5) The Three-Year Wait
It lacked a curse, a few miracles and a bloody sock, not to mention that it happened 83 years early. Still, the Red Sox' championship run did bear some resemblance to their historic 2004 triumph. There was a come-from-behind rally in the A.L. Championship Series (not from 3-0 against the hated Yankees, but from 3-1 down to the Indians) and then a sweep of the outgunned N.L. champs. The Colorado Rockies may not have been Boston's equal in the World Series, but their late-season run—21 wins in 22 games to barely make the playoffs—was a remarkable display of resolve under pressure.

4) Nice Guy Finishes First
A succession of playoff losses had called into question his ability to win the big game. And far worse, he had endured a family tragedy, the suicide of his teenage son. Through it all, Indianapolis Coltscoach Tony Dungy remained an exemplar, a model of class, decency and abiding faith on the NFL sidelines. And last season he got his football reward. Behind quarterback Peyton Manning, who had some of that same big-game rap, and a surprisingly stiff defense, Indy won Super Bowl XLI 29-17 over the offensively challenged Chicago Bears. It was a Super Bowl of historic firsts, one that may do more for black coaches in the NFL than any commissioner's mandate; it was the first victory for an African-American coach as well as the first time two African-American coaches had met in the big game. But Dungy is the first to admit that the biggest win of his career came two weeks earlier, when the Colts came from behind to beat their nemeses, the New England Patriots, in a 38-34 thriller for the AFC championship.

3) Double, Double, Double
When the University of Florida met Ohio State for both the college football and basketball championships, it was the first time that teams from the same schools had played each other for both in the same year. Everything came up Gators. On the football field speedy Florida ran circles around the undefeated and heavily favored Buckeyes in a 41-14 rout that wasn't as close as the score indicated. On the basketball court a brainy, veteran Florida team swamped superfrosh center Greg Oden and Ohio State 84-75. Florida became the first team ever to hold both titles at the same time. The basketball team won the first back-to-back championships since 1992, and the Gators were the first team ever to repeat with the same starting five.

2) A Dickens Tale
When old Charley wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," he may have had Barry Bonds's year in mind. The controversial 43-year-old slugger finally passed Hank Aaron as baseball's all-time home run king. Though the hometown fans cheered, it was hardly a glorious coronation. Few baseball fans outside San Francisco celebrated the record, convinced that Bonds had made extensive use of performance-enhancing drugs—steroids, HGH, and more—to make his mark. Bonds ended his season slumping and injured—and the Giants, after 15 years, cut him adrift. A month later the feds pounced, indicting him for perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation of the BALCO lab, of which Bonds was a client. Bonds hopes to play again next season, but with the legal problems he faces—including the likelihood of prison time if he is convicted—and the baggage he carries, his career may be over.

1) Executioner's Song
It may not have been the biggest game of the year, but it was the perfect reminder of why we love the games. Underdog Boise State finally gets a shot at the BCS big-time, against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. They blow an 18-point lead, then rally for an overtime victory on a succession of perfectly executed trick plays. First, trailing by a touchdown in the game's finals seconds, Boise scores from 50 yards out on a fourth-and-18 hook-and-ladder play. Then, after Oklahoma goes up seven in overtime, Boise's season again comes down to fourth down—and again they score, this time on a halfback option pass. Then, for the perfect capper, coach Chris Peterson eschews the tie, going for the win with a two-point conversion. On a Statue of Liberty play that bamboozled the Sooners' defense, Boise tailback Ian Johnson waltzed into the end zone—and then proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend. I don't know about you, but I felt proud to be a sports fan.

© 2007