The 10 best stories in baseball of 2008

Rising star: Giants ace Tim Lincecum captured the NL Cy Young Award in just his second full season in the big leagues. (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO — Rays beam all the way to World Series, Phillies end years of misery, Manny quits on one team while starring for another and Yankee Stadium sees its final hours.

Ray-markable run
1 There wasn’t a more astounding story in 2008 than the turnaround of the Rays. Historically the doormat of baseball, the Rays mixed young talent and a cagey manager in Joe Madden to go from 66 to 96 wins, capture the AL East and earn a trip to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

CC makes the rounds
2 You’d be hard-pressed to find a player who had more of a whirlwind six months than CC Sabathia. All the big lefty did was join the Brewers after he was traded in midseason from the Indians, lead the Brew Crew to the playoffs for the first time since 1982 and then sign the richest pitching contract in history ($161 million) with the Yankees in December.

Phillies phinally phinish
3 After 28 years, countless disappointing seasons and a Game 5 that would never end, the Phillies finally found the ingredients necessary to bring home a World Series championship. Slugger Ryan Howard, ace Cole Hamels and reinvigorated closer Brad Lidge carried the Phils to a memorable season.

Heartbreak at Wrigley
4 The Cubs had it all — pitching, defense and a power-packed lineup. After an NL-best 97 wins during the regular season, a trip to the World Series seemed all but certain for the lovable losers. But the Cubs fell apart in the playoffs again, extending their drought without a championship to 100 years.

Manny being Manny
5 Always entertaining and often controversial outfielder Manny Ramirez forced the Red Sox to trade him to the Dodgers by essentially quitting on his team. After the trade, Manny went on a tear for the Dodgers, carrying them all the way to the NL West title and a first-round playoff victory.

Mets land Santana 
6 The Mets outbid the crosstown rival Yankees and several other clubs to land Johan Santana, arguably the best pitcher in baseball, prior to the 2008 season by offering the Twins better prospects and the nasty lefty the largest contract for a pitcher ever at the time. Santana rewarded the club with a dazzling season, going 16-7 with a 2.53 ERA.

Saving the day
7 Francisco Rodriguez turned in the greatest season ever for a closer, saving a record 62 games, smashing the previous record of 57 held by Bobby Thigpen. K-Rod parlayed that success into a three-year, $37 million free-agent contract with the Mets after spending his first seven years with the Angels.

‘The Franchise’ arrives
8 In just his second big-league season, Giants ace right-hander Tim Lincecum turned in a season for the ages. The diminutive, but dominating 24-year-old was a clear-cut winner in the NL Cy Young Award race after finishing 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA. Lincecum led all of baseball with 262 strikeouts.

Yanks in transition
9 It was clearly a year of transition for the Yankees. The team missed the postseason for the first time in 13 seasons and owner George Steinbrenner relinquished control of the team, handing the keys to son Hal. None of this stopped the Yanks from spending, as they then inked CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira to monster deals.

Stadium says farewell
10 After hosting some of the biggest sporting events in history, venerable Yankee Stadium shut its doors for good Sept. 22 as the team prepared to usher in the new Yankee Stadium across the street.

... And 5 stories we’d like to forget

Clemens tainted
1 After being named in the Mitchell Report in 2007, Roger Clemens has been wrapped up in a defamation lawsuit with ex-trainer Brian McNamee for most of the year.

Bonds looks for work
2 Despite rumors he would play for the league minimum, Barry Bonds never suited up in 2008. Reports say the players’ union plans to file collusion charges against baseball’s owners as a result.

Fall unclassic
3 Mother Nature came out a winner in the World Series when she rained on baseball’s parade, causing a 46-hour delay in the middle of what was the decisive Game 5.

Tigers lose their roar
4 Many baseball pundits predicted the Tigers as serious World Series contenders after a busy offseason. Instead, the Tigers finished in last place in the AL Central.

Run, B.J., run
5 There is no denying the natural talent B.J. Upton has, but the 2002 No. 2 overall pick may have relied on instincts too much when running the bases. Several gaffes led to the young Rays star being benched and grabbing national headlines.

Gem of the diamond

Hamilton rises above addiction
Who: Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton turned in a career-best season, hitting .304 with 32 home runs and 130 RBIs. Hamilton also put on a jaw-dropping display at the Home Run Derby, belting 32 homers in the opening round.

Why: It wasn’t the numbers that captured fans’ hearts this year, but what Hamilton had to overcome. The former No. 1 overall pick appeared to be on the path to stardom until drug addiction derailed his career and threatened his life. Hamilton had to start his career essentially from scratch and turned into one of the feel-good stories of the year.