2010 "Holy Crap" Awards
As 2010 comes to an end, it has been a very memorable year of sports. There have been so many amazing games, moments and performances that just took your breath away. So, I came up with a list of the best players, teams and moments of 2010, ones that had everyone saying, "Holy Crap."
2010 "HOLY CRAP" AWARDS |
| 2010 NL Central Champions Cincinnati Reds |
Best Football Team: New Orleans Saints
No surprise here, as the Super Bowl Champions were hands down the best football team in 2010. They started off 13-0, the best start in franchise history and the best start of any NFC team since the AFL-NFL merger. They finished the season 13-3 behind quarterback Drew Brees and their high flying offense that led the NFL in 31.8 points and 403.8 yards per game. Brees led the NFL with a QB rating of 109.6 and completed an NFL record 70.6% of his passes, while passing for 4,338 yards, 34 TD and only 11 INT. Behind a solid defense that led the league in takeaways, including safety Darren Sharper, who picked off 9 passed and set an NFL record by returning them for 376 yards and 3 TD, the Saints marched on to the Super Bowl.
This season the Saints are still one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL and have double digit wins for the second straight season and are returning to the playoffs. A lot of football is still to be played, but the Saints have a great chance of repeating as Super Bowl Champions. The Saints in 2010 were the best football team by not only winning the Super Bowl XLIV, but they revitalised the city of New Orleans in the process. And that's worthy of a "Holy Crap."
Runner-up: Alabama Crimson Tide; New England Patriots
Best Football Player: Drew Brees, QB New Orleans Saints
 |
| Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees |
Runner-up: Auburn QB Cam Newton; New England QB Tom Brady
Best Baseball Player: Joey Votto, 1B Cincinnati Reds
It was quite the year for Joey Votto. Not only did he lead the Cincinnati Reds to the postseason and division crown for the first time since 1995, but he was the National League's Most Valuable Player. Votto had the best season of his career, batting .324, with 37 HR and 113 RBI. He lead the NL in slugging, OPS and on-base percentage, and was in the top five in all other offensive categories. Votto was rewarded for his tremendous season by winning the NL Hank Aaron Award (given to the best hitter in each league), the Ernie Lombardi Award (Reds Team MVP), being named an NL All-Star, winning on on the final fan vote, and NL MVP. Before the season not many people had not heard of Joey Votto, but you better get use to hearing his name, because at 27, he will only get better.
Runner-up: OF Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers; P Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
 |
| 2010 NBA Champion and Finals MVP, Kobe Bryant |
Runner-Up: LeBron James, Miami Heat
Best Basketball Team: Duke Blue Devils
 |
| Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the 2010 NCAA Men's College Basketball Champion Duke Blue Devils |
Runner-Up: Los Angeles Lakers
Best Coach: Mike Krzyzewski, Head Coach Duke Basketball and U.S. National Team
Coach Mike Krzyzewski, better known as Coach K which is easier to say, is one of the best in the business and in 2010, he showed just how good a coach he is. First, he coached Duke University to their 4th NCAA Championship in his tenure and moved into second place on the all-time wins list at 880, but he wasn't done there. 2010 also included Coach K coaching the U.S. National Team in the FIBA World Championships in Turkey. The team was known as the Redeem Team or B-Team because the team didn't have any of the NBA superstars. No Kobe Bryant, no LeBron James, no Dwyane Wade, no Dwight Howard, no problem. Coach K and his staff were criticized for selecting too many guards, inexperience players and lacking tall players. Well, I think Coach K knew what he was doing.
The U.S. lead the tournament with 92.3 ppg, 41.6 rebounds ppg and 18.2 assists ppg, with Kevin Durant being named tournament MVP and going 9-0 on the road to winning the championship. So, a NCAA Championship and FIBA World Championship makes for a pretty good season in my book. Quite an accomplishment, but just another day at the office for Coach K, who is nothing short of a winner and a damn good basketball coach.
Runner-Ups: Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers; Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds; Ron Washington, Texas Rangers
The U.S. lead the tournament with 92.3 ppg, 41.6 rebounds ppg and 18.2 assists ppg, with Kevin Durant being named tournament MVP and going 9-0 on the road to winning the championship. So, a NCAA Championship and FIBA World Championship makes for a pretty good season in my book. Quite an accomplishment, but just another day at the office for Coach K, who is nothing short of a winner and a damn good basketball coach.
Runner-Ups: Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers; Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds; Ron Washington, Texas Rangers
Top 10 "Holy Crap" Moments of 2010
 |
| John Isner (left) and Nicholas Mahut (middle) after finishing the longest tennis match in history. |
9. U.S. Hockey Team at the 2010 Winter Olympics: Who could forget the run that the U.S. Hockey team made at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The U.S. went undefeated in Group Play including a victory over rival and host Canada 5-3, but they would meet again. Lead by goalie Ryan Miller, the U.S. went into the Gold Medal game undefeated against Sidney Crosby and the Canadians. The Gold Medal Match according to NBC, was the most watched hockey game in the United States in the last 30 years, drawing 27.6 million viewers. Even though Canada's Sidney Crosby scored the game winning goal in overtime to give the Canadians the gold medal, I have never seen the country so excited about hockey before. It was the topic on every major sports network and goalie Ryan Miller who led all goalkeepers with minutes played (355:07), save percentage (94.56%) and saves (139), became a superstar over night and
hockey became relevant again.
Miller was also named tournament MVP, received the Directorate Award for best goaltender of the tournament and was named to the tournament all-star team. Hockey does not get much attention in the U.S. compared to Canada, but during the Olympics it was all people were talking about and their gold medal game against Canada was the most electrifying hockey game since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice." How could you not like watching your country go toe-to-toe with the Canadians in a game that they are suppose to dominate? One of the best moments in U.S. Olympic history and one of the best "Holy Crap" moments of 2010.
 |
| U.S. goalie Ryan Miller |
8. June 23, 2010; Landon Donovon's Goal against Algeria at the FIFA World Cup: Just like hockey, soccer in the U.S. does not get the coverage that baseball, basketball and football do, but the 2010 World Cup from South Africa was different. In the third Group C match against Algeria, with the U.S. needed a win to advance in the World Cup. After 90 minutes of play, in the first minute of stoppage time Clint Dempsey took a shot that was blocked. Donovon followed the shot and put the rebound into the net for an easy goal and the U.S. would hold on for a 1-0 victory. As a result, the U.S. was saved from elimination and the U.S. won its group in a World Cup for the first time since 1930. Landon Donovon's goal won the ESPY for Best Moment in Sports and for good reason. His goal had fans cheering all over the world and I don't think I have ever seen people have more pride in their country than when Landon Donovon kicked in that goal. Just look at the reactions from people around the world to Donovon's goal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w. Defiantly a "Holy Crap" moment and the best soccer match I have ever seen.
 |
| Landon Donovon's goal against Algeria won Group C for the U.S., their first in a World Cup since 1930. |
7. San Francisco Giants win the World Series; The Giants had not won the World Series since moving from Brooklyn in 1958, but they finally ended the drought in 2010. San Francisco won the NL West by going 92-70 and defeated the San Diego Padres in the final weekend of the season to clinch a postseason berth. Led by All-Star pitchers Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson and Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, the Giants cruised through the postseason going 11-4. They defeated the Atlanta Braves in four games by defeating Braves ace Derek Lowe twice and sent Braves manager Bobby Cox into retirement. Then they went against the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS, but shocked everyone with a 4-2 series win. They defeated the Phillies trio of aces, Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt and went on to the World Series against Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers.
 |
| Tim Lincecum with the World Series Trophy |
The Giants dominated the Rangers in the World Series with great pitching and clutch hitting, something they did throughout the postseason and went on to win in five games. They defeated ace Cliff Lee twice and shutout the top hitting team in the American League the same number of times. In the playoffs, Tim Lincecum went 4-1, Brian Wilson went 1-0 and recorded 4 saves, Matt Cain went 2-0 and had an ERA of 0.00, Cody Ross, who was claimed off waivers in August, hit 3 HR and had 5 RBI in the NLCS to help boost the Giants over the Phillies, and World Series MVP Edgar Renteria hit .412, 2 HR, 6 RBI and his three run home run in Game 5, gave the Giants the lead and the World Series title. It was quite fitting that in the Year of the Pitcher, the team with the best pitching, won it all. Giants have a young pitching staff and should have a great chance to repeat in 2011.
6. The Year of the Pitcher: The sixth "Holy Crap" moment of 2010 is the 6 no-hitters that were thrown in baseball this year. 2010 was the year of the pitcher, the Giants won the World Series with pitching and the six no-hitters during the season are evidence why. The six no-hitters were the most in a season since seven in 1991 and Roy Halladay's no-hitter in the postseason was the only he second in MLB history. There was almost a seventh no-hitter by Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers, but I think we all know about umpire Jim Joyce and his botched call in the bottom of the ninth with two out. The 2010 "C'mon Man" Award goes to Jim Joyce, but nonetheless the six no-hitters were impressive and worthy of a "Holy Crap." The no-hitters in 2010 were thrown by:
- Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies, April 17, 2010 against the Atlanta Braves. It was the first no-hitter in Rockies history.
- Dallas Braden, Oakland Athletics, perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, May 9, 2010 on Mother's Day.
- Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies, perfect game against the Florida Marlins, May 29, 2010.
- Edwin Jackson, Arizona Diamondbacks, no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays, June 25, 2010, in which he walked eight on 149 pitches, the most ever for a no-hitter in MLB history. In the process, the Rays became the first team since 2001 Padres to be no-hit twice in a season and the first team in MLB history to be no-hit three times in a one-year span. Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game against the Rays in July of 2009.
- Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays, no-hitter, July 26, 2010 against the Detroit Tigers. The Rays were involved yet again in a no-hitter and became the first team since 1991 to pitch a no-hitter and get no-hit in the same season. They also became the first team since 1956 to be involved in three no-hitters in one season.
- Roy Halladay, no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, October 5, 2010 becoming only the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the postseason. The Reds finally make it to the postseason and in their first game they get no-hit, unbelievable. At least they were part of MLB history.
5. Jimmie Johnson winning his 5th consecutive NASCAR Championship:
I know it's NASCAR, but it's pretty damn hard to win one championship, but to win five in a row, "Holy Crap." The NASCAR season lasts from February to November, it's a long a grueling season and year in and year out, Jimmie Johnson comes out on top. In 2010, Jimmie had 17 top-fives, 23 top-tens, 6 wins, led 1,326 combined laps and was named NASCAR Driver of the Year for the second straight year. In 2011 Jimmie Johnson will once again be the favorite as he tries to win his sixth straight championship.
4. The Resurgence of Michael Vick: After all Michael Vick has been through, being put in jail for dogfighting and missing almost three years of football, not many that he would ever return of the guy who ran wild in Atlanta. Well, I think it's safe to say, he's back. Vick is having an outstanding season, one of his best as a pro and is one of the candidates for NFL MVP. After starting the season on the bench in Week 1, Eagles QB Kevin Kolb was knocked out of the game with an injury and in came Vick. He ran for 103 Yds and threw one touchdown as the Eagles lost to the Packers 27-20. Vick would remain the starter and despite missing three games due to injury is having a career year. Through 16 weeks, Vick has thrown for 3,018 Yds, 21 TD, 6 Int, 62.6% completion percentage, a QB Rating of 100.2, and has ran for 676 Yds and 9 TD. The Eagles have clinched the NFC East and are ready for Vick to lead them to the Super Bowl.
 |
| Michael Vick had a great 2010 and is poised for an even better 2011 |
 |
| Ali Farokhmanesh after beating #1 Kansas |
Xavier came storming back to force overtime with three free throws in the final five seconds to force overtime. Then in the overtime Xavier's Jordan Crawford, looked like Michael Jordan and he hit a 35 foot three pointer to force a second overtime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVEIeD91vIc&feature=channel. Xavier would eventually lose 101-96 in double overtime, but it was one hell of a game. The Championship game also lived up to the hype with Duke defeating Butler 61-59, but Butler's Gordan Hayward threw up a pray that hit off the backboard and then the rim. A narrow escape for Duke, but one of the most compelling and exciting NCAA Tournaments in history and why it's a "Holy Crap" moment. 2. Super Bowl XLIV, February 7, 2010: One for the ages. Super Bowl XLIV was the most watched Super Bowl in history and was the most watched program of any kind in the history of U.S. television and the people who watched saw a great game. The game had everything. Saints QB Drew Brees set an Super Bowl record by completing 32 of 39 passes and was named Super Bowl MVP. The Saints also started the second half with an onside kick and became the first team to recover an onside kick outside of the fourth quarter. Then there was the Colts driving for a game tying touchdown and the great Peyton Manning was picked off by Tracy Porter for a touchdown that ended up giving the Saints a Super Bowl Championship. A Super Bowl for the history books and the second best "Holy Crap" moment of 2010.
1. September 28, 2010, Jay Bruce's Walk-Off Home Run clinched the NL Central Division for the Cincinnati Reds: The homer heard around the city of Cincinnati. To people outside Cincinnati and non-Reds fans, probably could careless that the Reds made the playoffs and how they got there, but it's the greatest sports moment of 2010. I have been a Reds fan my whole life and to finally see my team go to the playoffs and to clinch the division title with a walk-off home run is something Hollywood couldn't even come up with. I had to work that night in September, or I would had gone to the game, but at least I got home in time to see my Reds clinch their first division title since 1995. When Jay Bruce hit that ball it was a no doubter. As soon as the ball left the ball you knew it was going to go over the fence. The calls that Marty and Thom Brennaman had still brings me chills and every once and a while, it's nice to go back and listen to them again. http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12550307&topic_id=players&query=type%3Djson%26player_id%3D457803%26start%3D0%26src%3Dvpp%26sort%3Ddesc%26sort_type%3Dcustom%26hitsPerPage%3D60&c_id=cin&playerName=Jay Bruce. Not only was this the greatest moment of 2010, but as a life long sports fan, this was the best moment I have ever had. There have been lots of great games and moments that I've witnessed in my 20 years as a sports fan, but none come close to Jay Bruce's walk-off home run to clinch the NL Central Division title for the Cincinnati Reds. The only thing that can top a moment like this one, is a Reds or Bengals Championship. Maybe next year.
"Holy Crap," what a year it has been in the world of sports. 2011 is shaping up to be a good one and who knows maybe this is the year that the Reds or Bengals finally win a championship. We will just have to wait and see. 2010 was a great year, but here's to an even better 2011. Go Reds, Who-Dey and Happy New Year to all.
Comments
Post a Comment