Mol's must-see sporting events
By Staff Sgt. Michael Molinaro, 4th Inf. Div. PAO
May 3, 2008 - 9:04:53 PM
Blackanthem Military News
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - The recent running of the 134th Kentucky Derby, the first leg in the Triple Crown for horse racing at Louisville's world-known Churchill Downs, got me to thinking - what are the few sporting events every sports nut must attend in his or her lifetime?
I'll give you a quick look at my list. It starts with the Masters. Have you ever seen a Masters Sunday where the weather wasn't just beautiful and the course absolutely breathtaking with its bright colors? Hot Dogs are still a buck, Coke's are free, and it's almost impossible to get a ticket, so getting in is an accomplishment in itself. And that's all before the golf. It is the first major of the year and is reserved for the games best of the best. It's where the holes all have nicknames, and each has their own stories of taming golf's toughest into looking like one of us on the course.
The Final Four is high on my list. One weekend, four teams, all vying for one title. I have been to the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament, and it was phenomenal to watch these amateur athletes play their butts off for a national championship. But to see the last four teams out of 64 in one building with the bands playing and the alma maters and all of the hoopla is something I must see for myself.
I must go to an AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh. For me, this is the best there is, better than being at the Super Bowl. I would be in my glory to be at our home field with the cold air blowing, hopefully some snow, and thousands of terrible towels waving non-stop.
I would be surrounded by my people.
The crowd would be electric and help push the team to yet another Super Bowl. I went to one championship game for the tailgate party that started around 2 a.m. for a 1 p.m. kickoff but didn't make it inside. I will never make that mistake again.
Why not the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is too corporate, and there wouldn't be so many die-hards there due to the cost of attending the game and the expenses attributed to it. I'd rather be at a Super Bowl party with my friends or at a sports bar on the South Side of Pittsburgh. I am willing to bet the same could be said for many of you and your hometown as well.
A game seven of a Stanley Cup final or World Series would be awesome. Knowing that a champion would be crowned and see the pros give it all they got for the glory would have to be something else to take part in.
I admit that baseball on TV is a little boring for me, and the majority of fans think the same way about hockey, but being in person for the finale would be overwhelming.
And to go with the horse racing theme, the Derby is always a moment in glory, but imagine being at the Belmont Race in New York with a horse going for the Triple Crown. I was at the Preakness in 2004 when Funny Cide won, giving him the first two legs of the crown. The hype walking out of the track that day was thick, and that was three weeks before the Belmont. I can't imagine how intense it would be to witness a horse attempt something that hasn't occurred since 1978.
And finally, how about the Army-Navy football game?
Now that is a must-see. The game has always been a big event. But unlike Michigan-Ohio State or Auburn-Alabama, this game is about more than football.
Everyone that steps on the field knows that it is just a game. The atmosphere, with the cadets in the stands and all of their slogans and chants back-and-forth, is unlike any other. They lay it all on the line for 60 minutes and once the clock runs out, they become brothers-in-arms again and realize they may see each other on another battlefield, working side-by-side defending our great country.
I know there are some others I missed. I could have mentioned the Olympics, the Little League World Series and the BCS championship. But this is my list - and I'm sticking to it.
Until next time, stay safe.