In the end, Grand Theft Auto VI’s long-awaited and highly-anticipated trailer has dropped. Consider it or not, it has been 10 years since Grand Theft Auto V was launched, and so much has modified in that point. That is very true within the sports activities world, the place issues shift quickly.
When GTA V was first launched, the panorama of main sports activities in America regarded so much completely different than it does right this moment. LeBron James was nonetheless in South Seaside, Joe Flacco was nonetheless “elite,” David Ortiz was flipping Torii Hunter over the best discipline wall in Fenway Park and college football nonetheless used computer systems to find out its nationwide championship matchup.
It is also enjoyable to return and take a look at how the fortunes of assorted groups have modified over time. Again in 2013, the Houston Astros and Colorado Avalanche have been unhealthy, the Boston Red Sox and Auburn Tigers have been competing for championships and the reigning Stanley Cup champions have been nonetheless a twinkle in Gary Bettman’s eye.
Let’s do some reminiscing and remembering some guys and gals as we throw it again to 2013, when the final Grand Theft Auto recreation made its manner into Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles in every single place.
NFL
Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens def. San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl MVP: Joe Flacco (BAL)
NFL MVP: Adrian Peterson (MIN)
Offensive Rookie of the 12 months: Robert Griffin III (WAS)
Defensive Rookie of the 12 months: Luke Kuechly (CAR)
Grand Theft Auto V was really launched proper at first of the 2013 NFL season, however these have been the reigning champs and award-winners on the time. Joe Flacco, who was simply beckoned off his sofa to play for the Cleveland Browns, led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win over Colin Kaepernick, Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers. So far as we all know, there have been no allegations of signal stealing leveled towards Harbaugh in that playoff run.
It is also notable that the MVP, Offensive Rookie of the 12 months and Defensive Rookie of the 12 months are now not within the league. They are saying the NFL stands for “Not For Lengthy,” and so they imply it.
On the time the big GTA V map was downloading on consoles throughout the nation, Peyton Manning was two video games into his second season with the Denver Broncos. He had already thrown for 769 yards, 9 touchdowns and nil interceptions in what would finally be the beginning of one other MVP season for him. Within the NFC, second-year quarterback Russell Wilson had the Seattle Seahawks sitting at 2-0 with large issues to come back.
NBA
NBA Finals: Miami Heat def. San Antonio Spurs
NBA Finals MVP: LeBron James (MIA)
NBA MVP: LeBron James (MIA)
Rookie of the 12 months: Damian Lillard (POR)
Sixth Man of the 12 months: J.R. Smith (NYK)
James and the “Large Three” have been coming off their second consecutive NBA title after taking down Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs in an exhilarating seven-game sequence. James needed to construct extra room in his trophy case that summer season as he dominated that season by averaging 26.8 factors, 8.0 rebounds and seven.3 assists alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
A number of of James’ future teammates additionally had large seasons that yr. Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics led the league with 11.1 assists per recreation, Dwight Howard owned the glass in Los Angeles by averaging a league-leading 12.4 rebounds per recreation with the Lakers, and Carmelo Anthony shined with the New York Knicks by ending because the NBA’s main scorer with 28.7 factors per recreation.
Rookie of the 12 months Damian Lillard was simply traded to the Milwaukee Bucks after 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, and he now types a frightening duo alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was additionally a rookie when GTA V hit cabinets.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the highest seed within the Western Convention with a 60-22 file, however they have been upset by the Memphis Grizzlies within the second spherical. The Golden State Warriors have been nonetheless looking for their first title since 1975, however Steph Curry supplied some hope for the longer term with an actual breakout marketing campaign.
MLB
World Sequence: Boston Purple Sox def. St. Louis Cardinals
World Sequence MVP: David Ortiz (BOS)
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (DET)
AL Cy Younger: Max Scherzer (DET)
NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen (PIT)
NL Cy Younger: Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
On the heels of the Boston Marathon bombing, the Purple Sox rallied round their metropolis and gained the World Sequence after ending lifeless final within the AL East one yr earlier. David Ortiz gave his well-known “our f–ing metropolis” speech earlier than having one of the clutch postseasons in MLB historical past, that includes a game-tying grand slam in Sport 2 of the ALCS towards the Detroit Tigers. He then proceeded to hit .688 with 4 intentional walks within the World Sequence.
So far as the opposite award winners, Miguel Cabrera simply accomplished his closing MLB season and leaves the sport tied for twenty fifth all-time in house runs with 511. Scherzer, Cabrera’s teammate on the Tigers in 2013, simply gained the second World Sequence of his profession, this time with the Texas Rangers. Kershaw simply ended his sixteenth season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, however his future is now up within the air after present process offseason shoulder surgical procedure. Equally, McCutchen was going robust in his fifteenth season, and tenth with the Pittsburgh Pirates, earlier than an Achilles harm derailed him.
Elsewhere across the league, the lowly Houston Astros could not even muster 60 wins, going a depressing 51-111. The Chicago Cubs, being the lovable losers that they have been, completed final within the NL Central at 66-96. That summer season, the Cubs additionally drafted a participant by the identify of Kris Bryant. A 21-year-old Mike Trout hit 27 house runs, and Shohei Ohtani was a rookie with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan.
NHL
Stanley Cup Last: Chicago Blackhawks def. Boston Bruins
Conn Smythe Trophy: Patrick Kane (CHI)
Hart Trophy: Alex Ovechkin (WAS)
Norris Trophy: P.K. Subban (MTL)
Vezina Trophy: Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ)
Calder Trophy: Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA)
Resulting from a partial lockout, the NHL performed simply 48 regular-season video games in 2012-13, and the Blackhawks have been one of the best crew from wire to wire. They gained 36 video games and are nonetheless the latest crew in NHL historical past to win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the identical yr. Chicago fell behind Boston, 2-1, within the Stanley Cup Last earlier than rattling off three straight wins to finish the sequence.
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have been on the high of their recreation, combining for 46 objectives and 103 factors that season. Within the playoffs, Kane took his recreation to a different stage by scoring 9 even-strength objectives and totaling 19 factors in 23 video games.
Alex Ovechkin scored 32 objectives en path to his third Hart Trophy, and he is nonetheless chipping away at Wayne Gretzky’s all-time objectives file right this moment. Martin St. Louis, now the top coach of the Montreal Canadiens, gained the Artwork Ross Trophy because the league chief in factors with 60.
The Colorado Avalanche completed as one of many worst groups within the NHL, however they gained the NHL Draft lottery and chosen Nathan MacKinnon with the No. 1 general decide. Henrik Lundqvist, who was simply inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame, completed second in Vezina voting with a 2.05 GAA and a .926 save share.
College Football
BCS Nationwide Championship: Florida State def. Auburn
ACC champion: Florida State
SEC champion: Auburn
Large Ten champion: Michigan State
Large 12 champion: Baylor
Pac-12 champion: Stanford
Heisman Trophy: Jameis Winston (FSU)
Again after they nonetheless let computer systems choose which groups would play for the nationwide title (what a time), Auburn and Florida State performed a thriller on the Rose Bowl. With 1:19 to go within the fourth quarter, Tre Mason scored a 37-yard landing to present the Tigers a 31-27 lead. Jameis Winston responded by main the Seminoles on a game-winning landing drive that ended with him discovering Kelvin Benjamin ultimately zone.
That was the cherry on high of an excellent season from Winston, who accomplished 66.9% of his passes for 4,057 yards, 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He even added 219 yards and 4 scores on the bottom. It could have been a brutal finish for the Tigers, but it surely was a magical season up till the ultimate minute of the nationwide title. The 2013 season included each the Prayer at Jordan-Hare towards Georgia and the Kick Six towards Alabama within the Iron Bowl.
Johnny Manziel adopted up his Heisman Trophy season in 2012 by totaling 4,873 yards and 30 complete touchdowns. In the identical yr that Jim Harbaugh led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, his successor at Stanford, David Shaw, led the Cardinal to an 11-3 file and a win over No. 11 Arizona State within the convention championship. In April 2013, lengthy earlier than the season even started, one Patrick Mahomes gave a verbal dedication to play soccer at Texas Tech College.
As at all times, the teaching carousel was as ruthless as Trevor Philips, so let’s evaluate a number of the most notable adjustments on the finish of the 2013 season.
- Texas: Mack Brown changed by Charlie Robust
- Louisville: Charlie Robust changed by Bobby Petrino
- USC: Lane Kiffin changed by Steve Sarkisian
- Washington: Steve Sarkisian changed by Chris Petersen
- Boise State: Chris Petersen changed by Bryan Harsin
- Penn State: Invoice O’Brien changed by James Franklin
- Vanderbilt: James Franklin changed by Derek Mason
School Basketball
Males’s nationwide champion: Louisville
Males’s Participant of the 12 months: Trey Burke (Michigan)
Girls’s nationwide champion: UConn
Girls’s Participant of the 12 months: Brittney Griner (Baylor)
On the boys’s aspect of issues, Louisville coach Rick Pitino led Louisville to a 35-5 file, a Large East championship and an NCAA championship. All of these wins have since been vacated, however we watched the video games and the NCAA hasn’t introduced out the Neuralyzer from “Males in Black” fairly but.
The No. 1 seed Cardinals rolled by the primary three rounds of March Madness with out too many points, and that arrange an Elite Eight matchup with No. 2 seed Duke. The sport was anticipated to be a good one, however that was not the case. Louisville cruised to an 85-63 win, and Russ Smith led all scorers with 23 factors. The one stain on that recreation for the Playing cards was the ugly Kevin Ware harm.
Within the Last 4, the Cardinals gained thrillers over Wichita State and Michigan to convey house the title.
When it comes to Cinderella tales, Wichita State needed to be the most important. The Shockers reached the Last 4 as a No. 9 seed, beating some high-profile applications within the course of. No. 13 seed La Salle reached the Candy 16 earlier than getting crushed by Wichita State. No. 13 seed Florida Gulf Coast captured the hearts of America by driving “Dunk Metropolis” all the best way to the Candy 16 as properly.
In some way, UConn’s girls’s crew didn’t win the Large East regular-season title. When wanting again on it, that was surprising as a result of the Huskies blasted each considered one of their March Madness opponents, together with Large East winner Notre Dame.
Geno Auriemma’s crew gained each single NCAA Match recreation by a minimum of 18 factors. UConn additionally gained 4 video games by a minimum of 30 factors, together with the nationwide championship recreation towards Louisville, which was a 93-60 blowout. It might have been attention-grabbing to see Brittney Griner go head-to-head with this UConn crew within the event, however her Baylor Bears have been upset by the Cardinals within the Candy 16.
PGA Tour
Participant of the 12 months: Tiger Woods
Most wins: Tiger Woods (5)
FedEx Cup champion: Henrik Stenson
The Masters: Adam Scott
U.S. Open: Justin Rose
The Open Championship: Phil Mickelson
PGA Championship: Jason Dufner
Tennis (M)
Participant of the 12 months: Rafael Nadal
Most event wins: Rafael Nadal (10)
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic
French Open: Rafael Nadal
Wimbledon: Andy Murray
US Open: Rafael Nadal
Tennis (W)
Participant of the 12 months: Serena Williams
Most event wins: Serena Williams (11)
Australian Open: Victoria Azarenka
French Open: Serena Williams
Wimbledon: Marion Bartoli
US Open: Serena Williams
NASCAR
Cup Sequence champion: Jimmie Johnson
Most wins: Matt Kenseth (7)
Rookie of the 12 months: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
