Stan's Blog

2008 was a great year

Today marks the end of the 2008 calendar year, bringing to end one of the most exciting sporting years in recent memory. Sure it was an Olympic year, which always provides a boost to the glory of sports, but I witnessed so many other special sporting displays in 2008.

Here's a look at some of my most memorable sports moments in 2008:

Uncanny Comeback helps UCO top Tarleton: In March, I was in Stephenville to watch two Lone Star Conference teams play for the NCAA South Central Regional title. Central Oklahoma led by a single point at halftime, but Tarleton took command early in the second half and led by 11 points with four minutes to play. UCO's Eric Cazenave nailed a 3-pointer in the final seconds to set off a wild celebration for the Bronchos as nearly 2,500 Tarleton fans watched on in disbelief.

Josh Hamilton's Homerun Derby: I must admit I got a little bit emotional watching Josh Hamilton hit 27 first-round homers in the MLB Homerun Derby. Just knowing his story, hearing about how he'd dreamed this would occur, and then seeing how much he enjoyed that moment was pretty special. He failed to win the event, did nothing of note in the next night's All-Star game and was rather ordinary during the second half of the season. Yet that first-round barrage is still being talked about.

Oklahoma's Scoring Streak: OU became the first college football team to score at least 60 points in five straight games. What's even crazier? They had 55 points at halftime in the game immediately prior to that streak but only scored a field goal in the second half of their 58-35 win at Kansas State.

The 2008 Dallas Cowboys: Oh wait, that's a memory that I'm trying to forget.

ACU scores 93 on the Gridiron: In November, I watched as two Lone Star Conference teams went back-and-forth in the NCAA Division II football playoffs. ACU won the game, 93-68, which was the highest scoring NCAA playoff game ever. It was 42-34 at halftime and then ACU outscored the Buffaloes 37-20 in the third quarter alone. What an incredible display of offensive talent. ACU's Bernard Scott rushed for 292 yards and six touchdowns... on 19 carries. WT's quarterback Keith Null passed for 595 yards and seven TDs - both conference records in a 77-year-old league - and his team lost by 25 points. The funny thing is ACU's men's basketball team played a double-overtime game later that night and only scored 90 points.

One-legged Tiger's Triumph: Watching an injured Tiger Woods grit his way to the U.S. Open championship at Torrey Pines was incredibly inspiring. It also was my last golf memory of 2008 because I basically quit watching since surgery kept him out the remainder of the season.

Former LSC Great leads NFL in Kick Returns: Danieal Manning of the Chicago Bears leads the NFL with 29.7 yards per kick return. Manning is a former Lone Star Conference player. While the LSC puts a decent amount of players into the NFL, it's not everyday that you see a Division II player lead the league in any statistical category. Manning started his first two years in the league but had to settle for a backup safety role this year. He proved to be too good of an athlete to stay off the field, though, and took over for return guru Devin Hester on kickoffs. His highlight reel moment came with an 83-yard TD return against New Orleans in Week 15.

US Olympic Swim Team: Wow. This has to be my top memory from 2008. Most people remember Michael Phelps and his eight gold medals, and rightfully so. But it was so much more than that. As the men's 4x100 freestyle was unfolding on television, I remember lying in bed next to my sleeping wife. She was sleeping until about the 85-meter mark of Jason Lezak's anchor leg, that is. I don't recall witnessing a more compelling sporting feat than that one. I had to wake her and share the good news, then I was wide awake for the next two hours wondering if what I'd seen was real.

LSC player wins Harlon Hill Award: On December 6, Abilene Christian running back Bernard Scott became just the second Lone Star Conference player to win the Harlon Hill Award, which is the NCAA Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Scott had an incredible two-year career at ACU, rushing for 2,165 yards in 2007 and 2,156 more this year. He scored 73 touchdowns in two years. He should be the next former LSC great who gets paid to play on Sundays in the NFL.

OU's Bradford wins Heisman Trophy: A week later, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford took home the Heisman Trophy as the best player in Division I football. He enjoyed an amazing season, throwing for nearly 4,464 yards and 48 touchdowns with only six interceptions in 442 passing attempts. Unfortunately, his memorable moment was somewhat scarred, I think, by former OU great Billy Sims incessantly chanting "Boomer" as Bradford took the stage to accept his award.

I'm looking forward to more great memories in 2009. And I'm hoping it starts with Bradford and his Sooners stomping the Florida Gators on January 8.

posted by Stan W @ 11:00 AM