These were selected by….Glenn Clark. Enjoy!
Honorable Mention: Orioles sign Miguel Tejada, Maryland names Kevin Anderson Athletic Director, Navy pounds Notre Dame at Meadowlands, Ravens beat Jets on Monday Night Football, Maryland field hockey wins National Championship, Shogun Fights II & III come to 1st Mariner Arena, John Tillman hired as Maryland lacrosse coach, Ravens sign T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Trice Capra reaches 3rd round of U.S. Open, Terrapins hold off Midshipmen in Labor Day thriller at M&T Bank Stadium, Cliff Tucker buries Georgia Tech with incredible buzzer beater
10. Danny O’Brien breaks out as Maryland tops NC State
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz6qO2a5nRI[/youtube]
Maybe the “moment” should be O’Brien getting his first start against Florida International. Unfortunately, no one was at Byrd Stadium that day and even fewer were watching on ESPN3.com.
Maybe the “moment” should be Maryland’s battle against Florida State in College Park where O’Brien nearly beat the Seminoles and gave the Terrapins a chance to play in the ACC Championship Game. But the Terps lost that game.
So I’ll stick with the season closer. It was an epic breakout performance from a freshman quarterback that offered hope to Maryland fans that change had come.
Of course, change was really STILL to come.
9. Ravens trade for Anquan Boldin
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itI56uxrbeU[/youtube]
If you actually go to the page for that YouTube video, you’ll find multiple Super Bowl related comments.
That was the immediate feeling when the Ravens traded two NFL Draft picks to the Arizona Cardinals for Boldin. Since that time, the Boldin deal has looked…well…not quite as overwhelming. But it doesn’t change the moment.
In that moment, the Ravens became the “Offseason Champs”, an honor the Washington Redskins had owned for years.
The difference? The Ravens till have a chance to be the REAL champs as well.
8. Baltimore Grand Prix officially announced
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntu-FrV9ufY[/youtube]
Look, I’M not a fan of the IndyCar Series myself. Well, other than Danica Patrick anyway.
And I have NO IDEA how many folks in Baltimore could EVER tell you who Will Power or Dario Franchitti were.
But if the Baltimore Grand Prix raises as much money for the city as Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Governor Martin O’Malley say it will, this could be a MAJOR moment for this area.
7. The return of the Preakness infield
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHLL8YQmCoA[/youtube]
After the “miserable failure” (my own words, folks) that was the 2009 Preakness “Infieldfest” event, the Maryland Jockey Club hit a home run in 2010.
Pimlico’s infield was covered in people thanks to a $20 “All you can drink” ticket that replaced the previous BYOB experience and an awesome musical combination or O.A.R. and Zac Brown Band (which was LIGHT YEARS better than ZZ Top and Buckcherry the previous year).
It was an awesome event. Hopefully there will be another one.
By the way, does anyone remember who won the Preakness this year?
(Edit from GMC: It was Lookin at Lucky. I ALMOST had to go to Wikipedia to jog my memory.)
6. Duke beats Virginia in lacrosse Final Four
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3g2YHrYETk[/youtube]
Maybe Notre Dame’s improbable run to the National Championship Game or the Blue Devils’ thrilling Memorial Day win over the Fighting Irish were bigger stories; but the Saturday showdown between the Cavaliers and Devils was absolutely EPIC.
The impact of Yeardley Love’s murder added to the buildup surrounding the game, as Cavs coach Dom Starsia was reminded of George Huguely’s name throughout the NCAA Tournament. Also adding to the buildup was the presence of the final class of “Super Seniors” from Duke, as the NCAA granted all Duke players an extra year of eligibility following the scandal that rocked the Durham campus in 2006.
The game was even better than the incredible buildup. Max Quinzani’s game winner with 13 seconds left finished off what had been one of the more incredible quarters of lacrosse ever seen in Charm City.
This will be the only entry on the list that doesn’t involve a local team. It was good enough that it doesn’t matter.
5. Orioles hire Buck Showalter
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STRgnJzuHxc[/youtube]
When I gave my “Local Sports Person of the Year” vote to Buck Showalter, I said his hiring represented the first real “hope” Birds fans had experienced since the 2005 campaign, when the team reached the All-Star Game still leading the American League Wild Card race.
What happened with the O’s down the stretch (a 34-23 finish under Showalter) means little if the team does not build upon it. But the hope that came with the incredible finish was that the team COULD build upon it.
We’ll see.
But it certainly doesn’t change the level of excitement that came with Showalter’s hiring and incredible two month run. If things truly turn around for the Orioles, it will be marked as the actual moment of change.
4. Joe Flacco finds TJ Houshmandzadeh to beat Steelers in Pittsburgh
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJIHpJLRWog[/youtube]
I’m pretty sure my column that day said it all.
The Ravens were ABSOLUTELY on their way to another crushing loss at Heinz Field; and I wasn’t going to believe it wouldn’t end that way until the moment Houshmandzadeh hauled in the Flacco TD toss.
The Ravens QB had never lead his team from behind to win in the final two minutes of regulation.
That changed.
Had the Ravens held on to finish the sweep of the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium; the win would have meant even more.
3. Maryland beats Duke to (essentially) clinch ACC regular season title
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiIW27uR56s[/youtube]
As I stated when he was voted “Local Sports Person of the Year”, this was the defining moment for Greivis Vasquez.
Beating good teams at Comcast Center has been somewhat commonplace for the Terps in the Gary Williams era. In fact, Maryland had knocked off North Carolina in College Park just a season earlier. (Both the 2009 Tar Heels and this year’s Blue Devils would go on to win the NCAA Championship.)
Yet somehow, this particular win over a good team was more satisfying. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that it was Senior Night for Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that the win would ultimately prove to be the difference as the Terps would split the ACC regular season title.
More than anything, it probably had everything to do with the fact that it was Duke.
Wins ALWAYS feel better when they come against Duke.
2. Ravens go to Foxborough, beat New England Patriots in AFC playoffs
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MwFU4xYzV4[/youtube]
If it had been a round (or definitely two rounds) later, this would have been a slam dunk #1 on the list. Unfortunately, the flat performance in a divisional round loss to the Indianapolis Colts a week later took some of the excitement out of the win at Gillette Stadium.
That being said, the emotions of a dominant win over a Bill Belichick/Tom Brady lead team on the road won’t be forgotten for some time.
It was even more emotional when the story of Matthew Costello (son of WMAR anchor Jamie Costello) giving Cam Cameron the play call for Ray Rice’s opening play TD came out.
It was a huge win and an awesome feeling. It’s just a shame it didn’t extend towards the Super Bowl.
1. Reggie Holmes breaks Morgan State’s all-time scoring record in win over Coppin State
I was there for #2, #3 and #4. This was better.
The emotions inside Hill Field House were incredible.
It was Senior Night, the final home game for star guard Reggie Holmes.
Holmes was announced as MEAC Player of the Year. Kevin Thompson was announced as MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. Dewayne Jackson was announced as MEAC Freshman of the Year. Todd Bozeman was announced as MEAC Coach of the Year.
Holmes’ entire neighborhood (Cherry Hill) was in the stands…and actually rushed the floor PREGAME. The game started more than an hour late.
Holmes needed 33 points to break Marvin “The Eraser” Webster’s Bears career scoring record. He scored 36 in a blowout win.
It was incredible.
It represented everything that makes college basketball in Baltimore great. It represented everything that makes Baltimore sports great.
It was the best moment of the year.
Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…
-G
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