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OT: Your Big Sports Moment

Nowucme

Freshman
May 8, 2020
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As a player not a fan.

Mine goes back to 1968 when I hit what turned out to be my only home run ever. I was a right handed batter and stuck my bat out late and hit a line drive over the 2nd baseman’s head which promptly went through the right fielders legs. I touched em all and my teammates went wild and I was on cloud 9. When I got home from the game - still basking in my glory - my brother was playing “Mrs. Robinson” on his stereo and that song has conflated in my mind with my home run and I think about it every time I hear it. And please don’t bother to point out to me that I really didn’t hit a homer because of the right fielders error - in my 9 year old mind it was a home run and it remains so to this day.

So what was yours?
 
fraternity football and softball..... I once returned a punt about 70 yards for a td

in softball, I had a game where I hit 2 homeruns....the first over the right fielders head....where any decent outfielder would have probably gone back and caught it....the other home run was in the gap, with no fence to stop it.....

I was not very good aside of that
 
I have 2 one as a kid and one as an adult
11 yrs old playing in a tourney Fords ironically I think we played Piscataway. I was going on vacation next day so coaches let me pitch the night game
Pitched a 1 hitter with 17 strikeouts. The one hit was in the 6th inning the coaches told me to watch this kid. I was invincible and gave them a dirty look. This kid hit the ball over center field fence, over about 30 ft of grass, over the road and about halfway into the trees. The kid probably jacked it at least 350ft

#2 as an adult playing in Trenton Thunder Stadium in Coors Light Natiional softball tourney in a 4vteam regional for $25k
 
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I had a really good wiffleball game once...I beat the crap out of that white hollow ball!
 
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I gave one more that I wish there was video on would love this one

About 29 yrs ago. We are playing in a Hillside Basketball League. We are the only white team in an all black league. This one team was beating everyone by 50 or more and scoring at least 100pts a game running 20 minute clock. It was in the day of the really long and baggy basketball shorts. We played them and only lost by 9 had the game of my life
I sprint down the court and get in position to take charge about 4 or 5ft ft in front of hoop and then this dude all 5'"7 of him proceeds to jump right over me and throw a one handed tomahawk dunk on me. I'm 6'2" well his baggy shorts dragged across my face from his waist to his crotch which was down by his shins. The games drew over 100 people pee game I just remember all the people were laughing and yelling look at the white boy. My own team was laughing at me. I'm going back down the court and the dude Pat's me on the back and says dont worry about it baby your not the 1st guy I've done that to. I so wish there was video on that. Wish I had the chance to see video. I'd go to my grave watching that video over and over again. Never saw the dunk shorts were in my face but he threw it down with big time authority. The crowd was just like all the players in the dunk contests. They were going crazy. That was one of my all time best moments made it better it happened to me

For those back in the day Tony Little was on that team
 
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2001. HS. Tied atop conf standings with Verona. Future NFL’r and Notre Damer Anthony Fasano scores a TD with no time left.

1-point game, Verona attempts two point conversion to win instead of XP to tie. Fasano lined up on right side TE across from me. I’m DE.

Verona runs toss to right. I crush Fasano into backfield, taking out Fasano and the RB for a 2 yard loss. Boonton wins game and conference!

(Though we meet again in playoffs and Fasano kills us singlehandedly.)
 
My senior year in HS, we beat the projected section champs in football. We were a wayward, blue collar team from a gritty river town - we were used to losing football games. The team we beat was from the rich kid town in the county (Hillary lives there now). They used to laugh at us coming to their field. Their roster was full of future Ivy league students. We had more special ed and BOCE students.

My freshman year I almost got cut. By senior year I was a captain. I gave a speech to the team before we got off the bus. I reminded them that the other team we were playing thought we were trash, and that we needed to play our butts off. I didn't expect much but I was wrong.

By end of 1st Q, one of our specimen, special ed players had broken the collarbone of the Harvard bound, All County QB. Our defense played off the hook like I had never seen. On offense I was OL, and on one of our TD drives, we ran the same trap play five times in a row between me and another lineman. The goal line score was behind me (I almost got sick). Our QB would go on to win the Con Ed Award (and eventually the pros for 8 years). I made All League from that game, but the win is what I still remember most

On that day, I learned the power of stoking people via the chips on their shoulders
 
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My senior year in HS, we beat the projected section champs in football. We were a wayward, blue collar team from a gritty river town - we were used to losing football games. The team we beat was from the rich kid town in the county (Hillary lives there now). They used to laugh at us coming to their field. Their roster was full of future Ivy league students. We had more special ed and BOCE students.

My freshman year I almost got cut. By senior year I was a captain. I gave a speech to the team before we got off the bus. I reminded them that the other team we were playing thought we were trash, and that we needed to play our butts off. I didn't expect much but I was wrong.

By end of 1st Q, one of our specimen, special ed players had broken the collarbone of the Harvard bound, All County QB. Our defense played off the hook like I had never seen. On offense I was a guard, and on one of our TD drives, we ran the same trap play five times - in the gap between me and the tackle. The goal line score was behind me (I almost got sick). Our QB would go on to win the Con Ed Award (and eventually the pros for 8 years). I made All League from that game, but the win is what I still remember most

On that day, I learned the power of stoking people via the chips on their shoulders
Great story. Who was your QB?
 
Local Knights of Columbus free throw tourney in 7th grade(?)

3 warm up then 15 shots
I went 15 for 15 to advance to regionals.

Hit another 15 at Regionals.
Unfortunately it was out of 25 shots.
 
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Best Moments 3 years

Football- Rushing for 200 yards in 1st half with 3 tds and our team clinching the #1 team in The Shore Conference in last game Senior year. Didn't play 2nd half

Wrestling- Beating the #1 seed in State Tournament at Jadwin Gym my Junior year

Baseball- Pitching a No-Hitter my sophomore year
 
Had some good basketball and baseball moments but will go with shooting a 67 (-3) at Sunset Valley with 5 birdies and two bogeys. Second choice would be beating heavily favored Bowling Green club champion Tom Jennings straight up in a 9-hole match 1-up by shooting 35 to eliminate him from a 9-hole match play tournament. I lost in the championship match. Third choice would be winning the anchor match of the directors cup 3-up (Sunset Valley vs Berkshire Valley Ryder Cup style) to win the cup as a team 12.5 to 11.5.

On a side note, coaching my daughter to win multiple national championships (Discus 2009 and High Jump 2010) in the Junior Olympics are by far my favorite sports moments but that was as a coach.
 
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Little League pitcher, struck out the side on 9 pitches. Batters got a LOT better at the next level.
 
Never got past recreation league, none to report.
Actually now that I think about it my last year in St Joe’s Little League (Roselle) I was really terrible, couldn’t hit fastballs. Last game of the year the opposing pitcher was really slow and in second inning a got way out in front of a pitch and hit a long foul ball to left before making Third out if the inning. Coach complimented me for actually making hard contact. I was really bummed my shot went foul cause I knew I would be out of the game after the third. However we batted around in the third and I got another ab and hit another long shot to left that stayed fair for a double, my only hit for the year.
 
Just for contrast, I was pitching in an American Legion league game for Saddle Brook, again against Hasbrouck Heights. I was pitching a complete game going into the last inning, winning 4-3. They had men on 2nd and 3rd with 2 out. The next batter bounces one back to me on the mound and I overthrew the first baseman, 2 runs scored and I/we lose the game. Still hurts.
 
Had some good basketball and baseball moments but will go with shooting a 67 (-3) at Sunset Valley with 5 birdies and two bogeys. Second choice would be beating heavily favored Bowling Green club champion Tom Jennings straight up in a 9-hole match 1-up by shooting 35 to eliminate him from a 9-hole match play tournament. I lost in the championship match. Third choice would be winning the anchor match of the directors cup 3-up (Sunset Valley vs Berkshire Valley Ryder Cup style) to win the cup as a team 12.5 to 11.5.
Berkshire is my favorite public course by me, every hole is a picture postcard
 
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Berkshire is my favorite public course by me, every hole is a picture postcard
Agree but I admit I am biased and think Sunset Valley when the leaves turn colors in the fall. It is incredibly beautiful.
 
Hockey, 1995. Two goal game, one of them a breakaway...as a defenseman. Bobby Orr was smiling.

I played right wing on the Rutgers Hockey Club in the late 1960s. We had a number of kids from the Boston area including a big defenseman named Eddie.

One of my favorite sports moments was an assist on a goal that Eddie scored. I forget who we were playing but I found myself with the puck on a 2 on 1 break with Eddie at center. Eddie was screaming for the puck but the opposing defenseman was in good position and would have been all over Eddie if I passed it to him. So I made a move to the right and forced the defenseman to cover me leaving Eddie wide open. The instant he shifted his weight toward me I hit Eddie with a quick pass. Eddie made no mistake and buried the puck in the back of the net.
 
Aghhh got another spent a boatload of time at Seton Hall 3 of my best friends went there. Its Saturday and I'm playing almost 3 hrs of pick up ball at their student rec center. One of my friends buddies asked if I could play in an intramural game. They just gave me a fake name to play even though i was shot and really didnt want to play.

They only had 4 and I was 5th until after 1/2 time when their 5th was coming. They paired up and then proceeded go give me Prop 48 6'10 Anthony Avent to cover. These guys wouldn't pass me the ball so I'm like F this I took it to AA twice he threw one a mile and the 2nd went off the top of the backboard fouled him 5 times picked up my stuff and said let's go home. They had to play with 4 the last 4 or 5 minutes of the 1st half
 
Converting an and one on Roy Hinson in HS, made the foul shot too.

Scoring 32 in a summer league at the Linden Pond in HS.

Union County champions, catholic League in grammar school.

In grammar school guarding Ronnie Peyton who went on to play at Syracuse. He was 6’4” in 8th grade, I was 5’4” at the time. Almost fouled him out of the game. They were a great team, Trenton Catholic. No one ever stayed close to them. We were tied at the half. Then Ron decided to play serious, wow was he good at that age.

Those stand out, few other good games, also some baseball.
 
Converting an and one on Roy Hinson in HS, made the foul shot too.

Scoring 32 in a summer league at the Linden Pond in HS.

Union County champions, catholic League in grammar school.

In grammar school guarding Ronnie Peyton who went on to play at Syracuse. He was 6’4” in 8th grade, I was 5’4” at the time. Almost fouled him out of the game. They were a great team, Trenton Catholic. No one ever stayed close to them. We were tied at the half. Then Ron decided to play serious, wow was he good at that age.

Those stand out, few other good games, also some baseball.
Ha I used to play at the pond. I went bvb to St Joe's Roselle and played against 2 twin brothers from St Elizabeth's In Linden. In 7th grade they were 6'1 towering over everyone else.
 
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Here are a couple moments and one that’s not a moment but influenced how I treat kids when coaching.

Hit basket at buzzer from just to right of foul line to beat Queen of Peace.
Hit basket from top of key with less than 5 seconds left to send game into overtime. Then hit winning basket from same spot win in OT.
Threw no hitter in first varsity start versus Wallington.

I was on 8th grade bball travel team. Team got new uniforms but I was given ratty old high school uni about three sizes too big. Only player to play 4 years bball in high school from that team. Moment always stayed with me when I was coaching as to how to treat players.

I’ll throw in a coaching moment. Coaching younger daughters softball team and in semi finals in a tournament in New Windsor. We were down 2 runs, bottom of the inning and time was going to expire in roughly a minute. There were 2 out and #9 hitter up. Rule was to finish the inning when time expires. Odds of us extending game at that point were slim. I instructed our hitter to square to bunt and step on home plate, and to tell umpire what she was going to do (didn’t want him to miss it). She squares, steps on home and is called out before time expires. Next inning is considered started immediately after 3rd out. So we play another inning. We get other team out with no runs too of inning. We then get a couple runners on and get a 3 run walkoff bomb to win game to make finals. Needless to say other teams coach and parents were beside themselves.
 
Well, being a bando I didn’t play anything organized...but...

hit a 3/4 court over the head prayer in the Barn on College Ave after a pickup game...game was over and I just flung the ball backwards...

Every year the band played the glee club in a flag football game called the Soup Bowl...my senior year they let me play finally and I was a wide receiver in our wishbone offense...so I wasn’t thrown to much...BUT...my Andy Warhol moment was scoring on a 60 yard end around...I taunted the corner for the Glee Club the whole way and it nearly came to fisticuffs but boy was it fun!
 
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As a sophomore in high school, my football coach asked/made me run indoor hurdles. We had a meet in Jersey City and they asked me to run a 440 yard. Never ran it before. Almost lapped by a kid from Lincoln High. I ran a 61 second 440 and I think the winner ran under 50.
 
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Youth- winning the Tri County Catholic Grammar School League championship.

High School-placing 5th (soph) , 4th (senior) in County Track Meet

Adult-scorning 32 points in a city league basketball game
 
First Little League game, as a C Leaguer. The Cubs. West End Elementary in North Plainfield. 1968-ish. First at bat. Home run. A ground ball down the third base line. LOL. Ball had eyes. I ran and touched them all, beating out a throw to home. My Dad was in attendance. We laughed at that more than a few times over the years, that ground ball "tater."
 
Once had 17 tackles in a HS game, a loss.. would have been a record at my HS.. except.. there was a scandal before the game.. coaches and some players out.. no game film ever taken or was lost. Very strange.. but I had a helluva game. Did I mention that this was in girls' field hockey?
 
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