Greg's sports page:

Dellas _ _ _ _ _ _ peiratiko

My euro2004 site

And euro2005 !!!


My favourite sports are football (soccer) and basketball.
I preferred playing football when I was younger, but between the ages of 10 to 13 I switched. The 1987 Eurobasket shocker and Nikos Galis - 1 - 2 - 3 - had much to do with this. Plus the total lack of grass fields in Athens to practice football. I played varsity bball, as well as in local Athens leagues, before switching to a new favourite sport; knee surgeries.
I can also swing things. Took tennis for two years, and played softball/baseball every spring until I was 17. But really, the only thing I was good at was hitting the ball far.
I tore my right MCL when I was 16, my right ACL and meniscus at 20, and my left ACL at 30, followed by a neverending post-surgery kneecap tracking problem. I've had three surgeries and probably ought to have one more. I've also damaged my neck/shoulder and lower back. But I keep going back for more.

I mainly like watching football and basketball as well. Mostly the Greek national teams. When I lived in Greece, I was "painted red" ...

Olympiakos :

... but having lived so many years abroad, I now cheer equally for any Greek team playing in European competitions. If I just want to watch good football without stressing out entirely, I prefer the English premiership. I also rarely miss world cup games, and I'll watch as many as I can during Euro, and the equivalent bball competitions. For both sports, the Greek leagues barely interest me any more, including who wins the title. I've also lost interest in the NBA.
Besides all this, I like it when Canadian teams do well at hockey. But I still don't know most of the rules. And I can't skate.


My favourite football moments:
  • Euro2004, hands down the best sporting moment in my life. We were ecstatic just to have scored our first goal, then to win, then to get through the first round, and so on, all the way to the end.
  • Qualifying for the world cups of 1994 and 2010, and Euro 2008. Even if we did terribly when we got there.
  • Olympiakos reaching the Champions League quarter-finals. And almost getting to the semis in 1999.
  • A great game in 1999 against Real Madrid. 3-3
  • The first home game in the 1997 champions league, after years of being terrible. 1-0 against Porto.
  • Panathinaikos reaching the UEFA cup quarterfinals in 1987, in particular winning against Juventus 1-0, 2-3, and then a huge comeback against Honved: 2-5, 5-1 . These games are actually some of the first football I remember, along with bits of the 1986 world cup.
  • Ajax-Panathinaikos for the 1996 champions league semifinal. 0-1

    Worst moments:
    Greece dominating but only tying Denmark in 1997 (a win would have sent us to the world cup). The late goal by Juventus in the 1999 quarterfinal mentioned above. Panathinaikos wasting huge chances to reach the 2002 champions league semifinals against Barcelona (1-0, 1-3). Then losing to Porto after extra time for the 2003 Uefa cup quarterfinal. (Porto won the cup easily after that).

    Best games I've been to:

  • Greece-Russia, for world cup 1994 qualifiers. November 1993, 1-0 .
  • Aek-Milan, for the 2006-07 champions league. 1-0 .
  • Panathinaikos-Steaua 6-3, 1998 champions league qualifying round.
  • Panathinaikos-Paok 2-1. 2004, Insane atmosphere at Leoforos.
  • Panathinaikos-Barcelona, for the 2005-06 champions league. 0-0 .
  • Vasco-Fluminense at the Maracana for the 2008 Rio state semifinal.
  • Cruz Azul - Atlante for the 2008 Mexican Apertura semifinal.
  • Olympiakos - Atletico Madrid, Uefa Cup Winners cup quarterfinal, 1993. 1-1
  • Olympiakos - AEK 1-3, 1996.
  • Also, 2006 Champions League Lille-Aek and Anderlecht-Aek. Milan-Palermo in 2005, and a Sporting Lisbon home game in 2006.
  • And, the first game I ever went to: Olympiakos-Ethnikos 0-2. 1985.


    My favourite basketball moments:
  • Eurobasket 1987 and then 1989.
  • Eurobasket semifinal 2005 even though we won in the final too.
  • World championship 2006 semifinal win against USA (w/ Lebron, Bosh, Wade, Carmelo, Howard, etc).
  • The first time I saw Olympiakos play a European game (in 1992 vs Estudiantes), after years of being a mediocre team.
  • Eurobasket 2007 huge comeback in quarter-final vs Slovenia.
  • Paok beating Zaragoza in the 1991 European Cup final .

    Worst moments:
    Olympiakos losing by 2 pts in the Euroleague final, 1994. Also losing by a couple points in the quarterfinal the year before. The three consecutive times Aris lost in the semifinals.

    Best games I've been to:

  • The Olympiakos-Estudiantes game mentioned above, and every other home game that followed for the next two years until I left Greece.
  • All the games between Greece and Yugoslavia at Eurobasket '95 and World Championships '98, even though we always seemed to lose in overtime.
  • The other home games at Eurobasket'95 and the World championships in '98, and the Olympics in '04.
  • Two Panathinaikos vs Olympiakos playoff games, 2008.
  • March 22, 1998: The last Chicago Bulls game at the Toronto Skydome before Michael Jordan retired (the first time, but forever from the Bulls). Official attendance 33,216. Repeat, 33,216. MJ had 33pts. Bulls won 102-100 with his game winning shot.


    Fished from the web: A small clip, with sound, from the Champions League game vs. Manchester United at the Olympic Stadium : mpeg (1.4Mb) .

    Basketball picture from the Olympiakos - Chicago Bulls game in 1997 (European champs vs NBA champs): jordan