The Top 20 Sports Moments of the Decade

1. Barry Bonds hits his 756th career home run to claim sole possession of arguably the most well-known record in sports.

2. Jose Canseco releases his book “Juiced” which describes for the first time the pervasiveness of steroid use in Major League Baseball.  It was time the steroid issue was truly broadcasted across the country, and the first time players were specifically named with evidence linking them to steroid use.  This led to the infamy of the BALCO scandal, Congress’ investigation of steroid use in baseball, and most recently the list of 103 steroid users that included most notably Alex Rodriguez.

3. Baseball in New York after 9/11.  The nation, and especially the city of New York, needed something to cheer about, to believe in.  September 21st, the first Mets game in New York after 9/11, with the fans beaming with USA pride, Mike Piazza hit the single greatest home run in the history of Shea Stadium.  Down 2-1 in the 8th, Piazza hit a moonshot to center, and the stadium went absolutely crazy.  It was as if baseball was a liberation for the city and the country, and the first Met home run in the first game after 9/11 could not have come at better time.  It was more than a game.  Then, October 30th, World Series Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, George Bush threw the first pitch.  He walked out to the mound, calm as could be, and gave a thumbs up to the crowd.  He then fired a strike from the mound right down the middle.  The New York crowd echoed chants of “U-S-A” during the first pitch.  This game, more than any in history, showed the rest of the country and the world that America would not be intimidated but the threat of terrorism, but would stand tall together.  Whether one supported or opposed Bush’s political views, that night America stood together with pride as one.

4. Super Bowl XXXXII, the underdog Giants beat the undefeated Patriots.  David Tyree makes potentially the greatest play in Super Bowl history by pinning the ball against his helmet to keep the game winning drive going on third and long.

5. The recent developments with Tiger Woods.  For all but 1 month of the decade, Tiger was the perfect athlete.  He dominated his sport, he was arguably the best athlete in sports, and he seemed to be a great role model for young people.  However, on November 27th, he crashed his SUV outside his home, and this led to the disintegration of Tiger’s near perfect image.  It was later learned that Tiger was guilty of infidelity, and he was rumored to have had affairs with upwards of 15 people.  He then was linked to Dr. Anthony Galea, who was charged because he had provided illegal PEDs to athletes.  Although it was not proven that Tiger did anything wrong when he went to Galea, it certainly did not help his already tarnished reputation.  Finally, the year ended with many of his sponsors dropping their endorsements with Tiger, and Tiger himself taking an indefinite leave from golf.

6. The Red Sox win its first World Series in 86 years in 2004.  For years the Red Sox were known, along with the Cubs, as the lovable losers.  The year before, the Sox had had a 3-0 lead in the ALCS against the Yankees, and the Yankees came back to win that series.  In 2004, the Sox played the Yankees again in the ALCS, and were down 3-0.  It looked like more of the same heartbreak for Red Sox fans.  However, it was fitting that the Red Sox had to come back and beat the rival Yankees to break the supposed curse.  The Red Sox beat the Cardinals to win the World Series to end the title drought.

7. Boise State beats Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.  Boise State was the team that was not supposed to be in the BCS.  So what that the Broncos were undefeated? They were from a non-BCS conference.  However, after getting down big in the game, the Broncos came back to defeat the mighty Sooners in overtime.  This game is so important because it led the campaign for added respect for the smaller conferences.  Teams like TCU, Utah, and BYU receive much more respect now because of what Boise State did on the national stage.  In addition, this game was one of the big events that led to criticism of the BCS system.  At this point, many people argued that because Boise State was undefeated, the Broncos should be considered National Champions.  This was especially controversial because 2 loss LSU won the National Championship over Ohio State.  This game redefined college football in many ways.

8. The 2008 US Open.  Tiger Woods played for 5 days and 91 holes to win the 2008 US Open.  Quite possibly the greatest athletic performance of all time, Tiger went to an 18 hole playoff and beat Rocco Mediate with a ruptured ACL that he had surgery on after the tournament.  Tiger was forced to take a year off after this surgery.  But Tiger, on one leg, defeated the best players in golf on one of the country’s toughest courses.  What an unbelievable and unforgettable performance.

9. The Saints vs. the Falcons in the first game at the SuperDome after Hurricane Katrina.  Just over a year after the SuperDome was occupied by victims seeking relief from Hurricane Katrina, the Saints played inspired football in front of a sold out crowd on Monday Night, and beat the Falcons 23-3.  This game was a sign of New Orleans’ return to some type of normalcy, and the Saints provided something for the disheveled New Orleans residents to get excited about and believe in.

10. Michael Phelps redefined the sport of swimming by winning 8 gold medals in one Olympic games, breaking Mark Spitz’s previously held record of 7 golds.  The climax of this race to the record was when the USA 4x100m freestyle team defeated the heavily favored French team because of a late surge by anchor Jason Lezak.  Michael Phelps joyous exclamation after his teammate won the race is what most people will remember about Phelps’ unbelievable accomplishment.

11. Super Bowl XXXIV.  The Titans played the Rams in one of the best Super Bowls of all time.  The Rams took a 16-0 lead before the Titans stormed back to tie the game.  The Rams then scored a late TD to take a 23-16 lead, and the Titans came down the field, and on the last play of the game WR Kevin Dyson was stopped at the one yard line.  The Rams won a classic, 23-16.

12. The 2006 Rose Bowl Game between USC and Texas.  Arguably the greatest college football games of all time.  Texas, although undefeated, was a heavy underdog to 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart and 2005 Heisman winner Reggie Bush.  It was a back and forth game that concluded with Texas QB Vince Young leading his team down the field and eventually escaping the pocket to score the game’s winning touchdown.  As the team stormed the field, cheers of “Who’s the real Heisman?” echoed throughout Pasadena, and Vince Young’s legacy was etched into the college football history books.

13. The Music City Miracle (it breaks my heart).  After the Bills kicked a field goal to take the lead with 16 seconds left over the Titans in the 2000 divisional round, Frank Wychek caught the kickoff and drifted to his right.  He then turned and threw across the field to Kevin Dyson, who ran the ball down the left sideline to the endzone and the win.  This was one of the defining football plays in the decade, and also was one of the most controversial calls of all time.  After review, the referees upheld the call that it was a lateral.  However, when one looks at the replay it can be seen that Wychek releases the ball before the 20 yard line, and Dyson catches it at the 21 yard line, thus making it a forward pass.  It was a play that will always be controversial and will always remain one of the early botches of instant replay review. 

14. Usain Bolt in the 2008 Summer Olympics.  He won three gold medals (100m, 200m, and the 4x100m).  Each of the races in which he earned gold medals were performed in world record time.  However, what the average fan will remember will be the 100 meter final, where he blew away the competition.  He ran a 9.69 while showboating the last 25 meters, and shattered the previous world record.  It was one of the most unbelievable sights in any athletic competition ever.

15. The Tim Donaghy officiating scandal.  The NBA was shaken to its very core when the story was released that referee Tim Donaghy had bet on NBA games, some of which he had himself officiated.  After his prison time, he came out and said that some officials had biases against the players, and that the games are often not fairly officiated.  This is one of the reasons that fans have stopped viewing the NBA in favor of sports such as college basketball.

16. Steve Bartman.  During the 2003 NLCS, my beloved Chicago Cubs are leading Game 6 3-0 with a 3-2 lead in the series.  It is the top of the 8th, 1 out, and Luis Castillo is at the plate.  1-1 count, and he hits a pop up down the left field line.  Moises Alou, with a chance to catch the ball, has the ball stolen by Steve Bartman, a fan who was trying too hard to catch a stupid foul ball and didn’t think of the impact it could have on his team, which was 5 outs away from going to the World Series.  Any momentum the Cubs had was immediately stopped, and the Cubs began making errors and lost the game 8-3.  Then, in Game 7, the Cubs squandered another lead to lose 9-5, sending the Florida Marlins to the World Series.  Cubs fans like myself will never forgive Steve for his stupid actions that night that cost us a trip to the World Series.  Since that day Steve Bartman has fleed Chicago and his location is not known today.  Some have speculated that he may have changed his name and identity.

17. Emmitt Smith sets the all time rushing record on October 27th, 2002.  The record was formerly held by Walter Payton, and Emmitt Smith set the record at home in front of a roaring Texas Stadium crowd with a 10 yard run midway through the 4th quarter against Seattle.

18. George Mason’s cinderella run to the Final Four in 2006.  As an 11 seed, George Mason, out of the CAA, had a magical four game winning streak which placed the team into the Final Four.  The Patriots beat sixth seeded Michigan State, third seeded North Carolina,  seventh seeded Wichita State, and finally first seeded UConn on its way to the final four.  It was one of the greatest cinderella stories in college basketball history, and one of the reasons the college basketball playoff system is so entertaining. 

19. Appalachian State shocks Michigan.  On September 1st, 2007, the Appalachian State, from the FCS, shocked the then 5th ranked Michigan Wolverines in the Big House.  Quarterback Armanti Edwards played a tremendous game and kept the Michigan defense off balance all game.  The game ended when Michigan’s last second field goal was blocked and nearly returned for a touchdown by Appalachian State.  This game represented an emergence of the FCS as a powerful subdivision of football.  This game showed that the FBS is in fact not so much more talented than the FCS, and has led to a trend of increased competitiveness by FCS teams in recent years.

20. Bill Belichick.  After the Patriots Jets game on September 9th, 2007, Eric Mangini accused Bill Belichick of spying on the Jets sidelines, saying that the Pats were monitoring the Jets playcall.  Mangini had worked with Belichick the year before with the Patriots, and therefore he had knowledge of the spying practice.  This launched a major investigation of the newly dubbed “Spygate” that led to evidence provided against the Patriots that included spying on the Rams’ walkthrough before the 2001 Super Bowl.  This development changed the way everyone looked at the Patriots.  Were their Super Bowl seasons tarnished?  I don’t see how you cannot think so.  They gained illegal access to the other teams’ schemes.  This undoubtedly gives a team a huge advantage over its opponent.  Spygate redefined the Patriots dynasty of the 2000s.

Some other major events that didn’t quite make the cut:

Aaron Boone’s ALCS game winning home run against the Red Sox to send the Yankees to the 2003 World Series.

The “Malice at the Palace.”  Ron Artest’s ugly brawl at the Pistons’ Palace at Auburn Hills that resulted in him fighting fans in the stands.

The split BCS National Championship between LSU and USC in 2003.

The Florida basketball and football dynasties

The death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt

January 19th, 2002, the infamous “Tuck Rule” game.  When Tom Brady was sacked and fumbled the ball in the pounding snow of Foxboro, the ball was given back to the Pats because it was determined his arm was going forward.  The Pats then drove down the field, and Adam Vinatieri kicked one of the most difficult field goals in football history; 46 yards, in 3 inches of snow, against the pounding wind.  This kick sent the Pats to the Super Bowl. 

The 2008 NCAA Basketball National Championship:  The fantastic finish where Mario Chalmers hit a three at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, then Kansas beat Memphis in overtime.

The hockey lockout during the 2004-2005 season.

The Villanova Pittsburgh 2009 East Regional Final.  Scottie Reynolds sprints down the court to make a running layup over Gilbert Brown to go to the Final Four.  Quite possibly the best NCAA basketball game of the decade.

2009 Big East Championship: UConn vs. Syracuse.  A sixth overtime thriller that became the most recognizable game of the 2008-2009 regular season and one of the longest college basketball games of all time.

The dubbed “Greatest Tennis Match of All-Time” between Roger Federer and Rafeal Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon Final.

Luis Gonzalez’s walk off single against Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the 2003 World Series.