I sit here, one day later, images of Reggie Bush's latest touchdown playing through my head. Just a little flare out to a rookie running back, innocent at first glance, that turns into one of those "OH MY GOD!" moments in sports. One, that even as you're watching it, you are already waiting to see the instant replay.
It was just a year ago now, that Reggie Bush was still in college, and captivating the sports world with breathtaking plays and numerous moments that made people stand up out of their seat, or stop what they were doing and watch him run. His 2005 Heisman campaign was filled with these types of moments where as the viewer, you knew you were witnessing something special and that's why we stopped. We knew that every once in a while, an athlete comes along that does things that can't be matched. A guy who's speed is just a little faster. Who's home runs go just a bit farther. This was Reggie's case. Every single time he touched the football, you felt like something special could happen. Something that you didn't want to miss.
For the younger generation such as myself, we've heard about athletes like this from generations past. When our parent tells you, "there was no one like Walter Payton," or "I've never seen anyone better than Sandy Koufax," we nod our head's in acknowledgement, and even watch old videos just to see for ourselves, but we don't fully appreciate what it was like to watch someone so great because you don't get the true feeling from watching old tapes.
Well Reggie Bush was our guy. Never in my life have I stopped what I was doing to watch a single athlete (Okay, that's a lie, but not quite the same as I did with Bush). I would be thrilled to see that the USC football game was on TV, because it was another chance to witness greatness at its best. I've always thought sports can't be summed up in words. Its the feeling you get that make them special. Watching Reggie, you always had that feeling. That cross somewhere between excitement and anticipation ready to burst from you in a gasp of disbelief.
Now, I've seen some great accomplishments in sports. I watched Tiger Woods dominate the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and win by 15 strokes. I watched Michael Johnson outrun the camera at the Atlanta Olympics. But those were singular moments, Reggie's was an entire season. I watched as he took over perhaps the greatest game I've ever seen in Notre Dame, or as he emerged from a pile at Washington and speed off into the endzone. I saw him make moves that left me on my phone to friends asking, "DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?"
His effortless strides and physics defying cuts have left another defender grasping for air, as his black Saints jersey has turned into a flash of white from a towel that drags behind in his wake. It feels special, and I feel lucky to be watching as Reggie glides by the final Dallas defender, ball outstretched as he enters the endzone. Yet another play that has left me standing up and shouting. Thirty years from now, as I will watch my kids emulate their own favorite sports heroes, I'll start, "Let me tell you about a guy named Reggie Bush..."
No comments:
Post a Comment