In the book, “The Most Important Thing I Know,” the great 20th – 21st Century thespian Michael J. Fox had this to say about perfection: “I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.” Well said, Alex P Keaton. Well said.
Perfection is tough stuff. But not impossible.
There have been 17 official perfect games in baseball since 1880.
The Pantheon in Rome is said to be the perfect architectural building. (Which makes you wonder . . . if they could build the perfect building 2,000 years ago, what the @!&* happened to Soldier Field?)
Ate a perfect steak last Valentines’ Day. Cost me $120, which made perfection less enjoyable.
A study done several years ago revealed that according to mathematical formula, Denzel Washington has a nearly perfect face structure. (Though Jerry Jones is well on his way to catching D Wash. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with engineered perfection.)
Ted Williams was said to have the perfect swing; Jimmy Chitwood, the perfect jump shot (you remember the first time you saw him draining NBA range threes on that dirt court behind Myra Fleener’s house . . . perfection.); The Rocket, the perfect mechanics. But not even these immortals were truly perfect. The Splendid Splinter failed to get a hit nearly seven out of ten times. Jimmy Chitwood missed four shots during the course of Hoosiers. And though the Rocket has struck out 4,502 batters, he’s given up 347 HR’s. Perfection is difficult to attain.
Which is why the Colt’s story was so compelling to so many people. All the endless debate about sitting the starters or not. All the talk about the ’72 Fins. The chase for perfection polarized fans. If you were even a marginal Indy fan before the season, you couldn’t get on the bandwagon quickly enough. If you were a Peyton hater, you cringed at every audible (which means you cringed about twenty-one hundred times a game), and said a special prayer for Mercury Morris before bed each night. But no matter how you felt, the #### is up . . . the quest over.
Somewhere Monday morning, Garo Yepremian, Bob Griese, and Manny Fernandez will wake up with a champagne induced headache.
Which brings me to an interesting point. The strangest byproduct from the Colts 14 week pursuit of perfection is that it seems a new generation of football fans now hate the ‘72 Dolphins. Why? Maybe because sports figures are supposed to at least appear to be graciously ceding their records to the march of time. Hank Aaron has handled Bond’s steroid powered assault of one of sports most hallowed records with such style and class. Even the uber-competitive Dan Marino dealt with losing his single season TD record to Manning with relative ease (Though you can bet your Isotoners he was boiling inside). Compared to that kind of sportsmanship, the Dolphins champagne parties and perpetual grab for the spotlight seem so petty.
Remember, Hammerin’ Hank broke the Babe’s record under threat of death from racists around the country. The Dolphins won 14 regular season games beating only two teams with over .500. And they won ugly.
Somewhere Sunday night, champagne glasses were raised in perfection's honor. Too bad it wasn’t in an Indianapolis locker room.
Very well written and I have to say, I was very disappointed when the Colts lost. I can't say it enough...there are few things more annoying than the 72 Dolphins when it comes to the last few weeks of the reg. season and a team sitting undefeated.
Good writing. I like the thought of the old group of Dolphins celebrating. It's not like they were wishing for the Colts to be injured. They can celebrate, who cares?
I think the most magical record being broken was when McGwire broke Maris' HR record. It may not be remembered like it once was because of scandal. But I think any baseball fan watching McGwire pay tribute to the Maris family had at least one tear building up. Just remembering...
ShooterB,
I agree that McGwire breaking the Maris record was magical. There has never been a summer like that one in my lifetime--remember how now matter what you were watching (or listening to) they broke in the broadcast to show Sammy and Big Mac's at bats? And when you read about the #### Maris went through, with the media pulling so hard for Mantle, it made the Maris family's inclusion very meaningful. The Cubies’ pennant run and the Yankees setting the single season win mark made it even better. Awesome times, for sure.
But there is something about Hank's record that owns me. I think a lot of it was how he went about it, just a guy going to work each day. Also, when you add the tense racial climate under which he played most of his entire career, his record is particularly meaningful. That's my two cents, anyway.
I've been reading your stuff lately as well. Thought your "Perception Misconception" was a good piece. Keep it up.
Sorry to do this, but you left yourself wide open.
Things I Don’t Know:
1. Much about sports
2. Why my wife cries at Hallmark commercials.
3. How to fix my daughter’s hair.
4. Why they haven’t found a way to tie in the bowl system to an 8 team playoff.
5. The particulars of the space-time continuum (though I’m dang close).
Things You Don’t Know:
1. How to spell, apparently.
2. That comparing teams from different era’s, while a fun way to pass the time with buddies sitting around the bug-zapper sipping on a tall-boy, is an exercise in futility.
Lighten up, jttheufan. There’s room in this world for a lot of opinions.
Last edited by AG_Blanks on December 20th at 4:11 AM.
Good job! I, too, was disappointed that the Colts lost on Sunday, but only because I wanted them to wait until this Saturday and let the 'Hawks beat them. I was a huge fan of the '72 Dolphins (I was a lot younger then, too) and was in Hawaii on vacation watching on TV when they won #17. Eventually, the record will fall and we can all shed a tear of remorse. Until then, everyone else should keep trying.
I live in Birmingham, AL with my wife and two daughters. I work in the sales department of a medium sized, family owned distribution company. I have been here too long . . .
Currently, I am the Assistant Division Sales Coordinator for my region. My "office" is one of about 12 cubicles. The company policy regarding decorations is as strict as the policies regarding "Personal Internet Use." However, I managed to "decorate" my cube with a couple wallet size pictures of my wife and kids and my favorite team's mini-helmet. This is only a mild infraction compared to my blatant Internet usage.
Hopefully, I can entertain folks with my thoughts on sports as well as the goings-on in this God-forsaken wasteland called "my career."
