Imagine if you could jump into a time machine and choose any sporting event. Which ones would you chose and why?
Try ranking a top three. It’s tough, but here are my choices, bearing in mind restricting such a wishlist is a torturous exercise.
1930 – Sir Donald Bradman makes 254 versus England at Lord’s
Sir Donald Bradman is the greatest batsman of all time. In 1930 he was at his young, hungry, dashing and dominant best on his first tour of England. He made a record 974 runs in the series, including 309 in a single day at Headingley.
Bradman batted 338 times in first-class cricket and scored 117 centuries. He said at the end of his career the 254 he made against England at Lord’s in 1930 was his most perfect innings.
What would you give to watch the prefect display from the greatest batsman of all?
1974 – Rumble in the Jungle
Nothing quite compares to the hype of a heavyweight boxing bout and of all the fights to have witnessed surely the Rumble in the Jungle would be the peak of the summit.
The great American sports journalist Jim Murray, when it was announced the fight would be staged in Zaire, joked “wasn’t the top of Mount Everest available”.
But Zaire, what a strange, exotic and colourful place to be in 1974. How about the Soul Power music festival before the fight. BB King and James Brown rocking.
The stadium held 100,000 people and the fight was held at 3am. George Foreman was 38-0 at the time, Muhammad Ali apparently past it.
The first round was explosive. The middle rounds featured the bizarre but brilliant ‘rope a dope’ and then the shock knockout by Ali and a wild storm about an hour after the fight.
2000 – All Blacks versus Australia, Sydney
I remember watching this game on free-to-air TV delayed as a youngster. Our family couldn’t afford pay television at the time. The All Blacks led 24-0 after six minutes and we thought it was a mistake. Were we watching the highlights?
Nope!
Australia had drawn level by half-time. The second half was a cracker and the game was decided in the last-minute when Jonah Lomu scored in the corner.
Played in front of a world record crowd of 109,874 people, even Australian captain John Eales admitted in defeat it was the greatest game of rugby he had ever played in.
Big J
Guest
99 Grand Final between Storm and Dragons, Mundine v Green in 06, Tyson v Lewis in 02, the 2000 Olympics and that soccer game where some naked chick comes on to the field and kicks a goal form about 40 out.
Johnno
Guest
Euro 96, Sydney 2000, some of the classic Davis Cup matches were exciting. Michael Chang's French Open 89 win. Torvill and Dean. Alberto Tomba sking. Micheal Jordan Bulls vs Utah Jazz 1998. Magic vs Bird classics. Wayne Gretsky big ice hockey games. 89 GF, in both AFL/NRL were the 2-best modern GF'S Iv'e seen. Ashton Agar going for a century. Serena Williams going for her grand slam at the US open this year was exciting especially the game vs Venus, then the unexpected semi loss to an Italian Player she never had lost before.
Mark
Guest
George Foreman's ring record was 40-0 when he fought Muhammad Ali on Oct. 30, 1974.
marron
Roar Guru
Being there is the flesh is so different to watching it on youtube... There are hundreds I would have loved to have been at... countless last gasp wins and heroics with everything on the line in front of huge pulsating crowds. Of course, not knowing the outcome is part of that, which would be difficult to get around. But more seductive to me would be to watch the sports people that are only known to us through written description or ancient grainy footage, from beyond anyone's living memory. I'd want to see trumper at the crease or Cobb at the plate. Spofforth steaming in. Freidenreich or Andrade coasting through defenses. But perhaps beyond that... The dream would be to watch Gaius Appuleius Diocles go around the circus maximus!
Andy
Guest
Id go back and stop Munich from happening and watch England win the next 3 world cups. Then, even if using 'then' when talking about time travel seems kind of pointless, id go and get the west indian cricket team of the 80s and australian cricket team of the late 90s and go to maybe lords and start a first to 100 test win series. I was going to say somewhere here but im kind of scared about the potential for death if the west indian quicks bowled at the waca. Oh and id also go back the december 15 1998 when i was visiting relatives in England and the men in my family took me to old trafford to see my one and only Manchester United game against Middlesborough. Which we bloody lost. And then didnt lose another freaking game for the next 40 odd games including the treble. Id go back and punch my uncle, he told me after that he had been 10 games and United had never won one. Ass.
Tony Loedi
Roar Guru
Definitely the 2015 Cricket World Cup Final Adam
nordster
Guest
well i'd go back to the mid 90s when i first started watching the english premier league. Being a penrith boy, i chose newcastle united as they seemed to be to london, what penrith was to sydney. Also they were doing well under keegan, or so i thought. An alternate glory hunter team for the 90s. so i should go back and choose another team perhaps. After the 96-97 season ...lol.... my time machine would make me an arsenal fan;) I still watch the epl but follow the league rather than one team! Have a couple of old toon shirts that make nice painting rags...
Perry Bridge
Guest
There was a game played over 3 weekend in Melbourne back in 1858 umpired by McAdam and Wills.