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1991: Magic deals a body blow to US sport
WASHINGTON. Dec 25: The world of Ame-rlcan sports suffe red one of its biggest body blow ever in 1991 when basketball star Magic Johnson became the first sporting hero to reveal he had contracted the HIV virus. reports AFP.
Johnson's admission had the effect of a bombshell — but as • positive influence In world attitudes towards AIDS sufferer*, ft could not have been more effective, whatever Martina Navratilova might have to say about It
The fact that Johnson picked up the virus through heterosexual contact upset Navratilova and much of the gay lobby In the stales, but in the tong run it will have taken away much of the stigma of the disease as a "gay plague."
Johnson's revelation overshadowed everything else that happened in American sport this year, which was highlighted by some rags to riches tales
Chicago Bulls and Pittsburgh Penguins won their first championships and the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Brave* met in the worst-to-fir»t World Series.
The Bulls, led by superstar Michael Jordan, ended a 25-year quest for the National Basketball Association title when, after losing the first game of the finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. At home, they swept the next four games.
"When I came here, we started from scratch," said Jordan, who Joined them in 1984. "I vowed we'd make the play-offs every year, and each year we got closer. I always had faith I'd get this (championship) ring one day -
One of the keys to Chicago's
triumph was the fact that the players surrounding Jordan began to play more than Just supporting roles.
In particular, Scottie Pippen evolved into a scoring threat who took some of the pressure off of Jordon and, after the season was completed, he earned a spot on the US Olympic team.
In the National Hockey League. the Pittsburgh Penguins wrote a similar script, winning their first-ever Stanley Cup by defeating the Minnesota North Stars, “who rode a wave of emotion through the play-offs despite having entered the post-season with a losing record.
Prior to 1991, Pittsburgh had finished no higher than second in their division and had never before even reached the Stanley Cup finals. This time they could thank Canadian star Marfo Lemieux, who overcame back problems that forced him to miss the first 50 games of the regular season.
The team really started to gel when Lemieux returned and general manager Craig' Patrick traded for defensemen Larry Murphy and Peter Taglianettl, along with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings.
Tragedy struck in the offseason. however, when coach Bob Johnson, who led the team to victory in Just his first season, died of a brain tumor.
Johnson's motto, "stay focused." has remained with the Penguins as they attempt to repeal this season.
Perhaps the greatest "rags to riches" story of the year occurred in baseball, with two teams rising from the basement to the penthouse and then producing one of the most memorable World Series ever. This was, 1 think, the greatest World Series ever." said . Major League baseball commissioner Fay Vinccn after the Minnesota Twins edged out the Atlanta Braves 1 -0 in the. 10th inning of Game Seven.
It was a fantastic finish to a Cinderrlia story, leaving both teams with something positive.
The whole scries was like a storybook and tonight was chapter seven." said Twins manager Tom Kelly as his team celebrated its second
championship in four years.
"I don't know who played better. We probably should cut it (the trophy) in half."
Youth played a major role in the success of both clubs, ■pmbtncd with the resurgence of a pair of veterans most experts had given up on.
Terry Pendleton, cast off the year before by the St Louis Cardinals, led the National League In batting and was voted "most valuable player."
Ills leadership proved invaluable to some of the team's younger players. Including Ronnie Gant, who paced the club with 33 home runs, and pitchers Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery — who pitched a pair of shut-outs against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the playoffs.
The Twins received similar inspiration from veteran pitcher Jack Morris, who was voted "mosl valuable player of the World Scries, having gone the distance in the decisive seventh game.
"I Just kept fighting and, somehow, we figured out a way to win this thing," he said.
Twins' second baseman Chuck Knoblauch characterized the youthful drive of the team and he was named "rookie of the year" in the off-season.
In American football, the New York Giants won their second Super Bowl title in four years, defeating the Buffalo Bills 21-19 in one of the most exciting contests in recent years. As in the other major sports, the Bills made a tong climb to the top after years of struggling Just to get out of the cellar.
Using the innovative nohuddle offense. Buffalo's offense acquired a reputation as unstoppable. led by quarterback Jim Kelly, allpurpose running back Thurman Thomas and wide receivers Andra Reed and James Lofton.
In the Super Bowl, played amid tight security during the Gulf war, the Giants discovered that the only way to keep the Bills from scoring was to keep the ball away from their offense.
New York led by back-up quarterback Jeff Hosteller, sei a new record for time of possession. using a conservative ball control offense that produced drives lasting more than eight minutes.
Giant* head coach Bill Parcells retired following the Super Bowl and the Giants have struggled this season missing the play offs.
The Bills, on the other hand, have used last January's disappointment as a motivation for this year and are headed for another Super Bowl appearance, leading the American football conference with a 13-2 record.
Their opponents promise to be the surprising Washington Redskins, who made a bid for a perfect season losing only to the Dallas Cowboys.
In keeping with the theme three teams — the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions and the Cowboys — have made the play offs this year alter after tong absences from post-season Pty-