If you could be anyone.....
Every child has a sports hero. Someone they admire and awe over. Someone they try to emulate and pretend to be in the backyard during those long hot summer days when no other kids are around. Showboating in slow-motion that certain 'signature' move made famous by the sports hero they admired the most.
I suspect that there were more Michael Jordan wannabes during the late 80's, 90's, and even the early 2000's that any other sports icon.... maybe the most of all-time. There have also been a lot of passes thrown at hanging tires or privacy fences by junior Joe Montanas, Troy Aikmans, and Dan Marinos as well as monster home runs smashed by Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez wannabes.
My summers were spent splitting time between the basketball court and the section of backyard that I had marked off in ten yard increments.
When I was near the basketball goal I was tossing up the spitting image of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's famous skyhook. No one could touch me! Well maybe if there was actually someone else there they could have hung with me.... but I doubt it. I was the best alone in my fantasy world..... maybe even better than Kareem himself!
When gears switched to football, I was a junior Dan Fouts. Man he liked to throw the ball. I really doubt that the San Diego Chargers had more than five running plays in their playbook during the Dan Fouts era.
I could play an entire game by myself. I would hike the ball between my legs up into the air, spin around and catch the ball and fake a hand-off to the imaginary running back and drop back into the 'pocket'.
On a fifty yard playing field, here is where I would challenge myself. Without crossing the line of scrimmage, I would toss an underhanded spiral into the air and run down field to catch it. New spot, second down. Progress to the end zone or kick a field goal on fourth down.
Those times were great and it was all done outside. Back when kids didn't want to be in the house. A rainy day meant that the championship basketball game or the backyard Super Bowl would have to be canceled for the day.
Who were your sports heroes? Did you play backyard games? Tell me your story.
Comments
- -- Posted by mrsdolphin on Sat, Aug 30, 2008, at 10:20 PM
- -- Posted by BonScott on Sun, Aug 31, 2008, at 9:00 AM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Sun, Aug 31, 2008, at 8:21 PM
- -- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sun, Aug 31, 2008, at 11:28 PM
- -- Posted by BonScott on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, at 7:50 AM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, at 9:42 AM
- -- Posted by BonScott on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, at 10:09 AM
- -- Posted by chuckd on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, at 11:24 AM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, at 1:57 PM
- -- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, at 4:19 PM
- -- Posted by BonScott on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, at 9:03 PM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 8:29 AM
- -- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 11:10 AM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 1:37 PM
- -- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 4:56 PM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 6:16 PM
- -- Posted by BonScott on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 8:01 PM
- -- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 9:25 PM
- -- Posted by BonScott on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 9:38 PM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, at 10:34 PM
- -- Posted by BonScott on Wed, Sep 3, 2008, at 3:57 PM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Wed, Sep 3, 2008, at 10:46 PM
- -- Posted by layne staley on Wed, Sep 3, 2008, at 10:49 PM
- -- Posted by BonScott on Wed, Sep 3, 2008, at 11:13 PM
- -- Posted by Barneyball on Thu, Sep 4, 2008, at 3:09 AM
- -- Posted by layne staley on Fri, Sep 5, 2008, at 10:21 AM
- -- Posted by shannonhoon on Sun, Sep 7, 2008, at 10:16 PM
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