Armchair Year in Review: 2006
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by user JB82
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to one and all! As the year 2006 comes to an end, it is time for us to reflect on what happened in the past 12 months. We will lead off with the top ten notable happenings during the year:
10. Hurricanes win Stanley Cup
NHL fans had waited a long time – some 730+ days, as a matter of fact – to see a familiar sight: Lord Stanley's Cup.
This past June, the Carolina Hurricanes got the famed trophy, which was welcomed even graciously by hardened veterans such as Glen Wesley, a player who was one of the last holdovers from the team's past existence as the Hartford Whalers, and Rod Brind'Amour. It may have been two years, but it was worth the wait.
9. Heat win first NBA title
Another renowned player who had to wait a considerable length of time for his next ring was Shaquille O'Neal.
But, as the saying goes, there is no "I" in team, and the self-styled "Big Aristotle" had a supporting cast par excellence in Dwayne Wade and Caron Butler et al. as the Miami Heat clinched their first NBA championship in an exciting four-games-to-two romp over the Dallas Mavericks. If the Heat can shake off an early-season slump, the Diesel can get one for the thumb in 2007! ;-)
8. Texas wins Rose Bowl, national championship
Vince Young closed the book on his collegiate career at the Rose Bowl, and he couldn't have done it in more dramatic fashion.
Young's Texas Longhorns made a fast and furious comeback late in the 4th quarter in order to seal the BCS National Championship, 41-38, over the USC Trojans. Young has since brought his abilites and talents to the NFL with some of the same success.
7. Italy wins World Cup
Some soccer pundits the world over figured Brazil to repeat as World Cup champions, but the Selecçião's early exit opened the door for Italy to cop the Jules Rimet Trophy.
While the Azurri's glory temporarily staved off the spectre of a domestic league match-fixig scandal, the final would be remembered for the actions of its opponent – or a player thereof. France striker Zinedine Zidane brought his career to a disgraceful end with a headbutt to Marco Materazzi.
6. Duke men's lacrosse scandal
Duke University is famous for its men's basketball program, but it was another male sport at the prestigious school that got the nation's attention.
A female stripper was allegedly raped by three players on that team at an off-campus function. When all the smoke was cleared, the three players (David Evans, Colin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann) faced a litany of charges, the most severe of which were dropped after the lady in question announced that she denied the rape story. One thing is for certain: three young men are facing the prospect of a (metaphorical) world of hurt thanks to the justice system.
5. On a much lighter note...
There's a personal touch to this next story. My father was in the hospital and I was need of a little pick-me-up. I was back home watching the CBS Evening News with Bob Schieffer when he came on and announced the last story of the evening. It was about and autisitc kid named Jason McElwain, who was the manager of his boy's basketball team at Greece Athena High School near Rochester, New York. During the team's final game against Spencerport High School, J-Mac donned a basketball uniform replete with headband just for the experience. The coach later call him in to play and while he didn't get off to such a good start, that would soon change. In a four-minute span, J-Mac rattled off 20 points.
For months afterward, J-Mac got visits from famous people, including the President of the US and hoops legend Magic Johnson. All I can say is the story gave me a great feeling of happiness after the story aired, and the accomplishment was truly amazing.
4. Steelers win Super Bowl XL, then suffer a big letdown
As a lowly wild-card, no one expected the Pittsburgh Steelers to get very far in the playoffs. But, thanks to a Ben Roethlisberger tackle in the divisional playoff which has since entered NFL folklore, the Steelers were on their way to the Super Bowl and a homecoming-come-swan song for Jerome Bettis.
But after the champagne stopped flowing, the hangover soon began. Roethlisberger's had a motorcycle accident in June, then an appendectomy a few months later. It lasted long after the '06 season began, as the Stillers became only the tenth different SB champ to not make the playoffs the following year.
3. March Madness lives up to its name
While Joakim Noah and the Florida Gators (and in '06, it definitely was great to be a Gator) took the national men's basketball title, this NCAA Tournament will be remembered for the astounding run of a previously obscure program called George Mason University, whose magic carpet ride took them al the way to the Final Four. Other notable happenings: the University at Albany Great Danes scaring the University of Connecticut Huskies in the first round (UConn would win that game) and Bradley University's Braves making it into the semifinals.
2. Cardinals win World Series
Okay, so noone watched this joke of a Series, but tip your hats to the St. Louis Cardinals. While the New York Yankees had their postseason troubles, the Cards beat out all comers – remember, this was a team who backed their way into the NL Central title – to clinch their first World Series since 1982. David Eckstein helped lead the way with 4 RBIs, including a 4-5 performance in Game 4. Also give credit to Adam Wainwright, who closed out the Cards' NLCS victory over the New York Mets and World Series triumph against the Detroit Tigers.
1. The S-Word (no, not THAT one!)
Baseball was also the main story of 2006, but in this instance, for different reasons. Steroids dominated the baseball discussions as the Barry Bonds saga deepened and an ex-Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher (who shall remain nameless so as to protect the guilty) who pulled an Elia Kazan and got himself in more you-know-what than you could shake a hypodermic needle at.
The Best of the Rest
- Miami-FIU brawl
- Denver Nuggets-New York Knicks brawl
- Allen Iverson trade demand
- Andre Agassi says farewell at US Open
- Floyd Landis stripped of Tour de France title due to failed drug test (it wasn't just baseball, folks!)
- Bob Knight's march toward college basketball history
- Terrell Owens and the media circus surounding him
- Barbaro wins Kentucky Derby, then breaks leg in Preakness Stakes
Readers' Choice Poll Results
Thanks again to all those who voted in the polls this past month. Here are the results of same:
Game of the Year
- The 2006 Rose Bowl (Texas beats USC on Vince Young-dominated drive in 4th quarter)
Goat of the Year
- Zinedine Zidane (for his headbutt on Materazzi in the WC final)
Best Performance of the Year
- Kobe Bryant's 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22
Worst Performace of the Year
- Russ Ortiz (surprise winner)
Team of the Year
- University of Texas football
Coach of the Year
- Jim Leyland (Tigers mananger)
Fresh Face of the Year
- ArmchairGM.com (An appropriate choice, IMO)
MVP of the Year
- Ryan Howard (Philadelphia Phillies first baseman clubbed 56 homers in 2006; let's just hope he doesn't get outed for using steroids)
Obituaries
1911-2006
1917-2006
We now pay one last tribute to those in the sports world who left us in 2006. (Name, claim to fame/infamy; cause of death, age and date of death)
- Dave Brown, cornerback who played for Steelers in Super Bowl X; heart attack, aged 53 on 1/10
- Carlos Martinez, Cleveland Indians player who hit ball that caremed off Jose Canseco's head during 1993 game against the Texas Rangers; after lengthy illness, aged 41 on 1/24
- Ernie Stautner, Steelers player who hailed from my part of the world, his number 70 is the only number officialy retired by the team; complications brought on by Alzheimer's disease, aged 80 on 2/16
- Curt Gowdy, US sportscaster (NBC and ABC) and host of The American Sportsman; leukemia, aged 86 on 2/20
- Kirby Puckett, beloved Minnesota Twins outfielder and Hall-of-Famer; complications from a stroke, aged 45 on 3/6
- Bernard Geoffrion, NHL Hall-of-Fame forward who was an integral part of the Montreal Canadiens' five consecutive Stanley Cups between 1956 and 1960; stomach cancer, aged 75 on 3/11
- Ray Meyer, DePaul University men's basketball coach for over 40 years; unknown causes, aged 92 on 3/17
- Paul Dana, IRL IndyCar driver; injuries sustained in crash at Homestead-Miami Speedway during practice for IRL race, aged 30 on 3/26
- Red Hickey, San Francisco 49ers head coach who created the shotgun formation; unknown causes, aged 89 at 3/30
- Maggie Dixon, Army women's basketball coach; cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), aged 28 on 4/6
- Steve Howe, MLB pitcher infamous for carrying a loaded .357 Magnum on a plane; injuries sustained in an automobile accident, aged 47 on 4/28.
- Earl Woods, father of PGA golfer Tiger Woods; prostate cancer, aged 73 on 5/3
- Jim Delsing, MLB outfielder who pitch ran for midget Eddie Gaedel in a stunt pulled by St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck in 1951; unknown causes, aged 81 on 5/4.
- Floyd Patterson, two-time heavyweight champion boxer; Alzheimer's and prostate cancer, aged 71 on 5/11
- Dan Ross, played for Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI; collapsed after jogging, aged 49 on 5/16
- Craig Hayward, NFL running back nicknamed "Ironhead" who was best remembered for his appearances in US TV commercials during the mid-1990s while hawking such products as Zest body wash; brain cancer, aged 39 on 5/27
- Eric Gregg, MLB umpire, was behind the plate during Game 5 of the 1997 National League Championship Series, when Livan Hernandez struck out a record 15 batters; stroke, aged 55 on 6/5
- Moe Drabowsky, member of the 1966 Baltimore Orioles who was also a prankster with the 1969 Seattle Pilots; multiple myeloma, age 70 on 6/10
- Randy Walker, football coach at Northwestern University; heart attack, aged 52 on 6/29
- Al Balding, first Canadian golfer ever to win on the PGA TOUR; cancer, aged 82 on 7/30
- Heather Clarke, wife of PGA golfer Darren Clarke; cancer, aged 39 on 8/13
- Bob Mathias, 1948 and 1952 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, later a US Congressman; cancer, aged 75 on 9/1
- Steve Irwin, aka "The Crocodile Hunter"; injuries sustained after a stingray attack while filming a documentary off Australia's Great Barrier Reef; aged 44 on 9/4
- Syd Thrift, baseball executive/consultant; complications from knee replacement surgery, aged 77 on 9/18
- Byron Nelson, PGA golfer who won 11 consecutive tournaments in 1945; unknown causes, aged 94 on 9/26
- Buck O'Neil, the unchallenged face of Negro League baseball; bone marrow cancer and heart failure, aged 94 on 10/6
- Paul Hunter, snooker champion whose battle with cancer was well-documented in the UK; stomach cancer, aged 27 on 10/9
- Cory Lidle, MLB pitcher; in plane crash on Manhattan's Lower East Side, aged 34 on 10/11
- Joe Niekro, MLB pitcher who was part of most successful brother duo in baseball history (brother Phil won 318 games while Joe notched 221), also infamous for nail file incident during a game in 1987; brain aneurysm, aged 61 on 10/27
- Trevor Berbick, boxer who was the last to beat Muhammad Ali, was heavywight champion briefly in 1986 until losing the title to a young boxer named Mike Tyson; injuries sustained after blows to the head with a metal pipe, aged 54 on 10/28
- Red Auerbach, legendary coach of the Boston Celtics, need I say more; heart attack, aged 89 on 10/28
- Johnny Sain, Boston Braves pitcher who was half of the famous "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" poem; unknown causes, aged 89 on 11/7
- Bryan Pata, University of Miami defensive tackle; shot outside apartment complex in Coral Gables, Florida, aged 22 on 11/7
- Bo Schembechler, University of Michigan football coach who was the program's most successful; heart disease, aged 77 on 11/17
- Ferenc Puskas, Hungarian soccer star of the 1950s and 1960s; pneumonia brought on by Alzheimer's disease, aged 79 on 11/17
- Andre Waters, NFL defensive back, 1984-1995; suicide, aged 44 on 11/20
- Robert Altman, acclaimed US film director who made some rules-of-sports films for the Calvin Company before hitting it big in Hollywood; complications from leukemia, aged 81 on 11/20
- Pat Dobson, one of four Baltimore Orioles pitchers to win 20 games during the 1971 season; leukemia, aged 64 on 11/22
- Willie Pep, boxer who started his professional career 61-0; dementia puglisitica, aged 84 on 11/24
- Jose Uribe, MLB shortstop who played with 1989 NL champion San Francisco Giants; in an automobile accident in the Dominican Republic, aged 47 on 12/8
- Paul Arizin, NBA Hall-of-Fame who helped introduce the jump shot to basketball; in his sleep of unknown causes, aged 78 on 12/12
- Lamar Hunt, NFL executive who was the spearhead in developing the Super Bowl and executing the AFL-NFL merger in 1970; prostate cancer, aged 74 on 12/13
- Clay Regazzoni, Swiss Formula 1 driver; injuries sustained after an automobile accident, aged 77 on 12/15
Well, that about wraps up our look at the year 2006. As we head into the New Year, I want to thank all our readers for their support of the site during the past 12 months. As I said before, it's been quite a ride, and we hope that 2007 gives us more to discuss.
A Happy New Year to you all, and let's all be good sports.
