Being the frenzied sports junkie that I am, I was staring into my television screen late Sunday night watching the White Sox/ Twins game on ESPN, even though it required me to conscientiously block out the seemingly endless stream of inane Joe Morgan comments, when something special happened: a triple play.
Luis Castillo, the Twins second baseman and one of the better bunters in the league, had the poor fortune to line drive his bunt right into the glove of White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko while Nick Punto and Shannon Stewart were on first and second, respectively.
Konerko caught the ball to put Castillo out, tossed it over to Tadahito Iguchi, who was covering first base for the second out, who then threw the ball to second to put Stewart out for the 2006 season's first triple play.
It was the first triple play that had occurred in a little over a year. The Cardinals turned the last one against the Padres on May 5, 2005, and as many baseball fans will tell you, a triple play is indeed a very rare occurrence to view live.
Seeing a triple play is almost like seeing a no-hitter, or a perfect game -- it's definitely a landmark in one's personal baseball history.
All this thinking about Sunday night's triple play made me realize that it's not just the triple play that's such a rare event, it's pretty much everything associated with the idea of the triple. The triple play, the triple, the Triple Crown, the triple-double, the "three-peat" -- everything associated with the triple is a rarity. So, sports fans, for your reading enjoyment, I've compiled a list of the rare sports events that come in threes.
The triple (baseball): Ever since the end of the "dead ball" era and the relative demise of placement hitters like Ty Cobb that has given way to the "long ball" era, the triple has been by far the least frequent hit in Major League Baseball. Take, for instance, New York Mets leadoff man and starting shortstop Jose Reyes. Reyes led all of baseball last season with just 17 triples. In fact, in 2005, just seven players in the league hit more than 10 triples.
Rarity Scale Rating: Nothing to write home about, but noteworthy nonetheless
The Triple Crown (baseball): The Triple Crown in Major League Baseball has historically been one of the most elusive honors in sport. So elusive, in fact, that the award does not actually exist. The Triple Crown title is given to the hitter who leads his league in home runs, batting average and runs batted in during a given season.
The American League has had eight Triple Crown winners since its inception, with Hall of Famer Ted Williams being the only AL batter to accomplish the feat twice (1942, 1947). Carl Yastrzemski was the last player to win the Triple Crown when he hit 44 home runs, batted .326 and drove in 121 RBI in 1967 with the Red Sox.
The National League has seen only four players claim the Triple Crown, with Roger Hornsby being the only player to achieve the feat twice (1922, 1925). The drought since the last Triple Crown winner has been even greater in the National League, as Joe Medwick was the last NL batsman to claim the title when he hit 31 home runs, batted .374 and drove in 154 runs way back in 1937.
One could argue that with the new "steroid era" of baseball and the drastic changes the game has undergone and is continuing to undergo that it may be another few decades before baseball sees another Triple Crown winner.
Rarity Scale Rating: Definitely a memory to treasure
The Triple Crown (horseracing): Much like baseball's Triple Crown, the Triple Crown title in horseracing is a very infrequent achievement. Ever since Sir Barton won the first Triple Crown back in 1919, only ten other horses have managed to win the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont and the Preakness in the space of five weeks. Affirmed, ridden by jockey Steve Cauthen, was the last horse to win the elusive Triple Crown in 1978.
Also like baseball, the quest for the Triple Crown is littered with "almosts." Nearly 50 thoroughbreds have won two of the three races, but come up short in the end, a testament to just how grueling the race schedule really is.
Rarity Scale Rating: Certainly very rare, but could be life-altering depending on your betting habits
The "three-peat": This clever portmanteau -- coined and trademarked by then LA Lakers head coach Pat Riley in 1988 when the Lakers were on a quest for their third straight NBA championship -- has transcended the sport of basketball in recent years and has indeed become a phrase connected with utter domination of a sport.
History has shown that winning one championship, in any sport, is definitely a noteworthy accomplishment. Winning two championships, back-to-back, is a reason for great celebration. But winning three championships in a row -- a "three-peat" -- is something for the record books and is a telltale sign of a true sports dynasty.
In the baseball world, only the New York Yankees have ever managed a "three-peat," most recently in 1998-2000. In fact, the Yankees are the only team in any professional sport to pull off at least a "three-peat" on three separate occasions, also laying claim to a four-peat (1936-1939) as well as a five-peat (1949-1953).
Since the inception of the Super Bowl, no NFL team has managed to win three championships in a row, a fact that many football fans use to show the immense amount of parity that exists in the NFL from season to season and, some would argue, makes each season truly a fresh start.
Such parity has not historically existed in the NBA, which has seen three separate organizations accomplish a "three-peat" (Minnesota Lakers, 1951-54, Chicago Bulls twice, 1990-1993 and 1995-1998, and Los Angeles Lakers 1999-2002).
In addition to the "three-peats," the NBA has been host to what is arguably the most dominant dynasty in any sport: the Boston Celtics, who won eight straight championships from 1958-1966 and managed to win 11 championships in 13 seasons.
Finally, the NHL has seen three separate teams hoist Lord Stanley's Cup in three straight seasons, as the Leafs, Canadiens and Islanders have all achieved the feat.
Rarity Scale Rating: Very rare and memorable if it's your team, but can be more agonizing than anything else, especially if you're a Bills fan.
