Another roller-coaster year had its share of glory, scandal and confusion.
By BRUCE LOWITT
Published December 31, 2003
Sport is a never-ending roller-coaster. The climbs are exhilarating; ask any Bucs fan about January. The descents are devastating; ask any Cubs or Red Sox fan about October - and most of the 20th century.
All too often, reality - violence, scandal, death - intrudes on our fun and games. As with every year, 2003 had us cheering, smiling, weeping or shaking our heads in disbelief.
PRO FOOTBALL
PROVERBS 16:18: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." Or, in this case, autumn. Jon Gruden, in his first season coaching the Bucs, guided them through the playoffs to their first Lombardi Trophy, beating his former Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII. "We have a dynasty," defensive end Simeon Rice said six days later. "I'm going to say it early; I think we've got a dynasty." Then came this season - hubris, penalties, Keyshawn Johnson's deactivation, injuries, interceptions, penalties, Rich McKay's resignation, dreadful special-teams play, penalties, fourth-quarter defensive collapses, futile rallies and penalties.
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING: Coach Bill Callahan called his Raiders "the dumbest team in America." The dumbest comments belonged to Rush Limbaugh, who said on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown that quarterback Donovan McNabb is overrated because "the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." Three days into the ensuing firestorm, Limbaugh quit before he was fired. Bill Parcells' Cowboys made the playoffs. Steve Spurrier's Redskins didn't and he and his Fun 'n' Gun were gone. Emmitt Smith went from King of the Cowboys to just another Card. The Storm won an Arena League-record fifth title.
BASEBALL
GIVE THE GUYS A HAND: Cubs fan Steve Bartman and Red Sox manager Grady Little became the latest faces representing decades of their teams' frustration. Bartman was one among many reaching for a foul ball but the one unlucky enough to touch it. Little might have been better off pulling pitcher Pedro Martinez instead of listening to his sales pitch. The Cubs and Red Sox each were within five outs of reaching the World Series before Bartman and Little had a hand, so to speak, in their failure to do so. Martinez already was demonized for throwing Yankees coach Don Zimmer to the ground.
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING: Oh, yeah, the Yankees lost their second World Series in three years. The Marlins won their second, period. Sammy Sosa's corked bat split and baseball did spit about it. Barry Bonds won his sixth NL MVP award. The Devil Rays finished last again but with a new manager, Lou Piniella (who dyed his hair blond after - wow! - a three-game win streak) and hot seasons from Aubrey Huff and rookie Rocco Baldelli. Roger Clemens, 300-game winner, retired (uh, maybe). The biggest - well, longest - name in baseball was under investigation: tetrahydrogestrinone, a synthetic "designer" steroid commonly called THG.
BASKETBALL
IMAGE IS EVERYTHING: Whether he liked it or not, Kobe Bryant was a role model - clean cut, talented, smart, responsible, a champion with untold wealth. Then a 19-year-old woman employed by a Colorado resort accused the Lakers superstar of rape. Bryant said the sex was consensual. He was charged with felony sexual assault.
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING: Speaking of image, Baylor coach Dave Bliss quit after trying to cover up alleged NCAA violations by telling assistant coaches and players to lie and say slain player Patrick Dennehy had been dealing drugs; teammate Carlton Dotson was charged with his murder. Iowa State's Larry Eustachy resigned after being caught partying with coeds. Georgia's Jim Harrick was forced out amid accusations of improper payments to players and academic fraud. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim finally won an NCAA title. UConn repeated as women's champion. San Antonio won the NBA title. Cleveland picked high school star LeBron James No.1 in the draft; he immediately signed a $90-million deal with Nike.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
DO WE REALLY NEED THE "C"?: The BCS system worked on Jan.3 when college football's top two teams played for the national championship. No.2 Ohio State beat Miami in overtime following a questionable penalty. This season, more controversy, maybe a split championship. Southern Cal, No.1 in both polls, was shut out of the Sugar Bowl, where No.2 LSU and No.3 Oklahoma will play for the title. USC and Michigan are Rose Bowl-bound.
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING: Speaking of image (again), OSU suspended Maurice Clarett, this year's early Heisman favorite, for breaking NCAA rules. Washington fired coach Rick Neuheisel, who gambled on NCAA men's basketball tournaments. Alabama fired Mike Price (before he coached a game) because he partied too hard. USF, in its first season in C-USA, announced it will move to the Big East in 2005. Its replacement: UCF. Miami left the Big East for the ACC in 2004. Mississippi State made Sylvester Croom the SEC's first black head coach. FSU's Bobby Bowden became the winningest Division I-A coach.
AUTO RACING
FREE NIGHT AND WEEKEND MILES: Nextel Cup doesn't have the same ring to it as Winston Cup, but NASCAR and tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds parted ways after 33 years. The cellular phone company now is NASCAR's signature sponsor.
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING: Anger became its signature emotion, drivers going after each other on and off the track. Matt Kenseth won the Winston Cup points title. Ryan Newman, with eight wins to Kenseth's one, was voted Driver of the Year by media and fans. Paul Tracy won the first Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and his first CART driving title.
ONE OF THE GUYS: Annika Sorenstam became the first woman since Babe Didriksen 58 years ago to play a PGA Tour event, the Colonial. Her two rounds - she was under enormous scrutiny and pressure and failed to make the cut - attracted as much attention as any major. Later, Sorenstam completed her career Grand Slam, winning the Women's British Open, and was LPGA Player of the Year.
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING: Vijay Singh was the leading money winner, but Tiger Woods still was named PGA Tour Player of the Year for the fifth year in a row despite failing to win the money title or a major for the first year since 1998. A protest at the Masters, demanding that Augusta National allow women to join the club, was pretty much ignored. For the first time since 1969 all majors were won by first-timers: Mike Weir (Masters), Jim Furyk (U.S. Open), Ben Curtis (British Open) and Shaun Micheel (PGA).
HOCKEY
STANLEY, YOU LOOK FAMILIAR: The New Jersey Devils beat Anaheim to win their third Stanley Cup in nine years. En route, they eliminated the Lightning, which beat Washington for the Southeast Division title and again in the playoffs' first round.
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING: The NHL's first outdoor game, in sub-zero temperatures in Edmonton, drew a record 57,167. Brett Hull moved into third place behind Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe in all-time scoring.
HORSE RACING
NOT SO FUNNY AFTER ALL: Funny Cide, bought for $75,000 by a group of friends from New York, was third in the Belmont Stakes, the fifth horse in six years to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, then lose the final leg of the Triple Crown.But the best horse racing story of the year: Seabiscuit at the movies.
TENNIS
HOW GRAND SHE IS: Serena Williams beat elder sister Venus to win the Australian Open, her fourth straight major championship. She is the sixth woman to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time and the first since Steffi Graf in 1994. Later, Serena won her second successive Wimbledon (yes, she beat Venus again).
CYCLING
PUT THE PEDAL TO THE, UHH: Four times, Lance Armstrong had won the Tour de France by at least six minutes. This time he struggled until the finale of the 23-day, 2,125-mile race, finishing 61 seconds ahead of five-time runner-up Jan Ullrich. It was Armstrong's fifth consecutive triumph. Only Spain's Miguel Indurain has done it too.
SOCCER
NOT ALIVE, NOT KICKING: The Women's World Cup was moved to the United States from China due to SARS. Five days before the tournament, the WUSA shut down because of plunging attendance and TV ratings. Then the U.S. defending women's World Cup champion team was shut out by eventual champion Germany in the semis.
