Wednesday, September 13, 2006

If you can download songs, what if you could ...

I finally got around to buying one of those MP3 players that I see everybody with on all of these airplanes that I find myself on in this job.
It found it interesting as I assembled the music I wanted to put into the little thing. I suppose just about everyone considers his or her musical interests to be an eclectic mixture of styles, but when you transport tracks from the Black Crowes onto your personal portable stash and then notice that The Carpenters are next it’s hard not to wonder about yourself.
(For the record, not that you care, but far and away the two most heavily represented artists in my Ipod are the Eagles and Willie Nelson.)
Anyway, the process got me thinking in a way that sports columnists often think. I am sure I’m not the first person to have this idea, but if you could load your favorite sports memories – if somehow you could have access to anything you’ve ever seen – onto something you could carry around with you, what would you include?
I imagine it’d be a fairly eclectic mix for just about every one. Here, off the top of my head, are some of the things I’d like to have on my sports Ipod.

  • The final 20 laps of the 1998 Daytona 500, along with the immediate aftermath when winner Dale Earnhardt rode down pit road being greeted by every crew in the sport.
  • The final three innings of the 1975 World Series game where Carlton Fisk hit the game-winning home run for Boston and “waved” it fair.
  • The back nine on Sunday of the 1986 Masters, with Jack Nicklaus storming to an incredible victory.
  • The second half of the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, even though the Panthers lost. Great football between two teams that were flat getting it done.
  • The final 15 laps of the fall Talladega race in 2000, Dale Earnhardt’s final Nextel Cup victory with the black No. 3 rallying from 18th to first over the final five laps.
  • The last five minutes of the 1982 and 1983 NCAA basketball championship games, with North Carolina beating Georgetown in ’82 and N.C. State topping Houston the following year in Jim Valvano’s improbable run.
  • Franz Klammer’s Olympic downhill run to the gold medal in 1976. Until you’ve seen it, don’t tell me you’ve ever seen the most exciting two minutes in sports.
  • Five minutes of footage from Chris Evert’s tennis career, when she was about 20 years old, and five minutes of Maria Sharapova in last week’s U.S. Open final. Just for comparison.
  • The entire 1992 Hooters 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway, with Alan Kulwicki, Bill Elliott and Davey Allison battling for the championship and Richard Petty bidding farewell to his driving career. (Heck, I guess I’d have to have that one on DVD.)
  • The final three minutes of the U.S. hockey team’s win over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics.
  • Secretariat beating the field by about a half-mile in the Belmont Stakes to win the 1973 Triple Crown.
  • The final five laps of the 2003 Dodge Dealers 500 from Darlington Raceway, which ended with Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven battling side-by-side for the victory.
  • OK, I know this sounds nuts, but I’d have two sunsets that I saw in there. First, there was one I saw at Fenway Park one night. It had been cloudy all day but a front was clearing out and just about 30 minutes before the sun went down it got under the edge of the clouds. We were sitting down the right-field line, looking back at home plate with the sun behind the grandstands. Just awesome.
    The second was at Phoenix International Raceway in October 1998, the day Rusty Wallace won a rain-shortened race in the desert. After the race had been called and the track was clearing out, the same thing happened. The sun got under the cloud line and the colors were incredible.
    After the race, a couple had arranged to get married on the start-finish line. As they were exchanging vows, I swear that a rainbow formed that had one end behind the grandstands and the other about 20 feet behind where the wedding was taking place.
    How about you? What would you put on your sports Ipod? Leave your list here or e-mail it to me at dpoole@charlotteobserver.com. I might have some space leftover on mine.

  • 10 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    Some of my favorite sports memories that I would download...

    Watching Pete Maravich play college basketball for LSU against my UT Vols!

    Every Saturday afternoon when NBC's baseball game of the week came on...with Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek providing the play by play.

    Hershel Walker running over Bill Bates and making a name for himself at Neyland Stadium as UT played Georgia.

    Howard Cosell's 'Speaking of Sports" 5 minute daily radio show.

    Hearing Howard shout those famous words..."down goes Frazier, down goes Frazier"!

    Anonymous said...

    The last 5 mins of every Carolina, Duke Basketball game over the last couple of years. Carolina didnt win
    'em all but the games are awesome.

    Phil Mickelson's 2004 Masters Back Nine Highlights.

    Payne Stewarts US Open Put on 18th green to win.

    Titans/Rams Superbowl - titans last drive to come up a yard short.

    A few personal sports moments from HS games and college I have witnessed.
    Appalachain State vs. Western Carolina
    Football "Battle for the Old Mountain Jug"
    WCU scored 3 touchdowns in the last 5 mins of the game to win by 3 after App. missed a 50 yard field goal to tie.

    Could list a 100 more if I had time to think about it.

    Anonymous said...

    David, I would have the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 form March 2003...The entire 98 Daytona 500, and Dale last win at Dega, Jr's first win with Pops greetin' him in Victory lane, The pass in the grass, The last race from N Wilkesboro, Game 6 of the world series...when Kirby Puckett Hits the winning home run to take them into game 7...Puckett drives it deep to center field...we'll see you tommarow night!...all of Game 7, and finally asa sobering tributr to the man in black a montage of his career...and quotes, and that fateful final lap

    okla21fan said...

    The last 3 minutes of the 1977 Oklahoma/Ohio State game and watching von Schamann and 'the kick'

    "Sooner Magic"

    Anonymous said...

    With the power of Bit Torrent you could probably find your entire wish list without having to pay for it.

    Monkeesfan said...

    Sports memories for an Ipod I'd like -

    1970 Stanley Cup finals, WBZ Bruins Radio call.

    1974 Daytona 500, MRN radio call - Petty rallies from flat tire; Donnie Allison suffers heartbreak; most competitive Daytona 500 ever.

    1976 Pocono 500, MRN call - Huge battle for the lead over half the race; Pearson sure winner - until two to go as flat tire sends Petty to popular win.

    1979 Delaware 500, MRN call - Petty and Cale rally from spins; Petty edges Donnie Allison and Cale at the stripe.

    1980 World 600, MRN call - NASCAR's Longest Day I (II came in 2005 600)

    1980 Pocono 500, MRN call - Petty breaks neck in bad Tunnel Turn wreck; Bonnett edges Baker and Cale at stripe.

    1981 Talladega 500, MRN call - Ron Bouchard guns down Waltrip and Labonte.

    1981 Yankee 400, MRN call - Pety beats seven-car pack after 65 lead changes.

    1982 Summer 500, Pocono, MRN call - Earnhardt-Richmond tumble; Petty outfights Allison and Waltrip but runs dry late; Allison beats Waltrip.

    1986 Summer 500, MRN call - Tim Richmond recovers from wreck, beats Bodine and Rudd in photo finish.

    1986 Talladega 500, MRN call - 26 leaders, all-time motorsports record; Bobby Hillin escapes melees galore for only win.

    1993 Dolphins @ Patriots, WBZ Patriots Radio call - Bledsoe kills the Fins with OT TD to Michael Timpson; final Patriots game before Bob Kraft purchases
    the team.

    1994 Vikings @ Patriots, WBZ Patriots Radio call - Bledsoe rallies Pats from down 20-0 with OT TD to Kevin Turner.

    1996 Daytona 500, MRN call - Jarrett triumphs in Dale 'n Dale Show II.

    1996 Carolina 400, MRN call - Bobby Hamilton gets Ben Dreithed by Earnhardt.

    1997 Autumn 500, Talladega, MRN call - Labontes 1-2 in wild race.

    1998 Dolphins @ Patriots, WBCN Patriots Radio call - Bledsoe scores last-minute GW TD with broken throwing hand.

    1998 Bills @ Patriots, WBCN Patriots Radio call - Pass interference penalty sets up final-second Bledsoe to Coates GW TD.

    1999 Daytona 500, MRN Radio call - Tense race turns insane in final 11 laps.

    1999 Virginia 500, Martinsville, MRN call - John Andretti makes up a lap and gives Richard Petty 200th short track win.

    1999 Patriots @ Jets, WBCN Radio call - Bledsoe and Pete Carroll shoot down Fat Tuna 30-28.

    1999 Colts @ Patriots, WBCN Patriots Radio call - Manning burned as Bledsoe rallies Pats from 28-7 gap to 31-28 win.

    2001 Alabama 500, MRN call - Bobby Hamilton gives Andy Petree first win as team owner.

    Chargers @ Patriots, 2001, WBCN Patriots Radio call - Tom Brady's breakout game.

    Superbowl XXXVI, WBCN Patriots Radio call - birth of a dynasty.

    2002 Bills @ Vikings, Westwood One Radio call - Bledsoe reaches 30,000 career passing yards in 45-39 OT triumph, joins Terry Bradshaw as only QBs with three career TDs in OT.

    2002 Chiefs @ Patriots, Patriots Radio call - Pats rally from halftime gap, Chiefs then rally from 38-24 gap, but Patriots win in OT.

    2003 Titans @ Patriots, Patriots Radio call - crowd cheers Red Sox scores as Patriots edge Titans in 38-30 battle.

    Anonymous said...

    Mikey Daly (little MonkeeBoy): Somehow I just knew you wouldn't pick the 1998 Daytona 500. JackAss.

    Anonymous said...

    March 21, 1970 - Original footage of Vinko Bogataj competing at the World Ski Flying(!!) Championships in West Germany. His failure during his jump when the snow started to come down harder and made the ramp faster was captured on film. He is the "Agony of Defeat" skier from Wide World of Sports' montage.

    World Series 1975 - set the field for Cincinnati's Big Red Machine, and '76 just added to their immortality.

    1976 - Summer of Cincinnati's Great Eight (The Big Red Machine). Pete Rose, Davy Concepcion, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey, George Foster, and Cesar Geronimo. (Went undefeated in postseason. 7 of the 8 made the All-Stars; the one that didn't, centerfielder Geronimo, won his 3rd Gold Glove)

    1976 - Montreal Summer Olympics - Little Nadia Comaneci scored perfect 10's in gymnastics

    May 7, 1977 - ABC Wide World of Sports - Jim McKay announcing - 102nd Kentucky Derby -Seattle Slew, a Kentucky born and raised horse, wins 1st round of Triple Crown.

    May 21, 1977 - 102nd Preakness - ABC Wide World of Sports again with Jim McKay calling the race - Seattle Slew wins 2nd round of Triple Crown.

    June 11, 1977 - 109th Belmont Stakes - Seattle Slew wins 3rd round of Triple Crown on a sloppy, muddy track - a surface condition he had never raced on before. Will complete his career as the only undefeated Triple Crown winner.

    August 1984 - NBC - Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Mary Lou Retton's perfect 10 floor exercise, backed by her perfect 10s for the vault. WOW!

    November 18, 1985 - MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. LT vs. Theismann. Crunch. Ew.

    June 21, 1987 - Tim Richmond wins second of back-to-back victories at Riverside Raceway (road course) CA, (he'd won the week before at Pocono). This would be his last win and last race. Awesome footage from ESPN showed Tim and Dale Earnhardt knocking each other off the course in the esses, one the most memorable for me was Dale going straight coming up the hill, completely bypassing the esses and getting ahead of Tim (until the next set of turns).

    1989-1990 NHRA Gatornationals - Watching Darryl Gwynn win back-to-back Top Fuel championships before a crash on Easter 1990 in London that left him without a right arm and paralyzed from the chest down.

    Sept. 29, 1991 - North Wilkesboro NC - Dale Earnhardt wins and breaks Harry Gant's "Mr. September" streak. This was the first race my dad and I had been in attendance when Big E had won. We could go seperately and see him win, but never together.

    March 28, 1992 - UK (Kentucky) vs. Duke, NCAA Basketball East Regional's final game. Although UK lost thanks to Christian Laettner's last second basket and Duke went to the Final Four, it was the greatest college basketball game in the history of the sport.

    July 25, 1993 - Talladega AL - Neil Bonnett back behind the wheel after being sidelined for a few years (wreck, amnesia, tv commentator), in a car put together by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress. Even though Neil got airborne in the middle of the front stretch, tore some of the fencing down and came to rest at the start/finish line, he emerged unscathed and called the rest of the race from the booth. This race also had Jimmy Horton go out of the track off turn 1, and severely injured Stanley Smith. Oh yeah, and Dale Earnhardt won.

    November 1993 - Atlanta Motor Speedway - after the checkered flag flew, '93 Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt and race winner Rusty Wallace circled the track backwards (Polish Victory Lap) carrying the flags emblazoned with a "7" and a "28" in honor of Alan Kulwicki (#7) and Davey Allison (#28), both of whom had died earlier the season. Quite emotional still to this day.

    February 15, 1994 - UK (Kentucky) is trailing LSU by 31 points with 15:00 left, UK sinks 11 3-pointers & outscores LSU 62-27 in the last 11:34, UK wins 99-95 in biggest comeback in UK history.

    August 1995 - Bristol TN - last 15-20 laps. Terry Labonte is plowing through the field on old tires, leading the way. Earnhardt finally catches him with a few laps to go, and tags him in the left rear, sending Terry into the wall, and Earnhardt to Victory Lane. Terry really did seem to slow up in the middle of turns 1 and 2. Dad and I were there, and had a perfect view of the wreck. Awesome. Just awesome.

    April 1, 1996 - Rick Pitino coaches the UK Wildcats to its sixth National Championship by squeezing the juice out of the Syracuse Orange.

    February 1997 - Dale Earnhardt gets tagged from behind by Jeff Gordon with less than 10 to go - Dale's car goes cartwheeling down the backstretch, and landed on its wheels. The incredible determination of Dale Earnhardt, sitting on the ambulance's bumper while his mashed #3 was being attended to by track workers, noticed that the car would start and climbed back in it and drove around the track. I've got goosebumps just from thinking about it.

    February 1998 - the last 5 laps of the Daytona 500, the donuts in the infield grass and the trip down pit road, later followed by a night-time interview in the press box after Dale walked up the grandstand steps and into the press box. The smile on his face is still priceless.

    ~Shannon

    Monkeesfan said...

    anonymous, why should I have picked the 1998 Daytona 500? Look in the mirror for a JackAss, if you don't mind.

    Anonymous said...

    I woul