Ever wonder how those Important-stories-of-the-year pieces are pulled together every year? Sometimes editors simply vote. For instance, AP has asked me to pick the top athletes and top sports stories of the year. (Please disregard their bad judgment for choosing me.) Here are APs suggestions. Want to help me vote?
Athlete of the Year -- Male:
Michael Phelps, Eli Manning, Kobe Bryant, Padraig Harrington, Lewis Hamilton, Jimmie Johnson, Rafael Nadal, Usain Bolt, Francisco Rodriguez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bode Miller
Female:
Dara Torres, Stephanie Rice, Lorena Ochoa, Nastia Liukin, Danica Patrick, Jelena Jankovic, Venus & Serena Williams, Candace Parker, Shawn Johnson, Yelena Isinbayeva, Lindsey Vonn
* Giants stun Patriots, ruin New England's perfect season, with Super Bowl win
* Chinese keep first women's gymnastics gold after being cleared of underage athletes charge
* Brett Favre retires, unretires, forces trade to Jets; then leads New York resurgence
* Boston Celtics complete NBA's biggest one-season turnaround by beating Lakers for title
* US men's basketball wins Olympic gold medal for first major title in eight years
* Tiger Woods has knee surgery following US Open win, can't practice until 2009
* Ireland's Padraig Harrington wins the British Open and PGA Championship
* Tom Brady injured in opening game, leaving NFL without one of its biggest stars
* After 46-hour rain delay, Phillies beat Rays in five games to capture World Series
* Swimmer Michael Phelps wins eight gold medals at Beijing Games, setting new medal mark
* Americans snap Ryder Cup drought, beating Europe for the first time since 1999
* Jimmie Johnson wins third NASCAR title, tying mark set by Cale Yarborough
* Sprinter Usain Bolt wins three golds, sets three world marks in Olympic track and field
* Cyclist Lance Armstrong says he will come back to racing in 2009
* Twice-beaten LSU thumps Ohio State to win college football's national championship
* Economy: Downturn hits baseball attendance, NASCAR sponsorships, LPGA Tour, among others
* Lady Vols win Tennessee's second straight women's basketball title, routing Stanford
* Big Brown wins two legs of Triple Crown but pulls up at Belmont; steroid use causes stir
* Underachieveing Spain beats Germany in Euro 2008 final; first title for Spanish since 1964
* At 23, Briton Lewis Hamilton becomes youngest and only black F1 champion
* Rafael Nadal upsets Roger Federer at Wimbledon, ends Federer's record stay at No. 1
* Danica Patrick becomes first woman to win a major open wheel race, the Indy Japan 300
* Kansas defeats Memphis in a classic NCAA men's basketball final
* As young stars emerge around the NHL, Detroit beats Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup
* Hall of Fame lineman and longtime NFL players union chief Gene Upshaw dies
* Baseball owner George Steinbrenner officially gives up control of the New York Yankees
* After congressional hearing on Mitchell Report, feds investigate whether Clemens lied about steroids
* Champ Car World Series merges with Indy Racing League, unifying American open-wheel racing