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Best Game
by Jim Parinella
1995 Club Nationals Semis
WAS THIS THE BEST GAME EVER????
Here are some criteria for determining BGE:
1. Well played game.
2. Big plays.
3. Close game.
4. Emotional game (helps if there is history between the teams).
5. Heroes/goats.
6. Significant game.
7. Some back and forth nature.
8. Uniqueness or memorability.
1. True. There were some mistakes, of course, but both teams scored on over half their possessions (well, NY on half, us on 21/35).
2. Yes, yes, yes. We completed a huge number of hucks (9?). One in particular stands out to me, and you may have heard this one. Just before Nationals, Mooney declared that he needed to take the pulls instead of Alex, so he took every one all tournament. At about 13-13, Mooney gets sent out of the game with a concussion, so Al starts taking the pull. At about 16-15, Cribber blades a pull that five-holes Alex and rolls out the back corner, much to the delight of the increasingly large crowd. I'm the Man, and as he walks it up, it looks like they're going to be forcing his backhand to the middle. A very fast Tully Beatty is covering me. I line up about 15-20 yards away, fake in, and then break deep and get a good jump on Tully. Al launches it, but the pass is more crossfield than upfield, and the disc crosses the opposite sideline maybe 30 yards from where he threw it. However, it doesn't go much further than that, and I continue running downfield. Despite my head start, Tully has as good of an angle on it because of the trajectory, and the two of us are running as fast as any two ultimate players have ever run (really, since no one gets to top speed until about 40 yards, and it's rare that you have a 40 yard sprint). The frisbee continues going upfield while hugging the line. Finally, at about two yards outside the endzone, the two of us arrive. I get there a little sooner, and toe the line as I reach OB to grab the disc while Tully flies by the disc trying to block it. I stagger back inbounds, wobble off a forehand to Cork for the goal, and then become suddenly aware of the huge crowd noise.
3. 21-17, half 11-8, one point game as late as 16-15.
4. Very much so. I had trouble speaking afterwards. In addition to the 10 years of matchups, that year was particularly notable. DoG won 1994, looked washup up going into 1995, while NY again had an attitude. They beat us most of the year, including a 17-6 win at Regionals, and went into Nationals seeded 1st.
5. Yessir. In addition to all the big throws and catches from us, NY had their share. Dick also made Bob Deman have a terrible game.
6. Semis at Nats.
7. NY went up 1-0, DoG 4-1, up to 10-6, then 11-8 at half. Tied at 11 and 12, NY (Cojones) takes lead 13-12. DoG has only two turnovers the rest of the game. 14-13 DoG, 16-15, 17-15, trade until a turnover at game point. Coop takes an injury sub after running into Bob on a block in the endzone. Mooney comes back in for the final possession.
8. The matchup wasn't unique, as NY and Boston had faced off at Nats in an elimination match in 1989, 1990, 1992-1994 (1991 they met in pool play). But only the previous year was the game close at the end. And both teams had new looks from the NY dynasty years. And DoG was the defending champ who had been beaten throughout the year, as NY had been in 1992-1993.
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