Top 5 Sports Stories of 2008

It took me a while to come up with the top sports stories of 2008. It took even longer to narrow them down to the top 5. Before I begin, here are the notable stories that missed out: The Boston Celtics' NBA Championship run, Jon Lester's 2008 season, Brett Favre's seasons with the Packers and Jets, the Detroit Lions' 0-16 season, Fresno State winning the College World Series, Davidson's amazing run in the NCAA tournament, Tiger Woods winning the Masters, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's legendary tennis match, and Mario Chalmers' leading the Jayhawks to an NCAA title.

Without further ado, here is the top 5.

5. Josh Hamilton winning the hearts of a nation
Josh Hamilton, outfielder of the Texas Rangers, has lived an amazing life. He was the #1 draft pick in baseball in the 1999 MLB draft, picked by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. His life could not have gone any better at the time, but then it went all wrong. When he discovered alcohol and drugs for the first time, an addiction grew on him. Many problems occurred over the years. He was suspended from baseball after failing drug tests. Hamilton’s existence from baseball was gone from 2004 until 2006, when his addiction was at its peak. Hamilton has one specific memory of a visit to his grandmother’s, when he told her he needed help. Ever since that moment, he has been clean of drugs. Hamilton claims God helped him throughout the process of getting clean, along with guidance from his loved ones.

His story was attached to him in 2008, when he went on a rampage early on in the baseball season. Hamilton hit 14 homeruns with 61 RBI by the end of May, winning hearts with his inspirational story. Hamilton was voted into the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium and he also competed in the Homerun Derby, another inspirational story. When Hamilton was in the process of becoming clean, he recalled a dream of being a player at Yankee Stadium hitting homeruns in front of roaring crowds. At the Homerun Derby, Hamilton did just that. He hit 28 homeruns in the first round of the Derby, including several moon shots over 500 feet in length. Though Hamilton did not win the Homerun Derby, the lasting image of the Derby was Hamilton hitting homeruns. John Hamilton finished the 2008 season with a .302 batting average, 32 homeruns, and 130 RBI. Hamilton finished 7th in MVP voting. After the season, his book Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back hit bookshelves. The autobiography is about his personal life story, all the struggles he went through and how he overcame them. Hamilton’s season along with his personal account make this one of the greatest sports stories of the year.

4. The Miami Dolphins' 2008 Comeback Season
The Dolphins struggled greatly in 2007, winning just one game. A 1-15 record earned them the #1 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. They drafted OT Jake Long from the University of Michigan. The Dolphins changed personnel too. Tony Sparano became the Miami head coach and Bill Parcells became the VP of Operations. During the preseason, when the Jets acquired QB Brett Favre from the Green Bay Packers, QB Chad Pennington was exiled out of New York. Parcells signed Pennington without haste and he became the Dolphins’ starting quarterback over John Beck and Chad Henne.

After an 0-2 start, the Dolphins found themselves in week 3 against the rival Patriots. The “wild cat formation” started, lining up running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams at QB, Chad Pennington, QB, at WR, and sometimes even Ted Ginn Jr., WR, at QB. The wild cat formation caught the Patriots off guard and gave the Dolphins their first victory of the season, 38-13. After starting 2-4, Miami caught on fire, winning 9 of their final 10 games, including victories over the Denver Broncos and New York Jets. The win over the Jets put the Dolphins into the 2008 playoffs for the first time in years. Pennington finished the season with over 3500 passing yards. Neither Ronnie Brown nor Ricky Williams ran for over 1000 yards in 2008, but combined they ran for over 1400 with 14 touchdowns. Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo, and Anthony Fasano were Pennington’s top targets. Combined, they caught 9 touchdown passes with over 1750 receiving yards. At the end of 2008, the miraculous comeback by the Miami Dolphins is simply amazing. Only one other team in NFL history had the same win differential in the span of a year: the 1998-1999 Indianapolis Colts.

3. The Tampa Bay Rays' Miracle Season
In the offseason, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays changed their logo, uniform, and even their team name to the “Rays.” Joe Maddon, the manager, also decided to change the Rays’ mentality. Instead of fighting not to be last place in the American League East division, Maddon’s “catchphrase” was “9=8,” meaning “9 players on the diamond, 9 innings of work can get you to be one of the 8 teams in the playoffs.” That mentality change alone was surely something.

After a 17-16 start, the Rays then went on a 38-16 run, overtaking the Boston Red Sox for first place. Rookie 3B Evan Longoria earned a call up in late April and had a great impact towards their season, hitting 27 homeruns and 85 RBI. Carlos Pena led the Rays with 34 homeruns. BJ Upton stole 44 bases and his teammate Carl Crawford stole 25. Pitchers Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and Matt Garza each had ERAs under 3.75. Kazmir also led the team with 166 strikeouts. Closer Troy Percival was 28/32 in save opportunities. The rest of the Rays’ bullpen was phenomenal. Chad Bradford had an ERA of 1.42; Grant Balfour had an ERA of 1.54; JP Howell had an ERA of 2.22; and Dan Wheeler had an ERA of 3.12. The Rays won the AL East and shocked the entire baseball world.

They made it all the way to the World Series, past the White Sox in the ALDS and past the Red Sox in the ALCS. Unfortunately for the Rays, whose fans died their hair blue and changed their hair style to Mohawks, they lost the World Series in 5 games to the Philadelphia Phillies. What the Rays did will never be forgotten and is one of the greatest sports stories of the year 2008.

2. The New York Giants' Improbable Super Bowl run
The Giants barely made their way into the playoffs after the 2007 season, finishing with a 10-6 record. Eli Manning threw 20 interceptions in the regular season. Running back Brandon Jacobs only ran for 4 touchdowns in 2007 too. The Giants entered the postseason as a #5 seed, meaning the only possible home game during the playoffs would be if the #6 seed team played them in the NFC Championship game.

The first playoff game was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants were underdogs coming into the game, but they proved otherwise. Eli Manning threw for 185 yards with 2 touchdowns leading the Giants to victory, 24-14. The Giants were underdogs again in the 2nd round, against the Dallas Cowboys. Manning had another successful game against the rival Cowboys, throwing for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns in their 21-17 victory. Tony Romo’s Cowboys came up short in the end when Romo threw an interception to RW McQuarters late in the 4th quarter. The Giants were underdogs again when they faced the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. Eli Manning faced Brett Favre in the classic game. Manning did not have any touchdowns or any interceptions, but did throw for over 250 yards. With the game tied at 20, Lawrence Tynes attempted a 36 yard field goal for the win in regulation. The attempt was wide left and it sent the game into overtime. In overtime, Brett Favre threw an interception to Corey Webster that led to Lawrence Tynes getting a shot at redemption. Tynes’ 47-yard attempt was good and sent the Giants to the Super Bowl for a date against the 18-0 New England Patriots.

The Giants were heavy underdogs entering the game. Las Vegas had the point spreads getting the Giants 13.5 points. The Giants were trailing 7-3 entering the 4th quarter, when Eli Manning and David Tyree hooked up for a touchdown. Later in the quarter, Tom Brady and Randy Moss hooked up for a touchdown of their own, taking a 14-10 lead. With less than 3 minutes to go, Eli Manning led the Giants down field. With 1:15 to go in the game, Eli Manning escaped a sack by the Patriot defense. On the very same play, Manning threw a prayer downfield to David Tyree, who caught the ball off his helmet. One of the most famous plays in Super Bowl history gave the Giants life. With 35 seconds left, Eli Manning threw a pass to wide receiver Plaxico Burress in the end zone for a touchdown. Burress’ touchdown gave the Giants a 17-14 lead that they would not relinquish. The Giants’ Super Bowl run is one of the most unlikely runs in NFL history. Very few people had faith in the Giants, but ending the Patriots perfect season is one of the most improbable feats in sports history.

1. Michael Phelps' Quest
Everyone was excited for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, but the US had high hopes for swimmer Michael Phelps. The US media focused on Phelps from the beginning, wondering if he could surpass Mark Spitz’s record of 7 gold medals in one Olympics.

Phelps won his first event, the 400m individual medley, in World-Record fashion, 4:03.84 (1.41 seconds ahead of 2nd place). The second event Phelps competed in was one of the most famous events of the 2008 Olympics: the 4x100m freestyle relay. Cullen Jones, Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Jason Lezak were the swimmers competing. Late in the relay, the US was trailing by several lengths to the French. All hope had seemed lost until Lezak started his leg. Lezak made up Alain Bernard’s (France) lead and started an epic comeback. Lezak led the US team to victory over the French by eight hundredths (.08) of a second. Phelps won the next four races in World Record fashion. He won the 200m freestyle (1:42.96), 200m butterfly (1:52.03), 4x200m relay (6:58.56), and the 200m individual medley (1:54.23). His 7th race was another one of epic magnitude: the 100m butterfly. Serbian Milorad Cavic was the competitor who gave Phelps a hard time winning this race. Phelps trailed Cavic until the final moments. Phelps came back and made the finish a great one. One hundredth (.01) of a second decided the fate of the race: Phelps won. There needed to be multiple reviews and close-up camera angles to determine the real winner. Phelps won and the camera angles proved it. The 4x100m medley relay was the last race Phelps competed in. Phelps’ crew won that in 3:29.34, seven tenths (.7) of a second faster than second place Australia. Phelps set world records in 7 of the 8 events he competed in and won 8 gold medals.

Teixeira Signing Sparks Ignorance

The New York Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008 and the Yankees' front office is trying to prevent that from happening again in 2009. They lost $88+ million in salary over the offseason, but that plays no part to the media. The Yankees signed CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, proving their typical big name spending. But that is what many analysts expected. What they did not expect is what just happened.

As you may have heard, the Yankees signed another Scott Boras client, Mark Teixeira to an 8 yr, $180 million contract. This came as a surprise to many as no one expected the Yankees to play part to Teixeira after trading for former Whitesox first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher.

But what really catches my eye is the amount of ignorance by the media and other fans. The Yankees are probably the most hated team in baseball because of their 26 World Series titles and their enormous salary. But because of their hatred and ignorance, fans everywhere say they will miss the playoffs. Period. There is no logical explanation to that.

Injuries? Every team suffers from injuries, even fluke ones. They happen to every team, don't say your team can avoid injuries.

Relief pitching? Mariano is still one of the most dominating closers in baseball. He blew one save last year (39/40 in save opps) with a very low ERA (1.40) and a superb K/BB ratio (77/6). Damaso Marte, though struggling at first in the AL East after the trade, really pitched well at the end of the year. In the last 11 innings pitched, he allowed just two runs. Bruney, Ramirez, and Veras are all middle relievers and should play big roles for '09. Phil Coke should also pitch well in 2009.

These players are all overrated? That may be, but they are great players. If they did not sign with the Yankees, there would be no talk of them being overrated.

The Yankees still managed to trim their payroll from 2008, which is astounding. The only difference is they signed big name free agents to do it, and that is what is getting everyone all riled up.

The Yankee Hot Stove (to date)

Well the offseason has been underway for several weeks now and I for one am more than impressed with the Yankees. Last year they were in the Johan Santana biddings but did not take it to the next level. Johan ended up in Flushing with the Mets and the Yankees did not have another ace. Also last year, their biggest acquisition was probably LaTroy Hawkins, who was traded to Houston in the summer. Morgan Ensberg was their biggest offensive signing and he amounted to nothing as well. Oh what a difference a year makes.

Yankees sign P Sergio Mitre to one-year deal with club option for 2010
This was a low-risk, high-reward (potentially) deal for New York. Mitre missed the ’08 season due to injury. This was a good signing for New York. The 27-year old pitcher can be a nice addition to the Yankees. He won’t find much room in the rotation but could make an impact in the bullpen alongside the likes of Brian Bruney, Edwar Ramirez, and Jose Veras.

Yankees resign RP Damaso Marte to three-year deal with club option for 2012
The Yankees originally declined Marte’s $6 million option but decided to sign him to a longer deal. This was a great deal by New York as they kept the left-handed reliever. Marte could be the set-up man or lefty specialist for the Yankees in 2009. Plus Marte’s K/9 ratio is strong to make the Yankee bullpen even stronger.

Yankees trade P Jeff Marquez, P Johnny Nunez, and INF Wilson Betemit to the Whitesox for 1B/OF Nick Swisher and P Kanekoa Texeira
This was somewhat a surprise deal pulled off by Brian Cashman, but it was a nice one. The Yankees got rid of Betemit and his massive amount of strikeouts. Betemit was probably the key bench player in 2009 for the Yankees. Jeff Marquez was once considered to make an impact toward the Yankees’ pitching staff in the future, but with the emergence of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Alfredo Aceves, Marquez was not in the plans.

Mike Mussina retires
This may not have been a surprise to many, I included, but this was not in the Yankees’ hands. Mike Mussina retired on his own terms and leave baseball on a 20-win season. I just want to take the time to say congratulations to Mussina for an astounding career and hopefully a trip to Cooperstown in five years.

Yankees sign SP CC Sabathia to 7 year, $161 million deal (opt-out clause after 3rd year)
The Yankees needed to make a big splash and did so by signing CC Sabathia. They stayed put by not going after another left-handed ace last year, Johan Santana, but decided to pay the big man his money. Though he was considering signing a deal on the west coast, closer to his home, he took more money to play in the Big Apple. CC is the ace the Yankees need and he can be known as one of the premier pitchers in baseball more now than ever. The opt-out clause after his 3rd season in New York can be good for both sides. For the Yankees, if he opts out they will have gotten three excellent years in his prime. For Sabathia, after three years he can opt-out and sign with a team in the west coast closer to his home for the later years of his career.

Yankees sign SP A.J. Burnett to 5 year, $82.5 million deal
This is another great move by New York to bolster their rotation. Burnett will likely be the #3 pitcher for the Yankees behind Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang. Though Burnett could have been an ace on the Braves, he chose to be a #3 pitcher for the Yankees. The announcement of the signing of Burnett was released just days after the signing of Sabathia was announced.

The Yankees planned to lay low for the 2007 off season and go away from their known philosophy of signing players to big contracts and trading away prospects for proven veterans and saw what their results were: missing the playoffs. Though their record was very good, 89-73, but just not good enough to make the playoffs.

The 2008 offseason is much different as they went out to trade for Nick Swisher and sign pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. The Yankees still may not be done but no one knows for sure. One thing is certain: over the course of one year, the Yankee mentality changed drastically.