The year 2015 is making like a St. Louis Cardinals postseason pitch – it’s going, going, gone. While some are busy setting resolutions that won’t make it past MLK Day and doing everything possible to put 2015 behind them, I choose to embrace that past and honor the greatness (and the not-so-greatness) of the past calendar year. We all love a good awards show. There are the Grammys, Oscars, Emmys, ESPYs, Hoodies and more. Never one to be left behind, I would like to introduce unto to you the First Annual Clutchy Awards.
The Clutchies are my own cheesy way of celebrating today’s clutch performers and getting one last laugh at those individuals who blew it the most. Enough banter, I’m sure you have Christmas lights to take down, resolutions to set and gym memberships to reactivate before the New Year strikes. Without further ado, these are the 2015 honorees.
Most Clutch Male Athlete – Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry shot to superstardom during the 2014-15 NBA season by leading the Golden State Warriors to its first championship in 40 years. En route to earning the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy, Curry brought video game moves and buckets to reality. The sharpshooting point guard kept defenders on their heels and hands (Looking at you Chris Paul) on a nightly basis. He gave opposing coaches nightmares with his ability to get to the basket seemingly at will or knock down the trey regardless of the degree of difficulty. Curry was named the regular-season MVP then helped the Warriors run the gauntlet in the vaunted Western Conference and defeated LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals.
If that alone wasn’t enough, Curry ended any talk of a fluke season by cementing his status as the best player in the game. Curry has started the 2015-16 season on fire. He’s averaging more than 30 points per game despite the fact that he often spends big chunks of the fourth quarter on the bench, courtesy of big leads during the team’s epic start to the season. 2015 was definitely the year of Curry.
Most Clutch Female Athlete – Serena Williams
Serena Williams’ year was ridiculously clutch. The tennis superstar absolutely dominated the ladies’ tennis circuit. She finished 2015 with an unbelievable 53-3 record, including three major championship victories (Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon). In the only major she didn’t win, the U.S. Open, she still advanced all the way to the semi-finals.
Williams spent the entire season as the top-ranked player in the WTA and earned twice as many ranking points as the runner-up. The fact that she had such an amazing year at the age of 34, when many tennis players are already retired or are simply shells of their former selves. Williams was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year and the AP Athlete of the Year. Sadly for her competitors, there’s nobody on the scene that looks ready to slow down the Serena train anytime soon. Father Time may be her only worthy opponent.
So Clutch It’s Automatic (Most Clutch Team) – Golden State Warriors
I already gushed on Curry’s achievement, so I’ll keep this short. However, the Warriors deserve to be recognized for the team’s tremendous success as a whole. The G unit finished with one of the best regular season records in NBA history with its 67-15 record during the 2014-15 season. Next they upped the ante by starting out the 2015-16 season on a 24-game winning streak and currently sit 29-1. The Warriors are so good, it’s scary.
New Clutch – Todd Gurley
Todd Gurley arrived in STL with plenty of hype and a bum knee. Most people expected the former Georgia running back to eventually live up to expectations, but Gurley is nowhere near as patient on achieving greatness as he is in finding the right hole on the field. Gurley burst out the gates with 146 yards on 19 carries in his second NFL game. He rattled off four games in a row with more than 125 yards and instantly became the best player for the St. Louis Rams. Gurley has amassed over 1,100 yards just 13 games this season. He was voted to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and he did it all facing 8-man boxes due to the Rams’ subpar QB play.
Clutch KO – Holly Holm on Ronda Rousey
Before her match with Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey was on every magazine cover, TV show, radio station around. She was the MMA version of Mike Tyson, ending opponent’s nights in less time than a commercial break and people loved it. Rousey got caught up in the hype and believed all the press clippings and thought she would walk over former the boxing champion in their UFC matchup. Boy was she wrong. Holm used to pugilistic skills to frustrate Rousey, batter and bloody her face for one and a half rounds. Holm then dropped Rousey with a nasty overhand left before finishing her off with the head kick heard round the world.
Pete Carroll Award (Least Clutch Moment) – Pete Carroll
One yard away from the end zone, with the Super Bowl on the line, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll glanced into his bag of tricks. Instead of handing the ball to a guy nicknamed “Beast Mode” who routinely knocks down defenders like dominoes, Carroll drew up a play designed to pass the ball to the team’s fourth or fifth best receiver. The fact that the game was to the New England Patriots, who are universally despised around these parts only made matters worse Carroll literally made the dumbest play call in sports history. In addition to winning this award, it has also been named after him.
Least Clutch Player Performance – Nick Foles
When Nick Foles was obtained by the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford, fans were excited. After all, Bradford spent more time on the medical table than he did on the field. When he did manage to play, he was extremely average. Then Foles hit the field and immediately looked like somebody’s drunken uncle throwing the football at the family reunion. Foles missed open receivers on five-yard crossing routes and made Tim Tebow look like Joe Montana. As the team’s offense stuttered and stumbled, coach Jeff Fisher had no choice than to bench the guy who was just brought into town and handed $24 million (nearly $14M guaranteed).
To view more of the Clutchies, visit the online version at stlamerican.com.
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