Sports in 2010: Great Year?

Or Greatest Ever?

From Tiger Woods to Michael Vick, Cameron Newton to Cliff Lee, from Landon Donovan to LeBron James and from the Uconn women to the San Francisco Giants, 2010 was a damn good year in sports. Everyone is calling 2010 the year of the Quarterback and I would agree. But the thing is that it has been so much more than that. It has been the year of the Pitcher and the year of Redemption. The year of the “Decision” and the year of the streak. We were super-saturated with sports this year because of the World Cup and the Winter Olympics. We did not see the greatest moment in sports history this year, but I cannot remember when we saw so many great moments all across the world of sports in one year.  I cannot remember the last time I sat on my couch with my jaw dropped because of what had just seen time and time again. 

There were six no hitters this year in the MLB, and one of them in the playoffs. The San Francisco Giants somehow won the World Series. The Lakers played in their third straight NBA Finals, winning their second in a row. LeBron James' “Decision” pretty much ruined his image. Brett Favre went from the best NFC Championship game, to retired, to coming back and ruining his image and the Vikings season. The amount of amazing stories and moments this year was staggering and to try and choose the 5 best from the year would be impossible, but saying that here goes anyway.  They are mostly football but whatever...football rules.

#5. Michael Vick. What can you say? You know the story. You know about the things he has done. Whoever thought that he would do what he is doing this year? He is playing like himself mixed with Peyton Manning and it is incredible. If you said you saw this coming, you are a dirty, dirty liar.

#4. Kyle Brotzman. Who is he? He is the place kicker for Boise St. I will remember him because of the one game against Nevada. Everyone knows what Boise St. is and whether you love or hate them, they are must see TV. That was an AMAZING game. Tied with under 15 seconds left in the game, Boise's QB Kellen Moore proceeds to throw a 54 yard bomb that somehow gets completed to the Nevada nine yard line, setting up a 26 yard chip shot field goal for one of the best kickers in the country, Kyle Brotzman.......and he missed it. Unbelievable. Then the game goes to OT and he misses a 29 yarder!!! Are you kidding me?? I sat in silence for about thirty minutes rethinking my life. So Boise loses and the rest is history. Amazing.

#3. Brett Favre's interception at the end of the NFC Championship game against the Saints. A microcosm of Favre's career. Nuff said. Un-freaking-believable.

#2. Landon Donovan's goal against Algeria in the last group game to win the group in the World Cup. With the U.S. Men level at zero with Algeria in the last group game in the World Cup and needing a win to advance, Landon Donovan and company went the length of the field with just seconds left and scored the most amazing goal in U.S. Mens Soccer history. Outstanding.

#1. Drew Brees and the Saints. The big deal for me was not the Saints winning the Super Bowl, despite their history, it was Drew Brees and his son after the game. Pictures like that are for what I live.

 

Things that almost made the Top 5:

-Butler University in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. If Gordon Heyward's shot would have been a quarter inch to the left against Duke I would have died...that is all.

-UConn Women's Basketball winning streak. Lets face it. If their coach was not crazy I would not care...sorry ladies.

-Tiger Woods' comeback. So polarizing. You hate or love him. He is THE REASON I watch golf.

Now I do not know why we try to organize everything into years and define them as such, even though we cut off half of the NBA season and the playoffs in the NFL, but we do. So was 2010 the greatest year ever in sports? No. Was it in the top 5 in my lifetime? Maybe. All I know is that I would take 2010 over most of the years I have experienced because it seemed that every sport, professional or collegiate, had a plethora of amazing moments.  I am glad that every ball bounced the way it did and every call went the way it did.  I am happy that Heyward missed that shot and I am happy that Peyton Manning threw that interception in the Super Bowl.  Because if those things did not happen, 2010 would not have been as special as it was. 

Tom Brady is Hawt!!! (but not like that...)

Yeah, maybe I have a man-crush on Tom Brady. Big whoop, wanna fight about it? Deep down all men do. If you say you do not, you are lying. And if you say you are not lying...you are lying. After this beatdown the Patriots are currently putting on the Bears, Brady is going to be the clear cut MVP frontrunner and there is no argument for anyone else. What he has done this year is currently unmatched and it is uncanny how he continues to win despite the turnover in the Patriots organization. 

 

Sorry, I digress. I wanted to talk about how good the Patriots are as a whole but I just got lost in Tom's eyes, as snow flurries in Chicago outline the defined curves of his firm, yet gentle and precise body. Powerful but understanding mind and....whoa I just lost consciousness and kept typing. I am very sorry. It will not happen again...

OK. Here we go. I am going to try to explain to you why the Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl, without mentioning his name, even though that might be a futile effort. I always try to look at who a team has beat, where they beat them and in what conditions. And the Patriots are going to end up with the best record in the AFC while playing one of the toughest schedules. That is a recipe for playoff success. Their young defense, which was thought to be their weakness this year has been looking like the 1985 Bears. Bill Belichick's defense schemes and ideas are second to none. Belichick is arguably one of the greatest head coaches ever and he gets even better in the playoffs (15-4). He continues to make average players look elite year in and year out, with his methodical and aggressive game plans. He is the biggest reason why the Patriots are who they are. 

 

And I did not even mention the fact that the Pats are going to have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, and that Tom Brady has not lost a home start since like 1873 or something (well I tried not to mention him but alas, I could not help myself). 

 

All I am saying is this: pay attention to what is going on in New England right now. I am saddened that I did not get to experience what it was like during the Steelers dynasty in the 1970s or the 49ers' dominance in the 1980s. And whether I liked it or not, the Cowboys in the 1990s were one of the greatest teams in the history of the NFL and they were must see TV. What the Patriots have done the last ten years and are continuing to do now is something you are going to want to remember because this kind of greatness does not happen often. This current Patriots team is a dynasty if you were having trouble figuring it out and you need to pay attention because this is what every team in the NFL is striving to be.

P.S. Te amo, Tom...

At Least One BCS Bowl Doesn't Suck

Auburn vs. Oregon. No, I am not the guy who hates small schools and non-automatic qualifying schools in small conferences. I am the guy who hates being deprived of all possible scenarios. I hate missing out on opportunities to see something amazing. It is why I watch sports. Above fandom, above watching giant men hitting each other, above stars and star power, I watch sports to see something that I have not seen before—something that I can tell people about, something that I can tell my kids about. One of those “remember when” moments, one of those “where were you when it happened moments.” And of all the different kinds of sports and games, college football presents you with a uniqueness that no other sport can. The emotion and the tension presented in college football is second to none. Probably because a lot of the schools are in small cities where the university is king and is a way of life. College football is so full of passion and emotion that I find myself rooting for teams in other parts of the country. Although graduated from Texas A&M, when I watch an SEC matchup, I find myself getting behind a certain team or player just because of the emotion of the game and how big they are from week to week. It is amazing how college football can polarize cities and communities and even groups of friends. And all of this being said, college football deserves more than just “every week is a playoff game.”

I think the BCS is selling us short by using that argument as an excuse to not have a playoff system set up, especially for years like this. I think the BCS is going to deprive me of my moment this year. They are going to take from me my passion and my reason for watching sports. Trust me, I have no problem with the Auburn vs. Oregon game. It is going to end up 50-48 if those two teams play.. and it will rock... but then comes Stanford in the “Who Gives a Crap” bowl in the middle of Wyoming. Stanford is 11-1 with their only loss at Oregon in a game in which they lead in the third quarter. Wisconsin is putting up 1200 points a game and their only loss was to Michigan St...on accident. To deprive me of a four or eight game playoff system on top of an amazing season and an amazing scramble to get to the top of the BCS is an atrocity. College football this year is going to deprive me of the “hook and ladder” and the “statue of liberty” plays for which I live (sorry OU people, but that game was amazing). I believe that college football and the BCS are going to take my moment away from me by putting great teams in games that they do not care about. Now there is something to be said for the mid to small bowl games. To bring together small schools and communities and give people opportunities to see schools from other parts of the country. But for the elite teams in the country, they need to be put together to determine who truly is number one. And when this happens, the tension and emotion of college football will finally be fully expressed. There will be memorable games every year.

Can you imagine Stanford against Auburn in the quarterfinals? Or the TCU defense stopping LaMichael James on the goaline for the win? Or Cam Newton vs. Terrelle Pryor? Or Ryan Mallet's big going out game? And instead of this happening, were going to get only one game where both teams actually care. Only one game where I have chance to see my moment.

So given everything I have said, I want you to root for Auburn and Oregon this weekend. I am willing to sacrifice my moments now so that I may get more in the future. I want TCU to go undefeated and not get looked at for anything. TCU is going to roll Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl because the Badgers will not even show up. Poor Stanford is going to end up playing some sorry Big 12 team in the middle of nowhere. And somehow, someway a Big East team is going to play one of these elite teams just because they have an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. Not to bash the Big East, but when the team that wins the conference is not even ranked (UConn), that is a problem. And while this year is perfect for an eight team playoff, I implore you to cheer for Auburn and Oregon this weekend because it will shine a light so bright on a flawed system that a change will be inevitable and I will get to see more amazing games.