Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
December 27, 2002, Washington Post

The Greatest Hits of 2002

Certain words are used too often in sports. On ESPN's "SportsCenter" and the sports news on TV, every catch seems to be "amazing" and every other game or player is "great."

Looking back on the year in sports, 2002 had its share of "great" plays and games. But certain people stood out. These folks were . . . well, amazing, really.

Lance Armstrong. In 1996, cyclist Lance Armstrong was told he had cancer. Doctors said there was a 60 percent chance that he would die soon. Riding again in a world-class bicycle race seemed like an unreachable goal.

But Armstrong struggled back. He not only beat his cancer, but also returned to the top of his sport. This year, Lance Armstrong won his fourth straight Tour de France, maybe the most grueling bike race (or sports event) in the world.

The Williams Sisters. Venus and Serena are dominating women's tennis so completely that fans are starting to take them for granted. In 2002, the wondrous Williams sisters had a combined match record of 118-14. They won 15 tournaments, including Serena's three major championships.

It's important to remember that there has never been a better brother or sister combination in any sport at any time. Imagine that Tiger Woods had a brother who could play golf as well as he does -- that will give you an idea of what Venus and Serena are doing.

Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. These Arizona Diamondbacks teammates just might be the best lefty-righty pitching combination in the history of baseball.

In 2002, Johnson and Schilling had a combined record of 47-12. That's almost as good as Venus and Serena. They also struck out 650 batters in 519 innings. When either of these aces is on the mound, the Diamonbacks are the best team in baseball.

Annika Sorenstam. Women and golf were in the news in 2002. Suzy Whaley was the first female golfer to qualify for a men's pro tournament. Jenny Suh won the Virginia boys high school golf championship. And then there was the debate about whether Augusta National, the club where the Masters tournament is played, should allow women to become members.

But, for me, the biggest story in women's golf was Annika Sorenstam. She had the best year of any golfer. Most pro golfers think they had a good year if they win a single tournament, and it's a great year if they win two. Annika Sorenstam won 11 tournaments in 2002.

Jerry Rice. Lots of older athletes had noteworthy performances in 2002. Michael Jordan, Barry Bonds, the Redskins' Darrell Green, just to name a few.

So it's easy to overlook Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Rice. He's older than Jordan or Bonds. Rice not only holds every career receiving record worth having, but he has caught 90 passes for nearly 1,200 yards so far this season. At 40 years old, when most football players have long ago retired, Jerry Rice is still a very good player for a playoff team.

Amazing.