OT: Best Non-UM Sporting Moment of 2010
December 30th, 2010 at 8:23 PM ^
Donovan against Algeria.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:25 PM ^
I agree. That game was amazing. I was always a NON soccer fan, but this world cup turned me into a believer. The video that was later put together showing everyone going crazy in different places (bar's, living rooms, the streets, etc) was so great.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:45 PM ^
I recently looked up that video again, as well as one of Donovan's goal, watched 'em both a million or so times, and got all choked up again. That was some serious excitement.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:54 PM ^
And even more so, what happened after...great example of sportsmanship integrity.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:25 PM ^
Crosby's OT goal to win the gold medal.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:41 PM ^
December 31st, 2010 at 12:25 AM ^
Jarome Iginla did everything to set up that goal, and he gets no acknowledgment cuz he's not Canada's horsey-toothed golden boy.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:45 PM ^
i would use all my points to neg you
-2750
i say the 2 goals rafalski scored in the first olympic game vs canada. or sadly, the tying marker against canada with ~:20 left in the championship game
December 30th, 2010 at 9:53 PM ^
I wouldn't neg another UM fan just because he was proud of his country winning gold in their most popular sport, regardless of who scored it.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:55 PM ^
I have no choice but to respect it. Good call sir.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:27 PM ^
Um probably the Lions season as a whole, granted 5-10 isn't great but I feel its the start of something amazing.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:36 PM ^
Been a Cots fan for life and I must admit it is much more enjoyable watching Colts games that mean something at the end of the season. If we don't make the playoffs so be it. I hated the fact they didnt play the last 3 games every year just not to hurt someone or to rest so and so blah blah blah. PLAY THE GAME
Go Colts and GO BLUE
December 30th, 2010 at 8:41 PM ^
Highly agree with the Lions' season. However, a more specific event that stands out to me was Ndamukong Suh shoving Jay Cutler like he was a 10 pound scarecrow.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:05 PM ^
Still can't believe Suh was fined for that one. If you start acting like a running back, I'm going to start treating you like one. If you don't slide as a QB and you get hurt passed the line of scrimmage, it's your own fault.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:29 PM ^
Im a huge SF Giants fan so I gotta go with them winning the World Series and everything that led up to that.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:33 PM ^
And his Team/Dome implosion, streak ending, weiner showing career coming to an end...I hope.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:34 PM ^
Armando Gallaraga's imperfect perfect game. Class act.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:50 PM ^
Nothing better than that, check mate.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:34 PM ^
It wasn't just the game; it was the way Gallaraga and Jim Joyce handled a situation that could have turned into a catastrofuck.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:34 PM ^
There's a lot of stuff that I didn't attend that tops it but I'll go with something I was actually at. Central game aganist Western this year was pure awesome. The build up all week, getting off from my last friday class because of the game, the atmosphere of the game, the sprinkling of snow, then vindicating the crummy season (partially) with a final minute win over our biggest rival, had to be the best game I attended all year.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:36 PM ^
clinching the NL Central in walk off fashion. Second choice would be Butler's run to the championship game.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:41 PM ^
December 30th, 2010 at 8:41 PM ^
December 30th, 2010 at 8:46 PM ^
Euphoria and madness. I'll remember that day for a long time.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:20 PM ^
I don't remember how far I ran screaming after Kane's goal, but it was a long way.
That was a great night
December 30th, 2010 at 9:28 PM ^
December 30th, 2010 at 11:07 PM ^
Game 5 against the Preds was amazing. Kaner shorthanded tie with :13.9 remaining. Hossa's OT winner right after coming out of the box for a boarding major. Pandemonium.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:51 PM ^
I really should delete this, but damn the rest of the threads right now.
I'm agreeing with SJUBlue. Donovan's goal was "a moment," as Dynamo Theory (Houston Dynamo on SBNation) so very well described it in a post earlier this week. Nothing has felt as special to me this season. No Denard clip, no NFL (especially as a Texans fan), and no NCAA tourney play held a candle to the call of the goal. Even the perfect (and near perfect) games, the no-hitters - they were close, but they weren't moments that gripe you as a fan.
A taste of Dynamo Theory's post:
A "moment" has several definitions but for our purposes, we'll go with this one: a time of excellence or conspicuousness.
Sports are defined by moments, single plays that often take only a matter of seconds to occur that live forever in the mind's eye of those who witnessed them and are passed along to new fans as talasmanic stories that help define a sport to new fans.
June 23rd, 2010 gave us a moment.
No matter how you felt about Landon Donovan before the 91st minute of the USA's World Cup match against Algeria, that single moment when the ball deflected off the goalkeeper to a charging Donovan forever changed how you felt about him.
For all the things that Donovan has accomplished so far, that moment will forever be linked with him and forever have a place in the minds and hearts of American soccer fans. It's been just over six months and I still get chills and goosebumps when I watch the replay of that goal. That is the definition of a moment. In that split second new fans were created, casual fans were hooked for life and long time fans were reminded why the love the beautiful game.
More importantly, that moment couldn't be planned out or expected, it just happened that way.
I was just a loose fan of soccer and the USMNT over the last 2 world cups. This time, I was hooked.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:59 PM ^
I agree that it was a great moment when it happened. However, losing to Ghana three days later took the sting out of the moment.
It's no different to winning the AL Central on the last day of the season and then getting swept out of the playoffs within 4 days (I live in Minnesota - this happens almost yearly for the local team).
It's not the biggest moment in US Soccer history - that remains with Paul Caliguiri in 1989, starting the U.S.'s modern era as a soccer nation.
But the two biggest moments of the World Cup, for my money, were Gyan's penalty kick miss versus Uruguay, and then Andres Iniesta's goal versus Holland in the final.
As far as goals go, Iniesta >> Donovan by a longshot.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:14 PM ^
But seeing the Twins get killed in the playoffs gives me such great pleasure.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:59 PM ^
Enjoy your drive.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:18 PM ^
Probably not going until Sunday now, should be fine. Go blue.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:09 PM ^
How many people see Joyce in the back ground with the arm signal of safe in the back ground. That was THE moment that will never be forgotten. What happened after was just pure class from two great individuals that love the game of baseball.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:52 PM ^
All of mine are taken, so I would like to add in the MSU meltdown in Iowa City. World changing. No. Awesome. Yes.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:58 PM ^
I was @ a bar in East Lansing with my cousins during that game and there was one kid dressed in black and gold (yellow?) just going crazy. Needless to say, he became my new best-friend that day.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:53 PM ^
Watching Barcelona throttle Real Madrid 5-0.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:29 PM ^
December 30th, 2010 at 8:55 PM ^
I have so many.... Donovan's goal in the Algeria game is a start. Another would be Detroit@Tampa (NFL) on my birthday. I almost had a heart attack but it was fun.
The re-emmergence of Michael Vick isn't a moment in time but is something in sports.
Boise State- Nevada is one I won't forget for a long time. Little bit of a shock in the sports world.
Obviously the almost perfect game.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:03 PM ^
Good call on Vick. While I think what he did a few years back is AWFUL, I am glad to see him get his life turn around; and even more glad to see him putting it all together on the field. I have become a band-wagon Eagles fan this year, and cant wait to see them in the playoffs.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:58 PM ^
When Kentucky did not win the National Title with 5, count em 1..2..3..4..5.., first round draft picks. I live in Louisville and damn I was so glad when they got put out.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:10 PM ^
Donovan goal v. Algeria hands down.
"OHHHH! IT"S INCREDIBLE!!!!!"
December 31st, 2010 at 12:01 AM ^
"You can't write a script better than this!"
December 30th, 2010 at 9:16 PM ^
The battle between Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen in the Tour of Flanders and later in Paris-Roubaix was just superb.
December 30th, 2010 at 11:25 PM ^
good battles indeed. Schleck v. Contador on the Col du Tourmalet was good times as well.
December 30th, 2010 at 11:37 PM ^
Yeah, but even if AC is cleared it will always be tainted. It's a shame.
December 31st, 2010 at 12:01 AM ^
What about the motor in Fabian's bike?
/s
Fabian is an absolute monster.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:22 PM ^
Watching my daughter's volleyball team make it to their first middle school championship...
December 30th, 2010 at 9:29 PM ^
Zach Parise's goal that sent the gold medal game into OT. Unfortunately the worst sporting moment of 2010 soon followed . . . damn Crysby!