Now that I have looked back on the past decade for the big 4 pro sports and the big 3 college sports I have decided to look back at the decade in sports for all other sports.
Athlete of Decade: Roger Federer, The most dominant tennis player ever with 16 grand slam titles, a career grand slam, has appeared in 23 straight grand slam semi-finals, and has been 18 of the past 19 grand slam finals. He also has an Olympic Gold Medal from 2008 in doubles. Unlike his golfing counterpart Tiger Woods not only does he actually have the most grand slam/major titles in the history of the sport but he also has no off the court/course issues that we know of so is he better representative for the sport. Runner Up: 2. Tiger Woods 3. Jimmie Johnson 4. Lance Armstrong 5. Michael Phelps 6. Serena Williams 7. Randy Couture 8. Usain Bolt 9. Manny Pacquiao 10. Floyd Mayweather
Non-Athlete of the Decade: Dana White (UFC President): This man convinced two wealthy Vegas Casino owners, the Fertittas to help him invest in a dying sport and it to one of the biggest sports in the world. He is also responsible for the Ultimate Fighter reality show which was the launching pad for many stars in the sport and the sport itself. While he is controversial with his profantity laced tirades and Non-PC acts but he has steered the UFC through rough times and success while other promotions with more money and sometimes more exposure have died off due to bad leadership. 2. Chad Knauss (Crew Chief for Jimmie Johnson) 3. Steve Williams (Tiger's Caddy) 4. Jacques Rogge (IOC Director) 5. Richard Williams (Father and Manager of Serena and Venus).
Game/Match of the Decade: 2008 Wimbledon Men's Final: Rafael Nadal over Roger Federer in 5 sets. A classic that saw Nadal go up two sets to none on Roger's best surface. Then Roger came back to tie it up at 2 sets a piece setting up a classic 5th set which Nadal ended up winning 9-7. Nadal's victory in the greatest Tennis Match ever according to some led to him taking over the #1 ranking and was apparent passing of the torch in this great rivalry but Nadal's knees and Federer's resilence have changed this. Runners up: 2. 2008 Men's Golf US Open 3. 2007 Daytona 500 4. 2008 Olympic 100M men's fly (Phelps wins by a touch) 5. 2004 Masters
Fight of the Decade: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I April 9th, 2005- The fight that launched the UFC to the height it is at today, this 3 round war to determine the Light Heavyweight Winner of the Ultimate Fighter I was so good it had 10 million people watching Spike TV at 1 time. These two men went at it for 3 5 minute rounds which has been compared to Hagler- Hearns by some. The Ultimate Fighter season 1 which this capped off was a huge success for the UFC as it showed how far the UFC has come from it's no holds barred beginnings and showed that these guys are real athletes and real fighters. Griffin ended up winning via decision and went on to become the light heavyweight champ but this fight changed sports forever. 2. Guida-Sanchez TUF 9 Finale, 3. Ward-Gatti I, 4. Corrales-Castillo, 5. Vazquez- Marquez 3
Rivalry of the Decade: Federer-Nadal: While it only lasted for about 4 years this rivalry pushed Men's Tennis back to the forefront where Women's Tennis was, despite the fact that neither guy is American. The main crux of this rivalry is that Federer dominanted everywhere but Clay where Nadal always beat him while Nadal tried and later succeeded in becoming more then a clay court specialist. This rivalry brought the best out of both of these men and the sport. Runners Up: 2. Tiger-Phil 3. Serena-Venus 4. Couture-Liddell 5. Lance Armstrong- The French
Story of the Decade: The Rise of the UFC and MMA- A meteroic rise which started with TUF 1 and the Griffin-Bonnar classic and has continued to today, a week after the UFC debuted in Sydney. The UFC has set gate records in Pennsylvania, Sydney, England, Ireland and Canada. UFC 100 set the record not only for the highest gate but also the fastest sellout in the history of Las Vegas. The rise of this sport has coincided with the slow death of boxing, who's megafight that could have saved the sport being called off. The growth of MMA has created household names like Chuck Lidell, Forrest Griffin, Kimbo Slice (unfortunatly), and Randy Couture. Runners Up: 2. Drug Testing in these sports 3. Rise and "fall" of Tiger Woods 4. Michael Phelps 5. The Williams Sisters and their Father
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
College Football Decade in Review
Well there is no event that is actually going on that caused me to do this blog but it is the only major sport I have not covered so here is the decade in review for college football (D-IA (FBS)).
Program of the Decade- USC while Florida and LSU both won two BCS national titles it was USC who truly dominated the decade with one 1 BCS title, another split national title, and another BCS title game appearance in which Vince Young had to play the greatest game I have ever seen to beat them. This is on top of the fact that they produced 3 heisman trophy winners (Palmer, Bush, Leinart) and countless other NFL stars including Troy Polamalu and Lofa Tatupu among others. Runners Up: 2. LSU 3. Florida 4. Ohio State 5. Oklahoma 6. Texas 7. Miami 8. VT 9. Boise state 10. Utah
Team of the Decade: 2001 Miami Hurricanes- This team went undefeated dominating almost every team they played and destroyed Nebraska to win the National title. Some players on this team include Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, Bryan Mckinnie, DJ Williams, Jonathan Vilma, Ed Reed, and Phillip Buchanon not to mention Reggie Wayne and Ken Dorsey. Runners Up: 2. 2004 USC 3. 2005 Texas 4. 2002 Ohio State 5. 2000 Oklahoma 6. 2004 Auburn 7. 2009 Boise State 8. 2004 Utah 9. 2006 Boise State 10. 2008 Utah
Player of the Decade: Tim Tebow- As much as this pains me and it does I can't deny him his due, he won 1 heisman was a finalist for two others, won two national titles and was the face of college football for 3 years. While he is not the second coming like some florida fans and the announcers of the 2008-09 national title game think he was amazing setting nearly every SEC record. Runners Up: 2. Matt Leinart 3. Ken Dorsey 4. Colt McCoy 5. Vince Young 6. Jason White 7. Reggie Bush 8. AJ Hawk 9. Roy Williams (OU) 10. Larry Fitzgerald
Coach of the Decade: Urban Meyer- He won two national titles and led Utah to an undefeated season which allowed them to become the first BCS buster. He is responsible for the growth of the spread in college football and shifted the balance of power in the state of Florida which was dominated by FSU and the University of Miami. Runners Up: 2. Nick Saban 3. Pete Carroll 4. Jim Tressel 5. Mack Brown 6. Bob Stoops 7. Les Miles 8. Joe Paterno 9. Chris Petersen 10. Frank Beamer
Game of the Decade-2003 Fiesta Bowl OSU over Miami- One of the few clashes of unbeaten teams in the BCS national title game and this game had it all: great plays: Maurice Clarett Stripping Sean Taylor of the ball after Taylor picked a ball off in the end zone, Memorable Moments: Willis McGahee's gruesome injury, Controversy: The Pass interference call in the first OT (Which was accurate) giving Ohio State new life, and drama: Ohio State stops the vaunted Miami offense at the 2 in the 2nd OT to pull the major upset for the schools first title in 4 decades. Runners up: 2. 2006 Rose Bowl (texas over USC) 3. 2007 Fiesta (Boise over Oklahoma) 4. 2005 USC-Notre Dame 5. 2007 App State- Michigan
Story of the Decade: BCS- What do all of these teams have in common: 2000 Miami, 2001 Colorado, 2001 Oregon, 2003 USC, 2004 Auburn, 2004 Utah, 2006 Boise State, 2007 Michigan, 2008 Utah, 2008 Texas, 2009 Boise State, 2009 TCU? the answer is they all had equal or better records to teams that the BCS put in the national title game some of these teams even finished the season without a loss and still had no chance to prove they were the best team in the nation because of this stupid system. The controversy this system has caused, which can easily be fixed by a playoff, has dominated the decade. The college presidents argue that a playoff will take the "student-athletes" away from their classes for too long. The problem with this is not only are they ok with basketball players going away for a month during march madness but they give BCS teams a month off before their bowl games most of which is during winter break, the perfect time to have a playoff. So until this sport adopts a playoff or at least a plus 1 system all its championships are mythical and the sport will never reach the level it should.
NEXT: The Decade in Review for all other sports (Coming Friday)
Program of the Decade- USC while Florida and LSU both won two BCS national titles it was USC who truly dominated the decade with one 1 BCS title, another split national title, and another BCS title game appearance in which Vince Young had to play the greatest game I have ever seen to beat them. This is on top of the fact that they produced 3 heisman trophy winners (Palmer, Bush, Leinart) and countless other NFL stars including Troy Polamalu and Lofa Tatupu among others. Runners Up: 2. LSU 3. Florida 4. Ohio State 5. Oklahoma 6. Texas 7. Miami 8. VT 9. Boise state 10. Utah
Team of the Decade: 2001 Miami Hurricanes- This team went undefeated dominating almost every team they played and destroyed Nebraska to win the National title. Some players on this team include Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, Bryan Mckinnie, DJ Williams, Jonathan Vilma, Ed Reed, and Phillip Buchanon not to mention Reggie Wayne and Ken Dorsey. Runners Up: 2. 2004 USC 3. 2005 Texas 4. 2002 Ohio State 5. 2000 Oklahoma 6. 2004 Auburn 7. 2009 Boise State 8. 2004 Utah 9. 2006 Boise State 10. 2008 Utah
Player of the Decade: Tim Tebow- As much as this pains me and it does I can't deny him his due, he won 1 heisman was a finalist for two others, won two national titles and was the face of college football for 3 years. While he is not the second coming like some florida fans and the announcers of the 2008-09 national title game think he was amazing setting nearly every SEC record. Runners Up: 2. Matt Leinart 3. Ken Dorsey 4. Colt McCoy 5. Vince Young 6. Jason White 7. Reggie Bush 8. AJ Hawk 9. Roy Williams (OU) 10. Larry Fitzgerald
Coach of the Decade: Urban Meyer- He won two national titles and led Utah to an undefeated season which allowed them to become the first BCS buster. He is responsible for the growth of the spread in college football and shifted the balance of power in the state of Florida which was dominated by FSU and the University of Miami. Runners Up: 2. Nick Saban 3. Pete Carroll 4. Jim Tressel 5. Mack Brown 6. Bob Stoops 7. Les Miles 8. Joe Paterno 9. Chris Petersen 10. Frank Beamer
Game of the Decade-2003 Fiesta Bowl OSU over Miami- One of the few clashes of unbeaten teams in the BCS national title game and this game had it all: great plays: Maurice Clarett Stripping Sean Taylor of the ball after Taylor picked a ball off in the end zone, Memorable Moments: Willis McGahee's gruesome injury, Controversy: The Pass interference call in the first OT (Which was accurate) giving Ohio State new life, and drama: Ohio State stops the vaunted Miami offense at the 2 in the 2nd OT to pull the major upset for the schools first title in 4 decades. Runners up: 2. 2006 Rose Bowl (texas over USC) 3. 2007 Fiesta (Boise over Oklahoma) 4. 2005 USC-Notre Dame 5. 2007 App State- Michigan
Story of the Decade: BCS- What do all of these teams have in common: 2000 Miami, 2001 Colorado, 2001 Oregon, 2003 USC, 2004 Auburn, 2004 Utah, 2006 Boise State, 2007 Michigan, 2008 Utah, 2008 Texas, 2009 Boise State, 2009 TCU? the answer is they all had equal or better records to teams that the BCS put in the national title game some of these teams even finished the season without a loss and still had no chance to prove they were the best team in the nation because of this stupid system. The controversy this system has caused, which can easily be fixed by a playoff, has dominated the decade. The college presidents argue that a playoff will take the "student-athletes" away from their classes for too long. The problem with this is not only are they ok with basketball players going away for a month during march madness but they give BCS teams a month off before their bowl games most of which is during winter break, the perfect time to have a playoff. So until this sport adopts a playoff or at least a plus 1 system all its championships are mythical and the sport will never reach the level it should.
NEXT: The Decade in Review for all other sports (Coming Friday)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Greatest Moments in the History of Sports
After last night's upset of Canada by the American men. As well as the fact thattoday being the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice when a bunch of young Americans beat the heavily favored and dominant Soviets, in a slice of the cold war, and went on to win the gold, the last gold the US has won. I have decided to look at the 10 greatest moments in the history of sports, this is not the greatest games in sports, it is the most impactful and memorable moments in sports.
10. The Play (Cal-Stanford 82) This play, which cost John Elway his final college game and the chance to play in his 1st bowl game, involving 2 rivals had it all. Many laterals, a controversy about if a Cal player was down or not, and then a what did I just see moment with Cal's Kevin Moen scoring and then running into a member of the Stanford band. Now anytime there is a kickoff with about 15 seconds or less everyone hopes for their team, if trailing, to pull a Cal-Stanford play.
9. 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball championship Texas Western over Kentucky- This game which saw a team with an all black starting five beating Kentucky led by their legendary coach Adolf Rupp, who was a strong racist, and signaled the true end of the good ole' boy network and opened college sports up to more teams then just the traditional powers.
8. 1981 The Catch- Dwight Clark's miraculous catch 2 years after ESPN was founded not only helped start the push of the NFL to the number one sport of America but also sparked the Niners Dynasty which lasted for about 15 years and sent the then dominant Cowboys into a ten year tailspin until Jimmy Johnson and the Triplets saved them.
7. Tiger Woods win the 1997 Masters- This took golf from an old white man's game to a game open to the masses and more specifically in the African American Community. It also marked the birth of the greatest star in the sports history and one of the biggest stars in sports today in Tiger Woods, who has not only increased golf's exposure but also the money earned by the golfers.
6. Joe Namath backs up his words upsetting the Colts in Super Bowl 3: Namath, who was charged as the face and savior of the upstart AFL, guaranteed that his AFL champion Jets would beat the heavily favored NFL champion Baltimore Colts and they did winning 16-7. This game along with the Cheifs upset of the Vikings the next year saved the AFL and forced the merger which has helped make the NFL what it is today, but it would not have happened without the moment #4.
5. 1979 NCAA Championship Game- A game that pitted Magic Johnson and Michigan State against Larry Bird and undefeated Indiana State was one of the most watched sporting events up to that point. In the end Magic led his Spartans to their first national title but this game introduced the world to Bird and Magic who's subsequent decade long rivalry with the Lakers and Celtics saved the NBA.
4. 1958 NFL Championship Greatest Game Ever Played- A game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts which ended being the first ever Overtime game in which the Colts won. This game put the NFL on the map and saw the birth of stars like Johnny Unitas and ideas like the 2 minute drill. Without this game the NFL would be nowhere near where it is today.
3. Shot Heard Round the World (1951: Bobby Thompson's Home run)- the Giants' Bobby Thomson's 9th inning home run off of Ralph Branca of the Dodgers gave the Giants the 3 game playoff to determine the NL champ. The Giants forced this playoff by overcoming a 13.5 game deficit in mid-August and this home run really helped make these two franchises big nationwide and eventually led to them both moving to California making Baseball Nationwide.
2. Miracle on Ice (1980 USA over USSR)- during the midst of the 4 decade long Cold War between capitalist US and the Communist USSR and 8 years after the USSR men's basketball team stealing the gold from the US this hockey game is remembered by everyone a live at the time and has taken on a life of it's own. This semi-final game saw the US team, a bunch of college kids led by Coach Herb Brooks, shock the heavily favored Soviet team, who had won 4 straight olympic golds and trounce the US 10-3 2 weeks earlier. The US went on to beat Finland to win the gold but it is this Semi-final game which is most remembered and like many moments on this list there is a call synonomous with this game (Do You Believe in Miracles...YES!)
1. Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier 1947- In April 1947 when Jackie Robinson took the field for the then Brooklyn Dodgers at second base he made history he was the first black player in MLB history and major team sports history. Jackie Robinson's ability to keep his cool and play great in the face of horrible discrimination, racism, and death threats paved the way for many stars we see today like Kobe, Lebron, Albert Pujols, and Ray Lewis and changed sports forever.
10. The Play (Cal-Stanford 82) This play, which cost John Elway his final college game and the chance to play in his 1st bowl game, involving 2 rivals had it all. Many laterals, a controversy about if a Cal player was down or not, and then a what did I just see moment with Cal's Kevin Moen scoring and then running into a member of the Stanford band. Now anytime there is a kickoff with about 15 seconds or less everyone hopes for their team, if trailing, to pull a Cal-Stanford play.
9. 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball championship Texas Western over Kentucky- This game which saw a team with an all black starting five beating Kentucky led by their legendary coach Adolf Rupp, who was a strong racist, and signaled the true end of the good ole' boy network and opened college sports up to more teams then just the traditional powers.
8. 1981 The Catch- Dwight Clark's miraculous catch 2 years after ESPN was founded not only helped start the push of the NFL to the number one sport of America but also sparked the Niners Dynasty which lasted for about 15 years and sent the then dominant Cowboys into a ten year tailspin until Jimmy Johnson and the Triplets saved them.
7. Tiger Woods win the 1997 Masters- This took golf from an old white man's game to a game open to the masses and more specifically in the African American Community. It also marked the birth of the greatest star in the sports history and one of the biggest stars in sports today in Tiger Woods, who has not only increased golf's exposure but also the money earned by the golfers.
6. Joe Namath backs up his words upsetting the Colts in Super Bowl 3: Namath, who was charged as the face and savior of the upstart AFL, guaranteed that his AFL champion Jets would beat the heavily favored NFL champion Baltimore Colts and they did winning 16-7. This game along with the Cheifs upset of the Vikings the next year saved the AFL and forced the merger which has helped make the NFL what it is today, but it would not have happened without the moment #4.
5. 1979 NCAA Championship Game- A game that pitted Magic Johnson and Michigan State against Larry Bird and undefeated Indiana State was one of the most watched sporting events up to that point. In the end Magic led his Spartans to their first national title but this game introduced the world to Bird and Magic who's subsequent decade long rivalry with the Lakers and Celtics saved the NBA.
4. 1958 NFL Championship Greatest Game Ever Played- A game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts which ended being the first ever Overtime game in which the Colts won. This game put the NFL on the map and saw the birth of stars like Johnny Unitas and ideas like the 2 minute drill. Without this game the NFL would be nowhere near where it is today.
3. Shot Heard Round the World (1951: Bobby Thompson's Home run)- the Giants' Bobby Thomson's 9th inning home run off of Ralph Branca of the Dodgers gave the Giants the 3 game playoff to determine the NL champ. The Giants forced this playoff by overcoming a 13.5 game deficit in mid-August and this home run really helped make these two franchises big nationwide and eventually led to them both moving to California making Baseball Nationwide.
2. Miracle on Ice (1980 USA over USSR)- during the midst of the 4 decade long Cold War between capitalist US and the Communist USSR and 8 years after the USSR men's basketball team stealing the gold from the US this hockey game is remembered by everyone a live at the time and has taken on a life of it's own. This semi-final game saw the US team, a bunch of college kids led by Coach Herb Brooks, shock the heavily favored Soviet team, who had won 4 straight olympic golds and trounce the US 10-3 2 weeks earlier. The US went on to beat Finland to win the gold but it is this Semi-final game which is most remembered and like many moments on this list there is a call synonomous with this game (Do You Believe in Miracles...YES!)
1. Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier 1947- In April 1947 when Jackie Robinson took the field for the then Brooklyn Dodgers at second base he made history he was the first black player in MLB history and major team sports history. Jackie Robinson's ability to keep his cool and play great in the face of horrible discrimination, racism, and death threats paved the way for many stars we see today like Kobe, Lebron, Albert Pujols, and Ray Lewis and changed sports forever.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
College Basketball Decade In Review
With today being Bracketbusters and Selection Sunday on 3 weeks away I have decided to continue my look back on the past decade of sports with Mens and Womens College Basketball.
Program of the Decade: Mens- Florida Womens- UCONN: Well UCONN being named the women's program of the decade is self-explanatory so I will move on. Florida and North Carolina both won two national titles this decade but the difference to me is the fact that Florida at least made the NIT every year while Carolina finished with 8 wins in the 2002-2003 season.
Runner Up: Men: UNC, UCONN Women: TENN, STANFORD
Team of the decade: Mens: 2006-07 Florida Gators, Womens: 2001-2002 UCONN: That Gators team which had all 5 starters return from the 06 national champs and started the season as #1 and finished the season with their 2nd title in a row a first since Duke 1992-93. That UCONN team was one of the few to go unbeaten but stands out by producing WNBA stars Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Swin Cash. Runners Up: Men- 2005 UNC, 2002 MD, 2001 Duke Women- 2009 UCONN, 2008 Tenn, and 2007 Tenn
Player of the Decade Men: Tyler Hansbrough Women: Diana Taurasi, Hansbrough stayed at UNC 4 years and broke almost every record at the school and won a Player of the Year and a national title. Taurasi was a major part of two national championship teams including the great 2002 UCONN team she was also the face of Women's basketball for a while. Runner UP- Men- Joakim Noah, JJ Reddick Women- Candace Parker and Maya Moore.
Coach of the Decade: Mens: Roy Williams, Women: Geno Auriemma- Roy Williams led two schools to a combined 5 final fours and won 2 titles in Carolina, two of those final four losses were to the enventual national champs so he is clearly the coach of the decade. Auriemma won 5 national titles and had 2 undefeated season thus edging out Pat Summit for this award.
Runners Up: Men- Billy Donovan, Coach K Women: Pat Summitt, Brenda Freese
Game of the Decade: Men 2006 Mason vs. UCONN Elight Eight, Women 2006 Finals MD over Duke. The Mason game highlited the greatest cinderella run in the history of March Madness which included beating 2 final four teams from last year in Michigan State and UNC as well as the overwhelming favorite that year in UCONN. The MD-Duke women's game was the start of the women's version of a big men's rivalry and saw Kristi Tolliver hit a huge 3 pushing the game to OT where Maryland won. Runners Up: Men 2008 Final Memphis-Kansas, Women 2003- UCONN vs. Tenn
Rivalry of the Decade: Men- Duke vs UNC Women: UCONN vs. TENN: While this rivalry was pretty dormant in the early part of the decade as the MD-Duke rivalry dominated the ACC the Duke vs. UNC rivalry at the end of the decade was amazing and brought the rivalry back to life. When it comes to Women's rivalries UCONN vs. Tennessee is clearly the best. Runners UP: Duke- Maryland and Cuse-UCONN Women: UCONN-ND and LSU-Tenn
Story of the Decade- Men: One and Dones Women: Growing in competition and Popularity. One and Dones dominated the Men's game with guys like Kevin Durant and Mike Beasley winning at least one National player of the Year, Derrick Rose leading Memphis to the championship game (O wait that never happened according to Memphis thanks Coach Cal) and Carmelo Anthony leading Syracuse to the school's first title. The Women's game has grown thanks to stars like Candace Parker and Maya Moore and programs like UCONN and Tennessee as well as upstarts like Maryland and Baylor winning national titles, Baylor's came two years after the lowest point of the decade the Men's scandal involving a player's murder. Runners UP: Mens: Cinderellas Womens: UCONN-Tennessee.
Program of the Decade: Mens- Florida Womens- UCONN: Well UCONN being named the women's program of the decade is self-explanatory so I will move on. Florida and North Carolina both won two national titles this decade but the difference to me is the fact that Florida at least made the NIT every year while Carolina finished with 8 wins in the 2002-2003 season.
Runner Up: Men: UNC, UCONN Women: TENN, STANFORD
Team of the decade: Mens: 2006-07 Florida Gators, Womens: 2001-2002 UCONN: That Gators team which had all 5 starters return from the 06 national champs and started the season as #1 and finished the season with their 2nd title in a row a first since Duke 1992-93. That UCONN team was one of the few to go unbeaten but stands out by producing WNBA stars Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Swin Cash. Runners Up: Men- 2005 UNC, 2002 MD, 2001 Duke Women- 2009 UCONN, 2008 Tenn, and 2007 Tenn
Player of the Decade Men: Tyler Hansbrough Women: Diana Taurasi, Hansbrough stayed at UNC 4 years and broke almost every record at the school and won a Player of the Year and a national title. Taurasi was a major part of two national championship teams including the great 2002 UCONN team she was also the face of Women's basketball for a while. Runner UP- Men- Joakim Noah, JJ Reddick Women- Candace Parker and Maya Moore.
Coach of the Decade: Mens: Roy Williams, Women: Geno Auriemma- Roy Williams led two schools to a combined 5 final fours and won 2 titles in Carolina, two of those final four losses were to the enventual national champs so he is clearly the coach of the decade. Auriemma won 5 national titles and had 2 undefeated season thus edging out Pat Summit for this award.
Runners Up: Men- Billy Donovan, Coach K Women: Pat Summitt, Brenda Freese
Game of the Decade: Men 2006 Mason vs. UCONN Elight Eight, Women 2006 Finals MD over Duke. The Mason game highlited the greatest cinderella run in the history of March Madness which included beating 2 final four teams from last year in Michigan State and UNC as well as the overwhelming favorite that year in UCONN. The MD-Duke women's game was the start of the women's version of a big men's rivalry and saw Kristi Tolliver hit a huge 3 pushing the game to OT where Maryland won. Runners Up: Men 2008 Final Memphis-Kansas, Women 2003- UCONN vs. Tenn
Rivalry of the Decade: Men- Duke vs UNC Women: UCONN vs. TENN: While this rivalry was pretty dormant in the early part of the decade as the MD-Duke rivalry dominated the ACC the Duke vs. UNC rivalry at the end of the decade was amazing and brought the rivalry back to life. When it comes to Women's rivalries UCONN vs. Tennessee is clearly the best. Runners UP: Duke- Maryland and Cuse-UCONN Women: UCONN-ND and LSU-Tenn
Story of the Decade- Men: One and Dones Women: Growing in competition and Popularity. One and Dones dominated the Men's game with guys like Kevin Durant and Mike Beasley winning at least one National player of the Year, Derrick Rose leading Memphis to the championship game (O wait that never happened according to Memphis thanks Coach Cal) and Carmelo Anthony leading Syracuse to the school's first title. The Women's game has grown thanks to stars like Candace Parker and Maya Moore and programs like UCONN and Tennessee as well as upstarts like Maryland and Baylor winning national titles, Baylor's came two years after the lowest point of the decade the Men's scandal involving a player's murder. Runners UP: Mens: Cinderellas Womens: UCONN-Tennessee.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
MLB Decade in Review
Pitchers and Catchers report tomorrow for 12 teams so I decided to look back on the past 10 years of Major League Baseball. Let me clarify something Franchise of the Decade is the best team throughout the decade while Team of the decade is the best single year team of the entire decade.
Franchise of the Decade: Boston Red Sox- They finish just ahead of the Yankees because both teams won two titles during this decade but it comes down to the most memorable moment of the decade, coming back from 3-0 to beat the Yanks in the 2004 ALCS and then sweeping the Cardinals to win their first World Series in 86 years. Runners Up: 2. Yanks 3. Cards 4. Angels 5. Phillies
Team of the Decade: 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, what is the old saying in baseball great pitching beats great hitting and this team had great pitching with Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling which would dominante any team's hitting. Throw in the hitting of Luis Gonzalez and Reggie Sanders and you are looking at the best team of the decade. Runners Up: 2004 Sox, 2006 Cards, 2009 Yanks, 2000 Yanks.
Player of the Decade: Albert Pujols 1B Cardinals: An amazing talent who could be on pace to become the greatest player of all time, in his 9 seasons he has hit .334, the highest average of the decade even higher then Ichiro, 366 Home runs and won 3 MVPs and if it were not for Bonds and his steroid use he would have won 7 of 9 MVP's (that is not including the robbery in 2006 when Ryan Howard won it). Throw in 2 world series appearances, 1 title, a rookie of the year, and basically ruining Brad Lidge's career in 2005 he is the clear cut winner and has no attachment to steroids. Runners Up: 2. Jeter 3. Ichiro 4. Santana 5. Halladay.
Manager of the Decade: Tony La Russa (and Dave Duncan) Cardinals He has led the Cardinals to a decade of success despite having pitchers like Kyle Lohse, Joel Pinero, Chris Carpetner (who got cut from the Jays), and many more as well as two tragedies (Darryl Kyle and Josh Hamilton). He won 1 title and is 3rd all time in wins as a manager. Runners Up: 2. Terry Francona 3. Mike Scosia 4. Joe Torre 5. Bobby Cox
Story of the Decade: Steroids- The revelations that stars like Big Mac, Sosa, Clemens, Bonds, Manny, Palmerio, and A-Roid all used steroids have shook MLB to its core bringing the magical summer of 1998 and some of its most hallowed marks into serious doubt. This has ruined baseball for many fans and has made clean players defend themselves daily. Runners up: Yankees vs. Red Sox bidding war, Small Market vs. Big Market, All-star Game, WBC
Moment of the Decade: Red Sox end the curse, this is a moment everyone will remember for what happened in the ALCS when they became the 1st MLB team and 3 Major pro team to come back from 3-0 defecit in the series to beat the Yankees. They also swept a 100 win Cards team to end the curse of the Bambino and win their first title in 86 years. Runners up: Congressional Hearings, Pujols homer off of Lidge, Bonds #73 and #756, Bartman.
Franchise of the Decade: Boston Red Sox- They finish just ahead of the Yankees because both teams won two titles during this decade but it comes down to the most memorable moment of the decade, coming back from 3-0 to beat the Yanks in the 2004 ALCS and then sweeping the Cardinals to win their first World Series in 86 years. Runners Up: 2. Yanks 3. Cards 4. Angels 5. Phillies
Team of the Decade: 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, what is the old saying in baseball great pitching beats great hitting and this team had great pitching with Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling which would dominante any team's hitting. Throw in the hitting of Luis Gonzalez and Reggie Sanders and you are looking at the best team of the decade. Runners Up: 2004 Sox, 2006 Cards, 2009 Yanks, 2000 Yanks.
Player of the Decade: Albert Pujols 1B Cardinals: An amazing talent who could be on pace to become the greatest player of all time, in his 9 seasons he has hit .334, the highest average of the decade even higher then Ichiro, 366 Home runs and won 3 MVPs and if it were not for Bonds and his steroid use he would have won 7 of 9 MVP's (that is not including the robbery in 2006 when Ryan Howard won it). Throw in 2 world series appearances, 1 title, a rookie of the year, and basically ruining Brad Lidge's career in 2005 he is the clear cut winner and has no attachment to steroids. Runners Up: 2. Jeter 3. Ichiro 4. Santana 5. Halladay.
Manager of the Decade: Tony La Russa (and Dave Duncan) Cardinals He has led the Cardinals to a decade of success despite having pitchers like Kyle Lohse, Joel Pinero, Chris Carpetner (who got cut from the Jays), and many more as well as two tragedies (Darryl Kyle and Josh Hamilton). He won 1 title and is 3rd all time in wins as a manager. Runners Up: 2. Terry Francona 3. Mike Scosia 4. Joe Torre 5. Bobby Cox
Story of the Decade: Steroids- The revelations that stars like Big Mac, Sosa, Clemens, Bonds, Manny, Palmerio, and A-Roid all used steroids have shook MLB to its core bringing the magical summer of 1998 and some of its most hallowed marks into serious doubt. This has ruined baseball for many fans and has made clean players defend themselves daily. Runners up: Yankees vs. Red Sox bidding war, Small Market vs. Big Market, All-star Game, WBC
Moment of the Decade: Red Sox end the curse, this is a moment everyone will remember for what happened in the ALCS when they became the 1st MLB team and 3 Major pro team to come back from 3-0 defecit in the series to beat the Yankees. They also swept a 100 win Cards team to end the curse of the Bambino and win their first title in 86 years. Runners up: Congressional Hearings, Pujols homer off of Lidge, Bonds #73 and #756, Bartman.
Monday, February 15, 2010
NHL Decade in Review
With the Olympic Break starting today I have decided to look back on the past decade of Hockey which actually was only 9 seasons thanks to the 04-05 lockout, but more on that later.
Team/Franchise of the Decade: Detroit Red Wings- The Only team this decade with 2 cups and appeared in a 3rd they have also been the model franchise for others to copy led by Nick Lidstrom. Runners Up: Devils, Ducks, Avalanche, Penguins
Player of the Decade: Nick Lidstrom, Defensemen Detroit Red Wings, the leader of the team of the decade and the best defensemen of the decade. He also won the 2006 Olympic Gold Medal as a leader of Team Sweden. Runners Up: Martin Brodeaur, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Joe Thorton
Coach of the Decade: Mike Babcock, He has appeared in 3 Cup Finals winning one and he has brought the Ducks back to relevency and Brought the Wings back to dominance. Runners Up: Scotty Bowman, Ken Hitchcock, Larry Robinson, John Torterella
Series of the Decade: 2009 Stanley Cup Final Penguins over Wings- A 7 game classic which was a rematch of the 2008 finals that saw Sid the Kid, one of the two biggest stars in the NHL, win his first cup and knock off the team of the decade. Runners Up: 2004 finals, 2001 finals, 2003 finals, 2006 finals
Story of the Decade: 2004-2005 season lost to Lockout: As the NHL was starting to gain momentum and establish itself as one of the big 4 sports they lose an entire season to a labor dispute. Not only did it cost them many fans but it cost them their tv deal and now their main Television partner is Versus a network which many Americans do not have on their packages.
Runners Up: Sid and Alex, The Olympics, and Goonery/Fighting
Team/Franchise of the Decade: Detroit Red Wings- The Only team this decade with 2 cups and appeared in a 3rd they have also been the model franchise for others to copy led by Nick Lidstrom. Runners Up: Devils, Ducks, Avalanche, Penguins
Player of the Decade: Nick Lidstrom, Defensemen Detroit Red Wings, the leader of the team of the decade and the best defensemen of the decade. He also won the 2006 Olympic Gold Medal as a leader of Team Sweden. Runners Up: Martin Brodeaur, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Joe Thorton
Coach of the Decade: Mike Babcock, He has appeared in 3 Cup Finals winning one and he has brought the Ducks back to relevency and Brought the Wings back to dominance. Runners Up: Scotty Bowman, Ken Hitchcock, Larry Robinson, John Torterella
Series of the Decade: 2009 Stanley Cup Final Penguins over Wings- A 7 game classic which was a rematch of the 2008 finals that saw Sid the Kid, one of the two biggest stars in the NHL, win his first cup and knock off the team of the decade. Runners Up: 2004 finals, 2001 finals, 2003 finals, 2006 finals
Story of the Decade: 2004-2005 season lost to Lockout: As the NHL was starting to gain momentum and establish itself as one of the big 4 sports they lose an entire season to a labor dispute. Not only did it cost them many fans but it cost them their tv deal and now their main Television partner is Versus a network which many Americans do not have on their packages.
Runners Up: Sid and Alex, The Olympics, and Goonery/Fighting
Sunday, February 14, 2010
NBA Decade in Review
Again I know this is very late but the NBA is probably one of the toughest decades to break down and find the best and worst and I thought that with the All-Star Game being today it would be a perfect time to look back on the past Decade from the 1999-2000 season to the 2008-09 season.
Franchise of the Decade: TIE Spurs and Lakers-These two franchises have dominated the decade winning 7 of 10 championships and being in 9 of 10 finals combined. While the Lakers have won more titles (4 to 3) the Spurs have more playoff appearances (10 to 9). The Spurs have also had a greater impact on the NBA from being at the forefront of the international explosion especially when it comes to the draft to the fact that many of the other teams have taken GMs and Coaches from the Spurs including the Thunder and the Cavs.
Team of the Decade: 2000-01 Lakers: The Only Laker team of the Kobe-Shaq era who dominated in the playoffs (the 2000 version was pushed to 7 by the Blazers and the 2002 team was handed their series over the Kings by the Game 6 refs) in fact they only lost 1 game all playoffs and it took a dominanting performance by Iverson in the finals to do so. 2. 2007 Spurs 3. 2008 Celtics 4. 2005 Spurs 5. 2009 Lakers.
Player of the Decade- Tim Duncan (Spurs)- This was a 3 man race between Duncan, Kobe, and Shaq but Duncan was the only guy of the 3 with 3 finals MVPs and 2 Regular Season MVPs. He has never played with a future hall of famer at their peak and carried a team to a title (2003 Spurs) with only one other player who scored 12 or more Points per game (20 year old Parker). 2. Kobe 3. Shaq 4. Garnett 5. Lebron
Coach of the Decade- Gregg Popovich (Spurs) Unlike Jackson he coached all 10 years and made the playoffs all 10 of those years. Also Unlike Jackson he did not have 2 future hall of famers at or near their peak for 3 championships and Robert Horry and Steve Kerr who played for both said Pop was the better coach to play for. 2. Phil Jackson 3. Jerry Sloan 4. Larry Brown 5. Doc Rivers
Game of the Decade- 2005 NBA Finals Game 5 Spurs over Pistons- The best game of the only 7 game NBA finals of the decade saw a great performance by all the usual suspects but it was a 21 point outburst from Big Shot Bob (Robert Horry), who topped it off with another clutch game winner to give the Spurs a 3-2 lead which helped them win their 3rd championship ever in 7 games. Runners UP 2007 First Round game 1 Spurs over Suns and 2002 Western Conference Finals game 4 Lakers over Kings
Series of the Decade: 2002 Western Conference Finals Lakers over Kings although this series is shrouded in controversy with the Game 6 officiating debacle which even Laker fans and beat writers called a robbery of the Kings as the Lakers got calls that were questionable at best and the Kings needed to be mauled to get a call. This series was amazing and saw two last second Game winners (Horry in Game 4 and Bibby in game 5) and went to OT in Game 7. Runners up: 2006 Mavs-Spurs, 2005 Spurs-Pistons, and 2009 Celtics-Bulls
Story of the Decade: 2003 Draft Class- A class that included Heinrich, Bosh, Wade, Melo, Lebron and Darko (Great Pick Detroit). This draft helped saved 4 franchises and has supplied the NBA with many new superstars. These guys are also the center piece of the upcoming 2010 Free Agency class. Runners up- High School to Pros/One and Done, International Invasion, Team US
Franchise of the Decade: TIE Spurs and Lakers-These two franchises have dominated the decade winning 7 of 10 championships and being in 9 of 10 finals combined. While the Lakers have won more titles (4 to 3) the Spurs have more playoff appearances (10 to 9). The Spurs have also had a greater impact on the NBA from being at the forefront of the international explosion especially when it comes to the draft to the fact that many of the other teams have taken GMs and Coaches from the Spurs including the Thunder and the Cavs.
Team of the Decade: 2000-01 Lakers: The Only Laker team of the Kobe-Shaq era who dominated in the playoffs (the 2000 version was pushed to 7 by the Blazers and the 2002 team was handed their series over the Kings by the Game 6 refs) in fact they only lost 1 game all playoffs and it took a dominanting performance by Iverson in the finals to do so. 2. 2007 Spurs 3. 2008 Celtics 4. 2005 Spurs 5. 2009 Lakers.
Player of the Decade- Tim Duncan (Spurs)- This was a 3 man race between Duncan, Kobe, and Shaq but Duncan was the only guy of the 3 with 3 finals MVPs and 2 Regular Season MVPs. He has never played with a future hall of famer at their peak and carried a team to a title (2003 Spurs) with only one other player who scored 12 or more Points per game (20 year old Parker). 2. Kobe 3. Shaq 4. Garnett 5. Lebron
Coach of the Decade- Gregg Popovich (Spurs) Unlike Jackson he coached all 10 years and made the playoffs all 10 of those years. Also Unlike Jackson he did not have 2 future hall of famers at or near their peak for 3 championships and Robert Horry and Steve Kerr who played for both said Pop was the better coach to play for. 2. Phil Jackson 3. Jerry Sloan 4. Larry Brown 5. Doc Rivers
Game of the Decade- 2005 NBA Finals Game 5 Spurs over Pistons- The best game of the only 7 game NBA finals of the decade saw a great performance by all the usual suspects but it was a 21 point outburst from Big Shot Bob (Robert Horry), who topped it off with another clutch game winner to give the Spurs a 3-2 lead which helped them win their 3rd championship ever in 7 games. Runners UP 2007 First Round game 1 Spurs over Suns and 2002 Western Conference Finals game 4 Lakers over Kings
Series of the Decade: 2002 Western Conference Finals Lakers over Kings although this series is shrouded in controversy with the Game 6 officiating debacle which even Laker fans and beat writers called a robbery of the Kings as the Lakers got calls that were questionable at best and the Kings needed to be mauled to get a call. This series was amazing and saw two last second Game winners (Horry in Game 4 and Bibby in game 5) and went to OT in Game 7. Runners up: 2006 Mavs-Spurs, 2005 Spurs-Pistons, and 2009 Celtics-Bulls
Story of the Decade: 2003 Draft Class- A class that included Heinrich, Bosh, Wade, Melo, Lebron and Darko (Great Pick Detroit). This draft helped saved 4 franchises and has supplied the NBA with many new superstars. These guys are also the center piece of the upcoming 2010 Free Agency class. Runners up- High School to Pros/One and Done, International Invasion, Team US
Sunday, February 7, 2010
NFL Decade In review
With the Saints 31-17 upset of the Colts the Decade in NFL football is over spanning from the 2000 Ravens to the 2009 Saints (I don't count the 1999 Rams because winning 3 games does not make you apart of this decade) so I decided to take a look back at the best and worst of the decade.
Team of the Decade- 2000 Ravens, the old saying goes defense winns championships and no defense was as dominant as the 2000 Ravens who including playoffs let up a total of 188 points (9.4 a game) and in the regular season let up less then 61 rush yards per game. Throw in a great special teams with Pro Bowler Matt Stover, Superstar KR/PR Jermaine Lewis and the best punter when it comes to downing the ball inside the 20, Kyle Richardson they would beat any of the other 9 champs this decade.
Worst Team of the Decade- 2008 Lions: They went 0-16 enough said.
Player of the Decade- 1. Ray Lewis 2. Tom Brady 3. Peyton Manning 4. LT 5. Champ Bailey, the reason I put Ray number 1 is that he played all 10 years of the decade, won 2 DPOY's and a Super Bowl MVP, was the emotional leader of one of the best franchises of the decade and led them through 2 head coaches and 4 defensive coordinators always finishing in the top 5-10.
Coach of the Decade- 1. Belicheck 2. Dungy 3. Fisher 4. Gruden 5. Reid Although he is a very controversial he won 3 super bowls 2 of which with Antoine Smith at running back and one with Troy Brown at Corner.
Game of the Decade (non-Super Bowl)- Cardinals-Packers 2010 Wild Card (51-45) A back and forth game that saw one guy announce he arrived (Aaron Rodgers) and the other further cement his hall of Fame status (Kurt Warner) and after an offensive explosion it was a defensive score that won it (honorable mention Panthers Rams 2003 Divisional Round, Colts-Patriots 2006 AFC Title game.
Super Bowl of the Decade- Super Bowl 38 Patriots 32 Panthers 29 This Super Bowl had it all an 85 yard TD pass, a LB catching a TD pass, key defensive plays (Brady being picked in the end zone), and a team nobody thought belonged and was 1-15 two years earlier fighting till the end only to be done in by the clutch player of the decade, Adam Vinetiari. Honorable Mention- SB 36 Patriots 20 Rams 17, SB 43- Steelers 27 Cardinals 23, and SB 42 Giants 17 Patriots 14
Play of the Decade- Santonio Holmes GW catch Super Bowl 43 the reason this above Tyree's catch is that one produced the game winning points the other did not and the fact that Santonio Holmes stayed in bounds is absolutly insane. Honorable Mention Tyree's Catch SB 43, Adam Vinatieri's Kicks in the Tuck Rule game, SB 36, SB 38.
I will do this for the other major sports throughout the week NBA tomorrow.
Team of the Decade- 2000 Ravens, the old saying goes defense winns championships and no defense was as dominant as the 2000 Ravens who including playoffs let up a total of 188 points (9.4 a game) and in the regular season let up less then 61 rush yards per game. Throw in a great special teams with Pro Bowler Matt Stover, Superstar KR/PR Jermaine Lewis and the best punter when it comes to downing the ball inside the 20, Kyle Richardson they would beat any of the other 9 champs this decade.
Worst Team of the Decade- 2008 Lions: They went 0-16 enough said.
Player of the Decade- 1. Ray Lewis 2. Tom Brady 3. Peyton Manning 4. LT 5. Champ Bailey, the reason I put Ray number 1 is that he played all 10 years of the decade, won 2 DPOY's and a Super Bowl MVP, was the emotional leader of one of the best franchises of the decade and led them through 2 head coaches and 4 defensive coordinators always finishing in the top 5-10.
Coach of the Decade- 1. Belicheck 2. Dungy 3. Fisher 4. Gruden 5. Reid Although he is a very controversial he won 3 super bowls 2 of which with Antoine Smith at running back and one with Troy Brown at Corner.
Game of the Decade (non-Super Bowl)- Cardinals-Packers 2010 Wild Card (51-45) A back and forth game that saw one guy announce he arrived (Aaron Rodgers) and the other further cement his hall of Fame status (Kurt Warner) and after an offensive explosion it was a defensive score that won it (honorable mention Panthers Rams 2003 Divisional Round, Colts-Patriots 2006 AFC Title game.
Super Bowl of the Decade- Super Bowl 38 Patriots 32 Panthers 29 This Super Bowl had it all an 85 yard TD pass, a LB catching a TD pass, key defensive plays (Brady being picked in the end zone), and a team nobody thought belonged and was 1-15 two years earlier fighting till the end only to be done in by the clutch player of the decade, Adam Vinetiari. Honorable Mention- SB 36 Patriots 20 Rams 17, SB 43- Steelers 27 Cardinals 23, and SB 42 Giants 17 Patriots 14
Play of the Decade- Santonio Holmes GW catch Super Bowl 43 the reason this above Tyree's catch is that one produced the game winning points the other did not and the fact that Santonio Holmes stayed in bounds is absolutly insane. Honorable Mention Tyree's Catch SB 43, Adam Vinatieri's Kicks in the Tuck Rule game, SB 36, SB 38.
I will do this for the other major sports throughout the week NBA tomorrow.
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