David Tyree's helmet catch, Linsanity among best N.Y. sports moments of quarter-century

"The players and coaches from those Yankees and Mets teams often reflect on the pressure they felt to win that 2000 World Series and claim city bragging rights. In the end, it was the Yankees who emerged victorious in five games for their fourth championship in five years. Derek Jeter was the MVP of that World Series, during which he hit .409 with two home runs, including a leadoff shot to begin Game 4 at Shea Stadium."

"Aaron Boone was mired in a 2-for-16 slump and began Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS on the bench. But three innings after he entered that game as a pinch-runner, Boone delivered one of the biggest swings in Yankees history. Boone's walk-off home against Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the 11th inning of Game 7 sent the Yankees back to the World Series and eliminated the rival Red Sox in the process."

"Nobody expected Eli Manning and the underdog Giants to have a chance against Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in February 2008. But the Giants pulled off the ultimate upset, thanks in large part to Manning's fourth-quarter escape act on 3rd and 5 and his 32-yard heave to David Tyree, who pressed the ball against his helmet to somehow complete the instant-classic catch. That all-time highlight set up Plaxico Burress' game-winning touchdown catch as the Giants won, 17-14,"

New York sports since 2000 feature several defining, citywide moments even as several teams fell short of ultimate championships. The 2000 Subway Series produced city bragging rights as the Yankees beat the Mets in five games, with Derek Jeter earning World Series MVP honors after a .409 average and two home runs. In 2003, Aaron Boone's 11th-inning walk-off homer in Game 7 of the ALCS off Tim Wakefield sent the Yankees to the World Series. In Super Bowl XLII, Eli Manning's escape and David Tyree's helmet catch set up Plaxico Burress' game-winning touchdown as the Giants upset the previously undefeated Patriots, 17-14.

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