2008: Year of Greatly Failed Expectations (Part Two)

By: Luke Florence

Okay, so in PART ONE, we took a look at the Browns, Bulls, and Indians.

Those three teams had relatively high expectations and all fell well short of reaching them. But, as we discussed at the beginning of part one, there are two types of expectations.

The second type is what these next three teams dealt with during 2008. They all met expectations. However, they left us scratching our heads and wondering what could have been. Were our expectations too low? Should we be disappointed? Or proud of what they accomplished? Even Ken Jennings doesn't even have the answer to those questions.
Be sure to make it to the end, where I make a poor effort of putting 2008 into some sort of philosophical context. Giddy up.

#3 NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH FOOTBALL (2007 Rank 6/6)

If you need to know how my teams did this past year, I can answer it one simple sentence.

"Well, Notre Dame went 7-6 in football, and were in the top half of my favorites."

Some will say that this season was a complete disappointment for the Irish. Well, they may be right on some levels, but there was a distinct moment during this past season where I completely doubted the ability of Notre Dame to even come close to a 7-6 season-ending record.

That moment was week one, against the San Diego State Aztecs. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Irish trailed 13-6. The Aztecs were driving, they were in the red-zone, they were on the one-yard line, knocking on the door of an upset that would have been the most embarrassing Irish loss ever. But then fate intervened, and the Aztecs fumbled on the one inch line. (If you had a gun to my head, I would have said the running back - Brandon Sullivan - was in). Luckily for me, Charlie Weis, and the rest of the Irish faithful, Notre Dame scored two late touchdowns and won the game 21-13.

The rest of the year? Well, you be the judge.

- Game #2 - vs. Michigan - won 35-17 (2-0 record): Convincing win over a horrible Wolverine team.

- Game #3 - @ Michigan State - lost 23-7 (2-1): Never had a chance in this one. Javon Ringer ran all over the Irish, picking up more than 200 yards on the ground.

- Game #4 + #5 - vs. Purdue and Stanford won both 38-21 and 28-21 respectively (4-1) - Irish showed they were the better team in both match-ups. Jimmy Clausen started to show his true potential.
- Game #6 - @ North Carolina - lost 29-24 (4-2) - Clausen came down to Earth in the second half, after the Irish had a 17-9 lead at halftime. This one should have been a win for Notre Dame.

- Game #7 - @ Washington - won 33-7 (5-2) - The Huskies might have been the worst team in College Football last year.

- Game #8 - vs. Pittsburgh - lost 36-33 (4 OT) (5-3) - Another game the Irish threw away in the second half. Up 17-3 at halftime.

- Game #9 - @ Boston College - lost 17-0 (5-4) - Clausen was pathetic, as he was picked off four times and looked like a deer in headlights. Awful.

- Game #10 - vs. Navy - won 27-21 (6-4) - The Irish dominated from the start, but due to their inability to recover an on-side kick, nearly blew another big lead.

- Game #11 - vs. Syracuse - lost 24-23 (6-5) - Up 23-10 heading into the fourth quarter, the Irish choked this one away.

- Game #12 - @ USC - lost 38-3 (6-6) - Better team - by a wide margin - won, by a wide margin.

Which leads us to their bowl game against Hawaii, which the Irish dominated, 49-21. They looked sharp and crisp offensively. Clausen looked the best he ever had while wearing a Notre Dame jersey. Golden Tate looked like a dark-horse for the Heisman Award. And, most importantly, the Irish had won their first bowl game since the 1994 Cotton Bowl. The bowl losing streak had lasted nine straight bowls and 14 years. It was the biggest thing gained from this season. For the first time since Brady Quinn's junior season, the Irish have reason to be excited about the upcoming season.

A lot was made about whether or not to fire Charlie Weis. After some debate and discussion, the decision was made to keep Weis. It was the right choice. One, there was no one out there who could have been viewed as an upgrade. There was no Urban Meyer available. And secondly, he didn't do that bad of a job this season! We are actually only even talking about one game, the Syracuse disaster. Scratch that game and we are not even having this discussion. He won all the games he was supposed to, minus Syracuse.
In fact, take a look back at my recap and you will find the Irish could have EASILY gone 9-3. They were up late in three games and couldn't finish the deal.

My Past Prediction For 2008 - "Big year for Coach Weis. Another year like ‘07 and he will be knocking on Belichick’s door looking for a job. I would like to think Jimmy Clausen will get better. I would like to think that these stud recruits that Weis has been pulling in will finally surface. I would like to think Notre Dame will have a winning record. My gut tells me something around 7-5 with a season ending bowl win. At this point I’ll take anything better than ‘07."

Review - Looks like I didn't miss anything. I was off by just one game, but was correct with the Irish ending their bowl losing streak. Clausen did get better, and recruits - like Michael Floyd - did surface.

Prediction Grade - 10/10

Prediction for 2009 - Yet another big year for Charlie Weis. He can't afford another 7-5 season unfortunately. However, that should not be a problem for this team. They return a majority of starters, on both sides of the ball, and have upgraded on special teams (very solid kicker/punter coming in recruit wise). Schedule looks even easier than in 2008, so finding nine wins shouldn't be a problem for Notre Dame. 9-3 should be the mark to aim for. As for Jimmy Clausen, I see, based off of last year, him being a lot more Hawaii Bowl than Boston College. Weis definitely hopes so, because those two are tied at the hip. One performs bad, the other is gone.

#2 NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH BASKETBALL ('07 Rank #3)

Classic example of a team who clearly exceeded expectations, but ultimately fell short. It's a tough thing to accomplish.

A team must have been severely under-rated before the season started (check - this team was rated #9 out of 16 Big East squads). Also, a team must take that low rating and squash it by a wide margin (check - this team finished 14-4 in Big East play, good enough for a tie for 2nd place). Lastly, the team, with new expectations built, must fall dramatically short (check - lost in their first Big East Tourney game, and then in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament, by 20 points).

See, it can be done, to both meet AND not meet expectations in a single season.

But, beyond all of the above, the 2007-2008 season should be remembered for the emergence of Luke Harangody. This kid is the best player I've seen lace them up for the blue and gold. Somewhere in Indiana, Troy Murphy is jumping up and down, shouting "Hey look at me!" Sorry Troy, Harnagody is better.
He led the league in scoring, putting up 21 points per game. But he also finished second in rebounding, grabbing 10.3 per game. In other words, this kid averaged a double-double, all the while playing in the toughest conference in the country. He is over qualified for the Jay Bilas' over-using of the term "strong."

Let's look at the highlights.

- Stayed undefeated at home, breaking a new record for consecutive home victories, and ending the season with the 2nd longest active home winning streak in the nation.

- Kyle McAlarney scored 32 points against UCONN, in an Irish 73-67 win. McAlarney's mom was shown on split-screen for the entire 2nd half.

- Beating the likes of Marquette, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse in consecutive home games. Cementing their spot in the NCAA tournament.

- Finishing 14-4 in Big East play, the best mark ever for Notre Dame.

However, they played flat against Marquette in the quarter-finals of the Big East Tournament, losing by 10. Then, they played horrible basketball against Washington State in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament, losing 61-41. That's no misprint. They scored 41 points in 40 minutes of play. What a waste of a game with Gus Johnson on the call.
But in the end, I'll take the 2nd round loss. For a team that wasn't supposed to even be in the dance at the beginning of the season, I shouldn't come down too hard on them for showing up in a hideous dress.

As for this current season? Well, as I write this they are currently riding a five-game losing streak. One that has them sitting at 12-8 and on the outside, looking in at an NCAA tournament bid. This wasn't supposed to happen for a team that was ranked in the preseason top-ten. This team is the EXACT OPPOSITE of last year's squad with regards to preseason expectations and actual results.

My Past Prediction For 2008 - "They need to start winning road games, or at the very least, be competitive. The Harangody-McAlarney combo is proving tough to stop. My best guess is that the Irish will go 11-7 in the Big East this year. They will be a proverbial bubble team for the NCAA tourney. If they get in they could be very dangerous if they get hot. I honestly believe that ‘09 will see the true potential of this talented young Irish team."

Review - Under-estimated how good Harangody was going to be, that much is obvious. Never envisioned Notre Dame going 14-4 in conference action. And as far as my closing statement, talk about having high expectations getting shot down.

Prediction Grade - 5/10

Prediction For 2009 - Call me crazy, but I see the Irish turning things around and making the NCAA tournament. Call me crazier, but I see the Irish turning things around so much that they make the Sweet 16 this season. I know it seems outrageous, but I'm inspired by our new President. YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! They will go 9-9 in conference play, win a Big East tourney game, get in as an #11 seed and win two NCAA tournament games. It could happen, believe.

#1 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ('07 Rank #5)

My one saving grace for 2008. The Pittsburgh Penguins. They took me on a memorable run for the entire month of May, and into the beginning of June. There was no question that they would be my number one team.

The start of the 2007-2008 season for the Penguins was unenthusiastic, at best. They were coming off a 1st round playoff loss to the Ottawa Senators, and the hope was they could improve on that mark. Win at least one playoff round. That was the goal.

Slowly but surely, the Penguins began to find their stride, especially at the beginning of the new year. It was remarkable in the sense that they were winning games without two of their best players. Sidney Crosby went down with an ankle sprain and missed nearly 30 games. Their starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury strangely had the same type of injury as Crosby, and missed equal time. However, Evgeni Malkin stepped up to the plate and shouldered the burden for this Pens team. He finished the season with 106 points (2nd in the league) and was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy (NHL MVP).
The turning point for this team - expectations wise - came during the NHL trading deadline. With the Penguins in a tight race for the Atlantic Division crown, they made several high-profile moves in an attempt to break away from the pack. They traded for Marian Hossa, who would be the NHL equivalent of the NBA's Manu Ginobili. He is a scorer who works at his best if there is another superstar on the team (Crosby = Tim Duncan). They also traded for Pascal Dupuis and Hal Gill. Dupuis is a forward, who would be like James Posey, a high-quality sixth man. Hal Gill is a defensemen, who would be the equivalent of Dennis Rodman in his prime.

Needless to say, these Penguins had acquired some serious talent. They were going after the Stanley Cup. As a fan, I was extremely excited after these trades. Making moves like this tells the fan-base to expect big things. I was ready. Usually I don't get too excited for the Penguins games until the playoffs begin, but after those trades took place in late February, I was all in.
Six weeks later, the Penguins had wrapped up the Atlantic Division, their first in ten years. Memories of Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux always seem to be fresh in my mind, but with this team clinching the division, it signified to me, the changing of the guard. Ten years is a long time, but it makes it that much sweeter when it finally happens.

They ended the season as the #2 seed, just missing out on the top seed, which went to the Montreal Canadiens. And who were the Pens slated to face in the first round? Those pesky Ottawa Senators who knocked the Penguins out a year ago. It was playoff time.

See, this is when I watch every single game. There is nothing quite like playoff hockey. The only thing that even compares to it would be World Cup Soccer. One goal changes history. No other sport (besides soccer) offers that. One goal. One moment. That's what we all wait for in playoff hockey. No shoot-out. We play until someone scores that goal.

Not wasting any time, the Penguins quickly dispatched of the Senators, sweeping them in four games. This talented Pens team was showing just how far they had come in one season. Hossa was fitting right in with Crosby. Fleury was on top of his game, and Malkin was looking solid, just as he had done all season long. Pittsburgh was going to be a tough out. Up next? The New York Rangers.

The Rangers-Pens series was a little tough for me to watch. The Rangers star player was Jaromir Jagr. The very same Jagr I had grown up as a ten-year-old kid watching lead the Penguins into the playoffs. Now, I was finishing up college, watching Jagr take on his old team. It was a little difficult.
What wasn't too difficult was this series, which the Penguins won in five games. Yes, the Rangers were a step-up in difficulty level, but Pittsburgh was up to the task. The fifth game did go into overtime, which is the epitome of playoff hockey, because one goal ENDS THE GAME. Hossa scored the game and series-winning goal, and the Penguins were off to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Philadelphia Flyers.

The last time I remember watching the Flyers face the Penguins in playoff hockey was back in 2000. It was the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The one game that I will never forget was Game Four. Pittsburgh was the #7 seed, facing the top seeded Flyers. Pittsburgh had won the first two games in Philly, but lost game three at home in overtime. Game Four was a huge game. On May 4th, 2000, Pittsburgh and Philly played the 3rd longest game in NHL history. It lasted five overtimes! And, unfortunately for me, it ended when Keith Primeau finally scored for the Flyers. I was exhausted, and so were the Penguins, as they dropped the remaining two games of the series.

Thankfully this time around, there would be no marathon-type games. Pittsburgh was the better team from the onset. They won the first three games of the series, had a slight hiccup in the fourth, but then emphatically clinched the Eastern Conference in Game Five, winning 6-0. Pittsburgh was on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Now, I must admit, I became a Pittsburgh Penguins fan because in 1992 they had just won their second straight Stanley Cup. I jumped aboard then. I don't remember watching a single Stanley Cup game however. I had missed that train. Who knew I would have to wait 16 years to finally watch one with the Penguins. Let me tell you right now, it was worth the wait.

In the Finals awaited the Detroit Red Wings, who were the only team on paper as talented as the Penguins. It was an intense series, a physical series, and a great series to watch.

- The Red Wings totally outclassed Pittsburgh in the first two games, winning by a combined score of 7-0. It was at this time when everyone wondered NOT if Pittsburgh had a chance to win the Series, but if they had a shot to score ONE goal.

- Game Three answered that question with a resounding YES. Crosby scored in the first period, and Pittsburgh used their home ice advangtage brilliantly, winning 3-2 and making this an official series.

- However, any momentum gained in the third game, was laid to waste in Game Four. Hossa struck first, but the Red Wings scored the next two, which would be all they needed. The key moment in this game was when the Penguins failed to score on a two-man advantage late in the third period.

- Going back to Detroit, the overwhelming opinion was that Pittsburgh was dead. The Red Wings were going to clinch the Stanley Cup Finals in front of their home crowd. Well, please take the time to watch this video, because it sums it up better than I could possibly hope to write.

- It would be the last win for Pittsburgh in 2008, as the Red Wings clinched the in Pittsburgh with a 3-2 Stanley Cup, Game Six win. Just like that, it was over.

I cannot thank the Penguins enough for this run. It was memorable on so many different levels. It would have taken a playoff trip by the Browns, or a World Series appearance by the Tribe for someone to top what the Penguins accomplished. It was the first time I had a team in the Stanley Cup Finals. You never forget your first time. I certainly won't.

PAST PREDICTION FOR 2008 - "Although Crosby just went down with a high ankle sprain that could seriously hurt the Pens chances of winning their division, I still like Pittsburgh to win a series in the playoffs. After that, it would all be gravy. On a side note, how cool was that outside game versus Buffalo on New Years’ Day? Even Big John seemed to show an interest, and I‘ve never seen him watch a second of a hockey game. Ever."

Review - Pretty easy review. I underestimated them completely. Did not see them making all those key mid-season acquisitions. Did not see them going to the Stanley Cup Finals. But I was certainly glad they did.

Prediction Grade - 4/10

Prediction for 2009 - Tough to say. Right now they are struggling to stay in the playoff race. They lost Hossa to free agency as well as some other pieces to the salary cap. They are banged up, and missing a couple key players. But, like with the Irish's basketball team, I still have hope. They won't be getting back to the Stanley Cup Finals, but this team will make the playoffs, and then win at least one round. But even if they don't, I won't be upset. This team gave me too much in 2008.

WRAPPING THINGS UP

Let me take you back to the Charles Dickens quote from the very beginning, "Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before - more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle."

There was a very specific reason why I chose that quote to sum up 2008.

It goes under the thinking of John Locke, "Everything happens for a reason." Dickens, in that sense, is recognizing 'the reason' with his line. Don't be ashamed of your mistakes or your mis-steps. They make the good times that much better for having endured.

That's what makes sports so damn good. We endure. It's true, we hate to lose, especially when it's completely out of control. But we put in the time, we put in the losing, so when we win, the victory tastes that much sweeter.

Sure, maybe 2008 was the year of greatly failed expectations, and that alone is reason to tear up. But, as Dickens tells me, I am not ashamed.

Instead, I endure.

Thanks for listening.

Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."