The Ringer’s 52 favorite sports moments of 2022

2022 was a awaited year of success: Lionel Messi. Matthew Stafford. Georgia football. It’s been a year of farewells: Serena Williams. Roger Federer. Coach K. And it was an important year: Judge Aaron. Ja Morant. Butt.

As the calendar turns to 2023, The Ringer looks back at the most popular sports moments of the past 12 months. Here, in no particular order, are the top 52:

Lionel Messi Kisses the World Cup Trophy Before He Has Actually Been Awarded the World Cup Trophy

Brian Phillips: Her cheeks. It often destroys its evil. God the courage she has. See the article : The great Triple-A “Drought” video game. Lionel Messi, 35 years old, a big ass, a father, an unenthusiastic taxpayer, a responsible man, a businessman, a role model, a winner of the first World Cup, what does he do? Is he waiting? Does he follow the ceremony that was carefully prepared months ago to ensure that the presentation of the cup made the most impact on the FIFA brand and Qatar with the right intensity? He thought, “This is a dangerous time. A historic moment. As the greatest footballer who ever lived, I must treat this moment with due respect.”

Like hell he does. Sorry, Emily Post, but patience, respect, and careful dancing are reserved for people who just can’t get rid of Diego Maradona’s shadow after years (and years, and years) of trying. What Messi does instead is this: He steps up a laser-catwalk-twisty-neon-dais to accept the Ballon d’Or award, which he won for the tournament’s best player — a very cool moment, nbd. And the World Cup sits, unattended, in front of the laser dais. And he saw it. And he can’t resist.

Carlos Alberto, the captain of Brazil’s 1970 team, widely regarded as the best football team of all time, started the tradition of kissing the cup because, he said, it looked so beautiful. A bit of a glint is getting into Messi’s eye, a look that generally means a defender or six are about to lose their health insurance. But now, as he passes the cup, he favors it and gives it to him. He kissed her. He caresses. He looks at her with pure love shining. If you were adopting a new baby, you would treat this baby the same way you did the day you went home.

And look, it’s only a moment. It added nothing to the drama of what was, I’m sorry, the most dramatic sporting event I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t even disrespectful to the laser dais. (Shout out to Emiliano Martínez for grinding his Golden Glove award against his knee like it was… well, let’s just say it was the first time Martínez seemed to give a single fuck in Qatar.)

But Messi’s stolen kiss felt so good. It felt free. It was covered with ease with unrealistic expectations that were completely satisfied. And it felt, for a second, that this tough, compromised competition did not really belong to FIFA officials and the Qatari oligarchs. At that time, it belonged to Messi. It belongs to us.

Kelee Ringo’s Pick-Six Gives the Dawgs Their Day

Jordan Conn: I took the day of January 10, 2022, as I spent many days leading up to the football game between Georgia and Alabama: with a sense of dread and familiarity and comfort. I’m a Bulldogs fan, married into a family of Crimson Tide fans, and I learned early on that fear is the only appropriate response to the teams’ upcoming meeting. I allowed myself some hopeful pastimes; each time, that hope was justly punished.

In 2008, there was the famous “Blackout” game, in which a team from Georgia that included Matthew Stafford, A.J. Green, and Knowshon Moreno were buried at halftime. (“They’re wearing black because they’re coming to their own fucking funeral,” then-Alabama head coach Scott Cochran told the Tide that week. Prophet.) In 2012, there was the SEC championship game; I watched from the stands at the Georgia Dome, and after the Bulldogs’ last drive was short, my Tide-supporting father-in-law, a teetotaler, kindly offered to buy me a beer. This may interest you : 6 Professional Crafts That Are Cheap To Dispose Of. (He looked like Georgia almost won that night, because that’s what it means to be a Bama fan: to get so many championships that you sometimes feel the urge to give one of them away, as a treat. ) in 2018, there was. in the national championship game Georgia led 13-0 at halftime; Tua Tagovailoa got off the bench to trigger a furious comeback, and my wife later found me sitting upright in bed, wondering why? why? why? many times. I had no memory of this the next morning.

The tide was inevitable. They lost, sometimes, but always to someone else. And so, late in the fourth quarter of the national championship game in January, when Bryce Young floated a hot air balloon in the air in Indianapolis, surely, somehow, a Tide receiver would catch it. And when the ball landed in the hands of Kelee Ringo, a five-star Georgia recruit who was 4 years old the last time the Dawgs beat Alabama, he surely would have thrown the pick. And when Ringo started running, with manager Kirby Smart yelling “get down!” He would surely jump, or find some previously unknown way of letting go of the ball and the game.

But then Ringo ran with his handlers to the end zone, and there were no flags, and the game was called off. My fear was replaced by an unfamiliar emotion: excitement and unbridled joy.

Thirteen Seconds That Changed Everything

Danny Heifetz: The Bills-Chiefs quarterback redefined what it means to leave more time on the clock. To see also : Rodney Hammond Out, Deslin Alexandre In for Pitt vs. Tennessee.

As two of the league’s most explosive offenses clashed, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen scored a combined 31 points after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.

With one minute and 54 seconds left in the game, Allen hit Gabe Davis for a 27-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a three-point lead.

Just 52 seconds later, Mahomes responded with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, retaking the lead for the Chiefs. Then Allen hit Davis again for a 19-yard touchdown, again giving the Bills a three-point lead. But this time the Bills left the Chiefs with just 13 seconds left to tie the game. The frustrated Chiefs defense sat on the bench, frustrated and disbelieving. Bill finally killed the dragon.

The Chiefs went on to win the overtime coin toss and drive for a touchdown, winning the game without the Bills touching the ball. A few months later, the league changed the overtime rule for playoff games to ensure that both teams touch the ball at least once. Although neither team made it to the Super Bowl, this game truly changed the sport—and raised the bar for quarterbacking.

Matthew Stafford’s No-Look Pass Lifts the Rams to Glory

Steven Ruiz: Matthew Stafford may not be a historic quarterback, but he is historically cool. He has the ability to throw the ball pretty much anywhere on the field. He can throw from any arm angle, and he doesn’t even have to look at his target to get the ball to its target. Now, this combination of skills has its downsides, and Stafford hasn’t had much success during his career. But he is deliberately interested in watching. And for at least one night, Stafford’s extraordinary creativity was just what his team needed.

I’m talking, of course, about Super Bowl LVI. The Rams won in large part thanks to Stafford’s no-loss throw to Cooper Kupp on second down in the fourth quarter to extend what could have been a championship win.

It’s not the first invisible pass we’ve ever seen. Other players, like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and even Ryan Fitzpatrick, have these tools in their bags. But Stafford had enough confidence in himself to trust the brilliant technique in the BIGGEST GAME OF HIS CAREER. It was a bold move and I’m glad it paid off. Not because I wanted the Rams to win the Super Bowl—I didn’t care about the outcome—but because it prevented football coaches who hate entertainment from being able to point out that quarterbacks should stick to their fundamentals instead. had. trying cool shit. Stafford made the best possible choice and it helped him win the biggest football game of the year.

Saint Peter’s and a March Madness Run for the Ages

J. Kyle Mann: I hope you’re all happy. I watched this ugly game today, and as a Kentucky fan the whole time I was thinking about soaking my clothes in chicken soup and falling over the rails and walking into our local zoo’s grizzly bear show. “Saint Peter’s? Never heard of it,” I said, all-consuming, rejecting the spirit-dowry when the bear began to nibble on my face. If I could, I’d pull a George Lucas and destroy every trace of this tape, especially the kind of big fashion involving a hammer. In the waning seconds of no. In the 15th-seeded Peacocks’ 85-79 win over second-seeded Kentucky, I screamed like a crooked cop in the first season of True Detective, the one forced to watch the damn VHS on the boat. Look, I’m not leveling the tapes, I’m just trying to paint a picture of damage. Well, I’ll be honest: I had to think for a second about wanting to sync the tapes.

Did it make me feel better when head coach Shaheen Holloway’s bronze medalist team also knocked off Murray State and Purdue to make the playoffs? A little, but not really. The truth is that I—like any other fan of Kentucky, Murray State, or Purdue—had to serve as a sad figure in this glorious story. We were the inevitable sacrifice on the altar of Madness’s feel-good story, and this one had the makings of a time-lapse. There was fearless, mustachioed Doug Edert making wild floaters, rolling in 3-pointer after 3-pointer and landing himself a Buffalo Wild Wings endorsement before the contest was over. There were bigs like KC Ndefo and the Drame twins who were tough against the likes of Zach Edey and Oscar Tshiebwe. There was the god forsaken (admittedly awesome) mascot. There was the joy of the little school students celebrating without being left out.

In the history of men’s competition, there are many stories of middleweights who came out despite entering the event without respect for their top level opponents. But this situation gets more complicated the higher you go. Saint Peter’s didn’t break .500 until halfway through its 2021-22 schedule. She had to win her conference tournament to even get into the field. It’s mind boggling when you consider that the Peacocks will continue to be the first no. 15 seeds ever to reach the Elite Eight.

In the replay, I’m still amazed by their incredible standards: They fought the defense and never deviated from their offensive plan, which resulted in an amazing shot attempt in almost every trip. North Carolina put them in the state finals like Yokozuna, but who cares? The glory of Saint Peter’s will return for a long time. Best regards, Peacocks. great respect.

Steph Curry and the Warriors Return to the Mountaintop

Logan Murdock: A few minutes after Steph Curry won his fourth NBA championship, I found him on the south side of Boston’s TD Garden, standing on a parquet floor that might as well be the top of the ballpark. basketball.

After a 34-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist streak, he went in and out of press duty, engaged in impromptu chats with teammates, and even took a phone call. a call from former President Barack Obama. “Man, it’s another one,” he told me as he walked through the arena tunnel, cup in hand, sweat, champagne and tears streaming down his face. “This is different.”

Curry’s words echoed the general sentiment of everyone in the team’s grand circle. Those who endured Kevin Durant’s departure for Brooklyn in 2019, and those who endured Golden State’s two-stage rebuilding process, including Curry and teammate Klay Thompson returning from a lengthy rehab stint on the final night of the season. In 2022, Curry proved that the wait was worth it, when he shot, right, and wanted the Warriors to return to the mountain of the NBA, presenting the event with the first NBA Finals MVP trophy of his career.

“I mean, I knew if we were going to win the big trophy, then I had to do what I needed to do to help the team,” he told me, before looking down at the trophy. “And that obviously means this is going to take care of itself.”

Curry’s voice showed deep inspiration. In the six months leading up to his victory at the Park, his signature composure was tested by injury, family separation, and internal doubts that reflected the public’s hopes that he would reach this level again. “When you hear all that talk, a lot of talk, over and over and over, even when you’re doing great in the league, it’s like what don’t you have?” he said. “I hear it all, and I carry it, only my work, and I come with the right vision every day. The rest, let God take care of it.

The Transcendence and Devastation of Kamila Valieva

Zach Kram: Kamila Valieva’s short program is the best skating routine I’ve ever seen. But don’t take my word for it – I’m just a casual viewer, checking out the games every four years. Instead, listen to Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, the legendary announcers for both of them, who both said the 15-year-old Russian was the best skater they’d ever seen.

The first skate at the 2022 Olympics showcased all its historic talent in a three-minute display of pure beauty. Her jumps were clean, her twists controlled, every movement full of balance and rhythm, precision and grace. That Valieva blew away the rest of the field in the rankings is almost beside the point; it provided the full potential of the Olympics, seeing the ability of an athlete with no knowledge of an unusual sport to fill my eyes with tears.

Valieva didn’t get a medal, of course. She left her final Olympic ski in tears, after a positive test for a banned substance lifted the competition and sparked a scandal, which, as Michael Baumann wrote, “Valieva herself, at 15 years old, [He was] a victim, not a villain.” But in celebrating the end of this year, I don’t want to focus on her positive test, per se. I don’t want to focus on Valeva’s mistake on the final scale, or the fact that the fall is still unclear months later, or the legacy of her controversial coach and problems. (Valieva didn’t even compete under the Russian flag, technically, because of a previous doping scandal involving Russia’s Olympic affiliation.)

Because in 2022, at the Olympics and beyond, enjoying the sport means making relentless moral compromises with the moral turpitude that has invaded our courts, arenas, and stadiums. This year was the year that the men’s World Cup delivered its most entertaining production ever, capped off by the best final ever—against corruption and human rights abuses. This year was the year that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fell short of their final induction into the Writers’ Hall of Fame. This was the year the NFL — once again — mishandled player safety.

But I can still be happy when Messi lifts the world cup. I can still marvel at the YouTube videos of Bonds’ titanic homecoming. And I can still watch Valieva go through her game in three dirty minutes and feel like I’m witnessing a true and rare artist, even as her Olympian sums up the conflicting experience of the modern sports fan.

The Greatness and Redemption of Nathan Chen

Cory McConnell: The story that Nathan Chen was looking for redemption at the 2022 Winter Olympics because of his disappointing 2018 showing in Pyeongchang was largely squashed before he took the ice in Beijing. As of the start of 2022, snowboarding is already in the midst of a legendary run, capturing three world championships and five straight U.S. titles, all while breaking records from decades ago—records from the ice age. almost unrecognizable to modern times. viewers given the acrobatics and athleticism required of today’s competitors.

So what is left to prove in Beijing? While it might be unfair to ask too much of the best men’s shoes in the world, legacies are made at the Olympics. And as brutal as 2018 was for Chen, 2022 was glorious. He set a new world record in the short program, then landed five quad jumps in the free skate (one following a special performance of Elton John’s “Rocket Man”). His self-esteem was as bold as it was focused. He won multiple golds in the men’s singles competition, the first individual medal for American figure skating in more than a decade.

Many will remember the 2022 Olympics for the dominating and scandalous women’s figure skating program, and perhaps rightly so. But Chen’s skating was a bright spot of extraordinary talent on display at the highest possible level, as well as a sight I won’t soon forget. He had nothing to prove, but he proved his greatness nonetheless.

Serena Williams’s Bittersweet Last Stand

Alan Siegel: There are few things as romantically satisfying as a sports legend coming out on top. That’s what I was hoping for this summer when Serena Williams, who is about to turn 41, began her final run at the US Open. Her second round upset victory was exciting, but in the third round of her next match, against Ajla Tomljanovic, it was clear that the end would not be cinematic. Still, the way people — fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium, sportswriters on Twitter, hell, even the few people in the non-sports bar I watched — lamented every aspect of what was shaping up to be a loss. was a testament to what Serena meant to so many people.

As much as we desperately wanted her (and us), Williams never had a Michael Jordan–over-Bryon Russell moment. But that’s OK. After winning 23 major championships, the annual no. 1 had nothing left to prove or give. We’re glad we got our last chance to impress her.

Roger Federer’s Emotional Goodbye

Alex Stamas: When Roger Federer announced on social media that the 2022 Laver Cup would be his last event, it marked the end of an era in men’s tennis. It was only fitting that his final match involved him playing alongside Rafael Nadal, the biggest rival of his career. The two eventually lost, but it was the emotional display afterward that everyone will remember.

Usually cool under court pressure, Federer broke down. Both his biggest rivals and the young stars he undoubtedly inspired all took this moment. It was a beautiful representation of how great Federer has become as the greatest player to ever play the game, as well as a worldwide icon. We may not watch the Swiss maestro compete competitively again, but his impact on the game will live on forever.

The Swing of Bryce Harper’s Life

Aric Jenkins: The Phillies shouldn’t be here. They barely made the playoffs, enduring two separate five-game losing streaks in the final 20 games of the regular season, including a scary sweep at the hands of the under- .500 Cubs. All the while, Bryce Harper was playing with a torn UCL. Despite that, the Phillies swept aside the Cardinals and the 101-game-winning Braves in the first two rounds of the postseason, and Harper suddenly caught fire. The Phils’ $330 million star has already smashed four homers after the 2022 season — nine in his career — but none of them will be bigger than “the swing of his life.”

Harper’s go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Padres might as well have been a walk-off—there was no way the baseball gods were going to let Philly lose Game 5, either. NLCS, after that. The blowout marked Harper as a legend in Philadelphia, although the Phillies would go on to lose the World Series against the Astros. That “Bedlam in the Bank” night will live on forever and set the stage for the team to compete again in 2023.

The Home Run That Sent Aaron Judge Into History

Ben Glicksman: I’m starting to think it’s not going to happen. After hitting his 61st home run of the season in an 8-3 win over the Blue Jays on Sept. 28, Aaron Judge went on a long ball drought, hitting five straight. Not only that, but the opposing team was also clearly protecting him. He walked twice in a game against the Orioles on Sept. 30; He walked two more times in a game a day later. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of it. 62.

Then Judge stood at first plate in the second game of a doubleheader against the Rangers on October 4. He put Jesus Tinoco on a 412-footer to left field.

There are countless aspects to this particular moment, but three in particular stand out. The first is what the umpire does after taking the second position at bat for a strike. He steps out of the batter’s box, looks off into the distance, taps his two feet, then gathers himself before settling back down. Many players have different activities; however, this was completely unusual for the Judge. He picked something up. He realized that if he got another slider, he would break the 61-year-old American League record. It’s one thing to see someone making history; It’s another to see the moment they know they’re going to make the date and take a beating to calm themselves down so nerves don’t prevent it from happening.

The second thing is the palpable joy of everyone in the ballpark: from the umpire as he walks around the bases, his fellow Yankees, who are covering him at the plate, the fans who are surprised by the explosion before giving the umpire a standing ovation. Special shout out to the guy who went over the fence trying to catch the ball, even though he was nowhere near it. He will forever be in my memory.

The third is a picture of the Judge staring at his mother, who was in the front row. He sees her drifting toward third base. She blew him a kiss as he headed for the cave; He pointed and flashed his widest smile. Look, I’m not here to say that Judge has the real home run record. Barry Bonds turned 73 in 2001. I just want to chime in on a rare moment when all the clichés about the beauty and unifying power of sports feel true. How can you fall in love with baseball?

An Exorcism on the Third Saturday in October

Kevin Clark: The mark of any truly great team is to remember where you were when you lost. This applied to Florida State in the 90s, Miami in the 2000s, USC under Pete Carroll, and Ohio State in the early 2010s. And now it’s mostly about Nick Saban and Alabama. Since the coach’s second season with the Crimson Tide in 2008, all of his team’s losses have felt like cultural events.

I was knocking back Bud Lights at a bar in Blacksburg, Virginia, when it became clear that Tennessee would at least give Bama a scare on the third Saturday of October. A crowd of Virginia Tech fans nearby started playing “Rocky Top” on the jukebox, and my wife leaned over to ask a very good question: Why was everyone in this room so mad even though no one was doing anything? Have a job in Alabama or Tennessee? The answer depends on the style of college football and it boils down to this: Everyone outside of Tuscaloosa has grown to hate Alabama and its near completion. For 15 years, the Tide has stood in front of every team and fan base trying to have a good and fun weekend.

And so Tennessee achieved the dream of almost everyone in college football: After more than a decade wandering the wilderness, the Volunteers announced their return to the national stage this fall afternoon on their home field. It was, by all accounts, as loud as the stadium could get. Tennessee informed a large audience that Josh Heupel could coach in the SEC, that Hendon Hooker was a great college running back, and that Jalin Hyatt (who had 207 yards that day) was one of those players. best place in the country. The Vols did all of this by embarrassing Saban’s team at what it does best: playing defense.

Tennessee 52, Alabama 49. The Vols were living any program’s dream. They will never forget. Neither will we. That’s college football.

An Almost Glorious Tie in Week 18

Lindsay Jones: In almost every situation imaginable, a draw is the worst outcome in sports. But that’s exactly what we all (save the Steelers and their fans) were rooting for when the Raiders and Chargers faced off in the final game of the 2021 regular season last January.

It wasn’t a traditional win-win situation. These two teams and the hated AFC West will advance to the playoffs with a tie. Speculation ran rampant in the days and hours leading up to the game as to whether the teams could actually do it. It was fun to think about the ways that connection could happen. Alas, it’s against NFL rules for teams to fix game results; The No Fun League would be upset with any man deal between Brandon Staley and Rich Bisaccia to trade field goals or take a safety or just kneel and over about 60 minutes plus overtime. . No, the coaches said, they will play to win. Boredom.

But here’s where things get wild: THE TEAMS are about to connect somehow.

The fourth quarter was particularly chaotic: the Chargers rallied from 15-point lead, as Los Angeles converted six consecutive fourth-down attempts, including a 23-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Mike Williams on fourth-and- 21. Herbert threw the game-tying touchdown to Williams as time expired in regulation.

It might have been foolish to think that the coaches agreed to draw before the game. But before extra time? They had to make it happen. Instead, the Raiders, at least, continued to play for the win, and Staley’s defense was ineffective in stopping Josh Jacobs, whose 10-yard run on third down set up a Raiders field goal in the final minute. last overtime. (Europe said God Staley also surprisingly called a timeout before the third down, but it didn’t really matter once his defense broke down.) Daniel Carlson nailed the 47-yard field goal, sent the Chargers home and the Raiders and Steelers to the playoffs. . It was the most satisfying game-winning field goal ever, but it was a night we will never forget.

The Scandal That Rocked the Chess Universe

Benjamin Cruz: Until 2022, the most amazing chess moment I’ve ever seen in my life was a scene from the bowels of Hogwarts Castle. Ron Weasley’s heroism to leave Harry Potter free to check his invisible Wizard’s Chess opponent on the way to recover the Philosopher’s stone was a GOAT moment.

And then the Magnus Carlsen – Hans Niemann feud hit the chess world. Sure, other scandals have rocked the chess world, but this one stands out in particular as Barnes’ opening.

It’s simple, really: When the story involves the world’s top chess player (Magnus Carlsen) and the accusation that an upcoming rival (Hans Niemann) used tail beads to cheat at games, well, that’s a headline. . that will be a boss.

It all started when Carlsen lost to Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup in September. The next day, Carlsen dropped out of the race altogether.

A few weeks later at the Julius Baer Generation Cup, Carlsen left a Niemann match after just one move, like being in a Zoom meeting with a bad internet connection. The announcers (yes, popular chess games have announcers) were left in shock:

What came out of it is a documentary waiting to happen. Carlsen did not make it clear why he left the game, but he cast Niemann’s shadow, associating him with the chess tricks of Maxim Dlugy. Carlsen refused to say it directly, but his point was clear: Niemann was a fraud.

How does one cheat at a table? It’s not easy. A vision soon emerged that Niemann was wearing a tail bead connected to a computer that automatically monitors the game and sends the next move to the moors in vibration code.

On the surface, that seems impossible. But if it was absurd and had no merit, why did Niemann draw his tail cheeks at the American Chess Championships? Niemann even says he plays naked to prove he’s not cheating.

There are many layers to this storm, including a 72-page report by Chess.com that says Niemann may have cheated in more than 100 online games, as well as Niemann filing a $100 million lawsuit. against Carlsen and others in the chess world. . Chess is fun again, for everyone.

The Slap Heard ’Round the Baseball World

Claire McNear: You might think you know what this year’s most popular blowout was. You’re wrong: That honor belongs to Tommy Pham, the former Reds shortstop who, on a May afternoon at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park, charged Joc Pederson during preseason warmups to deliver an open palm to the Giants’ face. .

One can imagine a number of reasons that might at least begin to explain an adult hitting a friend like that (and facing a three-game suspension in the process). Very ugly insults, probably involving a mother! A love triangle gone wrong! A vicious family blood feud that continues for generations! A shady baseball plot that involves stealing a sign or a weighted bat or the crazy hole behind the bulbous eyes of Mr. Red!

But the reason was none of these: Pham, it soon emerged, had slapped Pederson in a fantasy football argument. As it turns out, the two players were in the same fantasy league – one headed by none other than Mike Trout as the agent. Pham said the issue arose when Pederson moved a player listed on IR to pick up someone else; Pederson politely admitted that he might have fueled the fire by sending the league team a GIF mocking the San Diego Padres, who were Pham’s team at the time. Cue the Giants sporting t-shirts that read “Putting players on IR is not cheating” and Pham criticizing Trout in the press. “Trout did a hell of a job, man,” he said. “Trout is the worst commissioner in fantasy sports because he allowed a lot of shit to go on, and he could have solved it all. I don’t want to be a fucking agent; I have other things to do.”

The Ja Morant Show Reaches New Heights

Michael Pina: Ja Morant is a TV show. Each of his games is a different category. And on February 28, 2022, they deserve every Emmy available. Morant entered the tournament from the San Antonio Spurs as a promising midseason prospect. He left as a Christian.

His career-highs in points and 73.3 percent shooting from the field are, in some ways, afterthoughts. More important is the indelible stamp Morant put on the most jaw-dropping night of his life — one of the most impressive individual performances by any NBA player ever.

Jakob Poeltl, who was happy to cheer for Spurs, was brought down to stop the game. Thankfully the teams played on. A few minutes later, with 0.4 seconds left in the first half, Morant destroyed social media when he took a long pass from Steven Adams and turned it into an alley-oop jumper in front of his bench. (The play was described as “something I probably won’t be able to do again” by the confident man who performed it.)

When the credits roll on Morant’s career and his induction into the Hall of Fame, both plays will lead a 29-minute long highlight reel that precedes his induction speech. A few more of this game will only crack. (He went 4-for-4 from the 3-point line and one was from the marker!) After this particular incident, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich summed up what he saw in words that everyone watching was thinking: “ He is a beautiful player.”

The JRod Show Takes Over the Home Run Derby

Danny Kelly: For hardcore Mariners fans, Julio Rodríguez was seen as something of a messiah entering the 2022 season, and he can’t lose hope that the team’s promotion to the Opening Day roster marked the first step in giving the franchise a non-sports cleanup. . For me, a die-hard Mariners fan, Rodríguez was the epitome of the false hope that came with a two-decade rebuild. Cynicism took the wheel: I assumed he would be another in a long line of exciting prospects the team would eventually destroy and/or trade from the Yankees and decide he wasn’t worth investing in, emotionally. Despite the success of my usual Seahawks-focused posts, I decided to double down on the skepticism and wrap myself in the warmth and familiarity of Mariners ambivalence.

That all went out the window in July when the 21-year-old blasted 81 dingers in his Home Run Derby debut.

I don’t care if he doesn’t technically win. Watching him rip 32 homers in the first round alone was enough to get rid of my hatred of the Mariners. Everything was clear: this friend is real. This friend says. It’s a big rock-cold star. My cold, black, angry heart started beating again. At that time, I decided that I was ready to die for Julio Rodríguez.

Of course, Rodríguez went on to win Silver Slugger and AL Rookie of the Year honors while leading the Mariners to the playoffs for the first time in more than 20 years — all in undeniably meaningful, like, real playoffs. real. But I’ll never forget Rodríguez’s hilarious performance in the Home Run Derby. That was the moment, for me, that Mariners baseball became fun again.

North Carolina Spoils Coach K’s Farewell Tour

Rodger Sherman: The 2021-22 college basketball season generally felt less like a basketball season than a lengthy televised tribute to retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. We were treated to video captions and pre-match festivities; His wife, Mickie, got as far as the air force eventually did. 1 pick in the NBA draft, Paolo Banchero. If Coach K did something for the last time, people talked about it endlessly: his last practice at Madison Square Garden, his last ACC tournament, the last time he used an airport bathroom. in public because he forgot to jump before leaving his house. (Well, maybe not the last one.) For most of the season, basketball has worked, as the Blue Devils have one of the best teams in the country. Heading into their final game of the regular season, they were 26-4 and ranked fourth in the AP poll.

Then they lost, 94-81, to a seemingly mediocre North Carolina team led by first-year coach Hubert Davis. It was a game that Duke couldn’t afford to lose, and the Blue Devils were blown out. Fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium, who paid record ticket prices to see off Krzyzewski in his final game against their rival, sat in stunned silence during the post-game ceremony, which Coach K willingly accepted the gifts while clearly lamenting the loss.

But the Tar Heels had a more serious farewell planned. That same team suddenly entered the NCAA Tournament and ran to a no. 8 seed, and fate tied Duke for second in the Final Four. It was the first Madness game between two of the biggest teams in baseball and a chance for Coach K to undo the damage from his last game at Cameron or drag Durham into eternal shame.

He got the option of eternal shame. This should be a contradiction: Duke had four starters selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft; UNC had no players selected. Duke boasts Coaches Hall of Fame; UNC had a man in his first year on the job. But the Tar Heels came out and recovered from the Blue Devils 81-77 victory highlighted by the shooting performance in the second half of Caleb Love.

Duke and UNC will play each other thousands of times from now until basketball ceases to exist, but they will never play that game again. And the Tar Heels will forever get their wish to send the iconic Duke-hero-god-king into retirement on the sport’s biggest stage.

Edwin Díaz and Trumpets Invigorate Queens

Bobby Wagner: In an insignificant part of the summer, Edwin Díaz was the biggest story in baseball. Yes, the closer had one of the best stretch-break seasons in MLB history with the Mets having a sensational regular season, but the high whiff levels just aren’t enough to rule the baseball internet (only the cool parts of among them). No, Edwin took center stage because of the trumpet. And one trumpet in particular.

Timmy Trumpet is what happens when you turn the “vibes” slider all the way up and the “self-awareness” slider all the way down. A game made in heaven at Citi Field, and something baseball could use more of. Some say it’s a curse. NPR called it “the latest craze.” Do you know what I call it? Camp I will never forget.

The Sin City Miracle (or the Vegas Vomit)

Justin Sayles: In any YouTube compilation of the worst NFL games, you’re bound to see Patriots jerseys pop up. Usually, however, the Pats seem to be supporting characters when their opponents make a bone-headed game. Take, for example, the spectacular formation of the Colts in 2015, when most of the offensive line came out to the right side, sacrificing the gun and recharging the fleet of Pats defenders. (The game got the name: Colts Catastrophe.) Or, more famously, remember Thanksgiving 2012, when Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez went straight into the offensive line and coughed up the ball, only for New England to touch run. (You’ve probably heard of this play: It’s the Butt Fumble.) It makes sense that the Patriots would be on the field for moments like this: For nearly two decades, they’ve ruled their Belichick-mentality. For the Pats, the spoils of war had front-row seats to the comedy of the opponent’s biggest mistake.

But that was then. Things have changed in the three seasons since Tom Brady migrated south for the winter of his career. The Pats are no longer a sun-drenched monolith; it is neutral. In 2020, they went 7-9. In 2021, they returned to the playoffs only to be embarrassed by a team they routinely humiliated. In 2022, they seem to be headed for a sub-.500 spot thanks to the Matt Patricia–Joe Judge trust, a half-dozen Mac Jones upsets, and Bill Belichick’s nepo baby leading the defense. The patriots had already left kings and moved to peasants. In December, they left the farmers and became jesters.

Let’s talk about the Week 15 game between the Pats and the Raiders, which we’re giving a name — either the Sin City Miracle or Vegas Vomit, depending on your allegiance. We have seen many groups attempt the millennial, last gasp system at the end of the law. Usually, the side group follows the time of this prayer. But in New England – Las Vegas, the game was closed. The Pats just needed to take a knee to get to overtime. Of course, that’s not what happened…

As the clock ticks down to zero, running back Rhamondre Stevenson takes a handoff, runs through the guts of the defensive tackle, and cuts to the right. He passed the ball back to Jakobi Meyers. Meyers—the fast-paced Patriots QB, should know—looks back and sees an open man. Except that open man is Mac Jones. And in front of Mac Jones is Raiders pass rusher Chandler Jones waiting. Meyers throws the ball, and it lands right in the wind of the Raiders defense. Jones turned to the end zone and saw only Mac Jones standing with paydirt. Chandler—hard-handed with the Mac into another dimension—scored, and the Raiders won, knocking the Pats out of the playoffs and a million memes. It’s the kind of disaster the Pats are used to as supporting characters. But again, that was then. Welcome now.

Set to the Titanic song. Hell, put on the Benny Hill theme. Better yet, post a new collection of the worst NFL plays ever. We’re already used to seeing Pats jerseys with those. It will take some getting used to seeing this side of the game.

The Harry Caray Hologram (or the Weirdest Nostalgia Play Ever)

Matt James: On August 11, a dead man sang during the seventh inning of the Reds’ and Cubs’ game at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. Sports legend Harry Caray, who has been dead since 1998, performed a rousing rendition of “Get Me Out of the Football Game” for 8,000 baseball fans. Was it a ghost? A slightly janky digital ghost, perhaps. An unknown valley emerges from the “land of dreams.” Harry Potter’s hologram was one touch on and off. It didn’t look good. But if you think a little, or maybe take off your glasses or knock back another beer, maybe the modern magic of the computer will bring you back for a moment and reunite you with an old friend.

Baseball, the American sport that is most connected to nostalgia, does it rely heavily on nostalgia for its nostalgia event? As much as that is possible, the answer is probably yes. We really shouldn’t be in the habit of resurrecting the dead for our entertainment. But it sure was fun. And for those 8,000 people in Iowa that night, Harry Carey sounded even better than Tupac’s Spirit at Coachella.

The Butt Punt

Nora Princiotti: Look, the tail is funny. The stuff that pops out of the tail is funny. These are simple rules of comedy. These rules hold true during the (low-light?) game show of the year, given by Dolphins punter Thomas Morstead during a September game against the Bills. The Dolphins won 21-19, moving to 3-0 at the time, but not before giving up a safety after Morstead’s punt with 1:37 to go was blocked not by a defender but by teammate Trent Sherfield’s derriere.

That’s right, from the episode that brought you Fumble Fumble, it’s Butt Punt!

The Butts That Became the Talk of Baseball

Ben Lindbergh: Catchers live a life that makes them the first examples of “baseball”, a professional advantage reinforced by softball players’ soft skills and love of back blows. This year, two callipygians living in the AL West have promised the MLB regular season with a perfect display of lower body power, producing two of the year’s highlights for baseball and boot fans alike. Shortly after Opening Day, then-Oakland A’s catcher Sean “Cake” Murphy hit a 74 mph slider from Rays righty Chris Mazza, who slowly turned around to challenge Murphy to get him out. “Flanders sexy fool” – esque explorer. The most viral of Murphy’s thirst tweets is known 22 million times, almost ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​is the second most watched media A-lister since Moneyball.

“I could have hit four home runs yesterday, four big hits, and it wouldn’t have had the feeling I had last night,” Murphy said of a new fan favorite a day after taking one for the team—and, by extension, someone. every lover of good spoils. The breakup may have left a scar, but it also made Murphy an overnight sex symbol.

Months later Murphy broke the baseball internet, on an October night, just like bootylicious Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh—or, as he’s known, the “Big Dumper”, thanks to a legend that one of his teammates testified that he was “as big as a big. trailer”—started with a pinch-hit, walk-off homer against the A’s at T-Mobile Park that clinched a wild-card spot for the M’s— The historic homer hit by the bubble-butted backstop, which was caught by a 17-year-old fan, ended a 21-year playoff drought for the Seattle franchise, the longest in sports in the North. America. It also inspired great relief and excitement, two wonderful calls, and countless cake, peach, and toss emojis.

Murphy took to Twitter in a frenzy; Raleigh sent him to Seattle in the postseason, where the thick-set, cheeky catcher cemented his presence as a folk hero with a string of big hits. Baseball has the best baseballs, and this year, MLB’s most famous, prized baseball was owned by two West Coast pitchers whose baseballs took the cake.

A’ja Wilson Is the Press Conference GOAT

Kellen Becoats: A’ja Wilson is good at a lot of things: defending your team’s best player, questioning whether she can be stopped anywhere on the perimeter, and making the left-handed jumper look great. beautiful. But there’s one thing the Aces star is the undisputed GOAT at, and that’s postgame press conferences. Behold, the best 86 seconds of sporting achievements the eye will ever see.

It’s impossible to pick a favorite moment here, so let’s just go through the whole series. A’ja immediately took a sip of champagne after sitting down – with Chelsea Gray giving her a “Are you really on this one right now?” look. Kelsey Plum walks around talking on her shoulder like an ’80s movie star. A’ja browsed, paid, then cracked with a smile that was “six bottles deep.” MVP tells fans “if you’re not in four shots [at the Aces championship game], don’t come. Stay home!” (Children are advised to drink ginger ale.)

Chelsea’s vibrancy of all journalism is the perfect yin to A’ja’s chaotic yang; 12/10, no posts. Make it a law that no matter who wins the WNBA Finals, A’ja comes out with at least four tequila shots.

Stetson Bennett Is a Good Morning America Sensation

Austin Gayle: Stetson Bennett did something no one else could, and he followed the interview for the ages. Hours after leading Georgia to its third straight football championship and first victory over Alabama since 2007, the quarterback delivered five minutes of pure television gold in a conversation on Good Morning America.

Bennett was named the game’s MVP after passing for 224 yards with two touchdowns. He took that momentum to the Georgia festival, where he was photographed drinking thousand dollar bourbon straight from the bottle. His performance at GMA will be remembered for the continuation of the event: “I really couldn’t care less about free drinks,” he told Michael Strahan in part, uh, mostly understandable. It was a creative cap to the famous night.

The Third Inning That Created a Forever Fan

Sheil Kapadia: I will never forget the time my daughter got sick.

Naya, 10 years old, already had an unusual interest in sports, but she was not as busy as I was as a child. This year, she played softball for the first time and started watching Phillies games with me. Good time! They were a fun team that sneaked into the playoffs and upset the Cardinals to advance to the divisional round.

The NLDS against the Braves was tied for one game at a time when she moved to Philly, and I was lucky enough to get tickets for her, my dad, and me. Three generations of fans are hoping something special will happen. It marked the first time the city hosted a basketball game since 2011 before Naya was born. My dad is 77 years old and has spent countless hours watching bad Phillies teams. Game-play legend Harry Kalas provided our summer song.

In the third game, Rhys Hoskins came up with two bases loaded. He launched Spencer Strider’s fastball into the left field seats. The place erupted when Hoskins spat his evening. It’s been a long time since any Phillies fan celebrated a moment like that. Two batters later, Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run.

That was the moment. I looked at Naya, who was smiling, squealing, and jumping up and down within reach of me, my dad, and any complete strangers. It’s as exciting as you dream but it’s rare to meet a sports fan.

The Phillies won, 9-1. Naya did not miss a pitch the rest of the postseason. I recently caught her watching a YouTube compilation of every home run the Phillies hit last year. She asked me to send her articles on Trea Turner and she wants me to provide a nightly update on whether the team is making any other moves in free agency. We talked about going down to Florida for spring training or maybe even getting a partial season ticket plan.

For us, the third game changed everything.

The Celebration That Set Up a Fatherly Flex

Bryan Curtis: So it wasn’t the biggest sports season of the year. It was just the one that made me feel the most powerful. I was at the Cowboys-Giants game on Thanksgiving Day with my son. Parents know it’s easy to trick little kids into thinking you’re a football pundit. “Possession, offense, 10 yards,” you say, a few seconds before he makes the adjustment. Blow their minds every time.

My son is now 9 years old. It’s getting harder to convince you that I’m Tony Romo’s kind of dad. On Thanksgiving, before the game started, I pointed to the big red safety net behind the end zone at AT&T Stadium. “You know,” I said, “Zeke Elliott jumped in there a few years ago.” Fast-forward three-and-a-half times. Three Cowboys tight ends dove into the box after Peyton Hendershot’s touchdown and played Whac-A-Mole. “Told you!” I screamed, now sounding more like Romo than Hollywood actress Nikki Finke. My son looked impressed. After five minutes he forgot. I never will.

Jocelyn Alo Smashes No. 96

Ben Solak: The best hitter in college softball history graduated this year. Let’s try that again: The best hitter in the history of pick-and-roll sports graduated this year. Her name is Jocelyn Alo.

Alo ends her career with 122 home runs, 22 more than Pete Incaviglia and 27 more than Lauren Chamberlain, her predecessor as the Oklahoma Sooners softball signee. Alo’s home run record came in her home state of Hawaii, after she walked 16 times with a tub after Porosh refused to give her the record field.

Hawaii State has almost as much, if not more, love for Alo as Sooners fans do. That’s because Alo brought as much national attention to high school sports in Hawaii as she did to women’s softball. Alo is a sensation, a superstar, a player who defines the sport and the youth, the rising generation of future softball fans and stars.

Albert Pujols Connects on No. 700

Isaac Levy-Rubinett: Before the MLB season, a friend asked me if I would rather Albert Pujols hit 700 home runs or the St. Louis Cardinals. Louis make the playoffs. Even the most difficult reason why the two-ists did not see clearly that these two results often contradicted each other. No serious team is going to give the required at-bats to a player who hit 679 homers and hasn’t posted a season-high in five years — even one who claims to be the best of his generation. Should the Cardinals orient their season to give Pujols any chance to make home run history? Or would they do whatever it takes to earn a postseason berth, even if it means, say, beating Pujols in key minutes? As happy as I am with the arrival of Pujols, I also felt a little sad as I imagined the difficulty—not impossible—of a scene in which one of the greatest legends of the team became the greatest challenge.

But Pujols brushed aside those doubts like so many hanging around. In the second half of the season, he slashed a mind-blowing .323/.388/.715 with a wRC+ second only to Aaron Judge. However, at age 42, Pujols has surpassed even the greatest stretch of his time with the Cards, when he was a perennial MVP candidate and the best hitter in the sport. And when the team passed the Brewers in the NL Central, it wasn’t in spite of Pujols. It was because of him.

On September 23, at Dodger Stadium, where Pujols himself said he found his joy in baseball again, the slugger hit a home run. 699 and 700. One was a moon landing and the other was a real rocket.

I can barely wrap my head around how impossible this season is. Glad to see Pujols donning the bat again; I never thought he would inspire the same awe in fans or the collective hope of fans that he did more than a decade ago. In life and sports, just because something makes a big story doesn’t mean it will. Many times, it is not. But in 2022, Albert Pujols reminded us that it can.

Michael Jordan Steals the Show at NBA 75

Matt Dollinger: Even NBA commissioner Adam Silver admitted he wasn’t sure Michael Jordan would show up. It was halftime of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, and the league honored members of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. One hero after another was called to the stage. The magic of the beautiful bird. LeBron. Work. Arbitrate. Oscar Dwyane Wade called it “basketball heaven.” But the night turned out to be when the GOAT itself was announced at last. Because even among the greatest baseball players of all time, it’s a treat to see Mike.

Just to give you an idea of ​​what Jordan means to people, there’s a 40-second moment above when LeBron fucking James is legitimately embarrassed to say hello (don’t worry, he got it a minute later). A few minutes later, Jordan changes the background atmosphere as he enters the room. Even in a room full of legends, his aura is on another level. MJ calls Magic an “old dog” and challenges him to a match, turning the Lakers legend into a screaming child.

MJ’s presence effectively replaces the greatest NBA stars in player role. Seeing Mike come out and get his rose was the highlight of All-Star Week and a reminder of where he stands in the all-time debate.

Jayson Tatum Steals the Nets’ Soul in the Playoffs

Jack McCluskey: The amazing thing is that he was already spinning. Jayson Tatum didn’t even catch the ball yet, but he already knew how he was going to find Kyrie Irving and score to win Game 1 of the Celtics’ first round of the playoffs against the Nets.

With Boston trailing by one point and 17 seconds left on the clock, Tatum took on Kevin Durant’s defensive duties. He contested KD’s 3-point attempt to beat the shot clock and bothered the future Hall of Famer enough to draw a foul. Then Tatum settled in near the top of the key as the rest of the Celtics tested Brooklyn’s defense to open up the clock.

Five seconds left: Jaylen Brown drives into the paint and hits Marcus Smart on the shoulder.

Four seconds left: Smart fakes a layup and takes it hard through two aggressive layups by Nets defenders. Tatum dives toward the basket and catches Smart’s eye.

Two seconds left: Smart pass lanes behind no. 0, so the Stars start to shake, turning his back to Irving and the basket as he grabs the rock.

One-point-five seconds left: Irving misses Tatum’s memory as the Celtics star completes his rotation and regains sight of the basket.

One second left: Tatum drives the ball out of bounds, his momentum taking him out of bounds and under the basket.

Half a second left: The ball falls off the hoop. Then the buzzer sounds.

All of this happened in less than 20 seconds and foreshadowed the big run that Tatum and the Celtics were about to go on. While that run didn’t end the way Boston wanted it to, this one was immaculate.

“Holy Cannoli”

Rob Mahoney: Klay Thompson is so many things to the Warriors: Splash Brother, icon, (sea) captain, spiritual mentor. Yet for 941 days and many serious injuries, he struggled at the edges of form, technically part of the team and yet very much on his own. Thompson was as honest about the psychological toll of injury and recovery as any athlete we’ve ever seen; When Charles Barkley made it clear that Klay wasn’t the player he used to be, Klay made a point to respond—and not disagree. (To quote Klay: “No duh.”) He just wanted to say how hurt it was to hear Barkley say that.

That’s why there’s no sweeter moment in sports than seeing Klay in football shape again, wearing another memorable hat as he jumped up and down on Steph Curry after Golden State’s lead. placed in the league. Many people don’t blow out their knee and tear their Achilles and can still climb mountains. Thompson kept going as long as he could, landing big shots and needing to stop the Warriors just like he always has. If all of this sounds necessary, it’s not – and that’s exactly the point.

Thompson said the best way to celebrate the title: “I knew this was a possibility. But to see it in real time? Holy hell.”

Steph Curry, Game 4

Seerat Sohi: Basketball has no fury like Steph Curry’s back against the wall. Anger, as it happens, was a new and surprising part of Curry’s experience in 2022. Three years of little accumulation – starting with the departure of Kevin Durant – was emerging. He put his opponents to sleep and hit them in the jaw when no one was sure if the fighters would make it back to the top of the hill. In Game 4 of the Finals, the Celtics were leading 2-1. Their physicality, the TD Garden crowd (with Draymond Green plastered on deafening banners), and the creeping sense of early growth only heightened the tension — and the Warriors’ sense of being disrespected.

After watching a great player for as long as we’ve watched Curry, you can tell early: This game is going to be different. His eyes were serious, his jaw set. No more babyfaces, just the killer. Curry, basketball’s master of chaos, thrives on different opportunities in the game. He rides and flows. But here he takes control, giving us four quarters of Curry. In the first part of the first half, he was already eager with the crowd. Forty-three points and seven triples later, the Warriors clinched the series, and Curry said: Wake the sleeping giant at your peril.

Erling Haaland Invades the Premier League

Christopher Sutton: Diving into the highlights of Erling Haaland is an exercise in appreciating the brutality of beautiful football. Even the fast focus releases countless clips of unstoppable cyborgs — seemingly created from the DNA strands of Robert Lewandowski, the Terminator T-1000, and Leif Erikson — tearing down the iconic center back. , racing between the fields, and excitingly blasting goals for joy.

So when it was announced last summer that the Norwegian was joining Manchester City, arguably the best football team in the world, it felt like Voltron had kicked a bicycle into what looked like a Premier League arena of dice. Just as Kevin Durant fled the confines of Oklahoma City to christen himself the Warriors’ 73-win nirvana, Erling’s move from Borussia Dortmund to the crème de la crème of English football felt both hopeful and immoral. The Citizens are already suffering from the embarrassment of famous creators (Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish), visionaries (Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez), and defenders (John Stones, Kyle Walker) who are shaping Pep Guardiola’s formation. of the Matrix of names that have passed many years of glory. With the addition of Haaland, City now have the final cog in their Death Star.

Erling’s unprecedented goal-scoring form took a bit of a dip before the World Cup break. Still, with serious questions looming over the rest of the top six, including a rejuvenated but youthful Arsenal, it’s hard to imagine the end of the season out of sight. holding up a large goblet trimmed with powder-blue lace in one hand and shoes to match his iron-haired ponytail in the other.

Manchester United Beats Chelsea, 1-1

Micah Peters: One of the highlights is that Manchester United have struggled to get a point from a vulnerable Chelsea side, which has left them fifth in the Premier League table for 16 hours. Another version of that same scenario: Unexpectedly unable to count on their big man in the big moments, United still had enough personality on the pitch to salvage a result that they probably deserved on balance. .

For weeks it has been a running joke that Scott McTominay – previously known for his positioning and needing a second or two to think before attempting a forward pass – was playing well for United and keeping the Champions League winners in check. three times, the star of Brazil. , and Casemiro’s £80m exit from United’s squad. Then, almost as a result of karmic law, McTominay dragged Armando Broja to the ground in the penalty area, blowing not only a wonderful United performance, but the head of steam that the team was building.

United, unlike the previous one, would have insisted on their midweek Europa League match, convinced that they were a surprise defeat. But they continued and chased and came out of a small window of light, Casemiro headed the equalizer, the story was canceled, the celebrations somewhere between “soft” and “angry.”

Rory McIlroy’s Impossible Chip-In

Andrew Gruttadaro: As Cam Smith, the last team on the last day of the Masters, lined the 13th hole, CBS’s Nick Faldo lost all power. “I don’t want to spoil it,” he said, scoffing and tossing the Rae’s Creek broadcast rule book, “but something amazing happened.” Sir Nick should not have said this; Don’t wake up to someone watching The Sixth Sense for the first time and say, “Dude, you’re never going to believe what happens to Bruce Willis.” But if you consider what Faldo witnessed, you can forgive him for temporarily losing his mind.

Every time Rory McIlroy walks up Magnolia Lane on the first Thursday in April, he does so to voice his curiosity about how the fourth leg of the grand slam eluded him, with scenes showing him as a boy in wonder. , putting his ball into the trees on the 10th hole and erasing his name from the top of the leaderboard in 2011. For most of the 2022 edition of the Masters, it seemed that McIlroy would once again leave Augusta saying, “There’s always next year.” A conservative three rounds had him tied for ninth entering Sunday, 10 shots off lead Scottie Scheffler. But then he started playing like the prize for winning the race wasn’t a green jacket but the privilege of punching Greg Norman straight in the face.

And in the first, third, seventh, and eighth holes he had birds; chip-in on 10th; Eagle on the 13th. As Scheffler and Smith struggled to stay even, McIlroy went and posted a 7-under through 17 holes. He was just three off the lead when he bogeyed the 18th, seemingly the end of another Sunday run at Worlds. But then, with Faldo watching from a nearby tower, McIlroy drove his ball from the fairway to the green and let it roll off the top, roll down, and into the cup.

The real potential of this shot. The level of happiness. Throw the club. Hands shaking. The roar of the crowd. It was like Rory McIlroy had just won the Masters, finally, after chasing it for years. What makes this a perfect moment for Rory is that he doesn’t. Scheffler birdied 14 and 15 soon after and was basically on his way to victory.

Such is the story of McIlroy since he won his fourth title in 2014: an incredible number of top 10s but never another victory; out after Friday, but back into the conversation on Sunday two rounds late. 2022 was really good for him: He won the Tour Championship in August (above Scheffler), he regained the top spot in the World Golf rankings, and for most of the year he bravely defended the PGA against the LIV Golf disaster. But his best time came from the trap of Augusta, which did not guarantee the victory but guaranteed that the story would follow the next time he set foot on the course.

Aaron Donald’s MVP-Worthy Sequence

Lindsay Jones: With all due respect to Cooper Kupp, the MVP of Super Bowl LVI was Aaron Donald. It was clear to me that night last February at SoFi Stadium, and it’s a truth that hasn’t changed in the past 10 months.

Donald closed out the Rams’ win over the Bengals in typical Donald style. With the Bengals facing fourth-and-1 with just under 45 seconds to go in a game the Rams led 23-20, Donald split the gap between Cincinnati’s left guard and left tackle, wrapped Joe Burrow up the middle, and hit the quarterback on the ground. At the last second, Burrow managed to get the ball away—the errant, incomplete pass preventing Donald from recording his third sack of the game. Total statistics don’t matter; In that time he has had a very strong postseason run as the best defensive player of this century.

Donald, a 280-pound defensive tackle, tallied 23 pressures (the most of any player in a single postseason in TruMedia data, dating back to 2000), nine tackles, and 3.5 sacks. during the Rams’ trip to the Super Bowl. . He closed out the NFC championship game by forcing a Jimmy Garoppolo interception, and pressured Tom Brady eight times in the Rams’ divisional victory over Tampa Bay. He faced two repeat teams, and even a triple-double in the Super Bowl, but managed two sacks (and this amazing one-handed touchdown in the loss to the Bengals) anyway. But it was Burrow’s final push that was my favorite sports moment of the year—the best all-around player I’ve ever seen appear on the biggest stage in American sports.

Donald took off his hat and started celebrating by pointing his finger hard. Since then, he hasn’t won the Rams’ Super Bowl since losing to the Patriots three years ago. Winning a championship was really all Donald had left to achieve. It’s a shame that Donald will never win the league’s MVP award, despite being the best defensive player in the NFL – and arguably the best overall – in almost every season of his career. He deserved to be the Super Bowl MVP, and I think he would have been, if the clock had hit zero after the votes were counted and not while the game was still going on. Instead, he should settle for a place here on our list.

Matt Ryan, King of Collapses

Justin Sayles: Matt Ryan is a former NFL MVP. He is tied for 10th on the all-time QB wins list. His career has been marked by the kinds of achievements most callers only dream of. So how did his legacy become the face of football’s most famous collapse—and now the single biggest collapse in the sport’s 102-year history?

Ryan, of course, was the quarterback for the Falcons during Super Bowl LI against Tom Brady and the Patriots, in which Ryan’s team led 28-3 before losing 34-28. In terms of stakes, the Pats’ comeback is the greatest comeback in sports history. But on the other side of success there is heartbreak, and Ryan quickly became the avatar of that breakdown (and the butt of more than a few memes). Half a decade has passed since that loss, Ryan has changed teams and appears to be winding down a career that could potentially take him to Canton. And while the smell of that game still lingers, it’s easy to forgive. It was one game and it was against the greatest QB of all time. Surely we can all walk, right?

Well, about that. In Week 15, Ryan started at quarterback for Indianapolis against the Vikings. While the Colts aren’t an offensive juggernaut this season—the team is near the bottom in scoring—they hold a 36-7 lead in the third quarter. And Brady wasn’t on the opposite side — it was Kirk Cousins, the QB who regularly basked in the spotlight of the national media and earned a nickname for his choke work. The Colts should come away with a win. But the Vikings had other plans.

During the final two quarters and overtime, Cousins ​​led the Vikings to the most upset comeback in league history – surpassing the 25-point Pats victory in February 2017, and surpassing the comeback record of 32 points. , set by the Anti-Oil Bills nearly 30 years ago. They did it with tenacity, organized attack, and strong defense in the second half. They did it on the backs of cousins. They did it at the expense of Ryan, who once again found himself the avatar of heartbreak and the butt of many other memes.

How much is Ryan to blame for this terrible wreck? Sure, his offense immediately tightened up when the Pats and Vikings started their offense, but he didn’t throw an interception in either game. He wasn’t the one calling the plays, and he certainly wasn’t the one playing defense. On the other hand, however, Ryan’s teams have a tendency to do this: As my friend Riley McAtee pointed out in 2020, Matt Ryan’s Falcons blew all kinds of seemingly unexploded leads after losing the Super Bowl. Opponents may look at Ryan and see a popular mover, which then turns him into an unstoppable force. Perhaps Matty Ice’s biggest cooling influence is on his team. Or he may simply be wearing the wrong outfit at the wrong time.

In any case, this is Matt Ryan’s current: King of Collapses. He is about to retire as one of the most successful QBs in NFL history. But I will remember him above all else for two failures – those in which he lost no business.

Matt Ryan, Unlikely Lakers Savior

Jomi Adeniran: The Lakers season is over.

When the Pelicans went to shoot two free throws, up three, with less than two seconds left in their Nov. 2 game against Los Angeles, the Lakers were staring at a 1-6 start.

Things looked cooked. A done freebie and the game, no, LA’s entire 2022-23 campaign, will look like it’s over.

But Pelicans rookie Dyson Daniels missed the first one. Then he stuck to the second one. The Lakers had life, and an unlikely hero emerged.

Matt Ryan, who has been driving DoorDash for the past year while looking for an NBA job, made an impossible 3 to send the game into overtime. The Lakers went on to win, 120-117.

It doesn’t matter that the Lakers never actually acquired him or that they cut Ryan a month later. What’s important is that in that moment Ryan gave LA hope. With a season like this, what more could fans ask for?

The Bloodline Takes Over WWE

Khal Davenport: Ten years after his first wrestling match, the now undefeated WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns returned to WWE with a shocking heel turn, marking the beginning of what is now known as the era. Blood, the top team in Reigns. , his cousin The Usos (who are the current, reigning, WWE Tag Team Champions), Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn, and Reigns’ mentor (both kayfabe and IRL) Paul Heyman. Every part of the blood is a threat to the race itself; Their combined powers created the hottest storyline in all of WWE, putting Anoa’i family members (and, as Cheap Heat’s Peter Rosenberg would say, Anoa’i family members next door) in serious contention as WWE’s GOAT team. .

Reigns’ 2022 began with him becoming the longest reigning WWE Universal Champion of all time in January; That same month, The Usos broke their record for holding the SmackDown Tag Team titles. In April, Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38 to not only win the WWE Championship but begin his reign (pun intended?) as the Undisputed Champion. The following month, The Usos defeated RK-Bro to win the Raw Tag Team Championship, the equivalent of the Chiefs holding the titles (while also making for compelling television). From there? Things just got interesting. Sure, Reigns and the Usos continued to take on (and defeat) all comers, but that’s when Blood started to take shape.

Zayn starts hanging out, starting with one of 2022’s consistently funniest (and funniest) storylines, aka Zayn, the Honorary Uce. Meanwhile, Sikoa, who has already showcased his abilities as the NXT North American Champ, officially joined the main roster (and became the face stone of Blood) by helping Reigns secure a victory across the pond at Clash at the Castle. . Reigns, when he was active, created some of WWE’s biggest 2022, including defeating Lesnar (and Lesnar’s tractor) and giving Logan Paul his best show to date. The Chiefs only wrestled him when he wanted to (to qualify), which meant that the always dynamic Usos were above our power board rule.

One of the keys to the house that Reigns has built is that it’s not just a destination; There are many avenues for you to explore. At one point, the entire IWC wanted Sami Zayn to turn on the blood and focus on taking Reigns’ throne. (They’ll have to deal with Reigns and Zayn joining the Kevin Owens vs. John Cena feud at the final SmackDown in 2022.) Zayn also cheated on Owens long enough to help secure Line’s victory in the Survivor WarGames. , adding another layer (another talented player) to the mix. Aside from a few pro-wrestling stories (we’re talking to you, MJF), there isn’t much better than Bloodline. And maybe this bookmark? We may have this conversation again at the end of 2023.

Bianca Belair Takes Back Her Championship Belt

Brian Waters: At SummerSlam 2021, Bianca Belair was supposed to defend the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks – the woman she won in the main event of WrestleMania 37. However, Banks was unable to compete, so so another former champion on the rise: Becky Lynch. Fans were excited to see “The Man” back in the ring after a 15-month absence, and Lynch grabbed the mic to challenge Belair. When they were both squared off, Lynch held out her hand in a show of sportsmanship…except it was actually a gambit to get Belair in. Lynch hits Belair with her finisher, a manhandle slam, and that’s it. Just 26 seconds later, Belair was no longer the SmackDown Women’s Champion. She had several chances to regain the title in the following months but failed each time.

Fast forward to February 2022 in the Elimination Chamber. Belair, now a part of the Raw roster, earned a chance to win the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 38 when she defeated five other women. With Lynch also moving to the Raw brand, a rematch at SummerSlam is slated to happen. Belair knew how to take advantage of it.

She kicks the game with a great spring. She entered the ring behind the Texas Southern University marching band, who played her catchphrase, “Watch Me Shine.” She then overcame everything Lynch threw at her, including a kick to the face that caused her eye to swell.

Belair hit her finishing move, the KOD, and became the WWE Raw women’s champion. Just like that, EST is back on top of the world.

Jannik Sinner Falls to Carlos Alcaraz (but Wins My Heart)

Katie Baker: Growing up in the mountains of northern Italy, Jannik Sinner, now 21, was a youth champion. Years later, all the effects of the decline are still visible in his international tennis game. He’s adept at nailing angles and sliding sides, knowing when to soak up the puck and when to attack the fall line with edgy grace. In his fourth season on the tour, he made three of the four Grand Slam finals – the last of which was a match against 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz that started at 9:30 p.m. local time in New York City and didn’t end until almost three in the morning. (The U.S. Open is a tennis event for Californians.)

Watching Sinner and Alcaraz on the same court is like watching two soccer icons unfold. (The next Gerwig-Baumbach film?) They toss and turn; they played with equal intensity; they never seem to tire. Four hours into the U.S. Open quarterfinals, the fourth part, after endless surface and boards and ground noise, Sinner prepared to close the match point. An hour later, in the fifth set, Alcaraz won the match. Alcaraz would go on to win the US Open, the first of what is predicted to be many Grand Slam titles for the youngster.

Seeing these two little guns go head to head made me appreciate them both more. (Between, Frances Tiafoe, and Casper Ruud, men’s tennis finally has dynamic potential.) And watching Sinner defeat Alcaraz the way he did (and Novak Djokovic in similar style at Wimbledon!) made me absolutely, hopeful. without investing in the desire that one day we will see him attract great success. A criminal skier once grew up flying in the mountains. It will be a real treat to watch as Sinner the tennis player tries to climb, all the way to the top.

Max Duggan Keeps TCU Going (but Falls in Overtime)

Kai Grady: Let me start by saying that I went to Texas Christian University, so if the next few paragraphs feel like TCU propaganda, that’s because they are.

TCU quarterback Max Duggan had a historic season filled with incredible athletic feats, record-setting wins, and unbelievable second-half comebacks (six, to be exact). “Mad Max,” as many of the school faithful called him, led the Horned Frogs to an undefeated regular season and finished as the Heisman Trophy runner with 3,321 passing yards and 30 touchdowns along with 404 passing yards. rushing yards with six points on the ground. Still, the most surprising moment from Duggan came in a loss against the no. 10 Kansas State during the Big 12 championship game. Down by eight points with less than five minutes remaining, the senior QB went on an unforgettable drive that sent the championship game into overtime.

The eight-play drive started with a handful of plays from Duggan. With nearly three minutes left, he threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Hudson (hitting him in the process), only to have the play called back because is an interference penalty. Despite being shaken up and facing 2-and-20, Duggan did his best “Greg Jennings” impression and slipped in the pocket through some steely defenders to break a 40-yard streak. running to the side. On the next play, he went up the middle and threw himself into the end zone for a touchdown, driving an 80-yard drive, of which Duggan accounted for all 5 yards.

At this point, Duggan was lying on the grass gasping for breath, unable to even stand up without the help of his friends. Then, with blood dripping from his arm, Duggan took a swing at the two-point conversion and floated a perfect pass to Jared Wiley.

TCU finally fell after Kansas State hit a field goal in overtime, pulling a storybook ending from the Frogs. For me, though, that drive was the most memorable performance of the year in terms of pure drive, relentless determination, and a general unwillingness to stop.

The Sacramento Kings Become Fun Again

Riley McAtee: This was the day the lightsaber team became a reality.

The stage was set for a Sacramento classic: a nationally televised game against Kevin Durant, as the Kings were 6-6 and looking to get above .500 after an 0-4 start. Instead, the Kings blew the doors off a team expected to contend for the title. With a 27-4 quarterback buried in Brooklyn, Sacramento went on to win 32. And it wasn’t even De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis leading the way—Terence Davis scored 31 off the bench.

This season’s Kings have given Sacramento the most exciting basketball to watch in at least 15 years, if not 20. Between the beam, the Band-Aid, coach Mike Brown, the Fox showdown, Sabonis’ career year. , a goofy late game. cup, and some real memories, this was the most fun I’ve had watching basketball in my adult life.

There are fans in Sacramento who have been waiting their whole lives for this. There were sparks before (Tyreke Evans’ rookie season, Boogie Cousins’ solid few seasons) but for the most part, it was 15 years of absolutely terrible, unwatchable basketball. We are literally a generation removed from the crowd that made Arco Arena the most awesome place to play in the early 2000s. Many wondered if that kind of local commitment would ever return to Sacramento and the new 1 Gold Center. But this season, it sounded again.

After crushing Brooklyn, the Kings went on to win the next three games, turning it into a seven-game winning streak, the franchise’s longest since 2004. They haven’t let up. 500 since, their rating has been in the league’s top 10 for most of the season, and they are firmly in the Western Conference playoff race. Simply put, the Kings are back.

LAFC Becomes Champion for the First Time

David Lara: There I was in New York City, wandering the streets looking for food. My iPhone has been removed and YouTube TV is being watched. I stressed watching the MLS Cup final. And as an LAFC fan, I had a lot to worry about.

LAFC and Philadelphia Union tied 2-2 in overtime. Carlos Vela was demoted; Gareth Bale came on. Philly took the lead in the 124th minute of the game with a goal by Jack Elliott. That left about five minutes for LAFC to tie things up and force a penalty kick—yes, there were nine minutes of stoppage time. As it happened, that time was enough for Bale to find a place in the penalty area and score a header on the goal, which sent the fans into a frenzy.

LAFC missed the first penalty; The organization responded with this canvas in the first attempt. LAFC missed the next two kicks, while goalkeeper John McCarthy turned into a brick wall and continued to beat Philly. With LAFC winning 2-0, Ilie Sánchez narrowly beat the Union goalkeeper to secure a thrilling victory for LAFC.

Is it worth the stress? In the case of one of the best—if not the best—MLS Cup so far, easily.

Japan’s World Cup Moment of Triumph

Keith Fujimoto: As a loyal fan of the Knicks in general, my favorite sports moment has to be the last franchise with a stable point guard. Thanks a million, Jalen Brunson. Or maybe it’s Kirkland’s trademark Tom Thibodeau beard. But no, the moment I need to highlight is Japan who beat Spain well during the group stage in Qatar.

As a selfish person, my attention is not attached to my motherland doing the impossible; They’re linked to a silly sounding post I made on Twitter:

if japan wins i might die of my hair

The Japanese soccer team took my challenge personally. “How could this nitwit underestimate us??” That must have been what Ritsu Doan was thinking when he tied things at 1-1. Ao Tanaka’s follow-up goal was one I will always remember. This wasn’t just an improbable comeback against top teams; it was a stark reminder to never air out gambling speculation on the internet.

I will always remember 2022 as the year I made it to the Japan national football team.

Harry Kane’s Penalty Kick Miss

Arjuna Ramgopal: In 1996, The Lightning Seeds, a popular British band, released the song “Three Lions.” This song, it should be noted first, is an absolute banger. It is promising and has become a rallying cry for fans of the England men’s national team. Yet the track has a line- “30 years of hurt” that sums up the heartbreak, pain, and failure of England over the years. We don’t need to go through all the examples because one minute from 2022 is representative enough.

Harry Kane’s brutal penalty miss in the 84th minute of this year’s World Cup quarter-final against France has ensured a few more years of injury. According to the Westwood team, on average a penalty kick has an 82 percent chance of winning. It’s better than a coin flip, better than Tom Brady’s chances of going to the Super Bowl, better than the Rotten Tomatoes score in Avengers: Age of Ultron. But Kane’s effort sailed well over the net.

Barring England winning the 2024 UEFA Euros, we will be 60 years old by the time the next men’s FIFA World Cup rolls around. Sixty! I was a young child in England in the mid-1990s, so some of my earliest memories are of hearing “Three Lions” and wondering, “How is this song going to be updated every year?” I never thought that the England men’s team would double the length of the drought.

England women won UEFA Euro 2022, so the drought only applies to men. We hope that Kane and Co. can bring home sooner, or we might start thinking about swapping even sad songs.

Freddie Freeman and an Enduring Love for Atlanta

Dan Comer: When Freddie Freeman returned to Truist Park in June for the first time since signing a six-year, $162 million deal with the Dodgers, he yelled at press conferences, tore up the plate, and talked about not not looking for closure (much to the chagrin of his fellow Dodgers). This goes beyond nostalgia—baseball fans are witnessing the true regret of breaking up after a Braves icon whose smile once seemed unbreakable.

Time was a rare glimpse into the mind of an elite player, as well as a liberating experience for born-and-raised ATLiens like myself. Sure, the first baseman may be in L.A. for the rest of his career — and maybe raise a banner or two at his former team’s expense — but there’s no doubt that’s where his heart is. That is an achievement in itself.

St. Bonaventure and an NIT Run at Redemption

Isaiah Blakely: I think I can speak for all the students at St. Bonaventure says we’ve got NCAA tournament-or-bust prospects for the 2021-22 men’s basketball season. This team had five seniors returning, was ranked in the AP poll during the preseason, and eventually climbed to the no. 16 in the rankings But bad luck and untimely losses kept the Bonnies out of March Madness. It was hard to see how this season could be remembered as a success once the dream of a championship was gone.

St. Bonaventure was invited to the NIT, which doesn’t seem particularly exciting for a team from the NCAA tournament in the past. The Bonnies faced Colorado, on the road, in the first round. Expectations were low and the enthusiasm for the event even lower.

But things started to change when the Bonnies won. Then they beat Oklahoma on the road. Suddenly it was clear that these seniors could get one last win before they close the book on their Bonaventure careers.

Virginia’s quarterfinal game was the right to go to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden. It wasn’t a pretty game, but Jalen Adaway and Dom Welch knocked down big shots. Jaren Holmes and Kyle Lofton hit some key free throws and Osun Osunniyi closed things out in a big way as the Bonnies won 52-51 and booked their tickets to MSG. Shortly after the game, I got mine too.

Kickboxing’s Bad Boy Takes a Bow

Amar Burton: At his best and at his worst, Badr Hari is the Mike Tyson of kickboxing. And he blesses and loads all the power and stupidity in it.

In October, the now 38-year-old Moroccan nicknamed “Golden Boy” and “Bad Boy” strongly suggested he would retire after losing a unanimous decision to sports legend Alistair Overeem. We all know how retirement can be in a fight game, but this really felt like a farewell.

Before, during, and even after his prime, Badr’s superpower was the superior power of his arms and legs, which could – and often did – end fights automatically. Of the previous K-1 heavyweights’ 106 professional kickboxing wins, 92 came by knockout. That ties in with another Tyson similarity: Badr’s appeal goes beyond the sweet science of his game and into something visceral. His strongest supporters, an open-air brigade known as the Badr Army, are kickboxing’s version of Raider Nation—showing that their man fights in the Netherlands, Russia, or Japan. (And, yes, like Iron Mike, Badr has had legal troubles.)

The last five years of Badr’s career have mirrored Tyson’s past with controversy and shocking results. Badr went 0-4 without two contests during that span: In three of the losses, he won before being stopped by distance. None of the matches took place in March, when, during the rematch between Badr and Arkadiusz Wrzosek, a fight between the fans escalated into chair-throwing violence, forcing the officials to leave the arena and stop it. for the rest of the show.

Badr’s last game was suitably chaotic. He was early on against Overeem before it was too late, allowing the former UFC fighter to make a comeback. After the ring, Badr interrupted the match between Overeem and GLORY heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven to casually tell the crowd that it went well.

Like Badr’s signature hit, his apparent retirement was unexpected and expected. It was a helmet that fit into another electric mirror.

The Libero of the Year Makes a Save to Remember

Tyler Parker: Houston’s Kate Georgiades is the American Athletic Conference libero of the year. On Friday, December 2, the first round of the NCAA Women’s Division I Women’s Championship, provided ample evidence as to why that is.

This is one of the most enjoyable personal dramas in recent memory. It’s the definition of peak mobility. It’s a righteous, carefree, ridiculous, leave-your-feet-full-extension-accidentally-blinded activism. Georgiades is doing her best Jesus of Nazareth, performing miracles and turning tables, treating South Dakota like she walked into Creighton’s Sokol Arena and found the Coyotes selling pigeons.

Cut to Georgiades whipping the ropes and yelling, “This is a rescue pit.” Go clean that temple, Kate.