Finishing up my best of 2019 lists, today I come to you with sports. I love sports, I love watching and playing and flat out enjoying it all. This is a big time in sports for me too. We have bowl games, the NBA starting to ramp up, the NFL playoffs coming, it is all good. And as usual, I do not have stuff like horse racing, golf, soccer, hockey or baseball on my lists. Those sports mean little to nothing to me. Anyway, to the list.

At number 5 I have Giannis Antentekoumpo's MVP award season, but more importantly, his speech he gave at the awards show. This kid is an amazing basketball player, and an even better person. To hear him talk about his struggle growing up, to being picked much later in the first round than most thought, to being mocked at that draft for the videos they sent in, to being humbled as a rookie, to learning how to be more aggressive, working on his game and lifting the Bucks franchise, he has been through it all, and he explained that so gracefully and eloquently during his acceptance speech. I don't know any NBA fan out there that doesn't like Giannis. He is a good dude that works tirelessly on his game, wants to be the best and doesn't seem to be in the game for the fame or money. He wants rings and respect. Giannis is wonderful.

At number 4 I have Kawhi Leonard's playoff run last year. When Kawhi was traded to Toronto most of us knew it was a one year rental. And what he did, carrying the Raptors to a title, it was more than worth it. Kawhi has always been a good, but quiet player. He was still pretty quiet during that playoff run, but after the previous season, where he only played 9 games, he was out to prove how great he can be, and he did that throughout Toronto's playoff run last season. He, after they blew game one, helped the Raptors easily dispose of the Magic. He then, playing hurt, did everything for the Raptors against the 76ers, including that incredible buzzer beating shot in game 7 to get his team to East Finals. Then, after losing the first 2 games to Milwaukee, Kawhi became the dominant force we thought he could be. He was the catalyst to the Raptors winning the next 4 games and shutting down Giannis. He became his primary defender, and he did enough to slow him down. Then, he led the Raptors into the Finals against the Warriors juggernaut. People may discount this title because KD didn't play, but I don't. The Warriors won without KD, and they were mostly healthy this whole series. Kawhi was just better than everyone on the floor. His offensive game exploded, he was as good as ever on defense, and he was the reason they ended the Warriors dynasty in Golden State in game 6. He has now shut down two dynasties, and watching him do it, I can't help but respect the hell out of him. Kawhi is, somehow, still underrated, but he showed that he is the real deal in the playoffs last year. It was a thing of beauty.

At number 3 I have the rise of Lamar Jackson. He is the MVP. He is the most fun player to watch in the NFL. He is proving all of his critics wrong. He has made Baltimore's front office, and head coach, look like geniuses for building around his skill set. He is Mike Vick 2.0, and I am all in for it. I am not a Ravens fan, but I adore watching Jackson play football. He has so much fun, seems like a great teammate and is one of the few players that has kept my attention for a professional league I am losing hope in. Lamar Jackson has become must watch TV. He is the best player in the NFL and it is not even close. He has shown up and shown out all year, and if the Ravens play anyone else other than the Packers in the Super Bowl, I will be fully rooting for them. Lamar Jackson is the new generation of QB, and I love it.

At number 2 I have Michigan men's basketball hiring Juwan Howard. After John Beilein left, I didn't know what to think or who they would hire. Some established coaches names popped up here and there, but none of them moved the needle for me. None of them got me excited for the future. Then I heard Howard's name starting to get mentioned, and after reading about his post NBA career, how well respected he was as an assistant coach in the NBA, I started to buy in. I became one of the many people hoping and wishing they would hire him. Eventually, actually pretty quickly after the rumors started, Howard was officially hired, and I was stoked. Beilein didn't leave the cupboard bare for him either, but I also was stoked about his relationships, and potential ability to recruit. The Wolverines basketball team has started much stronger than I would have thought, and Howard has already reeled in two top recruits for 2020. After looking at things possibly being bleak, I have totally flipped and am totally stoked for the future with Howard at the helm. He is returning this team to the fun, and don't get me wrong, the team was super successful and very, very good under Beilein, they are just more fun to watch with Howard as the head coach. It was  great choice.

Finally, my number one sports moment of 2019 is two Michigan football games. I have been very critical, and think that the 2019 Wolverines were one of the most underachieving teams of the year. But, they had two games that were great to watch, and had me thinking, if they played like that all year, they would have been a playoff team. The first was their night game against Notre Dame. They were not picked by many to win, they looked kind of confused on offense and the defense gave up too many big plays. They then came out on a slippery, wet and rainy night and ran the ball down Notre Dame's throats. They went for 300 plus yards. Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet were the offense. Shea only threw the ball about 10 times, and that was all that was needed. As far as the defense, they were all over the field, hitting hard, stopping the run, pressuring and sacking the QB and covering receivers. If not for one atrocious pass interference call, this game would have been a shutout. Michigan stomped on their throats at the jump, and never let up. They won that game 45-14. Then they had another home game about a month later against Michigan State. I loathe Michigan State, and I was nervous about this game, as I always am. And it started rough. MSU went right up the field and scored an easy TD to take an early lead. I thought I was in for a long day. Well, MSU only scored three more points the whole game, while Shea Patterson threw for nearly 400 yards and 4 TD's. He looked as good as I had seen him in his 2 years at Michigan. I also loved that, while up 27 late in the fourth, Josh Gattis called a read option play that was actually a pass and Patterson hit a wide open receiver for another TD to go up 44-10. This was the beat down of MSU I had been waiting for since Harbaugh took the Michigan job. It was nice to see the offense humming, the defense playing fast and mean and the team not letting up an inch after a slow start. It was fun.

As for disappointments, lets continue with Michigan football. The end of the season was an absolute train wreck yet again. Michigan got destroyed by the University of Ohio State, but this year it was in Ann Arbor. They looked under-prepared, slow and not up to task. They got out coached, out played and out classed after their first drive. When Quinn Nordin missed the extra point, I had that sinking feeling that is was a bad omen, and boy oh boy was it ever. They are not at the level of these elite college football teams, and that game showed it once again. Things are better for Michigan than they have been in awhile, but they still have a lot of catching up to do if they want to be a real contender. It has been a frustrating past seven years. Some other disappointments, I am bummed that the OKC Thunder are a shell of the perennial playoff and title contender they were, with Russ and PG leaving this past offseason. They are just not the same team that I once loved and rooted like hell for. They are an average at best team, who does look to have a very bright future, but this was a team that was a true contender. Now, it is Chris Paul and a bunch of young guys, or guys that are looking for a trade. It's a bummer. I also am not a huge fan of the Lakers getting their way yet again. Anthony Davis let LeBron and Rich Paul convince him that he needed to go to LA, and of course they got what they wanted after Davis acted all disgruntled last season. He went to LA after a big time trade, and the Lakers look great. This all proves how much more a the GOAT Jordan is because he never orchestrated a super team like LeBron does. LeBron is great, but only when he has other great players surrounding him. And before you throw Scottie Pippen in my face, AD is a better modern day player than Pippen was back in the 90's. The Lakers always seem to get what they want, and they don't care what franchises they have to potentially blow up to do it. They think they are the glamour franchise, but lately, they are more like the Dallas Cowboys. They may have a big name, but they haven't won anything of importance in nearly a decade. Finally, the most recent Super Bowl, where the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3, might be the most boring, and poorly played Super Bowl I have watched. The game was pointless, easy to see what was going to happen and the cheating Patriots won yet again. I guess this is what I get for rooting for the Rams, even though they were stolen from Saint Louis by a money hungry douche bag. This game was rotten, the teams played awfully and fan boys for the Patriots got more ammo to talk about how great they are. What a waste.

Okay that does it for my best of 2019 lists. I hope you all enjoyed them.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. I know Ty does not care for hockey, but how could he miss his hometown St. Louis Blues winning the Stanley Cup. How soon we all forget. Like I can not tell you who won the previous ten cups before the Blues.

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