The Tampa Bay Rays' spectacular late-season run -- highlighted bylate-inningheroics from a light-hitting pinch hittercombined with the collapse of the Boston Red Sox -- was one of the most enjoyable sports stories for Florida in 2011.
Still, with college and professional football in a rebuilding mode across the state, the spectacular clunk of the NBAs superteam was Floridas top news story of 2011.
At least Gator fans can still dream of past glory on the gridiron in Denver, alongthe sidelines at South Carolina and, starting next year, at Ohio State.
NBA
The Miami Heat -- the pre-season pick to win in 2012 -- began the 2010-11 season with an over-the-top ESPN presentation in which theysigned LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join the re-signed free agent Dwyane Wade-- each inked for six years and $100 million-plus contracts.
Considered by some as the team to beat the single season record of 72 regular season wins, and the favorite to win the championship, the Heat came out of the game 9-8, before pulling away to a 58-24 mark, earning the overall second seed in the playoffs. Still the team was defined when it lost the 2011 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic, in their first season in the Amway Center, finished fourth in the East, 10 games behind the Chicago Bulls and Heat. The season quickly ended when they bowed out in the first round to Atlanta.
College football
In college football, 2011 has been an off year -- to be kind.
Florida State University was a Top 20 team in the pre-season, with the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes in Top 25 polls.
FSU went 8-5 before heading into the Dec. 29 Champ Sports Bowl against Notre Dame.
Florida International University, 8-5, including a 20-10 loss to Marshall in the Beef-O-Brady Bowl to Marshall ]on Dec. 20.
UF, 6-6, now lines up against Ohio State in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl on Jan. 2.
UM, 6-6.
University of Central Florida, 5-7.
University of South Florida, 5-7.
Florida Atlantic University, 1-11.
Pro football
In the pros, somehow one of the three coaches who started the season with a Florida-based team is still pacing the sidelines.
Oh, and there is Tim Tebow, the UF Heisman Trophy winner who has become a national sensation despite a year of criticism of his playing style and outspoken religious beliefs.
For those Gator haters, at least the descriptive verb Tebowing seems to have replaced planking -- the least-inspired and laziest fad ever (thus perfect in this Occupy world) -- for Facebook moments.
Baseball
The Rays entered Sept. 9 games behind the Red Sox for the AL wild card, and became the first team to ever overcome such a deficit to make the playoffs.
The heroics included taking six of seven from the Red Sox and, with two games left, overcoming a 7-0 lead by the New York Yankees by tying the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a home run by .108 hitter Dan Johnson and winning the game three extra innings later on a walk-off home run by Evan Longoria.
The late-season elation was quickly replaced when the team lost to the Texas Rangers in four games in the first round of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, for the Florida Marlins, the 2011 season was all about looking ahead to 2012 once the season went awry with a 5-23 June.
The Marlins have played their last season representing the state with home games at Sun Life Stadium (formerly Land Shark Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Pro Player Stadium, Pro Player Park and Joe Robbie Stadium).
Next year, they will be the Miami Marlins. The team, which has brought on high-profile manager Ozzie Guillen, has gone spending for players to adorn its new $515 million Marlins Ballpark in Little Havana. The retractable-roofed stadium is expected to include a pair of field-level aquariums.
Soccer
Florida State Universitys women's soccer team had a historic run through the playoffs that was snapped short of the championship by eventual titleholder Stanford. The Seminoles marked their first-ever victories of the University of Virginia and became the first team ever to hand the University of North Carolina a loss in the ACC Tournament.
As a side note: Florida actually had a professional soccer team call Florida home in 2011.
The MagicJack, named after the device that allows computer users to make phone calls, moved from Washington to Fort Lauderdale, with a team littered with USA national players, including Abby Wambach and goalie Hope Solo.
However, disputes between the league and the MagicJack owner -- the league claimed the owner failed to pay his bills and disparaged his players -- resulted in the team being disbanded at the end of the season.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
