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It was a year of the good, the bad and the ugly for Tiger Woods: Good (named player of the year), Bad (didn't win a major), Ugly (that little thing with his SUV and his 'transgressions.')

Tiger's friend Roger Federer had a much less controversial year, but he made big news. He won the French Open to complete the career Grand Slam, Wimbledon to break all kinds of records and regained the No. 1 ranking.

Brett Favre did it again, waffling for months on retirement before finally deciding to return to the gridiron. Only this time it was for Packers heated rivals, the Vikings. But it has looked pretty good so far as Favre has had one of the best seasons of his career.

Sidney Crosby accomplished something at a younger age than any other NHL player in history, captaining a team to a Stanley Cup championship. So what if he wasn't actually on the ice when the Cup was clinched.

Kobe Bryant did something he hadn't done before: He won an NBA Championship as 'the guy' in L.A. Take that, Shaq.

Just like the Lakers did, the New York Yankees ended the decade the same way they started it, with a championship, and of course Derek Jeter was a big part the World Series win. He was named SI's sportsman of the year, the first Yankee to get that honour. Go figure.

The newsmakers weren't always good. After going to the Los Angeles Dodgers and quickly creating Manny-wood, slugger Manny Ramirez was nailed for performance-enhancing drugs. That's Manny being naughty.

Mixed martial arts superstar Brock Lesnar had only one fight in 2009, and while it was a dominant victory over Frank Mir at historic UFC 100, it was some WWE-like comments he made after the victory that drew headlines across the sporting world.

Jimmie Johnson was dominant on the NASCAR track and took home a record fourth straight Cup title. AP named him the year's top male athlete, the first ever for a race car driver. Yes, race car drivers are considered athletes.

In 2009, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo became the most expensive player in football history after a transfer to Real Madrid in a deal worth 94 million euros. It's believed his contract is worth 13 million euros per season, with a 1-billion buy-out clause. That ain't no lump of coal!