The 21st Century's 10 Greatest Sports Stories That Almost Happened

The new millennium has provided us with no shortage of wonderful sporting achievements.

From the Boston Red Sox ending their 86-year championship drought in dramatic fashion vs. the perennially powerful New York Yankees, to American Joey Chestnut chomping off and digesting his record fifth straight Nathan's Hot Dog eating championship. 

That said, here are the 10 best almost-was stories of the past 11 years:

*Please leave any possible additions in the comments below

10. The Flint Tropics in the Movie Semi-Pro-2008.

Will Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, the owner of a fledgling ABA Franchise called the Flint Tropics. 

When the last place Tropics are informed that only the top four teams in the standings will be incorporated into the NBA at the end of the season, Moon must lead a desperate charge to the top. 

Despite an incredible winning streak and a victory in the final game of the season which placed them in fourth, the Tropics are still denied entry into the NBA. 

Ferrell shooting free throws granny style while wearing ridiculously petite 1970’s style shorts is still worth the price of admission.

9. Josh Hamilton Home Run Derby-2008

Hamilton’s record-setting 28 dingers in Round 1 were more than most players hit in a season. 

Sadly, a tired Hamilton lost in the final round while only having enough juice left to muster three homers. 

Is “juice” an appropriate word to use when talking about baseball?

8. Armando Galarraga’s Near-Perfect Game-2010

Galarraga became only the 10th player in major league history to lose a perfect game with two down in the ninth, a feat rarer than actually throwing a perfect game.

The event was memorable for the umpires blown call, his subsequent apology and the lack of an outright riot at Comerica Park in Detroit that night.

7. Rocco Mediate’s U.S. Open Finish-2008

Rocco attempted to achieve on the links what Rocky pulled off in the ring—winning a championship. 

This is a man who had only succeeded in finishing in the top 10 of a major tournament once in his 20-plus years as a pro. Sadly enough, the 45-year-old mediate was felled by another movie-like performance as Tiger Woods' emulated Daniel LaRusso from Karate Kid by winning on one leg. 

Still, not a bad finish for a man who hasn't won anything since he won his tour card.

6. Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather 2007

Billed as the most popular boxer of the 21st century vs. the best. 

De La Hoya came out strong by winning three out of the first four rounds of boxing’s biggest pay-per-view selling non-heavyweight fight of all time. 

However, the faster Floyd Mayweather-ed the storm and won by split decision. 

5. Tom Watson British Open-2009

The nearly 60-year-old Watson missed an eight-foot putt that would’ve made him the oldest man to win anything since a 73-year-old Bob Dole took the Republican nomination in the 1996 election. 

Watson would go on to lose in a four-hole playoff to journeyman Stewart Cink.  An honorable mention goes to Greg “The Shark” Norman who blew a two-stroke lead going into the final day a year earlier at the same event. 

While not on par with his Masters meltdown 12 years earlier, The Shark once again proved that first place was a little too much for even him to bite off.

4. Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl-2008

Birds fly south for the winter, but in the case of the Arizona Cardinals, that journey has never once taken them to the Super Bowl. 

This all changed when Kurt Warner, America’s favorite undrafted sweetheart, led the 9-7 Cardinals all the way to football’s biggest stage. 

The Cardinals were a miracle catch away from turning the sporting world upside down.

3. Tampa Bay Rays World Series-2008

Since the birth of their franchise, the words “last place” and “Devil Rays” went together like Siegfried and Roy. 

Once the Rays made the devil disappear out of their name, their fortunes seemed to magically reverse. 

Under the competent leadership of Joe Maddon, the Rays came up just short, losing to the powerful Phillies in the World Series 4-1.

2. U.S. Women’s World Cup Final-2011

The Americans dominated the Japanese for most of the game, but unconverted opportunities eventually doomed these media darlings as they lost 3-1 in penalty kicks. 

Hopefully, a rematch against the "Land of the Rising Sun" will be on the horizon for the 2012 Olympics.

1. New England Patriots Perfect Season-2007

In Australia, we call it Tall-Poppy Syndrome; loosely translated, this means the urge to see the best fall down. 

The best fell down painfully shy of history at the hands (and helmet) of David Tyree, Eli Manning and the New York Giants as Tall-Poppy cutters around the U.S. rejoiced.