You’re reading this because you like sports, so we don’t have to tell you there’s nothing better than watching a jaw-dropping highlight. What we want you to tell is us this: which sport has THE best highlights? Are slick defensive plays in baseball more entertaining than a Mario Lemieux rush, or a Blake Griffin dunk? Is a Barry Sanders touchdown run more electrifying than a Cristiano Ronaldo strike?
Between now and a date to be determined we’ve enlisted sportsnet.ca writers to make a written and visual case for their sport and we want you to vote using our poll below.
Dec. 29: Hockey
Dec. 30: Football
Dec. 31: Soccer
Jan. 1: Basketball
Jan. 2: Baseball
Of course, with a competition like this, there is no loser and the real winners are our eyes.
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Turn on the highlights any night from April to October and you’re bound to see a stream of home runs, diving catches and impressive throws only to forget them soon afterwards. But once in a while a baseball highlight is so striking that it lasts for years, rather than minutes.
From Cal Ripken Jr.’s consecutive games streak to the Derek Jeter flip, the game’s biggest stars captivate us. The World Series sets the stage for memorable highlights from the likes of Bill Mazeroski, Don Larsen, and Kirk Gibson.
And oddities like Kevin Mitchell’s barehanded catch and Randy Johnson’s seagull-bound slider rightfully earned places in baseball lore. But when it comes to the all-time highlight reel, nothing compares to the three plays below:
Mays Runs It Down
Decades after the fact, the 1954 World Series still resonates with fans because of this highlight. Willie Mays — an inner-circle Hall of Famer in his prime — chases down a fly ball in the Polo Grounds’ deep centre field before unleashing an incredible throw. This highlight went beyond the ’54 World Series by helping to define one of baseball’s best ever players. That’s tough to beat.
Fisk Waves It Fair
When Carlton Fisk begged his home run ball to stay fair in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series he earned himself a permanent place on baseball highlight reels. Even though the Red Sox would end up losing the series to the Reds, Fisk’s Fenway Park home run lives on as one of the sport’s most dramatic moments. Maybe it resonated with the long-suffering Red Sox fans who could identify with the star player who wanted the baseball to stay fair just as badly as they did.
Joe Touches ‘Em All
Who can forget the sight of Joe Carter leaping around the bases? Rarely does a World Series end on a walk-off, let alone on a walk-off home run. This 1993 shot secured Toronto’s second consecutive title and capped off an era of dominant Blue Jays baseball. Tom Cheek’s perfect ‘touch ’em all’ call made the moment as much of a highlight on the radio as it was on TV.
