West Valley, UT- “We don’t see things the way they are. We see things the way WE are.”- The Talmund
Although the Grizzlies were 13-6 coming into their Friday night matchup with the Ontario Reign, you would think they were 0-19 judging by the gloom that has seemed to be hanging over the team as of late. Granted, Utah did give up six goals last time out, escaping with a narrow 7-6 win over the Reign. And head coach Kevin Colley hasn't exactly been silent about his feelings that some members of the team have been playing "soft and scared." But shouldn't they be encouraged by the overall record to this point?
Perhaps a big home win could prove to be enough to allow Utah to shake their current Eeyore-like demeanor. But just 19 seconds into the first period, those rain clouds looked as though they would grow into a monsoon.
Ontario took the opening faceoff quickly down the ice, and before the Utah defense could even get back in the zone, James McEwan scored his first goal of the season, slapping the first shot of the game past Grizzlies goalie Mitch O'Keefe, giving the Reign a very early 1-0 lead. O'Keefe got the start between the pipes, despite giving up the afore mentioned six goals on Wednesday night to the same Ontario team.
Luckily, Utah did not panic.
The Grizzlies responded well, outshooting the Reign 6-3 over the next six minutes. And at 6:31, the offensive push paid off. Wingman Jadran Beljo scored his 8th goal of the season off passes from May and Kotsopoulos, tying the game at 1-1.
Kinasewich then added to his 17 shots in his first two games back with Utah by continuously pounding slap shots on goal throughout the first period. Fellow forward Vlady Nikiforov also refused to let Ontario get comfortable, putting two big shots on goal and keeping the Reign's defense on their heels. A direct result of challenging the defense usually is the creation of power plays, and that's exactly what the Grizzlies were able to do for the rest of the first period.
With 3:13 left in the frame, Ontario was called for a tripping minor, giving the ECHL's power play scoring leader Grizzlies a chance to display their strengths. And while it took the Reign just 19 seconds off the opening drop to score their first goal of the game, it took Utah a mere 17 seconds into their first power play to get goal number two of the night, as RW Shea Guthrie scored off passes from Dustin Friesen and May, giving May his second assist of the game. And at the first intermission, the Grizzlies took a 2-1 lead into the locker room.
Going into the second period, Utah picked up right where they left off when Tom May added a goal to his two assists just 2:31 into the period. And the Grizzlies weren't about to stop there. Not after seeing the Reign score 3 goals in 1:41 Wednesday night.
Sticking with their game plan, Utah forced Ontario to committ a hooking minor at 5:43, givng the Grizzlies another five-on four advantage. Moving quickly down the ice, darting in and out of defenders, Shea Guthrie took the puck coast to coast and buried it in the back of the net for an unassisted second goal of the game. Now leading 4-1, Utah fans in the E-Center were still hesitant to feel satisfied, no doubt remembering the previously noted six goals the Reign put on the board Wednesday night.
With a few minutes left in the period, Ontario proved that uneasy feeling to be well merited, as they were able to add another pelt to their collection of goals in West Valley, closing the gap to 4-2, and closing out the second period with the momentum now in their favor.
But if the Reign thought they were going to mount another stunning comeback against the Grizzlies, they would soon have those plans dashed to pieces, as the third period proved to be all-Grizzlies. Capped off with a goal by Nikiforov (his 20th of the year) and another assist for May (giving him a four point night). Forward A.J. Perry was also able to add an empty-netter, and Utah poured the rain out on the Reign, finding the morale-boosting victory they had been looking for.
Though he wasn't whistling Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah in his post game interview, Grizzlies head coach Kevin Colley certainly was in better spirits than he had been in recent days. "This is definitely a better feeling than we've had for the last while.
Anytime guys had an opportunity they made the most of it, and that's all you can ask out of them."
Utah will next welcome Idaho, their neighbors to the north, into the E-Center Saturday night. The Steelheads lost 6-1 to the Alaska Aces on Friday, and after a quick trip down I-15 are not likely to be in the cheeriest of moods. If you like physical, hard-hitting, short tempered hockey, this will be the game to watch.
Notice to the Steelheads: Grizzlies enjoy the taste of fish.
Austin Horton
1230 KFAN-2 (KJQS)
Austin's Sports Blog (the one place where he is ALWAYS right)
Friday, December 4, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Aces Run Wild Over Grizzlies
WEST VALLEY, UT- The puck had barely been dropped to the ice when the Alaska Aces scored the first goal of the night, taking the opening faceoff into the Grizzlies’ zone and driving a slap shot past goalie Parker Van Buskirk. This was not exactly the “rebound start” Utah’s coaching staff had been hoping to see from the Grizzlies after a disappointing loss the night prior to the same Aces team.
Utah did welcome back forward Ryan Kinasewich after he spent the majority of his two weeks in the AHL on the Hamilton Bulldogs’ bench. Kinasewich reassumed his position as team captain, and brought with him a ray of hope to a Utah scoring campaign that had decreased significantly since his departure. Kinasewich leads the ECHL in both goals and game-winning goals, and while most around the team are puzzled as to why Hamilton would have called Kinasewich up only to have him ride the pine, they are certainly happy to have him and his hot stick back in West Valley and in a Grizzlies’ uniform.
However, Friday night’s game proved to be an ugly homecoming.
Following the early strike by the Aces, Kinasewich wasted no time firing the puck back at Alaska’s net, as he had five of Utah’s eleven shots on goal in the first period. Problem was, none of the Grizzlies’ shots landed home, and Alaska (who came into West Valley as a below .500 team) added another goal. After the quick first period, the Aces led 2-0.
And things didn’t start off any better in the second period than they did in the first, as Alaska put a third goal past Van Buskirk less than one minute after play had resumed. That forced Utah coach Kevin Colley to replace Van Buskirk with Mitch O’Keefe, who had an eight game win streak snapped by the Aces in the loss the night prior.
Not even two minutes after the change, Alaska was called for a slashing minor, and Utah went on the 5-4 man advantage. The ensuing face off was won by the Grizzlies, and Tom May followed a rebound shot for Utah’s first goal of the game, cutting the Aces lead to two. But the sparkling momentum proved to be merely fools’ gold, as the Grizzlies would fail to score another goal until late in the third period.
Behind the outstanding play of goalie Scott Reed (who entered the game having stopped 82 of Utah’s last 86 shots on goal in their previous three meetings, and ended the night with 42 saves) the Aces began to run wild. They even managed to pour in a five-on-three short handed goal as part of their three goal second period. As the horn ending the frame sounded, Alaska headed to the locker room leading 6-1, and most of the spectators at the E-Center headed to the parking lot, perhaps finding refuge in a big Jazz win over the visiting Trail Blazers in Salt Lake City.
With both teams having seemingly decided this particular hockey game had ended in the second period with the Aces’ sixth goal of the contest, the third period panned out to be a relatively quite one. Aside from a few scuffles and a meaningless second feel-good goal by the Grizzlies, the game ended without any momentum swings or pushing drives for Utah, and the Aces left the state for the last time in ’09 with a 6-2 victory.
The Grizzlies will now have to find a way to bounce back quickly from such an ugly loss, as they head into a December schedule that has Utah playing feared Idaho Steelheads three times (once on the road), a team that is far and beyond the favorite to win the ECHL championship. Also, coach Kevin Colley mentioned in his post game interview that changes would need to be made to the team, as he didn’t see “more than a few players who were willing to stick up for their teammates.” Whether he meant line adjustments or flat out trades, either way this Utah team has their work cut out for them, and not knowing who will be playing and when may prove to be a major road bump in their season.
But then again, if they can pick it back up quickly, this stretch may be less grisly for the Grizzlies than Friday night’s outcome.
Austin Horton
860 AM/1230 KFAN-2/1320 KFAN
Utah did welcome back forward Ryan Kinasewich after he spent the majority of his two weeks in the AHL on the Hamilton Bulldogs’ bench. Kinasewich reassumed his position as team captain, and brought with him a ray of hope to a Utah scoring campaign that had decreased significantly since his departure. Kinasewich leads the ECHL in both goals and game-winning goals, and while most around the team are puzzled as to why Hamilton would have called Kinasewich up only to have him ride the pine, they are certainly happy to have him and his hot stick back in West Valley and in a Grizzlies’ uniform.
However, Friday night’s game proved to be an ugly homecoming.
Following the early strike by the Aces, Kinasewich wasted no time firing the puck back at Alaska’s net, as he had five of Utah’s eleven shots on goal in the first period. Problem was, none of the Grizzlies’ shots landed home, and Alaska (who came into West Valley as a below .500 team) added another goal. After the quick first period, the Aces led 2-0.
And things didn’t start off any better in the second period than they did in the first, as Alaska put a third goal past Van Buskirk less than one minute after play had resumed. That forced Utah coach Kevin Colley to replace Van Buskirk with Mitch O’Keefe, who had an eight game win streak snapped by the Aces in the loss the night prior.
Not even two minutes after the change, Alaska was called for a slashing minor, and Utah went on the 5-4 man advantage. The ensuing face off was won by the Grizzlies, and Tom May followed a rebound shot for Utah’s first goal of the game, cutting the Aces lead to two. But the sparkling momentum proved to be merely fools’ gold, as the Grizzlies would fail to score another goal until late in the third period.
Behind the outstanding play of goalie Scott Reed (who entered the game having stopped 82 of Utah’s last 86 shots on goal in their previous three meetings, and ended the night with 42 saves) the Aces began to run wild. They even managed to pour in a five-on-three short handed goal as part of their three goal second period. As the horn ending the frame sounded, Alaska headed to the locker room leading 6-1, and most of the spectators at the E-Center headed to the parking lot, perhaps finding refuge in a big Jazz win over the visiting Trail Blazers in Salt Lake City.
With both teams having seemingly decided this particular hockey game had ended in the second period with the Aces’ sixth goal of the contest, the third period panned out to be a relatively quite one. Aside from a few scuffles and a meaningless second feel-good goal by the Grizzlies, the game ended without any momentum swings or pushing drives for Utah, and the Aces left the state for the last time in ’09 with a 6-2 victory.
The Grizzlies will now have to find a way to bounce back quickly from such an ugly loss, as they head into a December schedule that has Utah playing feared Idaho Steelheads three times (once on the road), a team that is far and beyond the favorite to win the ECHL championship. Also, coach Kevin Colley mentioned in his post game interview that changes would need to be made to the team, as he didn’t see “more than a few players who were willing to stick up for their teammates.” Whether he meant line adjustments or flat out trades, either way this Utah team has their work cut out for them, and not knowing who will be playing and when may prove to be a major road bump in their season.
But then again, if they can pick it back up quickly, this stretch may be less grisly for the Grizzlies than Friday night’s outcome.
Austin Horton
860 AM/1230 KFAN-2/1320 KFAN
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Giants-Broncos, Thanksgiving night 2009
DENVER, CO-As far as tryptophan is concerned, there was not an adequate dosage available for New York Giants fans on Thanksgiving night, as their team lossed badly to the surprisingly competitive Denver Broncos, 26-6.
Both squads came into the final game of the holiday with 6-4 records (the Broncos having lost 4 in a row). While that many wins was more than any of Denver's followers might have expected even by the end of the season, no one figured the Giants, just one season removed from becoming Super Bowl champs, would be struggling this badly on both sides of the ball. Especially with Eli Manning (whom they gave an astoundingly large amount of money in a new contract extension last summer) at the helm. But when you score more field goals than touchdowns-or when you fail to score even ONE touchdown- in a game, history says you'll most likely lose.
Behind Kyle Orton's arm (yes, THAT Kyle Orton) and a strong defensive outing, the Broncos looked as though they had made a deal with the devil and switched lives with New York. Denver flat out dominated the Giants in every statistical area of the game, both offensively and defensively. And halfway through the fourth quarter, after Denver went up by twenty, it was evident that on this Thanksgiving night, the G in G-men stood for Garbage.
Elvis Dumervil, Denver's fourth year defensive end, wrapped up the evening addressing the story that the team had held a players-only meeting previously in the week by offering a huge grin to the reporter and stating, "...I'm just grateful for everything tonight; especially a win over the Giants." Clearly, whatever was ailing the Broncos, Mr. Dumervil believes it has gone the way of Thanksgivings past.
For those Giants fans who were listening to the game over the radio waves, some escape from the torture was provided when the broadcast was momentarily knocked off the air shortly following Eli Manning's game-icing interception. However, for those fans who were unfortunate enough to have been viewing the game on television, perhaps a healthy helping of leftover turkey, coupled with a glass of warm milk, would have been the route to take.
All in all, the Broncos kept their playoff hopes alive (at least for this week), while helping themselves to a Giant(s) holiday feast.
Austin Horton
1230 KFAN-2
Both squads came into the final game of the holiday with 6-4 records (the Broncos having lost 4 in a row). While that many wins was more than any of Denver's followers might have expected even by the end of the season, no one figured the Giants, just one season removed from becoming Super Bowl champs, would be struggling this badly on both sides of the ball. Especially with Eli Manning (whom they gave an astoundingly large amount of money in a new contract extension last summer) at the helm. But when you score more field goals than touchdowns-or when you fail to score even ONE touchdown- in a game, history says you'll most likely lose.
Behind Kyle Orton's arm (yes, THAT Kyle Orton) and a strong defensive outing, the Broncos looked as though they had made a deal with the devil and switched lives with New York. Denver flat out dominated the Giants in every statistical area of the game, both offensively and defensively. And halfway through the fourth quarter, after Denver went up by twenty, it was evident that on this Thanksgiving night, the G in G-men stood for Garbage.
Elvis Dumervil, Denver's fourth year defensive end, wrapped up the evening addressing the story that the team had held a players-only meeting previously in the week by offering a huge grin to the reporter and stating, "...I'm just grateful for everything tonight; especially a win over the Giants." Clearly, whatever was ailing the Broncos, Mr. Dumervil believes it has gone the way of Thanksgivings past.
For those Giants fans who were listening to the game over the radio waves, some escape from the torture was provided when the broadcast was momentarily knocked off the air shortly following Eli Manning's game-icing interception. However, for those fans who were unfortunate enough to have been viewing the game on television, perhaps a healthy helping of leftover turkey, coupled with a glass of warm milk, would have been the route to take.
All in all, the Broncos kept their playoff hopes alive (at least for this week), while helping themselves to a Giant(s) holiday feast.
Austin Horton
1230 KFAN-2
Friday, November 20, 2009
NFL Thursday on Fox Radio: Carolina vs Miami, 11-19-09
I decided to start blogging some of the games that I get to produce for the radio station I've been moonlighting at. It's a sports station in Salt Lake called KFAN. It's actually the highest rated station in the state, and the flagship station for the Utah Jazz (this really is quite a big deal; I'm very lucky to start my career off at such a great launching pad). Anyway, here's the first entry: The Thursday night game in the NFL between the Dolphins and Panthers, which I produced on the air (1230 AM KFAN-2)
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Miami Dolphins swam into North Carolina Thursday night weathering the tidal wave that was caused by the news that star running back Ronnie Brown would require season ending surgery to repair an injured ankle. Not only that, but they also have been going at it with a rookie at quarterback and a kick returner as their main receiver. The Panthers, who have been bogged down by the less than stellar play of quarterback Jake Delhomme, were all but salivating in anticipation of what could have been a strong, rallying win for their team. However, the Dolphins' once-retired RB Ricky Williams had other plans in mind....
The starting kickoff resulted in great field position for the Panthers after the Dolphins' Dan Carpenter slipped as he connected with the ball. Carolina then drove far enough for a John Kasay field goal, and the score at the end of the first quarter was 3-0 Panthers.
But that was about all the good that occurred for Carolina in the entire first half of play (they did knock in a second field goal). Ricky Williams took a handoff and a pass from Chad Henne all the way for scores, and the Dolphin defense sacked Delhomme twice in the first and once more in the second quarter. The Dolphins went into the locker room leading 14-3.
In the second half Carolina seemed to wake up a bit, no doubt spurned by their home crowd fans' boos and criticisms in reaction to the poor effort the Panthers had displayed to that point. After holding Miami to a field goal on their first posession in the third, the Panthers took control of the momentum. DeAngelo Williams took a delayed handoff up the middle for 39 yards. Two plays later, Delhomme connected with Smith in the end zone for six. With the score now 17-12, head coach John Fox kept his offense on the field, opting to go for two rather than kick the extra point. It proved to be the right decision, as Williams dove across the goal line to convert the try. The crowd was alive, the players were walking with swagger, and Carolina seemed to have turned the corner on the way to a home victory. But, as mentioned before, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas knew just how to spoil the party.
The Panthers defense forced Miami into an almost must-convert third down with six minutes left in the game. Chad Henne dropped back in the pocket, avoided one tackler and threw a laser to the tight end Hartline for a gain of 13 and the first down conversion. As Miami ran to the line, Henne went to the sidelines, leaving Williams in the slot for the snap. Out of that Wildcat formation, Williams took the ball and scampered 46 yards for his third touchdown of the game, and completely deflated the hopes of a comeback win for Carolina.
Although the Panthers tried to make it a game late in the fourth, making another field goal and closing the gap to a score, they were unable to come up with the onside kick. Not that the game was over then by any stretch. Miami failed to convert a first down, and Carolina took the ball back with 54 seconds left. After Delhomme connected with Smith over the middle to the Miami 45, Carolina spiked the ball and set up for one last end zone heave. Delhomme's desperation throw had the distance it needed, but Miami's defense knocked it down, and time expired. The Dolphins escaped Carolina with a 24-17 win.
Following the game, Miami linebacker Joey Porter mused over the affects Ricky Williams' performance had on the outcome of the game. With a chuckle in his voice, Porter said, "Ricky ran the ball like he was 25 again."
-Austin Horton
1230 AM
KFAN 2
****Let me know if you like it, please. Thanks*****
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Miami Dolphins swam into North Carolina Thursday night weathering the tidal wave that was caused by the news that star running back Ronnie Brown would require season ending surgery to repair an injured ankle. Not only that, but they also have been going at it with a rookie at quarterback and a kick returner as their main receiver. The Panthers, who have been bogged down by the less than stellar play of quarterback Jake Delhomme, were all but salivating in anticipation of what could have been a strong, rallying win for their team. However, the Dolphins' once-retired RB Ricky Williams had other plans in mind....
The starting kickoff resulted in great field position for the Panthers after the Dolphins' Dan Carpenter slipped as he connected with the ball. Carolina then drove far enough for a John Kasay field goal, and the score at the end of the first quarter was 3-0 Panthers.
But that was about all the good that occurred for Carolina in the entire first half of play (they did knock in a second field goal). Ricky Williams took a handoff and a pass from Chad Henne all the way for scores, and the Dolphin defense sacked Delhomme twice in the first and once more in the second quarter. The Dolphins went into the locker room leading 14-3.
In the second half Carolina seemed to wake up a bit, no doubt spurned by their home crowd fans' boos and criticisms in reaction to the poor effort the Panthers had displayed to that point. After holding Miami to a field goal on their first posession in the third, the Panthers took control of the momentum. DeAngelo Williams took a delayed handoff up the middle for 39 yards. Two plays later, Delhomme connected with Smith in the end zone for six. With the score now 17-12, head coach John Fox kept his offense on the field, opting to go for two rather than kick the extra point. It proved to be the right decision, as Williams dove across the goal line to convert the try. The crowd was alive, the players were walking with swagger, and Carolina seemed to have turned the corner on the way to a home victory. But, as mentioned before, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas knew just how to spoil the party.
The Panthers defense forced Miami into an almost must-convert third down with six minutes left in the game. Chad Henne dropped back in the pocket, avoided one tackler and threw a laser to the tight end Hartline for a gain of 13 and the first down conversion. As Miami ran to the line, Henne went to the sidelines, leaving Williams in the slot for the snap. Out of that Wildcat formation, Williams took the ball and scampered 46 yards for his third touchdown of the game, and completely deflated the hopes of a comeback win for Carolina.
Although the Panthers tried to make it a game late in the fourth, making another field goal and closing the gap to a score, they were unable to come up with the onside kick. Not that the game was over then by any stretch. Miami failed to convert a first down, and Carolina took the ball back with 54 seconds left. After Delhomme connected with Smith over the middle to the Miami 45, Carolina spiked the ball and set up for one last end zone heave. Delhomme's desperation throw had the distance it needed, but Miami's defense knocked it down, and time expired. The Dolphins escaped Carolina with a 24-17 win.
Following the game, Miami linebacker Joey Porter mused over the affects Ricky Williams' performance had on the outcome of the game. With a chuckle in his voice, Porter said, "Ricky ran the ball like he was 25 again."
-Austin Horton
1230 AM
KFAN 2
****Let me know if you like it, please. Thanks*****
Sunday, July 26, 2009
I love Rick Reilly essays!
Rick Reilly used to write a weekly column in Sports Illustrated. He is the best writer I've ever read, and he doesn't just write about sports. It's all related to life, and this is the best one he's written.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
In 25 years I've been to at least 1,000 press conferences. World Series, Super Bowls, prizefights -- huge rooms full of tough guys. But the most gripping press conference, the most unforgettable one, was last Thursday in a little room in Grand Junction, Colo., starring a guy as skinny as a two-iron.
That was when 27-year-old adventurer Aron Ralston described for the world how he had saved his life by cutting off his lower right arm with a dull pocketknife.
For five days Ralston's arm was pinned by an 800-pound boulder -- after he'd lowered himself off it, the boulder had shifted onto his arm -- in a forbidding three-foot-wide crevice in the remote Bluejohn Canyon in southeastern Utah. He tried everything to move the boulder, throwing his body at it, chipping away at it. The thing didn't budge.
On the third day, out of food and water and ideas, he stared at his cheap multiuse tool, the kind you get free with a $15 flashlight, and realized what he had to do. He used a pair of cycling shorts for a tourniquet, picked up the knife, took a deep breath and began sawing into his own skin.
The blade was too dull to even do that. "Wouldn't even cut my arm hairs," he said.
Still, for two more days, he kept at it -- through skin, muscle and agony. As he spoke, his parents, Donna and Larry, sitting on either side of him, wept quietly. Donna held Aron's left hand under the table. Hardened members of the media, people who'd covered wars, were crying, but Aron didn't cry. He told his story like a man describing how he had fixed his lawnmower.
But imagine it. How do you keep slicing into yourself against unthinkable pain, when you know it's you inflicting that pain? "I felt pain," he said with a half smile. "I coped. I moved on." Then he stopped cutting. He had to. He couldn't get through the bone.
Now, even for a Carnegie Mellon honors grad, a former mechanical engineer for Intel, a man who has climbed solo 45 peaks of at least 14,000 feet, all in winter, often after midnight, usually without oxygen canisters, GPS or radio, this seemed a problem he couldn't solve. "I needed a bone saw."
Alternating between depression and visions of family members, friends and dreams of "tall, tasty margaritas," getting a "kind of peace" from the idea of death and yet willing himself on, a revelation suddenly came to him: "It occurred to me that if I could break my bones up at the wrist, where they were trapped, I could be freed."
It occurred to you? It occurred to you that if you snapped the bones of your own arm, this would be a solution?
Sorry, but if it's me, I'm dead. Bring on the wolves and the vultures. Let the winds spread my remains over the sandstone. In fact I'm pretty sure I don't even saw into my arm. I weep when removing a Garfield Band-Aid.
But not Aron Ralston. He found a way to live. "All the desires, joys and euphorias of a future life came rushing into me," he said. "Maybe this is how I handled the pain. I was so happy to be taking action."
It took him most of the morning, but -- and how often do you get to write this sentence? -- he was finally able to break the wrist bones in half. Yes, he did. Using torque and the strength he had left, the man purposely broke two bones in his already flayed arm. As he described that, everyone in the room forgot to blink, scribble, breathe.
Though he declined to describe what he had to do next, there is only one thing Ralston could've done -- and a hospital official later explained this: He would've had to stretch his body away from that trapped hand to separate the broken ends of those bones. That would be the only way to make a path for the pocketknife to pass through.
Who's hungry?
That done, "it took about an hour," he said, to finish the amputation. Amazing. The man sawed off a body part and timed himself.
Finally free, the mountain-shop worker from Aspen crawled through that narrow, winding stretch of canyon, rappelled 60 feet down a cliff and hiked about six miles, all with one arm and one profusely bleeding stump, until he met what had to be two horrified Dutch hikers.
Ralston may never play concert piano again (he minored in performance piano composition at Carnegie Mellon), but he vows to keep exploring every inch of the West, as did the great John Wesley Powell, for whom Lake Powell is named -- the great one-armed explorer, John Wesley Powell.
They call Ralston an extreme athlete, but the courage and will he displayed over those five days is not extreme, it's legendary. Don't care who you meet, you'll never find anybody tougher than this guy. After the press conference, back in his hospital room, he said, "I wish I could've been funnier."
Yeah, Aron. Next time, can you do something to liven it up?
Issue date: May 19, 2003
Rick Reilly, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, has been voted National Sportswriter of the Year eight times. His latest book, Who's Your Caddy?, his misadventures caddying for tour pros like Jack Nicklaus and David Duval, hit bookstores in May. He is also the author of the best-selling compliation The Life of Reilly, and the cult classic golf novel, Missing Links, as well as five other books.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
In 25 years I've been to at least 1,000 press conferences. World Series, Super Bowls, prizefights -- huge rooms full of tough guys. But the most gripping press conference, the most unforgettable one, was last Thursday in a little room in Grand Junction, Colo., starring a guy as skinny as a two-iron.
That was when 27-year-old adventurer Aron Ralston described for the world how he had saved his life by cutting off his lower right arm with a dull pocketknife.
For five days Ralston's arm was pinned by an 800-pound boulder -- after he'd lowered himself off it, the boulder had shifted onto his arm -- in a forbidding three-foot-wide crevice in the remote Bluejohn Canyon in southeastern Utah. He tried everything to move the boulder, throwing his body at it, chipping away at it. The thing didn't budge.
On the third day, out of food and water and ideas, he stared at his cheap multiuse tool, the kind you get free with a $15 flashlight, and realized what he had to do. He used a pair of cycling shorts for a tourniquet, picked up the knife, took a deep breath and began sawing into his own skin.
The blade was too dull to even do that. "Wouldn't even cut my arm hairs," he said.
Still, for two more days, he kept at it -- through skin, muscle and agony. As he spoke, his parents, Donna and Larry, sitting on either side of him, wept quietly. Donna held Aron's left hand under the table. Hardened members of the media, people who'd covered wars, were crying, but Aron didn't cry. He told his story like a man describing how he had fixed his lawnmower.
But imagine it. How do you keep slicing into yourself against unthinkable pain, when you know it's you inflicting that pain? "I felt pain," he said with a half smile. "I coped. I moved on." Then he stopped cutting. He had to. He couldn't get through the bone.
Now, even for a Carnegie Mellon honors grad, a former mechanical engineer for Intel, a man who has climbed solo 45 peaks of at least 14,000 feet, all in winter, often after midnight, usually without oxygen canisters, GPS or radio, this seemed a problem he couldn't solve. "I needed a bone saw."
Alternating between depression and visions of family members, friends and dreams of "tall, tasty margaritas," getting a "kind of peace" from the idea of death and yet willing himself on, a revelation suddenly came to him: "It occurred to me that if I could break my bones up at the wrist, where they were trapped, I could be freed."
It occurred to you? It occurred to you that if you snapped the bones of your own arm, this would be a solution?
Sorry, but if it's me, I'm dead. Bring on the wolves and the vultures. Let the winds spread my remains over the sandstone. In fact I'm pretty sure I don't even saw into my arm. I weep when removing a Garfield Band-Aid.
But not Aron Ralston. He found a way to live. "All the desires, joys and euphorias of a future life came rushing into me," he said. "Maybe this is how I handled the pain. I was so happy to be taking action."
It took him most of the morning, but -- and how often do you get to write this sentence? -- he was finally able to break the wrist bones in half. Yes, he did. Using torque and the strength he had left, the man purposely broke two bones in his already flayed arm. As he described that, everyone in the room forgot to blink, scribble, breathe.
Though he declined to describe what he had to do next, there is only one thing Ralston could've done -- and a hospital official later explained this: He would've had to stretch his body away from that trapped hand to separate the broken ends of those bones. That would be the only way to make a path for the pocketknife to pass through.
Who's hungry?
That done, "it took about an hour," he said, to finish the amputation. Amazing. The man sawed off a body part and timed himself.
Finally free, the mountain-shop worker from Aspen crawled through that narrow, winding stretch of canyon, rappelled 60 feet down a cliff and hiked about six miles, all with one arm and one profusely bleeding stump, until he met what had to be two horrified Dutch hikers.
Ralston may never play concert piano again (he minored in performance piano composition at Carnegie Mellon), but he vows to keep exploring every inch of the West, as did the great John Wesley Powell, for whom Lake Powell is named -- the great one-armed explorer, John Wesley Powell.
They call Ralston an extreme athlete, but the courage and will he displayed over those five days is not extreme, it's legendary. Don't care who you meet, you'll never find anybody tougher than this guy. After the press conference, back in his hospital room, he said, "I wish I could've been funnier."
Yeah, Aron. Next time, can you do something to liven it up?
Issue date: May 19, 2003
Rick Reilly, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, has been voted National Sportswriter of the Year eight times. His latest book, Who's Your Caddy?, his misadventures caddying for tour pros like Jack Nicklaus and David Duval, hit bookstores in May. He is also the author of the best-selling compliation The Life of Reilly, and the cult classic golf novel, Missing Links, as well as five other books.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Most Exciting Moment In Sports
Ok, so most anyone who knows me knows that I'm a sports freak. I don't care what sport it is (though I do have my favorites), if it's on TV I'm probably watching it.
That said, I've seen a lot of exciting plays and moments in sports. There have been buzzer beating shots in basketball, returned kickoffs and fumbles where you'd swear the ball was covered in dish soap in football, shootouts in soccer, fights in hockey, TKO's in boxing, a phenomenally long rally in tennis, and many more.
However, today I've realized the MOST exciting moment in sports is in fact the walk-off homerun in baseball.
(Walk-off homerun: a batter hits the ball over the fence to take the lead in the bottom of the last inning in a game.)
Today, the Dodgers and Phillies were playing on Fox13. I turned the TV on just as LA was coming to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 2-1. Rafael Furcal hit a pinch-hit homerun into right field, JUST out of the long reach of Phillies right-fielder Jayson Werth and tied the game 2-2. Then, in the bottom of the 12th inning, Andre Ethier, the Dodgers' right-fielder took a fast ball to the deepest point in the park and won the game. The sheer joy and excitement of moments like this never change. They are all equally satisfying and/or excruciating, depending on which team you're cheering for, but they are always exciting! The players make this even more evident as they act like they've just won the World Series every time this happens, even if it's a middle of the week day game against the Nationals. It's just plain fun!
Anyway, if you don't agree with me, you should at least check out this link to a video of the greatest walk off homer ever!
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=42851829
Background: With a stomach virus and injuries to both legs sustained during the League Championship Series, Gibson was not expected to play at all. In Game 1, on October 15, 1988 at Dodger Stadium, with the Dodgers trailing by a score of 4–3, Mike Davis on first, and two out in the ninth inning, manager Tommy Lasorda inserted Gibson as a pinch hitter.
Gibson hobbled up to the plate to face Oakland's future Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley. The rest is history.....
That said, I've seen a lot of exciting plays and moments in sports. There have been buzzer beating shots in basketball, returned kickoffs and fumbles where you'd swear the ball was covered in dish soap in football, shootouts in soccer, fights in hockey, TKO's in boxing, a phenomenally long rally in tennis, and many more.
However, today I've realized the MOST exciting moment in sports is in fact the walk-off homerun in baseball.
(Walk-off homerun: a batter hits the ball over the fence to take the lead in the bottom of the last inning in a game.)
Today, the Dodgers and Phillies were playing on Fox13. I turned the TV on just as LA was coming to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 2-1. Rafael Furcal hit a pinch-hit homerun into right field, JUST out of the long reach of Phillies right-fielder Jayson Werth and tied the game 2-2. Then, in the bottom of the 12th inning, Andre Ethier, the Dodgers' right-fielder took a fast ball to the deepest point in the park and won the game. The sheer joy and excitement of moments like this never change. They are all equally satisfying and/or excruciating, depending on which team you're cheering for, but they are always exciting! The players make this even more evident as they act like they've just won the World Series every time this happens, even if it's a middle of the week day game against the Nationals. It's just plain fun!
Anyway, if you don't agree with me, you should at least check out this link to a video of the greatest walk off homer ever!
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=42851829
Background: With a stomach virus and injuries to both legs sustained during the League Championship Series, Gibson was not expected to play at all. In Game 1, on October 15, 1988 at Dodger Stadium, with the Dodgers trailing by a score of 4–3, Mike Davis on first, and two out in the ninth inning, manager Tommy Lasorda inserted Gibson as a pinch hitter.
Gibson hobbled up to the plate to face Oakland's future Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley. The rest is history.....
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Jazz vs Rockets Mar 24
So tonight I didn't have anything to do, so I sat down to watch the Jazz and Rockets basketball game. (OK, even if I had had something to do, I STILL would have sat down and watched the Jazz game) During the second quarter, I kind of started to notice that Houston seemed to be passing the ball a lot less than the Jazz were. This surprised me, because ever since the Rockets' star player Tracy McGrady went down with an injury, all everyone has said is how much better of a team the Rockets are now without him because they pass the ball more and play "team" basketball. (Insinuating that McGrady is a ball hog and tries to do it all by himself)
So, at halftime, I decided to grab a pen and some paper and keep track of some stats for the second half. I kept track of the following stats:
-How many passes the team made before shooting the ball
-How much time was left on the 24 second shot clock when they shot the ball
-Fouls, and how many points each team gave up because of them
-Made/missed shots
-Turnovers
Well, if you're still reading this, you must be interested enough for me to finish; at the end of the game I added up all the stats and decided upon 4 main arguments as to why the Jazz were able to win the game:
A) The Jazz shot 63% in the 2nd half of the game, while the Rockets only shot 40%.
-Of the 26 shots the Jazz made, 21 of them came off assists (passes)
-Of the 18 shots the Rockets made, 12 of them came off assists (passes)
B)While the Jazz turned the ball over 8 times, they remained calm and didn't panic. Meaning, they continued to stick to their game plan, work the shot clock down around 11 seconds left and make the pass needed to score more easily. In contrast, the Rockets turned the ball over 7 times, but decided to panic and go away from their game plan. They started playing a lot more one-on-one, isolation, try to drive it to the hoop every time basketball. As a result, they missed a lot of shots, had a lot of shots blocked, and ended up with a poor shooting percentage.
C)This one was BIG: Yao Ming, the humongous center for the Houston Rockets, is a very tall, muscular presence who can score with ease, and cause lots of pain on defense with tons of blocks. However, I noticed that the Jazz only committed 4 shooting fouls in the second half. This is phenomenal when you consider how good Yao Ming is around the basket. He only went to the free throw line twice in the second half!!! The Jazz did a great job defending him, as well as the perimeter.
D) Finally, the shot clock game: Utah shot 79% with the shot clock between 11 and 15 seconds left (this is the time frame in which Utah took the bulk of their shots; it also proves statistically to be the best time frame in which to score in a basketball game). The Rockets only shot 42% in that same time frame. Also, the Rockets took most of their shots early in the shot clock (16 seconds or more left on the shot clock) and only made 8 out of 19 (42%) of those shots. That they shot most often that early in the shot clock means they were rushing their shots, usually shooting after only 1 or 0 passes per possession. (passing spreads the defense, and allows guys to get open-thus creating better and more scoring opportunities)
OK, well, I'm done. Bottom line: The Jazz did what they've done all season at home, but haven't been able to do on the road. That is, remain calm and stick to the game plan (passing, working the clock, defense) even when things don't go perfectly (turnovers, fouls). The Rockets were the perfect example of how the Jazz have played on the road this season. When things started to go wrong, they started to panic and moved into an individual game, which rarely works in the NBA.
Now, if anyone read all that, WOW!!! And if anyone who is studying statistics or is a mathematician comes across this, please realize I'm only a wannabe. :) See ya!!!
So, at halftime, I decided to grab a pen and some paper and keep track of some stats for the second half. I kept track of the following stats:
-How many passes the team made before shooting the ball
-How much time was left on the 24 second shot clock when they shot the ball
-Fouls, and how many points each team gave up because of them
-Made/missed shots
-Turnovers
Well, if you're still reading this, you must be interested enough for me to finish; at the end of the game I added up all the stats and decided upon 4 main arguments as to why the Jazz were able to win the game:
A) The Jazz shot 63% in the 2nd half of the game, while the Rockets only shot 40%.
-Of the 26 shots the Jazz made, 21 of them came off assists (passes)
-Of the 18 shots the Rockets made, 12 of them came off assists (passes)
B)While the Jazz turned the ball over 8 times, they remained calm and didn't panic. Meaning, they continued to stick to their game plan, work the shot clock down around 11 seconds left and make the pass needed to score more easily. In contrast, the Rockets turned the ball over 7 times, but decided to panic and go away from their game plan. They started playing a lot more one-on-one, isolation, try to drive it to the hoop every time basketball. As a result, they missed a lot of shots, had a lot of shots blocked, and ended up with a poor shooting percentage.
C)This one was BIG: Yao Ming, the humongous center for the Houston Rockets, is a very tall, muscular presence who can score with ease, and cause lots of pain on defense with tons of blocks. However, I noticed that the Jazz only committed 4 shooting fouls in the second half. This is phenomenal when you consider how good Yao Ming is around the basket. He only went to the free throw line twice in the second half!!! The Jazz did a great job defending him, as well as the perimeter.
D) Finally, the shot clock game: Utah shot 79% with the shot clock between 11 and 15 seconds left (this is the time frame in which Utah took the bulk of their shots; it also proves statistically to be the best time frame in which to score in a basketball game). The Rockets only shot 42% in that same time frame. Also, the Rockets took most of their shots early in the shot clock (16 seconds or more left on the shot clock) and only made 8 out of 19 (42%) of those shots. That they shot most often that early in the shot clock means they were rushing their shots, usually shooting after only 1 or 0 passes per possession. (passing spreads the defense, and allows guys to get open-thus creating better and more scoring opportunities)
OK, well, I'm done. Bottom line: The Jazz did what they've done all season at home, but haven't been able to do on the road. That is, remain calm and stick to the game plan (passing, working the clock, defense) even when things don't go perfectly (turnovers, fouls). The Rockets were the perfect example of how the Jazz have played on the road this season. When things started to go wrong, they started to panic and moved into an individual game, which rarely works in the NBA.
Now, if anyone read all that, WOW!!! And if anyone who is studying statistics or is a mathematician comes across this, please realize I'm only a wannabe. :) See ya!!!
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