As 2008 comes to a close, we also approach the first birthday of Shutdown Corner, which was known at the time of birth as "The NFL Experts Blog." 

But shortly after I took over here, it became clear that the term "expert" no longer had any place in the title, so it became Shutdown Corner. I made my first post January 21st (a post that made fun of Emmitt Smith and really doesn't make sense without the video, which is no longer available). From there, I've grown to know you a little bit, you've grown to know me a little bit, and The Corner has slowly morphed into the tidy little offering it is today.

In 2009, I hope to take our relationship to the next level. But first, let's look back at 2008, The Corner's highlights, lowlights, and all the mindless babble that hopefully helped you pass the time at work.

Story of the Year: The Shutdown Corner Bowling Series, featuring Matt Leinart, Derek Anderson, and Nomar Garciaparra and Mia Hamm

Okay, so maybe the series of hotly-contested bowling matches wasn't an actual "story" to anyone but me, but it was the most fun thing I got to do this year on The Corner. It's not like bowling with Matt Leinart is an every day occurence for me. I also feel like it was an important step in introducing myself to readers and sort of setting the tone for the blog, namely that I'd go into great detail over trivial matters and humiliate myself again and again.

Video of the Year: A good old-fashioned Raider fan stabbing

My actual favorite was the racist 1958 Marlboro NFL ad that surfaced earlier this year, but it's been removed from the internet by the Philip Morris people. It's almost like they're not proud of what they've done. 

Satire and Snark of the Year: A more relevant and reliable alternative to the Wonderlic Test

No one ever thinks about the Wonderlic outside of the time period just before the draft ... try it now, though. Your team's heading into a playoff game. On your team, would you rather have the guy who gets a 14-out-of-15 on the analogy section, or would you rather have the 6'5", 290-lb. manbeast who would bite three of his own fingers off if he thought it would help him make a tackle?

Since satire was one of the main themes for The Corner in '08, I want to highlight a few others, too, including: A celebration of Shark Week by noting four NFL'ers who might survive a shark attack ... An interview with a dog that had an unfortunate encounter with some blue dye ... and a big middle finger to the BCS that makes me oh-so-thankful for the Super Bowl.

Media Bird-Doggin' of the Year: Rob Parker has some questions for Rod Marinelli about his daughter.

I tend to leave the rest of the media alone here at The Corner, but not even Chase and I could ignore this one. Detroit columnist Rob Parker asked Lions (former) head coach Rod Marinelli if he wished his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator. In a single question, he accused Marinelli of nepotism and questioned his daughter's dating habits. If nothing else, it was a hell of an efficient way to infuriate someone.

I fully supported Marinelli's response, too. It may be what he's best remembered for. Other than that 0-16 thing, of course.

Honest-to-Goodness Analysis of the Year: Honest question: Could Allen Iverson start at QB for the Lions?

We might as well stick with the Lions futility for another couple of minutes here. Barring something miraculous in the playoffs, it'll probably be the most historic thing we see from this NFL season. 

And maybe nothing sums up the Lions season better than the fact that I honestly wondered if Allen Iverson could start at quarterback for the Lions, and no one else really thought it was that outlandish a statement. The idea was born on our fledgling podcast, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought it seemed reasonable. I don't know if Iverson could have prevented 0-16, but I know he couldn't have done any worse.

The Best in Guest Blogging: Chris Cooley's Adventures in NFL Drug Testing.

Chris Cooley shared some great stuff with us this year, not the least of which was the tale or urinary horror. Cooley also told us about collecting his own football cards and selling them on eBay, his draft day story, his headline-making opinion that the rookie-wage scale should be changed, his love of fast food, his remembrance of Michael Strahan, and even his lovely bride.

The Best in Lists: The 11 Coolest Helmets in Pro Football History

Any list in which both the Orlando Thunder and the Green Bay Packers are perfectly at home is okay with me. I really had a blast putting that one together, fondly remembering Bucco Bruce, a light blue oil derrick, and Pat Patriot. I was surprised at the enthusiasm everyone else showed for helmet history and appreciation, too.

The Best in High Fashion: The 11 Greatest Mustaches in NFL History

This one was at least as much fun as the helmet list. When you think of great mustaches in sports, you traditionally don't think of the NFL, but man ... a deeper look revealed some historically wonderful lip fur. Ben Davidson was the all-time champ, but Mike Ditka, Conrad Dobler, and Dave Wannstedt provided an amazing level of competition.

Interviews of the Year: The Shutdown Corner interview with Herman Edwards

The interviews I got to do were probably the most rewarding thing of 2008 for me on The Corner, but none more so than Herm Edwards. He was genuine, insightful, open, and just seemed like really really good guy. LaDainian Tomlinson was excellent, Ronnie Brown seemed like a fantastic guy, and I still laugh when I think about talking to Tommie Harris.

Art of the Year: Another Brett Favre Commemorative Coin

We're probably a little light in the art department here, but if I had to pick a favorite ...

And it would certainly not be the Vinny Testaverde Award:

Nasty. Just nasty.

Anyway, anyone who's dropped by and visited the site even once this year has my sincere gratitude, and if you've left a comment or e-mailed me, I thank you again. 

I'd also like to thank everyone else who helped out here, especially my tag-team partner Chris Chase. Thanks to Scott Pianowski and Andy Behrens for their help with the Monday Night live blogs, to Michael Tunison for helping to fill in, Drew Magary for guest-hosting for a day, and Chris Cooley for his outstanding contributions.

More Y! Sports year of the blog posts: The Y! Sports Blogs (general), Big League Stew (MLB), Ball Don't Lie (NBA), Puck Daddy (NHL), Dr. Saturday (NCAAF), The Dagger (NCAAB), From the Marbles (NASCAR), Devil Ball (golf) and Cage Writer (MMA)