2011 Sports Year in Review

   I wrote this article on new years day, but forgot to post it. Here it is, 2 weeks late -

 Plain and simple, 2011 was one of the greatest years in sports history. So many incredible moments made this year special, unforgettable, and historic. From the Mavs incredible playoff run, to the greatest day in baseball history, this year will never be forgotten. 


     Lets start out with baseball. Coming off of the year of the pitcher 2.0, MLB needed something very special to top 2010. They got just what they needed, plus more. The Red Sox mega-team started off terrible, then put together an incredible rest of the year before...September. The Milwaukee Brewers hovered around .500 for a few months, than put together perhaps the greatest month in MLB history in August. T-Plush entertained (and enraged) fans across the nation, and the milestones of Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter added to the rich history of the NYY. But on September 28, baseball was at it's best. The 2 wild card spots had ties going into the day. In the NL, it was the surging Cards and the collapsing Braves. In the AL, it was the red-hot Rays and the ice-cold Red Sox. In the NL, the Cardinals easily defeated the Astros, so the Braves had to win to force a tie breaker. They ended up losing a nail-biter in extra innings. While this was happening, the Rays fell behind to the Yankees 7-0, and the Red Sox were leading the Orioles by a slim margin. The Orioles had just made the comeback, meaning there would be a tie-breaker between the AL teams after the Yankees crush the Rays, right? No, very wrong.The Rays did the impossible and scored 6 runs in the 8th, then, down to their last strike, tied it up. It was Dan Johnson, the benchwarmer, who hit the HR off the greatest closer in the history of the league. After some thrilling extra innings, Evan Longoria won it all for the Rays. The Red Sox had collapsed on an incredible scale, same with the Braves. This all was within about 45 minutes. My opinion? The greatest 45 minutes in sports history. This may seem like an exaggeration, if you weren't watching the games that night. If you were, you know how special this night was.
     And how could we forget the World Series? Every game was close, intense, and full of incredible plays, pain, and historic performances. Pujols' 3 home runs, Carpenter throwing his body at first base to get the out, the incredible fielding by Elvis Andrus. But game 6 is what will be remembered. Twice the Cardinals were down to their last strike, twice they came back. David Freese hit the walk off homer, and the Cardinals were able to win Game 7.


      The Packers barely clinched the last wild card spot. Half their team was on IR. Rodgers had a concussion. Things seemed very hopeless for the pack. But, after some dominating playoff wins and a historic NFC championship, the Packers were able to make the super bowl. In the season we're currently in, Tim Tebow dominated headlines and, whether you love him or hate him, was a winner. And who could forget about Jerome Simpson's touchdown flip, which could be one of the greatest plays in the history of football. Drew Bree's yards record, the Lions resurgence, and the Colts awful play without Manning are some other stories from a good year in football.


    The NHL. Fun year...probably. Im not really sure, though. Who really cares? (just kidding, Quinn)
    
    There is a Lids at a mall in Chicago that I go whenever i'm there, and because of that I know the guys who work there pretty well. We've had some pretty good sports debates, including the one where one of them said Devin Hester is better than anyone on the Packers! But the best was in July, when one of them asked me about the best player in the NBA. D-I-R-K spelled one of them, and the arguments began.
    But how could you disagree? While injured and sick, he led the complete Mavs over mega-favorites (the Heat) and embarrassed LBJ forever. The NBA had a great season to cap off a pretty good decade of basketball, with young stars like Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, and Brian Scalabrine (just kidding) electrifying the basketball world. But the lockout took a significant toll against the NBA, shortening the season and angering fans. At least college basketball was good, with upsets all over this year and last year.
The top sports in 2011 was baseball, hands down. You might be hard pressed to find a better regular season finale or world series for decades to come. But other sports also had their moments, making 2011 an absolutely incredible sports year. 

Why BOSTON is the Best Sports City

To read Quinn's take on why Montreal is the best sports city, go to frankelsports.blogspot.com


My best friend and Canadian buddy Quinn Frankel and I are both passionate sports fans, but we tend to argue. He claims that Montreal, home of the Montreal Canadians, is the best sports city. BUT: Boston is, and here's why:


1. Championships (recent and past)
The Montreal Canadaians are they Dynasty of Hockey, but that's it for the city. The Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox, and Patriots are all amongst the top all-time in their sports, in championships, history, and tradition. In the past 10 years, Montreal has had 0 championships. ZERO. Boston? 8.
8 > 0.


2. Teams
Montreal is a great HOCKEY city, but not a great sports city. After all, Montreal has only 1 sports team (a great team), and Boston has one in each of the 4 major U.S. sports. More sports is more fans, and a better sports environment, at least in Boston.


3. Legends
In each of Boston's sports, they have a legend who is either the best or near the top of their sport. First, the Celtics have arguably the 2nd and 3rd best players ever in Russel and Bird. In football, Tom Brady is not the best, but one of the QB's to ever play. In hockey, the Bruins have the 2nd best player ever in Bobby Orr, and the only Canadian that is close is Maurice Richard. In baseball, the expos are gone and didn't have any standout legends. The Red Sox have, well, just to name a few: Ted Williams, Roger Clemens, Yaz, Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Boggs, and many others. 


Plain and simple, there no debate over best sports city. If it was best hockey town, then we'll talk. Boston is not only the Best Sports city in the U.S. or North America, but the best in the world.


Oh, and remember when Montreal Canadians fans booed our national anthem? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2qFfuLy_fs

The 2011 Turkeys

     Since last year I have made my annual list of failures in sports at thanksgiving...also known as the Turkeys. Below I will list players and teams in sports that have failed this year. Whether it's blowing expectations, a scandal, or something else, these people and teams have a lot to be embarrassed about. In no order, here are my 2011 Turkeys.

1. Lebron James/Miami Heat

After the most productive off-season in sports history, the Heat were loaded and had what seemed to be the greatest team in the history of the sport. They introduced themselves with fireworks and personal shows, with celebrations and over the top events. After a great regular season and playoffs, Lebron and D-Wade mocked Dirk Nowitzki's fever and cold in front of the media. Dirk and the Mavs ended up thrashing them as the Heat (Lebron in particular) choked under the pressure of the finals.

2. Jay Cutler

In the NFC championship, the Bears had the home-field advantage against the red-hot Packers and still needed everything they could to win. When QB Jay Cutler went down, it seemed hopeless. When pictures from the sideline made him look fine, and he was walking around without crutches and didn't need surgery after the game, fans ended up doubting his toughness and ability to perform. Sure, he was hurt in the long run, but he acted weak which hurt his team.

3. Penn State

I couldn't talk much about Favre in last year's Turkeys, so I can't talk about Penn State here (it's a clean blog). Or, as they have been calling it around Madison, STATE PENN.

4. Tony LaRussa

Ok, so he won the World Series. Creds to him for that. But from in August and September, his actions towards the Milwaukee Brewers and MLB were unacceptable. From filing a report because of "ribbon lights changing (cheating?)" to plunking Braun with a 100 MPH fastball, his actions were terrible. Not to mention his terrible attitudes in press conferences about the rivalry that he created himself.

5. Manny Ramirez

STEROIDS! Wait...estrogen? Manny Ramirez embarrassed himself yet again with steroids and hormones discoveries that led to his retirement and that may ruin a legendary career. 

6. Floyd Mayweather

It's the fight that everyone wants, Manny vs Floyd. But he's too scared to take up the challenge, which is what EVERYBODY else wants. These are 2 of the best boxers ever and the fact that Floyd still won't fight Manny Pacquio is embarrassing for him. After all, the fight, if put on prime time TV, would make the sport the most popular it has been since the 1970s.

7. Kris Humphries

OK, you're a New Jersey Net. I'm sorry, I know it's not your fault. BUT MARRYING A KARDASHIAN? SHAME ON YOU.

8. NBA and NFL

This one is more for the NBA, because no games were missed in the NFL. The greedy owners and players wanted too much money and sacrificed games for that, which ruins the leauge for the fans, the real reason for the pro leagues. There was no "love of the game" from the NBA players union, and none from the owners either.

9. CHICAGO CUBS

The lovable losers aren't lovable. But they are losers. Big time losers, 103rd year in a row.

Tony La Comebacks

So here I am, sitting in the basement at midnight, with the TV on quietly in the background as the rest of the family sleeps. What did I just see? Did I see David Freese walk off game 6 of the world series? Yes. Did I see 2 last pitch comebacks in the 9th and extra innings? Yes. Did I see one of the greatest games in baseball history? Yes. Think back to September 28. It was a little less than a month ago, and it was the "greatest night in baseball history". The Red Sox and Braves capped off epic collapses. The Cardinals finished an amazing comeback, and so did the Rays. The Brewers were in beast mode, and the Phillies were expecting to sweep their way to the title. About a month later, we are headed to game 7 with 2 of the most unlikely teams, and they have created one of the all time great world series. Normally I would make a prediction at this time, but I just can't right now. But I can tell you one thing...if the Rangers can't hold on to leads, they wont be winning it all. Check back in the next couple days for some in depth analysis on game 7. Lets hope it will be as amazing as the rest of this series. 

Postseason 5772 Preview - NLDS

September 28, 2011 - The greatest night in baseball history. 

     So many things went into making this night so special. First off, there were 2 ties for the wild card in each league. But what made that even more amazing is that each division had an underdog beating a historic collapse. The Red Sox and Braves collapses are 2 of the greatest ever. The Rays lost 2 elite players (Carl Crawford and Rafeal Soriano) to teams in their division, and beat Crawford and the Sox. The reason for that is Joe Maddon, the best manager of the generation. With 2 outs and 2 strikes, .108 hitter Dan Johnson tied up the game to send it into extra innings. Not to mention the Rays were down 7-0 to the 2nd best team in the majors. Then, the man who his a 3-run HR in the 8th hit a frozen rope walk off. Meanhwile, the Red Sox lost in a tight walk off game to the Orioles. To the NL. The Cardinals destroyed the Astros, and the Braves lost an intense nail biter. Elite rookie closer Kimbrel blew the save on the Phillies. 


Brewers vs D-Backs - Brewers (3-2)
2 MVP's vs the Diamondbacks. The Brewers should prevail, but it won't be that easy.
Phillies vs Cardinals - Phillies (3-1)
They're the Phillies.


Tigers vs Yankees - Yankees (3-2)
The Tigers are a great young team, but the dollars of the Yankees will overcome. 


Rays vs Rangers - Rays (3-0)
MOMENTUM. The Rays have momentum and an amazing manager. Rays sweep this rematch of the 2010 ALDS.


Shana Tova!

It's All Up to the Players

About a week ago, the Florida Marlins played a home game which had a very low attendance, and I mean VERY low. The unofficial number of fans at the Marlins-Reds game last week was 347. As you can see by the picture, there are actually only 347 people at a MLB game. Now, there are a couple factors that make this a little less embarassing. 
1. Neither the Marlins or Reds are in a playoff race.
2. The Marlins stadium is terrible, and many fans are saving $$$ for tickets in the new stadium next year.
3. Hurricane Irene was coming in the next day, and the game was rescheduled.


But those aren't great excuses for THAT low of an attendance.  MLB games should draw at least 10,000, usually more. The smallest market team in baseball, the Brewers, has had a 30,000+ average attendance for 5 straight years, and since moving into Miller Park 11 years ago, have only had 2 seasons with their average attendance under 25,000. Why is this? In my opinion, its all about the fans wanting to see their favorite players.


The Brewers have arguably the most exciting, fun, loved (by their fans) players in baseball. Tony Plush is a crazy, talented, hilarious speedster who is a fan favorite. Ryan Braun gets standing ovations almost every time he comes to the plate. Prince Fielder often complements "amazing" fans in interviews, and crushes 450 ft HRs what seems like every day. The Marlins...well, their most exciting player is Greg Dobbs. Ramirez is injured, and even when he's not hurt, he's not exciting and fans don't like him because they don't know him personally. I, a Brewers fan, feel like I know half the players on my team. Here's how the players can fill up the stadium, instead of just complaining about the owners. You don't just have to be good. Be on TV, be in interviews. Have a fun walk-up song, or a signature walk. Have a fun inside joke with the fans (all Brewers fans laugh when they see T.Plush's "AHHHHHHHHHHHH"), or have a Facebook with positive statuses. If the team isn't doing well, be the one that picks up the fans. Any team in baseball is more exciting than the Marlins. Even the Cubs have fun routines, like 3 error plays and losing seasons! Bottom line, winning attracts fans, and promotions do too, but players are the biggest reason fans come to games, even if we don't realize it. 

Year of the Underrated NL Pitcher

If you asked most baseball fans who the best pitcher in the NL is right now, you would probably get a lot of mixed answers, because there isn't really an apparent best. Reading this, your probably thinking of a couple people who it could be. Are you thinking of Jeff Karstens? Clayton Kershaw? Johny Cueto? Ryansong Probably not. You probably hadn't even heard of Karstens or Vogelsong. Karstens, who started his first game of the year on April 17, has started ever since, going 8-5 with an ERA of 2.28. Clayton Kershaw, who has been (in my opinion) the most underrated baseball player of the past 3 years, has a higher but still impressive ERA of 2.72, and is leading the majors with already 167 strikeouts. To add, he has a WHIP of 1.02, 6 games of 10+ K, and 6 games of 8+ innings. Johnny Cueto, who has been consistently good (never Cy Young good) has an ERA of 1.98 and a WHIP of 1.00. He started his season on May 8 b/c of injuries, but he's having a stellar year and is another unsung pitching hero of the NL this year. Ryan Vogelsong is a Giants rookie who got his first start April 28, has an ERA of 2.02. He's given up only 8 HR in 98 innings. His WHIP is a little higher at 1.19, because he has a rather high amount of walks/innings, but he's still a great underrated pitcher. That's not it for the Cy Young canditates that most people, or you, didn't know about. Those are just the ones I chose to write about. But I think I'm not the only one who found this list shocking - did you?