Big dogs and underdogs

The sports year 2002 tossed a bone to everyone

By Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated

Some sports years have something of a pattern to them, but 2002, like the year itself -- which can be read the same backward and forward -- went in all directions. Tiger Woods set the standard. He won the first two majors, didn't really challenge in the next, and then got nosed out by a who's he? in the PGA. Oh well, two out of four ain't bad.

Top 10 Sports Stories 1. Debased Ball -- From steroids to a strike threat, from the All-Star Game fiasco to the lowest-rated World Series ever, baseball has a brutal year Full story 2. Net Gain -- Thanks to growing enthusiasm for MLS and a strong World Cup showing, U.S. soccer's popularity is on the rise Full story 3. Cinderella Stories -- The Patriots, Hurricanes, Nets and Angels are surprise winners in the "big four" sports Full story 4. Skategate -- Ice skating erupts in major scandal at the Salt Lake City Olympics Full story 5. Long on Bonds -- Swing King Barry Bonds shows no signs of slowing down Full story 6. Irish Spring -- Notre Dame football returns to prominence under new coach Tyrone Willingham Full story 7. Joy Ride -- Lance Armstrong wins his fourth consecutive Tour de France Full story 8. L.A. Glory -- The Los Angeles Lakers three-peat as NBA champions Full story 9. Queen of the Court -- Serena Williams wins three tennis majors to dominate her sport and eclipse her big sister Full story 10. Great Scott -- Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman wins a record ninth Stanley Cup and then hangs it up Full story

Then golf -- the politest game, which is usually the most lacking in controversy of all sports -- succeeded baseball and boxing in the turmoil department. That oh-so-messy thing happened, when Hootie Johnson, president of Augusta National Golf Club, made sure the world knew that the Masters' venue would remain an old (all)-boys club. And, wisely, Tiger said he wouldn't tee up on that issue. Meanwhile, over where women are allowed, Annika Sorenstam dominated the LPGA like ... well, like Serena Williams dominated women's tennis. Suddenly, it wasn't the Williams Sisters. It was Serena and her sister.

You like the big dogs? Well, two of the four major sports championships were won by the favorites. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by an absolutely overpowering Shaquille O'Neal, won their third consecutive NBA title, routing the New Jersey Nets. And the Detroit Red Wings brought the Stanley Cup back home again with a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. It was the ninth championship for coach Scotty Bowman, who promptly retired, henceforth to sit on his record laurels.

You like underdogs? The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in the last minute behind a boy-wonder quarterback, and the Anaheim Angels took the World Series -- their first -- in seven games, after after 41 years of trying. Barry Bonds led the San Francisco Giants to the National League pennant with another stupendous MVP season, but remained the most unpopular superstar in sports. Nobody cared enough about Bonds to tune in, and the Series' ratings were abysmal. Oh well, at least there was a Series. Baseball management and labor were finally able to reach a collective bargaining agreement without a strike or a lockout. And the Yankees can no longer sign everybody their little hearts desire.

The Winter Olympics came to Salt Lake City -- the place that had already brought scandal to the so-called "Movement." And once the Games finally opened in Utah, more shenanigans erupted, as charges of a fix roiled the pairs figure skating competition. In the end, a pair of golds were handed out to two figs pairs (Canadian and Russian), a French judge was sent home in shame, a Russian mobster faced accusations of having masterminded the scheme, a whole new set of ridiculous judging procedures were conjured up, and sweet memories of Tonya Harding were reprieved. Meanwhile, in an honest sport, Canada, Mother Hockey, beat the U.S. to win its first hockey gold medal since 1956. As Sergeant Preston of the Yukon used to say: "This case is closed!"

Lance Armstrong showed again he is the best thing to work the mountains since Heidi, winning his fourth straight Tour de France (as well as the Sportsman of the Year award from Sports Illustrated). Pete Sampras, dismissed as a has-been, not only won the U.S. Open, but also beat countryman Andre Agassi in the final. Lennox Lewis whipped Mike Tyson so badly that "Iron" was forever knocked out of the latter's name.

The University of Maryland won its first NCAA basketball championship, beating a Bobby Knight-less Indiana team in the worst exhibition of basketball ever displayed in a tournament final. Luckily, the University of Connecticut's women's team, an undefeated masterpiece, performed a basketball ballet all season long, with Sue Bird at the point. In college football, the University of Miami began 2002 by dismantling Nebraska in the national title game and stayed unbeaten during the fall as it prepares, evidently, to make Ohio State the Nebraska of 2003. Oh yes, whatever happened to Nebraska?

Meanwhile, the world-minus-the-United-States-of-America came to a breathless halt in June, as soccer's World Cup was played in Asia for the first time. As veritably dozens of Americans cheered, the U.S. team made its way to the quarterfinals before losing gamely to Germany. As it turned out, Brazil was the easy winner, while America turned its interest to the baseball All-Star game. That ended in a tie.

In other baseball news: Montreal and Minnesota were not contracted after all.

Sports Illustrated senior contributing writer Frank Deford is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com and appears each Wednesday on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. He is a longtime correspondent for HBO's Real Sports and his new novel, An American Summer (Sourcebooks Trade), is available now at bookstores everywhere.