November during a worldwide pandemic, eh? That’s pretty much a new level of dreary. So, let’s entertain ourselves a little. Let’s hop on the ol’ bandwagon and enjoy some of the best moments in sports from this past week.
#1 Jon Rahm’s Skip Shot at the Masters…on His Birthday
It’s become a tradition during practice rounds at the Masters to try and hit a skip shot across the water at the 16th hole. Just a fun thing. Many golfers pull it off, intentionally topping the ball so it skips across the water like a flat stone, coming to rest somewhere on the other side. Jon Rahm, the second-ranked golfer in the world, made his 26th birthday one to remember with this once in a lifetime effort. One question: Are you kidding me?
#2 Lacrosse-Style Goal
The Collingwood Blues are an affiliate of the Barrie Colts and play in the OJHL. Blues’ forward Payton Schaly would have dazzled the crowd (If there were one) with this great lacrosse-style goal in preseason action. Schaly just picks the puck up off the ice with his stick blade then, spatula-style, does a little flip n’ tuck into the top corner.
#3 Dallas Cowboys’ Trick Play vs Pittsburgh
The Dallas Cowboys are having a disastrous season. At 2-7, they’ll probably end up with more losses than quarterback replacements but it should be a fun race to watch. They did give their fans something to cheer about Sunday with this trick play on a punt return. With a 10-0 lead late in the half on the road, it was a bold strategy, Cotton, and it did not pay off for them. They somehow failed to score on the play…of course. And they later blew a nice lead and lost the game…of course. This season, that’s just Dallas being Dallas. But it was still an exciting play.
#4 Chuck Clark Fumble Recovery for a Touchdown
It’s hard to say what pleased us more in this highlight. Is it Chuck Clark’s fumble recovery and return for a Baltimore touchdown? Or is it the antics of Indy quarterback Philip Rivers, whose strategy for stopping Clark was to fall over sideways? Yeah, it’s no contest. You win, Phil. At least you tried.
#5 Now Senator Teammates, Here’s Erik Gudbranson vs Michael Haley
When the Ottawa Senators let Mark Borowiecki and Scott Sabourin walk in free agency last month, there were questions. Now that the two local tough guys were elsewhere, who would provide the toughness for next season? After all, this is a team that’s going to have a lot of skilled, young players and someone will need to have their backs. The Sens quickly answered the toughness question. In fact, they keep answering that question. The club quickly brought in Erik Gudbranson, Austin Watson and Josh Brown – all-around 6 foot 5 – who can tidy up any trouble that comes along.
But they weren’t done. Today, they signed Michael Haley, a veteran with 73 career NHL fights. Whether he plays in Ottawa or Belleville, the fact remains Haley is one of the game’s finest “shift disturbers.” If you were to film another sequel to Slap Shot (please don’t), Haley would make a fantastic character in your ill-fated choice of remakes. It takes us back to a feisty 2019 memory of the night two future Senator teammates took a strong dislike to each other. As teammates, things might get awkward now. Yeah, I get it. It’s not technically a play of the “week.” But Haley was signed this week, so that’s sort of counts. Anyway, who are you? The “play of the week” police?
By Steve Warren
