The Year in brief review

I'm going to keep this short. With a thanks ahead of time to Chuck Dickens...

It was the best of times (talk to the fans of the Cardinals, Steelers, Heat, etc.), it was the worst of times (see Floyd Landis, Duke Lacrosse, the Oakland Raiders), it was the age of wisdom (Jim Leyland), it was the age of foolishness(Dallas Cowboys signing Terrell Owens), it was the epoch of belief (fans of teams everywhere as their teams' seasons began), it was the epoch of incredulity (can't help it, back to the TO thing)...

It's been a busy year in the sports world - Let's handle this in Clint Eastwood fashion...

The Good...
Paul Tagliabue retired as commissioner from the NFL beginning a new era in pro football.
The Detroit Tigers gave fans of any team everywhere reason for hope with their worst-to-first Cinderella story.
The Steelers became the first 6th seed in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl, becoming a Cinderella story of their own.
George Mason making it to the final four.
The New Orleans Saints.

The Bad...
Red Auerbach passed away and the NBA began its first season in its history sans the man with the cigar.
Basketbrawl in Madison Square Garden.
The passing of Kirby Puckett at a young age.
Isaiah Thomas and Matt Millen in charge of professional sports franchises.
Terrell Owens continued need to have the spotlight on himself, even if its for the wrong reasons.
The way in which Joe Paterno's coaching career might end.
The Cincinnati Bengals.

The Ugly...
As mentioned previously, the Duke Lacrosse scandal.
The doping throughout cycling which saw some of cycling's biggest names banned from competing in the Tour de France and the incompetent way in which testing and storing samples continues to be done by international anti-doping authorities, which have now cast doubts on their implication of Floyd Landis, and the way in which the appeals process is being stalled while his career is on hold pending the hearing.
Italian soccer officials implicated in match fixing still being allowed to oversee World Cup matches.
The mess that is the Raiders entire organization.
Same for the Knicks.