1. Bears trade for Jay Cutler, still disappoint; Colts begin season 14-0
There were two distinct peaks in Chicago Bears football in 2009 -- April 2 and Sept. 20.
The first was the day Bears general manager Jerry Angelo shocked a city getting ready for baseball season with arguably one of the gutsiest trades in franchise history, landing quarterback Jay Cutler from Denver in exchange for Kyle Orton and three draft picks, including two first-round selections.
A franchise with a rich history of defense and running backs, the Bears had a patchwork assortment of signal-callers for the past two decades, and with the addition of the strong-armed, yardage-eating Cutler, excitement surged.
Cutler had a four-interception regular-season debut, but on Sept. 20 he showed he was worth the hassle and the trade when he led a comeback win over the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers that made Chicago 3-1.
From then on, however, Cutler's season continually worsened. He leads the league in interceptions with two games to go, and the Bears -- decimated by injuries to players such as all-world linebacker Brian Urlacher -- are 5-9, out of the playoff race and wondering what they can do now that they've lost their first two draft picks for 2010.
However, fans in Northwest Indiana didn't have to look far for a bandwagon. The Colts, despite losing head coach Tony Dungy, future Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison and missing multiple defenders for extended periods due to injury, entered the final Sunday of 2009 with a perfect regular-season record. At 14-0, Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai and company outlasted T.F. South grad Pierre Thomas, Purdue product Drew Brees and the Saints, who won their first 13 games, for best start in the league.
Since meeting in the Super Bowl in February 2007 in Miami, the Bears and Colts have traveled completely different paths, with the Colts thinking return flight as the championship contest returns to south Florida this February.
-- Paul Trembacki
2. Mark Buehrle throws perfect game, but Sox, Cubs miss playoffs
When East Chicago mixed martial artist Miguel Torres threw out the ceremonial first pitch of a July 23 day game between the White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, he had no clue he was setting the stage for a perfect game.
Mark Buehrle was the next man to take the mound, and he went on to retire all 27 batters he faced for the second perfect game in White Sox history and 18th all-time in the majors.
By the sixth or seventh inning, fans began to look up from their summer afternoon habits and take notice.
The final inning had everyone on their seats, and when Tampa Bay's Gabe Kapler hit a bomb to deep center that defensive replacement Dewayne Wise miraculously snatched from a foot above the home run line, jaws dropped and people realized they were in the midst of something truly special.
Having thrown a no-hitter on April 18, 2007, against the Rangers, Buehrle became just the sixth player to throw both a perfecto and at least one other no-no.
That same day, the Sox moved into sole possession of first place in the AL Central.
Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for Buehrle and the rest of Chicago baseball for 2009. The year after making the playoffs in the same season for the first time in 102 years, both of the city's teams were in an all-too-familiar position as October approached -- out of contention. Buehrle struggled in the wake of the whirlwind exposure from the perfect game, and the Cubs wished they had never signed Kevin Gregg to close out wins -- for the other teams.
As the year drew to a close, both teams made moves to rid themselves of some of the baggage they felt contributed to their 2009 demises. The White Sox let light-hitting Jermaine Dye and Brian Anderson go via free agency while trading disappointing infielders Josh Fields and Chris Getz to Kansas City for Mark Teahen. The Cubs, meanwhile, traded clubhouse cancer Milton Bradley to Seattle and let Gregg, Rich Harden and Reed Johnson become free agents.
-- Paul Trembacki
3. Chicago loses in its quest to host the 2016 Olympics
Ouch! That hurt.
Thousands of people standing elbow to elbow in Daley Plaza on Oct. 2 got a collective kick to their psyche as the word from Copenhagen was delivered over dozens of well-positioned loud speakers and huge TV screens.
"The city of Chicago, having obtained the least number of votes, will not participate in the next round," IOC President Jacques Rogge announced.
To paraphrase the famous Soup Nazi from "Seinfeld" -- No 2016 Summer Olympics for us.
Chicago had been considered the favorite by its political leaders over Tokyo, Madrid and eventual winner Rio de Janeiro.
But our "Dream Team" of President Barack Obama, wife Michelle, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley failed -- not to mention the United States has few fans in the IOC.
Chicago can consider itself lucky, actually.
Japan, Spain and South America would pay for their cities to host the Olympics. The United States, however, does not financially support its host cities, so Chicago would've been on its own in that regard.
And with Illinois being billions in debt, fighting high unemployment and having a poor infrastructure, Chicago seemed a high risk to pull it off successfully.
-- Al Hamnik
4. Charlie Weis fired by Notre Dame; no Division I Indiana teams in bowls
After five seasons of mediocre football and alienating both media and a national fan base, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was shown the door to the cheers of many.
Weis was 35-27 and 1-14 against ranked teams, making it easy for school officials to eat the $18 million remaining on his 10-year contract and then hire Brian Kelly from Cincinnati as his replacement.
Arrogant, brash and a control freak, Weis did have his revenge by convincing quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate -- Notre Dame's top offensive players -- to forgo their senior years and opt for the NFL draft, telling both they're ready for that next level.
This past season, the Irish started 6-2, went 0-for-November, and finished 6-6. They chose not to play in a postseason bowl and weren't alone among the other true Indiana D-I football programs.
Purdue (5-7), Indiana (4-8) and Ball State (2-10) also will be home for the holidays.
-- Al Hamnik
5. Brett Favre signs with Minnesota, has success
Brett Favre's second venture into retirement lasted all of three weeks. The man whose waffling has become nearly as famous as his cannon right arm and Wrangler jeans commercials called it quits after an inauspicious finish to his one season with the New York Jets, only to have the fire rekindled by Minnesota. Unsure of going into the season with either Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson as their quarterback, the Vikings signed the graying 39-year old gunslinger to a two-year, $25 million deal. So far, the gamble has paid off big time for Minnesota. Favre has stayed healthy and has guided the Vikings to an 11-3 record, including two wins over Green Bay, his former team, with 3,565 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. Recently, there has been some tension between Favre and coach Brad Childress over control of the offense, but it's nothing that will keep Minnesota from the playoffs, where they will likely be the No. 2 seed in the NFC. -- Jim Peters
6. Blackhawks play in Winter Classic, reach postseason
The Blackhawks' season of resurrection in the NHL started with their first-ever fan fest in July and continued as the league announced that the team would play then-defending Stanley Cup Champion and division rival Detroit in a game at Wrigley Field.
The "2009 Winter Classic", held Jan. 1, served as the first outdoor game orchestrated by the NHL to involve Original Six teams and was played with both teams in throwback uniforms. Though the Hawks took a 3-1 lead in the first period, the Red Wings scored five unanswered goals, before Duncan Keith connected on a power play with 10 seconds remaining in the 6-4 Blackhawks loss.
With a new coach put in place in mid-October, Joel Quenneville -- relieving Denis Savard -- guided the Hawks to second place in their division and their first playoff appearance since 2002. Despite a second-round loss to Detroit in five games, the Hawks led the league in attendance, averaging 22,247 fans during the year, well ahead of the 16,814 averaged in 2008.
In the offseason, the Hawks added Marian Hossa and extended the contracts of young forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, setting up a 2009-10 season which opened with the team leading the Western Conference as of today. -- Hillary Smith
7. Tiger Woods wins FedEx Cup again before major personal issues
Could this year possibly end on a worse note for the superstar who was voted Athlete of the Decade by members of The Associated Press?
In the past month, Tiger Woods went from being the world's greatest golfer, perhaps its most dominant and popular athlete in any sport, to a punch line about infidelity and scandal.
After Woods crashed his SUV outside his home on Nov. 27, the floodgates opened. Rumors swirled that a domestic dispute between Woods and his wife, Elin Nordegren, caused the accident. Then, woman after woman after woman -- the unofficial and seemingly ever-growing count is in double figures now -- stepped forward with tales of love affairs with Woods.
All this led to Woods announcing on his Web site that he will take an indefinite leave from golf in an attempt to repair his personal life.
Woods' transgressions as a man have recently overshadowed his triumphs as a sports icon. Before he became the face of every tabloid magazine in the U.S., he returned from knee surgery to win another FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus.
No one knows how this developing story will end for the PGA Tour's 2009 player of the year, but one thing is for sure: Nobody will view Woods the same way again.
-- Nate Ulrich
8. Yankees win World Series despite A-Rod scandal
Capitalism: A Bronx Tale. In a slumping economy, the New York Yankees again raised the price on a World Series championship.
With a palatial new $1.5 billion stadium and a $226 million payroll that included high-priced free agent pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett as well as first baseman Mark Teixeira, New York won its 27th World Series championship and first since 2000 to end the first season at new Yankee Stadium.
The road to the championship wasn't without snags. During spring training superstar third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the game's highest-paid player, admitted he used banned substances from 2001-03 while playing for the Texas Rangers.
He then sustained a hip injury that cost him all of April and the beginning of May. However, he came back to find his usual power stroke and continue a pace that could land him atop baseball's all-time home run list by the end of his career.
A collection of veterans such as closer Mariano Rivera and World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and "The Captain" Derek Jeter led the Yankees to the AL East title and a six-game series win over the defending champion Phillies.
-- Paul Trembacki
9. Steelers edge Cardinals in Super Bowl thriller
Pittsburgh wide receiver Santonio Holmes' last-minute touchdown catch helped the Steelers rally for a 27-23 win over Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII. With the victory, Pittsburgh became the first National Football League team to win six Super Bowls. The win overshadowed the performance of Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.
Starting in his third Super Bowl, Warner passed for 377 yards and three touchdowns. His yardage total was the second highest in Super Bowl history. Warner has the mark with 414 yards for St. Louis in a 23-16 win over Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV. The game also featured a record 100-yard interception return by Pittsburgh's James Harrison at the end of the first half.
-- Jim Hunsley
10. Michael Vick returns to the NFL
Like it or not, Michael Vick received a second chance.
The former No. 1 draft pick and highest paid player in professional football served his time in federal prison after he was convicted in August 2007 of conspiracy and running a dogfighting operation. This past August, he signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing him to play football for the first time since 2006.
This season, Vick has proved to be far less dominant than he was before his career with the Atlanta Falcons crumbled. He's received limited playing time as a backup quarterback to Eagles starter and Mt. Carmel grad Donovan McNabb. But in Weeks 13 and 14, Vick ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, leaving many fans to wonder how close Vick could be to regaining some semblance of his former superstar ability.
Still, regardless of how effective his comeback ultimately proves to be on the field, Vick's return to the NFL will continue to be a polarizing issue for years to come.
-- Nate Ulrich
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Jimmie Johnson wins fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup title
Kobe Bryant, Lakers win NBA title without Shaquille O'Neal
Plaxico Burress, Steve McNair headline bizarre offseason for NFL
Bulls force Game 7 against Celtics in thrilling series
Pat Summitt wins 1,000th game at Tennessee
Tom Watson, at age 59, almost wins British Open
Helio Castroneves avoids jail, wins third Indianapolis 500
Florida football team wins another NCAA title
North Carolina men's basketball squad wins NCAA championship
