My Favorite 25 Video Games of the 2000s: Part 2

For those of you who haven't read Part 1 yet, you can find it here.

10. Capcom vs. SNK 2 - Multiple Platforms, 2001



The first game in my Top 10 sees a combination of two sets of my favorite fighting game characters ever. Growing up, I was a big fan of the Neo-Geo, as it was cool to see so many games on one arcade machine (I'm serious, that's why I loved it so much) but their fighting games always appealed to me, especially the Fatal Fury and Samurai Showdown games. King of Fighters really sealed the deal for me, as I loved the idea of tag team fighting and with so many characters to choose from (especially using some of my favorites from other Neo-Geo fighters) I became an instant fan of this series, as well.

The precursor to this game was a nifty fighter that had a weird point system, and although it was limited a bit in it's execution, I enjoyed it enough. It was a cool concept, and wasn't the first time something like this had been tried. But it was the second game that made me stand up and take notice of a style that I thought was the most balanced in all fighting games. Twice as many fighters as the first game, and instead of fighters with preset levels like in the first game, the sequel set your levels up in regards to how many characters you selected on a 4 point system (2-1-1 for 3 characters, 2-2 or 3-1 for 2 characters, or 4 for 1 character). It also added in many more characters on the SNK side that people were a bit more familiar with (like Haohmaru and Nakoruru from Samurai Showdown) to go along with some Capcom guys that hadn't been seen in a while (ROLENTO~!).

But the best part of the game were the six styles that could be employed. Whereas the first game only had two (Capcom and SNK), the sequel featured four others that played to different strengths: parrying, storing super moves, custom combos (taken from Street Fighter Alpha) and, my favorite, the rage style, where you took so much damage that when your meter was filled, your character could unleash the best super moves in their arsenal at full power, something that was eventually used in Street Fighter IV for their Revenge Meter and Ultra Combos.

I made mention in an article I did for Sports Joystick in 2008 that I was extremely sad with EVO 2008 taking Capcom vs. SNK 2 out of the rotation, especially considering Third Strike was an technically inferior game that had become way too predictable and had turned almost into a parody of itself thanks to that year's final, which featured 5 Chun-Li's, 2 Ken's, and, thankfully, an Akuma. That year, the CVS2 finals were much more varied, and also saw players use more than one team if the one they normally used didn't get the job done. It also saw players have to master more than just one character to survive, meaning that a lot more had to be put in for somebody to become a master of the game.

It's now a hard to find game and is highly sought after in the fighting game community, and while the biggest fighting game tournament in the world has decided to take it off the docket, I'm happy to have it here amongst my 10 favorite games of the last decade, and is the highest ranked amongst the Capcom/SNK fighters.

9. Final Fantasy IX - PlayStation, 2000



I almost put Final Fantasy X on this list. As a whole, X is gorgeous, had great voice acting, an awesome story line, a great fighting system, and the Sphere Grid is one of the coolest ways to build characters in the history of the series.

But IX had a story that was memorable as well. For PlayStation, it was the best looking game in the series. It didn't have voice acting capabilities, but the characters were some of the best. I think the thing I liked most about it was that when you played the game, you were ALWAYS looking forward to what happened next. I liked how you were constantly in search of cool things for ALL your characters, not just one. Zidane might have been the main character, but you were always looking for things for Dagger, or Steiner, or, most impressively, Vivi.

It was Zidane's game to lead but it was Vivi who stole the show. Someone who was looking for an identity, someone who was pure of heart and had bravery that when it was absolutely necessary, he unleashed it towards those who deserved it. I loved that Zidane treated him just like anyone else that he met, but at the same time, he made sure that Vivi realized his potential as a person. I don't think I could say that about anyone in Final Fantasy X, no matter how cool I thought Auron was (and trust me, that dude was cool).

In the end, it was a throwback to what made the games prior to this (like FF IV, and to a lesser extent, FF VI) so memorable. The weapons you used had to be mastered so that you could unleash their true capabilities. You even had an amazing subquest that saw you try and get to a point in Disc 4 in TWELVE HOURS to get Steiner's best weapon, the Excalibur II. You also had a nice cast of villains that had the usual FF hierarchy (I think it was much better than FF VIII or X's villains) but it was done in a logical manner that it seemed like they weren't trying to rush things at the end.

In all, it was one of the most well-designed games that ever came out in the series, but gets lost in the shuffle between FF VII and FF X, the games that started the series out on their respective PlayStation platforms. It's one of the best games Square Enix put out as far as having a great balance between story, gameplay and aesthetics.

And of course, it had Vivi.

8. WWF No Mercy - Nintendo 64, 2000



For my money, the best wrestling game THQ ever put out, even if it used the AKI-based gameplay from their Virtual All-Pro Wrestling series, and one of the best games ever for the N64. I remember getting this and the first thing I did was create myself, trying to use all the moves that none of the default wrestlers used. I didn't really know at that time that they were all used by wrestlers from Japan (although I would figure that out soon enough when I increased my wrestling viewership) but I just thought they were the coolest.

Besides the crazy amount of moves you could assign to wrestlers, it also included some of my favorite former WCW wrestlers in the game (like Eddy Guerrero and, well, yeah, at that time, Chris Benoit) and a cool story mode that was done in a pyramid style to keep storylines fresh. It also allowed crazy things to happen in those story modes, like having The Big Show go after the Light Heavyweight title, and having someone like The Rock go after the Woman's title.

It also added the ladder match into the fold, and even though it got to be tedious at times, it was a great addition to the franchise, and added a lot of dimensions to the game play. It also made a great sound when you slammed someone on it with a move or jumped off the top rope and did a move, too. I also liked how you got a chance to earn extras by earning money in the numerous game modes. The best item, you ask? That would be the ability to buy one of The Godfather's hos...for $500,000. Pimpin' ain't easy, folks.

However, it was the Survival mode, where you started in a Royal Rumble type atmosphere and had to defeat as many other wrestlers as you could to earn some of that money, where the game got its replay value. You got a chance to try and get your way to 100 eliminations and earn a bunch of money doing it. There were times where it got a bit cheap, but at the same time, it was a mode where you had a lot of fun knocking everybody out.

To many gamers, there are just games that you can pop in and play over and over again, regardless of how long you had been away from them. For me, this was my most treasured N64 game, something that THQ eventually used as template for their SmackDown! series. While that was indeed good, it never felt like this when it came to fluidity, physics and realism in wrestling mechanics. But there was one other wrestling game that is just a tiny bit better, something that sacrificed all those attributes for an engine that is unrivaled in the world of wrestling video games.

7. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns - PlayStation 2, 2007



I actually modded my old PS2 and bought the import version of this game. That's how stoked I was to play this game. I had played King of Colosseum II, which was a 3D version of this game that had a bit more complicated grappling system and the real licensing for all the Japanese wrestling federations (How you doing, Samoa Joe?) but it was this iteration of the franchise, which really hadn't changed since it's inception in the early 90's, that sold me on it being the superior wrestling game series.

The depth of this game is absolutely incredible. Hundreds of wrestlers, both past and present, including some of the greats in history that were not being used in the US-based wrestling games. Over 1,500 moves, including some that had never been used in any other games at all. I remember making my character for the first time and being amazed at the number of moves I could choose from, including some from the anime series that would eventually spawn the game "Ultimate Muscle." Kinnuku Buster for the win!

But more than the moves and more than the wrestlers was that the game itself took realism to a whole new level with pro wrestling. (Weird statement for a fake sport, but hear me out.) You weren't about to beat someone in two minutes...unless you used a move that was able to cause a critical hit to somebody. In fact, if you tried to go for a big move early, you would most likely get it countered right away. It also had a fantastic flow to it, allowing wrestlers to counter moves in an instant with precise timing in the same vein as wrestlers hitting their big moves.

It's a niche game that definitely had a small audience to it (Two iterations of it were released on the Game Boy Advance to somewhat reasonable success), but it was the last game in the series (so far, at least) that allowed diehard wrestling fans like myself the chance to craft wrestling matches exactly how I'd like. The graphics were hardly amazing, the sound was minimally intriguing at best...but you have yourself a 30 minute match where you throw bomb after bomb, nearfall after nearfall, and you get totally ingrained in it, even if it uses the same sprites that had been around since the days of the Super Nintendo. While it retains the top game on my list in the wrestling genre, it's probably the best wrestling game that most wrestling fans haven't played yet.

6. MLB Power Pros 2008 - Numerous platforms, 2008



People fawn over MLB 09: The Show as the best baseball game that has come out in the last few years, but I'll take this game every day of the week and a twice on Sunday for a doubleheader. Besides the incredible funny Japanese-style graphics, MLB Power Pros 2008 was a surprisingly deep game that allowed players to explore the game of baseball in many different forms.

There were some incredible modes to this game outside of the normal modes you would find in your normal baseball games. You had two different modes that saw you go through your baseball career in two different ways: MLB Life mode was more about how you spent your life outside of the game, while Career mode saw you start out in Spring Training as a young gun looking for a roster spot.

But it was how the game was presented that really drew you in. It was basically a direct port from it's Japanese counterpart, but the American pastime was shown in a very Japanese manner, which made it completely unique. Graphically, it was much like an anime would be shown, even right down the emotions on the player's faces. It was also presented in a very stop-and-go manner, a lot like something you would see in the Phoenix Wright series, where you'd almost get lulled into a false sense of security, and then BAM! OBJECTION~!

But the gameplay sealed the deal. It was simplified to a point, but at the same time, you had to know what you were doing or else you would get creamed. There was also something pretty awesome about the fact that I played a game that had a lot of similarities to the baseball games I grew up on (World Series Baseball, Baseball Stars 2, the SEGA World Series Baseball games, Triple Play), but it was almost updated to take away a lot of the flaws. It was easy to pick up, easy to master, and fun all around.

I was sad to hear that it didn't get picked up for a 2009 iteration, but at the same time, I knew that much like the #2 game on my list, it didn't matter what year the game came out in. It was all about how much fun you had playing it. And Power Pros was without a doubt the most fun baseball game I played from the last decade.

5. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - PlayStation 2, 2005



I'll tell you what, I didn't expect this game to be that high on my list at first, thinking that the Final Fantasy games or some other RPGs would step up and claim the spot, but for me, I don't really think an RPG got better than this. It was the first Dragon Quest game that was heavily pushed in the United States, and as I mentioned earlier with Star Ocean, it built upon the popularity shown with the Final Fantasy X games, but as soon as I saw it on the cheap, I had to buy it, only to see if it was worth a go around.

It was more than just a go around, and it turned out to be one of the best RPGs ever made. Drawn by the same animators who created the Dragon Ball Z series, the eighth chapter in the Dragon Quest series pitted the nameless hero on a search for a cure to his king's curse, as he was turned into a toad thanks to an evil sorcerer that betrayed him named Dhoulmagus. Now, for those of you who have read everything so far, you've seen me harp on being able to keep things simple, but as long as the execution is tip-top, you've got me hooked.

It's as simple a story as you'll ever hear. Girl in distress (and that has to do with the curse, as well), a cast of characters that is memorable, and a vast world that saw you explore every inch of it to get everything you'd want out of the game. The sidequests are awesome (including a quest that sees you go to an entirely different world just to get some of the best things in the game) and the battles are fierce.

But everything about the game is memorable. From the mouse that turns into a secret weapon, to the game's crazy moments between Yangus and the King (too many to count), to the monsters that you can recruit to fight off in the Monster Arena, to some crazy non-playable characters that you encounter...it's just a game that sticks with you, and it invites you to challenge it again and again. The fighting alone takes a lot to get used to, and once you get the hang of it, you find out that you don't know much of anything at all, and have to get used to it again.

I'm pretty sure it's the best thing Square Enix produced in the 2000's, and that's with all the critically-acclaimed games that sold millions and millions, many more than Dragon Quest VIII sold, but at the same time, I'm not sure I played a more enjoyable game from them than this one right here, the PlayStation 2's not-so-hidden gem that made people love RPGs just a little bit more.

4. New Super Mario Bros. - Nintendo DS, 2006



I've beaten the game three times but that doesn't make it less fun. I know the Wii version has come out but it'll need to marinate a little while before it becomes top of the line (although if sales, reviews, feedback, and me playing it a little bit of it already has any indication, it's gonna go down as an all-time great), but its predecessor is the reason the Wii game exists, taking the most recognizable game style in history, amping it up a bit, and making the old school new again.

The level designs are remarkably challenging, much like Super Mario World, but at the same time, it makes it fun to try and get the stuff to completely finish the game with all the gold coins. The new items add a lot of depth to the game, and I liked how the enemies were a little bit smarter in this game than previous incarnations. It allowed Mario to be new and fresh, but at the same time, retain what made the game so great in the first place, which, as I said before, seems to be a Nintendo staple.

It felt like any other side scrolling Mario game (which was key as there hadn't been one in almost a decade), and when put up along side the great predecessors, it more than holds its own. It's an incredible testament to the Nintendo way of gaming that even when pulling something out of mothballs, they make sure that if it's going to get used again, it gets used correctly.

It's the one game on my list that I can pick up and play any time I want to and it feels great every time I do it. I don't have to start it at the beginning or make sure I'm playing it with the right people. I just have to start it up, pick a level, and go. It's addicting, it's fun, it hits all the right notes. It's just like playing it for the first time ever. It doesn't get too much better than that, folks.

3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Nintendo Wii, 2008



Ever since Super Smash Bros. became the surprise hit of the Nintendo 64, I've been hooked on the game and its sequels. But the Wii version of the game hit me like one of Donkey Kong's giant hammers. Over and over and over and over and over again. With that tinny music playing in the background, too. You know the tune. Almost like a horse race being played in fast forward.

It was Smash, but was a different kind of Smash. More characters (obviously), more levels (obviously), more items (obviously, including the Super Smash, which was the most welcome of the additions, if you ask me), but the gameplay was tighter. Combos flowed easier, and some of the game's cheaper moves from the previous games were toned down a notch.

But why anybody plays Smash at all is because when you get a group of people together to play, it doesn't get any better than a five life stock battle on a balanced melee level (Corneria is best, although Final Destination is alright, too) to see who's got the best skills. Everyone had their go to character, but even as you dabbled in others you found out that they all had their own great nuances to them and it just made the game that much more fun to play.

I bring up EVO 2008 again because I felt vindicated upon arriving for it. Brawl had made it into the rotation for the first time that year, and I was very excited to see how it would be received in a crowd that had its heart set on all the Capcom fighters. Pete and I sat in the crowd and watched as the sequel to a phenomenal tournament game left people in awe, with some ridiculous knockouts that had people jumping out of their seats. For a game seen as too "kiddie," it sure had the grown folk up in arms at the end.

That's why I love the game so much. It looks like something a kid would play. It IS something a kid would play. But at 25, it's the first game I break out if my buddies are over, because I don't think we'd have nearly as much fun playing any other game.

2. NBA 2K1 - Sega Dreamcast, 2000



When my family bought a Dreamcast, we made sure we got it when the getting was good. After starting out at about $400, it came down in price a lot thanks to low sales, and it was right after I had a chance to play this game over at Sean's house. I had saved up a little bit of money due to my umpiring, and Pete and I went all in on it: The game, an extra controller, two memory cards and a keyboard for online play.

It was then that this game took a hold of me like no other game I had played probably since Triple Play 98. It was the perfect sports game. Arcade-like enough to pick up and play, but deep enough so that if you wanted to get in-depth, it would allow you to truly master it. This also was the only sports game I ever played that truly understood the computer comeback correctly. I could be up 15 in the 4th quarter, but if I left good shooters open, the shots would fall.

Pete and I were not happy with how the Celtics were in this game (they were crap, really, with only Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker joined by a bunch of scrubs) so we decided to make our own versions of the Celtics. He had him and his friend Benny and a bunch of made up crazy looking dudes, while I took myself and all my basketball playing buddies and built the team around them.

With our respective created teams, we dominated, but at the same time, the game reacted to us being so good and amped it up themselves. You could cheat the game a bit if you truly wanted to, but in the end, they had a way of setting things up for you to have to fight for a win. There were great moves to make, tough shots to take, and you really had to be careful in how you used them because they left you wide open for turnovers and the like.

I think the best thing about the game was that it was easy to pick up and play, and the games were just so much fun to play. I don't know how many times I hit a spin move into a three pointer at the top of the key to start a comeback, or post up and hit a fadeaway spinning into the lane. Nevermind the street mode in the game, with relaxed rules and a much freer arcade style gameplay. I don't think I played a sports game that had more to it that was also so much fun.

It was something else to play this game back in its heyday. NBA Live never really translated well to the PS2, while the 2K Sports franchise became so popular that they split off from Sega and started their own brand. I liked the games that followed, but nothing touched 2K1 for its balance and ability to keep me entertained. In fact, seven years after its release when I busted out the Dreamcast and plugged it in, it still brought me back to the old days where I'd try and knock out half a season on the weekends. Basketball just got no better than this game to me, and it still doesn't.

1. Mother 3 - Game Boy Advanced, 2003 (Japan-only release)



The game that tops my list isn't a shocker to those who have played games with me. In fact, when it comes to video games in general over the course of my 20 years of gaming, I don't have too many games on my list that crack the list of games that could be played over and over again for no reason other than to just play them.

In the 1990's, EarthBound was that game for me. Pete and I loved that game. The big box, the strategy guide, the cool Starman on the front...it was awesome. We rented it so much that we convinced our mom it would be easier to just buy the damn thing instead of wasting our money renting it. It turned out to be the best purchase I ever made. With my guidance skills, Pete and I tackled the game full on, taking turns (with him doing most of the playing) as we looked to beat the game. When we eventually did, I got my other friends into it, and they felt the same about the game that I did, eventually turning it into a situation not unlike a great book, where when you finish reading it, you pass it along in hopes that someone else would enjoy it as much as you did.

The sequel to that game ended up being over a decade in the making for hardcore fans like myself, who waited on the arrival of the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive add-on and the game that would send it into a must-buy for me: EarthBound 2. Previews came out and got us all riled up, even with the 64DD in doubt, and we were all hoping to hear that it would be coming out much sooner than later.

But it never came, as the 64DD got scrapped in favor of a brand new project, which would eventually become the Nintendo Gamecube. EarthBound 2 got scrapped due to the cancellation of the 64DD, and faded into obscurity when it came to it's North American fans. I was crushed, but even more crushed when I heard the follow-up announcement a while later, when it was said that the project was back on...but for the Game Boy Advance...and that it wasn't going to be sold in the U.S.

So eight years after the game sold here in the U.S. known as EarthBound hit the shelves, Mother 3 hit the Japanese market and was named a great success, as along with its release was a combo release of the first two Mother games for the GBA, known in the U.S. as EarthBound Zero, a Nintendo release, and EarthBound. With the popularity of EarthBound back in its heyday, people were waiting for it to be released on the Game Boy Advance, but the day never came, even with rumors of a packaged deal much like Japan did with the first two Mother games.

That led many fans of the game to lash out in petition so that Nintendo would grant a North American release, but that never happened either, which led a group of fans to do the video game world's version of "The Grey Album." Taking the downloadable ROM of the Japanese version of the game, hackers actually two years to complete a fully translated patch of the game, finally allowing Mother fans to plahttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2222063571064060967&postID=6072295814852152882y the game they had waited over a decade to play.

Even waiting that long, it was worth the wait.

It was a game that played a lot like EarthBound, but it had its own little twists. There was a musical accompaniment to each battle that allowed the player to attack enemies to the beat of the song, adding up the damage as the hits grew to achieve maximum damage. It was a perfect musically assisted system, as the fourth hit on every combo was the most damage, and you could have a maximum of 16 hits total, the equivalent of four measures of music to a 4/4 time, which was the normal amount of time for a beat to come around again in a song.

It wasn't just the music. The battle system still had the same quirky attributes I loved from EarthBound: Awesomely named enemies with weirdly drawn but awesome animations, and every day weapons that became deadly. Cool PSI abilities that looked even cooler in this game than in the last. And the cast of characters was unique and each brought a lot to the table, including a couple familiar faces that get you all nostalgic and teary-eyed and such.

But it was the story that grabbed you and it was the story that never let you go until the very end. You have a vague idea of what was in store, but even then, the trip to get there was just so insanely awesome. It also stretched the range of human emotions better than any game I had ever played, INCLUDING it's predecessor, which dealt with human emotions almost perfectly. I have no idea how the game improved on such an incredible ride like the first one, but it did.

The graphics were a lot like EarthBound's, but still looked great, even on a system where graphics weren't really expected to be truly outstanding. The animations were nice, and the characters showed emotions really well. Retaining the graphic feel from EarthBound I think was a very important thing with the game, as it allowed the game to retain a lot of the charm that it's predecessor had. The preview shots for the 64DD version that never came didn't really have the same look that EarthBound had, and I think that in an alternate universe, people are disappointed with how EarthBound 2 turned out.

But Mother 3 is a masterpiece for the simple fact that like EarthBound, it grabs the attention of the player and never lets go. It mixes humor, heartbreak, courage, action, excitement and originality to create a gaming experience like no other, and like "The Grey Album," although it's not technically "legal" to play it, it has to be experienced if you're an RPG fan at all. While it has been explained at great detail before as to why it's held in such high regard, the ultimate regard it can be given is that it can only truly be understood and appreciated upon playing it, so that you understand how those who have played it love it so much.

So if there's a Mother 4 that comes out in 2014, I hope that it makes its way Stateside, but don't be surprised if I have to wait until 2018 to play it if it doesn't. Besides, when you wait for something so long and it turns out to be worth it, it just makes you want to experience it again.

An experience that you won't soon forget.

My Favorite 25 Video Games of the 2000s: Part 1

I've been playing video games since I was 5 years old and Ben Casias introduced me to the awesomeness that was Super Mario Bros. on the NES. I'm really happy with how I grew into gaming, too. The first time I ever had a video game system in my house was when I rented a Sega Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog and proceeded to destroy the game. I remember sitting down so much I got cramps in my legs from sitting Indian style. From there, I got a TurboGrafx-16 for my 10th birthday and I was hooked. By the way, for those who don't know anything about the TG-16, if you have a Wii, check out their games. Not as famous as their competitors, but good lord, some awesome stuff, including all the Bonk games and some amazing hidden gems (like the Jackie Chan game, the TV Sports franchises, and World Class Baseball, which was my favorite baseball game ever until I got my hands on Hardball III).

As the games grew, I went with them, and while the 2000s weren't as awesome to me as the 1990's were, where I played some of the greatest games ever made, bar none, there were still some pretty awesome stuff. I skew towards sports games, action/adventure games, fighting games, platformers and RPGs, and while this list will show off all of those biases, there will be a surprise or two in there just to keep things fresh. So without further adieu:

25. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - PlayStation 2, 2001



Us Livingston kids were all big fans of the Crash Bandicoot series, which was interesting as it was a straight-line platformer featuring a made-up Australian animal that had an unbelievable ability to jump really high. He was supposed to be the PlayStation mascot, and it worked for a while, but once the jump was made to PlayStation 2, the bandicoot became passe, and Sony looked for a new mascot.

Enter Jax, a...uh, what is he? And Daxter, who I think was a muskrat, but I don't really know. We got it for Christmas one year and after playing it for a while, it grew on me. It turned out that I wasn't the only one, as there were five Jax games made after this. However, none of the sequels matched up to the original, which was, at its best, a platformer that took the best from previous platformers, added a few puzzle elements to it, and voila! You have yourself a franchise starter that sells itself in future iterations. There were games beforehand in the 3D vein that were more memorable (Super Mario 64) and after it (Super Mario Galaxy, although I didn't play it nearly enough for it to get on this list, sadly) but for us who only dug us some PlayStation 2, this was a fantastic platformer.

24. Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes - Arcade/PlayStation 2/Dreamcast/XBox/Everything else, 2000



When Pete and I went to EVO 2008, I called this game the "Hollywood" fighter at the tournament. It went last. It was flashy. It had the biggest crowd. During the tournament for the other games, the biggest following was a MVC2 money match between two teenagers where people bet over $1,000 on a 10-match series. Was it really that much of a technical game? Of course it was, but it was also a game that, like all fighters, had a tier system that ended up making the game unbalanced in the end.

But that doesn't stop it from being one of the funnest games I've ever played, as it has a fantastic knack for dragging you in. I remember the thing I wanted to do most was drop a 100 hit combo (which is easily possible even if you aren't that great at the game; Cable, Iron Man, War Machine, in that order, for the win) but soon after, it was air combos. And then tag-in combos, and then corner juggles, and then you realize that in order to truly be great, you had to grab the same three guys and use the same strategy over and over again to be effective. That's why of all the fighters I played, it stays relatively low, but even I can't say that many bad things about the game. It's not like Third Strike, where you're either Ken or Chun-Li and you're looking for the same thing over and over. It's re-release on the PlayStation Network puts me ever closer to buying a stick and getting my 100-hit combo on. I'm so close...

23. Tetris DS - Nintendo DS, 2006



There was a game that came out for the Nintendo 64 called "The New Tetris" that turned a couple of summers in Sonoma into giant competitions between me and my friends. It was the last time Tetris was relevant in my life, and that was in 1999. So seven years later, when I heard they were coming out with a new version of it for the Nintendo DS, I got a bit psyched. Sam got it for his DS, and then I just had to play it myself. Before I knew it, I was hooked. It had some really neat twists on the classic puzzler (Mission Mode alone could keep me occupied for hours on end) but it was the presentation that really did it for me.

If there's one thing you can count on with Nintendo, they always find a way to take the older games and release them to a new audience for them to like it as much as guys like me did back in our video game heyday. If the basics remain from what made it great, but they do enough to bring you back in, they've done their job. This game was simple to some, but to a guy like me, who can appreciate the small nuances a game has that links it to the games from its past, it makes it that much more awesome. Which reminds me...the next time I'm in California, I'm gonna have to borrow that for a while...sorry, Sam!

22. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 - Multiple platforms, 2002



I LOVED the Tony Hawk games. Tony Hawk 2 is solely responsible for getting me into Mos Def. That would get it on the list, but it was this game, that I bought as a PS2 greatest hit, that solidified it in my mind. It had the perfect balance of the incredible tricks from the previous games with the added benefits of better physics and awesome level design (The Embarcadero in San Francisco is my favorite), and, of course, the ability to do manuals, which over time allowed Will and I many a Tony Hawk trick joke, where we'd call out combos and throw about 12 manuals in the middle to keep the streak going.

It was also awesome to have the free skate career mode, where you had a list of goals that you had to complete, and then with the points you earned, allowed you to move on to the game's other levels. It also allowed your created skater the ability to earn new tricks in relation to the tricks he already used, really allowing you to be creative with what your skater could be like as he became better down the road. Besides that, the free skate mode was awesome with a big group of friends, which was revisited in the later games in the franchise. In fact, when they went to the Underground name after this game, the series started to lose its luster. This was the pinnacle, in my opinion, of the Tony Hawk franchise.

21. Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga - Game Boy Advance, 2003



One of the last games to be released for the Game Boy Advance, it was the first RPG featuring Mario and Luigi since the incredible Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Mario and Luigi wasn't your traditional JRPG like its predecessor, but what it did well was mix in your normal Mario goofiness with a lot of neat puzzles and interactions. In fact, most people think that the best part of the game is the interactions with all the non-playable characters in the game, leading to some absolutely awesome moments, some which are some of the funniest I've ever seen in games.

The other part about this, which is seriously understated, is that it ushered in an era of role-playing games on the Nintendo handheld systems that made the Game Boy Advance's successor, the Nintendo DS, the best home for RPGs in the handheld market. This series was so successful that it spawned two sequels on the DS, but the original, which was a tight and surprisingly challenging game that put smiles on gamers faces worldwide thanks to its unique approach, is my favorite of the three. Sometimes, you just can't beat the original.

20. Winning Eleven 9: Pro Evolution Soccer - Multiple Platforms, 2005



The best soccer game I played this decade. You can take it to the bank. Technically precise, and almost too much for even the most die hard players, the Winning Eleven franchise had long been one of the premier sports series in all of video games. I got into it my junior year of college when I was looking for a soccer game to play during my "Tim gets used to soccer" phase. It took a while for me to get used to it, but when I did...good lord.

It was just fun. I remember playing FIFA 08 with Blake a few weeks before I came out to Florida and while it wasn't nearly as tight as Winning Eleven, it was still so much fun. I think it's because you really treat soccer games like a puzzle, trying to fit the right pieces together and in the right spots so that you can be successful. The best part is when you do a cross to one of the forwards, and then all of a sudden, you head one in. I don't think there's a better feeling in a sports game than a well executed centering pass that leads to a header. Fantastic stuff. FIFA got better as it got closer to the edge of the decade, with FIFA 10 being the supposed pinnacle, but I'm pretty sure that I didn't play a better soccer game than the one I played in 2005.

19. Star Ocean: Until the End of Time - PlayStation 2, 2005



I only got into the Star Ocean series because after Square Enix did Final Fantasy X, the company did a great job getting fringe fans into their secondary franchises. Not exactly hard for an RPG guy to like an epic game like this. I never beat the game, but I always loved how this game was set up. It was pretty linear in its story, but certain actions led to major parts of the story being changed, and even determined if you got certain characters or not. It was a lot like Chrono Trigger in that if you wanted to get everything in the game, you had to beat it a couple of times, which could become quite tedious.

My favorite part of the game was the battle system. It had a fantastic rewards program that allowed your party to increase certain things like experience or money or items by having a certain amount of fights without taking major damage. It meant that if you were able to extend the bonus fights out to 10, 20, 50 battles, that you could boost your characters faster and get some sweet swag. The story was pretty basic stuff (invaded planet seeks shelter, young boy is in the middle of it and somehow becomes part of even larger subplot for galactic dominance) but it was done very well. The music is one of the best parts of the game, as it sets up big moments and sets the right mood, too. I'm a fan of games that have simple premises but are done well enough that the simplicity is balanced out by fantastic execution, and this game does it in spades. The sequel to this was released on XBox 360 in 2009, but has been announced as a PS3 release in a couple of months, which is turning out to be a huge stretch for Square Enix, as it includes the release of the next game in their most important franchise: Final Fantasy XIII.

18. Virtua Tennis 2 - Dreamcast, 2001



I'll tell you the first time I played this: Santa Cruz, 2001 summer, Cocoanut Grove arcade. It was on one of the big screens and people were all around it, and I became hooked. Just like soccer, tennis can be awfully addicting (ask the Kingwood house guys about Mario Tennis for GameCube one time) and this game turned out to be one of the most addicting games I would ever play.

You were always trying to get a max serve. You were always trying to get to the net for a smash. And you knew that if you were going to play doubles, you get Tim Henman because if there's anybody you want at the net, it's the best volley guy in tennis. For me, it was always fun to get a big rally going, especially with a giant group of people waiting to get in. It always made for a good day if a lot of people were looking to play. I ended up getting Virtua Tennis 3 for my PlayStation 3 before coming out to Florida, and while it had a lot of cool new features, it doesn't touch the second game for the complete package, which has some of the best gameplay in a sports game that I have ever seen.

17. Katamari Damacy - PlayStation 2, 2004



(GOD that picture is awesome.)

The most original game on the countdown, you roll a ball all over the world (literally) so that the Prince of the Cosmos is able to win the affection of his father, the King, who sarcastically and almost sadistically forced his son to make Katamaris, large balls of objects that get collected to help restore the lost stars in the galaxy. It's quirky, it's fun, but the best part was the visuals.

The idea is to start with small things like pins, ants, and so forth, but once it got to a certain size, you were able to grab things that were larger in size, like cows, small cars, and the like. The later levels, where you start with a slightly bigger ball and look to make it hundreds and thousands of meters in diameter, sees the most ridiculous things rolled up. Buses, buildings, houses...you name it, you can roll it over and get it. It's truly the most unique game design I saw during the 2000s, and is a game that grew in popularity quickly. So quickly that it spawned a sequel. But for me, you can't really do better than this, as the initial shock and awe the game provided was unprecedented.

16. Gitaroo Man - PlayStation 2, 2002



Another one for the Japanese quirky side of things, with this one being a high schooler who loves a girl, and then all of a sudden, gets visited by a dog that tells him he's the great "Gitaroo Man", who helps fight evil forces with his legendary guitar. Unbelievably enough, the game is phenomenal, even with that goofy premise, and it's due to two things and two things only: An ncredible music soundtrack and an original way of playing the musical notes that predates all the Guitar Hero/Rock Band games.

But there was always something that bothered us when we played the game on hard: We couldn't get past that damn UFO level if we tried our damndest. (See above picture) It was just too much techno for us to come up with when it came to hitting the notes correctly. Even with that, you got some incredible level designs, with the musical numbers turning out to be tremendously catchy. It's another unique game experience that I was happy to see make it's way to the United States from Japan, as even as a niche game, it became one of the most sought after games for the PS2, eventually re-released on the PSP several years later. For my money, you can't beat this incarnation of the game, one that stands as an awesome achievement in musical gaming.

15. Golden Sun - Game Boy Advance, 2001



One of the "Dragon Quest" style JRPG's that became the Game Boy Advance's first major RPG haul. While the GBA would feature remakes of previous RPGs, this became the first game that ushered in the era of the GBA being a fantastic little nesting area for RPGs, as they would re-release past Final Fantasy games and the best Zelda game ever: A Link to the Past, soon after this.

It's a simple story of a man trying to help save his home land, but I think the story was executed very well, and I loved how the four characters could rotate back and forth between the numerous Djinni that gave them magical powers, giving them numerous combinations of magical powers. It also featured some fantastic graphics for a Game Boy Advanced game, and the hidden items in the game where fun to find because a lot of them were right there out in the open and you had to use your magical powers in order to get them, which was later used in the Mario and Luigi franchise. But this game set the GBA standard, one that would be duplicated down the road, but in my eyes, not quite as good as this one.

14. Street Fighter IV - Multiple platforms, 2008



The first time I played this game, I was hooked. It was a lot like the Street Fighter II, but much more fluid and much more responsive. I was one of the first lucky few in the US to play it on an arcade standup, as it was presented at EVO 2008 shortly after its Japanese release. I remember deciding to go with Zangief over E. Honda, who I normally played with, and was amazed at how well he played, effortlessly going into all of his special moves with ease.

But what impressed me most of all was that after Street Fighter III, which was Capcom trying to keep the old around and just throw it in with a bunch of new people, this game felt so much more like the best 2D fighter ever: Super Street Fighter II Turbo. It wasn't as technically sound as SSFII Turbo, but at the same time, you could tell that they did a lot with this game to make it feel like the old game, and it goes a long way in showing that by bringing back the the old guard that they wanted to retain that feel. Fantastically enough, the reception was so good that Capcom has decided to come out with Super Street Fighter IV in 2010, no doubt expanding on the great ideas of Street Fighter IV, and like Street Fighter II did to me as a kid, will make new fans out of one of the oldest games on the market.

13. Mega Man 9 - Numerous platforms, 2009



When I heard that they were coming out with another Mega Man, I was absolutely stoked. When I heard it was going to be done in the old Mega Man style (most notably Mega Man 2), I about lost it. Those of us who played the Mega Man series growing up knew exactly what to expect out of it: a game that looks easy in execution, but at the same time, becomes difficult to master completely. The game retained the old look, had some fantastic bosses, and, if you knew how to do it correctly, had a path that allowed you to beat the game much easier than just picking random levels.

It was also perfect for what today's systems were trying to do, which is reach out to older fans who might not be into the newer, flashier games of today. The game was executed perfectly, right down to the sprites and the 8-bit music, which still makes me smile when I think about it. It became one of the most downloaded games on any of the new systems, and with such a fantastic approach and wonderful reception, Capcom announced that they will go ahead with Mega Man 10, which will be done in the retro style as well. Go ahead and pencil that one in as one my 25 favorites for the 2010's right now.

12. Mario Kart Wii - Nintendo Wii, 2008



It was hard to pick between this and Mario Kart Double Dash, which would have been the only GameCube game on the list, but when I thought about it, the Wii version allowed me to go back and experience the play that made me love it so much way back on the SNES, when Super Mario Kart burst onto the scene and became the surprise hit of the SNES days. Staying true to the older versions of the game, the Wii version took the best of all the previous Mario Kart games and perfected its execution, with some fantastic level design on the new levels and, like other Mario Kart games, the return of classic tracks from the older games.

The presentation is what really got me, as the Wii controller fit into this wheel that allowed for a more realistic experience (well, one with go karts, at least) and they really made it feel like it was a big deal. There was this stretch that saw the Wii release this, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Mario Galaxy in the span of about five months, and it's not surprising that when these games came out, Wii sales skyrocketed. For me, it was all about nostalgia, and not only did this game do it, but it made me realize that the Wii was a lot more than the Virtual Console, and that even with the weird controller design, that it had a lot of potential to do some really cool things. This game proved that the Nintendo mantra of not fixing what wasn't broken continued to make winners. It's also one of the most fun party games you could play.

11. Kingdom Hearts II - PlayStation 2, 2006



So when fans heard that Square Enix was going to team up with Disney, we all wondered if it would work. Preview screens showed the main character, Sora, teaming up with Goofy and Donald as he went around to many different Disney worlds looking for something. And then we played it and were mesmerized about how the game was designed. Not quite RPG, but not quite a platformer, the game showed that it had an audience...but it was the game's second incarnation that really did it right.

It took all the problems in the first game and not only eliminated them, but added to the great parts. More weapons, more special attacks, different worlds, revisited worlds with some neat things added to them, and more interaction with Square Enix characters, as everyone from Squall Lionheart and Yuffie joined favorites Cloud and Sephiroth as a part of the world in which Sora was looking to save after his nearly year long sleep. The story is a little complicated to explain, and I think it would be a lot better to play the first game before tackling this one (even with them reviewing much of the key points in its predecessor at the game's onset), but as a whole, I don't think you'll see a game that took a unique idea and improved on it so much in only one iteration. The big question now is whether they finish off the trilogy, which has been one of the most requested games in the last few years. And much like Mega Man 10, if it does come out, you can bet that Kingdom Hearts III will be on my favorites from the 2010's.

Stay tuned for Part II, which should be coming out on 1/16!

My Favorite 25 Sports Moments of the 2000s - Part 2

For those of you who missed Part 1, please click here to check it out.

10. Gatti and Ward Bring Us Back to the Golden Age of Boxing - 5/18/02



While boxing has been surpassed in the public eye by the UFC, there are few sporting events better than a good boxing match. Whereas the decades past showcased the heavyweight boxers in battles of the titans, the lighter fighters had made themselves known thanks to putting up as much excitement as they could, with Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard being the first guys in the modern era to show that the little guys could be exciting, too.

With boxing "dying" as the new millennium turned due to numerous issues, true boxing aficionados were doing all they could to find the great fights that didn't headline the biggest cards, with the hungrier fighters putting on performances that were much more worthy than those looking for big paydays. So when Arturo Gatti, known for taking more punishment than any fighter in the world without going down, decided to step in with Irish toughman Mickey Ward, the idea was to get two guys who wouldn't quit to go at each other for 10 rounds and see what happens.

What followed was the template for all of the high-level fights that would follow in the decade by guys like Juan Pablo Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. Both fighters had moments where if they were facing inferior fighters, they would be knocked out, but with both fighters penchant for taking a punch, the stand up brawl took on a whole different level. Ward pummeled Gatti at points, but Gatti wouldn't go down, even after losing the decision. In fact, Gatti had his usual swelled eyes and beat up face after the fight, but with him giving Ward everything he could handle himself, they had a rematch, which Gatti won, which in turn led to the third and final bout, which Ward won. This trilogy has been called one of the greatest of all time.

I don't think you'll find another fight this decade that had boxing fans wanting much more than they got out of this duo. Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are supposedly on their way to a mega fight and while both are skilled, I doubt that the fight will have anything resembling the gumption shown in this fight. If you see one fight from this decade, it should be the beginning of this trilogy of greatness. For one night, the Sweet Science came back like it was the Golden Age again.

9. Nadal and Federer Have the Greatest Tennis Match Ever - 7/6/08



I was at KTVU when this happened, too. I got in and was asked to roll tape on the last part of the Wimbledon final...except that it had been met with a rain delay, leaving the match to start later. This led the match right up into darkness, meaning that there was a chance that the final would have to be suspended until Monday morning if the match went five sets.

Yeah, it went five sets, alright.

There have been fantastic five match sets in tennis before during the decade, with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi having one more great one for old times sake at the U.S. Open in 2000 being perhaps the most remembered (either that or Goran Ivanisevic's five set winner against Patrick Rafter in 2001 as a Wimbledon Wild Card), but this match was incredible for numerous reasons, none of those being bigger than Federer trying to best Bjorn Borg's record for five straight victories at Wimbledon by trying to win his sixth.

Nadal had been the world's best clay court player, winning numerous French Opens and being Federer's greatest foil in other finals, but like everyone else, he was always felled by the grass court master when it came time to determine the Gentleman's champion at Wimbledon. But Nadal won the first two sets to put Federer on his heels, with people wondering if the delay had gotten the Swiss native off his game. What followed was ridiculous.

Federer had to endure another rain delay and come back out to try and win the third set, and somehow got it to a tiebreak. From there, Nadal was doing everything he could to put Federer away, but Federer managed to take the tiebreak 7-5 to win the third set. After the fourth set also went to a tiebreak, Nadal lost two championship points, giving Federer the serve and the chance to pull it out, which he did with a 10-8 victory, evening the match at 2 sets apiece.

The fifth and final set was a barnburner, with another delay propelling the match into dusk, and with the sun almost completely down, the match went past the normal constrictions of a six game set and into extra time, with Nadal hitting some ridiculous shots to finally prevail over the master, 9-7. Nadal finally felled the greatest tennis player of the era, perhaps of all time, and as John McEnroe interviewed a crying Federer after the match, knowing exactly what the match meant after his wars with Borg in the 80s, you saw that while Federer's accomplishments were vast, he did everything he could to take down the young gun, but just couldn't find it. It was harrowing, it was ridiculous, it was dramatic.

For tennis, it was perhaps its greatest moment.

8. Vince Carter Dunks A Basketball Five Times - 2/12/00



This one gets the video. Pictures don't do it justice.

This is one of those moments that I can't believe I missed, like the two RAWs in the Bay Area that saw Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho win the Tag Team Titles and saw the formation of the WCW/ECW InVasion and all of the 2007 Warriors playoff run. It's the All-Star Weekend, but it's not the game, so it's a cheap ticket, and even from the nose bleeds, it's still one hell of a view. I can't believe I missed it. I was 15 at the time, so I blame youthful innocence.

VC was known for being explosive, but lazy. He went to the beat of his own drum. He was the Randy Moss of the NBA: Insanely talented, but didn't always bring the talent to the table.

This is quite possibly the greatest athletic accomplishment I've ever seen.

Carter proceeds to start off with the best dunk he would do all night, a reverse 360 windmill that was done with such fluidity and grace that everyone else in the competition should have just got up and left. Of course, the best part of the dunk contests are always the reactions from the players sitting on the sidelines. Shaquille O'Neal alone was worth the price of admission, watching with his camcorder on the sidelines and making ridiculous faces all night long.

The next was a reverse 180 windmill from underneath the backboard, which drew a 49. Stupid Kenny Smith. But the teammate dunk with his cousin Tracy McGrady became the stuff of legend. Missing on the first attempt, it appeared that VC wanted to go between his legs with the dunk off the bounce. Nuts. Crazy. AND THEN HE DID IT. The greatest part is Allen Iverson getting up off the floor and running to the locker room to tell somebody what he just saw.

The finals round was weird for Vince, as he used up all his good mojo in the first round, but his two dunks, an elbow-in dunk to show off his hops and a two handed dunk from just inside the free throw line, were more than enough to win the dunk contest. JRich had a ridiculous run a few years later, and Dwight Howard had Superman, but even with Dr. J, 'Nique and Jordan doing what they did years earlier, the greatest single performance in a dunk contest ever belongs to Vince Carter.

7. You Can't Man Up Crabs - 11/1/08



It was the year the BCS ruined it for everyone, really. Texas Tech was sitting there undefeated, but had to beat both Texas and Oklahoma to be considered for the national championship. Texas had just beaten Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, meaning that if Texas Tech were to win out, they were on their way to the game. The game was in Lubbock, and while both teams featured prolific offenses, people questioned whether Tech could hold off the Horns, whereas the Horns had a chance defensively to slow down Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree.

For about 58 1/2 minutes, Texas was right. They held a 33-32 lead and had Tech needing to go about 55 yards in 90 seconds to win the ballgame. With eight seconds to go at the Texas 28, Harrell threw a fade route to Crabtree down the right sideline. Crabtree turned away from two defenders, snatched the ball, turned, shook both guys off, and sprinted down the sideline and into the endzone for the go-ahead score, sending the Red Raiders into euphoric celebration and the biggest win in the history of the program.

But it was the postgame interview that sold me on Michael Crabtree for life. First, it was Graham Harrell saying the words that spawned a money-winning fantasy football juggernaut: "You can't man up Crabs." This was of course followed by Crabtree exclaiming with the look on his face in the above picture: "I DREAMED IT IN MY HEAD!" It was the greatest postgame interview in the history of college football, bar-none.

Why did the BCS screw it up, you ask? Because instead of having these three teams available to play in a playoff to figure out who was the best after Oklahoma beat Tech, they went to a ridiculous tiebreaker, giving Oklahoma (somehow) the Big 12 South Championship berth, which they easily turned into a national championship berth. Tech may have lost its chance to be national title contenders in the end, but for this shining moment, they were on top of the college football world, even with Florida ranked #1.

6. Tom Watson Almost Pulls Off The Greatest Upset Of All Time - 7/20/09



I remember being home for the weekend from Dunedin and not believing what I was looking at when I saw the scoreboard after Saturday's action. While there had always been surprises before at major events in golf (with Nicklaus winning Major #18 at Augusta in '86), Tom Watson, at 59 years young, was leading the field at The Open Championship at Turnberry, where he had won one of his five British Open championships over 30 years before. And while I sat there on that Sunday morning, fresh off celebrating Audrey's wedding, it was insane to think that he could do it. That he could hold off these young guns and somehow come out of this with an unprecedented sixth championship and the moniker of "Oldest Major Tournament Winner."

But as he came to 18 with a one stroke lead, he shot his second shot over the green, and had to chip on for a 10 foot putt for par and the championship. Whether it was nerves or what have you, Watson sadly shanked the putt wide, taking a bogey 5 and pushing the tournament to a four hole playoff against Stuart Cink.

By then, Watson had exuded all of his energy, and got erratic with his shots. Cink stayed steady and took his first ever major, while the rest of the golf fans worldwide sadly saw what they hoped wouldn't happen actually happen. Watson's near-triumph is still something that will be talked about for a long time to come, if only because for all the great moments golf had with Tiger Woods, including him winning the U.S. Open only a few weeks earlier on one leg, to have Watson win The Open Championship would have superceded all of that as perhaps the greatest story in sports.

Even if it wasn't meant to be, I was happy that for 71 holes, Watson put me on the ride of my life. We expected Tiger to pull it out, but we all were begging for Watson to do it, which made it all the more sad when he couldn't.

Tom, I speak for all of us when I say that I wish you did, for it would have been #1 on this list.

5. Vince Young Takes the Title From USC - 1/4/06



I was the only person in the room rooting for Texas. I became a fan of the Longhorns a few years earlier when Huston Street helped lead the baseball team to a national championship, and even after the Longhorns argued their way into the Rose Bowl the year before when Cal should have gone in to face Michigan, Young's performance in that game was only a precursor to his incredible run in the Rose Bowl a year later for the National Title, where his Longhorns faced the USC juggernaut, winners of 34 straight and looking for their second straight national title.

It was a fantastic back and forth game, with Reggie Bush's somersault into the endzone being the main highlight of USC's dominance. Actually, I take that back. My favorite highlight was watching Scott Ware blow up Limas Sweed on a punt return and force a fumble. I know I'm supposed to dislike Montgomery, but to see a Sonoma County kid do that in the best college football game ever (to that point) was incredible.

But we all know what happened at the end. Facing a 4th and 2 at the Texas 44, Pete Caroll, up 38-33 and looking to put the game away by not letting Young touch the ball again, handed off to LenDale White, who was stuffed at the line for no gain, giving the Longhorns the ball with 2:13 to go and 56 yards to paydirt. Using basically the same play call the entire drive, the zone option read, Young would dice up USC's offense for a while before stalling at the USC 8 with 25 seconds to go. Young would drop back to pass, look for a second, and then roll out to his right, finding a hole and heading for the pylon, prancing into the endzone and giving Texas the lead. He would run in the 2 point conversion to make it a 41-38 game, sealing a game in which he threw for 267 yards and ran for 200, the most total yards by a player in a BCS Bowl Game to that point (Tim Tebow would break it at the Sugar Bowl in 2010 with 538 yards).

For Young, it was vindication for those who believed he couldn't beat the USC juggernaut and to the Heisman voters who gave the trophy to Reggie Bush. Bush would have a decidedly average game (including a bizarre fumble that could serve as its own highlight) while Young did everything he could and then some to push Texas to a title.

It was the greatest football game we had ever seen...to that point in time.

4. We Believe - 2007 NBA Playoffs



It was the moment that we all got swept up in. First, it was the trade that was made to get rid of Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, also getting rid of Ike Diogu, but in return, the Warriors got Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington, two players who would eventually make Don Nelson's small ball attack work out, as the incredible chemistry of the team turned out to propel them into the #8 seed in the loaded Western Conference, as they beat the Blazers on the last day of the season to face off against the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.

Game 1 was in Dallas and I remember going to the Metreon in San Francisco with Will and Blake to watch Spider-Man 3. We then went across the street afterwards to catch the end of the game, and when I saw the score, my jaw dropped. The Warriors were on their way to a victory and close to making NBA history. In fact, they DESTROYED the Mavericks to win their opening round matchup, becoming the first #8 seed to win a 7-game series in NBA History. MVP Dirk Nowitzki was hounded by the smaller, feistier Warriors defenders, making people sour on his potential as a game-changing player and leading to a match-up with the Jazz in the semis for the Warriors.

The Jazz would go on to beat the Warriors in 6 games, but not before the team revitalized a fanbase that had been begging for a chance to shine. While they haven't reached that pinnacle again (and probably won't for a long time), there was no greater joy than to follow the Warriors in the playoffs, as the video clip above is the ultimate highlight of Bay Area sports in the 2000s.

3. ANYTHING IS POSSIBULLLLLLLLLLLL! - 6/12/08

There were some really sweet things on my birthday. The best Japanese professional wrestling match of the 80's took place in 1986 between Tatsumi Fujinami and Akira Maeda. O.J. Simpson sped down the freeway when I turned 10 in 1994. Okay, THAT wasn't exactly "sweet," but still. That was something else!

So when I watched the Celtics play Game 4 of the NBA Finals like 6th graders for the first 2 1/2 quarters, I was definitely not happy that they couldn't give me a great birthday present. In fact, it was so bad, they were down 24 points on my 24th birthday!

This is the part where I thank the basketball gods for not only having a sense of humor, but for making my birthday that much more awesome.

I sat there on the couch, chewing my fingernails in anticipation for a miracle comeback. The Celtics delivered in spades. It was the Paul Pierce show, really. Playing in front of his hometown crowd, the Inglewood-born star and future Hall of Famer helped spur a fantastic comeback, ending the quarter on a 21-3 run to get the Celtics within 6. When Eddie House hit a 3 to give Boston the lead, I was doing cartwheels. House would stay hot, but the defining play came in the final 30 seconds, where Ray Allen was standing at the top of the key, drove towards the hoop, and after getting by Sasha Vujicic, saw nobody come to help, as they all feared the kickout pass for another dagger 3. Allen easily laid the ball up, gave the Celtics the lead for good, and sent them to a 3-1 series lead. They would finish the Lakers off at the Garden with a ridiculous 39 point win in the clinching Game 6, leading to another fantastic postgame interview in 2008, this time from Kevin Garnett:



It was a moment that saw my favorite basketball franchise finally return to the promised land that guys like Bird, McHale, Parish, Hondo and Russel
But it wasn't my favorite basketball memory of the decade.

2. Sonoma and Petaluma: The Greatest Game That I've Ever Called - 1/31/08

Yeah, this is going to be "controversial" and biased, but anyone who saw, heard, or was at the game live knows why this is here. It's bar none one of the greatest games I've ever seen, definitely the best one I've ever called and deserves to be mentioned, if not remembered, as one of the greatest high school games ever played, either in Sonoma or anywhere else.

It's hard to find pictures or video of the game. ThreeHouse covered it live on both SVTV TV and KSVY radio, but even as a game between the two teams vying for the inside track on the Sonoma County League championship, a game that had ridiculous potential wasn't even covered by The Press Democrat, meaning that there was a small number of people watching the game at home or listening to the radio, and about 1,000 people packed into Pfeiffer Gymnasium to witness the game.

Petaluma ran roughshod over the SCL in the first half of league play, beating Sonoma at home by nearly 20 points in the opener and cruising to a 6-0 mark, with Sonoma at 5-1 with Petaluma's beatdown their only loss. It was the best Lady Dragon team in a very long time, and the team needed to win on this night in order to have a shot at a share of the league title at the very least. They were led by the senior tri-captains of Sheila Brady, Steph Sevilla and Sarah Semenero, who would be granted a scholarship to play at Cal Poly Pomona, and it was Semenero who came away as the brightest star with a single-game performance that will go down as one of the greatest in the history of Sonoma High, if not, the greatest.

Sonoma came out on fire, blitzing Petaluma and taking a big lead at the half, pushing the lead to 14 points heading into the final quarter, but Petaluma would go on a long-distance rampage, hitting SEVEN three point shots in the quarter to storm back to within two points. They sent Daryn Kelly to the line for two free throws with less than six seconds to play with Sonoma up by 2. She hit the first, but missed the second, leading to Mia Greco heaving a 25 footer at the buzzer to try and tie the game. It hit nothing but net and the game went to overtime tied at 55.

Petaluma scored the only field goal in extra time, but it was Semenero who was able to get to the line and sink two free throws to tie the ballgame once more. After a long pass play went awry for the Lady Dragons, overtime ended the same as regulation, giving the two teams a second overtime to play with.

It was then that Sonoma pulled out all the stops, with two plays in particular being of great importance. The first one was from Ashley Meyers, who faked a three-point shot and dribbled in, throwing up a wild shot as the shot clock hit 0, and not only did she get fouled on the play, but as she fell to the floor, the shot somehow banked in. She would hit the free throw. But it was Semenero's three-point play on a ridiculous spin move drive that banked home the most ridiculous line I have ever seen: 38 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks. She played all 40 minutes. She had to be helped up before her final two free throws due to her exhaustion.

It wasn't so much that the game itself was great, but that the atmosphere saw so many great things come together. It was the best broadcast I ever did. It was the high point for the Lady Dragons program. The game itself was incredible, as I would put the final two quarters and overtime of that game against the end of basically any other game I've seen (barring my #1, but not by much). The aftermath, talking to the seniors and finally to Sil Coccia himself, was a great capper to an unbelievable night, as I was there for what turned out to be the most exciting night Sonoma's basketball program had ever seen.

1. David Slays Goliath; No Smurf Turf Necessary - 1/1/07



Like there was really any doubt as to what my favorite moment of the decade was in sports.

Nevermind the fact that I had a second cousin who went there and made me a fan. Or the fact that with me becoming a Texas fan, I hated me some Bob Stoops. Or that Boise State was the first non-BCS team to get a true test in a BCS bowl, with Utah's shellacking of Pittsburgh in 2005 not only being unsurprising, but expected. No, this game came down to Boise State trying to prove that they were indeed one of the top programs in the country, not just one of the best non-BCS programs.

For me, I remember watching the beginning of the game in San Francisco after a night of raucous partying and debauchery. I caught Boise going up 14-0 after the fantastic play-action fake that opened the scoring, followed by the forced fumble that led to an Ian Johnson touchdown. I would then listen to the game in the car as I made my way back to Sonoma.

Let's fast-forward to when I got home, shall we?

Oklahoma was down 28-20 in the 4th quarter after finding a way to come back, keeping the Sooners hopes alive. They would tie it at 28 with 1:26 to play, giving Boise St. plenty of time to get down the field and get the winning field goal. But nothing is easy with the Broncos, is it?

Jared Zabransky and his receiver gets mixed up on the route, he throws a soft toss to the far side of the field that's easily intercepted. Pick-6, Oklahoma takes the lead for the first time in the game, and sends Boise to the sidelines down 7 with 75 seconds to play with the Broncos needing a miracle to tie the game.

So it came to pass on that fateful night of New Year's Day, as a 4th and 18 call from midfield with 18 seconds to go. Needing more than just a first down to take home a win, first year head coach Chris Petersen went to the deepest part of his playbook and pulled out the gutsiest call ever. Zabransky hit Drisan James on a deep in, and as James cut across the field, he flipped it to Jerard Rabb on a lateral, who raced down the sidelines and dove to the pylon for the game's tying score, sending the contest into the most improbable of overtimes and the game, in an instant, into that of historic importance.

Oklahoma won the toss and took the ball first, handing it off to All-World running back Adrian Peterson, who quickly romped in a 25 yard touchdown to put the pressure back on Boise. The Broncos responded on another trick play on a 4th down, this time with 3rd string quarterback Vinny Peretta (who played wide receiver), lining up in the shotgun, sending ZABRANSKY in motion and throwing an option pass to tight end Derek Schouman for the score to make it 42-41.

It was then that I shouted out, "THEY'RE GOING FOR 2!" My dad didn't believe it, but when I told him that they weren't gonna let AP touch the ball again, he agreed. And then I remembered back to a SportsCenter highlight from earlier that year when they tried a Statue of Liberty play and it worked. I think it was against Idaho. I didn't think they would run that play, but I knew they had to run something a little tricky.

I saw the formation and thought, "No way they run it."

I saw Zabranksy turn towards the trips side after receiving the snap.

"No way."

And then I saw Johnson run forward.

"NO WAY!"

He had nothing but daylight as he took the ball from behind Zabransky's back. Game over.

David had slayed Goliath.

It was the loudest I had ever cheered in my life. I couldn't believe what I saw. The one play had so much significance to it. It ushered in a completely new era. It gave a school it's signature win. It ended the greatest game in the history of college football. It showed that creativity beats talent when you know how to use it.

But most of all, it showed that Boise State, who had toiled in national obscurity as the "Little Program That Could," not only played with the big boys, but beat them. It was as much a stamp on the ludicrous nature of the BCS as anything that had been done to it previously. After a lackluster title game, there was much to talk about that Boise deserved a chance to be crowned national champs. And to a point, they really should have.

But the game itself? It was a game for the ages, and then some. And by some, I mean Ian Johnson proposing to his girlfriend (with Chris Myers ruining the surprise) in front of all those people after scoring the biggest touchdown of his life. It was the game that had everything you'd ever want in it.

Unless you were an Oklahoma Sooner fan, that is.

My Favorite 25 Sports Moments of the 2000s - Part 1

"Best of the Decade" lists are inherently flawed. I say this because somebody or some group takes it upon themselves to be experts on certain subjects and speak for everyone that would read the list. How self-serving and ridiculous, right? As if nobody's thought on the subject should matter outside of the writer's. Well, knowing this, I decided that if I'm going to do a list, I'm going to make it clear that these are not the best, but MY FAVORITE things in a certain genre. I'm doing it because I like to look back on things like this and also because it should spawn some discussion about other people's favorite moments. So that's what I plan to do.

In the first of eight lists that I will do over the next few weeks/months, I'll take a look back at the last decade and feature some of the things I liked the most in the world of sports. Obviously, there's going to be some bias, but I did my best to work in many different things that should make the list stand out, including some things I was actually at in person...or in two cases, behind the microphone for. So here's how we start:

25. A-Rod Goes Yard in Spring Training Debut - 2/25/09

I begin my list with my first Spring Training memory, and man was it something.

The big story coming into the 2009 season was Alex Rodriguez's revelation that he used performance-enhancing drugs early in the decade, putting him with the rest of the tainted sluggers that now cloud baseball's record books. When the story broke so close to the beginning of Spring Training, myself and my co-workers got excited about the potential of A-Rod showing up before realizing that perhaps the Yankees would keep him under wraps early so that he doesn't become a distraction. Thankfully, we were wrong.

It was indeed a circus. The left field line at Dunedin Stadium was filled with cameramen and reporters, and as I walked around the field before gametime and surveyed the craziness, A-Rod finished playing catch with Derek Jeter and then ran towards the dugout, running right by me as he did it. He was a lot bigger than I thought he would be, which was ironic considering his circumstances at the time. It was then that I realized how amazing a moment I was in...but it was just beginning.

A-Rod arrived to boos from the Blue Jays fans while Yankees fans, both New York transplants and vacationers to their Spring home in Tampa, cheered uncontrollably. A-Rod drew a walk in his first appearance, fouling off the only pitch he swung at. It was in his next at-bat, however, where things got interesting.

He took the first pitch and then waited for one to come, and man, did it ever come, in the form of a moonshot off his bat and over the scoreboard at the stadium. As I stood there watching this all unfold, I heard boos to my right and cheers to my left, but even though I was a Blue Jays employee, I couldn't help but shake my head in amazement. It was the beginning of a year that saw A-Rod come through in big moments for the first time in his career as a Yankee, and the home run showed that even though he was surrounded by controversy, he was not afraid to face it head on.

24. The Jets Make a Jumbo-sized Comeback - 10/23/00

This is the moment that makes Sean happy and my brother, Pete, squeamish.

I remember watching the second half of this game and shaking my head. The Jets were down by 32 and with less than five minutes to play they had suddenly made it 37-30 after touchdowns thrown to Jermaine Wiggins and Lav Coles, neither of whom had caught a TD pass before in the NFL. The Dolphins defense at the time featured tackling machine Zack Thomas and fantastic pass-rushing defensive end Jason Taylor, along with many other good defensive role-players that fit the scheme well. Even with a so-so offense led by Jay Fiedler, the Dolphins defense kept them in a lot of games.

So imagine the surprise when not only did the Jets comeback, but the way they came back...good lord. The touchdowns came at the expense of casual offense and mistakes, but the score that tied it, when Vinny Testaverde hit starting tackle Jumbo Elliott on a tackle-eligible throw to bring the game even, just left my mouth agape, much like Jumbo's as he looked to the sky after nearly bobbling his catch.

Of course, the game went to overtime, and, of course, the Jets won it on a John Hall field goal to complete the comeback, one of the greatest games in the history of MNF. Of course, while the game itself was incredible, it would be eclipsed a few weeks later when Antonio Freeman made the most ridiculous catch in the history of the NFL, prompting the famous, "HE DID WHAT?!" call from Al Michaels as the Packers beat the Vikings in overtime. While the catch was incredible, the Jets/Dolphins game was a tour de force of emotions down the stretch, and the bizarre comeback capped off by the Jumbo catch made it that much more special.

23. Liverpool Shocks The World - 5/25/05

I got into soccer during my junior year of college thanks to my good friend Chamo and as the end of my junior year of college was upon me (and unfortunately at the time, the death of my Grandma) a match happening half a world away suddenly drew my interest in my time of mourning.

I had followed the Premier League and knew that Liverpool was most definitely the second fiddle to powers like Manchester United and Chelsea. However, in the Champions League semi-finals, it was expected that Liverpool would be no challenge for the Blues, even with Liverpool on an unusual run and facing a stacked Chelsea squad. Liverpool prevailed in front of a RAUCOUS crowd in Liverpool, a match that sent them on to the final against AC Milan and the "Great White Hope" of soccer, Andriy Shevchenko.

In fact, the first half looked like the strongest team in Italy's Serie A was going to prove that Liverpool's surprise was a mere aberration, going up 3-0 at the half thanks to a goal in the opening minute by Paolo Maldini and two goals in a three minute span later in the half from Hernan Crespo. But it was the response from Liverpool, with three goals in a fifteen minute span to open the 2nd half, that brought the game to a fevered pitch. Liverpool's resiliency was once again on display and brought forth one of the most incredible stretches of soccer anywhere in the world that decade.

After two periods of extra time, the two teams went into a shootout, and with AC Milan shooting last, they sent Shevchenko to the line to send the shootout into a sixth shot. His chip right up the middle was stopped by Jerzy Dudek, who somehow deflected the ball as he fell away from the shot, sending Liverpool to it's greatest win in club history. Shevchenko would ironically become a part of Chelsea as they became the New York Yankees of the Premier League, but it was Liverpool's incredible win that stands as perhaps soccer's greatest moment of the 2000s.

22. Reggie Bush Earns Himself A Heisman Trophy Against Fresno St. - 11/19/05

The Heisman Trophy race in 2005 famously came down to the wire as USC and Texas seemed destined to collide in the Rose Bowl that year for the National Championship in the one time the BCS ever got it right. USC were the defending champs and had the previous year's Heisman winner at quarterback in ballroom dancer extraordinaire, Matt Leinart. They had won 32 straight games, the longest streak in the nation and one of the longest in history. Texas quarterback Vince Young was having an incredible year after his coming out party in the Rose Bowl the year before. But it was junior sensation and runner-up to Leinart the previous season, Reggie Bush who became THE story on a team full of superstars.

Facing Pat Hill's Fresno State in a non-league game right before the end of the season, USC found themselves in a shootout, doing everything they could from giving Hill his signature victory. But Bush had other ideas, running for an insane 294 yards, including the signature highlight of his career: an incredible 50-yard touchdown run that saw him cutback against the grade across the width of the field en route to the victory. He had a total of 513 all-purpose yards, setting an NCAA record, as he was electrifying on kick returns and in the passing game as well.

It was the game that made people believe that Bush could be special in the NFL, but unfortunately for Bush, he has never lived up to the amazing potential he showed in this game, where he proved once and for all that he was one of the greatest players in the history of college football.

21. LuGo Walks Off The World Series Against The Sandman - 11/4/01

Derek Jeter famously hit a walk-off home run off Byung-Hun Kim as the clock passed midnight on Halloween, giving him the moniker of "Mr. November," and if the Yankees could have figured out a way to win the 2001 World Series, that would have been the biggest highlight of the Series, if not Jeter's career.

Instead, Luis Gonzalez had to "ruin" it for everybody.

It was, like many great moments, the build-up to it that made it special. It was the Yankees up 1 with the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, in to close it out after closing out the 8th inning. Randy Johnson had come in and kept the game close for the D'Backs in relief of Curt Schilling. It was then that the D'Backs, off the invincible Rivera, made the most improbable of comebacks. A Mark Grace single started the rally, but it was Tony Womack's RBI double that tied the game, putting the winning run 90 feet away. Craig Counsell was hit by a pitch to load the bases, giving way to Gonzalez, who fisted off one of Rivera's patented sliders over the drawn in Jeter to complete the third Series-winning 9th inning comeback ever, and the first since Joe Carter's historic walk-off home run in the '93 Series. It was the perfect ending to a World Series that brought America together in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and even though the Yankees couldn't pull it out for the city hit hardest by those tragic events, the moment in which the D'Backs pulled off their miracle was something everyone could enjoy.

20. Brock Lesnar Arrives Becomes The Man In UFC - 11/15/08

Brock Lesnar was labeled as nothing more than a sideshow when he arrived in the UFC during 2008: A vain attempt by UFC President Dana White to capitalize on Lesnar's star power as a professional wrestler to draw big gates and become a tomato can to "real" fighters.

And then he went out and destroyed Randy Couture to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion.

The fight wasn't even close. Couture's fighting style, that of the experienced wrestler who could ground and pound out wins, was what Lesnar did at a much higher level, and when he destroyed the UFC legend to the sounds of glorious boos from the crowd, it was then made clear that perhaps this giant of a man could have what it takes to be the centerpiece of UFC's renewed interest in the heavyweight division, and that after years of watching the smaller guys dominate the scene (like in boxing), the big boys would soon become what everyone came to see. Lesnar would win his much hyped rematch against Frank Mir at UFC 100, drawing the ire of many, but at the same time, showing that he is indeed the real deal, and after recovering from a stomach illness, looks to become the dominant force to begin the 2010's.

19. Phelps and Bolt Make History 30 Minutes Apart - 8/16/08

The two main stories of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing crossed paths for a 30 minute burst that showed exactly why they were considered the best athletes in the world in their respective sports.

Michael Phelps was looking to become the most decorated Olympian ever, trying to amass more gold medals than anyone in the history of the Olympics, and with his toughest event, the 100 Meter Butterfly, staring him right in the face, he would continue his run towards history, but not before the infamous finish nearly marred his quest, as the electronic touch pad indicated that he just barely beat Serbian Milorad Cavic by .01 of a second, making Phelps Mark Spitz's equal as he won his seventh gold medal at the games.

Meanwhile, Jamaica's Usain Bolt was looking to make history himself as he went after the 100 Meter dash world record, saying that he could destroy the record previously set by himself earlier that year. Tyson Gay, America's best hope against Bolt, was looking to shut up the brash Jamaican...and then Bolt shut us all up by running a 9.69, gloating as he crossed the finish line to prove his point of superiority. He would then put all his effort together in 2009 to throw a 9.59 up on the board, just to show his full potential.

While both events by themselves are worthwhile, the fact that they happened so close together made for an incredible night as I laid on Audrey's couch tired from a day of craziness.

18. Mariners Lose Chance At History as Indians Make Ridiculous Comeback - 8/5/01

Some moments, you remember exactly where you were. I definitely remembered this game, as my family and I sat in a hotel room across the street from Disneyland, coming home after a busy day at the Magic Kingdom, turning on ESPN to find that night's Sunday attraction was still going...and going...and going. Seattle would go on to tie the record set by the 1998 Yankees with 116 wins that season, but this game would be most remembered as the game in which they lost their shot at surpassing the Bronx Bombers.

Even though we tuned in late, we got there at the best time possible: Down 14-9 in the 9th, the Indians were dead in the water...but all of a sudden, Omar Vizquel was up with the bases loaded and a full count against Kaz Sasaki with Cleveland down 14-11 before the impossible was completed. Vizquel tripled down the left field line, bringing in all three runs and tying the game at 14-14, completing a comeback that saw Seattle go up 12-0 after only two innings.

Of course, the comeback would be completed in the 10th inning when Jolbert Cabrera drove in his third run of the night, bringing home Kenny Lofton with the winning run and completing one of the biggest comebacks in MLB history. One of the craziest things I had ever seen.

17. LeBron Singlehandedly Sinks the Detroit Pistons - 6/1/07

I remember being the only guy watching the TV at Rogue that night in San Francisco, but it was only because LeBron just wouldn't stop destroying the Pistons. It was as if he found out Rip Hamilton slept with his girlfriend or something.

Famous as James had gotten in the NBA at 22, the man hadn't really had his time to shine yet, as Dwayne Wade got his NBA Title the year before. But when he led the Cavs to the Eastern Conference Finals and put them on the precipice to the first NBA Finals appearance in team history, you had a feeling he needed to break out to cement his status as the King of the NBA. The performance was straight up nuts: He scored the last 25 Cavs points and 29 of the last 30 in a Game 5 that swayed the momentum one way or the other. He had 48 overall, but the two shots that did it were two EMPHATIC dunks that silenced the crowd in Auburn Hills, pointing the Cavs towards fulfilling their destiny and LeBron achieving immortality. It was then that LeBron showed that he was no longer the next big thing.

Instead, the King had finally taken his throne. The only thing left for him now is a crown in the form of an NBA Title.

16. Sonoma Gets That Baseball Title - 5/27/08

The first of two Sonoma-related items on this list (the other one is obvious), it was an absolute blast to watch this team win an NCS championship, especially considering I umpired all these kids when they played Babe Ruth ball and after an incredible run in the regular season, they came out with some big time games in big time spots, but the final game was really awesome to me, as I got to call the final game of one of the best sports years in Sonoma Valley High School history.

Tommy Lyons' triple was the highlight, but it was Ben Graff's performance as a sophomore, going the distance and striking out 10, that became perhaps the game's backbone. And I remember hugging Mario Alioto afterwards, knowing how long he had been a part of the program and knowing how long he had waited for that moment. Talking to various people from that team afterwards, they'll always remember how important that season was and I was happy to at least be able to relay the good parts to their loyal fans.

That, plus the rings they got were pretty sweet, too.

15. Cinderella's Real Name is George Mason - 3/26/06

It's one thing for a double-digit seed to make it to the Sweet 16. It's another thing entirely to get to the Elite 8.

But the Final Four? Are you kidding me?

When George Mason, not even the best team that year in THE PATRIOT LEAGUE, faced Top-seeded UConn as a No. 11 seed for a chance to get to the Final Four as the highest seed ever (tied with LSU from '87), people wondered how much of a fight they would give against one of the best programs in the country. They were physically overmatched, they didn't have the talent that UConn had, but at the same time, they played under adversity with poise that few other teams had. For one thing, their center, Jai Lewis, wasn't taller than either of UConn's forwards!

Like they cared. Even down going into the final minutes of regulation, they kept a pace and pushed the game into extra minutes, where they hit 5-of-6 shots and won the battle of the boards, holding off UConn's late charge and moving on to the Final Four. While they would fall to eventual champion Florida, this mid-major, at-large team that barely made it into the tournament showed that even the overmatched had a chance to compete with the big boys...and win.

14. Tiger Woods Doesn't Need No Stinkin' ACL - 6/15 and 6/16, 2008

I was on my second day of the weekend at KTVU. That Sunday, we were hoping to show the U.S. Open to start off the 5 p.m. Sports Wrap, and while we did, Tiger Woods was still trying to make it to a playoff with a long putt on the 18th hole to go. I was asked by Jason Toupes to stay behind and watch Tiger as he went to produce the first part of the Wrap, and as soon as Tiger sank the putt, we knew it was on. Jason raced back, cut the clip and sent it along to the computer to be played...except that it got played when we didn't want it to be.

Thankfully, Tiger gave us another chance...and MAN did he come through. Playing with what would eventually be diagnosed as both a torn ACL and broken tibia, Woods defeated Rocco Mediate on not only the U.S. Open's grueling 18-hole playoff that Monday, but would get a 91st hole as well after Mediate BARELY pushed what would have been the winning putt to the side, giving Tiger his shot to win on hole No. 91, sinking par as Mediate missed his.

His 14th major was obviously his most impressive, even moreso than his destruction of The Masters and his Pebble Beach 15-stroke U.S. Open winner. To do what he did on one leg, playing the 91 holes and WIN the damn thing, is one of the most impressive feats in sports history.

13. What...They Couldn't Play a 7th Overtime? - 3/12/09

I came home late that night...out doing something crazy as I settled into my new room in Clearwater, and when I turned this game on while they headed for double overtime, I figured I'd tune in to see who wins.

And then the game didn't end until 2 a.m.

UConn and Syracuse knew what the Big East tournament was all about. It had fast become the best postseason tournament not named "The Big Dance," and it was because of fantastic match-ups and moments. Cuse had improbably won the tournament in 2006 when Gerry McNamara went off to the point where I truly thought he would kill someone before the Orange lost.

Here's the part that was crazy: It COULD have ended if it wasn't for that stupid instant replay thing that gets plays right, as a 28-footer from Eric Devendorf went in about a tenth of a second too late. So if you're looking for someone to blame for the six overtimes that followed, blame technology. I know I would.

The one guy that people remember in this game is Jonny Flynn of Syracuse, who had 34 points and 11 assists in 67 MINUTES. Yes, he only missed THREE minutes of playing time. What a ridiculous man. This game cemented him as a top player and he soon went to the T'Wolves as a draft pick. The Orange would eventually make it to the finals against Louisville, who would squash Cuse's dream of another improbable Big East title, but not before the Orange once again left their stamp on the tournament that they had helped make famous.

12. The Russian Bear Is Finally Felled - 9/24/00

20 years earlier, the United States and the Soviet Union faced off in the greatest international battle ever. For me, the time Rulon Gardner faced Alexander Karelin, the man who made Greco-Roman wrestling the biggest cakewalk in any Olympic sport ever, it was great to see an American in the finals. But we knew that Karelin had never lost an international competition, had won three gold medals, and had the deadliest move in the sport: The Karelin Lift, a gutwrench throw that saw him use his brute strength to lift his opponent from his stomach onto the back of his head and shoulders.

And then Gardner got a takedown.

Watching it as it happened, I still couldn't believe what I had watched. We knew that Karelin at his best was absolutely unstoppable, and this big goofy guy from Wyoming somehow figured out a way to take him down. Of course, once he got it, he had to survive the Bear, who hadn't yielded a point in 13 years. But much like the Bear's former communist nation when the United States performed the Miracle on Ice, when he found himself down, he had no idea how to come back. Gardner outlasted Karelin, winning 1-0 and capturing the most improbable gold medal for the U.S. in 20 years, making him an instant celebrity and giving the U.S. one of its greatest Olympic moments ever.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: I was informed that it was not a takedown, but rather a fringe rule on a broken grip above the shoulders from Karelin that counts as an infraction, giving Gardner the only point in the match and the only point ever scored on Karelin in Olympic competition.

11. The Titans Make Their Super Bowl Run - 2000 NFL Playoffs

I couldn't pick between the two. One was the absolute pinnacle of the franchise's history. The other was it's saddest. But both of them make for an incredible postseason. The first play is, of course, what was dubbed "The Music City Miracle."

With the Titans down two in the closing seconds of their Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills, Frank Wycheck took a squib kickoff from about his own 35 and ran it towards the right side of field. He then stopped, pivoted, and threw the ball across the field on a straight line to Kevin Dyson, who scampered down the sideline for what turned out to be the winning score. The play was reviewed for nearly five minutes as the ball was thrown on a slight lateral, and as the refs declared the play good, it was only the beginning for the Titans.

They would eventually reach the Super Bowl, and down 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams with two minutes to play, they would make their way down the field as they tried to tie the ballgame. The signature play on the drive was an amazing scramble by Steve McNair, who somehow avoided several Rams defenders before finding Dyson for a catch that put the Titans in the red zone with less than a minute to play.

Then, standing on the 10 yard line after using their final timeout with six seconds to play, McNair ran a simple slant route to Dyson, who had beaten his man and only had one more player to beat, but Mike Jones (no, not that one) tackled Dyson literally inches before the goal line, finishing what would be called "The Tackle" on the play that would be called "One Yard Short" and giving the Rams their first Super Bowl. It completed an amazing run for the Titans, and is arguably the best performance by a losing team in the history of the Super Bowl.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2, WHICH WILL BE WRITTEN ON WEDNESDAY!