My Best of Sports for the Year 2010
My Best of Sports for the Week Ending November 7, 2010
- Male Athlete of the Year: Lionel Messi, record scoring forward for Barcelona FC and Argentina and FIFA Ballon d'Or winner.
- Female Athlete of the Year: Marit Bjorgen, Norway, cross-country skiing, the 30-year-old Nordic veteran led athletes across all sports with five Olympic medals in Vancouver, three being gold.
- Team of the Year: Spain Men's National Football Team, winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup by beating the Netherlands, 1-0.
- Joint Team of the Week: The Serbian Davis Cup team for beating France 3-2 in the final for their first victory as champions of the World Group.
- Joint Team of the Week: The Holden Racing Team for taking the constructors title in the Australasian V8 Supercars Championship.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Serbia's Viktor Troicki, who beat Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to complete a 3-2 David Cup comeback win over France.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: James Courtney won the Drivers Championship for Dick Johnson Racing by 86 points from Triple Eight Race Engineering's Jamie Whincup in the final race of the season at the Sydney Telstra 500.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Austrian skiers finished one-two in Saturday’s first World Cup downhilll of the season, with popular veteran Michael Walchhofer winning the race in an eye-popping time of 1:47.78.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Roger Federer gave his rival Rafael Nadal little chance to mount a challenge in the 22nd meeting between two of the greatest players of all time, winning his fifth season-ending title, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
- Joint Team of the Week: UConn Huskies women posted their 82nd straight win and 42nd straight home victory with an 86-25 victory over Howard.
- Joint Team of the Week: The Wallabies went on a wild second-half points scoring spree to enjoy their biggest win over France to end their spring tour the best way possible with a 59-16 trouncing at Stade de France in Paris.
- Coach of the Week: Having won all of their 6 games in the Group Stage, Dragan Adžić's Budućnost are, without question, the team of the moment in the EHF Champions League.
- Upset of the Week: Anthony Martinez kicked a 34-yard field goal in overtime Friday night, capping a Nevada comeback that gave the Wolf Pack a 34-31 win over unbeaten No.3 Boise State.
- Play of the Week: Boise State QB Kellen Moore’s amazing pass and even more stunning catch by Titus Young with 9 seconds left.
- Special Effort of the Week: 20-year-old Tasmanian quick James Faulkner took a phenomenal 5-5 as the SA Redbacks were humbled for just 55 runs before lunch on the second day, their third-lowest total in Sheffield Shield history.
- Comeback of the Week: Cam Newton threw for three scores and ran for another to lead No. 2 Auburn back from a 24-point deficit for a stunning 28-27 win over No.11 Alabama.
- Farewell of the Week: Scottish referee Dougie McDonald has quit the professional game following the fallout over his decision to rescind a penalty he initially awarded to Celtic against Dundee United on October 17.
- Contest of the Week: The final NASCAR Chase race with 46 points separating the top three drivers.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Jimmie Johnson after winning his fifth straight NASCAR Chase series.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: AB de Villiers scored 278 not out on Sunday to become South Africa's highest individual scorer in a cricket Test match on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan.
- Joint Team of the Week: The Russian Women’s Volleyball team, for winning the 2010 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship with a perfect record, their second straight title.
- Joint Team of the Week: Resilient, resourceful and a little fortunate, the Colorado Rapids claimed their first championship with a dramatic come-from-behind triumph over FC Dallas in the MLS Cup final.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Boise State Broncos’ Chris Petersen, leading his team to a 10-0 start to the season, the last win being a 51-0 smacking of Fresno State.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Philadelphia Eagles Andy Reid for his part in the resurrection of Michael Vick and engineering two fantastic wins in a row against top opposition, to lead the NFC East.
- Joint Upset of the Week: Texas A&M upending the Nebraska Cornhuskers by 9-6.
- Joint Upset of the Week: Scotland ended a miserable season for the Springboks, beating them 21-17 at Murrayfield.
- Joint Rout of the Week: Lionel Messi scored a hat trick in Barcelona's record 8-0 drubbing of Almeria.
- Joint Rout of the Week: The Philadelphia Eagles versus the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football, with the Eagles winning 59-28.
- Joint Match-up of the Week: The Indianapolis Colts up against the New England Patriots, with the Pats prevailing by a mere 3 points.
- Joint Match-up of the Week: PSV and Ajax in a 0-0 arm-wrestle from the Dutch Eredivisie.
- Play of the Week: BJ Penn’s 21 sensational second knockout of Matt Hughes in UFC 123.
- Special Effort of the Week: Maya Moore scored 30 points in her homecoming to Atlanta, leading No. 1 Connecticut to its 81st consecutive NCAA basketball victory with a 71-51 rout of Georgia Tech on Sunday.
- Joint Gongs of the Week: Bill Gardenhire (AL) and Bud Black (NL) earning MLB Manager of the Year awards.
- Joint Gongs of the Week: Felix Hernandez (AL) and Roy Halladay (NL) winning MLB Cy Young awards.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: The Dallas Cowboys improving to 3-7 with their second straight victory, beating Detroit 35-19.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: Michigan State and the Utah Utes come-from-behind victories over lesser but very credible opponents.
- Ouch of the Week: Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, the former No. 1 draft pick whose short career has been marred by injuries, will have microfracture surgery on his left knee and will not play this season.
- Joint Belly Flop of the Week: Minnesota Vikings going to 3-7 with a big 31-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers, resulting in Coach Brad Childress being fired.
- Joint Belly Flop of the Week: Vikings QB Brett Favre for only shooting 11 TD passes along with 17 interceptions in a terrible season so far.
- Farewell of the Week: Haile Gebrselassie, the 37 year-old Ethiopian, announced his retirement from athletics as a two-time Olympic and world record holder in the marathon. He also set 27 world bests he set over his career, which also yielded eight world titles since 1993, ranging in distance from the 1,500m up to the marathon.
- Joint Contest of the Week: Enthralling bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito.
Joint Contest of the Week: Australia versus New Zealand in the 4 Nations Rugby League final. - Joint Athlete of the Week: Manny Pacquiao: First boxer to win world titles in 8 weight divisions by decisively beating Antonio Margarito.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Robin Soderling wins his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy Sunday with a 6-1, 7-6(1) victory over French contender Gael Monfils in the final of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris-Bercy.
- Joint Team of the Week: A last-minute try from Nathan Fien gave New Zealand a dramatic 16-12 victory over fierce rivals Australia in the Four Nations rugby league final in Brisbane.
- Joint Team of the Week: Red Bull,Racing-Renault, for their Formula One constructors title and season driver champion Sebastian Vettel and third place finisher Mark Webber.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Joe Paterno: the 83 year-old coach of Penn State, after his 400th win last week then engineering a quality game plan against Ohio State.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Sunderland’s Steve Bruce for orchestrating a 3-0 defeat of Chelsea after being humbled last week in the Newcastle local derby.
- Joint Upset of the Week: Top seed Roger Federer suffered a shock defeat in the Paris Masters semi-finals as Frenchman Gael Monfils claimed a 7-6 (9-7) 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-4) victory.
- Joint Upset of the Week: England played their best ever rugby match under coach Martin Johnson, beating the Wallabies 35-18 in London to claim the Cook Cup.
- Joint Rout of the Week: The Philadelphia Flyers had their highest-scoring game since 2007, an 8-1 smacking of the Carolina Hurricanes.
- Joint Rout of the Week: Wisconsin (No. 7 BCS, No. 6 AP) routed Indiana 83-20 in their highest score since 1950.
- Match-up of the Week: AC Milan versus Inter Milan in Italy’s Serie A. Ac Milan beat their cross-town rivals 1-0.
- Play of the Week: Chris Ashton scored two English tries, including a blinder where he ran 100 metres outpacing the Wallabies defence, turning Drew Mitchell inside out with a stunning turn of pace.
- Special Effort of the Week: England's Laura Davies won the Hero Honda Women's Indian Open on Saturday, triumphing in a four-way playoff at the DLF Golf and Country Club, for her 79th career victory worldwide and her fifth on the LET this season alone.
- Gong of the Week: Joe Mauer takes home fourth American League Silver Slugger award, and third consecutive.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: Ohio State beats Joe Pa and Penn State 38-14 after being down 14-3 at the half.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: The Utah Jazz, after being behind by about 20 points in each of the last five games and winning them all, including 4 on the road.
- Joint Ouch of the Week: Linebacker Shawne Merriman is out indefinitely after aggravating an injury to his right Achilles' tendon in his Bills first practice.
- Joint Ouch of the Week: AC Milan's Filippo Inzaghi could be out for six months with knee ligament damage.
- Joint Belly Flop of the Week: Division leading New York Giants losing 33-20 to a revitalized 1-7 Dallas Cowboys under new coach Jason Garrett.
- Joint Belly Flop of the Week: EPL leading Chelsea getting a 3-0 drubbing by Sunderland.
- Farewell of the Week: Rugby Super League club Crusaders entered administration and may not be savable.
- Joint Contest of the Week: #3 TCU versus #5 Utes. It was supposed to have been a contest, but it wasn't!
- Joint Contest of the Week: The Philadelphia Eagles up against the hard charging Colts. The big birds hung on for a 26-24 win.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Denny Hamlin completed Nascar Texas two-step Sunday, winning at the track for the second time this year and taking over the points lead from four-time defending season champion Jimmie Johnson.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Kelly Slater scored a perfect 10 out of 10 as he clinched an unprecedented 10th world surfing title with victory at the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico.
- Teams of the Week: The southern hemisphere rugby union trio of Australia, New Zealand and Southern Africa for easily bouncing each of their northern challengers.
- Joint Coach of the Week: The All Blacks Graham Henry for a huge effort and losing only one game this entire international season.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Wade Phillips of the Dallas Cowboys, for all the wrong reasons.
- Joint Rout of the Week: Los Angeles Lakers 121- 96 over the Portland Trailblazers, without even breaking a sweat.
- Joint Rout of the Week:
- Hit of the Week: New York Rangers Sean Avery crushing hit on Blues defenseman Tyson Strachan.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: Liverpool striker Fernando Torres showed he was close to his lethal best with two brilliant goals in the 2-0 victory over Premier League leaders Chelsea.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: BYU Cougars pounded hapless UNLV 55-7. Now for a bowl game!
- Farewell of the Week: Champion Hawaiian surfer Andy Irons died in Texas en route home to Hawaii after the Puerto Rico 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search.
- Joint Contest of the Week: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway where the lead changed 87 times.
- Joint Contest of the Week: The World Series with the San Francisco Giants up against the Texas Rangers.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: 41 year old Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre making his 292nd consecutive start, takes a helmet to the chin and ten stitches to fix the gash to go with his two ankle fractures.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Kim Clijsters won the season-ending WTA Championships for the third time over world number one Caroline Wozniacki in Doha.
- Joint Team of the Week: The Sharks are the Currie Cup champions for 2010 after they defeated Vodacom Western Province 30-10 in Durban.
- Joint Team of the Week: The Oregon Ducks who are now ranked #1 in all three college football polls.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Stephen Kearney the New Zealand Rugby League mentor for the thrashing of PNG and making the upcoming final with Australia, the match of the week in any sport.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Josepp Guardiola for orchestrating a 5-0 thrashing of Sevilla and bringing Barcelona FC within one point of the leaders.
- Joint Upset of the Week: Australia's Wallabies score a last gasp try and conversion to beat the All Blacks 26-24 in Hong Kong.
- Joint Upset of the Week: Oakland Raiders 33, Seattle Seahawks 3…Wow.
- Joint Rout of the Week: New Zealand Kiwi's thrash the Papua New Guinea Kumuls 76-12 in the 4-Nations rugby league tournament.
- Joint Rout of the Week: Lionel Messi and David Villa bagged two goals apiece as Barcelona cruised to an impressive 5-0 win at home to 10-man Sevilla at the Nou Camp.
- Match-up of the Week: #1 ranked Oregon Ducks after a decisive 53-32 victory at arch-rivals USC.
- Big Hits of the Week: Pakistan's Abdul Razzaq blasted 10 sixes and seven fours in an unbeaten 109 from 72 balls to help his side square the series at 1-1 against South Africa.
- Play of the Week: Captain Kevin Nolan plundered a derby hat-trick as Newcastle down Sunderland 5-1.
- Special Effort of the Week: Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone still racing at 80 years of age.
- Joint Gong of the Week: England's Lee Westwood rises to World #1 in golf, eclipsing Tiger Woods 238 weeks at the top.
- Joint Gong of the Week: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark is crowned WTA end of year World #1.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: Three-time world champion John Higgins returning to snooker after serving a six-month ban for bringing the sport into disrepute.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: #14 Nebraska after losing to unranked Texas in Week 17 to giving #6 Missouri a spanking,
- Ouch of the Week: Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist has surgery to repair a torn left patellar tendon and is expected to be out of action for six months.
- Belly Flop of the Week: David Garrard and the Jacksonville Jaguars had their way with the Cowboys (now 1-6), winning 35-17 in a game that was nowhere near that close.
- Farewell of the Week: Lovely reigning Olympic champion and world #9 Elena Dementieva announced her retirement from tennis.
- Joint Contest of the Week: Texas Rangers versus the New York Yankees in baseball's American League Championship.
- Joint Contest of the Week: San Francisco Giants up against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Cain Velasquez: new UFC World Heavyweight Champion and conqueror of Brock Lesnar.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Max Biaggi: 2010 World Superbike Riders Champion and former four-time World 250cc Champion.
- Joint Team of the Week: Aprilia Racing Team: 2010 World Superbike Constructors Champion.
- Joint Team of the Week: Hannspree Ten Kate Honda and Turkey's Kenan Sofuoglu for winning the 2010 Supersport World Championship.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea Manager who has his team at the top of the EPL. He also coached A.C. Milan to numerous triumphs from 2001-09.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid Manager, whose club is No. 1 in La Liga. He also coached Porto, Chelsea and Internazionale to many successes from 2002-09.
- Joint Upset of the Week: Bangladesh's cricket team whitewashing New Zealand in the One Day Internationals; and first clean sweep of a major nation.
- Joint Upset of the Week: Defending Superbowl Champions the New Orleans Saints getting dumped 30-17 by the Cleveland Browns.
- Joint Rout of the Week: PSV Eindhoven massacre Feyenoord 10-0 in the Dutch Eredivisie (Premier League).
- Joint Rout of the Week: NFLs Oakland Raiders had a huge 59-14 victory over the Denver Broncos which set several club records.
- Match-up of the Week: #5 Auburn versus #6 Louisiana State. Auburn won 24-17.
- Big Hit of the Week: Juan Uribe of the SF Giants hitting a home run with two outs in the 8th inning to break a 2-2 tie and give the Giants the series win.
- Play of the Week: Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger fumbles in the endzone but retains doubtful possession to beat Miami 23-22.
- Special Effort of the Week: Cristiano Ronaldo scores four goals in Real Madrid's 6-1 demolition of Racing Santander.
- Bang A Gong: David Pocock wins the John Eales Medal as the Australian Wallabies Player of the Year.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: Former World #1 Pat Rafter being named as the Australian Davis Cup tennis captain. He will make a big difference.
- Joint Comeback of the Week: Michigan State rallying from 17 points down to be Northwestern and preserve their so far unbeaten season.
- Belly Flop of the Week: New York Yankees getting whooped by the Texas Rangers 6-1 and getting dumped out of World Series contention.
- Remembrance of the Week: US swimmer Fran Crippen dies while taking part in the last leg of the 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
My Best of Sports in the Week Ending October 17, 2010
- Contest of the Week: Wisconsin versus #1 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Badgers won 31-18.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Jorge Lorenzo: Winner of the 2010 MotoGP.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Sachin Tendulkar: The Little Master becomes the first cricket player to score 14,000 career runs.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Chris McCormack: Winner of the 2010 Hawai’i Ironman Triathlon.
- Joint Team of the Week: Brazil Volleyball Team: FIVB men's world champions for a record-equaling third successive time.
- Joint Team of the Week: India’s cricket team for winning the test series 2-0 at home against Australia.
- Debut of the Week: QB Max Hall starts his first NFL game, and wins against last seasons’ champions, the New Orleans Saints.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Gordon Teitjens: Coaching the New Zealand Sevens team to their fourth consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Jason Kreis: Taking Real Salt Lake to a 2-0 victory over Dallas FC and within one point of star-studded LA Galaxy in the MLS Western Conference.
- Joint Upset of the Week: The Egyptian Pharaohs, current African soccer champions, losing to lowly Niger 1-0.
- Joint Upset of the Week: Roger Federer losing to Andy Murray 6-3 6-2 in the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
- Rout of the Week: Australian Chris McCormack winning his second Hawaiian Ironman triathlon title, beating second-place Andreas Raelert by a full minute and 40 seconds.
- Joint Match-up of the Week: San Francisco 49ers against the Oakland Raiders, both at 0-5; the Niners won 17-9.
- Joint Match-up of the Week: Heineken Cup rugby champions Toulouse were pushed all the way before narrowly beating London Wasps 18-16 in southwest France.
- Big Hit of the Week: Eagles' WR DeSean Jackson smashed by Atlanta Falcons' Dunta Robinson, head first, helmet into his chest and chin.
- Play of the Week: Colts Pierre Garcon catches an impossible pass with his wrong hand against the Redskins.
- Joint Ouch of the Week: Current Gauteng Lions and former All Blacks coach, John Mitchell, being stabbed twice by intruders in his own home.
- Joint Ouch of the Week: Rams best Wide Receiver Mark Clayton out for the year with a torn patellar tendon in his knee.
- Special Effort of the Week: Alexandra Croak who won her second Commonwealth Games gold medal; in two different sports, gymnastics and diving.
- Resurrection of the Week: LaDainian Tomlinson’s two rushing touchdowns that helped the Jets to five wins in a row.
- Comeback of the Week: Texas Rangers thrashing the Yankees 7-2, after dropping Game 1, 6-5 in a heartbreaker.
- Belly Flop of the Week: Detroit Lions losing 28-20 to the NY Giants for a record-tying 24th straight road loss.
My Best of Sports in the Week Ending October 10, 2010
- Contest of the Week: Europe versus the United States in the 2010 Ryder Cup.
- Joint Team of the Week: St. George Dragons: Winner of the National Rugby League Grand Final.
- Joint Team of the Week: Europe: Winner of the 2010 Ryder Cup.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Sébastien Loeb: Winning the World Rally Championship for the 7th time in a row.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: 17-year-old Wilfredo Leon, who top-scored for the Cuba with 23 points, beating Serbia in five sets to progress to the FIVB World Championship game against Brazil.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Wayne Bennett: Mentor of the St George Dragons the 2010 NRL Champions; and previous six time winner with the Brisbane Broncos.
- Joint Coach of the Week: Steve Spurrier in engineering a great game plan and a stunning win over unbeaten Alabama.
- Upset of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks tripping the #1 ranked college football team Alabama Crimson Tide.
- Rout of the Week: University of Utah Running Utes 68-27 victory over Iowa State.
- Bang A Gong: Darius Boyd: winner of the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match in the NRL Grand Final.
- Joint Match-up of the Week: #12 ranked Louisiana State University versus #14 Florida Gators.
- Joint Match-up of the Week: #17 Michigan State up against cross-state rivals, #18 Michigan.
- Ouch of the Week: Eagles’ Michael Vick: Rib Cartilage injury versus the Washington Redskins; at least two weeks out.
- Resurrection of the Week: Geoff Huegill: Former Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, winning the Commonwealth Games 100 metres butterfly, after losing 40 kilograms in his comeback.
- Belly Flop of the Week: Unbeaten Chicago Bears allowing 10 sacks and a concussion on QB Jay Cutler, in a big 17-3 loss to the New York Giants.
My Best of Sports for the Week Ending October 3, 2010
- Contest of the Week: #3 ranked Blue Bulls 36, #2 Western Province 32, in Currie Cup Rugby - South Africa.
- Joint Team of the Week: Wigan Warriors: European Engage Super League Champions after a 12 year wait.
- Joint Team of the Week: Collingwood Magpies: 2010 Aussie Rules Grand Final Champions for the first time in 12 years.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Aussie Mick Fanning, 29, reigning ASP World Champion, claimed his second, consecutive Quiksilver Pro France.
- Joint Athlete of the Week: Dario Franchitti: IndyCar Series champion 2010.
- Coach of the Week: Mick Malthouse: Whose Magpies won the 2010 AFL flag, who also guided the West Coast Eagles to the premiership in '92 & '94.
- Upset of the Week: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez ranked #53 stunned World #1 Rafael Nadal to reach the Thailand Open final.
- Rout of the Week: #3 ranked Boise State University burying New Mexico State 59-0.
- Bang A Gong: Wigan Warrior’s Pat Richards is Super League's Man of Steel.
- Joint Match-up of the Week: Donovan McNabb returning to Philly to play the Eagles with new team the Redskins.
- Joint Match-up of the Week: Chelsea versus Arsenal in the English Premier League.
- Ouch of the Week: Jamie Varner succumbing to an absolute barrage in his UFC grudge rematch with Donald Cerrone.
- Resurrection of the Week: Third string quarterback Charlie Batch in his first start for 3 years, throwing 2 TDs and orchestrating a 38-13 win over the Bucs!
- Joint Belly Flop of the Week: #18 USC losing to Washington 32-31; for the second straight year, and dropping out of the Top 25 rankings.
- Joint Belly Flop of the Week: BYU losing to Utah State University 31-16 and going 1-4 on the season.
