10. Seattle tells the Sonics to take a hike.

I think the fact that the city of Seattle did not give in to a new owners demand for a stadium and let a lucrative franchise walk to Oklahoma is admirable.
Sports teams shouldn't hold a city hostage.
I know the Sonics owner, Oklahoma native Clay Bennett, wanted to move the team anyway, but still, kudos for Seattle for saying take a hike.

9. Jimmy Johnson Three Peats!

If you're a fan of sports dynasties, this was a big story.
For the first time since the 70s a NASCAR team won 3 championships in a row. Jimmy Johnson & the Lowes #48 crew had a quiet first half of the season. But they were steady and consistent, winning when it counted down the stretch. They easily won the title over second place Carl Edwards.

8. Brett unretires again.

The saga between Brett Favre and his own mind continued.
(Boring!)
For the entire month of August it went back and forth as he unretired then demanded a trade. He landed in NYC with the Jets only to fizzle out at the end.
As I publish this today, Fav-ra is once again considering retiring.

Stop the madness Bret! Time to join Brett Michaels in Rock of Love.

7. A Wimbledon for the Ages!

The finale of this not-a-Denny's Grand Slam featured Nadal vs. Federer.
It went down as maybe the greatest tennis match ever played. After four hour and 48 minute marathon Nadal was victorious and England's power grid suffered from a massive spike in demand for electricity.
I wish I had cared to watch this one, seems like I missed a great one.

6. Return to Glory in Boston.

The Celtics got Kevin Garnett in the 2007 off-season. In 2007-08 season he led them to the promise land, back to the NBA championship.
All was right in Boston once again. (See pick #1 for why it wasn't for a while.)

5. Yankee Stadium Closes

In October the sports world lost its cathedral.
Its Mecca.
Its Nacho-Bell Grande!
It was a bittersweet day for me. The house that was built for Ruth (short porch in right) ended it's run and the Yankees left for richer, greener luxury boxes across the street.

As a life-long Yanks fan and season ticket holder, this was the biggest story of the year for me but since I'm slightly objective, I put it at #5.

4x. Phillies Win! But Tampa surprises everyone.

I'm putting 2 teams for a tie at #4.
You have to give it to the Phillies for playing great when it mattered most, down the stretch. They won the World Series for the first time in decades bringing anarchy to the city of brotherly love once more. Congrats!

However, if you're a baseball fan, it was the Tampa Bay Rays that were the big story of 2008. They rose from last to first and dominated the toughest division in baseball - the AL East. They look to do even better in 2009.

3. Tiger plays like he's in the NHL.

I'm not a golf fan, but this one deserves a top 3. Defying doctors' orders and jabbing knee pain, the great Tiger Wood gritted his way through a 19-hole playoff with fellow American Rocco Mediate to win the US Open. The victory came just 2 months after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and suffering from a double stress fracture of his left tibia.
That's Tiger living up to his name I'd say.

2. Phelps wins loads of Gold!

Michael Phelps, the swimming machine, won a record high 8 gold medals in Beijing. That's not only incredible, it's historic. Now he'll try desperately to stay in the limelight more than just every 4 years.

1. The Giants are Super spoilers!

Lost of sports writers have Phelps as the number 1 story this year. Not me.
In our own end of the year 2007 poll, the New England Patriots were voted best team of the year. Which, in 2007, was probably true.
As the NFL playoffs began in 2008, everyone had them winning the Super Bowl and going 19-0.
Too bad just 5 weeks into the year, the NY football Giants brought them down to earth with a hard fought Super Bowl victory. For one game the Giants were flawless and lucky, as David Tyree will certainly tell you.
For doing the thing no one thought they'd do or even had a chance to do, I'm giving the year's top spot to the Giants.

Enjoy the Bowl games and all the news that's about to happen in 2009!