It was a close poll as one Olympic star edged out another to be voted 2008’s Athlete of the Year by the international media. Journalists from 96 nations gave Bolt a narrow edge of 1,673 points to 1,557 over Phelps.

Bolt set three world records as he grabbed three golds in the 100 meters, 200 and 400 relay. Phelps claimed the Water Cube in Beijing with his eight gold medals and his place in history.

Maxim released an article about which 10 NBA players (past and present) are closest to his Airness.  The list was filled with hall of famers like Grant Hill, McGrady, and Iverson that are past their prime.  Then, it got down to the top two: Lebron and Kobe.

AC Milan’s announced the loan signing of David Beckham from LA Galaxy.  For a few months, Beckham will be joining the team to keep up his fitness and help his England prospects.  Milan didn’t say how long the length of the contract is but he’s definitely going to be back for the Major League Soccer season which is set to begin in late March or early April.

The LA Galaxy have Beckham under contract until 2012.  Beckham commented by saying, “One of the reasons I want to train and play in Milan for a few months is the fact that the MLS season doesn’t run as long as the European season and my body is programmed to actually not have the amount of time off.”

Thanks Telegraph!

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies for winning the 2008 World Series.  Congrats to Cole Hamels for being 4-0 in the post season and earning himself a MVP trophy.  After game 5 started 50 hours earlier, they finally closed it out 4-3 on Wednesday evening at Citizens Bank Park.

It’s the first World Series title for the Phillies since 1980.  Philly sports franchises (The Soul doesn’t count, people) have been dry since Dr. J and Moses Malone led the Sixers to a ring in 1983.

So what has tonight’s World Series title done for Philly sports?  Alot considering they’ve been waiting for so long and have fallen short so many times.  That’s all done with now.  No more jokes and whispers.  The Phillies have brought a parade to Center City.

Moments ago, Lou Piniella, GM for the Chicago Cubs took the podium for the press conference.  With his club down 0-1 in the series against the Dodgers, most would be nervous and uptight.  Not Lou, my friends.  He walks up to the podium more relaxed than most.  To top it off, the guy was chomping on a slice of Chicago-style pizza.  He sits down and the words to come out of his mouth: “why not?”

Lou Piniella, we salute you for being so cool under pressure.

With Chad Ocho Cinco no longer Chad Johnson, it’s becoming difficult for the star to put his new surname on the back of his jersey.  With the NFL’s player licensing agreements, it’s going to be tough.

Before he can wear a jersey with his new surname emblazoned on the back, he first must buy every “C. Johnson” jersey for sale nationwide. And there are thousands of “C. Johnson” replica jerseys available, with a production cost of about $48 apiece.

The player is essentially responsible for the old piled up inventory that will be useless after Ocho Cinco hits the back of every #85 Bengals jersey on the market.  Ochocinco (one word) became the receiver’s legal surname Aug. 28. But he is called Chad Ocho Cinco (two words) on the team’s official roster.

If the “Ocho Cinco” jersey is approved for on-field use and sale by the NFL, it could be lucrative not only for retailers, Reebok and the NFL, but also for Ocho Cinco. Players receive a portion of the revenue from their jersey sales. The “C. Johnson” jersey finished last season as the 14th-most popular, according to NFLShop.com, and an “Ocho Cinco” change could drive popularity back into the top 10.

NFL’s currently playing it by the books and is keeping its licensing agreement as priority numero uno.  Reebok sees the lucrative opportunity that is in front of it, but is following the NFL’s lead on this, so that this does not become a regular occurance.

Source:  espn

The pinstripes have been good to Derek Jeter, and he’s been good to them.  On Tuesday, he passed Babe Ruth on the Yankees’ all-time hits list with his single in the first inning.  That gave him second place, behind on the great Lou Gehrig who’s holding strong 2,721 hits.  Jeter sent an 0-2 pitch from Los Angeles Angels right-hander Ervin Santana into left field for his 2,519th hit.  He also had a single in the seventh for no. 2,520.

He’s got 10 more games to dish out 9 hits to tie Gehrig’s 1,260 hits at Yankee Stadium, enough reason to attend the final games even if they don’t make the playoffs.

In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, Lance Armstrong said that he was inspired to return after finishing second last month in the Leadville 100, a lung-searing 100-mile mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies.  For anyone that’s been hiding under a rock, Lance Armstrong’s won the Tour de France SEVEN times, the seventh time coming after he defeated cancer.

“I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden,” Armstrong said in a statement released to The Associated Press. “This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide.  It’s now time to address cancer on a global level.”

Will Armstrong be able to return for the 2009 Tour de France and win?  First, Team USA might not even be invited to the Tour, because of the doping allegations against the team in the past few years.  Armstrong said that he has already put a call out to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

We hope to see Lance make his way back to the Tour to shine some light on a sport that’s been in the dark ever since he left.

Source:  msnbc