<p><span>2012 has come and gone, and with the dawn of a new year upon us we look back at some of the most unforgettable local sports moments of 2012.</span></p>

In early May, the surprising Orioles had traveled to Fenway Park and taken the first two games from the Red Sox, when manager Buck Showalter faced a dilemma. The teams were tied after 15 innings, and Showalter needed a pitcher for the 16th inning. Enter Chris Davis, who had pitched some in junior college. The designated hitter had gone 0-8 at the plate in the game, but came up big for his team when it mattered, pitching two scoreless innings and getting his first, and likely only, career win.

After months of anticipation, RG3 finally took the field for the first time in New Orleans as the Redskins faced the Saints to open the season. It didn’t take long for RG3 to leave Redskins fans salivating for more. In the first quarter RG3 threw a bullet to Pierre Garcon, just before getting crushed by a blitzing Malcolm Jenkins, and watched from his now iconic pose, as the speedy receiver took the pass 88 yards for the touchdown. Seated on the Superdome turf with his arms raised in celebration, #Griffining caught on like lightning, replacing Tebowing as the standard pose for a quarterback.

After five years of mediocrity (at best) that included coaching changes and an entire roster over-haul, D.C. United finally returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Ben Olsen, in just his second full year at the helm, led the Black and Red to a -- record, including a 19-game unbeaten streak at home. DCU took down the Redbulls in a drama-filled series before falling to Houston in the Eastern Conference Championship.

The D.C./Baltimore area was front and center on the world’s biggest stage as a number of local athletes shined at the Summer Olympic Games in London. Among them were Baltimore’s Michael Phelps who won four gold and two sliver medals becoming the decorated Olympian ever with 22 medals, 18 of which are gold. Phelps wasn’t the only local swimmer making headlines in London. At just 15 years old, Bethesda, Md. native Katie Ledecky won the 800-meter freestyle with the second-fastest swim of all time. She is the youngest American ever to win a gold medal.

When former Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell passed away in September, the NFL lost one of its most influential and controversial figures. While many fans in Cleveland still haven’t forgiven him for moving the Browns to Baltimore, fans in this area are forever grateful that Model brought football, and a winner, back to Baltimore.

The Ravens once vaunted defense withstood major injuries to superstar linebackers Ray Lewis (torn triceps) and Terrell Suggs (torn Achilles tendon and torn bicep) to win the AFC North and a trip back to the playoffs.

Since being taken No. 1 overall by the Wizards in the 2010 NBA Draft, John Wall’s career hasn’t exactly gone the way Washington basketball fans had planned. After two seasons of mediocrity, 2012-2013 was supposed to see a different, more mature Wizards team with new pieces in place to help Wall lead. But just a few weeks before the start of the season a knee injury sidelined the point guard. The Wizards would start the season losing 12 games before winning one and by the end of 2012 they would be just 4-24 without their franchise player. There is no timetable for Wall’s return.

Under the most unimaginable of circumstances, Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith played the game of his life. Just hours after his 19-year-old brother Tevin was killed in a motorcycle accident, Smith had six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens’ thrilling 31-30 win over the New England Patriots. After the game the conversation was not about the Ravens getting payback for the AFC Championship Game, but rather the courage and heart Smith displayed in the wake of such a tragic event.

Maryland to Big Ten – In November the University of Maryland announced it would be leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference, leaving behind rivalries and history dating back to the 1950’s. It was a financial move, as many came to understand, but at first there was intense outrage from fans and alumni. Maryland sports will begin a brand new era when it officially becomes part of the Big Ten in 2014.

After a roller coaster season, a new head coach and a 7th seed entry into the playoffs, the Caps finally seemed to have figured out Dale Hunter's system just in time to face the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. Bucky Dent. Aaron Boone. Timmy Smith. Sometimes heroes come from unlikely places. On April 25 the Capitals' hero emerged from the 4th line in a Game 7 overtime -the fourth OT game of a series in which each game was decided by a one-goal margin. Coming off the worst offensive season of his career (and several nights in the press box), Joel Ward scooped up Mike Knuble's rebound just 2 minutes and 57 seconds into overtime to eliminate Boston and put the Caps into the Eastern Conference semifinals.

It's the moment that just won't end. On September 15 NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and franchise owners declared a lockout on the league's players after an a new collective bargaining agreement could not be reached. It is the fourth NHL work stoppage in 20 years and follows the previous lockout, which wiped out the entire 2004-05 season, by just eight years. With games already canceled though January 14, 2013, we'll either be writing about the league's triumphant return or disappointing unraveling this time next year.

A week after he suffered a concussion in a loss against the Falcons, Redskins Nation was rightfully concerned with how it would affect RG3 against the Vikings. One play put all those concerns to rest for good. Up 31-26 late in the fourth quarter, RG3 dropped back on third-and-6. Griffin evaded the initial rush and took off down the sideline for a mesmerizing 76-yard TD run to seal the Redskins’ victory. In a season full of dazzling moments, Griffin’s iconic sprint down the sidelines was likely the most memorable of them all.

After hitting a tape-measure homer at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Harper was asked by a reporter if he would celebrate with a beer as he was of the legal drinking age in Canada. The 2012 NL Rookie of the year’s off-the–cuff response became much bigger than perhaps he expected, transcending sports and convincing Harper himself to trademark the phrase.

In just his second season back from Tommy John surgery, the Nationals’ ace entered the 2012 season with a team-imposed innings limit. It was known and discussed as far back as the 2011 season, but as the Nationals got closer to shutting him down it became one of the most hotly debated topics in all of sports.

2012 was the first year of the MLB’s new one-game win-or-go-home wild card playoff game. The Baltimore Orioles, who had exceeded even the biggest optimist’s expectations by winning 93 games, had the honor of playing the inaugural game in the American League. Their opponent? The reigning AL Champion Texas Rangers. But behind pitcher Joe Saunders’ strong start, the Orioles rolled to a 5-1 win, earning themselves a shot at the New York Yankees in the ALDS. Though they ultimately fell short against New York, for one night in Texas, the Orioles proved to the baseball world their dream season was no fluke.

The Nationals were on the brink of elimination, facing the St. Louis Cardinals in a win-or-go-home Game 4 at Nationals Park. Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Jayson Werth was locked in an epic at-bat with Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn. With one mighty swing of his bat, Werth saved the Nationals’ season, cemented his place in Nationals history and sent a crowd of 44,392 into sheer pandemonium. Unfortunately for Werth and his teammates, that would be the last victory the Nationals would have in 2012.

The Nationals came storming out of the gate, going up 6-0 after three innings. But slowly the Cardinals chipped away, setting the stage for one of the most devastating losses in the history of DC sports. Twice the Nationals closer was one strike away from sending his club to the NLCS, but both times he was unable to finish the Cardinals off, giving up four runs in the top of the ninth. The Nationals would go on to lose 9-7, leaving their fans with a bitter taste in their mouths after what had been a magical season.

Riding the back of rookie running back Alfred Morris (200 yards and three touchdowns), the Redskins beat the archrival Dallas Cowboys at FedEx Field, 28-18, to win the NFC East for the first time since 1999. The Redskins finished the season 9-7 after going 6-10 and last year, good for last place in the division. It also sent Washington into the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Joe Flacco and the Ravens had proven an even match with Tom Brady and the Patriots for the entire 2012 AFC Championship Game. Down 20-23 with under a minute to go, they thought they had they had a touchdown before Lee Evans dropped the ball in the endzone. Then, in an attempt to send the game into overtime, kicker Billy Cundiff missed wide left from 32 yards out to seal a defeat as crushing as they come.

On March 10th the Redskins completed the biggest trade in franchise history - three first round picks and one in the second round to the Rams, for the chance to draft Robert Griffin III. He officially became a Redskin on April 26 and has since turned in one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history. The Redskins seem to have finally found a franchise quarterback.