The 9 Stories of the the 2012 Sports Year
9.) Kentucky Cracks the Code
John Calipari is a snake. He's a brilliant recruiter, but a snake. He's run away from two programs leaving them with little talent and a vacated final four. He's a snake, but he found his home in Kentucky. It was supposed to be the perfect marraige between coach and program, the great recruiter now offering the best historical program. For two years he brought in the #1 recruiting class, but Kentucky fizzled out in the late stages of the tournament because they went cold. John Wall and Demarcus Cousins and Co. couldn't hit a shot to save their life against a veteran-laden West Virginia team in the 2010 Elite Eight. The next year Brandon Knight and Co. lost because they couldn't hit a shot or stop a veteran-laden UCONN team. 2011-12 was supposed to be different. The players they recruited were even better, were more of a sure thing. Anthony Davis was the lock #1 pick. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was a lock Top-5 pick. It was all Freshmen and Sophomores, but they were the most talented team. And for once, it worked. Kentucky flew through a two-loss regular season, but they had done that before in 2010. Now it was time to prove it in March, and they did just that. They were rarely challenged for most of the tournament. Indiana gave them a game for a half, but couldn't keep it up. Louisville went on a late run in the Semifinal, but couldn't keep it. In the final, Coach Cal and Kentucky met Kansas, and Coach Bill Self, the coach and team that ruined Calipari's great 2008 Memphis team. Kentucky dominated the early part of the game against the veteran-laden Kansas team, leading by double digits for most of the games first 30 minutes, but then Kansas went on their run. Kansas cut it three, and most in the crowd were nervous that Kansas was doing it again, that they were going to fall apart, but up three, Anthony Davis's long reach forced a Kansas player to double-clutch a three and go up-and-down. Kentucky rolled through the finish and won their title, fullfilling all the promise that their talented team had. They were a brilliant team, but in the aftermath of a bunch of one-and-done's winning a title there were many questions of whether Kentucky's title was good or bad for the sport. Most didn't like Calipari's constant recruiting of one-and-done players, of players that had no inclination of finishing school. But in reality, it wasn't that this was a brilliant strategy that would always work, that would revolutionize the sport, but rather that Calipari finally found the right people in a weak year. His team weren't ordinary freshmen, they were brilliant ones and they didn't have a cold game like the 2010 team. They met an ordinary Kansas team in the final, one that wasn't good enough to really pose a challenge. Calipari didn't revolutionize team-building in college basketball, he just found the perfect mix for one year.
8.) The Great MVP Debate
There has long been a fight between the stat-heads and the old-timey sportswriters. They have debated on Moneyball, the value of OBP, the value of different stats, the lack of value in Pitcher Wins and Batting Average. But no fight has ever been so large, so meaningful and so pointed as the MVP discussion of Miguel "Triple Crown" Cabrera and Mike Trout. The debate was really simple. Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown, becoming the first player on over 40 years to do so. Mike Trout was a rookie who had a brilliant season, hitting .324 and 30 home runs while stealing 50 bases and playing excellent defense in Centerfield. He was the epitome of the modern baseball player, with great plate discipline, underrated power and incredible speed. The debate started in earnest when it became more than clear that Cabrera would win the Triple Crown. It became even more clear that Cabrera would win when the Tigers made the playoffs and the Angels fell short, but that just made the debate even more interesting. There was little hope Trout would win the award, but reading both sides go at it was as entertaining as ever. I really wish FJM was around for the award race in 2012. The award was easy to decipher. Cabrera's team made the playoffs so he was more valuable. He led the league in batting average, home runs and RBIs. He was the most valuable hitter. But he was slow and provided little value on the basepaths, and he was average at best at 3rd Base. On the other side was Mike Trout, the modern advanced stats dream. He provided incredible value playing unbelievable defense in center, and he was a monster on the basepaths. The value on these facets made him better all around then Cabrera, but Trout's team didn't make the playoffs. In the end, Cabrera won the award easily, but it was the fight that led up to it that was amazing. The stat-heads called out the old-timers for being shallow, for not looking at defense and baserunning (things old-timers pretend to love, these "intangibles"). Old-timers called out the stat-heads for not caring about the 'history of the game' the triple-crown (ironically, many triple-crown winners didn't win their MVP in that season). Keith Law and Rob Parker got into a Twitter fight. Many other writers called each other out. It was vengeful and spiteful, but as an outsider reading in, it was great to watch.
7.) Peyton Manning returns
Peyton Manning's 2011 was as bad as it gets. It started with losing a playoff game to the Jets 17-16 because no one could cover a kick return. It ended with neck surgery, nerve regeneration and a season ending injury that put him out of a job. 2012 started out badly as well. He was cut from Indianapolis, the only team he's ever known. He gave a beautiful, tearful goodbye speech at the press conference announcing his release, and then went on, in retrospect, the most amazing free agent search ever. He picked Denver, and then the real work started. At that point, Peyton still couldn't really throw the ball, but hard work and time is all he needed. He found the fountain of youth in Denver, and hasn't slowed down since. By now, 12 wins to three losses later, it is amazing to remember that one year ago at this time it was very much in doubt if Peyton Manning could ever play football again. One year later, and he is playing better than he has since 2009. Peyton Manning made the Broncos into a leading Super Bowl contender. They are a complete team that Manning made better in every way. The defense has an easier job as they're not on the field as much, and can unleash their ferocious pass rush, but it still begins and ends in Peyton. Sometimes when you watch him in Denver, you can sit back and close your eyes and it looks, sounds and feels like Manning in Indianapolis all over again, throwing bullets to Marvin and Reggie. It is beautiful, it is football at its finest, and we all get to see it again and hopeufully see it happen more the next few years. Manning himself seems reinvigorated, seems focused at a level I have rarely seen from him. The best shot of the NFL season for me is Peyton Manning, after each Broncos drive, successful or not, gathering his offensive teammates around him at the bench, him on bended-knee in front of them and working with them. He wants this so bad, and the way he and his team are playing, they just might get it. But that is for 2013. 2012 was about his comeback, his incredible journey from public PR games with Irsay during Super Bowl week, to being released, to finding a new home, to his first game against Pittsburgh, to a ten game win streak. Everything was possible for Peyton in 2012.
6.) Bountygate
It started as a simple newsbreak, that a study indicates the Saints were paying players for injuring opponents. Much like Spygate, the initial salvo wasn't that loud or big, and definitely didn't portend the mess that would come, but unlike Spygate, this time the penalties would be far more severe, the court cases for more acceptable, the targets far more wide-reaching and the outcry far more damaging. It may end up being the black-mark that ruins Roger Goodell's reign as commissioner and it has definitely strained relationships between Goodell and the players further than ever. In the end, with the courtcases and appeals and decisions by Tagliabue, Bountygate has become more of a player story, but the more interesting (if less impactful) part of the story was that it did uncover a institution that was out of control and deceitful, it did punish the major players, and it did bring to light the culture of the NFL that has to change. In the end, the Saints were found guilty of establishing a program where they would pay players for injuring other opponents, and worse, when the Saints were initially caught, they lied through their teeth, promised to stop the program, and did not come close to stopping it. The lies and deceit, the lack of organizational control, is what cost Gregg Williams most likely his career, Sean Payton a year of his coaching life, and Mickey Loomis 8 games, and most importantly, the Saints their season. Forget the players, the real villians of Bounty Gate were the administrators, who oversaw an institution that had it been college would likely have ended with Sean Payton losing his job. Bountygate also became a referendum on Goodell's tenure long before teh court cases and Tagliabue's ruling, as it for once a sign that coaches and management were held up to the same standard as players. It also became a real look into the minds of defense, as many players lined up on either side of the fence, some arguing that these programs were commonplace and OK, and others decrying them as despicable. It wasn't Spygate in terms of its satirical nature, or in terms of how it effected teh season to come (Spygate creating the 16-0 Patriots monster, dominating the 2007 season), but it was more important for Goodell, more damaging for the league, and made a dull pre-draft offseason as wild as any in recent memory.
5.) The Heat get their Crown
It wasn't easy. It was supposed to be. Hell, that is why LeBron went there, so it could be easy, so he could party it up and swing his dick all the way to not one, not two... not seven, eight titles. But it wasn't easy in any way. Teams hated them. Teams wanted them. Teams realized that players #4-12 weren't all that great, and that Dwayne Wade wasn't Dwayne Wade. But LeBron James was still LeBron James, and he decided that in 2012 he wasn't going to mysteriously disappear in a flaccid display of hot-potato like he did in the 2011 Finals. Down 2 games to 1 against the Pacers in the 2nd Round without Chris Bosh, LeBron James went on a run and they won the last three games to ice that series. Down 3 to 2 against Boston, going to Chowder City for Game 6, LeBron decided today was they day he would finally be the player that dropped 29 of 30 points back in 2007, and he scored 45 in three quarters in an insane performance, leading the Heat to an easy win. Game 7 was a bit closer, and the Celtics even had a lead in the 4th quarter, but the Celtics offense went cold and the Heat escaped; LeBron escaped the team that ousted him in 2008 and 2010, repaying the favor in 2012. The Heat were back in the finals, this time against the Thunder, the one team with about as much talent but even more youth. The youth showed in Game 1 in OKC, as the Thunder flew up and down the court, making the Heat look old and slow, but that was just a one game mirage. The Heat slowed the game down over the last four games, won each of them including sweeping the last three in Miami. LeBron got his crown, he got his title he came to Miami for. It was harder than expected, harder than even he thought, but it was what he came to Miami for. Instantly, people seemed to forgot that LeBron surrendered the War of winning a title by himself and fled for greener pastures in Miami. No, people didn't remember that, but remembered just his insane performances against the Pacers, his historic one against Boston, and his calm finish against the Thunder. The Heat won one... just seven more to go.
4.) Roger Federer Strikes Back
It was one of cruelest jokes, that a loss to Robin Soderling in the Quarterfinals in the 2010 French Open not only ended his streak of 23 straight majors reaching the semifinals, but also lost him the #1 ranking just one week short of tying Pete Sampras's record for most weeks at #1. Sampras had 288, and when Federer lost to Soderling, and Rafael Nadal won the French Open two days later, Federer had 287. It was like that for over two years, as Nadal kept playing great and Novak Djokovic took his game up a level. It was the one record Federer didn't have that he desperately wanted. Federer has never shied away from records. He wore a jacket with a stitched crown and '15' when he broke Sampras's record of 14 majors. He wanted this record badly and he fell a week short. It was a cruel joke, but Federer got the last laugh. Late in 2011, Roger, ranked #3, loaded up on tournaments late in the season, a time when Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were resting after longer, more exhausting and better seasons in 2011. Federer won quite a few tournaments to end 2011 and start 2012 and gained a bunch of ranking points, giving him a chance to regain that ranking., Even though he entered Wimbledon ranked #3, he had a chance to reach #1 if he won the title and Rafal Nadal lost before the final. Nadal played his part, losing an epic upset to Lucas Rosol. The stage was set: win the title and #1 is yours, the last record that Fed didn't own is his. It was all there, and Federer, a man who was two and a half years removed from his last major title, did it in fine form. Federer first escaped his own Rosol, in Julien Bennetteau, who won the first two sets in their 3rd Round match, and served up 5-4 in the 4th set tiebreak, but fell away. Federer cruised to the semis, where he met Novak Djokovic, and defiantly outplayed the world's #1 in four sets, setting up a dream final with Andy Murray. Murray himself was playing great tennis, and had all of England behind him. Either way the outcome, it would be memorable. Either England's long major-less streak would end at Wimbledon, or Federer would win another major, regain the #1 ranking and break that record. Murray won the first set, but then with rain starting, they closed the roof. Under the roof, Federer's shots found new life, and he won the last three sets and finished the miracle run off in style. Federer's 17th title might be his last, but it certainly was among the most memorable as well. Federer got that record, and became almost improbably at his age, the best player in the tennis world.
3.) The Giants win the Pennant
Buster Posey was called up on May 29th, 2010. The Giants were 25-22 at the time. Discounting the time missed after Posey's gruesome leg injury last season, the Giants are 188-136 since. Buster Posey is the face of the Giants, but the way the Giants have won two of the last three World Series, you might as well draw that line in the sand. It started with Posey getting called up, and it ends with two World Series in three years, a mini-dynasty in a sport that has more parity than football right now. The Giants aren't filled with a bunch of great player, but a whole spate of good ones. It is amazing to look at their 2010 and 2012 World Series teams and see how little they have in common. The 2010 team was filled mainly with castoffs and older players like Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross, Edgar Renterria, and based off of a great pitching staff with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and a stud rookie named Madison Bumgarner. The 2012 was totally different, and unlike 2010 when they flew through the playoffs dropping just four games, they made this one a little more dramatic. They lost the first two games of the NLDS to Cincinnati in San Francisco. No problem, as they went back to Cincinnati and won three straight games. They were down 3-1 to the defending champion Cardinals (another team who just wouldn't die) and they won the last three games easily, dominating the Cards. They then faced the Detroit Tigers, with Justin Verlander and Mr. Triple Crown himself, and dominated the first three games of that series. It wasn't all that entertaining in the World Series, but it was a team playing as well as it could. It still featured great pitching, but this time it was the reincarnation of Barry Zito, and it was Tim Lincecum, resigned to a bullpen job, becoming an unhittable long reliever. It was Madison Bumgarner still pitching great. It was Sergio Romo becoming the new black-haired strange closer. Buster Posey was still the centerpiece of the offense, but the rest was different. Angel Pagan replaced Andres Torres. Marc Crawford replaced Edgar Renterria. The Giants aren't a great team. They might not even make the playoffs next year. Twenty years from, it might seem unbelievable that the Giants won two World Series in three years, but they did it, and they did it because their team excelled at what it was built to do: make contact, pitch well and play defense.
And now, the Two Great Stories of 2012
2.) Chelsea's Golden Generation
The Golden Generation had their chance in 2008, when captain John Terry stepped up to the spot, 12 yards away from European Glory over Manchester United. He slipped on the way to the ball, and he missed. Manchester United had new life, and a few minutes later, it was all over. Chelsea was that close. One year later, they had their chance again, playing Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in the Camp Nou, and then scoring early at home. Many controversially penalty shouts were not granted, and in the 93rd minute, Barcelona got the equalizer. They were that close again. Chelsea's Golden Generation, made up of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba among others had seen their best two chances for European Glory disappear, and saw managers come and go (Avram Grant, Luis Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre-Vilas Boas), but midway through their 2011-12 season, ex-Chelsea player Roberto Di Matteo took over. Chelsea was languishing in 6th in the Premier Leage, and were down 3-1 in their Champions League Round of 16 Matchup with Napoli when something special happened. Chelsea won 2-0, and got through to the Quarter on away goals. They then made their way to play Barcelona, everyone's pick as the best team in the world, once again. This time they would get the 1st Leg at home. The locations were different, but the cast of characters were mostly the same, and so was the strategy: defend your ass off. Chelsea did just that in the 1st Leg, but got a little lucky. Barcelona peppered Cech's goal with 20+ shots, and hit a couple posts but nothing went through. What did was a beautiful finish by Didier Drogba right before half to give Chelsea a lead. They held off for a 1-0 win, a perfect result, as Barca wouldn't have any away-goal advantage. Then the real drama started.
Camp Nou isn't an easy place to play, but Barcelona in recent Champions League campaigns have struggled at home, memorably losing to a 10-man Inter Milan team in 2010 (they won the match 1-0, but lost the tie 2-3). Barcelona was crisp and forceful in the 1st Leg, but at times slow and plodding in the 2nd, but still leveled the tie. A few minutes later in the 1st half, John Terry, the long-tenured Chelsea captain, the inspirational leader of the club, kneed a Barca player and was sent off. It was a terrible display of character from Terry, and hurt his club that was already playing against a monster. Barcelona scored soon after to make it 2-0 (2-1 aggregate) and most thought it would be over. But right before halftime, a looping pass by Frank Lampard (who to me was Chelsea's real leader) hit Ramires perfectly, and he looped one past a terribly-out-of-position Victor Valdes. Suddenly, at the half it was Chelsea's tie to lose, and not only did they not lose it, they outplayed Barca a man down. Unlike the 1st Leg, Barcelona couldn't transfer its giant edge in possession to many actual chances, getting just 5 shots on goal in the match. They couldn't penetrate a 10-man Chelsea who defended about as good as possible (including a cameo appearance by Didier Drogba: Left Back). Then, with the game in the last few minutes, Fernando Torres received a clearance and had nothing in front of him but green grass. He calmly side-stepped the again out of position Valdes and ended it. Fernando Torres was the symbol of Chelsea's failures. He cost Chelsea 80 Million Pounds, and provided nothing for much of his Chelsea tenure. But on the biggest stage, against his once rival, he put the nail in the Barcelona coffin. Unlike Inter Milan in 2010, Chelsea wasn't the best team in their own country, but they went into the Camp Nou and played Barcelona to a draw.
Yet that might not have been the most impressive part of the Chelsea run, because the final they had to play was against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena, coincidently located in Munich. Munich was already a better team on paper (in total, outplaying Real Madrid in their own stadium) and now they were in Munich, and Chelsea would be missing some key players because of injury and suspension. The match was much like the Chelsea-Barcelona tilt early on, with Chelsea conceding possession to Bayern, and Bayern not getting many clear chances. Finally, in the 80s, Bayern got their breakthrough as Thomas Muller scored a header. Chelsea had fought hard and looked done, but there was quite a few twists left. First, came Didier Drogba's bullet of an equalizer, a header perfectly launched past Manuel Neuer. Then, Drogba went from hero to goat when he tackled Ribery in the box in Extra Time, giving Bayern a penatly kick. The Kick was taken by Arjen Robben. Robben once played for Chelsea. He was brought in by Jose Mourinho, a man who started the whole 'Golden Generation.' It was he that brought all these guys together, and it was Chelsea's traversal through many coaches since he was sacked that was a sign of their fall. But here was Robben, playing for Bayern, and he missed. The Final went to penalties, where Chelsea held firm and won. The Golden Generation had done it, they had achieved the one goal that Jose Mourinho was fired for (the Champions League). This was their destiny. How else could you explain a team beating Barcelona, a profoundly better team, then playing the final in their opponents own stadium and trailing 80 minutes into the match, and still winning. It was special, and it was Golden. Somewhere, Jose Mourinho stopped beating himself up over Madrid's Semi-Final loss in penalties to Bayern and smiled as his Golden Generaton that he started finally won that prize.
1.) Deja-Blue
Most sequels aren't very good. Some are awful. But then every now and then you get a sequel that hits all the right notes, that pays homage to the first without outright copying it, for providing a different take on the same cast of characters. Out of all the sequels I have ever seen, the 2011 New York Giants playoff run might have been the best. It was different enough from what the Giants did in 2007 to not bore me and make it stand out on its own, but had enough similarities to evoke the magic of what the Giants did in January and February in 2008. The New York Giants ride in January and February of 2012 was that sequel, and what a ride it was.
There was the token beatdown of the overmatched NFC South team in Round 1 (Tampa Bay in 2007, Atlanta this time). There was the upset of the #1 seed in the Divisional Round, the team that had been wire-to-wire the best in the NFC that season (Dallas in 2007, Green Bay - the defending champs who started the season 13-0 - in 2011). There was the memorable, magical, beautiful NFC Championship Game OverTime win in both seasons (Packers in 2007, 49ers in 2011), moreover, both games ended with crucial OT turnovers by the opponent setting up game winning field goals by Lawrence Tynes. Finally, there was the upset of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The one difference was the Giants themselves. They were a different team. They were a slightly above average "We Are What We Are" team in 2010, a 10-6 Wild Card winner, but in 2011, they were a maddeningly inconsistent team that went 9-7 but won the weak NFC East. In 2007, they were led by a ferocious pass rush led by tandem Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora with up-and-comer Justin Tuck, and they were also led by their running game and brilliant o-line that hid a still uneven Eli Manning. In 2011, they still had that pass rush (though Tuck replaced Strahan as a veteran, and Jason Pierre-Paul was the precocious newcomer), but now it was Eli Manning and a high powered passing game hiding a suspect run game and o-line. The other difference is what the Giants did in the playoffs.
Even in the playoffs in 2007, what the Giants did felt a bit lucky. They gained just 60 yards in the 2nd Half of the 2007 Divisional win in Dallas, but won because of great field position and the Dallas O-Line going to Hell. They were 14-point underdogs in the Super Bowl because they just weren't all that good, and no one could believe that that team would make it there. This time, they were a game worse in the standings, but arguably even better and deeper. Despite the two close games they played, dno one could really argue that the Giants were not just simply the better team in each of their matchup. The shutout Atlanta's offense. They beat a great 15-1 Packers team 37-20, and it probably shouldn't have been that close. They had that air of "We've Been Here Before" and they showed it;. Everyone kne-w it. By the time they finished off their dramatic Title Game win (full of Eli Manning taking an absolute beating being sacked 6 times among his 64 dropbacks), mamy just expected them to beat New England, and why not? They did it as a worse team against a better Patriots team in 2007. I mean, this is how sequels should naturally end, right?
Even when watching that Super Bowl, it was hard to tell that one team was a #1 seed and went 13-3, while the other went 9-7. While that is somewhat true of the first game, if you rewatch Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots still feel like the better team. That was a sense of air in the crowd that felt like "How are the Giants doing this." It was the hard work of one unbeatable pass rush plus a velcro helmet. It was the great underdog story. This seemed different. From the Giants dominating start (long drive but punt, then forcing a safety, then TD to make it 9-0), to their repeated long drives that had sad ends (field goals, phantom holding calls, uncalled pass interference calls), the Giants moved the ball all day. Aside from two drives, one to end the 1st Half and one to start the 2nd, Brady was held at bay. The Giants felt like the better team, and we were left thinking how good the Patriots were just to have the lead late in hat game. But then it was time for the Final Act, and for us all to remember just why we were in love with the Giants in the first place. They took over with 4 minutes left down 15-17 at their own 12 yard-line. Then, on their 1st snap, Eli Manning dropped back, glided left, and rifled a long-arcing pass into Mario Manningham at midfield, who caught it, landed on both feet, was blasted and held on. It wasn't the Tyree Catch, but in a way, it was better, much like the 2011 Giants in January 2012 themselves. The Tyree Catch was special, was unforgettable, was one of teh 10 most famous plays in the history of the NFL, but it was a bit lucky. Mario Manningham's catch at the end of Eli Manning's throw wasn't lucky, it was precise execution by a team more than capable of it.
The Giants in January and February of 2012 didn't captivate a nation, didn't redeem a failed QB and failing coach, didn't slay an 18-0 dragon. No, they weren't as dramatic. The just won their four games, three against teams that went 15-1, 13-3 and 13-3. They cemented the 2007-2011 Giants as one of the most unlikeliest mini-dynasties in history. They basically booked Eli Manning;s place in Canton, Ohio, and although Eli fell back to earth in his 2012 season, he will always have what happened in the beginning of 2012 to probe just how brilliant he can be. In the end, the 2012 Giants movie sequel to the 2007 Giants wasn't better, but the team was.
9.) Kentucky Cracks the Code
John Calipari is a snake. He's a brilliant recruiter, but a snake. He's run away from two programs leaving them with little talent and a vacated final four. He's a snake, but he found his home in Kentucky. It was supposed to be the perfect marraige between coach and program, the great recruiter now offering the best historical program. For two years he brought in the #1 recruiting class, but Kentucky fizzled out in the late stages of the tournament because they went cold. John Wall and Demarcus Cousins and Co. couldn't hit a shot to save their life against a veteran-laden West Virginia team in the 2010 Elite Eight. The next year Brandon Knight and Co. lost because they couldn't hit a shot or stop a veteran-laden UCONN team. 2011-12 was supposed to be different. The players they recruited were even better, were more of a sure thing. Anthony Davis was the lock #1 pick. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was a lock Top-5 pick. It was all Freshmen and Sophomores, but they were the most talented team. And for once, it worked. Kentucky flew through a two-loss regular season, but they had done that before in 2010. Now it was time to prove it in March, and they did just that. They were rarely challenged for most of the tournament. Indiana gave them a game for a half, but couldn't keep it up. Louisville went on a late run in the Semifinal, but couldn't keep it. In the final, Coach Cal and Kentucky met Kansas, and Coach Bill Self, the coach and team that ruined Calipari's great 2008 Memphis team. Kentucky dominated the early part of the game against the veteran-laden Kansas team, leading by double digits for most of the games first 30 minutes, but then Kansas went on their run. Kansas cut it three, and most in the crowd were nervous that Kansas was doing it again, that they were going to fall apart, but up three, Anthony Davis's long reach forced a Kansas player to double-clutch a three and go up-and-down. Kentucky rolled through the finish and won their title, fullfilling all the promise that their talented team had. They were a brilliant team, but in the aftermath of a bunch of one-and-done's winning a title there were many questions of whether Kentucky's title was good or bad for the sport. Most didn't like Calipari's constant recruiting of one-and-done players, of players that had no inclination of finishing school. But in reality, it wasn't that this was a brilliant strategy that would always work, that would revolutionize the sport, but rather that Calipari finally found the right people in a weak year. His team weren't ordinary freshmen, they were brilliant ones and they didn't have a cold game like the 2010 team. They met an ordinary Kansas team in the final, one that wasn't good enough to really pose a challenge. Calipari didn't revolutionize team-building in college basketball, he just found the perfect mix for one year.
8.) The Great MVP Debate
There has long been a fight between the stat-heads and the old-timey sportswriters. They have debated on Moneyball, the value of OBP, the value of different stats, the lack of value in Pitcher Wins and Batting Average. But no fight has ever been so large, so meaningful and so pointed as the MVP discussion of Miguel "Triple Crown" Cabrera and Mike Trout. The debate was really simple. Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown, becoming the first player on over 40 years to do so. Mike Trout was a rookie who had a brilliant season, hitting .324 and 30 home runs while stealing 50 bases and playing excellent defense in Centerfield. He was the epitome of the modern baseball player, with great plate discipline, underrated power and incredible speed. The debate started in earnest when it became more than clear that Cabrera would win the Triple Crown. It became even more clear that Cabrera would win when the Tigers made the playoffs and the Angels fell short, but that just made the debate even more interesting. There was little hope Trout would win the award, but reading both sides go at it was as entertaining as ever. I really wish FJM was around for the award race in 2012. The award was easy to decipher. Cabrera's team made the playoffs so he was more valuable. He led the league in batting average, home runs and RBIs. He was the most valuable hitter. But he was slow and provided little value on the basepaths, and he was average at best at 3rd Base. On the other side was Mike Trout, the modern advanced stats dream. He provided incredible value playing unbelievable defense in center, and he was a monster on the basepaths. The value on these facets made him better all around then Cabrera, but Trout's team didn't make the playoffs. In the end, Cabrera won the award easily, but it was the fight that led up to it that was amazing. The stat-heads called out the old-timers for being shallow, for not looking at defense and baserunning (things old-timers pretend to love, these "intangibles"). Old-timers called out the stat-heads for not caring about the 'history of the game' the triple-crown (ironically, many triple-crown winners didn't win their MVP in that season). Keith Law and Rob Parker got into a Twitter fight. Many other writers called each other out. It was vengeful and spiteful, but as an outsider reading in, it was great to watch.
7.) Peyton Manning returns
Peyton Manning's 2011 was as bad as it gets. It started with losing a playoff game to the Jets 17-16 because no one could cover a kick return. It ended with neck surgery, nerve regeneration and a season ending injury that put him out of a job. 2012 started out badly as well. He was cut from Indianapolis, the only team he's ever known. He gave a beautiful, tearful goodbye speech at the press conference announcing his release, and then went on, in retrospect, the most amazing free agent search ever. He picked Denver, and then the real work started. At that point, Peyton still couldn't really throw the ball, but hard work and time is all he needed. He found the fountain of youth in Denver, and hasn't slowed down since. By now, 12 wins to three losses later, it is amazing to remember that one year ago at this time it was very much in doubt if Peyton Manning could ever play football again. One year later, and he is playing better than he has since 2009. Peyton Manning made the Broncos into a leading Super Bowl contender. They are a complete team that Manning made better in every way. The defense has an easier job as they're not on the field as much, and can unleash their ferocious pass rush, but it still begins and ends in Peyton. Sometimes when you watch him in Denver, you can sit back and close your eyes and it looks, sounds and feels like Manning in Indianapolis all over again, throwing bullets to Marvin and Reggie. It is beautiful, it is football at its finest, and we all get to see it again and hopeufully see it happen more the next few years. Manning himself seems reinvigorated, seems focused at a level I have rarely seen from him. The best shot of the NFL season for me is Peyton Manning, after each Broncos drive, successful or not, gathering his offensive teammates around him at the bench, him on bended-knee in front of them and working with them. He wants this so bad, and the way he and his team are playing, they just might get it. But that is for 2013. 2012 was about his comeback, his incredible journey from public PR games with Irsay during Super Bowl week, to being released, to finding a new home, to his first game against Pittsburgh, to a ten game win streak. Everything was possible for Peyton in 2012.
6.) Bountygate
It started as a simple newsbreak, that a study indicates the Saints were paying players for injuring opponents. Much like Spygate, the initial salvo wasn't that loud or big, and definitely didn't portend the mess that would come, but unlike Spygate, this time the penalties would be far more severe, the court cases for more acceptable, the targets far more wide-reaching and the outcry far more damaging. It may end up being the black-mark that ruins Roger Goodell's reign as commissioner and it has definitely strained relationships between Goodell and the players further than ever. In the end, with the courtcases and appeals and decisions by Tagliabue, Bountygate has become more of a player story, but the more interesting (if less impactful) part of the story was that it did uncover a institution that was out of control and deceitful, it did punish the major players, and it did bring to light the culture of the NFL that has to change. In the end, the Saints were found guilty of establishing a program where they would pay players for injuring other opponents, and worse, when the Saints were initially caught, they lied through their teeth, promised to stop the program, and did not come close to stopping it. The lies and deceit, the lack of organizational control, is what cost Gregg Williams most likely his career, Sean Payton a year of his coaching life, and Mickey Loomis 8 games, and most importantly, the Saints their season. Forget the players, the real villians of Bounty Gate were the administrators, who oversaw an institution that had it been college would likely have ended with Sean Payton losing his job. Bountygate also became a referendum on Goodell's tenure long before teh court cases and Tagliabue's ruling, as it for once a sign that coaches and management were held up to the same standard as players. It also became a real look into the minds of defense, as many players lined up on either side of the fence, some arguing that these programs were commonplace and OK, and others decrying them as despicable. It wasn't Spygate in terms of its satirical nature, or in terms of how it effected teh season to come (Spygate creating the 16-0 Patriots monster, dominating the 2007 season), but it was more important for Goodell, more damaging for the league, and made a dull pre-draft offseason as wild as any in recent memory.
5.) The Heat get their Crown
It wasn't easy. It was supposed to be. Hell, that is why LeBron went there, so it could be easy, so he could party it up and swing his dick all the way to not one, not two... not seven, eight titles. But it wasn't easy in any way. Teams hated them. Teams wanted them. Teams realized that players #4-12 weren't all that great, and that Dwayne Wade wasn't Dwayne Wade. But LeBron James was still LeBron James, and he decided that in 2012 he wasn't going to mysteriously disappear in a flaccid display of hot-potato like he did in the 2011 Finals. Down 2 games to 1 against the Pacers in the 2nd Round without Chris Bosh, LeBron James went on a run and they won the last three games to ice that series. Down 3 to 2 against Boston, going to Chowder City for Game 6, LeBron decided today was they day he would finally be the player that dropped 29 of 30 points back in 2007, and he scored 45 in three quarters in an insane performance, leading the Heat to an easy win. Game 7 was a bit closer, and the Celtics even had a lead in the 4th quarter, but the Celtics offense went cold and the Heat escaped; LeBron escaped the team that ousted him in 2008 and 2010, repaying the favor in 2012. The Heat were back in the finals, this time against the Thunder, the one team with about as much talent but even more youth. The youth showed in Game 1 in OKC, as the Thunder flew up and down the court, making the Heat look old and slow, but that was just a one game mirage. The Heat slowed the game down over the last four games, won each of them including sweeping the last three in Miami. LeBron got his crown, he got his title he came to Miami for. It was harder than expected, harder than even he thought, but it was what he came to Miami for. Instantly, people seemed to forgot that LeBron surrendered the War of winning a title by himself and fled for greener pastures in Miami. No, people didn't remember that, but remembered just his insane performances against the Pacers, his historic one against Boston, and his calm finish against the Thunder. The Heat won one... just seven more to go.
4.) Roger Federer Strikes Back
It was one of cruelest jokes, that a loss to Robin Soderling in the Quarterfinals in the 2010 French Open not only ended his streak of 23 straight majors reaching the semifinals, but also lost him the #1 ranking just one week short of tying Pete Sampras's record for most weeks at #1. Sampras had 288, and when Federer lost to Soderling, and Rafael Nadal won the French Open two days later, Federer had 287. It was like that for over two years, as Nadal kept playing great and Novak Djokovic took his game up a level. It was the one record Federer didn't have that he desperately wanted. Federer has never shied away from records. He wore a jacket with a stitched crown and '15' when he broke Sampras's record of 14 majors. He wanted this record badly and he fell a week short. It was a cruel joke, but Federer got the last laugh. Late in 2011, Roger, ranked #3, loaded up on tournaments late in the season, a time when Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were resting after longer, more exhausting and better seasons in 2011. Federer won quite a few tournaments to end 2011 and start 2012 and gained a bunch of ranking points, giving him a chance to regain that ranking., Even though he entered Wimbledon ranked #3, he had a chance to reach #1 if he won the title and Rafal Nadal lost before the final. Nadal played his part, losing an epic upset to Lucas Rosol. The stage was set: win the title and #1 is yours, the last record that Fed didn't own is his. It was all there, and Federer, a man who was two and a half years removed from his last major title, did it in fine form. Federer first escaped his own Rosol, in Julien Bennetteau, who won the first two sets in their 3rd Round match, and served up 5-4 in the 4th set tiebreak, but fell away. Federer cruised to the semis, where he met Novak Djokovic, and defiantly outplayed the world's #1 in four sets, setting up a dream final with Andy Murray. Murray himself was playing great tennis, and had all of England behind him. Either way the outcome, it would be memorable. Either England's long major-less streak would end at Wimbledon, or Federer would win another major, regain the #1 ranking and break that record. Murray won the first set, but then with rain starting, they closed the roof. Under the roof, Federer's shots found new life, and he won the last three sets and finished the miracle run off in style. Federer's 17th title might be his last, but it certainly was among the most memorable as well. Federer got that record, and became almost improbably at his age, the best player in the tennis world.
3.) The Giants win the Pennant
Buster Posey was called up on May 29th, 2010. The Giants were 25-22 at the time. Discounting the time missed after Posey's gruesome leg injury last season, the Giants are 188-136 since. Buster Posey is the face of the Giants, but the way the Giants have won two of the last three World Series, you might as well draw that line in the sand. It started with Posey getting called up, and it ends with two World Series in three years, a mini-dynasty in a sport that has more parity than football right now. The Giants aren't filled with a bunch of great player, but a whole spate of good ones. It is amazing to look at their 2010 and 2012 World Series teams and see how little they have in common. The 2010 team was filled mainly with castoffs and older players like Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross, Edgar Renterria, and based off of a great pitching staff with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and a stud rookie named Madison Bumgarner. The 2012 was totally different, and unlike 2010 when they flew through the playoffs dropping just four games, they made this one a little more dramatic. They lost the first two games of the NLDS to Cincinnati in San Francisco. No problem, as they went back to Cincinnati and won three straight games. They were down 3-1 to the defending champion Cardinals (another team who just wouldn't die) and they won the last three games easily, dominating the Cards. They then faced the Detroit Tigers, with Justin Verlander and Mr. Triple Crown himself, and dominated the first three games of that series. It wasn't all that entertaining in the World Series, but it was a team playing as well as it could. It still featured great pitching, but this time it was the reincarnation of Barry Zito, and it was Tim Lincecum, resigned to a bullpen job, becoming an unhittable long reliever. It was Madison Bumgarner still pitching great. It was Sergio Romo becoming the new black-haired strange closer. Buster Posey was still the centerpiece of the offense, but the rest was different. Angel Pagan replaced Andres Torres. Marc Crawford replaced Edgar Renterria. The Giants aren't a great team. They might not even make the playoffs next year. Twenty years from, it might seem unbelievable that the Giants won two World Series in three years, but they did it, and they did it because their team excelled at what it was built to do: make contact, pitch well and play defense.
And now, the Two Great Stories of 2012
2.) Chelsea's Golden Generation
The Golden Generation had their chance in 2008, when captain John Terry stepped up to the spot, 12 yards away from European Glory over Manchester United. He slipped on the way to the ball, and he missed. Manchester United had new life, and a few minutes later, it was all over. Chelsea was that close. One year later, they had their chance again, playing Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in the Camp Nou, and then scoring early at home. Many controversially penalty shouts were not granted, and in the 93rd minute, Barcelona got the equalizer. They were that close again. Chelsea's Golden Generation, made up of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba among others had seen their best two chances for European Glory disappear, and saw managers come and go (Avram Grant, Luis Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre-Vilas Boas), but midway through their 2011-12 season, ex-Chelsea player Roberto Di Matteo took over. Chelsea was languishing in 6th in the Premier Leage, and were down 3-1 in their Champions League Round of 16 Matchup with Napoli when something special happened. Chelsea won 2-0, and got through to the Quarter on away goals. They then made their way to play Barcelona, everyone's pick as the best team in the world, once again. This time they would get the 1st Leg at home. The locations were different, but the cast of characters were mostly the same, and so was the strategy: defend your ass off. Chelsea did just that in the 1st Leg, but got a little lucky. Barcelona peppered Cech's goal with 20+ shots, and hit a couple posts but nothing went through. What did was a beautiful finish by Didier Drogba right before half to give Chelsea a lead. They held off for a 1-0 win, a perfect result, as Barca wouldn't have any away-goal advantage. Then the real drama started.
Camp Nou isn't an easy place to play, but Barcelona in recent Champions League campaigns have struggled at home, memorably losing to a 10-man Inter Milan team in 2010 (they won the match 1-0, but lost the tie 2-3). Barcelona was crisp and forceful in the 1st Leg, but at times slow and plodding in the 2nd, but still leveled the tie. A few minutes later in the 1st half, John Terry, the long-tenured Chelsea captain, the inspirational leader of the club, kneed a Barca player and was sent off. It was a terrible display of character from Terry, and hurt his club that was already playing against a monster. Barcelona scored soon after to make it 2-0 (2-1 aggregate) and most thought it would be over. But right before halftime, a looping pass by Frank Lampard (who to me was Chelsea's real leader) hit Ramires perfectly, and he looped one past a terribly-out-of-position Victor Valdes. Suddenly, at the half it was Chelsea's tie to lose, and not only did they not lose it, they outplayed Barca a man down. Unlike the 1st Leg, Barcelona couldn't transfer its giant edge in possession to many actual chances, getting just 5 shots on goal in the match. They couldn't penetrate a 10-man Chelsea who defended about as good as possible (including a cameo appearance by Didier Drogba: Left Back). Then, with the game in the last few minutes, Fernando Torres received a clearance and had nothing in front of him but green grass. He calmly side-stepped the again out of position Valdes and ended it. Fernando Torres was the symbol of Chelsea's failures. He cost Chelsea 80 Million Pounds, and provided nothing for much of his Chelsea tenure. But on the biggest stage, against his once rival, he put the nail in the Barcelona coffin. Unlike Inter Milan in 2010, Chelsea wasn't the best team in their own country, but they went into the Camp Nou and played Barcelona to a draw.
Yet that might not have been the most impressive part of the Chelsea run, because the final they had to play was against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena, coincidently located in Munich. Munich was already a better team on paper (in total, outplaying Real Madrid in their own stadium) and now they were in Munich, and Chelsea would be missing some key players because of injury and suspension. The match was much like the Chelsea-Barcelona tilt early on, with Chelsea conceding possession to Bayern, and Bayern not getting many clear chances. Finally, in the 80s, Bayern got their breakthrough as Thomas Muller scored a header. Chelsea had fought hard and looked done, but there was quite a few twists left. First, came Didier Drogba's bullet of an equalizer, a header perfectly launched past Manuel Neuer. Then, Drogba went from hero to goat when he tackled Ribery in the box in Extra Time, giving Bayern a penatly kick. The Kick was taken by Arjen Robben. Robben once played for Chelsea. He was brought in by Jose Mourinho, a man who started the whole 'Golden Generation.' It was he that brought all these guys together, and it was Chelsea's traversal through many coaches since he was sacked that was a sign of their fall. But here was Robben, playing for Bayern, and he missed. The Final went to penalties, where Chelsea held firm and won. The Golden Generation had done it, they had achieved the one goal that Jose Mourinho was fired for (the Champions League). This was their destiny. How else could you explain a team beating Barcelona, a profoundly better team, then playing the final in their opponents own stadium and trailing 80 minutes into the match, and still winning. It was special, and it was Golden. Somewhere, Jose Mourinho stopped beating himself up over Madrid's Semi-Final loss in penalties to Bayern and smiled as his Golden Generaton that he started finally won that prize.
1.) Deja-Blue
Most sequels aren't very good. Some are awful. But then every now and then you get a sequel that hits all the right notes, that pays homage to the first without outright copying it, for providing a different take on the same cast of characters. Out of all the sequels I have ever seen, the 2011 New York Giants playoff run might have been the best. It was different enough from what the Giants did in 2007 to not bore me and make it stand out on its own, but had enough similarities to evoke the magic of what the Giants did in January and February in 2008. The New York Giants ride in January and February of 2012 was that sequel, and what a ride it was.
There was the token beatdown of the overmatched NFC South team in Round 1 (Tampa Bay in 2007, Atlanta this time). There was the upset of the #1 seed in the Divisional Round, the team that had been wire-to-wire the best in the NFC that season (Dallas in 2007, Green Bay - the defending champs who started the season 13-0 - in 2011). There was the memorable, magical, beautiful NFC Championship Game OverTime win in both seasons (Packers in 2007, 49ers in 2011), moreover, both games ended with crucial OT turnovers by the opponent setting up game winning field goals by Lawrence Tynes. Finally, there was the upset of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The one difference was the Giants themselves. They were a different team. They were a slightly above average "We Are What We Are" team in 2010, a 10-6 Wild Card winner, but in 2011, they were a maddeningly inconsistent team that went 9-7 but won the weak NFC East. In 2007, they were led by a ferocious pass rush led by tandem Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora with up-and-comer Justin Tuck, and they were also led by their running game and brilliant o-line that hid a still uneven Eli Manning. In 2011, they still had that pass rush (though Tuck replaced Strahan as a veteran, and Jason Pierre-Paul was the precocious newcomer), but now it was Eli Manning and a high powered passing game hiding a suspect run game and o-line. The other difference is what the Giants did in the playoffs.
Even in the playoffs in 2007, what the Giants did felt a bit lucky. They gained just 60 yards in the 2nd Half of the 2007 Divisional win in Dallas, but won because of great field position and the Dallas O-Line going to Hell. They were 14-point underdogs in the Super Bowl because they just weren't all that good, and no one could believe that that team would make it there. This time, they were a game worse in the standings, but arguably even better and deeper. Despite the two close games they played, dno one could really argue that the Giants were not just simply the better team in each of their matchup. The shutout Atlanta's offense. They beat a great 15-1 Packers team 37-20, and it probably shouldn't have been that close. They had that air of "We've Been Here Before" and they showed it;. Everyone kne-w it. By the time they finished off their dramatic Title Game win (full of Eli Manning taking an absolute beating being sacked 6 times among his 64 dropbacks), mamy just expected them to beat New England, and why not? They did it as a worse team against a better Patriots team in 2007. I mean, this is how sequels should naturally end, right?
Even when watching that Super Bowl, it was hard to tell that one team was a #1 seed and went 13-3, while the other went 9-7. While that is somewhat true of the first game, if you rewatch Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots still feel like the better team. That was a sense of air in the crowd that felt like "How are the Giants doing this." It was the hard work of one unbeatable pass rush plus a velcro helmet. It was the great underdog story. This seemed different. From the Giants dominating start (long drive but punt, then forcing a safety, then TD to make it 9-0), to their repeated long drives that had sad ends (field goals, phantom holding calls, uncalled pass interference calls), the Giants moved the ball all day. Aside from two drives, one to end the 1st Half and one to start the 2nd, Brady was held at bay. The Giants felt like the better team, and we were left thinking how good the Patriots were just to have the lead late in hat game. But then it was time for the Final Act, and for us all to remember just why we were in love with the Giants in the first place. They took over with 4 minutes left down 15-17 at their own 12 yard-line. Then, on their 1st snap, Eli Manning dropped back, glided left, and rifled a long-arcing pass into Mario Manningham at midfield, who caught it, landed on both feet, was blasted and held on. It wasn't the Tyree Catch, but in a way, it was better, much like the 2011 Giants in January 2012 themselves. The Tyree Catch was special, was unforgettable, was one of teh 10 most famous plays in the history of the NFL, but it was a bit lucky. Mario Manningham's catch at the end of Eli Manning's throw wasn't lucky, it was precise execution by a team more than capable of it.
The Giants in January and February of 2012 didn't captivate a nation, didn't redeem a failed QB and failing coach, didn't slay an 18-0 dragon. No, they weren't as dramatic. The just won their four games, three against teams that went 15-1, 13-3 and 13-3. They cemented the 2007-2011 Giants as one of the most unlikeliest mini-dynasties in history. They basically booked Eli Manning;s place in Canton, Ohio, and although Eli fell back to earth in his 2012 season, he will always have what happened in the beginning of 2012 to probe just how brilliant he can be. In the end, the 2012 Giants movie sequel to the 2007 Giants wasn't better, but the team was.
