Here are nine for '09...
Lakers, Heels and Yankees...Oh my!-- blue-bloods reigned in the NBA, NCAA's and MLB... the only thing that would have made last year worse is if the Cowboys, Notre Dame and Duke had won titles. Lost in the shuffle of Kobe's first post-Shaq title was the fact his supporting cast was just as good if not better than the last few Shaq teams. More depressing was the fact it seemed as though uber-talented UNC was getting by with just enough to get things done. Finally, Alex Rodriguez' journey from steroid-user to bubblegum sweater wearer to Kate Hudson boytoy to champion was exhausting.
Super Bowl brings butter bars... chicken wing dip and another thriller... Believe it or not, this used to be a mid-winter bore. Scores like 55-10. 52-17. 49-26. For the fifth time in eight years, pro football's championship was decided by less than a touchdown; six such games existed in the first 35 Super Bowls. From 99 yard returns to last-minute touchdowns, from Bruce at halftime to the various food options-- SB LXIII gets an A+.
Six overtimes! Six overtimes!
Six overtimes! Six overtimes!
Six overtimes! Six overtimes!
Syracuse faced Connecticut in the Big East Quarterfinals--an instant and extended classic. I didn't know it then but this was the beginning of the end of Jonny Flynn's days in Orange (34 points and 11 assists in 67 minutes). I spent the marathon game in three locations: after attending a friend and fellow SU alum's birthday happy hour... I stumbled over to the my alumni group's gamewatching location at halftime. Like many on the MSG floor, I started to hit the wall during the first overtime and went to my bench in the form of McDonald's. Although the M Street location had run out of Shamrock Shakes, i was refueled and ready to watch the 4th, 5th and 6th OT's. SU would beat West Virginia in overtime the following night before losing to Louisville in the finals. Tacked on with the Orange's OT regular season finale win over Marquette the previous Saturday, SU had played the equivalent of 6 games in 8 days. It's not often March Madness' signature moment takes place before the NCAA Tournament.
Long Nationals Nightmare far from over-- 2009 was not kind to DC's baseball team... starting in February when one of the team's Dominican prospects was actually four years older than initially reported and General Manager Jim Bowden was being investigated for skimming signing bonuses. April saw a flammable bullpen get roasted with regularity as the Nats fell out of contention well before Mother's Day... but it was various off the field incidents that made '09 a year that will remain in infamy. It began with the discovery of several uniforms having the team name spelled "Natinals". Innocent enough. Added into the mix was bobblehead doll packaging spelling our 26th president's name as "Teddy Rosevelt". But that was merely prelude to spraying unsuspecting fans with shotgun pellet size pieces of sausage... having shot sausage sandwiches wrapped inside T-shirts as a promotion. I always thought baseball executives weren't rocket scientists. Now I had proof.
Watson's elementary flaw-- for four days in July, Tom Watson owned the world of golf-- and until he missed a putt on the 72nd hole Sunday, the eight-time major champion looked like he was turning back the clock to the early 80's when he was in the midst of five British Open titles over nine years. Instead Watson dialed back the clock to the late 80's, when poor putting prevented him from winning anywhere on tour. This robbed golf of a signature moment in a year where there were none--2009's majors were more about who didn't win them as opposed to who did.
Federer at Fifteen-- Not only did Roger Federer tie and break Pete Sampras' record of 14 singles championships... he did so on the one surface that Sampras couldn't conquer--the red clay of Roland Garros. Although it would have been sweeter to defeat Rafael Nadal at the French Open, Federer and Andy Roddick gave fans a Wimbledon to remember with a marathon match for the ages.
Gridiron Groans-- Virginia Tech entered this past fall with national title hopes, while Maryland and Virginia had postseason hopes. All were dashed for by mid-October; and while the Hokies settled for another double-digit win season the Terps and Cavaliers suffered legendarily horrific campaigns (2-10 and 3-9). This coming in what could be easily termed as another down season for the ACC. While Ralph Friedgen survived to prowl the sidelines at least one more season the bell finally tolled for Al Groh... complete with poem in his final press conference. Say what you will about Groh's tenure in Charlottesville-- he had a unique style that will be missed in today's cookie-cutter soundbyte era.
Skinsationalism-- from the team's romancing of quarterback replacements to hiring a bingo leader as its offensive playcaller, the Redskins did more than their part to stay in the spotlight. Sometimes frustrating, often mindboggling, always eye-catching-- Redskins Nation had another banner year--albeit one that didn't yield a banner of any sort.
Tiger's tumble-- safe to say few saw this story unraveling... what began as a curious piece of ice in the water (too much Turkey on Thanksgiving?) turned into the iceberg that sunk the S.S. Reputation. Tiger had spent more than a decade cultivating a persona-- and behind the fortress walls there was a world he preferred we rather not see. Regardless of whether or not his marriage survives, his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus now has the subtext of that phone message, the texting, a broken fire hydrant and a golf club shattering a car's window.
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