I Wish I Was There

With the Derby season in full gear, and the Run for the Roses less than a week away, I am very excited to go back to the Downs for my second experience of "the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports." Once again, I will share the awesome experience that it everything Derby with out-of-towners who have yet to even imagine how great the event is. In this day and age, its easy for anyone to watch past Derby's to relive the excitement, or attempt to capture it for the first time through video. As I perused You Tube, I strayed from the Derby and to Secretariat's victory in the Belmont.

This race is widely known as one of the greatest moments in sports and one of the most awe-inspiring feats by an athlete of any species. But from the idea of not being able to truly experience the excitement unless you were there, I have finally answered the question of what sporting moment would have I liked to witness in person. Now, lets be frank and realize this is quite possibly and impossible question to answer. Sporting events are always producing moments that amaze for decades to come.

To witness Secretariat at the height of his sport while bringing home a Triple Crown must have been incredible. The way he and Sham burst out to lead the field who would not once play a role in the outcome of the race. The way he pushed ahead of Sham on the backstretch seemingly putting in no effort to push the pace even faster and take a couple length lead. The most amazing moment of the race, however, the one that makes my heart stop for a second is watching him create a new gear as he speeds ahead of Sham without any care that what he is doing is seemingly impossible. The lead grows with every stretch, while any other horse would be falling backwards, as Sham does to a dead last finish. Instead, the crowd roars in excitement of the feat they are witnessing. The final pan of the camera, at a distance that can show each viewer the extent of Secretariats win must have been the smallest zoom the camera had.

I suggest that you watch this video and just watch in amazement at the feat you are watching. It truly is mind-boggling.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2c_ylcxgCaI

And now I pose this question to you.
What are the three events you have witnessed or wish you would have witnessed that epitomize the best moments in sports.

Mine are:

1. Secretariat in the Belmont
2. The Miracle on Ice
3. Christian Lattnear's shot to beat UK.

Let me hear 'em.