re: The most infamous plays in sports history

quote:

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Marty McSorley playing with an illegal stick in the last part of the third period with the L.A. Kings up by a goal and with a 1-0 series lead in Game 2 of the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs. Montreal Canadians score the game tying goal on the ensuing power play, the game winner in OT and win games 3, 4, and 5 to take the Cup.

Also Todd Bertuzzi hitting Donald Breasher in the head with his stick.

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Hockey's most infamous play has to be Steve Smith's own goal against Calgary in Game 7 on his birthday, right?

... Boston Red Sox's pitcher
Curt Schilling and the bloody sock

2004 ALCS Boston vs New York Yankees

LINK

... Franco Harris and the
Immaculate Reception

12 seconds left on the clock

LINK

Right before Webber called the illegal TO he traveled in the back court and it wasn't called.

1998 Jerome Bettis coin toss debacle....was so bad the NFL changed the coin toss procedure.

Merkel's Boner

Merkle's Boner refers to the notorious base-running mistake committed by rookie Fred Merkle of the New York Giants in a game against the Chicago Cubs on September 23, 1908. Merkle's failure to advance to second base on what should have been a game-winning hit led instead to a forceout at second and a tied game.

The Cubs later won the makeup game, which proved decisive as they beat the Giants by one game to win the National League (NL) pennant for 1908. It has been described as "the most controversial game in baseball history".

Shortstop Al Bridwell came up to bat next with two outs and runners at the corners. Bridwell swung at the first pitch from Pfiester, a fastball, and drilled an apparent single into center field. McCormick ran home from third, and the game appeared to be over, a 2–1 Giants victory. Giants fans poured out of the stands and mobbed the field; fans sitting behind home plate crossed the field (customarily in this era) to exit the ballpark via the outfield. Merkle, advancing from first base, saw the fans swarming onto the playing field. He turned back to the dugout without ever touching second.
Official rule 4.09 states: "A run is not scored if the runner advances to home base during a play in which the third out is made... by any runner being forced out".

10 months after ruling against the Giants and forcing a playoff game against the Cubs the President of the National League shot himself.

Merkel was hounded for the rest of his life by Giants fans.

The ball had been thrown into the stands, fans were all over the field...Cub players went into the stands and wrestled the ball away from a Giants fan and then went to second base with it for the force out. The Ump agreed and Merkel and all Giants had already left the field.

Then in 1914, the Cubs hired as their manager the Ump who called Merkel out. As we all know, the Cubs never won another World Series for over a Century.

Oh and they hired Fred Merkel a few years later. And the year he died, the Cubs had their worst season in club history.

Can't blame Merkel, the fans literally bum-rushed the field. This was crazy town sports era, he took off not wanting to get stabbed or shot by an opposing fan.

There was even a debate back then that nobody even enforced that rule.

It was such a controversial ruling.

A walk-off hit was a walk-off hit back then as long as the winning run touched home plate. The other base runners didn't matter.

But like the Tuck rule, it was resurrected for obscure and not practical and sporting reasons.

Funny how the Ump who called Merkel out was later named tbe manager of the Cubs. Coincidence?

No Mas

November 25, 1980

George Brett pine tar incident