2009: The Greatest Year of Sports I'll Ever See

My grandma loves the home-shopping channel QVC. She does a great deal of her Christmas shopping from this network, as well as buys items for herself. And, when her sons' or grandsons' teams win a major sports championship, she flips over and immediately purchases the team championship gear.

2009 has been a busy year for Grandma.


Earlier this year, I dubbed 2009 'The Year of Cercone Sports,' as the Steelers, Penguins, and Lakers had all captured their league's championships. I've been a lifelong fan of all three of those teams, and to see all of them reach the pinnacle of their sport in the same year was nothing short of amazing.

As the MLB playoffs loomed, the New York Yankees were entering the 8-team tournament with the league's best record and were odds-on favorites to capture their 27th World Series crown.

Could it happen? Could the stars align just right? Could the Gods of Sports, who I've prayed, begged, pleaded, and sworn to on multiple occassions to help my teams and fantasy players out of jams, shine down upon thee and grant the holy grail of sports greatness? Could all four teams in the four major sports I follow closest...all capture championships...in the same calendar year?!

On Wednesday, November 5th, the Gods answered, "Yes Jason, Yes They Can!!!"

The Yankees defeated the Phillies in six games to win the World Series, thus putting a bow on the greatest year of sports a fan could ever experience. All four of these franchises have the ability to repeat...but I don't want to get ahead of myself. Right now, I just want to let it all soak in!

Now, before you start calling me a front-runner, allow me to shed some light on the years of struggle and frustration through which I stood by my teams:

The Steelers: The Steelers are one of the most popular franchises in sports, but it doesn't mean there weren't some lean years in the mix. At the tail end of the Chuck Noll era and before the Bill Cowher administration began in the early 90's, this was a sub-.500 team that looked nothing like its predecessors. Twenty-six years removed from their last title win, they managed to return to true Steeler form and capture their 5th Super Bowl under Cowher, then their 6th under current coach Mike Tomlin in 2009.

The Penguins: Where do I begin? They captured two Stanley Cups in a row in 1991 and 1992, then were bounced from the playoffs the following year by the New York Islanders. Many Penguins said the team that was eliminated in '93 was hands-down the best squad they had. The upcoming years saw the Pens go up, and the Pens go down. Mario Lemieux retired, then returned, then retired, then became an owner. They entered a rebuilding phase, and attendance dipped so low, the team almost skipped town, Baltimore Colts style. Fortunately, the Penguins remained in Pittsburgh, the losing seasons allowed the likes of Fluery, Crosby, Malkin, and Staal to be drafted, and the team defied the odds to capture their 3rd Cup in '09. This is a team with a core group of stars young enough to bring home many, many more championships in the upcoming years.

The Lakers: Ugh...the Del Harris era?! Brutal. Although they were able to reach the playoffs, they had no chance against powerhouse Western Conference teams like Utah and San Antonio. Enter Phil Jackson, Shaq, and Kobe Bryant, and three straight championships result. Phil leaves, Shaq departs, and the team nearly falls apart under Rudy Tomjonavich. Re-enter Jackson, Kobe steps up and becomes the team's leader, and the Lakers are back on top of the mountain again.

The Yankees: I remember going to my first baseball game when I was a little kid. My parents took my sister and I to Cleveland to watch the Yankees take on the Indians. And not at cushy Jacobs Field. The setting was old Cleveland Stadium, the one straight out of "Major League." Billy Martin was the manager. Dave Winfield, Ricky Henderson, and Dave Righetti were apart of the Yanks' roster. And, of course, my all-time favorite player to this day, Don Mattingly, was there as well. I was primed, I was pumped...

And wow, did both those teams suck! You think of the roster the Yankees had and wonder how they did not achieve more. But things were pretty sparse in those times. The Indians were so forgettable, I remember two things about them from that game: 1) the guy in the center field bleachers living in a tee-pee, vowing not to leave until the Indians made the playoffs, and 2) eating an ice cream sundae out of a tiny Indians helmet. Notice neither has anything to do with the team, although I think "Wild Thing" Ricky Vaughn blew the save in the 9th.

Over time, the Yankees got better, and World Series titles piled up in droves!

All four of these franchises worked hard, dedicated themselves, and stopped at nothing to be the absolute best. They made a collective decision that they would achieve greatness, and that's exactly what they did. All four of these teams are excellent examples of what can be accomplished if you focus on taking action and dictating the results you receive.

The lesson is this, kids: Loyalty pays off. After going through years of struggle, frustration, and dying along side your team, watching them achieve the ultimate prize in their sport is so much sweeter to enjoy.

When you believe in something strongly enough, the results come as long as you're committed seeing things through to the end.

Unless you're a Bills fan...in which case, all hope is lost. :)