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Fourth and goal. The Broncos are up by two touchdowns and about to score with a little more than three minutes to go in the AFC Championship.
The referee makes a comment to John Elway and he replies with a rude comment, resulting in an ejection from the remainder of that game and the next.
Suddenly, fans begin to realize that their star quarterback will not be playing in the Super Bowl.
With minutes remaining in the final game of the western regional finals, the winner makes it to the Frozen Four and the loser gets a bus ride home.
A player on the opposing team slides into Adam Berkhoel giving Berkhoel the wrong impression and he comes out swinging with his stick.
Once again, the result is an ejection and suspension forcing the Pioneers to play without their star goaltender in the Frozen Four.
Sound crazy? Not so. Now for a true story.
Ian Thorpe, the most recognizable face in Australia and in the world of swimming, known to many as the Thorpedo, moved on the starting blocks during a preliminary heat of the 400-meter freestyle at the Australian Olympic trials and will not be competing this summer in Athens.
Thorpe burst onto the swimming scene at age 14, making the Australian national swim team. Four years ago in Sydney, Thorpe won three gold medals and two silver medals, not only winning the 400-meter freestyle, but breaking the world record.
Since then, he has broken his own world record in the event numerous times and until a few weeks ago was the easy favorite to repeat his success from Sydney last summer in that event. But that will not be the case.
According to La Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA), the international governing body of swimming, a swimmer must remain motionless on the blocks between the commands “swimmer take your marks” and the gun.
Thorpe has successfully accomplished this countless times, but seemed to have trouble on the first day of trials, being disqualified from the event and not even given a chance to compete in finals.
Imagine being the official who made the call to disqualify Ian Thorpe in Australia. It would be similar to preventing Elway from playing in the Super Bowl except the Olympic Games only occur every four years.
The fuss has provoked comments all the way up to the Prime Minister of Australia and while there is still a chance the Thorpedo will compete in his best event, it is not looking good.
Craig Stevens, who finished second in the event, earned the final spot in that event and is contemplating competing in Athens. He may choose to step aside and allow Thorpe to defend his title.
Australia is the first nation to hold its Olympic trials and there is already is a major controversy.
The final decision on whether the Thorpedo swims the 400m freestyle will no doubt be the topic of discussion for Australians and Americans.
This now gives Michael Phelps a chance to compete in the event and win, providing Phelps doesn’t go the same route as Thorpe in the American trials which will be a short time from now.
Thorpe will still get to compete in his other freestyle events, which are sure to be a spectacle for fans watching from home or on the pool deck in a $200 seat.
