General: It makes you wonder

Conspiracy theories, real or imagined, have been around in all walks of life forever. Think Kennedy assassination, did Armstrong really walk on the moon, Area 51, and, for fun, the X-Files.

But how about sports? Are there any sports conspiracy theories that we don't know about?

In a recent article entitled "Conspiracy Theories" by Steve Rushin in the July 23, 2001 Sports Illustrated, he wrote about two recent great events that happened in sports, moments that should have been enjoyed, but instead have been analyzed, and questioned in the media.

They were -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s win at Daytona in the first race at Daytona Speedway since his dad died there in February, and Cal Ripkin Jr.'s home run in his first at bat at this year's All-Star Game -- the last All-Star game he'll ever play since he said he'll retire at the end of this year.

Both events have been questioned -- did the other racers let Earnhardt win? Did the pitcher let up on his fastball so that Ripkin could hit it out of the park?

Rushin goes on to take a humorous, yet pointed, look at what is going on with all of this conspiracy talk, and ends by making the point of -- "Could it be that the endless aggrandizing of every moment in sports -- no matter how minor -- has left us so skeptical that we no longer even trust the truly great stories?!?

Well, his story made some great points. People are so skeptical and questioning of everything these days, that no one seems to be able to enjoy a moment for what it is -- a grand moment.

So it got me to thinking -- if our society was like this year's ago, maybe there were some other moments in sports that should be double checked.

Here are some examples.

Heidi Game -- Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets. The Jets were winning by more than a touchdown, when NBC cut to a telecast of Heidi with very little time left in the game. The Raiders went on to win the game with two scores in 43 seconds. Uh oh, could that have been a conspiracy? Could NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle phoned the stadium and ordered the refs and the Jets to let the Raiders score so that from that point on, no televised NFL football game would ever be taken off the air until it was completed? Well, what do you think? Has any NFL game been taken off the air for a movie or television show since then until the game was over? Hmmm, makes you wonder huh?

How about the 1994 Lilihammer Olympics -- the one with Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. Did Tonya really have her friends hammer Kerrigan's knee? Or maybe, just maybe, was it the USA skating association and NBC (or was it ABC, I always get all those letters mixed up) who did it to take the media attention off of the fact that both of the USA skaters that year didn't have a snowball's chance in **** to win a gold medal? Hmmmmm, gets you thinking, doesn't it?

Ok, how about the 1984 Orange Bowl game. Nebraska, a team that went through the entire 1983 regular season virtually destroying opponents with scores like 63-7 over Syracuse, 67-13 over Kansas, 72-29 over Iowa State, and 84-13 over Minnesota, came into the season ending Orange Bowl on January 2, 1984 with a 12-0 record and a shot at the National Championship. A team that was probably one of the greatest teams ever assembled -- there was no way they could lose, right? Wrong! They came into the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida and are upset by the University of Miami, of Florida, 31-30. Hmmm, home town school gets the upset? It's a conspiracy baby!

Here's another one. Did you know that Dick Vitale of ESPN has picked the winner of the NCAA men's basketball tourney three years in a row now in his preseason picks, which are now printed in ESPN The Magazine. And doesn't ESPN televise a lot of the NCAA games? So if Dickie V's pick wins, that is a feather in the cap of ESPN -- the TV station and the magazine. Wonder how those sales of the magazine will improve next year? Hmmmm, I wonder...

Oh, and there are so many more like...

* How about the Duke Blue Devils of two years ago -- a team that destroyed all competitors all season long, only to lose in the NCAA final. Hmmm, did Trajon Langdon really trip on his own that last trip down court or was he tripped? Another mystery for the ages?

* And was Michael Jordan really suffering from the flu/virus in that NBA championship game a few years back against Utah? The one where he scored like a fiend and upped his legacy 10-fold in that one game? I mean, he also does act on TV and in movies? Might he have been acting that day?

* I mean, was it merely just a coincidence that Ray Bourque knew the exact team to get traded to so he could finally win that elusive Stanley Cup? There are how many teams in the NHL -- 30, minus the Bruins, and he picked the right ONE out of the remaining 29. I'd like to have won a bet with those odds in Vegas.

* Or how about John Elway. He wins two Super Bowls in his final two seasons? Think maybe Commissioner Paul Taglibue didn't want to see another of the QBs from that great '84 class retire without winning one Super Bowl -- Kelly had already lost four, Elway had lost a few already, and Marino had lost one and with the inept defense that the Dolphins had, there was no way to put the "fix" in for the Dolphins. So Elway won it. And it was such a great story-line, and gave the NFL and TV such good ratings, they got greedy and gave Elway and the Broncos a second one the next year. What a great story...what a great conspiracy my man!

Yep, sports could be full of conspiracies if you let it. But the truth is, sports are sports and the magic that happens on the field, on the court, on the ice, in the rink, on the track, or wherever, is just that -- a magic moment. When an upset happens, it really is an upset to be enjoyed, not to be double-guessed or wondered about. When a record is set, or a batter hits a homerun in his last at bat, or an athlete wins it all in his last chance for a championship, enjoy the moment. Don't question it.

So just sit back, relax and enjoy sports for what they are -- great moments to be enjoyed.

Oh yeah, and let's just leave the conspiracy theories to Mulder, Scully, and Doggett on the X-Files, ok! That's where they really belong.