The infamous "tuck rule" play squares off against Ted Williams hitting a home run in his final at-bat in the first round of Boston's Greatest Sports Moment tournament.
Whenever a team wins a championship, people often can look back on one moment and wonder, "What if that had turned out differently?" For the 2001 New England Patriots, the "tuck rule" call was that moment. The scene was Foxboro Stadium on Jan. 19, 2002, the Patriots hosting Raiders in an AFC divisional playoff game. Oakland took a 13-10 lead into the final two minutes of the fourth quarter as heavy snowfall continued to layer the field's surface. With Patriots quarterback Tom Brady attempting to lead a game-saving drive, Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson sacked Brady, who appeared to fumble the ball — and the Patriots' season — in the process. After reviewing the play, officials determined that Brady's arm was continuing a forward movement, therefore making the pass incomplete. Thanks to the "tuck rule," the Patriots maintained possession. Adam Vinatieri went on to kick a game-tying field goal, along with the game-winner in overtime, and the Patriots kept marching on that postseason all the way to their first Super Bowl championship.
There's going out with a bang, and then there's really going out with a bomb. Ted Williams, Boston's Hall of Fame slugger and arguably "the greatest hitter that ever lived," left his indelible mark on the history of Boston sports — and on the history of all of baseball — with one resounding swing. On Sept. 28, 1960, stepping up to the plate for the last time in his career, The Kid gave the Fenway Faithful one last parting shot. In came the pitch from Baltimore relief pitcher Jack Fisher, and right back out it went, like so many times before in his career -– 520 other times, to be exact. Williams sent the ball to deep right field and that was it. Gone. Home run. Fade to black.
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