As is our tradition, we’ve once again broken our Year End Sports Review into three sections. The first is “What We Learned,” a list that’s packed with a number of impressive feats. And when there are feats, inevitably there are also failures.

Don’t miss the other two parts: “What We Already Knew” and “What We Think Might Happen.”

The New England Patriots weren’t so perfect after all.

After rolling through the 2007 regular season unscathed, the Patriots entered the 2008 Super Bowl as overwhelming favorites to roll over the pesky, but seemingly inferior New York Giants. The Pats were just one win away from staking their claim as the best football team in NFL history. But thanks to a dominating Giants’ defensive line, an improbable catch by David Tyree, and a virtually mistake-free performance by Eli Manning, the unbeatable New England Patriots were beat. It’ll go down as one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, and considering Tom Brady’s season-ending injury in 2008 cost the Pats a chance for redemption, it seems that many have forgotten how New England stood just one win away from perfection. – Anthony Stalter

Michael Phelps is part fish.

Eight gold medals in one Olympiad? No problem. Michael Phelps made the seemingly impossible look (relatively) easy en route to one of the most – if not the most – impressive Olympic performances ever. Phelps had to swim all four strokes, compete in both sprint and endurance races, and deal with the constant media attention and pressure that came along with his quest. Sure, NBC turned up the hype, but what Phelps accomplished is simply incredible. – John Paulsen

Usain Bolt is part cheetah.

First, Usain Bolt made Jamaica proud by setting a new world record (9.69) in the 100-meter sprint. Then, he broke the 12 year-old 200-meter world record with a time of 19.30 seconds. He showboated during the first race but cleaned up his act to win the second race in a professional manner. Some even say that Usain Bolt – not Michael Phelps – was the biggest story to come out of the Bejing Olympics. – JP

The Big 12 has the best quarterbacks in the nation.

The Big 12 housed some of the best quarterbacks in all of college football in 2008. Texas’s Colt McCoy, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, Missouri’s Chase Daniel and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell were all considered Heisman candidates at least at one point during the season, while McCoy and Bradford are still in the running. Amazingly, Bradford and McCoy aren’t done; both will return in 2008. And although they don’t receive as much attention as the top signal callers in the conference, Kansas’s Todd Reesing and Baylor’s Robert Griffin certainly turned heads this year as well. In fact, the highly versatile Griffin is only a freshman and could make the Bears a very dangerous team for years to come. – AS

The Detroit Tigers would have been better off playing the season on paper.

A thousand runs. Everyone from ESPN’s baseball experts to the bitter Indians/White Sox/Twins/Royals fan at the end of the bar predicted that the 2008 Detroit Tigers would shatter the record for runs scored in a season. We jumped on the bandwagon as well, declaring in last year’s “What we think might happen” section that “…this team might win 120 games.” We then added the following, now-hilarious caveat: “On paper, anyway.” So what happened? Miguel Cabrera received a fat contract extension and proceeded to get, well, fat. Curtis Granderson began the season on the DL. Jacque Jones was gone by mid-May. Gary Sheffield couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. Pudge Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees at the deadline. Their pitching was even worse, with a team ERA just under 5.00. The next time you’re tempted to make a grand prediction about a team’s performance before the season has begun, write it down on paper…and throw it away. – David Medsker

Aaron Rodgers is a good NFL QB.

No player entered the 2008 NFL season under more scrutiny than Aaron Rodgers. With all the drama surrounding Brett Favre’s unretirement and the Packers’ insistence on moving on with the fourth-year QB, the pressure was on Rodgers to succeed. In his first game as starter, Rodgers threw for a TD and rushed for another to lead his team to a win over the Vikings. In his second start, he threw for 328 yards and three TD in an impressive 48-25 victory over the Lions. While the Packers have gone a disappointing 3-9 since then, problems with running game (early) and the defense (throughout) deserve most of the blame, not Aaron Rodgers. He is #8 in the league in QB rating (91.8), #7 in yards (3470) and #6 in touchdowns (23), beating his predecessor in each of those categories. – JP

Albert Pujols isn’t a man of his word.

In 2006, Philadelphia Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard won the NL MVP Award despite not leading his club to the playoffs. That prompted St. Louis Cardinals’ star first basemen Albert Pujols to say the following: “I see it this way: Someone who doesn’t take his team to the playoffs doesn’t deserve to win the MVP.” Pujols, upset he didn’t win the award after leading the Cards to the World Series that year. Fast forward to November of this year, when Pujols edged out Howard for NL MVP despite the Phillies winning the World Series and the Cardinals failing to qualify for the postseason. Think Albert is eating his words now? Doubtful. He probably sees it as justification for the 2006 snub. Either way, the situation is certainly dripping with irony. – AS

The LPGA can be sexy.

Wait, women’s golf is sexy? In 2008, it was. Americans Paula Creamer, Christie Kerr, Anna Rawson, and Angela Stafford have helped increase the popularity of women’s golf with their skill and good looks. And yes, Natalie Gulbis (pictured below) is criminally hot, but she’s proving to be the Anna Kournikova of golf. (Not that that’s a bad thing.) – Christopher Glotfelty

Don’t boo Sarah Palin. She’ll curse your hockey team.

John McCain’s running mate decided to pay a visit Philadelphia to drop the ceremonial first puck at the Flyers’ home opener against the New York Rangers. Most of the Philly fans weren’t too happy to see her, and she was roundly booed. The Flyers, who were regarded as one of the better teams in the NHL’s Eastern Conference entering the season, promptly went winless in their first six games before rattling off four straight wins to get back to a respectable 5-6-4 mark. But Palin wasn’t done leaving her mark on the hockey world and decided to put her stunningly effective curse on the St. Louis Blues, too. After dropping a puck in a late October game, the Blues went 1-7 over their next eight games. And unlike the Flyers, St. Louis has been unable to recover, sinking to last place in the Central Division. – AS

Oscar De La Hoya should retire from boxing.

For any aging boxer, the grim reality after losing a major fight is determining whether or not his skills have faded away. After a disappointing performance in his loss to Manny Pacquiano, Oscar De La Hoya can take solace in the fact that his bank account has grown even if his reputation in the sport has been tarnished. Life will continue and bigger paydays will come to De La Hoya (the boxing promoter), but he should push aside any thoughts of returning to the ring as a boxer. You saw De La Hoya’s skills beginning to erode in his bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. almost 18 months ago, and most fighters are the last to know when to retire from the sport. They all feel that they have one great fight left in their career, but most end up fighting one bout too many. – Thomas Conroy

Matt Ryan is the real deal.

Entering the 2008 NFL Draft, Matt Ryan was the clear-cut top rated quarterback on most draft boards. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t susceptible to criticism. Draft pundits made note that he didn’t have elite arm strength and that he had just one productive year at Boston College. So when the Atlanta Falcons pulled the trigger and selected Ryan with the third overall pick in April’s draft, many figured he would hold the clipboard for team that no one expected to be competitive in 2008. But thanks to a new coaching staff that immediately saw a leader in the 23-year old signal caller, Ryan was named the starter in Week 1. On his first NFL pass attempt, Ryan threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins. He also racked up an amazing come-from-behind victory in the final seconds against the Bears, and even beat the Packers in his first trip to Lambeau Field. Shockingly, he not only has the Falcons knocking on the door of a playoff berth, but also is considered a possible MVP candidate. His numbers aren’t earth shattering by any means, but considering some media outlets predicted the Falcons to win just one game this year, Ryan’s win-loss record is all the proof anyone should need in knowing “Matty Ice” is for real. – AS

The Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry has reinvigorated tennis.

Quite frankly, Federer-Nadal is more exciting than tennis’ last great men’s rivalry, Sampras-Agassi. Neither player is American, but Federer and Nadal have energized the sport internationally. Their 4 hour and 48 minute epic final at Wimbledon led John McEnroe to call it the greatest match he had ever seen. That’s something, coming from a legend who has played in a few of his own four-hour showdowns. Roger Federer is now just one Grand Slam away from tying Pete Sampras’ record of 14. Sampras retired at the relatively young age of 30, when, like Bjorn Borg, he could have played a few more years. Still, Federer is only 27 and is poised to get to 14 Grand Slams at a quicker pace than Sampras. With respect to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, only Federer and Nadal are serious contenders for winning the four Grand Slam tournaments next year. We need to savor this rivalry while we have it. – CG

If you steal Tatum Bell’s job, he’ll steal your luggage.

When the Detroit Lions decided they needed a boost in their running game, they sought out free agent Rudi Johnson, who had recently been cut by the Cincinnati Bengals. To make room for Johnson, the Lions had to part ways with one of their other backs and the decision was rather easy – the unproductive Tatum Bell would get the boot. When Johnson arrived in Detroit, he went to then-GM Matt Millen’s office to put the final touches on a one-year contract. When he was done signing the deal, Johnson realized that his bags, which had been left outside of Millen’s door, were gone. After searching to no avail, Millen decided to check the security cameras to see if someone swiped the bags. As it turned out, someone did steal the luggage – Tatum f’ng Bell. The unemployed Bell decided that since Johnson stole his job that it was only fair that Bell stole Johnson’s luggage. When confronted about the situation, Bell said that he had thought the bags belonged to someone he knew. The story was a stretch though, because Bell dumped the bags on a female friend who claimed she had not seen Tatum in some time and that he showed up out of the blue asking for a favor. No charges were pressed, but it certainly made for one ridiculous situation. – AS

Dale Earnhardt Jr. signed with the Hendrick Racing Group and raced his way into oblivion.

In the early part of December, NASCAR held their Champions Week celebration in New York. The top drivers of the 2008 season were honored at a gala held at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. But the most popular driver in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr., was left out of the festivities for the third time in four years. And this year was supposed to be different, as he left the racing team founded by his late legendary father to ride in the #88 Chevrolet for the sport’s most successful owner, Rick Hendrick. Members from Earnhardt Jr.’s crew felt some of the internal dissension that plagued the team could have been avoided if management was a little more hands-on during the early part of the season. Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was criticized for gambling too much to win races outright instead of earning points in order to move up in the standings. The morale of the team might have been better if Junior had not ripped them every time he was dissatisfied with the condition of his car. The #88 team didn’t deal with adversity well all season and need to regroup for coming season. – TC

To douche bags, even super-hotties like Elisha Cuthbert qualify as “sloppy seconds.”

Sean Avery is a dick. He was a dick when he was with the Los Angeles Kings, he was a dick with the Detroit Red Wings and he was a dick when he pulled that bush league move by blatantly screening goalie Martin Brodeur on a powerplay in the 2008 NHL Playoffs as a member of the New York Rangers. But the current Stars’ winger set a personal record for dickishness when he said this prior to a Dallas-Calgary game in early December: “I’m just going to say one thing. I’m really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just wanted to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don’t know what that’s about, but enjoy the game tonight.” The comments were targeting Flames’ defenseman Dion Phaneuf, who is currently dating Avery’s ex-girlfriend, Elisha Cuthbert (pictured below). It’s not enough that this crap bag tainted sweet Elisha when he dated her, but he had to go ahead and refer to her as “sloppy seconds”, too. Here’s hoping that, sometime soon, Phaneuf’s skate accidentally flies off and slices Avery’s lips right off that landfill he calls a mouth. – AS

CC Sabathia and Brandon Webb are great – Tim Lincecum is better.

Nobody can argue what CC Sabathia did for the Milwaukee Brewers this year. After he was acquired from the Cleveland Indians at the trade deadline, Sabathia immediately transformed the Brewers’ rotation and almost single-handedly led the club to the postseason. Meanwhile, Brandon Webb compiled an NL-best 22 wins, 183 strikeouts and a 3.30 ERA for the second place Arizona Diamondbacks. But despite what Sabathia and Webb accomplished this year, they didn’t hold a candle to the San Francisco Giants’ young superstar Tim Lincecum. Nicknamed “The Franchise” by his teammates, Lincecum won the NL Cy Young at the age of 24 after compiling an 18-5 record and a staggering 2.62 ERA. Only the Mets’ Johan Santana (2.53) and Tribe’s Cliff Lee (2.54) had a lower ERA. Lincecum, who looks like he should be some team’s batboy instead of an ace, easily could have cracked the 20-win mark had the Giants’ fielded a competitive team. He pitched for one of the worst offenses in the league, yet still found a way to rack up 18 wins. His funky, unorthodox delivery was invented to stave off injury and throw off the hitter’s timing. And given the movement of his fastball and changeup, Lincecum’s days of frustrating hitters have only begun. – AS

Grizzlies’ Chris Wallace is not a good GM. (Or is he?)

Last season, the Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol for Javaris Crittenton, the corpse of Aaron McKie, Kwame Brown’s contract, the draft rights to Pau’s little brother and two first round picks. That may not sound too bad for a salary dump, but Memphis also traded away a second round pick, so one of those first rounders is essentially the Grizzlies moving up a few spots in the draft. For a time, Wallace was the laughing stock of the NBA, and more than a few teams were upset that he would make a move that so obviously helped Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, who promptly went on to represent the West in the NBA Finals. But Wallace claimed that was the best offer he had on the table. Fast forward a year and Wallace turned the #5 pick in the draft (Kevin Love) into a Rookie of the Year candidate (O.J. Mayo) and more cap space (by trading away Mike Miller). Pau’s brother looks like a player and the team will have oodles of cap space in the summer of 2010 when a number of big name free agents hit the market. Think a big man like Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire might want to play with Mayo and Rudy Gay? If he can land a player like that (and turn the Grizzlies into a legitimate contender in the West), Wallace will fully redeem himself. – JP

Apparently, it’s difficult to come up with a good name for an NBA team.

The Seattle Supersonics are now the Oklahoma City…what? The franchise had to pick a new nickname and apparently the powers-that-be had these six to choose from: the Barons (meh), the Bison (ugh), the Energy (ugh!), the Marshalls (hmm), the Thunder (UGH!) and the Wind (UGH!!). The Marshalls would have been cool – everyone knows what a marshall is. The Barons…not so much. The Bison? Geographically appropriate, but…come on. They would never choose the Energy, Thunder or the Wind, would they? Yes, they would. Ladies and gentlemen, your Oklahoma City Thunder! (Our favorite nickname – the Bandits – was curiously left off the list. David Stern was probably fearful of its negative connotation.) – JP

Nick Saban is a miracle worker.

While fans of LSU and the Miami Dolphins still (rightfully) curse his name, there’s no denying that Nick Saban is a miracle worker after turning Alabama into a national title contender in just two seasons as its head coach. In preseason rankings, the Crimson Tide was ranked 24th in the nation by the AP, behind the likes of Wake Forest, West Virginia, Kansas, Arizona State, Wisconsin and Illinois. But Saban’s squad slowly started work their way up the rankings and while the upsets started to pile up, ‘Bama kept moving forward. Their most impressive victory came September 27 at Georgia, who had previously been ranked No. 3 in the nation before the Tide handed them a 41-30 beat down. ‘Bama than rolled off seven more victories including a 27-21 win over LSU in Baton Rouge, which lifted them into a SEC title bout with Florida and a BCS bowl berth. – AS

Kurt Warner still has plenty left in the tank.

When news broke in preseason that Kurt Warner (and not former first round draft pick Matt Leinart) would be the starting quarterback for the Cardinals this season, many NFL purists wrote Arizona off as playoff pretenders. After all, the 37-year old Warner’s best days were behind him and there was no way in hell that he could engineer a winning season, right? That’s exactly what he’s doing as the Cardinals ran away with the (albeit pathetic) NFC West this season, and Warner is actually drawing mention as an MVP candidate. He currently has a 97.5 quarterback ranking, which is good for third in the league. He has also anchored one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL this season and hasn’t shown his age one bit. His performance this year just goes to show you that some players get better with age. – AS

Alicia Sacramone can throw a punch (and look good doing it).

During NBC’s gymnastics coverage, Al Trautwig was surprised by the fact that Alicia Sacramone was the second-most searched for athlete after Michael Phelps. Al must need his eyesight checked because it’s pretty obvious why people were interested in Ms. Sacramone. Let’s just say that there are other things that are more compelling about Alicia than her “Olympic story.” We’d like to think that Trautwig isn’t that clueless, but you never know. As an added bonus, as the video shows, Sacramone can throw a mean punch, too. – JP

Tom Coughlin is a fantastic coach.

It’s amazing how one year can change the minds of many. Before the start of the 2007 NFL season, many Giants fans were calling for the firing of head coach Tom Coughlin. Despite leading the G-Men to the playoffs in 2006, Coughlin received tons of criticism for being too stuck in his ways and not knowing how to adapt to the current NFL player. But one year after leading the Giants to an improbable Super Bowl victory over the then-undefeated New England Patriots, it’s clear that Coughlin is one of the best coaches in the league. Not only has he learned to adapt to the current NFL player, but the current NFL player has also bought into Coughlin’s no-nonsense philosophy and the team found perfect harmony, at least for a while. Furthermore, Coughlin and the Giants are proving that 2007 wasn’t a fluke, and despite Plaxico Burress’s best efforts to be a distraction, New York is clearly one of the best teams in the league. They still have a long road ahead, but the Giants are certainly in great shape with Coughlin leading the way. – AS

The Shark can still play.

At 53, Greg Norman almost won the British Open in Southport, England. These kind of success stories warm the heart and bring much-needed attention to second-tier sports and give the geriatric crowd a reason to keep on truckin’. – CG

The Big 12 was the best conference in college football in 2008.

While they still have a lot to prove in the bowl games, there’s no doubt that the Big 12 was the best conference in college football this year. Virtually every week after conference play started, the Big 12 provided game-of-the-week-type matchups for college football fans. Texas-Texas Tech, Texas-Oklahoma, Oklahoma-Texas Tech, Texas-Oklahoma State, Texas-Missouri and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State were some of the best matchups of the season. Considering both the SEC and Big Ten were down this year, the Big 12 picked up the slack. – AS

The Rockets can win without Yao Ming, but they still can’t get out of the first round.

Even without their star center, the Houston Rockets did not lose a game from Jan. 29 to March 16. That’s 22-straight wins. For a time, it looked like Tracy McGrady would finally lead his team out of the first round, but the game that ended the streak – a 94-74 loss to Boston – and the game that followed – a 90-69 loss to the Hornets – showed just how vulnerable the team was. After losing the first two games of their first round series against the Jazz (on their home court), they mustered two wins to make it interesting. But in the end, it was just too much Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, and McGrady and Co. started their summer early once again. – JP

The Detroit Red Wings are the class of the NHL.

It will happen sooner or later, and it might not occur until next season but a mismanaged, struggling team will try to hire a key member away from the best management team in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings. They have won four Stanley Cups in the past decade and have skated in 17 straight playoff appearances because their front office is able to acquire quality talent year-after-year. Senior Vice President Jimmy Devellano has been running the front office in Detroit for 25 years, along with General Manager Ken Holland and his assistant, Jim Nill; they have continually taken third-round draft choices and turned them into front-line superstars. Their incorporation of talent from Europe to help re-build the Red Wings while remaining competitive is a testament to their scouting system. They refuse to have the inevitable Stanley Cup hangover by declaring their “future is now” every single year. – TC

Extending Derek Anderson’s contract wasn’t such a great idea.

A year ago, Derek Anderson came out of nowhere to lead the Cleveland Browns to a 10-6 record – one win shy of a postseason berth. Despite trading multiple draft picks in 2007 to select Brady Quinn in the first round, the Browns decided to honor Anderson’s 2007 performance with a contract extension. It didn’t take long before it became clear that the team’s decision to re-sign Anderson was a mistake. Anderson was injured during the preseason and struggled in the Browns’ first four games before throwing for 310 yards in a shocking Monday night win over the Giants in Week 6. The turnaround was short-lived, however, as Cleveland sunk to 3-5 after a Week 9 loss to the Ravens in which Anderson threw an interception to Terrell Suggs that essentially sealed the Browns fate. Quinn replaced Anderson the following week before an injured finger cost the second-year player the rest of his season and was subsequently placed on IR. Anderson returned to the starting lineup, but he too was placed on IR following a knee-injury in a Week 13 loss to the Colts. Hindsight is always 20/20, but some Brown fans knew from the start that re-signing Anderson was a bad idea because it would block Quinn’s development. And it did. – AS

Rick Suhr is kind of a dick.

We jumped all over U.S. pole vaulting coach Rick Suhr for his dressing-down of Jenn Stuczynski on national television after she won a silver medal in the pole vault. She did come to his defense, but that’s no excuse for his rude behavior. Even if she did ask Suhr what she did wrong, he should have just told her to enjoy the moment. There will be plenty of time to go over what went wrong. And put down that damn phone, Rick! – JP

Eli Manning might not be his brother, but he has just as many Super Bowl rings.

Much like his head coach Tom Coughlin, before the 2007 NFL season Eli Manning couldn’t shake the criticism that he didn’t have what it took to lead a team to the Super Bowl. Even after he led the Giants to the playoffs last year, many waited patiently for Eli to crash and burn in crunch time. But it didn’t happen. Manning turned in one of the best postseasons of any quarterback in the last decade, and lifted his team to a Super Bowl bout with the undefeated Patriots. In the biggest game of his life, Eli completed a cool 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He also ducked and weaved out of a sure-fire sack and somehow heaved a 33-yard pass to David Tryee on the Giants’ game-winning touchdown drive. The play is one of the greatest moments in Super Bowl history and it essentially turned Manning into a championship-winning quarterback. And now that he has the Giants thinking repeat, Eli has successfully taken the next step at quarterback and has shaken the criticism that he’s not a Super Bowl-caliber signal caller. – AS

The summer of 2010 will be very interesting.

The Nets, Knicks and Pistons have all made major trades in the last few months in order to clear cap space for the now-famous summer of 2010, when a number of superstars – namely, LeBron, D-Wade, Amare, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson – will potentially hit the free agent market. These moves have fueled much speculation about LeBron’s future, and he hasn’t done much to squash the talk. What are the odds that two of those marquee players end up on the same team? – JP

Rich Rodriguez will need time to turn Michigan into a national title contender.

When Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia high and dry before the 2008 Fiesta Bowl to become the next head coach at the University of Michigan, many college football purists figured he would instantly make the Wolverines competitive. Not only did he not change the face of the program, Rich Rod was also at the helm of the worst Michigan season in the history of the school. The Wolverines were destroyed by Notre Dame on the road, inexplicably lost to Toledo at home and were crushed by hated rival Ohio State. But while most Michigan fans are ready to jettison Rodriguez after only one season, he’s a proven winner that just needs time to rebuild. But first and foremost, he must have a strong recruiting class and get a quarterback to run his spread option offense. It might not be next year, but perhaps 2010 should mark the comeback of Michigan football. And if it doesn’t, the hiring of Rodriguez would turn out to be one of the biggest flops in college football history. – AS

David Beckham can’t carry the MLS by himself.

Although both attendance and viewership were up after his arrival in 2007, they declined in 2008. It was an exciting experiment, but in his two years in the league Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy did not come close to winning an MLS Cup. This proved that one gifted European footballer cannot change the standings for his team on his own. With reports that Beckham will soon return to the English Premier League, the experiment looks like it might be over. – CG

Mercury Morris is a bitter, bitter man.

After the 2007-2008 New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, nobody was more thrilled than Mercury Morris, who was a member of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins team. For weeks prior to the Giants’ victory over the Patriots, Morris made public comments about how the media was overstating New England’s chances to go undefeated. He even spit out the now infamous, “…don’t call me when you’re in my town, call me when you’re on my block and I see you next door moving your furniture in.” The comment was in reference to the media creating a frenzy about the Patriots going undefeated despite more than one quarter of the season remaining. Morris has since popped up in more public interviews discrediting the Patriots and what they did last year after news broke of Bill Belichick using spy cameras to steal defensive signals from opponents. Belichick and the Patriots may be cheaters, but Morris continues to prove that he’s a bitter man who is still living in 1972. – AS

Brian Burke was hockey’s hottest free agent.

Hockey’s hottest free agent has been taken off the market. And no, Mats Sundin or Brendan Shanahan haven’t been snatched up. Instead, it was Brian Burke who signed a six-year contract to help re-build the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. Burke has became a hot property after his recent success in Anaheim that included a Western Conference final appearance in 2006, a Stanley Cup victory in 2007, and strengthening a season-ticket base in a market that was once considered as the NHL’s biggest expansion mistake. The problem in Toronto has been that past regimes never seem to stick to their original rebuilding plan. Management in Toronto has recently had trouble getting a general consensus from the ownership group on what direction should be taken to improve the team. One year it was building through the re-entry draft and then the following year it was signing high-priced free agents to plug holes on the roster. Burke might be heading into a minefield in trying to improve the once proud Maple Leaf franchise, but Toronto got itself a good general manager. – TC

Dustin Pedroia is one hell of a baseball player.

Two years ago Dustin Pedroia was a nobody. Now he’s an MVP winner. Pedroia is everything baseball players should be – a guy that might not be the biggest or strongest player in the league, but one that gives it his all on a nightly basis. Pedroia proved to be the backbone of the Red Sox postseason run this year, acting as a veritable Jack-of-all-trades. He hit for average (.326), power (17 home runs) and even swiped 20 bases. He also played a solid second base and scored a team-best 118 runs. The 25-year old is the most unlikely of MVP winners, but given his down to earth manner and never-say-die playing style, it’s a nice fit. – AS

IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves needs a better accountant.

IndyCar Series driver (and “Dancing With the Stars” alum) Helio Castroneves has had a rough 2008. He was indicted on tax evasion charges in a Miami federal court and recently was denied a request to delay his trial until November of 2009. His attorneys sought a delay to ensure Castroneves could participate in the 2009 IndyCar Series season that runs from April to October. He pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy and tax evasion of approximately $5.5 million in income that allegedly was hidden in offshore accounts set up by Castroneves and his business manager. But as we’ve learned, pleading not guilty and being not guilty are two entirely different things. – TC

Our list of things we already knew this year includes the BCS’ continued suckiness (Texas-Oklahoma), how teamwork wins championships (KG, Pierce and Ray-Ray), and the #1 rule for carrying a handgun into a nightclub – don’t use your sweatpants as a holster. (Come on, Plax. Really? Sweatpants?)

Don’t miss the other two parts of our 2008 Year-End Sports Review: “What We Learned” and “What We Think Might Happen.”

Brett Favre can’t make up his mind.

The biggest story of the summer was all the drama surrounding Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. This saga has been covered to death, but there’s one detail that never seemed to get that much play. At the start, it looked like the Packers were making a bad decision by moving on so quickly even when Favre decided he wanted to return. But when the news broke about Favre’s near-unretirement in March, the Packers stance became much more clear. They were ready to take him back after the owners’ meetings, but he called it off at the last minute. At that point, the Packer brass was understandably finished with Brett Favre, much to the chagrin of a good portion of the Packer faithful. – John Paulsen

The Chicago Cubs’ title drought is not a fans-only phenomenon.

The 2008 Cubs were easily the best team the franchise has assembled in decades, but they still couldn’t win a single game in the playoffs, and the reason is simple: the pressure finally got to them. Sure, they said the right things to the press about how they didn’t care about what had happened in the past, but don’t believe a word of it; there wasn’t a single person in that dugout that wasn’t fantasizing about being part of the team that finally, mercifully, ended the longest title drought in sports history. Once ESPN picked them to win it all, however, they were doomed. Ryan Dempster walked seven batters in Game 1, which matched his total for the month of September. The entire infield, including the sure-handed Derrek Lee, committed errors in Game 2. Alfonso Soriano went 1-14 with four strikeouts in the leadoff spot, while the team as a whole drew six walks and struck out 24 times. The team with so much balance in the regular season suddenly became the most one-dimensional team in baseball; take Game 1 from them, then sit back and watch them choke. And now that this group has lost six straight playoff games (the team has lost nine straight dating back to 2003), it isn’t about to get any easier. Get a helmet, Cubs fans. – David Medsker

If you’re going to wear sweatpants to a nightclub, leave the gun at home.

If winning a Super Bowl is the pinnacle of an NFL player’s career, than shooting yourself with your own gun in a nightclub has to be rock bottom. Case in point: Plaxico Antonio Burress. Just 10 months after helping the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg while at a nightclub. Apparently the (unregistered) gun was slipping down his leg and when he tried to grab it to keep it from falling, the lucky bastard wound up pulling the trigger and shooting himself. And that wasn’t the worst of it because as Plaxico found out, New York has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. He was arrested, but posted bail of $100,000 and is scheduled to return to court on March 31, 2009. If convicted of carrying a weapon without a license, he faces up to three and a half years in jail. He shouldn’t expect special treatment, either. The mayor of New York wants to be sure that Burress is prosecuted just like any other resident of NYC. The Giants, meanwhile, placed him on their reserve/non-football injury list and effectively ended his season. While “Plax” definitely deserves “Boner of the Week” consideration for his stupidity, what’s sad is that in the wake of Washington Redskins’ safety Sean Taylor’s death, most NFL players feel the need to arm themselves when they go out. Maybe players can learn from not only Taylor’s death, but also Burress’s accident so further incidents can be avoided. – Anthony Stalter

Shaq can’t rap.

”You know how I be. Last week Kobe couldn’t do without me.” Those are about the only lyrics that are fit to print from Shaquille O’Neal’s post-Finals obscenity-laced rap directed at former teammate Kobe Bryant. Clearly, O’Neal is not over Kobe and is rooting for him to fail. Has there ever been a superstar more obsessed with another player? It’s kind of sad, really. Here’s the full video of the rap – be sure the kids are out of the room. – JP

The BCS sucks.

Only in college football can two teams finish with the same record but the team with the head to head edge does not benefit, as was the case with Oklahoma and Texas this year. The Longhorns beat the Sooners 45-35 (on a neutral field, mind you) on October 11 this season but when it came time for the BCS to decide which team should play Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game, Oklahoma got the nod over Texas. Look, we understand a playoff in college football would still breed some controversy, but at least teams would be allowed to prove their worth on the field and not allow some computer to decide their fate. The BCS is set up to determine which two teams are the best in college football during the year, but how can it effectively do that when beating an opponent head to head is lumped into the same categories as strength of schedule, illogical rankings, vending sales, parking prices, players’ shoe sizes and everything else? 2008 was just another example of how the BCS is still a gigantic mess. – AS

Tiger Woods is one tough dude.

His victory over Rocco Mediate at the U.S. proved that Tiger can make golf look hardcore. Mediate challenged him all the way to the 91st hole before a visibly ailing Tiger prevailed as the U.S. Open champion. It turns out he was playing with serious knee and leg injuries. After the event, the golf legend had reconstructive surgery to the anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee and rehabilitation on a double stress fracture of his left tibia, which ended his season. But what a way to go out! – Christopher Glotfelty

Someone should sign Brendan Shanahan.

Aside from Mats Sundin, forward Brendan Shanahan is the best impact free agent available on the open market. He wishes to remain close to his New York home, which could give an Eastern Division contending team the edge in signing Shanahan for the remainder of the season. He has scored 650 goals in his stellar NHL career, including netting 23 goals in an injury-plagued season with New York Rangers last year. Still, Shanahan possesses a top-notch wrist shot that is absolutely devastating from the slot in the offensive zone; his booming slap shot could help an ailing powerplay from the point position, and his leadership could help mentor young forwards on an inexperienced team. Shanahan may not have the wheels available to play in an open ice game, but he still can be a valuable member to any team thinking they’re one forward away from Stanley Cup contention. – Thomas Conroy

Trouble follows Pacman Jones wherever he goes.

On April 23, the Dallas Cowboys acquired Adam “Pacman” Jones from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Dallas owner Jerry Jones then wisely paired his new investment with a bodyguard to help keep him out of trouble. On June 2, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave Jones permission to start participating in organized team activities with the Cowboys, which included training camp practices and preseason games. It took Pacman just four months before he was involved in yet another off-field altercation, which was roughly his seventh off-field altercation since he came into the league in 2005. On October 8, Jones was involved in an incident in a hotel bathroom with the very same bodyguard Jones had hired to keep Pacman out of trouble. The bodyguard did not press any charges, but Goodell wasted zero time handing down a punishment and on October 14, Pacman was suspended four games. Jones has since been reinstated by the league, but was warned that just one more incident would lead to his total banishment from the NFL. The over/under on what date Pacman will get into his next off-field altercation has been set for New Year’s Eve night, 2009. – AS

The mid-majors can ball.

They may not play in a power conference, but the so-called “mid-major” programs like Davidson (with sharpshooting guard Stephen Curry) and Xavier (with senior stud Josh Duncan) were able to overcome the odds and advance to the Elite Eight. It’s a sign of the times that a team like Xavier owned the #3 seed, so once #2 Duke fell to #7 West Virginia, the Musketeers were actually expected to make the West Regional Final. On the other hand, #10 Davidson had to upend #7 Gonzaga, #2 Georgetown, and #3 Wisconsin before losing to #1-seed (and eventual champion) Kansas, 59-57. As more and more blue chip players only spend a year or two at the college level, these mid-majors are able to keep most of their players for four years, developing the chemistry and experience necessary to compete with the big boys. Eventually, the sheer talent of the top teams takes its toll on the mid-majors, but it won’t be long before one of these teams breaks through and wins a title. (That hasn’t happened since UNLV did it, 18 years ago.) – JP

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are the best beach volleyball team…ever.

After May and Walsh won their second consecutive gold medal (which doulbed as their 108th consecutive win), Karch Kiraly pronounced them to be the best beach volleyball team – male or female – in the history of the sport. Who are we to argue? It looks as if the pair is going to take some time off to start their respective families, so this might be the last we see of the dynamic duo in international competition. Thanks for the memories, ladies. – JP

God has a Rayhawk.

We called it in this here column last year: God would shine upon the newly ‘Devil’-free Tampa Bay Rays and see to it that they play in the World Series. Yes, yes, we were joking when we said it – and we also predicted that they would win it all, over the Cubs, no less (our bad) – but never mind that; we had them in the Series before the season even started, which is more than Peter “Small Market Teams Suck” Gammons can claim. Of course, this meant that God had to forsake The The Angels Angels of Anaheim, which means a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit from Angels owner Arte Moreno citing breach of contract is surely in the works. Who knows; if Moreno wins the suit, then he’d have the money to pay both Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia. The Lord works in mysterious ways, indeed. – DM

Parity rules in the NFL.

How about this for parity: Three teams — the Dolphins, Falcons and Jets — that picked in the top 6 of April’s NFL Draft were still fighting for a playoff berth through Week 15 of the 2008 season. Not only that, but all three teams still had a shot to win their division, too. On the flip side, four teams — the Jaguars, Seahawks, Chargers and Packers — that made the playoffs the previous year were hoping to avoid a last-place finish in their respective divisions at the end of the year. (Settle down, Packer fans. The Lions don’t count.) Some NFL purists claim they don’t like parity because they think the game is too watered down. But how can you not love how every team has a shot to make the playoffs on a yearly basis? How exciting has it been to watch Matt Ryan turn around the Falcons or Brett Favre transform the Jets into a Super Bowl contender? New teams emerge every year and for that, we love how parity has made the NFL the most popular league in America. – AS

It ain’t over til it’s over, especially when the team with the lead can’t shoot free throws.

It’s not often that a team overcomes a nine-point deficit with two minutes to play. It’s even tougher to pull off that kind of a comeback against an elite team like Memphis. But that’s exactly what the Kansas Jayhawks did to win the 2008 NCAA Championship. Trailing 60-51 with 2:12 to play, the Jayhawks capitalized on four missed free throws by the Tigers and made its final four shots – including Mario Chalmers’ clutch three-pointer with 0:09 to play – to force an extra period. Kansas started OT with a 6-0 run and Memphis couldn’t recover. If you ever have trouble convincing your kid to practice his free throws, just show him the final two minutes of that game. – JP

Roger Clemens is (allegedly) a liar.

Last December, former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens’ name was mentioned 82 times in the Mitchell Report, which was Senator George Mitchell’s 20-month investigation into the use of anabolic steroid use and human growth hormone in baseball. On January 6 of this year, Clemens appeared on “60 Minutes” to deny the allegations. On January 28, his agent, Randy Hendricks, released an 18,000-word statistical report in efforts to once again refute the claims that his client used performance-enhancing drugs. On February 13, Clemens appeared before a Congressional committee, along with his former trainer Brian McNamee, who claimed he had documentation that proved his ex-client had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his MLB career. The case is now in the hands of federal prosecutors. To date, there’s still no hard evidence that Clemens used HGH or other banned substances, but given Mitchell’s report and McNamee’s testimony, things don’t look good for the potential Hall of Fame pitcher. Every man deserves the right to his day in court, but there’s plenty of evidence that says Clemens is a liar and worse, a cheat. And if it acts, walks and talks like a rat, it’s probably a rat. – AS

The Cincinnati Bengals are one dysfunctional mess.

Before the start of the 2008 NFL Season, wide receiver Chad Johnson publicly said that he wanted out of Cincy. The team didn’t oblige his wishes, however, so he decided to legally change his name to Chad Ocho Cinco instead. Keeping up with their reputation, the Bungles decided to re-sign troubled wideout Chris Henry and also signed running back Cedric Benson, who had his own off-field issues with the Bears during the offseason. Did we mention the team also started the season 0-8? And that Carson Palmer has missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury? The Bengals are just one of those teams that appears destined to be forever doomed to NFL hell. – AS

The Redeem Team would live up to its nickname.

After mowing through the competition en route to the championship game, Team USA – led by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James – survived a scare against a feisty squad from Spain (which featured Pau Gasol and NBA ROY candidate Rudy Fernandez) to win the gold medal, 118-107. The win culminated a three-year quest to overcome the embarrassment of the team’s three-loss, third-place performance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Jerry Colangelo assembled a terrific team (securing Kobe was the key) and found great head coach to lead them. With that much focused talent and Coach K guiding them, it wasn’t likely that they would falter. However, the gold medal game was closer than the score, and it’s a shame that it was only on in the middle of the night in the U.S. – JP

Signing Edgerrin James to a huge contract was probably a bad idea.

Two years ago, the Arizona Cardinals signed free agent running back Edgerrin James to a four-year, $30 million contract despite the fact that he was already 28 and had plenty of mileage on him after being the Colts’ workhorse for seven years. After rushing for just 72.4 yards per game in 2006 and 76.4 YPG in 2007, James was essentially replaced by Tim Hightower midway through the 2008 season. What’s worse, after the team made the move to Hightower, James asked to be released so that he could play elsewhere. Granted, a $30 million contract didn’t destroy the Cards’ salary cap situation, but they ignored obvious warning signs (i.e. age, previous workload) when they signed him and they now have a disgruntled 30-year old backup running back making roughly $7.5 mil a year. While they were criticized at the time for not giving into his contract demands, the Colts now look awfully wise for not overpaying James when he became a free agent. – AS

Rafael Nadal is the next great tennis superstar.

He had already proved his worth at the French Open over the years, but in 2008, Nadal won Wimbledon and took the gold in Beijing Olympics. At just 22 years of age, Nadal has already won five Grand Slams. Having won four straight French Opens, many say Nadal is the most dominant clay court player in the history of tennis. His victory over Roger Federer at Wimbledon was not only the greatest tennis match ever, but undoubtedly one of the most amazing displays of athleticism and endurance in recent memory. Roger Federer will soon hold the record for most Grand Slams – a record that no current player is close to touching. However, Rafael Nadal has the same ability Federer exhibited when he was 22. If Nadal can replicate that level of play he conjured up at Wimbledon, he will continue to rack up Grand Slam titles and, before long, he’ll break Federer’s record. – CG

Teams that spend the most don’t always win (or appear) in the Fall Classic.

Of the five clubs that spent the most in 2008 – the Yankees, Tigers, Mets, Red Sox and White Sox – only two made the postseason. And neither appeared in the World Series. The two teams that did appear in the Fall Classic – the Phillies and Rays – had the 13th and 29th largest payrolls in the league, respectively. Tampa Bay is a prime example that baseball teams don’t have to spend truckloads of money to win. The Rays spent just $43,820,598 on player salaries this year, which was $165,260,981 less than the Yankees, and yet it was Tampa that won the AL East and not the Bronx Bombers. The Rays proved the making sound choices in the draft, wise trades, and not overspending for free agents is a better way to build a team than to recklessly construct a club with big name acquisitions. Think the Yankees learned anything from the Rays this year? We doubt it. They’re already courting the likes of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixiera – some of the biggest names on the 2008-2009 free agent market. – AS

The St. Louis Rams are just a bad, bad football team.

The last time the St. Louis Rams made the playoffs, Eli Manning was a rookie, Michael Vick was still in the NFL and Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a 15-1 record. But times have definitely changed for the Rams, who are assured of their third losing season in the last four years. Even worse, there doesn’t seem to be much hope on the horizon. The offensive line might be the worst in all of football, Marc Bulger stopped trying after receiving a huge contract extension before the start of the 2007 season, and a-holes like Richie Incognito would rather put blame on the fans for the team’s troubles instead of the team itself. The Rams also fired their head coach (Scott Linehan) in the middle of the season and his replacement, former defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, appears to be a dud as well. The Rams will no doubt be picking at the top of the draft again in 2009 and are certainly a long ways from being competitive again. – AS

The MLS has a terrible public relations department.

The MLS profile is so low that even its superstars are unknowns to the American public. The MLS Cup, broadcast on ABC at 3:30 PM ET on a Sunday, received a 0.7 rating. Obviously unable to compete with the “other” football, the MLS needs to put up more money to get a better timeslot. It’s amazing how a sport so popular all over the world can’t seem to gain a foothold here in the United States. – CG

It’s easy to overreact in the NBA.

After the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol for Javaris Crittenton, Pau’s brother and a bag of peanuts, two rivals made big trades of their own. The Suns traded Shawn Marion to the Heat for an aging Shaquille O’Neal, breaking up a Phoenix team that was a couple of bench-clearing suspensions away from upsetting the eventual champion Spurs a year earlier. Marion was (reportedly) starting to become a distraction, so the trade at least made a little bit of sense, unlike the Mavs’ decision to trade the about-to-breakout Devin Harris along with two first round draft picks to the Nets for an aging Jason Kidd. While the Lakers made it to Finals, both the Suns and Mavs were bounced out of the first round of the 2008 Playoffs. This year, the Lakers are the class of the West while the Suns and Mavs are both hovering just above .500. – JP

Monte Kiffin runs one of the best defenses in the NFL.

There are a couple of NFL coaches that don’t get nearly enough credit for how good they are. Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is one of those coaches. Perhaps no defensive coordinator in the league schemes better on a game-to-game basis than Kiffin. Furthermore, he gets the most out of his players despite their age or experience and rarely does his unit get torched for a ton of points. In 2008, the Bucs have the ninth-best defense in the league, have allowed just 17.9 points per game and once again the defense has been the strength of Tampa’s playoff-bound team. But since he’s planning to join his son at the University of Tennessee, the Bucs and the NFL will lose one of the most underrated defensive coordinators in the history of the league. – AS

The Kimbo Slice experience wasn’t built to last.

Kevin Ferguson, better known to the American public as Kimbo Slice, rose to stardom by fighting random nobodies in backyards on YouTube. Somehow Slice rode his YouTube fame to into a career as a mixed-martial arts fighter and a role on a prime time network event called EliteXC. On October 4, Slice was supposed to take on Ken Shamrock as part of CBS’s “Saturday Night Fights,” but Shamrock received a cut above his left eye during a warm up and couldn’t fight. So Seth Petruzelli, a former K-1 kickboxer turned MMA fighter, replaced Shamrock and promptly knocked Slice out 14 seconds into the first round. – AS

If three stars are willing to work together, great things can happen.

Some questioned the trio’s willingness to share the ball, but Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen didn’t have any problem putting their egos aside in pursuit of an ever-elusive NBA Championship. After a first-round scare against the Hawks (where they couldn’t win on the road), the C’s plowed through the competition in the East before working over the Lakers in the Finals. While Pierce, KG and Ray Ray stole most of the headlines, the rest of the Celtics had much to do with the team’s success, especially point guard Rajon Rondo and utility man James Posey. – JP

NASCAR’s sponsorship dollars are shrinking.

In the past year, many long-time NASCAR sponsors have ended their agreements with smaller racing teams in favor of signing with larger, more successful teams. It’s no longer good enough to have your name on the hood of a competitive automobile; instead, sponsors want to be associated with drivers turning into the winner’s circle on a weekly basis. Sponsors moving from one team to another are not a new concept in NASCAR, but it hasn’t ever happened at this frenetic of a pace. Many in NASCAR fear that with the current economic recession, it could reduce the amount of sponsorship dollars available this off-season. – TC

Mike Singletary is a great motivator – even when he has to pull down his pants to prove a point.

After the San Francisco 49ers fired head coach Mike Nolan following the team’s 2-5 start, he was replaced by defensive coordinator Mike Singletary, who was highly regarded as an emotional leader during his playing days and a great motivator for young players as a coach. But his first game as the interim coach was a disaster as the Seahawks built a 20-3 halftime lead and eventually beat San Fran 34-13 on their home field. After the game, Singletary gave a postgame speech that rivaled the likes of Denny Green’s “They are who we thought they were” meltdown. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Word spread that Singletary actually dropped his pants during his halftime speech in an effort to relate to them that the Seahawks were – for lack of a better term – making fools out of them. The speech apparently worked because the Niners almost upset the Cardinals the following week in Arizona on Monday night, then thumped the Rams 35-16 in Week 11. Although maybe the players turned in a better effort in hopes that they wouldn’t be subjected to seeing their coach drop his trou again in the locker room. – AS

Paul Newman loved racing.

On September 27th, actor Paul Newman died from his long battle with lung cancer. He was famous for starring in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting,” and “The Verdict.” He also founded “Newman’s Own” a food company that donated all of its profits to various charities. But Newman was also recognized as a racing enthusiast and became involved in the sport after filming “Winning” in 1969. He competed in his first race in 1972 and finished in second place at the 1979 LeMans 24-hour endurance race. Later, Newman co-founded a racing team with Carl Haas, and at the age of 70, he became the oldest driver to compete in a sanctioned race. He often joked that racing was his escape from his day job. He will be missed. – TC

1. Washington vs. BYU, Sept. 6: Granted, Washington lost every game this season, but they clearly had a shot to beat BYU in September. The Huskies’ quarterback Jake Locker scored a touchdown with two seconds left to bring his team within one. After diving into the end zone, Locker threw his hands — and the ball — into the air in, what appeared to be, a natural reaction of pure excitement. The ref, however, ruled the ball-flipping and jumping up and down to be “excessive celebration.” As a result, kicker Ryan Perkins was placed an extra 15 yards back, his game-tying extra point was blocked and the Huskies lost.

2. 2008 World Series, Game 3: An error by the first base umpire in Game 3 of the Fall Classic nearly gave the Tampa Bay Rays a series-turning win over the Phillies. It was the top of seventh, Rays at bat. Carl Crawford led off and tapped a well-placed bunt up the first-base line. The Phillies near-46-year-old Jamie Moyer dashed down the line, dove to field the ball and, in one graceful motion, tossed it to Ryan Howard at first, who snatched out of the air bare-handed with his foot on the bag. It looked as though Howard — with ball in hand — stood on the base awaiting Crawford’s arrival. The umpire thought otherwise. Safe! The Rays scored two subsequent runs to come back within one, but the Phillies managed to hang on to their lead for the win and, well, you know the rest.

3. Georgetown vs. Villanova, Feb. 11: Like Holmes’ catch, this one was all about the line. With the score tied at 53 apiece and only a second left on the clock, Georgetown’s Jonathan Wallace sped up the floor, dodging Villanova defenders. Still 70-something feet from the basket, Wallace heard the ref blow the whistle and, thinking there was no way a foul would be called in such a tight situation, Wallace assumed he stepped out of bounds. And when you assume you … I won’t go there. In short, the ref did the unthinkable and called a foul on ‘Nova’s Corey Stokes, gave Wallace two freebies at the line and handed Georgetown a 55-53 win.

4. Heat vs. Clippers, Nov. 29: Sometimes a bad call is any call. With Miami trailing 97-96 and the clock reading 7.6 seconds, Los Angeles’ Baron Davis inbounded the ball after a Miami score. With none of his teammates open, he heaved the ball down court, hoping a Clipper would miraculously take control. Dwayne Wade got it instead. As he grabbed the ball out of mid-air and was falling onto the scorers’ table, Wade threw the ball toward the three lone Heat players near the basket. The ref thought Wade had stepped out of bounds but, after reviewing the play, the steal was upheld. Unfortunately, the breakaway play was cut off, and the Heat was forced to inbounds, which resulted in the Clippers fouling and, ultimately, the Heat losing.

5. Broncos vs. Chargers, Sept. 14: Here you go, Ravens fans. If you thought your call was bad, think about how the Chargers felt on this one. With less than two minutes remaining, the Broncos lined up on the Chargers 1-yard line with the chance to tie the game. As Jay Cutler dropped back, the ball slipped out of his hands and into those of San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins. As soon as the ball touched the ground, referee Ed Hochuli quickly — too quickly — blew his whistle. Hochuli ruled an incomplete pass, though the replay clearly showed it was a fumble. So, Denver regrouped, scored a touchdown, followed with a two-point conversion and won 39-38. Hochuli later apologized for his error.

You’ll never get a Charger fan to say this but I still feel bad for Hochuli. That guy has been a great ref throughout his career but he’ll always be remembered for this one mistake. Albeit it was a massive mistake, but still…