2006 is almost over and what a year of events. I can't believed what happened. The St. Louis Cardinals swept the Tigers in the World Series. The baseball deals were huge. Outfielder Vernon Wells received a 7-year $136 million contract from the Blue Jays. The Cubs extended a near identical offer to acquire Alfonso Soriano. Top free agent pitcher, Barry Zito found a new home finally (just on the other side of the Bay) in San Francisco on a long-term deal worth more than $130 million. Now there are two Barrys in town. One is known for being a veteran, dynamic team leader and the only found a way to reach historic marks, pursue a homerun record only to lie to FEDs, force his personal trainer to serve time in jail by denying he ever stuck a syringe in his client's ass or used steroids.
In college basketball Bobby Knight approaches a career record, needing another win to pass Dean Smith to become the all-time wins leader. A loss to UNLV delayed the celebration so 2007 looks to be the special year for Knight. His relentless hounding of refs and pushing his players to the limit characterize his will to succeed and will make him a memorable coach. The NCAA champs, lead by star forward Joakim Noah look to make a repeat to the Sweet Sixteen if not the Final Four. George Mason rised to semi-stardom in 2006 by upsetting UNC in the Final Four.
Youth are today's generation of superstars in the NBA, lead by Carmelo, Wade, and Lebron. The Miami Heat captured their first NBA title as Dwayne Wade exploded with outstanding scoring performances against the Mavericks. Lebron guided the Cavs to the postseason in only his third season, setting a series of franchise records. Lebron is about to turn 22, the NBA hasn't seen nothing yet. At the tail end of the year, Allen Iverson received no love from Philly and was pulled from the lineup only to sit and wait. A wish came true as the Denver Nuggets grabbed him in a trade for Andre Miller. Now the top 2 scorers in the league are in the same lineup. Well, I guess the Sixers will become 2006's New York Knicks.
No one will forget the now infamous Madison Square Garden free-for-all between the Knicks and Nuggets. At least 10 players were ejected with 6 receiving suspensions. The incident served as a flashback to the barbaric incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills between the Pistons and Pacers a few years ago. Apparently, Pacer guard Stephen Jackson learned nothing from the brawl because he was reported to have fired gun shots outside a Indianapolis strip club earlier this year. To think the NBA held more focus on a new synthetic-fiber basketball for regulation play rather than players bringing weapons to games (If you're a fan it's best to watch out for any concealed pointy objects because it just may be a shank or brass knucks). With all the series of uncanny events, 2006 was still a good year in sports.
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