GoodBye 2004, Bests and Worsts

So 2004, like a bag of crisps that have been resolutely consumed all the way down to the shaking out of the final crumbs into the palm, will now need to be washed down with a few pints and then, digested once and for all. In the interim, Sports Amnesia brings you the abbreviated but not annotated Bests and Worsts of 2004.

Best Sport: Between the Red Sox ending an 86 year old losing streak for the World Championship of Baseball, Greece becoming the Shocking Upset winners of the Euro 2004 in football, American football's Super Exciting Super Bowl 38 decided in the final four seconds, and the NBA Celebrating the Season of Giving by giving itself a black eye, it was hard to make a final decision as to the Best Sport of 2004.

But the deciding factor was the ongoing strike which has allowed me to enjoy almost seven consecutive NHL Hockey-less months whilst players and owners play a game well familiar to baseball fans only without the interest. Strike? What strike? I almost forgot the NHL ever existed which makes hockey the 2004 Sport of the Year.

Best Athlete: I have to admit, I don't give a fig about comparing Barry Bonds' stats, on or off steroids, with the exploits of men who excel at playing sports with their feet, or debating who is the best QB. The best athlete is never going to be a male at Sports Amnesia. We like watching great athletes in motion but watching hot athletes in motion is much more entertaining.

Yes, we know Heather Mitts won ESPN's hottest female athlete already but that was based upon their own criteria and whilst we have no qualms with the selection, Sports Amnesia's Best Athlete of the Year is:

Julia Teachout whose Hydroxycutting made her go from bad to losing 63 pounds and becoming hot in no time flat. In a year overrun with steroids stories, this is a warm one, even if it is two years old. Besides, no matter how many steroid creams Barry Bonds rubs into his flesh, he will not look like that.

Best Sports Moment 2004: If I were a Red Sox fan, I would obviously have to pick the final out of the 2004 World Series. But not being a Red Sox fan, I'm not beholden to having to pick the clichés. The best sports moment of 2004 was the release of the SI Swimsuit Collection.

Running a very close second and related to the first, was one of the swimsuit covergirl runnersup, Petra Nemcova and her gripping survival of the Asian tsunami. Well done.

Best Sports Quote 2004: There were some tough choices. Obviously, one of the first that came to mind was Pedro's infamous:

"I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy. I can't find a way to beat them
at this point. ... "

But actually, there was a dead-heat for the top quote and both of them came out of the Athens Olympic Games. Runner up was:

"All these people who crucify me on TV are the same people who wanted to be photographed with me after every success. But after crucifixion comes resurrection", uttered by Greek sprinter Costas Kenteris before withdrawing from the Games over a missed drugs test.

And the winner is:

"My victory has proved that athletes with yellow skin can run as fast as those with black and white skin", by China's Liu Xiang after winning the men's 110 metres hurdles in a world record-equalling time of 12.91 seconds.

Best Impression of a Coach Who Really Isn't: Goes to Rick Majerus for quitting his job as head coach of the USC basketball team just three days after agreeing to be their coach.

Best Impression of an Athlete Who Really Isn't: Goes to Ricky Williams for retiring from the Dolphins just 27 days before they opened training camp.

Best Impression of a Female Athlete By A Male Athlete: David Beckham, for making the Female Soccer Galleries.

Best Brawl: Say what you will about the NBA Players versus Fans brawl, but the brawl in the Copa Libertadores when players and officials from both Sao Caetano and America took part in a pitched battle after a 1-1 draw at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City.

Dozens of fans invaded the pitch and Sao Caetano players were forced to make a mad rush for the changing room in an incident Brazilian media said could have ended in tragedy.

*****

Worst Sports Moment 2004: For 17 days, the 2004 Olympics stood the term "boring" on it's head. This barely surpassed David Beckham's horrific penalty shot which not only missed by miles but sent England home from Euro 2004.
Worst Security to Athlete Ratio for a Sporting Event: goes to the 2004 Olympics which saw police outnumber athletes 7-1.

Perhaps they should just hold the Security Olympics and let the athletes stand guard.

Worst Sports Quote 2004: American beach volleyball player Misty May, who after scattering her dead mother's ashes on the volleyball court after winning the gold medal, said:

"Everybody else's family is here, why couldn't I bring my family?"