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lollardfishA Boston TV station is running a "The biggest 'what if' moments in Boston Sports History."
Here are mine, but mostly focusing on ones during my teenage/adult lifetime. These are not really in order. #1 is clearly #1 though.
1. What if Lenny Bias hadn't died?
2. What if the wind blows in on October 2, 1978?
3. What if Gedman catches that cross-up from Stanley (this in lieu of Buckner. Buckner's error sucked, but the Red Sox had already blown a two run lead with two outs, and the error led to the loss. The pitching stuff was more critical, really)?
4. What if Drew Bledsoe never gets injured, so Brady never starts?
5. What if Dave Roberts is thrown out stealing?
6. What if anyone, whatsoever, cared about the Bruins?
7. What if Grady sits Pedro after 7, pitches Timlin in the 8th, and Williamson in the 9th, like Theo told him to?
8. What if the Red Sox had signed Willie Mays?
9. What if the ref hadn't called "The Tuck Rule?"
10. What if the Celtics had gotten Tim Duncan (as they had the best chance to do)?
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What I like about these is that almost any sports fan, and certainly any Eastern sports fan, knows exactly what these short phrases signify. Also, "what ifs" (or counter-factuals) are fun to do in history, but very difficult to assess. It's fun to imagine Genghis Khan being killed in the internecine squabbles that made him an exile as a boy, or Alexander the Great not dying so young, or the Aztecs killing Cortes immediately, or something. It's a little, but just a little, easier to assess the sports moments.
Here are mine, but mostly focusing on ones during my teenage/adult lifetime. These are not really in order. #1 is clearly #1 though.
1. What if Lenny Bias hadn't died?
2. What if the wind blows in on October 2, 1978?
3. What if Gedman catches that cross-up from Stanley (this in lieu of Buckner. Buckner's error sucked, but the Red Sox had already blown a two run lead with two outs, and the error led to the loss. The pitching stuff was more critical, really)?
4. What if Drew Bledsoe never gets injured, so Brady never starts?
5. What if Dave Roberts is thrown out stealing?
6. What if anyone, whatsoever, cared about the Bruins?
7. What if Grady sits Pedro after 7, pitches Timlin in the 8th, and Williamson in the 9th, like Theo told him to?
8. What if the Red Sox had signed Willie Mays?
9. What if the ref hadn't called "The Tuck Rule?"
10. What if the Celtics had gotten Tim Duncan (as they had the best chance to do)?
---
What I like about these is that almost any sports fan, and certainly any Eastern sports fan, knows exactly what these short phrases signify. Also, "what ifs" (or counter-factuals) are fun to do in history, but very difficult to assess. It's fun to imagine Genghis Khan being killed in the internecine squabbles that made him an exile as a boy, or Alexander the Great not dying so young, or the Aztecs killing Cortes immediately, or something. It's a little, but just a little, easier to assess the sports moments.
