Mt. Rushmore - Greatest single game/event performances

[cartman]

There have been quite a few spectacular single game performances lately, and it got me thinking about others. So time for another Mt. Rushmore discussion. Name your four (no more, no less) greatest single game performances.

Here are mine, in no particular order:

Don Larsen, Game 5 of the 1956 World Series
Completed one of the rarest baseball feats, pitching a perfect game on the sport's biggest stage

Vince Young, 2006 Rose Bowl/BCS Championship Game
267 yards passing, 200 rushing against what many pundits were calling the greatest college football team ever.

Secretariat, 1973 Belmont Stakes
Simply demolished the field, winning by a record 31 lengths and securing the Triple Crown. Also set a record of 2:24 for a 1.5 mile race on dirt. No other horse has ever broken 2:25 for that distance.

Wilt Chamberlain, March 2nd 1962
100 points in a single game. In the nearly 50 years since that time, the next closest point total in a game is 81.

[TroyF]

Kellen Winslow - The Epic in Miami - 13 catches, 166 yards, TD, 1 blocked FG to send the game into OT. And oh, this:

"during the game he was treated for a pinched nerve in his shoulder, dehydration, severe cramps, and received three stitches in his lower lip."

Bobby Baun - Breaks ankle early in a Stanley Cup game with his team down 3 games to 2. Comes back on the broken ankle and scores the winner to send the series to the 7th game. The Leafs won the series.

Kirby Puckett - Game 6 of the World Series. Robs a HR in CF, hits a single, triple, HR (game winner in bottom of the 11th), steals a base, scores 2 runs, drives in 3. Twins win the game 4-3 and win the WS in game 7 with the help of Skates.

Magic Johnson - Game 6 of NBA Finals. Starts at C, scores 42 points, 15 boards, 7 assists, 3 steals in a win that clinches the series.

[Logan]

I'll just go with events I watched live...first run at it, I'm sure I'm missing better choices.

Mark Messier - Prior to Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, guarantees victory for the Rangers over the Devils as they face elimination. All he does is go out and score a hat trick...tying the game, scoring the go ahead goal, and icing it with an empty netter. (addendum to Pumpy...I could take 4 years to think of performances I've missed, this will always be number 1).

Adrian Peterson - Halfway into his rookie year, sets the NFL single game rushing record with 296 yards on 30 carries, scoring 3 times. He was just an absolute beast.

Michael Jordan - His double nickel against the Knicks in the 4th or 5th game of his comeback was remarkable.

Reggie Miller - 8 points in 11 seconds. Enough said.

[Lathum]

I think VY and Larsen are great choices. I wouldn't put Wilt up there. There is no doubt in my mind there have been guys who have played the last 25 years that could do it if they really wanted to.

I would have to put MarK Messiers guarantee on game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After guaranteeing a win he goes out and scores a hat trick, propelling the Rangers to a win in what I think was the single greatest series in NHL history. As a Devils fan it still makes me sick.

I think the Schilling bloody sock game could be put here as well.

[stevew]

Agree with Larson and Young.
Jordan has to be on there though for something, I'm going Celtics game w/60 plus.
LeBron single handed defeat of the Pistons was the most amazing thing recently, but he gets major douche chills.
Desmond Howard in the Super Bowl? Maybe not.
Hate the Dodgers, but I'm going Kirk Gibson here. Eck was as automatic as anything previously seen.

[stevew]

I don't think you can make this list without a Jordan.

[bronconick]

Jordan's 45 in game 6 vs. Utah, probably. Throw in that it's the highest rated game in NBA history...

[McSweeny]

I'm going Celtics game w/60 plus.

A game the Bull's lost.

[lighthousekeeper]

too lazy to play by the rules and think of 4, but the following comes to mind:

Josh Hamilton home run derby

[MrBug708]

Bill Walton 21-22

[QuikSand]

My first draft might be cartman's list with Wilt replaced by Bob Beamon.

[spleen1015]

Washington Redskins 2nd Qtr Super Bowl XXII

[stevew]

A game the Bull's lost.

as did grammar

[spleen1015]

as did grammar

rof'l

[stevew]

My first draft might be cartman's list with Wilt replaced by Bob Beamon.

Oh, snap, I'm jealous.

Usain Bolt maybe?

[cartman]

Upon further inspection, and with a nod to QS, I'd probably remove Wilt's 100 and replace it with:

Jesse Owens - Big 10 Track Meet, May 25th 1935
In the span of 45 minutes, he set three world records and tied a 4th. Tied the record in the 100 yard sprint, and set records for the long jump, 220 yard sprint, and 220 yard low hurdles.

[QuikSand]

...but *nobody* thinks of Jesse Owens as a collegiate athlete. His moment, according to the history books, was clearly sticking it to the Nazis in the Olympics.

[Greyroofoo]

I don't know how this isn't on everyone's list...


New York, NY, July 4, 2008 - Joey Chestnut of San Jose, Calif., today won the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, beating Takeru Kobayashi of Nagano, Japan in a five-dog overtime after both ate 59 Nathan's Famous hot dogs and buns in the 10-minute regulation match.

The two competitors were tied at 59 hot dogs and buns at the end of the 10-minute contest. To settle the contest, Major League Eating officials contest organizers held an overtime round. Chestnut and Kobayashi were each given a plate of five hot dogs and buns. The first one to finish their plate won the contest. Chestnut finished his plate in 50 seconds, seven seconds before Kobayashi.

"Gas is approaching $5 a gallon, tomatoes are unsafe to eat, but the Mustard Yellow Belt is on American soil. Joey Chestnut is an agent of change," said Richard Shea of Major League Eating.

[cartman]

...but *nobody* thinks of Jesse Owens as a collegiate athlete. His moment, according to the history books, was clearly sticking it to the Nazis in the Olympics.

Most people think he set the world records at the Berlin Olympics, not at the Big 10 meet.

[tarcone]

Unrated Brooks Simpson pins top rated Eric Voelker in the 190 lb weight class. Iowa goes ahead 16-15. Iowa had a 43 match win streak at the time.
Voelker was the defending National Champion. Simpson was a young wrestler who battled a knee injury all season.
Voelker was up 6-1. But then it happened. Simpson reversed Voelker and stayed on top for almost 40 seconds before pinning him. Carver-Hawkeye erupted. Many observers will tell you it is the loudest it has ever been at CHA.

I was there. It is my very favorite sports memory.

Here is a link

hxxp://www.kcrg.com/sports/85377837.html

[SackAttack]

Hate the Dodgers, but I'm going Kirk Gibson here. Eck was as automatic as anything previously seen.

I'm as big a Dodger homer as you'll find anywhere, but I'm not sure Kirk Gibson belongs on a single game performance Rushmore for one at-bat.

'Sporting moments,' perhaps, but the context to me sounded more like an overall performance thing; with that in mind, if I were to take a game from the Dodgers' 1988 postseason run, I'd probably take Game 2 and Hershiser's shutout of the A's where he also outhit their entire lineup.

October 16, 1988 World Series Game 2, Athletics at Dodgers - Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN198810160.shtml)

Same 3-4 performance as Dave Parker, but Hershiser had two doubles and an RBI. Parker had three singles.

[RainMaker]

Kirk Gibson - The guy could barely swing and hits a homer in a crucial spot against the greatest closer in baseball history.

Jordan - The flu game. That Bulls team wasn't as good as people think that year and he carried a team while battling the flu. I don't even like to get the mail when I have the flu let alone play a grueling basketball game in the toughest arena in basketball.

Schilling - The Game 6 bloody sock game is pretty crazy. That was also on the road in an elimination game.

Reggie Miller - The game in New York where he put up 25 points in the 4th quarter when they knew he was going to shoot all game.

Team USA - Not sure if teams count, but the Miracle on Ice would have to be on a Mt. Rushmore of remarkable performances.

[stevew]

When did Gibson homer off of Mariano? ;).

[Matthean]

One not mentioned, Michael Phelps 2008 Olympics.

I think Jordan's flu games stands out. He's had a number of games where he just went off on people and it got to where it was expected, but doing what he did when he was far from healthy just added to the mystic.

[Radii]

Magic Johnson's game 6 starting at center

Larsen's Perfect game

... those 2 seem like they can't be moved off the list. For my last two I'll take the two most dominant sporting performances I saw as they happened:

Kerry Wood strikes out 20 in his 5th Major League Start

and

Lebron James game 5 vs Detroit, 48 points/9 boards/7 assists and most spectacularly the final 25 points for Cleveland.

[Neuqua]

I'm pretty sure cartman and Quiksand are making fun of me in this thread.

[JPhillips]

Larsen

Jordan flu game

Beamon

Rulon Gardner defeated Alexander Karelin after Karelin had gone undefeated for thirteen years and had not conceded a point for six years

[sabotai]

Don Larsen's World Series Perfect Game

Jesse Owens Sticking It To The Nazis at the Olympics

Magic Johnson's Game 6

The Rumble In The Jungle, Ali KOs Foremen

[Matthean]

Molly Schuyler eats 363 wings in 30 minutes to shatter Wing Bowl record - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/10381977/molly-schuyler-eats-363-wings-30-minutes-shatter-wing-bowl-record)

Although I think the 9 pounds of cottage cheese in 114 seconds and the 72-ounce steak in less than 3 minutes might be more impressive.

[stevew]

David Ortiz reaches base in 19 of 25 plate appearances with a .688 average and a 1.188 SLG has to chart if we can count the 2013 world series as an "event"