2008's top 10 sports stories and the decisions behind them

December 23, 5:12 PMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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Here's the thing about hindsight: It can make you feel like a fool or it can confirm your best instincts. In either case it's a good idea to look back and realize that behind every famous or infamous result there was a bold decision.

Here are my picks in no particular order with accompanying slide show. Add one if you think I missed your favorite.

Green Bay traded Brett Favre. Aaron Rodgers has had a good year for a kid who never played more than a few series on offense in three years. But the team is 5-10 after being one win from the Super Bowl. Will fans understand that the defense had more to do with it than losing The Gunslinger? Favre went to the Jets who are vying for a division title.

Boston Red Sox gave Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers for free. Once he arrived he elevated the team batting average, sold out the home games and went yard 17 times in 60 days. They got to the second round of the playoffs and without Manny, they might not have gotten past Arizona in their division.

Miami Dolphins went from 1-15 in 2007 to one game from a division title this season. The team hired Bill Parcells to run its football operations rather than coach and gave him carte blanche to clean house, which he did. With almost 30 new players on the roster and a coaching staff remade in his image the icing on the cake was signing Chad Pennington.

Ryder Cup came back to the U.S. Captain Paul Azinger negotiated for extra captain's picks and he chose guys with no experience but the right attitude. He had them buy in to his concept of playing as pairs all the time in practice. Once out on the course they were comfortable with each others' games in the twosome combos. They took the European team to the wood shed.

USA men's basketball won the gold medal in Beijing.  The U.S. Olympic Committee hired Jerry Colangelo four years ago and like Miami did with Parcells, he was given complete autonomy. His best decision was to hire Coach K who was able to use the hideous results from 2004 and 2006 as leverage with his superstar lineup. They played a college-type game and were ready to sacrifice SportsCenter highlights for a gold.

World Series final game was suspended for days by rain storms.  Bud Selig made it up as he went along and for the first time in ages he got one right. Game 5 of the World Series was played in a monsoon with conditions that made it more than just difficult to play, it made it near impossible. The Phillies were ahead after five innings and if a rain-out would have been called, the series would have gone to Philadelphia. No way would the public have stood for that. The gods smiled on Selig, Tampa Bay tied it up in the top of the sixth and the game was "suspended" for two days. It resulted in a highly watchable and exciting three inning mini-game. Phils won and the city had something to celebrate after 25 years of an all-sports championship drought.

Famous referee changed entire season for the Chargers. The team lost in week 2 after a blown call that didn't actually decide the game, but the season went downhill from there. You and I know mental attitude can count as much as physical skills in deciding games. Enter Hochuli who's botched call in Week 2 affected the psyches of the San Diego Chargers to the degree that they are fighting to get to .500 after being a sexy pick to get back to the AFC Championship Game. Hochuli's cult following was replaced by an email barrage that got ugly at times and humbled the official with the Popeye-like physique.

Celtics won the NBA Championship. It was made possible thanks to GM Danny Ainge's skills and Paul Pierce's willingness to share the ball with superstars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The Three Musketeers rid themselves of loser labels some had hung on them and hoisted the O'Brien Trophy amidst tears, confetti and an embarrassed Lakers team.

Roger Clemens became a late night show punchline. His insistence on a Congressional appearance after being named in the Mitchell Report led to revelations about more than just use of banned substances. He is disgraced and facing a life without the Hall of Fame. The HOF was the sole reason he fought to clear his name. Oops.

Big Brown failed to win the Triple Crown. The horse had won the Derby and the Preakness (only the fourth horse to do so while remaining undefeated) but the jockey pulled the horse up in the home stretch of the Belmont Stakes. He became the first horse to come in last in the final race after having won the first two legs of the Crown. The horse's trainer had injected him with an anabolic steroid on a monthly basis and then stopped just prior to the Preakness. He developed a cracked hoof just after the Preakness that was stitched together but trainer Rick Dutrow had played down the injury and continued to boast about Big Brown's chances.