Poker, Football, and everything sports

Alot of people are asking...where has the year gone? I'm asking...where did the decade go?! Its been a pretty crazy 10 years. I've gone from an 8th grader to a college grad and its been a wild ride. There have been some amazing sports moments, and I thought it would be fun to recap some of the best moments. I'll give 10 moments, 1 from each year, and give some honorable mentions. What I'm looking for are the moments and video that will be discussed 20 years from now. For example, the Immaculate reception...Kirk Gibson's home run, stuff like that. I'm not sure if we have a moment like that...only time will tell. I've done my best to provide some video to the moments that I deem worthy of remembering in all their glory. Hope you guys enjoy! So here we go.

1. 2000- Super Bowl XXXIV- Kevin Dyson 1 yard short. The NFL hadn't had a "breathtaking" Superbowl in quite some time. But that changed this year when McNair led his Titans on a game tying drive that was stopped 1 yard shot of the endzone. The best Superbowl I had ever seen up to that point, it is an image that will forever be burned into my mind.

Honorable Mention- Tiger Woods win US Open by 15 strokes and wins career slam
Michael Johnson retires after Athens games

2. 2001- Mike Piazza: The Home run of a career- Just 10 days after 9/11, the Golden Boy of the Mets Mike Piazza hits a 2 run home run in the bottom of the 8th with the Mets down 2-1 against the Braves. The Mets win one of the most emotional sports games in the history of sport. You couldn't have written a better story in Hollywood.

Honorable Mention- Luis Gonzalez bloops a single off Mariano Riveria to cap one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Jordan once again returns to the NBA. Ray Bourque finally wins the Stanley Cup, The Death of Dale Earnhardt, Barry Bonds hits 73 home runs(Dam alot happened in 2001 lol)

3. 2002- The Legend of Tom Brady is Born- I've never been a big Tom Brady fan(except this year since he's on my fantasy team) but I sure respect the hell out of the guy. And at the ripe age of 24, he led the Patriots to their first Superbowl in what would end up being arguably the team of the decade in sports. Aside of Brady, it was a pretty sick game. Heavily favored Rams down by 14 in the 4th come back to tie it up, only to have Brady do what is now a familiar site- lead his team to victory.

Honorable Mention- Icegate- the Winter Olympics pairs figure skating cheating scandal. Maryland wins the NCAA title in basketball(memorable for me not so for the nation lol). Pete Sampras wins 2002 US Open then retires. US Soccer teams makes Quarter Finals of World Cup.

4. 2003- Was it Pass Interference?- In what is still to this day one of the most controversial calls in sports history, Miami (FL) gets called for pass interference on 4th down in the first overtime. The Buckeyes go on to win in double overtime, completing one of the most thrilling upsets in College Football history. Also in this game, Willis Mcgahee goes down with a horrific knee injury that to this day is possibly the most gruesome injury I have ever seen(though EJ Henderson is up there now, get better man)

Honorable Mention- Marlins upset the Yankees in the World Series. Carmelo Anthony singlehandedly leads the Orange to the title as a freshman. Andy Roddick defeats Younes El Aynaoui 21-19 in the 5th set in the Australian Open. Moneymaker wins the 2003 WSOP, starting the Poker Boom.

5. 2004- An Impossible Comeback- Now anyone who knows me knows how much I hate baseball. But even I have to admit that this was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Down and out facing a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees, Red Sox fans were already waiting for next year to start. But the team wouldn't quit. David Ortiz has a great game 4 to make it 3-1, and the Red Sox go on to win 7 straight on their way to the series win. Amongst those wins, Curt Schilling's famous Bloody Sock.

Honorable Mention- The US upsets a confident(maybe cocky) Australian team in the 4x200 Freestyle race in the 04 games. Mickelson finally wins his 1st slam. Pistons upset the Laker's "dream team". USC and LSU split the National title, proving that the BCS is a flawed system that eventually led to a playoff in College Football.....oh wait, nevermind.

6. 2005- The greatest athlete ever?- Many will argue that Lance Armstrong is the greatest athlete to ever live, or that he holds the greatest accomplishment in sports history. I was never able to appreciate how incredible it was, but this year he takes his 7th and final straight Tour de France title, completing the greatest individual comeback story in history.

Honorable Mention- Patriots win 2nd straight Superbowl and 3rd in 4 years. The NHL Season is canceled.

7. 2006- The Greatest College Football game of all time?- The Trojans were the perfect team. They could not be beat. They had the last two Heisman trophy winners, and one of the best Offenses ever. Texas was given no shot, but Vince Young changed all that. In what is unquestionably the greatest individual performance in a Championship game, Young capped off the game of a lifetime with a 12 yard run on 4th down to sink the Trojans dream of a 3 peat. I was there, and for my money, it was the greatest sports event I had ever seen. Definitely of the last 20 years.

Honorable Mention- George Mason makes the Final 4 as an 11 seed. USA surprisingly gets 2nd in overall medals at the Olympic games. Maryland beats Duke 77-75 in Overtime to win Women's Basketball title. Zidane gets ejected in last game of career.

8. 2007- The Hook and Ladder- I remember moments after I saw Boise State execute a perfect hook and ladder against Oklahoma, I thought to myself, that was the best play I have ever seen(sadly, it would hold this title for just one year). Boise State came in as the ultimate underdog. They were given zero chance to beat Oklahoma, yet jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead. However Oklahoma caught up, and when they picked off a Jared Zebransky pass with just over a minute to go and returned it for the go ahead TD, all seemed lost. But then, a miracle happened. And then, another on their version of the statue of liberty to win the game and cap one of the most amazing upsets in sports history.

Honorable Mention- Patriots go 16-0 in the regular season. Bonds breaks the career Home Run record. Peyton Manning gets his first ring.

9. 2008- Tie: Giants Beat the Patriots; Michael Phelps becomes a legend- It makes me sick to call this a tie, but in the year that will go down as the best of the decade, and one of the best of all time, I have to do it. In one corner, you have the ultimate David vs Goliath, including the greatest play I have ever seen. Eli Manning dodges 5 Patriots, bootlegs, and heaves a miracle pass on 3rd and 14 to David Tyree,who catches the ball against his helmet. Manning later completes a TD to Burress to beat the undefeated Patriots.

In the other corner, you have the greatest single Olympics performance ever. 8 gold medals, including a win in the 100 meter Butterfly by .01 seconds, and an incredible comeback in the 4x100m to knock off the favored french. Phelps had incredible hype coming into these games, and somehow, he exceeded it. An incredible test of will and athletic talent.

Honorable Mention- Usain Bolt dominates the 100 and 200 meters, shattering the World Record in both. Lions go 0-16. Kansas defeats Memphis in Overtime to win the NCAA title, after Mario Chalmers ties the game with a 3 pointer with 2 seconds to go. Da'Tara upsets Big Brown in his bid for the Triple Crown. Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer 9-7 in the 5th set of Wimbeldon in arguably the greatest tennis match ever. Yeah...2008 kicked ass.

10. 2009- Tiger Woods loves his ho's- I hate to end the list on a sour note, or more importantly, pick an event that happens off the field, but its impossible to say that this isn't the sports story of the year. This squeaky clean perfect man, let alone athlete, has his questionable lifestyle reviled to the world, creating one of the biggest reversals of fandom in recent memory. We will see how bad it truly is next time he steps on the golf course.

Honorable Mention- Santonio Holmes makes an amazing catch to win the Superbowl, spoiling the efforts of Larry Fitzgerald, who arguably had the greatest individual playoffs in NFL history. The Yankees and Lakers both rise back to the top. After losing the best tennis match ever, Federer wins the new best ever, beating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the 5th set of the Wimbeldon final.

There is my recap!! Sorry that its so long, but its been a pretty awesome decade, and I hope you guys enjoyed a trip down memory lane. Here's to 10 more years of incredible sports!