For sports fans, living east of the Rocky Mountains in 2007 gave greatest hope for victory. Florida equaled total domination on the college scene while the Red Sox added another World Series to their list. It was also a year for teams to break through and win; Peyton Manning and Indianapolis won a long-awaited Super Bowl. But sports fans had to suffer through the year as well. Steroids came to a forefront in Major League Baseball and superstars became super washouts.

In the NFL, 2007 saw Indianapolis slide into the Super Bowl and beat da Bears. It marked the first time two African-American coaches met for a championship game. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith showed that the Rooney Rule can come in handy for some teams. Those looking to make scoffs at the Super Bowl can point to the excessive coverage of Peyton Manning and the lack of touching on the stories that should well have been covered. Does anyone remember the name and story behind the Chicago Bear’s running back? It was a very good story that drew little coverage. The end of the year went out in a bang as New England went undefeated.

LeBron James couldn’t lead the Cavs to an undefeated season, however he did lead his team through 66 more regular season games and into the NBA Finals. But that wasn’t enough to stop San Antonio. The off-season saw the biggest move in recent years when Kevin Garnett took his game to Boston. Wait, did Danny Ainge really make that move? Yes, he did and now Boston can’t stop bowing down to him.

Talk about bowing down, or bowing out. The Tour De France saw many of its favorites fall. Including Michael Rasmussen who looked unbeatable before being let go by his team. His inability to finish gave way for Alberto Cantador in a very close three-way finish.

Florida was raving about its repeat win in college basketball while adding to it a Fiesta Bowl victory to deliver three big championships in the college sports arena. And Oregon State repeated in collegiate baseball. Another state school led the way as Michigan State won the NCAA hockey championship. Who would have thunk it?

And who would have thunk that Boston could sweep the World Series? And that Colorado would ride a huge winning streak all the way into a wild-card playoff game and then slaughter teams on the way to an improbable World Series run? It was a wild ride.

That’s not the end of the sports scene. Sports dominate American culture. Other teams that won are:

PROFESSIONAL: Phoenix (WNBA), Anaheim (NHL)

COLLEGIATE: Minnesota (wrestling), Tennessee (women’s basketball), Penn State (women’s volleyball), UC Irvine (men’s volleyball), North Carolina (field hockey), Oregon (men’s cross country), Stanford (women’s cross country, men’s golf), Cal (men’s water polo), USC (women’s soccer), Wake Forest (men’s soccer), Wisconsin (women’s hockey), Auburn (men’s and women’s swimming and diving), UCLA (women’s water polo), Duke (women’s golf), Northwestern (women’s lacrosse), Johns Hopkins (men’s lacrosse), Georgia Tech (women’s tennis), Georgia (men’s tennis), Arizona (women’s softball), Arizona State (women’s track and field), Florida States (men’s track and field)

Winning is one thing but the other stories that evolve can be just as important. Roger Clemens: is he guilty? And what about the other numerous names mentioned in the Mitchell Report? It’s a big thing for sports fans as we head into 2008. It wasn’t only baseball players making a name (bad or good) on the sidelines. Michael Vick’s dog fighting brought grimaces to many faces. The story of NBA referees gambling on games made David Stern issue a stern statement. And the list can only go on. Nonetheless, the whistles keep blowing, the scoreboards keep changing, and the fans keep cheering. And it will continue for years to come. But what is ahead for 2008?

Predictions for 2008:

NFL - Sorry Patriots fans... New York is sending you home with a loss.

College basketball - Bill Self has the rock, chalk, jay hawks playing selfless ball and the talent is there for Kansas to go all the way.

NBA - The addition of Kevin Garnett has everyone thinking green.

NHL - In a wild year, Minnesota will pull it off.

MLB - A repeat in Boston anyone? The Red Sox are only getting stronger.

WNBA - Can anyone stop Diana Taurasi, Cappie Poindexter, and the Phoenix Mercury?

MLS - The best fans in soccer will see a championship season in DC.

College hockey - The Sioux of North Dakota always come on strong at playoff time.

College football - The BCS: do not deny it. But Michigan will compete with it.

Tour de France - Cyclists must combat the failed drug tests. But preliminarily the edge has to go to Alberto Cantador to repeat.

Olympics - Excitement in Beijing, but will it be marred by drugged athletes?