Question of the day: What is your favorite sports outburst of all time?

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Serena Williams’ outburst during her loss to Kim Clijsters on Saturday at the U.S. Open brings to mind some of the great tirades of the past. Which is your favorite? Reporters from across the Tribune family answer the question of the day. Then readers can chime in and tell them why they are wrong.

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel

You’ll have to excuse me because my long-term memory is not very good, which is probably why my most momentous sports tirade came just last week when Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount slugged Boise State defensive end Byron Hout.
While Serena Williams’classless tirade at the U.S. Open may have been disgraceful, at least she didn’t drop the line judge with a sucker punch, turn into an out-of-control maniac, get in a fight with her teammate, threaten fans and possibly ruin her professional career. That’s what happened to Blount, who was suspended for the college football season and, at least according to one NFL draft analyst (ESPN’s Todd McShay) “went from a second- or third-rounder to completely undraftable.”
In a league that has given dog killers and wife beaters second chances, Blount, if he’s good enough, will surely get a chance to play in the NFL. Even so, his tirade is not only the most memorable in sports history; it might be the costliest, too.

Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times

It was a moment where you were convinced you were about to watch an on-field death. Playing at Yankee Stadium, George Brett hits a two-run home run off of Goose Gossage with two out in the top of the ninth to give the Kansas City Royals a 5-4 lead. As Brett crosses the plate, Yankees Manager Billy Martin asks plate umpire Tim McClelland to examine Brett’s bat. With Brett watching from the dugout, McClelland measures the bat against the width of home plate and determines that the amount of pine tar on the bat’s handle is illegal. An enraged Brett runs at full speed out of the dugout, charging McClelland, and has to be physically restrained by his teammates. The Royals protest the game and their protest is upheld. The game resumes weeks later with two out in the top of the ninth inning with the Royals up 5-4. The Yankees are retired in order in the bottom of the ninth, and the Royals win the game. The ‘George Brett pine tar game’ is one of the most famous games in major league history, thanks mainly to the outright hatred and anger Brett had for that brief moment.

You can watch Brett’s outburst here.

Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel

What transpired on April 30, 1998 at Madison Square Garden, a moment of anger that turned to rage, redefined two NBA personalities. When taunts turned to tussle between Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson, the result was more than a playoff loss for the Heat to the Knicks.
For Mourning, it was the flashpoint that triggered a remarkable anger-management transformation, from scowling center to compassionate humanitarian, ferocity eventually replaced by philanthropy, Hoya paranoia distilled into meaningful mentorship.
For Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, the ragdoll flailing from Mourning’s ankle during that melee, the additional playoff success would cement a place as an elite coach, in a career that has led to a seamless transition to the broadcast booth.
Heat-Knicks in the late ‘90s was genuine disrespect. A year before, it was Charlie Ward vs. P.J. Brown. Outbursts proved to be a rite of spring between the teams, none more profound than a menacing Mourning taking on all comers.