8.) 2024 (+17)
NFL: Eagles (+4 * 3)
NHL: Panthers (+2 * 2)
MLB: Dodgers (-3 * 2)
NBA: Celtics (-3)
UCL: Real Madrid (+5)
NCAAF/BB: Ohio State / UCONN (+1)
Tennis: Sinner / Alcaraz / Alcaraz / Sinner (+2 * 2)
Let me start with that last one, because keen observers will recognize that I'm far more pro this season of Sincaraz dominance than 2025 - partially because it gets a bit boring after a while (especially when I don't have a significant rooting interest) and partially because in 2024 it was more the end of Nole's reign, may it never come to pass again. Anyway, the Eagles blowout was fun to watch someone do that the Chiefs (even if had the Chiefs won, they probably get a +2). I talked a lot in the last one (2015) about both the NHL and MLB having win/win series where either outcome would be positive. Well, here the MLB and NBA are the opposite, but even then both came out with the worse of the two options (vs. Yankees / Mavs). Finally, what really makes the year sing is Real Madrid (as so often does) with another UCL win, the turning of Vini into the world's best player (even if FIFA screwed him over for the Ballon d'Or). Real Madrid can keep on winning damn UCLs and I'll keep loving all of them with equal furver.
7.) 2008 (+19)
NFL: Steelers (+3 * 3)
NHL: Red Wings (-2 * 2)
MLB: Phillies (+2 * 2)
NBA: Celtics (+4)
UCL: Manchester Utd (-4)
NCAAF/B: Florida / Kansas (+2)
Tennis: Djokovic / Nadal / Nadal / Federer (+4 * 2)
Tennis baby! Nadal's breakthrough at Wimbledon and humuliation of Federer in Paris is enough to give this a high grade even with Federer winning a slam at a time where I probably was at my apex of hating him. There's some weird ones here - Man U scoring a -4 because I hated Cristiano Ronaldo at the time (LOL), and the Celtics counter-balancing it with a +4 because I hated the Lakers way more and did like the Garnett/Allen/Pierce story - plus by this point the 2007 Pats lost in infamy so Boston was slapped down a bit. The Phillies were a fun story in an otherwise forgettable MLB season. The Wings weren't as bad as the alternative. The Steelers were an amazing defense and won a classic Super Bowl that was a win/win for me. And of course, college - where I have to average out being critically annoyed by the Tebow led Gators (like we all were) but loving Kansas winning that classic over Memphis. In the end, I'll take it as a positive trade there. Sneaky good year that wouldn't have jumped off the page when this exercise started.
6.) 2013 (+20)
NFL: Seahawks (+3 * 3)
NHL: Blackhawks (+4 * 2)
MLB: Red Sox (-3 * 2)
NBA: Heat (-4)
UCL: Bayern Munich (+4)
NCAAF/BB: Florida State / Louisville (+3)
Tennis: Djokovic / Nadal / Murray / Nadal (+3 * 2)
Easily my highest scoring year to not feature a '5' in it, as generally it was a super positive year with two exceptions - one notably so with the Heat stealing my guts out with Allen's shot. Granted, by this point I had come around on LeBron - see me writing my first ever "The Acceptable Loss" column about that Finals - how I felt then, and even more so now. Bayern was tons of fun, even if that is more about the SF demolition of Barca (cheating, I know). Florida State and the Jameis experience was hilariously memorable in the moment (random: watched the NCAAF final in a service apartment in Battle Creek, Michigan, where I was sharing it with a colleague who would leave the company and compete on the Amazing Race two years later...). The Blackhawks fun dominance was only amplified by them breaking the hearts of a way too overconfident Boston fanbase. And finally, the Seahawks continue a tradition of being glumly accepting of watching such defensive greatness, even if came against the wishes of me and my team. Tennis is the tie-breaker here agin, as it was the revival of revival's of Nadal (though we'll get to 2017 which was even better) coming back from the dead and beating Novak twice on his way to two more slams. Awesome stuff. Fuck the Red Sox though, for making me almost root for the Cardinals...
5.) 2021 (+22)
NFL: Rams (+3 * 3)
NHL: Lightning (+5 * 2)
MLB: Braves (+1 * 2)
NBA: Bucks (+3)
UCL: Chelsea (+3)
NCAAF/B: Georgia / Baylor (+1)
Tennis: Djokovic / Djokovic / Djokovic / Medvedev (-3 * 2)
Funny that there are years above it with more negative scores than this one, but man is this one negative rough... Granted, it easily could've been worse, had Novak completed his Nole slam. I don't know how much this matters, but I wasn't even really there to witness him finally losing, as the final occurred when I was on a trip with friends in Spain & Portugal (though one of them was a Djokovic fan, so taht was fun...). Other than that, this year was dominated by more just hapiness and relief that the peak of Covid was over, and fans were back in stadiums, even if not at max capacity for the conclusions of the NBA and NHL seasons. The Lightning get a boost there watching them win at home in front of a full house after winning in the bubble the year prior. The Bucks were quite likeable - as were teh Rams in another rare win/win (especially rare for Super Bowls). Hell, even the Braves were fairly likeable and by Game 4 I was certain the Astros didn't really deserve that title - plus they avenged the 2018 ALCS loss by beating Boston, so all was well anyway. It was a peak "good vibes" year, just ruined by that dastardly Djokovic (or more than that, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who blew a 2-0 set lead in the French final).
4.) 2010 (+24)
NFL: Packers (+1 * 3)
NHL: Blackhawks (+3 * 2)
MLB: Giants (+4 * 2)
NBA: Lakers (-4)
UCL: Inter Milan (+2)
NCAAF/B: Auburn / Duke (-1)
Tennis: Federer / Nadal / Nadal / Nadal (+5 * 2)
Let's start at the end once again, as what more is there to say about my only '+5' year in tennis? Nadal became first, and still only, player to win the French, Wimbledon and US Open in the same year, including completing Tennis with his career slam US Open win where he suddenly served 120+ all tournament (it wouldn't last, as it impacted his shoulder, so he stopped). That's 60% of the year's core right there. Some of the other highlights were still quite nice, however, from the Blackhawks breaking their drought in a super fun, highs coring final. The Giants breaking their own drought with Lincecum and Co showing out. Inter Milan was fun as a Mourinho fan who loved their win over Barcelona, and even the Packers were unthreatening mostly. Really though, none of that - even the Lakers blech-inducing Game 7 win over Boston, or Duke ripping our souls by beating Butler, could counteract Nadal reaching those damn heights. If ever one year is defined by one sport to me, it is this one.
2.) 2019 (+26)
NFL: Chiefs (+4 * 3)
NHL: Blues (+3 * 2)
MLB: Nationals (-4 * 2)
NBA: Raptors (+4)
UCL: Liverpool (+2)
NCAAF/B: LSU / Virginia (+4)
Tennis: Djokovic / Nadal / Djokovic / Nadal (+3 * 2)
Fuck the Nationals. Had the Astros just won Game 6 or 7 at home, where they led in the back half of both games, this would be my #1 year (+26 would become +44). But alas, the Nationals got to Verlander in Game 6, and then got to the bullpen in Game 7 after the Astros squandered so many chances. I tell myself that I'm in retrospect happy the Astros didn't win because had the cheating scandal broke right after they won the World Series, I do think the punishment wouldn've been more sever. But it's amazing that every other score is a +2 or better (and +3 / +3 / +4 in the multiplier sports) and that Nats win drags this down. This was an amazing year otherwise - Nadal winning a dramatic final over Medvedev and ending the year #1 again, the Raptors shocking the world against the Warriors, teh Blues comign from nowhere to beat Boston in Boston in Game 7 (karmic payback for 2011), and of course the Chiefs winning their first Super Bowl right before Covid, and maybe the best win/win of my life. The NCAA score may surprise, but that LSU team was so damn fun to watch (still insane that Burrow / Chase / Jefferson were on teh same team) and Virginia won me my first March Madness pool ever, and a cool $400 or so in my work pool. Great year, but damn those Nats.
2.) 2017 (+27)
NFL: Eagles (+5 * 3)
NHL: Penguins (-3 * 2)
MLB: Astros (+5 * 2)
NBA: Warriors (-3)
UCL: Real Madrid (+5)
NCAAF/B: Alabama / UNC (-2)
Tennis: Federer / Nadal / Federer / Nadal (+4 * 2)I'm a bit surprised this isn't my number one, but when I got down to it, I can't argue with why my #1 is higher. The three highs are about as high as I could ask for (I find it hilarious that my only two years with three +5's are #3 and #2). The Eagles pulling off an upset that was in the moment every bit as shocking as the Giants ten years earlier given the Foles factor. The Astros winning a gobsmack World Series, made cruelly better by me being there only because I was not allowed to travel to Cape Town, to Real Madrid in maybe their most appealing, fulfilling season under Zidane romping a good Juve team 4-1 in teh final. Even tennis has what could've been the dream year if not for Federer's comeback in Australia, but given I rightfully called that "The Acceptable Loss 3.0", and Nadal then won the French with ease, the US Open and returned to Year End #1, I can't complain. It's all the Penguins fault. I think teh world of Sidney Crosby, but the Penguins were boringly efficient, cutting down more exciting stories each of 2016 and 2017 in their back to back, this time, a truly fun Nashville team. Somehow, that drags things down. I look at this list for a year I initially tought would be my #1, and wonder how ti didn't happen, and not only that, didn't come close....
1.) 2022 (+40)
NFL: Chiefs (+4 * 3)
NHL: Avalanche (+2 * 2)
MLB: Astros (+5 * 2)
NBA: Warriors (-2)
UCL: Real Madrid (+5)
NCAAF/BB: Georgia / Kansas (+3)
Tennis: Nadal / Nadal / Djokovic / Alcaraz (+4 * 2)
Honestly, I'm as shocked as anyone that this would be my number one. I certainly probably didn't consider it at the time to be some historic year, but looking back, so much went well. I had two of "my teams" win their respective title, with the Astros winning their 2nd title after a bunch of heartbreak (and all the cheating stuff), Real Madrid win a UCL that included some incredibly thrilling moments like the crazy comeback against Man City, and cementing us even more as The Club. Kansas is my adopted CBB team and seeing Self win his second title was great again. And then what can I say about tennis - Nadal not only won his second Australian Open after so many near misses, he did it in the most dramatic fashion against Medvedev (down two sets, 3-3, 0-40), and then won the French for the 14th time. Yes, he wouldn't ever really be the same after, but we didn't know that then, did we - and I was all for Alcaraz being the next young gun (and rightly so). The Chiefs winning a super entertaining Super Bowl and cementing Mahomes as a real threat to Brady was incredibly fun as well - though I don't honestly think my score would be that much different had the Eagles won. The only real negative was the Warriors and even that is muted by them beating Boston (which would've been like a -4). Even the Georgia blowout title game (the laugher against TCU) isn't enough to dull this. Looking at it now, it screams "duh" that this is my top sports year.
