Game of the Year 2009

Holy shit, a sports post!  Thought the old b.eester had gone all soft and "hipster" on you, huh?  'Fraid not my, friends.  Hipster, sure.  But only because I'm cooler than you are.  Soft?  Just check out this gun show we got ready for you right here; it is the top 10 games, matches, and competitions of 2009 as voted on our by our illustrious panel of cell phone contacts that responded to a fateful text message sent out about a month back!  Drink it in, folks, but just not too much.  For we get real drinking to do later on tonight.

10. NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic
05/22/2009
In what is rapidly becoming a trend for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bron Bron and company once again came up well short of an NBA title even when standing on the doorstep.  But, at least they got to to be apart of a game that featured the most stunning buzzer beater of the entire season, right?  Shooting over both Hedo Turkoglu, and a late to the party, Rashard Lewis, Lebron James drilled a three-pointer to even this nacent series at a game a piece.  After sweeping their first two opponents, the Cavaliers were not quite used to the idea of losing a playoff game (You know, even though they've done it the last 2 year prior) so it was an impressive bounce back game, as well as must-win playing in front of the home crowd.  Unfortunately, this brilliant shot only counted in one of these 6 games.

9. College World Series: Texas vs. Boston College
05/31/2009
Here's all you need to know about this game:

Austin Wood: 13 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 13 K
Mike Belfiore: 9.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 11 K

Take one more look.

You didn't hear about the second guy, huh?  Well who knew it was possible to be overshadowed after pitching 9+ innings of relief.

Texas wins in 25 innings by a score of 3-2.  They did out-hit BC 20-8, but they also had 3 more errors than the Eagles on this occasion.  But still, if you are a fan of defense, then 18 straight innings of scoreless ball should be right up your alley.

8. College football Big East Championship: Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
12/05/2009
College football took a lot of heat this year for not being "compelling enough."  Yet, we are currently slotted for a minimum of 4 prime-time Bowl games, featuring 5 undefeated teams.  One of those teams is the Cinncinnati Bearcats, who saved their BCS birth with a thrilling comeback on the sloppy confines of Heinz Field against an inspired Pittsburgh team.  In game that featured over 700 yards of offense, 89 points, and a 21 point second half comeback, it was perhaps the efforts of one running back who had the game's best performance in a losing effort.  Filling in for the recently departed LeSean McCoy, freshman Dion Lewis touched the ball 52 times, 47 of which were carries, amassing over 200 yards while getting into the end zone on 3 occasions.   And while Cincinnati now gets to play Florida in the Sugar Bowl, it could very well be Lewis who will reap the biggest reward from this epic game.

7. The Tiger Cage: Tiger Woods vs. the Media
11/27/2009
Although the match was a major blowout, its long-range consequences could last forever as the ubiquitous Tiger Woods has vanished completely from the public eye.  In what is easily the most bizarre story since OJ made his run for it back on that Los Angeles highway. Facts are minimal, but fanciful rumors abound.  Yet since Tiger will not confirm the accuracy of any of these so-called "rumors", we must assume their truth.  A few tasty skanks, a vengeful bride, and Tiger's audible sleeping habits now all gospel in the hearts and minds of the world, we very well could be talking about Tiger's reuinion tour next year.  That is, if he every decides to leave the house again.

6. NCAA Men's Basketball Elite 8: Villanova vs. Pittsburgh
03/28/2009
In the regular season, Pittsburgh was the big dog, rattling off 16 straight wins to begin the season, cruising to a regular season Big East title.  But, of their 4 losses, one of them was at the hands of an inconsistent, but high-powered Villanova team.  In the next biggest Pennsylvania rivalry to Eagles-Steelers in February, these two new age basketball powerhouses brought an early taste of Spring to Boston by providing a non-college sports city with some heat in the form of the best game of the entire tourney.  After trailing by 10 points in the first half, Pittsburgh managed to seize the lead just before half-time, thanks to a 12 point half from Sam Young.  In the second half, the contest remained in the balance as the two teams traded blows, never allowing each other to gain any real advantage: Nova led by 5 at one point (the largest lead of the second half), only to find themselves trailing by a point two minutes later.  In an obvious "whoever has the ball last" affair, Scottie Reynolds dealt the fatal blow, nailing a short jumper in the paint with just two seconds to go, giving Villanova a Final Four birth in the process.

Oh, and I was thehhhhe!

5. 2009 AL Play-in game: Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers
10/06/2009
When the pesky Twins snuck up on the Tigers in the regular season, what would make anyone believe that they wouldn’t outlast the them in this one game play-in (Otherwise known as the "The Yankee Swept-stakes)?   Characterized by poor fielding (Raburn's misplay in the 10th) and horrid base running blunders (Casilla and Granderson), it was simply a matter of time to determine who would make the final mistake.  Considering the Tigers collapse and utter lack of team spirit (not to mention an ill-timed indiscretion by their star third baseman prior to the game), you had to like this one, at least based on the fact that the Twins were the bizarro Tigers of the AL.  The end came when Brandon Inge was unable to turn a double-play over to second base, allowing Carlos Gomez to get into scoring position and eventually scoring on Alexi Casilla's nubber, in turn, resulting in one the best images of the MLB season.

4. NCAA Frozen Four final: Boston University vs. Miami (OH)
04/11/2009
The greatest game of the year, that no one even saw.  The coolest game on earth, with the coolest name for a championship round, probably had the coolest ending of any game all year.  Down 2 goals with over 3 minutes to go, BU pulled their goaltender in a last ditch effort to tilt the ice in their favor.  OVER THREE MINUTES!  And it worked.  Miami was unable to capitalize on the empty net and with 59 seconds to go, Zach Cohen wristed a backhand over Miami's goaltender to cut the lead to 1.  It only took another 40 seconds before BU was able to push the game into OT, when Nick Bonino buried a gorgeous pass from Matt Gilroy to knot it all up.  Imagine that sucker punch for Miami for a second...

8 minutes into OT, the Terriers made the comeback official when Cody Cohen netted a fluky, deflected slapper that sailed over the head of the Miami goalie, giving Boston University their first championship in almost 15 years.

3. Confederations Cup semi-final: USA vs. Spain
06/24/2009
In what the world would consider to be the upset of the year, the US was able to end a 35-game winning streak for the world's #1 ranked soccer nation. After taking an early lead thanks to Joe Altidore's opportunistic positioning, the US went on to dodge one bullet after another up until the second half when Clint Dempsey was able to capitalize on a poor clear off the foot of Spain's Sergio Ramos. Sure we had seen the United States win some big games over the last decade, but none were so unexpected as this. After a miserable display in the 2006 World Cup, the United States needed to show some spirit leading to the 2010 session, and that is just what they did. The momentum captured in this game carried the US team all the way through the first half of the Confederations Cup championship round, only to lose steam in the second half against a superior Brazilian club. But in the world war of soccer, winning a few big battles every now and again is certainly something to hang your hat on.

2. NBA Playoffs, first round: Celtics vs. Bulls. Game 6
04/30/2009
Easily the best playoff series anyone has seen since, well, the previous season, these two wounded squads traded body blows and devastating right hooks for a full 12 rounds. In total, the series featured 4 overtime games (including 7 overtime periods) as well as 5 games decided by 3 points or less. Of course we've seen 7 game series before, but never any as competitive and as evenly matched as this series. Highlighted by an orgasmic matchup at point guard, this series was perhaps most notable for the plays that each team actually made, rather than the plays that went unmade. All too often, missed opportunities prolong a game unnecessarily, but in game 6, it was each team’s ability to rise to the occasion that separates this one from the rest.

Down 8 with under 3 minutes to go, Derrick Rose, John Salmons, and Brad Miller (with the aid of Tony Allen) led the Bulls into the Overtime session. These three would also carry the Bulls to their ultimate victory on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Salmons and Miller would dominate in all 3 overtimes for the Bulls. Big time 3-pointers, stout defense, and 51 points from Ray Allen combined to made game 6 of this first round matchup perhaps the best game of the entire NBA playoffs.

1. Super Bowl XLIII: Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
02/07/10
How could it not be? The Steelers came in as heavy favorites (-7), but hey, weren’t Carolina and Philadelphia, as well? Sure, people hoped that the Cardinals would put up a fight, only no one really believed that they would. Yet, when you consider the Steelers this season (bad running game, weak passing defense) the whole affair does make a lot more sense. And in the end, the Cardinals were ultimately one ridiculous defensive play from James Harrison away from winning a Super Bowl. Featuring one of the best 4th quarters in recent memory and the greatest last minute play since the Titans-Rams Bowl back in 2000, the most meaningful game of the sports season ended up being the most exciting game of the entire year.