Biggest boost to a reputation

The nominees are: Cliff Lee, Eli Manning, U.S. men's basketball team, Brad Lidge, Matt Cassel

And the winner is: Eli Manning. He's no longer just Peyton Manning's little brother. He's now Peyton Manning's Super Bowl-winning little brother.

Most damaging blow to a reputation

The nominees are: Roger Clemens, Al Davis, NBA officials, Wade Phillips, the World Series

And the winner is: Roger Clemens. How do you wreck a Hall of Fame career? Your name comes up in the Mitchell Report. Your personal trainer produces a steady stream of accusations and evidence. You're betrayed by your best friend and teammate. You let your wife take the blame for a shipment of HGH to your house. You're under investigation by federal prosecutors for possible perjury. And as an end-of-the-year bonus: The Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine announces that your name will be dropped from the building.

Best turnaround

The nominees are: Atlanta Falcons, Baylor men's basketball, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Rays, UT-Arlington men's basketball

And the winner is: The Rays. They had never won more than 70 games. Yet somehow they toppled the New York Cash Registers and Boston Wallets to win the AL East.

Worst turnaround

The nominees are: Colorado Rockies, Michigan Wolverines Football, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars

And the winner is: Michigan. Rich Rodriguez's hiring produced more lawsuits than wins as the Wolverines suffered their worst season in school history.

Best example of trying to buy a championship

The nominees are: Boston Celtics (through trades), Dallas Cowboys , Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, New York Yankees

And the winner is: The Yankees. After missing out on the chance to be eliminated in the first round, the Yankees went to work. They signed CC Sabathia. They signed A.J. Burnett. They signed Mark Teixeira. That's a $423.5 million month. When it comes to throwing money at a problem, the Yankees have a real problem.

Worst disappearing act

The nominees are: 2007 Dallas Cowboys , 2007 New England Patriots, 2008 Dallas Cowboys , Big Brown at the Belmont Stakes, Mike Singletary's pants

And the winner is: The Patriots. New England was a huge favorite in Super Bowl XLII after becoming the first team to go 16-0 in the regular season. But the Patriots looked mediocre against the New York Giants in one of the all-time stunning upsets.

The gone but not forgotten award

The nominees are: Devin Harris, John Danks, Edinson Volquez, Ryan Ludwick, Tony Sparano

And the winner is: Tony Sparano. When Bill Parcells took a front-office job with the Miami Dolphins, he picked the former Cowboys assistant to be the head coach. They were innovative and exceeded expectations.

Top individual achievement

The nominees are: Michael Phelps' eight gold medals, Josh Hamilton's 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby, Usain Bolt's record-setting runs in the 100 and 200 meters, Francisco Rodriguez's 62 saves, Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open on one leg

And the winner is: Tiger Woods. What could the greatest golfer of this generation -- and possibly any generation -- do to prove himself more? How about winning with the odds against him? He limped through the U.S. Open with an injured knee and a double stress fracture in his leg and won on the 91st hole.

Greatest achievement in achieving nothing

The nominees are: Detroit Lions, Kimbo Slice, Plaxico Burress' sweatpants holster, Brett Favre's retirement party planner, Washington Huskies Football

And the winner is: The Lions. Anyone who can one-up the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for futility has made a truly great achievement in non-achievement.

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