Back On Track?

The Georgetown Hoyas are seemingly back on track, currently sporting a five-game winning streak, with all of those wins having come against Big East teams. In the past 72 hours, the Hoyas, have defeated two Big East monsters in then 7th ranked Villanova and 13th ranked Louisville, on the road and at home respectively. Both wins were nail-biters that went down to the wire. It seems that this Hoya team has finally regained its footing after a dismal few weeks that began with a 69-55 rout suffered at the hands of Notre Dame on December 29 and thankfully for Georgetown faithful culminated with an embarrassing 72-57 loss to Pitt on January 12.

The Hoyas are far from being out of the thick of things yet; it is a widely-known fact that when you are a college basketball team in the Big East there are no lulls in the season and no gimme-wins, exemplified by the fact that there are currently eight Big East teams are ranked in the AP Top 25.

The next two games for Georgetown will be against Providence and Syracuse, teams that have struggled as of late. Providence has been a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team all year long; after starting out 12-2, the Friars withered away when conference play began, losing its first six conference games. The Friars then went on to beat none other than Louisville and Villanova (both at home), but then lost to Seton Hall this past Sunday. A young team, the Friars have only three seniors on their entire squad - only one of which plays with any regularity - while the rest of the team is made up of freshmen and sophomores. This team has had its bright spots, but overall should not be much of a problem for the Hoyas since the team is 1-7 on the road this year.

As usual, the Syracuse Orange will most likely prove to be a worthy opponent, especially since the game will be played at the Carrier Dome. Of course, it is tough not to mention (especially being a Georgetown fan) that as of late, the Orange are sporting a four game losing streak, after starting off the year with an 18 game winning streak. Although the first two losses were to Pittsburgh and Villanova, the two more recent games have been dreadful, the third loss being a 90-68 shellacking at the hands of Seton Hall and the most recent being a six point loss to Marquette. With their next two games on the road at UConn and USF, the Orange could come out flat against the Hoyas next Wednesday, but with a coach like Jim Boeheim, it is very unlikely that this losing streak will last too long. Georgetown just has to hope that they don't catch Syracuse when they are regaining their confidence, and looking to beat their rival at home after a road trip.

After a disappointing couple of weeks, the Hoyas finally seem back to where many expected to be before the season. The St. John's game last Wednesday saw Jason Clark go back to normal as he dropped 16 points, and helped the entire team re-assert its power in a 77-52 beat-down. The Villanova game saw Austin Freeman's return to power, as he dropped 30 points en route to a much needed victory. Finally, the last game against Louisville was Chris Wright's re-emergence back onto the scene; Wright had 24 points after a scoreless game against Villanova.

The "Big Three" of Freeman, Wright and Clark appears to be back to where it needs to be for this team to be consistently good. But, in addition to the Big Three producing each game, role players have to be able find a niche on the team in order for Georgetown to have continued success. Hollis Thompson has found a role that suits him very well as the sixth man, coming off the bench the last few games to contribute key three pointers. After an uninspired few games, Julian Vaughn has finally gotten back to his game, pulling down rebounds, playing tough defense down low and contributing points off of the hook shot he has refined for the past two seasons.

Of course, the freshmen cannot be overlooked. Nate Lubick has been praised constantly for his toughness by play-by-play announcers this season and has emerged as the starting power forward over Hollis Thompson. Although his numbers have not been outstanding, Lubick is learning how to maneuver better down low both on offense and defense, and will soon be a force to be reckoned with. Another freshman, Markel Starks is thriving in his role as backup point guard and seems prepared to become Chris Wright's successor next year. Like Lubick, his stats are not great, but it is clear that he is learning the trade and quickly seizing the role of floor general whenever he gets the chance to hit the court.

Still, the Hoyas have some problems that need to be fixed. The team's wins this season have always come on the backs of individuals instead of the whole team. It either seems to be Austin Freeman or Chris Wright or Jason Clark making up for another teammate's dismal performance. If this team wants to be a serious contender, the big three especially need to bring their A-game every game instead of just a handful of them.

In each of the last two wins, the Hoyas have not been close to exemplary. In the game against Villanova the whole team had to constantly rely on Freeman, and at times Clark to bail them out, escaping with only a three point victory. The game against Louisville was even worse; in an extremely sloppy victory in which Georgetown turned the ball over 16 times (the same amount as Louisville), the Hoyas did not play their slow, patient style of basketball, playing right into the hands of Louisville by getting into a track meet. Many of their possessions ended with ill-advised passes and shots. Although they were able to get points off the fast break, especially when Chris Wright had the ball, many of those points came off of Louisville's own turnovers, which were caused only in part by Georgetown's defense and mostly by Louisville's poor play; many of those fast-break points also often led to Louisville responding with open three-point attempts. In another three-point victory, the Hoyas were far from being Top 10 material.

With no single dominant team in the Big East, Georgetown looks primed to work their way up the ranks if they can clean up their play and get everyone on the same page. The talent is there, the Hoyas just need to be able to put it together more consistently.

The Forgotten Falcons

Today, I'm all about loving the Falcons.

You know? The 2010 NFC South champions/NFC regular season champs/team with the second best record in the NFL. In an AFC-dominated league, the Falcons have not gotten much respect this year, staying in the shadows of teams like the Patriots, Jets, Steelers, Ravens, and even the team that they beat out in their own division, the reigning Super Bowl champ Saints.

The Falcons certainly are not the most exciting team in the NFL. They don't have the loudmouth coach like Rex Ryan, or the genius like Bill Belichick. They don't have the seemingly divine quarterback like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Their defense was only ranked 16th in the league this year. So how the heck was this team the best in the NFC? I mean no one goes 13-3 just because they have an easy schedule, you gotta be good to have that record. So what are these guys doing right?

Look at ESPN.com or SI.com and you probably won't see anything about the Falcons. That is because they do not have guys that attract attention to themselves. Still, they still have some phenomenal players. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are both towards the top of the rankings at their respective positions, Roddy White was arguably the best wide receiver this year, and Tony Gonzalez may just be the best tight end of all time. These guys don't talk much trash and don't get into trouble and so they are therefore rarely in the news. But that does not necessarily mean that they can't compete.

The Falcons will be playing at home against the Packers this weekend and for the AFC Championship Game - should they continue on past this weekend - which spells trouble for opponents. The Falcons' Week 16 loss to the Saints was only Matt Ryan's second loss at home in his entire three-year career at Atlanta, and first home loss in what had been a 15-game winning streak at the Georgia Dome. But that loss could have been good for the Falcons, who probably needed a reality check heading into the playoffs.

The Falcons won't outrun you, but they'll out-muscle you. With a bruising back in Turner, a physical receiver in White, an experienced tight end in Gonzalez and a quarterback with ice in his veins in Ryan (who already has 12 game-winning drives in a three-year career) the Falcons do not have a flashy offense, but they have a strong offense. Guess who led the league in third down conversions this year? The Falcons.

The weakness of this team is the defense. Yet, the D also finds a way to grind its way through games. Despite being ranked 16th in total yards allowed, the defense is ranked fifth best in points allowed. The reason: turnovers. The Falcons D had the fourth most interceptions in the league this season and going up against pass-first teams like Green Bay this round and either Chicago or Seahawks next round, they will surely be ready to force a few turnovers. Rodgers has had rough games this year (including a 20-17 loss to Atlanta earlier this year in which he only had one TD), Cutler can be an interception machine at times, and Hasselbeck had more picks than touchdowns this year, and is, well, old. Plus, you can't forget about good ol' John Abraham, the 32 year old pass rush specialist who recorded 13 sacks this year.

So here's the formula. The Falcons have one of the best offenses in the league this year which includes a clutch quarterback and a great rushing attack, are great on third downs, have a defense that is perfectly suited for its pass-happy opponents, and constantly win at home, where they will be playing throughout the playoffs up until the Super Bowl. Currently they are only three point favorites over the Packers and understandably so, considering the Packers' running game coming alive last week in the win over the Eagles, and because of the Falcons' inexperience, the one knock against this team. Surely, there is no argument that can be made against inexperience; they are a young team, which collectively has spent little time in the playoffs, but they are gritty and strong enough to keep pulling out wins.

The Falcons are my favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Whether they would be able to defeat what would probably be the favored team from the AFC is still yet to be seen, but do not count the Falcons out; they may not be the best, but they certainly have all of the right tools to take down the best.

NCAA: King of the Hypocrites

This week, I'm all about hating the NCAA.

The NCAA is constantly promoting itself as the protector of true sports, emphasizing that unlike professional athletes, their athletes play to win and nothing else. Sadly however, instead of guarding against greed, the NCAA has promoted it, being rightfully criticized for hypocrisy and the inflexibility of its rules over the past decade.

One great example of the NCAA's idiocy took place in Utah. When Utah basketball coach Rick Majerus supposedly took his players out for meals on up to 20 occasions to discuss personal matters in their lives, such as the death of one of his player's fathers and the upcoming mission trip of of another player, the NCAA was there to put the Utes on probation for three years, a period in which they lost three scholarships. Even though each meal only cost about $10 and was a great way for Majerus to get to know his players and promote team unity, the NCAA decided to play the role of the Grinch and punish Utah.

The NCAA has even made its rounds in Georgetown recently; freshman Moses Ayegba was suspended for nine games when the NCAA found that someone who was not a part of his immediate family paid for his plane ticket from Nigeria to the United States. The man who paid for the ticket however, Joseph Boncore, had been one of Ayegba's coaches, was essentially Ayegba's caretaker and had been given authorization by Ayegba's mother to help make decisions for him. The NCAA said it was a no-no though, because God forbid that people try to help one another in times of need.

Of course, had punishing the people involved in the aforementioned situations lost the NCAA money, you could be sure that guys like Majerus and Ayegba would not have been bothered. Just take Ohio State's recent scandal for instance. In late December 2010, five Ohio State Buckeyes including star QB Terrelle Pryor were punished by the NCAA for selling memorabilia including championship rings, jerseys and awards for both money and tattoos. The players were suspended for five games ... next season.

Wait a minute. Something is not right here. Didn't the Buckeyes have a BCS bowl game (the Sugar Bowl) after the evidence was found and after the suspensions were made. That seems like that would have been a pretty opportune time to install discipline, especially being that the Sugar Bowl would be the first game following the findings. But of course, that type of suspension would have probably lost the NCAA money, as a Pryor-less Sugar Bowl would not attract many viewers. So what did the NCAA decide to do? It suspended the guilty Buckeyes for games against Akron, Toledo, Miami, Colorado and Michigan State (teams that had a combined record of 31-31 last year), four of which are at home and only one of which is against a conference opponent, so that they won't be missing out on any important Big Ten games - the games where there is moola to be made. Does not sound like justice is being served here.

In addition to serving as the crooked policeman who comes down hard on minor offenses, but turns the other way if you give it a couple of bucks, the NCAA is also inconsistent. If those same meals that Majerus had bought for some of his athletes were made at his home, delivered to his home or even brought back from the restaurant and served at his home, the NCAA would have been fine with it. The NCAA needs to either ease up on some of their ridiculous, arbitrary rules or tighten up and actually become consistent with their rulings.

Recently, the NCAA has made it quite clear that it comes money first and discipline second. If the NCAA wants to be the protector of amateurism then so be it, but that means that it to has to follow the rules. Instead of penalizing the people that are merely lending a bit of a hand to these amateur athletes, the NCAA should be after the guys that are doing the wrong things, like boosters giving thousands under the table, or student-athletes that knowingly and egregiously violate the rules. Maybe with the constant hypocrisy and greed surrounding the NCAA constantly, the NCAA should think about suspending itself before it suspends anyone else.

Luck May Not Be So Lucky

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Today, I'm going to be introducing a new column idea called Hate It Or Love It. It's similar to What's For Dinner? except with this column, I'll be covering things in sports that I like or agree with in addition in addition to things I have a beef with. But if you were looking for some beef then today's your lucky day, because today, I am all about hating Andrew Luck's decision to stay at Stanford for his senior year in order to graduate.

There is something noble about an athlete getting their degree. Nowadays, it is extremely rare that a player, especially one of Luck's caliber, finishes up college. As the amount of money that pros are paid has risen dramatically, more players have decided that staying all four years is not necessary. A lot of the time players that leave early are wrong in doing so; many are not skilled or talented enough to play in the pros. With Luck that is not at all the case.

After a phenomenal junior season, in which he threw for 32 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and 3,338 yards under the guidance of coach Jim Harbaugh (a former quarterback) and finished second in the Heisman voting, Luck looked like he was ready to take the next step into the pros. He wasn't just projected as a second or third rounder either. With the first pick in this year's NFL Draft being owned by the Carolina Panthers, and the team's quarterback situation looking rocky with Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore, Mr. Luck looked like the probable first pick in this year's draft.

Do you know how much the first pick of the NFL Draft gets paid? When QB Sam Bradford got drafted by the Rams last year, he signed a six-year, $78 million deal, $50 million of which was guaranteed. The year before, another quarterback Matthew Stafford was taken in the top spot by the Lions; he signed a deal for the same length and amount as Bradford would a year later, but only got $41.7 million guaranteed. You can bet Luck would not be taking any less money than those guys if he was drafted first overall.

Now, after deciding to stay in school, there is no way for Luck's draft stock to go up; it can only either stay the same or go down, and we know how that usually ends up. The first quarterback of recent memory that passed up on being drafted in the top spot in order to enjoy his senior season was USC's Matt Leinart; what would have been his six-year, $49.5 million, with $24 million guaranteed deal went to Alex Smith. Even though Leinart's stats did not necessarily go down his senior year, his draft stock did, and he was taken with the 10th pick. Leinart was the last draftee to sign a deal that year, one worth $51 million over six years; although the deal was worth more than Smith's, only $14 million was guaranteed, and Leinart could have probably gotten a better deal than the much less popular Smith did had he left after his senior year and been picked first. Since then, Leinart has had a rocky career, mostly serving as a back-up quarterback.

In case the Leinart scenario was too long ago for Luck to remember, he had the evidence that he should declare for the draft right in front of him this year. Fellow Pac-10 quarterback Jake Locker out of Washington, was supposed to be the No. 1 pick in last year's draft. Instead of possibly getting Bradford's deal or a deal similar to Bradford's, Locker decided to stay for his senior year at Washington. After going down in almost every category this year and missing one game, Locker is now projected as a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Instead of $78 million, Locker will probably sign for around $7 million, and all because he wanted to stay his senior year and graduate.

Now it's Luck's turn to make the mistake. Who knows? Maybe he will have an outstanding senior season and once again be likely to be taken with the top pick. But there are just too many risks involved for that to be likely. No player has recently been able to do it, coach Jim Harbaugh is leaving to coach the 49ers next season, and now following a great season, Luck will have to perform under much more scrutiny than last year. Even for the Cardinal team, whose only loss came at the hands of Oregon this season, it will be tough to have another great year next year, no matter who their coach is.

There is no guarantee that the top pick and multi-million dollar deal will be there next year for Luck, even if he does have another outstanding season. There was a guarantee however, that had he left, there would have always been another opportunity to finish his college career and get a degree. Maybe staying in college is the noble thing to do, but had he left for the draft, Luck would be essentially guaranteed enough money to become actual nobility.

The Top Sports Stories of 2010

10. The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! ... And More

Going into 2010, the last time the Giants had won the World Series was 1954, back when they were still the New York Baseball Giants. The Giants entered the season with 30-1 odds of winning the World Series, right in the middle of the pack. It was a good-looking team; the two headliners were pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, but many thought that was far from enough to come close to challenging the top contenders in even the National League. After a 90-72 season however, they won the NL West and found themselves in the NLDS going up against the Braves.

In Lincecum's first game, he was brilliant going all nine innings to secure a 1-0 victory. But an extra innings loss in the second game, after having been up 4-0, put the series at 1-1. Then came Jonathan Sanchez, one of the many role players that stepped up in the playoffs when the Giants needed it most. Sanchez pitched a phenomenal Game 3, carrying a no-hitter all the way into the sixth. The hitters also pulled through; down 2-1 after a Braves' two run homer in the top of the eighth, the Giants fought their way back to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth, and kept the lead to take the series lead. In Game 4, facing the Braves' ace Lowe, who was pitching on three days' rest, the Giants struggled early on, but after some errors, controversial calls and clutch hits that went their way, they ended up taking the series and moving on to face the big bad Phillies.

Clearly the underdog going into the NLCS against the Phillies, the Giants played like they had nothing to lose. Enter stage left Cody Ross, one of the unlikely heroes of this tale. With Ross' two home runs and Lincecum's solid pitching, the Giants took an unlikely win in Game 1. Then they got a shellacking in Game 2, losing 6-1, but picked themselves up with the series shifting to San Francisco in Game 3, winning 3-0 on the arm of Matt Cain. Game 4 was back-and-forth, the Giants originally led 2-0, then the Phillies taking a 4-2 lead, then the Giants coming back to put it at 4-3 in the Phillies' favor. A double off of the bat of Pablo Sandoval scored two and the Giants took a 5-4 lead in the sixth. That lead was quickly squandered in the eighth at the hands of Ryan Howard and Jason Werth whose back-to-back doubles tied the game. In the ninth with the game still tied, Brian Wilson, the man who had been growing this beard (http://picasaweb.google.com/data/media/api/user/105176238900540568192/albumid/5271252428042078129/photoid/5533088208764293490?authkey=Gv1sRgCLiKkP-h9e_eKQ) retired the side, and the Giants capitalized scoring the winning run on a sacrifice fly, putting them on the doorstep to the World Series, up 3-1, with Lincecum headed to the mound in the last game in San Fran. Despite having their ace on the mound and gaining the early lead, the Giants ended up losing to the Phils 4-2, hoping Game 6 would punch their ticket to the World Series. Jonathan Sanchez started in Game 6 and struggled early, but in the third inning, the Giants tied it up 2-2 and stayed that way until the eighth, when Juan Uribe hit a solo homer to put the Giants up by one. Lincecum came in as a reliever and allowed two singles, but Brian Wilson was brought in and finished the five-out save to send the Giants to the World Series.

The World Series featured two teams that had struggled their entire existence in the Rangers and the Giants. In what many thought would be a pitchers duel in Game 1 between Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee, the Giants won a hit-off, 11-4. Instead, Game 2 was the pitchers duel, at least until the Ranger bullpen fell apart and the Giants scored seven runs in the eighth, winning the game 9-0. In Texas, the series shifted back to the Rangers in Game 3, which the Rangers won 4-2. But the Giants were not disheartened and a guy named Madison Bumgarner led them in Game 4 with eight shutout innings, giving the Giants a 4-0 win. Game 5 saw Lincecum and Lee face off again, and the result was the face-off everyone originally expected. Both pitchers pitched shutout games through six innings. With two outs in the sixth, and men on second and third, the Giants' Edgar Renteria launched a three-run homer. Lincecum gave up a solo home run to Nelson Cruz in the seventh but other than that gave up only three hits in eight innings. Brian Wilson retired the side and the Giants won the World Series., the first championship for the city since the 49ers won back in 1994.

The Giants, who had put up with Barry Bonds' antics for years finally had a team as a whole, that came together with what seemed like a group of mediocre players and one young ace, and delivered in the World Series. They beat the heavily-favored Phillies and in one of the most unlikely, tense, exciting playoff runs in a long time, won the pennant and in addition the World Series.

9. Three Inches Away From A True Cinderella Story

You know the cliche underdog versus favorite story. It's written about in books and shown in television shows and movies constantly. In the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship this game was brought to life in a not so cliche way.

The Duke Blue Devils entered the game atop the basketball world. One of the most distinguished basketball programs in the country, Duke University came into the game with three titles under its belt and nine championship appearances. Receiving a #1 seed in the 2009-10 tournament, after going 30-5 during the season, Duke made its way through the South region, where they met a team that very few expected would make it to the big game: the Butler Bulldogs.

After starting off 8-4, the small school from Indiana went on a 25 game winning streak, which ran all the way into their title game with Duke. With a little bit of a home-field advantage, being that the game was played in Indianapolis, just miles from the Butler campus, the Bulldogs led by a coach who looked no older than 14 and a group of undersized, overlooked players, gave Duke a run for its money.

In the most-watched NCAA men's basketball championship game of the decade, Butler hung with Duke the entire game. Up 60-57 with 1:19 left in the game, Duke's Nolan Smith missed an open lay-up that would have put them up five, which gave Butler the ball on a fast break. Shelvin Mack missed a three to tie but Butler's scrappy big man Matt Howard got the board and the lay-up moments later to put Butler down by one with 54 seconds remaining, which led Coach Krzyzewski of Duke to call timeout. Then with 36 seconds left, the ball was put in the hands of one of Duke's best players Kyle Singler, who missed an open jumper, giving Butler the ball with the shot clock off. The Bulldogs passed it around waiting to get the last shot and called a timeout after the ball went out of bounds off of Duke with 13.6 seconds left. Another timeout was called when the Bulldogs had trouble in-bounding the ball, but finally they were able to get the ball to their star Gordon Hayward who missed a short fade-away jumper from the baseline with 5.2 seconds left, a miss which fell in the hands of Duke big man Brian Zoubek who was subsequently fouled with 3.6 seconds remaining and Duke still up one. Zoubek made his first foul shot but then in a very questionable move, purposely missed the second to give Butler a harder time to get a shot off, being that the Bulldogs had no timeouts remaining. Hayward pulled down the rebound, made his way to half-court and with less than a second remaining put up a prayer that felt like it was in the air for an eternity. As the ball made its way toward the basket, the shot that could give Butler the win and do the unthinkable, it started to look closer and closer. Off the backboard, off the side of the rim and out. Duke wins 61-59.

The Butler Bulldogs had made it all the way to the biggest dance of the big dance, and had fallen just a few inches short. But, at the end of the day it was one of the best games of the year, and a proud moment for mid-majors around the country. The fact that some small school from Indiana, which did have some success in basketball previously, yet was still a tourney stepping stone, could come that close to beating one of the most prestigious programs in the country was remarkable in it of itself.

8. Another Controversial Heisman Winner

Arguably the most impressive athlete of the year, Auburn's Cam Newton was one of the biggest names of 2010. A 21 year old kid surrounded by such high accomplishments yet at the same time so much controversy, Newton constantly seemed to be in the news in 2010.

Newton originally started off at the University of Florida, but quickly ran into trouble. After an ankle injury, Newton decided to redshirt his freshman season. During his sophomore season he was arrested after a stolen laptop was found in his possession, but all charges were dropped after he took a court-ordered program. Then, rumors about possible expulsion because of cheating in addition to Tim Tebow's announcement that he would be returning for his senior season led Newton to transfer to Blinn College, a junior college in Texas, where he stayed for a year before transferring to Auburn.

This season, on the field, Newton has been met with anything but trouble. Leading Auburn to a perfect season and a national championship bid, Newton threw and ran his way to one of the most dominant seasons ever by a college football player. With 49 total TDs, Newton won the Heisman in a landslide victory, but it was a victory met with dispute.

Newton, in addition to the stolen laptop and cheating rumors, has been accused of asking Mississippi State for up to $180,000 in order to get him to transfer there. Although the NCAA found that Cam's father Cecil Newton is the one who asked for the money, some believe Cam may have known about it. After the discovery Newton was originally declared ineligible but was quickly reinstated and played the rest of the season.

Of course it will be interesting to see how the Newton controversy plays out, especially with Reggie Bush giving back his Heisman Trophy this year after similar allegations were made about him. But for now, all that can be said is that Newton was the one of the most dominant and newsworthy athletes of the year.

7. The Road To Redemption

With downfall came redemption. When there were guys like Tiger and Big Ben, there were also guys like Michael Vick. A first overall pick back in the 2001 NFL Draft, and at one point the richest man in football, Michael Vick seemingly had everything; the one thing he was missing however was a positive demeanor. He could run, he could throw, but no one liked him. In 2006 he gave his own fans the middle finger. Just when it seemed like Vick's public persona could not get any worse however, it did.

In 2007, Vick pleaded guilty to federal charges concerning dog fighting. His Smithfield, Virginia home was found to have 54 pit bulls. Vick admitted to financing the fights and even killing several dogs and on December 10, 2007 was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison. Less than six months later, he filed for bankruptcy protection while in jail. Vick was finally released from federal custody on July 20, 2009, and conditionally reinstated by Roger Goodell a week later.

Vick got his second chance from the Eagles, who signed him to a one year, $1.6 million deal, in what was a relatively quiet year for the third-string Vick; this year has been anything but. After Donovan McNabb was traded and the original starter Kevin Kolb came down with a concussion, Vick stepped in and did a phenomenal job. He was named the starter for the rest of the year on September 21, 2010; less than a year and a half after he was released from federal custody, he was on his way to becoming one of the best players in football again.

Now, Vick is putting up the best stats of his career, possessing a big-time arm he did not have before, the same legs he has always had, and through-the-roof confidence. He has emerged as a clear MVP candidate, and it seems as if the only person standing between him and the award is Tom Brady.

Vick still remains one of the most-hated athletes in the world. Many will never forgive him for the dog fighting scandal, but no one can say there has been a better tale of redemption in sports this year or in the past few years at least. Vick has not only come back a changed football player, he's come back a changed man. He has stayed out of trouble - save for a shooting at his birthday party in Virginia Beach that Vick played no part in - and speaks to kids about staying out of trouble and avoiding peer pressure. He is a long way from the brash, middle finger-waving, immature man he was just a few years ago. Michael Vick is back and better than ever.

6. The Imperfect Game

In a season in which there were six no-hitters, including two perfect games, the most memorable "perfect game" of all was not even technically a perfect game. On June 2, 2010 28 year old Armando Galarraga took the mound for the Detroit Tigers against the Cleveland Indians. Galarraga had never been a big talent, getting drafted in 1998 but not making his major league debut until 2007. After going 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA, Galarraga continued to struggle as a big leaguer, yet managed to stay around in the majors.

On June 2, Galarraga retired the first 26 batters he faced. Then came Jason Donald. Donald hit a grounder to Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera who threw it over to Galarraga at first. Galarraga clearly beat Donald to the bag, caught the ball from Cabrera and secured his perfect game. But then Jim Joyce, the first base umpire and one of the most respected umps in the game, called Donald safe to the disbelief of Galarraga, the Tigers, the fans and everyone watching at home. All Galarraga could do was laugh at the situation. Perfect game gone, no-hitter gone. The next batter, Trevor Crowe grounded out to Brandon Inge, ending the game 3-0.

After seeing the replay, Joyce admitted he was wrong, stating he knew he had taken "a perfect game away from that kid over there that worked hard his ass off all night." The next day Joyce was back in town, and in an incredible moment, greeted Armando Galarraga at home plate, where Galarraga gave him the Tigers' line-up card. A teary-eyed Joyce and a well-composed Galarraga shook hands, and as Galarraga walked back to the dugout, Joyce gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Of course, the blown call brings to light a big controversy in baseball: the lack of instant replay throughout the sport. It is obvious that the ability to use instant replay on all calls - instead of just the home run calls which it is currently used for - would have given Galarraga the perfect game he rightfully deserved, but there is something bigger in this story that made it so great. The sportsmanship and integrity it took for Joyce to admit his mistake and the grace with which both men handled the situation shows that sports is not always about getting at the other guy's throat, but about sportsmanship and maintaining civility. Just because people are competing does not mean that the rules of society do no still apply.

The game may have not been perfect, but the moment certainly was.

5. Age Catches Up To Everyone

You know the story: Favre retires, Favre comes back with the Jets, Favre retires, Favre comes back with the Vikings, Favre contemplates retirement, and once again Favre comes back with the Vikings. Yet throughout all of the drama that the Wrangler-wearing diva brought upon the NFL, through it all he never missed a start and played extremely well, having one of his best seasons as a 40 year old. Then this year everything changed.

Had Favre not thrown an interception late in regulation in the NFC Championship Game against the Saints last year, the Vikings may have been the ones playing in the Super Bowl, so almost everyone believed that they would contend again this year. Then reality set in. Father time finally caught up with the 41 year old gunslinger as his condition and body deteriorated more and more as the year dragged on. Coming off of ankle surgery, Favre started the season surrounded by concern and it only got worse. Injury after injury to his neck, shoulder, head, etc. Favre started under center and fought his way through but struggled statistically, ending the season with 11 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. As he struggled so did the team, which finished 6-10.

The pain finally got to Favre on December 13, 2010 due to a shoulder injury, and after 297 consecutive starts, a streak that lasted over 19 seasons, Favre was marked inactive. When he came back the next week against the Bears he suffered a concussion on the icy tundra and was taken out of the game. That may have been his last snap and play ever as an NFL player.

Many people forget the whole story with Favre. What they remember is just that Favre had one of the greatest careers that any athlete has ever had. But there's more to Favre's career which makes his 297 game starting streak even more unbelievable. During his streak he faced drug abuse, his father's death the day before a game, a sexting scandal, a couple of retirements, Wrangler commercials and even a cameo in There's Something About Mary. When Favre leaves, there will be no Super Bowl, no playoff game, for the man many believe is the best quarterback of all time. But hey, why should there be? He may just be back again next year.

4. U.S.A. Making Its Way

Soccer in the U.S. does not have much of a following. It shows with how poorly the U.S. national team usually plays in the World Cup. The best performance the team had had going into the 2010 World Cup was third place, and that was all the way back in 1930. Following that they had only made it past the first round once, back in 1994. Yet, 2010 was different. The team had been runner-up in the 2009 Confederations Cup and looked strong. But no one expected what was to come.

Placed in a group with their former mother country, U.S.A. had some extra incentive to make it past the group stage. The first game was against England, an highly anticipated match. But, after Steven Gerrard of England put in a goal just four minutes into the game, U.S.A.'s chances looked dismal; that was until the 40th minute, when U.S.A.'s Clint Dempsey put a shot on goal that bounced off England goalkeeper Robert Green's hands and trickled into the net. The game ended up in a tie and it seemed as if everything would be going U.S.A.'s way.

After tying Slovenia, U.S.A. needed a win against Algeria to make it into the Round of 16. After missing a few unbelievable chances, and having a goal called back from a questionable offside call, U.S.A. looked down and out with the game tied 0-0 and the clock at 90:00. After such high hopes, it looked like the U.S. would once again fall in the group stage. Then in extra time, with just over two minutes remaining, Landon Donovan, the face of U.S.A. soccer for the past decade had a put-back goal that sent people around the country - soccer fanatics and people watching their very first soccer game alike - into pandemonium. U.S.A. would no longer be a stepping stone in the World Cup; it was moving on to the Round of 16.

U.S.A. faced off against Ghana in the next round. Once again, the team got off to a terrible start, as Ghana scored within five minutes. U.S.A.'s struggles continued the rest of the first half, but after halftime, with the team rejuvenated, U.S.A. mounted its comeback. When Clint Dempsey was fouled in the box, Landon Donovan took and made the ensuing penalty kick, hitting it off the post and in. Then in the 94th minute, during extra time, Ghana regained possession, hitting the ball up the field to Asamoah Gyan who cut through the defenders and put in the winning goal.

It wasn't a fairy tale ending for the U.S.A. national team, but it was an improvement, progress. Soccer is slowly gaining fans in the United States, and although it is far from reaching the popularity of the Big 4 sports in the United States (football, baseball, basketball, hockey) soccer and the U.S.A. national team are gaining respect in this country. Whether the national team can duplicate or improve on its 2010 World Cup performance is yet to be seen; the team won some extremely close games that could have gone the other way, however, slowly but surely the U.S.A. team is making its way.

3. The Downfall of the Year

The picture-perfect athlete. Totally dominant in his sport, good looking, clean cut, married to a beautiful model, and possessing a special connection with his father. No black marks on his record, no mysterious past, Tiger Woods was almost too good to be true. Sadly, he was.

On November 25, 2009, The National Enquirer ran a story claiming Woods was having an affair with a nightclub manager, which the manager, Rachel Uchitel, denied. On November 27, 2009 at 2:30 a.m., Woods had a car accident while leaving his home. The story quickly spiraled out of control, when Us Weekly had a story in which Jaimee Grubbs, a cocktail waitress, claimed to have had a two-and-a-half year affair with Woods. Grubbs even provided a voicemail message from Tiger stating "Hey it's Tiger, I need you to do me a huge favor. Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone...You got to do this for me. Huge. Quickly. Bye."

It was all downhill from there. Mistress after mistress revealed their affairs with Tiger, and with them came vague apologies from Tiger and increased media attention. The New York Post put Tiger on the cover a record 20 consecutive days, breaking the record previously held by 9/11. Then, inevitably his sponsors began dropping him, first Accenture, then TAG Heuer, AT&T, Gatorade and so on and so forth.

On February 19, 2010, Woods issued a speech in which he stated his infidelity, apologized to everyone he had hurt, and made clear his desire to reform himself and return to golf. He did not take any questions.

Woods returned to golf at the 2010 Masters, finishing fourth in the tournament, but after that continued to struggle and failed to notch a win, his first win-less season as a pro. His personal life also took a turn for the worst, as he and his wife Elin Nordegren officially divorced on August 23, 2010; Nordegren settled for $100 million and custody of their two children. In late October, Woods officially fell to No. 2 in the world rankings to Lee Westwood ending his 281 consecutive week streak in the top spot.

In one of the biggest downfalls of any celebrity, Woods went from one of the most well-liked athletes and celebrities in the world to one of the most hated. In terms of his golf game, it once seemed like a sure thing that Woods would eclipse Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 career major wins. Now, with Woods sitting at 14 major wins, it is unsure what his future in golf will look like, whether he will continue to struggle to come back after such a tumultuous period in his life, or whether, in Tiger-like fashion, he will overcome everything and once again be the Tiger of the past.

2. The Decision Makes A Villain?

It was the moment that changed the course of the NBA for the next decade, and the moment that many thought was one of the most foolish, boneheaded, self-absorbed moves an athlete has ever made. There he was, LeBron James, on ESPN, with close to 10 million people watching, waiting on his every word, and the moment he would finally blurt out where he was going to be playing next year.

If anyone had the skills, the talent and the work ethic to challenge MJ as the greatest of all-time, it was LeBron James. At 6'8" 250 lbs, LeBron James resembles a monster truck, and dominates the floor and the game like no one else does. He could score, pass, play defense, rebound, the whole nine yards. He carried the totally unskilled Cavaliers (who are now the worst team in the conference this year without him) and made them the best team in the NBA; no, not even Kobe could do that when he had sole control of the Lakers. Only one other man could make that kind of impact on a team and it was Michael Jordan.

For a couple of years, people had wondered where LeBron James, who was well on his way to becoming one of the best (if not the best) players of all time at the ripe age of 25 (now 26), would end up when his contract was over. Many thought he would stay in Cleveland, the place he had lived his whole life, the place that he had put on his shoulders and where he was king, but also, the place which he was seemingly outgrowing. Many thought he was Miami-bound, to join up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in what would create arguably the best basketball trio of all-time. Then there were others that said he was headed for New York's bright lights, the town which had been the favorite going into free agency, in order to serve as the savior of New York basketball and take on the role of ultimate superstar at the crossroads of the world. James decided to "take [his] talents to South Beach." Now, we'll never know what he could have done leading even just a somewhat talented team, at least a supporting cast that was on the level that Michael Jordan's Bulls were.

The importance of this moment in not only basketball but in sports in general is paramount. Not only did LeBron pass up a couple of million dollars - something athletes rarely do - to play for the team he thought he had the best chance of winning with, he also passed up on having to compete with the best of the best, and having to win with his own team. Michael Jordan would have never sold out, never would have joined forces with the likes of Barkley and Malone in order to dominate the field; the whole point of playing was to compete and compete with the best. James' decision to join forces with what was already a stacked team bucked tradition (in a bad way) and for better or worse changed basketball and sports forever.

1. The Savior of New Orleans

It was a city that desperately needed a win. Just a little more than four years after Hurricane Katrina had ravaged the city of New Orleans, many in the city were still struggling to recover, their lives turned upside down, many still in temporary housing, trying to piece their lives back together. Then Drew Brees came along and changed everything, even if just for a second.

If there is one story that proves the huge impact that sports can have on society, it's the story of the Saints. A perennial cellar dweller for their entire existence, the Saints have had 34 .500 or below seasons out of their 44 years of existence, and went without a winning season for the first 20 years that they were around. The team had a couple of good years here and there but besides that nothing but trouble followed the Saints. Then in 2005, much more trouble hit the city of New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina killed 1,836 people, caused $81.2 billion worth of damage, and wreaked havoc on the lives of many when it hit in August of 2005. It was the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. Needing a miracle to get back on its feet, New Orleans found a miracle worker in Drew Brees.

Like the Saints, Brees had been an underdog his entire life. After being selected as the Texas High School 5A Most Valuable Offensive Player, he was told he was too small to play college ball, and had to settle on Purdue. After setting passing records galore and being a Heisman Trophy finalist at Purdue, he was once again told he was too small to go pro. He was drafted in the second round by the Chargers, but just four years later the team essentially gave up on him in favor of Philip Rivers in 2005. Finally in 2006, just months after Katrina he signed with the Saints (who had gone 3-13 the previous year), and since that day he has been as big of a help to New Orleans as New Orleans has been to him.

After a magical 13-3 season, the Saints quickly became America's New Team in the playoffs, taking down the reigning Super Bowl runner-up Cardinals in the Divisional Playoffs, and having the best of luck in the NFC Championship Game against the Vikings to win in overtime. Then came the Super Bowl against the Colts. In the most-watched television event of all-time, the Saints beat the 4.5 point favored Colts 31-17, and as Brees lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy over his head, it was clear that the entire city of New Orleans, still struggling, still recovering, still recuperating, was right there with him.

Some clips for your viewing enjoyment to commemorate the best moments of 2010

Giants World Series Run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZYJzsAXZX0
Butler-Duke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB00wfyuQjY
Cam Newton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOi2hj_sjyY
Michael Vick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-7JFSsMVM4&feature=related
Armando Galarraga, Jim Joyce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTutDzTgZ0k
Brett Favre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55JWYRuX4pI&feature=related
U.S.A. Soccer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w
Tiger Woods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdFxMfSJAy4
LeBron James' Decision: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVKwdOaNiOE
Saints Super Bowl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LX4ZE5rXUc, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oghFaHJ_Q6E&feature=related

Thanks for following the blog and I hope everyone has a great 2011!

Yankees Don't Get What They Want For Christmas

It is not very often that the Yankees don’t get who they want in free agency. You know the kid that always gets exactly what he wants for Christmas? Yeah, the Yankees are that kid, or at least they used to be.

Just a couple of weeks ago, it was assumed that Cliff Lee, the prized jewel of baseball free agency, would be donning the pinstripes in 2011 creating an unstoppable 1-2 punch with his buddy from Cleveland, C.C. Sabathia. When the Yankees offered the 32 year old a lucrative seven-year, $148 million deal, $132 million of which was guaranteed, it seemed like a done deal. Until Lee did something that not many athletes do these days; he decided to turn down the big money.

Of course, Lee is not getting paid in bubble gum; instead of signing with the Yanks he opted for a five-year, $120 million deal with the Phillies. In Philadelphia, he joins one of the best rotations that baseball has seen in a long time, which includes Roy Halladay, arguably the best pitcher of the decade, Roy Oswalt, one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball year in and year out and Cole Hamels, the soon-to-be 27 year old, who after a rocky 2009 season, came back and played very well in 2010. Between them they have 3 Cy Young Awards and 13 All Star appearances (most of which come from Halladay). With arguably the two best pitchers in the league, there is not much that the Phillies will not be able to do come next April.

Despite the criticism that Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman and the new Steinbrenner owners have garnered for their inability to get either Lee or Zack Greinke, (who was recently traded to the Brewers) they have managed to do develop and maintain their farm system, something they have not done in a while and which has worked many times before – just look the at the Yankees of the 1990’s. When they did not necessarily need an outfielder this off-season, they did not go head over heels to get Carl Crawford and prevent him from going to the Red Sox, as they might have done in the past; same thing with Adrian Gonzalez at first base. Instead of trading away Jesus Montero, the Yankees’ top-notch catching prospect for an older top-notch pitcher, the Yanks stood their ground.

Of course, it will be tough for the Yankees to do as well as everyone expects them to do, with their current pitching staff. Sabathia is one of the game’s best pitchers but after that it goes downhill pretty quickly. A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes both have the potential to be stellar at times, but they can also be extremely unreliable at others, especially with Burnett going 10-15 last year with a 5.26 ERA and Hughes having a 4.90 ERA after the All-Star Break. With Pettitte possibly not returning next season, the rest of the rotation is currently unsolved. The Yankees will have to rely on the farm system for at least one of the remaining two starting spots and the outside options do not look too appealing. The Yankees are looking at Freddy Garcia, but names like that bring back bad memories of older pitchers in the early 2000s and make the Yankees seem more like the Royals, than the baseball kings (such sad irony for the Royals) they really are.

The Lee signing has obvious benefits for Philadelphia and their fans - a city that is currently being uplifted by the wonderful play of not only the Phillies but the Eagles and Flyers as well - but what does it mean for New York and the Yankees?

With the media making it easy for cities across the country to get attention, the need for athletes to sign with teams in big markets has diminished. That is not to say that Philadelphia is not a big market and that the big markets still do not get the most attention in the press and some of the top players – the last time I checked the teams that got the most coverage were either in the Northeast, Texas or bore the names Chicago or Los Angeles – but in the Information Age, a player can play anywhere and get attention, meaning cities like New York need star athletes more than star athletes need them.

Cities that would have gone mostly unnoticed years ago are finally getting well deserved publicity. Take Oklahoma City and its Thunder, which has yet to win a title, but gets as much attention as a team like the Lakers because of Kevin Durant. Then there’s New Orleans and its Saints’ 2009 season, which was documented and highlighted the entire year more than any New York or L.A. team’s season.

The unavoidable example is this past summer when LeBron said no to New York, and decided to take a page out of Will Smith’s book and say I’m going to Miami, except in a much more boisterous, cocky way. Instead of going to the media capital of the world, LeBron took his talents to South Beach, the city - like Cliff Lee with Philadelphia - where he thought he would have the best chance to win.

Despite some of the top athletes turning their back on New York, there still seems to be a sports renaissance happening in the Big Apple. Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan are taking the Jets from mediocrity to the front of the pack, Amar’e Stoudemire is leading a revival of the Knicks, who may soon be joined by Carmelo Anthony, the Giants are only a few years removed from a Super Bowl victory, the Mets and Rangers are both solid teams (despite a lot of underachievement by the Mets the past few years) and the Islanders, well, let’s forget about the Islanders for now. Sure the city’s sports teams are not able to get whomever they want anymore, but they are still attracting a lot of big names.

So, as the Yankees embark on this new era, certainly far from rebuilding, but probably as close to rebuilding as the Yankees will ever get, they realize that they can no longer just throw money at a problem (although it never hurts). They will not always be able to get the Cliff Lees of the world and maybe that’s not such a bad thing. With an aging group of stars, a nice set of prospects will be necessary to have in a few years. Whether or not they have the ability to win it all this upcoming season is up to guys like Burnett and Hughes, but one thing is for sure, they have set themselves up to win consistently in the future.

Cam Newton Deserves Heisman ... For Now

The right name got called last night at the Heisman Trophy Presentation. That name was Auburn quarterback Cam Newton's.

If you have been following sports for the past few months, you've heard the rumors. In early November, Mississippi State University claimed that Cam's father Cecil Newton wanted $100,000 to $180,000 from the university to get his son to transfer and become a MSU Bulldog. After these rumors - and that is currently all they are right now, rumors - stories sprouted up from all over the place, one about the time he was arrested when a stolen laptop was found in his possession while he was at the University of Florida, which he claimed he bought (charges were later dropped after he completed an intervention program for first offenders), and then another story about how he was caught cheating three times at Florida and was facing expulsion from the school, before transferring to Blinn College, a junior college in Texas, back in January 2009. Everywhere there were stories claiming that Cam Newton did this, Cam Newton did that, all of the hatred coming at this 21 year old kid, as if he had killed somebody.

It's a problem we face in society a lot today. If someone starts to do well in life, we don't try to find the good things about them, we too often try to find the bad, waiting for people to slip up so that we can focus on one mistake as opposed to all of the smart decisions that person has made. Tabloid magazines, tabloid television shows, newspapers are always watching and waiting for a slip-up that will make big news. Cam Newton certainly seems to be no angel whether or not the allegations against him and his father are proved true, but that does not mean he needs to be treated like a pariah.

Thankfully, the Heisman voters agreed. Newton received 729 first place votes (78.7% of all first place votes), and his 2,263 points were more than twice the amount of runner-up Andrew Luck's point total, the 11th largest difference in the history of the award.

The 6'6" 250 pound Newton had 3,998 total yards this year, and 49 total touchdowns (28 passing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzjcvJGWx_M&feature=related), 20 rushing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOi2hj_sjyY) and of course you can't forget about the 1 receiving TD, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpGLwwAP2e8) and despite the fact that he's ranked 15th in rushing, among both quarterbacks AND running backs, his arm is as good as his legs, as he led college football in passing efficiency this year. The man who alone outscored entire offenses this year, Newton led his Auburn Tigers to a 12-0 record, the #1 spot in the rankings currently, and a national championship bid. If that doesn't spell out top player, I'm not sure what does.

And isn't that what the Heisman trophy is for? The top player in college football? You constantly hear people spewing all of these arguments that college award winners need to be outstanding citizens as well as athletes and that is all fine and dandy, but the main reason we have this award is so that the best college football player in the country can be recognized. Not the good football players who have the best GPAs and do the most community service; we have Academic All-Americans, Lowe's Senior CLASS Awards and numerous other awards with great sponsors for those guys. There is one qualification for winning the Heisman Trophy: being the best college football player in football, plain and simple.

Of course, there is the argument that it needs to be won fairly. It is a valid point. The NCAA rules and regulations - which at this rate will soon be penalizing things like talking to strangers and not looking both ways before you cross the street - are laid out and whether players know them all or not, they have to follow them, or else they cannot be an NCAA athlete. But, the important thing to remember here, is that there have only been allegations against Cam Newton, no proof or evidence of any wrongdoing in taking money from MSU yet. When the Heisman voters cast their ballot, they needed to see Cam Newton as an eligible NCAA athlete, who has done no wrongs to prevent him from being eligible.

So yeah, the stories about Cam Newton might be true. Right now there is certainly no way of knowing. The only evidence is that college recruiting tends to be a dirty, dirty business and it is unlikely that Mississippi State would make up such a terrible, damning story just to ruin this young man's reputation, and that is not much evidence at all. Therefore, voting based off of speculation like this, does not make sense when you could vote based off of the cold hard fact that Newton was the best college football player this year.

Maybe one day all of the college sports purists will get their way, and the Mississippi State story will be proved true, but until that day comes, Cam Newton will deservedly be known as the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner.