shot Heard 'Round the World." Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) RYAN'S SEVENTH NO-NO The victim: Roberto Alomar. When: 1991. The moment: Ryan overshadowed Rickey Henderson breaking Lou Brock's all-time steals record by tossing his seventh no-hitter at age 44 on the same day. At least Henderson made the highlights for something positive. Alomar, second baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, didn't; he's the one swinging feebly for the final out of Ryan's last no-hitter, then walking away slowly as Ryan is mobbed by teammates. Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) THE CATCH The victim: Everson Walls. When: 1982 NFC Championship. The moment: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana was trying to throw the ball out of the end zone to give his team enough time for another play. Instead, Dwight Clark reached up and snared a fingertip grab, sending the 49ers toward their first Super Bowl title. Standing just below Clark during "The Catch" was Walls, a Dallas Cowboys cornerback who was immortalized in infamy on the cover of Sports Illustrated and TV replays. Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) BIRD'S STEAL The victim: Isiah Thomas. When: Game 5, 1987 Eastern Conference finals. The moment: The Pistons had the Boston Celtics right where they wanted them after Dennis Rodman swatted Larry Bird's shot and the ball caromed off a Boston player out of bounds. Instead of calling time-out, Thomas floated a pass toward Bill Laimbeer and Bird intercepted, flipping a pass to Dennis Johnson for the winning shot in the closing seconds. Even Thomas had to hear famed Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most's call: "Now there's a steal by Bird! Underneath to D.J. who lays it in!" Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) GRETZKY PASSES HOWE The victim: Kirk McLean. When: 1994. The moment: McLean vowed to keep an eye on Gretzky so he wouldn't be on the one to give up the goal that put the Great One past Gordie Howe's all-time goals record. He did - for about a period. Gretzky beat McLean with a wrist shot from the left face-off circle for goal No. 802, ensuring the Vancouver goalie's mug a spot in the highlights every time someone talks about Gretzky's career. Now McLean can't help but keep an eye on Gretzky. Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) MIZE'S CHIP The victim: Greg Norman. When: 1987 Masters. The moment: Norman has the role of victim down pat, some of it his own doing, some of it not. This one sticks out for the sheer surprise of it. Playing the 11th hole in a sudden-death playoff, Norman was on the green and Augusta native Larry Mize was off the green to the right. Norman didn't watch Mize's chip, but he could tell by the shaking ground and roaring crowd what had happened: Mize had chipped in. Norman missed his putt, securing his fate as one of the sports world's most prominent victims. Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) WOLFPACK MIRACLE The victim: Akeem Olajuwon. When: 1983 NCAA Tournament. The moment: The memory was North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano running around searching for someone to hug after the Wolfpack somehow beat Houston in one of the greatest upsets in NCAA history. But that moment was set up by Lorenzo Charles' tip-in at the buzzer after Dereck Whittenburg launched a desperation shot. Watching it all was Olajuwon, who repeatedly swatted the Wolfpack's shots all night but improbably stood under the basket and didn't jump on Charles' tip. Maybe Olajuwon later added the "H" to his first name in hopes people would think it was someone else. Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) HAMMERIN' HANK'S SHOT The victim: Al Downing. When: 1974. The moment: The man who will soon be second to Bonds knows what it's like to be part of history, having passed Babe Ruth's long-standing home run mark. So does Al Downing. The Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander was the one who served up Hank Aaron's 715th homer and just about everything he did on the hill has been overshadowed by that single moment. Thanks to Bonds, Downing has gotten plenty of extra unwanted air time over the last couple of years. Sports News Blog: Sports History News 1 (Continued) HAIL MARY The victim: Darrell Fullington and Reggie Sutton. When: 1984. The moment: Boston College had one play and 48 yards left to upset heavily-favored Miami. B.C. quarterback Doug Flutie scrambles to the right and heaves the ball into the end zone, where it drops into the hands of Gerry Phelan to give the Eagles a 47-45 win. The defensive backs who got beat? Fullington and Sutton, who collided as the ball dropped into Phelan's hands. They've probably replayed the play in their minds nearly as many times as it's been replayed on TV. Sports News Blog Comment: Sports were designed to have fun together in a physical way as per the sports history of the mankind. That's right! So, let's define sports as physical fun together. Fun gives joy. 'Together' gives it more. Much, much more! The more the physical skill, the more the fun! Both the sides! But then we start measuring it. So much so that measuring the skill acquires an existence of its own as different from the fun it (the skill) had been acquired for. But why, in the first place, did we start measuring it at all after all? We humans have, on the path of the growth of civilization, somehow turned more traders of the commodities of the growth than players of the fun of its beauty. Trader counts the coins. The bigger the count, the greater the thrill! Fun turns to thrill! Thrill replaces joy when growth becomes more important than the aesthetic of life. The thrill of measuring the bigger skill in comparison with the lesser one! The trader in us starts counting its score! The bigger the score, the surer the win! The loser goes to the wall. The spirit of fun - the sportsman spirit - turns to the spirit of war. I invite you to subscribe to my E-zine titled Life Coach, free of charge. This E-zine publishes insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. A not-to-be-missed opportunity! Subscribe to it here: I also invite you to subscribe to my Life Blog - no need to provide your e-mail address here. This RSS feed keeps you informed about new developments taking place on this site. It also harbors 25 journal bloglets posting insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. 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