A continuation of The Best and Worst from '08.


Best Food (City): Lafayette, Louisiana

My first trip down to Lafayette introduced me to some of the greatest tastes in the entire country. As noted a few months back, Cafe Des Amis in Breaux Bridge unlike any restaurant in the United States, and serves up an awesome Zydeco Breakfast (be sure to load up on Beignets and Grits). But while great food is found in restaurants all around the region, it's the meals home cooked by the natives that will blow you away. Whether it's a brisket or some crawfish dip, it's all good. You eat, and eat and eat, until you think you're going to burst, but you don't want to stop 'cause everything tastes so damn good.

Lafayette, Louisiana...great people and great food.


Best Pizza (Seattle): A New York Pizza Place - Maple Leaf

Seattle's not really known for it's pizza since the majority of joints are chain restaurants, either national or local. But there are places around the city where you can get a great pizza if you know where to look. Aptly named "A New York Pizza Place", this Maple Leaf establishment doesn't try to get cute, fancy, or reinvent the wheel...they just make kick ass pizza. Their Mickey Mantle used to be our standby but we've recently taken a likening to their calzones, which are stuffed full of cheese, meat and whatever else you want, and then baked to perfection.


Worst Televised Sporting Event: Breeders' Cup (ESPN)

ESPN's overall coverage of horse racing is pretty good...not great, but generally pretty good. Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey provide solid commentary week in and week out, and Kenny Mayne adds a nice comedic element to any broadcast. The biggest drawback of any ESPN horse racing show, however, is the mystifying camera angles that the network forces onto the view public. This was no more evident than during this year's broadcast of the Breeders' Cup.

Time and time again during each of the championship races, viewers were treated to a variety of camera angles that made it almost impossible to see which horses were running in which positions. It's already hard enough on BC day given the decision to have all the saddle clothes the same color (a decision that is driven by the Breeders' Cup themselves), but to continually give us blimp or overhead shots down the backstretch is just maddening. The blimp shot is great during the race replay and analysis, but during the heat of the moment most racing fans just want a nice, wide shot that allows us to see most (if not all) of the field.

Sometimes we don't need to re-invent the wheel.


Best Horse Racing Analyst: Randy Moss (ESPN)

Despite ESPN's drawbacks with their choice of camera angles, they are certainly at the top of their game by having Randy Moss providing insights and analysis. Never overly brash or boastful, Moss' commentary tends to go right at the heart of the issues, as well as providing actual, in-depth handicapping at a time when much analysis on TV is reduced to fluff. Moss is also a great proponent of trying to fix the many problems that exist in the game today, including issues dealing with legal and illegal medications.

His commentary following this year's Kentucky Derby and the death of the filly, Eight Belles, was one of the best this year almost entirely due to the fact that he was able to cut though the B.S. on both sides of the issue and focus on the real problems that exist within the game.


Worst Legal Name Change: Chad Johnson, er, Chad Ocho Cinco

Do I really have to type anything else in this spot? Yeah, I didn't think so.


Best Celebrities or Notable People that Died in 2008:

It's always a little sad to look back on those that passed away during the previous year, whether they are famous people or just loved ones. Here's a few of the famous people that I'll miss the most.

Roy Scheider: "We're going to need a bigger boat."

Harvey Korman: Growing up watching reruns of The Carol Burnett Show, this guy could always make me laugh.

Sir Edmund Hillary: Climbed Mt. Everest prior to the invention of much of the modern equipment that makes it even possible today.

Charlton Heston: "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

Paul Newman: RIP, "Fast" Eddie Felson.


Best Photo Finish: Michael Phelps - 100m Butterfly

(Photo: AP)

No matter how many times this race is replayed it still seems impossible that Phelps would out touch his opponent, Milorad Cavic. But out touch him he did, winning the gold by .01 seconds.