Time to look back at the brilliant and the bad, the weird and the wild, of 2013. Sports editor Hayden Meikle offers this A to Z review.
A is for Auburn, the American college football team that beat bitter rival Alabama in the year's most extraordinary finish. The 'Bama kicker missed a field goal with 1sec on the clock, and Auburn returned it the length of the field for a touchdown.
B is for Bale, the Welsh wizard named Gareth. He finally earned his dream transfer from Spurs to Real Madrid for an astonishing record fee: 86 million quid.
C is for Cristiano Ronaldo. Bale's team-mate was the footballer of the year.
D is for Deaths. Among the losses this year were boxer Ken Norton (aged 70), golfer Ken Venturi (82), baseballer Stan Musial (92), Brazilian footballer Nilton Santos (88), Welsh rugby player/commentator Cliff Morgan (83), race car driver Dick Trickle (71), New Zealand/West Indian cricketer Sammy Guillen (88), beloved rugby identity Peter Fatialofa (54), tennis pioneer Gussie Moran (89), swimmer-actress Esther Williams (91), British sailor Andrew Simpson (36) and David Tua's boxing career.
E is for Evil. Genuine badness came to sport in 2013 as terrorists targeted the finish line at the Boston Marathon in April. Three spectators were killed and 264 were injured.
F is for Fergie. Sir Alex Ferguson finally retired as Manchester United after an obscenely successful spell at the top. Brilliantly, the team he left to David Moyes is now seventh.
G is for Golf. Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Jason Dufner all won their first majors - but Henrik Stenson was the player of the year.
H is for Homeworkgate. Not one of the world's great controversies, sure. But the suspension of Australian cricketers for not doing homework created some laughs.
I is Incredible. This description fits all of the following: The career of super sprinter Black Caviar, who retired with 25 wins from 25 races. The fact the Highlanders managed to finish 14th with a team loaded with All Blacks. Every second of Lance Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey.
J is for Jhaniele Fowler. The Jamaican shooter was named player of the ANZ Championship in her debut season with the Steel.
K is for Kieran Read. And also for Ko, Lydia. The two best stories in New Zealand sport this year.
L is for Lights Out. The Super Bowl in New Orleans was relabelled the Blackout Bowl when a power outage stopped play for 34 minutes. It did not faze the Baltimore Ravens, who beat the San Francisco 49ers.
M is for Marc Marquez. The 20-year-old Spanish rookie became the youngest MotoGP champion.
N is for Nom Nom. Liverpool striker Luis Suarez showed his cannibalistic side when he bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April. Suarez served a 10-match ban but has signed a new contract with Liverpool and is tearing the Premier League apart - with goals, not gums.
O is for Oscar Pistorius. Not such a great year for the Blade Runner, who was charged with murdering his girlfriend and will stand trial in March.
P is for Perfection. The All Blacks won 14 tests out of 14.
Q is for Qatar, which is hosting the World Cup in 2022. The design for its new stadium went viral this year for its startling resemblance of an intimate part of the female anatomy.
R is for ''Rich getting richer'', the go-to phrase for embattled America's Cup commentator Martin Tasker, whose utter devastation became obvious as Team New Zealand's challenge fell apart.
S is for Sox, the Red ones, who stunned Major League Baseball when they won the World Series a year after a last-place finish.
T is for Tendulkar. The great Sachin put down his bat after a remarkable career.
U is for Unhinged. That word nicely sums up the One Direction fans who directed death threats at Gabby Agbonlahor after the Aston Villa striker injured one of the boy band's members, Louis Tomlinson, with a crude tackle in a charity football match.
V is for Valerie Adams, the New Zealand champion who became the first woman to win four consecutive individual titles at the world athletics championships. Awesome.
W is for Wimbledon. The men's singles was won by a Brit (Andy Murray) for the first time in 77 years. Made Otago's Ranfurly Shield drought seem almost brief.
X is for X-factor. Provided, as always, by Sonny Bill Williams. He was invisible in the first half of the NRL grand final, then inspired the Roosters to glory. He told the Kiwis he was not available, then changed his mind. Was brilliant in the semifinal escape against the English, and a non-factor in the final.
Y is for Year of two halves for the Breakers. In April, they celebrated a threepeat; in December, they are bottom of the table.
Z is for Zzzzzzz. That was the reaction of most neutral fans to news of the latest Grand Prix win by boringly dominant Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel.
