This year opened with the worst national championship football game in history. Oklahoma’s thrilling 13-2 victory over Florida State. Later in the month, the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl.
Luckily for sports fans, the year improved.
Below are the Top 10 sports stories of 2001.
Let’s hope nothing big happens in December.
10. Danny boy? “Danny Man” is more like it.
Fourteen-year old Danny Almonte pitched a perfect game in the Little League World Series. Little League players must be 11 or 12 when the season starts. Almonte was 14. Problems. Almonte’s team, the Rolando Paulino Little League All-Stars, were stripped off all victories and records.
9. Why not to leave a game early.
The Cleveland Indians found themselves down to the Seattle Mariners 12-0 after three innings, and down 14-2 after seven. Time to beat traffic right? Wrong. Jolbert Cabrera’s broken bat RBI single in the 11th inning gave the Tribe a 15-14 victory. The first 12-run comeback victory in 76 years.
8. Pele?
With the way he pranced around going by just one name, you’d think he was a Brazilian soccer star. And while Ichiro was not a soccer star, the man could hit a baseball. Ichiro became the first rookie to win rookie of the year honors and MVP honors in the same season since Fred Lynn did way back in 1978. When your parents had sideburns.
7. Retief Who-sen?
Retief Goosen won the U.S. Open. He defeated Pete Samprass and Andre Agassi … kidding. Goosen won golf’s version of the U.S. Open – barely. Up two shots on the final hole, Goosen three putted from 10 feet and opened the door to a playoff the next day. Luckily for him, the win made sure his name was not synonymous with Greg Norman or the word “choke.”
6. Cue up the LL Cool J.
Don’t call it a comeback. Actually you can. Michael Jordan returned to the hardwood after three years of retirement to play for the Washington Wizards. Sweet.
5. “I like my music like my cars – loud and fast as hell.”
Those immortal words were brought to us by Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the MTV Music Awards in September. Dale Jr., who endured the death of his father at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 25, won the next event in Daytona at the Pepsi 400 on July 8. Redemption had to be sweet.
4. 35(Bonds + Bonds) + Bonds equals?
The answer to the above equation is Bonds71. On Oct. 5, Bonds launched his 71st home run of the year against the hated Los Angeles Dodgers. It had to be bittersweet though, Bonds and his Giants were eliminated from playoff contention that night when the Dodgers won the game.
3. Had to mention the Yankees.
In a moment that symbolized the city’s undying spirit, New York Yankee first baseman Tino Martinez hit a two-run, two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie up Game 4 of the World Series. But …
2. Mariano Heimlech manu-Rivera.
He had not blown a postseason save since 1997. He was called on to record six outs without giving up a run. Doing so would have given the Yankees their 27th World Championship. He did not.
Luis Gonzalez’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth plated Jay Bell and the game-winning run as the Arizona Diamondbacks won their first world championship.
1. You can’t spell Piazza without USA.
In the first baseball game in New York since the Sept. 11 attacks, the New York Mets found themselves down a run to the Atlanta Braves in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mike Piazza stood at the plate with a man on and two outs. 10 seconds later Piazza was rounding the bases, and a city rejoiced. No amount of melodrama could do that home run justice.
– compiled by Dave O’Neil and Travis Sawchik
