Sometimes it’s easy to forget why we love sports.
Our joy gets buried by labor lockouts, ridiculous contracts, the latest drunk driving story or reports of domestic violence.
The child sex-abuse scandal engulfing iconic Penn State coach Joe Paterno is the latest knife to our hearts.
There is a remedy.
Close your eyes and conjure up images of your favorite athletes in action. Think of that one patented move that shows off their grace, power and beauty.
It just might bring a smile to your face.
Here is my list of memorable moves by Colorado athletes:
Tulo time: Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki glides to his right, fields the groundball, leaps high and fires a perfect strike to first. It’s ballet on a baseball diamond.
Vonn’s heroics: Lindsey Vonn screams down the mountain — a sheet of ice, really — at 70 mph. The girl next door carves turns as her knees work like shock absorbers over the bumps. She goes air born — we gape — but she lands perfectly. Who’s got more guts than a downhill skier?
John Elway’s crossfire: No. 7 sprints to his right, then throws a pass across his body, and across the field, to an open receiver. The defender’s shoulders sag. Has any quarterback ever done it better?
The butterfly: The opposing team rushes the net, a shot on goal is unleashed. Patrick Roy drops to his knees, flares his pads toward the goalposts, covering the lower portion of the net. The Avalanche goaltender uses his reflexes and hand-eye coordination to snare a would-be goal. Classic stuff.
White Rhino: Moving from position to position, depending on the play, the Broncos’ Karl Mecklenburg charges into the backfield at full speed, his instincts taking him directly to the ball carrier or the helpless quarterback. Does anybody remember the hit “Meck” laid on the Raiders’ Marcus Allen in 1985?
Alex English’s jumper: He drives into the lane, pulls up and pushes up a shot as soft as cotton candy. It was unconventional – not really a jumper at all – but it was silky smooth and the cornerstone of his 21,645 points in a Nuggets uniform.
Ubaldo’s fastball: He reaches back with his long right arm, tweaks his delivery just so and unleashes pure heat. The Jugs Radar gun flashes 98 and the helpless batter shakes his head. Who knows if the former Rockies ace will ever throw like that again, but it sure was fun while it lasted.
Wrist shot: Super Joe Sakic skates across the ice, his stick caressing the puck. Suddenly, he spies an opening. With a flip of his powerful wrist, the puck zings into the net. His “wrister” was more deadly than most other’s slapshots.
Mr. Big Shot: Former Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups calmly waits for traffic to pass him by, steps behind the three-point line and buries a 3-pointer. Classic stuff.
Slant pattern: Rod Smith breaks across the middle of the field, cradles an Elway pass and breaks into the open. The bread-and-butter to Smith’s Ring of Fame Broncos career.
The Scoop: The throw comes in low in the dirt as the baserunner thunders down on first base. Todd Helton, the goateed one, swipes his glove with the grace of a bullfighter. The runner is out by an eyelash. It’s all in a day’s work for Helton.
The Cutback: Terrell Davis takes the handoff, hesitates for just a moment as he reads the momentary gap in the line, then powers up field. T.D. and the Broncos’ zone-blocking were a match made in heaven.
Midair collision: Randy Gradishar, eyes popping, scans the line of scrimmage. Then, with a perfectly synchronized leap, he meets the ball carrier in mid-flight. No one was better at the goal line than the Broncos’ No. 53.
Glide and slide: Running with such grace it’s easy to forget how fast he’s moving, the Rockies’ Carlos Gonzalez gobbles up outfield acreage. Suddenly he dives with his glove outstretched, confiscating another would-be double. And CarGo didn’t win a Gold Glove?
Skywalker: David Thompson rises near the baseline, then rises higher, and still higher, before throwing down a slam over a helpless defender. The Nuggets’ star was a trapeze artist with a basketball.
Back-peddler: Champ Bailey crouches, perfectly balanced, his hands at the ready. As the receiver breaks up field, the Bronco glides backward, then turns to gallop at just the right moment. Bailey is simply one of the greatest cover corners in NFL history.
Those are some of my favorite images. I’m sure you have some of your own. I’d love to hear them.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp
