For the Love of Sports

Yes, I'm a big sports fan. Football first, then baseball. As for basketball, I really don't get into the NBA, but I love college hoops, especially around March Madness. I've gotten into soccer more lately. I don't care very much about hockey.

On Saturday, I watched one of the most exciting games I've seen for quite some time, where my San Francisco 49ers (my favorite sports team overall) defeat the New Orleans Saints 36-32. The last four minutes were crazy, as the teams swapped two touchdowns each, and the 49ers got the winning score with 9 seconds to go. It was very tense, and I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout the last four minutes. They now play the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. In the AFC, the New England Patriots (my second favorite NFL team) are playing the Baltimore Ravens. I hope at least one of my two teams gets in, and a 49ers/Patriots Super Bowl would be supremely awesome.

I was thinking about how exciting the 49ers/Saints game was, and that got me thinking about my favorite sports memories. The memories where I was actually watching it live, and the moment is stuck in my head and being a special sports memory. So, thus I present my 8 favorite sports memories, in reverse order of how special or important those memories are to me. There may be others I've forgotten, of course.

8. Baltimore Orioles vs. California Angels, September 6, 1995
Cal Ripken Jr.'s record breaking 2,131st consecutive game. It was a pretty historic moment, where a record fell that was previously thought to be untouchable.

7. New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams, February 3, 2002
A great Super Bowl, that saw my second-favorite team, the Patriots, take down the heavily favored Rams. Adam Vinatieri's field goal stopped the greatest show on turf.

6. San Francisco 49ers vs. San Diego Chargers, January 29, 1995
This is the lone 49ers Super Bowl that I have any real memory of. While the game wasn't close (49-26), Steve Young threw a Super Bowl record 6 touchdowns in an impressive rout.

5. Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees, October 20, 2004
Game 7 of the historic comeback of the Red Sox, coming back from a 0-3 hole in the ALCS, en route to their first World Series title in 86 years.

4. Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears, December 20, 2010
This is the only game on this list that I was actually present for. While the Vikings lost horribly (40-14), this is my single favorite sports game ever that I've attended. First, due to the Metrodome's roof collapsing, this game was played at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota. It was the first professional football game played outside in Minnesota in (I think) 28 years. It was right after a major snowstorm. It also had some of the 50 greatest Vikings in attendance, including many Hall of Famers. And finally it was Brett Favre's last NFL game ever, in which he threw his last ever touchdown.

3. San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants, January 5, 2003
This was one of the greatest comebacks in NFL playoff history. The 49ers came back from 24 points down to defeat the Giants 39-38.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers, November 9, 2002
This play, "Holy Buckeye", may just be my favorite single moment in sports history. Watching it still gives me the chills. Craig Krenzel threw the ball 40 yards down the field on fourth-and-one, and in that moment, they risked the game - and their chances on a championship. Michael Jenkins caught the ball, and the Buckeyes went on to be champions.

1. San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints, January 14, 2012
I know this just happened, but this was such an exciting game, with the teams trading blows in the last four minutes. It was intense! (Huzzah!)