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.....
Austin's Sports Blog (the one place where he is ALWAYS right)
