Intertwined Final Four/Masters moments

It's a tradition like no other intertwined with one shining moment. In tribute to one of the most glorious sports-watching stretches of the year, we're counting down the five best Final Four/Masters combo years of the past four decades.

Today, we look back to the year the National League expanded, Monica Seles was attacked and a timeout became famous: 1993

WEBBER'S TIMEOUT CALL

Chris Webber still has to wait two more years before he can have any affiliation with Michigan's men's basketball program, part of the fallout from the scandal that rocked Ann Arbor and ultimately wiped the 1992 and 1993 seasons from the books. But in this case, the two go together like black socks and baggy shorts. Webber's blunder well before any taking-money-under-the-table stories broke is too much to overlook.

Webber, Michigan and the letter "T" will always hang in the lexicon of sports.

Before the Orlando Magic selected Webber No. 1 overall in the 1993 NBA Draft, and a year after the Wolverines shined in the 1992 Final Four in Minneapolis, Webber's college career ended abruptly. Down by two to North Carolina in the Final Four championship game, he called a timeout with 11 seconds to go. The Wolverines had none remaining.

Technical foul. Two shots for the Tar Heels. Game over.

For all the high-flying antics that wowed college basketball, Webber's gaffe is what we associate with the Fab Five.

LANGER EMERGES FROM BOTTLENECK

The first round of a golf tournament can feature trampoline-like turbulence on the leaderboard. In the 1993 Masters, that's exactly what happened and Bernhard Langer emerged from a flurry to win his second green jacket.

After 13 different players led or shared the lead during the first round and endured rainy Friday conditions, Langer rolled in a birdie putt on the second hole of his third round and never looked back. That putt pushed him into the lead at seven under par, and he fended off superior final rounds by John Daly and Tom Lehman to win by four strokes over Chip Beck. Langer was the only golfer to post all four rounds at 70 or lower, finishing with an 11-under 277 for the week. Daly and Lehman tied for third. It remains Long John's best finish in golf's greatest event. The 1993 Masters also marked the major championship professional debut of a 22-year-old Phil Mickelson. He finished tied for 34th, and made $8,975.

BRIAN STENSAAS