My Top 10 Sports Moments of 2010

My annual list of unforgettable sports moments from the past year. This isn’t necessarily a list of the biggest events of the year, just a list of moments that I will never forget.

10. Never Ending Tennis Match
I am not a huge tennis fan but I will never forget the 22nd through the 24th of June when John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played the world’s longest tennis match. It was impossible to turn off the TV! “Isner, Mahut, Isner, Mahut” when will it end?!

9. 2010 PGA Championship

A controversial finish on the 72nd hole left Zach Johnson out of a playoff for the championship where Martin Kaymer beat the long hitting Bubba Watson for his first major championship. Tournament golf at its finest!

8. The Decision
Oh LeBron… Anybody who is reading this most likely already knows about the shenanigans that LeBron James pulled this summer. To break up with a whole city on national TV is heartless and definitely unforgettable.

7. NCAA Basketball Championship
The ultimate David vs. Goliath Story, almost, as the Butler Bulldogs nearly upset the Duke Blue Devils! I know I thought that Hayward’s shot was going in!

6. Canada/USA Olympic Hockey
Wow. You couldn’t ask for a more thrilling game in one the premier events of the Winter Olympics. Both teams really came to play on the sport’s biggest stage and then for the games star to win it in overtime, just classic.

5. Year of the Pitcher
Oh what was that? Another no hitter? Yup! There were six no-hitters, err should have been seven if Armando Gallaraga’s would have counted, including two perfect games in the 2010 MLB season. None of the games were more special though than my #2 Moment of the Year.

4. The 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach
The tournament wasn’t the most exciting but that fact of the matter is, I was there and it was beautiful. To watch the world’s best golfers up close and personal in one of the games four majors is amazing!

3. “Beat the Heat”
November 9, 2010. The day Paul Millsap brought his talents to South Beach. This was just the beginning of what has turned out to be a good season for my Utah Jazz. Make sure to watch the video clip attached to the link.

2. Unhittable Halladay
Rarely does anybody watch an entire baseball game the whole way through (especially on TV) but on this occasion, when Philadelphia Phillie Roy Halladay took the mound in the first game of the National League Division Series playoffs I don’t think I missed a pitch. It is amazing to see person do an almost perfect job at anything.

1. End of a 17 Year Drought

Anytime that something doesn’t happen for as long as time as 17 years, it is definitely going to be worth remembering. Though the Aggie football season didn’t go all according to plan I had to give the victory over arch rival BYU the top spot for the year. We absolutely handled those egotistical Cougars in their favorite sport. It definitely is nice to have some bragging rights for a while!

Alright there is my list! I hope you enjoyed it and I would love to hear your moments of the year! Happy 2011!

Some moments were close but didn’t make the cut… Boise State Football Loses to Nevada, Saints Win Super Bowl, Giants Win World Series, Utah Jazz Upset Nuggets in First Round of NBA Playoffs, Michael Vick’s Return as a star

The 2009 List

A Year of Games

It's Christmas break and I'm a little bored so I have compiled a list of all the professional and NCAA sporting events I went to this year. The links will take you to my blog posts that I wrote on the events. Check the blog next week for my Top 10 Sports Moments of 2010!

I finished the year with a 20-4 (.833) record for teams I was rooting for. I saw teams from 14 different states. I went to 7 different venues. I saw all of my favorite teams (the Phillies, the Jazz, the Aggies). I saw Tiger Woods. I saw the World Series Champion. I saw one of the most prestigious events in professional sports in the most beautiful spot in the world when I attended the 110th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. I felt the magic that is the Spectrum on a winter night. And I experienced it all with you, my family and friends. Sports wouldn't be the same if I didn't have you there to cheer and jeer with. I have been very blessed, thank you! Here is to the games and championships that we will enjoy in 2011!

Aggie Basketball

(all games attended in D.G. Smith Spectrum, Logan, UT unless otherwise noted)
Record in Games I Attended: 12-1

Jan 11 vs. Hawai'i W, 98-54
Jan 16 vs. Boise State W, 81-59
Feb 2 vs. Idaho W, 80-62
Feb 6 vs. Nevada W, 76-65
Feb 17 vs. Louisiana Tech W, 67-61
Feb 20 vs. Wichita State W, 68-58
Mar 1 vs. Fresno State W, 76-39
Mar 6 vs. New Mexico State W, 81-63
Nov 13 vs. Weber State W, 77-65
Nov 17 at BYU L, 78-72 @ Marriot Center, Provo, UT
Nov 27 vs. Northeastern W, 56-54
Dec 7 vs. Long Beach State W, 81-53
Dec 31 vs. Hawai'i W, 74-66

Aggie Football

(all games attended at Romney Stadium, Logan, UT)
Record in Games I Attended: 2-2

Sep 11 vs. Idaho State W, 38-17
Sep 18 vs. Fresno State L, 41-24
Oct 1 vs. BYU W, 31-16
Oct 23 vs. Hawai'i L, 45-7

Utah Jazz

(all games attended at Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT)
Record in Games I Attended: 3-1

Jan 23 vs. New Jersey W 116-83
Feb 27 vs. Houston W 133-110
Apr 23 vs. Denver W 105-93 1st Round of the NBA Playoffs
Dec 3 vs. Dallas L 81-93

Major League Baseball

Record in Games I Attended: 2-0

May 10 Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies W 9-5 @ Coors Field, Denver, CO
June 14 San Francisco Giants vs. Baltimore Orioles W 10-2 @ AT & T Park, San Francisco, CA

Other Events

Record in Games I Attended: 1-0

June 16 & 17 The 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey, CA
Oct 31 Utah State Soccer vs. Hawai'i W, 4-0

Provo Preview

The Aggie men travel to that school down south tonight. You know the one we beat in basketball last year, the one we beat in football this year, the one that still doesn't think we are a rival. A win tonight will solidify the fact that we are indeed a rival. In what could be the last game in the series for some time the Utah State Aggies (1-0) take on the #23 Brigham Young Cougars (1-0).

It's a huge early season match up, especially for the Aggies as they only play one more quality opponent out of. A win will go a long way come tournament time in March. Here is what happened up in Logan last year when the two teams met up. Hopefully there will be more of that tonight and my road spectating record will improve to 2-3. It will be a tough game for the Aggies, who are already missing starting forward Nate Bendall, as defensive specialist Pooh Williams may be unable to go after straining his groin in the opener vs. Weber State. He is listed as a game time decision but I expect him to play in a game as big as this.

Some quick facts about the game via the USU Media Guide:

• Utah State and Brigham Young will be playing for the 227th time this week in what is the oldest rivalry in school history. USU's first game against BYU was during the 1905-06 season. The Aggies trail in the all-time series 135-91. The first game played in the series was on Feb. 23, 1906 with BYU winning 21-14. The last time the two teams played was on Dec. 2, 2009 in Logan with USU winning, 71-61. The last time the two teams played in Provo was Dec. 16, 2006 with BYU winning, 75-62, and the last time Utah State won at BYU was on Dec. 18, 2004, 84-62. Overall, USU has won six of the last nine games played in the series.
• Utah State has won 16 straight regular season games dating back to the 2009-10 season with its last regular season loss coming at Louisiana Tech, 82-60, on Jan. 4, 2010.
• Utah State has won 24 of its last 30 games versus in-state opponents and is 31-10 (.756) against the state of Utah during the last 11 years. During that time period, USU is 6-4 versus Brigham Young, 6-4 versus Utah, 11-2 versus Weber State, 5-0 against Utah Valley and 3-0 against Southern Utah. Overall, USU is 32-15 (.681) versus teams from the state of Utah under Morrill.
• Utah State is 11-56 (.164) all-time against ranked opponents, which includes a 5-13 (.278) record under Morrill. The last time USU played a ranked opponent was in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament when it lost to No. 23 Texas A&M, 69-53. The last time USU defeated a ranked team was on March 9, 2007 when it beat then No. 9 Nevada, 79-77, in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
• Utah State is starting the 2010-11 season with four-straight in-state games as it defeated Weber State (77-65) at home, plays at Brigham Young (11/17) and Southern Utah (11/20) and hosts Utah (11/24). Those four in-state games to start the year are the most for USU since the 1991-92 team began its season by playing five-straight in-state opponents.
• Utah State's four returning starters have a combined 353 games played while at USU including 288 starts.
• Only one player on the Aggie roster has ever played a game at BYU, Morgan Grimm a U of U transfer.

The Comeback Kids

(AP Photo)

Just wanted to make a quick note on the Jazz. They are tearing it up! Last Monday they left of their early season eastern conference road-trip making stops in Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, and Charlotte. I predicted that they would win one, maybe two games at most. This first road trip has been bad for the Jazz the past few years, they usually return with a losing record. Well not this year, they won all four games on the Atlantic coast! And they did it in amazing comeback fashion each and every time! They now sit at an impressive 7-3 and have swagger, knowing they can come back from anything! They will have some good tests this week in Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Hopefully they will keep this streak going.

The End Starts Tonight!

Well tonight, at approximately 7:05, my senior season of enjoying Aggie basketball begins as the Aggies take on in-state rival Weber State. It'll be a bitter sweet moment for me, so happy for the fun nights in the Spectrum to begin but sad that this is it! This is it for me watching as a student. This is it for my friends and favorite players playing, Tyler Newbold, Tai Wesley and Matt Formisano. That being said there are 30+ games and I thoroughly believe that those boys are going to do everything in their power to win every single one of them!

There are two key games in the early part of the season, Nov. 17 @ #24 BYU and Dec. 4 @ #20 Georgetown. Both will be tough tests and at least one victory will be needed to boost the Aggies tournament resume come March. Other than that there aren't many games the Aggies should lose if the team comes together like they usually do by January.

As I stated before it will be the senior season for Tai Wesley (who is the only Aggie to ever record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 blocks), Tyler Newbold, Pooh Williams, Nate Bendall (assuming he recovers soon from a foot injury), and Matt Formisano. Wesley, Newbold, and Williams will all retain their starting positions. Athletic Brady Jardine will fill in while Bendall is injured and JuCo transfer Brockeith Pane will run the point. From the two preseason games, Pane looks like a very exciting player and could be the missing piece to help this seasoned line-up win an NCAA tournament game.

Some analysts are saying Utah State is the most likely team to go unbeaten through the regular season, I won't go that far. My predictions are as follows, the Aggies will lose 3 games throughout the season, Georgetown and two WAC road contests. The team will win WAC Regular Season Championship for the fourth straight year and then win the WAC Tournament in Vegas with a strong Aggie crowd behind them. And finally they will win, not one but TWO tournament games propelling them into the Sweet 16. Too bold? Nah, these guys are ready for this.

Commercial of the Week!

Brandon Jennings almost gets into a car accident with Stuart Scott.

Miracle in Miami? Nah, just Milsap in Miami!

Down by as many as 22 at one point in the game the Jazz and their fans were sure a loss was in store to Lebron James and the Miami Heat on the first game of their Eastern Conference road trip. That was until Paul Millsap caught fire from three-point! A man who had only knocked down two triples in his entire NBA career, made THREE in less than 30 seconds! With only four seconds left in regulation and the Jazz down by two points, here is the live reaction from my house...

Who else but Paul Millsap would tip it in to send the game to OT?! Unbelievable performance by this man. He is turning into quite the leader. What a start to the road trip as the scrappy Jazz went on to win by two in overtime with Deron Willams fouled out on the bench. And then to come back from 18 down to Orlando and win tonight the road trip is already a success. I personally thought we would win one of the four games. Hopefully there are even more surprises from this unheralded 2010-2011 Jazz team as the season goes on.

One More Game in January

As I was watching Utah get dismantled by TCU yesterday, it hit me just how unfair the BCS system was! I have always been a proponent of a playoff system in college football, it's really the simplest thing to make the game better. It's the year 2010 people, we should have a playoff system by now! In my ideal world there would be an eight team playoff, each major conference champion getting a spot, plus two "wild-card/at-large" teams. Yesterday though, I realized that even a "plus one" playoff system would suffice.

Why? Because there is no doubt in my mind that we are going to need it this year more than ever! And who are we going to need it for? Boise State. Yes, I said it. I want to see Boise State, the same Boise State I despise, have a chance at a national championship.

Here is how I see it breaking down: Auburn will eventually lose to Alabama or in the SEC Championship. While Oregon, TCU and Boise State are all going to run the table, and finish undefeated for the regular season. And if the BCS doesn't change, as I believe it won't because Boise State doesn't have enough high quality opponents remaining to push them ahead, it will be TCU/Oregon in the national championship.

This bothers me for one big reason. Boise State beat both of those teams last year! Both TCU and Oregon! Sure it's a different season, but not really a different team for the Broncos. Nearly all of there key players from last year have returned and I definitely feel that they can beat either of those two teams again. So that's it, they need there chance and they aren't going to get it because of some computer system.

There was a Nike ad that called for a plus one game a couple of years back, having brackets of two winners from bowl games meeting against one another saying "Just do it." This year, throw out all the rules and regulations that the NCAA, BCS and those stingy college presidents impose. If you really want to call yourself a champion, Oregon/TCU/Boise State, you better be the last undeafeted team out there! Play that extra game. Pretty sure our friends at Nike and ESPN would be more than willing to foot the bill.

Then It Began to Rain

Saturday morning... no work, no school, just sports all day! The Aggie homecoming game at 3 followed by the Phillies in game six of the NLCS. The forecast had called for a storm, but as kick-off for the football game approached it was a mild 60 degrees outside, everything in my sports world seemed just fine.

Looking a little shaky on offense and defense the team allowed Hawaii the first touchdown. Soon though, the Aggies looked like they had settled into the game and after a big scamper by quarterback Diondre Borel to tie the ball game up. Utah State had a chance at knocking off the Rainbow Warriors. Then the wind picked up, the temperature dropped sharply, it began to rain. It was like a sign from nature officially ending summer and the Aggie football teams hopes at a decent season. I don't believe an endless summer is possible, that's illogical. I just like to hope that the weather will stay good for as long as possible and I'll be able to enjoy that summer state of mind a little more. Kind of the same way I hope that Utah State will have a good football team. Summer teases me with nice days through September, the Aggies tease me with a few early season wins. But as the fall progresses, I realize some things just aren't possible.

It kept raining for the rest of the day, literally and figuratively, as I watched Ryan Howard strike out and my boys of summer, the Philadelphia Phillies, be eliminated from the playoffs. Sure it was a long shot to come back from being down three games to one, but I had hope. I mean these guys are good! Appearing in the last two World Series, I thought they could find the fight in them to make it back. Half my apparel is now out of style until April. I had little feeling like the hype on the team was just a little too much entering the series, it seemed as if every analyst was choosing the Phils. It's definitely possible the team overlooked the streaking Giant's and Phillie killer Cody Ross. Sad to see a whole season completed without a championship, but in the end, only one team can win.

Today, it is still raining.... The end of the week is looking sunny though, just in time for tip-off of the Aggie and Jazz basketball seasons. Seasons that could end in the sun!

I need you...

... to check out this golf tournament! It will be a lot of fun and it is for a good cause. Here is the site with all the info http://usucharitygolftournament.weebly.com/. If you can't play, we'd still love donations! Thanks!

A Near Perfect Halladay

(October 5, 2010 - Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images North America)

Wow.

The Reds have waited 15 years to return to the playoffs, they will have to wait as least two more days to get a hit in them. I had faith the Phillies were going to win the game today, but I had no idea that in his playoff debut, Roy Halladay was going to pitch a near PERFECT GAME! Though missing the perfect game, he still became only the second pitcher to pitch a no-hitter in playoff history!

What a great way to start the playoffs Just sitting in my red, #34 Halladay shirt, watching intensly what would be the first no hitter I have witnessed. Oh, what I would have given to be in South Philly today!

I don't know if Fridays game can be as exciting as todays but hopefully the result, a win for Philadelphia, will be the same. Until then, goodnight and Go Phils!