Altevogt: Recap of year in sports
As the newspaper’s year wraps up, here are my top five highlights and lowlights from 2008 in sports.
Lowlights
5. The Brett Favre soap opera. I swear, this went on long enough to give Favre gray hair. It was like the whole country revolved around it all summer. Stephen Colbert put it best: “And while God answers all prayers, sometimes his answer is ‘Not now, I’m a little busy with Brett Favre.’”
4. Kansas defeats Memphis in the national championship. First of all, I picked Kansas every year from when I was three until my freshman year of college. Once I decide to write a whole column about not picking them, they win the title. Also, the Final Four featured all No. 1 seeds, so people who picked no upsets ended up winning the non-monetary pools. Sucked.
3. Boston Celtics win NBA Championship. Not only were the Celtics essentially handed their team in a shady trade by a former player, but we then all had to listen to these supposed Boston fans go crazy. Where were you the year before when they were terrible?
2. IU basketball program decimated. We could have had Steve Alford. This is what we ended with.
1. Colts lose to San Diego in playoffs. Indianapolis knocked out their quarterback and tailback but couldn’t close the door. This team had a great shot to shock New England in the AFC Championship. That’s what I’ll be shouting as a senile old man sixty years from now.
Highlights
5. Pacers trade thugs. After dealing Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington (the latter who I loved in Indiana), the Pacers finally got rid of Jermaine O’Neal and Jamaal Tinsley, essentially ridding themselves of every player involved in the Palace brawl in 2004. Maybe the team’s in rebuilding mode, but we can finally get down to business. Someone call in Reggie Miller.
4. Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals. This is the athlete we’ll be telling our kids about. Remember the relay against the French that came down to the final touch? God bless America.
3. Usain Bolt’s triple world record in Olympics. The Jamaican sprinter’s exploits in China were so incredible that it doesn’t track a track and field fan to appreciate them. He broke the world record in the 100 and celebrated 15 meters before the finish. He topped that off by nipping the 200-meter world record that I was sure would outlive me.
2. New York Giants over New England Patriots. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Boogie Man, ManBearPig, Lee Harvey Oswald’s solo assassination mission, Donald Trump’s real hair, and the right wing conspiracy that controls gas prices. None of these things exist. But karma, baby, is alive and kicking. This was exhibit A.
1. Alicia Sacramone. Three words: Google image search.
Check TheFranklinOnline.com during winter term for my NFL playoff picks.
