Sep
25
One of the most frequent topics I’m asked about is getting hit on the sidelines while shooting. It happens to someone nearly every game. It’s like being in a plane crash or getting hit by lightning - it usually happens to someone else.
The first time I got hit was in Minneapolis on a Sunday night during a game between the Eagles and Vikings. It was Primetime in Philly and everyone saw the carnage when Orlando Thomas flattened my ass on national television. The hit was so clean, so incredibly square and pure that I don’t think either of us felt it. It’s like when you hit a golf ball just right. There’s no shock, no vibration, just a satisfyingly soft bit of feedback that tells you you struck it just right.
I had no pain - in fact, the only sign that I had been hit was a strawberry on my elbow thanks to that lovely turf in the Metrodome. Of course, I was around thirty years old and fairly fit so I didn’t expect to feel sore. These days I’d never get away with that.
Fast forward about 12 years to September 9, 2007. I’m 42 and I’m now regularly sore from the rigors of sleeping. It’s tough to just lay there for 8 hours. Anyway, I’m in my usual position, seated along the side of the end zone as the Broncos are driving for a score. Cutler releases the ball. I tilt up, find it, lock on and roll focus. Everything slows down. I immediately start thinking about getting crushed because if the ball isn’t caught it’s going to hit me. It’s one of those timing plays where the quarterback just lobs the ball up into the corner of the end zone and hopes his receiver can make a play. And make a play he did.
Brandon Marshall, a 6′4″ 230lb. receiver made a perfect grab, tapped both toes inbounds and fell directly into me. My lens hit him right between the numbers, jamming the viewfinder into the bridge of my nose. What’s a little blood between friends?
Marshall recovered nicely and went on his way, celebrating a truly great catch. I dusted myself off, mopped the blood off my nose and commented that I couldn’t wait to see that one on HBO. As it turns out, my shot was nearly as well executed as the Broncos’ touchdown play. The fact that I didn’t bail out on the shot makes it - in my humble opinion - one of the best shots of a touchdown from a guy who got creamed. I mean, I was steady until the absolute moment of impact and I widened out just at the right moment so you could see him catch the ball and then tap both toes inbounds. I think I nailed it and if you’re a competitive sideline shooter, those are the moments you live for.
Lots of friends and colleagues commented on the shot but very few asked if I had any lasting effects. It turns out that this hit was much harder to recover from than the shot I had taken more than a decade earlier. It’s three weeks on and I still have some soreness in my chest and back.
It’s a bitch getting old.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.