The Annual Shanoff Sports Hot/Not List:What's Out From 2008 And In For 2009

What was hot in sports in 2008? I would rank my Top 5 trendiest this way:

(1) The Rays
(2) Michael Phelps
(3) The "Wildcat"
(4) Stephen Curry
(5) Nate Silver

There are a lot more, but in DanShanoff.com tradition, let's look ahead to what might -- nay: WILL -- be hot in 2009, and what we're leaving behind with 2008. (This year, I even added a slight twist, offering up a link to some background info informing my picks.) Enjoy the walk down memory lane at the bottom of the list.

The toughest pick? No question: Who are "the next Rays?" And I had to expand beyond baseball -- although some (Silver) predicted their success, the Rays simply broke the mold for break-out teams. In fact, I left that open for you: If the Rays are the ultimate hotness from '08, who (or what) will be the ultimate hotness in '09?

Leave that answer in the Comments -- along with any other categories you want to weigh in on. This list is by no means comprehensive or granular enough.

But I will say that I spared you even a single mention of a certain Florida QB (even though his presence in the 09 NFL Draft or the 09 CFB season will make him THE defining name in either).

As always, entries are listed with the "Out" first, representing what was hot in '08 but will be displaced or replaced by the "In" contender in '09. I used to list categories, too, but the entries should be pretty self-explanatory.

Out: Michael Crabtree
In: Julio Jones
why

Out: White House mountain biking
In: White House pick-up hoops games
why

Out: Michael Phelps
In: Tiger Woods
why

Out: A-11
In: Gus Malzahn
why

Out: Nate Silver
In: ZEUS
why

Out: 37Pitches
In: @The_Real_Shaq
why

Out: Will Leitch
In: AJ Daulerio
why

Out: Matt Cassel
In: Kevin O'Connell
why

Out: Celtics D
In: Lakers D
why

Out: Steroid busts
In: DUI busts
why

Out: FireJoeMorgan
In: Drew's Jamboroo
why

Out: Kevin Durant
In: OJ Mayo
why

Out: Cheap bleacher seats
In: Cheap online streaming
why

Out: High-top LeBrons
In: Low-top Kobes
why

Out: Texas Longhorns TV Network
In: MLB Network
why

Out: Stephen Curry
In: Seth Curry
why

Out: Wildcat RBs
In: Wildcat QBs
why

Out: Fanhouse
In: SB Nation
why

Out: MLB.com At Bat
In: Sportacular
why

Out: Retro Jordans
In: Retro Asics
why

Out: Arena Football League
In: United Football League
why

Out: Brandon Jennings
In: Lance Stephenson
why

Out: Live-blogging
In: Twitter updates
why

Out: Rays
In: Readers' Choice!

Answer the Rays-of-'09 question in the Comments, along with any other adds you have.

And now... let's step into the wayback machine for Hot/Not lists through the decade. No one has been doing this What's Hot/Not (or In/Out) column for sports longer than me. It is, annually, one of my favorite columns to write -- wherever it might be published. Enjoy:

2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001

Again, best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.

-- D.S.