The Catch

Odell Beckham Jr. dropped the collective jaw of the nation when he made a spectacular touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys.  At first glance, it seemed humanly impossible that what he did could ever happen on this planet.  People hailed it as the greatest catch ever.  Can't be topped.  The highest of highs.  Cherubs would write songs about that catch up in heaven.  For a couple of months, I agreed with the general consensus of this being the greatest catch of all time:

That all changed recently when a certain video went viral.  A fan video from the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, the Netherlands caught a catch that somehow topped Odell Beckham Jr.'s snag.  I think the new standard of awesomeness when it comes to something going viral is when someone immediately says "that's fake." before even watching a replay.  Quite a few people who I have shown this to have said that right out of the gate and then they normally laugh or shake their heads when they realize what they saw actually did happen.  Take a look for yourself:

That amazing catch was made by David Achter de Molen.  You may know him as the frontman for Dutch punk band John Coffey.  Okay, yeah you never heard of them until this video, but at least you know it if someone asks if you've seen this video. "Hey man have you seen that video of the dude catching the beer while crowd surfing?" "Oh, you mean David Achter de Molen, frontman for that Dutch punk band, John Coffey?  Yeah."  You'll be a hit at parties.  Anyways, this was the most rock n roll thing since Jack White punched that guy from the Von Bondies before a show, back when the Von Bondies had enough clout to open for the White Stripes.  Meaning, it's been a while.

Now it's been confirmed real all throughout the interwebs and whatnot, so we can rule out cgi/photoshop/the Kardashians as the cause of this video.  It's real, but how did it happen?  The only explanation I have is reflexes combined with perfect timing.  It seems he just stuck his hand out in the perfect placement, which I can only attribute to natural reflexes.  The way the cup was turned and coming straight down just helped matters out.  I give him all the credit in the world for not hesitating and do what you normally would do to a beer when it literally falls into your hands: drink it.  The crowd reaction was epic and he looked like a total bad ass by just chugging it quick and tossing it behind him all nonchalant.  That's a showman right there.  Also, a wise man.  He knows that when life hands you a beer whilst crowdsurfing, you drink it.

The next question here is who the hell threw it?  The throw may be equally, (actually, maybe more) impressive than the catch.  The thrower deserves credit for many reasons.  First of all, he nailed it.  Second, it's a festival beer, so you know it probably cost him 3 euros too much.  This guy gave up his overpriced beer and launched it at Davey Boy Achter de Molen from an impressive distance, and for what reason?  No way he figured he would catch it.  Maybe he thought Achter de Molen needed to be cooled down?  It would really be ironic if he hated John Coffey and did it to heckle the band.  If so, it backfired in disastrous fashion as John Coffey has gained more fame from this catch then they ever would have dreamed.  Now, here is a video of a guy who claims to be the guy who threw the beer, but I'm not sure if I buy it.  If true, it would answer a lot of questions but take it as you may:

I'm convinced that it was really Stone Cold Steve Austin's beer guy.  Someone would always toss Stone Cold beers from God knows where a couple of nights a week for about a decade, so whoever that guy is has the experience and I would imagine the skill to pull this off.  Just a hunch, but who else could it be?  I'm not sold on the dude in the above video.  Who wastes almost half a beer when your buddy wants a 'fresh supply'?  Shenanigans.

In short, I hope John Coffey takes full advantage of this internet fame.  Make t-shirts, posters, buttons, whatever propaganda that Dutch punk bands make these days, revolving around the catch.  Take the fame and run, boys.  In the history of epic drinking moments, this is right on up there with Wade Boggs drinking 60 beers on a plane ride, Andre the Giant drinking 156 beers in one sitting, and my favorite, Kiefer Sutherland having the drunk skills to tackle a hotel lobby Christmas tree.  Well done, John Coffey.  Use the fame to your advantage.