What's your top 10 Games of the Year

[urgrad04]

One of the only things I look forward to on Sportscenter each year is the end of the year top 10 games special. There were a number of classic games staged during the year and I think it's tough to come up with 10.

Anyway here's what I think the criteria should be for picking the list.

1. The game has to be significant. Playoff games should count more than regular season even if the regular season contest is more exciting.

2. Factor of incredulity -- Major Upset, An incredible individual effort, or thrilling buzzer beating finish. The more you say "I can't believe this is happening," the better the game.

3. How the game impacts the rest of the participants' career. Does it revitalize a struggling career? Would a loss send the athlete into retirement? (Bettis, Agassi)

My Top 10

10. Colts-Steelers...With the Pats out it was the Colts year...only to choke at home.. It had the Bettis fumble and the Vanderjagt's missed kick.

9. Tiger's British Open Win...After his father's death, this showed Tiger was back. He was an absolute machine on the back 9 on Sunday...probably the best he's been besides the '97 Masters. Helped by the emotional reaction after tapping in on 18.

8. Mets-Cards Game 7...The Chavez catch, Molina's home run, great duel between two pitchers who no one expected to give up a combined two runs.

7. Suns Triple Overtime win over the Nets...More than 300 combined points in a classic that featured two great performances by the best pg's of the decade.

6. Italy beats Germany in extra time...Ahead of the final because this game had end to end action and two amazing goals when penalty kicks looked to be inevitable.

5. Heat comeback in Game 3...The series was over without Wade single-handily carrying his team...SI agreed

4. George Mason over UCONN...Classic David v. Goliath matchup to go to the Final Four...A Buzzer Beater to send it to overtime and then a miss by Brown in the extra session that sent the building into pandemonium.

3. Agassi-Baghdaitis...Maybe too high cause of my tennis bias but if Agassi lost, his career would have been over. The match had fans on the edge of their seats for the final two sets. It first appeared Agassi would cruise, then Baghdaitis stormed all the way back, only to cramp and continue to play through it.

2. Michigan-Ohio State...For the six weeks of hype from ESPN, it at least lived up to it. Though Michigan scored late to make the final score seem closer than the game really was, they did have a chance to take the lead early in the 4th quarter.

1. Texas-USC...Sublime performance by Young...End of USC's winning streak...easily the best game.

**** wasn't even room for Kobe's buzzer beaters or Lefty's choke at the Open.

 

[Bubbler]

Release the hounds!

 

[21]

Release the hounds!

Sorry, all the hounds are with spaceman in the Mantle thread, trying to hook up with Billy and DiMaggio.

 

[Chuck~Taylor]

Well let's see. I really liked Madden 07 bu.....Oh, wait.........

 

[Angola!]

I think the Yankees large comeback against the Rangers should be in there. I know it was regular season, but being down 11-1 and then taking the lead, giving it up again and then winning on a walk-off is pretty damn dramatic. And anytime you are talking about a team that has been playing as many years as the Yankees and it was the largest comeback ever, that is pretty impressive.

 

[fever_dog]

kobe scores 81 vs. raptors

 

[Del_B_Vista]

What about the Dodgers game where they hit three consecutive HRs (or was it four) to tie in the ninth, with another in extra innings to win it? Surely that's gotta be on the list.

 

[Satchel Pooch]

all were on sc's special save for nyy-tex. OSU-UM and USC-UCLA joint no.3, g-mason no.2, rose bowl no. 1.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Rutgers-WVU in three overtimes for the Big East Championship.

 

[zeke12]

What are my top 10 games of the year?

Ownssss, Ownssss.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Well let's see. I really liked Madden 07 bu.....Oh, wait.........

Exactly what I thought when I saw this thread . . . . .

Lego Star Wars II is great, as was FIFA World Cup 2006 and FIFA 07.

 

[outofplace]

Steelers-Colts goes to the top of my list, but I'm biased as hell. Twenty years from now, I'm sure I will still remember a heck of a lot more about that game than I will about the Super Bowl victory that followed it.

Mostly it sticks with me because this is the kind of game Cowher's Steelers have made a history of losing, playing well enough to win and finding a way to blow it. The fumble by Bettis, the only one he had all season, could have been right up there with the grounder through Bill Buckner's legs as one of the most haunting mistakes in sports in the last 25 years.

One more time. Thank you, Mike Vanderjagt.

 

[Oz]

10. Colts-Steelers...With the Pats out it was the Colts year...only to choke at home.. It had the Bettis fumble and the Vanderjagt's missed kick.

Like outofplace, a completely biased opinion from me says this should be No. 1.

Colts had started the season 13-0; Steelers won four straight after a 7-5 start to sneak in. And the Steelers won in what was one of the more improbable runs the NFL has seen.

And think about what happened in the last 5:30 alone in that game, when the Steelers led 21-10 ...

--Steelers seal it, No. 1 -- Manning's pick to Polamalu
--Replay somehow overturns that
--Three plays later, the Colts march into the end zone and get the two-point conversion
--Cowher reverts to his ultra-conservative self and the Steelers go three-and-out
--Steelers seal it, No. 2 -- Joey Porter's two sacks results in a turnover on downs
--Steelers seal it, No. 3 -- The Bus in a goal-line situation, bleeding clock
--The Bus fumbles, and Big Ben -- the fastest Steeler on the field on that play -- makes the Terrible Tackle
--Colts march into field-goal range, but don't make it an easy try for Vanderjagt
--Steelers seal it, finally -- wide right; Dungy, Manning, Cowher and The Bus all caught on camera saying, "He missed it!"

... I might never experience a more agonizing sequence of plays in my life. That game drained me.

After that comes Texas-USC, George Mason-UConn and the World Cup final, which wouldn't have been all that memorable without Zidane.

 

[Oz]

After that comes George Mason-UConn and Italy-Germany, which wouldn't have been all that memorable without Zidane.

Must not have been very memorable, since, well, Zidane didn't play in the Italy-Germany semifinal.

Oops ... I meant the final match.

 

[Freelance Hack]

10 -- Reds vs. Indians, June 30 -- Adam Dunn's 9th inning grand slam caps a five-run ninth for the host Reds, who won 9-8. The Reds, who scored their nine runs in the last two innings, trailed 7-0 heading into the dramatic last two innings.

9 -- Rutgers vs. Louisville

8 -- Italy vs. France World Cup Final

7 -- New Orleans vs. Atlanta -- first game in The Superdome post-Katrina

6 -- Miami vs. Dallas, Game 5 NBA Finals

5 -- Mets vs. Cardinals, Game 7 NLCS

4 -- Carolina vs. Edmonton, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals

3 -- Indianapolis vs. Pittsburgh, second round NFL playoff game

2 -- George Mason vs. UConn, NCAA elite eight

1 -- Texas vs. USC -- Rose Bowl, BCS National Championship Game. Wire-to-wire winner this year.

 

[Angola!]

10 -- Reds vs. Indians, June 30 -- Adam Dunn's 9th inning grand slam caps a five-run ninth for the host Reds, who won 9-8. The Reds, who scored their nine runs in the last two innings, trailed 7-0 heading into the dramatic last two innings.

Hell. ****ing. No. <buckweaver>

Hey Buck, what if we dug up a glorious Braves come from behind victory, would that make the cut?