The best, and worst, of the 2000s

So this is what we remember.

Tiger Woods limping, grimacing, gloriously winning a U.S. Open title in 2008.

And this.

A parade of women claiming they have been intimate with Woods, who is married with two children.

Glorious. Tawdry. That’s sports during this decade.

Lance Armstrong wins seven Tour de France titles -- six in this decade -- and doesn’t fail a drug test but almost everybody else in the sport does.

Glorious. Tawdry.

If a baseball record is broken, now we ask: Is it real? Thanks, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez.

We witness a transcendent boxing match in 2005 and four years later one participant is dead, the other not much more than a practice punching bag. Fame thrills. It also kills.

Tennis gave us Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal, a beautiful rivalry, and also offered Serena Williams threatening to shove a tennis ball down aƒs lineswoman’s throat. Yay. Ugh.

From the Olympics do we remember Usain Bolt’s incredible and perfect stride or a covey of judges accused of fixing a figure skating competition? Still, it is sports. We are enthralled by the chase for perfection.

In 2008 it was almost the New England Patriots, so close to a 19-0 season and then, poof, gone, lost to the New York Giants, a team quarterbacked by Eli Manning.

And now we are enthralled again, the Indianapolis Colts, maybe on the way to perfection, quarterbacked by the big brother, Peyton Manning. Will it happen? We don’t know. That’s why we watch, in ever-increasing numbers, on television, in stadiums. We want to see something, something special, amazing, inspiring. We still want to believe in perfection.

Eli Manning is still quarterbacking the Giants, though. Peyton better be careful. Perfection is hard to come by.

What follows is an imperfect recounting of some of the best and worst sports moments -- the defining moments -- of the last decade:

Baseball >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rarely do the lords of a sport spend tens of millions of dollars to shine a spotlight on their ugliest wart. However, on Dec. 13, 2007, former Sen. George Mitchell unveiled his report on baseball’s steroid era, after a 20-month investigation ordered by Commissioner Bud Selig and funded by major league owners.

Mitchell listed dozens of names, among them Roger Clemens, who loudly challenged the report and whose tattered reputation stands as the greatest testament to its accuracy. Mitchell revealed the Dodgers clubhouse as a den for distribution of performance-enhancing substances, with Eric Gagne ordering human growth hormone shipped directly to the clubhouse and Paul Lo Duca referring Gagne, Kevin Brown and other players to his supplier, to whom he wrote on official Dodgers stationery.

Yet Mitchell’s triumph was not in looking back but in looking ahead. He urged amnesty for the players he listed, a recommendation Selig resisted but ultimately accepted. He persuaded owners and the players’ union to adopt all but one of a series of reforms (drug testing still is not outsourced to an independent entity). And, because Mitchell carries enormous clout in Washington, Congress got off baseball’s back about steroids.

The drug problem cannot be eradicated, in baseball or in any other sport. However, home run totals have returned to mortal levels. It reflects well upon Mitchell that the biggest drug stories in baseball this year involved Manny Ramirez, who was caught by a testing program that did not exist at the start of the decade, and Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz, who were reported to have tested positive six years ago, before Congress pushed baseball to suspend first-time offenders.

-- Bill Shaikin

Boxing >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Diego Corrales’ epic 10th-round TKO of Jose Luis Castillo on May 7, 2005, was not a normal fight. There was no jabbing, just two guys pounding on each other, round after round. Corrales said he and Castillo were like magnets in their world lightweight title unification bout.

In the 10th round, Castillo twice knocked Corrales down in the first minute. Corrales barely stood at referee Tony Weeks’ count of nine on the second knockdown, but he would explain later that while he was in trouble after the first trip to the canvas, he was awakened by the second.

Logically, Castillo went for the knockout, but Corrales, his left eye essentially swollen closed, caught Castillo with some devastating blows on the ropes. The Times’ Bill Dwyre called it “one of the most amazing turnarounds in sports,” as Corrales unleashed hurtful shots punctuated by a disabling right that left Castillo basically out on his feet as referee Weeks charged in disbelief to stunningly stop the fight.

Neither fighter was the same afterward. Castillo has been reduced to sparring for fighters including Manny Pacquiao, and Corrales was killed exactly two years after his triumphant performance when he crashed his motorcycle in Las Vegas with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.

-- Lance Pugmire

College basketball >>>>>>

Not long after the final buzzer, after Florida had secured a second straight NCAA basketball championship, the fans began chanting, “One more year.” It seemed to be a bit much to ask.

With championship victories over UCLA in 2006 and Ohio State in 2007, the Gators became the first repeat winners in more than a decade, joining elite company that included the 1960s and ‘70s Bruins, Duke in 1991 and ’92 and the University of San Francisco in 1955 and ’56.

Even better, they did it with veteran players -- Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey -- who could have turned pro after the first title. Instead, they put off NBA money for another season together, maturing into one of the best college teams in history. As Humphrey explained, “From the beginning, we knew we had the opportunity to do something special.”

College football >>>>>>>>>

The sport’s defining moment actually was a series of dramatic snippets that played out over two minutes as college football held its collective breath.

It started on one side of the 50, in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 4, 2006, with USC needing two yards on fourth down at the Texas 45 to clinch a third straight national title. Trojan horse running back LenDale White, though, got stuffed two inches short with 2:09 left. Why wasn’t Reggie Bush in the game?

Everyone knew what was coming next. Standing on the sideline, Vince Young, an unstoppable football force at this point, looked at 19-year-old redshirting freshman quarterback Colt McCoy and said, “You’ll be in this position someday. Watch what I do.”

What Young did: Down by five, he drove USC crazy as he drove Texas downfield, scoring the national title-winning touchdown with 19 seconds left when he raced eight yards, on fourth down, to the right corner of the end zone.

Final score: 41-38.It was so thrilling that one USC cheerleader standing near the play was captured in a photograph throwing up her pompoms to celebrate the spectacular touchdown.

Wrong team, sweetheart, but the right sentiment. All you could do at that moment, after that game, was throw up your hands.

-- Chris Dufresne

Golf >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Before his Cadillac Escalade hit a tree -- and TMZ started reporting on birdies and bogeys -- and the dents in his Tommy Armour became incredibly, and indelibly, exposed, the man who would be named the greatest athlete of the decade by the Associated Press stood over a 12-foot putt on the par-five finishing hole at Torrey Pines in 2008. It was supposed to be the final day at the 108th U.S. Open.

Back then, Tiger Woods was in a different bind. Rocco Mediate, a likable 40-something journeyman, had a one-shot lead in the clubhouse but gave Woods hope by only making par on the relatively easy final hole. You don’t give Woods hope. After hitting his tee shot into a bunker, Woods laid up in the fairway and then strafed an iron into tying distance. Woods slithered home the putt, his fist pump the cover photo of forever’s sports page, to force an 18-hole, next-day playoff.

Except the 18 holes went to 19, with Woods limping along on a bum knee and Mediate being carried by adrenaline. Tiger finally knocked Rocco out to claim his undisputed 14th professional major title. Turns out Tiger was playing on a torn ACL. Woods was escorted by golf cart back to the 18th green, where he kissed the trophy, his wife, Elin, and his kids.

Those were golf’s days.

-- Chris Dufresne

High schools >>>>>>>>>>>>

On Oct. 6, 2001, high school sports was changed forever in the football matchup between Concord De La Salle and Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium. It was the first time the nation’s No. 1 team faced No. 2 in high school football. A crowd of 17,321 attended, the game was available on DirecTV and 121 media credentials were issued. The game produced two books.

De La Salle, ranked No. 2, won its 117th consecutive game with a 29-15 victory behind running back Maurice Drew, who scored four touchdowns . That game showed that schools could travel up and down the state, draw big crowds and produce good ratings on TV.

Among the future NFL players were De La Salle’s Drew, quarterback Matt Gutierrez and lineman Derek Landri, and Poly tight end Marcedes Lewis and defensive back Darnell Bing.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Horse racing >>>>>>>>>>>>

It wasn’t enough that Zenyatta had more size and personality than other thoroughbreds of her racing days. Nor was it enough that, in the end, she beat all, male and female, who ventured into the gate with her.

Fourteen races, 14 wins, the last coming in the aptly named Breeders’ Cup Classic, a $5-million race designed to showcase the best of the best.

What the fans came to see, as they did way back in the era of Silky Sullivan, was how she won.

When she lingered at the back of the pack on that gorgeous Saturday -- Nov. 7, 2009 -- at Santa Anita, as she always did, she let the anticipation grow to an unimaginable bursting point. This was not an ordinary field of other fillies or mares to run down. Nobody in this race was there on an owners’ whim. These were the big boys, the fastest, toughest, most battled-tested field pushed into a starting gate all year, maybe all decade.

So, when she turned for home, with her bullet-train rush and her antelope stride, and ran past them all, racing got goose bumps that may never subside.

-- Bill Dwyre

Motor racing >>>>>>>>>>>>

The crash at first glance appeared rather ordinary by NASCAR standards. But when Dale Earnhardt’s black No. 3 Chevrolet careened into the wall on the final lap of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001, it claimed the life of NASCAR’s most iconic driver and shook the nation’s most popular form of motor racing to its core.

The death of Earnhardt -- a fearsome, rugged driver known as “The Intimidator” whose blue-collar roots endeared him to a legion of fans -- at age 49 and at the height of his popularity triggered an outpouring of grief that drew nationwide attention, including the cover of Time magazine.

Then in the years to come, Earnhardt’s death helped lead to dramatic safety changes. They included stronger head-and-neck restraints and a completely new chassis for the sport, dubbed “The Car of Tomorrow,” designed mainly with added safety in mind for other drivers, including Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver today.

-- Jim Peltz

NBA >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The NBA’s start to the 21st century was defined by something that happened in the 20th -- Michael Jordan’s 1999 departure -- and then scarred by the 2004 Auburn Hills riot that haunted the league for years. TV ratings that nose-dived without Jordan went even deeper after the breakup of the Lakers’ mini-dynasty, which won titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002 but was gone by 2004 when Shaquille O’Neal was traded and the team went into eclipse.

Instead of defining the decade, however, those crises set up the NBA for an improbable turnaround, symbolized by the event that showed how much, and how fast, things could change: the 2008 Finals, in which the Lakers and Celtics played for a title for the 11th time, but the first in 21 years.

The Celtics ran the Lakers over as in days of yore but a year later, the Lakers came back and won a title of their own. With both teams No. 1 in their conferences, they could even get another shot at each other next June.

TV ratings haven’t gone back to their old heights, but have firmed up, with the 2008 Finals even beating the 2008 World Series. The East, a ruin for years after the Bulls went away, has more elite teams than the West, but the West has the Lakers, looking set for a long run of their own. However this turns out, there’s no confusing the way the decade is ending with the way it started.

-- Mark Heisler

NFL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Somewhere in the world, someone is wearing a prematurely printed T-shirt proclaiming the perfect season that never was.

The 19-0 New England Patriots?

Well, almost.

The upstart New York Giants derailed that dream, stunning the then-undefeated Patriots, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3, 2008, and turning back the would-be perfect team at the doorstep of history.

The thing about that game was, it wasn’t terribly interesting until crunch time, when the Giants mounted a winning drive marked by perhaps the greatest, most improbable play in franchise history.

On third and five from the Giants’ 44, Eli Manning, seemingly sacked by a swarm of Patriots, twisted out of that scrum and heaved a 32-yard pass down the middle to David Tyree. The little-known receiver made a leaping grab, pinning the ball to the top of his helmet as he fell to the turf.

That kept the winning drive alive and, amazingly, pushed a pin into the dream season we thought would never pop.

-- Sam Farmer

NHL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Canceling the 2004-05 season to get a collective-bargaining agreement that included a salary cap stands as the NHL’s defining moment in ways both good and bad.

The good: The league returned with new rules that minimized obstruction and promoted skill and scoring. Setting a salary floor and a cap helped small-market teams compete with their big-market rivals.

The bad: Losing an entire season curtailed the careers of some players and denied others a chance to achieve records or milestones. The NHL lost ESPN and gave its cable contract to hard-to-find Versus. The schedule became badly unbalanced, creating gaps of three years between visits by marquee players.

As the decade ended, the NHL smartly positioned itself as an Internet innovator for its tech-savvy fans. It also looked toward Europe to expand its audience, staging regular-season games there as a possible prelude to international play -- even while Canada clamors for a seventh franchise and can’t seem to get it.

-- Helene Elliott

Olympics >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The judging scandal surrounding the pairs figure-skating competition at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games confirmed what most Olympics watchers had long suspected: subjectively judged sports were crooked and votes were available for sale or barter.

There had always been rumors of deal-making among judges but nothing had been proven on the world stage. Who knew how many medals were tainted before a French judge, Marie Reine Le Gougne, tearfully declared she had been pressured to vote for a Russian pair over a Canadian pair? The Canadians, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, were presented duplicate gold medals in a supplementary ceremony but their Olympic moment was ruined -- as was any remaining faith in impartial judging.

The International Skating Union rammed through a new judging system designed to eliminate deals and make the evaluation of each skater or couple more objective through awarding points for specific moves. Judges got anonymity and scores were chosen at random by a computer to rank competitors’ performances.

But the changes eliminated the familiar and TV-friendly 6.0 perfect score and alienated many fans. And the subjective scores within the system -- for performance, choreography and skating skills, among other categories -- still leave plenty of wiggle room for bending the rules and politically oriented judgments.

-- Helene Elliott

Soccer >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Soccer’s most defining moment of the decade was not the result of player achievement on the field, coaching decisions on the sideline or boardroom intrigue at FIFA or anywhere else.

The infamous head-butt by France’s Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final does not come into play. Nor does the world-record $132 million that Real Madrid this year paid Manchester United for Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo. Similarly, Brazilian forward Ronaldo in 2006 might have broken the World Cup scoring record set decades ago by Germany’s Gerd Muller, but it was just a footnote, as it were.

No, in terms of far-reaching and long-term impact on the sport in the U.S., the decision by the cable television networks ESPN and Fox to dramatically increase soccer coverage, particularly by bringing English Premier League and European Champions League games to American audiences, will, in the long run, provide the greatest impetus to the sport’s continuing rise in awareness and popularity.

The creation of the Fox Soccer Channel in 2004 and the purchase in 2005 of U.S. broadcast rights to the men’s and women’s World Cups through 2014 by ABC/ESPN and Univision for a combined $425 million will forever change the soccer landscape in the U.S.

-- Grahame L. Jones

Tennis >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

During a U.S. Open quarterfinal in 2004, four questionable line calls, all of which had major impact during a marquee match between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati, went against Williams. Williams lost the match but not her composure and in March 2006, most pro tennis tournaments began using a form of electronic technology that lets players challenge line calls. Fans love watching the replays on giant scoreboards. Most players (not you, Roger Federer) do too.

After that 2004 match, Arlen Kantarian, then chief executive of the U.S. Tennis Assn., called Williams, apologized for the bad calls and said, “I told her she was a class act and fully appreciated the way she handled the situation.”

Five years later, in another marquee Open match, Williams was again bedeviled by a controversial call, a foot fault that ultimately gave Kim Clijsters an emotional upset win. This time Williams also lost her composure. Her temper tantrum that included a menacing racket thrust and a stream of obscenities directed at a lineswoman was replayed endlessly for days. And the call players can’t challenge?

Foot faults.

At least not yet. But maybe next decade.

-- Diane Pucin