October 25, 2002 [LINK]
[Giants fight back]
The Giants really unleashed a torrent of runs last night, turning the tables and putting the Angels in dire jeopardy. Jeff Kent hit two home runs, finally getting over his slump and sharing some of Barry Bond's limelight. Will the "Rally Monkey" turn things back in Anaheim's favor when play resumes down there Saturday night? I say YES! There is a disturbing pattern, however: In all six of the playoff series thus far this year, the team with the initial home field advantage (in this case, Anaheim) ended up losing!
Just before the Wednesday night game they FINALLY went through with that way over-hyped "Ten Most Memorable Moments." (I was surprised they let Pete Rose onto the field, since he seems as defiantly unrepentant as ever.) Anyway, here are the people's choices:
1. 1995 - Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig's streak with his 2,131st consecutive game.
2. 1974 - Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's all-time home run record.
3. 1947 - Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American Major Leaguer.
4. 1998 - Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa surpass Roger Maris' single-season home run record.
5. 1939 - Lou Gehrig retires with his "luckiest man" farewell speech.
6. 1985 - Pete Rose passes Ty Cobb as the all-time hits leader.
7. 1941 - Ted Williams is the last man to post a .400 average.
8. 1941 - Joe DiMaggio hits in 56 straight games.
9. 1988 - Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit homer sends LA on its way to a World Series upset.
10. 1991 - Nolan Ryan pitches his seventh career no-hitter.
To me, the list was strange because most of the events were when players broke some all-time record or other, and hardly any of them had anything to do with winning or losing the game being played that day. To me, a memorable MOMENT is by definition is something sudden and dramatic, not a "lifetime achievement." (If you want to get picky, the actual moment when Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak was established in 1941 was on the day of the NEXT game when he FAILED to get a hit!) Three of the most memorable moments I picked were:
1954 - Willie Mays' amazing catch in deep center field at the Polo Grounds (against the Indians), turning the tide in the World Series in the Giants' favor
1960 - Bill Mazeroski's World Series-winning home run at Forbes Field (against the Yankees)
1975 - Carlton Fisk's game-winning home run in Fenway Park (against the Reds, who won the World Series the next day)