After the Indiana Pacers were eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs last spring, video surfaced (thanks to Pacers Digest) of an eager, smiling 13-year-old named Frank Vogel appearing on "Late Night with David Letterman" to show off a unique skill — the ability to spin a basketball on the tip of a toothbrush, then brush his teeth as the ball continued to spin — as part of Letterman's popular "Stupid Human Tricks" segment. Unfortunately, the portrait of a future Pacers coach as a young talk-show star has since been yanked from YouTube, so I guess we are never, ever, ever again going to see Frank Vogel spin a basketball on the tip of a toothbrush, then brush his teeth as the ball continues to spin.
Unless, of course, he can still do it.
Thankfully, Vogel was asked that important question on Wednesday night at "The Big Why?," an event benefiting the Indianapolis youth leadership organization Y-Press, where young Indianan journalists got the chance to practice their craft on Vogel and new Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star was on hand to cover the session and — saints be praised — he had a video camera:
Now that, friends, is the triumph of the human spirit and American ingenuity. U-S-A! U-S-A!
More from Keefer at the Star:
The biggest cheers came at the end, when the students surprised Vogel on stage with a basketball and a toothbrush. A telling sign they did their homework, the students reminded the Pacers head coach that as a child he appeared on the "Late Night with David Letterman" because he was able to spin a basketball on the end of a toothbrush while brushing his teeth.
They were eager to find out if he could still pull it off.
"Who told you I could still do it?" Vogel quipped with a smile.
He was happy to oblige. Showing no signs of rust, Vogel flipped the ball on the brush and had it spinning on his first try.
Of course he did. We've all heard the famous old saying: "Flipping a ball onto a toothbrush, spinning it and then brushing your teeth while the ball continues to spin is just like riding a bicycle." A tale as old as time; a song as old as rhyme; now you have nice teeth.
Hat-tip to SportsPickle.
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