Here we go sports folk…….The Pre-Thanksgiving Giveaway Festivus!
As a giving of thanks for your loyal readership and activity on the site we would like to give away a few HD-DVD movies to kill time while your family insists on yapping your ear off when they are in town. Winner receives a copy of CaddyShack and Full Metal Jacket on HD-DVD. If you don’t like those movies may I suggest renting Fried Green Tomatoes and have a good cry.


Here are the details of the giveaway:

-Reply to this weeks report with your greatest sports moment of all time.
-Any event will qualify as long as the story is not embellished
-No proof is required
-I reserve the judgment as to the best story but I will consult other sports fans for their input.
-Must be 18 years old or older and live within the contiguous 48 states to qualify.
-Registered HiDef.com member (If you aren't a member its a really quick registration - Painless!)

This weekend marks the anniversary of one of the greatest sporting events of my life. 3 years ago I followed my brother, who was a Cal freshman at the time, to the annual Cal/USC game at Berkeley. Everyone in the stadium was in shock as the huge underdog Cal Bears dominated at the half (21-7) but there was serious doubt these smaller athletes could hold up to the gigantic USC offense in the second half. At one point I look over at my brother to point out that USC Freshman WR Mike Williams is taller than any Cal player on the entire team except for the band leader who stood on a ladder at half time. Just incredible how much bigger USC looked in comparison and it could only be compared to an NFL team.

Sure enough USC tied the score 21-21 in the 3rd quarter and lets say the fans were a bit deflated. Following my logic of never ever leaving a sporting event no matter what the situation is, I convinced everyone we were with to stay the course and have faith. Sure enough our boys came through at the end of the game with a huge field goal but only to be matched by a late USC field goal resulting in overtime. 2 more overtimes later the Bears came out as the winner and as you can see in this photo (my eternal proof of my attendance) the fans rushed the field to celebrate with the team. Security was surprisingly heavy in front of the alumni section so I had to wait for the two cops in front of me to leave so I could walk off with the team into the tunnel. Really cool experience and this weekend we will party like its 2003. GO BEARS!


As always this list of HD Sports Programming is shown by day and categorized by sport but…Please check your local listings for channels and availability.
Games and Times are listed in RED.....Games and Times in BLUE are do not miss.





Thursday 11/16/06
NBA
8:00pm EST: Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets TNT-HD in 1080i
10:30pm EST: Sacramento vs. Golden State Warriors TNT-HD in 1080i
There has been a huge break through in Oakland as new coach Don Nelson apparently realized what Warrior fans have known for some time that Mike Dunleavy is garbage and highly overpaid. Thank you magical Don for benching said starter and running with a much better team fit to compete in the Western Conference. We may have our Warriors back……all I ask for is one playoff game…..pretty please?


College Football
8:00pm EST: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers ESPNHD in 720p
As you all have now been Knighted as Rutgers fans, we must wish for an all out ass whooping of the Pitt Panthers so Rutgers has a higher ranked team to destroy for a run at the BCS. This may be the only way a team like Rutgers will get a realistic shot at the title and a possibility of a playoff system in the BCS.


NHL
7:00pm EST: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins HDNet in 1080i
On behalf of all San Jose sharks fans they would like to thank the Boston Bruins for Joe Thornton and their upcoming Stanley Cup victory.

7:30pm EST: Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers (Regional) FSN FL in 720p
10:00pm EST: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Phoenix Coyotes (Regional) FSN AZ in 720p






Friday 11/17/06
NBA
7:30pm EST: N.Y. Knicks vs. Miami Heat (Regional) Sun Sports in 720p
8:00pm EST: Washington Wizards vs. Detroit Pistons ESPNHD in 720p
10:30pm EST: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Phoenix Suns ESPNHD in 720p
11:30pm EST: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Phoenix Suns (Regional) FSN AZ in 720p


NHL
7:00pm EST: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals (Regional) CSN in 1080i
Additional Giveaway!!! Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup DVD for the first person to respond with the entire starting lineup for game 7 and the winner of the Conn Smythe trophy. I am guessing I will get one Carolina Hurricanes fan or someone who knows one Carolina Hurricanes fan who needs a Christmas gift. Either case good luck!


College Basketball
7:00pm EST: Coaches VS Cancer - Semi #1 ESPN2HD in 720p
9:30pm EST: Coaches VS Cancer - Semi #2 ESPN2HD in 720p





Saturday 11/18/06
Boxing
9:00pm EST: Pacquiao vs. Morales III HBO-PPV in 1080i


College Football
12:00pm EST: Michigan St. Spartans vs. Penn St. Nittany Lions ESPN2HD in 720p
12:00pm EST: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Baylor Bears FSN-HD
2:30pm EST: Army Black Knights vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish NBC in 1080i
3:30pm EST: Auburn Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide CBS in 1080i

3:30pm EST: Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes ABC in 720p
Its great when there is an amazing matchup planned for a sport you love but the downside is every sports reporter and news show beats it to death. It almost gets to a point where you lose a tiny bit of interest and that to me is a shame. In any case this is a can’t miss game on a day of can’t miss sporting events. After this game you can roll right into……..

8:00pm EST: California Golden Bears vs. USC Trojans ABC in 720p
This may not be Aaron Rodgers vs. Matt Leinart but you just can’t miss this game cause it has huge potential.

10:00pm EST: UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona State Sun Devils FSN-HD



NHL
8:00pm EST: Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild HDNet in 1080i

NBA
7:00pm EST: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards NBA/INHD in 1080i
7:00pm EST: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards (Regional) CSN in 1080i
7:30pm EST: Houston Rockets vs. Detroit Pistons (Regional) FSN D in 720p
7:30pm EST: Portland Trailblazers vs. N.J. Nets (Regional) YES in 1080i
10:00pm EST: Toronto Raptors vs. Denver Nuggets (Regional) Altitude in 1080i
10:30pm EST: Philadelphia 76ers vs. L.A. Clippers (Local) KTLA in 1080i

Auto Racing
7:00pm EST: NASCAR Busch Series Ford 300 from Homestead-Miami Speedway TNT-HD in 1080i




Sunday 11/19/06
NFL
1:00pm EST: Cincinnati Bengals vs. New Orleans Saints CBS in 1080i

1:00pm EST: New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers CBS in 1080i
1:00pm EST: Washington Redskins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers FOX in 720p
1:00pm EST: Atlanta Falcons vs. Baltimore Ravens FOX in 720p
1:00pm EST: St. Louis Rams vs. Carolina Panthers FOX in 720p
1:00pm EST: Chicago Bears vs. New York Jets FOX in 720p
4:00pm EST: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers FOX in 720p
4:00pm EST: Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals FOX in 720p

4:00pm EST: Indianapolis Colts vs. Dallas Cowboys CBS in 1080i
If people think this is the one big obstacle to the Colts running the table then 16-0 is in hand. I just can’t see the Cowboys stopping Manning enough times to make this close but the NFL is crazy so anything is possible. The Colts will most definitely give up 150 rushing yards to Marion Barber and Julius Jones but that takes time off the clock and the Colts score too quickly for the Cowboys to contend.
Colts 31 – Cowboys 17. Take the Cowboys for a first half bet since it will most likely be close.

8:15pm EST: San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos NBC 1080i


NBA
8:00pm EST: Chicago Bulls vs. L.A. Lakers (Regional) FSN W in 720p
8:00pm EST: Chicago Bulls vs. L.A. Lakers ESPNHD in 720p

AUTO RACING
2:00pm EST: NASCAR Nextel Cup Ford 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway NBC in 1080i
Jimmie Johnson finishes 12th or better he wins the Cup. Not much else to say because I have a feeling the Cup is waiting for Jimmie in the winners circle. This while Tony Stewart is smiling from the sidelines as he knows he could have beaten the entire field had he made it into the chase. Oh Well…..guess he has next year to wreck more cars at 200mph.

NHL
7:00pm EST: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. N.Y. Rangers (Regional) MSG in 1080i

Canadian Football
6:00pm EST: 94th Grey Cup Championship WorldsportHD in 1080i




Monday 11/20/06
NFL (Monday Night Football)
8:30pm EST: N.Y. Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars ESPNHD in 720p

NBA
9:00pm EST: Toronto Raptors vs. Utah Jazz (Regional) FSN U in 720p
10:00pm EST: N.J. Nets vs. Seattle SuperSonics (Regional) FSN NW in 720p
10:30pm EST: Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors (Regional) FSN BA in 1080i

NHL
7:00pm EST: Nashville Predators vs.Columbus Blue Jackets (Regional) FSN O in 720p
7:00pm EST: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Regional) CSN in 1080i

Forgot to add that Dusty Baker (ex Giants Manager) sat right in front of us at this game and considering he ruined my best chance at a Giants World Series, it led to this exchange from me and my Dad.

Me: "Dammit that is Dusty Baker!"
Dad: "If you start anything with him we will most likely get kicked out"
Me: "Are you willing to leave?"
Dad: "Let me get my stuff together first"

CAL TOUCHDOWN!
Me: "May be worth biting my tongue to stay and watch this"

I looked up after the half and Dusty was gone.....he left the game. Nice one BAKE!
One day Dusty, One Day!

i know there isnt a whole lot of repsect for closers in the MLB but earlier this season Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres broke the all time saves record with save number 479. The record was previously held by Lee Smith. maybe not the best sports story ever but oh well!!!

I have to say my greatest sports moment happened to me as a kid. I lived in Saudi Arabia (dad worked for Aramco Oil) and played soccer constantly. When I was around 11 or 12 we played a championship AYSO game in the 122 degree heat (not as bad as it sounds when you live there but it still sucked.) I always played defense and this game was no different than any other (except we took water breaks every 15 minutes.) To make a long story short I actually scored a goal. 6 years of playing soccer overseas and I finally scored a goal, from defense no less. We loss the game but it was a crowning moment of my childhood.

My freshman year at Boston College...BC beat #1 ranked ND at the end of the season with a last second field goal, avenging a lopsided loss from the year before. We littered the campus with toilet paper, and tore down the goal posts, then deposited them on the front steps of the field goal kicker...David Gordon. The game itself was easily one of the best college football games of all time...with the scoring going back and forth all game. And, the celebration after is easily a top 5 college moment for me.

Nicely done Matty......That "Holy War" game took Notre Dame out of the #1 spot and hurt bad after their win vs. Florida State (Game of the Century). I completely forgot this game and like most others only remember the ND vs. FSU game.

Set the bar pretty high - Lets see if we get any others to push you out of the top spot.


*How the hell did you get the goal posts out of the stadium?

Just Curious.

Im gonna throw some UFC at ya. Last week on Spike TV i seen the greatest comeback i have ever seen. Drago vs Smith. Drago lands a body shot that floors smith reeling in pain as Draco comes running for the kill Smith's Survival instinct kicks in and knocks drago out on the way in for the kill then jumps on him to finish the fight. Simply the greates UFC comeback i have seen yet!

Evilfud


*Story 2* Live sports event i was at.

Tennis Ya TENNIS! My best friend in high school was the schools best Tennis player and had a scholarship to college for tennis. He talked me into going to one of his games as i thought tennis was pretty lame. So i go and he always told me about how he served faster than most pros. Well he starts playing and i can tell ya he has a dang fast serve. So fast the other guy just started giving up trying to return them. Then it happened the greatest thing ive ever seen in tennis. Rick (my friend) serves the opponent just turns his back to not get hit by the ball the ball hit the guy in the ass and stuck there he turned around and the ball just flops down to the ground after being implanted in his cheeks for about a good 20 seconds. the entire crowd (ya all 20-30 of em) was laughing like crazy. Talk about being the butt of a joke lol!

Evilfud

Damn that was funny.........laughed out loud on that one. That may be the first tennis story I ever enjoyed reading. Evil is right that fight with Drago goes down as one of the best knockouts ever in any full contact sport. Its impossible to describe how much the fight was over after that body shot by Drago then Smith decides he needs to inflict some punishment if he is going to get knocked out and hits Drago on the button. Its definitely in the Hall Of Fame of Knockouts for me.

I doubt this is even in time for the contest, or if it really qualifies, but no doubt the greatest moment ever was me seeing LT hit Theisman and bust his leg. I was only 11 and spit my mello yello all over my parents nice new carpet. Oops!

That Theeseman (changed the sound of his name to match Heisman - So Lame!) video was horrific and I remember cringing. LT got up but unfortunately Joe was carted directly to the booth for a lifetime of underacheivement there. Man I wish he played out his career.....oh well.



All very good posts everyone and I appreciate the reader partcipation........unfortunately there has to be one winner and through lengthy conversations with the staff I have to give it to Senor "mattymorning" for his BC experience. #1 judgement was made on total experience, #2 impact and #3 degree of difficulty (still not sure how you got the goalposts out of the stadium).

evil - your degree of difficulty was excellent because a tennis ball in the butt cheeks takes skill.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in.