Cannon Firing Line
Mom & Indy
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher & ESPN Radio 1250 Talk Show Host

May brings us Mother's Day, a day of appropriate honor and reflection. May also brings us the Indianapolis 500. Too bad Mom is running in second place.

OK, just kidding; nothing beats Mom. But let's be clear: Every true American must make the pilgrimmage to the racing mecca that is Speedway , IN at least once in their lives. If you care to not go back, fine, but you must make the trip once.

Such sentiments send the stick and ball crowd howling, but life is about the big events and nothing is bigger than Indy. Go about your life reveling in the mundane if you like, but the big moments count. The Super Bowl, Final Four or Kentucky Derby, take your pick. Just make sure to include Indy.

Although no defense is necessary, our confidence is bolstered by recognizing that the 500 is the world's largest single day sporting event, millions of dollars will change hands in its host city and the race will once again captivate both the knowledgable and curious by the millions around the world.

That's to say nothing about what we can offer of the experience after several consecutive trips to the Brickyard.

Believe us, if you've ever shared a May Sunday afternoon with half a mil of your best friends while the pre-race padre asks you to remember those who have fallen in the military so you have the chance to witness the world's largest single day sporting event as a free man - all while F-16's roar about 60 feet above - you know what we're talking about.

We wouldn't know race car technology if it was staring us in the face. As always, however, when the event is bigger than life, it's not about the details. It's about the moment.

And, speaking of Mom, wasn't she the one who raised us saying "...life is about creating memories"? The way we see it, all those ticket stubs just showed we followed her advice, trying to be a good son. We didn't want to go, we had to.

So if our memory of the Penguins' first Stanley Cup includes our maiden voyage to the 500, so be it. And if it meant pulling a celebratory all-nighter and getting all queazy and sick as we watched the race, that's life. We did it for Mom.

That's too good a story to blow by, actually. Being a novice at Indy meant sitting in the bleachers along the backstretch, believing cheaper was better. It meant losing the battle of keeping down White Tower breakfast burgers as we watched the first 20 laps like some mouthbreathing college freshman - rapidly "watching" cars traveling 240 mph a few feet awy from our right to left - all while nearby people did unspeakable things with mud in what amounted to a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah .

Like we said, you ain't livin ' unless you enjoy the big moments like those.

That's not to mention annual partying with the same 200 Penguins' fans who showed up at the only bar in Indy carrying the playoffs on television, back when the playoffs were an automatic here. Or the quarter mil you walked around with outside the track on Saturday before the race, seeing something remarkable every few minutes. Or the entertainment value offered by people who spent the entire month of May in Speedway and had absolutely nothing left upstairs by the time we got there. Or the South American beauties clearly not of our species. Or a biker bar named Mike's, where you hoped the hairy eyeball you got didn't turn into anything more. Or the homeowner across the street from the track whose property became a rallying spot for the street performers on race weekend.

And so, so much more, including a race. But if you think explaining three wide at 230 on a road about as wide as the parkway can be explained, you're silly. How can you convey something you can't see half the time? That's what we mean; you have to see it to believe it.

So just go. Do it once, do it for Mom.

Ellis Cannon is also a regular panelist on KDKA-TV's "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 pm.