With this newspaper’s Best of Preps banquet approaching its 25-year anniversary heading into Wednesday night’s edition at the Chattanooga Convention Center, the magic moments from past guest speakers can blur a bit.
For instance, a speaker once told the annual crowd of 5,000 or so: “Too many people think the more you play something the better you get, and that’s not true. Specialization has gotten out of hand. We’ve forgotten to have fun.” Was it former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz or lifelong Brave and fellow Baseball Hall of Famer Chipper Jones?
Which of two former NFL quarterbacks with longtime ties to the city of New Orleans – Drew Brees, who played for the Saints, or Eli Manning, who grew up in NOLA but spent his entire pro career with the New York Giants – once spied a young person who appeared to be pop star Justin Bieber on a giant video board during a crucial moment of a pivotal road game, turned to one of his massive offensive linemen, a lineman almost assuredly untouched by “Bieber Fever,” and said, “There’s your favorite musician,” that one-liner breaking the pressure and sending his team on to victory?