Okay, so we were clearly supposed to be watching A League of their Own, but I can change up the blog questions to match Field of Dreams.
Due by the end of the movie!!!
Directions: Answer the following question with a comment below in at least 3-5 sentences. When you were a kid, what one sport or athlete gave you the most inspiration to sink the final shot, hit the winning homerun, catch the touchdown, pass the leader at the turn, etc.
Due by the end of the movie!!!
Worth 10 points. 
For me it was always Marino or Elway. If I was playing with my brother Justin, I was Elway and he was Marino (Justin was always bigger and not as agile). I admired the way these seemingly timeless quarterbacks managed the players on the field, the game they were playing, and the nerves they were fighting. Nothing was as poetic to me, still nothing is, as a game-winning drive. Their ability to directly impact the game, regardless of the other teams impact was spectacular to watch. Now, Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb entertain me in the same way. Don't get me wrong, Brady is great, but I just have never liked pretty boys quite as much as the grittier, more traditional quarterbacks.
Manning=throwback qb. McNabb=throwback qb with style.
For me, it was baseball. I can remember playing baseball with my older brother, when every pitch was "Game 7 of the World Series, 9th inning, full count, down with the bases loaded." A lot of my passion for the sport came from playing catch with my brother and watching nearly all of his games. I wouldn't appreciate the sport as much if I hadn't grown up around it.
ReplyDeleteThis is an easy choice. Growing up with the most dominant basketball team ever in town, I would spend hours in my driveway draining threes like Kerr or driving through the lane like MJ. To me, nothing matches the atmosphere and glory of winning an NBA championship.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Joe. Growing up in the time of the great run of the Chicago Bulls, I would always play basketball thinking I was Jordan. Although at the time I knew that the Bulls were good, now I reaaly understand how great they were, because I was very young during there 2nd 3 peat.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it was the 2000-2001 Illinois basketball team. I always wanted to be like Frank Williams and Corey Bradford. Though I have great memories of the Jordan years, the first basketball games I can fully remember are theirs. In second grade, I went to the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center and saw Illinois beat Indiana. After the game, the whole team was sitting a few rows above us and I ended up meeting the whole team and getting their autographs.
ReplyDeleteMine is similar to Hilary's. It had to be the 7th game of the WS, 2 out, bases loaded, 3-2 count etc. Not only that but I wanted my team to be down by 3 so a grand slam would be needed. I also impersonated alot of the Cubs teams in the late 90's. I would be in the back yard by myself with bases set up and everything and I would go through the whole lineup, mimicing all their batting stances. Not just guys like Sosa and Grace, but everyone including garbage players like Jeff Blauser, Jose Nieves, Jeff Reed and Shane Andrews. Back then I didn't even care how bad the team was.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's basketball and getting to hit the final shot. When i was in second grade MSU went to the final four behind the leadership of Mateen Cleaves and i remember that whole week of spring break leading up to the final four i could swear i shot around for at least 3 hours or so every single day. I drew a three point arc h around my driveway and constantly would count down in my head (or out loud) 5,4,3,2,1 and shoot to try and hit a buzzer beater. This all continued throughout my basketball playing days and still does as it is one of the most dramatic moments you could possibly be a part of. When a player hits a big shot to win a big game there is a great amount of drama that truly makes sport an "art" at times. To be part of one of those moments was always something that i wanted to be a part of and those MSU teams in the 99,00,01 really made me love basketball.
ReplyDeleteBaseball always inspired me the most. I played on several travel teams growing up and while I was in the hole I always had to imagine that the game would be won or lost based on my performance. This generally seemed to do the trick. It always kept the games so exciting and I always played better when I thought there was pressure.
ReplyDeleteI loved Sammy Sosa and the Cubs when i was younger. He was very exciting to watch, with his little hop after he would hit a home run. I still remember my first Cubs game, sitting in the bleachers with a friend of mine and our moms. The Cubs played the Pirates and won by a couple runs. After that, whenever I would play a baseball game, i would always try to be Sammy Sosa.
ReplyDeleteI hope people realize this is for a grade!!!! Good job to those that have already completed it.
ReplyDeleteJoe -- Did you play with a corked bat as well?
Brett -- Visualization is key.
The rest of y'all -- Baseball and basketball winning plays are always tremendously exciting. For much of my youth, baseball reigned supreme!
Mine would be Walter Payton. i just wanted to be like him. I even went to hills and ran up and down them in an attempt to build my legs like Payton did. I loved football and he was the best player I've known about. I tried to become a better player and always imagined making big plays like he did.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of game winning shots and big time performances, I always think of Michael Jordan. I will always remember the fade away shot against the Jazz and the chest bound to finish the deal. As a kid, I was in love with the movie Space Jam and idolized Michael Jordan as the greatest player alive. I know that this sounds corny but my favorite childhood memory of game winning shots is the Dream Team against the Goon Squad in Space Jam. Jordan was held by all five aliens, strethced out his arm 20 feet, and flushed it to win the game. UNBELIEVABLE haha.
ReplyDeleteThere use to be a wrestling thing called realprowrestling. It was a mix of all three wrestling styles. Even though it only lasted for a season or two, I remember Joe Williams of the Chicago Groove, he had this power shot where he created an angle then split the other guy's legs with his lead foot and destroyed people. I tried so hard in my youth to take a shot like that but i lacked the power. I finally was able to do it my jr. year before i got shoulder surgery, it is by far my happiest practice moment.
ReplyDeleteI was inspire not by any sports figures or by a paticular sport. I was inspired by my family. My dad and mom both being on a pit crew. My grandpa was an engine builder for the early days of NASCAR. My wanting to win races was because of my family. I wanted to prove that the little people can win. Prove that you don't need tons and tons of money to show that you are better then everyone. I doing this from my heart and sole. I don't want to try to be someone else I just want to be me.
ReplyDeleteI loved watching Sammy Sosa like Joe. I liked how after he knew he hit a bomb he would do his hop and trot around the bases. I watched the Cubs anytime I could and it didn't matter if they lost. I remember playing home run durbys with a wiffle ball in my friends back yard trying to hit moon shots.
ReplyDeleteI think the best athlete is Randy Moss. He can come up with the big catches when the team needs it the most. You could always count on him to catch the winning touchdown.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in 3rd grade I got my first Marc McGuire bat, the one with the huge plastic barrel that would hit the ball over anyones head no matter where they were playing. After school everyday I would come home and have my dad or brother pitch to me and I would hit for hours.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with brenden and joe. I loved to watch Sammy Sosa play. Whenever my friends and I played pick up games, I would always pretend to be him, with that famous batting stance of his. Every homer, I would do the hop like he did.
ReplyDeletei agree with everyone that said sammy sosa. Growing up i was a huge sammy sosa fan. he constantly made games interesting. I watched baseball all my life up until sammy sosa quit. Sammy sosa was the only baseball player i liked t watch and when he was gone i stopped watching
ReplyDeletefor me it was baseball. when i was younger i never relay watched it but me and my dad played it all the time in our backyard. i don't think it would be my favorite sport if we had played it when i was younger.
ReplyDelete