Celebrated author and Sports Illustrated writer Joe Posnanski has got people talking ... again. On his blog today, he put up a post called "Thirty-Two Great Calls," in which he runs down what he considers to be the greatest sports call ever. It's a topic that instantly puts one's memory banks into overdrive -- and something sports fans will likely to debate until our voices give out and keyboards shatter under the strain.
In case you're wondering, and I know you are, two Chicago sports moments make the list. And they both involve (surprise, surprise) Michael Jordan: MJ's "circus lay-up" in the 1991 NBA finals and his controversial final shot against the Utah Jazz in the 1998 finals. Both fine choices, but it got us thinking: What are the greatest calls in Chicago sports history?
The mind boggles. (Seriously, our mind is boggling right now. We wish you could see. It's crazy.) One could spend weeks pondering this and weeks more searching YouTube and other media outlets for clips and soundbites. A few off-the-cuff (and mostly recent) thoughts that come to mind:
- One of the various calls of Patrick Kane's winning overtime goal that procured the Stanley Cup. John Wiedeman of WGN radio was the local one. You can hear several here.
- Hawk Harrelson's call of Mark Buehrle's perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 23, 2009. "Alexei ... YES! YES! YES! YES!" See it again here.
- Harry Caray's call of the Cubs clinching the NL Central in 1984. "The Cubs win the division! The Cubs win the division!" You can hear a fun compilation of his calls here.
What else you got? Bears? College football or basketball calls? Other 'Hawks, Sox or Cubs moments? Feel free to weigh in. We'd love to hear your suggestions. There's really no limit on how long this list could get.
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