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William Stephen Humphreys

WILLIAM "BILL" STEPHEN HUMPHREYS, 75, of Dunbar, passed into eternal life on January 1, 2023 with his family by his side. Celebration of Bill'…

Sports' magic moments
WVU

Sports' magic moments

  • by Bob Hertzel For the Exponent Telegram

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) — Friday, May 6, for those of you who don't know the day of the week or month, was Willie Mays' 91st birthday.

Saturday, May 7, they are running the Kentucky Derby.

Gets you to thinking about how lucky you are to be a sports fan, for sports is our really rearview mirror on life.

Both events, Mays' birthday and the Run for the Roses, get you to thinking about where you've been, what you've seen and what you would like to see again.

So here goes.

--Secretariat, romping down the stretch at Belmont Park, a block ahead of the nearest competitor

--Mays catching the ball over his shoulder, whirling and throwing; losing his cap as he ran out a triple; reaching out with his bare hand to snatch Billy Cox's sure triple out of the air in the Polo Grounds

--Pat While pulling the ball down and zigging and zagging between frustrated defenders

--Owen Schmitt pounds his forehead with his helmet

--Arnie Palmer hitching up his britches, always going right at the hole, then flicking a cigarette away

--Joe Alexander soaring through the Coliseum air for a dunk that shook the foundation of the home of the West Virginia Mountaineers

--Gale Sayers gliding across a muddy field with grace and ease

--Chris Evert's precision backhand

--Ted Williams' swing

--Da'Sean Butler sinking one more buzzer-beater

--Bob Huggins in his gold suit

--Canute Curtis rushing a helpless quarterback

--Roger Staubach or Fran Tarkenton scrambling, leaving defensive lineman huffing and puffing behind them

--Tavon Austin with a football in his hands and the end zone in sight 80 yards away

--Kevin Pittsnogle being Kevin Pittsnogle

--Sagaba Konate soaring into the air to block a shot with both hands, coming down with the ball

--Jim Brown, Earl Campbell and Bo Jackson running down the sideline like no one before or since

--The Globetrotter of Goose Tatum and Curly Neal

--Pete Rose hustling, Johnny Bench catching, Joe Morgan stealing a base and Sparky Anderson walking to the mound to yank another pitcher

--Jim Leyland lighting up in the dugout

--Earl Weaver, his hat turned backward, nose-to-nose with an umpire

--Barry Bonds being paid the ultimate sports compliment, being intentionally walked with the bases loaded

--A Don Nehlen draw play on third-and-21

--Jevon Carter defending Oklahoma's Trae Young

--Geno Smith wearing a WVU uniform and throwing to Stedman Bailey, one of the great combinations ever in college football

--Amos Zereoue taking a handoff from Chad Johnston and running 60+ yards on his first collegiate carry in the 1996 Backyard Brawl

--Sandy Koufax taking the art of pitching to heights it had never seen before

--Another sack from the Stills family — Gary, Darius or Dante — who to date have 354 tackles and 56.5 sacks combined

--Roberto Clemente throwing out a base runner or running the bases himself, legs flapping, elbow flying

--One more day at the race track with Don Zimmer

--To read one more Jim Murray column