The Top 50 Sports Moments of 2010

From The Decision to the onside kick, to five regular season no-hitters to a postseason no-hitter and many more events, the year of 2010 in sports was not one to forget.

Starting with Alabama's national championship and ending with UConn's 90-game win streak being broken, 2010 is a year to remember in sports.

50. Paul the Octopus Predicts Germany's Games Correctly

The octopus, who lived in Oberhausen, Germany, predicted eight of eight games correctly during the 2010 World Cup.

Paul, who picked all of Germany's games and the World Cup Final, chose the winner from which box of food he chose to eat first.

Paul became a phenomenon during the World Cup and correctly picked Germany's exit in the semifinals.

Sadly, Paul died on October 26, but his legacy will live on until the next psychic octopus comes along.

49. Oklahoma State Amazing Interception

This play is in the running for play of the year.

In the Cowboys' shootout Bedlam game with Oklahoma, Broderick Brown made the play of the year in college football.

Brown jumped out of bounds, with his feet still in the air, and deflected the ball back in bounds to teammate Shaun Lewis, who caught the deflection to intercept Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones.

48. Welcome to the NBA, Blake Griffin

The top pick in the 2009 draft missed the whole 2009-10 due to a knee injury, but his rookie season has had a huge impact on the NBA. Griffin is making the Top 10 plays on SportsCenter with almost every game he plays.

Griffin has given attention to the Los Angeles Clippers, who sit at 9-22, by averaging 21.1 points per game and 12.4 rebounds per game, along with his thunderous dunks.

47. College Football Expansion

The college football landscape has forever changed thanks to the events of the past year.

The big splash news was made by the Pac-10, who was rumored to bring in the Big 12 South division to form a 16-team super league.

That plan backfired and only gave the Pac-10 the addition of Utah and Colorado.

The Big Ten took Nebraska away from the Big 12.

Boise State moved to the Mountain West, along with Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii (in football only).

TCU shocked everyone and pledged its future to the Big East, while the WAC was left in shambles and had to add Texas State, Texas-San Antonio and Denver to remain an eight-team league.

BYU also declared themselves as an independent in football.

46. Fulham's Miracle Run to Europa League Final

Normally a mid-level English Premier League, Fulham stole all the headlines in Europe with their miracle run to the Europa League final.

Starting their campaign in late July with a 6-0 aggregate win in the third qualifying round over Vetra of Lithuania, the club, led by manager Roy Hodgson and American midfielder Clint Dempsey, ended up in the final on May 12 in Hamburg, Germany.

During their improbable run, the Cottagers took down European mainstays Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Hamburg before losing to Atletico Madrid in the final.

45. Donovan McNabb Traded to Redskins

Easter Sunday, 2010 became even more memorable for Philadelphia Eagles fans.

That was the day that their franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb, was traded to their NFC East rival, the Washington Redskins.

At the time of the trade, no one knew the events that would follow in the NFL season.

The Eagles ended up starting Michael Vick and are looking to clinch a playoff spot, while McNabb is the third-string quarterback in Washington and will most likely not be a Redskin next season.

44. Overtime, Overtime, and Even More Overtime

Mendenhall during his overtime run in Week 1

Beginning with the Week 1 game between the Steelers and Falcons, the National Football League has seen a game go to the extra period every week, except for Week 4.

Notable overtime moments have included Rashard Mendenhall's game-winning touchdown run in Week 1 and Baltimore's walk-off interception on Monday Night Football against the Texans in Week 14.

The abundance of overtime games has given the NFL a flare for the dramatic and a sense of parody every week.

43. Jamie McMurray Wins Daytona 500

McMurray kicked the NASCAR season off in style by winning the most famous race on the circuit.

The 34-year-old Missouri native, who jumped around from team to team during his career, only led two laps in the entire race, but they were the most important two laps.

McMurray took the No. 1 car into Victory Lane, giving him his first Daytona 500 title.

42. Inter Milan Captures UEFA Champions League Title

They call Jose Mourinho the Special One for a reason.

Mourinho guided Inter to its third European title with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on May 22.

Diego Milito scored the two goals for Inter and gave Mourinho his second Champions League title.

41. LSU-Tennessee Crazy Ending

In the craziest finish to a game in college football this season, LSU escaped a loss through a freak sequence of events.

The Tigers had gotten down to the 1-yard-line and, with no timeouts left, had to scramble to the line of scrimmage.

The Tigers were able to down the ball, but with no time left.

But a penalty flag was spotted on the field.

Tennessee had 12 defenders on the field. This gave LSU one more chance to score, which they did on Stevan Ridley's touchdown run.

40. American Gold Medal Winners

The American contingent at the Vancouver Olympics took home nine gold medals, starting with Hannah Kearney's win in the women's moguls and ending with the four man bobsled.

Other gold medal winners included Seth Wescott, Shani Davis, Lindsey Vonn, Bode Miller, Shaun White, Bill DeMong and Evan Lysacek.

39. Europe Takes Back Ryder Cup

The 2010 Ryder Cup in Celtic Manor, Wales was full of surprises and poor weather.

Down 6-4 after two sessions, the Europeans, captained by Colin Montgomerie, made an amazing comeback by winning five-and-a-half points in the third session.

The Americans almost came back, but thanks to Graeme McDowell's win over Hunter Mahan in the singles on Monday morning, the Europeans took the Ryder Cup back to their home soil.

38. Brian McCann Wins All-Star Game for National League

The National League won their first All-Star Game since 1996 thanks to a bases-clearing double by Brian McCann in the top of the seventh inning.

The double came off Matt Thornton of the Chicago White Sox, who had just walked Cubs outfielder Marlon Byrd to load the bases.

McCann won the Most Valuable Player Award thanks to his heroics.

37. Cardinals-Packers Playoff Shootout

January 10 produced one of the most memorable playoff games the NFL has ever seen.

The duel in the desert between Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers at the University of Phoenix Stadium came to fruition in the second half.

The Packers, down 31-10 early in the third quarter, began their comeback with a touchdown pass from Rodgers to Greg Jennings.

After the Packers gave up a late Steve Breaston touchdown in the fourth quarter, Rodgers hit Spencer Havner for a touchdown to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Cardinals defense forced a Rogers fumble that Karlos Dansby took to the endzone, giving the Cardinals a 51-45 win.

36. Bill DeMong Wins America's First Nordic Combined Medal

There are few sports in the Winter Olympics where the Americans have never succeeded.

Until 2010, the Nordic Combined, a combination of ski jumping and biathlon, was one of the Americans' shortfalls.

Bill DeMong took care of that problem by winning the gold medal in the individual large hill competition.

Along with DeMong, the American relay team won the silver medal, and Johnny Spillane took home two silver medals in the individual competitions.

35. First-Time Major Winners in Golf

If you asked any causal golf fan who Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer where, they would probably say they had no clue.

McDowell, who had the most career success out of the three before his major win, won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in June.

The South African Oosthuizen took the lead at the British Open at St. Andrews after the second round and never looked back. Oosthuizen shot 16 under par, giving the 28-year-old his first major win.

Kaymer, from Germany, defeated Bubba Watson in a three-hole playoff at Whistling Straits. The win also earned Kaymer a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.

34. Alabama Wins 13th National Title

In January, the Alabama Crimson Tide won their 13th national title at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena over the Colt McCoy-less Texas Longhorns.

Led by Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, who rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns in the title game, the Tide thwarted a second-half surge from Longhorns backup Garrett Gilbert and held on for a 37-21.

33. Michigan State vs. Maryland: Point Guard Showdown in NCAA Tournament

During last year's NCAA tournament, Korie Lucious of Michigan State and Greivis Vazquez of Maryland put on one of the best displays of the point guard position in recent memory.

Lucious, filling in for injured starter Kalin Lucas, hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Spartans an 85-83 win in Spokane.

Vazquez, one of the best point guards in college basketball during his four-year career, scored 26 points in the loss.

32. Cody Ross Takes Down Phillies in NLCS

Cody Ross single handedly took down the Philadelphia Phillies' All-Star pitching staff in the first two games of the NLCS in Philadelphia.

In Game 1, Ross hit two homers, one in the third and one in the fifth, off Cy Young winner Roy Halladay.

In Game 3, Ross started a fourth-inning rally with an RBI single off Cole Hamels.

Ross won NLCS Most Valuable Player on the way to the Giants' first World Series title since moving to San Francisco.

31. Mets-Cardinals 20-Inning Game

The April 17 game started out as a regular afternoon baseball game in St. Louis, but eventually turned into a scoreless marathon with position players on the mound.

Johan Santana of the Mets and Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals dueled for seven innings before the bullpens took over and kept the game scoreless until the 19th inning.

With outfielder Joe Mather on the mound, the Cardinals gave up a Jeff Francoeur sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the 19th inning, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina singled home Albert Pujols to continue the game.

Jose Reyes drove in the second run for the Mets in the 20th with a sacrifice fly off Mather and set up Mike Pelfrey, a starter for the Mets, for the save.

The game took six hours and 53 minutes and saw 19 different pitchers on the mound, including Mather and his teammate Felipe Lopez, an infielder, who took the mound in the 18th inning.

30. Michigan State Fake Field Goal Beats Notre Dame

Early in the college football season, the Michigan State Spartans were down three points to Notre Dame and had set up kicker Don Conroy with a 46-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.

However, Spartans coach Mark Dantonio thought otherwise and called a fake.

Holder Aaron Bates hit tight end Charlie Gantt wide open inside the 20-yard-line, and Gantt ran into the endzone untouched to give Sparty the win.

29. Northern Iowa Upsets Kansas

No one honestly saw this coming. Kansas had dominated all season and earned the top seed in their bracket.

Northern Iowa was thought to be no slouch, but what they did on March 20 in Oklahoma City was not expected.

Led by point guard Ali Farokhmanesh and a stellar defensive performance, the Panthers took down the top-seeded Jayhawks 69-67.

28. Historic Managers Leave Baseball for Good

Baseball fans knew that Bobby Cox, long-time manager of the Atlanta Braves, would retire at the end of the season. But the retirements of Joe Torre in Los Angeles and Lou Piniella in Chicago sent tremors through the baseball world.

The three have combined for over 7,000 wins, six World Series titles, and 38 playoff appearances.

For the 2011 season, the Braves have appointed Fredi Gonzalez to replace Cox, Don Mattingly will take Torre's place in LA and Mike Quade takes the reigns in Chicago.

27. Kyle Brotzman Loses Title Shot for Boise

Boise State was undefeated going into their Black Friday game at Nevada, and it looked like they would stay that way after the first half.

But Nevada came back and made Boise play to the final whistle.

Tied at 31 with a few seconds left, Boise kicker Kyle Brotzman missed a 26-yard field goal attempt. Misery struck again when Brotzman failed to convert a 29-yard field goal in overtime, giving Nevada the win.

The loss crushed the Broncos' hopes for an undefeated season and a shot at a national title.

26. Luis Suarez Handball Incident

Uruguay's magical run through the World Cup was headed by their two world-class forwards, Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez.

Suarez grabbed headlines not for the goals, but for his handball against Ghana in the quarterfinals.

Suarez batted away a shot from Ghana's Dominic Adiyeh, resulting in the Uruguayan forward being sent off and Ghana awarded a penalty.

The controversy really gained steam when Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty shot for Ghana. The game went into penalty kicks, which Uruguay won.

25. Ubaldo, Jackson and Garza Throw No-Hitters

In the year of the pitcher, three pitchers threw no-hitters—Ubaldo Jimenez of Colorado, Edwin Jackson of Arizona and Matt Garza of Tampa Bay.

Jimenez got the year of no-hitters rolling with his 128-pitch, seven-strikeout dominance of the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on April 17.

On June 25, against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, Jackson took 149 pitches and eight walks to get through the Rays lineup without giving up a hit.

Garza, after seeing his team get no-hit by Jackson and Dallas Braden pitch a perfect game against them, threw a no-hitter of his own on July 26 at Tropicana Field against the Detroit Tigers.

24. Alexandre Bilodeau Wins Canada's First Gold on Home Soil

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 14: Alexandre Bilodeau of Canada celebrates winning the gold medal during the flower ceremony for the Freestyle Skiing Men's Moguls on day 3 of the 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Freestyle Skiing Stadium on February 14, 2010 in

Going into the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Canada had hosted two Olympic games before (1976 Summer in Montreal and 1988 Winter in Calgary), but had never won a gold medal on home soil.

Alexandre Bilodeau did not waste any time killing that storyline for the media, as he won gold in the moguls during the first weekend of competition.

Bilodeau's gold was the first of 14 taken home by Canadian athletes at the Vancouver games, which was the most by any nation's delegation in Vancouver.

23. Stephen Strasburg's Major League Debut

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

WASHINGTON - JUNE 08: Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals walks off the field after the seventh inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park on June 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. Strasburg struck out 14 batters in his ma

The most anticipated Major League debut in years was made by Strasburg for the Washington Nationals on June 8 at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hype surrounded his debut for weeks, and he delivered.

The 6'4" righthander dominated from the beginning, and by the end of his seven innings, he struck out 14 Pirate hitters.

Strasburg delivered for the Nationals in front of sell-out crowds on the road and at home until he suffered a season-ending injury requiring Tommy John surgery.

22. Lakers Come Back To Defeat Celtics in NBA Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers were down three games to two going back home in the 2010 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers took care of the Celtics in Game 6 and Game 7, giving the Lakers their second straight title.

21. Jimmie Johnson Wins Fifth Straight NASCAR Title

Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 21: NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, poses with the Sprint Cup Series Championship trophies at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 21, 2010 in Homestead, Florida. Johnson clinched his fifth str

Jimmie Johnson endured his toughest road to the NASCAR Chase for the Cup by beating out Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick in the lead race at Homestead.

Johnson ended up winning by 39 points. Part of his success can be credited to crew chief Chad Knaus, who switched Johnson's pit crew with Jeff Gordon's with a few races left, tightening up the pit stops for the 48 crew.

20. Phil Mickleson Wins Masters

Phil Mickleson delivered one of the most emotional championship moments of the year.

With his wife Amy battling cancer, it was a tough few months leading up to the tournament.

Lefty shot a five-under 67 in the final round to overtake Lee Westwood and win the Masters by three strokes. It was his third green jacket.

19. Flyers Miracle Run through Playoffs

It all started with how the Philadelphia Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

On the last day of the regular season, the Flyers beat the New York Rangers in a shootout to take the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

An easy series win over the New Jersey Devils in the first round was followed by a thrilling matchup in the semifinals with the Boston Bruins.

Down 3-0 in the series, the Flyers took pride in defending their home ice and won Game 4 in overtime. After two more wins, Philadelphia came back from a three-goal deficit in Game 7 to win the series.

The Flyers then beat the Canadiens in the conference finals before falling to the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.

18. Dallas Braden's Perfect Game on Mother's Day

Dallas Braden had his grandmother, who raised him as a child, in attendance on Mother's Day to watch him pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Oakland Athletics left hander put on the performance of a lifetime.

It took 109 pitches for Braden to retire 27 Tampa batters and record the first perfect game of the 2010 MLB season.

17. The Decision

The LeBron James free-agency saga finally ended in a spectacle that was deemed unnecessary by many basketball fans.

The Decision was the hour-long special that James had on ESPN to announce he was taking his talents to South Beach, spurning his hometown of Cleveland to play with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat.

16. Chicago Blackhawks Win Stanley Cup

The Blackhawks had a tough six-game series with the underdog Philadelphia Flyers, but were able to pull through and win their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

Patrick Kane scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 6 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia with a shot from the side that snuck past Flyers keeper Michael Leighton.

15. Roy Halladay's Perfect Game

Twenty days after Dallas Braden threw his perfect game, Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay did the same in Miami.

Halladay delivered 11 strikeouts in his masterpiece against the Marlins.

The perfect game would only be the start to the achievements that Halladay earned during the 2010 season.

14. Joannie Rochette Skates to Bronze Medal Days after Her Mother's Death

Rochette, who had won the silver medal at the World Championships in 2009, was looking forward to having a great performance in front of her fellow Canadians.

Rochette's mother had passed away from a heart attack two days before the short program, and Joannie decided to skate in her mother's honor.

Rochette's skate became one of the most emotional moments of the Vancouver Olympics, and the 24-year-old Canadian took the bronze medal in figure skating.

13. The End of the Brett Favre Era

For Brett Favre, 2010 started with leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship, but it ended on the bench—his consecutive games streak snapped at 297.

The Favre saga made headlines in the summer when his teammates flew down to Mississippi to get him to come back. This was followed later by the sexting scandal with former Jets employee Jenn Sterger.

While Favre will be a Hall of Famer, his legacy has been tarnished this past year.

12. The Return of Michael Vick

In the ultimate redemption story, Michael Vick has come back to the NFL and is one of the few MVP candidates.

Vick took over the starting duties for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 after Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion.

After that point, Vick has not looked back.

Vick has led the Eagles into the NFL playoffs and is alongside Tom Brady as a candidate for MVP, even though he missed a few games in the middle of the season due to broken ribs.

11. The Press Conference Heard around the World

No press conference by an athlete ever got this much attention.

Tiger Woods did when he finally broke his three months of silence after his Thanksgiving night incident where the whole cheating saga began.

Woods read a prepared statement in front of select media and admitted his wrongdoings.

10. Spain Wins World Cup

Coming off the momentum of finally winning a major tournament at Euro 2008 and finishing third at the 2009 Confederations Cup, La Furia Roja took home the World Cup.

Spain rebounded from a loss in the opening game of the group stage to Switzerland to win six straight games to win the title.

In the final, Andres Iniesta scored in the 116th minute to avoid penalty kicks for Vicente del Bosque's team against the Netherlands.

Spain finally shook the title of the best country to not win a World Cup and look to be on track to win a few major titles in the upcoming years.

9. Butler Makes Historic Run to NCAA Tournament Final

The Butler Bulldogs could have created their own modern-day version of the movie Hoosiers.

Butler advanced through the West region, winning games in San Jose and Salt Lake City, and then were rewarded by playing eight miles away from their campus in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Brad Stevens' Bulldogs beat Michigan State in the Final Four and almost beat Duke in the championship, but Gordon Hayward's last-second heave from halfcourt barely missed.

8. UConn Women's Win Streak Ends at 90

Just a week after the UConn women's basketball team extended their win streak to 89, going past the UCLA men's basketball streak of 88, they were taken down by the Stanford Cardinal on December 30.

Stanford was also the last team to beat the Huskies before the streak started.

Geno Auriemma led his team to two undefeated seasons with national championships to end both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.

The loss against Stanford was the only game in which the UConn women did not lead since the streak began over three years ago.

7. John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut Marathon Match at Wimbledon

The 23rd-seeded American Isner and the Frenchman Mahut began their match on June 22 and finished almost 48 hours later on June 24.

Isner won the first set 6-4. Mahut took the second set 6-3 and the third set 7-6 (9-7 in tiebreak), while Isner sent the match to a fifth set with his 7-6 (7-3) win in the fourth set.

The fifth set began on the 23rd and lasted seven hours before the match was suspended at 59-59.

On the 24th, the match resumed and an hour later, Isner came out victorious, winning 70-68 in the fifth set.

Isner, feeling fatigue, lost in the second round and withdrew from the doubles competition. Mahut was eliminated the next day in his doubles match as well.

6. DeSean Jackson's Game-Winning Punt Return

In Week 15 of the NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles were down by 21 points to the New York Giants with seven-and-a-half minutes left in the game.

What happened after that point was unbelievable.

After the Eagles tied the game at 31, their defense stopped the Giants, and with 15 seconds left, Giants punter Matt Dodge made the mistake of kicking to DeSean Jackson.

Jackson bobbled the catch at the beginning of the return, but picked up the ball, ran straight through the hole created by his blockers, and ran into the endzone while time expired.

The so-called Miracle at the New Meadowlands gave the Eagles the chance to clinch the NFC East the next week, which they did.

5. Armando Galarraga's Perfect Game That Wasn't

Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was in line to pitch a perfect game until it was taken away by umpire Jim Joyce.

Galarraga had retired 26 Cleveland Indian batters, and when Jason Donald hit a grounder to Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, the perfect game seemed to be clinched.

A bang-bang play at first base with Galarraga covering was called in the Indians' favor when first base umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe.

The events after the game were even more memorable than the call itself.

Joyce admitted that he was wrong and the next day he embraced Galarraga at home plate when the two met while the teams exchanged lineup cards.

4. Roy Halladay's Postseason No-Hitter

Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Phillies and Reds was the debut of Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay in the playoffs.

Halladay made history by throwing a no-hitter.

Earlier in the season, the right hander threw a perfect game, but the postseason no-hitter was the better accomplishment.

Only the second no-hitter in postseason history, Halladay's Game 1 feat catapulted the Phillies to a sweep of the Reds in the NLDS.

3. Canada-USA Gold Medal Hockey Game

The Americans made a cinderella run to the final, while the host Canadians were expected to win the gold after Russia was knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Down a goal in the final minute of the third period, the Americans pulled goalie Ryan Miller and put an extra skater on the ice.

With the extra skater advantage, Zach Parise was able to find the back of the net with 24 seconds left in regulation.

The game went to overtime, and just as American fans thought their team had the momentum, Sidney Crosby struck.

After seven minutes and forty seconds of overtime, Crosby beat Miller and gave Canada the ice hockey gold medal.

2. Saints Onside Kick To Start Second Half

The New Orleans Saints were down 10-6 at halftime, and the opening kick of the second half changed the pace of the game.

Thomas Morstead surprised the Colts special teams with an onside kick, and the Saints kicker executed it perfectly.

Colts receiver Hank Baskett had the ball in possession and lost it, giving the ball to the Saints to start the second half.

The Saints went on to score 25 points in the second half, and the New Orleans victory was culminated by Tracy Porter's interception return for a touchdown.

1. Landon Donovan's 90th-Minute Goal against Algeria

With 90 minutes gone in the final group game for the United States against Algeria, progress to the knockout stage was not guaranteed.

In stoppage time, the Americans had a breakaway and Clint Dempsey got a shot on goal that was saved, and the rebound trickled out past the reach of Algeria keeper Rais M'Bolhi. Landon Donovan crushed the ball into the back of the net and cemented his place in American sports history.

The goal gave the United States first place in the group and their first win in the last group game since 1950.

The run in the knockout round was stopped by Ghana in the round of 16, but Landon Donovan's goal will live on forever.