Top-rated
Mon, Apr 11, 2005
The top 5 reasons Steve Bartman shouldn't be blamed for the Chicago Cubs' meltdown during the 2003 National League Championship Series.
Spoiler text
Best of the Rest:
Top Five:
5. Moises Alou: His reaction incited the fans against Bartman. Plus, his unsanitary pregame rituals he later admitted to might have deterred fans from getting in his way.
4. Dusty Baker: He criticized Bartman in a postgame press conference, but Baker failed to go to the mound to settle his team down, until it was too late.
3. Alex Gonzalez's error: The Gold Glove-winning shortstop botched a double play ball that would have ended the inning.
Interlude: The Cubs probability of winning was only slightly decreased after the foul ball; it plummeted later in the inning.
2. Game 7: The Cubs had another chance, with ace Kerry Wood on the mound.
1. The Marlins were better: The slugging Marlins also slayed the Giants and Yankees that year; their firepower and sense of destiny were not to be denied.
Spoiler text
Best of the Rest:
- The Cubs were cursed.
- Bartman did nothing wrong: All the fans around him reached for the ball too; it's a natural fan reaction, especially for a ball that would be a souvenir from a presumed historic pennant-clinching game.
Top Five:
5. Moises Alou: His reaction incited the fans against Bartman. Plus, his unsanitary pregame rituals he later admitted to might have deterred fans from getting in his way.
4. Dusty Baker: He criticized Bartman in a postgame press conference, but Baker failed to go to the mound to settle his team down, until it was too late.
3. Alex Gonzalez's error: The Gold Glove-winning shortstop botched a double play ball that would have ended the inning.
Interlude: The Cubs probability of winning was only slightly decreased after the foul ball; it plummeted later in the inning.
2. Game 7: The Cubs had another chance, with ace Kerry Wood on the mound.
1. The Marlins were better: The slugging Marlins also slayed the Giants and Yankees that year; their firepower and sense of destiny were not to be denied.
Mon, Apr 18, 2005
Spoiler text
Best of the Rest:
Top Five:
5. Bill Belichick: His tone-deaf leadership hurt the team and weakened their case for a new stadium.
4. Al Davis and Robert Irsay: They set the precedent for moving franchises.
3. The Cleveland Indians: They overshadowed the Browns.
2. Modell's finances: The franchise was going broke.
1. Rock 'N Roll: The city of Cleveland spent millions on a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (plus an arena for the Cavaliers and stadium for the Indians) but nothing on a new stadium for the Browns, even while Municipal Stadium crumbled.
Best of the Rest:
- Al Lerner: He helped Modell arrange the move to Maryland (even though he was later celebrated for landing the Browns in Cleveland in 1999).
- John Elway: His playoff heroics, including The Drive, kept the Browns from the Super Bowl and seemed to change the fortunes of the franchise. Plus, had Baltimore originally convinced Elway to stay there after it drafted him, rather than trading him to Denver, it might have kept the Colts in Baltimore and kept the Browns from moving there.
Top Five:
5. Bill Belichick: His tone-deaf leadership hurt the team and weakened their case for a new stadium.
4. Al Davis and Robert Irsay: They set the precedent for moving franchises.
3. The Cleveland Indians: They overshadowed the Browns.
2. Modell's finances: The franchise was going broke.
1. Rock 'N Roll: The city of Cleveland spent millions on a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (plus an arena for the Cavaliers and stadium for the Indians) but nothing on a new stadium for the Browns, even while Municipal Stadium crumbled.
Top-rated
Mon, May 9, 2005
Best of the Rest
5) Jerry Krause: He repeatedly delivered several quality free agents and kept the team together.
4) Scottie Pippen: His departure to the Houston Rockets led to the breakup of the Bulls
3) Phil Jackson: He lost control of the team.
2) Jerry Reinsdorf: The owner failed to take leadership.
1) Michael Jordan: He could have come back for one more season and kept the team together.
- A Lust for Credit: Several players felt they deserved credit for contributing to the championships which resulted in different egos being exposed
- Attrition: 10 Chicago Bulls players became free agents after the season
5) Jerry Krause: He repeatedly delivered several quality free agents and kept the team together.
4) Scottie Pippen: His departure to the Houston Rockets led to the breakup of the Bulls
3) Phil Jackson: He lost control of the team.
2) Jerry Reinsdorf: The owner failed to take leadership.
1) Michael Jordan: He could have come back for one more season and kept the team together.
Top-rated
Tue, Jun 28, 2005
Spoiler text
Best of the Rest
5. The draft is a crapshoot. Portland actually had a good track record in the draft, but there are no guarantees a pick will pan out.
4. Size matters. Before Jordan changed the game, championship teams were built around a big man.
3. Bill Walton: Portland wanted another superstar center.
2. Dean Smith: His offensive system didn't showcase Jordan's talents.
1. Clyde Drexler: the Blazers already had a playmaking shooting guard.
Best of the Rest
- The coin flip. The Rockets and Blazers flipped a coin for the top draft pick. Both wanted Hakeem Olajuwon. The Blazers called tails and lost. No one would have blamed them for taking Olajuwon with the top pick.
- Patrick Ewing's mother. Ewing stayed at Georgetown rather than enter the draft because he had promised his mother he would finish his college degree before going pro. Ewing would have been the Blazers' second choice behind Olajuwon.
- The Rockets. They also passed on Jordan, but no one blames them. Had Jordan never taken time off to play pro baseball, the Rockets may never have won their two championships with Olajuwon.
5. The draft is a crapshoot. Portland actually had a good track record in the draft, but there are no guarantees a pick will pan out.
4. Size matters. Before Jordan changed the game, championship teams were built around a big man.
3. Bill Walton: Portland wanted another superstar center.
2. Dean Smith: His offensive system didn't showcase Jordan's talents.
1. Clyde Drexler: the Blazers already had a playmaking shooting guard.
Mon, Sep 26, 2005
Top 5 Reasons you can't blame Mike Tyson for losing to Buster Douglas
Best of the Rest:
Top 5:
Best of the Rest:
- The Donald Trumped: Had Donald Trump handled Mike Tyson's affairs, he may have been focused.
- The Long Count: Douglas "barely" beat the ten count and Tyson never recovered mentally from the bad count
Top 5:
- Cus D'Amato: Tyson never recovered from the death of his mentor.
- Robin Givens: The brief wife of Tyson was a gold digger which affected Tyson outside of the boxing ring.
- Tyson's inexperienced corner: They were unprepared and inexperienced as proven when they forgot the enswell as Tyson's eye was getting swollen in the later rounds.
- Overrated: Tyson had yet to beat someone of worthy caliber, the types of fights that Ali and Frazier fought.
- Buster Douglas: He fought a perfect fight. He also drew inspiration from the death of his mother just a few weeks before the fight.
Tue, Nov 22, 2005
Spoiler text
Best of the Rest:
Top Five:
5. The U.S. Supreme Court: Its 1984 ruling gave colleges the right to negotiate TV contracts; taking away the NCAA's power to impose its own system.
4. It's Better Than Before: Before the BCS, undefeated #1 and #2 teams couldn't meet in a season-ending game if their conference's bowl commitments got in the way.
3. A More Suspenseful Regular Season: College football is the only major sport in which every game truly counts.
2. The Bowl System: tradition and profits are too strong for change
1. University Presidents: They have the power to change the system, but they don't want to.
Best of the Rest:
- B.C.S. = B-U-Z-Z : the controversy and debate builds interest in college football
- The Coaches: They like the current bowl system that gives multiple teams and coaches the chance to end their season with a win, especially if their contract is being decided in the offseason.
Top Five:
5. The U.S. Supreme Court: Its 1984 ruling gave colleges the right to negotiate TV contracts; taking away the NCAA's power to impose its own system.
4. It's Better Than Before: Before the BCS, undefeated #1 and #2 teams couldn't meet in a season-ending game if their conference's bowl commitments got in the way.
3. A More Suspenseful Regular Season: College football is the only major sport in which every game truly counts.
2. The Bowl System: tradition and profits are too strong for change
1. University Presidents: They have the power to change the system, but they don't want to.
Tue, Jan 31, 2006
spoiler alert
Best of the Rest
Top Five
5. Ottis Anderson. The old warhorse surprised the Bills by dominating the game.
4. Jeff Hostetler. The unknown Giants' backup quarterback withstood Buffalo pressure and led the Giants to the win.
3. Buffalo's defense. The unit got worn down and couldn't stop the Giants' long drives. The imbalance in time of possession meant that the halftime act, the New Kids on the Block, seemed to spend as much time on the field as the Bills' potent offense.
2. Coaching. Bill Parcells and his star-studded coaching staff had a better game plan. The Bills' sideline also mishandled timeouts in the closing minutes.
1. 47 Yards? On Grass? NFL kickers had been converting less than half of attempts of at least this length on grass in the years leading up to Super Bowl XXV. Norwood was used to the artificial turf of Buffalo's stadium and had a low average distance for his made kicks. He was 1-for-5 from 40+ yards on grass before his fateful Super Bowl kick. While other kickers have faced pressure situations in the Super Bowl, they were kicking to break a tie and not risking a loss with a miss.
Best of the Rest
- Matt Bahr. He not only made clutch kicks, but made two crucial tackles on Buffalo kick returns that could have lifted the Bills.
- Buffalo overconfidence: The Bills' swagger and partying during Super Bowl week suggested they weren't focused.
Top Five
5. Ottis Anderson. The old warhorse surprised the Bills by dominating the game.
4. Jeff Hostetler. The unknown Giants' backup quarterback withstood Buffalo pressure and led the Giants to the win.
3. Buffalo's defense. The unit got worn down and couldn't stop the Giants' long drives. The imbalance in time of possession meant that the halftime act, the New Kids on the Block, seemed to spend as much time on the field as the Bills' potent offense.
2. Coaching. Bill Parcells and his star-studded coaching staff had a better game plan. The Bills' sideline also mishandled timeouts in the closing minutes.
1. 47 Yards? On Grass? NFL kickers had been converting less than half of attempts of at least this length on grass in the years leading up to Super Bowl XXV. Norwood was used to the artificial turf of Buffalo's stadium and had a low average distance for his made kicks. He was 1-for-5 from 40+ yards on grass before his fateful Super Bowl kick. While other kickers have faced pressure situations in the Super Bowl, they were kicking to break a tie and not risking a loss with a miss.
Mon, Feb 6, 2006
Spoiler text
Best Of The Rest
Top Five
5. Letters: Readers flood SI with mail voicing a range of opinion
4. Athletes Uncovered: They're now a part of the swimsuit issue, lending it some legitimacy
3. Super Bowl of Modeling
2. A Perfect Fit: The issue debuted in a midwinter lull in major sports, in the sexualized decade of the Sixties
1. It Sells
Best Of The Rest
- Just Say No: Subscribers can opt out (though less than 1 percent do)
- Tame By Today's Standards
Top Five
5. Letters: Readers flood SI with mail voicing a range of opinion
4. Athletes Uncovered: They're now a part of the swimsuit issue, lending it some legitimacy
3. Super Bowl of Modeling
2. A Perfect Fit: The issue debuted in a midwinter lull in major sports, in the sexualized decade of the Sixties
1. It Sells
Top-rated
Mon, Apr 3, 2006
Spoilers
Best of the Rest:
Top Five:
5. The ghost of Fred Brown: The fateful mistake happened in the same arena, against the same opponent, in a similar situation, as the Georgetown player's infamous giveaway.
4. Chris Webber: Without him, Michigan wouldn't have made it to the championship game, or have been so close in the final minute.
3. Steve Fisher: the coach bears the ultimate responsibility for his players knowing how many timeouts are left.
2. North Carolina's defense.
1. It never happened. A scandal involving a booster would cause Michigan to vacate its victories from the Fab Five era and shelve its Final Four banners in Crisler Arena, erasing them from official records.
Best of the Rest:
- Michigan was behind.
- The bench: both Webber and a North Carolina defender said they heard someone on the Michigan bench calling for a timeout.
Top Five:
5. The ghost of Fred Brown: The fateful mistake happened in the same arena, against the same opponent, in a similar situation, as the Georgetown player's infamous giveaway.
4. Chris Webber: Without him, Michigan wouldn't have made it to the championship game, or have been so close in the final minute.
3. Steve Fisher: the coach bears the ultimate responsibility for his players knowing how many timeouts are left.
2. North Carolina's defense.
1. It never happened. A scandal involving a booster would cause Michigan to vacate its victories from the Fab Five era and shelve its Final Four banners in Crisler Arena, erasing them from official records.
Thu, Feb 1, 2007
Spoiler text
Best of the Rest
Top Five:
5. Unheralded quarterbacks: Jeff Hostetler and Mark Rypien unexpectedly shone for their teams.
4. There's no place like home. The Bills thrived in their cold weather climate, but Super Bowls are played in warm weather cities.
3. A jinx of geography. Buffalo was never known for championship sports teams, but was known for a few villains. The teams they lost two were teams and cities with championship pedigrees who were accustomed to the spotlight.
2. How 'bout them Cowboys!
1. Whitney Houston: The New Jersey native faced and looked at the Giants during the national anthem; her stirring rendition inspired them. The Giants loss set the tone for the following three Super Bowls.
Best of the Rest
- James Washington. The Cowboys defender dominated Super Bowl XXVIII.
- Defense. The Bills faced four elite defenses, including Bill Belichick's Giants defense, while the Bills' own defenses were average or weak.
Top Five:
5. Unheralded quarterbacks: Jeff Hostetler and Mark Rypien unexpectedly shone for their teams.
4. There's no place like home. The Bills thrived in their cold weather climate, but Super Bowls are played in warm weather cities.
3. A jinx of geography. Buffalo was never known for championship sports teams, but was known for a few villains. The teams they lost two were teams and cities with championship pedigrees who were accustomed to the spotlight.
2. How 'bout them Cowboys!
1. Whitney Houston: The New Jersey native faced and looked at the Giants during the national anthem; her stirring rendition inspired them. The Giants loss set the tone for the following three Super Bowls.