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)

Last week, I‘m in a sports bar the Flyers are losing a hockey game, the Steelers rallying against the Cowboys and the Yankees paying another mediocre player 80 million bucks. Mmm…Flyer, Cowboys, Yankees, I hate them all. Being a nostalgic guy, I started reviewing my personal sports hate list and it’s muti-decade evolution.

It dawned on me; I can’t be the only guy in America who maintains and regularly updates a such a list? Or can I?

Not a difficult task. Just ask yourself ‘Who do I Hate?’. There is no wrong answer, but like any legitimate endeavor—there are rules…

1.) The Hater must have a logical basis for his or her hate.

For example, you can’t hate the Denver Bronco’s just for wearing hideous uniforms but you can hate them if you once lived there and endured the very overrated “Orange Crush” defense.—they didn’t appreciate me calling them the Orange Slush—and because their hideous uniforms remind you of Mr. Ed on steroids.

2.) The Hater must prove undying loyalty and love for one particular team or city.

For example, if a hater hails from Boston and calls himself a Patsy fan, he must defend Bellidick and the Cheaters vociferously. Patriot haters know New England’s success of the last decade will forever be tainted and their rise on the Universal Hate Barometer—located atop a rowhouse in Philadelphia, where else?—eclipses that of the “Raidas” during the ‘70’s and the Cryboys for, oh, the last 40 years. The Cowboys, in fact, are the only team never to fall on the UHB. Probably a safe bet that status will never change given the UHB’s home

3.) The Hater cannot be a Yankees or Notre Dame fan.

If you are so much of a loser to root for teams with built in advantages for winning you cannot legitimately hate those of us who root for teams that struggle for years or decades in between seasons of success.

4.) The Hater cannot love a natural or otherwise determined rival of her beloved team.

There is no fence sitting in Hateball. If you love the Clippers, you cannot have a soft spot in your heart for the Lakers. If you love the Flyers you cannot think the Penguin’s logo is cute because it reminds you of Tennessee Tuxedo.

So, who do you hate?

Next week… the beginning of my Hate List.

• November 7, 2008 -- Are NFL Payrolls Inversely Proportional to On-Field Success? (0)
• January 12, 2009 -- Divisional Round Dish (0)
• April 29, 2009 -- The Hate List: 4/29/09 – My Top Two Most Hated Sports Teams (11)
• March 9, 2009 -- The Hate List: 3/9/09 – NFL Teams (16)
• February 14, 2009 -- The Hate List: 2/14/09 (4)

In the AFC, less teams are alive, but the battles are just as close. Ignoring tie-breakers, three teams (the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins) are still tied for the East lead. In the Wild Card race, the Ravens are also at 9-5 and the Colts only a game ahead at 10-4. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are now only a game back of the mighty Titans after Tennessee’s stunning upset at the hands of the now 7-7 Texans (who, if they win out and stretch their streak to 6 in a row, will achieve their first ever winning season).

And as if the overall tightness of the playoff races didn’t already make Week 16 thrilling enough, first and second place are on the line in both conferences, with Pittsburgh visiting Tennessee and Carolina visiting the Giants (on Sunday night). Wow.

Does it get any better than this?

• January 12, 2009 -- Divisional Round Dish (0)
• November 25, 2008 -- EnEfElquality (0)
• December 1, 2008 -- December (0)
• January 24, 2009 -- U Kan Koach in the NFL (.com)! (3)
• January 16, 2009 -- NFL Playoff Picking (3)

Today Junior Seau has come out of retirement a second time to rejoin the New England Patriots’ injury-decimated defense. The Seau signing comes only two days after another former Patriot, Rosevelt Colvin, also rejoined the Pats to help with the team’s end of season playoff-push stretch drive. The big question is not whether it will be enough for the Patriots, but whether doing so is enough of anything for these two players?

Alas for Colvin, and particularly Seau, the Patriots to which they return is a far cry from that of last year. Although the addition of the two linebackers may be enough to garner New England a playoff berth–and potentially even the division title–the cards are stacked against the Pats returning to the Super Bowl. As far as Matt Cassel has come this year, his performance last weekend against the Steelers proves Cassel is still no Tom Brady.

Which begs the question, what is motivating Seau and Colvin to return? Colvin’s availability, at least, was not planned. He was cut by the Patriots in February, signed with the Texans, and then released again in August. But Seau’s retirement was announced and intentional… again. The first time Junior returned, it was because he felt like he had a great opportunity with the Patriots of finally winning a Super Bowl (Colvin already has a Super Bowl victory under his belt). This year, that chance doesn’t seem to be there.

Junior has always been such a class guy that even many Patriot haters last year acquiesced that Seau receiving a ring would have been the one positive of a New England championship. The now 39-year old linebacker managed to deliver some pretty decent numbers in 2007, so with that Super Bowl carrot appearing a lot further away this season than it did last, football fans have cause to hope that this latest comeback is not just another case of a player unwilling or unable to say enough is enough.

• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)
• December 1, 2008 -- December (0)
• November 26, 2008 -- Fair Punishment? (0)
• November 25, 2008 -- EnEfElquality (0)
• November 14, 2008 -- Cassel Comes of Age (0)

$15,000?  That’s it?  Both players deserved a suspension.  $15,000 is a drop in the bucket to top-tier athletes, neither a significant punishment nor a deterrent to other players for future brawls.  Football is a rough game in which tempers are bound to fly sooner or later, but if the NFL wants to maintain discipline, it needs to levy stricter punishments so that the players realize they will be held accountable for their actions.

The only thing fair about this decision is that the same fine was meted out to both players.  Crowder and Light were equally out-of-line and deserved the same punishment

• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)
• November 25, 2008 -- EnEfElquality (0)
• March 9, 2009 -- The Hate List: 3/9/09 – NFL Teams (16)
• December 5, 2008 -- New England Reunion (0)
• November 14, 2008 -- Cassel Comes of Age (0)

While even a one game difference in the standings at this point in the season can be a major obstacle to overcome in the playoff hunt, that level of parity means a vast majority of teams still have a viable chance at the postseason.  Like any season, this year has had both its surprises (the Dolphins) and its disappointments (the Chargers, who probably have been the least lucky team so far this year, and the Packers, who most likely are ruing the decision not to let Brett Favre unretire with them).  Somehow the Broncos, easily the most overrated team in all of the NFL, still have the inside track in the AFC West, despite being exposed numerous times in recent weeks.  Also, somewhat amazingly, the Patriots have kept themselves in the playoff hunt, having at various times this year shown both just how good a quarterback Tom Brady actually is (when he went down with injury) and just how good a coach Bill Belichick is (in developing Matt Cassel while leading his team to the degree of success they’ve managed to achieve without Brady).

What it all comes down to with that many teams still in competition is that the last five weeks of the regular season should be very exciting indeed.

• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)
• January 12, 2009 -- Divisional Round Dish (0)
• December 1, 2008 -- December (0)
• November 16, 2008 -- Bizzare Stat of the Week (0)
• November 14, 2008 -- Cassel Comes of Age (0)

Cassel’s numbers were excellent by any measure, let alone for a quarterback just figuring out his sea legs.  He completed 30 of 51 passes for 400 yards, rushed for 62 yards on 8 carries, and threw 3 touchdowns.  But what stood out the most was the poise he showed when the Patriots got the ball back down by 7 with 1:04 on the clock and no timeouts.  Cassel engineered a perfect drive, calmly marching his team down the field and tying the game with one second remaining on a beautiful sideline touchdown pass to Randy Moss.

We’ve seen the Patriots come back like that many times before, but with a different man at the helm.  If you didn’t know otherwise, if you couldn’t read the name on the jersey, you would have assumed that was Tom Brady on the field.  The poise was there.  The execution was there.  Quite simply, the drive was that good.

Flashback to Week 2 and the Patriots and their fans had reason to be concerned.  Cassel was nervous and untested, and he looked it.  But each week he has improved, growing more confident with every game.  One could already see how far he had come in last weekend’s game versus the Buffalo Bills.  But last night against the Jets was something different; his transition into a viable, dangerous starting quarterback was complete.  If not for losing the overtime coin toss, the Patriots could easily have won the game.

Sure, Cassel still has a lot to learn, and, sure, Brady will once again be the starter next season after he has healed.  Considering, however, that the 2008 season looked absolutely hopeless for New England after Tom Brady went down in Week 1, the Patriots right now have to be feeling pretty good about themselves, sitting pretty at 6-4 and second place in the AFC East.  Not great, and a far cry from the squad that went 16-0 in the regular season last year, but in playoff contention, a remarkable feat with their franchise player out for the year.  And the development of Matt Cassel is a large reason why.

• November 25, 2008 -- EnEfElquality (0)
• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)
• May 9, 2009 -- Reply to “Open Letter to Brett Favre” (1)
• May 7, 2009 -- Open Letter to Brett Favre (2)
• November 7, 2008 -- Are NFL Payrolls Inversely Proportional to On-Field Success? (0)

Despite these surprising stats, NFL payrolls are by no means inversely proportional to on-field success. The woeful Kansas City Chiefs have the lowest combined payroll of any NFL team; the excellent Pittsburgh Steeler squad is #6. In fact, there seems to be a relatively even distribution of salaries across the NFL success vector.

Compare those numbers to the success of Major League Baseball’s highest paid teams. Although spending a lot never guarantees having a championship-caliber team in any sport–the ultra-expensive New York Yankees didn’t make the playoffs while the dirt-cheap Tampa Bay Rays won the American League pennant–overall the higher-salaried baseball teams tend to have better won-loss records than their lower-paying counterparts (five of the eight highest-paid teams were in the playoffs this year). But in the NFL, no such payroll to on-field success comparison can be made.

So, what then do these numbers mean?  Only that strong management trumps high payrolls in reaching the Super Bowl every time… and that really strong management can even bring home the Lombardi Trophy on a budget.

• February 10, 2009 -- Poor Economy Doing It to Manny and the Mets (1)
• December 21, 2008 -- The Hate List (9)
• January 2, 2009 -- Hello, 2009 – Bye Bye Best Of 2008 (0)
• November 14, 2008 -- Cassel Comes of Age (0)
• April 29, 2009 -- The Hate List: 4/29/09 – My Top Two Most Hated Sports Teams (11)