When looking back at the year of 2007 there are so many memories and big storiesin sports. It is unbelievable how many huge stories there were. What is being attempted here is three lists. Three lists that are putting all these stories front and center once again.

Some will spark fond memories, some not so much. Some stories we had this year were and still are very painful to many people but great to many others. Some of these stories were so unbelievable that we had to check several sources just to believe they were true. Unfortunately there were many deaths as well.

It was yet another great year in sports. Here are the top 10 stories for the Good the Bad and the Ugly.

 Top Ten Good from 2007-

 

10. U.S. wins team World Championships for Greco Roman Wrestling in Baku, Azerbaijan. This was the first time the U.S. has ever won this as a team. Maybe if this victory didn’t take place in Azerbaijan you would have heard about this one.

9. David Beckham signs with the L.A. Galaxy in the MLS. The MLS is so far off the map that many Americans didn’t know that there was still an MLS for him to sign in.

8. Jimmie Johnson wins Nascar’s Nextel Cup for second season in a row! Johnson beat out Jeff Gordon who also had an amazing year.

7. Big Boston deals. The Celtics became a relevant team agin in 2007 by acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The Celtics went from worst to first and are now legitimate contenders not only in the NBA’s Eastern Conference but for a NBA Championship.

6. Rockies Roll to the World Series. The Rockies won 21 of 22 in a remarkable run to the World Series. Unfortunately they had an 8 day lay off that may have cooled the teams momentum as the were beat by the Red Sox.

5. Boise State goes undefeated and beat Oklahoma on two incredible plays to win. Boise State was the underdog in the Fiesta Bowl and won in overtime 43-42 in one of the best football games ever. It capped off an undefeated season.

4. Florida’s big year. After winning the NCAA basketball Championship and football Championship the football team had the Heisman trophy winner. Tim Tebow won the trophy as an underclassman and is poised to be the second two-time winner if all goes well in 2008. Tebow had 51 total touchdowns (29 passing, 22 rushing) as only a sophomore!

3. The Spurs won the NBA Championship and the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup. These were two under the radar type Championships for different reasons. The Spurs won with defense and overall team play headed by possibly the best overall player in the league in Tim Duncan. The Ducks won in similar fashion but since bowling gets higher ratings than hockey most people didn’t even see the Ducks play on their amazing run.

2. Indianapolis wins the Super Bowl and Peyton Manning gets off the snide. Manning who was riddled with big game losses through college and pro football. But not in 2007. Manning led the Colts past the Patriots and then the Bears.

1. Appalachian State beats Michigan at the Big House in the biggest upset in college football history. By beating the number five ranked Wolverines Appalachian State won their 3rd straight Division 1 National Championship.

 Top Ten Bad from 2007-

 

 10. West Virginia coaches bolt for Michigan. West Virginia lost three coaches overall. Gone to Michigan are the women’s soccer coach, men’s head basketball coach, and most recently the head football coach. I think it is time for Michigan and West Virginia to start playing every year.

9. Marion Jones doping scandal. Marion Jones was included in the Balco steroids scandal this year which in turn wiped out all the Olympic gold medals and Olympic records. This story has been in the making for years but was confirmed this year.

8. Kevin Everett’s spinal injury in week one of the NFL season was a very scary one. Some players on the field didn’t think he would live, let alone walk again.

7. Ugueth Urbina was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the attempted murder of five employees at his ranch in Venezuela. The ranch hands were using the family’s pool without permission so Urbina decided to pour gas on them and attempted to light them on fire.

6. Joe Kennedy’s death. Kennedy died mysteriously the day before being a best man in a wedding. He last pitched for Toronto but was better known for his days in Oakland. He was the father of a 1 year old son.

5. Cardinals lose another pitcher in a tragic death. First it was Pitcher Daryl Kile in 2002 and then Josh Hancock, a relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, had died in an automobile accident. Josh was intoxicated and hit a tow truck on the highway.

4. Darrent Williams death after a New Years eve party was shocking to many as he was hit in a limo that was leaving a party. This all happened just hours after the team was eliminated from the playoffs.

3. Sean Taylor’s death was another tragedy in the NFL this season as he was gunned down in his own home in Miami. Taylor was recently elected to the Pro Bowl and is mourned by many as he was a man who had just decided to turn his life around in recent years. He was an impact player in the NFL and becoming an impact citizen in life.

2. Michal Vick’s dog fighting scandal was alomost as big as it got in sports stories for 2007. The Vick scandal rocked two communities and also headed the demise of the Atlanta Falcons organization. The Falcons have used four Qbs and also had head coach Bobby Petrino bolt for Arkansas. Vick was sentenced to 23 months in jail and could face more time in Virginia for the same case.

1. Chris Benoit was the most shocking story of the year. The WWE Superstar had recently lost best friend and fellow WWE Superstar Eddie Guerrero the year before. This year he killed his son, his wife, and then himself in a span of two days at his home in Georgia. The story had more twists and turns than any story in many years.

 Top Ten Ugly from 2007-

 

10. The Miami Dolphins (1-14 at the time this was written) having their worst season ever and threatened to go winless in the same season the undefeated record set by the 72' Dolphins is threatened by New England.

9. The Chicago Bears went all the way to the Super Bowl in 2007 but ended up having to rely on Wrecks Grossman in the Big Game. Everything that got the Bears to the Super Bowl was absent from the Super Bowl. They got there with special teams, defense, and key turnovers. Three things they couldn’t manage to get in a rain soaked Super Bowl. Since the big game they have slid all the way into last place in the NFC Central getting swept by the Detroit Lions of all teams.

8. Travis Henry had a drug problem. It manifested into a positive test that was appealed and over ruled which not only kept him in football this season it also revealed his child support payments to his 9 children with 9 women. Better known as "baby mamas". Two more and he has an entire football squad, if they played both ways!

7. Marty Schottenheimer was fired after leading the Chargers to a 14-2 season. That is unheard of in football. It didn’t look good as the Chargers started slowly under new coach Norv Turner. The Chargers did turn it around and won the AFC West this season.

6. Cleveland and the state of Ohio were denied in many sports in 2007. Ohio State lost in the college basketball and football championships, both to Florida, the Cavaliers lost in the NBA Finals to the Spurs, and the Indians lost to the Red Sox in the ALCS. I guess it could be worse, all those teams could be terrible. This does not mention the great season the Browns are having either. They should make the playoffs but I think most fans in Ohio are not expecting them to go to the Super Bowl. Although the mind of a Browns fan is a sick an twisted place!

5. Pacman Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 season for all the arrests he had in a one year period. There was a point where sports highlights shows didn’t ever show him in a uniform, it was usually county jail orange. He then signed up with TNA Wrestling. What a fitting move.

4. Imus fired for remarks towards Rutgers womens basketball. Imus initially was given a two-week suspension for calling the Rutgers women’s basketball team "nappy-headed ####" which was way out of line. Most of those girls aren’t "####"! They are too ugly for that. Actually there aren’t a whole lot of good looking college athletes in any sport. The Comments were backed up by comedian D.L. Hughley which in turn sparked the debates even further. Somehow I don’t think these girls have not been called worse in person. But they are college girls and it wasn’t fair to them. It didn’t help that the comments came from one of the worst radio hosts who is so ugly that if his ugliness was represented by bricks he would be the Great Wall of China.

3. Barry Bonds broke the all-time home run record this year and then was indicted by a federal grand jury for perjury all in the same year. It was rather strange though how the indictments didn’t come down until after the season was over.

2. The NBA ref scandal with Tim Donaghy. NBA referee Tim Donaghy allegedly bet on NBA games, including contests that he officiated. Could NBA playoff games have been compromised? What does this betting scandal do to the credibility of NBA games? It all seamed so obvious when looking back at some of the glaring calls he made. The problem is, many have thought this in the past already with the way some games are called in such a lopsided fashion. This only put more fuel on the fire.

1. The Mitchell report. Only Bud Selig would spend $40 Million to find out what he and every breathing person in America already knew. Many players did steroids in baseball. The report only named 90 players after a 20 month investigation. Why didn’t they spend 1/100th of that and implant a solid steroids testing policy more like the Olympics use or the Tour De France! Besides it was steroids that brought the game back in 1998 after the lockout.

Receiving a vote for every category of the lists were the New England Patriots. They pulled off a trade to get Randy Moss for only a forth round pick, lost their first round pick in 2008 to "Spygate" and coach Belichick was fined an additional $500,000! The Patriots were then labeled as cheaters for many other incidents as well as some from 2006. All this and the Patriots are still undefeated at 14-0 at the time this was written and hold possibly the 5th overall pick in a trade from San Francisco(4-10).

Lets talk about irony in sports. I am not talking about irony like Sheryl Crow did either. Her type is rain on your wedding day. That isn’t ironic, that is a sign! That means run! Besides, a wise man once said " a man doesn’t realize what true happiness is until he gets married, unfortunately by then it is too late!

Sports irony happens all the time. Sometimes it can be more of poetic justice than irony.

The Motor City/State- It’s ironic in Michigan, the auto capitol of the world, the head football coach of the football team had a last name of Carr, then tried to replace him with a coach named Les Miles! 

 The Cashman- It’s ironic that the New York Yankees, the "Evil Empire", MLB’s richest franchise, has a GM with the last name of Cashman. Brian Cashman is the GM with the highest payroll in all of sports! Cashman has signed players to their highest contracts to come to New York. Although, if the Yankees are such a great organization, why do they have to pay so much more for players than other teams do? In 2007 the Yankees had 5 of the top 10 paid player salaries and had the top three in Giambi, Rodriguez, and Jeter.

The Magic Johnson- It’s ironic that a handsome, successful, charismatic, basketball player with a great rack of chicklets for a smile named "Magic Johnson" would get HIV? It would be like a guy named #### Hertz or a woman named Sharon Cox getting it. Too bad he didn’t cover his "Magic Johnson" before he contracted HIV. He helped raise awareness for the disease, unfortunately he had to have it to do it. I guess the cure for AIDS is money because he has had HIV for 16 years now. OK, so maybe it would be more ironic if this happened to a guy named Jimmy Hatt instead, but someone had to point it out.

New York, New York, Buffalo- It’s ironic that there are three teams in the NFL that represent the state of New York but only one of them actually plays in the state of New York. The two teams bearing the state and or city name of New York play in New Jersey at the Meadowlands and the Buffalo Bills actually play in Buffalo, New York.

Saturday’s Balls- Isn’t it ironic that Peyton Manning is constantly licking his hands to get a better grip on balls but does it before and after each snap. Maybe Jeff Saturday just has something special going on down there.....or those are the balls he is trying to get a better grip on. Maybe that isn’t ironic, just nasty, sorry for that.

College Lighting- In October of 2006 a college football game featuring the Kent State University "Golden Flashes" was temporarily delayed by lightning.

Gruden’s Grudge Match- In 2002 the head coach of the Oakland Raiders John Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay for a ton of draft picks. Owner Al Davis felt the move was great because he felt that Gruden could not win the "Big One". Ironically in his first year as the Bucs head coach he won the Super Bowl against who?....................the Raiders

You have heard it for years.  The Cowboys are America's team.  You may have even heard the Yankees were America's team in baseball.  I wanted to find out what America thinks about this.  One factor I used to determine this is that the team could qualify in its particular sport if they have an equal or greater approval rating than the President of the United States.  According to Pollreporting.com the president's approval rating is right around 30%.

One thing needed to determine this was a lot of input from fans all across America.  I was able to gather over 700 responses to put this list together.  Most sports actually have what would be considered America's team.  Some sports were close but didn't have enough support.  Whether you like it or not America has spoken and here are their teams.

NFL-  Lets start with the most talked about and most obvious team.  In the NFL the Dallas Cowboys wear the crown of being America's team.  It has been said for years but with a 30% vote for, it was confirmed.  Only one other team even registered a number higher than 3% and that was the New England Patriots with 17%. 

MLB-  Here is another team that really was no surprise.  In MLB the New York Yankees were anointed America's team with 33% of the vote.  I thought maybe the Chicago Cubs might have a shot in this category but this one wasn't even close.  The Yankees winning ways have given so many fans a reason to keep watching.  They are a franchise that has been capable of putting together back-to-back Championships in almost every era.

The Yankees like the Cowboys have a love hate relationship with America.  Fans either love them or hate them.  There is always one or the other with these two storied franchises.

Now when you think of other sports they may not be as obvious but they are completely legitimate.  Who do you think of as America's teams in College football and basketball?  What about NHL and NBA?  Upon further review it is the usual suspects.  The teams we always see on nationally televised games because they get the best ratings.

NHL-  Currently the NHL has fallen almost completely off the sports map in most cities.  The NHL has its team though.  That team is none other than the Detroit Red Wings.  The Red Wings received the highest percentage of any team throughout the entire poll.  The Wings garnered 37% of the vote to be crowed America's hockey team.  The Wings were the team of the 90's and were able to put together Three Stanley Cups under "the Captain" Steve Yzerman.  They also play in "HockeyTown" which may help too.

NBA- well in the NBA this was a little bit of a surprise.  It was a huge 50% vote in this lopsided win that there is actually NO America's team in the NBA.  The only team that even registered a double digit number was the Los Angeles Lakers with 27% of the vote.  The Pistons were the only other team to get mentioned with 9% of the vote.  So in the NBA there is actually no team but we know who gets the most ratings when they are on TV.  That is why the NBA needs a Laker/Piston finals in 2008!

College sports the BIG 2-

College Football-   You know America's college football team isn't going to be a team from the Big Ten or the SEC.  You also know it isn't a team from the Pac 10 or the Big 12 right?  It is the team with its own network.  This was a no brainer.  Notre Dame is America's college football team with 37% of the vote.  This wasn't close at all with no other team getting more than Michigan's 9% total.  Notre Dame has every game as a Nationally televised game.  NBC is called the Notre Dame Network, if the games aren't on NBC they are on ABC.

College Basketball- This was somewhat of a surprise to me because I thought this team would be most hated.  That is also why so many of the other America's teams are thought of this way.  Duke Basketball is America's team in a landslide.  No other team even registered more than 5% of the vote.

If you didn't know, now yo know.  America claims a team for almost every sport.  It isn't just the Cowboys either.  Now when you see these teams on TV next time you will know why they are on, because they are America's Teams, Like it or Not!

  It really pains me to do this but I am holding up my end of the bet made with Ohio State fan "the sports intellectual" in which I would write an ode to Ohio State or at least a respectful piece about the program.  So here it is.

  Jim Tressel may be shaping up to be the greatest coach in Ohio State history with another win over Michigan and another shot at the National Championship.  Tressel has taken the Buckeyes to the promise land twice already in his short term as coach.  He has been everything the program wanted in a coach.  He said right in the begining that the fans would be proud of his boys went they played the team from up north, and they have been. Troy Smith should win the Heisman and probably will.  The No. 1 Buckeyes (12-0, 8-0) have their first outright Big Ten title since 1984.

  Apparrently their are signs of class in Columbus as well.  This time I am not talking about the sign that says Ann Arbor 187 miles either.  A video tribute to Schembechler, an Ohio State alum, was shown on the scoreboard before kickoff and the crowd of 105,708 responded with a respectful and loud ovation. "Michigan has lost a coach and patriarch," the public-address announcer read. "The Big Ten has lost a legend and icon. Ohio State has lost an alumnus and friend."  

special thanks to the associated press

  Former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler died at 11:42 Friday morning on the eve of one of the most-anticipated Michigan-Ohio State showdowns. Having a history of heart ailments, Schembechler died a month after a device was implanted to regulate his heartbeat. Ironically with Bo he will always be remembered for his heart.  He showed his heart on Saturdays for many years, the seven-time Big Ten coach of the year compiled a 194-48-5 record at Michigan from 1969-89. Schembechler's record in 26 years of coaching was 234-65-8.  He is also one of the great names in college football history as well as one of the greatest coaches.

  He was a college football icon as well as an icon of the University of Michigan.  He always showed passion towards the football program and for the entire University of Michigan.  Thirteen of Schembechler's Michigan teams either won or shared the Big Ten Championship.  Fifteen of them finished in The Associated Press Top 10, with the 1985 team finishing No. 2.

Bo will always be remembered as a coach who got the most out of his players.  He was the Athletic Director and Schembechler's signature moment as athletic director probably came in March 1989, when basketball coach Bill Frieder accepted a job at Arizona State on the eve of the NCAA tournament.

An angry Schembechler declared, "A Michigan man will coach Michigan, not an Arizona State man." He refused to accept Frieder's 21-day notice and named assistant Steve Fisher as interim coach.

The Wolverines went on to win the national championship by beating Seton Hall 80-79 in overtime.

Bo left his imprint on so much on the university and will be missed.  He always had something to say and loved to talk Michigan football.  He brought back Michigan football and it has never left.  He was an assistant for Woody Hayes at Ohio State before coming to coach the Wolverines and that only fueled the rivalry between the two schools.  Now he rejoins Woody for the biggest game of them all.

Thank you Bo for all you have done for so many.

Bo Schembechler
1929-2006

special thanks to the associated press

It is as big as it gets this week when #2 Michigan travels to Columbus to face #1 Ohio State for the biggest game in college football this year.  This may also be the biggest game of the two schools storied rivalry.  These two teams are seperated by a few mere thousanths of a point in the BCS standings.  The big question also remains, if these two should rematch for the National Championship.

  The only way I see them rematching would be if #3 USC gets beat by #5 Notre Dame.  Notre Dame got thumped at home by Michigan earlier this year, and #4 Florida may not even win their conference title, they still have tough games ahead.  Michigan and Ohio State have dominated with defense all season and are both still undefeated.  A new player emerging in the BCS question is Rutgers.  They too are undefeated and just beat former #3 Louisville.

  Through all the Michigan VS Ohio State games though, this is the biggest.  The last time these two were both unbeaten was 1973.  That game ended in a 10-10 tie leaving both unbeaten and OSU getting the vote to go to the Rose Bowl.  Of the 102 previous meetings between Michigan and Ohio State, just four have come when both teams were undefeated. And just nine have seen both teams ranked in the Top 5.

  This Saturday at 3:30 pm EST we will all find out just how evenly matched these two teams are.  If either team wins in a blow out there is now way they will rematch for the National Championship, if it is close they just might.

  The other winner in all this, Wisconsin?  Would they then be the next team in line for the Rose Bowl?  Not likely.  If the Wolverines and Buckeyes rematch there would not be a Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl.  That hasn't happened since..........well last year

  Michigan won at home versus Central Michigan to start 2-0 and will head into Notre Dame setting up a battle of unbeaten teams.  Michigan as of today (9/9/6) is ranked 10th and Notre Dame 4th.  Both will likely climb slightly in the polls as well.  This is a game between the two winningest programs in the country (mich #1 and ND #2).  Michigan is also the only team to have a winning record against the Fighting Irish.

  The hype machine however has overrated Michigan once again.  Last season the Wolverines were 7-5.  For Michigan that was a horrible season in which almost every game came down to the final play.  They lost more of them than they won though.  As a Michigan fan I see this happen every year.  They start with a high ranking, lose a couple and finish in the top 15.  The entire ranking system is a joke though.  Playoffs would be those most anticipated and exciting thing to happen to college football, and the NCAA is missing out on a lot of money and the fans are missing out on some more great college football.

  I truly believe that the only reason they even have the ranking system is MONEY!  The higher the ranked teams, the better money the get from advertising.  This also gets them more coverage as well.  The hype this game will get won't be what Texas vs. Ohio State and it shouldn't.  But the main thing with these two teams is the longevity of success they have had.

  The game should be a good one though.  Both teams have veteran quarterbacks and teams.  Defense will be dominate and the turnover battle made be the deciding factor.  Notre Dame at home is tough to beat and they are also looking to make it two in a row over Michigan after getting smashed 38-0 two years ago.

  Fan IQ (join here) has a poll set up to see who can predict the outcome of this storied rivalry.  Do you think you know who is going to win, have more yards, and win the turnover battle?  Lets see what you got, click this link (if you are a member) and make all your predictions! GO BLUE!