January: THE Favorite
The New England Patriots
The 2 wins in January 2008 were memorable, but obviously it was the 16 games in 2007 that made them impressive. The New England Patriots could have stumbled over the Jaguars in the Divisional Round, or they could have been caught off-guard by the Chargers in the AFC Championship; but they weren’t. They were dominant and they were focused. They were a juggernaut for 18 weeks, and frankly- as much as I don’t like them- I don’t want to remember the feeble and humble Pats of the Super Bowl. I instead choose to remember the January Patriots- the ones that couldn’t be beaten.
February: THE Upset
The New York Giants
I clearly remember John Elway scrambling for the end zone, being hit, and helicoptering. I clearly remember Vinatieri kicking that clutch field goal. I clearly remember Steve Young taking the monkey off his back, Donovan McNabb dry-heaving, and Janet’s exposed boobie. But I don’t remember the Helmet Catch. I remember not-believing what I just saw, I remember Smooth’s Sports Bar going crazy, I remember being giddy, but I don’t remember the actual catch. In fact most of the game is just a crazy blur. But I know that I will remember how incredible and unbelievable that blur was.
March: Why We Love March
Davidson Wildcats Men’s Basketball
I had to look up who won the Men’s NCAA Tournament in 2008 because I totally forgot about Kansas (sorry Zoomy.) Yet despite not remembering who won the whole thing, I had no trouble remembering Davidson and their Cindarella run. In fact I still remember George Mason’s run in 2006, Gonzaga’s in ‘98. The actual Championship has become somewhat of an after-thought; instead the real winner is the underdog that lasts longest. If they keep it up and come back year-after-year then so be it, but you always remember the first time. Davidson was only in the Tournament for 10 days, yet I have no doubt I will remember Stephen Curry and the Wildcats every March for years to come.
April: Spring re-birth
City of Atlanta
On April 26th the Atlanta Falcons drafted Matt Ryan. That evening the Hawks beat the Boston Celtics. Ten days earlier the Atlanta Hawks made the playoffs for the first time since 1999- ending the longest playoff draught in the NBA. Two days later they beat the Celtics again. The Falcons had the worst 2007 imaginable, and the Atlanta Hawks were an NBA punching-bag. But last April, like a flower from a pot of dirt, Atlanta’s sports scene grew. And judging by the Falcon’s performance this season, they are not done growing yet.
May: A Team of Destiny
Boston Celtics
On May 4th the Celtics finally eliminated the Hawks. 14 days later they had vanquished Lebron James. 12 days after that the Detroit Pistons were gone. The Celtics won the NBA Championship in June and it will be the Finals against the Lakers that everybody remembers, but while the Lakers were coasting into the Finals the Celtics were fighting to survive. It took them 7 to eliminate the Hawks, 7 to eliminate the Cavs, and 6 to eliminate the Pistons; if just one game in any of those series goes the other way the Celtics don’t make it. June may be the matchup we all remember, but it’s the lucky breaks throughout all of May that made it possible.
June: Ganadores
Country of Spain
The Spanish National Futbol team has a history of being incredibly talented but ultimately choking and falling short of expectations. Rafael Nadal has a history of beating Roger Federer each June in the French Open but losing to Federer a few weeks later at Wimbledon. Well June of 2008 marked a reversal of that history. Nadal still beat Federer in France, but when the two meet in the Wimbledon finals an epic 5-set match left Nadal standing. Meanwhile the Spanish team played with their traditional flare but Euro 2008 ended with an untraditional result: Spain holding that trophy too.
July: Close-but-Not-Quite
Kyle Busch/Josh Hamilton
They are known as the dog days of summer for a reason, the heat of July wears on the body and mind and any success in mid-Summer usually doesn’t last til the Fall. Kyle Busch had one of the most successful (and unexpected) regular seasons in NASCAR, and July was his most successful month. The heat didn’t prevent him from running as many races (in as many Series) as possible. In fact in July he raced in two Craftsman Truck races (finished Top 10 in both), 3 Nationwide races (finishing first, first, and second), and 3 Sprint Cup races (finishing first twice.) But ultimately he couldn’t keep it up and collapsed in the Chase (read: playoffs).
Similarly Josh Hamilton had his rise and fall but he managed to do it in just one night, July 14th. In Round 1 of the Home Run Derby Hamilton hit 28 shots (2nd place hit 8.) But it wasn’t just the number but the sheer size. Hamilton’s home runs just sounded better. He crushed them. He hit so many, so far, that it almost doesn’t matter that he lost in the Finals. Almost.
August: Aqua-Man
Michael Phelps
With all his celebrity appearances and shirtless photos we have already forgotten just how great those 8 races were. Do you even remember how far ahead the French were in that relay? Even now when I watch the replay I am 100% sure the Americans aren’t coming back. Do you remember when his goggles filled with water so he couldn’t see where he was? Do you remember the 100 meter butterfly when it looked like he’d lost but he actually won by 1/100th of a second? I can’t even fathom how tiny that difference is. Try to look past Michael Phelps, the celebrity, and you will see Michael Phelps, the most memorable athlete of the year.
September: Out of Left Field
Tampa Bay Rays
Think back earlier this year to the Republican Primaries. Now picture Ron Paul winning them. That is what the Rays winning the AL East is like. It’s not even unlikely, it’s unfathomable. So when they had a 1 game lead in June it was a fluke. A 2.5 game lead in July, it was cute. A 3 game lead in August, it was funny. On Sept 1st that lead was 5 games. The Red Sox then proceeded to set the world back on its access and tied the Rays on Sept 15th. But the Rays weren’t backing down- on Sept 20th they were back to a 2.5 game lead, and they clinched their first ever Playoff birth.
October: The Weight-Lifters
Philadelphia Phillies
Playing in Philadelphia is tough, the desperation of the fans and media can make it excruciating. Boston had the same problem pre-2004 and their solution was to go find players that could ignore that massive pressure they were under (the self-proclaimed “idiots.”) Philly didn’t go quite that far, instead they loaded up on power-hitters and relied on the Mets annual collapse to get them in the playoffs. They then went 11-3 in the playoffs to win the first Philadelphia championship in a quarter-century.
November: Domination
Jimmie Johnson
If you weren’t watching NASCAR this fall (and once football starts that’s most of you), then you missed out on one of the most dominant performances in sport this year. The Chase is NASCAR’s playoffs- the first 26 races determine the Top 12 drivers and the final 10 races determine the winner. So what did Jimmie do during those final 10 races- every race he finished in the Top 15, eight races he finished Top 10, five races he finished Top 2- including 3 wins. Not only did he dominate the field this year, he has done it each of the last three, becoming only the 2nd guy in NASCAR history to 3-peat.
December: Pound-for-Pound
Manny Pacquiao
He’s too little. He’s going up too many weight classes. De La Hoya’s jab is gonna destroy him. None of that mattered. He had no problem putting on weight while keeping his quickness. He was strong enough and way too fast for De La Hoya. Manny Pacquiao truly defines the term pound-for-pound. There is no weight class he can’t grow into. There is no fighter he can’t dismantle. Suddenly De La Hoya/Pacquiao wasn’t memorable because it was Oscar’s last fight (although it better be his last) instead it was memorable because we learned to never question Pac-Man’s qualification as the best fighter in the world.