Hello, 2009 – Bye Bye Best Of 2008

Happy New Year!

We’ve been awfully quiet for the last two weeks, and I apologize. It was not my intention to slag, but I went to visit my family over the holidays only to discover that they had a miserable internet connection that made it impossible for me to do just about anything. Then I became one of the countless victims of weather-cancelled travel on my return flight to Los Angeles, delaying my return to normality. I am now home safe and sound in LA, ready to tackle 2009!

I wanted to finish 2008 with my “Best Of” sporting highlights of the finished year; instead, I will say my final farewell from the new year. To be slightly different, I’ll only countdown my Top 5, all in brief except for the all important #1.

Nate’s Top 5 Sporting Moments of 2008

5. Rivalry Renewed! The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers once again meet in the NBA Finals with the Celts completing their return to excellence in a dominating dismantling of the Lake Show.

4. The New York Giants upset the then 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII as Eli Manning emerges from his big brother’s shadow in one truly brilliant play,

3. Perennial American League East doormat Tampa Bay executes one of the most remarkable worst-to-first turnarounds in sports history as the Rays not only win their division but advance to the World Series.

2. Usain Bolt shatters the 100-meter world record with a time of 9.69 seconds at the Beijing Olympics. And it looked like he pulled up at the end!

My #1 sports moment of the year actually has two parts: the greater, more encompassing accomplishment and one specific moment in particular.

1b. 2008 was a terrible year for most people, as the global economy plummeted and war continues to rage in Iraq and Afghanistan. But for two weeks in August, the world’s attention was focused on happier affairs as all eyes turned towards the Beijing Olympics, and, in that first glorious week, on one man: Michael Phelps. The world needed Michael Phelps, and he delivered.

Phelps’s pursuit of eight gold medals in one Olympic Games was captivating and inspiring, quite simply everything that both sports in general and the Olympics in particular aspire to be. One could not help but root for him, and with each successive victory, whether massive or by the narrowest of margins, one’s awe grew. That he did so in record form almost every race was the icing on the cake.

1a. As amazing as Phelps’s eight gold medals were, one race in particular stands out: the 4 x 100-meter Freestyle Relay. It wasn’t his closest race (that honor belongs to the 100-meter Butterfly); ironically, the miracle and greatest excitement didn’t even belong to Phelps, but to his teammate Jason Lezak. Lezak, so close so many times before, swam the race of his life, making up more than a half-body length on Frenchman Alain Bernard in world-record split time. That Bernard’s trash-talking was stuffed down his throat made the victory even sweeter.

I remember every second of Lezak’s swim in perfect clarity, leaping to my feet as I realized he was gaining ground even before the commentators announced he was doing so. Watching that race still gives me goosebumps, so I believe the perfect way to end 2008 is to revisit it one more time here:

• February 10, 2009 -- Poor Economy Doing It to Manny and the Mets (1)
• November 7, 2008 -- Are NFL Payrolls Inversely Proportional to On-Field Success? (0)
• January 26, 2009 -- Clippers Clipped (0)
• December 21, 2008 -- The Hate List (9)
• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)