Indoctrination Into Phoenix Sports History
...involved the Phoenix Suns? The first came in 1976 against the Boston Celtics, which we lost, but it gave us “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” from Gar Heard and many also consider this game to be the greatest game of all time. The second came in 1993 against the Chicago Bulls, which we won in Chicago, setting multiple records in the process and besting the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan.
There are numerous instances where Phoenix sports teams have done very well in the respective sports, most notably is the Arizona Diamondbacks winning a World Series Championship in just four years of existence. The Arizona Cardinals have been in the Valley since 1988 and have been to the playoffs once, defeated the hated Dallas Cowboys and have given us several great memories during that time. We must also include the rich history of the Arizona State University both in football and baseball. And last, but not least, the aforementioned Phoenix Suns which have been to the playoffs eighteen of the past twenty years (14 straight, which is an NBA record). Just because Phoenix is a newer “metropolitan” city when compared to the likes of New York City, Boston, or even Los Angeles it doesn’t mean that we haven’t built up a history of sport memories or created traditions with each of our sports franchises.
The Arizona Diamondbacks played their first season in 1998, since that time they have won the National League West title four times, which means they have been to the playoffs four times, and of those four times we have won a World Series Championship. During this span we have had a number of future “hall of famer’s” play for our team including Matt Williams, Jay Bell, Steve Finely, Luis Gonzales, Randy Johnson, and Curt Shilling. Randy Johnson pitched a perfect game for the D-Backs back in 2004, and won four Cy Young Awards. We were the quickest (two years)...
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