The Games Of The Decade: National Edition

Well, due to time constraints, this one is not going to be elaborate as the Philly won, but regardless, here are my top 5 games of the decade.

5). Syracuse and UConn go 6 OTs - There are many marathon games, one of them even made my Philly list, but I don't think anything was quite like this game. Actually I take that back, nothing was like this game nor do I ever expect to see anything like it again. Besides Sean McDonough and Bill Raftery are 2 of my favorite announcers.

4). The Cards take the Steelers to the limit - The Cards were expected to get blown out in the Super Bowl. Hell, most people feel that they did not deserve to be in the playoffs. But Larry Fitzgerald is a beast and they came within seconds and a conteroversial call of actually pulling the upset. It may have had its slow parts in it, but the drama at the end of that game was as high as you will ever get in a sports game. And this is coming from someone who did not have much of a rooting interest.

3). Appalachian State stuns the college football world - Definitely one of, if not the biggest sports upset of the decade, and on top of that, it was one heck of a football game. Oh yeah, LOLMichigan!

2). Eli Manning is unstoppable in the Super Bowl - While I personally have a hilarious personal story about this game, I'll save that and focus on the game. I am not a Giants fan but they definitely earned a lot of respect from me with their performance in that game. It was incredible, it was inspiring, and it took down a team that I have no respect for, the New England Patriots. And as time goes on, it appears more and more as if that game ended the Patriots Super Bowl dynasty. Call me nuts, but I do not think that we will see Belichick and Brady together in a Super Bowl again.

1). Boise State's Miraculous Fiesta Bowl - I know what you are thinking, no 2003 Fiesta Bowl? No 2006 Rose Bowl? No Nadal-Federer? All great games/matches, but I limited myself to 5 and this is without a doubt in my mind the #1 game of the decade because of the impact it had. For instance, did you know that Utah defeated Pitt in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl? True fact. Heck, they blew them out. But do you remember it? Better yet, do you remember that Urban Meyer coached that Utah team that beat? Here is another one, the 2009 Sugar Bowl. How often is that game talked about now? We can only say we remember it because of it's recency and it's the latest Sugar Bowl. Just like whenever a QB scrambles out of a seemingly impossible jam we call it an "Eli Manning" well whether we realize it or not, we throw the term "Boise miracles" around more often then we realize whenever a team needs a last second touchdown to tie or win the game and they are backed up with the clock not on theri side. People have forgotten the other upsets. No one has forgotten the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. That Fiesta Bowl has had a greater impact on the game of football in general, then any game has done for any sport this decade. I say that without a doubt in my mind and no close runner-up. The 03 Fiesta and the 06 Rose were both great games and have given us many memorable images, Appalachian State's upset of Michigan was simply shocking and more improbable than this, but none of them were like that miraculous New Year's night in Glendale, when one team from Boise did the impossible and slayed Oklahoma in the most dramatic and exciting of ways. When a college playoff is eventually adopted and years after that people talk about at what point the talks became serious, I can all but assure you that they will point you to this Boise State-Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl.

Well, that's it. Feel free to debate them all you want as I am sure you will have some gripes. But that is my list and unless you blow me away with something I have completely forgotten, it is going to stay that way.

10 years ago I was a 4th grader in elementary school who never left the country and could barely describe the internet, and was embarrassed and completely ashamed of himself for reading the word "carp" as "crap" in front of the entire class. Now I am a sophomore in college, have traveled the world, and is a master at utilizing and finding things on the World Wide Web and even has a sports blog of his own. Okay, maybe master is exaggerating a bit, but I've certainly come a long way and I do have my tricks of finding information online. Oh, and in case you have not realized, I say whatever the fuck I damn well please.

Happy new year and happy new decade to everyone. May you and your families have a safe and wonderful time celebrating tonight and a safe and wonderful year and a safe and wonderful decade.

All the best,

JFein