Year in Review: 2018's Unforgettable Moments and What to Expect in '19

In the last Weekend Read of 2018, we revisit everything memorable this year in sports had to offer and look ahead to what we expect to see in 2019.

SI Staff | Dec 28, 2018

Year in Review: 2018's Unforgettable Moments and What to Expect in '19 /

As the year comes to an end, it's time to take stock of everything the sports world threw at us in 2018: the best, worst, weirdest, most embarrassing and more. Below, we'll share snippets of our look back at 2018 and what we expect to unfold in '19.

Best Bloopers and Blunders of '18

J.R. Smith in the NBA Finals

Have you ever booked a train ticket for the wrong date? Or showed up to a party at the wrong time? It sucks, right? But it’s not the end of the world, because usually the entire country isn’t watching. Unfortunately for J.R. Smith, all of America watched him forget that Game 1 of the NBA Finals was tied and attempt to dribble out the clock because he thought the Cavaliers were winning. The game then went to overtime and the Warriors proceeded to crush Cleveland, a team that was only there because LeBron James had hoisted them onto his back and carried them uphill all season. LeBron’s reaction to J.R.—that exasperated look, those outstretched hands—quickly became a meme. J.R. is gonna J.R. — By Charlotte Wilder

Top 10 Worst Individual Performances of '18

UConn defensive coordinator Billy Crocker

A hearty congratulations to UConn’s 2018 defense for being literally the worst in the history of major college football. Here is just a sampling of records broken by the Huskies:

• 605 points allowed (33 more than East Carolina in 2010)

• 617.4 yards allowed per game (56.57 more than Kansas in 2015)

• 50.42 points allowed per game (.15 more than Louisiana-Lafayette in 1997)

UConn allowed a staggering 8.8 yards per play, allowed opponents to score on 62 of 67 red zone opportunities, surrendered 325 first downs while only forcing 130 third-down situations and gave up 81 touchdowns. Opposing teams averaged 7.7 yards per carry and 335 rushing yards per game. I could go on, but you get the picture. — By Dan Gartland

• Other Top 10 Lists:Brain Farts | Blown Leads | Worst Coaching Decisions | Worst Officiating Decisions

Predicting the Champions of 2019

College Basketball: Duke Blue Devils

Talk of the Blue Devils running the table was snuffed out early by a loss to Gonzaga, but that it took such a strong night from such a talented and experienced Bulldogs team to knock them off is a testament to just how good Duke is already. Without the burden of chasing perfection, the absurdly talented, skilled and large Blue Devils can focus on improving further still, something Coach K's freshmen-heavy teams have shown a knack for doing rapidly in recent years. No team's ceiling is higher. — By Dan Greene

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PGA Championship: Tiger Woods

Wishful thinking? Maybe. Totally out of the realm of possibility? Absolutely not. Tiger Woods showed last year that he’s capable of winning majors again. Remember, he led on the Sunday back nine at Carnoustie and finished alone at second at Bellerive. Woods typically fares well on PGA Championship setups—he’s won the tournament four times—and he’s got a solid history at this year’s host venue, Bethpage Black, where he won the U.S. Open in 2002 and finished T-4 in '09. It says here: Woods wins the first PGA Championship in May for his 15th major and, in the process, truly completes one of the most remarkable comebacks in sports history. — By Daniel Rapaport

Five Storylines That Will Dominate the NFL in '19

Saying Goodbye to the Legends

While Tom Brady expresses a desire to play until 45, he has notably slowed this year, as have some of the key role players in the Patriot dynasty. Elsewhere, Drew Brees will turn 40 before the Super Bowl. Larry Fitzgerald is 35, Julius Peppers is going to be 39, Rob Gronkowski is going to be 30, but with two careers’ worth of serious injuries on his body. That’s just a few of the names we’ll be keeping an eye on as the grind of another NFL season forces players to make decisions about their long-term health and life after football. Luckily for the NFL, the league was infused over the past two or three seasons with a bedrock of young stars capable of replacing the outgoing class. Still, it is never easy for a league to wave goodbye to its biggest cash cows. — By Conor Orr

Vault Photo of the Week: Vince Young's Epic Dive

Vince Young was on the move, and so was SI photographer Robert Beck. It was the third quarter of the 2006 Rose Bowl, and Young's Texas Longhorns—trailing by a point—were slicing through USC's defense, marching from their own 20-yard line to the Trojans' 14 in six plays and less than two minutes of game clock. That posed a problem for Beck, who had to hustle down the sideline to get in position for a potential Longhorns touchdown. "I'm running down there, they start their play—I don't even have a spot yet. I'm not even standing still," Beck recalls. "[Young] starts moving, and he's running toward me. We were heading toward the same corner at the same time. I must have had a head start because I'm not as fast as Vince Young."

As Young broke a tackle and dived toward the right pylon, Beck had his wide-angle lens ready. "We got there at the same time. I grabbed the camera around my neck and got that picture," Beck says. "Total luck." Maybe Texas was a bit lucky that night too, but both Young and Beck were rewarded for their hustle: The quarterback's diving score helped the underdog Longhorns to a 41–38 national title win, and the photographer's shot ended up on the cover of SI. — By Stanley Kay

Editor's note: What kind of stories and content would you like to see in the Weekend Read? Let's chat at SIWeekendRead@gmail.com.

Published Dec 28, 2018

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