The Art of a Warrior

Anyone who watched Saturday's Game 3 matchup between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics witnessed something truly remarkable, they witnessed one of the gutsiest performances in recent memory, they witnessed a warrior.  But before I get to what happened Saturday, I'd like to, as I often do, take a look back at some moments or players in sports history that exhibited tremendous courage or determination while refusing to give up or take off.

Let's start with a man known throughout the baseball world as the "Iron Man", none other than Mr. Cal Ripken, Jr.  Looking back at Cal's illustrious career it's no wonder why he was dubbed "The Iron Man".  Ripken amassed a ridiculous 2,632 consecutive games played, a streak that spanned over the course of seventeen seasons and that shattered Lou Gehrig's previous mark of 2,130, a number widely considered  untouchable.  Ripken, a 19-time all-star and member of the exclusive 3,000 hit club, is widely considered one of the greatest shortstops AND third basemen of all-time, paving the way for the likes of Alex Rodriguez to switch from short to third.  While Cal was blessed with relative good health over the course or his career, he never took time off or stopped grinding along.

You never saw Cal Ripken, Jr. dogging it.

Backtracking a few years, and switching over to the gridiron, our next example comes from the San Francisco 49ers and one Mr. Ronnie Lott.  The Hall of Fame safety did something that most people people would never have done.  In a 1985 season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, Lott's left hand collided with the helmet of Cowboys' RB Tim Newsome, which resulted in his pinky finger being shattered in multiple places.  When trainers told him he would most likely miss the rest of the season, meaning the playoffs, Lott had other plans.  In the opening round of the playoffs, the following week, out comes Ronnie Lott, in full uniform, with his fingers heavily wrapped and in excruciating pain.  Lott played through the playoffs, and to clarify just how bad the injury was, he had to choose between a complicated surgery involving skin graphing and bone reconstruction, and amputation, of which he chose the latter.  Now THAT is dedication.

Ronnie Lott is one of the hardest-hitting defenders of all time, but also one of the toughest.  Just look at his eyes.

That brings us to one of the most polarizing figures in the history of sports, Tiger Woods.  In the 2008 US Open, Tiger Woods put in one of the most memorable performances in golf, and sports, history.  Gimping along Torrey Pines, in what was latter diagnosed as a torn ACL and two stress fractures in his tibia, Tiger Woods put on a show.  He defeated Rocco Mediate, who in any other situation would have been the feel-good story of the tournament, not only in a playoff, but on the 19th hole of a playoff.  Woods was tied with Mediate after Sunday's 4th round, but also hung in there to remain tied after another 18 holes played the next day.  And on the first sudden-death hole following the playoff, Woods bested Mediate to win his 14th major tournament, which currently stands as his last major victory.  Woods, who could be seen wincing after every swing and limping around the course, not only managed to play through 91 holes of golf with such an injury, but won the tournament, an astonishing feat not soon to be forgotten.  Say what you want about the man as a person, but on the golf course, the man is as fierce a competitor as you'll ever find.

Woods, clearly in pain, put in an astonishing effort, solidifying his reputation as a true competitor.

Now to Saturday.  In the third quarter against the Heat, Celtics' point guard Rajon Rondo got tangled up with Heat star Dwyane Wade, which led to Rondo's left arm hyperextending against the court and dislocating in a manner that was hard to watch.  Rondo would leave the game only to come back in the fourth quarter after team doctors managed to pop his elbow back into place.  Now, for any who saw the play unfold, I am willing to bet that nobody thought that he would return for the next game, let alone the next quarter.  He went on to finish out the game with his left arm hanging limp against his side, clearly only playing with his right arm.  In order to fully appreciate the courage and tenacity that Rondo displayed, one would need to see the play, which is to follow:

Note: Viewer discretion is advised due to graphic imagery.

Rondo went on to downplay the injury in a postgame interview saying that it's still stiff, but it shouldn't prevent him from playing in Monday's Game 4 in Boston.  However, the injury was clearly still bothering him as he hung his left arm, motionless, by his side.  Having just re-watched the play as I write this, I am still astounded as to how the 25-year-old University of Kentucky product came back in to play.  

Now when anyone talks about the great acts of determination and effort displayed by professional athletes, in any sport, that list better include Rajon Rondo.  Like Ripken, Lott, and Woods before him, the kid is flat-out a competitor, a warrior.

PS: Mom, if you're reading this, Happy Mother's Day.  I love you so much.  And a Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there, hope you enjoyed your day, you deserve it.