In life most people have moments they look back on and think 'What if?' How would things have played out had one thing gone differently. If you're a sports fan you can probably think of a few of these moments. They could be something like what if your team didn't lose a certain player to free agency to what if just one call during a given game went the other way. There are plenty to choose from but as a fan I have two that jump out to me.
What if Michael Jordan didn't retire from the NBA in 1993? The Bulls had just won their third straight NBA championship in 1993 when at only 30 years old MJ shocked everyone by suddenly announcing his retirement just weeks before the start of the 93/94 season. I don't want to get into a discussion about whether this was a voluntary retirement or a covered up suspension. Bottom line was MJ was gone from the Bulls when they were the hottest thing in the NBA. Two years later Jordan returned to the Bulls and they picked up right where they left off. In fact they were even better and won another three straight championships. Every Chicago sports fan wonders what would have happened had MJ been around those two years between 3peats. Actually most just assume the Bulls would have won eight straight titles matching the Celtics of the 60s. Of course there's no way to know for sure but Chicago fans can help but wonder what if.
What if Moises Alou caught the Bartman ball? In 2003 the Chicago Cubs had a 3-2 series lead on the Florida Marlins in the NLCS. Games six and seven were going to be at Wrigley Field and Mark Prior and Kerry Wood (both considered top pitchers at the time) would be the starting pitchers for the Cubs. I should have known better but I allowed myself to think the Cubs were actually going to the World Series. Prior was cruising in game six as the Cubs had a 3-0 lead with one out in the 8th inning. Cubs fans were in a state of euphoria when the atmosphere suddenly changed. A simple foul ball to left field changed the complexion of the game and the series. A fan in the front row got in the way of outfielder Moises Alou preventing him from making the catch for another out. What happened next was a nightmare as the Cubs gave up eight runs losing game six 8-3 before losing game seven the next night and missing the World Series.
For the record, I don't blame Bartman. It was just a foul ball. No real damage had been done. There's debate as to whether Alou would have even caught the ball anyway. However, Alou's visable angry reaction drew the attention of the entire stadium and the crowd that was so happy just seconds before suddenly became hostile. Had Prior just thrown one more strike he would have gotten the batter out and the now infamous incident wouldn't be remembered. Unfortunately the Cubs ace seemed to let the reaction from Alou and the now overwhelmingly negative energy in the stadium rattle him as the inning quickly got away from him. It would have been nice if veteran manager Dusty Baker would have gone out to have a word with his 23 year old pitcher to calm him down, but that didn't happen. It also didn't help that the normally sure handed defender, Alex Gonzalez, bobbled an easy ground ball that could have ended the inning with the Cubs still on top. Not to mention there was still a game seven that the Cubs could have won. So while I don't blame Bartman directly for the Cubs losing the 2003 NLCS I can't help but wonder what if Moises Alou caught the ball. Or for that matter if the ball was just a little further back so it was clearly out of play. The Cubs didn't even need that out at that exact moment. Nobody would have thought twice about an ordinary foul ball. It was the unusual situation and negative atmosphere that the Cubs let get in their heads.
I could list some more but those are my two big sports 'What ifs.' Feel free to comment on those but also tell me some of yours.
What if Michael Jordan didn't retire from the NBA in 1993? The Bulls had just won their third straight NBA championship in 1993 when at only 30 years old MJ shocked everyone by suddenly announcing his retirement just weeks before the start of the 93/94 season. I don't want to get into a discussion about whether this was a voluntary retirement or a covered up suspension. Bottom line was MJ was gone from the Bulls when they were the hottest thing in the NBA. Two years later Jordan returned to the Bulls and they picked up right where they left off. In fact they were even better and won another three straight championships. Every Chicago sports fan wonders what would have happened had MJ been around those two years between 3peats. Actually most just assume the Bulls would have won eight straight titles matching the Celtics of the 60s. Of course there's no way to know for sure but Chicago fans can help but wonder what if.
What if Moises Alou caught the Bartman ball? In 2003 the Chicago Cubs had a 3-2 series lead on the Florida Marlins in the NLCS. Games six and seven were going to be at Wrigley Field and Mark Prior and Kerry Wood (both considered top pitchers at the time) would be the starting pitchers for the Cubs. I should have known better but I allowed myself to think the Cubs were actually going to the World Series. Prior was cruising in game six as the Cubs had a 3-0 lead with one out in the 8th inning. Cubs fans were in a state of euphoria when the atmosphere suddenly changed. A simple foul ball to left field changed the complexion of the game and the series. A fan in the front row got in the way of outfielder Moises Alou preventing him from making the catch for another out. What happened next was a nightmare as the Cubs gave up eight runs losing game six 8-3 before losing game seven the next night and missing the World Series.
For the record, I don't blame Bartman. It was just a foul ball. No real damage had been done. There's debate as to whether Alou would have even caught the ball anyway. However, Alou's visable angry reaction drew the attention of the entire stadium and the crowd that was so happy just seconds before suddenly became hostile. Had Prior just thrown one more strike he would have gotten the batter out and the now infamous incident wouldn't be remembered. Unfortunately the Cubs ace seemed to let the reaction from Alou and the now overwhelmingly negative energy in the stadium rattle him as the inning quickly got away from him. It would have been nice if veteran manager Dusty Baker would have gone out to have a word with his 23 year old pitcher to calm him down, but that didn't happen. It also didn't help that the normally sure handed defender, Alex Gonzalez, bobbled an easy ground ball that could have ended the inning with the Cubs still on top. Not to mention there was still a game seven that the Cubs could have won. So while I don't blame Bartman directly for the Cubs losing the 2003 NLCS I can't help but wonder what if Moises Alou caught the ball. Or for that matter if the ball was just a little further back so it was clearly out of play. The Cubs didn't even need that out at that exact moment. Nobody would have thought twice about an ordinary foul ball. It was the unusual situation and negative atmosphere that the Cubs let get in their heads.
I could list some more but those are my two big sports 'What ifs.' Feel free to comment on those but also tell me some of yours.