2002 Sports: The Rally Monkey & A Dispute In The Desert
This article offers a snapshot of 2002 sports, a year that saw dramatic finishes to the World Series, and to a national championship battle in the Fiesta Bowl.
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2003 NFL Playoffs: Division Round Dynamite
The four games of the second round, played over the second weekend in January, produced two overtime games, another that came down to the last possession and even the “worst” of the four games produced the most points and a game competitive in the fourth quarter.
We’ll go over the teams involved, and then look at how the games broke down…
2003 MLB Playoffs: Division Series Dynamite
The 2003 MLB playoffs are remembered for some epic moments–the drama of the League Championship with Aaron Boone, Steve Bartman and the heartbreaks suffered by the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. Or the surprise World Series, where the young Florida Marlins behind 23-year-old Josh Beckett upset the New York Yankees. What we shouldn’t overlook is that 2003 was also the year the Division Series provided constant drama. Here’s a look back on the eight teams that gave us those thrills and the big moments in each series.
The 2002 World Series: Wild All The Way To The End
The 2002 World Series is marked in history by two things. Two wild-cards, the Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants, faced off in the Fall Classic. This is the only instance of a wild-card showdown in either the World Series or the Super Bowl as of 2013. The other historical benchmark is more basic–the Angels and Giants turned in a classic seven-game showdown replete with heartbreak, a dramatic comeback and a rally cheer that proved prophetic.
The Epic Miami-Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Battle
The 2002 college football season built to an epic conclusion, as the Miami Hurricanes looked to seal a repeat title and the latest installment of their dynastic run that had begun back in 1983. And though it’s hard to imagine the Ohio State Buckeyes in the role of plucky underdog, that’s what they were in 2002. These two teams played a Fiesta Bowl for the ages that decided the national championship.
2001 Sports: In The Aftermath Of 9/11
The year 2001 in the United States was marred by the most tragic event in the history of our nation, the terrorist attacks of September 11. It was perhaps appropriate that the two best moments of what was a good year in 2001 sports, had some sort of linkage to that awful day.
2001 NBA Playoffs: Game 7 Drama & Controversy In The Eastern Conference
If you wanted excitement, you had to look to the Eastern Conference and the race for at least a berth in the NBA Finals. Fortunately, four teams in the East delivered. The conference semi-finals and finals each went the full seven games and were marked by extraordinary individual play, thrilling finishes and no shortage of controversy.
The 2001 Los Angeles Lakers Achieve Historic Dominance
The 2001 Los Angeles Lakers were the middle rung of a dynasty that won three straight championships from 2000-02. The ’00 version was a young champion, pushed to the edge a few times before finally closing it out. The ’02 crown deserves the biggest asterisk in NBA history, coming due to some hotwired officiating in a series against the Sacramento Kings. But the 2001 team was different.
The 2001 Miami Hurricanes Lay Claim To Greatness
The 2001 Miami Hurricanes were a team on a mission. They felt as though they’d been robbed of a chance at a national championship the prior year, and this was a team with more than enough talent to go do something about it.
2001 Duke Basketball Gets The Championship Trifecta
The 2001 Duke basketball team was on a mission–to claim the third national title for head coach Mike Krzyzewski and give him, and their program, a unique place in college basketball history.
The 2001 New England Patriots & Destiny’s Ride
The 2001 New England Patriots truly were a team of destiny, getting a future Hall of Fame quarterback basically dropped in their lap, winning one miracle playoff game and then two more as double-digit underdogs. It was the first championship of any kind in 15 years for the sports fans of Boston, who would soon become quite used to such celebrations.
2001 Stanley Cup Finals: A True Championship Showdown
The NHL playoffs are notorious for their unpredictability, so the chance to watch a true showdown in the Finals between the two best teams doesn’t happen very often. In fact, it’s only happened once in the last 24 years. Fortunately, that one time–the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals between the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche–was all it was billed to be, going the full seven games.