Top Ten Sports Moments
As judged by the Right Wing staff:
10. The release of the Mitchell Report, documenting steroid use in Major League Baseball. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitchell’s report lists some very high profile names like Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and others, as well as former Braves players David Justice and Paul Byrd. The lasting effects of Mitchell’s inquiry are yet to be seen.
9. The Saints go marching in all the way to the NFC Championship game against the Chicago Bears. The return of the Saints revitalized New Orleans and was a true feel-good story for what some viewed as a down year in the NFL.
8. Bonds sets the record for all time home runs, finally overtaking Hank Aaron’s long standing mark of 755. Bonds chase of history, though, was marred by allegations of steroid use (see the Mitchell report), and he drew the ire of fans across the nation, except in the Giants’ home in San Francisco.
7. College goes crazy, leaving everyone to wonder what could be next. From opening day, when Appalachian State knocked off Michigan in Ann Arbor, to the last day of the regular season, when the top two ranked teams both lost on the same day, this season was one that most football fans will never forget.
6. Boise State stands tall for the non-BCS conferences. The Broncos won an invite to the Fiesta Bowl and managed to shock highly ranked Oklahoma with a series of trick plays that still show up on the highlight reels almost a year later.
5. The Colorado Rockies shock the world by reaching the World Series in dramatic fashion, becoming one of the hottest teams in baseball entering the fall classic. The Rockies were crushed by the Boston Red Sox, who won their second World Series title in four years.
4. Mark Richt goes Jekyll and Hyde on us, changing from the mild-mannered coach of yesterday to the pumped-up, charismatic coach of the Dawgs future. Around the halfway point of the season, coming off a brutal loss to Tennessee, Richt had his team draw a celebration penalty on their first TD against hated rival Florida, and then busted out the black jerseys for the Auburn game. The Dawgs responded by putting up 40+ points in both games, winning easily.
3. Doping allegations fly all around, hitting Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, and many other high profile athletes, most in the Track and Field area. This era of sports is sure to be remembered as the Steroid Era.
2. Kevin Everett. If ever there was a inspirational story, this is it. Everett was injured very early in the season. He was making a tackle and the player he was tackling hit him in such a way that it caused serious damage to Everett’s neck and spine. It was feared initially that the injury was life threatening, and then it was thought that Everett would never walk again. Everett now walks into the rehab center for therapy every week.
1. Trinity College, a Division III school defeated Millsaps College on a last second play reminiscent of “The Play” between Cal and Stanford. Trinity performed over fifteen laterals on one play to score the game winning touchdown.
Top Two Scariest Moments in Politics
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
2. Hugo pushes for longer terms. Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President and noted America hater, pushed for Constitutional Amendments that would allow him to serve as President for Life. He even took over a TV station to tell the people that if they did not vote “YES” for these amendments they were disloyal to the nation. The Amendments, thankfully, failed.
1. Vlad impales the Russian Government in one of the scariest political moves in history, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had single-handedly dismissed a large portion of the Russian Government, clearing the path for those loyal to him to rise into powerful position. Putin’s reign as President was drawing to an end, but he also announced that he was going to run for the position of Prime Minister.
Top Three Moments in Entertainment
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
3. Movies: Good or Bad? It was the year of extremes in Hollywood. Some movies, released to great fanfare, failed miserably. Others, released to little or no noise at all, found a niche in the marketplaced. (See top five movies of 2007)
2. The writer’s strike slows down Hollywood. The striking writer’s union brings Tinseltown to a stand-still, leaving many shows confused as to their own endings. Disgruntled fans of these shows have already started scouring the internet with angst-filled rhetoric.
1. The Sopranos blacks out, leaving many viewers in the dark as to what actually happened. The final scene showed Tony sitting with his family in a diner, and then suddenly cuts to black. Internet discussion claimed that Tony had been killed; others said that Tony won the day by surviving, and others claimed that the producers were the most sick and twisted people alive by not revealing what happened.
Top Five Movies of 2007
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
5. Spider-Man 3 A bit slow compared to the previous two in the series.
4. The Simpsons Movie Funnier than the show has been in years.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Great film, nice conclusion to the trilogy, but did leave a nice opening for a sequel.
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Well executed, considering that over 800-pages of book were condensed into 138 minutes of film. Really showed the darkness creeping into the Potter saga.
1. Hot Fuzz Best Film of the Year. From the creators of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz brought to the table everything you’d expect in a buddy-cop-action-thriller movie. I’ll say it again, from the moment the old lady gets dropkicked in the face, you will not stop laughing.
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