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.
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