Last week was the 55th anniversary of the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game. I was listening to sports talk radio and one of the hosts asked what single sports moment in history would you want to see live. As I was driving down the road, I started thinking about the question and so many events crossed my mind. What makes a single sports moment so special that you would want to see it? Is it a championship game? Is it a world-record setting event? I racked my brain and I came up with eight sports moments as well as two history-making moments that are timeless.
What is 94-88? If your answer is the score of the 1978 NCAA Championship game between UK and Duke, you would be right. Even though I was only nine years old when this game was played, that score has remained in my brain permanently. Maybe it's because this was the first championship for UK during my lifetime.
On September 11, 1984, Pete Rose got his 4,192nd hit and broke Ty Cobb's all-time hit record. I remember watching the game on TV and getting chills as he slapped that hit into left-center field. Imagine sitting on the first base side of the field and watching Rose break down as he hugged his son in celebration.
When someone mentions the Slam Dunk Competition, the names that immediately come to mind are Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins. For me, the most memorable competition is 1986 when a 5-foot-7 Spud Webb shocked the world by defeating Wilkins for the title. I would have loved to be at court side to see how far off the floor he was when he dunked.
Since I already mentioned them, I would have loved to watch the Slam Dunk Competition in 1988 between Jordan and Wilkins. They put on a show that has yet to be duplicated. In case you forgot, that was the year Jordan made his famous dunk from the free throw line. It was one of those moments that will be a part of sports history until someone else tops it.
On September 16, 1988, Tom Browning of the Cincinnati Reds threw a perfect game in front of the home crowd at Riverfront Stadium. Imagine going to the game and feeling the intensity grow with each out of each inning until the last throw and the last out was made.
I remember sitting at work on October 20, 1990, watching the fourth and final game of the World Series. The Cincinnati Reds beat the heavily favored Oakland A's in shocking fashion. The image of Cincinnati first baseman Todd Benzinger catching a pop-up to end the game is still etched in my mind.
It was known as the "flu game." The Chicago Bulls were playing the Utah Jazz for the 1997 NBA Championship. It was Game 5 and Michael Jordan was playing with the flu. Looking a hot mess and totally drained of energy, Jordan mustered up every ounce of strength in him and went on to lead the Bulls to victory by collecting 38 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.
What's a list of my favorite sports moments without my alma mater, Western Kentucky University being mentioned. March Madness is my favorite time of the year and that is elevated whenever WKU plays in the tournament. During the 2008 tournament, 12-seed WKU took the 5-seed Drake to overtime before beating them on a last-second, 26-foot shot by Ty Rogers.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. This simple, but defiant act became one of the most important events during the Civil Rights Movement. I try to imagine the look on the faces of the bus riders, black and white, when this small, 42-year-old black woman refused to give up her seat. To be an eyewitness to this event would have been life-changing.
The words, "I have a dream" took a deeper meaning on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the speech that some have labeled as the top American speech of the 20th century. I would have loved to be in the crowd on that summer day and feel the energy that speech emitted to the world.
So, what's your favorite sports moment? Feel free to leave it here or on my Facebook page.
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