Surprises rule in 2016
classics will be measured by — the Cubs prevailing 8-7 in 10 riveting, rain-delayed In a year filled with stuninnings after squandering a ners, sports certainly went four-run lead. along for the ride. Fo x y c h a m p i o n s : I f
From the Golden State that seemed unbelievable, Warriors squandering a 3-1 check out Leicester City, perlead in the NBA Finals after haps the most improbable a record-breaking season to champion in the history of little Leicester City defying any major sport. The Foxes insurmountable odds to capbegan the season as a 5,000ture the Premier League title, t o - 1 l o n g s h o t t o c l a i m there were plenty of shockEngland’s top soccer title, ing outcomes in our arenas which seemed about right and stadiums. for a club that had been play
Heck, the Chicago Cubs ing in the second division even won the World Series two years earlier and barely for the first time in 108 years. avoided relegation in 2015.
Let’s t ake a look at the But Leicester City romped games and events that left to the first league title in its us aghast in 2016: 132-year history — clinching
Not so Golden: The Warthe crown with two weeks riors started the season with to spare. a 24-game winning streak B e a t i n g t h e G O AT : and finished 73-9, the greatMichael Phelps was poised to est regular season in NBA hisclose his career in a blaze of tory. Golden State rallied to glory. Then he swam against beat Oklahoma City for the a boyish, 21-year-old from Western Conference title and Singapore who grew up idolwas poised for its second izing the most decorated straight championship. But athlete in Olympic history. the Warriors became the first Joseph Schooling won his team ever to blow a 3-1 lead country’s first gold medal in the NBA Finals — dropping with an upset victory in the the last two games in Oak100-meter butterfly. Phelps land, no less — as the LeBron finished in a three-way tie for James-led Cavaliers cele - second, giving him a silver brated the first championto go along with five golds ship in franchise history. in what was again billed as
Cubs win! Cubs win! The his final Olympics. Chicago Cubs didn’t win their S e r e n a s l i p s d o w n first title, but it sure seemed under: An Olympic defeat like it. Baseball’s lovable loswasn’t even the most disers were favored to finally appointing of the year for break through after assemSerena Williams, who was bling a powerhouse team that knocked off in the final of led the majors with a 103-59 the Australian Open by Gerrecord. This being the Cubs, many’s Angelique Kerber. of course, they had to make After barely advancing past their first title since 1908 as the opening round, the No. 7 difficult as possible. They seed took advantage of a fell behind 3-1 to another rash of unforced errors by Cleveland team, the Indians. Williams to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 . Then, like the Cavaliers, ChiThere was also a huge upset cago rallied to win the last in the men’s game when twothree games, including the time defending Wimbledon final two on the road. Game champion Novak Djokovic 7 was a classic that all other lost in the third round to Sam Querrey, ending a 30-match winning stre ak in Grand Slams.
Icing the English: Iceland, a country of roughly 300,000 people, didn’t figure to stand a chance against mighty England at the Euros, the most prestigious soccer prize outside the World Cup. But the team playing in its first major international tournament overcame an early deficit for a 2-1 victory. It was one of the humiliating defeats in the history of English football, leading to the immediate resignation of manager Roy Hodgson.
Alexander the Great: The 100th Indianapolis 500 was snatched away by Alexander Rossi , a 24-year-old American competing in the race for the first time. After the other leaders pitted for a splash of fuel, Rossi gambled that he could make it to the end. He coasted across the finish line.
Spieth takes a bath: After making a run at the Grand Slam in 2015, Jordan Spieth was cruising toward his second straight Masters title when he made the turn on the final day with a commanding five-stroke lead. Not so fast. Spieth dunked two balls in the water at the par-3 12th for a quadruple bogey that handed the green jacket to England’s Danny Willett.
Raiders turn the Spartans blue: Michigan State went into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament as a popular pick to go all the way. The Spartans didn’t even make it past their opening game. Middle Tennessee State, a No. 15 seed, shot 56 percent from the field and knocked down 11 3-pointers for a stunning 90-81 victory that gave the Blue Raiders one of the greatest upsets in the history of the tournament. It fit right in with the rest of 2016.