OJ, What Else?

The Simpson Saga. For most sports fans it all began during the telecast of Game 5 of Knicks-Rockets 1994 NBA championship series with a white-bronco chase along a near-deserted freeway in California. Few could have guessed then that the saga would continue for 16 months of jury selection, DNA evidence, bloody gloves, mystery envelopes, Fuhrman tapes and, in maybe the most ironic twist of the entire circus, a verdict in four hours.

For the last 16 months the fabled football player Orenthal James Simpson was lifted from the sports pages that he graced more than a decade ago and placed on the front page of every paper across the country. O.J. went from being one of the most famous athletes of all-time to the most famous defendant of all-time facing trial in a double-murder trial the likes of which the nation had never seen.

But the world of sports went on. And although what happened back on the sports pages is hardly life and death many sweet and bitter moments have been played out on diamonds, courts and fields across the country. While perhaps sometimes overshadowed by events in the courtroom, it has been a memorable 16 months in the sports world.

For starters, amidst all of the initial frenzy of O.J. news, the Knicks and Rockets managed to finish their best-of-seven series, and Hakeem Olawjowon led the Western Conference Champions to a 4-3 victory and the 1994 NBA crown.

As the initial shock of the arrest of Simpson was dying down, the United States played host to the 1994 World Cup--an event that featured both the thrill of victory for Brazil, the agony of defeat for Baggio and his Italian teammates and its own dose of tragedy in the murder of a Colombian soccer star who inadvertantly scored the winning goal for the United States when those two countries squared off.

The sports scene grew quiet after the World Cup as the threatened baseball strike became reality in late August and the remainder of the 1994 season was scuttled.

The news was no better on the ice rinks across the country as the NHL labor talks bogged down. A last minute settlement was reached, but only after the several days of games were canceled and the entire schedule shuffled.

Even the ranks of collegiate sports could not escape the nasty bite of controversy in the O.J. era. The travesty that is the NCAA football bowl game system slammed another nail into its own coffin by ending the season with two undefeated teams, Nebraska and Penn State. The Corn-huskers won both national polls to claim the national championship but Joe Paterno's boys were much worthier than runner-ups.

The NFL playoffs provided their own brand of excitement as the Chargers upset the Steelers in the AFC championship and the 49crs, after jumping out to an early lead against Dallas, managed to take the NFC crown.

The 49crs dismantled the Chargers in the Super Bowl, but the game was not without its redeeming qualities. If nothing else, we saw that Jerry Rice is still incredible, Steve Young can get the job done and Deion--well maybe he just is worth that kind of money.

By then, the hockey season was back on track, the basketball season was in full swing, and by the middle of April the baseball strike was ended and the season began in earnest.

In June, the NHL crowned its champion of the strike-shortened season--the neutral-zone trapping New Jersey Devils, who even in the midst of celebrating their victory were plotting a move to Tennessee. Thankfully, the fair state of New Jersey prevailed on hockey's champions to remain in the Garden State--at least for now.

And then, we knew a whole year had gone by since the beginning of the O.J. saga when the NBA crowned another champion--well, the same champion for a second straight time, as the Rockets humiliated a young Orlando Magic team in four straight games.

The boxing world received a shot in the arm with the return of Mike Tyson to the ring. Iron Mike didn't disappoint in his debut, recording a first-round knockout against a marginally-worthy opponent, Peter McNeely.

Another player returned to the sports scene several weeks later, albeit under different circumstances--Monica Seles. The gritty tennis star reached the finals of the US Open before bowing out in three sets to arch-rival Steffi Graf.

In mid-September Cal Riplren, a baseball player that defines baseball players, etched his name into the record books after playing in his 2131st straight game.

Which brings us up to today. In a fitting turn of events, the O.J. saga will once again upstage the playoffs of a professional sport, this time baseball. And then both sports and life will move on.