Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrapper1
Or the female basketball player who scored her record-breaking points in a boot against a team that agreed not to play defense and allow her to score. I don't remember who that was, but I always felt that was pretty lame. I understand it, I just personally don't like it. Maybe if I was the one who was going for the record I'd feel differently; I don't know.
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February 21, 1998--College hoop star Nykesha Sales enters her last home game of her senior season 28 Points short of the University of Connecticut (UConn) women's scoring record. She scores 27 points in the first 30 minutes. But with 9.48 remaining, Sales crashes to the floor, with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Her college career is over 1 point shy of the record.
Or was it? Three days later, Sales was back on the court (in a cast) against the Villanova Wildcats. UConn coach Geno Auriemma had arranged with Villanova's coach to let Sales score an uncontested layup at the game's beginning, giving her the record. Villanova was then allowed to score a basket to even the score.
Auriemma checked with UConn officials, the Big East (UConn's league), and with the previous record holder, Kerry Bascom-Poliquim. Because they all approved of letting Sales score the basket, Auriemma decided to give Sales the record. Because Villanova was allowed a free basket, he said, it also didn't affect the outcome of the game.
Sales's gift basket is not the first of its kind in sports. There have been many instances where athletes nearing records are given special treatment. Here are some other examples from sports history where players were given special treatment to attain certain records or goals:
September 1968--Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle came to bat, mired in a four week homerless slump. The end of Mantle's final baseball season was approaching, and he needed just one home ran to move into third place on the all-time, list. Mantle belted a shot into the upper deck off Tigers pitcher Denny McLain. McLain later admitted he threw Mantle an easy pitch.
April 1994--San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson needed to score more than 70 against the Los Angeles Clippers to capture the National Basketball Association scoring title. Spurs coach John Lucas instructed Robinson's teammates to foul the Clippers to stop the game clock. That gave Robinson more time to score. He finished with 71 points and won the scoring title.
October 1997--Sixty-nine-year-old Gordie Howe skated for 47 seconds in an International Hockey League game so that he could become the only player to play professional hockey in each of six decades. Howe, didn't even touch the puck once. Howe's actual playing career had ended 18 years earlier, in 1980.