Is there a better use of my time on this New Year's Eve Friday than to compile my "Best of 2010" lists? The answer is no. In attempting to put 2010's sports offerings into perspective, my big question is "was this a great year for sports, or the best sporting year ever?" My personal opinion may differ from the national outlook, but let's examine.
Top Five Sporting Events I witnessed in Person:
5.) Tiger Woods playing at the AT&T National at Aronimink Golf Club in Media, PA- You never forget seeing the a world-reknowned figure doing his thing. I saw Tiger do his thing. He didn't win he event and he really wasn't even competitive, but I think that 2010 will be thought of as dud once Tiger's career is over. It doesn't matter if you saw Tiger in 2010 vs. one of his better years. If you saw Michael Jordan play for the mostly unentertaining Washington Wizards, you still saw MJ in person.
4.) Flyers in the Stanley Cup v. Blackhawks (games 3 & 6)- the NHL and I were thrilled to have this great Cup matchup. The 2010 Cup Final featured two of the top-four media markets in the country and two sensational, young clubs. The Flyers couldn't force the series back to Chicago for game 7, but it was a long, competitive series with close games and excitement galore. The NHL needs more of this.
3.) Phillies v. Reds, NLDS game 3 at Great American Ballpark- this may be an odd pick for the list, but I think some of the hostility from Reds fans made it this series-clinching win even sweeter for me, an away fan. I have always said that there is no greater feeling than gearing up, walking into another team's barn, and walking out with the "W" in your pocket. It is simply the best. It was the first time I ever took it on the road for a playoff game and it was great. Cincinnati has a beautiful stadium, we saw an incredible complete-game outing from Cole Hamels, and the Phils advanced to the NLCS- thank you very much. I'll be back, Cincinnati.
2.) UConn women tie UCLA men's 88 game winning streak against Ohio State at Madison Square Garden- I was privileged to cover this game for The Ohio State University's student paper, The Lantern. It was an electric atmosphere inside one of great arenas in the world. UConn did not disappoint- they drubbed the OSU women and had themselves a memorable night on the floor of MSG. I won't soon forget Geno Auriema's post-game news conference. He is quotable, except for the profanity.
1.) Ohio State defeats Oregon 26-17 in Rose Bowl- Simply stated, the Rose Bowl is one of the great American sporting events, perhaps the best. Everything about my 2010 Rose Bowl experience was unforgettable, including the Buckeyes' win.
Top Five National Sports Stories from 2010:
5.) UConn women tie UCLA men at Madison Square Garden- Maya Moore and the UConn women one-uped John Wooden/UCLA's 88 game winning streak. UConn's streak actually ended against #8 Stanford last night, but when the dust settles, people will hopefully remember it as the most significant accomplishment in NCAA history.
4.) Saints win one for Nola- The Saint's Super Bowl victory over St. Peyton Manning's Colts is the heart-warming story of this young century. It was a wild game, I remember watching it with my old roommates at Albright College- we were thoroughly entertained. The football that was displayed, like the hilarious Bud Light commercials, was easy on the eyes. How about that on-sides kick?! New Orleans deserved this, so did the team- seeing the Saints win the Super Bowl was a justifiable ending to the NFL season.
3.) Mike Vick's Resurgence - This story only cracks the #3 spot on my list because it came on so late in the year. The NFL season was several weeks old before Vick had secured his spot as the Philadelphia Eagles' starting QB; don't forget that he was Andy Reid's back-up option on opening day against the Green Bay Packers. Injuries to the projected #1 QB on the roster, Kevin Kolb, opened the door for Vick and he never looked back. The entire country was forced to reconcile with the fact that Vick, a former dog murderer and torturer, was again one of the best in the NFL. Do we cheer him? Do we "boo?" Can I like him as an athlete but not as a person? Many are still wrestling with these questions today.
2.) Landon Donovan puts USA on his back during World Cup- Don't be mad! You know this is one of the top moments of your summer, and the year. Even soccer haters must agree. Every USA game was a thrill to watch, even the knockout-stage loss to Ghana. But nothing will ever top "Landon Legend's" stoppage time heroics against Algeria, which allowed us to win our group for the first time in eighty-some years. I watched the game at Fado, an Irish pub on Locust Street in Philadelphia. The scene in that place after the goal was something I will never forget- many others had similar experiences at pubs all over the country.
1.) Lebron (wusses out,) joins Wade and Bosh in Miami- You know this story, it is playing out on TV every single day. Thanks to the freaks at ESPN, our fingers are forcibly held to the pulse of the "Big Three" and their quest for the most expensive NBA championship in history. Lebron wanted a championship, but don't we all? Nothing wrong with that I suppose... until he bailed on Cleveland and the state of Ohio to join forces with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, forming a superhero-esque alliance on the Miami Heat. They started the season off slowly and sloppily- that was a big deal. Now- shock- they're really good, and this is also a big deal. If they continue to perform, um, as we expected them to from the beginning, I guess that will be a big deal as well? Expect media coverage to reach obsessive levels come playoff time. Unfortunately, the force-feeding of this story will continue for many months. Just wait until after the Super Bowl when only hockey and basketball are being played. And don't forget which of those sports has a television contract with ESPN.
The Champions of 2010-
English Premier League- Chelsea F.C.
La Liga- Barcelona
UEFA Champions League- Inter Milan
UEFA Europa League- Atletico Madrid
NFL- New Orleans Saints
MLB- San Francisco Giants
NBA- Los Angeles Lakers
NHL- Chicago Blackhawks
MLS- Colorado Rapids
NCAAF- Alabama Crimson Tide
NCAAM- Duke University Blue Devils
NCAAW- UConn Huskies
NCAA LAX- Duke University Blue Devils
NCAA Hockey- Boston College Golden Eagles
LLWS- Japan
2010 was a pretty good sports year, agreed? It was the "Year of the Pitcher" in Major League Baseball and Drew Brees was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Not bad. There was competitive balance, a bunch of outdoor hockey games, and Brett Favre took up photography as a hobby. Cell phone pictures tend to be very blurry and pixilated though, he needs a Nikon.
Looking ahead to 2011, I'm expecting another fantastic sporting year. In the short term, I've very excited to watch the BCS Bowl games- I think this is a very intriguing BCS Bowl season. The National Championship between Auburn and Oregon could be a real barn-burner. Long term, I think a lot of people are interested to see how the Philadelphia Phillies handle the expectations brought on by having a stable of aces on their pitching staff. And that's not just my Philly bias, I think the whole world is going to have an eye on the Fightin' Phils throughout summer and into October. After all, they may be the best pitching staff ever assembled. Only a ring with validate that claim though. I'm also very excited for the upcoming MLS season; American soccer has more promise than ever- we'll see if the growth continues in a non-World Cup year. And I'd like to see UConn women's basketball finish off their season with a third straight national championship. As previously mentioned, their 90 game winning streak ended last night at Stanford. They were bound to loose at some point, luckily it happened after they broke the record. Now go win the championship you deserve, UConn- you ARE one of the best NCAA dynasties ever.
Happy New Year. Welcome to Mudville.
1.) Lebron (wusses out,) joins Wade and Bosh in Miami- You know this story, it is playing out on TV every single day. Thanks to the freaks at ESPN, our fingers are forcibly held to the pulse of the "Big Three" and their quest for the most expensive NBA championship in history. Lebron wanted a championship, but don't we all? Nothing wrong with that I suppose... until he bailed on Cleveland and the state of Ohio to join forces with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, forming a superhero-esque alliance on the Miami Heat. They started the season off slowly and sloppily- that was a big deal. Now- shock- they're really good, and this is also a big deal. If they continue to perform, um, as we expected them to from the beginning, I guess that will be a big deal as well? Expect media coverage to reach obsessive levels come playoff time. Unfortunately, the force-feeding of this story will continue for many months. Just wait until after the Super Bowl when only hockey and basketball are being played. And don't forget which of those sports has a television contract with ESPN.
The Champions of 2010-
English Premier League- Chelsea F.C.
La Liga- Barcelona
UEFA Champions League- Inter Milan
UEFA Europa League- Atletico Madrid
NFL- New Orleans Saints
MLB- San Francisco Giants
NBA- Los Angeles Lakers
NHL- Chicago Blackhawks
MLS- Colorado Rapids
NCAAF- Alabama Crimson Tide
NCAAM- Duke University Blue Devils
NCAAW- UConn Huskies
NCAA LAX- Duke University Blue Devils
NCAA Hockey- Boston College Golden Eagles
LLWS- Japan
2010 was a pretty good sports year, agreed? It was the "Year of the Pitcher" in Major League Baseball and Drew Brees was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Not bad. There was competitive balance, a bunch of outdoor hockey games, and Brett Favre took up photography as a hobby. Cell phone pictures tend to be very blurry and pixilated though, he needs a Nikon.
Looking ahead to 2011, I'm expecting another fantastic sporting year. In the short term, I've very excited to watch the BCS Bowl games- I think this is a very intriguing BCS Bowl season. The National Championship between Auburn and Oregon could be a real barn-burner. Long term, I think a lot of people are interested to see how the Philadelphia Phillies handle the expectations brought on by having a stable of aces on their pitching staff. And that's not just my Philly bias, I think the whole world is going to have an eye on the Fightin' Phils throughout summer and into October. After all, they may be the best pitching staff ever assembled. Only a ring with validate that claim though. I'm also very excited for the upcoming MLS season; American soccer has more promise than ever- we'll see if the growth continues in a non-World Cup year. And I'd like to see UConn women's basketball finish off their season with a third straight national championship. As previously mentioned, their 90 game winning streak ended last night at Stanford. They were bound to loose at some point, luckily it happened after they broke the record. Now go win the championship you deserve, UConn- you ARE one of the best NCAA dynasties ever.
Happy New Year. Welcome to Mudville.
