Your favorite witnessed sports moment...

[BuckysBadger24]

What's the one sports moment, from any sport, you witnessed in person that out ranks any other in your mind? Be it professional, collegiate, etc. Or something as simple as walking into a legendary stadium for the first time.

In my case it would have to be when the Milwaukee Brewers won their spot in the Wild Card in 2008. I was a Junior in high school and went with a buddy and his family, who happened to have an extra ticket. Their seats were in the front row of the upper right field deck. I say "their" because my seat was 5 rows behind them, and as Miller Park is many times "Wrigley North", I was surrounded by Cubs fans, who were talking more than a little shit as their playoff spot was secure, and if they beat us we were out. If the Mets and Brewers won, they would have a 1 game match for the last Wild Card spot.

The Brewers and Cubs were tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 8th, with 2 outs and a man on. Braun is at the plate, swings, and drives the ball deep to left for the go ahead home run. The Brewers crowd goes crazy, while I fist pump and scream at the top of my lungs for probably a solid minute straight, after getting shit for the past 2 hours, until every Cubs fan looks at me in anger. Their looks alone made the moment and I've never been that excited at a sporting event before or since.

C.C. Sabathia (our 3 month wonder) iced it in the top of the 9th. The Mets ended up losing (which was watched on the big screen by every fan that stayed behind, and the players, who stayed on the field to celebrate) and the Brewers clinched their first playoff berth since 1982. Hell, it was the first time they had had a winning season in my lifetime.

Walking into Lambeau Field for the first time is a close second, but anywho, does anyone have any good experiences of their own?

 

[digrar]

Jason McCartney's come back/retirement game in 2003. Jason was at Paddy's Bar when the Bali Bombers detonated their 1020kg bomb outside of the Sari Club in 2002. Jason helped a couple of women out of the bar and then his team mate Mick Martyn found him and seeing how badly burned he was rushed him to the hospital. His second degree burns covered 50% of his body and he nearly died several times in the first week, but he survived where 202 others, 88 of them Australians, did not.

8 months later he earned his spot back in the North Melbourne team. His wore a nearly whole body suit as every training session and lower grade game was tearing his skin to bits, he had a hole in his calf from some shrapnel and every game and every training session was taking a huge toll on a pretty fragile system. The docs had said he'd need 2 years to get back and he was not 100%.

He started on the bench in the first quarter and didn't contribute much in the next 2, but in the final quarter of a tight game he kicked a goal that put them in front and assisted in a goal that sealed the game. It was huge, the noise from the crowd was out of control and then out of the blue he grabbed the microphone from the boundary rider and announced his retirement. Totally spent, still a very sick man, but he'd smashed himself in a desire to not be be defeated by Jemaah Islamiyah. I haven't seen anything like it before or since.

 

[BuckysBadger24]

That is one seriously tough SOB. And here if a QB bumps his head he automatically misses a week. Solid post! That's tough to beat.

 

[Devildoc]

Duke's Laettner hitting the winning shot against Kentucky, 1992.

 

[AWP]

I rarely go to a sporting event, but my favorite would be a WWE pay-per-view. It was fascinating to watch the stuff behind/ between the matches and the crowd was insane. Just freaking nuts.

My "coolest" moment is a sham, a completely staged event and I'm not talking about the WWE. I was at Daytona when Richard Petty "won" his 200th race. Gah, what a train wreck

 

[Quant]

I had a very lucky year in 2013. I got to witness two of the greatest college football endings (In my personal biased opinion) ever.
Number one being the "Kick Six."

Number two being the "Miracle in Jordan-Hare"

I would also like to point out that our radio announcer, Rod Bramblett, is one of the best in the business.

 

[Gunz]

When I was a kid I saw Mickey Mantle hit a homerun in a game between the Yanks and Orioles at Yankee Stadium, the only game my old man ever took me to. Whitey Ford was pitching, Yogi was catching. Joe Pepitone, Roger Maris, Tom Tresh, Clete Boyer, Elston Howard were all on the team then. Whitey beaned an Orioles batter in that game and knocked him unconscious. This was before batting helmets. The guy was carted away in an ambulance. Later in the game there was a tremendous fight when both benches cleared. A very memorable game, I had to have been around 9 or 10.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

Probably not what the OP is looking for, but last year I witnessed my 11 year old son get his first hit in Little League baseball, he drove in two runs and the team won a playoff game. Truth is, he loves sports but isn't very good; the instant joy he felt, along with my being able to watch the team give him the game ball, is an event I shall never forget. He asked me to get a plexiglass baseball trophy case for it, and that ball sits on his desk in his bedroom. I'm smiling now as I type this and remember that day.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

Local kickboxing match. Watched this Hispanic dude, literally kicked a tall linky white dude in the ass until he quit. Hardly any punches or other kicks, just low-roundhouse to the same hip/ass cheek time and time again until dude could hardly walk. I laughed about that for a few years, "man you just got your ass kicked". lol

 

[BuckysBadger24]

Probably not what the OP is looking for, but last year I witnessed my 11 year old son get his first hit in Little League baseball, it drove in two runs and the team won a playoff game. Truth is, he loves sports but isn't very good; the instant joy he felt, along with my being able to watching the team give him the game ball, is an event I shall never forget. He asked me to get a plexiglass baseball trophy case for it, and that ball sits on his desk in his bedroom. I'm smiling now as I type this and remember that day.

I'd say it fits perfectly.

 

[Red Flag 1]

Mickey Mantle smashing homers over the center field at Yankee Stadium, one after the other. The first one was from the left side of the plate. The second was from the right side of the plate, and was a Grand Slam. God, what a great treat to see. I loved Yankee Stadium, and anytime I got to see Number 7 connect with one was a treat!

 

[x SF med]

Nolan Ryan pitching a near perfect game... a no hitter with one walk.

 

[racing_kitty]

I had a very lucky year in 2013. I got to witness two of the greatest college football endings (In my personal biased opinion) ever.
Number one being the "Kick Six."

Number two being the "Miracle in Jordan-Hare"

I would also like to point out that our radio announcer, Rod Bramblett, is one of the best in the business.

I was the lone Auburn fan in a room full of obnoxious pachyderm worshippers as Kick Six unfolded. I lost my voice cheering on that one play. Surprised I wasn't tied up and dumped in the bayou to feed the alligators that night; my hosts were NOT happy. Kick Six is on the level of "Punt, Bama, Punt."

And you are sooooooo right about Rod Bramblett.

 

[Quant]

I was the lone Auburn fan in a room full of obnoxious pachyderm worshippers as Kick Six unfolded. I lost my voice cheering on that one play. Surprised I wasn't tied up and dumped in the bayou to feed the alligators that night; my hosts were NOT happy. Kick Six is on the level of "Punt, Bama, Punt."

And you are sooooooo right about Rod Bramblett.

Standing on the field that night, singing songs and just having a great time with thousands of friends will go down as one of the top highlights of my life. It's nice to see I have a fellow Auburn fan here! War Eagle!

 

[Red Flag 1]

When I was a kid I saw Mickey Mantle hit a homerun in a game between the Yanks and Orioles at Yankee Stadium, the only game my old man ever took me to. Whitey Ford was pitching, Yogi was catching. Joe Pepitone, Roger Maris, Tom Tresh, Clete Boyer, Elston Howard were all on the team then. Whitey beaned an Orioles batter in that game and knocked him unconscious. This was before batting helmets. The guy was carted away in an ambulance. Later in the game there was a tremendous fight when both benches cleared. A very memorable game, I had to have been around 9 or 10.

Whitey Ford Pitched for the Yankees farm team in my home town, We also had Johnny Blanchard behind the plate for a while, but well after Whitey put on the Pinstripes.

Anyone who gets the town and the team name right, gets a cookie.

 

[x SF med]

Tom Seaver pitching at Shea, the "3K's", the Yankees playing at Shea when Mantle was in his final years... Namath at QB, Guy LaFleur Sr skating against the Rangers... The Iron Curtain... Jim Jeffcoat's always stellar defense... having to dive against Louganis at the AAU Easterns... Getting to race against many stellar (some went into the Olympics) sailors at Manhasset Bay Race Week, The Sewonecca YC race weeks and at Martha's Vineyard and Whidbey Island.

And the absolute Toppers of them all... Crip walking for the first time after his injury, and then running for the first time since his injury.

Not a bad run for my life there... too bad I went to HS with Bobby Hammond - the first guy thrown out of the NFL for drug abuse...

 

[BuckysBadger24]

Not a bad run for my life there... too bad I went to HS with Bobby Hammond - the first guy thrown out of the NFL for drug abuse...

That's an understatement. It's hard to see a star from my generation without someone wondering if/how he's cheating now-a-days. Some of you guys have witnessed true legends.

At least your HS rated someone getting to that level. I was good friends with a captain of the UW-Whitewater football team, and seeing him on the field for 3 D-III National Championships (Two wins, with them winning a third while he was a Freshman) was something special.

The only real claim to fame for Portage High is SSG. Dan Busch attending and being from that town (I imagine he would have graduated class of 86'). And I say "claim to fame" loosely as sadly most probably have no idea of this, or even worse, have no idea who he is, even if they've seen Black Hawk Down.