Here we are again, the birth of a
new year, and the birth of a new world of historic moments that are set to take
place in 2016. Over the past couple of years, the world of sports has been
generating content that one can only wish to see in their lifetime, and
somehow, new greatness continues to come along each and everyday. With 2015
came along that “Where were you when?” question. Where were you when the jays
won game 5? I ran down the street to my friends’ house (barefoot) (crying)
(puking – literally), immediately after it ended, a moment I will remember for
the rest of my life. Here is a look back on some of the most unbelievable
moments in sports through 2015.
Living in Toronto, it’s difficult
to be able to look forward to events in sports around the city, mainly because
nothing really ever goes in favor of Toronto Sports teams. BUT, one hopeful day
in the middle of October in 2015 can possibly go down as one of the greatest
days in Toronto sports history. October 14th 2015. The day that the
Toronto Blue Jays captured the ALDS against the Texans rangers, moving on to
play the Kanas City Royals in the ALCS, and on this same day, Toronto FC
clinched a playoff berth (hats off to you, Sebastian Giovinco) sending the reds
to the playoffs for the first time in club history. Years of pain and sorrow
from disappointed Toronto fans were irrevocably taken away in a matter of
hours.
Let me take
you back to the 2015 MLB season. There were plenty of moments this year to
remember for a lifetime, but some in particular stood out more than others. The
2015 Toronto Blue Jays – a spectacle. If I had to choose one single word to
describe the Jay’s season, it would be epic. For starters, the acquisitions
made by Alex Anthopolous in the offseason (and during the season) were some of
the greatest and strategic moves made by a baseball general manager… ever.
Bringing Donaldson awoke some controversy in Jays land, because people weren’t
100% sure it was a good idea to give away Brett Lawrie, who was for some
people, the Canadian baseball god. Looking back at it now, after Donaldson won
the 2015 AL MVP, I think it’s safe to say that AA made a good decision. With
the acquisition before the trade deadline of the ace jays fans were yearning
for, and the all star the outfielder needed, the chances of the Jays making the
playoffs and winning the division were finally in sight. Skip over to the
historic Game 5 of the ALDS. October 14th 2015. So many things come
to mind when recalling back to this monumental day. It was a do or die game, if
the jays lost, all hopes of attaining the World Series title would be gone.
Fast forward to that insanely horrifying and blood crippling 7th
inning. I couldn’t explain to you exactly what happened even if I tried. Some sort
of freak accident led the Rangers to score a run and gain the lead. Tick tock
tick tock and hour goes by and fast forward to the bottom of the 7th,
were the magic happened. THAT BATT FLIP – or should I say, JOEY BATT FLIP.
Excluding Joe Carters homerun of the century to win the World Series, Bautista’s
bat flip will go down in history as one of the most historic and ground
breaking moments in all of sports history. That single flip of the
bat-represented hope and optimism for Toronto sports fans. The crowd went wild.
With that, the Jays advanced to the ALCS, only to lose to the Kansas City
Royals whom eventually became World Series champs. Through it all, the 2015
Jays brought back the joy of baseball to Canadians everywhere, and gave us
pieces of history that will last a lifetime.
Mike
Babcock, the man that can potentially save the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s safe
to say that the rebuild of the leafs is in the early stages of progress, but by
Leafs management going out and making Babcock rich for life (with his 50
million dollar salary through 8 years) was a huge step toward success.
Think about
how much you have accomplished before the age of 22, or if you aren’t there
yet, think about how much you can accomplish before turning 22. Odds are, you
will not have, or won’t accomplish as much as Jordan Spieth had in his 22nd
year of life. As incredible as it would have been to see Spieth collect a grand
slam in the same year, it was not meant to be, but that is not to take away
from his indescribable performances he put on in 2015. With a win at Augusta,
and nail biting win at Chambers Bay between the 22 year old, and good old DJ,
Spieth showed his worth, and that is exactly why he was the number one player
in golf in 2015.
Another
youngster to shake the lives of sports fans in 2015 was none other than
18-year-old Connor McDavid. It’s hard to believe that someone my age plays at
the skill level of that guy. Most guys my age can’t even properly ask a girl on
a date… I might have grown up in the wrong town. Anyhow, with Canada winning the
world juniors, and having McDavid lead the way, it was clear cut that McDavid
would go first overall in the draft. There was a debate between McDavid and
Jack Eichel, almost like a debate between the countries the superstars are
from, but to no surprise, McDavid came up on top. McDavid landed with the
seemingly lucky Oilers and Eichel with the Sabres.
With
everything that surrounds the world of sports, there are many mishaps to happen
over the course of a year. Lets discuss Genie Bouchard for a moment shall we?
Last year, Genie had the year of a lifetime – showing the world that she
potentially could be something special in the world of tennis. Fast forward to
2015, when she was going into the ATP season sitting at number 7 in the world,
fast forward again to now where she currently sits at number 48 in the world,
losing 10 of 11 matches – not long after she had made it to 3 slam semis in
2014. Its bizarre in many ways that we look at this woman now who we idolized
last year, to thinking this year that she needs to turn it around. How did this
happen Genie?
Its an
incredible feat to win multiple games over and over again. When the beginning
of the 2015 NBA season began, dating back to the end of the 2014 season, when
the Golden State Warriors took home the championship, it got to the point where
it was hard to believe that Golden State would ever lose. They were seemingly
impossible to beat. Over and over Steph Curry displayed utter dominance on the
court, asserting himself as one of the best players to step on the court. The
team made NBA history, only to lose (just a couple of weeks ago) to the
Milwaukee Bucks (another “where were you when? Moment, eh?). And lets not
forget the Carolina Panthers. For a reason I will never be able to understand,
the media didn’t cover their 14 game win streak as much as I would think they
would if it were the New England Patriots streaking… but it’s fine, the media
has their favorites, so I’m taking the time to bid them a job well done.
Every year,
soccer fans look toward the tournament of champions, a competition where the
best of the best in soccer from all around the world come together to play the
beautiful game. Juventus went into the Champions League final in 2015 with a
tremendous amount of pressure, facing Messi and the rest of the Barcelona
squad. Unfortunately (for me) Juventus was unable to come up on top that day in
June, and it would have been something special to see Pirlo win before leaving
the club to play in the MLS. Don’t let my bias get in the way though, Barcelona
was destined to win that day, how it was meant to be.
Looking
back, I realize that these are just small pieces of history that I am able to
take with me, to talk about with people whom I don’t even know yet. These
moments in sports history can be translated through anything, different people
and places all over the world can see these moments themselves and make them
their own. Just like for me, the Jays winning the ALDS is a moment in time I
will take with me for the rest of me life. I could only hope that in 2015, a
little piece of sports history was engraved with you, and that you can take it
with you wherever life takes you, because like I always say, there’s no better
feeling in the world than being a sports fan.
