The 20 Greatest Moments in New York Sports History

Can you guess the most memorable sports moments to happen in the Big Apple?

Collected together for the first time, The 20 Greatest Moments in New York Sports History chronicles the most memorable sporting events to be held in New York, ranking them based on importance and effect on the sport (and city).

Broken down into four parts, each event will include the storyline that led up to the moment, original materials from the media coverage of the event, a column from a local journalist to lend perspective, and finally first-person accounts from the men and women that made these moments happen.

Veteran journalists Todd Ehrlich and Gary Myers dive deep into each of these moments, sharing why they are so special and the reason we still talk about them today. Including original interviews and information previously unreleased, The 20 Greatest Moments in New York Sports History is not only for the New York sports fan, but anyone who appreciates the amazing effect that baseball, basketball, football, hockey, tennis, golf, boxing, and numerous other sports can have on our cities and country as a whole.

So...which event will be at the top? Roger Maris breaking The Babe's Home Run record? Willis Reed hobbling onto the count before game seven against the Lakers in the 1970 NBA Finals? David Tyree's "Helmet Catch" in Super Bowl XLII? Mark Messier's guarantee before the 1994 Stanley Cup? Tiger Woods dominating on Bethpage's "Black Course" to win the 2002 US Open? Or perhaps the bout at Madison Square Garden between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier? There's only one way to find out!

Todd Ehrlich is the founder and president of T-LINE TV, a television production company dedicated to broadcast, sports, and commercial television production. A five-time Emmy Award winner and twenty-two time Emmy Nominee, Ehrlich has covered two Olympics, the Super Bowl, World Series, NHL Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals, and Triple Crown races. Ehrlich has met and interviewed the most prominent sports personalities of the era, during his forty years in the business. Currently the executive sports producer for WPIX-TV in New York, he has worked in television locally in New York as well as nationally including WABC, WNBC, WCBS, and CBS Sports to name a few. Originally from Washington, D.C., Ehrlich currently resides in River Vale, New Jersey, with his wife Debbie and son Jagger.

Gary Myers is a longtime sports journalist who has worked for the Dallas Morning News, New York Daily News, and HBO Sports. He is the author of five books, including the New York Times bestseller Brady vs. Manning. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and lives with his wife in Westchester County, New York.

David Tyree is a retired NFL player who spent six seasons with the New York Giants. Born and raised in New Jersey, he was drafted out of Syracuse University in 2003, and is best known for making “The Helmet Catch” to help the Giants win Super Bowl XLII, defeating the then-undefeated New England Patriots. Spending six seasons in the front office of the Giants, Tyree is currently the Giants Insider on PIX 11’s NY Blitz, as well as a contributor on MSG’s The Betting Exchange and Odds with Ends. He hosts the Catch the Moment podcast and resides in Dover, New Jersey.
 

“In The 20 Greatest Moments in New York Sports History, Todd Ehrlich and Gary Myers have given us a great gift: a chance to relive indelible moments from New York's sports history. Bringing back the thrills of these amazing moments as though we had just lived them, Todd and Gary capture the events, the aftermath, and, most of all, the thrills our memory serves up when these days are recalled.”  
—Marty Appel, New York Yankees historian and author of Pinstripe Empire and Casey Stengel, as well as the New York Times bestselling title Munson

"In The 20 Greatest Moments in New York Sports History, Todd Ehrlich serves not only as your author, but also your travel agent. He sets you up for glorious trips to the past, taking you back to times when New York served as the capital of the sports world and enabling you to relive the thrills of victory all over again. Diligently reported and lovingly told, this book is a treat for anyone who has ever celebrated a Big Apple sports triumph."
—Ken Davidoff, veteran sports journalist and former MLB columnist for the New York Post

“Todd Ehrlich has meticulously encapsulated the greatest moments in our sporting lives. It is a delightful and informative walk back through history, history those of us lucky enough to live through it, will never forget.”
—Ed Randall, long-time sports radio and television personality, and host of Ed Randall’s Talking Baseball on WFAN

“With a DNA that touches your heart, your soul, your emotions with all that captured your imagination when it happened, Todd Ehrlich and Gary Myers have given us memories of the greatest moments in New York and sports history. . . . we are lucky and fortunate that they have done so with a book you won’t be able to put down.”
—Steve Somers, New York sports radio icon for WFAN

“There are no TV executives in New York with the contacts that Todd Ehrlich has in both sheer number and respect. I have worked very closely with Todd on Yankees Nation and have the utmost respect for his knowledge and professionalism. He utilized his contacts, to your advantage, in his book The 20 Greatest Moments in New York Sports History. Todd conducted over 100 interviews for this book. I personally shared hysterical stories from team bus rides and took you inside our Yankees clubhouse for stories never shared before. You are not alone in this walk down memory lane as Todd has invited the greatest athletes, broadcasters, and writers to share their recollections of the greatest moments in New York sports. Their insight that will transport you back to those moments and put the same smile on your face as you had when you first lived through these moments. This book is a must have for any New York sports fan.”
—Jeff Nelson, New York Yankees Pitcher and four-time World Series Champion
 
“The 20 Greatest Moments in New York Sports History is a joyous trip through the sporting history of the greatest city in the world. What makes this book special is the access that Todd Ehrlich has to the players and media that covered these historic events. No one in the New York media has more respect and more contacts than Todd. He has been a trusted member of the New York media for the past forty years and because of his standing he got exclusive stories from me and many other iconic New York athletes. Do you want to know the moment that turned the Giants into Super Bowl champions? You will be surprised. I told it to Todd and you can read it in his book. Trust me it’s a must-have for any New York sports fan.”
—Leonard Marshall, New York Giants defensive end and two-time Super Bowl Champion