It's rare on any day to see an epic sporting moment, and two in a day is like having twins. (Writer's license, I don't know this firsthand.) Landon Donovan's game winning goal in injury time against Algeria was the minutes-older child, followed by the younger twin (John Isner v. Nicolas Mahut) who doesn't want to be born, and therefore takes 5 sets, 11 hours, and over 200 aces to finish. Don't be fooled; no one would ever accuse me of being a soccer or tennis fan. I have passing understanding of the rules, coupled with great respect for the athletic prowess of those who seek to perfect the games, but I can't be passionate about them...unless June 23 happens.
I was working during USA/Algeria, installing TV and Internet, and ironically was unable to see a single moment of the game. It was on ESPN AND ESPN3.com, but never when I plugged in one of many TVs or computers. I was following on my iPhone. (Sadly, iPhone might be my Narnia. Callback!) And I had given up hope, just like so many others. All I saw was one update after another about a US player missing wide or being denied by the goalpost, and even I as a VERY casual soccer watcher know that goals are hard to come by in the waning minutes of a match. And then like lightning, my phone refreshed and displayed one word, the battle cry of every sports nut in the world: GOAL!
For ninety one minutes the men of US Soccer - almost all of whom are younger than I - threw everything they had at the men of Algeria, and they were denied. Punch for punch, shiner for shiner, and I LOVE that! Even I can get behind soccer when it's played with that kind of urgency and abandon. Plus, soccer is finally watchable because of hi-def. Our guys needed a goal, and they fought tooth and toe to get it. Sadly, if My Boy Lando hadn't been there for the easy rebound with 3 minutes left in the match, the rules of soccer would've made us go home with a draw. Can you imagine?! You don't get to play anymore, cause you tied. You didn't lose, but you still lose. Huh?
But Lando didn't miss, and thank heavens! Missing from there would have put him in the top 3 all-time goats, along with Bill Buckner and Billy. And so now we know the precise difference between failure and triumph: 8 yards.
It's almost a shame that the brawl that was Isner versus Mahut had to happen on the same day. Sure, technically the match ended today, but the real magic happened in the first 5 hours of the fifth set. How ridiculous is that sentence, on a scale of 1 to nutball? I'm exhausted from all this typing, and these guys went at it for FIVE HOURS, after they had gone at it for five hours! Even the guys at Nike were shaking their heads, saying things like, "Those shoes should be broken in by now," and "It's gonna cost us a fortune to get these guys to wear our shoes now. Good thing we gots the dollah's. Hollah!" That's how the people at Nike talk.
Towards the end, they were so tired they barely even tried to return serve. Anything less than a sure thing wasn't worth the energy. It's hard to fathom that kind of commitment, and that I why I love sports. In the end, they were too tired to celebrate a win or mourn a loss. They had pushed to the brink and finished.
Why do I love sports? Because even though I don't really get soccer, or love tennis, I see the practitioners do something great, like Lando and the Ace Makers, and it gives me hope. Hope that at some point I will be pushed to the edge, and I will push back. And even if I can't win, I'll make sure that I'm so exhausted from the fight that when I get laid down, I'll be so tired that I won't care. That's how the righteous sleep.
What are some things we can be pushed at in this manner? Maybe writing, although it sounds like you were pretty winded midway through this offering.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, you are correct that sport is one of the best avenues for grace and triumph — and, when placed in the wrong hands, one of the most common ways to bring shame upon oneself. Just call the French soccer players and ask them yourself.