ESPN The Magazine's third annual ESPN 100 - the single list that ranks the top 100 sports personalities, moments, trends, games and stories that mattered in 2004 - will debut in Wednesday's issue of The Magazine. Created from input and debate by a jury of ESPN experts, the list will also be examined in an ESPN Original Entertainment special telecast on Monday, January 3, 2005, at 8:00 p.m. ET. ESPN.com will carry the full details of the list and offer multimedia interaction and fan feedback beginning Monday, December 13.
In anticipation of the list, ESPN The Magazine has released the Top 10, but has not revealed the order in which they appear on the list. Fans will first be able to see the order Wednesday in ESPN The Magazine. In addition, numbers 11 through 100 have been released, in order.
ESPN 100's Top Ten (in random order)
? Barry Bonds: Bonds asked to be judged by his numbers, which are like those created by any other ballplayer, but he is now forever linked to Team BALCO.
? Phil Mickelson: The ex-Greatest Player Never to Win a Major proved that change could be good as a new game plan and some clutch shots earned him the elusive Green Jacket.
? Uconn X2: When the Huskies pulled off their unprecedented two-fer, they made us (okay, everybody) look smart.
? The Red Sox: David Ortiz led the Sox in a for-the-ages rendition of Roll Over Bambino.
? Soldiering On: Jake Plummer's salute to Pat Tillman, his ex-ASU and Cardinal teammate killed in Afghanistan, defied NFL rules but ultimately resulted in the league honoring Tillman with a PSA in every stadium.
? Lance Armstrong: While winning his sixth Tour de France, Armstrong has combined strength and vulnerability to reach the most exalted position of an American athlete: cultural icon.
? Ichiro: Move over George Sisler. Ichiro is the new single-season hits leader, but is it fair to criticize that 225 of his 262 knocks were singles?
? Michael Phelps: We wanted eight gold medals. He gave us six, plus two bronze. But really, why quibble? Phelps is just getting started.
? Basket-brawl: Short-tempered players and drunken fans teamed up to give us sports' ugliest moment of 2004, but who was really responsible?
? Victor Conte: Bonds, Giambi, Jones, Montgomery, Sheffield, Romanowski. Conte's company BALCO allegedly provided steroids to some of sports' biggest names.
ESPN 100: Numbers 11-100
11. Detroit Pistons: Coach Larry Brown leads Pistons to the big-time.
12. USA Basketball: The rest of the world has caught up, leaving the U.S. with the bronze.
13. New England Patriots: From Oct. 5 2003 to Oct 31 2004 the Pats won 21 straight and a Super Bowl.
14. Kobe: The latest "Trial of the Century" was settled out of court, and Kobe returned to the court in L.A.
15. Maurice Clarett: It's Mo's word vs. Ohio State's and now the NCAA will settle it.
16. Kurt Busch: The new format yielded another trophy for Busch, and another TV ratings bump for NASCAR.
17. LeBron James: In just his second season, King James is being compared to Michael.
18. Paul Hamm: What scoring error? Hamm is keeping his gold.
19. Smarty Jones: He captured America's hearts, but fell just short of the Triple Crown.
20. Peyton Manning: With four games to play, he's four TDs away from Marino's single season record of 48.
21. Janet Jackson: After the Super Bowl, two words dominated the headlines: Wardrobe Malfunction.
22. The Year that Wasn't: What if ...? A-Rod to the Sox, Shaq to the Kings, Eli to the Chargers.
23. BCS Mess: Changes were made after last year's debacle. The result: another train wreck!
24. Senior Year: The Rocket, The Big Unit, David Wells, Barry Bonds and other aging stars posted big years.
25. Buffaloed: Colorado football and the whirlwind of ugly allegations.
26. Big Fat Greek Debt: Athens silenced the critics by running a smooth, safe Olympics - for $14.6 billion.
27. Tampa Bay Lightning: They may not get to defend their title, but the Lightning were NHL champs.
28. Move Ova, Anna: Seven Russian women ended the year in the WTA's top 15.
29. Roger Federer: Federer won three majors in 2004.
30. Shattered Ice: Todd Bertuzzi's pile-drive of Steve Moore horrified hockey, not to mention the police.
31. Johan Santana: Santana's domination earned him the AL Cy Young Award.
32. Ricky Williams: On the eve of the season, Williams quit, and now he wants back.
33. Expos: After years of speculation, the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals.
34. Olympic Marathon: Two Americans medalled, and a crazed spectator attacked the Brazilian leader.
35. NHL Lockout: With no season in sight, arena owners are booking divas in place of defensemen.
36. No NFL For You Young Man: Mike Williams, Mo Clarett, and Jeremy Bloom were left out.
37. Chicks Rule: USA women's basketball, soccer, and softball rolled over the competition in Athens.
38. Eric Gagne: His consecutive save streak ended at 84.
39. De La Soul: De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.) loses its first football games since 1991.
40. Freddy Adu: 5 goals, 3 assists, 1 MLS Cup title, but his biggest numbers were at the ticket window.
41. Vijay Singh: On Labor Day, the hardest worker in golf ended Tiger's five-year reign as No.1 in the world.
42. Drugs at the Olympics: 23 Olympians failed tests at Athens.
43. Iraq Soccer: They miraculously emerged from their war-torn nation to place fourth in Athens.
44. Carlos Beltran: The new Mr. October: .435 BA, 21 runs, 14 RBIs, and 6 SBs in 12 playoff games.
45. Jamal Lewis: For drug trafficking, Lewis faces four-months in jail, but he was only suspended two games.
46. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: He caught fire in a Corvette and caught heat for swearing.
47. Towel Drop: Terrell Owens and Nicollette Sheridan starred in a racy Monday Night Football promo.
48. Greg Maddux: The Professor won his 300th game.
49. Michael Schumacher: Schumacher took his seventh F1 title this year, winning a record 13 races.
50. Hurricane Havoc: Mother Nature caused rescheduling headaches for college football, NFL, and MLB.
51. For Pete's Sake: Rose finally admitted to betting on baseball.
52. Bernard Hopkins: He knocked out Oscar De La Hoya in the ninth-round.
53. Ben Roethlisberger: The rookie QB has Steeltown thinking Super Bowl.
54. Joe Gibbs: Gibbs returned to the Skins' sideline after an 11-year absence, but wins were hard to come by.
55. Carly Patterson: America's darling was the nation's first female all-around champ since Mary Lou.
56. Annika Sorenstam: 10 wins and 16 top-10 finishes in 18 LPGA starts was par for the course for Annika.
57. Ty Willingham: ND fired him despite two bowls in three years and top academic marks for the program.
58. Tyler Hamilton: The gold medal American cyclist faces a two-year suspension for blood-doping.
59. The Race Goes On: NASCAR's Jimmy Johnson and his teammates winning tribute to Ricky Hendrick.
60. Strong Demand: The year's hottest fashion bling? A $1 yellow silicone bracelet.
61. Prep Parade: A record eight high school players were selected in the NBA draft.
62. MLB Lowlights: Bradley flips, Brown punches, Tavarez fumes and Francisco lets fly.
63. Michelle Wie: The 14-year old was one shot away from making the cut at a PGA event.
64. Candace Parker: She became the first girl to win the dunk contest at the McDonald's All-American Game.
65. Thanks But No Thanks: Eli Manning and his dad Archie forced a post-draft trade to the Giants.
66. Last Gasp: A Packers' lapse allowed Philly to convert a desperation fourth and 26 in the playoffs.
67. Shot of the Year: In 0.4 seconds, Derek Fisher gave the Lakers the series lead over the Spurs.
68. Hot Couples: Pro athletes and the women they loved.
69. Almost Perfect: St. Joe's and Stanford had near-perfect basketball seasons.
70. Todd Hamilton: It took him until age 38 to earn his PGA Tour Card, and then he won the British Open.
71. No Shirt Required: Freshmen ruled the college football ranks.
72. Soccer Shocker: Greece's busy summer started by stunning Europe to win the Championship.
73. Beach Party: Kerri Walsh and Misty May spiked their way to gold in Athens.
74. Chuck Carothers: Carothers' unprecedented twirl dropped jaws at the X Games.
75. Coach K: He turned down the Lakers' $40 million offer to stay at Duke.
76. Hicham El Guerrouj: The greatest middle-distance runner ever finally tasted gold--twice.
77. Carlos Boozer: When he went to the Jazz, the Cavs learned verbal agreements aren't worth much.
78. Holy Batshoes!: American women were shutout of the slams, despite Serenas' Batgirl boots.
79. Racer Remembered: Darrell Russell died in a crash that caused NHRA to change several rules.
80. Kyle Maynard: He overcame his disability to compete at the national high school wrestling championships.
81. Mike Tyson: Iron Mike was knocked out in the fourth round by Danny Williams.
82. Arsenal: Theirry Henry's north London side's unbeaten streak in the Premiership reached 49 games.
83. Liu Xiang: He smashed ethnic stereotypes with his gold medal performance in the 110-meter hurdles.
84. Checking Out: Rulon Gardner, Mia Hamm, Anna Kournikova, Scottie Pippen and others retired.
85. Spell-Unbound: Askshay Buddiga, 13 years-old, hit the floor at the National Spelling Bee.
86. Brian Boucher: The Coyotes' goalie registered five straight shutouts.
87. Arizona Diamondbacks: Three years after winning it all, the D-Backs have pretty much lost it.
88. Power Outage: For the second straight season, no MLB player hit 50 homers.
89. Shot of the Year 2: Duhon's 38-footer didn't win Duke anything, but it was worth $100 million in Vegas.
90. It's Canada's World: Canada wins the Hockey World Cup.
91. NBA's New Charlotte Franchise: The Cats (so far) are not the worst team in the league.
92. Trouble at Home: Tiger's closer Ugueth Urbina's mother was abducted from her home in Venezuela.
93. Twice as Good: Ricky Carmichael sweeps all 24 motos of the 12-event AMA - again.
94. Curse of the Blues: They've made it to the playoffs a zillion years in a row but have never won it all.
95. Going the Distance: Buddy rice is the first American to swig moo juice at the Indy 500 since 1998.
96. Cut and Run: Micro-fracture knee surgery has replaced ACL repairs in NBA nightmare.
97. Their Cups Runneth Over: Europe captures the Ryder Cup title - again.
98. Top of the Crop: This year's most talked about tresses had color, texture and a whole lot of volume.
99. Sports Illustrated Turns 50: Age...
100. Before Beauty: ESPN turns 25.