Most infamous plays in sports history
doubledragon
Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
What are some if the most epic, infamous, and remembered plays in sports history?
1
Comments
The miracle at the meadowlands. The Eagles vs the Giants, 1978. The Giants were ahead 17-12 and all they had to do was run out the clock when disaster struck, the Giants attempted to hand the ball off and fumbled it, Herm Edwards scooped it up and ran it in for a touchdown.
The immaculate reception, just look at Texas Terry escape pressure and sling that ball!
Michael Jordans 1990 buzzer beater against the Cleveland Cavaliers, known as "the shot."
65 Toss Power Trap
.
Montana to Clark - The Catch
This was one of the most amazing plays I've ever seen, I believe it was the 1987 Conference Finals, Pistons vs Celtics, the Pistons were up by 1 and all they needed to do was inbound the ball and they would have won. In order for the Celtics to win, they needed to do two things, to steal the ball on the inbound, which is ridiculously hard to do, and then score, which is also difficult to do with just seconds on the clock. Well gurss what happens, Larry Bird steals the ball, and dishes it to I believe Dennis Johnson for the score, Celtics win. Larry Bird was truly amazing. This created one of the most famous lines in sports broadcasting history, "And there's the steal by Bird!"
I can hear Johnny Most now, in that whiny, nasally tone "...and there's a stealllll by Birrrrrd!..."
Yes, I can still hear it as well!
Buffalo vs Tennesse, 1999, for a trip to the Super Bowl. Buffalo had this game all but won, and then on the kickoff, the "Music City Miracle" happened.
I remember there was a big delay after that play happened, as they had to determine whether it was a lateral or not.
"The Catch"...in both sports, Mays and Montana to Clark.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS. Angels vs. Red Sox. I was there.....
The Play. 1982 Cal vs Stanford.
Pete Rose collides with Ray Fosse.
Another angle.
This one was insane, Randy johnson hits a bird.
Crazy.
This is the best dunk I've ever seen, at the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Vince Carter jumps clear over 7"2' Frederic Weis and dunks.
Rose totally bulldozes Fosse, and is called safe, scoring the winning run.
A-Rod effeminately slaps Arroyo's glove/forearm, dislodging a poorly secured ball, and is called out.
.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2850443655274074
A few I can think of in baseball..........
'Merkle's boner', in which Fred Merkle appears to be a victim of terrible umpiring. HOF ump
Bill Clem said it was the rottenest call ever made in baseball.
'The homer in the Gloamin' which I believe was Gabby Hartnett. This I remember much more from
the aforementioned nickname than the actual event. Hartnett homered as it was getting dark.
Bobby Thomson's shot heard 'round the world.
Carlton Fisk pleading for the ball to stay fair in the world series.
The ball going through Bill Buckner's legs in the 86 world series.
Ruben Rivera Baserunning
[
]
Steve Smith Scores on his own goal in playoffs
[
]
Jean Van De Velde
[
]
A photo of Babe Ruth calling his shot.
A bloody Nolan Ryan keeps pitching after taking a line drive off the chops from Bo Jackson.
Cam Newton refuses to dive on the fumble in the Super Bowl, costing my cats a chance at immortality, this play will forever be know as, "you stupid idiot."
Shaquille O'Neal destroys the backboard.
Darryl Dawkins shatters the glass.
Oh wow, I just ran across this, I didn't realize Jose Canseco pitched at Fenway Park when he played for the Rangers.
.
Doug Flutie's hail mary is one of the greatest plays in sports history, I'm still amazed every time I see this.
He injured his arm doing it and ended up needing Tommy John surgery.
big time playmaker all the clutch catches !!!!!!!!!!!
Sean Landeta
[
](
Back to back homers from Griffey Jr and Sr not many or any father son combos can claim that at the major league level
Martin
The OP said "infamous", and this thread has strayed far, far away. The Royals stealing a World Series by paying off an umpire was the most infamous play in sports history.
.
The mistake was just the leadoff hitter. They still had plenty of opportunity to not blow the game after that. They could have started with Jack Clark not missing Steve Balboni's foul popup. Or by Darrell Porter not committing a passed ball. And so on.
And then not gagging away game 7 as well.
The missed call was important but the Cardinals choked.
There's no way to know, but I don't think Clark does miss that pop-up except for the blown call, nor does Porter allow the passed ball. And I think Worrell pitches much better. That missed call, coming as it did in the bottom of the ninth, was a rip-your-heart-out moment and the Cardinals had no time to get their heads back in the game. Blaming the Cardinals for how they reacted to being cheated lets the one who cheated them off the hook, and I'm not going to blame the victim.
This is one of the greatest self-owns in the history of the forum. All I ever hear is how strikeouts don't matter, and called third strikes are exactly the same as swinging strikeouts. Clearly, they are not. This "out" by Orta apparently directly led to 13 runs, 2 wins, an entire opposing roster turning into Mike Schmidt and crapping the bed, a championship, and a baby boom so great in the city of St. Louis that even the Coriolis effect has a hard time keeping the stench from all the diapers and the whining of all the babies in St. Louis from traveling west some 36 years and change later. Thankfully, it only wafts to about Columbia.
Mike Trout just stands there watching the pitch go by, getting rung up, and turns back to the dugout with another one of his stupid looks. See what can happen when you try?!?! Just try, Mike, try!
You can choose this:
.
Or this:
.....
I guess I was not paying attention at the time. I was ten, but certainly already followed sports quite a bit. Was there a payoff? I always thought this was just a blown call. Or am I thinking of the wrong call?
The blown call has lived rent free in Cardinal fans heads. But they are far from alone in feeling victimized.
It's possible that I may have exaggerated.