Still, for all the games and plays that have made me say wow and for all the moments I've relished the Twitter explosion, I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could have been there for the biggest of games because there is truly nothing better than witnessing it all. So, here's the deal: I've made a list of five games I wish I could have been present at. Some of these I watched on television while others took place long before I was even thought of on this Earth. But if I could go back in time and somehow get a ticket then here's where I would go...
Boston Braves 3 - Brooklyn Dodgers 5 - April 15, 1947
Just over 26,500 fans were in attendance at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947 and if I could have been one of them I would certainly have taken the opportunity. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier that day, starting at first base and batting second. It was a monumental moment in history at the time, but it seems even bigger now as we look around sports today. African Americans have provided some of the finest play we've seen and Robinson blazed the trail for all of them, suiting up for the Dodgers on that April afternoon. Robinson was not particularly great in the opener, finishing 0-for-3 with a run scored, but there are some things that go beyond the box score and this certainly qualifies as one of them.
Villanova Wildcats 77 - North Carolina Tar Heels 74 - April 4, 2016
You really don't need a play-by-play for this one because certainly you remember. Even before Marcus Paige hit his acrobatic three-pointer to tie the game with six seconds left and before Kris Jenkins made the greatest shot maybe ever, this game was magical. Carolina took a five-point lead into the break, and Villanova led by five with three minutes to go. Paige's three may be forgotten as time passes, but it was one of the greatest clutch shots we've seen. The only problem: Jenkins topped it on the other end of the floor with a buzzer-beating three to give the 'Cats their second national title.
Texas Rangers 9 - St. Louis Cardinals 10 - October 27, 2011 (11 innings)
Texas and St. Louis gave baseball fans arguably the greatest World Series game ever in Game 6 of the 2011 Fall Classic. With Texas leading the series 3-2, the Cardinals were facing elimination in their own ballpark. Needing a win to force a Game 7, the Cards led 2-1 after the first inning in a game that featured at least one run in every inning but one. The Rangers chased Jaime Garcia after three innings and led 7-4 after seven innings. St. Louis got one back in the eighth and went to the ninth trailing by two. Down to their last strike in the ninth, David Freese unloaded a deep fly to right that Nelson Cruz couldn't handle. Freese wound up with a triple and drove in Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman to tie the game and force extra innings. Josh Hamilton homered in the 10th to give Texas the lead again, but Berkman singled on a 2-2 count in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at nine. In the bottom of the 11th, Freese played the role of hero again, launching the walk off home run to centerfield, forcing a Game 7 which the Cardinals would win for their 11th World Series.
Florida State Seminoles 34 - Auburn Tigers 31 - January 6th, 2014
One of the greatest BCS National Championship games in history featured a 21-point comeback and a game-winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds left on the clock. The Seminoles entered as the top-ranked team with Jameis Winston fresh off a Heisman trophy win, but Auburn looked impressive out of the gate, leading 21-3 late in the first half. FSU scored a touchdown right before the half to trim the lead to 11 and then connected on a field goal in the third quarter to make it 21-13. Then things got fun in the fourth. Winston threw a touchdown pass with 11 minutes to play to make it a one-point game, but Auburn pushed it to four with a field goal at the 4:42 mark. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Florida State ran it back 100 yards to take a 27-24 lead. The Tigers didn't give in though, scoring a touchdown with 1:19 to play to take a 31-27 lead. That set the stage for Winston's signature moment. The Heisman winner drove the Seminoles down the field and threw a two-yard TD pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds remaining to win the game.
Chicago Bulls 87 - Utah Jazz 86 - June 14, 1998
After failing to close out the Jazz in Game 5 at the United Center, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had to go back to Utah for Game 6 to try and complete the franchise's second three-peat. The Jazz won the first three quarters and led by five heading into the fourth quarter. Jordan, playing in his last game as a Chicago Bull, poured in 45 points on 15-of-35 shooting, but saved his best for last. Down by one with under 10 seconds to play, Jordan drove left and pulled up for his final shot as a Bull. He sank it and sealed the win as only the greatest to ever play could do it. Six rings, six Finals MVPs and one lasting memory for Bulls fans.
These five games were something special that fans still talk about today. However, there are hundreds of others that could be talked about. What are yours? Leave a comment with games that you wished you could have attended...
Butler Vs. Duke in 2010 National Championship. That shot though.... that screen on Stinking Singler.... Matt Howard's stache....
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