The Ten Best Sports Moments of the Year

by Ryan

Always end on a high note, right? This probably won't be our last post of the year, but we wanted to at least give the impression that 2008 was an enjoyable sports year. I mean, at least 4 teams wind up happy per year, right?

10. Sabres trade for Craig Rivet.

You knew something was up when the Bernier jerseys went on the clearance rack early. Getting Rivet hasn't paid off just yet, but the Sabres did go out and get a captain. Too bad it took them a year to do it.

9. Sabres/Lightning, 3/19/08

The "cone of silence" game where the Sabres came back from a huge deficit at home. A 7-4 final was a complete surprise, and Vanek got two more in the win. You will be seeing a lot of these involving Thomas Vanek.

8. Red Sox Home Opener, 4/7/08

This one's just for Rich and I, but it's always special to see banners get raised.

7. Manny's catch in Baltimore

This was the catch/high five double play that MLB appears to have destroyed all video of. It's probably on the league's video portal somewhere, but you don't need to see another e-trade ad, do you?

6. Buffalo is awarded World Juniors, 10/27/08

It may not seem like a big deal now, but it will be a big, big deal in a few short years.

5. ALCS Game Five, 10/16/08

This game was absolutely ridiculous, and set up a Game Six road trip that Rich still isn't prepared to talk about. This year's ALCS was a very interesting one for Red Sox fans, but the implausibility of winning that game still stands the test of time despite the end result.

4. UB Wins the MAC

A great moment for college sports in Buffalo, and even more fun because it was pretty unexpected. The Bulls beat an previously unbeaten Ball State and won their first (accepted) bowl bid in one of the best seasons in their D-I history.

3. Sabres/Lightning, 2/20/08

This is the "Vanek Scores a Natural Hat Trick" game.

2. Giants win the Super Bowl.



Ah, schadenfreude. You were good to me this year, old friend.

1. Winter Classic



After January 1st it was all downhill from there. Probably the greatest sporting event of my life, and just the fact that it actually happened still blows my mind. I have a feeling we will talk about this a bit more tomorrow.