Ball 5

Author: Justin Golenbock

True greatness is defined in those agonizingly few crystallized moments when man reaches his pinnacle and performs a truly miraculous feat. Sports have long been considered a medium for greatness in civilizations scattered through history, a fact recognized in 1896 when the first modern Olympics commemorated the valor of the famed Greek courier Phidippides, whose storied death from exhaustion after -and-fro the previous four days) warned the city in time to stave off Persian conquest.

Of course, in today's world of talking heads we have SportsCenter and Pardon the Interruption (PTI) to remind us that greatness occurs daily. But true greatness is evanescent, ephemeral and elliterative, which is something I was reminded of today while discussing topic ideas with Lexington legend "Fats" Sullivan. "Fats'" own prowess on the Midd track is recognized as the most transcendent display of athleticism by a Minuteman since their earliest athletes were first celebrated for running away from the British. Greatness is memorable. It doesn't show up in the box, but weaves legends around performances of mere moments that inspire generations in the re-telling. Willie Mays' catch, a feverish Jordan decimating the Jazz, Wilt dropping 100 in one game - or on that same night sleeping with the first of 20,000 women, performances that none of us will ever count among the pedestrian. "That equals out to having sex with 1.2 different ladies every day since I was 15 years old," the reticent center stated but once to adoring fans.

It is these performances I keep in mind as I scroll down hall of fame talent Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch's lifetime statistics. This dude hit Fox Sports anchor Keith Olbermann's mom 6 rows up in the stands of Yankee Stadium while trying to make the throw from second base to first, on a nationally televised game no less. A Gold Glover in '97, he was benched in the 2000 World Series during games played at Shea (NL games are played without a DH), before six throwing errors in 14 spring training games forced a 2001 MLB preseason decision (ostensibly for purposes of safety) forbidding his playing second base when Tony Clark was not at first. True story. He took a good, not great, career that no one but Rob Neyer's grandchildren would have remember 100 years down the line, and steamrolled it all for one chance at lasting greatness, miraculously spotting a ball from several hundred feet off the forehead of a 74-year-old woman without harming a grey hair on her head.

So how does the Chuck's story end? Well, because he's awesome, he retires at age 34, sends out vibes that he'll join fellow ex-MLBer John Burkett on the professional bowling circuit, cementing his place in sports crossover legend history. Something to ponder, Phidippides fans...