More on the Labor Day Laser-Shootout...

A couple of other things impressed me on this night:

Jacory Harris is a man who I've never seen play before, but on Monday I saw something special. Jacory Harris proved last night that he is indeed quite the athlete. However, unlike most mobile quarterbacks, he decided to use the biggest muscle in his body: his mind. I know some of his success is owed to Florida State's extremely soft pass coverage, but Harris set himself apart from other "mobile QBs" like Michael Vick, Terrelle Pryor, and yes, sports fans, even Tim Tebow. He's still a work in progress, but I felt like Harris made some great moves last night.

and in a twist...

Christian Ponder had a similar style, but opted to use his feet more than his arm in big moments. A highlight of his night included a big run to set up a score mid-way through the fourth quarter. Ponder certainly knows about his counterpart in Gainesville. I wonder if he and the FSU staff weren't inspired by the doings of the Gators?

Travis Benjamin made a terrific catch for Miami on this night. Actually, he made a few of them. Now again, he was wide open on a lot of his receptions, but he did make a great catch near the sideline towards the end of the game. Fortunately he had his back foot firmly on the ground when he got control of the catch. Had he lifted that foot an inch, the huge pass from Jacory Harris wouldn't count, and likely the Seminoles keep the lead.

There were many stars on this night, and it was one reason why I enjoyed this matchup immensely.

The Greatest Week One Game Ever Played (in 2009)

Once in a while, you forget about the standings. You forget the stakes, the pressure, the grandeur and the "Championship Prospects". It could be one of those long nights where you wake up from a nap and put on the TV.

Labor Day is a tribute to all of us who put in our hard work in whatever we do. In sports, we often get caught up in the "meaning" of games. Today, I took a day off from this too. Tonight, I just put on the TV and watched some football.

Some of the greatest moments I can remember in sports came as a result of casually tuning in without expectation and last night was no exception. With practically every MLB game in the books this day, all I had left was a mostly meaningless game between Miami, FL, and Florida St. over in Tallahassee.

Was it? If you look at "BCS Standings, Heisman Hopes, and all that", the game doesn't amount to anything. But on this night, we were treated to the most entertaining game of the weekend, bar none.

Imagine my surprise when is saw Miami take a 24-23 lead in the fourth quarter. I was full of wonder when sophomore QB Jacory Harris, of Miami, alluded several linebackers, and instead of running wildly, he STOPPED.

A QB with lots of room just STOPPED as if the play was frozen in time! Harris looked down field, found his man Travis Benjamin, and fired a laser right into his arms. It was a sign of great things to come for the Hurricanes, a beaten football program who haven't had much of anything to celebrate lately.

Imagine my surprise when Harris led the Canes to a touchdown, not only through his elusiveness, but with his stellar accuracy on this night. 21 for 34 he was, for 386 yards and two touchdowns. Interestingly enough, the two biggest TDs of the night were capped off not by Harris, but by running backs Javarris James and Graig Cooper.

But what a night. Even though Miami had that 24-23 lead, it was QB Christian Ponder who pulled his best Tim Tebow impression and ran in a semi-spread offense to the tune of two huge first downs, and a great run for some 10-20 yards. Let's not forget the Seminoles' last chance with about 6 shots at the goal line with 17 seconds left (a pass interference call gave a slight boost of life to FSU). The last play of the game was a pass from Ponder out to Jarmon Fortson that was dropped at the bitter end. The game was as competitive as it gets, and in the end the Hurricanes rose victoriously.

Imagine THAT! The sheer thrill of the fight between both teams was one of the greatest highlights of my weekend in sports. I enjoyed every second of the fourth quarter between two teams that, quite honestly, will factor almost nothing into the Championship Race.

No matter. This was a game I will remember for a good while and I was privileged to be a part of it. It goes to show that sometimes, the greatest moments in sport are games, people, and events that we witness by simply taking a... break from our labor, soaking it all in.

Madness Workin' Overtime

I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't. There was so much excitement at a shade past Midnight on the East Coast. Two games went into overtime, one of them a double OT. In the end, it was HUGE shot by WIsconsin and a HUGE shot by Siena that sealed the deal for both teams.

Talk about excitement! When Verne Lundquist kept shouting in disbelief time after time during the Ohio State/Siena game, he and Bill Raftery knew why they chose broadcasting as a profession.

I have to admit, before the Midnight Madness, I was really disappointed at the Tournament so far. Hardly any big upsets, and ZERO late game heroics. Even the Marquette one-point win over Utah State seemed like a formality. FINALLY some drama for the tournament...

Then today, I see Memphis dominating Maryland, 'Nova blowing out UCLA, and UConn smoking Texas A&M. Man oh mannn... So much for "parity in College Basketball"....

Dave in the City Transcript: Segment 4

Welcome back, "In the City." I'm Dave Medina.

This is it! The last of 2008. What a great year we had, here in sports. Now for the year in review... Most guys do countdowns, but who are we to judge? Instead, we'd like to offer you the moment of each month.

January

First, in January, how about the Giants playoff run? It was capped off by a thrilling game in Super Bowl XLII. Who could forget the big pass from Eli Manning to David Tyree?

The "other" Catch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-aKfTK2LiM


February

February was the month the NBA declared "WE ARE BACK!" It was punctuated by a spectacular Slam Dunk contest. First we had Gerald Green jump up to the hoop and blow out the candle!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYIgGyDkTQQ

Then, in an unforgettable show, Dwight Howard donned his cape and threw down like SUPERMAN... literally!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO3c8EaxsxQ&feature=channel


March

The NCAA Mens Basketball tournament was one to remember, but how about the way Kansas DOMINATED #1 UNC in the Final Four? Technically, this happened in April, but it was an amazing performance by the Jayhawks. Believe it or not, UNC actually made a huge comeback, cutting the lead to less than ten points before Kansas launched one final flurry to put the Tarheels away, 84-66.

But obviously, the highlight of the game was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZdL9PxKQ8E


April

The Mens Basketball national championship was particularly good. Mario Chalmers of Kansas tied the game on a 3 pointer with 2 seconds to go in regulation. Kansas and Memphis played a back and forth game that went to overtime. In the OT, Kansas pulled away and won the national championship.

Here's a look at that clutch 3 pointer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_H4RO4VXmY


May

May was a big month for Horse Racing. Big Brown furiously came from behind to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby in a bid to win the Triple Crown.

Here's the big race from May: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBeoZUsnXdc

Sadly two things transpired. One, Big Brown suffered a chip in his hoof which kept him from winning the Preakness Stakes later that summer. Thus, Big Brown's bid was bombed. Secondly, another entrant of the Kentucky Derby, Eight Belles, broke both ankles during the race and had to be euthanized.

June

Welp, who could forget it? It was the Lakers facing the Celtics for the NBA Title, renewing rivalries of years past. The Celtics imposed their will and wouldn't let up, even in Game 4 when the Lakers blew a 20+ point lead. A fantastic finish for the Celtics and Kevin Garnett, but also a bitter end to an otherwise very impressive Lakers campaign.

Games 4 and 6 are very tough to take, so I REFUSE to post any footage. Instead, I present the KG interview after the Celtics clinched the title: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyjOy7fRzs0

I'll be honest: It was great to see Garnett display so much pure emotion that night.


July

All Star Game graced Yankee Stadium for the last time, in "old" Yankee Stadium's final season. First, Josh Hamilton set the new single round record for Home Runs in the Home Run Derby. Then, the AL and NL went to extra innings, featuring great plays all around. The AL won the event in the 15th inning when Michael Young hit a sacrificy fly to score Justin Morneau from 3rd base.

It was a great week for baseball!

Hamilton monster shot at HR Derby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdy7ZoNR-jM&feature=related


August

In the Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps took the swimming world by storm and swam to a record 8 Gold Medals. It was a show of brilliance that will be remembered for years to come. However, Phelps would have been finished if not for a furious comeback by one Jason Lezak in the Freestyle Relay against France.

In addition, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin claimed several events in Womens Gymnastics. Liukin earned the honor of All Around Individual Champion, taking the Gold in the event. Johnson earned a gold herself in the Balance Beam competition.

Unfortunately, NBC forced out all the known evidence that Bela Karolyi bear hugged Bob Costas after Liukin's performance. What a bummer.

September

The Rays, forever known as the laughing stocks of MLB, rose up to the summit and beat the mighty Yankees and Red Sox to take the AL East crown. Do you believe in Miracles?? YES!!

The Rays were a great team in 2008, as Evan Longoria, Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton, and the rest powerd the Rays to a 97-65 record. Needless to say, it was the Rays all time franchise record for wins.

Rays clinch a playoff berth: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080920&content_id=3514963&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Tampa Bay would go on to storm past the White Sox in the LDS, then beat out the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS to make the World Series.


October

Phillies Fever! The losingest franchise in baseball, The Phillies, made 2008 *their* year by winning the World Series. In a minor upset, the Phils beat out the Tampa Bay Rays to win it all. The Phils took it in 5, which was halted by weather partially through the game and resumed the next night.

Who knew the Phillies had it in them?

Here's the clinching out recorded by closer Brad Lidge to clinch the title: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_10_27_tbamlb_phimlb_1&mode=wrap


November

Texas Tech pulled an astounding win over in Lubbock, TX. On the Tech's last play from scrimmage the Red Raiders pulled ahead with a long touchdown pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree. The Red Raiders would go on to upset the then #1 Texas Longhorns, the biggest win in Texas Tech's franchise history.

Here's the Game Winning TD by Crabtree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaN_ce47MOY


December

Alabama... Florida... the SEC Championship... The #1 ranked Crimson Tide's perfect season was ended in Atlanta when the Gators kept pace with Alabama and then pulled away. However, the Tide played a great game and earned numerous brownie points in the loss. The Gators would move on to a berth in the BCS Championship game.

Here are some highlights from the SEC Champsionship game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oRla-8LMOk&feature=related

2008 was full of surprises, excitiment and joy. It had its moments of truth, sadness, and hardship, but it was another good year that proved that there is no greater thrill than that of victory, and no harder agony than one of defeat in the world of sports.

So we end the year here in sports and "In the City" wondering what will 2009 bring? Will there be other great moments, and similar joy. Could there be more bitter defeats in the running. What awaits us in this new year?

It's been fun everyone, and again, thanks for stopping by. "Dave in the City" is a production of LOCKS of the Week Radio in association with Blogger.com. The Associate Producers are Andrew Jacobsen and Jacob Rosales, with special thanks to Arvin Darilag and Tony Jimenez.

Our information and subjects come courtesy of multiple sources, including ESPN.com, MLB.com, NFL.com, NBA.com, NHL.com, Yahoo! Sports, and sports Sports Illustrated. Technical assistance provided by TEAC, Audacity, Winamp, and Yousendit.com.

The Executive Producer of LOCKS of the Week Radio is Dave Medina.

This is Dave, speaking for "Dave in the City." Merry Christmas everyone! We'll be back January 5, 2009. Have a great and happy holiday season, have a wonderful New Year... and I'll see YOU next yearrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...