After one of the most exciting and historical years in sports, were going to look at the Top 10 moments of 2015.
Malcolm Butler’s Super Bowl Interception
The 2015 Super Bowl will go down as one of the greatest to ever be played. A matchup between two titans, the Patriots and Seahawks. The game was so special it doesn’t even need a recap. All that needs to be discussed was the near impossible grab made by Jermaine Kearse, which would have put Kearse on the Patriot-killer list with David Tyree and Mario Manningham. But that catch became meaningless when the undrafted Super Hero named Malcolm Butler saved the day.
American Pharoah Wins Triple Crown
There may not be many avid horse racing fans left, but anyone who can’t admit they followed this amazing story is simply not a sports fan. American Pharoah became the first horse in 37 years to win the prestigious Triple Crown. The most amazing part of this story is the relative ease which this horse won by, never allowing another horse to finish within a length of him during the Triple Crown races.
Jordan Spieth Wins U.S. Open
One of the best stories to follow all year was Jordan Spieth’s quest for a Grand Slam title. But without the exciting finish at the U.S. Open, none of that would have been possible. Things looked bleak for Spieth when Dustin Johnson, who was trailing by just 1 stroke, was 12 feet away for an eagle putt. But as the story goes, Dustin Johnson missed a 12 footer for the win, then missed a 4-footer for Sudden Death overtime. Spieth didn’t go on to win the Grand Slam, but this was the most exciting finish since Tiger’s one legged U.S open win 7 years ago.
Michigan State Wins a Thriller
Though this was a regular season game, the implications on this game were as large as just about any on the list. Facing an in-state rival in a game which could determine who gets to go to the playoffs. This play was the most improbable and exciting play of the college season. With just 10 seconds left, all the punter had to do was get the ball in the air to effectively end this game. After a bobbled snap, and impressively bad fumble, Michigan State scooped-and-scored to win the football game.
Jose Bautista Playoff Bat flip
This pick will leave old-school baseball fans shaking their heads, but this play was jaw dropping. Sure it may seem a little disrespectful, but when Jose Bautista put this ball into orbit and watched it land, was there anyone that didn’t get chills?
DeflateGate
Tom Brady and The New England Patriots were fresh off of their Super Bowl win, but only had a little time to celebrate. That’s because they were embroiled in a controversy over deflated footballs. The Indianapolis Colts accused the team of deflating balls during the playoffs to help Tom Brady. Brady’s cell phone habits soon became the center of the controversy, after texts to Patriots equipment managers suggested he may have known about the under pumped balls.
An NFL investigation discovered the balls involved did not meet standard inflation pressure and Brady was suspended for four games to star the 2015-2016 season. Tom wasn’t about to let that happen. He appealed the suspension, and it was overturned. The Patriots went on to win not just their first four games, but their first eleven.
Cam Newton
26-year-old Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton has had one of the greatest seasons of any NFL quarterback. To think, this incredible run started in Dec of 2014 after Cam was involved in a car accident. Cam led the Panthers to 14 straight victories, with the team’s first loss happening on December 27th against the Atlanta Falcons. This was just a few short days after Cam became a father for the first time.
Newton has thrown for 33 touchdowns against only 10 picks, earning 3,544 yards and has an overall passer rating of 97.0.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao
A fight that was seven years in the making ended up being a major bust in the ring. Although the box office take and pay-per-views numbers were astronomical. The flight was a tad uneventful after all the hype. Twelve rounds, 36 minutes, $99.95 to watch at home, $220 million for Floyd Mayweather and after another uneventful match up against Andre Berto, Money May sailed off into retirement.
Warriors win 2015 NBA Championship
One of the biggest stories of 2014 was The return of LeBron James to Cleveland. That story ended up taking a back seat to a new breed of superstar. Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors became one of the NBA’s top draw. Curry took home the MVP and bought a title to the Bay Area after a 40 year drought.
Of course they opened this season with the same fire, running off a 24-game winning streak. The next question of course, can the team eclipse the Chicago Bulls 72-10 record from the 1995-1996 season. Curry is making it look easy draining 3’s and averaging 30.8 ppg
Serena Williams Dominates
Serena Williams won four-straight slams for the Serena Slam and was soooo close to completing winning all four majors in the same calendar year for a Grand Slam. The women’s final at the U.S. Open sold out before the men’s. People who weren’t interested in tennis were even discussing if Serena could do it. Serena feel short in a semifinal match against Italian journeywoman Roberta Vinci, her performance in 2015 with memorable and inspiring.
–Michael Hersey
