When thinking of great sports rivalries, some people think of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, while others think of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. But there have been some great rivalries over the years that may not be as well known but deserve to be mentioned with the all-time greats.
T.O. vs. his QBs
One of the best rivalries of the last 10 years has been Terrell Owens versus any quarterback that has thrown to him. Owens has played for four different teams and each time he has worn out his welcome. After being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles from the San Francisco 49ers in 2004, Owens implied in a Playboy article that his former quarterback in San Francisco was gay. This was the kind of thing that got him traded out of San Francisco in the first place.
Owens’ relationship with Donovan McNabb was like the relationship between Vinny and “The Situation‚“ from MTV’s Jersey Shore. They started off as close friends, then one got cocky and the relationship was just never the same.
Owens’ first year in Philadelphia was a success. He had 1,200 receiving yards to go along with 14 touchdown catches. The team went to the Super Bowl but lost to the New England Patriots. Owens later blamed the loss on McNabb for choking at the end of the game. These statements and Owens’ anger about not having a new contract got him suspended by the team for the last four games of the next season.
After Owens was released in 2006, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys and once again started off being buddy-buddy with his QB Tony Romo for the first two years of the relationship. Owens even ironically began to cry when a reporter talked badly about Romo after a playoff loss to the New York Giants in 2008. However, the next season, T.O. was up to his old tricks. About midway through the 2008 season, Owens became upset because Romo was giving the ball to his tight end Jason Witten too often and that was one complaint too much, as Owens was released at the end of the season.
The people vs. the mascots
The greatest rivalry in hockey is a no-brainer, and it is not Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. In 2003, the Calgary Flames were beating the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 at home. It seemed like just another game until Flames’ Mascot, Harvey, began mocking Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish. All of a sudden MacTavish ripped the tongue out of Harvey’s mouth. This would go down as one of the most significant mascot attacks in the history of sports. Sadly for the fans, the rivalry would end there.
MacTavish vs. Harvey is not quite as legendary as the assault committed by Randall Simon of the Pittsburgh Pirates. During a game against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003, which was apparently a bad year for mascots, Simon attacked a person dressed in a sausage costume. The sausage race takes place every game after the sixth inning in Milwaukee. During this particular race, Simon stuck out his bat from the dugout as the sausages ran by and one of the sausages fell over. The person inside the suit suffered a scraped knee and Simon was taken away in handcuffs after the game. The arrest cemented and all but ended the great Simon vs. Giant Sausage rivalry.
Paul O’Neill vs. water coolers
The best sports rivalry that no one talks about has to be former New York Yankees right fielder Paul O’Neill vs. any water cooler in his vicinity. This heavyweight match-up took place only if O’Neill was called out on a close play and he slammed his helmet against the field right away. Following this warrior call, he would move into the dugout and prepare for his opponent. Once he stepped down the stairs and laid eyes on his combatant, it was on. None of the fights lasted long, since before anyone knew it, the dugout floor was flooded. These bouts could never be predicted, but if he was in a slump, this process took place game after game.
There is more to sports rivalries than just Jack Nicklaus taking on Arnold Palmer. Some great rivalries are mistakenly overlooked. While they may not be some of the most important rivalries in sports, they certainly are fun to follow.
You can reach this columnist at sports@theeagleonline.com.
