Top Sporting Events

On the heels of my somewhat popular post from last week concerning my favorite concerts of all time comes another "list" -- this one being favorite sporting events I've attended in my lifetime. In no particular order, the list is as follows:

-- World Series game number five, 1997: Yankees vs. Dodgers. otherwise knows as the "Willie Randolph" game. Yanks won in a comeback, the stadium went berserk and sitting in the stands was one wide eyed little Kid. This one pretty much solidified my lifelong love affair with the Yankees. Thanks for that, Old Man.

-- Rose Bowl, Michigan vs. Washington, 1986. Otherwise knows as the Steve Emtman game. The dude beat us almost singlehandledly. Probably sounds weird to be listing a Michigan loss as one of my favorite games, but at the end of the day it really didn't matter much: it was my first Rose Bowl, I was there with my closest buddies and come to think of it, it was my first trip to California. Note that this entire list could probably consist of Michigan games, but at the end of the day this the one that really stood out.

-- The Hambeltonian, 1983. What in the world is the Hambeltonian you ask? Well, think of it as the Kentucky Derby of harness racing. I was big into horse racing in high school (I will allow my father to elaborate) and this was the big race of the year. Part of what stoked me about this is that my parents thought I was at SAT class but instead I was at the racetrack, where I proceeded to win $200. That might be about the most dangerous thing I ever did, which pretty much explains my high school years in a nutshell. Only downside to this short tale is that after this race, horse racing became a bit of a, umm, consuming passion for a few years. But alas, that's a story for another day.

-- The first time I saw Michael Jordan play live. Not sure what game it was; I saw him play dozens of times during my Chicago tenure (I even saw him at my gym, playing pickup games). It wasn't until that game though that I realized I was witnessing the modern day equivalent of Babe Ruth, and that this was an experience I'd one day share with my grandkids. And oh yeah: he scored fifty points that game. That much I do remember.

-- Every one of the Little Boy's baseball games. I don't mean this in a corny way either; I can't tell you how much pleasure I get out if watching him play baseball. It has nothing to do with how well he does or doesn't play (and I must say that he's constantly improving and getting pretty darn good). It's his complete and utter love of the game. The best part is the look in his eye after he makes a great play; it trumps any feeling I get out of watching professional sports.

But enough about me -- let's hear from the peanut gallery on this one.

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