No more timeouts, see off the year,
Offer a toast and close the show
With champagne flutes or cans of beer —
2018 … time to let go.
———
FIRST QUARTER
Who wrote this law? By whose decree
College football means SEC?
Bama turns from Hurts to Tua,
Saban’s tribe sings hallelujah.
In court, young gymnasts share a dream
Of glory on a balance beam
And how dreams turn to anguish, strife —
Larry Nassar is jailed for life.
Soon heads are served upon a plate:
USOC, Michigan State.
In Melbourne, tennis starts anew
With Wozniacki breaking through.
Angst takes hold in Patriot land:
What’s up with Brady’s injured hand?
Come Super Bowl, a switch of roles:
Pats pushed aside by Eagles, Foles.
The IOC tells Russia nyet.
(Now talk about an idle threat.)
In Pyeongchang, a point of pride —
The North and South walk side by side.
Skiers speeding, skaters swirling.
Once again, we all love curling.
Farewell tour, Danica Double —
Daytona crash bursts the bubble.
March Madness brings a seedy plot —
Recruiting scandal, toxic rot,
Shoe reps, coaches, an oiled machine.
Far better stories: Sister Jean;
Villanova’s great crescendo
Led by Donte DiVincenzo;
And Notre Dame, the women’s crown —
Ogunbowale knocks ‘em down.
———
SECOND QUARTER
Baseball starts behind in the count,
With rain and cold as strikeouts mount.
How to adjust the thermostat?
Shohei Ohtani’s arm and bat.
Howls for Woods, a Masters racket
But Patrick Reed wears the jacket.
Justify shows his Derby speed.
For Baffert, one more mighty steed.
Supreme Court rules on fierce debate —
Sports gamblers pull an inside straight.
Justify scores at Pimlico
In fog and mud — just one to go.
At last Will Power, Indy guy.
Danica Patrick says goodbye.
The desert sky, the neon lights,
Hockey skates to the Golden Knights.
But magic ends when time is up —
Ovechkin, Caps now hoist the cup.
Football owners set anthem rules,
Treat the union as servile fools.
Cavaliers gain a Finals berth.
LeBron, like Atlas, holds the Earth,
But Steph, Durant are too much weight —
Another title, Golden State.
It’s Justify ! Imagine that:
The Triple Crown becomes old hat.
Serena’s catsuit, all the rage.
In Paris, though, it’s Rafa’s stage.
Mickelson freaks and vents his spleen,
Smacking a moving ball on green.
Brooks Koepka? He rewinds the clock,
An Open encore, Shinnecock.
———
THIRD QUARTER
James leaves the home he loves the most
For purple and gold on the coast.
The World Cup’s on at Putin Place,
One more prize for his trophy case.
Germany crumbles, turned to clay;
Messi, Ronaldo, gone same day.
The French scale soccer’s highest peak —
Kylian Mbappe … magnifique.
World Cup, Wimbledon ride same track.
Novak Djokovic — look who’s back?
Kawhi Leonard and Spurs are through,
Machado bleeding Dodger blue.
British Open, Molinari,
Maestro with a Stradivari.
Tour de France, a perilous ride,
Cyclists tear gassed in countryside.
Buckeye scandal, Urban Meyer,
Things get hot, his pants on fire.
Woods makes a run at PGA.
This Koepka guy won’t go away.
Table’s set for NFL games.
Kaepernick, Nike stoke the flames.
New York sweat box, players fizzle.
Williams makes the Open sizzle.
Claims of coaching bring cries of “thief,”
Tears and chaos and disbelief.
And after all is said and done:
Oh, by the way, Osaka won.
Canelo outpoints Triple G.
Browns win! A Cleveland jubilee.
The golf year ends and this appears:
A win by Woods — it’s been five years.
His Ryder Cup? Bumps and bruises,
Wins no matches, Europe cruises.
———
FOURTH QUARTER
NFL rules are one fine mess —
Legal hits are anyone’s guess.
Chiefs are soaring behind Mahomes,
Gruden’s Raiders in catacombs.
Biles and Raisman soon speak their mind —
Gymnastics caught in one more bind.
Its leaders come from God knows where
And quickly vanish in thin air.
October baseball’s back again —
Trips to the mound, calls to the pen.
Games held hostage to pace of play —
A long night’s journey into day.
Muncy homers, 18th inning —
Yes, we’re far from the beginning.
How good’s Boston? Let’s be precise:
There’s Boegarts, Bradley, Pearce and Price,
Sale, Martinez and Mookie Betts.
Simply put, as good as it gets.
Passing record for Saints’ Drew Brees.
Klay Thompson hits for 14 3s.
Maryland football’s civil war —
Coach cleared but next day out the door.
Durant and Green do not play nice,
And trouble looms in paradise.
Concussion lawsuit, NHL —
A deal that leaves a nasty smell.
Joey Logano, first-time champ,
With NASCAR stalled on exit ramp.
Rams play the Chiefs on Monday night —
Pinball numbers, a wild delight.
Mickelson, Woods go 1-on-1 —
TV stunt in the desert sun.
Hotel video, lies, abuse —
Chiefs quickly cut Kareem Hunt loose.
A heavyweight feast, fierce and raw,
Wilder, Fury fight to a draw.
Tua’s injured, Hurts gets the call.
We’re Bama, baby! We roll, y’all.
College Football Playoff spin:
Tide, Tigers, Irish, Sooners in.
Meyer, ailing, decides to quit.
He’ll coach the Rose Bowl then that’s it.
Heisman voters grant diploma:
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma.
The year’s then done. How does it feel?
There’s no extension to this deal.
But just down the road, sight unseen,
Now warming up … 2019.
———
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports
