Top Ten of 2010

      With 2010 officially in the books, I thought it best to take a look back on the top plays that made up the year.  However, before we begin our journey back through a memorable 2010, here are a few plays that will not be on the count down.  The Oklahoma St. DB  who jumped out of bounds and tipped the ball to his teammate for the pick.  I may be alone on this one since this play has shown up on every end of the year count down, but I'm just not impressed.  First off, the player who actually made the pick gets practically zero recognition.  If he doesn't turn around at the precise time he does and have the awareness to catch that ball, the other guy is simply a dumb DB who jumped out of bounds and threw the ball back into play.  Another play you won't see, Tyreke Evans half court game winner.  Its not that I'm not impressed by the play, he just has too much working against him.  It happened way to late in the year. To make a top ten count down of the year in December, you have to have a truly amazing play.  Normally anytime you win a game Jerry West style it should be good enough, however, when that half court shot wins your sixth game and we are thirty plus into the year, its just not all that memorable. Finally, zero plays from the world cup will be acknowledged. I know what you're saying, "C'mon, soccer is huge all over the world."  No soccer is huge in places where men go to the beach like this. When that catches on in the states, maybe I'll give soccer a try. So now that some specifics have been cleared up, here is the top ten of 2010 (Just a side note, 2010 is the best year ever for a top ten count down. Top Ten of Twenty-Ten just rolls off your tongue so effortlessly.)
  
Number Ten-Amar'e over Tolliver
If Tyreke's half court game winner doesn't make the countdown because of significance of the moment, then the Amar'e dunk makes it because of significance.  This monstrous dunk occurred in the late stages of a tight game for a team making a playoff push late in the season.  Sure it was the Warriors and the Suns should have handled them easily, but when a team with the scoring power of the Warriors plays a team with the up-tempo style of the Suns, the game is always going to close. As for Amar'es poster pal, Anthony Tolliver...here was an undrafted free agent, just called up from the D-League having the game of his life (He finished with a very respectable 25 and 12). Close game, arguably one of the hotter players in the game at the moment going up for the block and Amar'e decides to take off from outside the key.  This play had a great deal of risk if Toliver blocks this dunk. If he blocks the dunk the Suns probably lose the game, falter a bit down the stretch and never make a surprise run at the West Finals. OK, maybe the dunk didn't have that much significance but it had enough to be number ten.

Number Nine-Ovie's one hander
We all know I'm not big on hockey, but I can still appreciate a great deal of athletic ability.  Everyone has played a sport with a younger sibling or smaller opponent and promised to play one handed to level the playing field and undoubtedly at some point cheated and used both hands.  Alexander Ovechkin goes all one handed on a bunch of professional players and never cheats.  The average Joe and even some professional hockey players would have trouble doing watch Ovechkin did with two hands let alone just one. On an empty net this would still be a pretty impressive play, with a goalie and a defender holding his other arm, it is worthy of number nine.

Number Eight-Jonathan Bryd's walk of Hole-in-One
You don't see a lot of highlights from golf throughout the year, however, it just may be one of the most underrated sports.  The level of skill involved is ridiculous. A five year old can get lucky and make a basketball into a basketball hoop.  I doubt that same five year old could pick up a nine iron and hit a golf ball off a ten 200 yards into a hole not much larger than a shot glass.  Hitting a hole-in-one is impressive in its own right.  Many professional golfers go entire careers without accomplishing the feat.  Jonathan Bryd not only hit a hole-in-one, he hit a hole-in-one on a playoff hole to win the tournament.  Yeah, the tournament was sponsored by Justin Timberlake, so it wasn't like he did this at the Masters or even the FBR Open. But a hole-in-one to win a tournament is still pretty crazy, crazy enough for the number eight spot.

Number Seven-Jags Hail Mary
This is one of those plays that when it actually works on any level; pee-wee, high school, college, pro, it is going to be one of the best plays of the year.  This one is particularly special because it did happen in the pros, it wasn't just at half time, it won the game and a great deal of luck went into making it possible.  Sure this didn't have the significance of a Doug Flutie Haily Mary, but it still won the game. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. The Texan defenders played this Hail Mary exactly how you're taught to play a Haily Mary, knock it down.  No one ever tells you, be careful you don't knock it right into the hands of a receiver trailing the play. The Jags game winning Haily Mary is special enough to land the number seven slot on the list.

Number Six-Rose over Dragic
Any time you can go onto YouTube and type two words, Rose Dragic, and pages of the same play come up, you know it was a big play.  The new year was only 22 days old when this play happened, but it resonated for the rest of the year. Typically when point guards get dunked on its no big deal.  However, this isn't exactly Steve Nash trying to take a charge on Ricky Davis.  Dragic has some pretty good hops for a 6'3 Slovenian point guard and had made a pretty good effort in trying to go up and block Rose.  There was just one problem, while Dragic may have decent ups for a Slovenian point guard, Rose has decent ups for a 6'6 shooting guard in his point guard body. Dragic had no business challenging Rose on that dunk attempt but he did and that gave us number six on this list.

Number Five-Randy Moss' One Hander over Revis
Through out the NFL season you are bound to see a plethora of one handed grabs.  You'll even be lucky enough to see a handful of them made for touchdowns.  However, you don't usually see them made against arguably the best cover DB in the league and you don't typically see the receiver make the catch and toe drag look like he just caught a Nerf football with some friends in the park. Part of what has always made Moss seem so good is that at times he makes extraordinary plays look like he put zero effort into it.  However, that same zero effort look on run blocking and other such plays has also lead Moss to be on three different teams and traded for late round draft picks. Moss' imperfections aside, this one handed grab is one of the best I've ever seen and good enough to land number five.

Number Four-A Blake Griffin dunk
In his very short NBA career, Blake Griffin has already provided us with some ridiculous dunks.  There are far too many to choose from, which is pretty insane seeing how he hasn't even played forty career games.  There are just too many monstrous dunks to narrow it down to one for a play of the year.  For this slot, I say pick you're personal favorite of Griffin's and insert here.  For me it has to be his dunk on the Knicks.  It has a little of everything.  Kind of reminds you of the Tom Chambers dunk in the way that he makes contact with the defender then seems to continue to rise up.  It has a little bit of the Dwight Howard Superman dunk in the way that he doesn't exactly dunk it but rather gets high enough to throw the ball down throw the hoop. And its on a big stage, its at the Garden, the Mecca of Basketball.  Another great part of Griffin's dunk on the Knicks, the way Amar'e Stoudemire can't help but give his approval after Griffin posterizes his teammate. Pick a Blake Griffin dunk and make it number four.

Number Three-Not One but Two Crazy Japanese Baseball catches
In America we freak out when we see Tory Hunter get his wrist just enough over the wall to take away what would barely have been a homerun. However, in Japan, when a outfielder goes all Taka Tanaka on them, it is apparently pretty commonplace since these two crazy homerun robbing catches happened in the same week.  The movie Major League 2 made a joke of catches like these in the 90's but apparently the Japanese are using the Major League movies as instructional videos.  If a player in the MLB did this it would be the greatest baseball play ever, but it happened in Japan so its only good enough for number three.

Number Two- Federer goes between his legs
Just like golf, tennis doesn't typically land a spot on the nightly top ten let alone the yearly.  However, Federer's between the legs shot is something to be amazed by.  First off, this wasn't an exhibition match, Federer wasn't joking around, he seriously thought that was the only way he could hit that ball. Second, its not like he simply hit the ball between his legs and it was lobbed over the net setting up his opponent for the point. He hit the shot so good he scored.  This would have been a good forearm shot. Third, Federer risks looking very stupid if this fails. So many things could go wrong here and he would have been hung out to dry on every not top ten list for the rest of the year. Instead Federer makes an amazing shot and lands himself the number two play of 2010.

Number One-Buehrle's between the legs flip
I guess I'm just a sucker for when sports stars make plays between their legs, but there is no way this play belongs anywhere but number one.  The only thing it has working against it is that it happened on opening day rendering the game utterly meaningless.  However, the play itself is a thing of wonder.  The play begins with Buehrle just being an average guy.  Any guy who has ever dropped something and tried to kick it back up to himself before it hits the ground knows what I mean. The ball is hit back up the middle and Buehrle goes all instinctive man on us and sticks his leg out trying to make a play. If he lets it go, chances are the second basemen makes a play on the ball. Instead the ball careens off his leg forcing him to now go and make an amazing play. Just like Federer's between the legs shot, Buehrle is risking a great deal of humiliation if this play doesn't work.  Buehrle actually faces more risk because he decides to dive head first while making the play. However, Buehrle apparently knew exactly what he was doing because in one motion he is able to dive forward, scoop the ball with is glove and toss it perfectly to the first basemen for the out.  I'll even give the first basemen a little credit for making the bare handed grab.


     Hope you've enjoyed my top ten of 2010.  Feel free to leave comments and look for future posts.