2008: A Look Back

Before I begin my look back at the year now ending,I want to wish everybody a happy,healthy,and prosperous New Year. God bless you.

Here are my picks for the biggest stories of 2008 in different categories:

Biggest news stories:

1.Barack Obama's historic election as the first African American President of the United States.
2. Republican Presidential nominee John McCain picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Governor Palin is only the second woman to be the Vice Presidential nominee of a major political party, after Democrat Geraldine Ferraro,who ran with Walter Mondale in 1984. Governor Palin has been mentioned as a possible Presidential candidate in 2012.
3. The financial disarray in the credit,financial, and housing markets.
4. Bailouts of Wall Street and the U.S. auto industry.
5.Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich faces possible impeachment and prosecution for allegedly trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Obama.
6.Pain at the gas pump though gas prices fell significantly by year's end .
7. The U.S. and the industrialized world enter recession.
8.Terrorist attacks in Mumbai,India.
9.Hurricane Ike affects Gulf coast.


Biggest sports stories:

1.Michael Phelps wins a record number of gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
2.Jimmie Johnson wins his third consecutive Sprint Cup championship in NASCAR.
3.Tyler Hansbrough becomes the all-time leading men's basketball scorer at the University of North Carolina.
4.Tony Stewart leaves Joe Gibbs Racing to start his own team,Stewart/Haas Racing. Stewart names Ryan Newman as his Sprint Cup teammate.
5.Phillip Fulmer is fired as head football coach at the University of Tennessee after the Volunteers have a losing football season. Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin is hired to replace Fulmer.

People to whom we said goodbye :

Some prominent obituaries of 2008

Charlton Heston,Cyd Charisse,Eartha Kitt, Van Johnson,Beverly Garland,Harvey Korman,
Jesse Helms,Paul Weyrich,Tim Russert,Paul Newman,Richard Widmark,Michael Crichton,Estelle Getty,Dody Goodman,Isaac Hayes,Jerry Reed,Dick Martin,Roy Schieder,Bo Diddley,Suzanne Pleshette .

Sports Notes

NASCAR

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on winning his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. I do not get ESPN Classic so I missed the banquet but I read about some of the highlights. Previous three-peat champion Cale Yarborough was at the banquet and stood with Johnson. Judging by what I've read,it seems the entertainment was better this year though emcee Kevin Costner's apparent lack of knowledge of NASCAR was evident when he called Dale Earnhardt Sr "The Terminator",when of course the driver of the black #3 car was known as "The Intimidator". I hope NASCAR hires a bonafide,genuine NASCAR fan to host next year's award show. NBC newsman Brian Williams would be an excellent choice in my opinion as he is a true NASCAR fan and has a lot of charisma and down to earth charm.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Welcome Lane Kiffin as the new head football coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Kiffin comes from the NFL,having coached the Oakland Raiders. If the name Kiffin rings a bell, it should. Lane Kiffin is the son of Monte Kiffin,who coached college football at North Carolina State and has been defensive coordinator with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 1996. Monte Kiffin will assist his son as defensive coordinator at Tennessee. Bring on the 2009 season. Go Vols!!!!

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Congratulations to Tyler Hansbrough for becoming the all-time leading men's basketball scorer at the University of North Carolina. Previous record-holder Phil Ford was on hand and gave Hansbrough a congratulatory hug after Hansbrough topped Ford's record in a game December 18th in which the Tarheels defeated Evansville 91-73.

A Very Merry Christmas!!!!

Sorry that I've been absent from my blog for awhile. I've had a lot on my mind. Also,the holidays are an extremely busy time and I've been enjoying the Christmas season. I love this time of year,the decorations,the lights,the music,being with family and friends. I hope that your Christmas season is as merry for you as it's been for me. Also, I am very happy this Christmas because I have bought a rare Christmas music album from my childhood that I thought was gone forever. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, W.T. Grant Department Stores,a forerunner to such chains as Target and Wal-Mart,sold a record album they issued annually titled, "A Very Merry Christmas". Volume 3 is the edition I remember so well as a child. It has so many beautiful songs. We had a copy when it was originally issued but I guess it either got lost,broken,or thrown away as we moved several times when I was growing up. I did a Google search and praise the Lord,it was for sale on e-bay. When I saw it listed,I knew I had to buy it so I did. One problem,it's a vinyl record and I have no record player but I plan on buying a record player that converts old vinyl recordings to mp3. It will probably be next Christmas season before I hear it but that's OK. I've waited more than 35 years to hear it again so waiting another year is bearable.

Remember the Reason for the Season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God bless you. Have a very Merry Christmas and a joyous and prosperous New Year.