Well, it's the end of the year and I'm about to shut down for the rest of 2005. Well, technically, things in the sports department have been shut down for a few days now but I didn't want to exit the year without acknowledging what a great year it's been in the sports world and how excited I am for the coming year ahead. One need only look at the finalists in our Best Traditional Sports and Best Alternative Sports Game award categories to realize that we've had an embarassment of riches in the games department. And with games like Arena Football, MVP 06 NCAA Baseball, and Fight Night Round 3 (not to mention all the MLB games) hitting early in the year, things will be getting busy real soon.

　　2005 highlights for me? Well there's a lot, of course. Seeing the Xbox 360 sports stuff back at E3 was a thrill (even if many of the games disappointed at launch). Meeting Wayne Gretzky just a few weeks ago was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done. Seeing (and playing) Fight Night Round 3 recently made me realize how sweet the Xbox 360 can really be with the right software. Coming in dead last in the GameSpot Sports Fantasy Football League was certainly a disappointment, but not nearly as bad as losing in the first round of the playoffs to the number one seed in our office league... by one stinkin' point. God if Trent Green wasn't such a loser I'd be well on my way to Title Town right now.

　　But enough reminiscing. We've got some exciting plans ahead for the GameSpot Sports site in 2006, stuff I hope you guys really like. Until then, enjoy your holidays the way they were meant to be enjoyed: with tons of videogames around you, a belly full of delicious holiday food, and college bowl games blaring on every TV in the house. See you next year...

　　P.S. - USC - 45, Texas - 13. Just calling my shot now...