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Your best sports memory

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by MTM, Mar 29, 2020.

  1. Donny in his element

    Donny in his element Well-Known Member

    I was just a few feet away from this one as a student reporter:

     
  2. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    I remember watching Hank Aaron's record-setting homer with my dad on a little black and white TV in a spare bedroom - because mom had friends over to play bridge in the living room.

    All the Steelers Super Bowl wins, of course.

    In 1993, I had Rockamundo across the board and in my exotics in the Arkansas Derby. He charged down the stretch to win at the wire as a 108-1 shot. I was standing in the infield and couldn't see the finish line. It took a few minutes to sort out that a 15-1 had nipped one of the favorites for place. When the payouts were posted, I damn near fainted. My girlfriend at the time said I got ghost white. Y'all, I got very drunk that night after my first trip to the IRS window at the track.

    When Landon Donovan scored in the World Cup against Algeria, I was home with our daughter. She was about 18 months old. When that ball went in the net, I started screaming - which caused her to start crying. I don't know why, but I love that memory.

    But none of them top watching my daughter get a double in her first tee ball at bat.
     
  3. Donny in his element

    Donny in his element Well-Known Member

    Good call on that Donovan goal.
     
    Inky_Wretch likes this.
  4. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Ian Darke's call was just as masterful.

     
  5. ChrisLong

    ChrisLong Well-Known Member

    Non-descript, eh?
    I covered a high school baseball game. It was a CIF-SS Div. 1 semifinal, so it was really good teams from big schools. For those familiar with the area, it was in 1973 and it was Santa Monica vs. Lakewood at Blair Field.

    SM, the team I covered, was losing, 6-3, going into the top of the seventh (last) inning. First two guys made outs. Third guy struck out, but the catcher missed it and the batter reached first. The pitcher got pissed and walked a couple of guys. Then he got a game-ending grounder to short, but it went through the guy's legs. Now the pitcher is really pissed. Walks, hits, and it's 9-6 before they got the last out. They go to the bottom of the seventh, Lakewood rallies for two runs and brings the cleanup hitter to the plate with bases loaded and two outs. He hit one that the left fielder caught against the fence to end the game. Final: 9-8

    In the finals at Dodger Stadium, SM won, 1-0, on a squeeze bunt early in the game and the pitcher threw a no-hitter against Los Alamitos.
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2020
    maumann likes this.
  6. tapintoamerica

    tapintoamerica Well-Known Member

    Fan: 1979 ALCS Game 4.
    Reporter: 1999 US Open. 18th green on Sunday. Never saw the ball drop. Could only follow Stewart. Incredible.
     
    maumann likes this.
  7. maumann

    maumann Well-Known Member

    Unseasonably cool North Carolina day. We were sitting in the press box at Five County Stadium with the heaters running, all watching the Open on TV instead of the Mudcats.
     
  8. OscarMadison

    OscarMadison Well-Known Member

    God bless the goofballs. One of my favorite memories was seeing Vern Fiddler being Vern Fiddler.

    One incident that stands out was a game that could be justifiably called a lost cause.* Fiddler got whistled down by an official who never seemed to like him. He coasted aimlessly on the ice, looking like he wasn't sure the ref was talking to him. Mister Stripes whistled again and pointed to the penalty box. Fiddler gestured as if to say, "You mean me?" The referee whistled again and approached Fiddler.

    Fiddler: (all gestures) You do mean me...

    Referee: YES.

    Fiddler's shoulders dropped. He looked at the ref, shook his head, and then looked over at Jordin Tootoo as if to suggest that's who he really wanted.

    *This was over ten years ago and I've been up since stupid o'clock today. So...
     
  9. ChrisLong

    ChrisLong Well-Known Member

    In 1979 I was on an L.A. Kings road trip that ended with a back-to-back against the Capitals and Penguins. It just so happened to coincide with the World Series between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The series ended with two games in Baltimore. Game 6 occurred when I was in Landover. Game 7 came when I was in the Igloo. There couldn't have been more than 1,500 fans, some of them had portable TV sets. There was a stoppage of play and all of a sudden, the fans began roaring. Willie Stargell's homer came during a non-action moment at the rink. After I finished working, I walked around the square in Pittsburgh, fans were chanting, blowing their car horns. While there was continual "Let's go Bucs!", three guys sitting on a bus bench where chanting, "Show your tits."
     
    HanSenSE and Inky_Wretch like this.
  10. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Covered so many Moore League doubleheaders there. High school baseball at its finest.
     
    MileHigh likes this.
  11. MTM

    MTM Well-Known Member

    The second most memorable non-pro game I covered was Bret Saberhagen's no-hitter for Cleveland High School in the 1982 LA City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium.

    The most memorable was a football game in 1987 between 8-0 Hometown High and 8-0 Podunk Prep, the dominant team in the league. Podunk scored on an 80-yard run on the first play from scrimmage (and missed the two-point conversion) then Hometown took the kickoff back 87 yards, so it was 7-6 less than a minute into the game.

    Podunk went up 28-7 before Hometown ran off 45 points to win 52-28. They won the next week to finish 10-0 then lost in the first round of the playoffs on a Holy Roller type play where a defender kicked and bobbled the football for what seemed like half the field before scooping and scoring.
     
    ChrisLong likes this.
  12. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    High school sports memory. State Super Bowl (Mass.'s pathetic excuse for a state title in the day) played at Nickerson Field, BU's outdoor field. Artificial turf. Snow squalls come up in the second half and field starts getting covered so they sweep the yard lines. Snow comes down harder. Close game. One team, Arlington (I forget the second, one of the big Catholic schools) scores with a minute left to lead by five. Oh, it's really snowing now. Catholic school throws Hail Mary. Receiver and DB go up for the ball and land together in a heap in what might or might not be the end zone. Refs hold the two kids in place with their hands like cops at a burglary, then have grounds crew sweep not only the goal line, but the kids to see who has the ball. Touchdown!
     
    swingline, dixiehack, maumann and 3 others like this.
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