Picking up where we left off last week, my favorite
sporting events of 2005:
5) Louisville 75, Memphis 74 (C-USA basketball
championship, March 12) — Tiger senior Duane Erwin was kneeling,
certainly praying, merely five feet from me, at the opposite end of the
FedExForum court from where Darius Washington toed the free-throw line — with
time expired — for three shots to win the Conference USA tournament and send
Memphis to an entirely unexpected (undeserved?) trip to the NCAA tournament. The
entire nation cringed in empathy when the freshman point guard missed the last
two attempts, collapsing alone in that key before the CBS cameras. Sometimes
sports must be appreciated, not so much for the “big picture” of championships
and playoff races, but simply for the moment. And it’s when a game makes you
feel most human — whether it be elation or heartache — that you’re reminded
why you watch in the first place.
4) UCF 3, Memphis 2 (women’s volleyball,
October 30) — For the life of me, I don’t understand how television
hasn’t found college volleyball. Forget
[1][1]the
beach and bikini variety. Six-on-six, indoors, this brand of everyone’s favorite
backyard party game is a frenetic two-hour whirlwind of action. And the cohesion
between teammates blows away anything you see on a basketball court. Defensive
players save balls slammed at them merely inches from the floor, and manage to
arm their setters with a ball to place — right there! — for a hitter to slam
back over the net. It’s like going to a basketball game and seeing 50
alley-oops, some of them blocked right back in the “dunker’s” face. Next fall,
take the time to go see Christen Clayton, Melissa Nance and company do their
thing at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Your neck will be sore from swiveling.
3) St. Louis 8, Pittsburgh 0 (Busch
Stadium, June 25) — The National League’s preeminent pitcher in 2005 —
the Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter — struck out 11 Pirates on his way to a four-hit
shutout, one of four he would throw for the season. The National League’s
preeminent hitter in 2005 — the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols — drilled his 20th
home run of the season (on his way to 41). For only the second time in its
40-year life, Busch Stadium was home to both a Cy Young winner and MVP. (Hall of
Famer Bob Gibson won both in 1968.)
2) Memphis 27, UTEP 20 (October 1)
— I’ve witnessed two Memphis sports moments that I’m convinced I’ll be telling
my grandchildren about long after everyone else has stopped listening. The first
was Albert Pujols hitting a home run to win a championship for the local
Triple-A outfit (September 15, 2000). The second was the 74-yard touchdown jaunt
DeAngelo Williams made through the UTEP defense on a night when the national-TV
cameras were dark in Memphis. Late in the third quarter, with the Tigers leading
the undefeated Miners, 10-6, Williams took a shotgun snap from center and plowed
through the left side of the line for what appeared to be a workmanlike
five-yard gain. Then the fun started. Williams cut right and, quite literally,
ran by a half-dozen would-be tacklers on his way to the opposite sideline. Once
at the sideline, Williams was kept in bounds by a block — 40 yards downfield,
mind you — by freshman quarterback Billy Barefield (who had lined up split to
the right). If you weren’t in the stadium that night, don’t tell me you saw this
run. It’ll be featured in Chapter One of “The Legend of DeAngelo.”
1) Northfield High School 7, Oxbow High 0 (May
28, Northfield, Vermont). It had been 15 years since I saw my alma mater
take the diamond at Memorial Park, so seeing the Marauders put a whipping on the
Olympians was pleasing, particularly for the opportunity it provided for me to
catch up with an old teammate (who also finds himself a journalist today, poor
sap). Northfield went on to reach the state finals, losing the championship
contest for the first time since 1987 when they had a Murtaugh in leftfield
(they’ve won eight titles since I graduated). This turned out to be the last
baseball game I got to see with my dad. It was hot, even in Vermont, as Memorial
Day approached, so Dad didn’t stay the full seven innings. But he was there for
a stretch, with me. And I love him for that.
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