The Greatest Countdown of 2008

I have to admit it. I am that person that gets totally sucked into the countdowns they do at the end of every year about the greatest (fill-in the blank) moments of (fill-in whatever the current year happens to be). When they did those 100 years of movies countdowns where they they counted down the greatest 100 movies of the last century, I was totally glued from almost beginning to end. I mean really, why do I care that a certain number of people think certain movies are better than others. I mean top to bottom, I prefer Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade over Raiders of the Lost Ark. (Two thoughts here. First, I am not knocking Raiders at all. It is one of my favorite movies. This is kind of like saying I prefer Haagan Daaz Bailey's Irish Cream flavor to their Dulce de Leche flavor. Would totally kill for either one, but if given the choice, I do have a preference. Second, I refuse to call it Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark. That is not its title even though everyone has tried to make it so in the last few years. No one needs to be told that Raiders is an Indiana Jones movie. I do not refer to my family as Ryan Rapier and The Rapier Family of Thatcher. Total crap. It is Raiders of the Lost Ark and any other title is dead to me.) However, "true critics" always put Raiders of the Lost Ark on lists like this because of its "historical significance". I say Bull Crap. Either we are talking about the best movies or the movies with the most historical significance. If it is the latter, rename your stupid list. Are you getting a good glimpse into why I get caught up in these countdowns? I am not sure how, but I am somewhat certain that this says a whole lot more about me than I would like to admit. I think the low point for my countdown obsession came when Shannon and I heard a countdown on the way home from the 4th of July fireworks a few years back on XM satellite radio. It was the top ten country songs with the word "jukebox" in it. We got home when they were on song number five and I kept running back outside and sitting in my car with the key turned to auxiliary to find out what was number 1. By the way, it was "He'll Have To Go" by Jim Reeves. (Truly deserving as winner if you ask me. No better opening line to a romantic song that "Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone." I told you, I am pathetic when it comes to this.)














Kate sitting with Grandma and her new toy which even with all the lights and everything amounted to one big teething ring.

Wow, that opening wasn't supposed to be that long. Anyway, in honor of the end of the year, I have posted some of our Christmas pictures and now will move into the GREATEST COUNTDOWN OF 2008!!!! Enough hype? This countdown is My Top 10 Favorite Experiences Related To Sports in My First 35 1/2 Years Of Life! (I can actually hear the groan from readers who are female as well as hear the sound of them reaching for their mouse to click to the next blog.) Hold On! It won't be as bad as you think. Well, maybe it will, but keep in mind this is also functioning as my journal somewhat so I respect that some of you will need to do what you've got to do. For the rest of you, HERE...WE....GOOOOO!!!!!!!















Sunrise Christmas morning in Duncan

10. As stated before, some friends and I have a tradition of gathering every year at a sports eating establishment where alcohol may or may not be served to watch the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament. The reason??? They always have large screens on which to follow all the games that are being played at one time. This is a chance to catch up with friends from college that I don't see any other time of year. But probably my best memory will be the first year we did this at Six Shooters in Tempe, right across the street from ASU campus. That night, the best team in the country (Kansas) was playing a school named Holy Cross. WHO? Holy Cross. This was expected to be a complete blowout. Instead, the team from Holy Cross either led or was within one point up until the last minute of the game. One of the best games I have ever seen. Anyway, they lost, but I have never forgotten the adrenaline rush of being in a room with 50 people I had never met and all cheering on a team we knew nothing about nor would care about one bit once the game was over. Ladies, it is kind of like seeing Twilight with a theater full of women. As you walk out of the theater in tears and see others you have never met in the same state, you make an eye connection and it quietly says "Yes, we have shared an experience here that bonds us." That is what happened that night and I still get chills thinking about it.


















Jerry and Logan stacking Logan's new blocks. Despite Jerry's best efforts to show Logan what the blocks said, all Logan was interested in was knocking them down.

9. When Abby could barely talk, I taught her to say Randy Johnson when people asked who her favorite baseball player was. She did it on cue every time. She even watched several games with me that year. Can't force her to watch a game now, but I will never forget Randy Johnson's first year as a Diamondback simply for the experiences I had with my daughter.














Abby, Logan and Braden opening their gifts from Grandma Claridge

8. When I was in high school, I lived and breathed for the Boston Celtics. In 1987, it looked like they were going to get bounced from the playoffs by the Detroit Pistons. In fact, it looked so bad, my best friend Jared called me and laughed into the phone. It made me so mad, I turned around and hit the wall with my fist. Unfortunately, our wall downstairs is solid brick. My hand hurt for three weeks. Anyway, when it seemed as if it was totally over, Isaiah Thomas took the ball to throw it in and finish off my beloved Celtics. However, he threw a horrible pass and Larry Bird came out of no where and stole it, threw it behind his back to Dennis Johnson who made a nice little left handed lay up and the Celtics won the game. I immediately took my very sore hand and called Jared and just laughed into the phone.














Grandma Rapier watching some horrible Scooby Doo movie with Logan. Now that is being a trooper.

7. The second year of the Diamondbacks existence, they did what no team had ever done before that early. They made the playoffs. I got tickets to the second playoff game and Shannon and I went. This is a great memory because my wife put up with a lot of Diamondbacks stuff that year and she did it with a smile. She went to that game and got totally into it even though some moron behind us had big old freaking bell that he would ring every time Jay Bell came to bat. I think my ears rang for a week after that game.














Is that SNOW in the Gila Valley? Darn straight. All .16 inches of it.

6. When I shot a 45 on the golf course at Mt Graham Golf Course and beat Heath Brown straight up. That doesn't happen very often. Ok, pretty much never. Felt Great! For a further explanation, see the archives for a blow by blow on this event.














Rapier Family Christmas morning. Just prior to naps.

5. This last year, my beloved Celtics made the NBA Finals. To make it even sweeter, they got to play the evil (I spit upon them) Lakers. I don't subject my family to sporting events much anymore. I just don't have the time. But, I made time to watch these games. And to my delight, Braden watched every one of them with me. Begged to stay up and watch them with me and cheer on the Celtics. For those of you who know Braden, you won't be surprised to learn that he mainly wanted to keep track of the clock that was ticking down at the top of the screen and update me every time the numbers changed for the score (He didn't actually make the connection for a while that the guys making baskets had a direct effect on those numbers. In truth, I don't think he cared.) but he cheered and we had a great time. It was my first real watching sports bonding moment with my son. Can't beat that.


4. Watching the AZ Diamondbacks World Series Run in 2001. I watched almost every game with my friend Spencer and we suffered through the two losses in the bottom of the ninth and then extra innings. We stood outside the stadium (couldn't come close to affording tickets) during the blowout of game six and then we nervously paced in front of the television before screaming in exultation when Luis Gonzalez hit that bloop that won Game 7. We hugged and jumped up and down while still hugging. Shannon to this day can't believe she saw that. However, I am not ashamed. That was a freaking awesome game.


3. While still in the two year "honeymoon period" of our marriage, the Arizona Wildcats had their amazing run to the Championship of the NCAA basketball tournament. In many ways, our lives stopped for three weeks. I think Shannon knew how much I liked basketball, but she had never seen anything like this. During the Kansas game in the sweet 16 round, she watched as me and my friend Preston laid prostrate (I just had one of those internal debates. Is it prostrate or prostate? Being wrong would be highly embarassing. So I checked) on the floor in front of the television doing everything short of begging diety for intervention to let our team win. I have always felt it is inappropriate to pray for my sporting teams to win. Just doesn't seem right. But I came close during that game. All the way through the tourney, it was just one amazing game after another. I then remembering calling Shannon's dad after it was over and basking in the glow of the game. When awesome sports things happen, I really wish he was here as my father has never really had an interest in televised sports.


2. The amazing Eastern Arizona College basketball season of 1994-95. They went undefeated and I count it up in part to the hometown crowd they had that season. We were loud, obnoxious and highly smug about ourselves. We even took our fanhood on the road for a couple of games including to Mesa Community College where we got one of the opposing players to flip us off leading to a technical that basically won the game for us. After the game, a mother of one of the MCC players came down the stands and decked the guy running the clock which led to fight at mid-court. We left as quickly as possible. Some highlights; painted faces, the newspaper reading during the opposing team's intros, my beloved megaphone (sigh!), Vidal Sassoon, Goat Boy, Fat Albert and some flipping amazing dunks that that team was famous for. Absolutely the definition of GOOD TIMES!


1. The only sports moment I personally took part in was in high school when I was playing in the District Tennis Tournament for the right to go to state. All my partner and I had to do was win one more match against a doubles team we had already beaten. I remember after the first point in which I slammed the ball over the other team's heads, I turned to my best friend who was watching and gave him the thumbs up sign with all the cockiness that a male high school senior can summon up. We followed that point up by...losing the first set 0-6. We then fell behind in the second set (best two out of three) 0-3. My coach was so upset he left and couldn't watch anymore. Somehow, we came back and won the second set only to go down 0-3 in the third. We came all the back and got a match point in a tie breaker. I remember saying to myself, please double fault, pleeeaaase double fault...And he did. That led to the only other male bonding sports hug I ever received. My partner ran over and picked me up and we screamed and our teammates ran on the court. It was awesome. We went the next week and got killed in the first round at state, but no one can take away that moment when we fought back and won that match.


So for those who hung with me through this post, there you go. For those of you wondering why you hung with me through this post, I hope it wasn't too bad. So as you hear all the countdowns that accompany ever year end, I encourage you to think of your own. They have to be way more uplifting than the Top 10 political scandals of 2008 which is sure to expanded to 20 to get everyone in. I'd love to hear about them, but either way, here is to another year ending and a chance to create more countdown lists in 2009. Happy New Year!