Spring Break
On 2nd Thought
Famous sporting events
State Hornet Staff
Issue date: 4/8/09 Section: Sports
Dan King
I've been to a mess of sporting events.
I've been to Super Bowls, final games of World Series, NBA finals, bowl games, major and minor golf tournaments around the world, soccer games, horse races and car races. I've watched World Cup events in South America, cricket matches in South Africa, guys and gals shoving down hot dogs on Coney Island, big wave riders at Maverick's and even watched guys in kilts toss cabers in Inverness.
The problem with going to big-time sporting events is the best seat in the house is usually in front of a television set. A golf tournament can be fun for half a day, but eventually you'll go looking for a big screen to watch the action.
Once I've soaked up the atmosphere of a sporting event for a few hours, I'm wishing I was home, sitting in my comfy chair with my reasonably priced snacks and watching the event unfold on a big-screen HDTV.
But there is one event that no amount of cameras, pixels and announcers can get right.
There is no better place to be on the first Saturday in May than the run for the roses. It's called the most exciting two minutes in sports for a reason.
Television does a good job showing those two minutes, but what it has never gotten is the atmosphere building up to the two minutes.
There is something oh-so-soothing about singing along with the crowd to Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home" while sipping a mint julep that for some reason just can't be duplicated at your home bar.
There is the old-fashioned southern fun of watching not just the post parade, but the hat parade where people who have more money than sense try to outdo each other's head wear.
You also get the amusing clash of cultures. The hoi polloi watch the action from the infield and let the good times roll. The rich and famous gather at millionaire's row where royalty mix it up with talk-show hosts and try desperately to impress each other.
On May 2, they will stage the 135th Kentucky Derby and I will once again miss it. I'll be home, trying my best to recreate the Churchill Downs mint julep and relaxing in my easy chair, but unlike numerous other sporting events, I will wish I was there.
Mitchell Wilson
There is no question that the World Series is the one sporting event I want to attend at least once in my life.
America's pastime is a huge part of my summer entertainment. To see those who have earned the right to play in the fall classic in person would be amazing.
The history of baseball can't be compared to any other sport. Many things have changed over the decades: ballpark sizes, disparity of payroll, league expansion and the scourge that is the designated hitter. One thing that remains the same is the chase for the ring.
Getting to the Series and watching players make history never gets dull. During the games, there would be endless debates amongst complete strangers about how the teams and players compare to those of the past.
The dedication fans put into their team would be seen on their faces as hundreds of thousands of people would simultaneously be in complete jubilation or agony. Those who get to see their team raise up the trophy will always remember the moment fondly. Celebrating with immense mobs of people in a stadium and eventually into the streets would be incredible.
To the losers comes the reality they may never see their team win in their lifetime. Watching the home team lose I know I'd just sit back and not move an inch. Waiting for people to explode and make fools of themselves would be entertaining, albeit not as enjoyable as a victory party.
I'm not a fan of the Chicago Cubs, but I hope to see them win the Series someday in person. More than a century of failure has got to be nearly unbearable.
I still have the horrid memories of watching my San Francisco Giants lose the Series to the Anaheim Angles burned into my brain, and that was just on television. Watching my beloved Giants finally bring a trophy to San Francisco with fellow fans would send me into a frenzy.
I don't care how much it costs or how far I have to fly. I don't care if I lose my job or miss the birth of my first child. Next time the Giants are in game seven of the Series, you'll find me in the stands.
The sports staff can be reached at sports@statehornet.com
I've been to a mess of sporting events.
I've been to Super Bowls, final games of World Series, NBA finals, bowl games, major and minor golf tournaments around the world, soccer games, horse races and car races. I've watched World Cup events in South America, cricket matches in South Africa, guys and gals shoving down hot dogs on Coney Island, big wave riders at Maverick's and even watched guys in kilts toss cabers in Inverness.
The problem with going to big-time sporting events is the best seat in the house is usually in front of a television set. A golf tournament can be fun for half a day, but eventually you'll go looking for a big screen to watch the action.
Once I've soaked up the atmosphere of a sporting event for a few hours, I'm wishing I was home, sitting in my comfy chair with my reasonably priced snacks and watching the event unfold on a big-screen HDTV.
But there is one event that no amount of cameras, pixels and announcers can get right.
There is no better place to be on the first Saturday in May than the run for the roses. It's called the most exciting two minutes in sports for a reason.
Television does a good job showing those two minutes, but what it has never gotten is the atmosphere building up to the two minutes.
There is something oh-so-soothing about singing along with the crowd to Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home" while sipping a mint julep that for some reason just can't be duplicated at your home bar.
There is the old-fashioned southern fun of watching not just the post parade, but the hat parade where people who have more money than sense try to outdo each other's head wear.
You also get the amusing clash of cultures. The hoi polloi watch the action from the infield and let the good times roll. The rich and famous gather at millionaire's row where royalty mix it up with talk-show hosts and try desperately to impress each other.
On May 2, they will stage the 135th Kentucky Derby and I will once again miss it. I'll be home, trying my best to recreate the Churchill Downs mint julep and relaxing in my easy chair, but unlike numerous other sporting events, I will wish I was there.
Mitchell Wilson
There is no question that the World Series is the one sporting event I want to attend at least once in my life.
America's pastime is a huge part of my summer entertainment. To see those who have earned the right to play in the fall classic in person would be amazing.
The history of baseball can't be compared to any other sport. Many things have changed over the decades: ballpark sizes, disparity of payroll, league expansion and the scourge that is the designated hitter. One thing that remains the same is the chase for the ring.
Getting to the Series and watching players make history never gets dull. During the games, there would be endless debates amongst complete strangers about how the teams and players compare to those of the past.
The dedication fans put into their team would be seen on their faces as hundreds of thousands of people would simultaneously be in complete jubilation or agony. Those who get to see their team raise up the trophy will always remember the moment fondly. Celebrating with immense mobs of people in a stadium and eventually into the streets would be incredible.
To the losers comes the reality they may never see their team win in their lifetime. Watching the home team lose I know I'd just sit back and not move an inch. Waiting for people to explode and make fools of themselves would be entertaining, albeit not as enjoyable as a victory party.
I'm not a fan of the Chicago Cubs, but I hope to see them win the Series someday in person. More than a century of failure has got to be nearly unbearable.
I still have the horrid memories of watching my San Francisco Giants lose the Series to the Anaheim Angles burned into my brain, and that was just on television. Watching my beloved Giants finally bring a trophy to San Francisco with fellow fans would send me into a frenzy.
I don't care how much it costs or how far I have to fly. I don't care if I lose my job or miss the birth of my first child. Next time the Giants are in game seven of the Series, you'll find me in the stands.
The sports staff can be reached at sports@statehornet.com
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