2007 Awards

Due to the frustrating writer’s strike, Michael Scott was unable to pass out and Dundie Awards this year. In that spirit, here are my picks for the best of 2007:


Best TV Show: Tough competition here, and after much soul searching I have had to split it into two categories: drama and comedy. The drama title goes to The Wire, which edges Lost by a few points. Lost had a little bit of an up and down year but “toootally redeemed itself” with the mind blowing season finale. As for The Wire, for four years it has consistently produced some of the most thought provoking, controversial, and downright entertaining content that the world has ever seen. Battlestar Galactica slipped a little in season three, and a downright flop from the usually strong 24 left The Wire and Lost as the top contenders. I am counting down the days to the season premiers of both of these shows, although the fact that Lost will only be eight episodes is enough to make me want to cry. Speaking of crying, the lack of the annual Office Christmas episode sent me on one of the tougher benders of my life. But The Office gets the nod in the comedy division of the award. Season three was hilarious, there’s nothing more to say. It is the funniest show (with the possible exception of the cruelly cancelled Arrested Development) I have ever seen. Hands down. Notable entries included the hilarious newcomer Californication, Flight of the Conchords, and the consistent Family Guy, but it really wasn’t close.


Movie: Similar to how I split up television, Superbad wins for comedy while Bourne Ultimatum wins for action/drama. Knocked Up and American Gangster were the two runner ups in each category. You can’t go wrong with Denzel and Crowe in a move, but Matt Damon was great in the third installment of the Bourne series. Nothing to really be said about the comedies, if you like that type of stuff you’ve probably already seen them.


Sports Story of the Year: Wow, an unbelievably tough category. The Mitchell Report blew the cover of the “greatest pitcher of his time” by exposing Roger Clemens’ history with PEDs. The Spurs continued their dynasty, with Tim Duncan continuing to be the most underrated player in the game today while at the same time an NBA referee was in bed with the mob and potentially influencing games. After waiting 86 years to win a World Series, the Red Sox once again stormed back in an ALCS and captured their second title in 4 years. Michael Vick experienced one of the worst falls from grace anyone can remember. But the New England Patriots get my vote. Armed with a ridiculous roster and fueled by the public condemnation they (unfairly) took in the wake of Spygate, they have the potential to pull off what could be the greatest season by any team in the history of team sports. Tom Brady is playing the quarterback position as well as anyone in history, continuing down the path of becoming the greatest QB the game has ever known. The offense and defense are both great and Bill Belichick is at the top of his game. Of course, the Patriots have not won anything yet. But let’s say they go undefeated in the regular season and then proceed to lose in the playoffs, or even worse the Super Bowl? Imagine after all this hype and talk they walk away with nothing at all? How could that not be the sports story of the year as well?


Best Rap Album: Jay-Z’s American Gangster gets the nod over Kanye West here. While Kanye has certainly made one of the most enjoyable albums of the year, the return of rap’s greatest MC to the top of his game cannot be overcome. Jay is at his peak, delivering riveting rhymes over perfect beats. I always have trouble choosing my favorite Jay-Z album, usually soul-searching and flip-flopping between Reasonable Doubt, Blueprint, and The Black Album, but American Gangster is undoubtedly right up there with Jay’s best work.


Best Non-rap album: Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black edges out a tough field. Belying her truly troubled state of mind that we would find out more about later, this was the most honest and interesting album. However, it does not even contain my personal favorite Winehouse song, which is “Fuck Me Pumps” off her album Franky. Anyone that enjoys her should definitely check that out.


Best New Artist: AMOS LEE. I cannot say enough about this guy. After seeing his stirring live performance opening for Bob Dylan, I immediately went out and bought his two albums. Both albums coming in at under 40 minutes, his Self-Titled and Supply and Demand LP’s are full of soothing and introspective songs that can be listened to no matter your mood or activity. Each album can be listened to from start to finish, but if I had to choose some favorite songs I would go with “Southern Girl”, “Night Train”, “Freedom”, “Shout Out Loud”, “Keep It Loose, Keep it Tight”, I could go on and on. Check out Amos Lee.


Best comeback: The Eagles Long Road Out of Eden. Releasing their first album in many years, the Eagles deliver a double disc set that feels as though they never left. Numerous highlights include “Long Road out of Eden” and “Last Good Time in Town.”


Best Tour: The Dave Matthews Band. I do not see this changing in the next ten years. An unbelievable live act, Dave concerts have become an annual summer event. Me and my friends look forward to his shows all year.


Video Game of the Year: Halo 3. The countdown to the release of this game was unlike anything I had ever seen, and it did not disappoint its legions of fans that lined up the night before to obtain a copy.


Book of the Year: John Grisham’s The Innocent Man. A bit of a departure of the previous Grisham books I’ve read, this shocking true story tells of the miscarriage of justice that befell Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, both of whom ended up on death row. Inspires questions about the ethical validity of the death penalty and will have you thinking long after the last page.

Pedro Martinez and the Mitchell Report

In the wake of the (not entirely) shocking revelations brought about by George Mitchell’s report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball I feel the need to point something out. So, for the moment, I will wipe the smirk off my face that has been plastered on since Roidgah Clemens’ spot was finally blown up and bring take the time to point out just how truly remarkable Pedro Martinez’s career truly was. It is no stretch to consider Petey as one of the greatest pitchers of all-time even before the Mitchell Report and BALCO scandals broke, but I think when re-evaluated, Martinez’s accomplishments are downright mind-blowing.

Pedro gained worldwide recognition he deserved after winning the 1997 Cy Young Award and then subsequently being traded by the toiling Montreal Expos to the baseball crazed city of Boston and the Red Sox. Over the next few years he amassed what can arguably be called the greatest stretch of pitching the world has ever seen. Seriously, only Sandy Koufax’s run comes close. You can check out his numbers here (http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/martipe02.shtml) While the numbers are certainly staggering and paint a picture of dominance, they do not do justice to just how good Pedro was. Year after year, he electrified the ballpark and was so far ahead of everyone else that it was almost unfair. He won two additional Cy Young’s with the Sox and was screwed out of one when it went to Barry Zito, who was inferior in almost every stat except wins. Pedro’s 1999 season is probably the greatest pitching season of all time and he received the most first place MVP votes but was inexplicably left off the ballot altogether by a couple disgraceful voters. Pedro’s starts were the stuff of legend, from the greatest display of all-star game pitching in 99 at Fenway to his 17 K one hitter in Yankee Stadium to his near career-sacrificing 6 innings of no hit ball in the deciding game 5 of the 99 ALDS against the Indians (and let’s face it, he just hasn’t been quite the same since).

Put in the context of all of the steroid revelations that have dominated baseball over the past couple of years, Pedro’s numbers become even more awe-inspiring. He was dominating in the golden age of offense, rendering ‘roided up sluggers utterly helpless with his devastating arsenal of three A+ pitches. His legendary all star game performance is even more impressive when viewed through the lens that we now see Sosa and McGwire through. Pedro Martinez dominated the game when offense was out of control, and can say with a clear conscience that he competed fairly. When Pedro is inducted I will be there, telling my child to pay attention to the greatest pitcher in the history of the game.

ESPN

Let me start by acknowledging and thanking ESPN for the many years of superior sports reporting. I am a former college athlete and sports have always had a huge influence on my life. Without a doubt I would not be the sports fan that I am today without ESPN. They single-handedly redefined the sports reporting industry and their effect on the sports world cannot be overstated.

That being said, recently I have noticed myself getting frustrated and even angry with their coverage. This formerly blasphemous perception has been spawned from a number of things. I am a die-hard Boston sports fan, but unlike many of my admittedly annoying brethren I analyze things rationally and (mostly) without bias. But the coverage of the Patriots spygate incident has gone so far over the line that I have been turning to The Office DVD’s or even reading the newspaper during times usually reserved for ESPN and Sportscenter. For 14 weeks we have been bludgeoned over the head with story after story of the Patriots cheating ways and the evil incarnate that is Bill Belichick. I understand and even embrace the idea that every sport needs a villain and dominant team to hate. Hell, some of my fondest childhood memories have to do with the pure and uniting hatred of the Yankees that was shared by nearly all of my friends and classmates in the Greater Boston Area. But the coverage of the Pats has been not only over the top but also completely unfair.

Were the Patriots caught violating NFL rules? Absolutely. Was this transgression sufficient cause to slander all of their past accomplishments and Super Bowl rings? Absolutely not. The bottom line is that all teams employ some sort of method for spying on opposing tactics and/or strategies. The recent revelation that the Jets were caught doing the exact same thing without permission in Foxboro last year only reinforces this point. Also, last year, the lowly Miami Dolphins smoked the Pats with admitted help from a recording of Tom Brady’s line of scrimmage cadence and audible calls. There was no outcry after this form of “cheating” that was used against the Pats. The entire situation is very hypocritical. The prevailing opinion around the league is that the Jets and especially Mangini broke an unwritten rule. Do you honestly think it was a coincidence that the very next week after Spygate Ravens coach Brian Billick accused the Jets of “cheating” by calling out fake audio signals at the line of scrimmage. Something tells me that on the heels of Spygate the Jets would not try to push the envelope and implement questionable tactics, therefore this was most likely not the first time they employed this strategy. But for some reason, they were called out. I cannot wait for “Mangenius” to get fired because he will reap what he has sowed. Nobody will trust him ever again. He exposed secrets and turned on a coach that was almost exclusively responsible for his success.

But this is not about making excuses for the Pats, it’s about the unfair beating they have taken week after week on ESPN especially. What they did was wrong, but it has not provided them with one ounce of competitive advantage this season. It was stopped in the first quarter of the first game this year. The question posed almost weekly on ESPN about a potential asterisk is utterly ridiculous. Should we attach an asterisk to the 70’s Steelers teams, who had many members that were on steroids? How about the so called Yankees dynasty, who had no fewer than 20 players named by the Mitchell Report? I understand that ESPN feeds off controversy, but the treatment the Pats have gotten this year is downright unfair. Obviously this has been eating away at me all season, hindering what has otherwise been the most amazing football season I have ever seen.