Funny sports moments make the pros seem more like us

Sports are full of humorous moments.

I could spend most of the day watching funny sports videos on YouTube. From baseball to football and everything in between, sports are full of many mishaps, and sometimes intentional, moments that make us laugh.

In 2007, referee Ron Cherry famously announced a penalty against N.C. State offensive lineman Kalani Heppe. The video is on YouTube. Cherry said, "Personal foul. Number 69, offense. He was giving him the business."

Houston Astros player Jonathan Villar and Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Brandon Phillips each received a bit of a surprise on Sept. 17, 2013. In an attempt to stretch a single into a double, Villar slid into the rear end of Phillips and was called out.

Moments like Villar's slide remind us that even professional players make mistakes sometimes. Despite countless hours of practice and preparation, no player is beyond goofing up. But some mishaps are funnier than others.

Speaking of backsides, which NFL fan could forget the infamous Mark Sanchez "butt fumble" on Nov. 22, 2012? Sanchez was the quarterback of the New York Jets. The Jets were playing the Patriots in a divisional game when Sanchez, under pressure, took off running, ran into the rear end of his offensive lineman, Brandon Moore, and coughed up the football.

Patriots' safety Steve Gregory scooped up the ball and returned it for a touchdown. New England built a 35-3 halftime lead and won that Thanksgiving Day game, 49-19. ESPN ranked that play as the most embarrassing moment in Jets history.

In this time of seriousness and fear, it is good to just unwind with some humor. We may have looked to find humor when gathered with others, but curfews and rules limiting the size of gatherings put a damper on the fun.

The last two funny moments that are my favorites involve one of my favorite Major League Baseball players, pitcher Randy Johnson. On March 21, 2001, Johnson killed a dove in a spring training game during a pitch against the San Francisco Giants.

Johnson hurled the ball toward the plate, and as the ball made its path inward toward the dish, a dove flew in at the wrong time. An explosion of feathers followed, the dove died and the umpired ruled it a no pitch. It was extremely bizarre.

I don't believe that the death of the bird was funny. I love animals. What I find humorous is that was a crazy, one-in-a-million type of event. An event that will, more than likely, never happen again in the majors. There was no way that Johnson could have known that a dove would be flying into his pitch.

Johnson played for the Seattle Mariners in 1993 and made the All-Star team. He was pitching in the July 13, 1993, game when Philadelphia Phillies' all star John Kruk came up to bat. Johnson's first offering sailed several feet above Kruk's head. Kruk slowly came back up the the plate as he fanned himself off with his jersey. Kruk had a big smile on his face.

On the next pitch, Kruk took a step backwards from the plate as the umpire called strike two. Kruk has some fear running through him and his heart was probably rapidly beating. The players on the bench laughed. Kruk took a swing at a breaking ball as he stepped back, missed the ball, twirled into a 360-degree spin and struck out. Johnson, heading back to the dugout, grinned.

Triumphant moments in sports are wonderful and should be treasured, but let's not forget about the humorous moments that make us all smile.

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