2016 Sports World in Review (Group Article) by Upstate Sports Zone Writers
2016 was full of many events in the sports world. Some were important, and some weren’t. With so many events out of the sports world and in the sports world how could you just do one? Narrow your choice of one event that happened in the sports world this year and explain what it meant to you.
Jake Martino:
Event: Rory McIlroy wins FedEx Cup in Stellar Fashion
For 72 holes the FedEx belonged to Dustin Johnson but after his worst final round 73 it was all Rory. By then, fate was already on Rory’s side. Three shots off the lead with three holes to play, he had already produced the shot of the tournament, a hole-out from 137 yards for eagle at the par-4 16th that moved him within striking range of the lead.He completed the rally with a birdie at the par-5 18th to shoot a 6-under 64 to get into a playoff with Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell. Four holes into sudden death, McIlroy finally sealed the deal with a birdie putt from 14 feet, 6 inches to win the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup.
Jared McCabe:
Event: “The Block”
The best words in all of sports is Game 7. This game 7 was in Oakland, California in Oracle Arena where the NBA Finals were on the line. The Warriors looking to make history after having an historic regular season and capping it off with another Finals win, while Lebron James and the Cavaliers were looking to win their first ever championship. The game was tied late in the 4th quarter and LeBron James was putting his team on his back. He promised the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio a championship and he didn’t disappoint. As we all know Kyrie Irving hit the go ahead shot over Steph Curry to win the game, but when you look back years from now what you're going to remember from this game is the block that was seen around the world. Steph Curry stole the ball, ran in transition, passed it to Andre Iguodala, and everyone is thinking it's an easy two points, but out of nowhere is LeBron running like a freight train blocking Iguodala from behind. That blocked turned the momentum back to the Cavs and they never looked back. LeBron James has had many great plays, games, moments, but this play will forever define his legacy. For what happened when he left for Miami to team up with Wade and Bosh, to become the most hated person in Cleveland, but to come back and become a God in Cleveland again wasn’t easy, but he did it. Like he said when he came back, he promised to bring a championship to Cleveland, he kept his promise and he delivered. It took two years, but it was worth it. Like he always says Strive for Greatness.
Camdyn Ames:
Event: Dee Gordon homers for José Fernández
After Miami Marlins ace pitcher José Fernández tragically passed away in a boating accident, teammate and close friend, second baseman Dee Gordon visited Marlins Park the day the news hit the world. Gordon placed flowers and a Marlins cap on the mound. The next day the Marlins would battle with the New York Mets at home in Miami. Gordon led off as usual, the first pitch he took from the right side of the plate in Jose’s helmet. Then with a 2-0 count Gordon sent a Bartolo Colón pitch into the right field bleachers. It was absolutely magical. So magical it caused Gordon to cry rounding the bases. He later said “I ain't never hit a ball that far, even in BP.” That was Gordon's only home run of the year. José Fernández will always be remembered as a great pitcher who was once a young superstar.
Andrew Martin:
Event: The Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years
Nobody thought that the Chicago Cubs would ever win a World Series title and everyone thought that the Cubs would always be the team that could never win. Well, that all changed in the 2016 MLB season. The Cubs were a team full of talent this year including their all-star infield with Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, and who could forget Kris Bryant. This team had the talent and they had the confidence to win a title. They had the best record in the MLB going 103-58! They started in the playoffs by beating the San Francisco Giants in the NL Divisional round 4-1. In the NLCS, they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2. Then, in the World Series, they faced the Cleveland Indians. The Cubs shocked the world by beating them in 7 games and winning their first title in 108 years.
Mike Fritz:
Event: Leicester City winning the Premier League
Before the start of the 2015-2016 English Premier League Season, Leicester City had 5,000-1 odds of winning the title. But with amazing performances by the most dynamic duo at the time in Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, they were somehow able to shock the world with fantastic team chemistry, which led to many, many wins. They finished the season with 81 points, and beat out second place Arsenal by 10 points. It was not a blowout season, but throughout the course of the year, Leicester looked promising. They had arguably the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, Kasper Shmeichel, who finished second in the league with 15 clean sheets. They had a mix of great defense, passing, and attack. Only time will tell if they can repeat their championship run. Currently at the bottom half of the league, the odds are most certainly not in their favor. But of course, they weren’t supposed to win last year either.
Caden Balint:
Event: Amazing last year performances.
2016 was a year of retirement for some major people to the sports world. Like Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, and David Ortiz. Let’s start with Peyton, he led the Broncos to their 3rd Super Bowl in his last season ever. Then onto Kobe Bryant. In his last game of his career, he scored 60 in that game against the Utah Jazz. Then how about Big Papi. In his last year of baseball he hit 38 home runs, 127 RBIs, his batting average was at a .286. There is one more athlete that I would like to mention for his last year. Michael Phelps, he helped the USA get gold in swimming, which he had done almost every year prior to his last.
Austin Walsh:
Event: Ohio state beats Michigan
On November 26 the Buckeyes beat the wolverines 27-30. The game was probably the most viewed out of the NCAAF season. The game was tied at the 4th quarter and they went into overtime. J.T. Barrett had a 7 yard TD run to make it 17-24. On the wolverines’ drive Wilton Speight had a 5 yard TD pass to Amara Darboh to tie it up. In result Michigan forced double overtime with that TD. In double overtime Michigan was stopped at the 37 yard line on 4th down and their kicker, Kenny Allen, made the field goal to make the game 27-24. On Ohio State’s drive Curtis Samuel had a 15 yard TD run to pass the wolverines 27-30. Ohio State walked away with the win over their rival, Michigan.
Thanks to all our fans for making these first 6 months great! Glad you have stayed with us for continued coverage of all your favorite sports! See you in 2017!
By Upstate Sports Zone
