Despite a Season of Spills, Thrill Remains From This Shot

The Dodgers’ season was a bust, but it couldn’t erase the memories of 1988.

One of those memories will endure among sports fans everywhere. Kirk Gibson’s pinch home run off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley to win Game 1 of the 1988 World Series was the greatest sports thrill of the ‘80s, according to Sport magazine.

The rest of the top 10:

2. Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary touchdown pass to Gerald Phelan with no time left on the clock, giving Boston College a 47-45 victory over the University of Miami in 1984.

3. Dwight Clark’s leaping catch of a Joe Montana pass in the back of the end zone, giving the San Francisco 49ers a 28-27 victory over the Dallas Cowboys and the 1981 National Football Conference title.

4. Keith Smart’s baseline jump shot with five seconds to play, which gave Indiana the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. title in 1987.

5. Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s knockout of Thomas Hearns in the third round, ending the fight now known as “Eight Minutes of Hell.”

6. Bob Tway’s sand shot on the 18th hole to beat Greg Norman in the 1986 PGA Championship.

7. Lorenzo Charles’ dunk that gave North Carolina State the 1983 NCAA championship.

8. Rookie Magic Johnson’s move to center in place of the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals, when Johnson scored 42 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Lakers to the title.

9. Pete Rose’s single off Eric Show that moved Rose past Ty Cobb on the all-time hit list.

10. The collision of Cal’s Kevin Moen with a trombone player in the Stanford band as Moen crossed the goal line to complete a five-lateral, game-winning kickoff return as time ran out.

Trivia time: The Angels’ Johnny Ray played in 134 games this season, so there now are only two players in the major leagues to play in 150 or more games each of the last eight years. Who are they?

The Fitchburg State watch: Morning Briefing incorrectly reported that the Falcons had the weekend off. Sadly, it was not to be; they suffered their 36th consecutive loss, 10-0, to Massachusetts Maritime Saturday.

It could happen here: Toronto residents are rightfully proud of their new SkyDome and their city’s squeaky-clean image. But it’s tough for any big city to be perfect. Lewis H. Diuguid of the Washington Post quotes John Crispo of the University of Toronto’s business school: “The city fathers are close to worshipping growth for growth’s sake. We’ve destroyed our waterfront. . . . We’re not on the verge of being one of those dreadful American cities, but I am worried.”

Sabre-rattled: Arizona State punter Brad Williams, quoted by the Mesa Tribune’s Mark Emmons on his playing days at Oklahoma under then-Coach Barry Switzer: “I saw some stuff that you wouldn’t believe that even the papers didn’t have. There were linebackers beating up backup quarterbacks. One day I came out of my room and saw a guy going down the hall waving a sabre and slicing chunks out of doors. And stuff like that was minor.”

Gumming the works: The Toronto Blue Jays’ Lee Mazzilli keeps a Bazooka Joe comic inside the sweatband of his cap. It says:

Teacher: “Where are you from?”

Joe: “Brooklyn.”

Teacher: “Oh yeah. What part?”

Joe: “All of me.”

Trivia answer: The Baltimore Orioles’ Cal Ripken and the Atlanta Braves’ Dale Murphy.

Quotebook: St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Danny Cox, sidelined for the entire season because of elbow surgery, said he will build a mound on his property in Freeburg, Ill. Asked if he would pitch to his wife, Nancy, during the off-season, Cox said: “I don’t want to be a widower.”