Sideline Cut/Keith Duggan 1 Watching DJ Carey trail Tiger Woods on a day of magnificent colour and heat in Thomastown. It was just four days after Carey's coup de grâce in the All-Ireland hurling final.
His point early in the second half of that match was a masterpiece. Taking possession near centre field, Carey moved towards the new Hogan Stand with his opponent in hot pursuit. He feinted this way and that, as daring and insolent as a matador. That his opponent was the great Ollie Baker, gallant and brave and now desperate, heightened the majesty of the spectacle.
By the time he reached the sideline, Ollie was off-balance and tumbling towards the earth. Carey flicked the ball into mid air and leaned back into his stroke with such ease and grace that he seemed to be operating in a slower motion than real time. He made the pointed shot look absurdly easy. When he is old and gray, the moment will become his sporting epitaph.
But four days later, he was in the crowd at Mount Juliet, pleased as punch to be lost in the crowd, marvelling at the Tiger. The heat was intense and it wasn't a typical golf crowd that showed up but countrymen in shirtsleeves who looked like they had just come in from the meadows. At times people would shake hands with DJ, but no big deal was made of him; everyone was there to enjoy the most famous sportsman on earth. In truth, Woods looked like he came from a different planet, wearing all black and more or less stunning people as he moved across the lush and yellow landscape.
2 Damien Duff's oriental bow, the first minimalist goal celebration in soccer. A perfect contrast to Robbie Keane's gymnastics routine.
3 Opening a ruined door at the back of the deathtrap formally known as the press box in Castlebar and finding John Tobin sitting on a set of stone steps eating a sandwich. It was the day of the World Cup final in Japan and a day of epic rainfall in the west of Ireland. Tobin, a star of many Connacht finals and one of the GAA's great gentlemen, had turned up to find there was no room at the inn. He was reduced to finding a spot on what was a deserted staircase to have a sandwich and a cup of tea.
He was good-humoured about it but disappointed too. As he said, this was a provincial final. He reckoned conditions were better in the 1950s.
4 Wondering how come Tim Montgomery breaking the 100 metre record was greeted with general indifference. Do athletics count only at the Olympics?
5 Wondering how come Ian Thorpe's Commonwealth Games feats went generally unnoticed also. Does swimming count only at the Olympics?
6 Getting 13 to 9 on Armagh versus Dublin.
7 Watching Roy Keane walking his dog. It was at once both a powerful statement and an act of high comedy.
8 Driving through Surrey just after dawn to watch Nick Faldo and Michael Campbell in an 8.0 a.m. play-off in the World Matchplay at Wentworth. After the high-octane drama of their struggle the previous evening, the conclusion was grave and quiet. The course was soaking and you could hear the trees dripping. Because of the poor light and solemn atmosphere, you felt like an audience at a duel. Pistols at 10 paces would not have seemed out of place.
9 Tom Lyons walking the sideline in Croke Park. In a former life, he must have been a Roman emperor. And Tom Lyons talking. In a former life, he must have been a salesman.
10 Leaving Crossmaglen on the night of the homecoming for the Armagh football team. For reasons not unknown, the police force was not in the vicinity and the visit was organised and stewarded by volunteers. It all went incredibly smoothly. Inching out of the town towards the next stop, one of the stewards hopped into the car and asked for a lift up the road. He announced himself as the father of one of the players, John Donaldson. He was happy but heading home for a cup of tea.
11 Watching the Wimbledon final and fearing that Lleyton Hewitt's head might actually explode before he got to win.
12 The name Saipan.
13 Eamon Dunphy's Indomitable Lions tie.
14 Big Jack Charltonand Pat Kenny on The Late Late Show. A sad, cheap evening.
15 The mystified look on hundreds of faces when David Connolly marched forward to take his penalty.
16 Sitting in front of Mick McCarthy at what was his farewell press conference. After all the venom and hoopla that preceded it, the end of the affair was gentle and anti-climactic. Someone asked Mick what he was going to do now and he said he was going to go somewhere for a pint with a few friends. He looked sharp that evening but sounded weary and tired.
He had the grace not to smirk or hold up two fingers when the soccer press corps, most of who had been flogging him for months and years, actually gave him a round of applause. It was a messy, disheartening half an hour. There was a big show on in the ballroom across from where the press conference was being held. Someone said it was Noel V Ginnity, which sounded appropriate.
17 Seeing Brian O'Driscoll lead Ireland on a lap of honour around Lansdowne Road after beating Australia. There were so many reasons not to do it, the most pertinent being that the Australians will keenly remember it when the teams meet again in the World Cup. But it felt like the right thing to do at that moment and it was an acknowledgement that for Ireland, even in this bright era for the national rugby team, such achievements are a rarity and ought to be savoured. If the revenge is terrible next autumn, so be it.
18 Waiting for Roy Keane to come into a press conference the day before Ireland played Russia in a friendly. The deal was that he would follow Mick McCarthy and answer questions. But there was a delay, so that when he walked in, some cameramen had begun to dismantle their equipment. Keane just turned on his heels and walked out muttering about people not even being f***in' ready. He returned about 15 minutes later and this time everybody was ready and he answered questions with bright, arid humour.
19 Watching This Sporting Life after hearing about Richard Harris' departure.
20 Scanning the faces on the upper tier of the Hogan Stand with 10 minutes left in the All-Ireland football final. The most common expression was of deep, deep worry, which is how you know that sport is at its best.
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