My favorite part of that game was what Tom Brady said in an interview long after the game was over. Apparently, Belichik (sp?) told him to go out there, play it safe, and take it to overtime. Fine. So as he’s heading out to the field, he hears Bledsoe shout from the sidelines “Tom! Tom! Fuck that shit! Go sling it!” (Bleeps covered the swears in the interview.) hehheh, that’s just too cool.
My personal favorite moment is the Miracle at Midnight. It was the first NFL game I’d ever gone to see in person. The Jets were down 30-7 going into the fourth quarter, and most of the fans had left. We had adopted the “25 point rule”, so were within 2 points of bailing on the game ourselves.
But since it was so empty, at the start of the 4th quarter we moved down from the nosebleed section to the mezzanine section at about the 20 yard line of the goal line the Jets were attacking in that 4th quarter. Watching that comeback, and screaming my throat bloody raw well past midnight on a work night, will forever be etched into my memory.
As for watching on television, no question it was the Giants / Bills superbowl. That was one of the greatest games ever played, and possibly the greatest Superbowl that ever will be played. And it’s not only for the slimmest of victory margins. There wasn’t a single turnover in the entire game by either team. In fact, there wasn’t a single mistake by either team the whole game. Both teams executed their gameplans on both sides of the ball with amazing precision and staggering heart. The four 3rd down conversions on a single drive, the heads up safety by Hostetler, the inhuman pounding the Bills dished out to Hostetler, the breathtaking running of Thurman Thomas, and the brutal domination of the Bills receivers by a ferocious Giants defense were all merely stage dressing for the real showcase: The best execution either coach could ask for in their polar opposite football philosophies. Parcells with the ball control win-in-the-trenches approach against Marv Levy and the unbelievable K-Gun offense. Both sides played their hearts out, and played up to a level since unseen in the NFL. We may never again witness such a literally perfect game at any time, much less in a Superbowl.
I am not a road race expert but if I recall correctly, 42 seconds was (and probably is) considered an insurmountable lead for the final day’s time trial. Coupled with Fignon’s prowess in the event it Lemond’s chances were slim. Apparently somebody forgot to tell him.
As for myself, the 1981 NFC Championship game between the upstart 49’ers and the mighty Dallas Cowboys. Un-f*cking-believable. There is a reason why it is simply known as The Catch.
Ah, but wasn’t it great when that streak was broken? 56-14 in 1989. And then next year BYU claiming revenge and Heisman QB Ty Detmer… and lose again to UH 59-28.
How I miss the Hawaii-BYU games. The new WAC teams just don’t stir the same passion.
I must also include the first Wimbledon won by Borris Becker. He was a complete outsider and I think only 16 years old, yet his athleticism and skill were unsurpassed. They way he jumped for unreachable returns, often rolling to avoid a painful fall were brilliant to watch.
He was 17, playing a nobody named Kevin Curran, who, earlier in the tournament, annihilated John McEnroe with a serve that seemed inhumanly unreturnable. He and Becker went toe-to-toe with serves that appeared to be so fast they were moving backwards in time. Both he second and third sets were 7-6. They were both pure servers, and it was great to watch, an absolute acefest.