Hot Rod! The Rowdy One

As we get older, time goes by faster. The only things that help us stall off our impending mortality are our memories. They allow us to emote and relive experience. 2009 had so many lasting sports images, it’s impossible to pick one. Sports fans rode a roller coaster of emotion in 2009. We witnessed some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

We said sad goodbye to likes of Steve McNair, Chris Henry, Nick Adenhart and Jack Kemp and we said prayerful goodbyes to likes of Plaxico Burress and Donte’ Stallworth with the hopes that they get their lives together once they finish serving the punishments.  We welcomed newcomers like Brandon Jennings and Percy Harvin, and welcomed back old favorites like Tom Brady.

We witnessed ke the Cincinnati Bengals, who not only suffered the tragic loss of Chris Henry, but the loss of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife Vikki Zimmer deliver an unexpectedly great season. We witnessed a King in Cleveland behaving like a petulant prince after losing in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals and prince becoming a king during the 2009 World Series of Poker. And in the end of the year, we witnessed how a Tiger, who’s usually a lion on the golf course,  lost his roar due to his infidelities.

Today, I share with you the ten things I will remember most from the 2009 Year in Sports. I prefer a visual look back instead of a worded one because we watched or “witnessed” most of this. A picture paints a thousand words and believe me, there’s a thousand words and more in this piece. I do my best to stay away from the negative, because when you remember positive things in life, positivity comes back to you. So sit back, relax and enjoy.

10. A Falcon among Eagles: The Return of Michael Vick
Amid all of the protesting from animal rights activist and others on the moral high ground, the City of Brotherly Love decided to take a chance on a sinner who has repented for his sins.

9. Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators win a 2^nd BCS Title in three years
There seems to be a curse in the collegiate ranks that state that if you’re the winner of the Heisman Trophy and your team is in the National Championship game, the odds are you won’t win the title.

In 2008, Oklahoma QB, Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy and was set to face Tim Tebow and the Gators in the 2009 BCS game. While Bradford was hoping not to be part of the dreaded curse, the Gators Head Coach Urban Meyer, Tebow and the Gators reminded the Sooner fans that the curse was alive and well.

8. Sid the Kid and the Pittsburgh Penguins win the 2009 Stanley Cup
When the NHL’s 2009 Stanley Cup Finals came down to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Redwings, many fans felt that Hockey Town, USA was set to clear another spot in the trophy case for Redwings’ 12^th Stanley Cup Championship.  But the spirits of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and the great Penguins teams of the past, helped Sidney Crosby and the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins realize it was their time to add on to the legacy and add their name to the Stanley Cup.

7.  The Black Mamba and the Los Angeles Lakers win the 2009 NBA Finals and their 15^th NBA Title
With Bill Russell’s 11 NBA Championships a far fetch for any one player to reach, Michael Jordan’s goal during his career was to have more championships than Magic Johnson. It’s only fitting because M.J. played against Magic during his career and Magic has five titles to his credit.

Jordan finished his career with six NBA Titles and became the blueprint for today’s NBA player. If there’s one person in the league right now who has embraced that blueprint, it’s Kobe Bryant. Kobe, who for years, has been on a quest to be his own man in the NBA and win a title of his own, came closer to being equal to, if not better, than the man he idolized on the court with his 4^th NBA Title of the decade.

6. The Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII and earn a 6^th Super Bowl Title
In his 2^nd year as head coach,  Mike Tomlin, who bears a striking resemblance to the character “Q” from the movie Juice,  and the Pittsburgh Steelers showed the Arizona Cardinals, and the world, “who had the juice” at the end of Super Bowl XLIII.

5. The House that Jeter built ends the season with a 27^th World Series Title

With the New York Yankees spending $423.5M last year in free agency on the likes of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, having to deal with the chaos that came with Alex Rodriguez’s admission to steroid usage and the opening of a new stadium, New Yorkers knew that a lil run to the World Series would be, by New Yorker’s standards, a piece of cake. New York Cheesecake, that is.

4. NASCAR’s Jimmy Johnson wins his 4^th straight NASCAR Championship
#48 makes history by winning his 4^th straight NASCAR Championship. That’s simply remarkable.

3. UConn’s Women’s Basketball goes 39-0, wins National Championship
1994-95, the Lady Huskies were perfect. In 2001-02, they were perfect again. 2008-09, well you know the rest. Third times a charm:

2. North Carolina wins the 2009 NCCA Men’s Tourney, the Spartans win the hearts of Detroit
Although the big story of that night was the Tar Heels winning their 5^th National Championship, the underlying story was the Michigan State Spartans making their Final Four appearance in their home town of Detroit, Michigan at Ford Field.

It may not seem much to you and me, but for one night, in a city that has been hit the hardest during these hard financial times, Head Coach Tom Izzo and the boys from East Lansing gave their hometown fans something to cheer about for one night. The Tar Heels may have won the title, but the Spartans won the gratitude of the city of Detroit. To me, that’s up there with winning the title.

1. Usain Bolt breaks records in the 100 and 200 meters in the World Track Championships in Berlin
He’s the fastest man alive right now and the man shatters records, ‘nuff said.

So there it is, my Top 10 for 2009 in sports. What does 2010 hold, who knows? But like you, I can’t wait to see what goes down. It all begins on New Year’s Day when the Bowl Championship games kick off at 4:30 PM ET when #8 Ohio State Buckeyes squares off against #7 Oregon Ducks in the “Grand Daddy of the all”, the Rose Bowl. What a way to start the New Year? LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

On behalf of the Planet Ill Staff, have a Blessed, Safe, and Happy New Year.

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