Most favorite story
Leo High School’s run to the Class A state basketball title. Leo is the alma mater, true, but what makes the resilient little school special is its mission: providing an opportunity for inner-city kids who can use a hand.
Best event I covered
Greg Maddux’s 300th victory. A crowning achievement for an unfailingly classy pro. Maddux may well be the major leagues’ last 300-game winner, which underscores his one-of-a-kind stature.
Best road trip
I took a break from sports last spring and traveled to Ireland, the ancestral homeland, for the first time. Beautiful scenery, warm, engaging people, tasty Guinness . . . wonderful trip.
Worst road trip
Not many people complain about being in San Francisco, but it was truly painful to watch the 49ers’ 42-27 loss to Seattle at Candlestick . . . er, 3Com . . . er, Monster Park on Nov. 7. The sorry performance illustrated how far the woeful 49ers have fallen. One of the NFL’s glamor franchises is now its most inept.
Favorite player to interview
Aaron Rodgers, University of California quarterback. Small-town kid has become a big-time player, but it hasn’t gone to his head. He’s enjoying every moment of the college experience and hasn’t forgotten that playing sports is supposed to be fun.
Funniest quote I heard
“Take a knee!” a well-lubricated fan in Section 422 wailed as rookie quarterback Craig Krenzel led the Bears out for the second half of their 41-10 loss to the Colts.
Play of the year
Twins center fielder Torri Hunter scored from second on a single by crushing White Sox catcher Jamie Burke in a home-plate collision in the eighth inning of a July 26 game at U.S. Cellular Field. The Twins won 6-2, stretched their AL Central lead to 2 1/2 games and never looked back. The play was hard-nosed, border-line dirty and symbolic of the way the two teams played the game.
Most telling moment I saw off the field
Minutes after his Come to Jesus meeting with the Cubs’ hierarchy in late September, Steve Stone walked into the media dining room at Wrigley Field and told a group of reporters, “I regret nothing.” The statement turned out to be a succinct farewell, as the animosity between the popular broadcaster and the petulant team he covered evidently ran much deeper than most people realized, including his audience.
I covered a lot of games this year, but I wish I had seen
The Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Pitcher Dennis Eckerlsey and broadcaster Lon Simmons are two of the best ever. I very much enjoyed watching one and listening to the other.
Second-guessing myself
Two days after Notre Dame’s third straight 31-point drubbing by Southern California, a colleague who is also a Notre Dame grad asked me if the Irish would fire coach Tyrone Willingham. “Nah,” I replied, all smug self-assurance. “They’ve never fired a coach with time left on his first contract.” Shows what I know. There were other problems, but USC’s utter dominance is what the shot-calling faction at Notre Dame found unacceptable.
To-do list
Maybe try to get a better handle on soccer. The beauty of the beautiful game thus far escapes me.
Story line to watch in 2005
Can Dusty Baker recapture the magic?
