Swengali: Johnson's plays are top of 2007
BARRY BONDS, ROGER CLEMENS and George Mitchell best represent 2007 in sports. It was a year of steroids, scandal and, especially for the Redskins, sadness.
For many Washingtonians, Sean Taylor's death overshadowed any game played this year.
More than ever, sports crossed over into the realm of news sections in newspapers.
Yes, there were some bright spots — Roger Federer, who won three more majors, and Brett Favre, Sports Illustrated's athlete of the year for his remarkable career year at age 38 — to help offset some of the worst days in athletics. But when I look back on this year, it's Ian Johnson's story I enjoy most.
Ian Johnson was the star of one of the year's best nights of sports: the Fiesta Bowl, which happened all the way back in January. Not only did he score the winning points in Boise State's thrilling upset of Oklahoma, but he capped off his 15 minutes of fame by proposing to his girlfriend, a cheerleader who wasn't about to turn down the man of the hour.
Boise State was, obviously, good enough to reach the BCS, but few believed an upset was possible.
That win foreshadowed a new era in college football, in which Appalachian State knocked off Michigan and 41-point underdog Stanford stunned USC.
We should cherish joyous moments like Ian Johnson's. They are far better than watching stars' legacies crumble under the specter of steroids.
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