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Top 10: Intimidating Teams
By Mo Arora
Fitness Specialist - Every Sunday
At the highest level of sport, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to intangibles. Whether via physical or mental force, some teams seem to have a knack for getting inside the heads of their opponents and making life difficult for them.
These teams gain an edge by making their foes think twice about who they are about to play. Often, a game is decided before the first whistle is blown simply because the challengers are hoping to at least get through the tilt with their bodies still intact.
The following is a collection of squads that were so well-feared, opponents considered survival the only victory they could hope to achieve.
Number 10
1995 New Zealand All Blacks
International rugby
In perhaps the roughest of all sports, it takes a certain something for one team to be more feared than all the rest, which the All-Blacks have somehow achieved. It might have something to do with their pre-game performance of the Haka, a Maori war chant and dance that just might be the coolest and most intimidating ritual ever seen in modern sports.
In 1995, New Zealand had Jonah Lomu, the single most overwhelming force the sport of rugby has ever seen. Standing 6’5” and 273 pounds, the All Blacks star winger possessed world-class speed and he was nearly unstoppable when the ball made it to his position along the sideline. During the ’95 World Cup he scored seven tries in five matches.
What made Lomu especially fearsome was his preference for running through and over his opponents rather than past them -- a nightmare that called into question the chosen profession of any opponent.
Fear factor: The All Blacks’ semi-final opponent in the 1995 World Cup, England, was so overwhelmed at being on the same field as Lomu that they let him run for four tries in the 45-29 New Zealand victory.
Number 9
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB
The World Series champions in 1965, the Dodgers played the game the old-fashioned way: hardnosed. Loaded on the pitcher’s mound, the Dodgers had Hall-of-Famers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale forming the best 1-2 punch in the league. Koufax’s stuff was so nasty that a pitch looked like it was coming at your head before it dropped into the strike zone. Drysdale, on the other hand, may have just been throwing at your head.
When players like Mike Shannon said: "Don Drysdale would consider an intentional walk a waste of three pitches. If he wants to put you on base, he can hit you with one pitch," it made batters think twice before digging into the batter’s box or crowding the plate. The Dodgers also had shortstop Maury Wills, who stole 94 bases and spiked a lot of infielders along the way and All-Star Johnny Roseboro at catcher.
Roseboro may be best remembered for being clubbed on the head with a bat by Juan Marichal and not being fazed. The incident incited a complete on-field brawl between the two teams. In short, when you faced the Dodgers, you were too scared to hit, run or field.
Fear factor: Drysdale plunked 12 batters on the season and Koufax uncorked 11 wild pitches in ‘65, just to keep batters on their toes. It worked, as they combined for 592 strikeouts.
You’ll be surprised that this sport has made this list with such an intimidating team…
Number 8
2000 Baltimore Ravens
NFL
In 2001, the Ravens won the Super Bowl essentially without an offense. They simply handed the ball off to running back Jamal Lewis, who battered his way to a 1,300-yard season or they threw the ball to tight end Shannon Sharpe, who tore defensive backs apart in getting a timely first down. Other than that, the Ravens simply left the game in the hands of a defense that set a record for fewest points allowed in a season.
Led by Ray Lewis at middle linebacker -- who was arrested and later dismissed for the murder of two people following a Super Bowl party the previous year -- the Baltimore defense was a punishing crew that also featured the ageless Rod Woodson at safety and roughly 700 pounds of interior linemen in the form of Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa. Opposing offenses weren’t losing yardage, they were retreating.
Fear factor: NFL Films vaults contain evidence of the fear that the Ravens instilled in the opposition on a tape that shows a pivotal play in the playoff tilt between the Ravens and their division rival Tennessee Titans. The game was ultimately decided on a Lewis interception return for a touchdown caused by Titans running back Eddie George literally falling to his knees at the sight of Lewis coming his way.
Number 7
1979 West Indies
International cricket
Cricket, an unlikely sport for intimidation, but the Windies were a lethal bunch when they claimed the World Cup in 1979. Carried by their impressive arsenal of bowlers (pitchers) the West Indian squad was led by the 6’8” Joel Garner and 6’6” Colin Croft -- aces who could blaze through any line up with relative ease.
These two used their immense height to their advantage by bowling at the heads of shorter opposing batsmen, with the goal of inducing the batsman to shield himself with his bat and pop the ball up for an easy out. If the bowler happened to hit the batsman in the head, well… that’s a risk they were willing to take.
Add the prolific batsman Viv Richards, who would either hit the ball out of bounds or send a screaming line drive at a fielder’s head, and this was a squad that eliminated the “gentle” from the Gentleman’s Game.
Fear factor: Opposing batsmen would openly discuss how impossible it was to hit against Garner -- describing it as trying to hit a ball “delivered from the clouds.” I guess that means Garner was pretty tall?
Number 6
1977-78 Atlanta Hawks
NBA
While the Hawks of the late ’70s were at best a middle-of-the-pack team, there are some that fondly remember the team when comparing them to today’s Hawks. The current Atlanta team is a perennial cellar-dweller in the NBA standings, but the Hawks of ’77 were rough and cantankerous every time they set foot on the floor, establishing a record for most personal fouls in a season (2,470) that still stands today.
The Hawks were reasonably talented and finished at 41-41 on the season, but they were a tough win for any opponent as they liberally employed a defensive strategy of knocking opponents to the floor as much as possible. The only thing more rewarding than beating the Hawks that season was surviving them.
Fear factor: On the rare occasion that a player tried to enter the lane and drive to the net, he would be met by center Tree Rollins, who finished second in the NBA with 218 blocks, and added 326 personal fouls.
cont'd...
By Mo Arora
Fitness Specialist - Every Sunday
At the highest level of sport, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to intangibles. Whether via physical or mental force, some teams seem to have a knack for getting inside the heads of their opponents and making life difficult for them.
These teams gain an edge by making their foes think twice about who they are about to play. Often, a game is decided before the first whistle is blown simply because the challengers are hoping to at least get through the tilt with their bodies still intact.
The following is a collection of squads that were so well-feared, opponents considered survival the only victory they could hope to achieve.
Number 10
1995 New Zealand All Blacks
International rugby
In perhaps the roughest of all sports, it takes a certain something for one team to be more feared than all the rest, which the All-Blacks have somehow achieved. It might have something to do with their pre-game performance of the Haka, a Maori war chant and dance that just might be the coolest and most intimidating ritual ever seen in modern sports.
In 1995, New Zealand had Jonah Lomu, the single most overwhelming force the sport of rugby has ever seen. Standing 6’5” and 273 pounds, the All Blacks star winger possessed world-class speed and he was nearly unstoppable when the ball made it to his position along the sideline. During the ’95 World Cup he scored seven tries in five matches.
What made Lomu especially fearsome was his preference for running through and over his opponents rather than past them -- a nightmare that called into question the chosen profession of any opponent.
Fear factor: The All Blacks’ semi-final opponent in the 1995 World Cup, England, was so overwhelmed at being on the same field as Lomu that they let him run for four tries in the 45-29 New Zealand victory.
Number 9
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB
The World Series champions in 1965, the Dodgers played the game the old-fashioned way: hardnosed. Loaded on the pitcher’s mound, the Dodgers had Hall-of-Famers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale forming the best 1-2 punch in the league. Koufax’s stuff was so nasty that a pitch looked like it was coming at your head before it dropped into the strike zone. Drysdale, on the other hand, may have just been throwing at your head.
When players like Mike Shannon said: "Don Drysdale would consider an intentional walk a waste of three pitches. If he wants to put you on base, he can hit you with one pitch," it made batters think twice before digging into the batter’s box or crowding the plate. The Dodgers also had shortstop Maury Wills, who stole 94 bases and spiked a lot of infielders along the way and All-Star Johnny Roseboro at catcher.
Roseboro may be best remembered for being clubbed on the head with a bat by Juan Marichal and not being fazed. The incident incited a complete on-field brawl between the two teams. In short, when you faced the Dodgers, you were too scared to hit, run or field.
Fear factor: Drysdale plunked 12 batters on the season and Koufax uncorked 11 wild pitches in ‘65, just to keep batters on their toes. It worked, as they combined for 592 strikeouts.
You’ll be surprised that this sport has made this list with such an intimidating team…
Number 8
2000 Baltimore Ravens
NFL
In 2001, the Ravens won the Super Bowl essentially without an offense. They simply handed the ball off to running back Jamal Lewis, who battered his way to a 1,300-yard season or they threw the ball to tight end Shannon Sharpe, who tore defensive backs apart in getting a timely first down. Other than that, the Ravens simply left the game in the hands of a defense that set a record for fewest points allowed in a season.
Led by Ray Lewis at middle linebacker -- who was arrested and later dismissed for the murder of two people following a Super Bowl party the previous year -- the Baltimore defense was a punishing crew that also featured the ageless Rod Woodson at safety and roughly 700 pounds of interior linemen in the form of Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa. Opposing offenses weren’t losing yardage, they were retreating.
Fear factor: NFL Films vaults contain evidence of the fear that the Ravens instilled in the opposition on a tape that shows a pivotal play in the playoff tilt between the Ravens and their division rival Tennessee Titans. The game was ultimately decided on a Lewis interception return for a touchdown caused by Titans running back Eddie George literally falling to his knees at the sight of Lewis coming his way.
Number 7
1979 West Indies
International cricket
Cricket, an unlikely sport for intimidation, but the Windies were a lethal bunch when they claimed the World Cup in 1979. Carried by their impressive arsenal of bowlers (pitchers) the West Indian squad was led by the 6’8” Joel Garner and 6’6” Colin Croft -- aces who could blaze through any line up with relative ease.
These two used their immense height to their advantage by bowling at the heads of shorter opposing batsmen, with the goal of inducing the batsman to shield himself with his bat and pop the ball up for an easy out. If the bowler happened to hit the batsman in the head, well… that’s a risk they were willing to take.
Add the prolific batsman Viv Richards, who would either hit the ball out of bounds or send a screaming line drive at a fielder’s head, and this was a squad that eliminated the “gentle” from the Gentleman’s Game.
Fear factor: Opposing batsmen would openly discuss how impossible it was to hit against Garner -- describing it as trying to hit a ball “delivered from the clouds.” I guess that means Garner was pretty tall?
Number 6
1977-78 Atlanta Hawks
NBA
While the Hawks of the late ’70s were at best a middle-of-the-pack team, there are some that fondly remember the team when comparing them to today’s Hawks. The current Atlanta team is a perennial cellar-dweller in the NBA standings, but the Hawks of ’77 were rough and cantankerous every time they set foot on the floor, establishing a record for most personal fouls in a season (2,470) that still stands today.
The Hawks were reasonably talented and finished at 41-41 on the season, but they were a tough win for any opponent as they liberally employed a defensive strategy of knocking opponents to the floor as much as possible. The only thing more rewarding than beating the Hawks that season was surviving them.
Fear factor: On the rare occasion that a player tried to enter the lane and drive to the net, he would be met by center Tree Rollins, who finished second in the NBA with 218 blocks, and added 326 personal fouls.
cont'd...