Sports Moments Through Your Eyes

[raysox]

I thought this would be a good thread. I was watching a special on Game 162 last season after the Rays game last night, and I just sat back and remembered all the emotion that night. So please, CCSLC, tell your story. Tell us the time where your team did something crazy and you'll never forget what happened.

So last September sucked in my life. My ex has been hooking up with my best friend behind my back, and I didn't have any friends because it was my fault apparently. But the only thing that kept me going was the fact the Rays had come back from 9 games back to actually make it a challenge. The day before, the Rays turned a triple play and Joyce homered to make it come down to the last day. No one ever says that.

I'm very superstitious when it comes to baseball. I try all these things until something works, and then keep doing said thing until it's over. Normally, I watch Rays games in my room on my laptop, but this game was the biggest in team history, and led me to be alone in my living room. My dad was on his way to North Carolina for a high school reunion, so I would have to watch the game myself. It was a shame, up until 2012, every Rays game I'd been to he was there, and we shared a lot of moments with this team growing up.

So the game started out unbelievably crappy. A 1-0 lead in the first, then a Texieria grand slam off David Price almost put it out of reach. Andrew Jones homered to make it 7-0. I was emotionally drained. I began watching Boston-Baltimore on MLB Network hoping that Baltimore could win just to give my team life. The game had a rain delay so it was back to watching the home team. By this point i had my computer off, sitting with my legs up on the left side of the couch. Mom is asleep, and my sister is in her bed watching it. In the 7th, Damon and Zobrist get hits. Then Kotchman gets hit. Slowly I feel like we might get a run or two. Fuld goes up and draws a walk, then Sean Rodriguez gets hit in the ribs. 2 runs pushed across with this terrible offense at times. BJ Upton hit the ball to DEEP left, and I thought it was gone, but would settle for a sac fly. The Rays were in striking distance, 7-3 with Longoria coming up. I hardly had a chance to think about things because on the first pitch he launched a ball to left center into the stairwell past a guy wearing a fake A-Rod jersey. I jumped off the couch and was screaming. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't feel like the Rays would win this.

So the Rays were down 1 in the 9th. Two quick outs set up Dan Johnson with the biggest AB of the year. He had a 2-2 count and just hits a ball down the line into the corner, and I went NUTS when it went out. I ran into my sister's room and jumped up on her bed and celebrated. I knew that the Rays would win, it was just a matter of when. The Baltimore game was on again, and I would watch that when I could. Slowly they began to get it together. It was about 1145 when Jake McGee got out of a 2 on no out situation after Longoria made a heads up play at 3rd. The O's hit a ground rule double and that gave me hope. Then another hit tied it, and eventually Robert Andino hit his ball to Carl Crawford which he couldn't handle and it was super fitting that the RedSox may have just blew their season that way. I was a huge Orioles fan in that moment. I switched over to SunSports knowing the Sox lost and just wanted to see the reaction at the Trop. Everyone was standing up cheering because the ball was in our court. Longoria brought it to a 2-2 count and hit a low line drive that JUST got up. I yelled and jumped off the couch and went to my sister's room and just went nuts. They celebrated on the field for a long time, and I got to see the whole thing. I was up till 2 just soaking in the moment with highlights.

I went to game 7 of the ALCS, and saw them celebrate. I was there when the Rays won the AL East in 2010. Nothing compares to how that game ended, I couldn't imagine what I would've done if I was there. But I have this memory of one of the best nights in baseball history.

I also saw this live

[RedSox44]

Based on this, I remember not really believing that the Red Sox wouldn't make the playoffs. I mean, the Sox were facing the Orioles, after all.

After the Yankees got out to a huge lead I was feeling incredibly confident, even though the Sox weren't doing so well. I was watching from home and switching from NESN to ESPN every second, it seemed.

Then the wheels fell off. Papelbon blew the save, Crawford (of all people) dropped the ball and the Orioles won. I sighed and said "Okay. The Yankees still have a lead."

And then they didn't.

And then the Yankees lost.

I was stunned. I couldn't believe it. I was in a state of shock over the next few days.

It was one of the most surreal moments in my life. I honestly could not believe it.

[Jimmy!]

1995 ALDS, Game 5. After watching Seattle catch the Angels (when they were 13 games back), after seeing them go down two games to none to the Yankees, Game 5 was probably THE most euphorically intense sports moment I've witnessed.

On the flip side, seeing the, "We want the ball. We're gonna score." playoff game between Seattle and Green Bay just crushed me.

[Sport]

I remember that night fairly well too. I was working for Indycar in Kentucky and commuting from a friend's place in Cincinnati. He went to sleep at 9pm so I watched the events unfold by myself.

The way the Red Sox-Orioles and Rays-Yankees games played out at the same time, MLB Network and ESPN flipping back and forth between the two, the Rays coming back, and the way the Red Sox lost barely 2 minutes in real time after the Rays won was the best way I've ever seen a pennant race end. The fact that the Red Sox completed one of the all-time greatest collapses we've ever seen was icing on the cake. The best part was following Bill Simmons' twitter meltdown and then silence once the Red Sox were officially eliminated. It was awesome.

I also remember being pretty unhappy with the Atlanta Braves that night. Their equally as bad, but not as publicized collapse as Boston's allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to weasel into the playoffs.

[RedSox44]

"Awesome" isn't the word I would use to describe it, McCarthy

[raysox]

I actually don't think I've ever heard the other side of that night. I could imagine how gutted it would be for that to happen. The Rays got no hit 3 times in almost a year, and I imagine it would be sort of similar to that.

Speaking of No hitters, when Garza threw his I fell asleep in the 2nd and woke up in the 6th with no idea that he had a no hitter going. I didn't find out until like the 8th so I couldn't jinx it! I have the newspapers from the No-No and Game 162 on my wall

[maz]

So many penguins moments, but I will begin with perhaps the most important one...

Game Six, Stanley Cup Finals, 2009

Just one year earlier, I went to a Game Six in which the penguins lost the cup. The feeling of a vast emptiness and the shock of such a long season suddenly being completely over like that, on a note of ultimate defeat, was a strange feeling. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Seeing my team lose the cup wasn't devastating. Yeah, there'd be a pang for a few months at the sight of Hossa coming that close to tying it, of the thought of how magical the run seemed and how easily the opponents fell up until Detroit, how they just would not die in Game Five...

Fast forward a year. The penguins took a not-nearly-as-easy route to the Finals, and unlike in '08, they did not falter when they went down two games to none. In any case, as we all know, 09's Game Five was not nearly as inspiring as 08's Game Five. It was straight-up terrifying. The penguins had to win the next two games, the last one being on the road, after just getting destroyed on the scoreboard, and mentally.

The usual festival-type atmosphere outside of Mellon Arena was gone. The sea of people set to watch on the big screen outside that one had to navigate through for the past two springs was gone and the screen dark, as NBC refused to allow the penguins to show it. No live bands. The weather, in what was a particularly sunny spring, was dark and rainy. It was a stark contrast to what playoff hockey had come to be in Pittsburgh over the previous two years. The excitement and fun was gone, and the overall mood... it was time to go to work. Nobody was going to see them lose at home again tonight.

I doubt I've heard a louder crowd at a hockey game (not counting a Winter Classic) than I did that night. The first period goes by... tied... okay, cool. At least we aren't behind. Then, the second period starts, and just 51 seconds in Jordan Staal puts the penguins ahead. A slim lead, and one that seemed like it could so easily go away. The penguins battled, the crowd cheered, the period ended with us ahead. The third comes, and TK makes it 2-0. The crowd is ecstatic. 15 more minutes, boys. Just 15 more. Well, three minutes later, Draper scores for Detroit, and the penguins were on the defense the rest of the way.

It was 12 minutes of the most nerve-wracking hockey I ever witnessed, and at the very end, I saw Rob Scuderi make "the save", right before my eyes, from about halfway up the balcony level (which was, with the size of Mellon, actually a really good view). It was then you knew that this team would not die. Not tonight. The final whistle blows and the crowd erupts... they'd done it. Or so you'd think by all the noise. It was as close as the cup has ever come to being won by the pens in the old building. There was an overwhelming applause as the team skated off, like a send-off to the inevitable end-battle.

After the game in the car we heard Mike Lange's calls on the postgame show. "And I'll see ya in the schoolyard, baby, for all the marbles on Friday night." I'll never forget hearing that for the first time. All pens fans know, when Mike Lange makes a call like that, something special is happening.

Days later, it did.

[RedSox44]

I actually don't think I've ever heard the other side of that night. I could imagine how gutted it would be for that to happen. The Rays got no hit 3 times in almost a year, and I imagine it would be sort of similar to that.

Speaking of No hitters, when Garza threw his I fell asleep in the 2nd and woke up in the 6th with no idea that he had a no hitter going. I didn't find out until like the 8th so I couldn't jinx it! I have the newspapers from the No-No and Game 162 on my wall

It was 100 times worse than being no hit. It was crushing, shocking, depressing all at the same time. I'm pretty sure more than a few people attempted suicide because of it. It was the worst moment I had ever had as a sports fan. Worse than losing Super Bowl XLII to the Giants. Worse than Game 7 2003. Worse than 2006-07 Celtics season. So much worse than it all.

And, of course, the cluster:censored: that is the Boston Red Sox in the year (wow, has it really been that long?) that's followed September 2011 hasn't helped in the slightest.

On no hitters: Clay Buchholz' no hitter was freaking awesome.

[Sport]

Here's one that isn't so sunshiny.

2005, my senior year of high school and the Bengals are good for the first time in my conscious understanding of sports. They win the division and draw Pittsburgh in the wildcard round. Wasn't real happy about it, but they'd beaten them once before, it could happen again. Now, this was a big deal for me because I'd never seen one of my teams in the playoffs. Ever. Needless to say I was pretty excited.

Then the schedule gets announced and the Bengals' game is at the exact same time as one of my hockey games for my high school. I set up the DVR and planned to avoid all news until I got home. We score 3 or 4 goals in the first period, we're playing the worst team in the league and all I want to do is get home, avoid any news and watch the game as if it's live. One of the parents comes into the locker room at intermission, and I still don't know why he came in, the lockerroom was strictly off limits to parents. He barges in to announce that Carson Palmer blew out his knee. The 3 Steeler fans, who by no coincidence were the 3 most annoying kids on the team, literally start cheering and high fiving. Classy.

I was a zombie the rest of the game because I knew Jon Kitna was not going to win that game for the Bengals. My plan had been ruined. When I got home I still watched the game and the deeper it went the more I fast forwarded. I wasn't mad or upset, just empty. The Steelers, whether intentional or not, removed any chance of a fair game on the first play and that was the worst part. I could've stomached it if they had won fair and square, but they didn't.

Then to see them win the Super Bowl because of the most poorly officiated NFL game I've ever seen only deepened the wound.

Now, football is not important to me now as it was then and it seems silly to have gotten so emotionally invested in, but that wound will probably never fully heal until either the Bengals win it all or the Steelers go like 1-15 one time or something like that. The ref from the Super Bowl apologizing for what a terribly called game it was helped a little.

[sportstar1212]

I would say that the infamous Red Sox September collapse and game 162 would be a sports moment I will never forget. Here's my story:

I was watching the game in my room, everyone else in my house had fallen asleep, except me. After the Red Sox blew the lead, I was throwing a fit, but I knew the Yankees were still winning, so I relaxed a bit. But then, the Yankees lost and I was stunned. I couldn't believe what had happened. I actually cried myself to sleep that night. It shook me to my core. Even to this day, I tremble when I think about that night.

[illwauk]

I was at the game where the first Lambeau Leap took place, but I didn't get to see it.

It was 1993 and I was 12 years old at the time. The Packers hadn't been to the playoffs in 11 years, and only twice since the Lombardi days. They came close the year before, but just missed it by having their 6-game winning streak snapped by the Vikings on Week 17. Either way, I still had yet to see the Packers in a playoff game in my lifetime (I was 1 when they went in 1982).

It wasn't too long after my parents got divorced, so we didn't have a lot of money, but a family friend who we called "Uncle Rob" gave me one of tickets to the December 26 game against the LA Raiders for Christmas; and it just so happened that if the Packers won this game, they'd clinch a playoff spot.

It was a typical December Sunday at Lambeau... cold as with frost on the ground. The Packers were huge favorites going into the game largely due to the Raiders being quarterbacked by a 67-year old Vince Evans. After a pretty slow first half, Brett Favre hit Sterling Sharpe for a touchdown towards the end of the 3rd quarter to go up 14-0 which got the drunk guys behind me a little excited... one of whom thought it would be a good idea to lift me up like a rag doll in celebration. He apologized afterwards and blamed it on being excited at the prospect of going to the playoffs, like everyone else there, so we understood.

Then the 4th quarter came when LeRoy Butler drilled a Raiders running back after receiving a checkdown pass. The fumble was scooped up by Reggie White who lumbered down the sidelines for about 10 yards, then flipped the ball to Butler, who took it the rest of the way, just before he could be dragged out of bounds. As you can imagine, the fans just plain lost their . I doubt it's humanly possible for 60,000 people to get louder than the crowd at Lambeau did after that play... it sounded like a jet engine was idling above the stadium.

As Butler was jogging towards the back of the end zone, the same drunk guys as before picked me up again and crowd surfed me to the end of the row. I had no idea that Butler had jumped into the stands after the play until I saw the highlights on the news later that night.

The Packers scored once more en route to a 28-0 shutout, but by then everyone was just looking forward to the playoffs. I've been to 8(?) Packers games total in my lifetime including a playoff game, but this one was by far the most memorable.

[cameroncrazie07]

When I think of my favorite moment watching sports in my lifetime, the most heartwarming story which comes to mind is the 2009 World Series, Game 6. Now some of you are probably thinking how arrogant I sound considering the Yankees have 27 World Series titles, and to fans seeing them win is about as common as reading a newspaper. But you have to remember, I was born in 1995 so I have almost no recollection of the titles in 96, or the three-peat. My earliest memories of the Yankees were the loss to Arizona in 01, the loss to the Marlins in 03, ans the collapse in 2004. I hadn't seen them win a playoff series since then.

Now here comes the heartwarming part of this story. Back in May of 2009 my grandma had left her stove running at her house when she went out. She returned home to find out her house had been ruined and her dog had passed away. She had now lost her husband, house, and dog all in a matter of 5 years. She ended up living with my family until her house was restored, but she wasn't really herself. But my grandma was also a huge Yankees fan, and she had been for almost 40 years. And the thing that got her away from her troubles in life was watching the Yankees with me.

Throughout that playoff run the Yankees had won a few incredibly crazy games, and I even got to go to game 6 of the ALCS. But that clinching game just sticks out to me. The Phillies were a really good team that year, and I actually thought they could beat the Yankees. But I just remember Matsui's double in the 5th making it 7-1 and all but putting it away. After the final out was recorded I remember seeing how happy my grandma was, and that will always stick with me.

[raysox]

I actually don't think I've ever heard the other side of that night. I could imagine how gutted it would be for that to happen. The Rays got no hit 3 times in almost a year, and I imagine it would be sort of similar to that.Speaking of No hitters, when Garza threw his I fell asleep in the 2nd and woke up in the 6th with no idea that he had a no hitter going. I didn't find out until like the 8th so I couldn't jinx it! I have the newspapers from the No-No and Game 162 on my wall

me, I jinxed them.

But great stories you guys, I'll try to think of somemore

[Lights Out]

Two words: Statue. Left.

I had been a casual fan of college football for a while, and had started to grow fond of "that school with the blue turf," but the '07 Fiesta Bowl cemented my love of college football for life. I can honestly say it was the best football game I've ever seen at any level - two great teams slugging it out, making clutch plays, and the heavy underdog Broncos pulling it off with a series of perfectly-executed trick plays. Only the Tyree helmet catch is even comparable to Statue Left, or the hook-and-lateral play for that matter.

[RedSox44]

Two words: Statue. Left.

I had been a casual fan of college football for a while, and had started to grow fond of "that school with the blue turf," but the '07 Fiesta Bowl cemented my love of college football for life. I can honestly say it was the best football game I've ever seen at any level - two great teams slugging it out, making clutch plays, and the heavy underdog Broncos pulling it off with a series of perfectly-executed trick plays. Only the Tyree helmet catch is even comparable to Statue Left, or the hook-and-lateral play for that matter.

I happen to think that Statue Left is way, way better than Tyree Helmet.

Of course, I may be biased

[BlueSky]

The lowest I've ever felt at a Saints game was December 18, 1983. The Saints and the visiting Rams were both 8-7. With a win, the Saints would achieve their first winning season and first playoff spot. The Rams won a see-saw game 26-24 on a last-second FG.

Aside from the obvious reasons for having my soul crushed, there was this: The winning FG was the Rams' first offensive score.

Yes, their previous 23 points came on a safety, a 72-yard punt return and INT returns of 31 and 43 yards. If anyone's wondering, the Saints' QB was Ken Stabler who was, to put it charitably, in the twilight of his career.

When that game ended I stood at the railing on the Superdome's upper deck (the Terrace for you Crescent City types) for almost half an hour without saying a word. I had a lot of company too. People seemed to be just too stunned and disappointed to even move. It was horrible.

That kinda helps you understand why I am so grateful to have lived long enough to see the Saints win a SB.

Greatest moments at a Saints game I was attending? Three-way tie (in chrononological order):

Dempsey's 63-yard game winner (11/8/70)

First playoff win - "There is a God after all!"* (12/30/00)

* "Hakim drops the ball! Hakim drops the ball! Brian Milne might have fallen on it at the ten yard line! It IS the New Orleans Saints' football! Brian Milne, the most unlikely hero of them all, falls on the fumble, the muff by Hakim! There is a God after all!"

Gleason's block (9/25/06)

[RedSox44]

Gleason's block is one of the greatest moments in the history of the NFL. I was watching that game, and I didn't even particularly care for either team, but I was jumping up and down screaming after that.

[Kramerica Industries]

Game 162 was probably the only time in my life where I was actually rooting against the Yankees, and it wasn't because I had any love for the Rays. I more or less detest that franchise, but the fortunate thing there is that my detest for the Red Sox is much, much stronger. Besides, the 2004 ALCS will never leave my memory, and while seeing the Boston Bruins blow a 3-0 playoff series lead in 2010 was something of a nice medication, seeing the Red Sox themselves blow such a "sure-fire" lead was amazing.

As far as that night itself, I was only watching the Red Sox/O's game from the time between Teixeira's grand slam and the rain delay in Baltimore. ESPN then switched to the Yankees/Rays game, one of the rare times I've ever seen a Rays game on ESPN (due to market restrictions), and that's when the Rays began to make serious hay against Luis Ayala. I had switched back to the local Rays feed in time for the 9th inning, and I literally couldn't fricken believe it when Dan Johnson hit the two-out/two-strike home run that saved the Rays season as we knew it. I kinda wish I had done my own play-by-play of that, like I would in Game 6 of the World Series a month later, but that's another note for another discussion.

However, Boston still led 3-2 thanks to a Pedroia home run hit well before the rain delay, and despite my appreciation for Alfredo Aceves, I was hoping he would be burned out and blow it for the Sox. But he didn't. Luckily, the Red Sox blew a few opportunities late in the game to keep the margin at one run, and this left Baltimore one last chance in the 9th*. By this point, I'm doing nothing more than watching on a crappy SD TV, with no remote and buttons so non-responsive that my anger one time resulted in scarring. And the O's weren't helping.

Then Chris Davis hit a shot into the RF corner. 2B. And then, on two strikes, a strike-out prone Nolan Reimold hit a shot equidistant between Jacoby Ellsbury and...J.D. Drew**? Whoever was in RF for Boston by that point. Ground-rule 2B, game tied.

And, of course, Robert Andino lining into left, Crawford coming up surprisingly short on a playable line drive for the second time in the span of a week***, and his noodle arm being no match for the speed demon known as Nolan Reimold at the plate. This occurred at, like, 12:03 AM ET.

At this point in time, however, I remembered seeing a graphic on the top right-hand portion of the screen, and the Yankees were in position to score the go-ahead run - 1st/3rd, 0 out. I hardly have to describe my shock when I later found out they had not capitalized.

After I was done jumping up and down at my exuberance of Papelbon giving up this amazing implosion with a berth to, at least, Tropicana Field for a Thursday matinee in Game 163, I saw Longo hit a line drive that was none too impressive, just had that perfect combination of staying fair, and finding the short, indented wall in left field at the Trop. For those who are familiar with the dimensions at Tropicana Field, this indented portion is only about, what, 10 feet inside the fair pole, and is the cheapest home run that can be hit there. But the Rays had already needed 1000 things to go right in September to even be where they were - what's 1001?

I already had a somewhat dreaded feeling that the Yankees were going to face a tough Tigers team with a quality pitching staff, and a team that was on a monstrous tear, and that the Yankees historically didn't fare well with them. I could only hope for the best once they got there****. But, when nothing was at stake for my team, but they were still involved with such a night of baseball, well, I was going to enjoy it dammit! And I did. One of the few times I will ever be glad to see Rays fans excited - I'm quite a sadist in real life.

Sometimes, I wonder which night of baseball was more incredible - Game 162 night on 9/28, or Game 6 of the World Series a month later. Ultimately, I can never make a definitive conclusion, because there are overriding arguments on each side:

9/28 has the fact that it involved multiple games, both AL and NL, that had three improbable finishes. Surreal, and helped in hindsight by the fact that we will never see it again, or at least for a long time. you Selig.

Game 6 has the fact it was the fricken' World Series, and the Rangers were twice within a strike of the title, only to be denied both times. That's surreal in its own right, and a scenario we can never expect to see again just based on the law of averages.

*I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I also saw significant portions of the Braves and Phillies game that night as well, including most of the 7th-9th innings, and the go ahead hit by, I believe, Hunter Pence in the 14th, and then Freddie Freeman's season-ending double play. That couldn't have been a fun night in Atlanta. I would've been able to see all of this much more seamlessly, but my MLB.tv subscription had fouled up in a big way in September, and so I had to go through the ESPN networks. That was irritating.

**I miss that underachieving bastard. I also can't imagine he was in right field at that time, but I don't think Josh Reddick was either. Seriously, who was in RF in the 9th inning of that ballgame?

***On 9/24, Crawford had a chance to nip an inning in the bud against the Yankees when only one run had been allowed by Jon Lester, but he flubbed a line drive by Jesus Montero*****, allowed two runs to score on it, and then Derek Jeter hit a three run shot, and the ballgame was effectively over at this point. Another loss in the Red Sox's losing hat of September.

****We all know how that turned out. Game 5 of the ALDS is one of the worst sports experiences I've ever had. Such an awful, AWFUL game that the Yankees blew their chance in on more than one occasion.

*****I miss Jesus.

[Fox]

I remember my Red Sox ALDS tickets arriving the day after they collapsed

[sportstar1212]

I remember my Red Sox ALDS tickets arriving the day after they collapsed

Wow, that must have sucked.