Fans everywhere had a little less to celebrate this summer as stories of Michael Vick, Tim Donaghy and Barry Bonds covered the sports circuit,. But there were also plenty of moments that reminded us that not all sports stories make us ashamed to be fans...or human beings. A look at the top 10 feel-good sports storylines of the summer:
10. Niedermayer brothers bring the Stanley Cup to Anaheim: In 2003, defenseman Scott Niedermayer's New Jersey Devils beat his younger brother Rob's Anaheim Ducks en route to New Jersey's third Stanley Cup in eight years. Four years later, the brothers were on the same side when Anaheim delivered California's first-ever Stanley Cup title on June 6.
9. John Daly reconciles with wife: After dueling court claims of knife-wielding, drunken rampaging and sexual assault, PGA golfer John Daly offered this gem to the media: "I just want my fans to know one thing - I am the victim in this. I was the only one sober at this time. I just want the fans to know that I love them very much and my wife is a liar, a liar. She beats me up when I go to sleep. I just married the wrong woman." The feel-good lining? The couple has agreed to reconcile their dispute out of court. You might even say they're taking another stab at it...
8. Federer and Nadal put on a show at Wimbledon: Roger Federer's dominance on grass and Rafael Nadal's preeminence on clay had always held serve when the two faced off. But Federer's Wimbledon dominance was challenged this summer when Nadal pushed him to his first ever five-set match at the All-England Club. While the feel-good power of this story is dampened by the same-old, same-old result (Federer won in five), the match lasted nearly four hours and ranks right alongside the 1980 Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe match as one of the greatest Wimbledon men's finals ever.
7. Duke lacrosse earns redemption: Denied a chance to finish its 2006 season, the Duke men's lacrosse team went further than expected in 2007. Fourteen months after three players were wrongly accused of raping a stripper, the Blue Devils reached the NCAA title game before falling to Johns Hopkins, 12-11.
6. Travis Henry named National Fatherhood Initiatives spokesman: And just when you thought Shawn Kemp jokes were getting stale, Henry spiced things up when it was revealed that he has fathered nine illegitimate children by nine different women, and (in a true Latrell Sprewell moment) "borrowed" $9,800 from the Titans to help with child support. You've got to hand it to a guy that makes Latrell Sprewell and Shawn Kemp look sympathetic. We actually can't believe we only put this at No. 6.
5. Hamilton takes F1 by storm: The first black driver in Formula One history, Hamilton has set the league on fire, capturing three victories and finishing on the podium in 10 of his first 12 races. His success has catapulted him to the top of the F1 standings, but a dispute with his McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso has threatened to break up the league's most formidable team.
4. Ankiel's storybook comeback: When Rick Ankiel threw nine wild pitches in four playoff innings for the Cardinals in 2000, many thought his once-promising career had come to an abrupt and bizarre end. Seven years later, Ankiel is back, this time as a power-hitting outfielder. He has belted six home runs since his call-up on Aug. 9 and St. Louis is a big winner, going 13-7 since adding the 28-year-old to the roster and moving a game over .500.
3. Appalachian State stuns Michigan: We're ignoring the obvious "feel-good for who?" question here and banking on the fact that everyone outside Ann Arbor enjoys a good underdog story. And with only one matchup between ranked teams last weekend (California-Tennessee), the Mountaineers injected a healthy dose of uncertainty in Opening Weekends to come with a 34-32 upset of No. 5 Michigan in the Big House.
2. Lester overcomes cancer: A true feel-gooder. A highly-regarded prospect since the Red Sox drafted him in 2002, Jon Lester's career was derailed in June 2006 when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. But just 11 months later, Lester made his return to the big leagues, tossing six innings of two-run, five-hit ball in a start against Cleveland on July 23. Lester has won all three of his decisions since his return, the most recent coming in a victory over Baltimore Sunday afternoon.
1. Iraq soccer wins the Asia Cup: Despite being heavy underdogs to the three-time champions from Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi soccer team captured its first-ever Asia Cup on July 29, scoring a 1-0 victory that set off celebrations in war-torn Baghdad. The Iraqi team, a mix of Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds, also earned victories over Australia and Korea en route to the title.
