The 2000’s: 2002
2002: Favorite Moments in Sports
In August of 2002, it was apparent that Pete Sampras was coming to the end of what many would consider to be the best career in the history of tennis (until that point…ahem). His feet were heavy, his serve was softer, his volleys were losing that patented touch. He had just lost at Wimbledon for the first time in 5 years a month prior to some lowly 21 year old (that guy from before). As he came into the 2002 US Open, He was seeded 17th, the lowest he had ever been seeded in the 14 years he had played in the tournament; few expected the 4-time Champion could compete with the younger generation that come into the game in the last 2 years.
Sampras started by chewing through his opening around opponents like they were children. In the quarters he reached the appointed next-great American, Andy Roddick and many assumed that Roddick’s power would be too much for the old man. However, Sampras attacked Roddick’s weaknesses, his back hand and his head. After defeating the young-gun in 3 sets, he made very quick work of a journeyman Dutch player, Sjeng Schalken, who had been a big surprise to make it to the semis. Sampras was now in the Finals, but what he found on the other side of the net was his arch-rival Andre Agassi.
Throughout the early and late 90’s nobody could compete with Pete, except for Andre. Though Pete won a majority of their matches, no one gave Sampras the kind of matches that Agassi was able to. Agassi, who is actually older than Sampras, was having a career renaissance in his past 3 years on tour and was hoping to add a 9th title to his impressive résumé.
Everyone in the audience on that September night was hoping they would see a replay of their 2001 US Open Quarterfinal when neither player were broken and Sampras won in 4 sets, all ending in tie breaks. What they got was maybe not as compelling as that epic match, but a match that would signal the end of an era.
Sampras won the first two sets, breaking Agassi once in each, but Agassi broke through late in the 3rd to force a 4th set. The 4th was a back and forth of each player demonstrating their best skills; Agassi returning Sampras serve with ease, Sampras working the serve-and-volley combo that got him 13 grand slam titles before this. Finally, Sampras broke Agassi and went on to win the final set 6-4.
Pete broke down, went into the crowd to find his wife to celebrate what would then be a Men’s record 14th Grand Slam. But just in the interview after, you could tell Sampras thought this was the end. Clearly he could still play, but he wanted to do what many of the greats before him like Bjorn Borg had done, and retire on top of the game. Months later, he would make it official in a teary goodbye to the game he loved.
6 years later, he may not be the greatest player of all-time anymore thanks to that lowly 21-year old, but the skill and grace he showed on the court through the years will never be forgotten.
By Ryan Hoffman
I’ll preface this by saying I hate the New England Patriots. I think Adam Vinetari is overrated, Bill Belicheck is a lying, classless cheater (Did you see him snub Mark Sanchez last week?), and Tom Brady is the worst actor since Michael Jordan. All that said, the 2002 Super Bowl was one the most awesome, entertaining, dramatic Super Bowls ever. In fact, the entire playoffs leading up to the “big game at the end” were equally awesome.
Back when the Patriots weren’t gods and Belicheck was just some hoodie-wearing, Bill Parcells loving, former shitty Browns coach, the Rams—led by all-around good guy, Kurt Warner—were America’s team. The previous Super Bowl saw Kevin Dyson fall a yard-and-a-half shy of the end zone, and the high-flying Rams became champs. They came into Super Bowl XXXVI as heavy favorites against the seemingly no-name Pats, led by back-up QB Tom Brady. But that’s the glory of the story. America loves those “out of nowhere” teams, and, on top of that, after 9/11, what could be more patriotic than, well, the Patriots?
The team had a lot to overcome. Before even the regular season started, Pats quarterback coach Dick Rehbein died. Then in week two, franchise-quarterback Drew Bledsoe goes down with a blood vessel injury: enter Brady. You think he’d be cool throwing to Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry Glenn, but then Glenn becomes an asshat and is benched for most of the season. Unlike future douche bag Pats teams, these guys were likeable and underdogs. Brady respectively navigated his team to an 11-5 mark, good for a first-round bye and a division title. In their playoff match-up verse the Raiders at a snowy Foxboro Stadium, you got the impression they were a team of destiny. Dubbed later “the Tuck Rule game,” the Patriots won the last game EVER at their home stadium seemingly because of one blown call.
I’ll let Wikipedia take it from there:
“As Brady dropped back to pass, he lost the ball while being tackled by former college teammate Charles Woodson, and Oakland linebacker Greg Biekert recovered it with 1:47 left. However, an instant replay challenge caused referee Walt Coleman to overturn the fumble, ruling Brady’s arm had been moving forward while being tackled and making the play an incomplete pass. Taking advantage of his second chance, Brady led the Patriots inside the Raiders’ 30-yard line where Vinatieri made a 45-yard field goal with 27 seconds left, a dramatic kick through heavy snowfall that barely cleared the crossbar, sending the game into overtime.”
Next, the Pats marched into Pittsburgh and dealt Bill Cowher yet another crippling blow before heading to New Orleans to face the defending champs. The game itself was a back-and-forth affair that almost saw the Patriots blow a nice lead. In the second quarter, Kurt Warner threw a pick six to Ty Law, and Brady threw a touchdown pass making it 14-3 Patriots at halftime. Intermission festivities were solemn as U2 led a tasteful 9/11 treatment causing America to reflect on the trivialness of sports. But then the second-half fireworks answered back with the entertaining distraction that is sports. Warner valiantly led his team back and with 1:30 left, the score was tied at 17. Of course what happened next started the Patriot dynasty and later caused everyone cool to eventually hate them. But at the time, Brady’s march down the field and Vinatieri’s last minute field goal cemented a legendary Super Bowl and an amazing postseason.
