Nationally, 2011 was hardly what anyone could call great. Scandals both mundane and sinister dominated headlines, destroyed the reputation of a once-revered and beloved figure, forced a once-dominant program to its knees, and showed exactly the lengths someone will go to for influence and access. Sports became more about board rooms than back boards in the NBA; more about gridlock than gridiron in football. One baseball team pulled rabbit after rabbit out of their hat, while another got to spend an entire offseason asking "what if?"