OT: Favorite/Least Favorite Sports Moments of 2013

Submitted by Generic MGoBlogger on

I know... I know... 2013 was one heck of a terrible year. However, I do invite you to share your favorite AND least favorite moments of 2013.  These moments do not have to be simply Michigan related because we know well that there was a limited amount of bright spots in 2013. Seemed appropriate considering the year ends today.

Personally, the Sweet Sixteen game against Kansas was just on another level. Trey's shot and everything was just amazing.  I don't know if I've ever been more exhilarated by a sporting event (maybe UTL 1)... Only thing is it seems as if it has been buried under the likes of LeBron and whatever else the national sports media wants to advertise, and the comeback will never receive the attention it deserves.

On the other end, I have two least favorite moments: Louisville and the Ohio State game in November.  While 2013 had some extremely frustrating moments for my favorite sports teams, the sadness that followed these two games outdid whatever frustration was caused at other times. Still not completely over the Louisville loss, personally.

Edit: I will give honorable mentions to the Nebraska game... You may be confused, but it was great for me simply because it was my first trip back to the Big House in over 5 years.  The game was crap, but I was able to finally experience Michigan football firsthand again.

goblueram

December 31st, 2013 at 12:01 PM ^

Favorites: Kansas bball, Syracuse bball, Wings-Ducks series, Gasquet at US Open

Least favorites: Wings-Hawks game 7, Louisville bball, CCHA Championship, MSU football, Federer's whole year

gwkrlghl

December 31st, 2013 at 12:59 PM ^

  • Gorgui Dieng got away with a goaltend early on
  • That was a clean block (and IIRC we were only down three there)
  • Luke Hancock fouled out late in the 2nd half but his foul was given to someone else. He went on to score 5 more points and draw McGary's 4th foul. Luke Hancock fouled out!

RAGE

Benoit Balls

December 31st, 2013 at 12:04 PM ^

was definitely the high water mark of the year for me.  

Although, as a Browns fan, I must say when they hired Rob Chudzinski in January, that was a good moment as well. He is obviously building something for the Browns and will surely lead this team to a sustained run of successful football. Sure the first year was bumpy, but with the way the Front office traded away picks and players to stockpile assets for 2014, that was to be expected, especially when having to play QB roulette most weeks. Some people have said he might be"on the hot seat" but only an complete and total moron would fire a guy less than a year after hiring him.

 

stephenrjking

December 31st, 2013 at 12:05 PM ^

Burke fires for three! The game is tied!

Nothing else is really that close.

But I did enjoy Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the incredible comeback in the America's Cup, and watching Miggy go on a tear this summer. And Scherzer getting out of that jam against Oakland.

flysociety3

December 31st, 2013 at 12:05 PM ^

Favorite: MBB Tournament run (even with the loss... 'twas a magical run)... UTL2? 

Least Favorite: Every other waking moment.... Absolutely miserable year in sports.

LSAClassOf2000

December 31st, 2013 at 12:09 PM ^

If I had to choose, among the favorites would be:

- Michigan basketball vs. Kansas

- Our second Under The Lights event

- Anibal Sanchez striking out 17 Braves in a one-hit performance

Less favorite:

- UM / MSU football game

- Game 6 of the ALCS

- Red Wings / Blackhawks Game 7

jtmc33

December 31st, 2013 at 12:11 PM ^

Favorites:   Burke's 3 against Kansas;  Crushing Florida in the Elite 8; Beating Syracuse's unbeatable defense;  Beating ND under the lights;  The Dileo Slide;  UM's grit and determination against OSU

Least Favorites:   Losing to PSU in basketball to miss out on an outright conference title;  Missing a tip against IU to miss out on a shared conference title.

And collectively:    Akron, UConn, Missed FGs in Happy Valley, Being at the MSU game, Nebraska's last drive;  Iowa's second half; My heart sinking the second the OSU defense stopped the 2-point conversion;  Knowing my beloved Wolverines mailed it in against KSU

michgoblue

December 31st, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^

Favorites:  Anything related to Michigan basketball through March, even the exciting Finals loss.  Also, UTL II and some of our recruiting wins.

Least Favorite:  Everything football related other than above, everything basketball related from November onward. 

Erik_in_Dayton

December 31st, 2013 at 12:17 PM ^

The UConn and Akron games were pretty miserable, but the PSU game (the first loss, of course) was where the depth of Michigan's problems became apparent.  The offense failed badly, as well all remember. The defense couldn't keep a true freshman QB out of the endzone with two (?) minutes left after the coaches put their faith in the D to wrap things up.  Then Gibbons missed an easy one that would have let the Wolverines escape.  Bad time.

GoBlueRandy

December 31st, 2013 at 12:24 PM ^

#1. The Trey/Final Four run



#2. Red Sox take the World Series.



#3. Not an Auburn fan whatsoever but the way there season wound down was pretty damn exciting/entertaining.

jdon

December 31st, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^

favorites:  Kansas (obviously), Louisville game (exciting game),  Michigan hockey at the joe (first game I went to since I had my son, and he came too.)

The favorite:  ND game.  I watched the game in the golf course with the 8 guys I lived with my senior year at UofM.

 

The gallows pole: PSU OT and Iowa games... fucking horrible...

 

xxxxNateDaGreat

December 31st, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^

Favorite: Kansas game, UTL II, Peppers is Staying.

Not-So-Favorite: Oh, where to start... almost everything else about the football season, the McGary injury, D Hand to Bama, George Campbell decommit, the Bowl Game... probably some others that my grief addled brain has mercifully blocked from existence.

xxxxNateDaGreat

December 31st, 2013 at 3:57 PM ^

I have this reoccurring dream. I'm running towards someting.... something I desperately want... but there is always something in my way. It's a wall... it's a different color every time... so strange... I can only move it an inch but it always pushes me back... and I keep tripping over my feet and getting mad at my untied shoelaces...

And then I wake up in a cold sweat. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be about, but I have a feeling that it has something to do with the girl of my dreams who brutally rejected me during my the summer after my high school graudation.

...

...OH GOD WHYYYY?!?

NinjaDMM

December 31st, 2013 at 12:37 PM ^

Best



1. Burkes shot against Kansas (had to work really late that Friday, had a trip to California scheduled for after the game. Ended up turning off my phone, cut myself off from everyone, raced home to watch, wasn't happy that I was postponing the trip as we were getting housed. Fast forwarded to 10 mins left in the 2nd, watched it while packing up the twins stuff, they were only a month old, resigned to the fact that we were gonna lose. As they crept closer and closer, I found myself in front of the tv more and more. It was just amazing and I was yelling like the game was live)



2 Final Four against Syracuse. I had a pretty big party at my house for that, what a time!



3 Wings beating Anaheim. My girl is from SoCal (OC) and her friends and family are big time Ducks fans.



Worst



1 OSU game this year. Nothing will too losing to those guys. Not PSU, not looking like complete dogs hit against MSU. That loss to OSU still hurts. We had them man, we had them.



2 Wings losing to Chicago, game 7, OT.



3 Tigers losing to the Sox on Ortizs Grand Slam. God that was heartbreaking. Win that game and the Tigers are up 3-0 after game 3. Ugh.



4 Prince Fielders wack ass slide in game 6, trying to get back to third. I knew we were done after that.

Spock

December 31st, 2013 at 12:37 PM ^

My favorite was winning the Final Four game for a spot in the title game. My least favorite was losing said title game. I swear that I will neve see a national title again as long as I live (football or basketball).

The FannMan

December 31st, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^

Favorite: Burke shot from the damn parking lot (obviously).

Least Favorite: The second I realized that the woman screaming in joy behind me after the two point attempt was a Buckeye fan.  (I sit relatively low in the South endzone so I didn't have a good view of the play.)

Team 101

December 31st, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^

Favorite:  Beating Kansas in Basketball

Second Favorite:  Beating Michigan State in Basketball

Third Favorite:  Beating Moo in Hockey (they were the only team we could consistently beat last year)

Least Favorite:  January 8 Hockey Game against Bowling Green.  It was a sad event.

Second Least Favorite:  Losing to Moo in Football

Third Least Favorite:  Staying up to watch the BW Bowl.  BW = Big Waste

Perkis-Size Me

December 31st, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^

Favorites: everything from last March. The shot against KU, absolutely manhandling Florida, and coming within inches of a national title. Landing Jabrill, giving OSU one hell of a fight, and Devin providing us with a heroic, nearly flawless performance.



Least favorite: just about everything from this football season aside from the ND and OSU game. Getting out-coached by Akron and UConn, out-muscled and out-classed by MSU, losing our first home game in 3 years to an effing hapless Nebraska team, and allowing a Penn State true freshman QB to essentially throw up 3 straight Hail Marys and somehow, inexplicably, all three come down as catches. Oh yeah, and having negative rushing yards two weeks in a row. And perhaps, finally, walking out f Michigan Stadium after losing to OSU and hearing that disgusting, vomit inducing OSU alma mater played. Watching OSU fans get to celebrate on our turf just plain hurts.

snarling wolverine

December 31st, 2013 at 1:01 PM ^

The whole NCAA tournament run  is the favorite for me.  We beat the trendy upset pick (SD State), the supposedly invincible press of VCU, the #1 seed Kansas, the super-experienced Florida, and then a loaded Syracuse team before losing a classic to the consensus #1 team, in a game that made Spike Albrecht a national name.  That was one of the toughest runs ever (we faced five coaches with Final Four experience and four with national title rings) and we kept on surviving until it finally came to a bittersweet end.  I'll never forget it.

 

 

 

gwkrlghl

December 31st, 2013 at 1:04 PM ^

Runner ups would be every minute of VCU, Syracuse, and Florida

Low: MSU 2013. Awful

Runner up would be the hockey's terrible stretch of 1-5 against the NTDP, BGSU, Alaska, and Lake State from Jan 4-19. That was the answer to "Will we pull it together?" with a resounding "Noooope". Probably the lowest point for Michigan hockey in the last...decade?

stephenrjking

December 31st, 2013 at 1:27 PM ^

Longer than that, unless you think the Hensick/team meltdown against North Dakota was worse (I don't). 01, 02, and 03 were all Frozen Four runs featuring guys like Jed Ortmeyer.

I don't think you can find an analogous run of failure and underperformance during the entire streak. On the hockey team, anyway-this years OL is kind of the same thing in football.

BlueinOK

December 31st, 2013 at 1:07 PM ^

I work in a D2 Athletic Department, and the best moment was seeing our men's basketball team advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. We've only been D2 since 2008. 

I'd say the least favorite is the PSU game. 

Gr1mlock

December 31st, 2013 at 1:17 PM ^

Favorite: Syracuse game, Honorable mention to the Kansas game and really the whole tournament run.  Slightly less honorable mention to the Ohio State game, because even though we lost, the way that game was played was one of the only times this season I left a football game this year with a smile on my face, rather than either frustration or exasperated relief. 

Least favorite: As has been said by many, pretty much everythinge else.  However, the MSU football game this year was really the killer for me.  Before that, I thought we were an okay team that were a couple smart adjustments from being good.  Losing that game, in the way we did, just completely deflated me.  Dishonorable mention to Hand picking 'Bama and Campbell decommitting and to Dumars not drafting Burke. 

User -not THAT user

December 31st, 2013 at 1:39 PM ^

Favorite moment:  Red Sox winning World Series.

LEAST favorite moment: There's too many to choose from, but the one that really stands out, for some reason, is Devin Gardner's end zone interception to Stephon Tuitt in the Notre Dame game.

I had just been telling my wife how I'd matured as a sports fan, how I wasn't the same knucklehead I was when she met me who would yell at television sets and throw things and rend garments and any other stupid reactionary thing...we're visiting my father's house in Tennessee that weekend, she's into her third trimester and we're getting back after an afternoon visiting the aquarium and grabbing pizza to take home, and Michigan has the game comfortably in hand and then THAT PLAY happens and I completely lose my mind.

It wasn't even one of those "Oh, we can laugh at it now, we won" moments for me...I still feel the bile rising everytime I see it replayed.  The ineptitude of the offensive line, the HORRIBLE decision made by Gardner (wearing Tom Harmon's jersey number, no less)...and of course the ridiculous athletic ability of a massive down lineman (who was wearing a single-digit number on his jersey which made him look even bigger than he actually was) laying out full extension and stabbing the ball with his fingertips to pick it off the tips of the Big House field turf...just fried every synapse in my brain.  I can't remember the last time I yelled that much.  Maybe watching Billy Sauer play against Notre Dame in the 2008 Frozen Four.