Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once famously said of pornography, "I can't really describe it, but I know it when I see it." The same thing could be said about beauty. Different things appeal to different people, but I believe it is also true that there are certain things that most, if not all, people will agree qualify as beautiful, even if you can't quite put your finger on why.
I think that is the case in the world of sports as well. Some things are so delicious that, as sports fans, they appeal to just about everyone. Here, then, is my Top Ten List of Beautiful Things in the World of Sports:
10) The sun barely over the trees and undisturbed dew on the fairway as you stand on the first tee – It seems like anything is possible when you are the first group to get out on the course. Then, of course, you hit your usual crappy drive and realize you still suck. But for just a few seconds, you might as well be Tiger Woods.
9) The look on your child’s face as he or she walks up the ramp and sees the massive expanse of emerald green when attending their first major league baseball game – I still remember walking into Fenway Park for the first time when I was maybe seven years old and being blown away by how green the field was and how good the players were. It was a long way from Little League.
8) A 1-2-3 double play to get a pitcher out of bases-loaded trouble – A ground ball to a middle infielder happens all the time, but the sharply hit ball right back to the mound is a rarity in a bases-loaded situation that represents the most frustrating result possible for a hitter, and one of the real momentum-killers for an offense.
7) A running back or wide receiver who makes a big play to get in the end zone and then simply hands the ball off to an official before heading back upfield – You can keep the phony mooning of the crowd or the Sharpie hijinks or the beating of the chest or the Lambeau Leaps. One of the greatest runners in the history of the NFL, Walter Payton, put it best: “Act like you’ve been there before.”
6) The pure, unrestrained joy of the Little League World Series champions – You can debate whether too much pressure is put on kids who are still years away from getting their driver’s licenses, but the reaction of the last team left standing in Williamsport every year is annually one of the things that will put a smile on the face of even the most dour personality.
5) Service Academy Football – Almost always staffed with players who were considered too slow or too small to play major college football, the United States service academies nevertheless compete with schools that are bigger and have more resources. Often they lose, sometimes badly, but that’s not really the point, is it? These schools are filled with kids (and not just the players) who represent the best this country has to offer; some of whom are going to graduate and immediately go off to a foreign land to die. Regardless of politics and your feelings on U.S. foreign policy, how can you not root for these guys?
4) A medium-deep fly ball to left field in the ninth inning with the tying run on third base and less than two outs – Everyone in both dugouts, the entire stadium, and at home watching on television knows what’s coming next: A runner anxiously crouching at third base, waiting for the ball to settle in the outfielder’s glove so he can take off for the plate, where either a close play or quite possibly a bone-jarring collision wait for him. Beautiful.
3) A twelve foot putt on the eighteenth green to win a match – Whether it’s the Masters on the line or a five dollar bet against your buddy, everything seems to slow down as the affected player tries to control his breathing and blot out distractions. Palms sweat and knees knock as what looks really easy is in fact really hard. It’s beautiful.
2) A goaltender moving thirty feet out of his crease to stone a shooter on a breakaway – Maybe I’m partial to this one because I was a goalie, but who doesn’t hold their breath on a breakaway in a hockey game, whether you’re rooting for the team on offense or defense? A breakaway by a player on skates moving about thirty miles an hour is one of the most breathtaking moments in sports, and when it ends in a great save – beautiful.
1) A career minor leaguer getting his first big league hit in a meaningless September game – Isn’t there a little Crash Davis in all of us? Don’t you just love it when a guy who has toiled in minor league obscurity for upwards of a decade in some cases stands at the plate and drives the ball to the opposite field for a single against an established major league pitcher? Even if he never gets another hit, he will have a baseball on his mantle that he can show to his children and grandchildren, and tell the story of how, at least for one day, he was as good as anyone. ________
If you love fiction and have a few minutes to spare, check out my website, www.allanleverone.com
Hey everyone, I know it must seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth, but it's nothing like that.
I've been busy writing - two full-length novels so far, plus over a dozen short stories - and working hard to try to get an agent. If you are curious and have a few minutes, check out my website, www.allanleve rone.com.
If you're a literary agent or if you know one, by all means contact me! In the meantime, I'll be here when I can - love this forum - and as always, thank you for checking out my blog, especially considering how many great ones you could be reading instead....
