Time to start a new tradition. I said "new" because my Top Ten isn't solely for comedic purposes like David Letterman. Sports left a huge impression on the year 2010 and it's time to see what stories I felt where the most influential.
10. Chicago Winning the Stanley Cup. It was their First Stanley Cup in 49 years and they overcame the Flyers 4 games to 2. This Title, however, may have handicapped the team for years to come as the franchise has had to deal many of the players away because of Salary Cap issues. But at least they won the Cup this year.
9. Tiger Woods Continual Fall from Grace. Tiger not only lost many sponsors but lost all the tournaments he played in. He failed miserably at all the Majors and just couldn't find any relief from the lower tournaments. Tiger would actually lose his #1 spot by the end of the Golf Season.
8. All College Football Controversies. This includes Reggie Bush having to give his Heisman back, Cam Newton's father asking for money for his son's services, Terrelle Pryor selling some of his personal things, and the NCAA so called reactions to those issues. These scandals (if they can be called that) all have to do with money and speak to the fact that College Football's so called "Amateur" status is perhaps false.
7. The Resurrection of Michael Vick's Career. Not many were sure what was going to happen with Vick this season but when Kolb got injured, he stepped in a and performed superbly. He has struggled lately but has managed to make a comeback and work past the shame of his past.
6. The Year of the Pitcher in Baseball and the Imperfect Game. 5 No Hitters were thrown in the regular season with 1 more being thrown in the postseason by Roy Halladay. Halladay actually threw a Perfect Game during the regular season along with Dallas Braden. We would of had 3 Perfect Games if not for Jim Joyce's infamous call of "Safe" at first when Armando Galarraga was pitching for the Tigers.
5. The US-Canada Gold Medal Game of Hockey at Vancouver. Though the US lost, it was deserving that the Canadians had won gold at their National Pastime event and in front of a Canadian audience. Who else but Sid the Kid scores the Gold Clinching Goal in OT.
4. Rafael Nadal completing his career Grand Slam. He won the US Open back in September and has won every Grand Slam tournament at one time or another. He currently has 9 Grand Slam Titles and is 7 behind Federer. A long way to go if he wants to catch Roger but now he has achieved a rarity.
3. The Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV, 31-17. It was the team's first Super Bowl title and it was a godsend for the city of New Orleans. It was especially impressive that they did it beating the Colts who had had won every game they had tried to win that year.
2. LeBron's Decision to go South Beach. It was an epic move to announce a Free Agency decision over Prime Time TV and too many it was arrogant and pompous. This kind of move especially hurt the feelings of everyone in Cleveland as they immediately started to burn his jerseys. The Triple Heat in Miami is starting to play well and is likely to spark a flame in the playoffs.
1. The 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was an amazing spectacle to watch and there were so many stories around it like the bad calls, Landon Donovan's miracle goal, Paul the Octopus, the loud Vuvuzelas, and of course Spain winning their First World Cup Title. It was long overdue for this proud Football nation and they will likely be enjoying that win for years to come.
None of those were my personal favorite story of the year, however. That story was the Giants winning the World Series for the first time in their 52 year history in San Francisco. No one gave the Giants any chance to win it at any point during the year and the fact they had even gotten there surprised everyone. It was certainly an underdog story that the San Francisco Bay Area will remember forever.
2010 has been a great year for sports indeed. The Biggest regret: no Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. I see a New Years Resolution item for boxing.
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