My favorite sports moment was when the games came back after 9/11. It sounds corny, but that’s when I knew – REALLY felt it deep down – that everything was going to be alright. Everything attached to that – from Bush zipping an opening pitch strike all the way to the standing ovation for Gulianni in Arizona during the World Series – gives me goosebumps to this day.

It was summers spent with grandparents (both in Atlanta and in Mississippi). They watched the Braves religiously, which drove me nuts because I wanted to be watching my shows – my grandmother to this day reminds me that I said it was so easy and stupid to hit a ball, run around, and then game over. Little did I know. That was somewhere around 1984-85 or so. I saw the Blue Jays in the playoffs or World Series (George Bell was the man), and I saw Andre Dawson win his MVP (I also loved the Cubs, via WGN). I just got hooked on the Braves, and in 1989, my senior year, I moved about 30 minutes from Old Fulton County Stadium. A buddy of mine and I would get home from work and drive down, pay $4, and sit wherever we wanted – literally. That’s when I got hooked on autographs as well – you could get EVERYBODY back then – Murphy, and, well, the rest of them. I got Joe Boever and Dewayne Henry about 20 times because we’d sit by the bullpen a lot. I can remember being there one night during a storm and the announced attendance was like 1300 or something. Pathetic.

Anyway, so now I’m a die-hard Braves fan, and that’s it. I love baseball – it’s the perfect game to me. I go to Rome Braves games all the time, spring training in Orlando, the Ted – I even play softball for our church league here in town, and my oldest kid plays for the Rec department. I still collect the autographs, and I’ve taken up photography as a hobby, so I get lots of shots of our favorite prospects. My shining moment was geting to throw out the first pitch at a Rome game last year.

So when the dudes in the ads say “I love this game”, I hope they mean it, because I can certainly relate!

Being a life long Packer fan.. my favorite moment was watching the Monday Night Game… I know, i know, its not baseball but this moment sticks out in my mind….the day after Brett’s Dad had died. It was the most emotional experience i have ever witnessed in my life.

If I’m to contribute to a baseball moment conversation, i wouldnt be able to. The reason baseball is my favorite sport is because of the intricacies, the thought process. Sacrifice bunts, an unassisted triple play( as mentioned earlier), Francoeur gunning someone out at home, or that feeling i get when i think Frenchy is about to unleash the cannon he calls an arm and i know “he’s out”, walk off home runs (like Pujols’), final scores of 3-2 games where nothing remarkable happened.

and finally this quote is why I LOVE THIS GAME
“Ray, people will come Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won’t mind if you look around, you’ll say. It’s only $20 per person. They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh… people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. “

I have a lot of small moments, that I remember for some strange reasons. In no particular order…

-Frenchy’s game winning homer in his ML debut
-The fly ball to Marquis Grissom. No further elaboration needed
-Ryan Klesko hitting a ball about 600 feet in the WS against Cleveland
-Galarraga coming back the year after his cancer season

Theres probably a ton more that I can’t think of now

1982 13-0 start made the listening to losses on the pre-TBS radio worth it…and then created hope for the painful next 9 years until lumbering Sid Bream scores from 2nd on Barry Bonds.

October 23rd, 1993 – Joe Carter hits the game winning homerun in the bottom of the 9th off Mitch “Wild Thang” Williams to seal the repeat.

October 9th, 2005 – ‘nuff said. Even though my Braves lost this one , it was “THE” most captivating game I have ever watched.

Lately though I have to admit that I am more captivated by a fantastic throw than I am the triple. Anytime a runner is going home on a hit to the outfield I find myself hammering away at my fingernails, especially when the outfielder (or cutoff man, case in point Rafael Furcal) nails the throw!

I thought I needed to think about this for a while.

Shout out to the 18 inning epic game of Braves-’stros 2005. Despite the loss, that was a captivating game. It was a renewed interested in the Braves for me. Not that I faltered, but it was a day of re-dedication. Of course, 2004 was not bad either, especially for Furcal knowing that as soon as they were eliminated he was going to jail.

I just remembered, though. If you want to know the moment I love sports, I can’t say. Possible the moment I was born. But the moment when I realized I was a Braves fan for life? I can tell you that.

October 13th, 1995.

I had been a Braves follower, and a fan, prior to 1992. The Braves-Twins and Braves-Jays World Series stand out as I remember watching and pulling for the Braves. The fact that I could watch on TBS made me a fan. I was somewhat of a Reds supporter (and somewhat still am) at the time, because I had lived in Cincinnati for 7 years and currently lived in central KY (Reds country). Incidentally, I was also (and somewhat still am) a Cubs supporter, thanks to WGN. But, in 1995, the Braves faced off against the Reds in the NLCS. It was game 3. Maddux vs. Wells. I remember being at a Halloween party earlier that night, but wanting to watch the game. I was actually at my uncle’s house, and since the Reds were playing, it was convenient that they also wanted to see the game. I was a big Justice, Maddux and Chipper fan at the time. I remember the HR, and I had to look it up, by Charlie O’Brien (which I now recall) and doing the tomahawk chop as I rounded the bases, parading for all that were gathered for the game.

When Chipper hit his HR and I repeated the spectacle, and that ultimately sealed the victory. It was a great moment. It was THE moment.

That game, that series, cemented my Braves loyalty. We went on to win the World Series, as everyone knows. But, I was just as happy winning the NLCS as I was winning the WS.

Perhaps subconsciously, October 13th, 1995, a win by Greg Maddux, is also why 10 years later I decided to name my first-born (dog) “Maddux.”

Maddux.

You know, for me, a lot of my favorite sports moments come from sports that I don’t even usually watch.

Anyone remember the Sampras/Agassi US Open Semi where they took 4 sets into tiebreakers? Amazing. I was captivated and I have only watched probably 10 tennis matches ever.

One year in the Frozen Four (college hockey final four) a kid from Michigan wrapped his stick around the goal to win the game in overtime and send his team to the championship. I didn’t even know that was allowed at the time.

Eric Crouch’s 80 yd heisman clinching TD run. Due juked the entire team on the way to the endzone and they showed that play over and over for the rest of the year. I don’t even like Nebraska, but that was a fun play to watch.

The most memorable for me though is still Marquis’ catch in 1995. I’ll never forget that moment. (Justice’s homer is in there with it.)

You guys sure do trigger up a lot of great sports memories.

ejruiz – sportsmanship in the pro level is one of the greatest things to witness. Whether it’s someone on the opposing team helping a fallen player up, and smacking him on the butt, or something as classy as Arizona fans cheering for Giuliani, it’s always worthy for a nod of approval.

Swo12bv – the Favre game was incredible. The Raiders probably had to go “Oh crap,” when the news broke. It was like they had to know a hurricane was coming, and there was no matter of reinforcement that was going to stop it. Every now and then we watch a game, where we see a player who “blood is ice” – Favre was definitely 100% focused on the game, and absolutely nothing else.

Smoltz’s Beard – Frenchy’s debut was awesome, but remember Salty’s? Even watching on tv, you could feel something in the air that night, the crowd’s tense anticipation, the hum in the stands. Salty came to plate, and nursed a 2-2 count before crushing a huge pop fly, to unfortunately warning-track distance. The crowd wanted that to go out more than anything.

jug – Oh man, Furcal’s elevated game in ‘04 was amazing. Just knowing the whole jail stipulation as a fan, made you have to want to look forward to Furcal’s at-bats more than anyone else. The walk-off home run in Game 2? How about all the steals he had in that series? There’s something admirable about watching an inspired player, but there’s something amusing when watching a player whose freedom is on the line, playing with truly everything to lose.

yondaime4 – Sampras and Agassi was great, but did you see/hear about Federer vs. Safin? It was practically a five hour match, and went forever. I was fortunate enough to get the abridged version on the ESPN Instant Classic.

I would say any games I have watched live are my favorite moments. I rarely get to see the Braves play since I live in North west IL. I do try to make a game each season at Wrigley and Miller park most years. Every since I was a kid the Pros seemed larger than life to me, and the 1st time I stepped into a Professional park was unbelievable. I still to this day get all kinds of excited for the few games I make it to. Everything about going to the park is awesome to me. From the 3 or 4 hour commute to the park, to all the sites and smells of the big city and ballparks. Possibly shagging a BP ball or an autograph. Waiting on the edge of your seat at every pitch for your guy to hit on out. Hoping you get to stand up and cheer loud with your Braves garb on in a visitors park. Watching the Cubs fly the "L" flag after a Brave win, and walking out of the park with a humble smile on your face. I love all the games I’ve been to and wish I could see more of them.

Unfortunately the Braves series against The Cubs and Brew Crew are mid week series this year, and I may not make it to the games. I was really looking forward to helping the Cubbies celebrate 100 years of loosing this year!

ANDRUW’S WALK OFF WALK AGAINST THE METS IN 1999. Holy god, that was awesome.