One Shining Moment

I love the 'One Shining Moment' segment after the NCAA basketball championship game. There's nothing like watching a montage of the greatest annual tournament accompanied by a little Luther Vandross. It makes me think of my greatest sporting moments.

As an underrated athletic virtuoso, there are plenty of great days in my sporting history, but picking one is so difficult. Maybe something from my days as a star forward on the eighth grade, super B basketball team--that's right super B, better than regular B and just below A. Maybe something from my days playing the hot corner on the fifth grade 3 and 2 baseball team. Surely there were plenty of bone-crushing hits as a strong safety on the freshman football team or hooker on the club rugby team.

There is no doubt that the funniest thing I ever said during a game came during an intramural basketball game when I was a freshman at UVM. With my team losing by more than thirty points and less than a minute left on the clock, I yelled to the rest of my teammates, "after we make a shot, foul!"

My one shining moment though, came in my senior season at the University of Colorado. It was a crisp, Colorado spring day. There was a competitive spirit in the air, and more than pride was on the line on this fine day. The game was slow to start, but once things got a little close down the stretch, the tension mounted. The score was 18-20 and if I didn't come through with three points, the game would surely have been over. First team to 21 wins. I'd like to, at this time in the story, point out that I was up against two ROTC bozos that surely thought I was just another pansy college boy. I wasn't just playing a simple game of horseshoes, I was fighting for all of the 'liberal' college kids not in ROTC that majored in a useless thing like sociology. There was something to prove. I had two horseshoes to either get a leaner and one within six inches, two leaners, or one ringer. The first shoe had great trajectory, but fell a little short on its' approach. It wasn't close enough for a point. You just can't leave it short when the game's on the line. On my second and final shoe, I took a deep breath, focused on my target, and pitched a gem. It was as if time froze for those few seconds as the most beautifully thrown horseshoe glided through the thin, mountain air like a scud missile. And then...BAM!! Dead on ringer. 21-20. Game over.

I don't think I'll ever forget this one shining moment, and I'm sure it's haunting the ROTC fellows while they are probably fighting rebels in Iraq. That day, I got the best of some of America's finest, and it felt great.

In rotation:

Day Dreamin'- Aretha Franklin There's a little flute riff after the backup singers sing, "hey baby let's get away, let's go somewhere, ah," that gets me every time.

One of These Things First- Nick Drake I can't listen to Nick Drake all the time, but every now and then, his music can set a perfect mood. This song is off Bryter Layter, a quality album.

Let's Straigten It Out- O.V. Wright This is soul music. It has a gritty feel with strings that could break your heart.

Land of Fruit and Honey- Roy Ayers You didn't think I'd go this long without another tune from my man Roy. I think this one was recorded when he was doing a lot of work with Fela Kuti. I love the background vocals on the chorus.