2011 Sports Year Review: Part Four

For the fourth and final installment of my 2011 Sports Year Review, I'll take a look back at a few events that helped shape the year. They may not have been the biggest stories of the year; however, they are events that certainly left their mark on the sporting landscape. Three stories; one from the NBA, one from the NFL and one from MLB. After all is said and done I will have touched on six stories from this past year, the six stories I feel defined the 2011 sporting year.

Kevin Durant's lockout-

We all know the NFL and NBA locked out their players this summer. While the NFL lockout was relatively short and ultimately resulted in no regular season games lost, the NBA lockout extended into the season. The NBA's lockout put an entire season in jeopardy and cost us 16 games after everything was said and done. With an extended off season, NBA players had to find other ways to bide their time. Deron Williams was quick to find another way to get paid for playing basketball as he to his talents overseas. Other players found more practical ways to supplement their income (see Delonte West). As the lockout progressed other players followed Williams' lead and made a play for overseas teams. Most of these players were mid-level guys who couldn't afford to stay unemployed for too long; the J.R Smiths and Aaron Brooks of the world. Although Kobe Bryant did flirt heavily with an Italian team and most likely some Italian women, amongst others, no real superstars other than Williams made the jump. What most NBA players did was hit the street ball and charity event circuit. Players like Lebron and Carmelo flocked to high school gyms and dazzled fans. One player stood above the rest though; Kevin Durant.

Before last season, Durant helped lead a young U.S team to a gold medal. He took the momentum from that experience and turned it into a season where he lead the league in scoring, again, and almost lead his young Thunder team to the Finals. As the season ended and talks of a missed season increased, Durant was determined to not let all his momentum go to waste. He hit the street ball circuit with a vengeance. Putting on masterful performances at historical venues like Rucker Park, Durant almost single handedly kept basketball relevant during a boring lockout.

Unlike the NFL lockout, the specifics of the NBA lockout were confusing. It wasn't easy for the common fan to follow. Durant's other worldly performances provided highlights for ESPN that reminded fans why we were bummed we might lose an NBA season. Durant's silky smooth handles and endless range translated beautifully to the exhibition circuit transforming him into somewhat of a legend. It's hard to believe in just his early 20s we can mention Durant and legend in the same sentence but that’s how good his lockout off season was. Even when he didn't feel like playing basketball he kept active by paying flag football with frat guys and Lebron James.

It is still to be determined as to how detrimental this lockout will be for the NBA. This shortened season could be a jam packed season of greatness or it could be a flop. One thing is for sure, when I'm gold old and gray and my grandkids ask about the 2011 lockout, the first thing I'll tell them about is Kevin Durant.

The Cardinals literally save St. Louis-

With only 31 games to play, the St. Louis Cardinals found themselves 10 and a half games out of the playoffs. From there they went on an improbable run. They clinched their playoff spot on the final game of the season (take that pundits who say with a 162 game season does losing one game really matter). They upset the Phillies and their pitching staff of super heroes and found themselves playing for the World Series Title. They would go on to beat the Texas Rangers in The Series and send Tony La Russa out on top.

But the real story is how the Cardinals literally saved the city of St. Louis. Suffering through a down economy, the mayor of St. Louis ordered city employees to take up to three weeks of work furloughs. The cut backs were expected to save the city 2.8 million dollars. Baseball is a huge deal in St. Louis so one can only image how devastated fans were to see their beloved Cardinals 10 games out of the playoffs and have to worry about taking 3 weeks of work furlough.

Then the Cardinals' historic run happened. They made the playoffs and by the time they reached the World Series they had already helped the city raise 2 million dollars in extra funds. With projections of another 900,000 coming if the series went seven games (which it did) the mayor canceled the work furloughs.

Feel good stories occur in sports quite often, however, this one seems to follow a Hollywood screenplay. Tell me you couldn't see a Disney movie that follows the lives of four hard working families in St. Louis whose lives are changed when the local baseball team makes an improbable run to the World Series. Did anyone check if Christopher Lloyd was in the outfield at Cardinals games because I'm pretty sure a young Joseph Gordon Levitt once wished for his life to be changedif his local baseball team won the pennant? The Cardinals aren't the villains like the Yankees; they are a bright spot for many hard work people in St. Louis. So to see their improbable run literally save their city is just as heartwarming as it gets.

The Tim Tebow Era-

You knew it was coming. A piece on Tebow was inevitable. There is no way around it. Even after the Broncos' loss to the Patriots, there is no doubt that Timothy Richard Tebow has put his heavily religious, almost too good to be true nice guy, come from behind stamp on 2011.

Whether or not the Broncos win a playoff game. Whether not the Broncos even make the playoffs, there is no doubt that the Tebow era in Denver has captivated fans of the NFL this year. Think about this for a second... Drew Brees is going to break Dan Marino's all-time passing yards record. Tom Brady, Eli Manning and Aaron Rogers all have a shot to break it as well. Cam Newton is going to break the single season rookie record for passing yards and has already set the all-time record for QB rushing touchdowns. Somehow Alex Smith has gone from huge bust to Super Bowl contender. Peyton Manning has missed an entire season and could potentially be traded in the off season. Yet, despite all of this, Tim Tebow has been the most talked about quarterback of the 2011 season. Just a quick recap... Marino, who has been number 1 in passing yards for a single season for the last 27 years, could be number 5 all-time by the end of the season. A rookie is putting together one of the greatest all-time rookie seasons. Once a candidate to become Ryan Leaf 2, Alex Smith could lead a team to the Super Bowl. The face of the league may be traded because he may never play the same again and the most talked about quarterback is the guy who hasn't even started all his team's games!

I'm done with my rant so now I'll show some respect for the Tebow. If his FRS commercial hasn't made you a believer (A quick thought, did Tebow miss the ring for the first 3 and a half hours of the shoot then nail 9 takes in a row in the last 5 minutes of shooting?), than his 7-2 record as a starter has to have done something. Sure he has played abysmal at times, benefitted from good defense, unexplainable fumbles from opposing players and Matt Prater's golden leg but he is winning and captivating America at the same time. Has a nicer guy ever been so polarizing? Has a quarterback ever made his team feel like having him run gave them the best chance to win? Has any other athlete outside of Babe Ruth ever had his name used as anything other than a noun?

Whether you think he's a good quarterback or not (He's not, yet, but he has the work ethic that could get him there) you have to respect what he is doing. It's an overused term in sports but Tebow has the intangibles. He is a great leader, an amazing athlete and has a tireless work ethic. He may not be the greatest passer (I know, kind of vital as a quarterback) but you have to believe he'll get better. Even if he can become an average passer, Tebow possesses the qualities that could make him great. While whether or not he turns out to be an all-time great is still a long ways away, there is no denying that 2011 wouldn't be the same without Tim Tebow.