Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Awards of the Decade!

Ok, 2009 is almost over, and so is the entire decade! So you know what that means? Every sports publication, website and network will be posting their images, moments, teams and players of the decade. And guess what, so will I! Last time this happened was way back in 99, and i was only 15 years old. A few friends and I wrote down all our awards but I never had the chance to express them quite like this. So here it goes, a list of the best of the best from this past decade of sports! And remember do not be afraid to disagree with me or agree, either way comments are much appreciated!

Teams of the Decade

NHL- 00-09 - Detroit Red Wings & New Jersey Devils - Both teams made the playoffs every season this past decade and both went to the Stanley Cup Finals three times and went 2-1 respectively. The Devils for the most part dominated the first couple years of the decade while Detroit bookended their best hockey at the beginning and end of the decade. I do admit hockey is the sport i follow the least, but i do follow it and follow it closely everytime the playoffs start. I just think here you can't really go wrong with either of these two teams being the team of the decade but i am splitting it betweent the two.
NHL- Single Season - 2006-2007 Anaheim Ducks - They had the best overall playoff record of the decade going 16-5 during the 2006-2007 Playoffs. They only had the 5th best points total but only 8 total points seperated those 5 teams, so looked at who had the most dominate playoff run and that would be the Ducks. This was huge for the franchise to win their first Stanley Cup in only their 13th season.

NBA- 00-09 - LA Lakers - This one is too easy in my book, the Lakers won 4 NBA Titles this decade and also went two more times. So the 6 appearances in 10 years easily proves that they were the best team of the decade. Although they did not make the playoffs in 2005, that one year of rebuilding would be taken by any fan anyday, just look at the Knicks?! Lol
NBA- Single Season - 2000-2001 LA Lakers- This was a toughy because their 56 wins was no where near the top of the decade, but  more importantly i think, they went 15-1 in the postseason when no other team lost less that 7 games in a single postseason this decade. You can argue and say that the 99-00 Lakers, the 07-08 Celtics or even this past year's Laker team who all won more regular season games deserve it, but im sticking with the 00-01 Lakers and their domination throughout the playoffs that year!

MLB- 2000 through 2009 - NY Yankees - Won the World Series to start the decade in 2000 and to end it in 2009 (quite the bookend). Also went to the World Series in 2001(lost in 7) and 2003(lost in 6). Made the Postseason in every season but 2008. And easily won the most games of any MLB team during the decade.
MLB- Single Season - 2009 NY Yankees - I know you may say... "well is this the best team? They are the freshest in your mind, but are you sure?" Well, to start off they were the only team this decade to win 100 games and with the World Series. They had to win a playoff series for the first time since 04, and more importantly had to beat an Angel team they couldnt beat at all this decade (regular season or playoffs). Then had to beat one of the if not the best N.L team this decade and stop them from repeating. The 2004 Red Sox also have a case because of the fact that they finally "broke the curse" but i would put them a close second out of this past decade.

NFL- 2000 Through 2009 - New England Patriots - Another very easy decision here. The Patriots won 3 Super Bowl's this past decade and lost 1. Going to the big game 4 times in 10 seasons has almost become unthinkable in today's NFL. The parody in the NFL now is so crazy you have teams like the Raiders who actually went to a Super Bowl this decade and also have become one of the laughing stocks of the league of late, or a team like the Dallas Cowboys who did have successful seaons but didn't win 1 playoff game. So that makes what the Patriots have done so much more meanigful this decade and easily puts them at the top. Plus they only missed the playoffs twice this decade, and once was before Tom Brady was the starter and another was when Tom Brady missed the entire season (and the Pats still went 11-5 and missed out). Also the playoffs are starting this weekend and that gives the Pats another shot to win it all.
NFL- Single Season - 2003 New England Patriots - It would have been a no brainer if the 2007 Pats would have won that Super Bowl against the Giants and whent 19-0 but they didn't. So therefore i will take the 03 Pats who went 14-2 in the regular season and finished out with a 17-2 record including winning the Super Bowl was by far the best Super Bowl winning team's record this past decade.

NCAA Football- 2000 through 2009 - USC Trojans - Pete Carroll simply dominated this decade. They only won 1 BCS Championship but split another National Title with LSU in 2003. So the two titles ties them with LSU & Florida for the most of decade. Plus if it wasn't for a monumental comeback by Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns in the 2005 Nat'l Championship game then they would have won an unprecedented 3 titles in a row. Also they had 3 Heisman Trophy winners during the decade as well.
NCAA Football- Single Season - 2001 Miami Hurricanes - Yes the Hurricanes went 12-0 that year and 4 other teams had better records but this team will go down as one of the best college football teams of all time. Plus all the NFL talent produced by this team is incredible. Some of the more notable players that are playing in the NFL are... Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, Bryant McKinnie, Jonathon Vilma, Frank Gore & Ed Reed. Try and beat that! Haha

NCAA Basketball- 2000 through 2009 - Duke Blue Devils - The Blue Devils (here he goes again picking one of his teams) you might say. But all i have to say is as much as sports are all about winning the championship, i believe that when you are looking at NCAA Bball teams in a bunch of years as we are here with team of the decade its about more than Championships. It's about making the NCAA Tournament every single season as Duke did. It's about total wins for the decade in which Duke's 291 was #1 overall in the nation. It's about conference tournament titles, in which Duke won 7 out of 10. Yes they only won 1 Nat'l Title and went to 2 Final Fours but if you look at the other teams you would argue with you can see their downsides. UNC & Florida both had their struggles, UNC in the first part of the decade not even making the NCAA Tourney in 01-02 and 02-03 and Florida which struggled after winning back to back championships and did not make the NCAA Tourney the last two seasons of the decade. The other two teams in which i think would finish a very close 2nd and 3rd behind Duke would be Kansas and Michigan St both also made the NCAA Tournament every season just as Duke did and both won 1 Nat'l Title as Duke did as well. Kansas's 282 wins were the 2nd most in the nation but the reason i keep Duke ahead of them is because only Duke, Mich St and Florida had the same coach for all 10 seasons. So as you can see i have told you my top 5 and i will get arguments for each of those teams, i still believe when its all set and done and you look at all the numbers that the Duke Blue Devils had the best decade of all the NCAA Bball teams.
NCAA Basketball- Single Season - 2006 - 2007 Florida Gators - The pressure this team had to deal with all year trying to be the first team to repeat  since the 91-92 Duke teams was enough to tell you how good they were. They went 35-5, they started and ended the season #1 in the polls and won all 6 NCAA Tourney games by 7 points or more. This team wasn't that much better than the 00-01 Blue Devils or either of the Tarheel championship teams or even the 03-04 Uconn Huskies, but the pressure to repeat and the domination for the course of the season just nudges them ahead of the rest of squads just mentioned as the best team of the decade.

The Top 5 players of the decade by Sport

NHL-
5. Sidney Crosby & Alex Ovechkin- A tie because both players obvioulsy were too young to play the entire decade but the 2 stars have almost single handedly saved the NHL by becoming two of the greatest athletes in sports today. Crosby has had 397 points this decade and Ovechkin has had 420 (leading the league twice in goals and once in points). While Ovechkin has also won the individual awards, Crosby has shined in the playoffs leading the Penguins to 2 Cup Finals and 1 Stanley Cup Championship.
4. Scott Niedermayer- 415 total points for the decade, won the Conn Smythe in 2007 and the Norris Trophy in 2003-2004. He will go down as an all time great defensemen who won two Stanley Cup Championships as well.
3. Chris Pronger- 420 total points for the decade, and had one of the most dominant postseason runs ever in 2006 winning the Con Smythe in a losing effort. Pronger won 1 Stanley Cup this decade and will also go down as one of the best defensemen of all time.
2. Martin Brodeur- He was by far the best goalie of the decade and cemented his place as one of the best of all time as well. He won 4 Vezina Trophies as the NHL's best goalie. No other goalie even won more than 1. He also won 2 Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils and now has the shutout record for goalies including 65 this past decade.
1. Nicklas Lidstrom- He dominated the decade. When only 2 of the top 6 are offensive players it shows you that this was a defensive decade and Lidstrom was the best of the best. He had 574 total points, he won the Stanley Cup twice with the Red Wings, including the Con Smythe in 01-02. But the most impressive is that he has won 6 Norris Trophies which is only 3rd all time to Doug Harvey's 7 and Bobby Orr's 8.

NBA-
5. Lebron James- Not much to say here, he is probably one of the 2 best players in the game right now, and on pace to be possibly one of the 5 best of all time. He didn't arrive till 2003 so that might be his only downfall besides not winning an NBA Title so far in his young career. Other than that he has been nothing but great so far in his career and belongs in the top 5 players just edging out Wade, Nash & Dirk.
4. Shaquille O'Neal- The first 3 years of this decade Shaq may have been one of the most dominant players of all time, but the last 7 his play dropped off and that is why he is not higher on my list. But still you can not take away the fact that Shaq won 4 NBA Championships and went to 1 more.
3. Kevin Garnett- Another great player of the decade but this one needed to come out of his shell in Minnesota where he didnt seem to get much notice or award votes and awaken in Boston. Overall he did make the NBA All-Defensive team every year of the decade and won the Defensive Player of the year in 2008 as a Celtic. He also made First Team all NBA 8 times and won 1 NBA title this decade with the Celtics.
2. Kobe Bryant- He definitley was the most watched and probably will go down as the most memorable player of this decade but he just wasn't the best. But let's stay positive and tell you why he was the 2nd best player of the decade. He won 4 NBA Titles, although only 1 he was the #1 player on the team. He made the NBA All Defensive team 7 times this decade, First Team all NBA 6 times, he made the all star team all 10 seasons and 1 MVP.
1. Tim Duncan- I will be one of the leaders of the pack that says he is one of the most boring players in NBA history but only because he is so good. There are plenty of boring players out there that just don't get noticed because they just aren't that good. Tim Duncan is the best player of the last 10 seasons and maybe one of the top 10 of all time. He won 2 MVP's, 3 NBA Titles, 7 1st Team All-NBA, 7 1st Team All-Defense, and 7 top 5 MVP finishes. Plain and Simple he played MVP caliber basketball the entire decade.

MLB-
5. Barry Bonds- He had steroid issues, but who didnt the past decade so just going on the numbers he put up he has to atleast be in the top 5. Here are some #'s- He batted .322 with 772 runs scored.
4. Derek Jeter- Hands down one of the classiest and best baseball players we have ever seen. Has never come up in any steroid or off the field issues. He's batted .317 with nearly 2,000 hits,  and 1,088 runs scored. Plus he has always been a clutch postseason player & won 2 World Series Rings and went to 4 this decade.
3. Alex Rodriguez- Finally overcame the postseason issues he has always had but seems like he had to admit to his off the field issues to do it. Either way he has easily been one of the best players of the decade. He batted .304 with 435 HR's and 1,243 RBI.
2. Mariano Rivera- Disagree with this one all you want, but he was simply the best pitcher of the decade. He had a 2.08 ERA with 397 Saves and dominated the postseason as well. One of the all time greats!
1. Albert Pujols- No question who the best all around baseball player has been. He has put up Ruthian career #'s so far and hasn't been involved in any off the field or steroid talk either. His decade #'s are as follows- He's batted .334 with 366 HR's and 1,112 RBI. Can't wait to see how he follows this decade up and if how long he can continue on this tear.

NFL-
5. Marvin Harrison- Although his last two years of the decade were almost non-existent he was the best WR of the past 10 years. He made 7 straight pro bowls, won a Super Bowl and had a record breaking year in 2002 with 143 catches.
4. Ray Lewis- The best defensive player of the decade. He also had 7 pro bowl appearances and a Super Bowl ring this decade. He dominated the decade, he dominated the only Super Bowl he was in and won the MVP for it. He will go down as the BEST middle linebacker to ever play the game PERIOD! (Sorry LT)
3. LaDainian Tomlinson- The best RB of the decade, and the best player non QB to play in this decade. He had 5 Pro Bowl appearances and 1 MVP and also rushed for over 1,000 yds in each of his first 8 seasons. Although this past year was his worst yardage wise he still had 12 rushing Td's and helped lead the Chargers to a 13-3 record and a 1st round bye, we shall see if he gets that Super Bowl ring too.
2. Tom Brady- The 2nd best QB of this past decade. Winning wise there was no player better than him at it. He reached the Super Bowl 4 times winning it 3 times and winning the SB MVP twice. And since he became a starter and played for a full season he only missed the playoffs in his 2nd year. (1st as full time starter.) He also has gone to 4 Pro Bowls, won 1 MVP and broke Peyton Manning's single season TD record with an amazing 50 while leading the Pats to an undefeated regular season.
1. Peyton Manning- The BEST QB of the decade and if he continues on this pace maybe the best of all time. While Peyton has put up such incredible numbers this entire decade the most impressive might be how he came back to beat the Pats and then go on to win the Super Bowl when everyone said that he just couldn't ever do it. This past decade he won 4 MVP's which is the most all time. He has lead the Colts to the # 1 overall seed in the AFC with homefeild advantage so he has a shot to win Super Bowl #2 and maybe SB MVP #2 as well. He has made 8 Pro Bowls and he broke Dan Marino's long standing record with 49 TD's in 2004 before Brady broke that in 07. But what makes him slightly better than Brady is the fact that his #'s are almost like no other. Check out his decade stats- Passing TD's- 314, INT's- 138, Yds- 42,254, Rating- 98.6 (and that's how hot his play at the QB position has been for the past decade, i feel privileged to have been able to watch him and i will continue to watch him in dominated and will tell my kid's (when i have them) how great of a player i was able to see.

NCAA Football-
5. Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech - He was the 2nd best WR of the decade in my eyes. Although Georgia Tech never contended for a Nat'l Championship he routinely put up great numbers and made great catch after great catch. He finished just short of 3,000 yds with 13 100yd receiving games and 28 TD's. He won the Biletnikoff award for the nation's best WR in 2006, and just knew how to get it done even when he was double and triple covered.
4. Reggie Bush RB USC - He was one of the most electrifying college players to walk God's green earth. He won the Heisman trophy in 2005 and won the Nat'l Championship in 04 while splitting the title with LSU in 04. If it wasn't for another man on my list he would have won a piece of the Nat'l Championship in all 3 of his collegiate years.
3. Larry Fitzgerald WR Pittsburgh - He WAS the best WR of the decade, he played so well in his 2 seasons at Pitt, he finished with 34 receiving Td's including and NCAA record 18 straight games with atleast 1 Td catch. He won the Biletnikoff in 2003 and also finished 2nd in the Heisman which is huge for a WR.
2. Vince Young QB Texas - Vince had the most memorable performance of the decade in the Rose Bowl/ Nat'l Championship victory over the USC Trojans in 2005/06. He rushed for 200yds and threw for 267 in that amazing comeback 41-38 win. He was 30-2 in his career while finishing top 5 in the school's history in the following categories- Passing Yds(5th), Passing Tds(4th), Rushing Yds(1st), Rushing Td's(5th).
1. Tim Tebow QB Florida - Not only the best player of the past decade but probably the best player i have seen and probably one of the best to play the college game. Taking into consideration that he was a big time winning QB that not only started from his Freshman year but stayed all 4. He ends his career as the SEC's all time leader in Rushing Td's and points scored. He won 2 National Championships and a Hesiman Trophy, while being a finalist his last 3 years. Many people believe he doesnt have what it takes to be a qb at the next level but after watching him these past 4 years i would never bet against this kid.

NCAA Basketball (Excluding all "1 and done" players)
5. Shane Battier Duke - He along with Jay Williams lead the Duke Blue Devils to the 2001 National Championship, also winning NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding player that year too. He was 00-01 Player of the Year (AP, Naismith & Wooden) & his #31 jersey is hangin in the rafters at Cameron Indoor. If you watched him play you know how great he was, especially because he didn't have a selfish bone in his body, and always was on the floor whether it be diving for loose balls or taking countless charges. What a great player he was to watch, he constantly did all the little things to help the Dukies win.
4. Jameer Nelson - St. Joe's (2000-2004) - A gritty little PG that lead a little college called St. Joe's to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tourney. Another one of those players that you had to watch to realize how great he was. He won the 2004 player of the year (AP, Wooden & Naismith). He is St. Joe's all time leader in points, steals and assists.
3. J.J Redick - Duke (2002-2006) - The best shooter i have ever seen hands down. If he would have won a Natinal Championship at Duke i would probably have him higher on this list, maybe even #1. That maybe the only thing J.J wasn't able to do while at Duke. He broke the all time ACC scoring record before Hansbrough broke it a few years later. In 05-06 he won the player of the year award (AP, Wooden & Naismith). The most impressive thing about his game was the fact that everywhere he went he was abused and still managed to put it aside and dominate time after time. I would even go as far as saying he was definitley the most hated player of the decade (although he was my 2nd favorite) and maybe top 3 of all time in college basketball.
2. Jason (JAY) Williams - Duke (1999-2002) - He won a National Championship with the Dukies in 2001 and National Player of the year in 2002 and a 2 time first team All-American. But beyond those stats he was incredible to watch. He is slighty ahead of J.J as my favorite college player of all time. His almost self made comeback against the Terps in Maryland in 2001 (down 10 with 1 minute to go) is my favorite tape to watch over and over and over again. That was just one of the many unreal moments he gave to the nation over the course of his years at Duke. He also averaged 25.7ppg in the 2001 NCAA Tourney.
1. Tyler Hansbrough - UNC (2005-2009) - You probably couldn't find another human on this planet that hates this guy more than me, and probably couldn't believe that as such a huge Duke fan that I am that I would even put him #1 and not bump him on spite alone. Well I am here to say that he deserves it, he deserves the #1 player of the decade ranking. I have to admit that IF he didn't win that NCAA Title last year i wouldn't have him #1. But he did live up to expectations from the start, he went to 2 Final Fours, winning 1, he was a 4 time first team All-American & is the ACC's all time leader in scoring and rebounding. He averaged 20ppg and 8rpg over his 4 year career and i have to admit i give him alot of credit for coming back for his senior year to win the National Championship. Best player of the decade although it was a TOUGH call!

2 comments:

John said...

I like NFL Draft more than anyother sports.. This is kind of different because I am more of a NFL fan, but for some reason I was more involved in them. The easy reason would have to be that i probably just care more .

Mike Whit said...

Rob... one LT was a game changer, he redefined his position. two, LT was an outside linebacker, quite a different position than Ray Lewis plays...

Good read, though. Disagree with 09 Yanks, most notably.

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