Best sports stories of 2008

[Lavabe]

Well now... it's that time of year:

What was the best sports story of 2008?

I'm thinking Tiger's major win while injured.

ETA: Oh yeah, maybe that Olympics thing with Michael Phelps.;)

[YmoBeThere]

Best = Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly

Worst = The tragedy of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby

[devildeac]

NYY finishing 3rd in their division:rolleyes:

[YmoBeThere]

NYY finishing 3rd in their division:rolleyes:

Ding, ding, ding...I think we have a winner.

[ugadevil]

NYY finishing 3rd in their division:rolleyes:

I was going to say something similar to this but on the positive end for Tampa Bay fans. The Rays winning their division and making it to the World Series was quite a ride.

There are probably a number of stories from the Beijing Olympics that would be worthy of votes.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

This thread has taken an ugly turn. I'm not going to read any more posts in it. But mark my words here and now: 173 - 0 is a distinct possibility for the Yankees in 2009. Well, close to that anyway!

[TillyGalore]

Duh!!! Duke football.

WE ARE DUKE!!!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Overall the best story goes to Phelps' 8 golds. My favorite single event was Nadal taking the Wimbledon championship over Federer in one of the greatest tennis matches ever played.

[JBDuke]

One story that deserves mention that might be a little closer to general interest here - Davidson's run led by Curry in last year's NCAA Tourney.

[Channing]

Best Story: Myron Rolle - What a positive ambassador for college sports, and really someone future collegiate athletes can admire.

[Lavabe]

Look, for obvious schadenfreude, look no further than 8 miles down the road from Durham. One need not invoke NYY schadenfreude in this thread.:rolleyes:

Let's stay on topic.:)

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Look, for obvious schadenfreude, look no further than 8 miles down the road from Durham. One need not invoke NYY schadenfreude in this thread.:rolleyes:

Let's stay on topic.:)

OK, I'll keep reading! And posting!

Best sports stories of 2008:
1. Phelps winning 8 Gold medals
2. K winning all the Gold medals in men's bball (we all saw the picture - he was wearing them all!)
3. Tiger winning the US Open on one broken leg and with a torn ACL
4. Duke Football and Coach Cutcliffe
and projecting for 2009
1. Duke men winning the NCAA National Championship in men's basketball!

Oh, and did I mention Carnegie Deli pastrami? Eating is a sport, at least on Coney Island.

[devildeac]

This thread has taken an ugly turn. I'm not going to read any more posts in it. But mark my words here and now: 173 - 0 is a distinct possibility for the Yankees in 2009. Well, close to that anyway!

That's why you are called the paradigm of optimism.

38-0 (or better, simply undefeated) for Duke hoops-Bzzt
13-0 for Duke FB-Bzzt

NYY 173-0-Bzzt.

But I love your spirit/optimism:D.

[devildeac]

OK, I'll keep reading! And posting!

Best sports stories of 2008:
1. Phelps winning 8 Gold medals
2. K winning all the Gold medals in men's bball (we all saw the picture - he was wearing them all!)
3. Tiger winning the US Open on one broken leg and with a torn ACL
4. Duke Football and Coach Cutcliffe
and projecting for 2009
1. Duke men winning the NCAA National Championship in men's basketball!

Oh, and did I mention Carnegie Deli pastrami? Eating is a sport, at least on Coney Island.

Carnegie pastrami is NOT a sport! (It's a very worthwhile hobby, however:o;))

[devildeac]

OK, I'll keep reading! And posting!

Best sports stories of 2008:
1. Phelps winning 8 Gold medals
2. K winning all the Gold medals in men's bball (we all saw the picture - he was wearing them all!)
3. Tiger winning the US Open on one broken leg and with a torn ACL
4. Duke Football and Coach Cutcliffe
and projecting for 2009
1. Duke men winning the NCAA National Championship in men's basketball!

Oh, and did I mention Carnegie Deli pastrami? Eating is a sport, at least on Coney Island.

Interesting. In my 1st reply, your last sentence re: Coney Island and eating being a sport are not included but in the follow-up, they are. So, I'll respond to both:o:rolleyes:.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Interesting. In my 1st reply, your last sentence re: Coney Island and eating being a sport are not included but in the follow-up, they are. So, I'll respond to both:o:rolleyes:.

I went back almost immediately and did an edit, just for you! :D

[devildeac]

OK, I'll keep reading! And posting!

Best sports stories of 2008:
1. Phelps winning 8 Gold medals
2. K winning all the Gold medals in men's bball (we all saw the picture - he was wearing them all!)
3. Tiger winning the US Open on one broken leg and with a torn ACL
4. Duke Football and Coach Cutcliffe
and projecting for 2009
1. Duke men winning the NCAA National Championship in men's basketball!

Oh, and did I mention Carnegie Deli pastrami? Eating is a sport, at least on Coney Island.

Some of my patients think eating is a sport and they indulge in it mightily:o:rolleyes:.

[devildeac]

OK, I'll keep reading! And posting!

Best sports stories of 2008:
1. Phelps winning 8 Gold medals
2. K winning all the Gold medals in men's bball (we all saw the picture - he was wearing them all!)
3. Tiger winning the US Open on one broken leg and with a torn ACL
4. Duke Football and Coach Cutcliffe
and projecting for 2009
1. Duke men winning the NCAA National Championship in men's basketball!

Oh, and did I mention Carnegie Deli pastrami? Eating is a sport, at least on Coney Island.

I am actually amazed that espn televises the hot dog eating contest from Coney Island on an annual basis. With replays:eek::o:rolleyes:.

[Ben63]

Could go with any number of things here...but here are my top 5.

1. Beijing Olympics highlighted by Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.
2. Giants stop unbeaten Patriots in Superbowl XLII
3. The Brett Favre saga
4. Celtics win NBA championship
5. Tiger Woods wins US Open

Honorable Mention- Nadal/Federer Wimbledon Final

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

We now know that biggest sports stories of the year is the hiring of Coach David Cutcliffe to coach football at Duke. (I know that the announcement was made near the end of 2007, but the story itself couldn't begin until after Tennessee's bowl game.) This is a multi-part series. We can look forward to future installments!

[DukieBoy]

IMO, these are the top stories

1. Tiger winning the US Open on one leg. It's hard to fully fathom what he did here. He won one of the biggest golf events of the year against a super talented field all on virtually one leg.

2. Usain Bolt's performance at Olympics. He ran only 90 or so meters in the 100 meter relay and still broke the record handily.

3. Phelps 8 Golds at Olympics. Phelps might be the most dominant athlete in a a his respective sport ever. He followed up 7 golds at '04 Olympics with 8 this year. Incredible.

4. Giants upset over the Patriots in Super Bowl. The perfect Patriots are upset in arguably one of the greatest Super Bowls ever.

5. Davidson's run through the tourney. Never before have I seen someone single handedly carry a team like Curry did (then again I am only 18 :) ). Curry carried them past Georgetown in one of the greatest performances ever and then nearly pulled them past Kansas had the last second three fallen.

[YmoBeThere]

Just thought I would mention this one for some feedback:

Where does the Duke Men's Lacrosse Final Four Appearance fit in all of this?

[devildeac]

Just thought I would mention this one for some feedback:

Where does the Duke Men's Lacrosse Final Four Appearance fit in all of this?

IIRC, they have done that two years in a row. That is NOT meant to minimize their accomplishments. I believe they lost the final game to JHU in 2007 and then in the semi-final this years. Bummer. Double bummer.

[Lavabe]

Among the top sports stories of the year:

Kobayashi going down to Joey Chestnut. And in the process, Kobayashi had a reversal of fortune.:eek:

[Lavabe]

I'll take the top 6 (other than Cut) and put them in a poll.
Cheers,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

Among the top sports stories of the year:

Kobayashi going down to Joey Chestnut. And in the process, Kobayashi had a reversal of fortune.:eek:

Ding, ding, ding as Ymo said earlier in this thread. I believe we have another wiener.

[JasonEvans]

Amazing that you guys are talking about this as I was thinking about it the other day and said to myself-- "we need a DBR poll for this."

VH1 jokes around about "Best Week Ever" and even had the "Best Year Ever" this week, but without any hyperbole, I think one can argue that 2008 was the greatest year in the history of sport... or certainly one of the greatest.

I would rank the top events in this order--

Phelps' 8 wins in the pool including the amazing relay wins that he was a part of but in which the drama often fell to his teammates. Lester's final lap in the free-relay may have been the greatest anchor leg in history.

Tiger's win and the subsequent revelation that his leg was about to fall off or something like that. It is still possible he will never be the same player again. How significant does that US Open become if he never wins another major?

Usain Bolt redefined what it means to run fast, earning the nickname "Insane Bolt" because his speed was just crazy.

The Giants upset of "the greatest team in football history" which included David Tyree's reception against his helmet after Eli got out of the clutches of no less than 14 different Patriots players. It is easy to forget this, but no one game the Giants, a wild-card team, a chance in this game.

The Nadal - Federer final at Wimbledon, perhaps the greatest match on grass since McEnroe-Borg.

The Celtics and Lakers renewed pro basketball's greatest rivalry. And after taking the summer off, they seem to be on a collision course again, posting ridiculous records through the first 30 games of this season.

The Rays incredible turn-around, made all the more amazing because they did it in a division with the two biggest, baddest teams in baseball -- the Red Sox and Yankees.


It was also a year of shame. Roger Clements, one of the greatest pitchers ever, testified before congress and the nation about his alleged steroid use. His image will never be the same. NBA referee Tim Donaghey was sentenced in a gambling scheme amid fears that he may have fixed NBA games. And the Kentucky Derby win by Big Brown (who, like so many before him, came up short in the Belmont) was overshadowed by Eight Bells tragedy on the track.

--Jason "sorry, but as fun as Curry/Davidson's run was, it does not make the list" Evans

[JasonEvans]

I'll take the top 6 (other than Cut) and put them in a poll.
Cheers,
Lavabe

Done!

-Jason

[Lavabe]

Done!

-Jason

Many thanks, Jason.:D

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I voted for Phelps' 8 gold medals over Tiger's win (#2) because of the pre-event hype and the sheer improbability of it (note the 2 incredible last stroke wins, one by a teammate in one of the relays). Every time Tiger tees it up, I expect him to win. It's really hard to be perfect every time and he so often is that it is routine, hence being relegated to #2 on my list.

[EarlJam]

VERY tough choices, most all of which could easily be #1.

Some of the the things Tiger was doing on the golf course during that Open, well, it just seemed like divine intervention.

And Phelps. Who could argue with that?

But I went with the all-day Wimbeldon championship match. I was just stunned watching the events unfold that day. And by the end of the match, they were playing tennis at some kind of freakish level that you would only expect to see on Playstation or X-Box.

What a year in sports. Gonna be hard to top that in 2009.

-EarlJam

[Indoor66]

Tiger's win and the subsequent revelation that his leg was about to fall off or something like that. It is still possible he will never be the same player again. How significant does that US Open become if he never wins another major?

(My Emphasis)

Tiger will come back stronger and better than ever.

[JasonEvans]

So far it is Phelps in a runaway with no votes at all for Bolt. I find that a tad surprising.

--Jason "still early-- only 10 votes so far" Evans

[Ben63]

So far it is Phelps in a runaway with no votes at all for Bolt. I find that a tad surprising.


I think almost any other year Bolt would be the runaway favorite (pun intended) but because he was in the same Olympics as Phelps he is not. I don't know this for sure but my guess is all or most of the people on this board are American. This leads me to believe we would find Phelps a bigger story because he is an American swimmer and Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter.

If Bolt was American and Phelps was not American how do you think this vote would be different? I'll bet Bolt would have more votes. I can guarantee the whole nation of Jamaica (and most of the Caribbean) found Bolt to be the bigger story.

[Indoor66]

I can guarantee the whole nation of Jamaica (and most of the Caribbean) found Bolt to be the bigger story.

...and the rest of the world found the Olympic Record 8 gold medal winner to be a bigger story.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I think almost any other year Bolt would be the runaway favorite (pun intended) but because he was in the same Olympics as Phelps he is not. I don't know this for sure but my guess is all or most of the people on this board are American. This leads me to believe we would find Phelps a bigger story because he is an American swimmer and Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter.

If Bolt was American and Phelps was not American how do you think this vote would be different? I'll bet Bolt would have more votes. I can guarantee the whole nation of Jamaica (and most of the Caribbean) found Bolt to be the bigger story.

Are you saying our vote was a display of Jingoism? You bet it is! Just like we think Duke stories are more important that unc stories.

[devildeac]

Are you saying our vote was a display of Jingoism? You bet it is! Just like we think Duke stories are more important that unc stories.

I personally prefer the "K leads USA to the gold medal" (without any unc connections) story for the sheer homerism of it but voted for Phelps due to the sheer improbability of it.

[blazindw]

Tiger on one leg. Hands down one of the greatest sports performances I've ever seen, I don't care who it is.

[Lavabe]

Tiger on one leg. Hands down one of the greatest sports performances I've ever seen, I don't care who it is.

Without taking this to the PPB, please consider several aspects of Tiger's global impact:

Before Tiger's injury, Buick is doing well. After Tiger's injury, it needs a bailout.:eek:

Before Tiger's injury, few economic woes. After Tiger's injury, people are losing jobs, and we have a credit crisis.:eek:

Coincidence? I think not!

Tiger's return will mark the end of the recession, for sure.;)

Happy days are here again... please come back, Tiger! We can't stand a golf tour where the biggest story is what your caddy says about Mickelson.:D

[Lavabe]

Bobby Knight as a color analyst.

If we could just do something about Dickie V!

[killerleft]

I took Tiger at his word. His swing wasn't affected until after he hit the ball. His biggest advantage is between the ears, anyway.

So Michael Phelps is the easy choice for me.

[Channing]

I am surprised that nobody else is touting Myron Rolle as the sports story of the year. It may not have been a competitive victory, but remarkable nonetheless.

[bird]

Maybe the best swimming photo ever:


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.phelps.sequence/content.5.html

[Turk]

What, no love for our underdog gymnasts going up against an army of little Chinese spitfires with the fake birth certs?

Seriously, it's gotta be Phelps. Tiger will be back for more later.

[Indoor66]

I am surprised that nobody else is touting Myron Rolle as the sports story of the year. It may not have been a competitive victory, but remarkable nonetheless.

Who is Myron Rolle? What did he do?

[Channing]

Myron Rolle is the safety for FSU. His two older brothers (Antrelle and Samari) play in the NFL, and Myron is destined to play in the NFL. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship (http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/11/23/fsus-myron-rolle-earns-rhodes-scholarship/) - not an honor I ever thought I would see bestowed on a star college football player, let alone a FSU (given their reputation) football player.

Like I said, not an athletic accomplishment, but a tremendous sports story (imo) nevertheless.

[Ben63]

Maybe the best swimming photo ever:


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.phelps.sequence/content.5.html

Disagree. This is the greatest swimming photo ever.

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showpost.php?p=177963&postcount=43

[Bluedog]

Yahoo! Sports is asking the same question and has all 6 of your stories in its list. It also adds "Kansas' miracle comeback to beat Memphis in national title game" and "Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya":

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news;_ylt=Ajlgi78c4SRURfooRCgFk7E5nYcB?slug=dw-storyoftheyear122908&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

FWIW, Phelps is at 34%, Giants 22%, Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya 11%, Tiger 9%, Bolt 7%, Nadal vs. Federer 6%, Kansas 6%, Celtics 4%.

[Ben63]

...and the rest of the world found the Olympic Record 8 gold medal winner to be a bigger story.

I guess not...

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=3804774

[Indoor66]

I guess not...

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=3804774

Just goes to show how wrong THEY can be. :D

[YmoBeThere]

All depends on whom you ask...

[Lavabe]

All depends on who you ask...

I guess it all depends on whom you ask.;)

[YmoBeThere]

I guess it all depends on whom you ask.;)

Yeah, that's what I said...;) haha. I looked at it for a second but said screw it...too much thought required on a vacation day.

[Lavabe]

Yeah, that's what I said...;) haha. I looked at it for a second but said screw it...too much thought required on a vacation day.

Shake and Bake! :D

Possible Best Story of 2008: Now that Petty Enterprises has been swallowed up by Gillett, does this mean that Kyle Petty will no longer drive?

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Shake and Bake! :D

Possible Best Story of 2008: Now that Petty Enterprises has been swallowed up by Gillett, does this mean that Kyle Petty will no longer drive?

Then who would finish last in each race if it's not Petty?:rolleyes:

[YmoBeThere]

Quite possible that there will be fewer than 43 teams in each race and a lot of cars without primary sponsors.

[RainingThrees]

Tampa Bay Rays should also be part of the list. worst to first in a tough division.

[Ben63]

Just goes to show how wrong THEY can be. :D

But really if you think about it the feats are comparable. Bolt won all that he could win as a sprinter and set world records in the process. It is not Bolts fault that he can only win 3 medals in sprinting and you can win many more in swimming. But that also shows versatility as an athlete for Phelps, yes the butterfly is his best stroke but he dominated all of the other strokes too.

To be honest, if I could only watch one, I might watch Usain Bolt. Bolt's case is not helped that all of Phelps' swims were live in primetime and Bolt was on tape delay.

[EarlJam]

Tampa Bay Rays should also be part of the list. worst to first in a tough division.

Damn. Good call!

Not sure what the Vegas odds were for them winning the division, much less making it to the World Series, but that was indeed and unbelievable and very "good" sports story in 2008.

-EarlJam

P.S. Look for my Baltimore Orioles to "shock the world" in the same way next year! :rolleyes: :( :rolleyes:

[EarlJam]

But really if you think about it the feats are comparable. Bolt won all that he could win as a sprinter and set world records in the process. It is not Bolts fault that he can only win 3 medals in sprinting and you can win many more in swimming. But that also shows versatility as an athlete for Phelps, yes the butterfly is his best stroke but he dominated all of the other strokes too.

To be honest, if I could only watch one, I might watch Usain Bolt. Bolt's case is not helped that all of Phelps' swims were live in primetime and Bolt was on tape delay.

Anagrams for Usain Bolt:

In a Bus Lot.

Bolt in USA.

By the way, come on. Phelps accomplishment is easily more impressive than Bolt's. The pressure mounting with each race; the pressure on his teammates to come up big over and over again.

-EarlJam

[Ben63]

Anagrams for Usain Bolt:

In a Bus Lot.

Bolt in USA.

By the way, come on. Phelps accomplishment is easily more impressive than Bolt's. The pressure mounting with each race; the pressure on his teammates to come up big over and over again.

-EarlJam

You're right, I hadn't though of that angle. Phelps had all the hype and pressure on him. I knew how good Bolt was, but had no expectation on him. The whole world expected Phelps to get the 8 golds but Bolt had no pressure or expectations outside of Jamaica, where he was a legend even before these Olympics, but not even as much as Asafa Powell, who did nothing.