2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season
The 2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season was the eighth season of the franchise (in its current incarnation) in World TeamTennis (WTT).


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season
The Freedoms finished the regular season with 7 wins and 7 losses and narrowly missed qualifying for the WTT playoffs. They were eliminated on a standings tiebreaker at the conclusion of the final match of the WTT regular season. The Freedoms were led by Travis Parrott, who was named 2008 WTT Male Rookie of the Year.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Venus Williams returns, and Freedoms get a new home
At the WTT Marquee Player Draft on March 19, 2008, the Freedoms protected Venus Williams. They did not select any other marquee players. The team also announced that its home matches would be played at King of Prussia mall in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania starting with the 2008 season, after seven years at Cabrini College. A temporary stadium with a seating capacity of approximately 2,500 was to be constructed in the parking lot of The Court, then the smaller of the two buildings that composed the mall, in front of Macy's and Bloomingdale's.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Venus Williams returns, and Freedoms get a new home
There would be room to expand the seating capacity of the stadium should demand merit doing so. Freedoms general manager Jeff Harrison said, "The Freedoms couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity to play at such recognizable location. While this new site will give us the ability to expand our product, we want to assure our fans that they will continue to view world-class tennis in an intimate, exclusive setting. We are very confident that our new home will have a positive effect on our team, supporters and the community.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Venus Williams returns, and Freedoms get a new home
Our relationship with the King of Prussia Mall allows us to grow awareness of the team and introduce some new fans to our brand of tennis." Owner Billie Jean King said, "The relocation of the Freedoms to King of Prussia Mall allows us to expand our overall fan experience. While we have enjoyed a spectacular run at Cabrini College, we have seen the success of other WTT franchises that showcase their teams in nontraditional settings. The timing is right, and the Philadelphia market is another perfect opportunity for us to continue with this approach. The Freedoms have a new home, and we will be driving more traffic to the mall. It's a win-win for everyone involved."


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Roster Player Draft
The Freedoms were active in the trade market at the WTT Roster Player Draft on April 1, 2008. In the first round, they protected local favorite Lisa Raymond, which left Jamea Jackson unprotected. Since Jackson had substituted for Raymond in 2007, she had to be protected in the first round (Raymond's 2007 position), if the Freedoms intended to keep her. Raymond, on the other hand, could have been protected in the fourth round, if the Freedoms had protected Jackson in the first round. In the second round, the Freedoms protected Travis Parrott, who had substituted for Daniel Nestor in 2007.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Roster Player Draft
Parrott was still technically a WTT rookie under the rules in place at the time, even though he played for Sacramento Capitals in 2006, and for the Freedoms in 2007. The Freedoms traded their third round pick to the Delaware Smash for Alex Bogomolov Jr., whom had been selected by the Smash with the seventh pick in the first round. The trade forced the Freedoms to leave 2006 WTT Male Most Valuable Player Nestor and Frédéric Niemeyer unprotected. The Smash used the third round selection it acquired from the Freedoms to draft Madison Brengle. In the fourth round, the Freedoms selected Audra Cohen and left Olga Savchuk unprotected. The Freedoms did not select any roster-exempt players.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Substitutes for Raymond
On July 3, 2008, with Lisa Raymond's availability in doubt, because she and her partner Samantha Stosur reached the semifinals of the ladies' doubles tournament at Wimbedon, the Freedoms signed Carly Gullickson and Mouna Sabri as substitute players to replace her in the first two matches of the season. On July 6, the Freedoms signed Robin Stephenson as a substitute player to fill in for Raymond, who had lost the Wimbledon ladies' doubles final the previous day, in the third match of the season.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Substitutes for Raymond
The Freedoms expected to have both Raymond and Venus Williams, who with her sister Serena defeated Raymond and Stosur in that Wimbledon doubles final, available for the fourth match of the regular season on July 8. Raymond and Williams were to play women's doubles together in that match as well as the following two matches on the Freedoms' schedule.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, A rough start
The Freedoms opened their season on July 4, 2008, with a home match against the expansion Washington Kastles, which was the inaugural match for Washington. After falling behind 15–9 after three sets, the Freedoms started a comeback when Audra Cohen and Carly Gullickson won a tiebreaker in the fourth set of women's doubles. Gullickson and Travis Parrott followed with a 5–3 set win in mixed doubles to send the match to overtime with the Kastles leading 22–19. Mashona Washington and Scott Oudsema clinched a 23–19 victory for the Kastles when they won the first game of overtime.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, A rough start
The following evening, the Freedoms met the Springfield Lasers on the road and raced to a 15–8 lead after three sets. Alex Bogomolov Jr. won the opening set of men's singles and teamed with Parrott to win the third set of men's doubles. Cohen and Parrott won the second set of mixed doubles. After the Lasers won the fourth set of women's singles, the Freedoms still held and 18–13 lead.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, A rough start
Shenay Perry and Chanelle Scheepers won a tiebreaker over Cohen and Mouna Sabri in the final set of women's doubles to send the match to overtime with the Freedoms leading, 22–18. Perry and Scheepers then won four straight overtime games and took the super tiebreaker, 7–2, to hand the Freedoms a shocking 23–22 loss.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, A rough start
On July 7, 2008, the Freedoms visited the New York Sportimes and won three of the five sets. However, Cohen's 5–0 set loss to Bethanie Mattek in the fourth set of women's singles meant the Freedoms still trailed, 20–18, after Robin Stephenson and Parrott won a tiebreaker in the final set of mixed doubles to send the match to overtime. Mattek and Brian Wilson won the first game of overtime to give the Sportimes a 21–18 victory and drop the Freedoms' record to 0 wins and 3 losses.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Williams and Raymond arrive
Venus Williams and Lisa Raymond were both available for the third and final match of the Freedoms' early-season three-match road trip, and they had an immediate impact. The Freedoms visited the Delaware Smash on July 8, 2008, in the opener of a home-and-home series. Williams teamed with Travis Parrott for a 5–3 set win in the opening set of mixed doubles. She followed with a 5–2 set win in women's singles. Parrott and Alex Bogomolov Jr. won the third set of men's doubles, 5–3. Williams and Raymond earned a 5–2 set win in the fourth set of women's doubles. After the Smash won a tiebreaker in the closing set of men's singles, the match went to overtime with the Freedoms holding a commanding 24–15 lead. Bogomolov won the first game of overtime to secure the Freedoms' first victory of the season.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Williams and Raymond arrive
The Freedoms hosted the Smash the following evening in a match that was much tighter. Williams and Parrott dropped the opening set of mixed doubles, 5–2. Williams needed a tiebreaker to beat 18-year-old Madison Brengle in the second set of women's doubles. Bogomolov and Parrott gave the Freedoms a 12–11 lead with a 5–2 set win in the third set of men's doubles. The Smash surged to a 16–14 lead, when Brengle and Liezel Huber won the fourth set of women's doubles over Williams and Raymond. Bogomolov rescued the Freedoms by dominating the final set of men's singles, 5–1, to clinch a 19–17 win.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Williams and Raymond arrive
Paying for the fourth consecutive day in the fourth different venue, the Freedoms visited the Boston Lobsters on July 10, 2008. Williams gave them an early lead when she won an opening-set tiebreaker in women's singles and then teamed with Raymond for a 5–2 set win in women's doubles. The Lobsters worked their way back into the match by winning the final three sets, the last two in tiebreakers, to send the match to a super tiebreaker. Bogomolov and Parrott won a match-deciding point to win the super tiebreaker, 7–6, and give the Freedoms a 22–21 triumph. The victory evened the Freedoms' record at 3 wins and 3 losses.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Stretch run
The Freedoms embarked on a four-match homestand with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses, having won four of their previous five matches. However, just as quickly as they appeared to have turned their season in the right direction, the Freedoms suffered another untimely three-match losing streak. In each of the three matches, the Freedoms lost four of the five full sets played. The closest of the three matches was a five-game overtime loss to the Kansas City Explorers. With three matches remaining on their schedule, the Freedoms' record stood at 4 wins and 7 losses.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Stretch run
In the final match of the homestand on July 19, 2008, the Freedoms, without warning, played their best match of the season against the New York Buzz, who entered the match with 7 wins and 3 losses. Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Travis Parrott started the match with a 5–2 set win in the opening set of men's doubles. Audra Cohen won the women's singles set, 5–3. Parrott teamed with Lisa Raymond for a 5–2 set win in the third set of mixed doubles. Raymond and Cohen won a tiebreaker in the fourth set of women's doubles. Bogomolov completed the five-set sweep for the Freedoms by winning a men's singles tiebreaker in the closing set to secure a 25–15 victory.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Stretch run
The next evening, the Freedoms visited the Washington Kastles, who had 5 wins and 6 losses and were in the thick of the race for the WTT wild card playoff berth. Bogomolov won the opening set of men's singles and teamed with Parrott to win the third set of men's doubles. Raymond paired with Cohen to win the second set of women's doubles and with Parrott to win the fourth set of mixed doubles. After Cohen lost the final set of women's singles, she clinched a 23–19 triumph by winning the first game of overtime.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Stretch run
The Freedoms closed their regular season on July 21, 2008, with a dominant home win over the Delaware Smash. Raymond teamed with Parrott for a 5–2 set win in the third set of mixed doubles and with Cohen for a 5–1 set win in the fourth set of women's doubles. Bogomolov paired with Parrott for a 5–3 set win in the opening set of men's doubles and closed out the match by posting a dominant 5–1 margin in the closing set of men's singles. The 23–12 victory evened the Freedoms' record at 7 wins and 7 losses and kept them alive in the WTT playoff race.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Elimination from playoff contention
With their schedule completed, the Freedoms became interested spectators on the final day of the WTT regular season. They were fourth in the Eastern Conference, and their record stood at 7–7, identical to that of the Boston Lobsters, who held a tiebreaker edge over them. The Washington Kastles entered the final day fifth in the Eastern Conference at 5–8 and were eliminated. The Newport Beach Breakers held third place in the Western Conference at 5–8 and were also eliminated. It would seem that the Freedoms had no hope and that the Lobsters had already clinched the wild card.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Elimination from playoff contention
However, the wild card berth was to be awarded to the team that had the highest overall seeding without finishing in the top two places in its conference. That is not necessarily identical to the third place team with the best record. In the overall seeding of the teams, it remained possible for the 7–6 Sacramento Capitals, who had already clinched second place in the Western Conference, to finish 7–7, creating a three-way tie with the Lobsters and Freedoms.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Elimination from playoff contention
The games won against common opponents tiebreaker step would apply, and the Freedoms would be first with 157, the Lobsters second with 152 and the Capitals third with 133 plus the number of games they would win in a loss to the Sportimes. The maximum number of wins against common opponents the Capitals could reach in a loss was 157. Therefore, the tiebreaker would have given the Freedoms the wild card and the #4 seed in the WTT playoffs. The Capitals, as the second-place team in the Western Conference, would have been the #5 seed.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Elimination from playoff contention
The Lobsters would be eliminated, even though they held a head-to-head tiebreaker edge over the Freedoms, and even if they finished second in the three-team tiebreaker for the #4 and #5 seeds. Therefore, the Freedoms needed a Sportimes victory, which would give the Capitals a 7–7 record and create the three-way tie.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Season recap, Elimination from playoff contention
In a tightly contested match that ended the WTT regular season, which would have given the Sportimes the Eastern Conference title had they won, the Capitals prevailed in a final-set tiebreaker, 20–19. The Freedoms were eliminated from playoff contention on what was literally the season's final point played.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Draft picks
Since the Freedoms had the worse regular-season record of the two 2007 WTT conference championship match losers, they selected fourth from the bottom (eighth) in each round of WTT's two drafts.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Draft picks, Marquee Player Draft
In the Marquee Player Draft on March 19, 2008, the Freedoms protected Venus Williams in the first round. They did not make a second-round selection.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Draft picks, Roster Player Draft
The league conducted its 2008 Roster Player Draft on April 1, in Miami, Florida. The selections made by the Freedoms are shown in the table below.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Draft picks, Roster Player Draft
The Freedoms traded their third-round selection (30th overall) to the Delaware Smash for American Alex Bogomolov Jr.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Statistics
Players are listed in order of their game-winning percentage provided they played in at least 40% of the Freedoms' games in that event, which is the WTT minimum for qualification for league leaders in individual statistical categories.


2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season, Individual honors and achievements
Travis Parrott was named WTT Male Rookie of the Year.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Philadelphia Phillies' 2008 season was the 126th in the history of the franchise. The team finished with a regular season record of 92–70, first in the National League East. In the postseason, the Phillies won the World Series; this was the first major sports championship for Philadelphia since the 76ers swept the 1983 NBA Finals. During the season, they were managed by Charlie Manuel.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Phillies opened the season by posting their first winning April since 2003. They also scored 60 runs over 5 games in late May in a sweep over the Colorado Rockies and accrued a 14–4 record over 18 games entering the month of June. The Phillies' performance declined in late June, but they improved after the All-Star break, going 9–6 immediately following the midseason hiatus. Closer Brad Lidge earned eight saves in those games, and did not blow a save throughout the season and the postseason.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season
Philadelphia traded sweeps with the Los Angeles Dodgers in August and went 13–3 in their last 16 games, taking advantage of a late swoon by the New York Mets for the second year in a row to capture the division crown. The team won its position in the playoffs after its second consecutive East Division title. The Phillies also posted the best road record in the National League, at 44–37.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season
Philadelphia defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series (NLDS), 3–1, and the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), 4–1, to win the National League Pennant and advance to the World Series. In the World Series, the Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 4–1, to win their first championship in 28 years, ending the Curse of Billy Penn. Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels was named the most valuable player of the NLCS and the World Series.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season
Statistical leaders in batting for the 2008 team included center fielder Shane Victorino (batting average, .293), first baseman Ryan Howard (home runs, 48; runs batted in, 146), and second baseman Chase Utley (runs scored, 113). For their accomplishments, Howard won the Josh Gibson Award for the National League, and Utley won his third consecutive Silver Slugger Award. Pitching leaders included left-handed starting pitcher Hamels (innings pitched, 2271⁄3), left-hander starter Jamie Moyer (wins, 16), and right-handed relief pitcher Lidge (saves, 41). Lidge won the DHL Delivery Man of the Year and the Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year awards for his performance during the season. Victorino and shortstop Jimmy Rollins also won Gold Glove awards for their play in the field.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Players and coaches
On October 29, 2007, Charlie Manuel signed an extension to manage the Phillies for two more years. All of the coaches from the 2007 division championship season were also retained. However, Davey Lopes underwent treatment for cancer and had to be replaced on an interim basis in the early part of the season. The Phillies re-signed left-handed relief pitcher J. C. Romero to a new two-year contract after a dominating 2007, in which he struck out 42 batters in 56+1⁄3 innings pitched while posting a 1.92 earned run average.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Players and coaches
Outfielder Michael Bourn and right-handed pitcher Geoff Geary were traded to Houston for closer Brad Lidge and infielder Eric Bruntlett on November 7, 2007. Outfielder Chris Roberson was traded to Baltimore for cash in January 2008, while third baseman Pedro Feliz, outfielder Geoff Jenkins, and outfielder So Taguchi arrived as free agents; Feliz was signed on January 31, while Jenkins and Taguchi signed the month before. In the broadcast booth, Tom McCarthy also returned to the team after two years as a radio announcer for the New York Mets.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Uniforms
On November 29, 2007, the team announced that in honor of the franchise's 125th anniversary of playing in Philadelphia, the Phillies would wear an alternate home uniform based on their 1948 uniforms for all day home games during the season. The cap formerly used for interleague play, a red-crowned cap with a blue bill and a star within the "P" logo, was retired.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Controversy with the Mets
On February 16, 2008, Mets center fielder Carlos Beltrán made a statement regarding the upcoming season. He stated that "[without] Santana, we felt, as a team, that we had a chance to win in our division. With him now, I have no doubt that we're going to win in our division. I have no doubt in that. We've got what it takes. To Jimmy Rollins: We are the team to beat." Beltran's statement echoed Rollins' 2007 assertion that the Phillies were "the team to beat in the NL East—finally". Inasmuch as Beltran had imitated Rollins' 2007 preseason prediction, Rollins arrived in camp for Spring training and responded:


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason, Controversy with the Mets
"There isn't a team in the National League that's better than us. The pressure's back on them if you ask me. They were on paper the best team in the division last year and they were supposed to win, and they didn't. One, there are four other teams in our division who are going to make sure that doesn't happen, and two, has anyone ever heard of plagiarism? That was pretty good, especially coming from him. He's a quiet guy, so it was probably shocking when he said it. Not shocking in a bad way, like 'Wow, I can't believe he said  that.' More like, 'Wow, he finally said something because he's a leader on that team and you definitely need to be a vocal leader.'"


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, March/April
The Phillies opened the season against the Washington Nationals at home on March 31. They failed to win any of their first three series, losing two of three against the Nationals and New York Mets, with a four-game split against the Cincinnati Reds between those series. The Phillies won their next two series against the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros. After dropping a second series to the Mets, the Phillies finished the month with 15 wins and 12 losses. They did not achieve a three-game sweep against any team in the opening month, nor were they swept. By winning at least one game in each series, the Phillies were able to achieve their first winning April in several seasons, and only their fourth since their last World Series appearance in 1993.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, March/April
With a batting average of .360 and his Major League Baseball-leading 11 home runs, Chase Utley paced the team's offense, followed closely by a resurgent Pat Burrell and his 25 runs batted in. Though team speed was hampered by the loss of Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins to the disabled list, the latter for the first time in his career, the Phillies still pushed forward to a 15–13 record, including their Opening Day loss to Washington. The pitching rotation was led by ace Cole Hamels, who led the team in wins (3), earned run average (ERA) (2.70), and innings pitched (43+1⁄3). Reliever J. C. Romero and new closer Brad Lidge both went the entire month without sacrificing a single run, over 12+1⁄3 and 11 innings respectively.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, May
The Phillies did not achieve their first three-game series sweep until almost the end of May, taking two from the San Francisco Giants, the Arizona Diamondbacks (splitting the series 2–2), the Atlanta Braves, and the Nationals, and dropping two to the Giants, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Astros. However, the Phillies' first sweep was achieved in dramatic fashion, as the offense broke out for 60 runs in five games, including a 20–5 win over the Colorado Rockies.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, May
Though several fill-in players, including Brad Harman and T. J. Bohn, substituted during Victorino's and Rollins' absence, none was more valuable to the team during May than Jayson Werth. Expected to be primarily a platoon player coming into the season, Werth showed positive form. While Utley slowed down, Werth had a game with three home runs and stole four bases in the month. However, as Rollins and Victorino returned, Werth was lost to the disabled list.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, May
Ryan Howard broke out of his early-season slump, batting .245 in May, nearly an 80-point increase from his average in April, and hitting ten home runs. Hometown pitcher Jamie Moyer also became the sixth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to defeat all 30 teams in the league on May 26 in a 20–5 Phillies win over Colorado.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, June
June was a tale of two halves for the Phillies, as they started June with a strong combination of offense and pitching. From May 26 to June 13, the team posted a 14–4 record, starting their run with a 15–6 win over the Astros and ended with a 20–2 win over the Cardinals, as their record reached a first-half high of 13 games over .500 at 41–28. However, the offense took a downturn as the Phillies pitchers began to sacrifice more runs in the latter part of the month.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, June
The Phillies went 3–11 over the remainder of June, as the pitchers allowed an average of 4.79 runs per game, compared to the offense's 3.36 runs scored per game. This was punctuated by a season-high six-game losing streak. The poor records coincided with the Phillies' stretch of interleague play for 2008, as they were swept by the Angels, and lost their series with the Red Sox, A's, and Rangers, in addition to dropping two NL series against the Cardinals and Marlins.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, June
While Hamels and Kyle Kendrick each managed to post a 3–1 record in the rotation, the other starters (Moyer, Adam Eaton, and Brett Myers) were not so lucky. Myers' poor performance received arguably the most scrutiny, based on management's decision to move him back to the rotation from the bullpen after the 2007 season. Myers would eventually accept an option to Triple-A to work on his mechanical issues and confidence.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, July
July began with the announcement that Chase Utley and Brad Lidge would represent the team at the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game; Utley garnered the most votes of all National League players. Pat Burrell was also selected as a "Final Vote" candidate, but lost out on the opportunity for his first All-Star appearance to Milwaukee outfielder Corey Hart. The Phillies went 8–5 in July before the All-Star break, compiling a four-game win streak, a four-game losing streak, and winning four of their last five. The team posted a sweep of the Braves, a series loss to the Mets, and series wins over the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, July
In a move to bolster their starting rotation in preparation for the pennant race, the Phillies traded three minor league players, including second baseman Adrian Cardenas, pitcher Josh Outman, and outfielder Matthew Spencer to the Oakland Athletics for starting pitcher Joe Blanton on July 17. The move would prove necessary, as Blanton's start was the only game of their next series against the Mets that the Phillies would win; bullpen pitchers earned the victory (Chad Durbin) or suffered the loss (Ryan Madson and Romero) in each game of the series.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, July
The Phillies managed to go 7–5 after the All-Star break within their own division, dropping series to the Marlins and Mets, but besting the Braves and sweeping the Nationals. Brad Lidge posted a save in six straight Phillies wins, and the team ended the month on a five-game winning streak, with a final record of 15–10.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, August
The Phillies opened August by taking two of three from the Cardinals, though they followed that by dropping a series to the Marlins. On August 7, the Phillies acquired left-handed reliever Scott Eyre from the Cubs. After taking two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Phillies went west for their first trip to Dodger Stadium, dropping three consecutive games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first game saw the team sacrifice a 7-run lead that they could not overcome, and the second two of the series were both blown by the bullpen.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, August
The Dodgers' sweep in Los Angeles was completed as the Phillies dropped the last game of the series, leaving them out of first place in the division. However, the Phillies struck back, taking two of three from both the Padres and the Nationals, and completing a revenge sweep of the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. The following evening, the Phillies saw starter Jamie Moyer give up seven runs over the first three innings of their game against the Mets.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, August
However, the offense made up that deficit by scoring the tying run in the ninth; catcher Chris Coste capped the comeback by going four-for-four coming off of the bench and driving in the winning run with a bases-loaded single to deep center in the bottom of the 13th inning. They ended up splitting the short series with the Mets and the next four-game series against the Cubs to close out the "dog days" of summer.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, September
With a nearly-full slate of division rivals in the final month, the Phillies opened by dropping series to the Nationals and Marlins, with a 2–1 series win over division leaders New York between the two losses. However, they pushed back into contention on the back of strong pitching, sweeping the Brewers over a four-game set while allowing only eight runs. Brett Myers' return to the rotation in late July bolstered the strength of the Phillies' starters toward the end of the season; he boasted a 7–2 record and a 1.80 ERA from his return until September 15.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, September
Taking their winning ways south to Atlanta, the Phillies completed a series sweep of the Braves; the Phillies also swept the Braves at Turner Field for the season and handed the Braves franchise its first nine-game home losing streak against a single team since 1909. With an 8–4 win over the Washington Nationals on September 26, the Phillies secured their first 90-win season since 1993. The next day, the Phillies clinched the NL East Division title for the second consecutive season, beating the Nationals by a score of 4–3.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Monthly summaries, September
Jamie Moyer contributed a one-run, six-hit performance over six innings and Jayson Werth led off the fifth inning with a home run. They won the division title as Brad Lidge earned his 41st consecutive save on a game-ending double play. Having gone an entire season without losing a save opportunity, Lidge was recognized as 2008's National League Comeback Player of the Year.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Roster
All players who made an appearance for the Phillies during 2008 are included.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Division Series
Following their four-game sweep of Milwaukee in the beginning of September, the Phillies recorded their first playoff win since their 1993 World Series appearance on October 1, defeating the Brewers in Game 1. Cole Hamels was the victor, earning his first career playoff win. Hamels allowed no runs and two hits over his eight innings of work. Chase Utley batted in two runs, while Ryan Howard walked three times in the game. In Game 2, Shane Victorino's grand slam was all the run support starter Brett Myers needed, as he pitched seven innings and allowed only two runs.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Division Series
The Phillies' second consecutive victory was also supported by a pair of doubles from Victorino and from Jayson Werth. In a reversal of fortune, the Brewers scored two runs in the first inning of Game 3, and it proved to be enough to win the game. Brewers starter Dave Bush and closer Salomón Torres were able to hold off the Phillies despite a rally in the top of the ninth inning, keeping the Brewers alive for Game 4. However, the Phillies defeated the Brewers in Game 4 at Miller Park to win the series, 3–1. Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth and Pat Burrell all hit solo home runs, and Burrell contributed a three-run homer as well. Joe Blanton struck out seven Brewers, holding the team to one run on five hits through six innings.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
Facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS for the fourth time in history, Derek Lowe stifled the Phillies' offense for the first five innings of Game 1; however, the Phillies came from behind to score three runs in the sixth on home runs by Utley and Burrell. Hamels followed his stellar NLDS performance with a seven-inning, two-run outing, and Brad Lidge earned his 44th consecutive save in 2008.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
Manny Ramírez' home run could not overcome the Phillies' potent offense in Game 2, who scored four runs in both the second and third innings to win the game, 8–5. Starting pitcher Brett Myers was 3 for 3 at the plate, driving in three runs to help his own cause. He was supported by two-hit performances from Victorino and Greg Dobbs, who started at third base. Tensions escalated the following night in the third inning.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
After a beanball and a throw-behind by the Phillies in the previous game and no retaliation from the Dodgers, Los Angeles starter Hiroki Kuroda threw a fastball up and in to Shane Victorino, narrowly missing his head. Victorino gestured angrily, warning Kuroda to throw at other parts of his body, but not his head. This soon escalated to clearing the benches, and the Dodgers rode their momentum to the end of the game, defeating the Phillies 7–2 after posting five runs in the first inning. The Phillies staged another comeback in the following game.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
Down 5–3 in the eighth inning, two home runs by Shane Victorino and pinch-hitter Matt Stairs plated four runs and put the Dodgers in a hole out of which they could not climb; the Phillies won the game 7–5. In the first decisions of the series for either bullpen, right-handed reliever Ryan Madson got the win for Philadelphia, while Cory Wade suffered the loss for Los Angeles.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, National League Championship Series
Dodgers fans were hoping for a comeback in game five; however, Jimmy Rollins started the contest with a leadoff homer off of Chad Billingsley, who was forced out of the game in the third inning because of a pair of Phillies runs. Philadelphia added two runs on a trio of Rafael Furcal errors in the fifth. Ramírez did bring the Dodger Stadium crowd to life with a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth, but the Dodgers never threatened after that. The Phillies won the series in five games; winning pitcher Cole Hamels was named the series Most Valuable Player (MVP). Thus, the Phillies advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1993.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series
The Phillies played in their first Fall Classic in fifteen years, which began on October 22 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The first two games were played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, followed by three games at Citizens Bank Park. The Rays had home field advantage for the series, due to an American League victory in the 2008 All-Star Game. The Phillies defeated Tampa Bay, four games to one. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels (4–0, 1.80 ERA, 30 K in the postseason) was named the series MVP.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 1
Philadelphia scored the first runs of the series when Chase Utley hit a home run with Jayson Werth on base in the top of the first inning. Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning; however, Upton grounded into an inning-ending double play and the score remained 2–0. The Phillies extended their lead when Carlos Ruiz batted in Victorino in the fourth inning. A solo home run from Carl Crawford pulled the Rays back within two runs. Tampa Bay added their second run the following inning on an RBI double by Akinori Iwamura. Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels pitched seven innings and allowed only two runs, while Brad Lidge recorded his 47th consecutive save in 2008.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 2
Tampa starter James Shields shut down the Phillies lineup, scattering seven hits and allowing no runs in 5+2⁄3 innings of work. Outfielder B. J. Upton (2 for 4, one run scored, one RBI) and catcher Dioner Navarro (2 for 3, one run scored) led the offensive charge for the Rays as Brett Myers gave up four runs (three earned) while notching two strikeouts and three walks. Rather than power-hitting Matt Stairs, Charlie Manuel opted to go with Greg Dobbs as the DH; Dobbs was 1 for 3 for the Phillies, while Victorino and Howard supplied two hits each. Cliff Floyd extended the Rays' lead to four runs after leading off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single, advancing to third base, and scoring on a Jason Bartlett sacrifice bunt. The Phillies' loss tied the series at 1–1.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 3
After a 91-minute rain delay, the offenses fought back and forth, scoring run after run in an up-and-down affair in Philadelphia. Ryan Howard ended his home run drought, hitting his first round-tripper since the end of September. Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz also hit home runs for the Phillies, while Carl Crawford and Dioner Navarro contributed a double each for the Rays. Philadelphia starter Jamie Moyer turned in his first strong performance of the postseason, allowing three runs over 6+1⁄3 innings. His counterpart Matt Garza allowed four runs over six innings, but neither would factor in the decision.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 3
After the Rays tied the game in the top of the eighth, the Phillies loaded the bases on two intentional walks with Eric Bruntlett on third base. Even with a five-man infield, Ruiz was still able to engineer some late-game heroics, sneaking a dribbling ground ball down the third base line to score Bruntlett. Philadelphia took a 2–1 series lead.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 4
The Phillies' offensive woes seemed in the distant past as the lineup broke out in a big way during Game 4. Led by Ryan Howard's 3-for-4, 2 home run performance, and home runs by Jayson Werth and starting pitcher Joe Blanton, the Phillies pushed 10 runs across the plate. Blanton became the first World Series pitcher to hit a home run in 34 years, in addition to a strong performance on the mound, pitching six innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits. Roster addition Eric Hinske hit a home run for the Rays, as did left fielder Carl Crawford, his second of the series.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 5
Philadelphia scored in the first inning for the third consecutive game, taking a 2–0 lead when Shane Victorino batted in Chase Utley and Jayson Werth. Tampa Bay cut the lead in half in the fourth inning; Carlos Peña doubled and was batted in on Evan Longoria's single, both players' first hits of the Series. The Rays then tied the game in the sixth inning when B. J. Upton scored from second base on a Peña single. The game was suspended after the top of the sixth inning due to rain, making it the first game in World Series history to not be played through to completion or declared a tie.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 5
After the game was suspended, home plate umpire Tim Tschida told reporters that he and his crew ordered the players off the field because the wind and rain threatened to make the game "comical". Chase Utley agreed, saying that by the middle of the sixth inning, "the infield was basically underwater." Rain continued to fall in Philadelphia on Tuesday, further postponing the game to Wednesday.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 5
Under normal conditions, games are considered to be official games after five innings, or four and a half if the home team is leading at that point. However, both Rays and Phillies management knew before the first pitch that Commissioner Bud Selig, who is responsible for the scheduling of post-season games, would not allow a team to clinch the Series by winning a rain-shortened game. Thus, the game resumed on October 29 in the middle of the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park, with the Phillies batting in the bottom of the sixth inning.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 5
Pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins led off with a double and was bunted to third by Rollins. Batting third, Jayson Werth batted in Jenkins to give the Phillies the lead, 3–2. Rocco Baldelli re-tied the game at three runs with a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning, but Jason Bartlett was thrown out at home to end the inning on a fake throw-over by Utley, which went down as one of the greatest plays in World Series history.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, 2008 World Series, Game 5
In the bottom of the seventh, Pat Burrell led off with a double; Eric Bruntlett entered as a pinch runner and scored on a hit by Pedro Feliz to put the Phillies up by a run again. Brad Lidge gave up a single and a stolen base but struck out Eric Hinske for the final out, sealing the Phillies' first World Series championship since the 1980 World Series, and the city's first major sports championship in 25 years.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, Breaking the curse
The alleged curse of Billy Penn was sometimes used to explain the failure of professional sports teams based in Philadelphia to win championships. In March 1987, One Liberty Place, a 945-foot (288 m) tall skyscraper, opened three blocks from the 548 ft (167 m) high statue of William Penn atop Philadelphia City Hall. For many decades, a gentlemen's agreement stated that the Philadelphia Art Commission would approve no building in the city that would rise above this statue. The supposed curse had gained such prominence in Philadelphia that a documentary film entitled The Curse of William Penn was produced about it.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Postseason, Breaking the curse
The curse ended on October 29, 2008, when the Phillies won the World Series, a year and four months after a statuette of the William Penn figure atop City Hall was affixed to the final beam put in place during the June 2007 topping-off of the Comcast Center, then the tallest building in the city.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
The 2008 team won the Commissioner's Trophy for its World Series title and the Warren C. Giles Trophy as National League champions. It was also named "Team of the Year" by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association and received the Pride of Philadelphia Award from the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. In 2009, the Philadelphia Sports Congress presented the team with the John Wanamaker Athletic Award. In May 2009, the team was recognized at the White House.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Starter Cole Hamels received the NLCS and World Series MVP awards. He also received the Babe Ruth Award from the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Closer Brad Lidge was named the Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year and the DHL Delivery Man of the Year for his perfect 48-for-48 performance throughout the 2008 regular season and postseason. He also received the Rolaids NL Relief Man Award, the Sporting News NL Reliever of the Year Award, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (PSWA) Outstanding Pro Athlete award, and the  Daily News Sportsperson of the Year award.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Shortstop Jimmy Rollins and center fielder Shane Victorino were honored by Rawlings with Gold Gloves, honoring their defense in 2008. Rollins also received the Fielding Bible Award for shortstop. Rollins posted a fielding percentage of .988, compiling 193 putouts and 393 assists while making only seven errors; Victorino's fielding percentage was even higher, at .994, notching 7 assists from the outfield along with 328 putouts.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Clean-up hitter and first baseman Ryan Howard was named the recipient of the Babe Ruth Home Run Award (in MLB) and the Negro Baseball League Museum's Josh Gibson Legacy Award, as the NL leader in home runs. Howard hit 48 home runs in 2008, more than any other player in the National League. Howard also batted in 146 runs, and finished the regular season with 11 homers and 32 RBIs during September. Second baseman Chase Utley also won his third consecutive Silver Slugger Award, given annually to the best hitter in each league at his position.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Four of the This Year in Baseball Awards also went to the Phillies. Lidge was recognized as the Closer of the Year, while Utley won the Postseason Moment of the Year award for his fake throw to first base which allowed him to throw out Rays' shortstop Jason Bartlett at home plate during the World Series. Manager Charlie Manuel and general manager Pat Gillick were also named Manager of the Year (distinct from Major League Baseball's Manager of the Year award) and Executive of the Year, respectively, for their leadership of the 2008 team and for winning the World Series.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
The Philadelphia chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) presented its annual franchise awards to Brad Lidge ("Mike Schmidt Most Valuable Player Award"), Cole Hamels ("Steve Carlton Most Valuable Pitcher Award"), Jamie Moyer ("Dallas Green Special Achievement Award"), and Greg Dobbs ("Tug McGraw Good Guy Award").


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Shane Victorino also received the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award for displaying character and integrity both on and off the field.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Awards
Pat Gillick also received the ceremonial title of King of Baseball from Minor League Baseball, in recognition of longtime dedication and service to professional baseball.


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season player statistics, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases


2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season player statistics, Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts


2008 Philadelphia Soul season
The 2008 Philadelphia Soul season was the fifth season for the franchise. The Soul started the season by winning their first nine games. Finishing the regular season with a 13–3 record, this was the Soul's best regular season to that point in their then-short history. They won their first Eastern Division title, and went into the playoffs as the top seed in the National Conference. Against the New York Dragons, the Soul won their Divisional round game by a score of 49–48 to advance to the National Conference Championship. They won that game on July 12, 2008, against the Cleveland Gladiators, 70–35. They won ArenaBowl XXII in New Orleans on July 27, 2008, against the defending champion San Jose SaberCats.


2008 Philadelphia Soul season, Standings
z - Clinched division and conference's best recordx - Clinched playoff berth


2008 Philadelphia Wings season
The Philadelphia Wings are a lacrosse team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2008 season was the 22nd in franchise history.


2008 Philadelphia Wings season
The Wings had not made the playoffs in five years, the longest playoff drought in the history of the franchise. But the Wings began the season 6-0, and second-year players Athan Iannucci and Geoff Snider were rewriting the record books. Iannucci broke Gary Gait's single-season scoring record in the Wings' 14th game, and ended up with 71 goals. Snider set new records for loose balls (242), penalty minutes (103), and faceoffs won (318), and won 73.8% of his faceoffs, just short of his own record of 75% set in 2007. The Wings finished 4th in the East and made the playoffs again, but were beaten in the division semi-finals by the Buffalo Bandits.


2008 Philadelphia Wings season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2008 Philadelphia Wings season, Player stats, Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2008 Philadelphia Wings season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship
The 2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship is the inaugural tournament of the Philippine Collegiate Championship (PCC) for basketball in its current incarnation, and the sixth edition overall. The champion teams from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) and 3 other Metro Manila leagues took part in the final tournament dubbed as the "Sweet Sixteen". Other teams had to qualify in the zonal tournaments to round out the 16 teams in the tournament.


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship
The De La Salle Green Archers defeated arch-rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles in the championship; budding rivals Letran Knights and the San Beda Red Lions disputed third place, with Letran winning.


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship
The winners would have qualified for the 2009 Summer Universiade in Serbia as the Philippine representative. However, FISU thumbed down an application by the SBP and the Philippine Olympic Committee. As a result, other international tournaments were lined up for the champion team. The 1967 UE Red Warriors led by Robert Jaworski and Danny Florencio was the last team to participate in the Universiade's basketball tournament.


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship
Solar Sports served as the main coverage partner, with the games broadcasting on C/S 9 and Basketball TV.


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship, Qualifying, Wildcard qualifying
Top two teams from each group qualify for the zonal championships:


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship, Qualifying, Zonal championships
Winners from the regional championships and wildcard qualifying are drawn into four different teams: each zone has to have only one wildcard team.


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship, Qualifying, Zonal championships, Zone 1
Games were held at the Makati Coliseum from November 3–6:


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship, Qualifying, Zonal championships, Zone 2
Games were held at the Makati Coliseum from November 3–6:


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship, Qualifying, Zonal championships, Zone 3
Games were held at the Ormoc City Superdome from November 9–11:


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship, Qualifying, Zonal championships, Zone 4
Games were held at the Xavier University Gym from November 14–17:


2008 Philippine Collegiate Championship, Record per league
The CUSA and the UCAA went 0–1. Other provincial leagues aside from the CESAFI failed to qualify.


2008 Phillip Island Superbike World Championship round
The 2008 Phillip Island Superbike World Championship round was the 2nd round of the 2008 Superbike World Championship season. It took place on the weekend of 29 February – 2 March 2008, at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit near Cowes, Victoria, Australia.


2008 Phoenix Mercury season
The 2008 WNBA season was the 12th for the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury were not able to win their second consecutive WNBA Championship and became the first defending champion to not qualify for the playoffs.


2008 Phoenix Mercury season, Offseason
On September 27, 2007, head coach Paul Westhead resigned and took a job as an assistant coach under P.J. Carlesimo for the Seattle SuperSonics. Assistant coach Corey Gaines was named the team's new head coach on November 7 of that year.


2008 Piala Belia
The 2008 Piala Belia (transl. Youth Cup) is the first season of the Piala Belia. The league is currently the youth level (U19) football league in Malaysia.


2008 Pickup Truck Racing
The 2008 Pickup Truck Racing season was the 12th Pickup Truck Racing season. Gavin Seager took the Rockingham Championship on September 28 and then sealed the overall championship at Pembrey with a double race win, taking his tally for the season to 13 victories with two races remaining. Gavin became the first driver to win the overall championship three times.


2008 Pickup Truck Racing, Additional Race
Following the rain-shortened race at Rockingham on 26 May (for which half points were awarded) an additional race was run on 12 July, making a three race weekend


2008 Piliyandala bus bombing
The 2008 Piliyandala bombing was a bombing of a commuter bus carried out on April 25, 2008 in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, a suburb of Colombo. The bombing killed 26 and injured at least 64,and was the first major attack against civilians on the island since the April 6 Weliveriya bombing that killed Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and national athletics coach Lakshman de Alwis. It was also the deadliest bus bombing since the January 16 attack on a civilian bus at Buttala.


2008 Piliyandala bus bombing
The bombing took place amid a government offensive against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the island's north.


2008 Piliyandala bus bombing, Details
The blast was caused by a parcel bomb deposited "on an overhead rack near the front of the bus", and took place during the evening peak hour. The explosion, which came as the bus began to drive away from a bus stand in the residential neighbourhood of Piliyandala in southern Colombo, tore off the vehicle's roof and destroyed windows of nearby structures.


2008 Piliyandala bus bombing, Details
According to police, the blast killed 26 people—ten at the scene of blast, 14 en route to hospital, and two in hospital—and injured at least 64 others. The deceased included a Buddhist monk, a 10-year-old boy and eight women.


2008 Piliyandala bus bombing, Details
Lakshman Hulugalle, a spokesman for the government of Sri Lanka, blamed the LTTE for the attack, stating:


2008 Piliyandala bus bombing, Details
With the heavy defeats that the LTTE is having in the North during the last two to three days, I think that the terrorists have again turned to [attacking] the innocent civilian who does not carry any arms or gun.


2008 Piliyandala bus bombing, Details
President Mahinda Rajapaksa later echoed these sentiments,claiming that the LTTE "had once again resorted to killing innocent civilians in the face of heavy setbacks on the battlefield".


2008 Piliyandala bus bombing, Arrests
The Sri Lankan police arrested a man, Sityanadan Anandan Sudhakaran, alias Wasanthan, in connection with the bombing. He had reportedly been ordered by the LTTE leadership to bomb a bus in order to maximize casualties, and detonated the explosives via remote control.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis
The 2008 Pilot Pen Tennis was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in New Haven, United States, from August 15 through August 23, 2008.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis
The men's field was headlined by ATP No. 13, Nottingham runner-up and Umag champion Fernando Verdasco, Cincinnati Masters semifinalist and Nottingham titlist Ivo Karlović, and winner of back-to-back titles in Stuttgart, Kitzbühel, Los Angeles and Washington Juan Martín del Potro. Other top seeds are Gstaad and Umag finalist Igor Andreev, Viña del Mar and Pörtschach runner-up Juan Mónaco, Marin Čilić, Andreas Seppi and Mardy Fish.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis
The women's draw was led by WTA No. 10, Rome Tier I semifinalist and Paris champion Anna Chakvetadze, Australian Open semifinalist and Indian Wells Tier I quarterfinalist Daniela Hantuchová, and Paris, Eastbourne and Montreal semifinalist, Stanford finalist Marion Bartoli. Also competing are Paris finalist Ágnes Szávay, Bangalore runner-up Patty Schnyder, Flavia Pennetta, Alizé Cornet and Dominika Cibulková.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis, Finals, Men's Doubles
Marcelo Melo /  André Sá defeated  Mahesh Bhupathi /  Mark Knowles, 7–5, 6–2


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis, Finals, Women's Doubles
Květa Peschke /  Lisa Raymond defeated  Sorana Cîrstea /  Monica Niculescu, 4–6, 7–5, [10–7]


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Doubles
Mahesh Bhupathi and Nenad Zimonjić were the defending champions, but Zimonjic chose not to participate, and only Bhupathi competed that year. Bhupathi partnered with Mark Knowles, but Marcelo Melo and André Sá defeated them 7–5, 6–2, in the final.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Singles
James Blake was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Singles
Marin Čilić won in the final 6–4, 4–6, 6–2, against Mardy Fish.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis – Women's Doubles
Sania Mirza and Mara Santangelo were the defending champions, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis – Women's Doubles
Květa Peschke and Lisa Raymond won in the final 4–6, 7–5, 10–7, against Sorana Cîrstea and Monica Niculescu.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis – Women's Singles
Svetlana Kuznetsova was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis – Women's Singles
Caroline Wozniacki won in the final 3–6, 6–4, 6–1, against Anna Chakvetadze.


2008 Pilot Pen Tennis – Women's Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2008 Pitcairnese general election
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 8 December 2008.


2008 Pitcairnese general election, Electoral system
The four elected members of the Island Council were elected by single transferable vote for two year terms. In addition, the Council had six other members; the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor, both of whom were elected separately. The four elected members and the Deputy Mayor nominated a further member, whilst two were appointed by the Governor and one seat was reserved for a Commissioner liaising between the Governor and the Council.


2008 Pitcairnese general election, Results
Jay Warren was elected Deputy Mayor, whilst Turi Griffiths, Brenda Christian, Dave Brown and Jacqui Christian were elected to the Island Council.


2008 Pitch and Putt World Cup
The 2008 Pitch and putt World Cup was held on the Papendal course, close to Arnhem (Netherlands) and was the third edition for this championship promoted by the Federation of International Pitch and Putt Associations (FIPPA), with 14 national teams. Ireland won the World Cup after defeating The Netherlands in the final.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season was the fourth under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The 2008 season marked the team's eighth at Heinz Field and the program's 119th season.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The Panthers started the 2008 season with new defensive coordinator Phil Bennett. Ranked in the top 25 for the second time under Wannstedt's leadership, Pitt suffered an early and surprising setback in the opening game against Bowling Green. Pitt rebounded to defeat Buffalo and then Iowa by a score of 21–20. The winning continued when the Panthers upset undefeated and tenth ranked South Florida in a game nationally televised by ESPN. A win at Navy preceded a home upset to Rutgers, Pitt's fourth consecutive loss to the Scarlet Knights.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
However, Pitt rebounded the following week at Notre Dame with a 36-33 four-overtime victory over the Irish, the longest game ever for both Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. After a 41–7 rout of visiting Louisville, the Panthers improved to 7–2, were bowl-bound for the first time under Wannstedt, and were in contention for a Big East Championship and a BCS bowl bid. However, a loss at Cincinnati in the River City Rivalry eliminated the Panthers from championship contention.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
Pitt rallied to defeat archrival West Virginia 19-15 on the Friday after Thanksgiving in a nationally televised game on ABC for its second consecutive win in the Backyard Brawl. The following week the Panthers won at UConn to improve to 9-3 and clinched a bid to the Sun Bowl, the first bowl bid under Wannstedt. Pitt lost 3-0 to Oregon State, a team that had previously defeated USC. It was the first time Pitt was held scoreless in twelve years.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Previous season
The Panthers finished with a disappointing 5-7 record in the 2007 season. Rarely though does a losing record leave fans filled with satisfaction and optimism, but that was the case in 2007. It was the third season under the direction of Head Coach Dave Wannstedt. It was also the third consecutive season without a postseason bowl game. The Panthers schedule included six home games and six road games. The schedule was generally viewed as unappealing, lacking any marquee matchups at home.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Previous season
The Panthers appeared on national television on a Wednesday night, October 10, with a 48-45 2OT loss to Navy that ended when Pitt failed to convert on a two-point conversion. For Homecoming 2007 Pitt hosted #23 Cincinnati, defeating the Bearcats 24-17. The final game of the season on December 1 saw the Panthers visit #2 West Virginia. In this game, the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl, the Panthers defeated the Mountaineers, 13-9, to gain their first road victory of the season and, more importantly, eliminate West Virginia from the National Championship race in one of the most memorable games of the entire 2007 college football season.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Recruits
Head Coach Dave Wannstedt signed the top recruiting class in the Big East, his 3rd consecutive top-25 recruiting class, to kick off the 2008 football year. Although Wannstedt had been recruiting well since the beginning of his tenure at Pitt some of that 2008 recruiting power has been attributed to the Panthers' season finale win over West Virginia. The highlights of the class are projected to be WR Jon Baldwin, RB Chris Burns, OT Lucas Nix, LB Shayne Hale, and athlete Cameron Saddler.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices
Throughout spring practices the defense dominated the offense, but in the annual Blue-Gold Game on April 19 at Heinz Field, the offense got the better of the defense, winning 60-25 under a modified scoring system that favored the offense. The rising stars of the spring practices were defensive tackle Mick Williams, wide receiver Cedric McGee, and newly converted tight end Dorin Dickerson, who all earned the Ed Conway Award given to Pitt's most improved players at spring practices.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Spring practices
Other important spring performances included Bill Stull, who re-established himself as the team's top quarterback, and John Malecki, a two-time letterman on defense at nose tackle who earned a starting spot on the offensive line at guard. The Blue-Gold Game was simulcast live locally in Pittsburgh on WPCW and nationally on the NFL Network.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Preseason, Award watchlists
Several players on the Panthers have been nominated to various award preseason watchlists.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Quarterbacks: 4 Andrew Janocko – RS Fr11 Bill Stull – RS Jr12 Kevan Smith – RS Jr14 Greg Cross – Jr16 Tino Sunseri –  Fr19 Pat Bostick – So


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Tailbacks:24 Kevin Collier – RS So25 LeSean McCoy – So29 Chris Burns –  Fr34 LaRod Stephens-Howling – Sr43 Shariff Harris – RS Fr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Fullbacks: 6 Chris Bova – RS Jr27 Henry Hynoski – RS Fr30 Conredge Collins – Sr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Wide Receivers: 1 Cedric McGee – RS Jr 3 Aaron Smith – RS Fr 5  Cameron Saddler –  Fr  9 Tamarcus "T.J." Porter – Jr10 Aundre Wright – RS Fr81 Derek Kinder – RS Sr82 Jon Baldwin – Fr85 Francis Johns – RS So85 Samson Horne – RS So87 Mike Shanahan –  Fr88 Oderick Turner – RS Jr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Tight Ends: 2 Dorin Dickerson – Jr80 Nate Byham – Jr83 John Pelusi – RS Jr85 Mike Cruz –  Fr92 Justin Virbitsky –  Fr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Offensive Line:52 Lucas Nix G – Fr 53 Alex Karabin C – RS So54 Chris Jacobson G – RS Fr55 C. J. Davis G/C – Sr56 Joe Thomas T – Jr59 Mark Estermyer LS – RS Sr60 Greg Gaskins T – RS Fr62 John Bachman G – RS Jr63 Wayne Jones G/C – RS Fr64  Robb Houser C – Jr 66 Scott Corson G – RS So67 Dan Matha T– RS Fr68 Jordan Gibbs T – RS Fr69 Jared Martin C – RS So70 Dominic Williams G – RS Sr71 John Fieger G – RS Fr72 Chase Clowser T – RS Sr74 John Malecki G – Jr75 Ryan Turnley T –  Fr76 Frank Kochin T – RS Sr77 Jason Pinkston T – RS So78 Josh Novotny – RS Jr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Defensive Line:45 Tyler Tkach DE – RS So48 Doug Fulmer DE – RS Jr50 Rashaad Duncan DT – Sr51 Tommie Duhart DT – Jr57 Craig Bokor DT – RS Jr90 Tony Jaye Tucker Jr. DE – RS Fr91 Greg Romeus DE – RS So93 Gus Mustakas DT – RS Jr94 Myles Caragein DT – RS Fr95 Mick Williams DT – RS Jr95 Justin Hargrove DE – RS Fr97 Jabaal Sheard DE – So98 Chas Alecxih DT – RS Fr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Linebackers: 6 Steve Dell MLB – RS Jr 8  Adam Gunn OLB – RS Sr 15  Shane Murray OLB – RS Jr 16 Brian Kaiser OLB – RS Jr32 Tristan Roberts OLB – RS Fr35 Brandon Lindsey MLB – RS Fr38 Greg Williams OLB – RS Fr40 Scott McKillop MLB – RS Sr41 Manny Williams –  Fr44 Nate Nix OLB – RS So46 Shayne Hale –  Fr49 Max Gruder OLB – RS Fr53 Joe Trebitz –  Fr86 Austin Ransom OLB – RS Sr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Defensive Backs: 4 Elijah Fields SS – RS So 5 Scott Shrake – Sr 7 Jovani Chappel CB – Jr11 Dan Cafaro – RS Jr17 Aaron Berry CB – Jr20 Irvan Brown FS – RS Jr21 Buddy Jackson CB – RS Fr22 Antwuan Reed CB – Fr23 Ronald Hobby CB –  Fr26 Ricky Gary CB – RS So28 Eric Thatcher FS – RS Sr31 Dom DeCicco SS – So36 Michael Toerper S – RS Jr36 Andrew Taglianetti – Fr 39 Jarred Holley CB –  Fr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Kickers:24 Luke Briggs – RS So27 Cody Sawhill – Sr31 Dan Hutchins – RS So37 Conor Lee – RS Sr47 Kevin Harper –  Fr


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Roster
Fr – Freshman; first year player. So – Sophomore; second year player. Jr – Junior; third year player. Sr – Senior; fourth year player. RS – Previously used a redshirt season. – Redshirted during the 2008 season.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Rankings
Pitt began the season ranked at #25 in the AP Poll. It was the Panthers first appearance in any major polling service since 2005 and first preseason ranking since 2003.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Bowling Green
The Panthers entered the season in the preseason rankings for the first time since 2005, but their stay didn't last long as they were upset at home by the Falcons. The Panthers, who outgained the Falcons 393-254 on the day, jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first half as they outgained Bowling Green 137-6 in the first quarter. After falling behind early the Falcons rallied and took advantage of four costly Pitt turnovers. The Falcons keyed on Panther tailback LeSean McCoy, who fumbled once and was held to 71 yards on 23 carries.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Bowling Green
The Panthers defense was repeatedly befuddled by some of the odd formations that the Falcons used on offense, such utilizing an imbalanced offensive line or lining up a wide receiver at the quarterback position. However, the following year, defensive coordinator Phil Bennett praised head coach Dave Wannstedt for the way he handled the defeat, saying, "I told many people this: I've seen a lot of head coaches where the whole thing would have toppled after a game like that. I thought the way he handled it – his demeanor not just with the players but with the coaches – was phenomenal." ()


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Buffalo
The Panthers, facing a MAC foe for the second straight game, withstood an early charge by the Bulls, taking the lead in the 2nd quarter and holding off Buffalo every time they made a move. LeSean McCoy scored all three touchdowns for the Panthers, scoring on runs of three, one, and two yards. ()


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Iowa
Pitt went into the Iowa game looking to make a positive statement for themselves against a quality program as well as wipe away some of the stigma attached to themselves due to their earlier loss to Bowling Green. The game was billed as a showdown of two top running backs, Pitt's LeSean McCoy and Iowa's Shonn Greene.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Iowa
Pitt men's basketball coach Jamie Dixon provided a motivational speech for the football team two days before the game against the Hawkeyes in which he described a potential win over Iowa as a "program-building" victory that could help put the Panthers back onto the national radar, propelling them to new heights of success. The Panthers jumped out to an early 14–3 lead when two Pitt quarterbacks, Bill Stull and Gregg Cross, each ran a called draw in for a touchdown in the first half.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Iowa
Greg Cross, an athletic, change-of-pace, junior college transfer quarterback, made his Panthers debut, scoring a touchdown on a 17-yard scramble in his first play as a Panther. The Panthers offense struggled greatly after taking the lead in the second quarter. However, Pitt's defensive line dominated Iowa's offensive line in the fourth quarter as the well-conditioned yet undersized Panthers outlasted the Hawkeyes. The Panthers' depth on the defensive line also played a role as they were able to rotate nine defensive linemen throughout the game.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Iowa
Coach Wannstedt and his staff were noticeably more aggressive in their play-calling; all three Panthers touchdowns resulted from an offensive drive that included a fourth-down conversion. Although the victory was a big one for the team, the offense still showed great inconsistency and need for improvement. Punter Dave Brytus and linkbacker Scott McKillop were named the Big East Player of the Week for special teams and defense, respectively, following their performances against Iowa. Brytus punted eight times for an average of 47.8 yards, including a longest of sixty yards, one touchback, and one downed inside the twenty. McKillop, who broke his nose on a tackle of Shonn Greene when his nose was crushed by his own facemask, finished with ten tackles, including six solo tackles, two and a half tackles for a loss of nine yards, and one sack. ()


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
The Panthers came away with a 36-33, four-overtime victory after falling behind Notre Dame by two touchdowns, 17-3, at halftime. Conor Lee made the game-winning field goal, one of four overtime fields goals, during his perfect, 5-for-5 day to help lead the Panthers. His five field goals and 18 points are both Pitt records for a kicker; he also extended his school record of consecutive extra points without a miss to 100.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
LeSean McCoy lead the way on offense with 32 rushing attempts for 169 yards, his 5th straight 100-yard game, and one touchdown as he surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season; he also had two catches for 23 yards. The Panthers fell behind in the first half when Notre Dame controlled the clock and took advantage of poor play by Pitt on offense.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
Quarterbacks Kevan Smith and Pat Bostick, who were playing in place of the injured started Bill Stull, who suffered a concussion in the previous game, were ineffective in the first half, and the running game couldn't get going as McCoy had only 5 yards on 3 carries. In total, the offense only had 71 yards and five first downs in the entire first half. The offense got back on track in the 2nd half as the Panthers scored 10 straight points to tie the game at 17.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
The Panthers first possession of the 3rd quarter went eight plays and 71 yards, including a converted fourth-and-one pass that Oderick Turner turned into a 37-yard gain. The Panthers next touchdown came on a 15-play, 70-yard drive that used 8:28 of time during the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th quarters. Pat Bostick, although he was intercepted three times in the game, persevered and stepped up his play in the second half, leading the Panthers on three critical scoring drives.


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
After the game Bostick, speaking of his own performance, said, ""I came out and made some mistakes out there, forced a couple of things, made a couple of plays. We made enough plays to win though and this was a total team win... But the bottom line is we are here to win a football game and when you throw picks, it is not about you, you can't say 'Woe is me.'


2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
It is all about, 'What do I have to do on the next drive to take this team down the field to win the game?'" The Panthers defense, led again by linebacker Scott McKillop with 15 tackles, played significantly better than in the week before, allowing only one big play versus the Irish's offense, a 47-yard pass from Jimmy Clausen to Golden Tate. They also held Notre Dame to only 146 yards in the second half and all four overtimes, including just seven yards on three three-and-out possessions in the third quarter. ()


2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 127th season of the franchise; the 122nd in the National League. This was their eighth season at PNC Park. It was the first under new president Frank Coonelly, general manager Neal Huntington, and manager John Russell. Unable to improve on their 68–94, last place finish during the 2007 season, the Pirates had not had a winning record or made it to the playoffs since 1992, and finished 67–95 for their 16th straight losing season. The season was the final of play-by-play announcer Lanny Frattare, whose 33-year tenure as Pirates' broadcaster was the longest in franchise history.


2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season
On November 5, 2007, John Russell was introduced as the Pirates manager, replacing Jim Tracy. Team management cited three areas that the franchise hoped to improve: "refocused emphasis on fundamentals", holding players to a higher standard, and signing younger players. The Pirates won their season opener against the Atlanta Braves, by the score of 12–11, in 12 innings. The Pirates played their home opener against the division-rival Chicago Cubs on April 7, losing 10–8, also in 12 innings.


2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season
The Pirates started out the season with a 7–7 record after the first half-month; however, after a five-game losing streak they began to struggle, finishing out April with an 11–16 record. The Pirates losing continued as they dropped three of four to the Washington Nationals to begin May. The team fought back, winning six straight games—the most consecutive since 2004, to bring their record within one victory of a .500 record. Throughout the remainder of May the team struggled, but never fell more than four games under .500.


2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season
Throughout the early months of the season closer Matt Capps was perfect, getting saves in 15 consecutive opportunities. However, on June 10, Capps gave up a two-run home run to the Nationals, losing his first decision of the season. In addition, Capps would blow saves in two of his next three appearances; however, he achieved his first win of the season after an extra-inning victory over the Baltimore Orioles.


2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season
Pittsburgh went 6–9 in interleague play, including two wins against the New York Yankees who returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since the 1960 World Series. On July 12, in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates came back to win a game that they trailed by six runs in the seventh inning. It was only the second time in the past 25 years that the Pirates won at home after scoring runs in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and extra innings. The Pirates finished out the remainder of July with a 6–9 record—50–58 overall.


2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season
On the final day of July, the Pirates made a deal with the Yankees to send outfielder Xavier Nady and pitcher Dámaso Marte in return for Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf and José Tábata. Later in the day the team became involved in a three-team deal in which the Pirates sent Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox in return for four players from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates won seven of the first 18 games in August before dropping ten consecutive games to close out the month.


2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season
Pittsburgh entered the final month of the season 21 games below the .500 mark. On September 7, the Pirates lost their 82nd game of the season, tying them with the Philadelphia Phillies as the only two franchises in professional sports history to have losing records in 16 consecutive seasons. The Pirates concluded their season on September 28 with a victory against the San Diego Padres. The team became the second in the Pirates' 122-year history to have no pitchers to win 10 games. The performance of the pitchers lead the team to fire pitching coach Jeff Andrews after the season.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 76th season in the National Football League (NFL). The season concluded with the team winning Super Bowl XLIII to become the first franchise in the NFL with six Super Bowl titles.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The Steelers entered the season as defending champions of the AFC North Division, coming off a 10–6 record in 2007. Based on the previous season's results, the team faced the most difficult schedule in over 30 years; however, they were called Super Bowl contenders by ESPN. The Steelers opened their regular season on September 7, with a win over the Houston Texans en route to a 12–4 record, and a second straight AFC North Division title. In his second season as head coach Mike Tomlin was selected in fan balloting as the Motorola Coach of the Year.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Linebacker James Harrison was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year after leading a defense which set the standard for the league in nearly every defensive category, including total yardage allowed, points allowed, passing yardage allowed, first downs allowed, yards per play, and yards per pass, among others. The playoffs began on January 11, 2009, with a win over the San Diego Chargers. The following week saw the third victory of the season over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game and the advancement to Super Bowl XLIII where the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals on February 1, 2009.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season
Entering the 2008 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost ten-year lineman Alan Faneca, after his contract expired, and he signed with the New York Jets. Allen Rossum, Jerame Tuman, and Clint Kriewaldt were released on February 22. The team also lost Dan Kreider, Verron Haynes, Brian St. Pierre, and eight-year veteran Clark Haggans to free agency.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season
The Steelers renewed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's contract with an eight-year, $102 million agreement, the largest in franchise history. The team re-signed Max Starks to the largest single-year deal in franchise history, despite him not being a starter during the 2007 season. Nate Washington, Chris Kemoeatu, and Trai Essex also agreed to one-year deals. Seven-year center Justin Hartwig and running back Mewelde Moore were signed to multi-year deals, and linebacker Keyaron Fox agreed to a one-year deal. Entering the season, 14 players were in the final year of their contracts.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was held on April 26 and April 27, 2008, at Radio City Music Hall. In the first round, the Steelers selected running back Rashard Mendenhall, from the University of Illinois, with the 23rd overall pick. He was the first running back selected in the first round by the franchise since 1989. The Steelers selected Limas Sweed, from the University of Texas, in the second round. Sweed was ranked by the Steelers as one of the top three receivers in the draft.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Draft
The drafting of Sweed came after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's suggestion of acquiring a tall wide receiver; Sweed is 6-feet 4-inches in height. In round three, the Steelers selected Bruce Davis, of UCLA. Davis primarily played defensive end at his alma mater, however, he is expected to switch to linebacker at the pro level. The Steelers traded their fourth-round pick (123rd overall) to the New York Giants for the Giants' fourth and sixth-round selections, 130th and 194th overall, respectively. The Steelers selected offensive tackle Tony Hills with the 130th overall selection, in the fourth round.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Draft
Like second-round pick Sweed, Hills came out of the University of Texas where he had been elected a captain of the football team during his senior season. With their fifth-round selection, the Steelers chose quarterback Dennis Dixon. Prior to an injury in 2007, Dixon was a Heisman Trophy candidate. The sixth round selection was the Steelers' second linebacker of the draft, Mike Humpal out of the University of Iowa. Also in the sixth round, the final selection of the team was safety Ryan Mundy, a Pittsburgh native.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Draft
The Steelers did not pick in the seventh round, due to a 2007 trade with the Atlanta Falcons. Kevin Colbert, Director of Football Operations, said of the draft, "we’re happy with the way things turned out." Also stating that the first and second-round selections were players who the team expected to have already been chosen. Coach Mike Tomlin said that the Steelers tried to select skilled offensive "weapons" over a strong offensive line, which struggled the previous season. The following day, the Steelers signed twelve free-agent rookies. All draft picks agreed to terms by July 25, two days prior to the start of training camp.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Mini-camp and OTAs
A mandatory three-day mini-camp was held in early May. Hines Ward, Aaron Smith and Troy Polamalu attended the camp, but did not fully participate because of injuries. First round draft pick, Rashard Mendenhall was welcomed by Steelers current running back Willie Parker. Parker was "surprised" when he heard a running back was selected in the first round, but hoped to work with Mendenhall like Jerome Bettis worked with Parker during his rookie season. During the mini-camp, the offense experimented with formations using Parker and Mendenhall in the backfield simultaneously.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Mini-camp and OTAs
Receiver Hines Ward took a similar approach to Parker's in welcoming second round draft pick Limas Sweed. As with other receivers in the past, Ward was "very hands-on with Sweed throughout the weekend". Coach Mike Tomlin called the new draft picks "humble", adding that he liked their "spirit and attitude"; however, it was too early to tell how well they will ultimately perform.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Mini-camp and OTAs
The team held two Organized Team Activities (OTAs) prior to the draft, in addition to 12 throughout May and June. The OTAs were voluntary, however, most players did attend. Many players routinely worked on their conditioning and strength together, in addition to "informal" on field training. A week prior to the end of OTAs Mike Tomlin said he was happy with the team's progress during the sessions. Also stating, “We are having a productive off-season and that is what we are here for. We are here to get better individually and collectively and I think we are doing that.”


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Mini-camp and OTAs
Limas Sweed experimented on special teams play for the first time ever, with a concentration in punt blocking. On the day of the final OTA, June 12, Tomlin stated that while he was pleased with the progress of the team, no positions would be gained or lost based on the voluntary camp. Tomlin added, "it's been teach-oriented, it's been skill-develop-oriented. It's different than playing the game of football." The team was given 44 days off until the beginning of training camp.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Off-field activity
In May, ESPN The Magazine released the findings of its annual survey of over 80,000 fans entitled the "Ultimate Standings: Fan Satisfaction Ranking." The Steelers ranked as the 25th best major league sports franchise out of 122 Teams from MLB, NFL, NBA, and the NHL. The franchise finished one position behind the cross-town hockey team Pittsburgh Penguins. The Steelers were sixth among all NFL teams. In August, ESPN.com ranked Steelers' fans as the best in the National Football League, citing their "unbelievable" sellout streak of 299 consecutive games.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Off-field activity
During the Pittsburgh Penguins run for the Stanley Cup multiple members of the Steelers showed support for the cross-town team. Ben Roethlisberger attended Stanley Cup Finals games in Detroit, where he and the Steelers won Super Bowl XL three years prior. Mike Tomlin watched Game Six of the finals outside Mellon Arena, along with 3,000 other fans, on a JumboTron which had been erected for fans unable to acquire tickets to the sold-out game. Kevin Colbert, Charlie Batch, and Tomlin attended many games throughout the regular season. In September, Penguins' coach Michel Therrien attended the Steelers' first game of the season.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Off-field activity
On February 17, Ernie Holmes, who played for the Steelers from 1972 to 1977, was killed in a car crash. Ten days later, on February 27, award-winning journalist, Steelers radio announcer of 35 years, and inventor of the Terrible Towel, Myron Cope, died at age 79. On June 6, Dwight White, a defensive end on the Steel Curtain died from a blood clot. Upon his death, Dan Rooney called White, "one of the greatest players to ever wear a Steelers uniform." A pre-game ceremony was held in their honor prior to the first game of the season.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Training camp
Training camp was held at Saint Vincent College, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for the 42nd consecutive year. Players reported on July 27, practices commenced the following day and ran through August 17. Throughout the twenty three day span, seventeen included practices; making the camp one of the shortest in Steelers history. The camp was less demanding under Tomlin, who was in his second year as coach. "We are a veteran team in some areas. You have to approach it differently because of that," said Tomlin.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off-season, Training camp
Pittsburgh looked to build on their defense, which was ranked first in the league throughout the 2007 season. At over thirty years in age each, all three starting linemen returned. First round draft pick, Rashard Mendenhall entered camp with expectations to make an impact on the team throughout his rookie season. Pittsburgh's Willie Parker, who returned after suffering a broken leg in the 2007 season, was expected to share the load with Mendenhall. On July 29, punter Daniel Sepulveda tore the ACL in his right leg and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. The Steelers acquired Paul Ernster later in the day as a possible replacement. After concluding practices at St. Vincent's, the Steelers began to practice at their facility on Pittsburgh's South Side. Tomlin called the camp "very productive".


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Preseason
We're ready. I know that I feel good, and I can speak for the team. We've been practicing, gone through the preseason, and it's time to put what we've been practicing to work.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Preseason
Pittsburgh opened their pre-season schedule with a 16–10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Steelers scored on their first possession, after driving 80 yards on eight plays. Ben Roethlisberger's 19-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes completed the drive. In the first quarter, Charlie Batch was removed from the game after breaking his clavicle. Jeff Reed converted three field goals from 20, 24, and 50 yards. Toronto's Rogers Centre hosted the second pre-season game; it was the first pre-season game Pittsburgh played in Toronto since 1960. Pittsburgh's starting offense played longer in the second game. Willie Parker increased his output over the first game by playing on third downs. However, the team failed run the ball consistently and struggled on defense, losing the game 24–21. "We fell short essentially in all three phases," stated coach Tomlin after the game.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Preseason
Pittsburgh traveled to Minnesota to play the Vikings for their third pre-season game. The Steelers's defense held the Vikings early, led by Aaron Smith who had three tackles, including one sack, in the first quarter. The offense failed to score a touchdown, with Rashard Mendenhall fumbling twice. Quarterback Byron Leftwich, who was signed to replace the injured Batch, lead the team with 129 yards passing. Jeff Reed accounted for all of the Steelers' points, kicking four field goals—the final with 4 seconds remaining—to give Pittsburgh a 12–10 victory.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Preseason
Entering their final pre-season game the Steelers had selected every starting player except the punter. Carolina tied the game with 1:54 remaining in regulation, but rookie Dennis Dixon lead the Steelers on a 47-yard drive, which was capped with Reed kicking the game winning 43-yard field goal as time expired. After the three point victory, Tomlin stated, "It has been a pleasure working with this group guys, but it is that time of year where we need to make tough decisions." The Steelers cut 22 players on August 30, to bring their roster to the required 53 player total. The following day the Steelers signed nine players from their pre-season team to the practice squad.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season
Based on 2007 records, the Steelers boasted the NFL's most difficult schedule in 2008, with an opponent winning percentage of .598; ten games were played against teams that finished 2007 with winning records. The Steelers played each of the teams in the AFC North twice, once home and once on the road. The Steelers also faced the teams from the AFC South and NFC East divisions throughout the season. Pittsburgh's matchups included the San Diego and New England, who each won their division in the 2007 season. The Steelers played five nationally televised primetime games, the maximum allowed number by the NFL.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season
Entering the first week of the season, players voted Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, James Farrior, and Jeff Reed team captains. Farrior, James Harrison, and Troy Polamalu were voted to represent the Steelers at the 2009 Pro Bowl. James Harrison set the Steelers' franchise single-season record for sacks, surpassing Mike Merriweather's previous record of 15 sacks in 1984. Harrison also became the first undrafted player to win the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was the fifth Steeler to win the award—the first since Rod Woodson in 1993. Harrison and Polamalu were also voted to the NFL's All-Pro team.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season
The Steelers' defense tied the 1973 Los Angeles Rams record by holding 14 consecutive opponents under 300 yards of total offense. The defense finished ranked first in the league in total and passing yards given up and second in rushing yards. For the fifth time in his career Hines Ward received for over 1,000 yards throughout the season. The team's offense ranked 22nd in overall offense, 17th in passing, and 23rd in rushing. Rashard Mendenhall was the team's only rookie to start a game; the fewest rookie starts of any team in the league.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season, Standings
The 2008 season was the Steelers' seventh as members of the AFC North Division. Pittsburgh defended their division title from the 2007 season, which they obtained by tying the Cleveland Browns' 10–6 record, but holding the tie-breaker with two wins over the Browns. Through 2008, Pittsburgh is the only team to have won the AFC North four times, since its inception prior to the 2002 NFL season. Entering the 2008 season, the Steelers were chosen to win the division by sportswriter Ron Borges, as well as nine of 13 analysts interviewed by ESPN.com.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season, Standings
Four NFL.com analysts predicted that the Steelers would finish with a 10–6 record. The Steelers finished the regular season with a record of 12–4, going undefeated against opponents in the AFC North and winning 12 games for the fourth season since 1979. The team clinched the second seed in the AFC for the playoffs and received a bye the first week of the post-season. The Baltimore Ravens finished at second place in the AFC North with an 11–5 record, clinching a playoff seed as an AFC wild card. The Cincinnati Bengals finished 4–11–1, winning their final three games of the season. The Cleveland Browns finished in the AFC North's fourth position at 4–12; the team fired head coach Romeo Crennel after the season.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Houston Texans
The Steelers started their regular season against the Houston Texans, in front of 64,001 spectators at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Steelers drove the ball 52 yards on their opening drive, with their biggest gain coming on a 17-yard run from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Willie Parker scored a touchdown at 5:44 of the opening quarter and added a second touchdown in the following quarter. After a LaMarr Woodley interception the Steelers extended their lead to 21 points when Roethlisberger completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ward. With 4:34 remaining in the half, former-Steelers' kicker Kris Brown converted a 34-yard field goal for Houston. Pittsburgh led the game 21–3 as time expired on the first half.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Houston Texans
In the second half, Parker scored his third touchdown of the game—surpassing his touchdown total for the entire 2007 season—and was named the AFC offensive player of the week for his performance. Pittsburgh's defense held Houston to six yards on their ensuing drive and the Steelers drove 80 yards to take a 35–3 lead. The Texans scored two touchdowns in the final quarter, but Pittsburgh's James Harrison led the team with three sacks—forcing a fumble on the third—and the Steelers won their first game of the season starting out 1–0.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Cleveland Browns
The Steelers entered their first matchup with the Cleveland Browns having won 15 of the last 16 games between the two teams. Ben Roethlisberger started the game despite missing practice time during the week due to a shoulder injury suffered in Week One. The Steelers' defense held the Browns to 16 yards on their first four drives, as the teams played to a scoreless tie after the first quarter. After a Bryant McFadden interception the Steelers drove 70 yards and Roethlisberger connected with Hines Ward for their third touchdown combination of the season. Cleveland responded with a 14 play, 71 yard drive, but Troy Polamalu intercepted a Cleveland pass as time expired in the first half solidifying Pittsburgh's seven point halftime lead.


2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Cleveland Browns
A 48-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes and a 48-yard field goal from Jeff Reed on the team's second drive of the second half brought the score to 10–0. The Browns' Phil Dawson converted two consecutive field goals, to pull Cleveland within four points with 3:21 remaining. After a fourth down stop, Cleveland's offense took over with 26 seconds remaining, but failed to gain yardage as time expired. With the win, the Steelers increased their win streak over the Browns to 10 consecutive games—the longest current winning streak over a single opponent in the NFL. With the win the Steelers improved to 2–0 and led the AFC North by 1/2 a game ahead of the Ravens.