I figured I would take a look at the most surprising stories, at least for me, in this past year in sports. I know there are still a few days left but there can't be anything too shocking that takes place so here it is, my year in review.
Best Story of the Year: Dallas Mavericks. Their playoff run went through the Lakers and the Heat. Everyone had basically given the Heat the championship at the beginning of the season and those that didn't figured the Lakers would reign. All were wrong. The Mavs used defense and teamwork to overcome every playoff hurdle. I'm not a huge NBA fan, I enjoy watching the Knicks and Nets... occasionally. It was nice to see the Mavs, the underdog every step of the way, pull through.
Worst Story of the Year: Everything that happened at Penn State. The coverups, the ignorance, the elitism. Everything that was ugly about human nature and college athletics was brought into the limelight. One of the best coaches in college football history, Joe Paterno, left disgraced. Jerry Sandusky left a more than just bad press for Penn State in his wake, he left victims who are still trying to overcome their trauma. Everything about this story makes me sick, angry, and disgusted.
Biggest NFL Surprise: Cam Newton. I was wrong about this kid and happy to say it. He rewrote the rookie record books and his future looks as bright as the sun. If this is what he can do as a rookie I wonder what the future holds.
Biggest NFL Disappointment: The Philadelphia Eagles. It takes a lot to overtake the New York Jets in this category but the Eagles have proven, and I wrote about this before the season began (you can find the story in the archives), you don't win the Super Bowl in the offseason.
Biggest MLB Surprise: The Tampa Bay Rays. For most of the season it looked like they were going to be the third place team in the AL East, on the outside looking in. Then, with a little help from the Boston Red Sox, or rather every team that played the Red Sox, the Rays took off and ended up sneaking into the playoffs on a walk-off home run by Evan Longoria. The whole country was abuzz with excitement. The Red Sox choked, the Yankees overcame a 7 game deficit in July to take first, and the Rays snuck into the playoffs. It was the greatest night in baseball history.
Biggest MLB Disappointment: This is a toss up between the Red Sox and Ryan Braun testing positive. The reason Ryan Braun isn't alone here is because there is a chance that his positive test result was an aberration. Besides, the Red Sox collapse was historic. You can't leave history out of this one. The Red Sox were crowned before the season began, see Eagles, Philadelphia, and looked pathetic early on. They caught fire midway into the season and had a 7 game lead on the second place Yankees. It all fell apart from there resulting in the most epic collapse in baseball history. Gone are General Manager Teho Epstein and Manager Terry Francona. The collapse by the Red Sox changed the entire makeup of the Red Sox team that won two World Series' since 2004. Ryan Braun, on the other hand, all I can say is wow. In this day and age, knowing that there are tests, to use use steroids is the epitome of stupid.
Biggest NHL Surprise: The Boston Bruins. Nobody thought they were Stanley Cup contenders. Nobody. They played the game right and won. They were like the Dallas Mavs of the NHL so everything I said about them echoes here.
Biggest NHL Disappointment: Vancouver Canucks. They won 54 games, tallied 117 points and lost in the 7th Game of the Stanley Cup. To make matters worse, the friendly neighbors to the North rioted after the game, turning Vancouver into a war zone for a few hours. The Mayor of Vancouver blamed anarchist thugs. Yeah, and I'm sure the fact that your city provided gathering places around the city with alcohol being sold had nothing to do with it.
Biggest NBA Surprise: Duh, the Mavs. See above.
Biggest NBA Disappointment: The Miami Heat. See above.
Crazy Predictions for 2012:
World Series winner: Philadelphia Phillies
Super Bowl Champions (for the 2012 season): Atlanta Falcons
Stanley Cup Champs: New York Rangers
NBA Champs: Miami Heat
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