My Life's Highlight Reel
My Dad came home the other day and told me that his doctor partner
played a round of golf at Brentwood and aced the 15th hold for his
first ever hole-in-one. That's not the most uncommon thing in the
world. But my Dad wasn't done. Dr. Gindi didn't just ace 15, he
walked up to the par-3 17th hold and knocked another one in for ace #2
on the day. For those who don't play golf, you can go an entire career
without a hole in one, but 2 in one round? This is the first person I
know to ever accomplish the feat. It's so rare that the L.A. Times
actually had a little piece on it in the sports section and cited the
odds on this happening at about 10 million to 1. That got me to
thinking, what would be the best high you could have as an amateur
athlete? So here's my list.
Hit the halftime shot at a basketball game.
When I was in college I finagled my way into the supershot at Pauley Pavilion two years in a row. I've been going to UCLA basketball games with my Grandpa since I was of walking age and when I got old enough to understand what was going on, all I wanted to do was hit that halfcourt shot and win books and tuition for a year. Long story short, my junior year I got to try it, in the sold out USC game at halftime. You get 30 seconds to hit a lay-up, free throw, 3-pointer, and half court shot with each level garnering certain prizes. I was beyond nervous. I didn't want to miss the lay-up and I didn't want to air ball a free throw. I even tried banking in the first free throw to make sure I wouldn't alligator arm it and come up woefully short. Well, I made the lay-up, took 2 to make the free throw, made the second 3-pointer, but because of the time limit, I only had 2 seconds left, so I chucked it from the free throw line to the opposite basket and came up a hair short. Pretty close. Great moment with my Granpa in the arena, except he didn't hear my name and was in the bathroom. Wonderful. Fast forward to my senior year, I got to do it again. This time I made the lay-up, made the free throw, took three to make the 3-pointer and had enough time to get to half court and line up the shot. Now, because I've wanted to do this my entire life, I've practiced half court shots at my local gym as a kid, dreaming of nailing it. So I let it go and it felt good. The ball was dead on and I was holding my hand up like I was M.J. and had just let it go with Bryon Russell flying by. The ball went right over the front of the rim, caught back iron, then front iron and popped out. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! I've never jumped higher in my life thinking that ball was in, then fallen faster after it rimmed out. I got high fives all around. My Grandpa wasn't in the bathroom this time. I got a bunch of calls and emails from people who were there and I got to give a DVD player to my parents. But I often dream that the shot had fallen. I want one more try at it during a Lakers game. If anyone out there reading this can arrange it, please do so. I'll be indebted to you for life. Ok, maybe just a few weeks, but definitely indebted.
Catch fire in a basketball game and hit a game-winning 3.
I'm smiling just thinking about this. I don't even mean having this happen in an NBA game. I'd be perfectly satisfied having this happen in my little adult recreation league that I play in. I'm 5'8'' on a good day so shooting three-pointers is nothing new for me. I've hit some big ones, but outside of a pick-up game, I've never caught fire and then put the icing on the cake by hitting a buzzer beater. Just once I'd like for this to happen. Hitting big three-pointers is one of the bigger adrenaline rushes there is.
Catch a foul ball at a MLB game.
I'm not talking about a foul ball landing in the row in front of me and then jumping over three people to dive on it and claim it as my own. No, I want to be the guy that snares a foul ball with my bare hand and the people watching at home then get to listen to Vin Scully wax poetic about my feat. I had a shot at a foul ball once a couple of years back. I was sitting on the field level a couple of sections past first base. James Loney, a lefty, pulled one foul. The only problem was, it was a sharply hit line drive instead of a pop up. Thankfully I ducked instead of sticking my hand out because I think my hand would still be in section 36 somewhere if I had made a run at it. So all I want is a shot at a pop up in foul territory, just once.
Golden Goal
I was thinking about making a game winning penalty kick, but I've taken and made penalty kicks before. It's fun to have the spotlight on you, but when you're taking a PK, you're expected to convert. There isn't that sense that you just accomplished a great feat. I've never scored a goal in overtime to win a game though. I've scored a couple of late goals to tie games or take a late lead, but I'd imagine that a golden goal would give me that same adrenaline rush times ten.
Hole-in-one
I've had two hole-in-ones in my life. One came on the par-3 course at Rancho Park on the second hole. I was playing with my Grandpa and friends. I hit a sand wedge up in the air to the 100-yard hole. It hit behind the pin and spun back in. Pretty fun. My other one came on the 3rd hole at Rancho Park's regulation course. It's a 195-yard hole with a blind green. What's great is that I was skipping a class in college and wound up playing behind a high school match. The match randomly featured my former high school playing against my cousin's team. So it was a bunch of guys I knew waving me up. The way my cousin tells it, the distance ball I was messing around with that day hit the front of the green, rolled about 20 feet and slammed the pin. Everyone on the green went nuts, but being a cynical guy like me, I thought they were playing a joke on me, namely because my former coach was a jerk. So I didn't even enjoy the experience until after I checked the hole. I want one more. I know it's greedy, but I'd like another.
Dunk a basketball
Ok, so this one has a zero percent chance at ever happening. I'm 5'8'' on a good day and when I was 21 tried something called, "Air Alert" with my friends just so I could tap on lay-ups. I did so once or twice and probably permanently messed up my Achilles tendon in the process. So while I'm wishing to dunk a basketball, I may as well wish for dunking on someone on a breakaway. The closest I've come to this is coaching a 14-year old who accomplished this feat in a championship game. I've never been more jealous of a 14-year old in my life. Measuring someone trying to come from cross-court on a breakaway to block your shot and then dunking on him would be amazing. And to top it off, I'm going to wish for that person to be the guy who undercut me several months ago leading to a separated shoulder and the past 8 months without golf. So, yeah, I want to dunk on him.
Break 70 on a golf course
I can't believe how close I was to this one before coming unravelled on the last five holes. I was playing my home course, it's about 6650 yards and a par-71. I was only supposed to play nine holes and then meet my family for dinner but I was one under through 9 and up until then my best score on the course was a 72. So I called my family and asked if we could move dinner. My Dad talked my Mom into it and I got to play on. The 10th, 11th, and 12th holes are the toughest stretch on the course (a little easier than Amen Corner), but somehow, I birdied 10, parred 11, then birdied 12 to get myself to 3-under through 12. Do the math and all I needed to do was go 1-over the rest of the way to break 70. Well, I parred 13 then reached 14 in regulation. I knocked my birdie putt about 3-feet past the hole and yanked the comeback par put. 2-under through 14. Parred 15, then hit the green on the par-3 16th. Knocked my birdie putt a few feet past, and yup, missed another comeback three-footer for par. 1-under through 16 with two par fives left to play in 17 and 18. Long story short I scrambled for a par on 17 and lipped out a 15-foot birdie putt on 18. 70 on the dot. I injured my back soon after and haven't shot below 76 since. So for my sports wish list, more than anything, I'd like to break 70, just once.
Hit the halftime shot at a basketball game.
When I was in college I finagled my way into the supershot at Pauley Pavilion two years in a row. I've been going to UCLA basketball games with my Grandpa since I was of walking age and when I got old enough to understand what was going on, all I wanted to do was hit that halfcourt shot and win books and tuition for a year. Long story short, my junior year I got to try it, in the sold out USC game at halftime. You get 30 seconds to hit a lay-up, free throw, 3-pointer, and half court shot with each level garnering certain prizes. I was beyond nervous. I didn't want to miss the lay-up and I didn't want to air ball a free throw. I even tried banking in the first free throw to make sure I wouldn't alligator arm it and come up woefully short. Well, I made the lay-up, took 2 to make the free throw, made the second 3-pointer, but because of the time limit, I only had 2 seconds left, so I chucked it from the free throw line to the opposite basket and came up a hair short. Pretty close. Great moment with my Granpa in the arena, except he didn't hear my name and was in the bathroom. Wonderful. Fast forward to my senior year, I got to do it again. This time I made the lay-up, made the free throw, took three to make the 3-pointer and had enough time to get to half court and line up the shot. Now, because I've wanted to do this my entire life, I've practiced half court shots at my local gym as a kid, dreaming of nailing it. So I let it go and it felt good. The ball was dead on and I was holding my hand up like I was M.J. and had just let it go with Bryon Russell flying by. The ball went right over the front of the rim, caught back iron, then front iron and popped out. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! I've never jumped higher in my life thinking that ball was in, then fallen faster after it rimmed out. I got high fives all around. My Grandpa wasn't in the bathroom this time. I got a bunch of calls and emails from people who were there and I got to give a DVD player to my parents. But I often dream that the shot had fallen. I want one more try at it during a Lakers game. If anyone out there reading this can arrange it, please do so. I'll be indebted to you for life. Ok, maybe just a few weeks, but definitely indebted.
Catch fire in a basketball game and hit a game-winning 3.
I'm smiling just thinking about this. I don't even mean having this happen in an NBA game. I'd be perfectly satisfied having this happen in my little adult recreation league that I play in. I'm 5'8'' on a good day so shooting three-pointers is nothing new for me. I've hit some big ones, but outside of a pick-up game, I've never caught fire and then put the icing on the cake by hitting a buzzer beater. Just once I'd like for this to happen. Hitting big three-pointers is one of the bigger adrenaline rushes there is.
Catch a foul ball at a MLB game.
I'm not talking about a foul ball landing in the row in front of me and then jumping over three people to dive on it and claim it as my own. No, I want to be the guy that snares a foul ball with my bare hand and the people watching at home then get to listen to Vin Scully wax poetic about my feat. I had a shot at a foul ball once a couple of years back. I was sitting on the field level a couple of sections past first base. James Loney, a lefty, pulled one foul. The only problem was, it was a sharply hit line drive instead of a pop up. Thankfully I ducked instead of sticking my hand out because I think my hand would still be in section 36 somewhere if I had made a run at it. So all I want is a shot at a pop up in foul territory, just once.
Golden Goal
I was thinking about making a game winning penalty kick, but I've taken and made penalty kicks before. It's fun to have the spotlight on you, but when you're taking a PK, you're expected to convert. There isn't that sense that you just accomplished a great feat. I've never scored a goal in overtime to win a game though. I've scored a couple of late goals to tie games or take a late lead, but I'd imagine that a golden goal would give me that same adrenaline rush times ten.
Hole-in-one
I've had two hole-in-ones in my life. One came on the par-3 course at Rancho Park on the second hole. I was playing with my Grandpa and friends. I hit a sand wedge up in the air to the 100-yard hole. It hit behind the pin and spun back in. Pretty fun. My other one came on the 3rd hole at Rancho Park's regulation course. It's a 195-yard hole with a blind green. What's great is that I was skipping a class in college and wound up playing behind a high school match. The match randomly featured my former high school playing against my cousin's team. So it was a bunch of guys I knew waving me up. The way my cousin tells it, the distance ball I was messing around with that day hit the front of the green, rolled about 20 feet and slammed the pin. Everyone on the green went nuts, but being a cynical guy like me, I thought they were playing a joke on me, namely because my former coach was a jerk. So I didn't even enjoy the experience until after I checked the hole. I want one more. I know it's greedy, but I'd like another.
Dunk a basketball
Ok, so this one has a zero percent chance at ever happening. I'm 5'8'' on a good day and when I was 21 tried something called, "Air Alert" with my friends just so I could tap on lay-ups. I did so once or twice and probably permanently messed up my Achilles tendon in the process. So while I'm wishing to dunk a basketball, I may as well wish for dunking on someone on a breakaway. The closest I've come to this is coaching a 14-year old who accomplished this feat in a championship game. I've never been more jealous of a 14-year old in my life. Measuring someone trying to come from cross-court on a breakaway to block your shot and then dunking on him would be amazing. And to top it off, I'm going to wish for that person to be the guy who undercut me several months ago leading to a separated shoulder and the past 8 months without golf. So, yeah, I want to dunk on him.
Break 70 on a golf course
I can't believe how close I was to this one before coming unravelled on the last five holes. I was playing my home course, it's about 6650 yards and a par-71. I was only supposed to play nine holes and then meet my family for dinner but I was one under through 9 and up until then my best score on the course was a 72. So I called my family and asked if we could move dinner. My Dad talked my Mom into it and I got to play on. The 10th, 11th, and 12th holes are the toughest stretch on the course (a little easier than Amen Corner), but somehow, I birdied 10, parred 11, then birdied 12 to get myself to 3-under through 12. Do the math and all I needed to do was go 1-over the rest of the way to break 70. Well, I parred 13 then reached 14 in regulation. I knocked my birdie putt about 3-feet past the hole and yanked the comeback par put. 2-under through 14. Parred 15, then hit the green on the par-3 16th. Knocked my birdie putt a few feet past, and yup, missed another comeback three-footer for par. 1-under through 16 with two par fives left to play in 17 and 18. Long story short I scrambled for a par on 17 and lipped out a 15-foot birdie putt on 18. 70 on the dot. I injured my back soon after and haven't shot below 76 since. So for my sports wish list, more than anything, I'd like to break 70, just once.
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