Transcendant sports moments

[tower912]

Breaking off from the World Cup thread, what are your top transendant moments in sports?   For me.....
1980 US Hockey Team.   2003 Elite 8 game against Kentucky.    Flutie's Hail Mary against Miami.   Armando Gallaraga patting Jim Joyce on the shoulder.   Ordonez home run that put Detroit in the WS in 06.    Gibson's homers  (A) off of Gossage in the 84 series, (B) off of Eckersley.  (I confess to a Tiger's bias)   Bartman.     The two seconds that Hayward's shot was in the air against Duke.   Justin Leonard's putt at Brookline.   Donovan's goal today.    Chastain's goal against China.  Ollie making the free throws to win the game for Hickory.  Carlton Fisk waving the ball fair.  (And I was a Red's fan)   Barry Sanders.  Princeton over UCLA.

[ATWizJr]

The long pass to Whitehead in the semi's against UNC Charlotte with 2 secs left that Whitehead scored to send MU into the final against Dean Smith and UNC!

[brewcity77]

Just a few off the top of my head...

Reading knocks out Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup...

Definitely Donovan's goal today...

Wade's triple-double against Kentucky...

After the Slovenia match last week, the kid who leaned out the window on I-94 and started shouting "USA-USA-USA" at me...

Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup...

Jordan's first title after returning from retirement...

1985 Bears...

Nolan Ryan's 300th win (because I was there)...

Brandi Chastain...

Also the US beating Brazil 1-0 in the Women's 2008 Olympics after losing to them the year before in the World Cup...

Giants upset Patriots in the Super Bowl...

Appalachian State beats Michigan...

[PBRme]

1936 Jesse Owens in the Olympics

[radome]

Bucky Dent.

[MerrittsMustache]

I'll always remember sitting on the floor as a pre-schooler, decked out in Cubs gear, watching the Cubs beat Pittsburgh to win the division in 1984. Rick Sutcliffe struck out Joe Orsulak (I think it Orsulak) to end it and Harry Caray went nuts, screaming "The Cubs are the champions! The Cubs are the champions!" over and over.

Granted, I didn't fully understand just how big a moment I was witnessing at the time, I just knew that my team won. As I've grown older, I've really come to appreciate my parents allowing me to stay up late that night to celebrate.

(I've also spent 25+ years trying to block Leon Durham's "original Buckner" from my mind.)

[goodgreatgrand]

Jason Lezak's come-from-behind swim that captured the gold for Team USA in the relay at the Beijing Games.

[mu-rara]

Bucky Dent.

Or for Sox fans...... Bucky F Dent

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Scott Podsednick and Geoff Blum hitting game winning home runs in the 2005 World Series.

Blackhawks Cup.

Vikings and Dennis Green taking a knee in the NFC Championship game to go to OT and lose.

[copious1218]

Vikings and Dennis Green taking a knee in the NFC Championship game to go to OT and lose.

When was this?

[SaintPaulWarrior]

When was this?

1999 and #9 on this list.

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/worstdecisions.html

[mu-rara]

Scott Podsednick and Geoff Blum hitting game winning home runs in the 2005 World Series.

Blackhawks Cup.

Vikings and Dennis Green taking a knee in the NFC Championship game to go to OT and lose.

Transcendent?

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Transcendent?

Which one?

[GGGG]

I'm not sure what you exactly mean by "trancendant," but here are mine anyway:

1. Packers win 1997 Super Bowl
2. 2003 Final Four Run.
3. Badgers win 1992 Rose Bowl
4. 1980 Hockey Team
5. Brewers win 1982 ALCS

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Transcendent?

1 a : exceeding usual limits : surpassing b : extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience c in Kantian philosophy : being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge

Pod's had zero homers all year and hit a walk off to win a WS game.

Blum, a bench player, sat on the bench for 2 games and 13 or 14 innings and came in and hit a game winning HR.

BlackHawks Cup.....thought it would never happen in my lifetime.

Vikings with the best offense in the history of the NFL taking a knee...hilarious.

[mu-rara]

1 a : exceeding usual limits : surpassing b : extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience c in Kantian philosophy : being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge

Pod's had zero homers all year and hit a walk off to win a WS game.

Blum, a bench player, sat on the bench for 2 games and 13 or 14 innings and came in and hit a game winning HR.

BlackHawks Cup.....thought it would never happen in my lifetime.

Vikings with the best offense in the history of the NFL taking a knee...hilarious.

I think these moments need to be known universally.  Like Where were you when Kennedy was shot, when you heard about 9-11, like many of tower912's examples in the first post of this thread.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Are these personal moments or moments that everyone remembers and enjoys?

For me, watching the Cowboys win 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years was incredible....for a lot of NFL fans, Packer fans in particular, they would rather shoot themselves.


So many of these moments have a personal bias unless it's a team representing the entire country.  If we go down that path, it's pretty easy...

1980 US Hockey Team

Yesterday's World Cup



That might be it.  Otherwise we get into examples where maybe most of us love it but there are still that hate the result...i.e....

Pete Rose hit record
McGwire home run record...that was transcending at the time
Nolan Ryan's 300th (I was there also)
Doug Flutie Pass....unless you're a Canes fan.
Kordell Stewart pass....unless you're a Michigan fan
George Mason over UCONN...unless you're a UCONN fan
Duke Laetner over Kentucky....unless you're a Kentucky fan or also just hate Duke

etc, etc.

[copious1218]

1999 and #9 on this list.

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/worstdecisions.html

Ahh, thanks.  Forgot about this one.  I was thinking back to last year against NO and when they got smoked by the Giants - totally forgot about the Falcons beating them too.

[StillAWarrior]

I'll never forget Andujar freaking out in game seven of the 1985 World Series.  I was a Royals fan as a kid (we didn't have a team in Colorado back then), and that Series was a big deal to me.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

I think these moments need to be known universally.  Like Where were you when Kennedy was shot, when you heard about 9-11, like many of tower912's examples in the first post of this thread.

I think game winning/walk off home runs in the World Series is pretty universal.  I think winning a Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years is pretty universal.  I was not alive when JFK was shot.

Chico's beat me to the punch, it is not universal at all, it is personal.

[GGGG]

I think these moments need to be known universally.  Like Where were you when Kennedy was shot, when you heard about 9-11, like many of tower912's examples in the first post of this thread.

The only sports moment that I think may be "known universally" is Miracle on Ice.  Other than that, it all depends on the teams you follow.

I mean, even yesterday won't stand the test of time if we flame out in the next round.

[GGGG]

I think winning a Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years is pretty universal.  

I think the majority of people in this country have no idea who won the Stanley Cup, and even those sports fans who do, view it no differently than any other year.  When the Rangers won in 1994, it was their first win since 1941 or something like that.  I would hardly call it "trancendent"...unless you are a Rangers fan.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

I call it "trancendent" since I am a BlackHawks fan.  Like I said I never thought it would happen in my lifetime.  Never.

[Blackhat]

some other first sports memories...

pittsburgh pirates-atlanta braves series/ sid bream slide

Mitch Williams imploding for the phillies.

Norwood wide right in super bowl.

Lou Holtz walking sideline during ND's '88 championship (that's about all i remember of that).

[StillAWarrior]

Lou Holtz walking sideline during ND's '88 championship (that's about all i remember of that).

I was at the first (Reggie Ho beats Michigan) and last (Major Who?) games of that season.  That Fiesta Bowl is another of my very memorable moments.