Favorite Sports Clips

[sunvalleylaw]

Since we just finished the Olympics, I remembered this from my first Olympics coverage, and my first exposure to track and field. Even at age 9, I remember being riveted by this race.



Awesome! :

It has to be one ofmy all time favorites. Anyone remember this? Share some great sports clips you can find so we can all be inspired. Just don't post Theisman's leg breaking. :

[R_of_G]

Awesome idea for a thread Steve!

As a Mets fan, I would have to start with the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. There apparently is no youtube footage of one of the most famous errors in baseball history, but I did find this... a recreation of the Mets' half of the inning on a NES video game system featuring the original audio from the broadcast. It's actually quite well done.

[marnold***]

Darren McCarty enters Red Wings lore with a spectacular game-winning goal in game #4 of the 1997 Stanley Cup finals against the Flyers.


I know most people hate this about hockey, but this fight galvanized the Red Wings in 97. It began with, of all people, Igor "The Professor" Larionov giving the "noogies of doom" to Forsberg. Eventually McCarty exacts retribution on Claude Lemiuex for rearranging Kris Draper's face in the '96 playoffs. Of course then there's the goalie fight between Roy and Vernon. There was some serious hate between those two team that year.

[sunvalleylaw]

I am not a huge hockey fan, but the US/USSR 1980 Olympics final is a good one too. R_of_G, that re-creation is cool!

[R_of_G]

The 1980 "Miracle On Ice" was a great game indeed, however it was not the Olympics final. It was a medal round game and the US win over the Soviets was a HUGE upset, and sent the US to the finals where they defeated Finland to win the gold medal. Still, it was a great moment for hockey (unless you lived in the USSR at the time, then I suspect it wasn't much fun to watch at all).

And yes, that re-creation was a lot of fun to watch. A little more lo-fi than the version in my memory, but it'll do.

[sunvalleylaw]

The 1980 "Miracle On Ice" was a great game indeed, however it was not the Olympics final. It was a medal round game and the US win over the Soviets was a HUGE upset, and sent the US to the finals where they defeated Finland to win the gold medal. Still, it was a great moment for hockey (unless you lived in the USSR at the time, then I suspect it wasn't much fun to watch at all).

And yes, that re-creation was a lot of fun to watch. A little more lo-fi than the version in my memory, but it'll do.

LOL, as I wrote that, I wondered, was that the final? Well I stand reminded. I remember watching the final and it being almost a let down after the "Miracle on Ice".

[R_of_G]

You're not the first person to make that mistake. Half the reason I remember that it wasn't the final is from years of reminding other people of that when they make the same mistake.

I agree. I remember watching the gold medal game. It was still cool that we won, but it wasn't nearly as exciting as the game vs. the Soviets. Afterall, the Finns hadn't humiliated an NHL All-Star team and come away with more wins than losses against NHL teams like the Soviets did. They were another team of amateurs like the US was.

[R_of_G]

I've been thinking about this one since Marnold posted the McCarty beat-down of Claude Lemieux, which by the way was an absolute joy to watch. I am no Red Wings fan (especially after what they've done to the Flyers) but I have always thought Claude was one of the cheapest and dirtiest players in the game and a complete coward so it was nice to see him get his come-uppance at the hands of a legitimate tough guy like McCarty.

So, here's my next contribution to this thread. There are plenty of baseball fights when a batter gets beaned and charges the mound, but I cannot recall any other time than this one where it was the pitcher who administered the beating upon the guy who charged him. The lesson we all learned from Robin Ventura that day was never charge Nolan Ryan unless you want to get clobbered.

[R_of_G]

I've never been one of those to think televised golf is boring. Certainly not when Tiger Woods is on the course.

One of the most exciting moments in the history of The Masters...

[sunvalleylaw]

I won't interrupt your flow of lessons, but here is one from me; my favorite sport is NOT boring.



Herman Maier - This was a huge crash in ski racing.

and here is probably the most memorable moment in winter sport, other than the "Miracle on Ice" above:


Franz Klammer - 1976 So near to crashing, most of the race, so fast on the way to Gold! :

[aeolian]

Being a UC Berkeley graduate, this is special for me.

[sunvalleylaw]

That was a great one Aeolian! I loved it when he stuffed the band guy.

[R_of_G]

Well done Aeolian. One of the greatest moments in all of sports' history!

[Spudman***]

OMG! That Herman Meier crash is incredible...and he went on to win gold a couple of days later. Wow!

I did something like that. In one mountain bike race I got knocked down into a huge puddle at the beginning of the race. My head was pushed under water, people were running over me, I was tangled up in a couple other bikes and couldn't get up or out of the puddle. Finally one guy while dragging his bike out of the puddle also pulled me out along with his bike because I was stuck to it. I spit out the muddy water, got back on my bike and passed the half of the field that had passed me while I was under water to win the event. Getting back up is sometimes hard but it's possible.

[sunvalleylaw]

Way to go on your race. Maier is tough. This is the guy who returned to world class ski racing after having his leg just about severed in a motorcycle crash. My true ski heroes are the Mahre twins, who were more technical event contenders than downhillers, but Maier is certainly tough.