The moments between the time something happens and the time it's consequences are felt. A moment where things float.
I've been thinking about it since the MLS final. Altidore's goal (in slow-motion, 8:12 of this video) was a chip on a breakaway from 12 yards out. But a chip from 12 yards takes a second or so to hit the back of the net. A second where nothing has yet happened, no goal has been scored, but where everyone in the stadium is doing the physics in their head, extrapolating from the ball's weight and trajectory to see the goal before it actually happens. For a brief moment, it is inevitable without yet being true. If it's your team scoring, it's kind of an amazing feeling.
Another example of this, I remembered something similar happened in the only game I've ever seen at Old Trafford (a much less happy occasion). It was the 6-1 rout of Arsenal in 2001, and it;s a long, arc'ing pass from Beckham to Yorke. It's this, but I don't think the clip it does it justice. The ball hangs in the air for a full three seconds - presumably enough for a defender to get planted right, but from the instant the ball left Beckham's foot, everyone knew - just *knew* - that the ball was going to be inches over Stepanov's head, that Yorke would be alone on goal. You had to wait for gravity to start working for it actually to come to pass, but there was never any doubt. Extraordinary.
A different type of interstitial time but maybe more memorable: the 76 seconds between the time the ref blew play down after seeing Materazzi on the ground and the time the red card came out. For at least half that time everyone watching on TV knew a red card offence had taken place and zidane's career was over. For those in the stands - I don;t know. Some saw it; most, their eyes following play, probably didn't. But whatever - time stopped for that minute and a quarter.
Other examples?
I've been thinking about it since the MLS final. Altidore's goal (in slow-motion, 8:12 of this video) was a chip on a breakaway from 12 yards out. But a chip from 12 yards takes a second or so to hit the back of the net. A second where nothing has yet happened, no goal has been scored, but where everyone in the stadium is doing the physics in their head, extrapolating from the ball's weight and trajectory to see the goal before it actually happens. For a brief moment, it is inevitable without yet being true. If it's your team scoring, it's kind of an amazing feeling.
Another example of this, I remembered something similar happened in the only game I've ever seen at Old Trafford (a much less happy occasion). It was the 6-1 rout of Arsenal in 2001, and it;s a long, arc'ing pass from Beckham to Yorke. It's this, but I don't think the clip it does it justice. The ball hangs in the air for a full three seconds - presumably enough for a defender to get planted right, but from the instant the ball left Beckham's foot, everyone knew - just *knew* - that the ball was going to be inches over Stepanov's head, that Yorke would be alone on goal. You had to wait for gravity to start working for it actually to come to pass, but there was never any doubt. Extraordinary.
A different type of interstitial time but maybe more memorable: the 76 seconds between the time the ref blew play down after seeing Materazzi on the ground and the time the red card came out. For at least half that time everyone watching on TV knew a red card offence had taken place and zidane's career was over. For those in the stands - I don;t know. Some saw it; most, their eyes following play, probably didn't. But whatever - time stopped for that minute and a quarter.
Other examples?
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