WINNEMUCCA - Once again, 2013 provided sports fans with moments to remember and a few to forget.
The issue that won't go away in baseball is steroids or PEDs and they may never. It's a fact of life that we will have to live with.
During the summer a handful of MLB players were suspended for their part in the Biogensis scandal. Ryan Braun accepted a 65-game ban to close out the season after admitting he lied to everyone about taking performance enhancing drugs.
Braun was the reigning MVP when he tested positive for elevated testosterone after the 2011 season, and his appeal process was well-publicized. However, he became the first major league player to successfully challenge a drug-related penalty in a grievance.
But MLB refused to move on, and this offseason Braun's name resurfaced in connection with the Miami-based PED clinic, Biogenesis. Because of his superstar and MVP status, Braun was one of the highest-profile names on the list of players uncovered who were associated with the clinic. Despite the mounting evidence that MLB began to build against him, Braun maintained his innocence.
The name that is still in marquee lights is Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez was handed a 211-game ban, but appealed from the beginning. He has thrown everyone under the bus, even the commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig. Hopefully, his fate is decided quickly and we can finally move on.
Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens picked up their second Super Bowl title and I wonder how fans in Cleveland feel about that. Fans in Baltimore can also thank a Peyton Manning interception and some horrible defense by Denver in winning that title.
Apparently the curse for Boston Red Sox is over as they found a way to win a third World Series. By the end of the season a majority of players looked like they belong on Duck Dynasty.
There still may be hope for my Chicago Cubs - that's if they can put a major league team on the field instead of a AAA team.
Alabama and Louisville dominated the college landscape in football and college basketball, respectively. The Crimson Tide under Nick Saban took apart a Notre Dame team that probably did not belong in the national championship game.
Connecticut's Geno Auriemma proved that he is one of the top five basketball coaches of all time as he led his Huskies to an eighth national title.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Miami Heat won the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals, with huge fan bases enjoying the win.
As for the team or teams of the year on the local scene, you have to start with the Lowry wrestling squad. Year in and year out this group of kids turn out championships. In February, the Buckaroos ran away with its fifth consecutive championship and 15th overall. Lowry has won 83 consecutive duals, which is second-longest in state history.
The one problem I have is that no one besides family and friends watches these guys. They deserve more. I am looking for some kind of challenge to have 1,000 fans for their dual against Pershing County on Wednesday, Jan. 8. How about we try packing the Lowry gym for that.
The Lowry boys golf team won its 12th state title, which is six more than any other school in Nevada. The Buckaroos came through with strong play from all six their players to beat Faith Lutheran. Lowry has won three of the last four state titles and were runner-up two other times over a five-year span. Not too bad for a bunch of country boys in northern Nevada playing on a nine-hole municipal course.
The Lowry boys basketball team continued its run with a fifth straight appearance in the state tournament.
The Buckaroos, along with their northern counterpart Elko, were left with the difficulty of playing two Division I schools (now I-A because of realignment) in the state tournament. The Buckaroos played one of best games of the season, but suffered a double-digit loss to Desert Pines. Julian Jacobs, the starting point guard for Desert Pines, has started nine games for USC this year and is averaging 6.8 points a game.
The Lowry football team advanced to the Division I-A state semifinals for a fourth consecutive season. The Buckaroos shared the league championship with Churchill County and Elko. Lowry avenged its only loss of the year, beating Elko in the first round of the playoffs.
The Buckaroos looked poised to win their first state championship but ran into a roadblock in Las Vegas against Faith Lutheran. Despite holding the Crusaders to 16 points, the Buckaroos came up short in a bid for the state championship. Faith Lutheran went on to beat Churchill County for the title.
In McDermitt, football made its way back after a year hiatus. The Bulldogs played a limited independent schedule, but it was good to see the guys get back on the field. It's just not high school if there is no football in the fall.
The Lady Bulldogs basketball team made a run to the semifinals of the Division IV Regional Championships. Staheli Wilkinson was named the Division IV East Player of the Year and she set a state record for assists in a career.
As 2014 nears there will be individuals and teams that shine again and make us look back and say wow.
Winnemucca Publishing sports editor Tony Erquiaga can be reached via email at t.erquiaga@winnemuccapublishing.net.[[In-content Ad]]
