In lieu of a lame bio about why I like sports or my credentials (of which there are none), Toph and I have decided to list the top 10 sports moments from our individual lives.
Top Ten Sports Moments From My Life (in no particular order, after number 1)
10. I worked at a sports bar that’s located in the center of the adult entertainment district of Dallas, and about a mile from Texas Stadium, so we had a lot of athletes and somewhat famous people come in. The day before the Heat stole the title from the Mavs, I waited on Udonis Haslem. He was meeting some “lady friends” for a drink. He ordered a Remy Martin. He mumbled a lot. He wasn’t mean, but he wasn’t pleasant, either. As he was leaving, I told him I’d give him his drinks for free if he took it easy on Dirk. He promptly gave me a sneer, as if to say, “Shut up, punk,” and walked out.
Another time, Oliver Miller of Arkansas basketball fame, came in with a girl and I waited on them. My buddy Adam and I recognized him and tried to get him to admit he was, in fact, Big O. His girlfriend kept laughing, because we knew it was him, but he wouldn’t admit it. She was nodding her head every time he looked away, to confirm it was him. It was kind of sad, really, because he wasn’t famous at all, not anymore at least, and he didn’t want to admit who he was. I mean, honestly, how often do you think Oliver Miller gets recognized in public? None. We were doing him a favor.
9. My brother Jay and I got to sit in the 2nd row behind the Mavs bench this year during a Suns-Mavs game. The players were with in spitting distance. It was pretty amazing, plus I got the “what’s up?” nod from Mark Cuban. I think he could feel me staring at him.
8. The only autograph I ever got was at a Ranger game. It was from Mike Jeffcoat, a pitcher in the early 90’s. Eight years later, when I was in college at Texas Wesleyan University, a small NAIA school in Ft. Worth, I saw Mike Jeffcoat again. He was coaching the baseball team, and eating the same crappy cafeteria as me. Guess that autograph isn’t worth a lot anymore…or ever. I should have given him my autograph at the time, too. That would’ve been hilarious.
7. Listening to a couple of Nolan Ryan’s no-hitters on the radio in my room when I was supposed to be asleep. Sometimes my older brother, Jeff, would tape them off the TV, so we could watch them later. The Rangers have always been bad, but Nolan Ryan’s no-hitters and numerous other records were always great to watch. We went to a Ranger game as a family one year and saw Nolan pitch, and he took a no hitter in to the 7th. Dave Winfield broke up the no-hit bid with a single up the middle. As soon as Winfield got to first base and the crowd quieted down, some guy two rows behind us stood up and yelled, “Winfield’s a butthole…”. Priceless.
6. 1994 Mavs- Suns- My parent’s friends gave us tickets to this game. The Mavs were awful, but I got to see Charles Barkley play from the 4th row of Reunion Arena. He was hilarious to watch in person.
5. 2006 Rose Bowl USC-Texas- I told my boss it was my brother’s birthday, so I could have off, and then told him the day before, that I lied and I just wanted to watch the game. Insult to injury, I worked at a sports bar, and I watched the game at my place of employment, and I got really hammered. I was running around the bar, screaming at some guy wearing Devin Hester jersey from The U. I kept saying, “where you at Hester? Huh, where you at?” I was fully aware Miami wasn’t playing, but I saw him rooting for SC, and I had to give him shit. That game was awesome.
4. Game 6, Western Conference Finals, Mavs-Spurs- Toph and I drove to the AAC at 4:30 in the morning to wait in line for tickets. A ton of people stayed overnight trying to be first in line, and then they told us all they were doing a ticket lottery. Toph and I were the only ones smart enough not to get in line with all of our friends, instead splitting up as far as possible, to increase our odds. They called out the number, and I was 2 numbers off the lottery winner. They admitted everyone in descending order after the winning number. I ended up 3rd in line for playoff tickets. Unfortunately, we were broke college kids and had to settle for 3rd level seats, but whatever…it was awesome…except for the Mavs losing and all…
3. 1993 Super Bowl- This was the first of the Cowboys Super Bowls in the 90’s. I remember this game, obviously, because the Cowboys destroyed the Bills. But I’ll never forget, midway throught the first quarter, the cable went out. I have no idea what caused it, but the outage affected a ton of people in the Dallas area, and TCI Cablevision (the cable provider back then) sent out an apology to every customer along with a free Super Bowl champions t-shirt.
2. 1993 AFC Wild Card Game- One of the all-time greatest collapses in NFL history. Warren Moon and the Oilers were up 35-3 at halftime to the Bills. The Bills scored 38 points in the 2nd half to beat the Oilers. I remember watching it while we took down the Christmas tree. Weird, I know, but that’s what I remember.
1. My first baseball game. I saw it at yankee stadium when I was 7 years old. Dave Winfield still played for the Yankees. It was Dave Righetti poster night. When he came out of the bullpen, everyone threw the posters on to the field. They had to stop the game for a few minutes to pick up the posters. Dave Winfield knocked in the winning run in the 9th inning. (Really? Dave Winfield gets two mentions in my top ten. I’d forgotten him entirely until I made this list).
