The Yankee Princess' Best Sports Moments of the '00s

Yesterday was the worst, today is the best.

Here is what made my sports life worth living in this decade:

10) Personally Princess- This is corny, but true: I started my career in sports this decade ("From the Stands", WFAN, Giants, this blog) and I think that deserves a shout-out. In 2000 I was a high school student watching from afar, and now I'm slowly but surely "in". I'm so thankful for all the memories in sports I've personally made, and I can only hope and pray for many more successes in the next 10 years!

9) Sports Failures- Not that I get off on people's pain, but some situations definitely brought out the LOL's, including the New York Mets collapses in 2006, 2007 & 2008, the Dallas Cowboys' domination coming to a halt, Bill Belichick being exposed for the cheater he is, Pedro Martinez and his big mouth always being embarrassed by the Yankees, etc.

8) Sarah Hughes and the 2002 Winter Olympics- A little random I know, but this was a huge moment. She was the underdog going into the Games, but her breathtaking performance won her the gold medal. I got goosebumps watching this little girl going out there, owning the moment and having the time of her life. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after.

7) Derek Jeter (For being born)- If the late 90's didn't sell you on the DJ goods, than the 00's certainly did. From his 2000 World Series MVP, to the 2001 flip play, to his Mr. November home run, to breaking Lou Gehrig's hits record, to just evolving into this humble, mega (and clean) superstar...he's just amazing.

6) 2007 NFC Divisional Playoffs (Giants/Cowboys)- Despite a history that spans decades, these two teams never squared off in the playoffs before. (Maybe that's a good thing, because that game took 3 years off my life). But no playoff victory in my lifetime (Super Bowls aside) was as fulfilling as us whooping on the Cowgirls at their stadium. Jerry Jones' sore loser pout was hysterical, and T.O.'s tearful, Oscar-worthy performance ("that's my quarterback, man") will live in on in sports pop culture forever.

5) Aaron Boone's 2003 ALCS Game 7 Home Run- I was driving around my town when this happened (because the moment I stepped foot into my car, Derek started the rally against Boston, so I couldn't stop driving...I'm superstitious like that). How I didn't crash is beyond me, because it doesn't get any better than what happened that night. (Little did Yankees fans know that was the last time the ghosts would come out to play in the old place, unfortunately).

4) 2001 World Series at Yankee Stadium- The Yankees gave New York City and the rest of the country the lift we all needed with three unbelievable games that no one, Yankees fans and haters alike, will ever forget.

3) 2000 World Series- All I'm gonna say is, THANK GOD the Yankees won. Otherwise, we'd have to listen to Mets fans gloat about it for eternity, since there's not much else for them to talk about (haha). But this series definitely lived up to the hype (Clemens/Piazza Part II, Derek Domination). While I'm sure the rest of the country didn't care, the energy surrounding the already-hyper New York Metro area was surreal, and I hope the Mets can clean up their act so we can do it all over again!

2) 2009 World Series- "Now you're in New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do..." Nailing #27 down was tricky, but definitely worth the wait! Seeing Hideki Matsui have the series of his life and finally get his ring was the highlight for me.

1) Super Bowl XLII (Giants/Patriots)- The underdog Giants went to Arizona and spit in the faces of history, Tom Brady, Bill Belechick and naysayers around the world. This was, without a doubt, the best Super Bowl victory ever, and will be for a long time.