Anytime two or more Dougs get together it is a reason to celebrate!
That was certainly the case when 1-time sports writer and longtime government affairs consultant, Doug Levy, joined me to discuss both his sports fan journey from East Coast to Pacific Northwest and, more specifically, his 2025 debut book: Hero Redefined: Profiles of Olympic Athletes Under the Radar.
I was completely unfamiliar with Doug and his wonderful book until he reached out via email.
It turns out he was familiar with former Conversations’ guests, Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz from “Keep the Flame Alive” (S:4, E:70). After spotting their appearance on my show, he sent off a lovely email and media kit.
Much like the documentary, “The Weight of Gold,” Doug’s book should be required reading for many. In it, he profiles over a dozen athletes, coaches, and officials who did not achieve Olympic glory (not a gold medal among them) but did succeed in ways that are not measured by a podium finish (though one did find their way to the podium). Doug shares a few morsels about his subjects during our Conversation and, more broadly, discusses what the Olympics mean – or should mean – and how we as fans should receive them every couple years.
Jill Jaracz and Alison Brown both IRL (center) and in cartoon form. Huge Olympic and Paralympic fans no matter the medium!!!
It’s not everyday I receive an email from someone(s) pitching themselves to be guests on Conversations with Sports Fans. So, when I received an email from someplace called Keep the Flame Alive that included a full rundown about what they’d be willing to discuss on my show, I was simultaneously intrigued and flattered.
And that was all before I headed flamealivepod.com to learn more about what Jill Jaracz and Alison Brown have been creating.
Holy Moly!
These two former research librarians have been doing work. They launched Keep the Flame Alive in September 2017 as a way to, you know, keep that Olympic and Paralympic spirit alive with each other and, hopefully, build some community with others interested in the same.
Now, eight years later, they’re a fully accredited media outlet, have enjoyed countless discussions with Olympians and Paralympians, and are preparing to attend their third consecutive Games when the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics begin in early February.
To say I found kindred spirits in Jill and Alison is probably underselling it. As you’ll soon discover this Conversation features plenty of digressions in the name of three sports-crazed fans who are merely chopping it up with each other.
My hope is you enjoy the ease with which we discuss the Games (past, present, and future) and are rooting for us to track each other down when we’ll all be in Milan in a couple of months.
Jill and Alison from Keep the Flame Alive share their journey from Olympic fans on their sofas to the media room.
Ken Hanscom has seen plenty of live Olympic Games action and is all-too-happy to share his tips and tricks with us.
I’m delighted to be rejoined in this episode by Ken Hanscom, an Olympic superfan, who’s carved out quite a niche for himself in the Olympic spectating community.
We catch up with Ken as we approach the 5-month until the Milano-Cortina Games to learn what fans of the Olympics should be doing if they plan to attend and, if they’ve considered attending, why Los Angeles in 2028 might be the perfect opportunity for North Americans to begin planning now.
Pretty simple this week: If you know who’s leading the pack, you know who the unquestioned best to ever swim this event.
The 1500 meter freestyle is to swimming what a 5K is to the running world. It’s a distance race but not a distance race.
In women’s swimming there has been one dominant force in this event for well over a decade – Katie Ledecky.
She swam her first international 1500M as a 16-year-old at the 2013 World Championship in Barcelona and won in a world record time of 15:36.53, winning by two seconds. She established a new world record a year later at the Pan Pacific Championships, swimming 15:28.36 while winning by a whopping 27 seconds.
She won the World Championship at that distance again in 2015, 2017, 2022 (delayed a year due to Covid-19 and the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics), 2023, and 2025. She was ill in 2019 and forced to withdraw from the 1500M that Championship.
That’s American Katie Ledecky leading the field by a long distance during the 2024 Paris Olympics 1500 meters. (Photo/NBC Sports Screen Grab)
The distance has only been contested at the Olympic Games since 2020 (actually 2021 in Tokyo due to Covid) and she won the event both that year and again in 2024 in Paris which is where this week’s Fan Teaser image is from. Ledecky won the event by over 10 seconds while establishing a new Olympic Record of 15:30.02.
Her stranglehold on this event is evidenced in the chart below (generated before last year’s Olympics and last week’s World Championships in Singapore). Those are the top 20 times in the event’s history. Do note that Italy’s Simona Quadarella‘s runner-up finish last week at the World Championships in a European Record time of 15:31.79 would now be the 11th best all-time. Ledecky owns the other 19.
This chart from before the 2024 Paris Olympics shows Ledecky’s dominance in the 1500M.
For what it’s worth, Ledecky is also the pre-eminent women’s swimmer of the past decade-plus in the 800-meter freestyle. She’s won the event in every major international competition (Worlds and Olympics) dating back to 2012 when she was a 15-year-old and capped it off at the World Championships in Singapore this week by holding off the 18-year-old Canadian challenger, Summer McIntosh, by over a second when she won the event’s 800M Free in a World Championship-record time of 8:05.62.
That win, Ledecky’s final one at this year’s World Championships, brings her career total at the Worlds to 30, second only to Michael Phelps (33). Her 23 golds in those is second only to Phelps’ 26. Her 18 individual World Championships are the most in the pool … by anyone … ever.
Full Results of from the World Aquatic Championships may be found here.
Katie Ledecky’s 1500M 2025 World Championship swim in Singapore.
Ledecky holds off Canadian Summer McIntosh and Australian Lani Pallister for another 800M Free title.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
Eat your heart out, Jeopardy fans, it’s a Daily Double! These two photos – similar shots, no doubt – come from different eras. Who are the athletes and what are they doing?
A pair of American long jump gold medalists take center stage for this week’s Fan Teaser: Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1988) and Bob Beamon (1968).
Both jumpers had a bit of controversy surrounding their Olympic performances.
There were lots of whispers of a performance enhancement surrounding Joyner-Kersee’s gold medal wins in the Heptathalon and Long Jump; every test came back clean.
Beamon’s jump, which bested the previous record by nearly two feet, was controversial because of the circumstances: Mexico City sits at 7,350 feet above sea level, providing for thinner air. Nonetheless, Beamon’s record stood until 1991 when Michael Powell bested it. It remains the Olympic Record, over 55 years later.
At left, it’s Jackie Joyner-Kersee leaping to a then-Olympic record of 7.40 meters during Seoul’s 1988 Games. (Photo by Sports Illustrated’s Heinz Kluetmeier). At right, it’s Bob Beamon leaping to a then-World Record distance of 8.9 meters during Mexico City’s 1968 Games. (Photo by Getty Image’s Tony Duffy)
Bob Beamon’s 1968 record-setting leap.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s final jump at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
Hopscotch champion form … for sure! Who is it? What is it?
It was 28 years ago this week (July 23, 1996) when an 18-year-old gymnast from Tucson, AZ, gave the American viewing public something to cheer about. Kerri Strug had severely injured her left ankle (later determined to be a grade three sprain) on her first vault attempt with what the American’s team gold medal hopes on the line (or so the viewing public thought). She gutted out her second attempt and stuck the landing (on one leg). The U.S. women edged Russia, 389.225-388.404, to claim the gold. (In reality, had she not completed her second vault, the U.S. still would have wound up with gold, but why let some math ruin a terrific story?)
Kerri Strug holds her pose after sticking the landing on her vault despite a painful ankle injury suffered on her first attempt. The United States’ gold medal hopes rested on her, and she fought the pain on her second attempt to secure the title for the U.S. (Photo by Al Tielemans)
Here’s the story from Sports Illustrated‘s Johnette Howard and an overview of the entire 1996 Summer Olympics courtesy of Wikipedia.
Video of Kerri Strug’s gutty 1996 Olympic performance.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
Attempting to go Around the World in 80 Sporting Events means visiting some wonderful destinations and witnessing some monumental moments. Clockwise from upper left, the scoreboard at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews’ Old Course; Roberto Clemente’s jersey in the Baseball Hall of Fame; downtown Cooperstown, NY; the Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews; the author and the Stanley Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame; and the Hoosiers’ gym in Knightstown, IN.
As noted in the previous installment, once some foundational guardrails were in place, it was up to me to determine what Around the World in 80 Sporting Events would encompass. That is, what events/venues would rise to the level of iconic for inclusion?
Fortunately, by the time I’d arrived at this point in the planning stages I was well into the second season of hosting the podcast, “Conversations with Sports Fans,” so I knew what a lot of other folks felt were notable sporting events. Plus, many just nominate themselves because of the significance around the event.
What follows is a list by sport. The number in parentheses next to the sport are the total events in that category. At the bottom of each grouping is a brief explanation (where needed) of what’s included.
Baseball (17)
One hopes any trip to Wrigley Field ends with “Cubs Win!”
St. Louis Cardinals-Chicago Cubs Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL (Completed! Read about it here.)
New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox Game at Fenway Park in Boston, MA
San Francisco Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA
MLB World Series Game in Toronto (Completed! Read about it here.)
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY (Completed! Read about it here.)
Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, MO (Completed! Read about it here.)
Banana Ball in TBD
Men’s College World Series in Omaha, NE (Completed! Read about it here.)
Little League Boys World Series in South Williamsport, PA (Completed! Read about it here.)
“Field of Dreams” Film Site in Dyersville, IA (Completed! Read about it here.)
Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks, AK (Completed! Read about it here.)
Nippon Baseball League Game in Japan (Completed! Read about it here.)
Korean Baseball Organization Game in South Korea (Completed! Read about it here.)
MLB Grapefruit League Game(s) in Florida
MLB Cactus League Game(s) in Arizona
World Baseball Classic Game(s) in TBD
Caribbean Series Game(s) in TBD
Baseball was the first sport I was really exposed to so it should come as no surprise it’s the one that has the most events. … The three longest standing and, perhaps, most fierce rivalries in the game are the three listed above. In a perfect world I’d attend a game in all six locations, but this world is neither perfect nor free so I had to make a difficult decision and chose the three oldest ballparks. … Cooperstown is as close to Valhalla for me as I’ll find and I’ve heard way too much about the Negro Leagues Museum to not include it. … As noted previously, I have history in Fairbanks so returning there for the Midnight Sun Game (game time, 10 p.m., no artificial lighting used) seems fitting. … The remainder are all opportunities for me to experience baseball through the lens of other cultures.
Basketball (16)
New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY (Completed! Read about it here.)
Duke University at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC
Kansas University at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS (Completed! Read about it here.)
Butler University at Hinkle Field House in Indianapolis, IN (Completed! Read about it here.)
UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in Brentwood, CA
A Big 5 Game at the Palestra in Philadelphia, PA
Indiana High School Basketball (preferably an early-round tournament game) (Completed! Read about it here.)
“Hoosiers’ Gym in Knightstown, IN (Completed! Read about it here.)
Maui Classic Games in Lahaina, HI
Men’s NCAA Final Four Games in TBD
Women’s NCAA Final Four Games in TBD
Men’s NCAA Tournament Opening Week in Las Vegas, NV
Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers in TBD
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA
UConn Women’s Basketball Game at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT
Calvin vs. Hope Men’s Basketball in “The Rivalry” in Holland, MI
Growing up in basketball-mad Indiana, having 14 basketball events should not shock anyone either, I’d guess. … With a nod to my Hoosier roots, seeing the gym where “Hoosiers” was filmed is a must, as is a high school game, and a visit to Butler’s Hinkle Field House. … The five other venues I’d like to visit are, simply, those that captured my fascination through years of fandom. They are old-school gyms that anytime the networks have been there have tugged at me to pay homage someday. … The Maui Classic has been such a part of Thanksgiving week for me that I want to experience that environment in person. … Some might call the inclusion of the Women’s Final Four the Caitlin Clark effect, but I’ve been tuning into those games for the better part of a decade. Clark sucked me into some more early round action, but I love the current women’s college game and believe it’s time I see some in person, including a pilgrimage to Storrs, CT, to see UConn in Gampel Pavilion.
Football (16)
It’s long been a dream to see a Rose Bowl in person.
Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving Day Game (Completed! Read about it here.)
Ohio State-Michigan (The Game) in Ann Arbor, MI (Completed! Read about it here.)
Auburn-Alabama (The Iron Bowl) in Tuscaloosa, AL (Completed! Read about it here.)
Ole Miss-Mississippi (The Egg Bowl) in Oxford, MI (Completed! Read about it here.)
USC-Notre Dame in South Bend, IN (Completed! Read about it here.)
Army-Navy Game in TBD
Texas High School Football Game in Odessa, TX (Completed! Read about it here.)
Oklahoma-Texas at Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX (Completed! Read about it here.)
Dallas Cowboys Game in Arlington, TX (Completed! Read about it here.)
Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, WI
The Rose Bowl and Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA (Completed! Read about it here.)
NCAA National Championship Game in TBD
Super Bowl in TBD
Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup in Winnipeg, MB (Completed! Read about it here.
A North Dakota State Bison (a FCS powerhouse) Game in the Fargodome (Completed! Read about it here.)
Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH (Completed! Read about it here.)
Of North America’s four major sports, football is probably the one I’m least likely to view from contest beginning to end. That said, Keith Jackson and John Madden made it enjoyable and Brent Musburger telling spectators “you’re looking live at (fill-in-the-blank)” made many games feel more significant than they actually were. … The Rose Bowl has been the quintesseential college football dream for this midwesterner and it needs to come with the Parade as a nod to my late mother who loved watching each year. … If I have my druthers, the Texas high school game will be at Permian in Odessa where “Friday Night Lights” was based. And, as fate has it this year, Permian’s home on a Friday, the Red River Rivalry is on Saturday, and the Cowboys host the Lions on Sunday. … Still to be determined is which rival I see the Packers host at Lambeau Field. What say you sports fan nation?
Hockey (11)
NHL Winter Classic in TBD
Montreal-Toronto Game in Toronto, ON (Completed! Read about it here.)
Calgary-Edmonton Game in Edmonton, AB
New York Rangers Game at Madison Square Garden in NY (Completed! Read about it here.)
2026 World Junior Tourament in St. Paul, MN
U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, MN
Minnesota High School Hockey Game in TBD
Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, ON (Completed! Read about it here.)
Stanley Cup Trophy Presentation in TBD
Michigan State University-University of Michigan at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor
University of Maine-University of New Hampshire at Alfond Arena in Orono, ME
I may be a Hoosier native, but my most formative years were in metro-Detroit (aka Hockeytown) and I covered college hockey for the Ann Arbor News and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner so there’s some hockey love within. I’m not as enamored with the Winter Classic as I am the Rose Bowl, but some of the images from New Year’s Days past have been too cool. … Similar to the baseball rivalries above, there were the two I most wanted to see and a decision was needed for which city to see them. Edmonton was the Detroit Red Wings’ nemesis a few seasons in the 1980s so it’d be neat to see it in person and Toronto is drivable and that gives it the nod. … Every year during college hockey season, handful of players from U-M would head off the World Juniors. With the advent of streaming services it’s become more accessible and it comes to the U.S. in 2026. … Much like high school basketball in Indiana and football in Texas, hockey in Minnesota borders on a religion so it seems natural to want to check it out. … There’s only one trophy in sport I’d like to see presented and that’s the Stanley Cup. It might mean having to do multiple cross-continental flights and pay obscence resale ticket prices to do it, but I’m here for the challenge.
Golf (8)
The 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
The Masters in Augusta, GA
PGA Championship in Newtown Square, PA
U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina (Completed! Read about it here.)
The Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland (Completed! Read about it here.)
The Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Long Island, NY (Completed! Read about it here.)
The President’s Cup at Royal Montreal in Montreal (Completed! Read about it here.)
The Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jonese Golf Club in Gainesville, VA (Completed! Read about it here.)
Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, CA
My dad was and is an avid golf fan and that’s no doubt rubbed off on me, though my playing days are long behind me. That said, there are four Major Championships, so it follows that they all should be patronized. The men’s and women’s team competitions are captivating to me and the scenery at Pebble Beach is virtually unparalleled.
Tennis (4)
Australian Open
French Open
Wimbledon
U.S. Open
Four Grand Slam events = four tennis tournaments to visit.
Futbol/Soccer (5)
World Cup 2026 logo.
Men’s World Cup Match(es) in North America (2026)
English Premier League Match(es) in TBD
Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco (2025)
South American World Cup Qualifying in Argentina (Completed! Read about it here.)
European Soccer Match(es) [Champions League, Europa League, or Bundesliga/La Liga/Ligue 1/Serie A] in TBD
We’ll call it the “Ted Lasso” effect. I do enjoy my weekend mornings checking out soccer from across the pond, plus many of my friends have clubs they follow. … As far as the African and South American matches, we can’t very well call this project Around the World in 80 Sporting Events and not get to six of the seven contintents can we?
Motor Sports (6)
Daytona 500 in Daytona, FL
Indianapolis 500 in Indianapolis, IN (Completed! Read about it here.)
Formula 1 in TBD (preferably overseas)
NASCAR Bristol Night Race in Bristol, TN
NASCAR Cup Semifinal in Martinsville, VA (Completed! Read about it here.)
AMA Supercross in Detroit, MI
The first three were pretty straightfoward. The final two, I’m relying on my NASCAR friends Frank and Kevin to not steer me wrong (see what I did there;-)
Horse Racing (3)
Kentucky Derby in Louisville, KY
Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, MD
Belmont Stakes, in Saratoga, NY
I’m sure the Breeder’s Cup is a phenomenal event, but these are the three races that have piqued my curiosity through the years (typically in descending order as well).
Others (10)
The peloton from Stage 5 of the 2024 Tour de France (Video from Tim Parker)
Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy (2026)
Iditarod Sled Dog Race in Alaska
Boston Marathon in Boston, MA
Championship Boxing Match(es) (Completed! Read about it here.)
Tour de France
Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, OK
Rodeo at Frontier Days in Cheyenne, WY (Completed! Read about it here.
NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament in Madison, WI
USBC Masters PBA Bowling in Allen Park, MI
NCAA Wrestling
The timebound nature of this quest (a goal of completing by 2027) prevents me from getting to a Summer Olympics (Los Angeles in 2028 is on my list of next things to do!) so the Winter will be enjoyable. … I’ve already referenced my Alaska history so seeing the start (or the finish) of the Iditarod beckons. … The Boston Marathon and Tour de France are both so noteworthy I believe they must be sampled in person. … I’ve long enjoyed the WCWS and welcome the opportunity to swelter in the blazing sun and occasional severe weather alerts around my birthday someday. … I’d not call myself a rodeo fan, but seeing an event such as this as part of Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming just seems right.
My math teaching friends have no doubt calculated there are actually 87 events listed. This is, in fact, accurate. I’m of the belief I need to overplan and cut (or swap out) as the process unfolds. Myriad things can occur between now and the proposed completion of this venture so it’s good to have options in the event something comes up.
Anyhow, let the gnashing of teeth begin. What am I missing? What am I overvaluing? Should it be Vikings-Packers or Bears-Packers at Lambeau? Do you want to attend any of these events with me? Let me know in the comments or by emailing me at hilldouglast@gmail.com.
In some competitions every second matters and it was pretty evident in this instance. Who do these sets of hands belong to?
American swimmer Michael Phelps had a pretty decent summer back in 2008. The 23-year-old won eight – yes, EIGHT! – Gold Medals at the Beijing Summer Olympics. Five were Golds of the individual variety and three were as part of an American relay team. All of them set a record. Seven established World Records and one (the photo you see here) an Olympic Record.
This photo, by Sports Illustrated’s Heinz Kluetmeier, was from the finish in the 100-meter Butterfly. Phelps, at left, is out-touching Serbia’s Milorad Cavic for the seventh of those eight Golds to equal Mark Spitz‘s single-games’ record from 1972.
American Michael Phelps, left, out-touches Serbian Milorad Cavic by 0.01 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly final at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier
“Epic. It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he’s maybe the greatest athlete of all time. He’s the greatest racer who ever walked the planet.”
Mark Spitz after Michael Phelps’ seventh Gold Medal
The entire 100-meter Butterfly final from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
(About the Series: Based upon my Conversation with guest Derek Meinecke, I’m going back in time to be in the stands at 10 sporting events. This week, it’s #1. You’re able to find links to the previous installments below.)
Team USA celebrates its 4-3 upset over the USSR in Lake Placid, NY. (Photo by Getty Images)
For someone my age – that is my mid-50s – there is really only one sporting event that I’d rank at the top of any list of those that I’d like to go back in time to see live. That event is the 1980 Winter Olympic Ice Hockey Semifinals in Lake Placid, NY, when the upstart United States played (and ultimately upset) the Soviet Union, 4-3.
And while that game has come to be known as the “Miracle on Ice” (thanks, primarily, to ABC’s Al Michaels‘ commentary as the closing seconds ticked away, video at the bottom of this post), the real miracle might have been the fact the opening face off came shortly after 5 p.m. ET but was not telecast until 8 p.m. by ABC and my family was completely oblivious to the final outcome. (Thank you pre-Internet and 24/7 news channels.)
We sat in our living room in St. Clair Shores, MI, eyes trained on the TV to watch a sport we knew little about (remember, I’m an Indiana native and basketball is not played on ice).
I. Was. Mesmerized.
Team USA goalie Jim Craig leaps for joy after the victory over the USSR.
The picture was grainy, I couldn’t make the puck out most of the time, I hardly understood the rules or what the red and blue lines were, but this was the USA vs. the Soviet Union at the peak of the Cold War during my early lifetime.
I recall feeling a sense of relief when American Mark Johnson scored with one second left in the first period to forge a 2-2 tie. Johnson tied the score again at 3-3 midway through the third period and provided a bit of hope to this 12-year-old in suburban Detroit.
And then Team USA Captain Mike Eruzione made me leap off the sofa and let out a “whoop” like it was suddenly electified fewer than two minutes later with the go-ahead goal.
After Eruzione potted that goal, it was an agonizingly long 10 minutes of game time until Michaels’ memorable call.
Do you believe in miracles? Yes!
Al Michaels, ABC Sportscaster
This upset, of course, secured nothing more than a Silver Medal, there was Finland to vanquish late Sunday morning to secure the Gold.
Still, count me as someone who’d like to be among the 8,500 in the Olympic Center to witness this piece of history.
