It's a bird, it's a plane, it's....2008

I occasionally blog for a website called TopTenChicagoSports.com, where, as you can probably tell by the name, we rank the top ten in various subjects concerning the world of sports. It is fun to compile these lists, but can also be tough because I’m always afraid of leaving something important out.

With that being said, I have created a list of my top ten memories from sports in 2008. I stress that it’s my memories, not the ten greatest games of ’08 or the ten best players of ’08 or anything like that. Some of my top ten will most likely appear on year-ending SportsCenter special; others will be nowhere close to that list. To make it easier, I’ve bolded the important part of each recap. The criteria is simple: What will I most remember about this year in sports. Anyways, hope you have enjoyed the year, you enjoy the list and please feel free to comment on any of your favorite moments you felt were missing.

*Last years list is the Dec. 27, 2007 post called “What a year it was”

10- Maybe one day, division-clinching victories will be nothing out-of-the-ordinary at Wrigley Field. They’ll just be another event on the calendar, like DLee bobble-head day or heckle a Brewer fan day. But for now, winning the NL Central crown is a special occasion. And that’s what made September 20 so special. The Cubs defeated the Cardinals, with Jim Edmonds of all people recording the final out. I was standing outside of Wrigley at the time, and could hear from the crowd noise what was happening. There are several different crowd noises that can come from the ol’ ballpark, and the division-clinching cheer is the best I’ve heard so far. Let’s hope in the future, I can hear it more often.

9-The 2007-08 Bulls season was a failure. After coming into the season as a realistic NBA Finals contender, the team finished the year in the bottom of the Central Division. Scott Skiles came and went as head coach, as did his replacement Jim Boylan. The team entered the off-season with way more questions than answers, but somehow and for some reason, they got the luckiest break imaginable. Lucky as in 1.7% chance. By winning the 2008 Draft Lottery, which allowed the team to select hometown star Derrick Rose, GM John Paxson got an undeserved second chance from the basketball Gods. Rose has been everything Bulls fans have hoped for, and maybe one day, the ’08 Lottery will be seen as the start of the next Finals run for the team.

8- It takes one hell of a golf event to garner my attention. Something like the best golfer in the world being challenged by a loveable journeyman on one of the best courses in the world while he is basically unable to walk due to injury. That’s what made the one-day US Open playoff must-see TV. Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate never backed down from each other, as Rocco became the first player on the tour who could make that claim about facing Woods. But as the champion that he is, Tiger never backed down. Despite a noticeable limp due to what turned out to be a season-ending leg injury, Tiger made shot after shot, extending the Monday playoff another extra holes. Finally, after some amazing chips and putts, Woods prevailed as US Open Champ, ending one of the head-to-head matchups I’ve seen in a long while.

7-There wasn’t a lot Bears fans could predict about this season before it started. Other than the obvious, that getting rid of Cedric Benson would be addition by subtraction, most prognostications were just a crap shoot. If there were such a thing as a guarantee though, it would have been that Devin Hester would make multiple jaw-dropping plays like he did in his first two seasons and be at the Pro Bowl again as the NFC’s kick/punt returner. Yet while the Bears season has been better than most expected, Hester matches Kouske Fukudome as 2008’s biggest disappointment. The man formerly known as the Windy City Flyer has yet to take one all the way, instead mostly opting to run backwards or out of bounds. Some argue that Hester hasn’t gotten the blocking he had in ’06 and ’07, while others say its because he is putting too much effort on his expanded receiving responsibilities. Whatever the case, watching the Bears just isn’t the same without the threat of excitement from #23.

6-

The ‘Cupcake’ dunk was nice, but nothing will ever top SUPERMAN. (For the record, Howard’s third dunk, the one man ally-oop, was the most impressive of his four. And yes, I’m still mad he got screwed in the ’07 contest after his sticker dunk.) Also, at the 4:07 mark of this video, you will see Damon Jones and Dikembe Mutombo stand up together in excitement for the eventual Superman Slam. Why these two guys were not mic’d up for a special-edition Dunk Contest DVD makes no sense to me.

5-One of the downsides to following a team is the threat of disappointment at season’s end. Most seasons end like a movie, with a reasonable conclusion that makes perfect sense. If it was a bad season, the ending will most likely be bad. If it was an exciting year, the ending will have your heart beating quickly. But occasionally, a season goes one way and then it ends completely differently. Just ask the New York Giants, who were average the entire 2007 regular season and then dominant come playoff time. Then there’s my Chicago Cubs, who were a joy to watch for six months, a squad with shockingly consistent pitching, clutch hitters and a manager who pushed his players’ buttons as well as a skipper can. Yet on three of the first four days in October, the Cubs fell asleep at the wheel, ending the season before anybody knew what happened. The legacy of the 2008 Cubs will sadly be that they were the best regular season team the North Side has seen since 1969, but like that squad 39 seasons ago, the ’08 team collapsed at the end. It’s not easy to say it, but the drama involved would make a terrific movie.

4-Of all the events that take place in the world of sports on a yearly basis, there is none that I look forward to more than March Madness. Not the NFL playoffs, not the stretch run in baseball, not even college football bowl games. For me, the final weeks of March and that first weekend in April present the greatest gift a sports fan can have: non-stop action, close calls in games that have an impact on everybody in the country and the ability to root for- and gamble on- the little guy. 2008’s NCAA Tournament provided all of that and more. There was the emergence of Stephen Curry, the Davidson sharpshooter who took America by storm with his nice smile and his Monet Lisa-like beautiful jump shot. We saw the first ever Final Four with all #1 seeds. And then there was maybe the best National Title game of my lifetime. Kansas and Memphis traded blows for 30 minutes before the Tigers pulled away, going up nine with two minutes remaining. But the trio of tight defense, horrible free throw shooting and an amazing shot by KU guard Mario Chalmers pushed the game into overtime. Five minutes later, the Jayhawks were cutting down the net in an instant classic that fans are still talking about: Did Kansas win or Memphis choke?

3-Super Bowl XLII was memorable for a variety of reasons. There was an undefeated New England squad going down to the upstart New York Giants, who had won three road games to reach Arizona. There was the greatest QB of the generation, Tom Brady, wilting to the pressure while a guy who had always been known as either the son or brother of a great player made the plays when he needed to. But all of that gets forgotten in comparison to the greatest catch in Super Bowl history. On the Giants eventual game-winning drive, Eli Manning evaded what seemed a plethora of Patriot defenders, spinning around, ducking and eventually heaving a deep pass. 32 yards later NY receiver David Tyree, number four on the depth chart at his position, leaped for the ball, fought off safety Rodney Harrison, and then made the catch. Not a usual catch though; Tyree pinned the ball to his helmet, held on for deal life during Harrison’s hit, and came down with possession. A few plays later, the Giants took the 17-14 lead, which was the eventual final score.

2- I don’t know how many baseball games I have seen in my life; I’d guess somewhere around 750. Before September 14, none of them had featured a no-hitter. Sure, I’d seen highlights of no-no’s, even watched the final few innings of a couple. But never had I sat down to watch a ballgame for the first pitch and been treated to the ultimate baseball show. That was until Carols Zambrano faced the Houston Astros in Milwaukee (moved due to Hurricane Ike) on that mid-September evening. Big Z, pitching on two weeks rest because of shoulder and back problems, was the definition of an ace, locating all his pitches and really giving the helpless Houston hitters no chance. Zambrano’s dominance was the top moment of a great Cubs (regular) season, so much so that the broadcast of the game still has the “Save Until I Delete” label on my Tivo.


1- Watch out Drama, E, Turtle and my man Ari; your boy Vinny Chase is losing his spot. After this summer’s Olympics, we officially have a new Aquaman, and his name is Michael Phelps. I never though I would care about swimming as much as I did this August, but there was something about Phelps that captivated all of us. Winning eight goals medals was impressive (Understatement of a lifetime) but maybe Phelps’ greatest achievement was bringing the country together in the middle of an economic meltdown and bitter Presidential campaign. There aren’t too many moments in sports where it captivates an entire nation, yet Michel Phelps’ dominance at the Water Cube in China was easily one of them. Everywhere I went, people were talking about his races. It was the lead story on the news for an entire week. My brother even got mistaken for Phelps at a Boston-area grocery store. Swimming isn’t a major sport, but there is no doubt that what Michael Phelps did in 2008 was about as major as sports get.