But what I'll waste your time with is with my 10 favourite sporting moments of my (short) life so far.. These moments may not necessarily have involved a winning team but the emotions will forever linger. Pretty apt way I think to celebrate 250 posts - especially since the Halbergs just concluded tonight.
Ah yes, you wonder why a loss ranks ahead of the 3 other Super Bowls that the Patriots won. I guess it's more the shock and disbelief that the Patriots lost that will linger long in the memory - not helped by the fact they failed to avenge their loss to the Giants 4 years later in Super Bowl XLVI. For the neutrals though, this was probably the best Super Bowl ever - shame it cost the Patriots a perfect season.
Easily the most emotional Grand Prix win I've ever witnessed. Watching the finish of this race again still makes grown men cry. It was a thoroughly deserved win and probably Rubinho's most memorable of his very long career - racing from 17th on the grid to victory in tricky conditions against the odds with some luck courtesy of a crazy gentleman. A highly popular win and one that ultimately helped Michael Schumacher end their Ferrari's title drought later in the year.
Possibly the greatest comeback in football history. No team had ever come from 3 goals down in the final of European club football's most prestigious competition to triumph - Liverpool, who already had 4 European triumphs of their own, would break that duck in thrilling style. At 3-0 down at halftime, Milan probably thought they had won the title. But Liverpool clawed their way back to make it 3-all and with no more goals after that, the game went to penalties. A shattered Milan crumbled meekly to Jerzy Dudek and Liverpool won their 5 and most memorable European Cup.
For so long, Jenson Button had been considered a wasted talent after years in uncompetitive cars. His time was thought to be over. His chance to be world champion had gone. And at the start of 2009, Button thought he was out of F1 when his Honda team folded. But Ross Brawn bought whatever was left of the team including what turned out to be the fastest car of the year. Button made full use of the car and pretty much cruised to the title even if there were wobbles just near the end. Button finished the most dramatic year of his F1 career as world champion clinching the title in Brazil in fitting fashion: racing his way from a low position to place 5th, enough for the championship.
Possibly the most thrilling atmosphere ever for a New Zealand sporting event - fitting for a game of huge magnitude. The All Whites headed into the 2nd leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff against Bahrain in Wellington with the aggregate score at 0-0. A win would be enough to send them to South Africa. Fallon's header and Paston's penalty save got them there to cue the most rapturous scenes ever seen in New Zealand. For once, New Zealand's first love was for the spherical not oval ball.
Black Caps beating Australia in a test match, 2011New Zealand hadn't won a test match in Australia since 1987. They went into the 2nd test in Hobart on the back of the expected hiding by the Aussies in Brisbane. It looked like normal transmission had resumed in the first innings with New Zealand collapsing for a low score. But as it turned out, the groundsmen had prepared one of the greenest wickets in test cricket history and New Zealand managed to bowl out Australia
for a slim lead. They scored enough runs in their 2nd innings to ensure the Aussies would be chasing a difficult total. In the end, it was too difficult and the Kiwis just triumphed for their first test win in Australia - just when people thought they would never see it again.
Yes the Evers-Swindell rowing twins had won the Olympic gold far more convincingly in Athens in 2004 but this one was memorable in that it was a bit more unexpected. Mahe Drysdale and Rob Waddell had been hailed as New Zealand rowing's medal hopes while the twins were thought to be out of form. But Drysdale won a very brave bronze while Waddell finished just off the podium. It was left to the twins to deliver gold from the lake which they did in thrilling fashion, beating their more fancied opponents from Germany in a photo finish. The twins retired shortly afterwards and can now raise their young kids on the back of one of NZ's most famous Olympic moments.
The All Whites may not have won a game at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 but they surpassed the achievements of their predecessors and predictions of the world's soccer pundits by drawing against more fancied opponents, Slovakia (thanks to a truly dramatic last minute goal from Winston Reid), Italy (Smeltz gave NZ the lead) and Paraguay. The goalless draw against Paraguay may have knocked them out but they ultimately finished as the only unbeaten side in the World Cup - winners Spain, lost their opening game to Switzerland. A highly sleep-depriving but memorable 2 weeks for Kiwis.
The Rugby League World Cup has been such a one-sided affair dominated by Australia throughout its history. Hence, when Australia met New Zealand in the 2008 Final in Brisbane, everyone expected the Kangaroos to romp home over the underdog Kiwis. How wrong were they as the Kiwis pulled out the most monumental upset ever and cruised home to their first World Cup triumph. What made it sweet was that it had been rugby league's first World Cup since 2000 and that the next one would be in 2013 - so 5 years to savour being world champions.
It had to be. It had to be. Tonight's Halbergs very much confirmed that the All Blacks were the team of 2011, and had conjured New Zealand's brightest moment of 2011. It was a night that should live long in the memory. A curse had been broken, a long drought was over. But it came with a lot of pain and agony for 4 million people over 80 minutes. In the end, the All Blacks despite their injury setbacks came through by a point over the French who had been the wizard of their long 24 year curse. What more can be said.
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