Spurless ESPYs

The ESPYs are one of those things that usually slips past me. It’s never been something I’d go out of my way to pay attention to, but sometimes, something gets brought to your attention that can’t be overlooked. Not one single Spur is on the ESPY list. Lets take a peek.

Best
Male Athlete

• 
  Kobe Bryant NBA
• 
  LeBron James NBA
• 
  Jimmie Johnson Auto Racing
• 
  Michael Phelps Swimming

Ok, I’ll give that to you, that’s a pretty studly list, even though we could craft an argument against Jimmie Johnson. He really needs to rethink his car though, he could do so much better in a Ford.

Best Moment

• 
  Florida’s Tim Tebow’s speech
• 
  Helio Castroneves wins the Indy 500
• 
  US swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay

Alright, I racked my brain, and this looks pretty good too.

Best Team

• 
  Connecticut Women’s Basketball
• 
  Los Angeles Lakers
• 
  North Carolina Men’s Basketball
• 
  Philadelphia Phillies
• 
  Pittsburgh Penguins
• 
  Pittsburgh Steelers

We all love our Spurs dearly, but we don’t deserve this category in any way after our bench failed to do anything.

Best Coach-Manager

• 
  Geno Auriemma Connecticut Women’s Basketball
• 
  Dan Bylsma Pittsburgh Penguins
• 
  Phil Jackson Los Angeles Lakers
• 
  Joe Maddon Tampa Bay Rays
• 
  Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers

Now we can make a valid complaint. Jackson is a coach and all, but I don’t think we can give him the “Best Coach” distinction. Best Mediator, sure, but when you have Kobe, Fisher, Odom, Gasol, Bynum, and Ariza, there’s not a lot of coaching to be done, just keep them happy. I’m not sure the Spurs can get there due though either. Take a peek at the Hawks and what they did with the roster they have, or maybe the Jazz, they got hit with injuries worse than San Antonio and were still in the hunt down the stretch. I’ll pick Jerry Sloan here.

Best Game

• 
  Federer vs. Nadal 2008 Wimbledon Final
• 
  Steelers vs. Cardinals Super Bowl XLIII
• 
  Syracuse vs. Connecticut Big East Tournament Quarterfinals

Ok, the Superbowl had a pretty good finish, and that ‘Cuse game was crazy, but does anyone actually watch Tennis outside of France?

Best Play

• 
  Ovechkin vs. Rangers
• 
  Pacquiao KO’s Hatton
• 
  Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD
• 
  Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree makes game-winning catch vs.
  Texas

With thousands upon thousands of great plays every year, I see how we’d get overlooked.

Best Breakthrough
Athlete

• 
  Shawn Johnson Olympic Gymnastics
• 
  Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays
• 
  Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls
• 
  Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons

Again, understandable. We didn’t have anyone come out of nowhere, but this next year I expect to see DeJuan Blair on the list, after he wins Rookie of the Year.

Best Record
Breaking Performance

• 
  Usain Bolt Olympic Sprinter
• 
  Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals
• 
  Phil Jackson Los Angeles Lakers
• 
  Michael Phelps Olympic Swimmer

Are you joking? What record breaking performance did Jackson and the Lakers have? They won, but not spectacularly.

Best Male
International Athlete

• 
  Usain Bolt Jamaica, Sprinter
• 
  Pau Gasol Spain, Basketball
• 
  Lionel Messi Argentina, Soccer
• 
  Rafael Nadal Spain, Tennis
• 
  Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal, Soccer

This right here, BEST Male International Athlete, this is where we have our best complaint. How does Gasol get on the list? What did he do? He got a ring, thanks to Kobe. He plays in a media market, thanks to a gift wrapped trade. What does he really bring to the table? The Spurs became Parker’s team this year, and he had major games to go along with it. When was the last time Gasol dropped 55 points on anybody, much less carried a very injured team on his back? Oh yeah, and the beautiful wife.

Best NBA
Player

• 
  Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers
• 
  Dwight Howard Orlando Magic
• 
  LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers
• 
  Dwyane Wade Miami Heat

I’ll give you the first 3, but again, I don’t see Wade shining more than Parker. He’s up there, but there are several guys who could easily be in front of him.

Somebody remind me when the ESPY stuff starts next year, we need to get a movement going to make sure the Spurs get on the list. Apparently somebody has a hard on for the Lakers too, because they make the list twice as much as they should.