My Sports Bucket List

(Once again, a bit of a departure from a strict football article, but it’s fairly apparent this site is now my ship to sail, so during the offseason I’ll take it in a few directions).

On Saturday morning, I fly to Atlanta for Wrestlemania 27 (I’m continuing my anti-roman numeral stance from the Super Bowl). I made a comment a few weeks ago about crossing another thing of my bucket list. And I was serious. For every great moment I can rattle off about the Yankees, Giants, and Knicks, I can name just as many about wrestling, and Wrestlemania in particular.

I remember being in the basement of my old house on

Angie Drive

when Hulk Hogan beat Yokozuna to win the WWF Title at Wrestlemania 9, in a match he wasn’t even in. I remember having a big party at my house for Wrestlemania 17, and the two camps my friends and I divided into- the Stone Cold camp and the Rock camp. And the trash-talking leading up to that was every bit as intense as any Giants-Jets or Mets-Yankees argument we’ve ever gotten into. I remember watching Wrestlemania 24 at

5747 Woodstock Street

at college, and watching Ric Flair’s last match. And I remember the last two years at my place in Virginia, watching Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker having one of the greatest matches of all time at Wrestlemania 25, and realizing that despite how wasted I was, I would remember that match forever.

So when I said “cross another one off my bucket list” I was serious. But then today I got to thinking more about it. And I started formulating my sports bucket list in my mind. Some of these things I’ve done, most I haven’t yet. Some of these things involve playing sports, others involve watching them. Some of them I’ll comment on, some of them speak for themselves, but here’s my Sports Bucket List

First, things that I’ve already scratched off that list. Obvious things I’ve already done like “See the Knicks play at MSG” aren’t included.

·        Attend a Giants victory parade down the Canyon of Heroes: Done on 2/5/08. Took an early morning bus from school in Philly. I still have a piece of streamer that one of the D-Lineman threw off their float and I caught.

·        Attend a Yankees victory parade down the Canyon of Heroes: Done on 11/6/09. Extra special because my father met me down there and we got to experience it together.

·        Score a touchdown in an organized football game

·        Hit 4 straight home runs in Pool Baseball.

·        Win a Pool Baseball MVP

·        Attend a Yankees old-timers day

·        Rush a court: La Salle-St. Joe’s 2/18/2008

·        Beat Ketcham in varsity football

·        Have fans chant my name: That same Ketcham game Senior year. I hopped up on a bench and waved my towel at the crowd.

·        Hit a game-winning 3-pointer in any kind of basketball game.

·        Watch the Giants win a Super Bowl at the Mini-Meadowlands.

·        Get thrown out of a game I’m in the stands for.

·        Go onto the field at Giants Stadium.

·        Have a player on the court scream at me in the stands.

·        Get a jersey retired. Van Wyck football. Probably only lasted like a year, but it was hanging in the weight room, which was awesome.

·        See a game at the Palestra with my father.

·        Attend Wrestlemania (after Sunday)

·        Attend the WWE Hall of Ceremony (after Saturday)

It’s harder to come up with one’s I’ve already done, because until now I’ve never had this list. Those were just some of the awesome memories I have from watching sports, playing organized sports, and screwing around with my friends.  Now, onto the one’s still on my list:

• Attend a Knicks victory parade down the Canyon of Heroes: Obviously the one hold out. Bonus would be the weather in June wouldn’t suck, unlike the other 2 sports.
• See a boxing title fight in Vegas with Michael Buffer as the ring announcer.
• See a boxing match at Madison Square Garden.
• See a football game at Yankee Stadium.
• Throw a perfect game in Pool Baseball. Almost impossible, but it’s my Bucket List.
• Go to the Royal Rumble.
• Play 4 different mini-golf courses in the same day and call it the Mini-Masters.
• Actually win an NCAA bracket pool.
• See a playoff football game go into Double Overtime.
• See a bench-clearing brawl in baseball.
• See Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter inducted into Cooperstown.
• Take a perfect game in bowling into the 6^th Frame. Being realistic here.
• See a Lakers NBA Finals game in person at Staples.
• Go to the first home game after La Salle opens a real arena.
• Walk the John T. Brush staircase, the only thing left on
  155^th Street
  of the Polo Grounds. Have to be careful here because it’s a housing project now.
• See the last game a team ever plays in an arena.
• Be part of a “Fire ______” chant at an arena.
• Have full-season tickets for one year for a team and go to every game.
• Sit courtside at an NBA game.
• Boo a draft-pick in person.
• Watch all 6 Rocky’s back to back.
• Get the Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn haircut one more time.
• Take a vacation where all I do is go to different baseball stadiums
• Find a “Giants bar” in any city I live in.
• See a NCAA Final 4 in person.
• Get myself a replica WWF Title belt that’s made like the real thing.
• Start an obscure chant at a sporting event, and actually get people to pick up on it.
• Build the perfect pool baseball field at the first house I buy.

I realize how difficult coming up with an exhaustive list is. You’ll notice there’s a huge lack of anything in-person regarding football games. That’s because I firmly believe football is best watched with your friends, in front of a huge television and a plate of deeply fried food, drinking beer, soda, and throwing pizza crusts to dogs.

I’m sure I missed a ton of stuff, but this was a decent start. Your thoughts?