January 5, 2017 Page 3 2016: A Year of Firsts in the World of Sports By Adam Serrao So much can happen in sports throughout the course of one calendar year. Granted 365 days doesn’t necessarily sound like a long time… but as 2016 has shown us all, just one year has the potential to take everything that we thought we knew about sports and turn it all completely upside down. In the leap year of 2016, we were all afforded one extra day to appreciate the sports world as we have all become accustomed to doing. In a year that was so entirely jam-packed with record-breaking history, any amount of extra time is, of course, extremely valuable and has shown us all that there truly is a first time for everything. The city of Cleveland was very busy in the year of 2016, most specifically with providing the sports world with its share of groundbreaking events. One of those events people across the nation have been waiting their entire lives for was the championship won by the Chicago Cubs in Game 7 of this year’s World Series. The series was special for a few reasons. It was the first-ever postseason meeting between the Cubs and the Cleveland Indians (who had home field advantage in the series). Everyone loves a do-or-die Game 7, and this series gave you more than that. The final and deciding game went extra innings and was interrupted by a rain delay just as the 10th inning was about to begin. Chicago came back from a three-games-to-one deficit in the series to win its first MLB championship in 108 years. It was something not even the movie Back to the Future could have predicted, though it came close. Keeping the winning in Cleveland, the NBA’s Cavaliers won that city its first major professional sports championship since 1964. The 2016 NBA Finals was a rematch of the 2015 Finals in which the Cavaliers took on the Golden State Warriors in what has become one of the sport’s biggest rivalries to date. The series went a full seven games, like all sports fans love to see, and ended with LeBron James bringing his team back from a three-games-to-one deficit to give the title to the Cavs. It was the first time since 1978 that the road team had successfully won a Game 7 and the first time in NBA Finals history that a team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the series. James, of course, took home the series MVP and had an iconic block in the final seconds on Andre Iguodala of the Warriors that played a huge part in the victory. The year 2016 has become famous across the sports world for some of the great athletes who have said goodbye. Peyton Manning went out on top and rode his white bronco off into the sunset after he defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game and Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl. With the win, Manning became the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl with two different teams and notched the second championship of his career. Losing Kobe Bryant and Manning in the same year was certainly a big blow to the sports world, but that’s exactly what happened in 2016 when Bryant retired after a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. The basketball legend left the game a five-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP, and made the All-Star team 18 seasons in a row. Bryant was, of course, known for his high-flying, high-scoring ability. Despite being broken down and battered, he finished the last game of his career in typical Kobe Bryant fashion. He scored 60 points and left the crowd at the Staples Center in awe. It wasn’t the first time that he did that. Perhaps no athlete can be considered more of an icon than Michael Phelps--not only for his own career accomplishments, but also for what he has done for the United States in the Olympics. Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals--23 of those gold. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Phelps brought home a total of six medals with five golds and one silver. The accomplishment in 2016 made Phelps the most successful athlete of the Games for the fourth Olympics in a row. Like Manning and Bryant, Phelps used the year of 2016 to retire, but did so as arguably the greatest athlete of all time. With so much that happened in 2016, it is truly impossible to get to it all. Some other notable events, however, included an absolutely thrilling NCAA basketball championship win by the Villanova Wildcats. With perhaps no bigger shot in NCAA history, Kris Jenkins hit a three-pointer as the final buzzer sounded to give his team a 77-74 victory. Normally the winner of the college football championship would be notable, but Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide win it so often that it has become commonplace. Saban and the Tide are the favorites to win it all again in 2017. In golf, the U.S. team won the Ryder Cup trophy for the first time since 2008 and for just the third time in the last 11 competitions. Serena Williams won her 22nd career Grand Slam, Ronda Rousey lost the first UFC match of her career, Simone Biles won four gold medals in Rio, and Leicester City overcame 5,000:1 odds to win the Premier League championship. It’s impossible to cover everything that has happened throughout the course of one sports year in just one article, but it’s clear that 2016 was a tremendous year of amazing accomplishments across the board. Iconic moments were created while a few great icons left their respective sports. There is a lot about this year in sports that will surely be remembered forever, but with 2017 just around the corner, it’s now time to look forward to what another year of athletics has in store. Asixlion@earthlink.net • Like Us on Facebook December Not a Month to Remember for Lakers Classifieds The deadline for Classified Ad submission and payment is Noon on Tuesday to appear in Thursday’s paper. Advertisements must be submitted in writing by mail, fax or email. You may pay by cash, check, or credit card (Visa or M/C over the phone). Errors: Please check your advertisements immediately. Any corrections and/or changes in an ad must be requested prior to the following Tuesday deadline in order to receive a credit. A credit will be issued for only the first time the error appears. Multiple runs will only be credited for the first time the error appears. No credit will be issued for an amount greater than the cost of the advertisement. Beware: Employment offers that suggest guaranteed out-of-state or overseas positions may be deceptive or unethical in nature. If you have any doubts about the nature of a company, contact the local office of the Better Business Bureau, (213) 251-9696. Herald Publications does not guarantee that the advertiser’s claims are true nor does it take responsibility for those claims. Apartment For Rent 3Bd/1Ba, $1900/Mo - Charming, spacious, sole upper unit. Freshly painted, blinds, granite countertops, tile/carpet, w/d hookup, carport. No pets. A must see & Avail now!! (310) 322-4600 For Lease For Lease 216 Standard St. Retail/ Office Space $1650, Please call 310- 647-1635 For Rent 510 W Palm Ave. 3 Bed/2 Bath. 7 car parking. Super Clean $5,500/ month, Please call 310-647-1635 Employment Graphic artist needed: We are looking for a graphic artist to work 20 hours per week. The job entails doing classifieds, DBA notices, ad changes and learning newspaper layout. Must be familiar with Mac computers and work with InDesign, Photoshop, etc. The job is temporary, with the possibility of permanent employment. Interested parties please email your resume to management@ heraldpublications.com. Employment Outside sales: Looking for Outside Sales Representative to sell display ads in Torrance. Sales experience a plus. Work from home, but must call on customers and attend events. Flexible hours, approximately 20 hours a week. $15/hr, plus 10% commission to start, 20% of sales after probation. Interested parties send resume to management@heraldpublications. com. Help Wanted California MENTOR is seeking loving families with a spare bedroom to support an adult with special needs. Please join us for an Informational Session Wednesday, January 11, 2017 @ 2:00pm 11222 S. La Cienega Blvd. #640 Inglewood, CA 90304 Call Juan today to save a seat (424)750-9631 Ext 203 Ask us about referral fee $250/friend* mentorswanted.com By Adam Serrao If there has been anything that the Los Angeles Lakers have wanted for Christmas, one might naturally say that it’s an NBA championship. Since no one is slipping any rings on their fingers this year—or on Jeanie Buss’s, whose engagement with Phil Jackson was just called off--then the next best thing might just be to finish the season with a better record than last year. Heading into the month of December, that goal looked easily attainable. Los Angeles stood at 10- 10 in the standings and only needed seven more wins to achieve a better year than the organization’s worst ever from a season ago. The Lakers then went on to lose 14 of their next 16 games in the last month of 2016, leaving head coach Luke Walton and fans scratching their heads. It’s already clear that the Los Angeles Lakers will finish the 2016-’17 season with a better record than the team posted a season ago, barring an utter catastrophe. Though the Lakers may still not make the playoffs, the black cloud had disappeared from atop the Staples Center and has been replaced by a slight feeling of optimism surrounding the organization. Unfortunately for L.A., those feelings of optimism were quickly fleeting during the month of December. The Lakers were thankful for a new season in the month of November, and showed that by notching an impressive win over the Chicago Bulls in the last game of the month. That’s when the winter chill in the air turned Los Angeles cold. The Lakers proceeded to lose their next eight games and 12 of their next 13. “As a group, as a team, we’ve got to learn about winning and how hard it is,” Walton said about his squad. “It’s frustrating, but it’s where we are at. Like I told our guys, we’re going to find a way out. When that is? Time will tell.” The Lakers have shown signs of rising out of their funk recently, most specifically with victories over their roommates, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Philadelphia 76ers. With a new month and a new year now upon us, the Lakers can only hope to shake their bad luck away and replace it with more optimism. Walton hasn’t necessarily been complacent during his team’s recent stretch of horrible play. Unlike previous coaches to come through the Laker locker room, Walton expects better from his team, despite the youth and inexperience. As Nick Young and D’Angelo Russell noted, Walton’s not shy about letting his players know that. “He raised his voice. He got his point across today,” Young said of Walton after the team’s 107-97 loss to the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the year. Walton was apparently not shy about telling his team that he thought that they were playing “soft” basketball. “I know I’m not soft,” Young continued. “My teammates aren’t soft, so we got to show him and prove ourselves.” Russell explained how he thought Walton was simply daring his team to be better. “He came in, said what he said, and it was just a challenge,” the second-year guard said. The Lakers beat the 76ers two days later, but then proceeded to lose four more in a row. Where the Lakers lost often last year and lost badly, many of the team’s defeats this year have been close games. Whether it was a three-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, a four-point loss to the Phoenix Suns, or two losses to the Utah Jazz by a total of eight points, Los Angeles has certainly had its share of chances to walk away with wins despite an otherwise bleak month of December. Walton described “opportunities that would have given us a chance to win the game,” most specifically in the team’s last game against the Jazz in which it lost by just two points. If the Lakers can figure out how to close out games, their record and overall well-being would be a lot different this season. As a young team, it has become clear that the Lakers are certainly going to go through their share of growing pains. There has been no greater sign of that than the team’s overall record in the month of December. Los Angeles looked like an exciting and competitive team to begin the year, but recently submitted to the youthfulness and inexperience that is obviously evident across the roster. Even still, the basketball season is one that is long and trying. One month doesn’t define an entire year and in lieu of all the losing, the Lakers and Russell must keep that in mind. “[Losing] is not what these fans are used to,” Russell said. “It’s not what Coach is used to. Our main focus is turning around the organization, and there’s losses here and there, but eight and 10 and 12 in a row—that’s not us. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I don’t want guys to speak their minds. I just want to come in and get to work.” The Lakers need to get to work soon and grow up in a hurry before the losing months mount up and people begin talking about the draft lottery once again. Asixlion@earthlink.net
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