2008-09 Top Ten: An Introduction/The Last 5 Out

In my first blog post, I mentioned a particular idea that directly led to the creation of my blog. I'm now here to introduce that idea so you'll know what you're getting into for the next week or two.

The idea is really quite simple: a list of my personal top ten sports things from the past year. I say things because that's really the best way to describe them. Some of them will be specific games, some will be broader events, others a team's performance, and still others won't fall under any of these categories.

The list can consist of items from all levels of sport, from high school to the pros, and perhaps even include personal achievements of mine. Were this an 07-08 list my lone intramural championship would certainly be high on the list (Nordiques for life).

I really have no idea where this idea came from, but when I started compiling a list of potential items to make the cut, I thought it would be a lot of fun. Top (insert number here) lists that people make always intrigue me for some reason, so it seemed like a good way to start my blogging career.

I mentioned compiling a list of potential sports things to make the cut into my top ten. My thought process was to list them out so it would be easier to determine the final order. What I discovered, though, was that I had 15 ideas and some would not make the list. Not wanting to cast these items out completely, I decided this introduction would be a good place to discuss the five items that didn't crack to top ten. In true NCAA tournament fashion they've been dubbed, in no particular order, The Last 5 Out.

And here they are:

New Lexington reaches the state semi-finals

In my four years covering high school football in Southeast Ohio, I didn't really see many highly-successful teams. While I did cover the Parkersburg Big Reds on their way to back-to-back West Virginia state championships, I was in Ohio, one of the best states for high school football talent. Most of that talent, though, lies to the north, southwest or middle of the state. But then along came the 2008 New Lexington Panthers. This team didn't go undefeated, or even win the MVL, but they did advance farther in the postseason than any team we covered on Gridiron Glory. Led by the versatile Bret Wycinski and quarterback Clint Cannon, the Panthers reached the Division IV final four, in which they faced Steubenville at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massilon...and therein lies why this almost made my top ten. I finally got the chance to cover late-postseason high school football and visit the home of one of the most storied programs in the state. My comment upon arrival at the stadium was that the stadium, combined with the adjacent paractice facility, was better than what the Ohio University football team works with. Whether or not that statement was true is irrelevant because the point was that I was awe-struck. Even though I never played a down of organized football in my life, I found myself wishing I had gotten to use facilities like Paul Brown when I was in high school.

New Lex fell behind by a couple of scores in the first quarter and, despite playing Steubenville pretty evenly for the rest of the game, couldn't get back into the game. Also it was late November and freezing, making it completely miserable to stand on the sidelines. It even started snowing pretty hard late in the game, which didn't help the cold but did look pretty amazing...it looked like we were inside a snow globe (seriously, it looked exactly like it, big snow flakes and everything). It was a shame the Panthers couldn't pull out the win, but the experience of being on the field of a famed stadium and the atmosphere of such a big game was still amazing.


Ellen Herman

If you don't know who this is, learn about her. Herman, now a senior, has been the best player on the Ohio volleyball team for the past three seasons. She's played on US national teams and made the All-MAC first team the first three seasons of her college career. After covering the volleyball team for a couple years and seeing how hard she can spike the ball, I became legitimately intimidated by the thought of facing her on the court. And after playing pickup basketball with her one spring night at Ping, I have no doubt she could easily play on the Ohio women's basketball team if she wanted to. Enough said.

The Panty Banditos/Softball at the Polo Grounds

It's very unfortunate that I don't have any photographical evidence of my final Ohio University intramural sports team, the Panty Banditos. A year after the Panty Bandits were bounced from the playoffs, the Banditos were born. While we played in a rec league and therefore couldn't win a championship, we played to win. Probably too much. We had a lot of fun on the diamond every Monday during spring quarter, and then at the bars after the games. The season ended perfectly: run-ruling a team, followed by a team pile at home plate after I scored the run that completed the victory, followed by spraying champagne all over our dugout area. Whoever we played hated us.

During the softball season, one Saturday provided another great moment of team and personal achievement. Fellow Banditos Corey Taylor, Joel Beall, Adam 'JC' Beatrice and I, along with Nick Petrello and former intramural great Shane Kline, went to the Athens little league fields to play some ball. If you've never been to these fields, they're great because they're scaled-down versions of major league stadiums. We wanted to play on Fenway, but seeing as it was the only field with a "No Trespassing" sign, we decided to go with the Polo Grounds. A home run derby ensued, which was just us trying to pull pitches over the close but high left field fence. While I don't remember how many long balls I hit or who won the derby (I think it was JC), I certainly remember that I was the only one to go yard over the short fence in left-center, easily the longest homer of the day.

Alexander volleyball wins school's first state title

Just like the Ohio volleyball team is easily the best team at the university, the Alexander volleyball team is by far the best Southeast Ohio high school program in any sport. After reaching the state final four two years in a row, the third time was the charm for the Lady Spartans. Jake Young and I were fortunate enough to witness Alexander dominate the ladies from Gilmour Academy to win the Division III volleyball title. Seeing the joy on their faces and how excited they were in the post-game press conference was just a wonderful thing to see. I never came close to winning a state title, but at least now I've seen somebody win one.

The 2009 NCAA Hockey Championship

Most of this can be explained by watching the following video:



First of all Miami lost this game, which is always a good thing to hear. Second, what an amazing comeback by Boston. Two goals in the final minute, and they weren't your everyday goals. I have no idea what angle the first one was shot at to somehow find its way into the net. And the second one, what a dangle by the guy who made that pass to draw the defender in and then slide it cross-crease for the one-timer. And finally there's the overtime goal. I can't say I love to see plays like this because all I could say after it happened was, "What a horrible way to lose." Think about it: the defender goes down to block the shot from the point, sacrificing his body, and gets a pretty good piece of it. Not good enough, though. Watch the replay again, you can tell the goalie legitimately never saw the puck until it fluttered right next to his head, and by then it was too late. That has to be the definition of 'heartbreaking." Still, one of the craziest endings to a hockey game I've ever seen. Plus, if it had to happen to anyone, better that it happened to Miami.


There you have it, the best of the rest. Obviously there's a reason why these five items didn't make the top ten, but there are some pretty impressive things here...all the more reason to keep an eye out for my next post, where I'll reveal number 10 on my 2008-09 Top Ten.