Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl boob-slip leads our fun list of oddities in the sports world — and boy, do we have some gems!
By Payton Woolsey
Every once in a great while, something will happen at a sporting event that makes you shake your head — for better or for worse.
Whether it’s inspiring or just plain bone-headed — *cough, *cough, Jr. Smith –we were all still talking about it, well after the event concludes.
However, this list is so elite, that even Smith’s NBA finals blunder didn’t make the final cut.
Without further ado, our list of oddities in sports history.
Doc Ellis throws a no-hitter… On LSD.
A baseball a no-hitter is a rarity; usually happening only a hand full times per season.
Now, imagine hallucinating and throwing to a dragon while trying to mow down hitters? That was the experience of Doc Ellis during his iconic, no-hit bid in 1970.
His incredible moment came at a time when many would seek pain relief in different forms as opposed to Vicodin — such as LSD, cocaine, and other mysterious outlets.
Doc’s fix? Trippin acid on the mound.
If one could only experience as he did that day. Oh, to understand the insanity he was seeing, as he was slaying the dragon and no-hitting the best baseball players in the world.
Sammy Sosa pops the wrong cork.
One single event tarnished the legacy of a great Chicago Cubs player — it’s hard to believe the lovable losers have had any great players, but I digress.
Mark McGwire wasn’t the only one ‘roided out of his mind and using banned substances — insert Sammy Sosa.
Whatever ever happened to Sosa?
Well, what appeared to be a routine at-bat turned into a disaster for him — ultimately ending his claim to fame.
On an unsuspecting day, Sosa fouls off a pitch and his bat breaks — which is not unusual during an MLB game.
However, the umpire grabs the top half of Sosa’s split bat — and boom. Out pops the cork, which is a big no-no.
Sosa claimed that he had brought it for warm-ups and batting practice — with intentions of showing off for the fans.
Sosa also said that he “accidentally” mixed it up with his game bats. Uh, huh. Sure you didn’t
Later on, while under oath during a banned-substance court hearing, Sosa conveniently forgets how to speak English, continuing his deceptive ways.
What a piece of work!
The Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction
The 2004 Superbowl was full drama. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots added another Lombardi trophy to their collection — after beating the Carolina Panthers in a three-point thriller.
However, the game itself took second-fiddle to the half-time show, which was eye “popping,” to say the least.
Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake provided the goods, quite literally, when Jackson’s boob popped out of her garment on live television.
It’s unknown to this day whether she intended for that to happen or not, but nevertheless, it sure spiked ratings and her record sells.
Pedro Martinez hits a five-point throw.
Ahh, the great baseball rivalry that is the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. But when these teams play in the postseason, with a World Series berth on the line, things crank up to the next level.
Can you smell it? Well, Don Zimmer at 72 years old wanted to smell the dirt — during Game 3 of the 2003 NLCS.
Red Sox Hall of Fame hurler Pedro Martinez throws a blazing fastball — which then hits New Yankee Karim Garcia in the head, quite blatantly. Thankfully, it just grazed him, and no physical harm was done.
The Yankees and Roger Clemens weren’t done, however, when Manny Ramirez came up to the dish during the Red Sox half of the inning.
Clemens had his teammate’s back and took a bit of revenge, beaning Man-Ram,; resulting in the dugouts clearing — turning into an all-out brawl on the diamond.
One of the Yankees coaches, Don Zimmer, then wandered into the wrong zip code, where Pedro Martinez was waiting, knocking Zimmer on his ass.
Who knew that Zimmer, without his hat on, looks like Darth Vader with his helmet off?
Mike Tyson gets an ear-full.
Mike Tyson, with all his considerable skill, ducked Evander Holyfield for years — refusing to fight him.
He finally agreed to fight his biggest threat in the ring, but it was evident right off the bat that Tyson was overmatched — well out of his prime as a boxer.
The “Real Deal’ went toe to toe with “Iron Mike” and had an answer for everything — until Tyson locked down on his ear; not once but twice — taking a chunk of it with him on the second bite, ending the fight.
Oddly enough, the two are now great friends, with Tyson making amends with Holyfield, and finally facing his demons.
Beauty and the Beast (mode)
The situation? The Seattle Seahawks have the ball on the one-yard line with the most celebrated bruiser back in the NFL on their roster. All they have to do is give Marshawn Lynch the rock, and they win back-to-back Super Bowls.
Easy, right?
Pete “the skeet” Carroll had other plans, calling a pass play instead of giving Lynch the rock.
Malcolm Butler becomes a legend, intercepting Russell Wilson’s pass, sealing another Super Bowl victory for (shady) Brady and Bill Billi “cheat.”
The Seahawks not going to beast mode, throwing the ball in this situation instead, is undoubtedly the worst play call in Super Bowl history.
Meta World Peace brings the pain
Ironically, Metta World Peace (Ron Artest at the time) got into a banger of a fight with a fan in Detroit — the wrong one, actually.
It all stemmed from a foul by Ron Artest on big Ben Wallace at the end of a meaningless blowout. Artest was not happy with Wallace, who fouled him hard, so he shoves him back.
A team vs. team fight ensued between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, firing up a crowd that had not much to cheer about all evening
Artest, exhausted from the brawl, lays down on the scorer’s table, with the fight all but over.
Or, so we thought.
An opposing fan then throws an ice-cold draft beer on Artest, who snaps — rushing into the stands after the said fan.
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Unfortunately, Artest goes after the wrong guy and nearly decapitates an innocent bystander. Thankfully, Artest didn’t land the significant haymaker, and the injuries to all involved were minor.
Artest was then suspended for the entire NBA season, in his prime.
However, its seems Artest has found inner “world peace,” with his angry tirades now a thing of the past — later winning an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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