Distant Replay

Regardless of where you stand on the NBA's GOAT debate, there's no denying Kobe Bryant is a part of that discussion. The NBA star dominated his craft like very few have ever done and broke many records along the way. That included this night on January 22, 2006 in Los Angeles when the Lakers hosted the Toronto Raptors in a regular season NBA game. We wanted to go back to that game for this episode of Distant Replay because, believe it or not, neither one of us had actually seen this game before. 

So here it is, the second greatest single-game performance in NBA history. Kobe Bryant scores 81. 

Get the full show notes and a link to the video here: https://distantreplaypodcast.com/?p=105 

It was one of the darkest days in modern NBA history. A scuffle on the court late in the game sparked one of the ugliest brawls we've seen in sports. 

Meeting for the first time since the Eastern Conference Finals earlier that year, the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons squared off in an early-season game with some ill-will still lingering from that playoff series. With less than a minute left in a 15-point game, Ron Artest fouled Ben Wallace hard under the basket. Wallace immediately got up off the floor, shoved Artest, and sparked both benches onto the floor.

Things were seemingly settling down when a fan tossed a beer onto Artest while he laid on the scorer's table, which resulted in him running straight into the crowd and escalating this into a full-on melee. 

15 years later, we go back and watch this entire game as it aired on ESPN, explain the history behind this matchup, and relive the fight as it took place that night in Detroit. There's a lot to unbox from that fight and we'll do it on this episode of Distant Replay. Welcome to Malice at the Palace.

Two SEC powerhouses were on a collision course during the 2011 regular season that eventually came to a head on November 5. The top two teams in college football - both out of the same division - faced off in Tuscaloosa for what the media called 'The Game of the Century.' 

It was No. 1 LSU traveling to #2 Alabama. Both teams had a bye week leading up to the matchup, which helped fuel the hype and anticipation. The game was such a big deal that CBS made a trade with ESPN to air this game in primetime. Add in the storyline of Nick Saban facing his former team and you'll understand why the sport was watching Bryant-Denny Stadium that night. 

This game featured more than 40 future NFL players, six of which were taken in the first round of the NFL Draft just six months later. The defenses ruled the game - and the season - in a 9-6 overtime win by LSU. 

That eventually set up a rematch in New Orleans for the BCS National Championship Game and likely expedited the process of forming the College Football Playoff. 

Join us as we go back and relive this game. We'll set the stage by discussing everything that led up to that night, discuss how that game unfolded, talk about the fallout, play the 'What If' game, and look at where many of these players have gone since. 

The 2002 BCS National Championship Game featured two undefeated teams, more than 50 future NFL players, and a pass interference call that is still talked about today. 

In this episode, we'll go back to that night at the Fiesta Bowl where the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes came into the game riding a 24-game winning streak and looking for its second-straight national title. On the other side, Jim Tressel's Ohio State Buckeyes represented the Big Ten for the first time ever in the BCS title game with a stout defense and conservative offense. 

The Buckeyes took advantage of five Miami turnovers to take the lead early but the Ken Dorsey led the Hurricanes to a game-tying field goal as time expired. 

In the first overtime, Ohio State had to score a touchdown and a 4th and 3 incompletion in the endzone appeared to end the game, but a late flag came in. The pass interference call gave the Buckeyes the ball on the one-yard-line and they'd punch it in. 

The Buckeyes would keep the Hurricanes off the scoreboard in the second overtime to complete the 14-0 season and claim the 2002 national championship. 

We went back to watch this game, look at the circumstances leading up to this showdown, and then discuss everything we noticed before, during, and after this game. 

No fan has reached a level of infamy quite like Steve Bartman. The Cubs fan known best for the green turtleneck and headphones became the face of the 2003 NLCS after a foul ball found him in the 8th of a 3-0 game at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were just five outs from returning to the World Series for first time in 58 years when that ball bounced off of Bartman's hands and away from Moises Alou's glove. 

Join us as we go back and watch game 6 featuring Mark Prior versus Carl Pavano. We'll set the stage for that night at Wrigley, discuss the game, talk about Prior's standing ovation in the 7th, the rest of that dreaded 8th inning, what if scenarios, where are they now, and social media speculation. 

Get the full show notes and a link to watch this game in its entirety by visiting http://distantreplaypodcast.com

We're taking it back to the 1996 Fiesta Bowl for the matchup between the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers and second-ranked Florida. This was a rare 1 vs 2 matchup in the pre-BCS era of college football and it had a ton of hype. Many consider this Nebraska team to be one of the greatest ever assembled in college football and they were taking on Steve Spurrier and his 'fun-n-gun' attack. It was the changing of the guard between the old-school style of football and the new-school offenses that are still prevalent today.

The performance on the field was remarkable by Nebraska but there was a lot of controversy off the field surrounding this game. There's a lot to discuss and revisit on this episode of Distant Replay. 

Super Bowl XXV took place at Tampa Stadium on January 27, 1991 and featured a game between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills. There's so much about this game that makes it important but it was Scott Norwood's 'wide right' field goal attempt at the end that we still talk about to this day. 

We go back to one of the most important games in NFL history, where a dynasty rose from a snowy Foxboro Stadium field behind first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady. This game between the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots from the Divisional Round of the 2001 AFC Playoffs will always be remembered as 'The Tuck Rule Game.'

Check out the show notes and watch the game here: https://distantreplaypodcast.com/ep-2-2001-afc-playoffs-oakland-raiders-vs-new-england-patriots-tuck-rule-game/

On the debut episode of Distant Replay, we go back to one of the greatest college football games of all time. Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns knocked off a No. 1 USC team that featured two Heisman winners in the same backfield. 

Join us as we discuss the game after going back and rewatching it again 13 years later. We'll talk broadcast crew, players, big plays, What if, the social media factor, and much more. 

Check out the full show notes here: https://distantreplaypodcast.com/ep-1-2005-bcs-national-championship-game-texas-vs-usc/

We're in an era now where debate drives ratings and the next GOAT gets crowned every night. There's no doubt it's a great time to be a sports fan, but don't forget about the ones that came first. That's why we're going back and digging up the greatest games ever played. We're talking about the ones that still get discussed years later. We want to relive them again by watching it as they originally aired (thanks YouTube). We'll bring our observations, questions, opinions, and scenarios to this podcast and discuss what went down. And hopefully have some fun doing it. Bart Scott #CantWait