The best thing I saw: J-Hey on Opening Day, Cam in the Dome
The monumental moment: Jason Heyward watches the wonder he'd wrought. (AP photo)
The great British music magazine Mojo has a holiday feature in which prominent music folks share The Best Thing They’ve Heard All Year. (This year’s installment offers Jeff Beck touting Trombone Shorty, Brian Eno lauding MGMT and Gene Simmons singing the praises of Lady Gaga.)
In the spirit of Christmas, er, borrowing, last year I identified Josh Nesbitt’s snatch of a recovered Georgia Tech fumble from Florida State linebacker Nigel Carr that wild night in Tallahassee as The Best Thing I’d Seen In 2009, at least sports-wise. (Only later would the Tech quarterback change his official designation to “Joshua Nesbitt.”) For this year’s BTIS, we rewind to …
April 5, 2010: Turner Field is packed for the Braves’ opener, which isn’t always the case. The masses have come to see the ballyhooed rookie Jason Heyward, who spent spring training demolishing vehicles parked behind the right-field wall at Champions Field in Lake Buena Vista. The game begins with Heyward, who hasn’t yet played an official big-league play, receiving the ceremonial first pitch from Hank Aaron, who had on April 8, 1974, surpassed Babe Ruth by hitting No. 715 in a Braves’ home opener.
Bottom of the first: Five of the first six Braves reach against Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano, who took a 3-0 lead to the mound. The No. 7 hitter watches the first two pitches. Then Heyward drive Zambrano’s third serve 446 feet. A three-run homer — to give the Braves a lead they’d keep, no less — on with his first big-league swing.
Says Terry Pendleton: “As soon as he hit it, we started high-fiving and saying, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ “
Looking back, Heyward’s Opening Day clout set the tone for a season of step-up moments. Of their 91 victories, the Braves came from behind in 45 — almost half. They won 25 times in their final at-bat. And they needed, as we know, every rally: They made the playoffs as a wild card by one game over San Diego.
Thirteen days after Opening Day, Heyward would deliver a walk-off single against Colorado 19 hours after the Braves had been no-hit by Ubaldo Jimenez. Two days after that, he would tie a game against Philadelphia with two out in the bottom of the ninth by hitting a home run off Ryan Madson. (Troy Glaus, who hadn’t hit a lick, touched off the tying rally with a two-run homer. Nate McLouth, who wouldn’t hit a lick, won it with a leadoff walk-off in the 10th.)
For TBTISAY, I considered another performance authored by another young Atlanta native playing in this city almost eight months to the day after Heyward’s emphatic debut. Cam Newton’s performance in the SEC championship game was so breathtaking it made folks wonder if the Auburn quarterback mightn’t be the greatest collegian ever. (Indeed, I asked Newton’s coach if he’d ever seen a better college player, and Gene Chizik, who’d been the defensive coordinator on the team Vince Young led to the 2005 BCS title, said he hadn’t.)
For a sustained performance, Newton’s on Dec. 4 trumped Heyward’s on April 5. (To match Newton’s game, Heyward would have had to hit four three-run homers.) But for a single moment, that one swing was my highlight of 2010.
By Mark Bradley
Cam Newton touches home plate, figuratively speaking. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
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132 comments Add your comment
Keith
December 21st, 2010
4:24 pm
Having trouble today with spelling and details. My apologies.
Keith
December 21st, 2010
4:28 pm
Also, special mention to Ryan and the Falcons with that last-minute, quick drive of 80 yards in so many seconds to seal the win against a tough Ravens team. Pretty special, too. Statement game.
PMC
December 21st, 2010
4:30 pm
Roddy White’s strip of Nate Clements was unbelievable. As was the TD to end the Raven’s Game in the GA Dome.
bugs
December 21st, 2010
4:31 pm
Cam’s Hail Mary to end the half.
Keith
December 21st, 2010
4:31 pm
RE: PMC
Yes, that strip and eventual win was incredible!!
MontyP
December 21st, 2010
4:31 pm
Its gotta be Heyward’s homerun on openning day. You have to go back to the games that Sid Bream scored in 92 and when they won the World Series to find that kind of electricity filling at an Atlanta Braves game. The Ted BLEW UP when he hit that homerun! If there was ever a baseball play that I would have loved to hear Larry Munson call that would have been it.
Keith
December 21st, 2010
4:32 pm
Seriously, bugs. No kidding. That changed the rest of the game…but that was more of a mistake (by defender) than a great throw in my opinion…still something to watch!
Mark Bradley`s Booster
December 21st, 2010
4:35 pm
Mark: The best thing(s) I have seen are your stories.
You are an expert in writing the right article with the right slant at the right time. The proof is the huge number of responses you get. I don`t agree with some of your views but thats no problem. Keep em coming in 2011.
Keith
December 21st, 2010
4:36 pm
*watches Bradley’s head enlarge*
Good thoughts Booster.
Georgia State Trooper
December 21st, 2010
4:45 pm
The best thing I saw was Damon Evans trying to pass the field sobriety tests, bribe one of my peers and then hide the red panties. Classic I tell you.
Dog Island Gator
December 21st, 2010
4:52 pm
Gators beating the dogs….again
Herschel Talker
December 21st, 2010
4:56 pm
MB:
The best thing I saw in 2010 was Bobby Cox retiring. Thank God.
HT
Keith
December 21st, 2010
5:00 pm
Re: HT
Hope you don’t live to regret that statement. I know that Bobby was sometimes frustrating from a strategist perspective, but his intangible quality of helping players produce to their potential will be lost…we won’t see it in just one year but over several years I think. I HOPE Fredi has that quality, too. We’ll see come baseball season…which is about 8 weeks away from pitchers and catchers. Can’t believe it.
War Damn Cammmm
December 21st, 2010
5:03 pm
Heyward – great moment, a close second… HOWEVER Cam runs away with this one
Delbert D.
December 21st, 2010
5:11 pm
It’s got to be Roddy White stripping the ball.
jarvis
December 21st, 2010
5:43 pm
Ahhhh….yes….Georgia Tech recovering a fumble on their way to an ACC Championship that was sandwiched between a loss to an average Dawg’s team and an a-kicking at the hands of the Big-10 runner up.
Ahhhh….the Golden era of Tech Football.
MightyQuinn
December 21st, 2010
5:44 pm
Didn’t get to see much in person this year, but I was there for the Falcons/Ravens game. When the Ravens tied it up, my sister in law said,”Well, looks like overtime.” I said, “Nope, we’re gonna win it right now!” And the rest, as they say….
Heath
December 21st, 2010
5:53 pm
Kennesaw State beating Ga Tech like a wet blanket.
Just wait until we have football.
the truth hurts
December 21st, 2010
5:59 pm
Beating like a wet blanket?
Mixing metaphors like a gift horse in china shop aren’t ya there Heath?
Gen Neyland
December 21st, 2010
6:01 pm
” How sad and bad and mad it was, but then how it was sweet.”–Robert Browning could have been poet laureate for Atlanta sports teams and their fans…Go Thrashers, Go Falcons, Go Braves and GBO.
War Eagle
December 21st, 2010
6:07 pm
Best thing I saw this year in person was momma give me my $20.00 allowance
War Eagle
December 21st, 2010
6:28 pm
LakeDawg,
When is the next arrest of a thuga player in Athens? Only a matter of time……..
blazerdawg
December 21st, 2010
7:08 pm
that wet blanket comment is awesome
Hinske’s bomb was tremendous..for about five minutes.
Chillin on Paradise Island
December 21st, 2010
7:18 pm
Best thing i saw in person was Matt Ryan’s first NFL pass.
NRBQ
December 21st, 2010
7:32 pm
Best thing I saw live:
Jeff Beck at Chastain Park. Unbelievable.
(from someone who’s seen most of the greats since the late 60’s)
Mark Bradley
December 21st, 2010
7:47 pm
Why, thanks, Booster. I’m in your debt.
Heath
December 21st, 2010
8:24 pm
To tell the truth, Bobby Cox using starting pitchers for 5 1/3 innings and then using 37 relievers to finish each game made me more nervous than a long tailed pig in a poke.
Booger!
December 21st, 2010
8:53 pm
The BEST thing to see in 2011 Auburn finally getting the death penalty and Cam going to prison for lying to the FBI. CAN’T WAIT!
Najeh Davenpoop
December 21st, 2010
9:12 pm
Josh Smith’s putback dunk at the buzzer to beat the Magic in Philips Arena back in March.
ctown
December 21st, 2010
9:22 pm
Hands down was Heyward’s opening day homer. You could feel something special was about to happen. The way the crowd was chanting “Let’s go Heyward” as he was on-deck, and it just got louder until he took that swing and the place just erupted. Even the Cub fans near us were high-fiving us and saying the kid delivered. Truely magical moment.
Trey
December 21st, 2010
9:49 pm
Very nice blog, Mark.
Fan of the Game
December 21st, 2010
9:53 pm
The best thing I saw this year was the Allstar game and all the Georgia connections, especially Brian McCann.
Charles
December 21st, 2010
10:26 pm
Mine was the moment that Matt B. kicked that FG in OT to kick the aints’ @#$es!!
jocotrojan
December 21st, 2010
10:27 pm
the best thing in sports in 2010 was our overtime victory celbrations against wilkinson co. and eci. 2 greatest nights in wrightsville (well the wilco game was in irwinton) ever. fans stormin the field, our players yelling flocka. nuthin is better than class a high school football.
CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!
Gen Neyland
December 21st, 2010
10:28 pm
MB : and your relation to Mark Bradley’s Booster is..?
Captain Lou Albano
December 21st, 2010
10:29 pm
The only good thing you talked about in this so called blog, was J-Hey. 6 fig Newton is lucky he can just blame his dad and not take responsibility for the underhanded scam he and his dad planned. And I think most people agree (especially USC) he should be ineligible because of his supposed fathers actions. At least according to the rulebook he should be. Other than that I will agree, he had an amazing game in the Georgia Dome. Got to give the guy credit for his talent. Honestly, he made a terrible Auburn team, the number 1 team in the country. LITERALLY. Gene Chizik is a hack. He could be the worst head couch in the SEC.
Crappy gifts
December 21st, 2010
10:46 pm
Georgia bowl game tickets
ATL Sports
December 21st, 2010
10:47 pm
Eric Hinske’s homerun against the Giants in the 8th inning of game 3. I get chills thinking about how the place was rocking after that. Reminded me of why I love sports… Unbelievable moment. 1 strike away from going up 2-1 in the series stings though.
great present
December 21st, 2010
10:48 pm
Georgia thinking they were going to be good and turning out horrible. Who cares if they beat tech, they were suppose to this year.
Buford T. Pusser
December 21st, 2010
10:55 pm
The most pathetic things I ever read comes down to the posts generated by Sanford Drive and DA Double UG. Two poultry plant employees who associate themselves with the state university (so called). Celebrate your 9th grade education and I hope that your Ga Tech Boss is not too tough on you.
dawg on vacay
December 21st, 2010
10:55 pm
The greatest thing I saw all year was Lebron’s “The decision”…no wait that would be the greatest thing I ignored this year.
Seriously, I was in the park for both Heyward’s and Hinske’s home runs, and I gotta give the edge to Hinske. The Ted was both upside down and hanging from the rafters after that home run and stayed that way until Aubrey Huff tied the game. In fact, when Kimbrel got two strikes on Sanchez that might have been the loudest I have heard a venue in person, and I was at Falcons-Rams 2004. The only non-attended events I’ve seen that I would even compare is Sid Bream and Games 3 and 4 of the 1991 world series for sheer pandemonium at a Braves game.
Side note: I was at a UGA basketball game in 2000 or 2001 when they came back on Tennessee from down 16 or so at the half in a sold-out Steg. That may be the loudest place I have ever been, don’t let anyone tell you the Stegosaurus can’t get mind-numbing loud when it is packed.
PMC
December 21st, 2010
11:16 pm
oh, uh, Raw Dog’s Grand Slam during that redonkulous 9th inning comeback during the most dull and boring day game ever up until then was special.
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December 21st, 2010
11:42 pm
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atlantafanatic
December 21st, 2010
11:49 pm
Heyward’s HR was unbelievable no question and I was there. But disregarding that and Hinske’s HR in Game 3 (also there), I thought that giving Strasburg his first loss was special along with the Falcons Ravens Game. Great 2010, hope 2011 comes close to living up to it.
How bout them . . . . . . . . . . 12-2 Falcons
December 21st, 2010
11:59 pm
Cam Newton (the locomotive from College Park),
would make a good Atlanta Falcon !
Tron5000
December 22nd, 2010
12:07 am
Yeah, I’d definitely say the J-Hey homer on Opening Day ranks as my best in-person sports moment of the year. I’ve been to looooooooots of Braves games in my 29 years, and that was the most electrified, amped-up atmosphere I’ve witnessed at a game.
Castle Pines Canine
December 22nd, 2010
12:51 am
Two great professional performances for sure. The well paid Heyward, and the well paid Newton. My best in person view this year was the AJ Greene touchdown catch against Colorado. That was about all that was good that night.
Castle Pines Canine
December 22nd, 2010
12:52 am
Can anyone explain why it is ok for Dooley to take underage players to a bar??????
ATL Sports
December 22nd, 2010
2:02 am
Zach Parise tying goal against team canada in the olympics with under 30 seconds left
ATL Sports
December 22nd, 2010
2:06 am
Landon Donovan’s game winning goal in the world cup