Burke's heroic homer still legendary - B-Dub, Astros.com

I still can't believe you chose to go to the Texans game (0-3 at the time) over this. I remember telling you, "you're going to miss the greatest game ever."

 

well in all fairness I had/have Texans season tickets and we had a radio in there plus a tv outside in the parking lot.

I watched over three hours of that game plus every second of extra innings minus the top half one one inning while I was racing home to catch the rest of it.

 

I'm a Rockets fan first and foremost. In fact, it's not even close. I could name off the top of my head all 12 guys on the team each year of the last 17 years and how they were acquired. I don't think I even remember last year's Astros batting order.

With that said, those two runs, in 2004 and 2005, created my most memorable memories as a sports fan. Much more than the Rockets championships. While the Rockets title runs were no doubt emotional and thrilling, there weren't many "moments." Other than Elie's "kiss of death", nothing else comes to mind.

But those two Astros runs - there are moments I will never forget as a sports fan. Kent's curiously awkward flip of the helmet after the HR in game 6, Beltran's grace at the plate and in the field, the sheer emotion of Bagwell walking to the plate to pinch hit in Game 4, the shots of Clemens sitting alone in the bullpen in that same Game 4 (something ESPN couldn't have scripted any better if they even tried to), and of course...the absolutely deafening madness when Lidge took the mound in NLCS '04 against the Cards.

Lidge collectively in '04 is my greatest ever memory as a sports fan. Lyons/Buck/Brenneman wouldn't even speak or call the pitches in the 9th except to say "1 away, 2 away..." It was the performance that prompted Peter Gammons to claim that Brad Lidge was the most unhittable pitcher he had ever seen in his 178 years of watching baseball.

That's probably why I never posted in the Lidge bashing threads. It doesn't matter to me that he helped blow the World Series in '05 or our season last year. He provided me with my most unforgettable memory as a sports fan.

 

I'm not like you in the sense that the Astros, Rockets, Texans/Oilers were always and will always be my favorite teams in a very close 1-1a-1b order so I think my opinion is valid on this issue.

The Rockets run in 95>>>94>>>Astros 04-05

The Rockets were down in the first two series in 95, pulling out of a 7 point hole (five min left) in game 5 at Utah after winning game 4 facing elimination. They then won three in a row over the Suns (games 5 and 7 on the road) and then blew a 2-0 lead to the Spurs before taking care of buisness on thier floor again in game 5 and then taking it at home in game 6.

BEATING 4 50+ WIN TEAMS AND FACING 5 ELIMINATION GAMES IN ROUTE TO A TITLE TRUMPS THOSE TWO ASTROS RUNS.

Maybe because it's fresh in your mind still but come on Rockets 95 than right after it's choke city 94 followed two games later by clutch city.

 

Or maybe it's because it's his opinion, which is just as valid as yours.

I don't think I could choose between the 2nd Rox championship and the Astros 2005 NL championship. It was amazing to finally break through and get to the Series. When I think about it, it's still exciting.

The front page of the Chronicle from the following day is still hanging in my office:

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PENNANT

Awesome.

 

I prefer the Dynamo winning it all in '06 on Texas soil and being on the field to witness it!

 

Or maybe it's because he was talking about specific individual memorable moments and not games or series. In general, because of the amount and type of scoring, baseball and football are going to have more memorable individual moments than basketball. Single runs in baseball or TDs in football are huge. Buckets in basketball happen every 20 or 30 seconds, so a huge basket will quickly be followed by another huge play.

 

makes sense, I was thinking about the whole picture.

yes I have very vivid memories of the 04-05 runs

 

Exactly. Because almost 75% of the 3 hours of a baseball game is basically eventless, every last second is magnified, every last pan to the dugout or bullpen for dramatic effect is dramatized, and every last facial expression is that much more memorable.

 

Weirdly enough, my favorite memory from that playoff run wasn't any of the homers against the Braves - it was Roy Oswalt against Pujols in the first inning of Game 6. After the ending to Game 5, to see Roy come out and just blow Pujols away - I enjoyed the heck out of that.

 

Does anyone have a copy of this game?

I want to watch it. I was at the game. I bought the tickets from some Miguel dude. I think that was the first time I met him. Anyhoo.

That game was awesome. I was in the 400s above where the Crawford box is, so we really didn't see the homeruns.

But I remember the expression on some dudes face when Ausmus hit the homerun in the 9th.

He had the same facial expression as that guy on the 1992 Duke team after Lattener hit that turn around.

The homerun in the 8th inning brought the crowd back, plus it was a grand slam, so that was exciting.

The game was long and tedious in extra innings. it was neat to see that PAB Clemens in the bullpen.

And yeah, that Chris Burke Homerun didn't suck.

So if you have a copy of that game, hook a brother up.

 

DING DING DING!!!!

That was my favorite, too. Especially the swing (iirc) for strike one. Roy made Pujols look like a schoolgirl on that one.

With all the .jpgs abounding of Lidge watching that drive and Pujols trotting in the background, I searched and searched for a .jpg of Pujols flailing at that wicked pitch from Roy, and came up empty.

I'm grinning just thinking about that. Roy's entire Game 6 was freaking epic.

 

iirc it was up and away and had pujols nearly drop his bat on the swing.