In 2008, sports served as a great distraction. With America’s economy in the biggest turmoil since the early twentieth century, a hotly contested and ground breaking presidential election, and an unemployment rate soaring to unprecedented highs, sports served as a great venue for levity.
As a country, we watched Michael Phelps swim his way to eight gold medals in the summer Olympics in Beijing.
March 2008 truly was a month of madness as guard Stephen Curry led tiny Davidson College (1,700 students) to the Elite 8 where they lost by three to Kansas, the eventual champion. And, to win the entire tournament, Kanas needed to come back from nine points against Memphis in the final two minutes of regulation to tie and then win in overtime, 75-68.
Professional basketball was not any less exciting. The Boston Celtics, spurred by their latest version of the Big 3 inguard Ray Allen and forwards Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, were able to raise their league best 18th banner this past October after taking down the Lakers in 6 games in the NBA finals last spring.
The New York Giants stood in the way of perfection by taking down the 18-0 Patriots in the Super Bowl last February. In every sport this past year, there was a remarkable story line or an improbable run to keep everybody interested.
As 2009 is barely underway, here are five storylines to watch as the year moves forward:
How the Yankees BigOffseason Pans Out:
Somehow, someway, the New York Yankees are invulnerable to any financial hardship during this economic mess. Besides moving into a brand new stadium this April, the Yankees spent a combined $420 million in three signings alone, bringing flame-throwing AJ Burnett, former Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia, and all-star first baseman Mark Texiera all to the Bronx this past off season. That $420 million was roughly $200million more than what Brewers owner Mark Attanasio paid to buy his team. Although the Yankees undoubtedly brought some serious talent to both the pitching staff and the lineup this year, championship number 27 is no sure thing. There are flaws with the players they brought in as AJ Burnett has a less than stellar track record against division rival Boston, CC Sabathia was much better in the National League, and Mark Texiera has never played in a pressure filled market such as New York. The Yankees have previously spent unprecedented amounts of cash to bring in top flight ballplayers Johnny Damon,Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodriguez, and Roger Clemens, but the arrival of these players have not helped the Yankees win a championship since 2000.
Tiger Woods’ Return:
The rest of the PGA has had a chance these past 7months. Tiger Woods has not played a round of professional golf since last June. However, the golf superstar plans to return for the Masters Golf Tournament. Since winning the 2008 US Open on essentially one leg in what was probably the second most impressive athletic achievement all last year (behind Michael Phelps and his eight gold medals), Tiger Woods underwent successful reconstructive anteriorcruciate ligament (ACL) surgery and missed the remainder of the 2008 season. It’s fair to say that golf just isn’t the same without Tiger in the field. How Tiger Woods returns to golf will be a story to follow in 2009, because as fellow golfer and 2008 US Open runner-up Rocco Mediate said, “This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of the imagination.”
The Big East vs. theField:
Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Syracuse, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Villanova, Louisville, Marquette, and West Virginia. What do all these teams have in common? Outside of being members of the Big East, each of the aforementioned teams has been ranked in the Top 25 in at least one of the two major polls. More than one out of every three ranked teams belongs to the Big East Conference. That does not even include almost half of the 16-team conference. Pundits across the country are calling the Big East the best conference in basketball history. But with so muchfirepower, the question remains: will playing in such a tough conference prepare a team to win it all or will it empty the energy tank and set up an early post season exit. With the conference looking to send a record nine teams to the NCAA tournament in March,it truly will be a Big East vs. the Field scenario. Published predictions already have the Big East earning as many as two of the four number one seeds with seven of the nine earning a top four seed. Watching how the Big East performs in the Big Dance is surely a story to follow as March comes.
Jerry Jones and theCowboys:
The Dallas Cowboys experienced an epic collapse over the course of the 2008 season. Primedas Super Bowl favorites heading into the season, the Cowboys entered the final Sunday of the season with a chance to earn the final slot in the NFC playoffs,but they lost to eventual wildcard, the Philadelphia Eagles. As the final gun sounded inPhiladelphia, ending the Cowboys season, rumors about the job security of head coach Wade Phillips already were circling. However, owner Jerry Jones immediately backed his employee saying he has complete faith in Phillips to get the job done. Yet, the Cowboys current makeup clearlyis not a winning formula. Quarterback Tony Romo never performs well down the stretch and has proven to be a distraction to the team. Terrell Owens is recognized across the league as a team cancer with a“me-first” attitude that cost him jobs in Philadelphia and San Francisco. Defensive tackle Tank Johnson and Cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones have a history of failing to keep themselves out of trouble off of the field. How America’s team approaches the offseason in an effort to put themselves back atop thefootball world should be worth keeping an eye on.
Can the CelticsRepeat?:
All off season, experts and television talking heads questioned the hunger of the Boston Celtics in their quest to win yet another championship in the 2008-2009 season. After starting the season with an NBA record 29-2 mark, the Celtics had silenced the doubters. But after a Christmas day loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by losses to opponents widely recognized as inferior, many of the same questions about the defending champs from the preseason resurfaced. Do the Boston Celtics have what it takes to repeat? Minus clutch performers PJ Brown and James Posey while every other major contender seemingly improved raises doubts. However, with some bench augmentation, notably a formidable point guard who can shoot and an inside presence, along withmaintaining starters’ health and energy, the Celtics should have as good a chance as any to win the championship. First and foremost, Boston needs to claim home-court advantage because they have a much higher winning percentage in the friendly confines of Boston’s TD Banknorth Garden than they have in the hostile arenas of the opponents. The stretch run of the season and whether the champs repeat or not should be of interest this spring.