The Chase, 20th anniversary (running thread)

This YouTube page claims it was "Maury from Brooklyn"; I've never heard of him, and I used to listen semi-regularly around that time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP8TwjRMdS0&feature=kp

 

Most of the call sounds like the caller is straight out of "Song of the South"

"There OJ be goin..."

 

"Peter, by the way, just for the record, this is Al Michaels and that was a totally farcical call. Lest anyone think that was someone who was actually across the street. He said something in code at the end that was indicative of mentioning the name of a certain radio talk show host..."

 

I was at an outdoor music festival and knew nothing about it. Got home late that night to all the replays. A classic "WTF?" moment.

 

I remember watching that with a couple of my college roommates and we were laughing so hard tears were rolling down our faces. That was one of those moments where you're just in shock at how perfectly played the prank was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_n_FE4S7Jk

Here's the entire clip with the explanation as to how it was pulled off. It's over 20 minutes, but it's time well-spent.

Nothing compares with hearing it as it was happening though...

 

Felt the same way listening to the Stern guy who got though to CNN the night of the Princess Di auto wreck. I kept telling the wife, "There is NO way this is not a Howard Stern prank." And it was!

 

Wow, I missed that one and that's from someone who listened to Stern almost daily for 20+ years.

 

We'll never see a year like 1994 again. To wit...
- Bobby Bowden wins a national title (when the state of Florida was the epicenter of college football
- Tanya Harding battles Nancy
- Michael Jordan plays baseball
- USA hosts the World Cup (to date, the highest average attendance for a World Cup ever).
- USA beats Colombia in said World Cup for first WC win in 44 years.
- O.J.
- Rangers break curse, win Stanley Cup
- An insane MLB season -- Gwynn chases .400, Matt Williams and Griffey Jr. chase Maris record, Expos have the best record while drawing 35,000 per-game in their last homestand, a sub-.500 team threatens to win the AL West -- goes down the drain because the strike.

I was a sophomore in high school, when certain things in the sports world seem larger than life, but man, what a year.

 

I was on the side of the road with an overheated engine and a melted cylinder that would eventually require me to spend $5,000 for a remanufactured engine for my Toyota Supra.

Fun night.

 

Then Jennings responded with a bizarre line (I am paraphrasing):

"Thanks, Al. It looks like we've been had. Wasn't the first time. Surely won't be the last."


WTF?

 

I was almost 10, but I remember watching all the coverage that day and night with my grandparents. Never will forget the shots of the Bronco driving down the highway.

 

Watching the NBA Finals sick in bed with a fever and finding myself rooting for him to off himself in front of everyone.