So, I get a text message from my friend Chad last night proclaiming the Laker season over! I figure something happened to Kobe which of course would be catastrophic; however, I soon learned that Andruw Bynum would be out at least 8 weeks. Now if you are a diehard Laker fan, you have been on cloud 9 these past weeks. The Lakers aren't only winning, they are winning by double digits and doing so with ease. The Staples Center is rocking again and talks of a possible "Championship" have resurfaced. But, just like sometimes happens in life and especially in sports, the wind stops blowing, the ship stops moving, and we are left to waffle in the open sea.
Which brings me to the topic of my post. I want you to think about something that happened in your life that really just, "took the wind out of your sail." NO, I don't want you to think about death. We know that the death of a loved one would rank #1 on your list; however, I want you to think about moments that would seem funny to others yet were catastrophic to you at that moment in your life.
I have two that I would like to share and then I would like to hear from you. They don't have to be sports related but in my case, they are. Both of these moments are etched forever in my mind and both times I can honestly say, "I shed tears."
Moment #1
October 1986. I was watching T.V. by myself and giddy with joy. I was fourteen years old and had at least listened to, watched, or attended all 162 Angel games that year. I was beside myself with euphoria because my team was one strike away from going to the World Series for the first time in their history. I even yelled to my mom that I was about to jump on the field (through the TV) and celebrate with my heroes. But up stepped Dave Henderson and Donnie Moore threw a forkball that didn't fork and before you knew it, the ball was flying over the wall, the Red Sox had surged ahead and my beloved Angels fell short of achieving both theirs and my goal for the year.
Yes, I cried myself to sleep that night.
Moment #2
November 1991. I was actually on my mission trying to baptize and spread the gospel. This is going to sound funny to most of you because you are probably thinking I'm going to talk about an investigator who didn't get baptized and yet, I am not.
The moment of sadness happened when some kid ran up to us Americans and proclaimed that Magic Johnson had just announced he had AIDS and would have to retire from basketball. I know you laugh now but for me this was catastrophic. Magic was not only my favorite basketball player, he was by far, my favorite athlete. I loved watching him play and the way he made his teammates better was unbelievable. Anyway, when I heard the news and realized that I would never again see him play.....well, let's just say that
Yes, I cried myself to sleep that night as well.
Which brings me to the topic of my post. I want you to think about something that happened in your life that really just, "took the wind out of your sail." NO, I don't want you to think about death. We know that the death of a loved one would rank #1 on your list; however, I want you to think about moments that would seem funny to others yet were catastrophic to you at that moment in your life.
I have two that I would like to share and then I would like to hear from you. They don't have to be sports related but in my case, they are. Both of these moments are etched forever in my mind and both times I can honestly say, "I shed tears."
Moment #1
October 1986. I was watching T.V. by myself and giddy with joy. I was fourteen years old and had at least listened to, watched, or attended all 162 Angel games that year. I was beside myself with euphoria because my team was one strike away from going to the World Series for the first time in their history. I even yelled to my mom that I was about to jump on the field (through the TV) and celebrate with my heroes. But up stepped Dave Henderson and Donnie Moore threw a forkball that didn't fork and before you knew it, the ball was flying over the wall, the Red Sox had surged ahead and my beloved Angels fell short of achieving both theirs and my goal for the year.
Yes, I cried myself to sleep that night.
Moment #2
November 1991. I was actually on my mission trying to baptize and spread the gospel. This is going to sound funny to most of you because you are probably thinking I'm going to talk about an investigator who didn't get baptized and yet, I am not.
The moment of sadness happened when some kid ran up to us Americans and proclaimed that Magic Johnson had just announced he had AIDS and would have to retire from basketball. I know you laugh now but for me this was catastrophic. Magic was not only my favorite basketball player, he was by far, my favorite athlete. I loved watching him play and the way he made his teammates better was unbelievable. Anyway, when I heard the news and realized that I would never again see him play.....well, let's just say that
Yes, I cried myself to sleep that night as well.
Now I've shared mine, let's hear yours. They can't quite be as embarrassing as those two, can they?
13 comments:
I'll start...my mind keeps coming back to May 13th 1995...oh nevermind I can't get myself to say it.
P.S. I'll think of a better one later. :-)
OUCH! You realize this is a PUBLIC BLOG..right?!?!?
The most painful sports memory of my life was watching Alabama come back from a 34-7 deficit in the fourth quarter against Penn St. in the early eighties. At 34-28, with less than a minute to play, they blocked a Penn St. field goal attempt and returned it deep into Penn St. territory. A few plays later Walter Lewis hit the tight end in the endzone for the winning TD with less than ten seconds to play. Then suddenly the ref looks up at the Penn St. fans and waives it off, incomplete. I watched the replay over and over, it was so obvious that Alabama had scored and won the game. But that ref had made the call and it was not to be for me or Alabama that day. It still hurts to think about it.
Blaise, "the early 80s???" Weren't you like 10 years old? That's classic that even as a pre-teen, the memory still hurts.
I wonder if Loubige will ever forget that fateful, tear-filled night almost 13 years ago.
Hearing your story Blaise, makes me not so hopeful. :)
Dro, I looked it up, it was 1983. I was 11. It's probably time to let that one go, eh?
Loubige, was that your wedding night?
Contrary to what you dirty minds are thinking (dro&maines).....I was referring to being sealed to "Dro" for eternity........and as he has reminded me "that's a long time". :-)
(But yes Maines, that was our wedding day....you know the day Stephanie followed us in another car to the hotel going 35 mph on the freeway--it was her first time on the freeway so I'll give her that) :-)
2 memories come to mind for me and ironically they both have to do with the Lakers and they both happened in the same year. #1- My favorite player and probably the best player to ever play gets hit with RAPE charges. At the time,I didnt know that money and fame can get you out of anything (shouldve learned from the juice). I thought I might never see Kobe Bryant play basketball again and though I didnt shed a tear like some sissies I know, I did have a few close moments.
#2 and this probably doesnt seem like a big deal to most but 2003-2004 season and the Lake show was starting to flow sort of like this year. Karl Malone, Kobe, Shaq, and GP were finally starting to gel and put their egos aside. Karl was lighting it up and starting to become a huge threat.....you double team Shaq, Kobe or Karl you've got 2 top 50 to ever play wide open...it was beautiful to watch. Anyway, we all know the rest of the story, Kurt "Hack" Thomas falls on Karls knee and the rest is history. They still made it to the finals and lost in 5 but OH WHAT COULDVE BEEN BABY!! the very next year, BYE BYE Shaq and BYE BYE Karl.....SAD.
Oh you know you cried!!! Just like you cried when Cort showed up wearing those tight, size 7 pants and claimed he, "drew you as a partner."
Talk about "taking the wind out of your sail."
1972 Olympic Basketball Game, USA vs. USSR. After three endings, the officials and the international audience achieved what it wanted - a Soviet win. Not only did this take the wind out of my sports sails, it led me to believe that we could lose to the Soviets in a nuclear war game as well.
I spent 3 years from age 12-15 drawing the VW Bus I would get for my 16th birthday. I had sketch books full of VW buses with different paint jobs I might consider. I had finally set my heart on a bright red VW bus with White in the front and along the roof. I would put some sweet curtains in the windows, a BEAR surfboards bumper sticker on the back window, and every chick at UNI would think I was the shiz. A couple months before my 16th birthday I presented the picture to my mom and dad and said, "Here's the car I want for my birthday coming up." They looked at me like I was a retard, laughed, and said, you're not getting a car for your birthday. Maybe you can get a car after your mission. Talk about wind out of your of sails. I would continue to ride my blue Biancha mountain bike to school till that got stolen. Then I would walk, and sometimes have my mommy drop me off. Then I found an old trek mountain bike laying in some field so I rode that. Of course the chicks still dug me, but I never had the chance to hang my "If this VW's a rockin' don't come a knockin'" sticker in the window. When I got home from my mission I was greeted by a 1988 Grey Honda Accord with a bullet hole in the roof.
-Cort
Cort, great story. My bike (that I bought with my own money in 6th grade) got stolen once too....come to find out later that it was my own parents who stole it.
Go figure.
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