I was sitting around on a Sunday (nothing new here!) reading the posts on Sons of Sam Horn. There was a thread devoted to Greg Maddux's imminent retirement from baseball, and I was prompted to post my memories of Maddux. Here is my post:
"We drove to Montreal in July of '03 to see Vladimir Guerrero. Had great seats in the front row of the RF bleachers. Ron Calloway started in Vladdy's place, thus reinforcing the old adage that you NEVER buy tickets to a Sunday game if you want to see the stars.
Anyway, Maddux went six innings, against Tomo Ohka. He gave up six runs and two homers, the deciding blow coming from...wait for it...Ron Calloway.
I can still say I saw the three best pitchers of their era live, though, in Pedro, Roger and Maddux. As I recall, all three got lit up when I watched them.
Oh, and "Chicks dig the longball."*"
*Here is your video for reference:
Then Rach suggested someone (Translated:"ahem...that means YOU!") do a post on the best sports related commercials of all time. Well, I've taken it upon myself to gather a few that I consider to be very good, but it is by no means an exhaustive list.
Bo Jackson, who made so many of us feel inadequate as athletes:
Gretzky's performance is almost as good as Glavine in the previous clip.
There were a lot of good Michael Jordan ads, but this one stands out for me, probably because it pairs him with Larry Legend:
"Nothin' But Net"
Arguably, this one got it started:
"Tastes great!" "Less filling!"
Now before I'm overrun with "What about Mean Joe Greene? That was the best EVAH!", let me just emphasize that I don't want to pollute this space with glurge. It's cute, but it's not that funny.
How about Sugar Ray Leonard? This guy singlehandedly made boxing relevant in the years when the heavyweights were bashing each others' brains out; he was just a breath of classy air in a brutish sport. I can't find the one he made with his son:
Boy 1: "Hey, is that the champ?"
Sugar Ray's Kid: "Naw, that's just my dad."
Another one I wish I could find is Eddie Murray's spot from the 90's where there's a little jingle to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw" singing about his career accomplishments ("...and a three time winner of a Golden Glove") and at the end, a young fan comments about the laconic Murray: "That's not tired, that's DEE-termination!" Eddie was a man of few words, but one HELL of a hitter.
The last one I wish I could find for you is one where Randy Johnson is playing dodgeball. That's just a flat-out funny concept, and it just might have been the inspiration for the Ben Stiller movie.
If any of you stumbles upon any of these missing gems, please contact me or post them.
Please vote in the poll at the upper right of your browser, and if your answer would be "none of the above", either don't vote, or drop me your favorite in the comments. I might even add your suggestions!
I'll leave you with this, and let you chime in with your own thoughts. I know I'm in the minority, being a Patriots fan who thinks Peyton Manning is pretty awesome, and here is why:
"Cut that meat! Cut that meat!"
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5 comments:
Thanks, babe. I love it when you listen to me.
I have to admit to being very partial to the Be Like Mike series. Nothing But Net is good, but I am still known to sing "...Wanna be, wanna be, wanna be like Mike..." every time someone says the name Mike. (Which, in my circle of people, is a lot.)
I hope someone (read MIKE) can find the Eddie Murray one. We quoted that one many times.
Next up: SNL episodes with great sports stars. Joe Montana was brilliant.
Maybe it's hackneyed, but I'm still a fan of "It's got to be the shoes." And what about the Superbowl Shuffle? Or "You've just won the Superbowl. What are you going to do now?" "I'm going to Disneyland!"
I am such a TV-baby.
Wait, wait! There's an old-skool March Madness commercial (I think) with a little boy playing basketball by himself. (His big brothers have just left.) He provides a running narration of the end of the game. "They're double-teaming him, they're triple-teaming him, they're whole-team teaming him. 5-4-3-2... He shoots!" The ball bounces out of the basket. The boy looks around and then says, "He was fouled!"
Also, there's the World Cup commercial from a couple of years ago. The boy is playing soccer alone. He's sad. He goes home, cooks dinner, and lights some candles. When his parents come home, they are amazed, but he quietly locks himself in his room. Nine months later, he gives his new baby brother a tiny pair of soccer shoes. Awwww.
I did a cursory YouTube search but didn't find these. Maybe I don't know where to look.
I need to stop hitting "post" until I'm done.
Try this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GLA4IK8n5Q
I remember the basketball one you referenced. That was a great one, and it made me think of the Kryziewczki (sp?) one: "You're Mike Kryziewczki?" "Yes, I am!" I know you're not allowed to like Coach K given your Tarheel pedigree, but it was a great one.
The soccer one you posted is great, too. Cute, and funny. Way better than Mean Joe Greene.
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