Only qualifier is that you had to be alive when they happened. Without watching them in person, on television, or listening to them on the radio, don't post OK? Only reason I want a qualifier is because there isn't any intelligent sportswriter's still around active in America who actually observed Roger Maris at his best, and only measure his success on statistics, and there are a lot more important things in sports than statistics - other than the final score. You also get two Honorable Mention's, otherwise I think the thread would run a page a post: 1. Secretariet winning the Triple Crown. We waited a long-long time to see that, and he won by about 20 lengths. 2. Bill Mazarowski killing the N.Y. Yankees with his 9th inning walk-off HR to win the 1960 World Series in Game 7, the only time it has ever been done in Major League Baseball. Saw it on B&W TV as a kid, never liked the Yankee's their lineup scared the heck out of me at a time when baseball was in its Golden Era. 3. Despite JFK taking office, and men in space in 1961, the Roger Maris - Mickey Mantle HR race was THE story in America that year, bar none. Maris won it, and set the record, Mantle took a late injury and hit an amazing 54 HR's, and the World Series was an anticlimax - Yanks sweep the Cincinnati Reds away in five games. 4. Dale Earnhart finally winning the Daytona 500 on a day when the King Richard Petty drove in his final race, and a new rookie from the Indy ranks, Jeff Gordon raced in NASCAR for the very first time. 5. Staying with car racing the tragic deaths of Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki, followed less than a year later by the very talented Davey Allison, who probably would have won 3-4 championships (would have loved to see him run against Jeff Gordon), and of course the death of Dale Earnhart in the fast lane at Turn 4 of Daytona. 6. U.S. Olympic Hockey team's improbable upset win for the Gold Medal at Lake Placid taking our the Soviet team. People forget they also had to win the next day against, I believe it was Sweden, to take the gold. 7. The unhittable Sandy Koufax precision pitching from 1961-1966 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Only person who could pitch that way later - Steve Carlton. 8. Joe Willie Namath's and his New York Jets winning the 1967 Super Bowl in Miami against the 17-point favorite NFL champions Baltimore Colts, coached by NFL great Don Shula. Namath, in an offhand remark by the pool in Miami predicted the Jet win - the comment became big news after the game, and Namath was the premier star of the NFL until his retirement. Few players equal his standing even today. Perhaps Tom Brady. 9. If you are a Baltimore Oriole fan, the Birds somehow actually convincing the Cincinnati Reds to trade Frank Robinson for the likes of Milt Pappas, a decent pitcher - but bring World Series titles to Baltimore and making them a powerhouse for years to come. 10. Staying here with baseball - the amazing Oakland A's three straight World Series championships in the early 1970's, when they all wore beards. Dennis Eckersley? Also unhittable as a relief pitcher. Honorable mention's? Very difficult......... The Buffalo Bills managing to go to the Super Bowl four straight times. League financing being what it is today, don't think the feat will ever be accomplished again, players will break away for huge contracts. Unfortunately, the Bills lost them all (although they should have won three - they were over-matched only in the 52-17 Dallas blowout). Going to their second straight, they overcame a 35-point halftime deficit against the Oilers to win in OT and beat the likes of Dan Marino; Joe Montana and John Elway to go three times. Jim Plunkett was the Raiders QB the first time they went. Had trouble with my last Honorable Mention - wanted to put the Abbie Wambaugh; Hope Solo U.S. Women's world and Olympic champion soccer team in here because they have inspired an entire generation of young women to compete in soccer, and even had the men excited too. But........have to go here with Pete Rose setting the Major League Baseball hits record for Cincinnati. Despite all the controversy following it, was the major story in sports until he did it........
The 2004 ALCS, the Red Sox winning after being down 3-0, with Schilling's bloody sock. 1999 ALDS: an injured Pedro Martinez came out of the bullpen after leaving game 1 with a back problem...and threw six no-hit innings.
