Tyler Tomea — Sports Editor Junior from North Caldwell, N.J.
Most Heartbreaking Loss: St. Louis Cardinals over New York Mets in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS Carlos Beltran played six and a half years for the Mets, and he’ll be remembered for one thing: watching a curveball hook over the outside corner with the bases loaded to end New York’s season in the bottom of the ninth. Since then, the Mets have collapsed in two straight Septembers; a late April report in Fortune reported the team is $625 million in debt; and they are obligated to pay Bobby Bonilla (who retired in 2001) $1.19 million each July 1 over the next 25 years. There are more embarrassments to list, but I’m on a word count.
Favorite AU Sports Moment: AU volleyball over George Mason in 2010 Bender Blue Out Volleyball’s Bender Blue Out is one of my favorite AU sports events because it’s the unofficial kickoff to the AU athletics season and always draws a big, high-energy crowd. The Eagles easily handled the Patriots last year, and the 2,055 in attendance (a D.C. collegiate volleyball record) saw a special team in the making.
Favorite Sports Moment: New York Giants over New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII Maybe it was the Giants’ defense with its explosive pass rush that was the only one in the league capable of rattling Tom Brady. Maybe it was New York’s opening drive that lasted 10 minutes that set the tone for the game. Or maybe it was the NFL karma gods rewarding the Giants when — with a playoff berth already clinched — they played all their starters against the undefeated Patriots in a wildly entertaining Week 17 game. Whatever it was, I’ll take it!
And does this make up for the Giants blowing a 24-point lead against San Francisco in the 2002 playoffs or getting embarrassed by the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV? Absolutely!
Most Hated Team: Any team from Philadelphia.
Ben Lasky — Assistant Sports Editor Senior from Washington, D.C.
Most Heartbreaking Loss: Arizona Diamondbacks over New York Yankees in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series It’s Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. The Yankees are up a run with the best closer of all-time on to close it out. Game over, right? That’s what I, and really everyone else, thought. Well guess what … wrong. The Diamondbacks somehow scored two runs off jam shots and an errant throw from Mariano Rivera on a Damian Miller bunt.
But it wasn’t just heartbreaking because the Yankees lost. It was heartbreaking because New York was still healing from the 9/11 attacks, and a Yankee World Series win, with game-tying home runs in the ninth inning of Games 4 and 5, was the kind of story movies are made about.
But it was not to be. Instead, a 12-year-old Ben Lasky cried himself to sleep.
Favorite AU Sports Moment: Men’s Basketball Making the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Tournament There was a buzz around campus. From the team sendoff to the Tavern being packed wall-to-wall with people cheering on AU, it was one week where this campus was obsessed with sports. Being a No. 15 seed in ’08 and a No. 14 seed in ’09, most people knew a victory would be tough. But just making it for the first two times in school history was exciting.
Dumbest Sports Moment: The Dan Snyder era in Washington, D.C. Just when you thought this team was turning the page on an era of collecting over-the-hill, one-time star players, the Redskins went out and traded a 2010 second-round pick and a 2011 fourth rounder for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb last offseason. As with all high-priced Redskins players, he did not live up to expectations.
Now, one year later, McNabb is a member of the Minnesota Vikings. But fear not, ‘Skins fans, as the Rex Grossman/John Beck era is about to begin. What else could you really ask for?
Most Hated Team: This one’s easy. Gotta go with the Albany River Rats.
sports@theeagleonline.com
