2004: A great year for sports

Below is a review of every month in 2004 with one significant event that happened in the sports world.
January

• The first month of the brand new 2004 started with college football bowl games as every year does. The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has still not learned from the mistakes they made last year when there were two national champions. The University of Southern California Trojans won the Rose Bowl, while the Tigers of Louisiana State University won the other part of the National Championship.


• Also, the National Football League (NFL) playoffs were continuing. Once again the hometown Redskins' season was over.

• In February, the Super Bowl happened between the surprising Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots. The Carolina Panthers were the Cinderella story of the NFL last year under Coach John Fox. At the end, the Panthers relied on their rushing attack headed by Stephen Davis, their stingy defense, and a mistake free passing game. However, this was not enough to beat the Patriots and their kicker, Adam Vinatieri.


• Yankees acquired one of the best players to play the game in Alex Rodriguez in an embarrassment to the Boston Red Sox organization.

• March was college basketball month. The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament is finally underway, with the 64 best teams competing to determine the ultimate winner. The Maryland Terrapins faced a disappointing loss to the Orange from Syracuse, and got the boot in the second round. This was a disappointing finish for a team that had won the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) final against the Blue Devils of Duke.


• Maryland was not the worst disappointment in the second round. Two number one seeds, the Stanford Cardinal and Kentucky Wildcats, lost in the second round to eight and nine seeds. One of the number two seeds, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, also lost in the second round. By the end of March, the tournament had advanced to the Elite Eight.

• While March Madness was officially over, the college basketball season was not. The Final Four and the championship games remained. The two remaining games were Oklahoma State versus Georgia Tech and Duke versus Connecticut. Both games went down to the wire. Connecticut beat the Blue Devils by one point, while Georgia Tech beat the Cowboys of Oklahoma State by two.

• Not much typically happens in sports during the month of May. The baseball season was in the early stages, after starting in March.

• The National Basketball Association (NBA) season was nearing another conclusion. The Los Angeles Lakers were back in the finals, after a one-year intermission. Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and company would take on the Detroit Pistons. For years, the notion in the league was that the east was the least. However, this finals series showed the fans that the East could win the trophy.

• After an extremely difficult season for the Los Angeles Lakers, changes were bound to occur. Bryant, who had been in a rape trial all year, had become very uncooperative with the coach, Phil Jackson, and his fellow players. O'Neal and Bryant had a decent working relationship on the court, but reportedly disliked each other off the court.

• Another basketball superstar was traded in August, making the 2004 off-season one filled with deals. Superstar Tracy McGrady had become disgruntled with the Orlando Magic and desperately wanted to win. The Magic understood the disastrous effect of having an unhappy superstar on the team and were looking to trade him.

• The highly anticipated NFL season was beginning. The Redskins were ready to see what success Joe Gibbs would bring compared to his predecessor, Steve Spurrier. Gibbs named Mark Brunell the starting quarterback, which we would all see was a major mistake. Redskins fans also wanted to see their new running back, Clinton Portis and their highly acclaimed rookie, Sean Taylor.

• The time of the year when there is a nip in the air, the leaves falling, and talk about baseball. The baseball postseason began with the New York Yankees, as the favorites, once again. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals looked solid, posting the best record in baseball during the regular season.

• The worst brawl in basketball history occurred on November 19th at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The hometown Detroit Pistons hosted the Indiana Pacers in what was expected to be a dogfight by the two division rivals. However, the fans got a fight in a literal sense. The Pacers were running away with the game and the game was actually a blowout. However, one key played triggered a fight and thus, this game to be inked down in history.

• Surprisingly, the Washington Wizards played well consistently for over a month. They are one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference and have one of the best backcourts in the league. The key ingredient added to this team over the off-season was Antawn Jamison. Jamison was averaging nearly 22 points and nine rebounds a game, and did not even need to be the sole high scorer on the team. Guards Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas can both score 20 points a night and help ease the load on Jamison.