Happy New Year in Review

Happy New Year! ... or, as I've come to know it, Happy Hangover Day!

And so it's time to look back at some notable stuff from 2007:

Nov. 3 - Navy ends a 43-year losing streak to Notre Dame by stopping them in overtime. Navy played bowl-worthy football all season, and ND had a down year. Whatever. No excuses. Anchors aweigh!

Oct. 26 - Trinity University, from Texas, trailed Millsaps College 28-22 with 2 seconds to play and the ball at their own 39-yard-line. What to do? Reach WAY back into the playbook, complete one pass, then follow it with 15 laterals until Millsaps' players start giving up and you sprint past them into the end zone for the 28-22. Ready ... BREAK!

Sept. 23 - Oklahoma State beat Texas Tech 49-45. Great game worthy of accolades up and down from OKS coach Mike Gundy about his players, coaches and program, right? Mmm, not so much. Instead, Gundy chose that setting to berate a beat columnist for a piece she wrote on one of his players. His verbal assault gave us such gems as, "I'm a man. I'm 40!" Enjoy.

Sept. 1 - Appalachian State, defending Division 1-AA champion, shocks the football world by beating No. 2-ranked Michigan in an instant classic. The Mountaineers blocked a Wolverine field goal at the end of regulation to preserve the 34-32 victory. Cool stuff. As it would turn out, App State would lose just two games and go on to win the D 1-AA championship. Again. Way to pick'em, Michigan.

Aug. 1 - The I-35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis - captured on this surveillance video - forcing government officials nationwide to refocus the need for improved infrastructure. This attention led to the closing of the McCleary Bridge in Wausau, which had a crumbling pier supporting two lanes and had gone unannounced for two years. In looking around for information on bridge disasters, I found this clip of the Tacoma Narrows on Nov. 1, 1940.

June 10 - 'The Sopranos' ended its seven-year run with the most controversial series finale I can remember. People have been talking about it ever since; mostly complaining about it, some praising it. As I don't have HBO, I couldn't watch it live, but in looking back at it, I think it's brilliant. The camera shifts from person to person and you the viewer find yourself wondering who will be the one to whack Tony. You know it could happen at any time, and it could come from anybody. And that's how Tony lives his life. Perfect.
And, to her credit, Hillary Clinton spoofed the Sopranos episode in a campaign ad.

April 16 - Seung-Hui Cho, a 22-year-old Korean man, went on a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, killing 32 and wounding 25 more before fatally shooting himself as his coup de grace. During the rampage, he took a break to mail a video manifesto to NBC explaining his twisted rationale. A student caught some of the gunshots on his camera phone. CNN made it part of a longer report. Eerie stuff.