Monday, September 1, 2014

Baseball 2004

1. David Ortiz: Put the Red Sox on his back to end the Curse of the Bambino.

He was the ALCS MVP.  He won won Games Four and Five with game winning hits.

In Game 4, after the Red Sox tied the game in the ninth, he drilled the game winning HR in the 12th.

In Game Five Ortiz single in a run and scored in the 1st to give Boston a 2-0 lead.  His 8th in HR cut the New York lead to 4-3. His 14th inning single won Game 5.

In Game Seven Big Papi homered and droved in two as Boston pounded New York 10-3 to advance to to the Series for the first time since ’86.

Ortiz in Game One of the World Series drove in four and homered.

He was .308 in Series with four walks.

Ortiz was an All-Star, Silver Slugger and was 4th in the AL MVP voting.


He was 2nd in the AL in HR (41), RBi (139) and total bases (351). He led the league with extra base hits (91).

He was fourth in OPS and 2nd slugging.

In the ALDS Game 3, Papi put Boston the ALCS with a series winning HR in the 10th.

Boston ended it’s 86 year streak by dramatically winning the World Series in a sweep over St. Louis. They were the first team ever to comeback from down 3-0 to stun the Yankees.

The Sox finished with 2nd best record in MLB with 98 wins and led the AL in average (.282) and runs per game (5.86).

2. Albert Pujols: Led the Cardinals to the World Series for the first time in 17 years. He was the NLCS MVP.

During the NLCS he was 14-28 (.500) with 4 HRs 9 RBI and 10 R in St. Louis’ seven game win over Houston.

The Machine hit a two run shot in Game One to tie the game at 2 in the 1st. He was 2-3 with 2 BB and 2 Rs.

In Game Six, Pujols drilled a two run homer in the first to put the Cards on top. He was 3-5 on the night and scored three runs. In the 12th he walked and scored on Jim Edmonds walk off.

The Cardinals would take the dramatic series in seven.

He put St. Louis in the LCS with a tie breaking 3R-HR in the 4th and a RBI single in the 7th, as the Cardinals got past the Dodgers 6-2 in Game Four to take the series 3-1.

He was an All-Star, Silver Slugger and finished 3rd in the MVP voting.


Pujols hit .331 (5th in NL), 46 HR (2nd), and 123 RBI (3rd).

The Cardinals first baseman led the NL in runs with 133 and total bases with 389. He was 2nd in slugging % and 3rd in OPS.

The Cardinals won 105 games, the most in baseball since the 1998 Braves. They led the NL in runs (5.28 per game) and batting average.

3. Curt Schilling: Helped Boston “reverse the curse” with his famous “bloody sock game”.

He led the AL with 21 wins and was 2nd in the Cy Young voting.

Schill was second in the AL in ERA (3.26) and WHIP.

He was third in strikeouts with 203 and third in innings (226.7).

Schilling also led the league for the 4th straight year in strikeout to walk ratio.

The Red Sox’s ace won Game One of the ALDS over Anaheim with 6 2/3 IP and two earned.

Schilling became a New England legend after partially tearing ligaments in his ankles in Game One of the ALCS; a loss to the Yankees.

He came back in Game Six, with the Sox down 3-2 in the series. He dominated New York for seven innings and giving up just one run.


In the Fall Classic Schilling won Game Two with 6 IP and one run allowed.

The Red Sox swept the Cardinals for the first World Series win since 1918.









Friday, July 25, 2014

NBA 2004

1.  Kevin Garnett: Was the MVP of the league.

He was first team All-NBA and All-Defense.

KG was an All-Star starter for the sixth straight season.

Garnett was NBA player of the month in December, January, February, and April.

He led the league in rebounding (13.9) and FGs (804) while playing all 82 games.


Garnett was 3rd in the NBA in scoring at 24.2 points per game.

He averaged five assists and over 2 blocks per game while shooting 50% from the field.

He had an amazing 71 double doubles in 82 games.

The Big Ticket led the T’Wolves to the best record in the West with 58 wins.

Behind Garnett, Minnesota advanced past the 1st round for the first time in franchise history.

In Game 2 vs. Denver he posted a triple double with 20-22-10 and added three blocks.

In the 2nd round vs. the Kings averaged 24-15 and 3.4 blocks per game.


In Game 3, Garnett had 30-15-5 blocks to led the Wolves past Sacramento by 1 to go up 2-1 in the series.


In Game 7 he carried his team to the conference finals with 32-21-5 blocks in 46 minutes. The Wolves escaped with a 3 point win.

In the West Finals he had 30-19 in Game 5 to force a Game 6.


The Timberwolves would eventually lose to the Lakers in the Western Finals. Minnesota won the Midwest Division in their best season in franchise history.

2. Tim Duncan: Was first team All-NBA and 2nd in the MVP voting.

He was 2nd team All-Defense and an All-Star.

Duncan finished 8th in scoring (22.3), 2nd in rebounding (12.4) and 4th in blocks (2.7).

He shot 50% from the field.


Timmy lead the Spurs to the #2 seed in the West with 57 wins. They also led the NBA (tied with Detroit) in scoring defense; yielding just 84 points a game.


He opened with 20-11 in a Game One win over LA.

He put up 21-21 and 4 blocks in Game Five vs. the Lakers. Duncan canned what appeared to be the game winning fall away jumper.

The Spurs would  fall dramatically on a shot by Derek Fisher.

Duncan averaged 22-11 in the playoffs as San Antonio lost in the 2nd round to the Lakers.

He earned a bronze medal with Team USA in the Olympics. He had three double doubles in tournament.

3. Ben Wallace: Helped led the Pistons to an unexpected NBA title.


Wallace was also 2nd team All-NBA and a starter at center for the East All-Stars.

He finished 2nd in the league in blocks (3.0), 3rd in rebounding (12.4) and 8th in steals (1.8).

Big Ben scored 9.5 PPG in playing 81 games.


The Pistons finished second in the East with 54 wins.

In the first round against the Bucks, Wallace averaged 10-13 3 blocks and 2.6 steals in the five game series.

In Game Seven in Round Two vs. New Jersey he went 8-10 from the field (18 points) and grabbed eight boards as Detroit advanced to the East Finals.

B-B-B-B-Ben sparked Detroit’s upset of top seed Indiana in the East Finals. He averaged 8-15-3.2 blocks, as the Pistons won in six games.

Again Detroit pulled off an upset over the Lakers behind the play of Wallace. In the title clinching game he had 18 points, 22 rebounds and 3 steals.

Wallace finished the playoffs averaging 10-14 2.4 blocks and 1.9 steals per game.

The Pistons won their first title since the “Bad Boys” 14 years earlier. They led the NBA allowing just 84 points per game.







Monday, July 7, 2014

2004 College Basketball

1. Emeka Okafor: Was the MVP the Final Four after leading UConn to the national title.

He was the NABC Player of the Year. He also was the Big East Player of the Year.

Okafor was the national defensive player of the year for the second straight year. 


He led the Big East and was 2nd in the country with 4.1 blocks per game.


The Huskies center was a consensus All-American.

He was 6th in the Big East in scoring (17.6)

He led the conference in rebounding (11.5) and field goal % (60%).

Okafor helped the Huskies past #9 Pittsburgh in the Big East final with 11-13 and 4 blocks.



The All-American had 14 games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite foul trouble in the first half Okafor powered UConn past #5 Duke in the final four with 18-7 (all 18 in the second half) in just 22 minutes. He led UConn back from down 8 in the final 3:15 to a one point win.

Okafor hit the go ahead put back with under 30 seconds to go.

UConn coasted to its second title in six years 82-73 over #14 Georgia Tech. The Huskies led by 25 with 12 minutes to in the game.  Okafor had 24-15 on 10-17 shooting.

Okafor was the only collegian named to the USA Olympic team and played briefly in two games and earned an bronze medal.

Connecticut went 33-6, 12-4 in the Big East. They won the conference tourney. They were #7 in the final poll after being #1 in 7 weeks.



2. Jameer Nelson: Was named player of the year by nearly every media service including the AP, Sporting News, US Basketball Writers.

He was a consensus All-American and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.

Nelson was also named A-10 All-Defense team.


The player of the year was 2nd in the A-10 in scoring (20.6), assists (5.3) and steals (2.8).

He shot 39% from three and 79% from the free throw line.

Jameer opened the season with 20-8-10 performance in a seven point win over #3 Gonzaga.  One of his nineteen 20 point games.




He had 24 pts, and 7 asts in the Sweet 16 win over #17 Wake Forest, outplaying freshman Chris Paul.

In his last three games of the tournament he played, Nelson played 119 of 120 minutes.

The Hawks fell in the final seconds to #4 Oklahoma St. in the regional final.

St. Joe’s finished #5 in the final poll and earned a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They were 30-2.

3. Ben Gordon: Was the most outstanding player of the West Region of the NCAA tournament. He also was the MVP of the Big East tournament.


Gordon scored a NCAA tournament high 127 points (21.2 PPG).

He played at least 38 minutes in each of Connecticut’s first five tournament games.

He was 1st team All-Big East and on the All-Final Four team.

The junior guard was 5th in the Big East in scoring (18.5), and free throw % (82.9). He was 6th in assists (4.5), while grabbing almost five boards per game.

Gordon led the conference in three point shooting; converting over 43% from beyond the arc.

In the Big East final against #9 Pittsburgh, he had 23-8 to lead the Huskies to the Big East title.

He torched Alabama for 36 in the regional final on 11-19 shooting and 10-11 free throws.

In the Final Four, he scored 18 vs. Duke and 21 in the Final vs. Georgia Tech.

UConn  won its 2nd national title in six years.














Friday, June 20, 2014

NFL 2003

1.  Peyton Manning: Was the co-MVP.

He was consensus All- Pro first team and a Pro Bowler. 

Manning led the league in yards (4,267), completions % (67) and total completions.

He was 2nd in the NFL in TDs with 29 and rating with 99.0.

Peyton had a “perfect game” (158.3 rating) and had 6 TD passes vs. the Saints.

Manning directed a legendary comeback on Monday Night Football. He led the Colts back from down 21 with five minutes left to an eventual overtime win. He threw for 348 and 2 TDs.

The MVP had his 2nd perfect game vs. Denver in the Wild Card. He earned his first playoff win going 22-26 for 377 yards and five scores.  The Colts pounded the Broncos 41-10.

Manning guided the Colts to the AFC Championship game in a shootout at Kansas CityHe was 22-30 for 304 yards and 3 TDs.

Manning threw four picks in the Colts loss to New England.

Indy went 12-4 and won the AFC South and advanced to the AFC title game for the first time since 1995.They were 2nd in the league in scoring almost 28 points a game.  

2. Tom Brady: Was the Super Bowl MVP. He threw for 354 yards, 3 TDs and a Super Bowl record 32 completions.


 He led the Patriots in front twice in the 4th quarter, including the go ahead TD pass with less than five minutes to go.


New England would win their 2nd Super Bowl in three years on a field goal at the buzzer.

Brady would finish 3rd in the NFL MVP voting.




He was 6th in league in yards (3,692) and completions. He also threw 23 TD passes.

The Pats QBs led his team to 12 straight wins to finish the regular season.

He threw for 201 and a score in the Patriots divisional win 17-14 over Tennessee.

His 1st quarter TD pass put the Patriots in front in the AFC title game.

New England went 14-2 and had the best record in football. The Patriots boasted the league’s top defense allowed less than 15 points per game.


He set a set a two year record with 51 total TDs from 2002-03.  His 10 multi-touchdown games also were a league mark.

He was named first team All-Pro for a third straight season.

Priest ran for 1,420 yards, caught 74 balls for 690 yards.

His 2,110 yards from scrimmage was 5th in the NFL.

Kansas City went 13-3, won the AFC West and a 1st round bye in the playoffs.

In the divisional round, Holmes torched the Colts for 176 yards on 24 carries and added 5 catches for 32 yards. He, as usual, found the end zone two times.

The Chiefs averaged over 30 points per game and led the league.





Sunday, May 18, 2014

College Football 2003

1. Matt Leinart: Was the Rose Bowl MVP for the National Champions USC Trojans.

He threw for 3 TDs and caught another. He passed for 327 yards in the game.

He was the Pac-10 offensive player of the year. (First sophomore since John Elway in 1980)

The sophomore was 6th in the Heisman voting.

Leinart set the Pac-10 record with 38 TD passes in a single season.

He finished 3rd in the NCAA in passer rating. He also threw for 3,556 yards (2nd in the Pac-10).


USC won the Pac-10 and went 11-1. They pounded #6 Michigan in the Rose Bowl, and was named national champion by the AP. They were not included in the BCS title game.

2. Eli Manning: He won the Maxwell Award, national player of the year.

He was the SEC MVP and was 3rd in the Heisman voting.

Manning was named 2nd team All-American by the AP.

Manning was the Cotton Bowl MVP. He threw for 259 yards and two TDs and ran in another TD. Mississippi knocked off Oklahoma St. 31-28.


He led the SEC in completions, TDs (29), and yards (3,600). He was 2nd in passer rating. 



The Rebels went 10-3, 7-1 in the SEC. Their only conference loss was to #2 LSU. They finished #13 in the AP poll. Ole Miss averaged 34 points per game.

3. Darren Sproles: He was a first team All-American, and was third in the player of the year voting by AP. He was 5th in the Heisman voting.

      Sproles led the country in total rushing yards (1,986), and all-purpose yards (2,735). He was 5th in yards per carry (6.5).

      K-State won six straight games, including a 38-9 beat down of #19 Nebraska, where Sproles ran for 140 and a score.

      Sporles torched then #1 and undefeated Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game. He ran for 235 yards on 22 carries. He hauled in a 60 yard TD pass. The Wildcats would go on to win 35-7.

      In a 35-28 loss to #4 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, he had 70 all-purpose yards and a TD.

      Kansas State went 11-4 and won the Big 12 title. They were #14 in the final poll. The Wildcats were 9th in the country scoring almost 37 points a game.









Saturday, April 19, 2014

2003 MLB

1. Mark Prior: Led the Cubs to their first NLCS in 14 years.

He was an All-Star, 3rd in the Cy Young, and 9th in the MVP.

He was 2nd in the NL in wins (18), strikeouts (245), and win %.

The 22 year old was 3rd in ERA (2.43) and WHIP.

Prior went 10-1 to finish the season and lead the Cubs to the postseason.

The Cubs ace threw a two hit complete game in Game Three of the ALDS vs. Atlanta. The win would give Chicago a 2-1 series lead, in a series they would take in five games.

Prior gave up just one earned and struck out seven.

The Cubs drew even in the NLCS, behind seven innings from Prior in Game Two. He gave up just two runs.


Prior dominated the Marlins in Game Six, the potential pennant winning game, for the Cubs. He had a shutout going into the bottom of the eighth, where the” Bartman Incident” derailed him and the Cubs chances.

Chicago would fall to the upstart Marlins in seven games in the NLCS.  They won the Central and 88 games.   

2. Mariano Rivera: Was the ALCS MVP.

He saved Game Three and Five and won Game Seven. He pitched eight innings in four appearances and just have up one earned run.

Rivera had two innings saves in Game Two and Three in the ALDS vs. Minnesota; both them scoreless.
 
He finished the postseason with five saves in seven games and a 0.56 ERA.

In the regular season Rivera finished third in the AL with 40 saves.

Mo was 5-2 with a 5-2 with 1.66 ERA in 64 games.



The Yankees won a MLB high 101 games and the AL pennant for the sixth time in eight years.

Rivera was the winning pitcher in the epic Game Seven of the ALCS win over rival Boston. (3 IP)

The Yanks would be upset in the World Series by the Marlins in six games.

3. Albert Pujols: Was 2nd in the MVP voting and an All-Star.

The Cardinals outfielder was named Player of the Year by Sporting News, and the Player’s Choice.


He won the Silver Slugger for the outfield.

Pujols won the batting title with a .359 average.

“The Machine” led the NL in runs (139), hits (212), total bases (394), and doubles (51).

He was 4th in the league in homers (43) and RBI (124).

Albert was 3rd in on base %, and slugging and 2nd in OPS.

His monster season led St. Louis to be 2nd in the NL in batting, and runs scored.


The Cards finished with 85 wins and just three games out of the Cubs for the division title.

Monday, January 27, 2014

2003 NBA

1. Tim Duncan: Won the MVP for the 2nd straight season.

He was the Finals MVP for the 2nd time in his career.

He was first team All-NBA for the 6th straight year and first team all-defense for the 5th straight.

Duncan was 7th in scoring (23.3), 3rd in rebounds (12.9) and blocks (2.9).

The Spurs forward was also shot 51% and four assists per game.

He started for the West in the All-Star game (19 points and 15 rebounds).

Duncan had 58 double doubles including seven games with at least 20 rebounds.

He led the league with 3.3 blocks per game in the playoffs.

The Spurs finished the Suns in the first round behind a triple double (15-20-10) from Duncan.

He averaged 32-15 in Games Five and Six as San Antonio dethroned the three time champion Lakers.

The MVP averaged 28-16-6 and 3 blocks per game in the West Finals win over the Mavericks in six games.

He put up 24-17 and over five assists and blocks a game in the Finals.

His near quadruple- double in Game Six put the Nets away and gave the Spurs their second title.

San Antonio was a league best 60-22 and won the Midwest Division. They won all four series on their way to the title in six games.

2. Kevin Garnett: Was 2nd in the MVP, and 3rd in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

He was first team All-NBA and first team All-Defense.


Garnett was Player of the Month in February and April.


KG was 2nd in rebounding (13.7), ninth in scoring (23), and 8th in minutes (40.5).

The Big Ticket also averaged a career high six assists per game and he shot 50% from the field in all 82 games.

68 of those 82 games were double doubles, six were triple doubles, and five were 20+ point-rebound games.

In Games 2-3 vs. the Lakers in the 1st round, Garnett averaged 34-17-5.5. The Timberwolves took a 2-1 lead in the series behind Garnett’s play.

For the series KG averaged 27-15-5 with double doubles in all six games.

The Wolves went 51-31 and was the four seed in the West. They lost in the 1st round for the 7th straight season.

3. Kobe Bryant: Was 3rd in the MVP voting. He was first team All-NBA and All-Defense.

He was player of the month in January.

Kobe led the league in field goals and total points while playing in 82 games.


Bryant averaged 30 points a game; good for 2nd in the league.

He was 4th in minutes (41.5) and 6th in steals (2.2).

Bryant averaged a career high 6.9 rebounds per game and also six assists a game.

He had nine straight 40 points games in February, the second longest in NBA history. He had three 50 point games on the season.

He was an All-Star and scored 22 points.

Kobe led all playoff scorers with 32.1 per game. 

The Lakers ended their 3 year run as champs. They won 50 games and beat Minnesota in the 1st round. They lost to the eventual champions Spurs in six games in the 2nd round. 

Saturday, January 11, 2014

2003 College Basketball

1. Carmelo Anthony:  He was the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four after leading Syracuse to their first ever national championship.

He was the consensus NCAA Freshman of the Year, 2nd team All-American, and 1st team All-Big East.

He averaged 22.2 PPG (4th in the Big East), 10 RPG (3rd), 36.4 minutes per game (4th), and 1.6 steals per game.


Syracuse beat three straight top 6 Big 12 teams to win the title.

In the regional final vs. #3 Oklahoma, Carmelo had 20-10 on 9-16 shooting in 40 minutes as Syracuse shutdown the Sooners 63-49.

Anthony averaged 20.2 points per game in the tournament.

He had 33-14 and three steals and shot 12-19 from the field in the Final Four vs. #5 Texas.

Anthony had 20 points, 10 rebs. and 7 assists in the final over #6 Kansas.


The Orange were Big East co-champs with 13-3 record.  They were 24-5 in the regular season (30-5 overall) and were #13 in the final poll.

2. Nick Collison: Was the NABC Player of the Year and consensus first team All-American.
 
He was also the Big 12 Player of the Year.

Collison became the Big 12 all-time leading scorer.


He was among the Big 12 leaders in scoring with 18.5 PPG (2nd), 3rd in RPG (10), 3rd in blocks (1.9), and 2nd in FG% (55.4).


Collison propelled Kansas back to the Elite Eight with a career high 33 vs. #7 Duke.  He also had 19 rebounds.

With the Jayhawks down by one in the second half, he scored seven straight points to give Kansas a six point lead, a lead they would not relinquish, with less than six minutes to play.

He had 12-15-5 in the Final Four pounding of #9 Marquette.

Collison finished his great career with 21 rebounds, 19 points (8-14 FGs) and three blocks and steals in title game vs. Syracuse. He played all 40 minutes.

Kansas won the Big 12 regular season with 14-2 record and was 30-8 overall. They were #6 in the final polls. They advanced to their 2nd straight Final Four.

Collison was on the USA national team as the only non-professional. He averaged just under five points per game as the US went 10-0 win the FIBA Americas and qualify for the 2004 Olympics.



3. Dwayne Wade: Was a consensus All-American and finalist for the Player of the Year.

He was the Conference USA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

He was the MVP of the Midwest region in the NCAA tournament.

Wade carried Marquette past top ranked Kentucky 83-69 in the regional final. The win ended UK’s 26 game winning streak.

He was the 4th player, including Magic Johnson, to record a triple double in the NCAA tournament. He finished with 29-11-11 and four blocks.
In the tournament “Flash” average 21.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 6 APG.

He led Conference USA in scoring (21.5), and was 8th in assists (4.4), and was 2nd in steals (2.2). He also averaged over six rebounds, and 1.3 blocks a game.

Wade had 21 twenty point games , including 28 vs. #14 Louisville.

In Marquette’s sweet 16 upset of #3 Pittsburgh, Wade scored 22 on 10-19 FGs.

He had 19-6-4 in Marquette’s blowout loss to Kansas in the Final Four.

Marquette finished #9 in final poll. They were 27-6 and 14-2 in Conference USA as regular season champions. The Golden Eagles advanced to their first Final Four in 26 years.

NFL 2002

1. Derrick Brooks: He was the Defensive Player of the Year.
 
He guided the Bucs to their first Super Bowl with a clinching interception return for a touchdown.

He made his 6th straight Pro Bowl and was a consensus All-Pro.


The Bucs linebacker had 118 tackles, five picks, three returned for scores, and returned a fumble for TD.

He had at least 10+ tackles in four of the last seven games, to help get Tampa Bay to their fourth straight playoffs.

In the divisional round vs. the 49ers, Brooks had 7 tackles, ½ sack, and Int. as the Tampa pounded San Francisco 31-6.

In the NFC Championship game he posted seven more tackles.

The Bucs finished with NFL’s top defense allowing just 12 points per game, and gave up the league’s least amount of yards. They went 12-4 and won the NFC South.

They handled the Eagles 27-10 to win the NFC. Tampa Bay routed Oakland 48-21 in the Super Bowl.

2. Rich Gannon: Was the regular season MVP and first team All-Pro.

He led the NFL in competitions with a single season record of 418. He also topped the league in yards with 4,689.

The 37 year old QB was also 5th in TD passes with 26, and 2nd in rating (97.3) and competition percentage (67.6).


Gannon help the Raiders get past the Jets for the 2nd straight year in the playoffs. He tossed two second half TD passes, as Oakland outscored New York 20-0 in the second half.

He finished with 283 yards passing on the night.

In the AFC title game the Raider quarterback threw three first half TD passes to give Oakland a 24-17 lead on Tennessee. His TD scamper put Oakland in front by 10 in the fourth.

Gannon threw for 286 and ran for 41 as the Raiders pounded the Titans 41-24 to advance to their first Super Bowl in 19 years.

He threw two TDs and for 272 yards in the Super Bowl. He threw five picks, and three that were returned for scores.

Oakland went 11-5 and won the AFC West. They were second in the NFL averaging 28.1 points per game.

3. Terrell Owens:  Was consensus first team All-Pro for the 3rd straight season.

He led the NFL in TD catches with 13 for the second straight year.

He was 4th in the league with 100 receptions and 8th in yards with 1300, and 2nd in yards/game.

T.O had five multi-TD games including a famous Monday Night Football performance vs. Seattle.

Owens was a starting WR for the NFC Pro Bowl.

He carried San Francisco past the Giants in the classic wildcard win.


His 76 yard catch and run put the Niners up seven early.  He added another touchdown and a pair of two point conversions. He had 9 catches for 177 yards on the game.

The 49ers came back from a 24 point deficit in the 3rd quarter in escape with a 39-38 win to advance to the divisional round.


The 49ers were 10-6 and NFC West champs. They would eventually fall to the champion Bucs in the divisional round.