This will likely be my last post here.  I'm going on a little "vacation" and won't have the time to visit anymore.  So I thought I would leave you with a few of my favorite sports memories.  While some of them are small in the scheme of things, I will remember these events and tell the stories to my kids and theirs.  Hope you enjoy. 

- I once scored 33 points in basketball game

Sure, it was a church league, but it was a pretty competitive b-ball league.  I never quite had the grades to play school ball.  So this was my chance to shine.  My older brother was our coach and knew that the rest of the players couldn't handle the rigors of real basketball compared to their street balling ways.  He gave me the word and told me to take them game into my own hands, much in the way Phil Jackson runs his offense through Kobe.  33 points may not be a big deal, but I had the high score for the league that year.  Oh, we also lost and I fractured my wrist on the last play.  Another reason why that game was so memorable. 

- The Slide

Growing up in Pensacola (a huge baseball community) we were almost forced to love the hapless Braves.  All that changed once Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz arrived.  The losers became winners.  In Game Seven of the 1992 NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Braves were headed into the ninth inning down 2-0.  What followed was a sac fly from Ron Gant and a miracle.  Francisco Cabrera lines a single to left.  Justice scores from third.  Sid Bream, known for his wheels or lack of, rounds third and heads for home.  Barry Bonds (a lot thinner back then, I don't know why), hits Mike LaValliere just slightly before Bream reaches home.  The throw from Bonds is slightly off and Bream slides in under the tag.  Justice's famous chokehold.  Hysteria breaks out.  End scene.   I remember my mom jumping around our living room with my brothers and me.  Let's just say my mom is not the type to get too excited over anything.  This was one of the times when she let her emotions go when she heard, "Line drive and a base hit. Justice will score the tying run. Bream to the plate...and he is safe, safe at the plate! The Braves go to the World Series!" 

On a side note, one of my good friends is a huge fan of Pittsburgh sports teams.  I'm not allowed to mention any of the names mentioned around him or he gets overly sensitive.  I love to make him overly sensitive every time I get the chance. 

- Payback

Roy Jones fell to Montell Griffin.  Not by a Knock Out, not even by a Technical Knock Out, but by Disqualification.  Ouch.  Roy gets his first loss as Griffin slips to one knee and he hits him.  Griffin takes a look around and falls flat (I think he took a dive.  If he could have continued, Jones Jr would have lost some points, but if he can't continue Griffin goes home the champ).  This ain't WWE, if you're the champ and you get disqualified, you don't keep the belt.  Griffin talked a lot of smack leading up to the rematch.  Saying that Jones knew that Griffin was beating him so Roy had to cheat.  So on Aug 21, 1997, Roy dishes out some vengeance.  Roy is one to fight a lot of fights with his mouth.  On this day, he used to his fists and showed why he was "The Best Pound for Pound" boxer. Barely into the first round, Jones KO's Griffin.  Making Griffin look like a complete punching bag with legs.  This was about as lopsided as a fight you will ever see.  One more side note...Roy's silver medal in the Olympics is probably one of my worst sports memories.  Roy Jones should have won both the Gold and Silver after that fight. 

- Am I my brother's keeper

Growing up I was the middle child.  I know, it sucked.  My older brother was the scholastic dream.  He was in more clubs in high schools than the Olsen twins.  FBLA, Spanish, varsity baseball team and more that I can't remember.  My younger brother was a baseball phenom.  He pretty much set records in every year that he played.  I remember watching him play third base and throw and kid out from his knees.  Sure, that's not too impressive, you see that all the time on ESPN.  We'll he did it and nine.  Most nine year olds have trouble getting the ball from third to first with a running start.  My greatest memory of my brother is when he was playing in an all star game at 11.  He was playing with the 12 year olds.  Not a lot of kids did that back then.  He was playing in a normal 11-12 year old park.  Well, he came up to bat and drilled a ball.  It went out of the park.  Then over two rows of parking.  Then over the street and over the powerlines.  It landed in some trees...in the guy who lived across the street's back yard.  I'm sorry, but that's power.  That ball looked like it traveled in slow motion.  Not bad for an 11 year old. 

Another one of my worst sports moments is when my brother fell into my crowd in HS.  He got into some trouble and baseball has been an afterthought ever since.  That's one thing that weighs on me every day. 

- Those who can't do...

One of the greatest gifts in sports is teaching others how to play.  I try and explain to my wife why a pitcher always bunts with runners on and one or no outs.  How a pump fake or play action can freeze a defense long enough to cause some damage.  The greatest joy I've felt was coaching youth sports.  Teaching young boys and girls to play the game and play it the right way.  To teach them fundamentals and to actually see them use them.  To teach a young girl, which her mother made her play, that the game can be fun and watch her run down the court smiling and giving high fives.  To teach the ball hoggin, streetballer that it takes a team to win after you make him play 1 vs 5. 

So if you ask yourself how you can change today's athletes.  You can't, but you can affect the next batch.  I recommend all of you that take offense to today's games and how they aren't played like they should to go out and coach.  Teach them the right way and why it's the right way.  Make sports fun for them and they will listen. 

 That's all I have for now.  So with that, I'm out.