Ball 5

Author: Justin Golenbock

Eric Rosemund '06 catches the inbound, sizes up the hoop, drives left…SWAT. Though a step behind, 5'10" Josh Feldman '06 comes from seemingly nowhere to reject Rosemund's shot with such force that the ball hits off the gym wall six feet beyond the basket.

Embarrassing? Most definitely. Doubly so now that it's been immortalized in print? Well I wouldn't give myself too much credit. But what the anecdote begins to illustrate is the long history of humiliation that is the blocked shot. And it's about time someone asked the question: Is there a more embarrassing play in sports than having a basketball stuffed back in your face? Of all the instances of psychological trauma that sports inflict at even the least competitive of levels, is there a better example?

Now, practically speaking, the blocked shot is the least valuable of the counting stats - it's not even a turnover. Bill Russell, the first great NBA shot blocker, still talks about how frustrated he got when his team (he was also the coach) would stand around watching him block seven or eight shots in a possession, only to have the other team eventually score. A team's best shot-blocker is generally the team's best rebounder, and can usually do only one of those things at a time.

But the fact remains, a dropped infield popup is just a one-base error, but that doesn't alleviate the jog of shame out to right field the inning after. No one's fooled when a pro cornerback overzealously celebrates a deflected pass of what should've been a gimme interception. But there's no parallel in any other sport to the humiliation of a good block, even though the shooting team usually just gets the ball right back.

The intimidation factor of the shot-blocker counts for more than just tangible value. Announcers like to preach the "shot-changing" component of great shot-blockers like the Pistons' Ben Wallace or LSU's Tyrus Thomas by examining their stat-lines with ejaculations like: "three blocks? I would've thought he'd had 17 the way he changed that game!" But what they miss is the psychological effect. Tony Parker didn't go near the paint for Games 3-6 in last year's NBA finals after getting swatted in Game 2. And even though he's French, we all felt for him.

But what the block mostly does is provide entertainment for the more malicious element of sports viewers that fans like myself so gleefully represent. Sure, a dunk is only two points, but it's damn satisfying to watch when it's done in the face of a player we don't like. That's doubly true for the blocked shot. Evidence LSU's defeat of Duke last week, when the freshman Thomas added a fantastic exclamation point to the upset by sending Greg Paulus's last-ditch lay-up attempt into the stands. For Duke haters around the country, well, it was a nice moment.

Okay, I finally wrote a March Madness column. Almost. Now get ready for baseball.