2013 is upon us, so I thought I would take one last look at the top 10 national sports stories, in my opinion, for 2012:
10. Tiger Woods wins again, but not very often.
9. Peyton Manning released by the Colts; he has a great year with the Broncos.
8. Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Gabby Douglas make the London Olympic Games very special.
7. Lance Armstrong stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles by the US Anti-Doping Agency.
6. Replacement refs in the NFL – How did that work out? They were replaced after Week 3 debacle with Green Bay and Seattle.
5. Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck become the most exciting rookies to play in the NFL in a long, long time.
4. Notre Dame ends college football’s regular season #1, undefeated, and becomes a very relevant football program once again.
3. Lehigh beats Duke in NCAA basketball (enough said). Kentucky wins championship with freshmen and sophomores.
2. College football playoffs in the BCS are approved for 2014. Top four teams will compete. You just know it will expand in the future.
And the #1 story:
- 1. NCAA imposes on Penn State a $60 million fine, a four-year bowl ban, a reduction of scholarships, imposes a five-year probation, and vacates all wins from 1998-2011. Overkill? Joe Paterno dies.
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. On Sunday night in Washington, do you think there was more interest in the “fiscal cliff” or the Washington-Dallas NFL football game?
2. All four Wild Card games this coming weekend look like tossups to me.
3. Having done four high school basketball games before the holiday break, I think this might be a very, very competitive and exciting year. Although, looking back, I think I say that every year.
4. Happy New Year to everyone, but especially to Mike Joseph, John Leone, Tom Stoudt, Scott Barr, and John Bowman! I spend a great deal of time in the booths and at courtside with those guys and thoroughly enjoy their company each time!
5. In 2012, I lost my 97-year-old mother and my 96-year-old father-in-law. There will be a large void in 2013.
NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK
(Last week – 12-4 ) ( 83-49 for the season – 64% )
HOUSTON
GREEN BAY
INDIANAPOLIS
WASHINGTON
