First Annual Hungry Dog Blog Awards: 2012's Finest in Sports

Hello everyone and welcome to the first-annual Hungry Dog Blog Awards! 2012 was quite the exciting year in sports; thus deciding who would win each award wasn’t easy. In fact, I felt compelled to include honorable mentions with nearly every award. So, without further interruption, here are your 2012 Hungry Dog Blog Award winners.

STORY DIVISION:

Feel good storyline of the year: With all due respect to R.A. Dickey, the feel good story of 2012 has to be everything surrounding the Indianapolis Colts. From Tony Dungy to Peyton Manning to Jim Caldwell, the Colts organization has always been synonymous with character and good will. This year may have topped all of those previous Colts teams in terms of sympathetic backers. The Colts have gone from 2-14 laughingstocks to 10-5 playoff contenders all while suffering through the loss of first-year coach Chuck Pagano to chemotherapy treatments. Bruce Arians took over and along with rookie Andrew Luck has led the Colts back to the playoffs. But now he will step down as Pagano is fully healthy and will return to coach the team for the playoffs. If Luck and Co. keep up the good work, this team could be the feel-good story of 2013 as well.

Most annoying story of the year: As bad as this summer’s coverage of Jets training camp was, this spot belongs to all those who made Jeremy Lin out to be the second coming of Santa. Lin appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated not once, but twice at the height of a movement that should never have been taken so seriously in the first place. Don’t get it twisted, this is not a shot at Jeremy Lin, but a shot at those who made him out to be far more important than he actually was.

Honorable Mentions: Everything Involving Skip Bayless, everything the NCAA did, RG III’s “blackness”, LeBron not being able to win a title, Brett Favre (this story is still annoying two years after anyone’s talked about it).

Biggest WTF story of the year: Jerry Sandusky: Not only did this story sicken and sadden a country and paralyze one of the most prestigious programs in college football; it changed America’s perception of one its most beloved characters. Just a few short months ago, Joe Paterno’s legacy seemed untouchable. Now, he’s dead and unable to defend himself against well-founded allegations that he was a character-less tyrant who cared only about winning and his legacy.

Honorable Mention: ESPN not firing Rob Parker after making totally serious, totally racist comments about Robert Griffin III.

Most underrated story of the year: The 8^th-seeded Kings Stanley Cup run: The first ever Stanly Cup championship run by an 8^th seed seems important enough to be a major story. Then, when you throw in the utterly dominating fashion in which the Kings plowed through the playoffs and you have the most compelling and interesting story in the NHL in years. But, because of Johan Santana’s no-hitter and LeBron’s triumph, the King’s run was lost in the shuffle. The lockout has ensured that this run will be discussed even less.

Honorable mentions: The NHL Lockout, Sidney Crosby’s concussion issues, everything involving hockey.

Worst/most discouraging storyline of the year: The evolution of the Trout vs. Cabrera debate: The fact that this was an actual debate was troubling enough. Then, throw in the backlash of those who don’t believe that advanced metrics and you have the most disgraceful few weeks of journalism since…oh Linsanity a few months before! Respected and renowned journalists such as Mitch Albom openly bashed the so called “stat nerds” and their preposterous claim that numbers could show you who the best player in baseball was. This wasn’t just an attack on a group’s opinion; it was an attack on research, learning and modern techniques to measure athletic performance. Basically, the entire movement was an attack on learning.

Local story of the year: This spring both the men’s and women’s basketball teams of St. Bonaventure University made runs to the NCAA tournament. Led by current Orlando Magic forward Andrew Nicholson, the men’s team went on a second-half tear to earn a first round bye in the conference tournament. The Bonnies would go on to win nail biters over St. Joes and Massachusetts before upsetting Xavier in the finals. Unfortunately, the Bonnies were unable to closeout Florida St. in a three-point loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The women’s team would go all the way to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to a superior Notre Dame team.

Honorable mention: Bills renew their lease deal.

ATHLETE DIVISION:

Surprise athlete of the year: Mike Trout: In just over a month, Trout went from an obscure call-up to the most dominant player in baseball. Trout not only deserved the MVP (as we’ll get to later) but he put up one of the greatest seasons in baseball history. All this from a guy who was taken 25^th overall in the 2010 draft and wasn’t even in the opening-day lineup.

Honorable Mention: Johnny Manziel

Disappointment of the year: Ilya Bryzgalov: After years of being quietly brilliant in Phoenix, Bryzgalov signed a whopper of a contract (9 years $61 Mil) with Philadelphia in the offseason. He rewarded the Flyers with a career-low .909 save percentage which dipped to .887 in the playoffs. Instead of being the extra piece the Flyers needed to win the Stanley Cup, Bryzgalov was the weak link in a disappointing five-game loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Honorable Mention: Dwight Howard

Breakthrough athlete of the year: Johnny Manziel: After backing up Ryan Tannehill in 2011 (that really happened), Manziel  burst on to the scene in 2012 in the most impressive way possibly. Johnny Football ensured Texas A+M’s move to the SEC would go smoothly by becoming one of the most dangerous run/throw threats in NCAA history. He announced his arrival to the sports world when he out-dueled A.J. McCarron and carved up the nation’s most formidable D in an upset of top-ranked Alabama. Manziel would go on to break the SEC total yards record and become the first freshman (red shirt) to win the Heisman trophy.

Honorable mentions: AJ Green, James Neal, Mark Trumbo, Colin Klein, Geno Smith, Mike Trout

Hockey player of the year: Jonathan Quick: Not only was Quick the best goalie in the NHL last year (.929 Sv. % 1.95 GAA), he single-handedly kept the Kings in playoff contention for the entire season. He then followed up his incredible regular season by carrying the Kings to their first Stanley Cup Championship while earning the Conn Smythe Trophy along the way. All in all, Quick had about as successful a year as possible for an NHL goalie.

Honorable Mentions: Steven Stamkos , Evgeni Malkin

Baseball man of the year: R.A. Dickey: Dickey dominated both the literary and sports world in 2012. After releasing one of the most personally-revealing books any athlete has ever written, Dickey went on to win the Cy Young award at the age of 37. He displayed true brilliance during a mid-season stretch when he hurled 40 consecutive scoreless innings. The knuckleballer capped off the year with his 20^th win; an incredible feat by someone pitching for a team that won only 74 games.

Football man of the year: Peyton Manning: No one would have blamed Manning if he retired after undergoing four surgeries on his neck in a year and being replaced by the best quarterback prospect since…himself. But Manning did not retire. Instead, he signed with the Denver Broncos and undertook the incredible task of learning a new offense full of unfamiliar players/personalities while playing for a team that wasn’t the Colts for the first time in 15 years all at the age of 36. Not only did he adapt to his new surroundings, he played like vintage Manning and as the 2012 season comes to a close, he is expected to be named MVP for a record fifth time.

Athlete of the year: LeBron James: As a citizen of America who owns a TV/laptop, you most likely heard LeBron won his first NBA championship this season. In doing so, LeBron shed his reputation as a choker AND treated basketball fans to a truly spectacular postseason performance. He started off the calendar year with his best regular season to date and his third MVP award. King James then carried a banged-up Heat team to the Finals with spectacular performances against Indiana and Boston before being named Finals MVP. James carried this momentum into the Olympics where he was obviously the best player on the gold-medal-winning Team USA. It’s tough to envision a year going any better than that for an athlete.

Most impressive comeback athlete: Adrian Peterson: Having one of the best seasons ever for a running back in an era where running the ball just isn’t very important is might impressive. Returning from a torn ACL and MCL in less than nine months is also impressive. Now, when you combine those two seasons, you have one of the most impressive comebacks in sports history. There’s not much more I can say about Peterson that hasn’t already been said, he’s a medical marvel.

Honorable Mention: Peyton Manning

Most impressive Olympian: Missy Franklin: Franklin was easily the best female swimmer in the world this summer in London as she won four gold medals and set the world record in the 200-meter backstroke. Oh yeah and this was BEFORE her senior year of HIGH SCHOOL. Franklin (who’s two years younger than me, sigh) will attend Cal in the fall. Good luck Pac 12!

Honorable Mentions: Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps

Worst person in sports: Gary Bettman: Depending on how you look at it, the players union could be at fault or the owners could be at fault. Either way, there’s no excuse for Bettman to allow the fourth work stoppage of his tenure to go on this long. Bettman has long been considered the worst commissioner in sports history but 2012 might be his worst year yet.

Coach of the year: Bruce Arians: If Arians was just overseeing one of the best one-season turnarounds in NFL history; he’d get consideration for this award. But this does not tell the entire story. As I mentioned above, Arians took over for Chuck Pagano who was diagnosed with cancer in October. This is truly one of the greatest coaching accomplishments ever.

Ageless Wonder Award: Kobe Bryant: While the end of the 2011-2012 season wasn’t Kobe’s strongest finish, Bryant did end up second in scoring. The Black Mamba has played the beginning of the 2012-13 seasons incredibly efficiently. He’s leading the league in scoring while shooting nearly 50% and dishing out five assists per game. Despite all the criticism he receives, Kobe is incredible and ageless.

Honorable Mentions: Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, the Knicks, Ray Whitney, Tom Coughlin, R.A. Dickey, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Derek Jeter

TEAMS:

Baseball team of the year: Stony Brook Unversity: The tiny school out of the America East conference shocked the college baseball world when they advanced all the way to the College World Series.

Honorable Mentions: San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Whoever ended up winning the College World Series

Basketball team of the year: Kentucky Wildcats: The freshman-heavy Wildcats were uttlerly dominant in 2011-12. They lost only one game all season (a buzzer-beater against Indiana) and faced very little adversity on their run through the bracket. As expected, nearly every contributor on the team declared for the NBA draft. The team broke an NBA record by having six players drafted including five in the first round and both of the top two. This was all overshadowed, however, by five-star recruit Nerlen Noel’s beautiful high-top fade. Pure beauty.

Honorable Mentions: Miami Heat, Baylor Bears

Football team of the year: Alabama: The Crimson Tide rang in the New Year with a dominating 21-0 victory over LSU in the National Championship. They closed the year with an exciting, come-from-behind victory over Georgia in the SEC championship to earn a spot in the National Title Game. This has been quite the year for Alabama, Roll Tide.

Hockey team of the year: Los Angeles Kings: This is already the third mention of this year’s Kings Team. I can’t stress this enough; the Kings had the BEST playoff run since the 80’s Oilers. There will be no honorable mention, no one was close. They deserve all three awards they’ve been given, we were witnesses to a truly special run.

Surprise team: Notre Dame: The Irish were so under the radar this summer they didn’t even receive their famous “courtesy” ranking from the Associated Press. The Irish quickly turned the doubters to believers by ripping through the toughest schedule they’ve faced in year to finish undefeated. In doing so they re-earned the respect of the college football world and awoke “die hard” Notre Dame fans across the country. However, the Irish’s true test will come in the first week of 2013.

Disappointing team: The City of Los Angeles (non-hockey/Clippers department): The Lakers, Angels, Dodgers and USC Trojans all made major headlines for their “talent-laiden rosters” in 2012 yet they all failed to live up to expectation. Each team disappointed for a different reason but they’ll all look to 2013 with a renewed sense of hope…and likely the exact same amount of press.

EVENTS:

Snub of the year: Mike Trout not winning MVP: This was the sports travesty of the year. Miguel Cabrera winning MVP over Trout had nothing to do with a backlash against advanced metrics; it was a matter of complete bullshit. If you were to view the entire spectrum of statistics pertinent to player performance, Trout would be the easy choice for MVP. But, if you were to take stats totally out of the argument, you’d see that…Trout would be the easy choice for MVP. I still haven’t heard a case for Cabrera to be MVP that wasn’t one sentence or a crusade against “nerds” ruining sports.

Game of the year: 49ers/Saints divisional round matchup: This matchup between Jim Harbaugh’s oober-stingy defense and Drew Brees’s hotter than hell offense was truly something to behold. Early in the game Donte Whitner employed the bold strategy of injuring as many Saints as possible so he wouldn’t have to cover anyone. This plan would begin to falter in the second half as Drew Brees began to pick on Whitner during the Saint’s comeback run. Down late in the 4^th quarter, Jim Harbaugh made one of the balliest play-calls these eyes have seen. He called for Alex Smith to run a bootleg which went for the lead-changing touchdown. The Saints answered with a touchdown of their own less than a minute later. Vernon Davis provided the final blow, however, as he caught the game-winning touchdown. This was possibly one of the greatest late game back and forths in playoff history.

Honorable mention: SEC Championship, Game 5 Cardinals/Nationals, Game 3 Yankees/Orioles

Underrated finish of the year: Game 5 of the NHL Western Conference Finals: The Kings went into the game up 3-1 and needed to win just one game to advance to their first Stanley Cup in 19 years. The teams were locked in an overtime battle when Dustin Brown nailed Michal Rozsivel with a somewhat-questionable hit. Seconds later, while the Coyotes were still stirred up from Rozsivel’s injury, Dustin Penner put home the game winning goal. The Coyotes were obviously still furious as Martin Hanzel and Shane Doan exchanged words with Brown and Penner in the handshake line. Here’s to hoping 2013 brings a season for these teams to hash things out.

Wildest finish of the year: The Seahawks/Packers MNF finish: This finish wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t especially good, it wasn’t super exciting but it was wild. After Russell Wilson heaved up a game-ending interception that was inexplicably called a game-winning touchdown, chaos ensued. The twitterverse nearly exploded with everyone’s thoughts on the debacle while Jon Gruden and Mike Tirico were as confused on how to handle the situation as anyone else. Overall, I think Michael Silver summed it up best when he exclaimed “what the f*ck just happened” on national T.V. What a finish.

Upset of the year: Duke and Missouri losing to #15 seeds in the first round of the NCAA tournament: Before March 16, 2012; teams seeded 15^th or high had won only four games in NCAA tournament history. That day, Norfolk St. and Lehigh University BOTH accomplished the feat when they toppled Duke and Missouri. Sadly, both teams runs ended later that weekend.

Honorable Mention: New York Giants/L.A. Kings playoff runs.

Media Member of the Year: Bill Simmons: The Sports Guy was one of the main inspirations for the creation of this blog so we're very familiar with his work. Simmons has been one of the most read/popular members of sports media for a number of years. But 2012 might have been his finest work yet.He landed his long-coveted TV role on ESPN NBA Countdown. He oversaw the re-booting of the 30 for 30 series which added a few shorts that appeared on his blog, Grantland.com. The same Grantland that continued to be the best cross section of sports, movies, television and music on the internet is totally overseen by Simmons. He had quite the column-writing year as well as he refrained by pre-emptively commenting on the Penn St. situation, defended the Saints player involved in bountygate when no one else did and picked the Seahawks to go to the Super Bowl preseason. He did all this while remaining the most fun and creative sports writer out there. Props to you, Mr. Simmons. Here's to an even better 2013.

Heart-warming moment of the year: Kevin Garnett consoling Kevin McHale: If you missed it; McHale, head coach of the Houston Rockets, lost his daughter to Lupus days before a match up against the Boston Celtics, whom he spent thirteen years with. Garnett, a current Celtic was drafted by McHale as a Timerwolve in 1995. After a victory by the Rockets over the Celtics early December, Garnett hugged McHale for over a minute and consoled him. As the nation later saw, McHale began to cry while listening to Garnett’s heartfelt words.

But this was so much more than a heart-warming moment. This is the essence of sports. For some, sports provide millions of dollars and fame. But for most people, sports provide the opportunity to build unbreakable bonds with teammates and create everlasting friendships. Athletes learn how to be accountable, how to rely on others and how to be relied on while kicking a ball, slapping a puck or running a lap. Sports do far more than teach discipline and hard work, sports allow people (like McHale and Garnett) who would otherwise have nothing in common to mean everything to each other. This moment was the physical expression of what sports mean to most athletes.

That’s that for the 2012 Hungry Dog Blog Awards. Thank you so much for your support and attention this year. We’ll keep working hard to bring you the best content possible. Have a fantastic New Year and always remember to: Stay Hungry My Friends.