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by The Impeccably Arranged Snark of The West Pacific Master Dispatch. . 603 reads.

The Western Post - November 2020

Announcements!

  • After a successful transition, Dilber is has taken his place as the 50th Delegate of the West! Over the past year, Bran has served the region wonderfully, helping to usher in a new era of involvement in TWP. As one delegacy has wound down and another wound up, we look forward to the continued success of our shared home here in TWP! Don't forget to read his first announcement as Delegate here!

  • The Second Annual Turkey Pardon are coming up soon! Who will you swipe right on, and who will you send to the chopping block? Check out last year's profiles and pardon for a peek at the fun to come.

  • TWP's Elections have started! If you're a member of the Hall of Nations, Linkhead over to the forums to get involved!


Hall of Nations Update

Hall of Nations, The West Pacific – Welcome to the last Hall of Nations Update of my current Speaker term! Here's what happened in the Hall of Nations during the month of October.

Firstly, the proposal developed last month to regionally commend Big Bad Badger was brought to vote. With a quorum increase compared to the last vote, 26 votes for and no votes against were cast! Congratulations to Big Bad Badger, which has definitely contributed a lot to the region – whether as Delegate, commander of TWPAF, or in various other positions.

After that, another nomination discussion ensued during the latter part of the month. This time, every participant agreed unanimously to develop a commendation for long-time member Neenee, two times Delegate. The discussion ended a few days ago as I write, and the proposal itself will be debated and voted on during the next month.

Finally, next month will be also busy as there will be not only a Delegate transition from Bran Astor to Dilber, but also the Linkelection cycle that happens every three months in the West Pacific! The positions of Deputy for each minister as well as Speaker of the Hall will be elected, so there may be a new person writing future updates about the Hall. Who knows? Stay tuned for the next edition, in which all events in November will be covered!

This is it for the month! I now make my invite to everyone – yes, that's YOU – to apply for citizenship if you're interested in the current happenings in the Hall! It's as easy as completing a form and posting an oath, and you can make it happen by Linkfollowing this link.

WAR Ministry Update

The most recent major project of the WAR Ministry has been the Delegate transition, which occurred on November 4th. Leading into the transition, we were pleased with the progress of our Incoming Delegate's endorsements as a result of the regional telegrams, other messaging, and the excellent job being done by our Regional Guides. In other news, the Ministry is glad to report that Z-Day was a resounding success for the region, as discussed elsewhere in this issue.

WAR and the Guardians continue to watch over the endorsement violators, and Ministry strategy has shifted to continue securing another smooth Delegate transition. The Ministry continues to track and apprise the WA nations yield on the Delegate.

The Ministry also has begun its WAR modules of the third cycle of the University of The West Pacific. We are focusing on WA Development and WA Authorship this cycle, and if these are topics that interest you, get in touch with the Regional Officer or join the Regional Discord for more information on the next cycle of UTWP.

This Horde Of Walkers Found This Stranded Family, And What Happens Next Will Warm Your Heart

By G.A. Romero of Podium

The Night of the Living Dead has been an unparalleled success across the West Pacific, with entire cities falling under the sheer weight of the rotting flesh in a matter of hours. However, stragglers always emerge from any change, and nowhere was this more apparent than with the Clarkson family in Eibmoz, Podium. Using a variety of improvised weaponry, including pool cues, baby-bottle molotovs, and a spike-covered minivan, the family decimated their zombified township, attempting to make their way to the Eibmoz harbour in order to escape to an untouched island aboard their catamaran. However, pool cues splinter, baby-bottles melt, minivans run out of petrol, and soon the Clarksons were cut off by a horde of 5000 strong. In a scene that could only be described as overwhelmingly wholesome, the family was torn limb from limb, their blood coalescing with the rest of the horde's as the last stragglers of the Night of the Living Dead were brought into the fold, strings of fat, muscle and guts, draped upon their shoulders as they, too, came to appreciate the horde. And such was the tale of the West Pacific's Walkers, the unity of flesh and mind wandering forth to spread more undead cheer to the rest of the world.

November Puzzle!

Created by Fujai

Enjoy this month's Dilbersquatchpacific themed puzzle to celebrate another successful the Delegate transition!

Dilber
Bran Astor
Sasquatch
The West Pacific
Endorsement
Snarky
Delegate
Platypus
For The West
Celebration
Crabs
Transition
Guardians

Send your finished answers to The West Pacific Master Dispatch to be featured in next month's paper!


Hail Dilber, 50th Delegate of the West!
By Fujai

As is tradition here in the West, the Delegacy has shifted from one Delegate to their successor. Bran’s year of exemplary service to the region has come to an end, and on the fourth of November, Dilber took his place as the 50th Delegate of the West.

The centerpoint of Bran’s delegacy was cultural enrichment. Unlike many GCR delegates, Bran is not a game player, but rather a cultural expert. His many goals of increasing cultural engagement using TITW, events large and small, the regional guides, roleplay, this very newspaper, and more met with wide success, and many, including myself, would say TWP has entered a cultural renaissance because of it. In addition, he and his Ministers and Guardians led the restructuring and revitalization of many parts of TWP’s government.

If you don’t believe me, then here’s what some prominent members of the region have said of Bran and his tenure as Delegate:

Dalimbar wrote:I was very proud to have served under [Bran]. He's one of the best Delegates, if not the best, that I've worked with. He's not only carried on TWPs proud traditions but enhanced them with his hard work, dedication, and good humour. I know Dilber will be a great Delegate going forward and that TWP is a strong region because of both Bran and Dilber.

Zoran wrote:While I am still relatively new to NS, Bran's delegacy was one that I could say was inspiring. He knew when to be firm and when to be soft, a skill that many people have a hard time learning. Bran was a master at this and it shines through in his actions during the Drewpocalypse. He also led the region well despite the real world troubles we face today and he knew how to get the best out of people. Halo left the region in good hands when he made Bran the delegate and his actions throughout his delegacy is proof of this.

The Holy Principality of Saint Mark wrote:Bran’s talent, energy, and squatchy snarkiness boosted The West Pacific to new heights of activity. In addition, he developed the skills of many new citizens, creating a deep bench that will continue to build upon what he began. Hail Bran!

Big Bad Badger wrote:TWP under Bran's leadership truly in all aspects. Bran had a brilliant vision for the region in terms of activity, culture, FA, etc. But his true genius came in engaging the region to grow. Challenging residents to take interest, learn, and show what they could add to create an even greater TWP. The development and empowerment of young talent has been impressive. Bran set expectations and demanded a pursuit of excellence. The region responded! Bran's legacy will be showing the region how to be better and encouraging folks to do so. He has built something that we all need to nourish and be proud of. This is the time of TWP!

You can learn more about Bran’s delegacy in the two-part article coming in The Western Post’s December issue.

For the last six years or so, each delegate of The West Pacific has served roughly a year in the position before choosing a successor to take their place. The process behind a final decision often takes months before a final announcement is made, as the successor must have the best interests of the region at heart and be a capable leader, among many other traits.

After much deliberation, Bran announced Dilber as the successor on 7 October to much fanfare, and scheduled the transfer of power for a month later on 4 November. Messaging ramped up in the last week of October to ensure that Dilber had enough endorsements to provide a safe buffer between him and the other Guardians. Across the region, banners were flown, posts were made, and nation pretitles updated to remind folks to endorse Dilber for the transition. The Regional Guides stepped it up as well, running challenges with prizes for each 25th endorsement Dilber received in addition to Dilber themed RMB days. Members of the public joined as well, with Fhaengshia running their own card giveaway! Power was officially transferred at the minor update on Wednesday, 4 November, as Bran dropped WA and the delegacy transferred to Dilber.

Though only a few days have passed, Dilber’s first half a week in the big chair has been a success. As stated in his first speech as Delegate, he has already brought Fuentana and Giovanniland into his cabinet as Ministers without Portfolio, jointly heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while working on other projects. In addition, Fuentana has been named Provost of the University of The West Pacific, a position formerly held by Dilber himself.

A larger announcement was that the upcoming Deputy Minister elections in the Hall of Nations will be the last, and the Hall will transition to a non-legislative advisory body. A new Hall of Nations Guardian will be elected by the Hall, who will serve as a non-WA locked Junior Guardian. It is worth noting that the Hall’s “legislative” power was contingent entirely on the Delegate, as the Hall proposed legislation to them, and they either implemented it or not, rather than the Hall passing legislation, then the Delegate signing or vetoing it. As our region has no real use for such a legislative body, the Hall is being transitioned to an entirely advisory and transparency-minded body. Per Dilber’s announcement, it will be a place for members to ask questions of the government and participate in Q&A sessions to ensure that the region at large has a place to share their opinions, and to ensure that the government is functioning as intended. To quote Dilber, “I want to be the most open delegate that we have had, so that you all can see, recognize, and know what the government of the region is doing.” To achieve this, discussion on the Hall’s future will be opened to the floor of the Hall after the current elections conclude in order to gather thoughts and ideas on its future from the people such decisions impact. You can read Dilber’s announcement in full here, and you can get involved in the Hall of Nations by becoming a citizen Linkhere.

In this moment of looking both backwards and forwards, we at The Western Post would like to thank Bran for his year of exceptional service to the region, and wish Dilber well in all his endeavors as the 50th Delegate.

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Nukes and Zombies – A Review
By Giovanniland

There's much to do in NationStates, and many of those activities happen all year round, with a few exceptions – notably N-Day and Z-Day which happen once per year. It's then no surprise many regions put a lot of work into preparing for them, and in the West Pacific it couldn't be different! This article will review spotlights from both events.

N-Day

Near the end of September, a nuclear apocalypse started and went on for a day. N-Day, as it's called, is an event in which nations can launch nukes at their enemies and defend their allies with shields, in groups of nations known as Factions. The event happens for 24 hours, after which no more nukes can be launched. For the imminent nuclear war, the West Pacific formed an alliance with the Pacific, Balder and United Kingdom by the name of CRAB – Crustaceans Repelling Atomic Bombardment – a clever name that gave way to a nuclear crab-themed flag. Our faction was considerably smaller than others such as Augustin Alliance, Potato Alliance, Ba Sing Se and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but a nice 4th place and a score of over 100,000 was achieved at the end.


The banner used by the CRAB faction.

The event started at a different time compared to previous versions, nevertheless many CRAB warriors were already awake at the time nuclear war started. The initial orders, that stood for most of the day, were for Military Specialists to stockpile nukes and Economic & Strategic Specialists to build shields and protect fellow crustaceans – the latter were especially important for any surprise attacks. The world continued unusually peaceful until 2 hours in, when the Horsemen of the Apocalypse made their first move against the Potato Alliance (PA). The CRAB warriors immediately used their strong carapaces in order to defend their allies, however the combined defenses of two major factions were not enough, as the Horsemen scored over 50,000 strikes against the PA. The first attacking move of CRAB was made later through a surprise attack on the Nuclear World Order members, whose faction crumbled quickly.

A few hours in and nothing else major happened within CRAB, but the world arena was busy. The Horsemen made their second move by destroying the faction of ATOMIC (which CRAB had a non-aggression pact with) and the remaining members of said faction merged with the Augustin Alliance. Revenge came not much after, when a coordinated attack of all major factions started irradiating the Horsemen nations, many of those strikes coming from our faction. Although the attack was successful, CRAB found itself in danger soon, as the Horsemen publicly announced their desire to "eat the delicious crabs," in their own words. Nearly 30,000 nukes were targeted at CRAB, but the impenetrable carapaces of the valiant crustacean warriors shielded all nations against the largest faction at the time! Celebrations then ensued, though many knew this would not be the last defense.

After the successful CRAB defense, attacks on the Horsemen continued and their score quickly dropped while other factions' scores rose. Though the Horseman made clear they would not give up – and their next move was to launch thousands of nukes at Xoriet – one of the main commanders of CRAB. A first round of 2,000 launches was defended by crustacean shields, but Xoriet decided to let the rest target her, in a valiant sacrifice for the faction. The faction then received 100 radiation but in exchange the Horsemen had targeted over 7,000 nukes in a single nation – not a very good trade-off for them. Crabs all over the world celebrated Xoriet's sacrifice, such as Fuentana, who described Xoriet as nuke sponge and faction laureate in a poetic review of the event.

The following hours saw even more attacks dealing over 500,000 radiation on the Horsemen and dropping their score from 1st to last place – conversely, the Potato Alliance made an incredible comeback from last all the way to 2nd place. This was good news for CRAB, which maintained a mutual defense pact with the PA. On the other hand, some rogue activity from Leto II Atreides soon after wasn't good news, because they had aimed nukes at the large Ba Sing Se faction from inside CRAB. Fortunately, negotiations between the two factions stopped any major conflict from happening. CRAB also successfully attacked other small factions after this small incident, in order to secure the faction's fourth place.

Tensions rose quickly near the end, as many nations expected a last minute attack. Rogue nations inside CRAB then proceeded to attack the Augustin Alliance, a faction not as forgiving as Ba Sing Se who decided to counterattack despite the presence of a non-aggression pact. This final battle happened for much of the event's last hour, and required many shielding work from our brave crustacean warriors. Ultimately, the CRAB shields were successful in yet another defense and no radiation was dealt to our faction. An arms control treaty then ensued, forbidding any further launches from taking place. It was the end of a well-fought nuclear war, in which our faction achieved 4th place and a score of more than 100,000. Congratulations to every crab!

Following the event, I (Giovanniland) spoke with some fellow CRAB commanders about N-Day. First I've asked Dilber about how did they feel leading the TWP efforts within CRAB: "Honestly, I really enjoyed leading our efforts with CRAB. It's something we'd been planning for a bit, and it coming all together was amazing. Last year we went our own way, and had fun on our own. This year we went with friends, and we got to have just as much fun. TWP held it's own, both on the field of battle and the DJ booth, and had a great time. You can't ask for any better than that."

I also interviewed commanders from elsewhere. After a question about how was the event overall, Xoriet from The Pacific answered: "The event was rather stressful at times, while being really fun as well! We were certainly never bored. Horsemen and the others kept us on our toes. I certainly wouldn't want to do that more than once a year. Waking up at 12 AM to get ready for an event starting at 1 AM was pretty intense. Overall the entire thing was rather successful from our end in that we survived Horsemen and the others." I further asked Xoriet about her own nation's sacrifice in order to help the faction: "Losing my main nation wasn't the original plan, but it became apparent that us wasting our shields on 8k nukes at a time aimed at a single nation wasn't cost-efficient and we had the future for which to plan. It was pretty amusing for the most part, that they would go out of their way just to get 100 radiation on us using my main nation. Turns out conserving Shields was very much the right thing to do given what happened at the very end."

In conclusion, N-Day was very successful for our faction. Similar to other events, awards were given to CRAB faction members by the Delegate Bran Astor. All nations in the West Pacific received Linkthis award, and other special crab-themed trophies were also given to our friends at The Pacific, Balder and other crustaceans in our faction! However, there was a member of TWP that deserved a special award for incredible participation and was recognized as such by our event commanders – namely Bobki – who received this special trophy below. Congratulations!


The award received by Bobki for their N-Day efforts.

Z-Day

One month after an eventful nuclear apocalypse, news started spreading about zombies in NationStates. The West Pacific has historically opposed to zombies in previous versions of Z-Day, even managing impressive feats such as no nations infected. Although we decided to go with something different this time around – and so the horde was embraced by the West. Preparations started weeks before, as all residents were reminded to help the zombies when the day came, and event flags were designed by the Delegate Bran Astor. Another difference from previous years, not just in our region but for all of NationStates, was the lack of a countdown to the event.

Once the event started, nations all over the West Pacific were quick to embrace the horde and to spread zombies. Resistance from curers and exterminators was found, but they were no match for a team of several nations quickly hitting them and infecting millions of survivors, with some hits as big as 3 billion converted into zombies at once! Thus, there were more zombies than living people in the West Pacific five hours after Z-Day started. In the following hours, zombie rates increased even more as the last survivors were gradually spotted and converted. Some TWP residents even listened to music while carefully spreading the horde, while others kept an eye on nations moving in and out to find any exterminator or curer to be ejected by Guardians on the former case, or ravaged by hordes on the latter.

Some hours after, the entire world was surprised as administrator Max Barry took surprise actions of stopping all cure research and then removing all border controls. Meanwhile in the West Pacific, survivors became more and more hard to find as their numbers dwindled, while numbers of dead rose. Soon the only living people were ones just created as new nations, but those were also infected quickly – the valiant zombie exporter nations had purged the living from the West. Below is a graph of the situation 8 hours before the event ending:


The Z-Day graph of the West Pacific 8 hours before the end showing zero survivors.

The entire population of the West Pacific was successfully converted into zombies, but the efforts to embrace the horde didn't stop there! Members of the West Pacific Armed Forces (the regional military) were soon instructed by Commander Overthinkers as well as Officers Teralyon and Aluminum Oxynitride to spread the zombies to other regions. Several regions were invaded and their massive survivor population converted, while in other cases the regional officers noticed and promptly banjected the nations embracing the horde. Regardless of the result, the zombie exporters at TWPAF surely had a lot of fun! In the meantime, other TWPers watched as nations were founded or moved in the main region in order to convert their living populations into zombies. In the end, there was a small jump in the survivor count due to the major update increasing the population of everyone in the region, but nevertheless members from our regions celebrated as the hordes were triumphant!

This is it for this article, and I hope you enjoyed reading about these annual events in the West Pacific and elsewhere. Stay tuned for another article like this one next year!

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October Card Contests

By Giovanniland

During the month of October, TWP celebrated Octwperfest, with various activities about all things spooky and weird! Cards couldn't be different—and thus, the West Pacific Card Club organized various weekly card competitions with legendary card prizes, judged by Card Club leaders Giovanniland, Fuentana and Recuecn. Let's now check the result of each!

The first theme was The Witching Pacific, celebrating classic Halloween imagery and tropes. The winning entry came from card collector Mediobogdum, who collected over 50 Halloween-themed cards and received the prize—the legendary card Candensia. It's certainly a nicely built collection that deserved the win!

After that came The Wizarding Pacific, a week about everything Harry Potter related. While region members talked about their favorite houses and wizards, Aluminum Oxynitride (ALON) collected nearly 30 cards for what would be the winning submission! In the end, their submission Wizarding World gained the unanimous vote from all judges. After receiving legendary card Australian rePublic as the prize, ALON stated their intent to expand their collection even further. Congratulations to them and good luck on their future card collecting!

The third theme was Squatchtoberfest, celebrated all things Bigfoot and Sasquatch. The winner was Old red for their small but interesting collection, containing a flag of Canada to represent Sasquatch's origin, some images of the woods referring to the place it's usually spotted, and even images of Bigfoot itself, including our Delegate Bran Astor's animated card! The collection has been dismantled since, but the owner won a copy of the Free Socialism legendary card. Congratulations!

Last but not least, in the week of The Walking Pacific collectors were instructed to collect zombie-related cards while the region prepared to embrace the horde in the annual Z-Day event. Unfortunately, the zombies did not only eat all the brains but all the cards, so there was no submission for that week's contest! Nevertheless, the overall month was very successful with card events as a total of three legendary cards were awarded to awesome collections. Stay tuned for future card events happening in the West Pacific!

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Comic Alley

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Fuentana’s Faves: Sports Moments
By Fuentana, Poet Laureate of Haiku

I miss sports, and I’m sure many of you do too. Of course, the professional leagues and some college sports are finding ways to continue operations during COVID, but some of the aura about the game has disappeared because of the empty stands and bubble requirements. Like many sports fans, I am therefore getting my sports fix on YouTube. In the spirit of this short series on faves, I shift from pop and classical music to sports. There are five major categories of favorites: bloopers and blunders, moments of heightened drama, sports events with the game on the line, master classes, and championship celebrations. They’ll make you laugh. They’ll make you cry. They’ll inspire you to prove that you are a hockey player.

Bloopers and Blunders

LinkThe Butt Fumble

Thanksgiving in the United States is usually celebrated with gluttony and with football. Usually the football games are boring, but there are rare moments when true inspiration (or lack thereof) make Thanksgiving football a transcendent affair. The 2012 match between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots was one such moment. Young Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had the daunting task of playing the Pats on primetime TV for a home game. The key moment occurred in the second quarter. On first and ten, Sanchez called a running play involving the Jets’ fullback. The play began as it usually does with a successful snap and pandemonium across the line of scrimmage, except for one thing: Sanchez had turned left instead of right after the snap, so he completely missed the fullback handoff.

Sanchez quickly pivoted and ran towards the line of scrimmage to save the play, but as he approached the line, he collided with the butt of teammate Brandon Moore, an offensive lineman who was blocking Patriots’ defensive tackle Vincent Wolfork. Sanchez fumbled the ball, and the Patriots recovered and returned it for a touchdown. The Pats would demolish the Jets, scoring 35 points before halftime and ending the game with a 49-19 final score.

It is unclear whether Sanchez was starting a protective slide when he collided with Brandon Moore’s butt, or if he simply amazingly ran right into his teammate’s backside. But ESPN has investigated the science of the butt fumble. One hundred and twenty five pounds of force are needed to cause someone to fumble a football. Sports Science calculated that the impact of the Butt Fumble created 1,300 pounds of force. Baby got back! LinkLearn more here!

J.R. Smith and the Squandered Cavaliers’ Championship Hopes: Link2018 NBA Finals

Hometown hero LeBron James brought the Cleveland Cavaliers their first franchise championship in 2016 by defeating the Golden State Warriors. These two teams would face each other again in the following two NBA Finals. In 2018, the Cavaliers fielded a radically transformed roster (for the worse) as they stood against the powerhouse Warriors. Amazingly, the first game of the 2018 Finals was a competitive one into the final seconds of regulation. With the score tied 107-107, a Cavaliers player missed a free throw. Cavs guard J.R. Smith was able to grab the ball and maneuver towards the right sideline. Smith apparently thought that his team would run out the clock or call time-out, so he showed very little urgency. The expectation for almost everyone else, however, was that the Cavaliers would try to win the game since they had maintained possession via Smith’s offensive rebound.

As J.R. dribbled close to midcourt, LeBron James visibly implored him to take decisive action, thereby generating a Linkphoto op that was memeworthy as well as a number of Linkfunny parodies like this one. It was a mental slippage of epic proportions: either Smith was unaware of the score or he presumed that the team had a timeout to use. James reportedly punched the wall and injured his hand after that game. The Warriors would sweep the Cavs 4-0, and in the ensuing offseason King James opted out of his contract and moved to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Steve Smith’s Unhappy Birthday: Link1985-86 Stanley Cup Finals

Young defenseman Steve Smith had the oopsie that every athlete in a sport with a goalie loathes: the own goal. Pressured by a forechecking Calgary Flame, Steve Smith took the puck from behind the net and tried to pass it out of danger. Except in this case, it ricocheted off of his own goalie who was turning back into position and into his own net. It was a humiliating moment at the biggest stage in his sport. To make matters worse, it was Smith’s birthday. The remorse on his face was heartbreaking as the Oilers would go on to lose both the game and the Stanley Cup Final.

Thankfully, the Oilers won the Stanley Cup the following year, and in a gesture of support, Oilers captain Wayne Gretzky Linkhanded the Cup to Smith first to celebrate. The significance of Stanley Cup handoffs will feature prominently below.

Heightened Drama: Rivalries and Battles

LinkFight Night in Hockeytown

Pro sports has no shortage of intense rivalries and the proverbial bad blood. But few sports sanction just the right amount of violence for it to move beyond figural language. Compare for example the intense Yankees vs. Red Sox matches from the mid-90s to the early 2000s: pitchers beaned batters, and there were bench-clearing altercations. But no one really throws punches in baseball.

That is not so in the elegant and violent sport of hockey. Two mid-1990s powerhouses, the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche, quickly developed bad blood after Avalanche player Claude Lemieux viciously hit Red Wings forward Kris Draper into the boards in 1996. The hit left Draper with a concussion and several facial fractures.

The following year at a regular season game in Detroit, the Red Wings avenged Draper sevenfold by spilling blood on the ice. Early in the game, there were two fights involving players not normally known for fisticuffs. Near the end of the first period, another fight broke out between now-Hall of Famers Igor Larianov and Peter Forsberg. This gave Red Wing Darren McCarty the opportunity to seek out Lemieux. He corralled Lemieux and started pummeling him. Pandemonium ensued. Hall of Famer Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy skated to center ice to join the fight, only to be clotheslined by Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan. Roy would fight opposing goaltender Mike Vernon. By game’s end, there were 234 penalty minutes assessed total due to the many fights. The Red Wings built on this momentum, winning Fight Night and prevailing a few months later over the Avalanche in the playoffs while on their way to a Stanley Cup Victory that they would repeat the following season.

Larry vs. Magic: the 80s’ Greatest Rivalry

Before Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls rose to dominance, it was all about the LA Lakers-Boston Celtics rivalry and the superstar players behind that rivalry: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird—players who are credited with transforming and revolutionizing the NBA in various ways. Both are regularly listed among the top ten NBA players. They were supremely talented, crafty stars who could dominate the game as scorers and as facilitators. Bird was easily the best small forward in NBA history until LeBron came along. Magic was a generational talent as a six foot nine point guard who could play all five positions. He had charisma that made him perfect for the LA Market. Magic was, I think, the real engine behind the Showtime Lakers (though no slight is meant against fellow greatest of all time contender Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). As for Larry Legend? Few could match his killer instinct and superb vision and his underrated trash talk.

Of course, Michael Jordan is the player who made basketball a truly global sport, and Jordan would eclipse both of these 80s legends. But there was something about the epic duels and will to win between Magic and Larry Legend that was formative for the emergence of pro basketball today. Simply watch and enjoy such tit-for-tat play as this compilation of these two Linkhere (this one is set to Mozart even!) and Linkhere.

LinkKirk Gibson’s Epic At-Bat: The 1988 World Series Pinch-Hit Home Run

This could easily fit in the next category, but because of the drawn out nature of America’s pastime, I am putting this famous at-bat here. Los Angeles Dodger Kirk Gibson could barely walk after injuries sustained to both legs in the previous series, and he found himself pinch-hitting to face the best reliever in the game at the time in Dennis Eckersley with the Dodgers trailing the Athletics 4-3 in Game 1 of the World Series, bottom of the ninth, with two outs and the game-tying runner on base.

What helped punctuate this moment was the inimitable call of Vin Scully and the pace of baseball. “And look who’s comin’ up!” TV viewers were treated to several seconds of raucous cheering from the Dodgers fans. Scully added, “If you talk about a roll of the dice, this is it.” And it was quite the gamble: Gibson swung at the first pitch and fouled it away. Importantly, it was clear that Gibson could only swing with his upper body. Gibson gritted his way to a full count as his teammate Mike Davis stole second base. That changed the complexion of the at-bat: now all that one needed was a single into the outfield to have a shot at tying the game. Gibson ended up delivering more than that. Full count, two outs, bottom of the ninth, and Kirk Gibson connected on a backdoor slider and muscled a home run to right field.

There are lots of meaningful home runs in baseball history, but few can match the circumstances of an injured player powering his way through an at-bat to win the game on upper-body power alone—and against one of the greatest closers of all time. Gibson’s painfully slow trot and triumphant arm pumps are among the most iconic moments in sports. From that instant classic, the Dodgers would go on to win that World Series in five games.

With the Game, Match, or Medal on the Line

LinkKerri Strug’s Leg-acy

With an Olympic Gold medal on the line in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics event, Kerri Strug stepped up to the vault event. She made her first run, vaulted, but could not stick the landing. Strug heard a snap when she landed: she tore two ligaments in her ankle. But chances at the nation’s first team Gold ever rested on Kerri’s shoulders—and her remaining good leg.

Limping back to the starting point, Strug took her second run with torn ligaments, sprinted, vaulted, and amazingly stuck the landing with only one good leg—all while in pain. Watch the linked video very closely (roughly 3:02-3:03). To be able to sprint, vault, and land all of this essentially on one weight-bearing leg defies human comprehension. It was Strug’s combination of elegance and grit that saved a team Gold on the biggest stage.

LinkThe Last Moment of the Last Dance: 1998 NBA Finals, Game 6

This was the last hurrah for the Chicago Bulls Dynasty of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Phil Jackson (and for key supporting players Toni Kukoc and Dennis Rodman). The previous year, Jordan had his famous flu game in the NBA finals against the Utah Jazz. They would face off again in the 1998 Finals, but with the intrigue of an impending dissolution of the team core. General manager Jerry Krause had slighted each of the core figures: he re-signed Jackson to be head coach only for one more year (plus more behind the scenes), did not negotiate a contract extension with Pippen and instead tried to trade him, and Jordan had already had been displeased with personnel moves and statements by Krause over the years.

All of this made for a poignant season that was chronicled in the remarkable documentary The Last Dance. The Bulls were dominant again, and in the Finals, they aimed to complete a second three-peat. It essentially came down to two shots, one made and one missed.

Though down 3-2 in the series, the Jazz were leading Game 6 86-85 with less than 30 seconds left. John Stockton fed the ball to teammate Karl Malone in the post with 22 seconds left. Immediately, Jordan snuck over to double team Malone. He took a swipe and was able to dislodge the ball from Malone. Jordan immediately grabbed it and carried the ball back up the court. He positioned himself just above the left elbow, guarded carefully by Bryon Russell of the Jazz. With 9 seconds on the clock Jordan, running on fumes, drove towards the free throw line. Russell followed closely. Then Jordan surprised Russell by crossing over to his left and pulling back to the top of the key for a wide-open 20 foot shot. It is still debated whether Jordan gave Russell a push or not. Swish. With 5 seconds left, Chicago took the lead. It would come down to a final shot from Utah. Jordan accounted for 45 of the Bulls’ 87 points. It was Jordan’s last shot as a Bull and the last shot of The Last Dance. The Jazz would follow with a dangerously close three-pointer that barely missed.

Out of all of that, one final “shot” proved iconic: this photo of Jordan’s final shot and the wide range of reactions in high-definition.

When the New York Giants Slayed a Giant: LinkSuper Bowl XLII

The Championship Game was the only thing standing in the way of a perfect season for the then-three time Super Bowl Champs the New England Patriots. But it was not to be. The upstart New York Giants, led by a young and mediocre Eli Manning, went toe to toe, aided by a stifling defensive effort and an improbable play. On the Giants’ final drive of the game, Eli Manning found himself in a situation that Giants fans have seen hundreds of times: he was holding the football waiting to pass when the pocket finally broke down.

Everything seemed to indicate that Eli Manning would be sacked, or that he would make a poor decision. Two different Patriots rushers had hands on Eli, yet he somehow broke free, maneuvered into open space, then launched a pass toward receiver David Tyree that became a jump ball situation. Tyree was hardly open: to his side was Rodney Harrison closely covering, and three other Patriot defenders were in the vicinity. Both jumped, but somehow Tyree got control of the ball and maintained possession by holding the football against his helmet as he returned to the ground. Harrison had his arm in a good position to wrest the ball out of Tyree’s hands, but somehow Tyree prevailed. This “helmet catch” would continue the drive and enable Eli Manning to set up Plexico Burress for an easy touchdown with less than 40 seconds to go.

Two Can Play That Game: Link2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship

The 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball championship game is dear to my heart not because I liked either team, but because it was the only game I ever (out of sheer luck) correctly predicted: Villanova 77, UNC 74. Seeing the game unfold and end that way was shocking, but it was also particularly improbable given the way the game had unfolded in the final minutes. Villanova was a solid program on the rise, but it was up against perennial powerhouse UNC under the leadership of Roy Williams. UNC won the Championship in 2005, 2009, and would win another in 2017.

It was college sports drama at its best: players made mistakes on both sides and gritted it out, culminating it seemed with an improbable off-balance 3 pointer by Marcus Paige to tie the game with 4.7 seconds left. Paige was contorting midair to get the shot off. UNC fans were jubilant and hopeful—especially famous alum Michael Jordan. This set up a real shocker. With the game tied and poised for a possible overtime, Villanova inbounded the ball with 4.7 seconds left. John Arcidiacono barely made it across half court now with 2.5 seconds remaining. He maneuvered right then handed the ball off to Kris Jenkins for a very long 3-pointer, now with about 1.4 seconds left. Jenkins pushed into the air to shoot, finally releasing the ball with .5 seconds on the clock and the backboard poised to illuminate. The ball was still sailing in the air as the buzzer rang. The TV announcer proclaimed, “gives it to Jenkins—for the championship…” The ball rattled in and fireworks went off as Villanova rushed the court in celebration.

Master Classes

The Dream Team: Link1992 US Men’s Olympic Basketball Team

Imagine for a moment that Michael Jordan had never picked up a basketball. In a Jordanless world, the 1992 US Men’s Basketball team would have been just as dominant because they had two more of the top 10 basketball players ever alongside Jordan: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, whose superiority on the hardwood was examined above. But the rest of the team could make a case for being among the best to ever exist too (except for Christian Laettner—no offense).

What the world saw was simply transcendent basketball. What astounds me the most was how well that Dream Team gelled. Fans of pro basketball know that subsequent US Olympic Teams left something to be desired despite subsequent golds in 1996 and 2000. Even the “Redeem” Team with all of its talent simply did not match the transcendent character of the Dream Team’s play. Hindsight only reinforces this: it is said that in their prep for the summer olympics, the Dream Team played Link“the greatest game nobody ever saw” during a scrimmage.

Nothing can take away from the Dream Team’s greatness, but an important anecdote about Michael Jordan’s absolute authority on the hardwood is worth noting: Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley apparently talked trash and got under His Airness’s skin early on, which prompted Jordan to play so hard that he dominated the entire floor. Magic quipped, “Hey Charles, maybe we shouldn’t have pissed him off…”

Super Mario and the Great One: LinkThe 1987 Canada Cup

Hockey’s version of the Dream Team hailed from north of the border. Like the Dream Team, the 1987 Canada Cup team had two players who could claim to be among the top ten hockey players the world had ever seen: Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Gretzky had set an all-time record in assists and points in a season the year before (52 goals, 163 assists, 215 points), and a few years prior Gretzky had also set the single-season goal record with 92 goals. If not for cancer and other health issues, the younger Lemieux probably could have given Gretzky’s scoring records a run for his money. Just a few years after the 1987 Canada Cup, Super Mario would post a stat line of 85-114-199.

Together, they played alongside other hockey luminaries like Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier, Dale Hawerchuk, Doug Gilmour, and more. No one saw the game and controlled the puck quite like this bunch. Even against elite competition, Gretzky and Lemieux and their respective linemates seemed to be toying with their opponents, always a step ahead or able to put the puck in spots that others don’t. This was a stacked hockey team that defeated the best in the world, including an equally stacked Soviet Union team. That speaks to the transcendent skill and leadership of Gretzky and Lemieux. The series winner fittingly was a Lemieux goal assisted by Wayne Gretzky.

Championship Celebrations

Note: For this one I’m only going with hockey celebrations because I am biased.

Link“The waiting is over!”: The 1994 New York Rangers

Of all the championship trophies, the Stanley Cup looms largest. At 35 inches tall and weighing nearly 35 pounds, this trophy captures the imagination like no other accolade can—save perhaps for the Olympic Gold Medal. But when it comes to Cup-luck, the New York Rangers were easily the least fortunate of the original Six NHL Franchises. Their last championship had come in 1940, and many of the subsequent years were marked by folly and ineptitude. The Rangers would draft or acquire some of the best talent in hockey history, only to falter again and again. Their fortunes took a promising turn when in October of 1991, the Rangers acquired Edmonton Oilers captain Mark Messier, a five-time Stanley Cup Winner and the successor to Wayne Gretzky as team leader there. With Messier came a number of important additions to build around key homegrown players Brian Leetch and Mike Richter. But even the Messier-led Rangers had serious ups and downs.

In 1993-94, the Rangers had the best regular season record in the NHL under the leadership of head coach “Iron” Mike Keenan. The team prevailed in a now classic Eastern Conference Finals against cross-river rivals the New Jersey Devils. In that series, the Rangers had gone down 3-2 in a best of seven. Before Game 6, facing elimination Mark Messier guaranteed a victory. He would go on to score a hat trick to help the Rangers avoid elimination. In Game 7, the Rangers won in double overtime during a chaotic sequence that almost saw them lose the game. The Stanley Cup Finals themselves would go a full seven games, with the Rangers winning the Cup on home ice. As the clock ran out, the Rangers TV announcer proclaimed “The waiting is over!!!” What would follow is one of the most jubilant Stanley Cup celebrations in recent memory with a jubilant Messier cackling as he would hoist the Cup for the sixth time in his career.

Link“After twenty-two years… Raymond Bourque!”: The 2001 Stanley Cup Handoff

The vast majority of NHL players never get to see their dream fulfilled, and some spend entire careers full of accolades except for the big one: Stanley Cup Champion. One of the greatest defensemen in hockey history, Raymond Bourque epitomized loyalty to his team as well as bad luck. He played for some really good Boston Bruins teams and some really poor ones. He had broken into the league as a Bruin at the age of 19 and made an immediate mark on the game. Bourque was still playing at a superior level in his late 30s when during the 1999-2000 season, a lost season prompted Bourque to request a trade from the only pro team he ever knew. The Bruins granted it, and Bourque found himself playing for the Colorado Avalanche. In 2000-01, at the age of 40, Bourque had an all-star year as part of a deep team with a handful of Hall of Famers to be. They made a deep run in the playoffs and in storybook fashion, the Avs would prevail over the New Jersey Devils in the Finals, winning the decisive game seven on home ice.

This is where the magic begins. In the National Hockey League, a tradition developed where the captain of the winning team would be the player to receive the Stanley Cup from the league commissioner. The captain would then be first to hold the Stanley Cup and celebrate with it, and from there an order follows in descending hierarchy in terms of who gets to celebrate with the Cup on the ice. Usually it goes: Captain, alternate captains, starting goaltender, then either random order or planned. That was not the case for the 2001 Championship. The Avalanche’s captain Joe Sakic had won a Stanley Cup in the past, so norms would dictate that Sakic would get the trophy from commissioner Gary Bettman and have his moment to shine. Instead, Sakic planned something very different—something that Bettman alluded to. After going through the usual congratulatory remarks and various platitudes, Gary Bettman coyly said, “There is one player who has waited a long time to hoist this…” He paused, then said, “Joe Sakic, come get the Cup so he and your teammates can hoist it.” Sakic skated over for the requisite photo op, then took the trophy without raising it and immediately handed it over to Bourque, age 40, a man who had accomplished it all except for winning a championship. ESPN play by play announcer Raymond Bourque had the call, and he nailed it. “Joe Sakic will come out to receive it as captain. The Stanley Cup winning Colorado Avalanche, and after twenty-two years… RAYMOND BOURQUE!” Less noticed is the next handoff: Sakic and teammate Adam Foote conspired to have Rob Blake, another veteran who though younger also was missing “Stanley Cup Champion” on his impressive resume, hoist the trophy next. As far as championship celebrations go, this one is easily the classiest and most emotional one.

*Link”Do You Believe in Miracles? YES!!!”The 1980 US Olympic Hockey Semi-final Match

*This was not the Gold Medal game, but it was a moral victory of the highest order.

No one could defeat the Soviet Union’s hockey teams. Russian-born players were so good, so disciplined, so well-trained that even NHL All Stars could not top them. Even in the mid-1990s, the legendary hockey coach Scottie Bowman decided to play five of his Russian players on the Detroit Red Wings as a unit as they had played together and all played the same style of smart, possession-driven hockey (and with a surprising degree of toughness). That style of play was already renown through the 1970s-1980s era Soviet dominance in international hockey.

To try to defeat the Soviets in the Olympics, USA Hockey turned to Herb Brooks, a successful college-level coach who was famously the last cut from the 1960 Gold-winning team. Brooks assembled a young team of college players, each handpicked to fit Brooks’ vision of a hybrid style of hockey that could give the superbly trained and conditioned Soviet team a run for their money. He drove the US team to their limit, and that limit enabled them to keep up with and prevail over the vastly superior Soviet team, and then Finland to win the Gold Medal. But it was the victory over the Soviet team that would make this game a classic moment in sports and cultural history. Of course, much of the reaction to this improbable victory is due to geopolitics: the US and the Soviet Union were well into the Cold War at this point, and an American victory over the Soviet Union while on home ice in Lake Placid would be the ultimate cultural victory.

Of course, this is only a sampling of many great sports moments, so let’s continue the conversation on our Discord! Or if you’re inspired: submit your favorite sports moments for a future article!

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