2008 in Review: Final Part- My Sports Teams in Review

Well, here is the final part of my 2008 in review, it is my take on the year that my sports teams have had. I have a whole lot to say, so let's get started.

MLB- New York Yankees

What a year, what a TOUGH year. It was the first time since I was in kidnergarten that we missed the playoffs, injuries killed the team, and we got sense of reality, that in fact, the Yankees are not that good. I think that despite the lousy year, it was good for the Yankees to wake up and smell the coffee, there needs to be changes.

The Yankees have a TON of hope for next season, which was highlighted in the final week of the season. The thing I like about this Yankee team is that unlike a certain other team I root for (I will mention it later) this team is proud to play in New York and will give 110% every time out. Derek Jeter, in particular, kills it every time out and his stirring speech after the final game at Yankee Stadium was the icing on the cake for me. Then, watching them play hard despite being out of contenion against Boston was inspiring.

This is a team that could be dangerous in 2009. I am expecting huge thngs for this team in 2009. 2008 might not have bore fruit, but you can't get to the dance every year and let's face it, making the playoffs 15 times in a row in baseball is remarkable.


NFL- Dallas Cowboys

Oh boy, where do I start? Well I'm going to cover things more in-depth with a post on "How to Fix the Dallas Cowboys" later next week, but for now, let me say this.

First off, enough dissing Jerry Jones. Yeah, I know he isn't popular with most Dallas fans, yeah he made some poor decisions, but he wants to win. He might only want to win his way, but he wants it.

That being said, this year was painful for Dallas. It was bad, so bad that I think it was worse than watching the team in the early 2000's. Yeah, those teams were going 5-11, but they played hard, and with heart. This year's team played with an ugly swagger when they won, and acted as though they didn't give a s***. They weren't a team, they were, as many said, a collection of overly paid bums.

I always hated T.O. ever since the incident with the star. I looked at his signing and immediatly said "this is a HUGE mistake". Now we're stuck with a virus.

Wade Phillips is a defensive mastermind, however he isn't a head coach, he can't lead a team, he can't motivate. I looked at his hiring and said "this is a HUGE mistake". Now we're stuck with a lackadasical wimp.

Pacman Jones, Roy Williams, Flozell Adams, Tank Johnson, Marc Colombo, and Tony Romo, they playe without heart, without feeling. Unlike guys before them, there was no pride to wear the star. I would rather watch the 2002 crew play hard and fall short than watch this collection of bums again.

Next season is a new year, and I have high hopes that the team will play with heart for once. Next year, I don't ask for a Super Bowl win, a division championship, heck even a playoff spot. Just play your eart and play your best, and I'll be happy.


NBA- Toronto Raptors

What happened Toronto? After such a fun and exciting 2007, 2008 just went downhill. First the team slowed down, literally, in the second half of the 2008 season. They still got into the playoffs, but were forgettablly dismantled by Orlando. Then came the big kicker. They traded Ford and Nesterovic for Jermaine O'Neal. Now, not to diss O'Neal, who has done all he has could since he came over, but it was a bad trade. We lost depth, a speed with the trade and at the beginning of the 08-09 season, looked like a team moving at the speed of a slug. Then Sam Mitchell was fired, and the team continued to implode.

Stll, the worst part of this is that Toronto may make the playoffs. That would be a worst case scenario, by which the Raptors would get in as a 7 or 8 seed and get crushed by Boston or Detroit. Instead, I hope Toronto looks at their future in 2009. Give Jawai extended playing tme, further develop Ukic and Solomon and devlop a rhythem.

I love watching Toronto, because of their youth and enthusiasm. Still, they have a long way to go to being a top team, but the pieces are there.

And at least they have heart.


NHL- Philadelphia Flyers

Hey, the story of the year!! The Flyers were a blast to watch, going from last place to Eastern Conference finalists. It was one of my favorite seasons in 2008 and there is a lot to look forward to. The Flyers have contnues their success into the 08-09 season with a very bright core and bst of all, lots of depth. This is the best the Flyers have been in at least 5 years and maybe since our last Cup trip in 97.

Can the Flyers get to the elusive Finals and finally win? Tough call, I'm not sure if this year's their year. I think they can beat anyone in league on any given day, but over a 7 game series I think some teams are just too tough to beat. Still, I am excited to watch the team and I am going to get to see them in person in March (at Nassau Coliseum against the terrible Islanders). It's a day I look forward to.

That's all for 2008, hopefulyl 2009 will bring good forutne all of you readers as well as myself, so long.