With 2019 now behind us, I will rank my top 10 plays in sports from the past year.

Upon deciding I wanted to take on this project, I immediately thought of several plays I knew needed to make the list. I then poured through a couple hundred highlights from all the major sports (even the ones I don’t follow) for the fodder to round out my top 10.

You are likely to not agree with my rankings, but that’s half the fun. Here is my logic behind the plays I picked:

Pretty good plays in huge moments trump great plays in garbage time. I am all about the moment. A game-winning routine layup is more exciting to watch and relive than a windmill 360 dunk in the 2nd quarter. The bigger the moment, the higher up my list the play ascended.

Remember, this is a biased list. I don’t follow much hockey or soccer and I follow even less tennis, cricket, and golf. A play from one of these sports really had to wow me to get into the top 10.

You will notice that there are no NFL plays in my top 10. There were definitely some good ones I was considering. The Vernon Davis hurdle, Aaron Rodgers finding Jamaal Williams in the corner of the endzone to beat Atlanta, Lamar Jackson’s spinning touchdown run against Cincinnati.

I gave the benefit of the doubt to other sports for one simple reason – the NFL enforces extremely strict copyright laws. I do not feel comfortable showing videos or gifs of those plays so I decided to leave them off my list. Sorry fans, the NFL always ruins the fun.

Let’s get the 2019 highlight reel started.

10. The Hicks Catch

The Yankees and Twins were locked in an instant classic. It was only July, but these were two of the best teams in baseball in what would prove to be a playoff series preview.

10 innings, 14 pitchers, 35 hits, and 26 runs into this gem of a game and the outcome was just as uncertain as when the game began.

The Yankees led 14-12 but the Twins were Twinning. Bottom of the 10th at Target Field, 2 outs, bases loaded.

As fate would have it, one of the Twins’ best hitters, Max Kepler, is up. A ball in the gap wins it. Kepler hits a ball in the gap …

OMG! AARON HICKS! pic.twitter.com/3CzjrWn8HR

— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2019

9. Dueling Robberies

On May 9, the Red Sox were getting all they could handle from the host Orioles. Pitching was dominant on each side and the game entered the bottom of the 11th inning tied 1-1.

Crack! Trey Mancini connects and lifts a deep fly into left center. It has the distance. Game over, right? Not on JBJ’s watch.

Now fast forward to the end of September – game 162. Sure, there are not playoff spots on the line, but you never want to let a divisional rival get the best of you. What happens in this game can set the tone for the offseason.

We’re in Boston now. Jackie Bradley is batting. Crack! A deep fly to right heading over the short Fenway right field fence. This one, too, has the distance. It’s time for Stevie Wilkerson to give JBJ a taste of his own medicine.

8. Lamb’s Half Court Game-Winner

It’s late March. The 2019 NBA regular season is nearly finished, and the Charlotte Hornets are struggling to keep their necks above water.

Two games out of the 8 seed with just 10 remaining, Charlotte cannot afford to lose another game. Unfortunately, the Hornets find themselves trailing on the road in Toronto – a tough spot.

All hope is not lost, though. Down 2 points with 3.1 seconds left, the Hornets have the ball, side out. There is just enough time to run a quick inbounds play and get a shooter open for a game-winning 3.

The Hornets set picks for guard Jeremy Lamb to get open for the inbounds pass, but Raptors forward Pascal Siakam makes an excellent defensive play, reaching in to tap the ball into the backcourt. Precious time is ticking as Lamb runs back toward his own hoop to retrieve the loose ball.

With the 6’9 Siakam smothering him, Lamb grabs the ball and throws up a prayer from half court to save the Hornet’s season.

7. The Justyn Ross Catch

Part IV of the storied Alabama-Clemson series. Despite the 14-0 record, the Clemson Tigers are 6-point underdogs in the 2019 National Championship game vs the Crimson Tide.

Clemson jumps out to a 3-touchdown lead, but this ain’t the ACC. No lead is safe against Nick Saban and Alabama.

It’s late in the third quarter. There are still over 17 minutes of game time remaining. Clemson has the ball but it’s 3rd and 9. An Alabama stop would keep their hopes alive and allow plenty of time for a comeback.

Clemson wideout Justyn Ross has been killing the Bama secondary all game. On a key 3rd down play the Tide had to have, Ross was spotlighted. Trevor Lawrence tried to fit the ball in a tight window but missed his target. The pass sailed behind Ross … watch this.

The most iconic play from Clemson’s championship game victory. A Bama backbreaker. A dagger in the heart of Nick Saban.

6. Tkachuck’s Between-the-Legs Beauty

The Calgary Flames were in OT on Halloween against the Nashville Predators after erasing a 3-goal deficit in the 3rd period. The late comeback in itself is an awesome story, but Calgary left wing Matthew Tkachuck was about to add to the drama.
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After a hard fought extra period, it appeared even the added time was not going to separate these squads. With mere seconds on the clock, Calgary controlled the puck with enough time for one final attack.

The game-winning shot! Blocked! With 1 second remaining, Tkachuck flies in at full speed for a desperation putback …

5. Dame Time to Beat Thunder

Portland led Oklahoma City 3 games to 1 in the first round of the 2019 Western Conference playoffs. Game 5 was in Rip City. Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Co. were not going down without a fight – leading the game heading into the 4th quarter.

Back-and-forth these teams went with Dame Lillard doing most of the scoring for the Blazers. Tied with 20 seconds remaining, Russ Westbrook tried a crazy layup for the lead. He missed.

Portland secured the board and got the ball to Lillard. He had scored 47 points. No Trailblazer had ever scored 50 points in a playoff game.

I love how Dame helped advance the ball to safety and then drained the clock. He had one thing on his mind. The problem – Paul George is 6’9, an excellent defender, and kept inching closer to Lillard as the clock wound down. George knew what Dame was about to try. Even PG couldn’t stop it. One of the best 3-point shots you will ever see.

4. The Kendrick Homer

The Washington Nationals were 19-31 in May. They never gave up. They earned a Wild Card spot in the National League.

The Washington Nationals were down 3-1 in the 8th inning of the NL Wild Card game against Milwaukee. They never gave up. They won 4-3 and advanced all the way to the World Series.

The Washington Nationals were down 3 games to 2 in the World Series – needing to win the final 2 games in Houston to get a ring. They never gave up. They forced Game 7.

The Washington Nationals were being stymied by Astro pitching in Game 7, down 2-0 entering the 7th. They never gave up. This happened.

Howie Kendrick is not a superstar. He is not a big home run hitter. He has only 125 in his career. The 36-year-old was thankful that Washington kept him on the roster for a 3rd season.

The National’s lineup is riddled with young talent, but it was the experienced Kendrick who delivered the go-ahead blow in Game 7 for the first World Series win by a Washington DC team since 1924.

3. Bain Goes Coast-to-Coast

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks from the Southland Conference took a trip to Cameron Indoor in late November for a thrash-for-cash date with #1 Duke.

The host Blue Devils were 28-point favorites and everyone in the arena (even the SFA players if they were being honest) knew it was only a matter of time before Duke began to pull away. It never happened.

The Lumberjacks refused to back down and a bad shooting night from Duke allowed SFA to stay within 1 or 2 baskets all game long. Surely Duke would pull it out in the end. Nope, we need overtime to settle this game.

Tie game. Duke ball. Last possession in overtime. This is where SFA’s upset bid ends, right? Nope! Duke coughs the ball up. A scramble ensues.

SFA forward Nathan Bain controls the ball, looks up, and realizes the opportunity of a lifetime. There is no one in front of him. He has an open court! The only issue, the clock is at 4. Can Bain go coast-to-coast and beat the buzzer to slay Goliath?

NO. 1 DUKE FALLS TO STEPHEN F. AUSTIN IN A STUNNING ENDING 🤯 pic.twitter.com/x6xsdesWkL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 27, 2019

2. Diakite Sends it to OT

We all remember UVA’s early exit from the 2018 NCAA tourney. Trust me, the members of the team remember it too.

Coach Tony Bennett and his boys were on a mission in 2019. It was their year. Nothing was going to stop the Hoos this time … except maybe Purdue.

Virginia ran into a Boilermaker buzzsaw in the South Regional final. Purdue guard Carsen Edwards was playing out of his mind – scoring 42 points, 30 of which on 10 3-pointers.

Despite Edwards’ deadly accuracy from deep, Virginia had the ball and were within 2 points with 43 seconds to go … and they turned it over.

No biggie. Just play D and get it back. Virginia did half the job. They forced the miss, but allowed an offensive board. A blunder which seemingly ended their fateful run.

Ryan Cline was heading to the line for the Boilermakers, his team up 69-67, just 17 seconds remaining. Two made free throws would essentially seal the game. Cline calmly netted the first, but then missed the second. 70-67 Purdue. UVA has a chance.

The Boilermakers were not about to let UVA get off a game-tying 3. Hoo guard Ty Jerome was hacked before he could get a shot up, sending him to the line for 2 when his team desperately needed 3. The clock showed 5 seconds.

Virginia’s only chance? Make the first, miss the second, and hope you get the rebound in a position to shoot. Jerome did the “hard part”, nailing the first free throw to draw within 2 points, 70-68. The rest is history.

1. The Kawhi Bounce

For years, LeBron ruled the East. The Raptors, 76’ers, Bucks, and anyone else decent in the conference knew they had no shot of playing in the Finals. It was LeBron’s Eastern Conference title for the taking … every single year.

2019. The Beast moves west. The East is now wide open. Kawhi Leonard is licking his chops. Joel Embiid believes The Process is finally going to lead him to the Finals.

The Raptors and Sixers clash in the conference semifinal. A back-n-forth series heads to game 7 in The Six. The winner earns a date with the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Neither side can gain separation. It’s tied 90-90. 4.2 seconds remaining. Raptors ball, side out.

Keep in mind, there has never before been a game-winning buzzer beater in Game 7 of an NBA Playoff game.

What a blast! We were blessed with so many iconic moments this year. Happy New Year, boppers!