It's that time of the year when we look back at the top stories of the year. I will have my lists for my college hockey and TV/Radio beats soon, but I thought I would give you another person's look back at 2008.

On his "Mad Dog Unleashed" show Tuesday on Sirius/XM Radio, Chris Russo offered his top 10 stories of 2008, and predicted the top 10 stories of 2009.

Mad Dog's Top 10 Sports Moments from 2008:

10. Boston Celtics beat Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of NBA Eastern Conference finals.

Mad Dog's take: "LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce down the stretch in Boston. Celtics needed to win this game to cement their season. Wonderful basketball game, back and forth they went and Pierce won it. Great game."

9. U.S. men’s swim ream wins 400-meter freestyle relay with come-from-behind effort.

Mad Dog's take: "This got Michael Phelps going as far as all those gold medals are concerned. Very exciting comeback on the last leg by Jason Lezak, who won it by a fingertip. And they beat the French, who were very cocky before this race. Outstanding team performance."

8. Kansas beats Memphis to win NCAA men’s basketball championship.

Mad Dog's take: "Memphis blows a nine-point lead in the last two minutes. Kansas comes out of nowhere to win this one. The Jayhawks hadn't done anything in the NCAAs since the late 80s. Great comeback capped by Chalmers' 3-pointer to send it to overtime."

7. Texas Tech upsets No. 1 Texas on a last second touchdown on Nov. 1.

Mad Dog's take: "Game of the year in college football. Graham Harrell connects with WR Michael Crabtree with one second left and kills Texas' shot at a championship."

6. Tiger Woods wins U.S. Open despite torn ligaments and stress fracture in left leg.

Mad Dog's take: "On one leg, Tiger makes that putt on #18 to force the 18-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate - who's also part of the story as the everyman golfer against the great Tiger. Memorable, momentous event for golf."

5. Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in epic Wimbledon Men's Tennis Final.

Mad Dog's take: "Probably the greatest Wimbledon final of all time. Maybe the greatest men's tennis match of all time. Two great tie-breakers. The great Nadal, who had never won Wimbledon, in the darkness against Federer, a five-time champ. Doesn't get any better than that. This match started at 9 a.m. and ended at 4:47 at night."

4. N.Y. Giants beat Packers in freezing conditions at Lambeau Field to win NFC championship.

Mad Dog's take: "Minus 2 degrees at Lambeau. Kicker Lawrence Tynes missing field goals left and right. Great game by Plaxico Burress. Brett Favre throws an interception at the end. That was as good it gets in the NFL."

3. Philadelphia Phillies beat Tampa Bay Rays in rain-delayed Game 5 of World Series.

Mad Dog's take: "The uniqueness of it! Stopping the game in the monsoon and picking it up two days later in the sixth inning. The Phillies win a World Championship this night in a one-run game. Great energy, lot of excitement, a lot to like about this game."

2. Michael Phelps wins 100 meter men's butterfly with last second come-from-behind effort.

Mad Dog's take: "Coming from behind in what was not his greatest event to win by the slimmest of margins, this race sort of epitomized Phelps' greatness in Beijing."

1. Giants come from behind to defeat undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Mad Dog's take: "This has to be number one. Patriots were 18-0, trying to be the greatest team of all time. The Giants go down the field at the end with the David Tyree catch the symbolic play of this game. Wonderful moment. The Giants, as huge underdogs, winning the Super Bowl and stopping the Patriots' undefeated run has to be the number one sports moment of 2008, no questions asked."

Mad Dog's 10 Sports Predictions for 2009:

1. Florida will beat Oklahoma to win college football's National Championship.

Mad Dog's take: "The Gators are more well-rounded, have a better blend of offense and defense and are good on special teams."

2. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. N.Y. Giants in Super Bowl XLIII. Steelers win.

Mad Dog's take: "The Giants are going to miss Plaxico Burress in a big spot. Last year, they were the dragon hunter but this year they're going to be picked off."

3. The University of North Carolina will win the NCAA men's basketball championship.

Mad Dog's take: "Tar Heels have too much talent, too much ability on that squad. Last year, they got buried by Kansas. This year they'll figure out a way to win six games."

4. The N.Y. Yankees will fail to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Mad Dog's take: "Why not? When you spend all this money, let's go against the Yankees. Manager Joe Girardi will be a mess. CC is not a savior. Sabathia will wish he’s back in the National League."

5. Tiger Woods will win The Masters.

Mad Dog's take: "Who can deny Tiger Woods? He hasn't won The Masters in a while and he's about due. He'll be motivated. It's the law of averages. He’s going to win four or five more of these and he hasn't won it in a few years. It's about time."

6. The Boston Celtics will repeat as NBA Champions.

Mad Dog's take: "Defense. Paul Pierce."

7. Roger Federer will get his Wimbledon title back.

Mad Dog's take: “He won the U.S. Open. He won't have mononucleosis in January. He won't win the French, but he'll come back and beat Nadal in the final of Wimbledon."

8. The New York Mets will redeem themselves by making the playoffs.

Mad Dog's take: "They've got the bullpen straightened out. Third time is the charm. The Mets will be in the race and they'll finally break through."

9. Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford will leave school and enter the NFL Draft.

Mad Dog's take: "Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow stay put. Bradford, after winning the Heisman, comes out."

10. The Boston Bruins will beat the San Jose Sharks to win Stanley Cup.

Mad Dog's take: "San Jose will do a lot but it's not going to be enough. Boston's a good story. The B's, back in town, win the whole thing."