OT: Glad it was in my lifetime

[willie99]

Calhoun, the best ever
Patriots, the best ever
UConn women, the best ever
Kemba, pure joy
(politics), won't go there

 

[alexd]

Not true.

Jim McKay announced the win On ABC’s Olympic coverage before showing the tape delayed game. Even knowing it though it still didn’t seem real when watching it until it was over.

Amazing day. And sporting wise I’d say the best thing in this thread that I’m glad to have lived through.

Jim McKay simply stated that the game had been played and that they would not ruin it for those watching the tape delay. However, all the celebrating Americans in the background sort of gave it away....The game was shown live in Canada however. I remember watching the 3rd period at Farmington Farms Racket Club that evening.

From Wikipedia:

Prior to the game, ABC requested that it be rescheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time so that it could be broadcast live in primetime hours. However, the IIHF declined the request after the Soviets complained that it would cause the game to air at 4 a.m. Moscow Time, as opposed to 1 a.m. Moscow Time. As a result, ABC decided not to broadcast the game live for the U.S. audience and instead tape delayed it for broadcast during its primetime block of Olympics coverage.[20] Before the game aired, ABC's Olympics host Jim McKay openly stated that the game had already occurred but that they had promised not to spoil its results. In order to accommodate coverage of the men's slalom competition, portions of the game were also edited for time.[21] To this day, some who watched the game on television still believe that it was live.[22]

 

[Dove]

Not true.

Jim McKay announced the win On ABC’s Olympic coverage before showing the tape delayed game. Even knowing it though it still didn’t seem real when watching it until it was over.

Amazing day. And sporting wise I’d say the best thing in this thread that I’m glad to have lived through.

I was 14. I don't remember any advance score. I remember howling at the moon that night.

 

[Kolumbo]

Honorable mention:

Steel Curtain Defense, Bradshaw, Swann, Stallworth - the entire team really
Reg-gie! Reg-gie! with Billy Martin & Steinbrenner, of course. Guidry. Forgetaboutit.
Muhammed Ali
The Rolling Stones and the rest of the British Invasion (music & sports, what's one without the other)

 

[HuskyHawk]

If we are sticking to sports, then:

1. UConn Hoops rise under Calhoun and last NC under Ollie, plus Geno and WBB success.
2. The Red Sox finally breaking the curse
3. Brady - Belichick era. Disagree with OP on Bledsoe who was a top 5QB and Grogan who was very good at his best. Some great teams before B&B just not the consistency.
4. The Whalers, and seeing the Howes play in particular along with Gretzky and Lemieux.

 

[Dove]

5 wins in 5 days at MSG.

Oh, then 6-0!!

 

[Kolumbo]

One of the biggest sports sensations ever. Phenomenal Athlete. The potential of what might have been statistics-wise was incredible. The greatest running back in my book.

 

[billybud]

My lifetime is long...so some of my best memories go way back...

1....1960 Yankees...my childhood idols... Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra...coached by Casey Stengel...had all the Yankee baseball cards...watched them running around the bases in baggy pants on a black and white TV.

2...Don Larsen's perfect game in the Series...got me interested in the Yanks...I played Little League that year with a Rawlings Stan Musial PML glove.

3...Superbowl III....Broadway Joe's guarantee of a win...Namath vs Unitas...

4...The Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson years...what can I say?

 

[Kolumbo]

If we are sticking to sports, then:

1. UConn Hoops rise under Calhoun and last NC under Ollie, plus Geno and WBB success.
2. The Red Sox finally breaking the curse
3. Brady - Belichick era. Disagree with OP on Bledsoe who was a top 5QB and Grogan who was very good at his best. Some great teams before B&B just not the consistency.
4. The Whalers, and seeing the Howes play in particular along with Gretzky and Lemieux.

#4 is Correct.

 

[The Funster]

Al Groh's tenure as Jets HC was awesome.

Bobby Bonilla's triumphant return to the Mets was thrilling.

Slamming the door shut on Donny Walsh so the Knicks can continue rockin' the good times.

KO dancin' the night away and dancin' the night away and...

Mike Ashley purchasing Newcastle United FC and creating a force to be reckoned with.

Man, I love my teams!

 

[gtcam]

The Cubs winning the World Series -- Thank God!!!!!!
The OBE tournaments at MSG - college basketball at it's apex with Jim Calhoun as the greatest coach
The Joe Morrone era at UConn Mens soccer and the North Goal gang
Being a NY Giants fan - the 2 Super Bowls BUT as a football fan The NE Pats and their dominance with Brady

 

[Lefty2one]

UConn's four titles.

The Yankees dynasty of the 90s. I don't follow baseball anymore but I was a huge fan from the late 80s until about ten years ago. That era was unbelievable.

Watching Michael Jordan. He's the best athlete I've ever seen. I don't mean to gatekeep, but he's one of the few athletes who I don't think can be fully appreciated without having watched him live. He was a spectacle and a (mostly) beloved cultural icon. He had a unique mix of masterful panache and an intense fire within. Even as a Knicks fan, though I hated him, I sure as hell appreciated him in the moment.

Some semblance of respectable basketball from the Knicks. Two Finals appearances and a lot of good seasons in the 90s. Unfortunately that's a lot more than younger Knicks fans can say.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

In terms of titles, just since 1995 I've celebrated championships for the Sox 4 times, Huskies men 4 times, Patriots 6 times with Brady, Celtics '08, Bruins '11, and BU hockey twice. My brother-in-law from Buffalo , a Mets-Bills-Sabres fan, is jealous. Not to mention 21 yrs. attending the greatest college basketball conference tournament in MSG.

Other than that, glad I watched the moon landing, the Berlin Wall come down, and the '80 USA Miracle on Ice (led by 4 guys from BU - Craig, O'Callahan, Silk, and Eruzione ).

 

[Palatine]

Roger Bannister breaks the four-minute mile.
The Space Race. It it wasn't a sport why was it called a race?

 

[billybud]

I was in Atlanta watching Hank Aaron and the Braves the night we landed on the moon.

They announced what was going on over the game speakers.

 

[Kolumbo]

Howard Cossell and of course, Battle. of. the. Network. Stars.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Great Topic.
1. UConn becoming a national basketball power and giving residents and fans a unifying cause.
2. Red Sox losing in 1978 and 1986 and then winning it all four times since 2004.
3. NBA from 1980-1996. The Bird/Magic rivalry, Sixer, Celtics, Lakers. Then throw in the Pistons and eventually the Bulls title run. The players, the style of play, all of it.
4. End of Jack's career and watching Tiger for 20 years. The crowd, the buzz, the way Tiger could just wilt the rest of the field.
5. McEnroe, Connor and Borg in late 70's and early 80's. The insanity of their antics and the different styles of play with wooden rackets and craftsmanship they needed.

 

[Sphinx]

1. The UConn men's Dream Season, 1989-90
2. The first men's NC, 1999
3. Kemba's march thru the BE to the NC, 2011
4. the first Sox WC, 2004
5. the Giant's superbowl wins over the Pats

Unless you were a 50-year-old who had been a UConn fan all your adult life, you cannot know the other-worldly, walking-on-air, pinch-me-I'm-dreaming feeling that engulfed your every waking moment that March in 1990. UConn -- the Big East's resident doormat -- suddenly the BE champ, suddenly a #1 seed in the NCAA's, suddenly the #4 ranked team in the nation, the Cinderella team on every sports outlet, its "Gaza Stripper" the cover boy on Sports Illustrated. Then the tournament -- the march to the Elite Eight, Hubie Brown gushing in disbelief at the uncanny anticipation of the UConn defense, "The Shot.". Then the overtime against Duke, the loose ball that bounded away just beyond Tate George's grasp, Laettner's s buzzer beater and a statewide mourning that saw people weeping on the street. Dream Season? You could not have dreamed it.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Your top 5 selections which include an event or era in sports history, where you were fortunate to say it was "during your lifetime". Of course there are many to chose from in any sport, depending on your interest and fan base, and certainly some that will be common.
To start it off:
1) The Jim Calhoun era (1986-2012) - everything from the beginning to the end. The dominance of the Big East, swagger and all those banners.
2) The Brady/Belichick era (2000s) - Having lived through the Plunket, Grogan, and Bledsoe eras, who would have thought what was coming.
3) The 1996-2004 Yankees - memorable late ralleys and noise that ruffled the qhosts in Yankee stadium, a reliever and chosen shortstop along for the ride.
4) The Bird/Magic era (1980s) - saved the NBA. Guaranteed entertainment every memorial day weekend.
5) The Welterweight era (1980s) - Duran, Leonard, Hagler, Hurns, Prior...and Cosell.....

#5 I was thinking of how to put boxing on my list. Always like Hagler the best out of that group. Hagler/Hearns is still incredible to watch. For me though, boxing was cool because there was always a great fighter in his prime in the different areas I lived. My dad grew up in Easton, Pa and would drive us by Larry Holmes' house where Holmes had a boxing glove shaped inground pool. Holmes' jab would just rip his opponents apart. Marlon Starling never broke through to the mainstream top, but seeing him at the HCC and seeing him on live TV was cool. Later on I lived in Virginia Beach during Sweet Pea Whitaker's prime. The best was living in Pensacola during Roy Jones Jr reign. His fights were epic and the bars would be packed 3-4 before the fight card would start. I know I saw him fight once or twice and a week later he'd be on the local Navy base playing pick up basketball without any fanfare. Even the Tyson/Douglas fight was awesome because I was in college and was watching over at a friend's apartment and we had figured out how to break in to the cable junction box and get the feed for free.

 

[borninansonia]

The Jim Calhoun era

Complete games by baseball pitchers, (I was a Warren Spahn fan, and saw the classic battle with Juan Marichal when Willie Mays hit a game-winning solo home run off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th inning, and San Fran won 1-0. Spahn was 42 years old.

Jackie Robinson plays for the Dodgers

The rise of UConn women's basketball

Bird / Magic

 

[XLCenterFan]

The year the Red Sox broke the curse was unreal. Having the prior year end the way it did, paired with the greatest comeback ever in a series, the World Series was almost an afterthought. There was no way they were losing to STL.

I have been spoiled as a UCONN fan. I watched the program be built, watched it dominate, and will be around when it rebounds.

 

[storrsroars]

Howard Cossell and of course, Battle. of. the. Network. Stars.

Can't believe a self-professed red-blooded American like you didn't go with the Lynda Carter episode.

 

[uconnfan68]

Old guy reporting in:
- Muhammad Ali, most compelling and important sports figure in my lifetime
- Three NY champions in 17 months: Broadway Joe SB, Amazin' Mets, Knicks beat Lakers
- Dr. J and the ABA, pro hoops was boring as hell before the tri-colored ball
- Islanders dynasty
- 77-74 and those that followed

I shook Ali’s hand after getting off a short flight. He was sitting the front row when I boarded, and I caught up with him afterward. I was surprised he wasn’t bigger. This was around 1990. He was already feeling the Parkinson’s.

 

[businesslawyer]

The Miracle on Ice!!!

Amazing how that was a day game and no one knew who won until after the game at night.

Dan Rather announced at on the nightly news.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Your top 5 selections which include an event or era in sports history, where you were fortunate to say it was "during your lifetime". Of course there are many to chose from in any sport, depending on your interest and fan base, and certainly some that will be common.
To start it off:
1) The Jim Calhoun era (1986-2012) - everything from the beginning to the end. The dominance of the Big East, swagger and all those banners.
2) The Brady/Belichick era (2000s) - Having lived through the Plunket, Grogan, and Bledsoe eras, who would have thought what was coming.
3) The 1996-2004 Yankees - memorable late ralleys and noise that ruffled the qhosts in Yankee stadium, a reliever and chosen shortstop along for the ride.
4) The Bird/Magic era (1980s) - saved the NBA. Guaranteed entertainment every memorial day weekend.
5) The Welterweight era (1980s) - Duran, Leonard, Hagler, Hurns, Prior...and Cosell.....

1) Definitely the rise of Uconn mens basketball under the leadership of Jim Calhoun. Not only turned out to be successful but he ended up being one of the great coaches in the sports history.
2) Not a fan but the Red Sox and Cubs breaking 100 year long curses was pretty incredible seeing as both teams had won their last championship before and during WWI.
3) Micheal Jordan. Enough said
4) Being able to see all my teams win championships. Bears, Mets, Bulls and of course Uconn.
5) Not a fan but the Patriot dynasty imho is the greatest run of titles we have ever or will ever see. It is absolutely mind boggling that the same starting qb and coach won 6 Super Bowls over nearly a 20 year span. That simply shouldn't be possible.