Top Boston Sports Stories of 2008: #11-20

(Ed. Note: For a slideshow version of this column here on Bleacher Report, click here.)

Initially intended to be a list of the top 10 Boston sports stories of 2008 with some honorable mentions, the amount of topics just grew and grew and grew. Titles, wins and plenty of drama will do that for a region. It's been said many times by fans and media alike: It's an incredible time to be a Boston sports fan and what you're about to read over the next two days reflects that.

Compiled with the help of some trusted advisers and by requesting feedback on sites like Yardbarker, Bleacher Report and Ballhype, here are the 11th-20th ranked Boston sports stories of 2008, courtesy of Small White Ball with a nod to the good folks at Bleacher Report.

Honorable Mention - The New England Revolution win the 2008 Superliga title—I'll admit that I don't follow soccer at all, but a title is a title and the Revs became the first-ever MLS club to win SuperLiga. What is it? An annual North American competition between teams from MLS and Mexico's Primera division. It didn't get much play, but give 'em credit for something anyway.

20—Boston College wins 2008 Frozen Four—It took them three seasons in the championship game to do it, but the Eagles finally broke the ice and won the 2008 NCAA title with a 4-1 victory over Notre Dame. It was the third hockey title in school history and their first since 2001.

19—Matt Ryan selected third overall in 2008 NFL Draft—The senior quarterback was a huge reason Boston College gained relevancy in the market, earning ACC Offensive Player of the Year and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award during his senior season. He was taken No. 3 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft and is now being talked about as an MVP candidate.

Why? As a rookie for the Atlanta Falcons, he is helping the team battle for a playoff spot one season removed from the Michael Vick fiasco. The legend of Matty Ice has just begun and it began on Chestnut Hill.

18—Andre Tippett elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame—12 seasons, 151 games, five straight Pro Bowls, two first team All-Pro elections, one Super Bowl appearance and 100 sacks—not bad numbers for the Patriots' latest inductee into the Hall of Fame. At the time of his retirement in 1993, he ranked seventh all-time in sacks and third all-time among linebackers. Before there was a Tedy Bruschi, there was an Andre Tippett.

17—Bill Buckner returns to Fenway Park to throw out the first pitch at 2008's Opening Day—After the first World Series win in 2004, delirious fans decided it was time to let Buckner off the hook for apparently blowing the entire 1986 World Series against the New York Mets. Buckner declined any appearances, no doubt still upset over the treatment he received in the nearly 20 years after that fateful day at Shea.

It was hard to blame Buckner, considering how easily Bob Stanley, Calvin Schiraldi and so many others got off easy. People ignored that there was a Game 7 they could have won, but that ruined the scapegoat angle so many had decided to stick with.

But after the second World Series win, Buckner found it in himself to come home. The man that accumulated over 2700 hits in 20-plus seasons (five in Boston) decided it was time to forgive the media for what they put his family through, thus paving the way for an emotional appearance on a day the club got another set of championship rings. It wasn't all his fault they didn't get those rings following the '86 series and if the roaring ovation he received helped ease the pain of being blamed solely for that, it was well worth it. It came years too late.

16—The Red Sox open 2008 season in Japan, Matsusaka starts first game—Now just a footnote in this whole story, people forget the players threatened to boycott a spring training game and their flight to Japan unless MLB paid the coaching staff the same union-negotiated amount of $40K they were getting. Eventually, all was resolved and the team split two regular season games against the Oakland A's in front of 55,000 per night.

Native son Daisuke Matsuzaka returned to win the opener, striking out six in five innings. New England truly had breakfast with the Sox as the games began at 6 am EST, giving fans an excuse for slipping a lil' something extra in their morning coffee.

15—Troy Brown retires from football—Will we ever truly appreciate what we had in Patriots' everyman Troy Brown? He spent all of his 15 pro seasons in Foxboro, setting the team record in receptions with 557 and punt returns (52 for 2625 yards and three touchdowns). He played defensive back for parts of 2004 and even was an emergency quarterback in 2006. But all of that isn't surprising to any Patriots fan who grew to appreciate and love No. 80, a selfless player who cemented his legacy in New England for a lifetime. And how about this? He was cut from the team twice (1994 and 2005), but still kept coming back for more. Now that's a role model.

14—David Ortiz's lost season—When Ortiz grimaced following that swing in Baltimore, the Nation held their collective breaths as rumors of season-ending surgery swirled around the Fens. But while Ortiz would return, the aura that surrounded him faded. Ortiz never really got on track in the 109 games he did play, hitting just .264 with 23 homers and 89 RBI. Now for the first time in a long time, critics are wondering whether there is still the pop in "Big Papi" and speculating whether we're a lot closer to the bottom of Ortiz's career than the top.

13—WEEI expands, overhauls web site—Even with the possible departure of station superstar Glenn Ordway looming (seen left with morning co-host John Dennis and Entercom VP Julie Kahn), sports radio giant WEEI had a great 2008. They expanded their regional reach by "mirroring" their signal in Portland, ME, Keene, NH, and Bangor, ME, and relaunched their web site with more content and writers than ever before.

As NESN and Comcast Sports New England expand their reach, WEEI is right alongside them with the radio rights to Red Sox, Celtics and Boston College games and hosts that have become stars in their own right. Now they have Ordway's expiring contract and a delisting warning from the New York State Exchange to look forward to dealing with in 2009.

12—The Boston Celtics open up '08-'09 on fire—So much for resting on their laurels. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and crew upped their game with starting the defense of their 17th title at 24-2—setting the NBA record for the best start in league history. Their 16-game win streak is good for second-best in team history. With point guard Rajon Rondo playing like a first-team All-Star and the bench rapidly improving, only injuries and egos could stop this team from winning back-to-back titles. However, the Cleveland LeBrons (20-4) and L.A. KobePhils (21-3) might have something to say about that.

11—Red Sox almost make magic again, lose in ALCS Game 7—The only reason this didn't make it in the Top 10? They do it too often. Boston fell behind three games to one against the storybook Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS and like they always do, began creeping back. After being blown out 13-4 in front of the home crowd in Game 4, Boston overcame a seven-run deficit to take Game 5, 8-7. Then in Game 6, Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek silenced the Tampa crowd in a big 4-2 victory.

But unlike the 3-2 comeback against the Yankees in '04 and the 3-2 comeback against the Indians in 2007, the offensive magic just wasn't there. They mustered just three hits in Game 7, their bats silenced by Matt Garza's seven strong innings and David Price's first major league save in a 3-1 defeat. The game bookended another newsworthy season for the Red Sox that started in Japan and involved plenty of interesting storylines involving a diminutive second baseman turned offensive juggernaut, a future Hall-of-Famer turned public enemy and what could be the last game for two grizzled veterans.

But dear reader, you'll have to wait until Thursday to read about those stories and more, found in the Top 10 Boston sports stories of the year.

Josh Nason - josh [at] smallwhiteball [com] - is the publisher of Small White Ball, an all-encompassing New England-tinged sports blog that began in 2007. If you're using any part of this post, please link back to www.smallwhiteball.com. Thank you!