Pickles, sauerkraut and pizza, oh my!
For four years I have been thinking about how to start off my senior column and I came up with this lead in less than five seconds while staring at a dust ball on the floor. If that sounds strange, just wait and see what's coming next.
While many choose to reflect on their Duke careers or discuss an important topic, I am going a different route. I am going to explain.
Explain what? Explain why.
Like why I have probably written more men's golf articles or even just golf articles then any Chronicle sportswriter, ever. When this year is up I will have written 41 stories on the men's golf team in my Duke career. During my four years, only seven men's golf stories have been written by someone not named Andrew Greenfield.
Since I picked up my first golf club at the age of five, I have been crazy about golf. Like Tiger Woods crazy. I have the same undying passion, the same love of the game--which I believe is the greatest on Earth--but unfortunately not the same skill. That's OK, though, there's only one Tiger Woods.
When I got to college, I realized that my dream of becoming a professional golfer was not going to materialize, even though on my first hole ever at the Washington Duke, I made an 85-foot putt for birdie. But as time went on, my love of the game only got stronger.
When this school year is finally over and I walk with my fellow freshman-year Pegram [the Ghetto Dorm] buddies at graduation, I will take off for Arizona five days later. I am running golf tournaments for the nation's best junior golfers this summer and plan to one day do the same for the world's best on the PGA Tour.
If there is one thing I have learned in four years at Duke, it's that you can't change who you are, so just stop trying. I am a crazy Long Island golf nut who has the dream of one day running golf's biggest tour. That's me and I am damn proud of it.
Like why my five favorite men's basketball games in four years at Duke don't include North Carolina or those Twerps.
No. 5--Dec. 9, 1998, Duke vs. Florida: I sat in the first row, across from the Duke bench, foul line extended, and had a perfect view of Will Avery's record-breaking eighth three-pointer en route to 26 points.
Also, I had a great view of the second best dunk I have ever seen at Duke. Corey Maggette drove down the lane for a show-stopping, two-hand dunk and a slap of the backboard; a technical foul ensued.
No. 4--Feb. 20, 1999, Duke vs. Clemson: The Tigers learned real fast that you don't hurt Trajan Langdon on Senior Day. An elbow to the mouth pissed off the Blue Devils and sparked a 25-0 run, sending Clemson home thinking about its stupid mistake.
No. 3--A tie between N.C. State (Jan. 19, 2000) and Georgia Tech (Jan. 10 2002). After the Wolfpack got a favorable call and forced overtime, the Blue Devils won the emotional drainer. After Florida State pulled the upset of the year, you know everyone just felt sorry for Georgia Tech, Duke's next opponent. The Blue Devils were pissed and, in a physical game in which Coach K received a technical and signaled to the Crazies to make some noise, Duke destroyed the Jackets.
So why are these games tied for third? Simply put--loud. The Crazies took noise levels to a frequency unknown to mankind in these games.
No. 2--Dec. 9 2000, Duke vs. Michigan: Why this game? I mean Duke did win 104-61. It was never a game. That's why. A combination of Duke's defensive pressure and the Wolverines' inability to do anything on the offensive end led to a 34-2 Duke run to start the game. That was just so fun to watch.
No. 1--Not the national championship game, not any of the 2001 Duke-Maryland instant classics, not Duke's win at UNC without Carlos Boozer, but Duke vs. DePaul. On Dec. 4, 1999, Duke trailed by two, 83-81, with 14.6 seconds remaining on the clock--enter Nick Horvath. The then-freshmen received a pass from Mike Dunleavy and banked a three-pointer from the top of the key. The rest was history.
So, I bet right now you are still wondering what dunk could have possibly been better then that of Corey Maggette.
Well, it actually comes from the least likely of all people, or at least you would think so. Against Michigan Dec. 12, 1998, the winner of the McDonald's All-America Slam-Dunk Contest, Chris Burgess, did a reverse dunk after filling the lane on a fast break. I have never seen a reverse dunk in Cameron since.
Like why I am an environmental science and policy major and never had an intention of working in the environment field. Well, when I got to Duke I was in the environment FOCUS program, just because it sounded interesting. When it came to picking a major, I simply went through the Duke course book and crossed out all the majors I knew I did not want to pursue. After I said no to women's studies, environmental science and policy was the only one not crossed off. So, that's how the decision was made.
Like why if I had to do the college selection process all over again I would apply to Duke early, just as I did before, but with much less thinking. Duke has given me the best four years of my life, even if I worked my ass off and did not start drinking until I was a sophomore. I can't really explain that one.
The University is going through a lot of changes, but I definitely think we hit Duke at the perfect time. We got to experience Wilson, Schwartz-Butters, two Final Fours for men's and women's basketball, Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, Alana Beard, North Carolina basketball's downfall, the Loop, Han's (not a good one for everybody), the rise of women's golf and their first NCAA title, no Curriculum 2000, the Ocean, Wannamaker Drive, George's delivery, Washington Duke on points, The Rat, a spontaneous bonfire and an NCAA championship in 2001!
It's been fun, but I am ready to get the hell out of Durham.
Andrew Greenfield is a Trinity senior and associate sports editor of The Chronicle.
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