About a year ago, I saw a quote from Dan Shaughnessy in the Boston Globe that said that these are the “Good old days” of Boston sports.While I concede that nothing is over, it would be hard to imagine another stretch that approaches the Red Sox ride since Tom Brady stepped in for Drew Bledsoe 50 months ago.I wanted to compile a top ten list of the best moments of this stretch.By moments I mean that instant where my heart skipped a beat and necessarily a great game or series.
Here goes, the top 10 Boston Sports moments of the past 50 months:
10. February 2005 – Super Bowl XXXVIIII: Rodney Harrison picks off Donovan McNabb to clinch 24-21 Super Bowl victory.The most anticlimactic of the three, but a Super Bowl win is a Super win and has to make the top ten.
9. October 2004 – World Series Game #1: David Ortiz first inning home run.With all the electricity that was in the air, this home run kept Ortiz’s unreal run going, brought the house down and set the tone for a dominant offensive performance.
8. July 2004 – Yankees at Red Sox: Bill Mueller home run off to beat Mariano Rivera.The only regular season moment/game on here, it was such a huge game between the Varitek/A-Rod fight and Red Sox comeback, that you knew this home run was something special.I was at the Lobster Box in City Island (the Bronx) and single handedly almost brought the house down and life to an end.Universally regarded as the game that turned around the 2004 season.
7. October 2004 – ALCS Game #6: Alex Rodriguez slap.Staying on the theme of A-Rod contact, “the slap” of A-Rod on Bronson Arroyo was huge as the game appeared to be very much in doubt in the moment before Rodriguez was called out.It was at this moment that Game #7 seemed real.
6. October 2004 – ALCS Game #6: Schilling’s Bloody sock.Schilling strides to the mound with that bloody sock and everything seems like it will be alright
5. January 2002 – AFC Division Playoffs: Vinatieri’s field goal in the snow.The best and most improbable field goal (45 yards in a blizzard) in football history, send the Pats onto overtime, Pittsburgh and history.
4. February 2004 – Super Bowl XXXVII: Pats play hot potato with Super Bowl title, Vinatieri becomes immortal.It never should have come to it, but another great drive by Tom Brady and Vinatieri’s second Super Bowl winning kick downs the gallant Panthers.
3. October 2004 – ALCS Game #7: Damon’s grand slam.That’s the moment the dragon was slayed and the 3-0 choke complete.I was on the Bruckner Expressway driving out of a driving meeting in Manhattan with my fist pumping out the window and horn blaring.Isn’t amazing I survived the 2004 ALCS?
2. February 2002 – Super Bowl XXXVI: Vinatieri wins it.NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS – 2001 SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS, almost four years later, it still barely has set in.
1.October 2004 – World Series Game #7: Rent-A-Wreck grounds to Foulke to Mientkkiewicz.Who would have thought 14 months later what malcontents these three would be considered?The dream completed.
BOSTON RED SOX – 2004 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
Honorable mention:
·October 2004 – ALCS Game #4: Doug Roberts steal.As huge as it is/was, we didn’t realize it at the time, down 3 games to none.
·October 2004 – ALCS Game #5: Ortiz extra inning winner. You knew the mojo was going, but they still had to go to New York for games 6 and 7.
·October 2004 – ALCS Game #6: Foulke strikes out Bernie Williams. Huge out in a huge spot, you knew the ALCS was going the distance.
·January 2002 – AFC Championship Game: Drew Bledsoe, relief pitcher. Despite balls throwing balls backward over his soldier, the statuesque one leads them to another Super Bowl.
Greg, nice compilation. I actually write for the Greenwich Time. In fact, if you pick up today's paper, my ugly mug is on the cover of the GenNext section.
Suprising, but no Celtics moments? Kidding.
I'm a Steelers fan, but I was at the Snow Job game in January 2002, because my friend has season tickets. That was, bar none, the most surreal sports scene ever. This was back before the Pats and their fans expected to win, when everyone (myself included) was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was sitting at the 50-yard line, and the snow was so thick we had to gauge the winning kick by the reactions of the fans in the end zone. After the game, I played touch football in the snow, in the parking lot, until 3:30 a.m.
Only thing I'd add: where's the Pedro/Zimmer game?
Only thing I'd add: where's the Pedro/Zimmer game?
Not exactly a highlight! I was on the sideline o####lenville Mavericks/North Mianus Bulldogs game that night at Teufel and caught the game on radio through the somewhat biased eyes of Charlie Steiner and John Sterling... a different reality than what happened. Between that incident, Clemens and Contreras getting Nixon to ground into a DP, that wasn't a great night! I don't have today's GT, but I will check it out.
Hi, my name is Greg from Greenwich, CT. I am 38 years-old and married to a woman that is way too good for me and have three stepsons and one son. I am a CPA who graduated from Boston College undergrad and NYU for my MBA. Before BC, I attended West Point for a year before blowing my right fibula on the Michie Stadium turf (I was commissioned after completing ROTC at BC and was an Army officer in Desert Storm). I am a sportswriter trapped behind an accountant's desk with a great deal of analytical thoughts and observations. My family has had Patriots season tickets for 13 years and have an obvious love for the Red Sox, BC basketball and BC football. I am very involved in youth sports as president and coach of a football program and a basketball, baseball and soccer coach.
