We are sports history.

We are living examples of moments that carved niches in time and the plot twists and turns that accompanied them. We set our allegiances to history. We set our disloyalty to it, too.

But what if the events that set the foundation for our sports had taken alternate courses? History would be decidedly different, as most definitely would the present and the future.

What if ... Bill Buckner had fielded the grounder cleanly in the '86 World Series? ... Kentucky basketball had been given the death penalty, as the NCAA kicked around, in 1989? ... Barry Sanders had been around to compete with Emmitt Smith for the rushing title? ... or Portland had chosen a skinny, 6-6 guard out of North Carolina rather than Sam Bowie in the 1984 NBA draft?

Would ... the Curse of the Bambino finally ...