Phil C
08-05-2005, 09:27 PM
It was on tonight on ESPN Classics and of course as they mentioned they had lots of material to choose from. I am posting the results in reverse order as they showed it and I am sure we can all recall some items left out and maybe post them with our opinions or maybe even give our opinions on the selections. Something else to help us hold on till the end of August when the football season starts for real. I will list their choices in reverse order as shown on the show and add a few comments of my own.
20. Rosie Ruiz crashes Boston Marathon in 1980.
19. Indiana fires Basketball Coach Bobby Knight in 2000. (I thought the firing of footballCoach Woody Hayes of Ohio State was more noteworthy than this).
18. Canadian Ben Johnson beats Carl Lewis in 200m in 1988 Olympics but is disqualified after failing a drug test. (I thought Lance Armstrong's excessive drug testing by the French was also noteworthy and he always passed them but they still came on determined to catch him but they never did mainly because he was innocent - which is a pretty good reason. ).
17. In 1957 two New York baseball teams the Giants and Dodgers move to San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively. (What about when the Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis in the middle of the night. Big Time Football! And also the lack of class a few years ago when Art Model moved Cleveland to Baltimore.)
16. Latrell Spreeweell assaults his coach at Golden State in 1997 and is suspended for rest of the year.
15. Tanya Harding and Husband have Nancy Kerrigan assaulted before the 1994 Winter Olympics.
14. In 1980 USA boycots Olympics in Moscow per order of President Carter. This was due to Russian involvement in Afganistan. (Ironically USSR did the same thing in 1984 when the Olympics were in Los Angeles because of USA involvement in Granada).
13. Al Campanis of the Dogers interview in 1987.
12. Baseball Strike cancels 1994 World Series.
11. In 1951 players from New York University and Long Island University shave points in basketball. (I remember one player from Rice University in the 60s reported some gamblers who had approached him to throw games. Another player from San Antonio that I can't recall his name was kicked off of Rice Univerisity team for being approached and refusing to participate but he didn't report it.)
10. On 11-19-04 NBA players fight with fans in stands in Detroit. (As they left the floor after the game some of the fans were throwing beer and other items at the players but poetic justice came in 2005 in Game 5 at Detroit as Horry makes a big 3 pointer which wins the game for the Spurs thus enable them to beat Pistons for the World Series.)
09. Tommy Smith and John Carlos raise their hands in black power salute in 1968 at the Olympics in Mexico. (A shame that politics has to take over so much in the Olympics. Look at the USA and USSR boycots. Then in the 1968 or 1972 Olympics seven black nations threatened to boycott Olympics if South Africa was included because they didnt' like their governmemt. The Olympics gave in to their demands and ironically South Africa's best athlete was black and was denied a chance at a gold medal. Also Hitler used the Olympics to put his country in a positive light in 1936 Olympics in Berlin which helped keep up out of the war and turn out heads to the holicaust and war until 1941 but of course Jesse Owens crashed the party there to a certain extent. Also the terrorist attact at the 1972 Olympics and afterward they didn't even take one day of morning for the killed athletes but continued the olympics).
08. Mohammed Ali refuses to be inducted into the army.
07. Curt Flood fights his trade from St. Louis to Philadelphia in court and wins thus starting free agency for better or worse. It ended his career which he knew it would but it started free agency.
06. In 1947 Jackie Robinson breaks racial barrier in major league baseball.
05. In 1972 Olympics clock is moved back not once but three times in the gold medal basketball game between the USA and USSR. With three seconds left the USA was fouled and was behind 49 to 48 and the USA made both free throws to lead 50 to 49 but the Russians were given three chances to score and made the third one to win the game 51 to 50 in a very controversial ending. In fact the game was appealed but upheld by a split 3 to 2 vote (I wonder if France made the deciding vote). I think the game was 40 minutes long so you might say that 40min06sec equals 40min in Munich. lol I wonder if Steve got his idea for the Back to the Future movies from this. :)
04. 2005 Steroid use in baseball. Nuff said.
03. Pete Rose banned from baseball for life in 1989 for betting on baseball games.
02. In 1919 Chicago Black Sox threw the World Series. Eight players were banned from baseball for life. Ironically one of the banned that was really innocent was Buck Weaver who did not participate.
01. O.J. Simpson murder trial and acquittal in 1995. (Seems more of a national news story even though he was a great football player at that date rather than a sports controversy).
Let the debate begin as they say. One item I thought would have been NFL plays games after JFK assassination the Sunday after the murder (on Friday). The NFL always regretted not having the games played later. Also the French Judge that cheated two Canadians of gold medals at the last Winter Olympics (I think). The long count in boxing of Dempsey vs Tunney.
20. Rosie Ruiz crashes Boston Marathon in 1980.
19. Indiana fires Basketball Coach Bobby Knight in 2000. (I thought the firing of footballCoach Woody Hayes of Ohio State was more noteworthy than this).
18. Canadian Ben Johnson beats Carl Lewis in 200m in 1988 Olympics but is disqualified after failing a drug test. (I thought Lance Armstrong's excessive drug testing by the French was also noteworthy and he always passed them but they still came on determined to catch him but they never did mainly because he was innocent - which is a pretty good reason. ).
17. In 1957 two New York baseball teams the Giants and Dodgers move to San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively. (What about when the Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis in the middle of the night. Big Time Football! And also the lack of class a few years ago when Art Model moved Cleveland to Baltimore.)
16. Latrell Spreeweell assaults his coach at Golden State in 1997 and is suspended for rest of the year.
15. Tanya Harding and Husband have Nancy Kerrigan assaulted before the 1994 Winter Olympics.
14. In 1980 USA boycots Olympics in Moscow per order of President Carter. This was due to Russian involvement in Afganistan. (Ironically USSR did the same thing in 1984 when the Olympics were in Los Angeles because of USA involvement in Granada).
13. Al Campanis of the Dogers interview in 1987.
12. Baseball Strike cancels 1994 World Series.
11. In 1951 players from New York University and Long Island University shave points in basketball. (I remember one player from Rice University in the 60s reported some gamblers who had approached him to throw games. Another player from San Antonio that I can't recall his name was kicked off of Rice Univerisity team for being approached and refusing to participate but he didn't report it.)
10. On 11-19-04 NBA players fight with fans in stands in Detroit. (As they left the floor after the game some of the fans were throwing beer and other items at the players but poetic justice came in 2005 in Game 5 at Detroit as Horry makes a big 3 pointer which wins the game for the Spurs thus enable them to beat Pistons for the World Series.)
09. Tommy Smith and John Carlos raise their hands in black power salute in 1968 at the Olympics in Mexico. (A shame that politics has to take over so much in the Olympics. Look at the USA and USSR boycots. Then in the 1968 or 1972 Olympics seven black nations threatened to boycott Olympics if South Africa was included because they didnt' like their governmemt. The Olympics gave in to their demands and ironically South Africa's best athlete was black and was denied a chance at a gold medal. Also Hitler used the Olympics to put his country in a positive light in 1936 Olympics in Berlin which helped keep up out of the war and turn out heads to the holicaust and war until 1941 but of course Jesse Owens crashed the party there to a certain extent. Also the terrorist attact at the 1972 Olympics and afterward they didn't even take one day of morning for the killed athletes but continued the olympics).
08. Mohammed Ali refuses to be inducted into the army.
07. Curt Flood fights his trade from St. Louis to Philadelphia in court and wins thus starting free agency for better or worse. It ended his career which he knew it would but it started free agency.
06. In 1947 Jackie Robinson breaks racial barrier in major league baseball.
05. In 1972 Olympics clock is moved back not once but three times in the gold medal basketball game between the USA and USSR. With three seconds left the USA was fouled and was behind 49 to 48 and the USA made both free throws to lead 50 to 49 but the Russians were given three chances to score and made the third one to win the game 51 to 50 in a very controversial ending. In fact the game was appealed but upheld by a split 3 to 2 vote (I wonder if France made the deciding vote). I think the game was 40 minutes long so you might say that 40min06sec equals 40min in Munich. lol I wonder if Steve got his idea for the Back to the Future movies from this. :)
04. 2005 Steroid use in baseball. Nuff said.
03. Pete Rose banned from baseball for life in 1989 for betting on baseball games.
02. In 1919 Chicago Black Sox threw the World Series. Eight players were banned from baseball for life. Ironically one of the banned that was really innocent was Buck Weaver who did not participate.
01. O.J. Simpson murder trial and acquittal in 1995. (Seems more of a national news story even though he was a great football player at that date rather than a sports controversy).
Let the debate begin as they say. One item I thought would have been NFL plays games after JFK assassination the Sunday after the murder (on Friday). The NFL always regretted not having the games played later. Also the French Judge that cheated two Canadians of gold medals at the last Winter Olympics (I think). The long count in boxing of Dempsey vs Tunney.