“Carpe diem” is a phrase thrown around a whole lot not just in sports but also in life. It’s creator was Horace, a Roman lyric poet who lived under the reign of Augustus, Rome’s first Emperor. The adage is translated “Seize the day,” in other words grab on what’s been presented before you with both hands and hold tight. When an opportunity for redemption or to present your finest first impression, to do everything that’s within your control, and perhaps supercede or influence external conditions, you take it and go.
Saturday August 13, 2011, a few athletes displayed the power, glory and beauty of carpe diem. Those who flourished in the moment include:
• Jorge Posada. The proud Yankees icon was banished to the bench a week ago in Boston. It was the biggest of the final steps of, in this writer’s view, a Hall of Fame career. Because of who he is and not what he’s done lately, the Yankees were keeping him around, delaying the inevitable decision of his roster spot until October.
Alas, Joe Girardi told Posada he was playing against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend. On the day another pinstriped legend – and Posada’s best friend – Derek Jeter was honored for his 3,000th hit, all Posada did was take the same defiant stance Jeter did on July 2. Considered on an irreversible decline, Jeter went 5-for-5, including the unforgettable home run that equaled hit No. 3,000. Considered finished, Posada went 3-for-5 with six RBIs. In the fifth inning he became one with the Yankee Stadium gods when he crushed a grand slam, drawing adulation that surpassed the love showered upon Jeter hours earlier.
Who knows if this will either get Posada going again or if that was truly his last great moment, but his current numbers spin like this: 3-for-9, two doubles, a homer and nine RBIs this season with the bases loaded. He’s hit safely in 11 of his last 14 games, batting .300 since July 19. And if there’s any question about Posada’s place in Yankees history, take this: His 10th grand slam passed Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra (nine each) for sixth place on the franchise’s all-time list. Saturday was also Posada’s fifth game with at least five RBIs and he was one shy of his career high of seven.
• Phil Hughes. The writing was on the wall. Hughes was going to the bullpen not based on performance but logistics. (Forget A.J. Burnett’s contract for a minute. The man hasn’t pitched in relief since 2001, whereas Hughes excelled as Mariano Rivera’s setup man in 2009.) For the second straight start, Hughes stared down what was beyond his control and said the heck with the bullpen, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings with a walk and six strikeouts. In his last three starts Hughes has allowed six runs over 18 innings with just three walks. And while Freddy Garcia’s cut finger is unfortunate, fate has given Hughes extended time in the rotation and Burnett an opportunity to play the defiant role one day earlier.
• Jason Pierre-Paul. Osi Umenyiora and the Giants have been at a contract stalemate, he and general manager Jerry Reese are in a game of he-said, she-said. Such drama created an opening for Pierre-Paul, drafted 15th overall last spring more for his freakish athletic ability than his football experience (he played just one season at the University of South Florida). JPP provided a tantalizing glimpse of how good he can truly be not only last season, but during the Giants’ preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. Pierre-Paul earned first-team reps during practice. He showed his stuff with two sacks (a third nullified by a non-holding call) and three tackles, playing hard, playing fast and playing strong by dominating two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross.
The Giants enter the 2011 season with little expectations – they’ve lost more players to free agency and the hard salary cap while signing center David Bass and re-signing running back Ahmad Bradshaw. Imagine, however, a front seven including Umenyiora, Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka all on the field. In a word, terrifying.
• Cam Newton did the expected, outplaying incumbent Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen, but a No. 1 pick resurrecting a franchise at rock bottom isn’t easy to do. It’s one preseason game, but Newton has that certain “it” and “X” factor. You have to want it and Newton played with pride, passion and verve. Not every top pick does that. Any questions read the story of JaMarcus Russell.
• Jens Pulver is a pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts. He’s the UFC’s first lightweight champion and one of only two men to defeat the legendary B.J. Penn (current champ Frankie Edgar) fighting at 155 pounds. He was also once a loser of nine of his last 13 bouts, many not very pretty, which led to his release in March 2010.
Another athlete declared finished – a couple of years ago I asked him point blank why not retire -- Lil’ Evil (25-15-1) is 3-1 in his last four outings, the latest a second-round stoppage of Coty Wheeler at an MMA Fight Pit debut event in Albuquerque, N.M., called “Genesis.”
If there’s any word wholly appropriate to describe Pulver at this point of his life, it’s Genesis. A man whose personal life once took him through hell and back is fighting the good fight against both Father Time and his struggles with the mental side.
"I've been reading about the Tao mind," Pulver said. "I'm not going to lie, I'm a mental fighter, and I have a lot of mental issues. All month getting prepared for this fight, I knew I was going to be the underdog. I didn't want to get inside that cage and have that feeling. I just kept breathing and focusing how I wanted the fight to go.
"I pictured the crowd booing, and I pictured finding my corner. I kept saying 'Bo Jangles,' which is my daughter's nickname. I used that as my center. The whole time I just kept saying, 'Bo Jangles, Bo Jangles.'"
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