10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (12/28-12/30)

10. Hideki Matsui Retires
            Matsui easily ranks as one of my five favorite Yankees of the 2000s. Affectionately nicknamed “Chief Matsui” in the greater Mount Washington Valley area, he will be best remembered as the best Japanese baseball import not named Ichiro Suzuki.

9. Clippers Win 17^th in a Row

            Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers’ organization have every right to acknowledge the Clippers as the better NBA team in Los Angeles.

8. Patriots Dominate Dolphins

7. Broncos Clobber Chiefs
            With both teams snagging first round byes Sunday, it’s hard to fathom which of the other four AFC Playoff teams will prevent a Manning-Brady AFC Championship Game battle.

6. Eagles Officially Quit on Andy Reid

5. Giants Eliminated From Postseason Contention
            When it was 21-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter, I was starting to feel bad for Andy Reid, but then I remembered all the times his Eagles used to beat the crap out of the pathetic Cowboys in the early 2000s. His gross mismanagement of timeouts, challenges, and the play clock will be sorely missed. As for the Giants, I couldn’t be happier that they will be starting their off-season early.
           
4. Cain Velasquez Rocks Junior Dos Santos
            We’ll give Dos Santos a Tommy Point for fighting the final three rounds with a broken jaw.

3. Redskins Win the NFC East
            For those of you that bet a backbreaking Tony Romo interception would lead to doom for the Cowboys, pat yourselves on the back.

2. Chuck Pagano Returns to the Colts Sideline, Colts Beat Texans

            No Credentials has really dropped the ball on the story of Pagano, who made his emotional return in the Colts final home game. Kudos to them for wrecking the Texans opportunity for home-field advantage.

1. Minnesota Vikings Complete Stunning Run to the Playoffs

            The best result of Sunday afternoon’s back and forth, highflying shootout between Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson? They get to do it again Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (10/5-10/7)

10. Terry Francona Finds a New Job
            Unfortunately, it’s not with the Red Sox.

9. Messi and Ronaldo Both Score Twice, Match Ends in a Draw

            I don’t know what Nou Camp is, but anything that puts the two best futbol players in the universe on the same field works for me.

8. Ridiculous Infield Fly Call Helps Cardinals Hang On Against Braves

            Here’s a simple rule all umps should follow…if the left fielder is calling for the ball, than the infield fly rule does not apply.

7. South Carolina Pounds #5 Georgia

6. Florida Shuts Down #4 LSU
5. NC State Stuns #3 Florida State
            The last time three teams in the top 5 lost on the same day was October 11, 2008. Interestingly enough, that was the same day friend of the blog Mike Stevens and I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find a bar that was televising Game 2 of the ALCS between Boston and Tampa Bay. The events clearly aren’t related, but I thought I would note it.

4. Texas Rangers Finish Off End Of Year Choke, Lose Play-In Game to Baltimore
            It’s great to see Baltimore advance deeper into the post-season, but it’s also a shame that this is likely the end of the Josh Hamilton era in Texas. Mostly because that means Boston will probably pay him $220 million this winter.

3. Drew Brees Breaks Consecutive Games With a Touchdown Pass Record
            Even more important for New Orleans, the Saints finally got a win. 

2. Matt Kenseth Dodges Massive Last Lap Wreck at Talladega

            Sunday’s finish was ridiculous, even by Talladega’s lofty standards of wild endings.

1. Colts Honor Their Coach, Shock Packers

            Storming back from a 21-3 halftime deficit, Andrew Luck and company played out of their minds in an effort to win for Head Coach Chuck Pagano, who was diagnosed with Leukemia six days prior.