Top 10 Sports Moments Of The Decade

The decade is ending, another list is made, yada yada yada. But this is one that is actually pretty good, the top 10 sporting moments of the past decade. Take a look and see if your favorite sporting moment is on it.

10. 2006 college football championship game, Texas 41, U.S.C. 38 Video Here

Itâ€™s American college football, which translates about as well as George W. Bush internationally, but this wild ride and the Texas quarterback Vince Young transcended cultural barriers. Never has a winning touchdown run on 4th and 5 seemed more like a sure thing.

9. 2006 World Cup final, Italy 1-France 1 (5-3 on penalty kicks) Video Here

Not much of a show until ZinÃ©dine Zidane lost his head and used it to butt the Italian defender Marco Materazzi in overtime. Zidane was sent off in his final game, and France lost. Italy didnâ€™t seem to mind.

8. 2003 Rugby Union World Cup final, England 20, Australia 17 Video Here

On a soggy night in Sydney, Jonny Wilkinson broke a tie and turned long-overdue England into a winner with a drop kick in the closing seconds of overtime.

7. Super Bowl XLII in 2008, New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 Video Here

All that was required to keep the Patriots from the first perfect season in 35 years was a backup wide receiver, David Tyree, catching the ball on the side of his helmet on a third-down desperation pass with little more than a minute left. Eli Manning then threw the winning TD to Plaxico Burress.

6. 2008 Olympics, menâ€™s 100-meter final Video Here

It wasnâ€™t a race; it was Usain Boltâ€™s coming-out party. The tall Jamaican accelerated like no man in history, then downshifted with 20 meters to go. He still broke the world record.

5. 2008 Olympics, menâ€™s 4-by-100 freestyle swimming relay Video Here

With a half lap to go, Alain Bernard of France, the 100-meter world-record holder coming into the race, had a half-body length lead on Jason Lezak of the United States. France couldnâ€™t possibly lose but did, and Michael Phelps would go on to win eight gold medals after all.

4. 2004 American League Championship Series, Game 4, Boston Red Sox 6, New York Yankees 4

One inning from being swept, the Red Sox stared down their bum luck and rallied to win. They went on to win the World Series for the first time since 1918, ending the â€œcurse of the Bambinoâ€ (i.e., never trade Babe Ruth).

3. 2008 U.S. Open golf championship Video Here

Tiger Woods in pain was even more compelling than Woods at the top of his game, and Woods limped and grimaced his way around the Torrey Pines course to a playoff victory over the lovable loser Rocco Mediate. Not bad for a man with a double stress fracture in his leg and a knee that would require surgery. Sounds like fun compared to what Woods has been through lately.

2. 2005 Champions League final, Liverpool 3, A.C. Milan 3 (3-2 on penalty kicks) Video Here

In Istanbul, Milan led 3-0 at halftime, which, considering how Milan usually plays defense, should have been more than enough. But three goals in six minutes from Liverpool turned this into a classic.

1. 2008 Wimbledon menâ€™s final, Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7 Video Here

The perfect blend of the right men and the right moment. Nadal weathered two rain delays and an offensive from Federer to end his friendly archrivalâ€™s five-year reign at Wimbledon in a five-set epic that compared favorably with the John McEnroe-Bjorn Borg duel in 1980. The match, which lasted four hours and 48 minutes is widely considered by critics, players and fans alike as one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) tennis matches of all time.

What do you think? Did your favorite make it?

source: The Top 10 of a Decade [New York Times]

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Top 10 Sports Moments Of The Decade

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