At long final, 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 once released, and a lot has changed in that time. That’s particularly true in the sports world, where things shift swiftly.
When GTA V was once first released, the landscape of major sports in The usa looked a lot different than it does today. LeBron James was once still in South Beach, Joe Flacco was once still “elite,” David Ortiz was once flipping Torii Hunter over the correct field wall in Fenway Park and college football still used computers to resolve its national championship matchup.
It is also fun to return and look at how the fortunes of quite a lot of teams have changed over time. Back in 2013, the Houston Astros and Colorado Avalanche were naughty, the Boston Red Sox and Auburn Tigers were competing for championships and the reigning Stanley Cup champions were still a twinkle in Gary Bettman’s eye.
Let’s do a little reminiscing and remembering some guys and gals as we throw it back to 2013, when the final Grand Theft Auto game made its way into Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles far and wide.
Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens def. San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl MVP: Joe Flacco (BAL)
NFL MVP: Adrian Peterson (MIN)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Robert Griffin III (WAS)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Kuechly (CAR)
Grand Theft Auto V was once in truth released correct at the start of the 2013 NFL season, but those were the reigning champs and award-winners at the time. Joe Flacco, who was once just 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 realize, there were no allegations of signal stealing leveled against Harbaugh in that playoff run.
It is also notable that the MVP, Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year are no longer in the league. They say the NFL stands for “Not For Long,” and they intent it.
At the time the immense GTA V map was once downloading on consoles across the country, Peyton Manning was once two games into his second season with the Denver Broncos. He had already thrown for 769 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in what would eventually be the start of another MVP season for him. In the NFC, second-year quarterback Russell Wilson had the Seattle Seahawks sitting at 2-0 with big things to come.
NBA Finals: Miami Heat def. San Antonio Spurs
NBA Finals MVP: LeBron James (MIA)
NBA MVP: LeBron James (MIA)
Rookie of the Year: Damian Lillard (POR)
Sixth Man of the Year: J.R. Smith (NYK)
James and the “Big Three” were coming off their second consecutive NBA title after taking down Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs in a thrilling seven-game series. James had to build more room in his trophy case that summer as he dominated that season by averaging 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
A couple of of James’ future teammates also had big seasons that year. Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics led the league with 11.1 assists per game, Dwight Howard owned the glass in Los Angeles by averaging a league-leading 12.4 rebounds per game with the Lakers, and Carmelo Anthony shined with the New York Knicks by finishing as the NBA’s leading scorer with 28.7 points per game.
Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard was once just traded to the Milwaukee Bucks after 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, and he now forms a daunting duo alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was once also a rookie when GTA V hit shelves.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the top seed in the Western Convention with a 60-22 record, but they were upset by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second one round. The Golden State Warriors were still looking for their first title since 1975, but Steph Curry given some hope for the future with a real breakout crusade.
World Series: Boston Red Sox def. St. Louis Cardinals
World Series MVP: David Ortiz (BOS)
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (DET)
AL Cy Young: Max Scherzer (DET)
NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen (PIT)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
On the heels of the Boston Marathon bombing, the Red Sox rallied around their city and won the World Series after finishing deceased final in the AL East one year earlier. David Ortiz gave his renowned “our f–ing city” speech before having one of the vital clutch postseasons in MLB history, featuring a game-tying grand slam in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers. He then proceeded to hit .688 with four intentional walks in the World Series.
So far as the other award winners, Miguel Cabrera just completed his last MLB season and leaves the game tied for 25th all-time in home runs with 511. Scherzer, Cabrera’s teammate on the Tigers in 2013, just won the second one World Series of his career, this time with the Texas Rangers. Kershaw just ended his 16th season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his future is now up in the air after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. In a similar fashion, McCutchen was once going strong in his 15th season, and 10th with the Pittsburgh Pirates, before an Achilles injury derailed him.
Elsewhere around the league, the lowly Houston Astros couldn’t even muster 60 wins, going a depressing 51-111. The Chicago Cubs, being the lovable losers that they were, finished final in the NL Central at 66-96. That summer, the Cubs also drafted a player by the name of Kris Bryant. A 21-year-old Mike Trout hit 27 home runs, and Shohei Ohtani was once a rookie with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan.
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)
Because of a partial lockout, the NHL played just 48 regular-season games in 2012-13, and the Blackhawks were the most efficient team from wire to wire. They won 36 games and are still the latest team in NHL history to win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year. Chicago fell in the back of Boston, 2-1, in the Stanley Cup Last before rattling off three straight wins to end the series.
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were at the top of their game, combining for 46 goals and 103 points that season. In the playoffs, Kane took his game to another level by scoring nine even-strength goals and totaling 19 points in 23 games.
Alex Ovechkin scored 32 goals en route to his third Hart Trophy, and he is still chipping absent at Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record today. Martin St. Louis, now the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, won the Art Ross Trophy as the league leader in points with 60.
The Colorado Avalanche finished as probably the most worst teams in the NHL, but they won the NHL Draft lottery and selected Nathan MacKinnon with the No. 1 overall pick. Henrik Lundqvist, who was once just inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame, finished second in Vezina voting with a 2.05 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
BCS National Championship: Florida State def. Auburn
ACC champion: Florida State
SEC champion: Auburn
Big Ten champion: Michigan State
Big 12 champion: Baylor
Pac-12 champion: Stanford
Heisman Trophy: Jameis Winston (FSU)
Back when they still let computers make a choice which teams would play for the national title (what a time), Auburn and Florida State played a thriller at the Rose Bowl. With 1:19 to go in the fourth quarter, Tre Mason scored a 37-yard landing to give the Tigers a 31-27 lead. Jameis Winston responded by leading the Seminoles on a game-winning landing drive that ended with him finding Kelvin Benjamin after all zone.
That was once the cherry on top of an outstanding season from Winston, who completed 66.9% of his passes for 4,057 yards, 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He even added 219 yards and four scores on the ground. It should have been a brutal end for the Tigers, but it was once a magical season up until the last minute of the national title. The 2013 season included both the Prayer at Jordan-Hare against Georgia and the Kick Six against Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
Johnny Manziel followed up his Heisman Trophy season in 2012 by totaling 4,873 yards and 30 complete touchdowns. In the same year that Jim Harbaugh led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, his successor at Stanford, David Shaw, led the Cardinal to an 11-3 record and a win over No. 11 Arizona State in the convention championship. In April 2013, long before the season even began, one Patrick Mahomes gave a verbal commitment to play football at Texas Tech University.
As all the time, the coaching carousel was once as ruthless as Trevor Philips, so let’s review one of the most most notable changes at the end of the 2013 season.
Texas: Mack Brown replaced by Charlie StrongLouisville: Charlie Strong replaced by Bobby PetrinoUSC: Lane Kiffin replaced by Steve SarkisianWashington: Steve Sarkisian replaced by Chris PetersenBoise State: Chris Petersen replaced by Bryan HarsinPenn State: Invoice O’Brien replaced by James FranklinVanderbilt: James Franklin replaced by Derek MasonCollege Basketball
Men’s national champion: Louisville
Men’s Player of the Year: Trey Burke (Michigan)
Women’s national champion: UConn
Women’s Player of the Year: Brittney Griner (Baylor)
On the men’s side of things, Louisville coach Rick Pitino led Louisville to a 35-5 record, a Big East championship and an NCAA championship. All of those wins have since been vacated, but we watched the games and the NCAA hasn’t brought out the Neuralyzer from “Men in Black” slightly yet.
The No. 1 seed Cardinals rolled through the first three rounds of March Insanity without too many issues, and that set up an Elite Eight matchup with No. 2 seed Duke. The game was once expected to be a tight one, but that was once not the case. Louisville cruised to an 85-63 win, and Russ Smith led all scorers with 23 points. The one stain on that game for the Cards was once the gruesome Kevin Ware injury.
In the Last Four, the Cardinals won thrillers over Wichita State and Michigan to cause home the title.
When it comes to Cinderella stories, Wichita State needed to be the biggest. The Shockers reached the Last Four as a No. 9 seed, beating some high-profile programs in the process. No. 13 seed La Salle reached the Candy 16 before getting beaten by Wichita State. No. 13 seed Florida Gulf Coast captured the hearts of The usa by riding “Dunk City” the entire way to the Candy 16 as polite.
Come what may, UConn’s women’s team did not win the Big East regular-season title. When taking a look back on it, that was once shocking because the Huskies blasted each and every one of their March Insanity opponents, including Big East winner Notre Dame.
Geno Auriemma’s team won each and every unmarried NCAA Tournament game by no less than 18 points. UConn also won four games by no less than 30 points, including the national championship game against Louisville, which was once a 93-60 blowout. It would have been interesting to see Brittney Griner go head-to-head with this UConn team in the tournament, but her Baylor Bears were upset by the Cardinals in the Candy 16.
PGA Tour
Player of the Year: 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)
Player of the Year: Rafael Nadal
Most tournament wins: Rafael Nadal (10)
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic
dressing Open: Rafael Nadal
Wimbledon: Andy Murray
US Open: Rafael Nadal
Tennis (W)
Player of the Year: Serena Williams
Most tournament wins: Serena Williams (11)
Australian Open: Victoria Azarenka
dressing Open: Serena Williams
Wimbledon: Marion Bartoli
US Open: Serena Williams
NASCAR
Cup Series champion: Jimmie Johnson
Most wins: Matt Kenseth (7)
Rookie of the Year: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.