Have we as a society grown so self-absorbed and insecure that we've lost the ability to appreciate a special sporting moment for what it is? Is the luster of the moment diminished in the rush to place that buzzer-beater, shorthanded breakaway, or walk-off home run in historical context? Must the 'legacy' be determined before the athlete is retired, or before the game is even over?

Picture Franco Harris grabbing the football off his shoestrings and rumbling for a touchdown against the Raiders, Willie Mays running full speed and making that over the shoulder catch in the World Series, or Michael Jordan launching that jumper over Craig Ehlo. Heck, picture your mother making you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when you were a kid. I'd be willing to bet the last thing on their minds would have been how they rated against all the previous great plays and lunches that came before them. Their concerns were about winning games and being good Moms. Historical events have to be allowed to find their place, we can't force it upon them.

Is it too late for us to stop the knee jerk reaction of placing labels like 'the greatest ever' or 'best of all time' and simply enjoy sports again? ESPN has done a magnificently sneaky job in manipulating our minds to be more concerned with Top 10 lists than with enjoying the special plays, games, and seasons for what they are. The next time you're watching a game and you see a one-in-a-million play close your eyes and smile, because you've just witnessed something special. Don't reflexively run to your computer to email Mike & Mike or Jason Smith.

If, when you do open your eyes, the urge to contact the ESPNation is still there, go kiss your wife, hug your kids, call an old friend to say hi, or scratch your dog behind the ears. Those are truly significant events that often go uncelebrated and tremendously unappreciated-the kind of things that you'll be remembering years after your list of the 'Ten Best Ground Rule Doubles of All Time' has long since slipped from your memory.

Let's try to limit our discussions of 'Legaces' to St. Louis Blues goalies, shall we?

**Congrats to the Rapid City Canyon Lake Little Leaguers on making it to the L.L. World Series. Who says good ball isn't played out here in the sticks? Best of luck at Williamsport.**

Thanks for reading.