There were home crowds pushing their teams to great heights. Then there was one man pushing another man on a wheelchair.
The first scene, played out in NBA and NHL playoff games as well as the nightly MLB marathon, is routine. It's often spectacular, but in the end, it is routine.
There was nothing routine — nor was there anything taken for granted — when Jeff Bauman, a Boston marathon surviver now missing both legs, was wheeled out by Carlos Arredondo, the man who made sure Bauman's legs were the only things he lost during the nation-shaking tragedy.
The scene took place at Fenway Park, a field overflowing with history, stories and moments. Bauman's moment — the ceremonial first pitch — didn't come with a World Series at stake. It didn't clinch a win. It didn't even hit the stat book.
It hit the hearts of everyone who saw it and, hopefully, those who see the split-second image of Bauman's Monday night moment.
A moment that, if it weren't for the man wheeling him out there, wouldn't have had a chance to happen at all.
Matt Petersen is the sports web editor for DeseretNews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheMattPetersen.