Honorable Mentions
Brett Favre saga
It doesn't make the cut because the contemplation of his return has become as much of a staple of summer as scorching temperatures and the start of a new "Entourage" season.
Wimbledon's epic match
It was the match in which John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set of their epic first round match. Doesn't make the cut because I am not totally convinced that it was legit. Remember, this was the peak of the US run in the World Cup. No one even remembered Wimbledon was happening. Isn't it possible a few Wimbledon officials slipped these guys a couple grand under the table to remind the rest of the world that this tournament was, indeed, still happening?
And now, the list…
10 College World Series
A big deal simply because USD made it, only to be eliminated in the first round. One of these days a Toreros team will actually make it to a championship round. Let's just hope we are alive to see it.
9 The death of George Steinbrenner
A big story only when you realize just what an impact he had not only on baseball, but on the entire world of sports. Guys like A-Rod can take their $25 million paychecks and thank Steinbrenner for ushering in the era that made pay days like that possible. Sure, it may have ruined everything that made sports so pure, but it did change the landscape.
8 Tiger's return to golf
Would be higher in the list, but the Masters were in the Spring so it loses some points. Woods has struggled so much that, all of a sudden, Nicklaus' record for wins in a major doesn't seem so reachable. Poor PGA. Hey, at least the future looks bright with guys like Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen! Just kidding, golf stinks again.
7 A bunch of perfect games and
no-hitters in baseball
Would be a bigger deal if, you know, baseball actually still meant something. The problem is that the one that sticks out the most is the perfect game that wasn't: the missed call at first base that cost Armando Gallaraga a perfect game. Could have easily been overturned, but the purists wouldn't have it. Maybe once Selig and crew start to acknowledge it's a new age, we can care again and all of these incredible performances will have more meaning.
6 College Football conference
realignment
I'm going to combine this with…
5 NCAA sanctions against USC
The combination of these two stories really deserves at least 600 words on its own. But let's keep it short and say this: things are changing in college football and, really, NCAA sports in general. It may be time to stop pretending the "student" in "student athlete" means so much and start recognizing the NCAA for what it is - a moneymaking machine that feeds off of immature young adults. Again, things are changing in the NCAA, and this summer was just the tip of the iceberg.
4 Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup
Yeah, I forgot about this one too. Seriously, though, the Stanley Cup Finals as a whole absolutely crushed the drama of the NBA Finals. Were it not for the World Cup, it would have been the greatest stretch of sports we saw all summer. Bonus points because no other sporting event could get away with those awesome playoff beards.
3 Lakers win the NBA Title
Ron Artest gave a lesson in "How to Prove Without a Shadow of a Doubt That You Are Indeed the Craziest Person on the Planet" with his postgame celebration and interviews. The West-Coast-loving media miraculously made Kobe out to be the hero even though his 6-24 Game Seven performance was just as ugly as the performance these same media crucified Lebron James for having just a series before in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, the puzzling decision to name Bryant Finals MVP did allow the opportunity for a summer full of "6-24" jokes; you know, like, ‘I tried hooking up with all 24 Gamma Phis, but I only managed to get with six. Not as good as Greg's total of nine, but it was still good enough to get me MVP.'
2 The Lebron James saga
For every Communications major who has ever had to face the question, "What are you going to do with THAT major?" (isn't that every single one of them?), this is your answer. James turned his PR duties over to his closest buddies, but the problem was that none of them had any idea how to gauge just how terrible of an idea it was to air an hour-long special with a young man essentially taking a big dump on the city that made him into the "King" he proclaims himself to be today. As a result, Lebron went from being one of the most loved superstars to one of the most hated, literally overnight. And the season to come may change the course of basketball as we know it.
1 The World Cup
A lot of these stories brought out the negative side of sports, but the World Cup reminded us of sports ability to overwhelm and inspire. Say what you will about soccer, but if Landon Donovan's miraculous goal in the last minute of the Algeria game didn't get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up, you don't deserve to call yourself a sports fan.
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