KABOOM! MAGAZINE 2010 SPORTS AWARDS!

If you could sum up sports in the year 2010 in one word it would have to be………….controversy. The year started with the demise of golf superstar Tiger Woods and ended with a controversial Heisman chase by one Cam Newton. 2010 was an amusement park roller coaster ride from beginning to end with incredible highs like Giants World Series Victory, Saints bringing a championship to the “Who Dat” Nation, and Landon Donovan goal in the world cup; and incredible lows such as Reggie Bush, Dallas Cowboys, and……..well Tiger Woods sperm count. Kaboom! Magazine reviews the year 2010 in sports with a best of the best compellation of some of the greatest moments and athletes ever that had us all glued to ESPN Sportscenter every night.

Biggest Headline of the Year

“The Decision” by Lebron James: This headline was literally three years in the making, and one of the biggest mysteries ever in sports. In the sports version of “Who Shot J.R.”, Lebron James had the whole world wondering what he was going to do during the 2010 NBA Free Agency period. Lebron had us all wanting to know so much, that ESPN gave him his own full hour special entitled “The Decision” where James would announce to the world where he would be playing next season. James was courted by several teams, including the Knicks, Nets, Heat, Bulls, Mavericks, Clippers, and his hometown Cavaliers. James announced on a live that he will be playing for the Miami Heat for the 2010–11 season and teaming with Miami's other All-Star free agent signees Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The television program drew high ratings as well as criticism for the prolonged wait until James' actual decision and the spectacle of the show itself. Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert almost immediately published an open letter to fans, denouncing James' decision as a "selfish", "heartless", "callous", and "cowardly betrayal", while guaranteeing that the Cavs would win an NBA title before the "self-declared former King."

Team of the Year

San Francisco Giants: The end of the Barry Bonds era, the Giants have been known as the bad news bears of baseball.  In 2010, the Giants won the championship of the Western Division for the first time since 2003. The slogan for the Giants became "Fear the Beard" as they made their push for the playoffs. Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo grew out their facial hair as an intimidation factor and for fun. In the 2010 National League Division Series, the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves three games to one, splitting at home and then sweeping them at Turner Field. The Giants then went on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS 4–2 and advance to face the Texas Rangers in the 2010 World Series. The Giants, along with Tim Lincecum, won Game 5 by a score of 3-1. Lincecum outdueled Cliff Lee in an every-pitch-matters matchup that was scoreless until Renteria hit a stunning three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning. Nelson Cruz homered in the bottom half, and Lincecum returned to his wicked self and preserved the lead. Brian Wilson was brought in to pitch the 9th and produced a scoreless inning, allowing San Francisco to clinch their first World Series since 1954. Tim Lincecum was named the Ram Power Player of the Game for the series clinching Game 5 and Giants catcher Buster Posey was named NL Rookie of the Year.

Best Game of the Year

Butler vs. Duke 2010 NCAA National Title Game: this game was a roller coaster ride from beginning to end; minute by minute, second by second, the NCAA title game got better and better. There was Butler, the team that practices at the fieldhouse where the movie ''Hoosiers'' was shot. This Cinderella team was on the verge of creating a 2010 version to the movie, based on real life where a tiny Indiana school goes against a national powerhouse and comes out a victorious. Then there was Duke, a college basketball landmark filled tradition, talent, and most importantly championships led by one of the greatest of all-time in Coach Krzyzewski. For 39 minutes, 56 seconds of the game, neither team backed down from one another. There were seven ties, 15 lead changes and, amazingly, no team team built a lead of more than six. At times the underdog Butler team look like they were gonna give in to the mighty goliath, but when it seemed all hope was lost; the Bulldogs would put something together and have themselves right back in it. The teams traded steals and missed shots before Butler's Gordon Hayward found teammate Matt Howard on a perfect bounce pass for a layup. 60-57. Butler came down and missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game, but Howard got the rebound and the put-back for another layup for a 60-59 game. With 3.6 seconds left and the score 61-59, Hayward rebounded the intentional miss, turned, dribbled four times, took a step (or two) and launched the ball from halfcourt, near the right sideline. The shot hits the top of the square on the backboard, then the ball hits the inside of the front of the rim, and rattles out of the basket. The buzzer sounds and Butler’s storybook sequel comes to a tragic end. Coach K and Duke may have walk out that night with the championship, but no one will ever forget the night the Butler Bulldogs came within one bounce away from winning a national championship.    

Biggest Upset:

Cain Velasquez defeats Brock Lesnar UFC 121: Usually a fighter with an undefeated record and the power to knockout anyone in a split second it’s more than likely you wanna bet the house on that fighter. Cain Velasquez came to UFC 121 the undefeated No. 1 contender, but was a heavy underdog against the UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lensar who was more experienced, much bigger than Velasquez and was coming off an impressive tapout victory over Shane Carwin. At UFC 121, Cain shock the world beating Lesnar up standing and out-wrestling the larger Lesnar. The one-time Lesnar put Velasquez on his back, he got right back up. It was surprisingly un-close, Lesnar’s size was completely negated by the time that Cain got done rocking him off his feet and Lesnar did get rocked, it was not a pretty sight to see. The crowd erupted, giving proper due to the new champion and Cain Velasquez made history becoming the first Mexican American fighter crowned heavyweight champion in UFC.    

Best Sports Moment of the Year

Landon Donovan game-winning goal in 2010 World Cup: It was way too early for us to be getting drunk in our favorite bar, but in the summer of 2010 U.S. Soccer had us all glued to our favorite barstool watching a sport we only care about every four years. Landon Donovan kept the United States' World Cup hopes alive with a score that will echo forever in U.S. soccer history. The U.S. was headed to what would have been a horridly, bitterly disappointing scoreless draw against Algeria, and would have ended the United States' World Cup run. After Clint Dempsey's push up the middle was saved by Algerian keeper Rais Ouheb Mbouli, the rebound was hammered home by Donovan with absolute certainty and panache to set off a wild celebration. Donovan gave U.S.A a 1-0 win and with it a ticket to the next round. Landon, playing in his 126th game for the U.S. cried before going on camera to talk to reporters about the game-winning goal. Tears of joy echoed from coast to coast after as thrilling a game as you will ever see. For one day, Landon Donovan and Soccer ruled the sports world.

Worst Sports Moment of the Year

Colt McCoy Injury in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game: You always feel bad when you see a player get injured in a game; but there wasn’t a dry eye in house the night Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was taken out of the game on the third play of the 2010 BCS National championship game due to a shoulder injury. It’s not fair to assume that Texas wins this game if McCoy doesn’t get hurt, but it's going to be hard to ever think about this national title game without thinking about McCoy and how Texas was forced to go on and play without their leader. Alabama certainly would’ve kept up the intensity for as long as it would’ve needed to, and it’s up to Texas to have the backups prepared, and have the rest of the team be ready to pick up the slack if the unthinkable happens, but it just didn’t seem like championship game let alone a best of the best contest without McCoy in the game. It’s tragic that the Tide had to win this way, and it's very tragic for McCoy, one of the genuinely classiest players in the COLLEGE FOOTBALL world, never getting a chance to show what he could do in the biggest moment of his life.

Rivalry of the Year

L.A. Lakers vs. Boston Celtics 2010 NBA Finals: In a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers and Celtics faced off in the 2010 NBA Finals. Unlike 2008, the Lakers were the team with home-court advantage. New players for both teams entered the Finals picture, most notably the acquisition of Ron Artest by the Lakers. The Lakers won Game 1 decisively and looked to be far superior dominating the Celtics, leaving many to think that the series wouldn’t last long. The Celtics silence the critics in game, lead behind Ray Allen who set an NBA record with 8 3-pointers in a game.  Both teams split wins in games 3 and 4 leaving the series dead even going into game 5. In Game 5, Bryant took over in the closing minutes of the first half and the third quarter scoring 23 consecutive points for the Lakers, which included 19 in the third. Bryant finished with 38 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds. Despite the valiant effort from Kobe, Boston came out with the victory. With Kendrick Perkins leaving the game after tearing his PCL and his MCL halfway through the 1st quarter, the Lakers cruised to a victory in Game 6 setting up a showdown in Game 7. Game 7 began and the Celtics led the game by a score of 40–34 at halftime and by as many as 13 after halftime, but the Lakers made a charge back in the second half to tie the game up at 64 points in the 4th quarter with just under 6 minutes remaining. The Lakers then proceeded to take their first lead of the 2^nd half and went on a 6–0 run to charge ahead of the Celtics 70–64. In the end, the Lakers topped the Celtics 83–79 in a game which the Boston Celtics lost in the 4th quarter with poor rebounding and entering the penalty early. At the end of the game, the Lakers ended up shooting 21 more fouls shots than the Celtics. The Lakers won their fifth NBA Championship in 11 seasons, their 16th overall and 11th in Los Angeles. This was the first time that the Lakers had defeated the Celtics in a Game 7 Final. 

Sexiest Athlete of the Year

Lindsey Vonn: In a sports world dominated by sports figures the likes of Lebron James, David Beckham, and Tom Brady; Lindsey Vonn has brought the sexiness back to women’s sports that have been missing since the glory days of Anna Kournikova. In 2010, the American alpine ski racer won the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in downhill, the first American woman to do so.  Riding high on her Olympic and world championship success, Vonn became an entertainment darling appearing in numerous high-end commercials and in the final episode of NBC’s Law and Order. Lindsey also showed off her sexy features appearing in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition in 2010 and Vonn also made #59 on 2010 Maxim's Hot 100 list. The Minnesota native recently graces the cover of ESPN the magazine “Movie Issue” dressed up in a Sharon Stone look-like outfit from the movie Basic Instinct”.      

Breakout Star of the Year

Cam Newton: For most of 2010, the new faces of excitement belong to none other than Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. That was until this fall, when out of nowhere a Juco transfer came to Auburn and changed college football forever in one of the most talk about Heisman campaigns in history. Before 2010, Newton was best known as Tim Tebow backup at Florida that left the team when Tebow announce he was coming back for his senior year. Cameron’s now known as the most exciting player in college football. Newton became the first SEC player to ever throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. His biggest moment of 2010 came when he led his Auburn Tigers back from a being down 24–0 to a 28–27 victory over Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Cameron Newton headed to having the largest margin of victory in a Heisman race since O.J. Simpson in 1968. 

Comeback Player of the Year

Michael Vick: Before Tiger Woods, the only professional athlete that no one on earth wanted to be was Michael Vick. In 2007, Michael Vick was on top of the world as one of the highest paid athletes on the planet. That all came to an end in that same year, hours after Vick pleaded guilty to federal charges in the Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation, the NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay. Vick was forced to serve served 21 months in prison, followed by two months in home confinement. After his release from prison, Vick was mentored by former Colts coach Tony Dungy. Vick signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 to their backup quarterback. The Eagles pick up Vick option in 2010 and Vick eventually became the starter in week 2 after Kevin Kolb went down with an injury. Vick was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for the month of September and in November on Monday Night Football; Vick passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns, while he rushed for 80 yards and another two touchdowns. The Pro Football Hall of Fame asked for his game jersey to display after Vick became the first player to pass for three touchdowns and rush for two touchdowns in the first half of a game.    

Female Athlete of the Year

Maya Moore: Moore led Connecticut to their second straight national championship and continued their overall undefeated game-winning streak at 78. The All-American was named 2010 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and won the 2010 ESPY Award for Best Female College Athlete. Moore was selected to play in a basketball game organized by President Barack Obama to entertain wounded troops. The players invited included some current and former stars: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Bill Russell and Magic Johnson.

Male Athlete of the Year

Drew Brees: For Saints fan, 2010 has been a Brees thanks to the starting quarterback. Drew Brees started 2010 leading the Saints to their first ever world champion defeating the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. In April 2010, Brees was voted by fans as the cover athlete of EA Sports upcoming Madden NFL 11 video game. Brees released his first book in July 2010 entitled “Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity”. In June 2010, President Obama appointed Brees to be co-chair of the newly renamed President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, along with former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes. Drew also won the 2010 ESPY Award for Male Athlete of the Year. As a result of both his on-field success with the Saints and his extensive charitable activities since arriving in New Orleans, Sports Illustrated selected Brees for the 2010 Sportsman of the Year. In October 2010, Brees appeared in a video where he gave a strong anti-bullying message in the wake of a series of gay teenage suicides. Drew Brees also became a dad for the 2^nd time in 2010 when his wife gave birth to their 2^nd son Bowen in October.  

 On the heels of news that a cure for HIV has been discovered, arrives speculation once again that Magic Johnson possibly received the same stem cell transplant years ago to rid the basketball superstar of HIV. According to German Doctors,” they strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved.” Magic Johnson has been HIV free for several years now. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1991 and announced his NBA retirement Nov. 7 of that year..Magic Johnson and HIV are trending topics on Twitter right now, and message boards have been rampant with rumors that Magic has been cured for years..The success of the recent discovery may eventually be able to be replicated in others that suffer from HIV, but it will likely be very expensive..If he indeed hasn’t been cured, we sure know he can afford it..Great news all around. 

Joumana Kidd is an actress, journalist and former wife of NBA basketball star Jason Kidd…and now you can win a date with Kidd’s ex if you’re the highest bidder in an auction benefiting charity…Win a “Dream Date” with Joumana is auctioning off a “Dream Dinner Date” to benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. The highest bidder wins domestic round-trip airfare from JetBlue Airways to New York, and a wonderful dining experience with Joumana..and who knows..maybe even some dessert..