These duos still bring warm, fuzzy feelings to all sports fans

Even though Valentine’s Day 2008 has come and gone, and while you scrounge to try and find the very last bit of candy left, I’m reminded this time of year not of a significant other unfortunately, but rather the memorable couples, err, duos, throughout sports history. ESPN.com writer Pat Forde brought back some fond memories of the good and the bad relationships in sports. So now I have been compelled to compile some of my own memorable relationships  . Special thanks go out to my blog partners Jim Vassallo and Jeff O’Connor, who allowed me to bounce off my ideas to them, and for their insight and feedback as well. As always gentlemen, you’ve got my back! So, without any further delays, cozy up one more time on the couch as we take a look back at those special, once-in-a-lifetime pairings in sports.

Ever-lasting love

-Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Sometimes material just presents itself. They helped the Chicago Bulls 3-peat twice in the 90’s (91,92,92, then again in 96,97,98). Six titles in eight years, and 72-win season in 1996. Imagine what could have been had MJ been on the hardwood rather than the baseball diamond in 94 and 95.

-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. When Kareem arrived in L.A., the Lakers were on the cusp, but not quite there yet. And then 1979 arrived, and legend of Magic Johnson was born. One of the most feared inside-outside combos ever, the Hollywood duo brought five titles to Tinseltown in the 80’s (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) capped off by back-to-back championships in 1987 and 1988. Though Showtime couldn’t do what Kobe and Shaq did in L.A., five titles and eight NBA Finals appearances in 10 years ain’t too shabby.

-Bill Russell and Red Auerbach. The Godfather of the Celtics, Auerbach was hired in 1950 for $10,000 and six years later, the rest is history. Auerbach drafted Russell No.2 in the 1956 draft after trading with St.Louis and the two led Boston to 11 titles in 13 years. No one had ever dominated the game without scoring until Russell came along. There was nobody like him before and there will certainly be nobody like him ever again. Auerback as well for that matter. You’ll always be able to envision Red kicking back somewhere with a torpedo-like cigar and cloud of smoke surrounding him.

-Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. All I have to say is 1965, and baseball junkies know where I’m going with this one. Many have tried to imitate (Schilling/Johnson, Maddux/Glavine), but no pitching tandem will ever duplicate or achieve what Koufax and Drysdale did in 1965.

The line on Koufax:

• 41 starts
• 27 complete games
• 26 wins
• 8 shutouts
• 382 K’s
• league leading 2.04 ERA

Drysdale’s line:

• 42 starts
• 23 wins
• 20 complete games
• 210 K’s
• 2.77 ERA

-John Wooden and UCLA. The greatest coach to ever grace the hardwood. He spent 27 years in Westwood, winning 620 games and capturing 10 NCAA titles, seven straight from 1966-73. He notched 38 consecutive tournament victories, and four 30-0 seasons, with an 88-game winning streak over four seasons on the side.

-Joe Montana/Jerry Rice. For six seasons in the Bay Area, it was as if each knew what the other was going to do. They had a telepathic connection on the field, the ability to read the other’s mind. Rice knew when and where Montana would put the ball, and Montana had a knack for burying the ball right in Rice’s breadbasket. The Montana-to-Rice duo connected on 55 TD’s and helped the 49ers win back-to-back Super Bowl titles (XXIII and XXIV) ‘89 and ‘90.

-Karl Malone and John Stockton. If only it weren’t for Michael & Scottie. They spent 18 years together in Utah, perfecting the pick-and-roll and guiding the Jazz to the playoffs in each of their 18 seasons. While the tandem led Utah to five Western Conference Finals and 2 NBA Finals appearance, Malone and Stockton may always be considered the greatest duo never to win a title.

-Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. The magical summer of 1961 produced one of the greatest home run races of all time between two of the greatest Yankee players ever to don the pinstripes. Maris hit 61 home runs to outlast Mantle’s 54, making Maris the new home run king, dethroning another former Yankee, Babe Ruth. Maris and Mantle spent six seasons in the Bronx (1960-66), combining to hit 419 homers and driving in 1,107 rbi’s, while propelling the Bronx Bombers to consecutive World Series crowns in 1961 and 1962.

-Julius Erving and Moses Malone. All you need to know is “Fo, Fo, Fo”. That was Malone’s legendary response when he was asked how the Philadelphia 76ers were going to fare in the 1983 NBA Playoffs. They guided the Sixers to a 65-17 record in the regular season, and Moses was almost mistaken for Nostradamus, as the Sixers lost only one game in the playoffs (12-), capturing the 1983 NBA title. They disposed of New York in four, Milwaukee in five and Los Angeles in four.

-Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews. For 13 seasons (1954-66), Aaron and Matthews were scary good, striking fear into their opponents once they graced the batter’s box. 13 years of sheer dominance, in which Aaron and Matthews clubbed 863 home runs, the most combined home runs by any teammates in baseball history (Aaron 442, Matthews 421). Over their 13 years together, the duo ranked in the top five in games played, hits, runs, home runs and rbi’s. If you’re talking about durability, production and dominance, it just doesn’t get any better than these two.

-Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri. The discussion around the local watering holes in Canada and the States for that matter, starts and ends with Gretzky and Kurri. The duo spent eight seasons together with the Edmonton Oilers, producing four Stanley Cups (1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88). And now we get to the combined stats. I promise I’m not trying to fool anybody, I’m not looking for kicks or a few laughs. Simply put, this tandem changed the game of hockey and brought a whole new meaning to the word offense. Gretzky and Kurri amassed 929 goals, 1,451 assists, and 2,380 points togther. In EIGHT years! Those kind of astronomical numbers I don’t think can be reached on Playstation or XBox.