We all remember the ball going through Bill Buckner’s legs and Ray Knight rounding third and scoring the winning run from second base for the New York Mets in Game Six of the 1986 World Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Well, you the readers have voted the 1986 Fall Classic as the “best” matchup in the last 40 years in a poll on the Times News Facebook page.

I thought the Texas-Arizona tilt looked like it would be a good series before the Rangers flexed their muscles.

In this week’s Yesterday column - reminiscing about sports and pop culture in the 1960s, 70s, 80s before and beyond - I’ll look back at some of the better World Series of the above-mentioned time period, as well as some true classics. Also, I’ll look at some of the all-time “bests” in other sports and pop culture.

Was “The General” the greatest college basketball coach? And where was your rim in the house?

Aside from the Mets-Red Sox series that received 40% of the votes, the 2008 Phillies-Rays was second with 29%, the 1993 Phillies-Blue Jays garnered 22%, the 2004 Red Sox-Cardinals registered 5%, and both the 1997 Indians-Marlins and the 2003 Marlins-Yankees recorded 1%.

Amazin’ Times ... The 1986 Mets were an offensive juggernaut, and a pitching penthouse. They led the league in eight offensive categories, and were also third in home runs and fourth in doubles. They had seven pitchers whose ERA was 10% lower than the league average. The starting staff of Ron Darling, Dwight Gooden, Sid Fernandez, and Bobby Ojeda each won at least 10 games, and reliever Roger McDowell notched 14 wins out of the pen.

As far as the series, it was a vintage one, going seven games. Boston came into Shea Stadum and beat Dwight Gooden and Ron Darling, before the Mets went to Boston and won two straight.

Boston captured Game Five behind lefty Bruce Hurst - remember him? He was once a top fantasy league pick - and then the Mets won that historical game. In Game Seven, Hurst came back when a rain out gave him an extra day of rest and the Sox scratched Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd.

The Red Sox staked themselves to a 3-0 lead before the Mets tied the game. Knight homered in the seventh to give New York a lead it would never lose. He also singled and scored in the eighth as the Mets added insurance runs.

Knight was named MVP for his .391 average, homer and five RBIs. Before his moment, Knight was recognized for his marriage to golfer Nancy Lopez. Ironically, Knight wasn’t resigned as a free agent and signed a two-year deal with the Orioles. He struggled there and was traded to the Tigers the following year, where he spent his final season.

From Philly To the Beach ... In this column, I have written enough about the Phillies’ trips to the World Series. In last week’s edition, I noted how the Phils-Rays series was one of the lowest rated ever. Conversely, the 1993 classic had plenty of drama and subplots, and was quite entertaining.

One series that often gets overlooked is the 1997 one between the Marlins and Indians, which was a hard sell to the general public. If you’re a baseball purist, you appreciated the showdown, as the underdog Marlins won in seven for their first title. They were the first Wild Card team to reach the series.

It was a tight and entertaining series, and featured the swan song for late Phillies’ catcher Darren Daulton, who hit .389, and Jim Eisenreich, who hit .500 in a brief appearance.

Those Waving Hands ... According to most polls and writers, the 1975 series between the Reds and the Red Sox was the greatest in the modern era. I can still see Carlton Fisk in front of the NBC cameras trying to wave his home run fair. NBC had great camera angles and close-ups, and the Fenway Park aura was priceless.

By the way, Fisk’s home run in the 12th inning extended the series to seven games. If you recall, Boston’s Jim Rice didn’t play in the series because of a broken wrist.

There were four run-one games in the series, and I loved watching Luis “El Presidente” Tiant pitching. Besides Fisk’s heroics, there also was Ed Armbrister, who collided with Fisk trying to field his bunt in the 10th inning of Game Three. Fisk claimed there was interference, and the Reds went on to win the game.

Another Knight Was Special ... He was known as “The General,” and his antics during our lifetime became legendary. He was the wild coach who threw chairs and wrapped his hand around the necks of players. He was the coaching “bad boy” who we all waited to see what he would do next.

Indiana head men’s basketball coach Bob – we knew him as Bobby – Knight passed away Tuesday at age 83. During his 29-year run at Indiana, Knight won three national championships - including a 32-0 season in 1976 - and coached 901 games there overall, winning 659. I’m sure there are coaches in Schuylkill and Carbon counties who molded their style after Knight, as his stern, aggressive approach was an acceptable one in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s.

Where did Knight go - and coach for seven years - after he was dismissed after the 1999-2000 season? He was the man in black at Texas Tech, and Knight managed to win 138 games there.

Was he the best in college basketball? For me, it’s a tough call because I do like the “Wizard of Westwood” John Wooden, who always seemed to have a deck stacked in his favor. Of course, we also know about “Coach K” and Dean Smith.

Change the Name ... When I hear “World Series” today, I always think that maybe teams from around the world should be in a tournament. As a kid, you never think that way.

I had the same thought about the “Super Bowl,” thinking about having the game in a stadium after its name every year. I do realize now that the cities profit from hosting the game.

Still, I think the World Series should be renamed, and baseball should think about constructing a stadium just for the site.

Look in the Attic ... What were some of the greatest games that emerged in the 1960s and 70s? Try Twister, which emerged in 1966. It certainly was ahead of its time, but it wasn’t well received when it hit the market. Like many famous authors, the game was better recognized after its inception. This is definitely worth a trip to your attic.

Some of the other “greats” were Etch-A-Sketch (1960), Easy Bake Oven (1963), G.I. Joe (1964), and Battleship (1967) to name a few. We all had our share of Hot Wheels (1968) and those plastic, orange track pieces. And who can forget those Matchbox cars that surfaced in 1953?

A decade later, the most popular item had to be the Nerf ball (1970), which was immensely popular in its football and basketball form. You have to also mention Pong (1972), Rubik’s Cube (1974), and Mattel Electronic Football (1977) in the same breath as the Nerf ball. It was great to take the long shot at the Nerf rim.

Go back to the 1950s to find things that we played with through the 70s and even today, such as Color forms (1950), Gumby (1953), and the Hula Hoop (1958). Remember how mystified we were with the Magic 8 Ball (1950), whose roots go back farther than I realized.

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, manager, or sports media personality that was part of our yesterday. Do you remember Chris Schenkel? He was the voice of the NBA, college football, and the Pro Bowler’s Tour on ABC. Some of you may recall Schenkel on the radio in the 1950s and 60s before he retired in 1997.

Feedback ... Your comments, thoughts, and ideas are always welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com.