Who Dat?

Back in the 80s, long before the X-Games existed, Tom Haig traveled the world as an extreme athlete. He visited more than 50 countries as an international high diver, doing multiple somersault tricks from over 90 feet.

That life came crashing down one Sunday morning in 1996. While training on his mountain bike, he smashed into the grill of a truck and became paralyzed from the waist down. But less than a year later he completed a 100-mile ride on a hand-cycle and traveled by himself to Europe and the Middle East.

Since then he has continued to travel the world as a consultant, writer and video producer. He spent six months launching a Tibetan radio station in the Himalayas and shot documentary shorts on disability in Bangladesh, France, Albania, Ghana and most recently Nepal.

Monday, October 24, 2022

Top 5(6) Live Sports Events

1) 1999 Women's World Cup Final - plenty claim to have been there, I was. Brandi Chastain whipping off her jersey with the club and the country enveloping her in victory love. Changed women's sports  forever. Next to the Mircale on Ice, the most iconic US sports moment of all time.

2) Easter Sunday, Milwaukee County Stadium, April 19, 1987. The Brewers hadn't really recovered from the 1982 World Series loss, but at the beginning of the 87season, the went on a tear winning 11-straight out of the box to tie the American League record for wins starting the season. The streak was puncutated by the only No-hitter in club history by Juan Nueves. But we needed one more win to break the AL record, and more importantly make local hamburger chain George Webb cough up free burgers as they had promised for decades if the Brewers (or Braves) could win a dozen straight. But as it turns out, 12 straight wins was too much. The Brew Crew was down three runs going into the 9th and the crowd gave them a standing ovation before their at-bat just to acknowledge how great the thrill ride had been. It was over, but damn that was fun!

Then we get a walk... then a base hit... and then Rob Deer blasts a monster over our heads in the left-field bleachers and ties the game up!!!! This can't be real!!  Another base hit follows, but now we're at the bottom of the order with weak-hitting shortstop Dale Sveum. No worries - we've got good closers and we're good for extras. But Dale Sveum is NOT. He blasts a 2-run jack into the right-center bullpen and Milwaukee explodes as if they've won the World Series! The city goes NUTS- people are high-fiving each other out of cars on Wisconsin Avenue! George Webb is checking his meet stock to see if he can feed the city!   (unfortunately we haven't had a Brewer's moment remotely similar since)   

3) Oct. 23, 2022. Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave. NWSL semi-final. It's been a brutal battle the entire day and Providence Park is still reeling from the Timbers penalty-kick loss in the 2021 Final. Can we take another home playoff loss?? It would be BRUTAL for soccer city! Then miraculously, and probably way after any normal referee would have stopped the clock, Crystal Dunn, takes a strike and finishes off the Wave with her FIRST goal of the year. The capacity crowd expands to three-times it's volume and screethes in glorioius redemption! Rose City sends a shock wave you could hear all the way to Seattle!


4) Oct. 29. 1993 - Illinois vs. Michigan. It was Halloween in Champaign and all the requisite chemicals were flowing. We were tied with Michigan for the Big Ten lead, but not given a real chance. But our D held Michigan out of the endzone and when the gun blew off we stormed the field! Never been part of anything like it in my life. At one point I was so compressed by the throng, that I lifted up my feet and was carried around the field via my stomach muscles! Don't know if Memorial Stadium has seen anything quite like it since. 


5) 1982 World Series Game 5 at County Stadium. Gorman had been in a slump and the baseses were loaded late in the game. We needed a dinger, but he delivers a bases-loaded clearing double. He slid into second barely beating the throw and the greatest hit in Brew Crew history was celebrated with a stand-up slide and a city-shattering explosion.

6) 1980 Nicolet vs. WFB - WFB natitorium. This was the grudge match of all grudge matches. Bay was loaded, but we had some depth and we were up for the challenge. The meet goes back and forth all night long. Bay's ahead, then we're ahead - never more than by a few points. It comes down to the 400 Free Relay and we have to beat both their A and B relays to win. Our big guys held service, but the B relay was getting worked. And then Hans Landwehr gets in the pool and pulls the most amazing 100 free of his life. He's down 5 yds at the 50. He cuts it to 2 yards at the last 25... but he's running out of gas. Then he erupts in the greatest explosion of energy that the animal lane (the lane where all the distance swimmers train) has ever seen. He bolts ahead and smashes his thumb into the WFB touchpad that stops the clock. It looks like he got in there, but we're not sure. The scoreboard shows the same time for both relays. Then, the swimming official hands his decison to the score table. Nicolet First and Third! The place goes f'n NUTS!




Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)