With Eli Wallach visiting the campus back in October, we at Hoot Sports decided to borrow from the title of probably the most famous film Wallach starred in: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and apply it to a look back at 2005 in sports.
The Good
Chicago White Sox win the World Series after an 88 year wait thanks to dominant pitching and clutch offense by Scott Podsednick and MVP Jermaine Dye.
San Antonio Spurs win the NBA Championship. The Spurs and runner-up Detroit prove that team-oriented basketball still exists.
New England wins Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, marking the second consecutive season the Patriots have been crowned NFL Champions.
The Bad
Marcus Cambys clothes budget. Camby, who earns over $7 million this year, suggested that the league contribute a stipend for players to spend on suits which, for the record, can top over $3,000, though can be had for much cheaper.
NL West. San Francisco didnt have Bonds, Jeff Kent and Milton Bradley quarreled while the Dodgers fell apart, Colorado lost their top player to a deer meat accident and the San Diego Padres won the division with an 82-80 record. That is bad.
The Ugly
Rafael Palmeiro: Less than a month after collecting hit number 3,000 and looking at a Cooperstown bust less than four months after denying before Congress about using steroids Palmeiro tested positive for Winstrol (the same steroid sprinter Ben Johnson was caught with in 1988). Following a ten game suspension and some very lame excuses, Palmeiro never regained his hitting stroke and then asked not to return to the Orioles after blaming Miguel Tejada for his failed test.
The Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers: This year has been nothing short of a disaster. After a roaring start, Baltimore fell apart in drastic fashion.
Compounded by Palmeiro, injuries and inconsistency from Miguel Tejada and Brian Roberts, no pitching, and Mazzili being fired, 2005 could not have ended soon enough for the Orioles. As for Los Angeles, Paul DePodestas experiment blew up in his face after Jeff Kent and Milton Bradley exploded again. Owner Frank McCourt then blundered by letting DePodesta can manager Jim Tracy only to fire DePodesta later. With Ned Coletti at GM and Grady Little as manager, things may look up for them.
DC Baseball: Although the team performed well this year, fights between MLB and the local government have grown very bitter though a resolution may come soon. Not to mention the perpetually shifting ownership deadlines. They say itll be sometime before the end of time but they may push it back just in case.
Take care everyone and have a great New Year. Well be back with more sports coverage next year.
