This time of year I am pretty restless. At times I feel like I can go on a sports hiatus that begins after the Super Bowl and ends right before the NCAA Tournament begins. I haven’t cared for the NBA since the 90’s, and it seems like the more college basketball that I watch in a season, the worse my bracket ends up being. I tend over-think my bracket when I know more about the teams then just from what I see on SportsCenter every night. Not to mention the fact that it seems more often the not that the person who watched the least amount of college basketball during the season always ends up winning the pool (I know it sounds stupid, but it can be very true). So back to my hiatus, sometimes I try to watch different things, every couple years I will try to watch the Daytona 500, but I always end up sleeping through most of it. I really like watching the Bassmasters Classic, but they tell you who wins the week before it airs taking a lot of the fun out of it. Finally, spring training games get started and they are fun to watch at first, but much like NFL preseason games, after the initial excitement about the sport being back wears off, the games aren’t that exciting to watch. Every four years I am saved by the Winter Olympics (make fun of me all you want, but I freaking love Curling) but the other three years, there just isn’t much to watch on TV sports wise. That is why I have become addicted to the countdown shows that are all the rage in the world of sports television. It has been going on for years with ESPN’s top 25 (which was a great show until they stopped making it), now there are multiple shows on the NFL and MLB networks that include Prime 9, Top 50 Right Now, and the NFL network’s top 10. Most of the time the networks get it pretty close to right, I may have some objections to a few things, but most of the time they rank them properly. One that I saw just recently however had a few more discrepancies than usual, so I thought that I would come up with my own abridged version.
This particular countdown was the MLB Network Countdown of the Top 50 Most Memorable Moments of the 90’s. This is a subject that is very close to my heart, because baseball in the 90’s might be my absolute favorite time of any sport that I have ever followed in my life. It was a very impressionable time for me (I was 8-18 in the 90’s) and there were few things that I enjoyed more than baseball season. Not to mention the fact that there was some pretty wild, and all time memorable moments in 1990’s baseball. The MLB Network got it close, but I think they had some wild oversights in a few particular areas. I will keep my list to only the top 15:
15: Albert Belle’s bat is taken up, then stolen back by the team
(MLB Network’s Countdown: N/A)
Albert Belle was an astonishing player in the 90’s who had amazing offensive numbers. Then one day someone accused him of using a corked bat, and umpires confiscated it, taking it into their dressing room for further testing. Before the umpires could send it off for testing however, rookie pitcher Jason Grimsley was sent in through the ceiling panels to retrieve the bat. After it was “mysteriously” taken and despite denying having anything to do with it, Belle was eventually suspended for using illegal equipment. We only found out what Grimsley had done years later after Belle had retired and the truth couldn’t affect anyone. This didn’t make the MLB Network countdown which surprises me because it was such a big ordeal when it happened. Albert Belle was a superstar, and the fact that he was using an illegal bat was an enormous story.
14:Mariners beat the Yankees for their first Playoff Series win
(MLB Network’s Countdown: #6)
The Mariner’s had some GREAT players in the 90’s. Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, etc… They finally had a team that could compete for a World Series title, and with all the young charismatic talent they had, they became a team that a lot of people could root for. Finally in 1995 the Mariners beat the Yankees in the last game of a five game series. In the bottom of the ninth with the game tied and Jack McDowell on the mound Edgar Martinez hit a double down the left field line to score Ken Griffey Jr. from first and win the game. It might be the best moment in Mariners’ history, watching Griffey at the bottom of a huge pile of Mariners with the biggest smile on his face looking like a little leaguer who just won his first game was priceless. Unfortunately the Mariners lost in the ALCS to the Indians, but that one moment lives on in their short history.
13: Sid Bream slides to beat the Pirates
(MLB Network’s Countdown: # 5)
Barry Bonds may go down as statistically one of the best players in baseball history, but he will also be tagged with a “ya but” comparison (well there’s gonna be a few “ya but” comparisons). The saying goes, “Barry Bonds was one of the great players of his generation”, the reply: “ya but, he couldn’t throw out Sid Bream”. Sid Bream, a 6 foot 4 215 pound first baseman with a legendary mustache that ran…well like an awkward 6 foot 4 215 pound man would run. There was nothing graceful about it, and I wouldn’t say he had “blazing” speed. He did however, run just fast enough to beat out an offline throw from Bonds to score on a Francisco Cabrera single in game 7 of the 1992 ALCS. The run capped an amazing 3 run bottom of the ninth, which just happened to be the only three runs of the game by the Braves, to help them win 3-2. After that season Bonds left the Pirates to go to San Francisco, and Pittsburgh hasn’t had a winning season since. It was a great moment for the Braves, but what turned out to be a terrible turning point in Pirates baseball that left a hangover that hasn’t gone away in 18 years.
12: Edgar Renteria wins the World Series (the first time)
(MLB Network’s Countdown: #8)
The Florida Marlins were an expansion team in the early 90’s, but had managed to amass a pretty good group of veterans and young guys that, led by Jim Leyland, went on to win the World Series in 1997. Unfortunately 90% of the team was gone the next season, and they returned to their losing ways, but their fans did get to experience a World Series Championship in their first five years of existence, something my Astros haven’t been able to do in over 45 years of existence. Personally I didn’t think that the Marlins had a fighter’s chance in the ’97 World Series against Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga and the rest of the Indians (I was 15, I thought I knew everything), but it turned out I was wrong. The game went to a game 7 where in the bottom of the ninth, tied 2-2 young Edgar Renteria, who had three hits on the day, singled in the winning run off of Charles Nagy. It ended what had been a fantastic World Series between two very good teams that probably didn’t get the respect they deserved because they weren’t the Yankees, the Braves, or any of the other really dominant teams of the 90’s. It turned out to be a precursor to when an old Edgar Renteria would hit a three run home run to help the 2010 Giants win the World Series. It wasn’t as dramatic, but still as effective, and Renteria has two rings on his fingers because of two really big at bats in his career.
11: Jose Canseco allows a HR off his head
(MLB Network’s Countdown: #48)
The MLB Network put this moment at #48, but I believe that it deserves a much higher grade. When we are talking about the most memorable moments of the decade, this has to be listed because no one forgets this happening. We have seen some pretty dumb plays before, but this one takes the cake. The ball hits him square on the head and bounces over the fence, something that probably won’t happen again in 150 years. Canseco was never known for his stellar glove work in the outfield, but he was usually decent enough to not embarrass himself. This time though he left us with an all-time classic that will be on every blooper real for the next 100 years. I group this one together with the time that the Rangers allowed him to pitch showing the world his terrible awkward pitching motion and what had to be a 64 mph fastball. Thanks Jose, you certainly left us with some great memories.
10: John Kruk/ Randy Johnson showdown in the All-Star game
(MLB Network’s Countdown: #16)
Randy Johnson is an intimidating man, not only to us normal folk, but to professional athletes (even though John Kruk in the early 90’s was pushing the edge of the label professional athlete). The two men, playing in different leagues, didn’t face each other often before interleague play started in the mid 90’s. So when they faced off in the All Star game Kruk, a left handed hitter, didn’t really know what to expect from the menacing 6 foot 10 lefty on the mound. It was the battle of two of the best mullets in sports that left us with a hilarious moment that will not be soon forgotten. The first pitch got away from Johnson and ended up going about five feet directly over Kruk’s head to the backstop. After that there was no way you could expect Kruk to do anything worth-while for the rest of his at bat. He was obviously flustered and found himself stepping in the bucket the next three pitches. Johnson grooved three strikes down the heart of the plate, that had Kruk been prepared he probably could have hit pretty hard. But with his heart racing a mile a minute, he found himself aimlessly waiving at the pitches and looking like a guy they pulled out of the stands. It was great because it was an All-Star game and didn’t count for anything, but I’m sure Kruk was embarrassed after they showed it on SportsCenter the rest of the season.
9: Jeffrey Maier
(MLB Network’s Countdown #7)
Jeffrey Maier was just a lucky 12 year old Yankee fan who got to attend game 1 of a playoff series between the Yankees and Orioles. However he ended up not only affecting the game, but going down in history as one of the most memorable moments in recent history. We all know who Steve Bartman is, and how he is hated in Chicago because of what he did. Luckily Maier helped his own team rather than hurting them like Bartman, and is revered as a hero to Yankee fans. Maier stuck his glove out trying to catch what looked like would be a home run over the right field fence. However he got a little carried away when the ball fell a couple feet short, and he reached his arm out onto the field to finish the catch. The umpires didn’t see it and awarded the Yankees with a homerun that tied the game at 4-4. The Yankees eventually went on to win in extra innings and wound up winning the series 4-1. Now no one is really saying that the Orioles would have definitely beaten the Yankees had it not been for Maier, but it can be argued that they never really recovered after that incident in game 1. The same argument that could be made for the ’88 A’s who didn’t recover after Kirk Gibson’s homerun, and the 2010 Reds who couldn’t recover after being no-hit by Roy Halladay. The little kid got his souvenir, and in his own way helped the Yankees go on to win their first World Series in 18 years (that’s a lot for the Yankees).
8: Jim Abbott’s no-hitter
(MLB Network’s Countdown #50)
I have two perfectly good arms, but at no time in my life did I ever have a realistic chance of making it to the big leagues. Jim Abbott worked with one and a half arms and made it to the majors not only to pitch, but to pitch well. He is an inspirational story to the entire world, the fact that a man with one good arm could throw a pitch, then put his glove on his pitching hand to be ready to field anything coming his way. He wasn’t an overpowering pitcher, winning 87 games in 10 seasons, and amassing a lifetime ERA of 4.25, but he was a pretty good pitcher that had a chance to win every time he took the mound. With one good arm he only had 9 errors in 10 seasons, and even had two hits in 21 at bats in 1999 for the Brewers. He finished the season with 3 RBIs and only 10 strike outs, striking out less than half the time, without the use of both of his arms. In 1993 he no-hit a very good Cleveland Indians team, and marked his place in history. It was an amazing moment for an amazing man, and I think MLB Network got it wrong by putting it so deep in their countdown.
7: Nolan Ryan vs. Robin Ventura
(MLB Network’s Countdown #24)
I live in Nolan Ryan country. Even before he became the President and part owner of the Rangers this past season, he was one of the most highly revered former athletes in the area. He is one of the few men in the world that my wife would probably up and leave me for, despite the fact that he is more than twice her age. When she was young my Father in law made Nolan a custom pair of spurs and my wife begged her father not to cash the check, claiming that Nolan’s autograph should be worth more than any amount that could be written on the check. If there is one single moment though that people around here remember Nolan for, it is when he hammered a stubborn Robin Ventura after he charged the mound. Yes, his 5000th strikeout against Ricky Henderson was amazing, yes his 7th No-Hitter was legendary, but nothing beats 40 plus Nolan pounding the young Robin Ventura on the top of the head. Most real Rangers fans have a picture of it somewhere in their home, and when you bring up Nolan Ryan, that fight is sure to come up in the conversation. Ventura had no idea what he was getting himself into, and eventually was pounded, losing quite possibly one of the most famous fights in the sport’s history. I may have this one a little high on my list because of my proximity and how much I hear about this moment, but I believe it belongs in the top 10 of the most memorable moments of the decade.
6: John Smoltz vs. Jack Morris
(MLB Network’s Countdown #3)
In what MLB Network has dubbed “The Game of the Decade”, Jack Morris and the Minnesota Twins went on to beat John Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves. It was most definitely the game of the decade, and maybe one of the best games in all of baseball history (It will be interesting where it lands on the MLB Network’s “Top 20 Games of all-time list”, they are only on 13 right now). It was game 7 of the 1991 World Series, and it went into extra innings tied 0-0. Both pitchers had amazing games from the mound, Smoltz going 7.1 allowing six hits, and Morris pitching 10 innings allowing seven. The Twins won with a game winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning, capping their second World Series in five years, and ending what may go down as one of the best pitching performances in history. After Roy Halladay’s no-hitter this past postseason the arguments began of what the best pitching performance in history was. The obvious choices were Halladay’s no-no in the NLDS and Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series; however I think that Jack Morris’ performance in this game deserves to be right there with them. Even though he gave up seven hits, he pitched into extra innings in the 7th game of the World Series without giving up a run. It was an amazing game by two extraordinary teams that would have been higher on my list had there not been so many memorable things that happened in the 90’s.
5: August 11, 1994
(MLB Network Countdown N/A)
There are many days in history that you never forget the date, for me this is one of them. Not only was it my little brother’s seventh birthday, but it was also the last game played before the player’s strike that ended the season and canceled the World Series. My Dad, my brothers and I all went to see the Astros play the Padres (I got Tony Gwynn’s autograph that day) and watched what we were hoping was not the last game we would see that season. As a kid I was optimistic that they would figure things out. I was 12 years old and still couldn’t quite grasp the fact that they were going to shut down my favorite sport two thirds of the way through the season. It turned out to be the last game we would see for months, and really affected me as a young baseball fan. Somehow this did not make the MLB Network’s countdown; maybe because it wasn’t a single moment in a game, but I think it was most definitely one the most influential moments of the decade for the sport. Baseball lost a lot of fans that day and the days that followed, and spent years trying to recover from it. Let’s hope that what we went through 17 years ago has served as a lesson to the Owners and Player’s Union, and we will never have to face the idea of a canceled season or World Series ever again.
4: Mark McGwire’s 62nd
(MLB Network Countdown #1)
At first I was amazed at the fact that this was #1 on the MLB Network’s list, until I realized that they were counting down the most memorable and not the greatest moments of the decade. This was most definitely a memorable moment. The summer of ’98 was a fantastic time to be a baseball fan, watching McGwire and Sosa chase Maris’ record, with no thoughts of steroids or Congressional hearings anywhere in our minds. We were all caught up in the hype, and loved watching the long ball every day. I was watching the Astros game that night when they would cut away to every one of McGwire’s at bats, something they had been doing for a week since he got close to 60. He finally eclipsed Maris with a perfect shot that cleared the wall by only a few feet. It missed the stands completely and was eventually recovered by one of the stadium’s grounds crew, without a huge scrum in the stands. The last thing I wanted to see that night was groups of people walking away with bloody noses and broken hands from fighting over what could have been a million dollar ball. McGwire was a very likable figure at the time (and still is despite all the steroid problems) and was loved by the entire country (even me, a diehard Astros fan). However, I believe that this is the last great homerun in history, and that the rest of them have just been watered down since. It wasn’t as exciting when Sosa eclipsed the mark a couple weeks later, then the next season, and the next season. Before we knew it 65 home runs didn’t even phase us, we thought it had become a part of the game. Barry Bonds watered down the record even more when he hit 73 years later, and eventually passed Hank Aaron for the all-time leader. McGwire’s home run is definitely one of the best moments of the decade, but looking back, if we had known what was to come over the next few years, we probably wouldn’t have cared as much.
3: Cal Ripken passes Lou Gehrig
(MLB Network Countdown #2)
My generation has been incredibly lucky with the idols we have had to look up to; however if you had to number them and say who the best was, it would have to be Cal Ripken. Ripken was not only one of the greatest infielders in the history of the game, but was and continues to be one of the greatest men in baseball history. I couldn’t imagine a better person to eclipse Lou Gehrig’s record of 2130 consecutive games played. Much like Gehrig, Ripken just showed up and played every day, not complaining, not making a big fuss. He just went out and did his job, and did it well. That particular night in September of 1995, baseball was still recovering from the strike that had ended only months before. Ripken’s night however brought back numbers of fans to watch the game that they always loved, and watch a man who was an inspiration to everyone. I get goosebumps to this day watching him go around the stadium shaking hands with the fans as they all congratulated him on his unbelievable achievement. It was a memorable moment that given the situation that baseball as a whole was in needed to happen in order for the game to survive. You can’t say enough about a man like Cal Ripken who did so much for so many people, and showed ball players the way the game was supposed to be played. The fact that he hit a home run that night was just icing on the cake, adding Chris Berman’s call “Oh my goodness! He’s done it again!” to the greatness of the evening.
2: Ted Williams at the 1999 All-Star Game
(MLB Network Countdown #10)
Ted Williams is the greatest hitter that ever lived, and when he showed up at the 1999 All Star game in Boston, it was one of the greatest moments the sport has ever seen. Williams, getting up in age, was carted in to the mound to throw out the first pitch, but not before he could drive down the line waiving to all the Boston fans in awe of the legend in front of them. As his cart stopped at the pitcher’s mound, every all star from both sides emerged on him to shake his hand and say hello. He spoke with players at the mound, many of which got tears in their eyes when they recanted the story later, and was just back being one of the guys again. After being helped up by two of the greatest players of their era Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, he throughout the first pitch and Fenway erupted in a roar that had not been heard probably since Williams’ playing days. He was one of the most amazing players the game has ever seen, and took part in one of the greatest moments I have ever seen in my lifetime, despite the fact that his idiot son had him dressed up trying to promote his new business rather than putting a Red Sox had on his head. The Kid wowed us again in 1999, something he had been doing for Boston fans for over 50 years.
1: Joe Carter
(MLB Network Countdown #4)
Watching the MLB Network put this moment at #4 was what inspired me to write this article. When you hit a walk off homerun to win the World Series, it has to be #1 on all lists. Personally I think it has to be one of the best homeruns of all time, right there with Bobby Thompson, Bill Mazeroski, Kirk Gibson, and Aaron Boone. We have seen walk off hits to win the Series, but a homerun? Watching Joe Carter jump six feet in the air around the base paths is one of the greatest moments in baseball history, let alone in the 90’s, and I couldn’t believe that it was not #1. I can only envy Blue Jays fans who were watching that because I know how excited I got it as a fan of neither the Phillies nor the Blue Jays. I also know how excited I get to see someone on the Astros hit a walk off homerun in June, let alone in October. There is really not that much to say about the subject other than it is definitely the best of the decade hands down. It takes a lot to bump Ted Williams, but Joe Carter was able to do it.
Like I said earlier, the MLB Network Countdown had some very good points, I just didn’t agree with some of them, and thought that I could make my own countdown to appease my uneasiness during my “sports hiatus” in the month of February. I couldn’t mention everything that I thought should have been added to the list, like Kenny Rogers’ perfect game that was not even in the top 50, even though it came a week before the player’s strike, and the 1999 Home Run Derby in Fenway where Mark McGwire put on a display of amazement. I would love to hear what anyone else has to say about the subject, and I would like to thank you for sitting through a review of my childhood. Wow, 8 pages, a new record.
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