The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 2006 March Madness – UCLA steals win from Gonzaga

Posted on March 25, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history occurred in the 2006 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness) semi-final round between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the UCLA Bruins.

The 2006 March Madness tournament was an inspiring competition for many reasons.  First, the #11 seed George Mason University Patriots had a stupendous run plowing over four consecutive higher seeds which included a thrilling overtime victory against the #1 seed Connecticut Huskies.  It was only the second time in tournament history that an 11 seed team made it to the Final Four.  Second, a powerhouse Florida Gators team finally stopped George Mason and went on to win it’s first National title ever, beating UCLA 73-57 in the final.  Third, UCLA is lucky to have reached the finals as they should have been ousted by Gonzaga in the semi-finals.

UCLA was down by 17 points and Gonzaga was hitting everything.  UCLA’s offense was sputtering and it looked like it would be a blow-out.  Then suddenly UCLA woke up.  The Bruins were sinking everything and playing masterful defense.  They chipped away the lead and found themselves down by 1 with 19.7 seconds left in the game.  Gonzaga had the inbound, so you know the drill, UCLA would need to foul them, hope they miss and get the ball back.  But this was not the case; the ball was inbounded to Adam Morrison who was quickly double-teamed.   He’s looking all over for an outlet and your nerves get on edge when he throws a dangerous cross-court pass to J.P. Batista.   Now it’s Batista’s turn to look for somebody as he’s not the guy you want dribbling down court for fear of a steal.  UCLA senses the indecisiveness and is quick to double-team Batista who has the ball knocked out of his hand from behind his head by UCLA Jordan Farmer.  Farmer comes up with ball and finds Luc Richard Mbah a Moute under the hoop for an easy lay-up.  The crowd goes wild as suddenly UCLA is up by one and Gonzaga quickly gets the ball past mid-court only to have it stolen from behind again with about 3 seconds left.  The rest is history so they say as UCLA goes on to win 73-71.

You have to see the steal here.

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The Sports Archives – NHL and Violence; Pittsburgh Penguins Matt Cooke gets Cooked!

Posted on March 23, 2011 by thesportsarchives

It seems that the NHL is finally starting to take a closer look at all the hits that are giving the game a bad name. Sure, we are bloodthirsty and we like the hard hitting, the occasional fight and the intimidation strategy that goes along with the game. However, we also like the fast skating, the crisp passing and the laser shots that can only come from the game of hockey. The second part of the equation is taken away when our fastest skaters, our high scorers and even our best goaltenders are injured or given a concussion due to some stupid, purposeful, cheapshot that usually involves an errant elbow or knee; or charge or hard check from behind into the boards.

As fans, we spend our money on season tickets so that we can see our team’s best players come out and play hockey. What good is it if you have guys like Evengi Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Marion Gaborik and Jeff Carter out for a good portion of the season? Yes, injuries are part of the game, but if your best skaters are always targeted by an intimidator looking to injure, then something needs to change. If it doesn’t, then players will dress like the pee-wees in full gladiator suit and cage which is certain to slow the game down and make it less glamorous.

Let’s take the recent case of Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins who blatantly hit New York Rangers Ryan McDonagh with an elbow to the head. Yes, McDonagh should be expecting a hard challenge from Cooke as he was shooting the puck into the Penguins zone. Should he have to also expect an elbow to the face? It is lucky for Cooke and more so for McDonagh that he did not get seriously injured from such a blow.

The NHL is starting to see the light and severely punished Cooke handing him a suspension through the remaining season and the first-round playoffs. Cooke, who will lose about 219K in wages, publicly apologized for the incident.   Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, General Manager Ray Shero and Owner Mario Lemieux, (also subject to many injuries) agreed with the NHL’s harsh enforcement of penalties especially to repeat offenders.

Watch flying elbow that cost Cooke over 219K, here.

What is your view on NHL violence?

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 2003 March Madness – Syracuse and Carmelo Anthony

Posted on March 23, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history, especially for the Syracuse Orange and Coach Jim Boeheim, occurred at the 2003 Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness) final between Syracuse and the Kansas Jayhawks.

Syracuse had to beat four Big 12 teams to get to the finals and probably faced some of the toughest competition in NCAA history.  It was especially sweet for Coach Jim Boeheim to win his first national title in his 27 years at Syracuse having lost two previous bids.  Perseverance pays off and his team would not let him down.  Syracuse was up by 11 at the half, backed by six 3-point shots by Gerry McNamara; however Kansas closed the gap to 80-78 in the final minute of the game with a chance to even the score.  There was 0.7 seconds left on the clock when Jayhawks’ Michael Lee attempted a 3-pointer which would’ve sent the Orange home wondering what if!  That’s when Syracuse’s “Helicopter” Hakim Warrick hovered high and over Lee to thwart any thoughts Lee was having of being hero.  The shot was blocked and Boeheim would have his title!

It seemed fitting for Warrick to block the attempt because he allowed Kansas the opportunity when he had missed two free throws just prior to the play.  I guess he figured blocking the 3-point attempt had a better chance of making the highlight reel!  Incidentally, Carmelo Anthony had an outstanding day for Syracuse with 21 points and was named Most Outstanding Player.

You have to see the blocked shot here!

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 1996 March Madness – Princeton upsets UCLA

Posted on March 21, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest upsets in sports archives history occurred at the 1996 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness) between the Princeton Tigers and the UCLA Bruins.  Gus Johnson of CBS was working his first NCAA tournament and UCLA, the defending national champions, were favored to be top contenders in 1996.

Princeton came out on fire and was hitting everything including 3-pointers from all sides.  Every Princeton player brought their game and in a timeout situation near the end, Princeton had a chance to win it.  The players were starting to taste it and it tasted too good not to take it home.  Gabe Lewullis felt it as he hit for 2 to push Princeton ahead 43-41 with 3.9 seconds left.

UCLA ran out of time and the rest as they say is history.  Princeton could not carry the momentum to next game as they lost disappointingly to a tough Mississippi State team 63-41 who also lost in the Final Four to the Syracuse Orange.  The Kentucky Wildcats went on to beat Syracuse 76-67 to win the 1996  tournament.

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 1991 March Madness – Duke upsets UNLV

Posted on March 18, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest upsets in sports archives history occurred at the 1991 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness) between the Duke Blue Devils and the University of Nevada Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels.  UNLV was undefeated going into the semifinals and the stage was set for a rematch of the previous year’s final in which UNLV blew Duke off the court with a 103-73 win.

The year 1991 was to be different, however, although no one would have believed it to be.  UNLV was cruising through the tournament and looked assured to win it all again.  Duke would have none of that and came to Indiana with game in-hand.  Right from the opening, Duke was sharp and traded baskets with UNLV all the way.  Then it happened, what many believed to be the turning point, UNLV point guard Greg Anthony fouled out with only a few minutes remaining.   Without Anthony’s on-court presence and leadership, UNLV seemed somewhat indecisive going down the stretch.  Duke smelled the blood and went for the kill; they banished UNLV from the tournament by 2 points, 79-77!

The victory propelled Duke to win the 1991 final over the Kansas Jayhawks 72-65 and gave Coach Mike Krzyzewski his first ever title.  Duke’s Christian Laettner was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

1991 Duke Highlights.

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 1985 March Madness for #8 Villanova

Posted on March 15, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest upsets in sports archives history occurred during March Madness at the 1985 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament between the Villanova Wildcats and the Georgetown Hoyas.  Number 1 Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, came into the Rupp Arena in Kentucky with the title practically in the bag after outscoring the West region leader St. John Red Storm in the Final Four by 18 points.  However, Number 8 Villanova had gained respect and momentum by handily beating the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Elite Eight and Memphis State Tigers in the Final Four.  Before those games, Villanova played just well enough to move on.

Carried on the back of that momentum in the final, each Villanova player shot the ball with such self-assurance that as a fan, you felt like every shot they put up was going in!  In fact, they shot 9 of 10 in the second half and 22 of 28 in all for an amazing 78.6% from the floor.  Now Georgetown had played a great game also, but how do you keep up with that shooting percentage?  The hunter, suddenly turned hunted, Georgetown, was feeling the pressure of converting every time they had the ball due to the Wildcat’s sharp marksmanship displayed on that day.

In the end Villanova hung on to win 66-64 and Ed Pinckney was voted the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player having gone 5 of 7 and 16 points in the final.  To this day, Villanova is the lowest seed to ever the win the NCAA championship and the 78.6% team shooting percentage remains an NCAA tournament record for a single game.

You must see the highlights here.

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 1983 Phi Slamma Jamma March Madness

Posted on March 12, 2011 by thesportsarchives

Phi Slamma Jamma sounds like the name of some rare pokemon.  If it were a pokemon, it would’ve been a very tall one with an extreme power to dunk a basketball.  This was the name attributed to the University of Houston Cougars men’s basketball teams of the early 1980s.  The name stood for the Cougars’ unorthodox method of playing street ball on a basketball court and setting up plays that ultimately ended in a slam dunk which Coach Guy Lewis referred to as “high-percentage shots”.

Houston had players like Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler to back up this style of play.  However, the 1983 NCAA Championship game proved that Phi Slamma Jamma could be had.  An underdog North Carolina State Wolfpack team came into Albuquerque, New Mexico with a tall order on their hands (no pun intended).  They attacked Houston right out of the gates and led by 7 at the half.  Phi Slamma Jamma woke up in the second half and dominated but missed a lot of free throws allowing North Carolina State to tread water (maybe a little less dunking and more free throw practice does the trick).

The last seconds of the game were classic and one of the greatest moments in sports archives history.  With the game tied 52-52, NC State’s Dereck Whittenburg puts up a 30 foot arching air ball only to be grabbed by Lorenzo Charles who dunks it through at the buzzer!  Hence, ironically, Phi Slamma Jamma is given a taste of its own medicine and is beaten by a dunk in the last second, 54-52!

Watch the highlights here.

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 1982 Michael Jordan March Madness

Posted on March 11, 2011 by thesportsarchives

The 1982 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament was a very special year for March Madness.  The championship game between the Georgetown Hoyas and the North Carolina Tar Heels featured a gold mine of players that went on to become NBA superstars.  The game itself was played in spectacular fashion with the lead changing 15 times and no team ever having an advantage by more than a few points.

Eric “Sleepy” Floyd put the Hoyas on top 62-61 with just over a minute left.  North Carolina called a timeout and probably discussed how to get the ball to their young freshman for a shot.  Wait, you ask, why go to a freshman for such an important two points in the final minute of the game?  When your freshman is Michael Jordan, you go to your freshman!  That is precisely what the Tar Heels did and Jordan did not fail them, hitting a jumper with 17 seconds remaining to push Carolina back in front 63-62.  Georgetown tried to rebound quickly but threw the ball right into the hands of Carolina’s James Worthy.   Worthy was fouled with 2 seconds left and although he missed both free throws, Georgetown could not drop their last desperation attempt.  The score stood and North Carolina reigned champion.

Besides Jordan, another freshman, this one from Georgetown had also given it everything he had that day.  Hoyas’ Patrick Ewing finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and a ton of goaltending calls.  Finally, Carolina’s Sam Perkins rounded out the talent that was displayed on the court that day.

You have to see the highlights here.

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Boston Marathon Hall of Shame

Posted on March 5, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history was a not-so great moment that occurred during the 1980 Boston Marathon. Take a second and visualize a runner emerging from a crowd of people standing on the sidelines about a half-mile from the finish line. This runner subsequently finishes first and becomes the third-fastest women runner in marathon history. This is precisely what happened in Boston!

Rosie Ruiz did the unforgivable not only in Boston but also in the New York Marathon just a year earlier. Ruiz was seen using the NYC subway system as a means for a short-cut and was never seen crossing the finish line. Nevertheless, she was given a time of 2:56:29, placing her 11th among women, and qualifying her for the Boston event. It wasn’t until later that NY officials voided her time after videotape revealed that she never crossed the finish line.

The Boston debacle was a little different. The Boston officials became suspicious right away when Ruiz began talking to the press about her miraculous finish. Not only did she not remember her ‘split’ times, but it became clear that she did not know what ‘split’ times were! More groundwork revealed the fact that checkpoint officials never saw her on the course. Moreover, other top runners never saw her pass them and two Harvard students stated that she emerged from the crowd just prior to finishing.

As Boston officials were scrambling, Ruiz was enjoying the limelight. She went on many interviews informing the public of her lack of knowledge of the Boston towns she supposedly ran through and how she trained for only 1.5 years and did not understand what interval training was. Finally, later in the week, word came from the Boston authorities that Ruiz would be disqualified and her name stricken from the record books forever.

Not too long after the Boston scandal, Ruiz would be arrested for embezzlement and also for her involvement in a drug deal. However, to this day, she has sworn to have completed the Boston Marathon!  I believe her …. NOT!

Rosie Ruiz

It's all over for Rosie Ruiz at the Boston Marathon!

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The Sports Archives – Dodgers Legend Duke Snider

Posted on February 28, 2011 by thesportsarchives

Duke Snider, also known as “The Silver Fox” and “The Duke of Flatbush” played center field for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for the majority of his career.  He played in the shadows of center field greats such as Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, but to his credit, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 and his #4 jersey was retired by the Dodgers the same year.

Snider grew up in Southern California and was an all-star athlete.  He was called up to play for Brooklyn in 1949 and never looked back.  His numbers kept going up as he helped the Dodgers win 6 of 10 National League pennants between the years 1947 and 1956.  He helped carry the Dodgers on his shoulders and like any player with this amount of responsibility; he had to face the media chatter when his numbers slipped some in 1951.  Nevertheless, Snider persevered and became a Dodger legend attaching his name to some of the best years in Dodgers history.

Snider finished his career with 407 home runs and 1,333 RBIs.  He averaged a home run in every 17.6 times at bat.  Besides being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, he was an eight-time All-Star, finished 6 times in the top 10 MVP and hit 4 or more home runs in two different World Series.

Snider just recently passed away in Escondido, California at the ripe old age of 84.  He will always be remembered as one of The Sports Archives’ legends of Dodger baseball history.

Duke Snider

Duke Snider, Brooklyn Dodgers

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