With the end of the 2010s upon us, The Post polled 43 members of its sports department across a variety of categories to determine the best and worst of the decade. Through Dec. 31, we’ll be revealing how our staff voted. If our own debates are any indication, we expect you’ll have your own strong opinions, too.
1. Manning-to-Manningham, Feb. 5, 2012
It’s still hard to believe he got both feet down and maintained possession. The Giants, trailing 17-15 with 3:46 remaining in Super Bowl XLVI against the Patriots, had taken over at their 12-yard line when Eli Manning found Mario Manningham between defensive backs Sterling Moore and Patrick Chung along the sideline and threaded a brilliant 38-yard pass to move the ball to midfield. Eight plays later, Ahmad Bradshaw’s 6-yard run/sitdown — with Bill Belichick’s defense letting him score to get the ball back — gave the Giants a 21-17 lead with 57 seconds to go. They held on for their second championship in five years and the lone title in New York sports in the 2010s. (Tom Coughlin even hugged Flavor Flav during the celebration.)
2. Santana’s No-Hitter, June 1, 2012
It took only 50 years, 8,020 games and, as it turned out, 134 career-threatening pitches by lefty ace Johan Santana for the Mets finally to secure the first — and still, only — no-hitter in their now 58 seasons of existence. David Freese waved through a 3-2 changeup for the final out of the two-time Cy Young winner’s gem, an 8-0 victory over the Cardinals at Citi Field. Santana, who had missed the entire 2011 season with a torn capsule in his pitching shoulder, was never the same after the no-no, pitching to an 8.27 ERA over 10 starts the rest of that season. He tore his shoulder capsule again during spring training in 2013 and never appeared in a major league game again.
3. Jeter’s 3,000th Hit, July 8, 2011
The Captain became the 28th player — and, at 37, the fourth-youngest —in baseball history to reach the 3,000-hit plateau, ripping a home run in the third inning against the Rays’ David Price amid a five-hit game at the Stadium. Jeter became only the second player to reach the 3K Club by going deep, joining former teammate Wade Boggs (1999). Alex Rodriguez also matched the feat in 2015. Jeter, who was greeted at home plate with a bear hug by Core Four teammate Jorge Posada, played three more seasons in pinstripes and finished with 3,465 hits, sixth on the all-time list.
4. Linsanity, Feb. 2012
The Post’s Mike Vaccaro puts a spotlight on Linsanity’s legacy.
5. Mo’s Tearful Farewell, Sept. 26, 2013
Exit Sandman was more of a tearjerker than a headbanger. Mariano Rivera’s final pitching appearance at the Stadium ended up being an emotional farewell, as Jeter and Andy Pettitte were sent to the mound by manager Joe Girardi to remove the all-time saves leader in the ninth inning of a 4-0 loss to the Rays. Pettitte tapped his right arm to signal for reliever Matt Daley and took the ball from the retiring Mariano, who broke down sobbing as he embraced his longtime teammates.
6. Jeter’s Walk-off, Farewell, Sept. 25, 2014
Re2pect. Nearly one year to the day after Rivera’s departure, Jeter experienced his own fitting Bronx sendoff with a game-winning single to right, scoring pinch runner Antoan Richardson for a 6-5 win over the Orioles after reliever David Robertson had blown a three-run lead in the eighth. Rivera, Pettitte, Posada, Bernie Williams and Joe Torre, among others, lined up on the field to hug the usually stoic, but clearly emotional “Numbah Two.”
7. Mets World Series Run, Oct. 2015
With the Yankees failing to reach the World Series over an entire decade for the first time since 1910-19, the Mets’ unexpected 2015 ride represented the only Fall Classic berth by the locals in the 2010s. A midseason trade for Yoenis Cespedes keyed a second-half run for Terry Collins’ team, with emerging aces Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard excelling in the NL playoffs against the Dodgers and the Cubs. The latter series was a four-game NLCS sweep to advance the Mets to the Series against eventual champion Kansas City.
8. OBJ’S One-Handed Catch, Nov. 23, 2014
Whatever you thought of Odell Beckham Jr.’s occasional antics, there was no denying his immense talent. That was evident from his rookie season, especially when he hauled in an astonishing, one-handed, 43-yard touchdown grab from Eli Manning in the third quarter of a Sunday night loss to the Cowboys. Dallas cornerback Brandon Carr even was flagged for interference on the play, prompting NBC announcer and former NFL wide receiver Cris Collinsworth to dub it “maybe the greatest catch I’ve ever seen.”
9. American Pharoah Does It, June 6, 2015
More than 90,000 people showed up to witness history, and they did not leave disappointed. American Pharoah, trained by Bob Baffert and with Victor Espinoza aboard, became the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to complete racing’s vaunted Triple Crown — the 12th horse ever to do so — with a 5½-length victory in the Belmont Stakes. Since Affirmed’s feat, 13 horses had won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness before falling short at the Belmont, including California Chrome in 2014.
10. Cruz Goes 99 Yards, Dec. 24, 2011
The Giants were 7-7 and seemingly going nowhere, until undrafted receiver Victor Cruz broke free for a 99-yard TD reception and salsa dance in the second quarter of a victory over the Jets on Christmas Eve to spark Big Blue’s improbable run to the Super Bowl XLVI title. The Giants went on to defeat the Cowboys the following week to take the NFC East crown before downing the Falcons at home, the Packers and 49ers on the road and the Patriots (see moment No. 1) for their second championship in five years.