Best Of The Decade

The beginning of the new millennium was filled with many famous and infamous moments. Through it all, there was one constant that continued to bring us all together. Sports. So, as we get set to turn the page on the first decade of the twenty-first century, let's take a moment to look back at the best Sports had to offer during the past ten years.

Major League Baseball:

Team- New York Yankees (965 Regular season wins; Four 100 win seasons; 2 World Series Titles; 3 AL Pennants; 9 Playoff Appearances; 52 Playoff Wins, the most of any team in the Majors)

Players-
1) Mariano Rivera (397 Saves; 2.10 ERA)
2) Albert Pujols (.334 Avg; .427 OBP; .628 SLG; 1.055 OPS; '01 Rookie Of The Year; 3 Time NL MVP: '05, '08, 09)
3) Manny Ramirez (1,106 RBI; .317 Avg/ .600 SLG)

Moment(s)-
1) 2001 World Series; Most notably games 4 (Mr. November),5,7- Not just for Baseball, but for America. In the wake of 9-11, Baseball helped America heal, particularly the Yankees and the city of New York. Also in '01 was "Flip Play", but, now I'm just showing my Yankee bias.
2) 2004 Red Sox- Boston reversed "The Curse of The Bambino" in high fasion, becoming the only team in MLB history to overcome and 0-3 defecit. What made it even sweeter for Red Sox Nation was that history came at the hands of their fiercest rival.
3) Barry Bonds 73 Hr in '01- The debate can go on forever about the "Steroid Era". But a record is a record. And, steroids or not, this is an impressive feat.

National Hockey League:

Team- Detroit Red Wings (457 Wins, least amount of wins in a season was 48; 5 Presidents Trophies; 2 Stanley Cups; 3 Finals Appearences)

Players-
1) Nicklas Lidstrom (3 Times a +/- rating of 40; 6 Norris Trophies; 1 Conn Smythe Trophy
2) Martin Brodeur (4 Vezina Trophies; 308 Wins; .914 Save Percentage; 59 Shutouts)
3) Sidney Crosby (Three 100 point seasons; Art Ross Trophy; Hart Memorial Trophy; Youngest player to 200 career points) & Alex Ovechkin (Three 50+ goal seasons; Calder Memorial Trophy; First player to win Ross, Hart, Richard, and Pearson Trophies all in same season- '08)

*NOTE* I know both Crosby and Ovechkin started half way through the decade, But never have two players captured the sport of Hockey the way these two have. So, I had to make an exception.

Moment(s)-
1) Keith Primeau's 5OT Goal- Defeated Penguins in game 4 of '02 Playoffs allowing the Flyers to climb out of an 0-2 hole. The goal swung momentum in the Flyers favor, and they went on to defeat the Penguins in 6 games.
2) Ray Bourque finally winning the Stanley Cup- In 2001, the Bruins traded Bourque to the Avalanche to give him a chance to win. He did. And in a move as classy as the man himself, Bourque took the Cup back to Boston that summer for a tour.
3) '07 & '08 Stanley Cup Finals- For two consecutive seasons, the Deroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins put on a display that showcased everything that is good about the sport of hockey.

NFL:

Team- New England Patriots (3 Super Bowl Titles; 1 perfect regular season; 102 Wins)

Players-
1) Peyton Manning (41,967 Yds; 98.7 QB Rating)
2) Randy Moss (763 Receptions; 11,549 Yards; 15.2 Yards per catch)
3) Brett Favre (37,574 Yards; 86.7 QB Rating)

Moment(s)-
1) End of Super Bowl XXXIV- On the last play of the game, Kevin Dyson is tackled on the 1 Yard Line, preserving the Rams victory over the Titans in what was one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played.
2) David Tyree's "CATCH" in Super Bowl XLII- This is, essentially, the play that ended New England's bid for perfection. It catapulted the Giants to a championship and turned Tyree into a legend.
3) Music City Miracle- It is still debatable that Frank Wycheck's lateral to Kevin Dyson was, indeed, a forward pass. What's not debatable is that this is one of the most exciting plays in NFL history.

NBA:

Team- San Antonio Spurs (523 Wins; 3 championships)

Players-
1) Kobe Bryant- (28.6 Points Per Game; 19,580 Points)
2) Tim Duncan- (11.4 Rebounds Per Game; 21.2 Points Per Game; 2.3 Blocks Per Game)
3) LeBron James- (Perhaps the most recognizable figure since Michael Jordan. And in a show me League, that means a lot; 27.6 Points Per Game; )

Moment(s)-
1) Robert Horry's Winning Basket in Game 4 of '02 Conference Finals- With the Lakers down 2-1 in the Series, and by two points in the game, Horrylifted his team out of a nearly insurmountable hole and into a Series tie. The Lakers would go on to win another NBA Title.
2) Allen Iverson over Tyrone Lue in Game 1 of '01 Finals- The crssover, and the shot, may have put the Lakers on Notice. The 76ers didn't win the Title that year, but that shot is an exclamtion point on how AI plays basketball... All out and in your face.
3) Tayshaun Prince Blocks Reggie Miller in Game 2 of '04 Eastern Finals- After a Pacers steal, Reggie Miller seemed to have a clean layup. Until Prince came out of nowhere and blocked the shot.

These are just some of the memorable moments from the past ten years. I know there are countless more, but these were my best. Here's to hoping the next ten years give us just as many magical moments.

-MIke Tursi