KEY POINTS:
Here is how we have chosen to remember the 2007 sports year.
STORY OF THE YEAR
Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer's death during the World Cup in the West Indies. There's never been a sports story quite like this, a serious whodunnit which turned into a did-anyone-do-it when a homicide was re-cast as a bathroom slide. Dodgy cricket forces were initially said to have arranged Woolmer's murder. An inquest has returned an open verdict, although it is generally believed the overweight Englishman died of natural causes. Still, that murder was initially suggested shows how far cricket's credibility has sunk.
OUR SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR
Valerie Vili. She has won every award going and with good reason. It was a year of emotional highs and lows and she proved herself a true champion with a last-throw victory at the world athletic championships in Osaka. Vili is an inspirational figure although there are no wild predictions of a nationwide shot put boom.
WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
Russian pole vaulting genius Yelena Isinbayeva is the common pick, having set her 20th world record and won the world title. One thing is certain, it wasn't Michelle Wie, the precocious golfer who was set for world domination until she starting mixing it with the blokes. It's hard to believe Time magazine once named her among the 100 people shaping the world, quite a rap for someone whose main contribution now is attending university and breaking records for sponsor exemptions into tournaments.
WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
The usual suspects - it's either Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. Woods won "only" one major, plus a load of other tournaments. Then again, he was distracted with the birth of his first child. The Fed won his mandatory three major titles so gets the nod. As for those who want to debate the relative degrees of difficulty in winning golf and tennis majors, no correspondence will be entered into.
SCANDALS OF THE YEAR
A really solid year in this department. Super athlete Marion Jones confessed to being drug-assisted and returned her five gold medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics ... five time grand slam winner and tennis stylist Martina Hingis retired (again) after returning a positive cocaine test ... an American basketball umpire was revealed to have bet on games ... there were all sorts of betting scandal innuendos involving tennis ... former league hero Brent Todd was revealed as a fraudster who stole money intended for sports people less fortunate than himself ... and so on and so forth. This is merely the calm before the storm because 2008 is - drum roll - Olympic year which in terms of scandal will be like 2007 on steroids.
MAN OF THE YEAR ... WAYNE BARNES
Perhaps a shock choice yet the young English rugby referee proved that rugby can foot it with other sports in the controversy game. Barnes may have infuriated with his refereeing of the All Blacks' quarter-final loss to France but there was a distinct and distressing lack of controversy at the rugby World Cup until he piped up, or didn't pipe up in terms of giving the All Blacks penalties. Rugby was in danger of being shaded by soccer, which closed its big event with a head butt last year, and cricket, which turned the lights out early in the West Indies. It's hard to work out if Barnsie's blunders almost bladed Graham Henry's glittering career, or whether he helped save it by giving Henry a decent excuse. Whatever, Barnsie's quarter-final was the biggest story in New Zealand sport this year.
OUR BIGGEST LOSER ... GRAHAM HENRY
His All Black team of (laughter) explosive athletes bombed at the World Cup.
OUR BIGGEST WINNER ... GRAHAM HENRY
Refused to pull the pin and was reappointed as the All Black coach (cheers, Barnsie).
THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES AWARD NO 1
Dan Carter. Captain Underpants was exposed as rather ordinary at the World Cup.
THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES AWARD NO 2
Eddie Jones. The former Aussie coach helped guide the Springboks to a World Cup triumph but South African rugby wouldn't give him a blazer.
FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS AWARD
Robbie Deans. The new Wallaby coach remains as the Crusaders boss, which is some feat.
BEST OPENING SALVO
Rob Waddell fired an early warning across the bow of current world champion Mahe Drysdale in their battle for the Olympic single sculls spot. Waddell, the double world and 2000 Olympic champion, made a brilliant comeback after a seven-year absence to beat the current triple world champion Drysdale on Lake Karapiro. Drysdale had all his ducks in a row leading up to the Beijing Olympics until Waddell put his oar in again. Now rowing has a fascinating row on its hands.
STRANGE BUT TRUE
After failing to qualify for the European championships, English soccer named their new manager as Italian Fabio Capello, whose claim to fame includes being unable to speak English. If Capello says he doesn't read the Pommy tabloids, believe him.
DRUGS
Can be relied upon to supply at least one decent scandal every year. If only there was a magic wand that could make the whole damn topic of drugs in sport vanish. In the absence of that, denial is the best medicine because the subject becomes overwhelming. This year's best drugs story belongs to ... drum roll ... baseball. America's Mitchell inquiry, which investigated the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the major leagues, named a list of drug users as long as a Barry Bonds home run. It's enough to make a baseball fan choke on mom's apple pie.
RISING NEW ZEALAND STAR (LITERALLY)
North Shore pole vaulter Kerry Charlesworth.
OLD STAR
The 71-year-old golf legend Bob Charles, who was way above par with a sub-par NZ Open total. Charles beat and tied his age in rounds during the tournament in Queenstown. New Zealand's other major winner, Michael Campbell, couldn't shoot any rounds below Sir Bob's age and was bundled out before the weekend.
SPEEDING STARS
World champion motocross rider Katherine Prumm, BMX rider Sarah Walker and skater Nicole Begg ... although they probably get more recognition in overseas strongholds than here.
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Indycar series contender Scott Dixon fell to a final race fuel crisis.
FALLEN STARS NO 1
The Kiwi rugby league team. The less said the better after their pathetic efforts against Australia and Britain.
FALLEN STARS NO 2
The Silver Ferns. Lost their world netball crown to Australia in a final they could well have won.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Longtime New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming was relieved of the test leadership, in favour of Daniel Vettori, after calling it quits on his one-day career. Which isn't all bad news for Flem, since retirement can pay handsomely in India. Fleming is heading for the out door as cricket contemplates a revolution involving Twenty20, night tests and even pink balls. The more the game changes, though, the more it stays the same - Australia still win. About the only thing they have lost was the world record for test wickets - the controversial Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan overhauled Shane Warne's record of 708 in2007.
NOT PLAIN SAILING
The America's Cup has descended into mind-numbing legal nonsense. Sometimes you wish the whole shebang would sail off to a desert island and leave the rest of us alone.As for this year's cup racing in Valencia though, Team New Zealand may have lost but it was a decent- and at times an enthralling - regatta. You can't ask for much more than that.
VISITING LEGENDS
New Zealand rolled out the red carpet for David Beckham, whose American club side played against the Wellington Phoenix for a massive fee that Becks would regard as loose change. Golf supremo Jack Nicklaus was also Downunder in March to open a course he had designed near Taupo. The 2007 year had its sporting moments, but they just don't make champions like him any more.
