2008 Macau Grand Prix
The Grand Prix was won by TOM'S driver Keisuke Kunimoto on his maiden appearance in Macau, having finished second in the previous day's Qualification Race that was won by Signature-Plus driver Edoardo Mortara. Kunimoto led from the start of the race and held it throughout to become the first Japanese driver to win in Macau since Takuma Sato won the 2001 race and it was the second consecutive victory for TOM'S in the Grand Prix. Second place went to Mortara, while the podium was completed by Carlin driver Brendon Hartley.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Background and entry list
The Macau Grand Prix is a Formula Three race considered to be a stepping stone to higher motor racing categories such as Formula One and has been termed the territory's most prestigious international sporting event. The 2008 Macau Grand Prix was the 55th running of the event and the 26th time the race was held to Formula Three regulations. It took place on the 6.2 km (3.9 mi) 22-turn Guia Circuit on 16 November 2008 with three preceding days of practice and qualifying.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Background and entry list
In order to compete in Macau, drivers had to compete in a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)-regulated championship meeting during the calendar year, in either the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy or one of the domestic championships, with the highest-placed drivers given priority in receiving an invitation to the race. Within the 30-car grid of the event, two of the four major Formula Three series were represented by their respective champion. Nico Hülkenberg, the Formula Three Euro Series champion, was required to miss the race because of him partaking in a GP2 Series test session at the Circuit Paul Ricard.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Background and entry list
Thus, the highest placed Formula Three Euro Series competitor at Macau was Edoardo Mortara and he was joined by British champion Jaime Alguersuari and Japanese series winner Carlo van Dam. The top performing driver to of the German championship was Laurens Vanthoor, and the Australian Drivers' Championship winner James Winslow accepted an invitation by race organisers to race in Macau. Three drivers from outside of Formula Three took part in the race: Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 racer Roberto Merhi, Roberto Streit of Formula Nippon and Formula V6 Asia driver Michael Ho.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Two half an hour practice sessions were held before the race on Sunday: one on Thursday morning and one on Friday morning. Mortara set the fastest time for Signature-Plus in the opening practice session with a late lap of 2 minutes, 14.333 seconds, seven-tenths of a second faster than any one else on the circuit in spite of making a minor error on the lap. His closest challenger was Renger van der Zande in second position.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Streit, Van Dam, James Jakes, Stefano Coletti, Alguersuari, Merhi and the British duo of Jon Lancaster and Sam Bird rounded out the session's top ten drivers. During the session, where the top of the time sheets was shared by multiple drivers, Brendon Hartley missed the second half because of a gearbox problem. Red-flags were necessitated before the session's half-way point when Mika Mäki crashed heavily at Fisherman's Bend. Kazuya Oshima and Walter Grubmüller went into the wall at Maternity Bend separately. Mäki was transported to the circuit's medical centre to undergo precautionary checks after complaining of abdomen pains and was advised to rest.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Qualifying was divided into two 45-minute sessions: on Thursday afternoon, and the second on Friday afternoon. The fastest time set by each driver from either session counted towards his final starting position for the qualification race. The first qualifying session, held in warm and sunny weather, had Mortara go fastest with a time of 2 minutes, 12.416 seconds and led throughout. Van Dam was three-tenths of a second slower than Mortara and took second. Streit twice held second but ended qualifying third. Hartley recovered from his gearbox problems earlier in the day to run strongly for provisional fourth.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Van Der Zande was consistent and ended fifth. He was followed by the highest-placed rookie Alguersuari in sixth and Bird in seventh. Jules Bianchi and his teammate Jakes were eighth and tenth; the duo were separated by Oliver Turvey. Marcus Ericsson was the fastest driver not to reach the top ten despite running as high as sixth in first qualifying's opening minutes.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Following him were Keisuke Kunimoto, Kei Cozzolino, Coletti, the Hitech Racing duo of Max Chilton and Merhi, Winslow, Grubmüller, Oshima and Daniel Campos-Hull, Laurens Vanthoor, Atte Mustonen, Basil Shaaban, Cheng Congfu, Lancaster, Masaki Matsushita, Ho and Nicola de Marco. The only driver to go under the minimum qualification time was Koki Saga. The session was stopped three times: Jakes' car got unsettled on the tarmac entering Fisherman's Bend on a faster lap and hit the outside barriers, littering the track with debris. De Marco struck the Fisherman's Bend barriers and angled across the circuit.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Matsushita spun towards the track's centre after hitting the barriers at Police corner with one minute left. Mortara and Vanthoor could not avoid his stranded car and piled into it. For ignoring the red light signal which mandated he enter the weighbridge, Matsushita was summoned to the stewards and they ordered him to start at the rear of the grid for the qualification race.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Mäki returned to the circuit on the morning of the second 30-minute practice session and was declared fit to compete. He revealed that he had been suffering from food poisoning that worsened while driving and combated this by sleeping heavily the previous day. The start was delayed by 50 minutes due to multiple crashes in practice for the touring car support races. Mortara primarily focused on race setup and was fatest with a benchmark time of 2 minutes, 13.054 seconds by slipstreaming another car into Mandarin Bend.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Van Dam was 0.117 seconds slower in second and was a full second faster than Cozzolino in third. Alguersuari,  Turvey,  Merhi, Hartley, Ericsson, Van Der Zande ninth and Streit were in positions four to ten. De Marco spun at Fisherman's Bend, stopping practice as he was adjudged to be in a dangerous place. Alguersuari damaged the left-hand side of his car and removed his rear wing in an impact with the San Francisco End barriers which halted the session for a second time. The two other incidents during the session were Mäki suffering a puncture and spending most of his time in the pit lane and Van Dam braked late for Lisboa corner and stopped on the escape road.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
In the second qualifying session, Van Dam bettered Mortara's lap from first qualifying until Mustonen went off the track at Police corner and the yellow flags were waved. Halfway through the session, drivers who had new tyres available had them fitted and adjusted their cars. Shortly after, Matsushita crashed near Police turn and his car was removed from the track. Mortara then regained provisional pole, until the session was stopped when Bianchi ran wide exiting the Reservoir Bend and hit the tyre barriers at the end of the turn. His left rear wheel flew onto the track's centre.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Bird became the first driver to go below 2 minutes, 11 seconds all weekend, before red flags were needed for Cozzolino whose heavy crash at Fisherman's Bend left debris on the track. At the restart, Van Dam slightly deranged his steering arm but used a clear track to go faster than Bird and secure pole position with a lap of 2 minutes, 11.846 seconds. This demoted Bird to second having been delayed by a slow-moving Grubmüller. Kunimoto used the slipstream of another car to take third, while the previous day's provisional pole sitter Mortara was fourth.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying
Streit dropped two positions to fifth and Merhi moved up nine to start from sixth. Van Der Zande in seventh chose not to slipstream other cars to avoid being delayed in the track's tight section. Turvey was as high as third but was eighth with Alguersuari ninth and Jakes tenth. The rest of the field lined up as Hartley, Coletti (who crashed at Police turn and blocked the track), Chilton, Mäki, Ericsson, Oshimi, Bianchi, Cozzolino, Grubmüller, Cheng, Campos-Hull, Winslow, Lancaster, Shabban, Saga, Mustonen, Vanthoor (who set no lap time as he crashed on his out-lap), Matsushita, Ho and De Marco. After qualifying, Bird was demoted three places on the grid for missing a signal to enter the weighbridge during second practice.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Practice and qualifying, Qualifying classification
Each of the driver's fastest lap times from the two qualifying sessions are denoted in bold.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Qualifying race
The qualifying race to set the grid order for the main race started at 13:45 Macau Standard Time (UTC+08:00) on 15 November. The weather at the start of the qualifying race was dry and sunny with an air temperature of 23 °C (73 °F) and a track temperature at 37 °C (99 °F). On the grid, Van Dam was slow to get going and Kunimoto overtook him for the lead. Van Dam attempted to reclaim the first position from Kunimoto but ran wide and punctured his left-rear tyre from contact with the barriers through Mandarin corner.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Qualifying race
Mortara then unsuccessfully attempted to overtake Kunimoto and the duo narrowly avoided making contact. Four more cars overtook Van Dam into Lisboa turn, and he later tangled with fellow countryman Van Der Zande at San Francisco Bend. The two drivers' races ended early as a consequence of the contact. Merhi stalled on the grid and ceded several positions. Further down the field on the second lap, Jakes and Hartley glanced each other against the wall heading towards the Reservoir Bend. Jakes moved across the front of Hartley's car and into the wall. Hartley entered the pit lane with suspension damage while Jakes retired.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Qualifying race
A multi-car collision was triggered at Lisboa turn when Bianchi spun entering the corner. He caused a chain reaction involving the trio of Hitech cars of Grubmüller, Chilton and Merhi. Bianchi's spin caused a secondary accident that started when Shaaban went into the rear of his teammate Campos-Hull and was spun into Cheng. The two drivers squeezed Mustonen into the barriers lining the track. While Merhi and Grubmüller rejoined, Chilton, Bianchi, Cheng and Mustonen retired.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Qualifying race
Since several cars were in the opposite direction and beached on the kerbs, the safety car was deployed so the wreckage could be cleared by marshals. Merhi made a pit stop and Oshima retired. The safety car remained on track for three laps and Kunimoto led the field back up to speed at the restart with Mortara in second. Shaaban set the fastest lap earlier in the race but retired after crashing at Reservoir turn. In his attempt to claim the lead, Mortara began to attack Kunimoto but Kunimoto resisted him. Streit was close behind the two drivers and defended from Turvey who was distracted by Bird, who in turn, battled Alguersuari.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Qualifying race
At the race's halfway point, Ho lost control of his car at Police corner but did not create a traffic jam as only Matsushita was behind him and got past without any trouble. Mortara clung onto Kunimoto's slipstream and then steered left onto the outside line, to brake later than him for the lead at the start of the seventh lap. Mortara started to pull away from Kunimoto while Streit began drawing closer to the latter but was observing Turvey behind him.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Qualifying race
On the ninth lap, Mäki damaged his car at the Reservoir Bend and debris was littered on the track. He continued driving despite a rear puncture and a detached rear wing and went off the track twice. Mortara kept the lead for the rest of the race to win pole position for the Grand Prix itself. He was joined on the grid's front row by Kunimoto and Streit completed the podium. Turvey followed in fourth with Bird fifth and Alguersuari sixth. Coletti, Ericsson, Campos-Hull and Cozzolino, Winslow, Vanthoor, Lancaster, Saga, Grubmüller, Mäki, Merhi, Matushita, De Marco and Hartley rounded out the 20 classified finishers.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Warm-up
A 20-minute warm-up session was held on the morning of the main race. Hartley ran more strongly than he had done any of the previous sessions and topped the time sheets with a new fastest lap of the weekend of 2 minutes, 11.071 seconds. He was six-tenths of a second faster than his nearest challenger Van Dam in second with Coletti third. Ericsson was fourth ahead of Bird in fifth and the qualification race winner Mortara placed sixth. Cozzolino, Streit, Alguersuari and Campos-Hull followed in the time sheets to round out the top ten fastest drivers.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Main race
The race began on 16 November at 15:30 local time. The weather at the start was dry and sunny with an air temperature of 26 °C (79 °F) and a track temperature at 33 °C (91 °F). When the Grand Prix started, Kunimoto accelerated faster than Mortara off the line and was ahead of him heading towards Lisboa corner. Turvey stalled and created confusion as drivers swerved to avoid hitting his car. Vanthoor yielded six places as his clutch slipped but avoided stalling his engine. Streit defended against Bird into Mandarin Bend and they collided.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Main race
Streit's car went across Bird's and drifted into the right-band barriers. He heavily damaged his car entering the corner before rebounding off the wall and veering left. Soon after, Ericsson went off the track entering Lisboa corner and several cars piled up behind him or had to negotiate their way past his stricken vehicle. The safety car was immediately deployed to control the race by picking up Kunimoto. The wreckage was cleared in two laps and Kunimoto held onto the lead at the restart and was followed by Mortara. Saga became the race's fourth retirement when he hit the wall at Lisboa corner. Just as Mortara locked his brakes on the bumpy track, Campos-Hull slipstreamed onto the back of Alguersuari heading towards Lisboa turn and overtook him for third position.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Main race
Mortara's brake locking dropped him to fourth behind Campos-Hull and Alguersuari. Meanwhile, Kunimoto started to pull away from the rest of the field. Alguersuari got back past Campos-Hull for second on the fifth lap and Mortara overtook the latter for third on the next lap. As he began to reduce the time deficit to Kunimoto, Alguersuari's chances of winning were diminished when he was deemed to have jumped the start and was told he would incur a drive-through penalty. Alguersuari took his penalty at the end of lap five and Mortara began reducing Kunimoto's lead of 2½ seconds.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Main race
As the race appeared to settle into calmness, Matsushita went into the wall after leaving the Mandarin Bend and temporarily blocked the track. Winslow drifted off the circuit at Police turn and hit the wall. Lancaster relinquished sixth place to Hartley while Mäki was now in the top ten. The safety car was called to neutralise the race on lap eight when Merhi spun at Reservoir Bend and heavily damaged his car. The incident caught the recovering Van Dam off guard who clipped debris and crashed. Kunimoto's lead had now evaporated and he was followed by Mortara, Campos-Hull, Cozzolino and Hartley.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Main race
The race restarted on the tenth lap and Kunimoto held the lead. Mortara could not hang on to Kunimoto because of the former's higher straightline speed. In his effort to remain with Kunimoto, Mortara ran wide at Matsuya corner and bent his right-front suspension from contact with the wall, and Campos-Hull challenged him. Further back, Mäki was fending off Van Der Zande as the latter tried to pass him for sixth. Shabban was another retiree when he went off the circuit and into the barriers at Lisboa corner.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Main race
Turvey recovered to move into the top ten while his teammate Hartley remained in fifth so he could observe any mistakes from Mortara, Campos-Hull and Cozzolino. Although Coletti drifted off the track and returned, he later hit the barriers at Hospital corner and was the race's final retirement. On the 13th lap, Cozzolino tried to overtake Campos-Hull but struck the rear of the latter's car braking for Lisboa corner and dropped out of the top ten. The crash promoted Hartley into third. Hartley and Turvey traded the fastest lap until Hartley claimed it on the final lap by completing a circuit in 2 minutes, 12.565 seconds.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Main race
Turvey passed Grubmüller to claim seventh on the final lap. On his maiden appearance in Macau, it was Kunimoto's victory, achieving the first win for a Japanese driver in Macau since Takuma Sato won the 2001 race, and it was the second consecutive Macau Grand Prix victory for TOM'S. Mortara finished 1.710 seconds later in second and Hartley moved up 17 places from his starting position to complete the podium in third. Off the podium, Mäki finished in fourth place ahead of Van Der Zande in fifth, both having been distanced by the lead group during the race.


2008 Macau Grand Prix, Main race
Vanthoor took sixth place, having started thirteenth, and was narrowly ahead of the seventh-placed Turvey. The top ten was completed by Grubmüller, Bianchi and Alguersuari. Outside the top ten, Lancaster finished eleventh, having progressed two from his starting position. Jakes Cheng, Chilton. Cozzolino, Oshima, Campos-Hull, Mustonen, De Marco and Ho were the final classified finishers.


2008 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold
The 2008 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold was a badminton tournament which took place at the Tap Seac Multi-sports Pavilion, Macau on 30 September to 5 October 2008 and had a total purse of $120,000.


2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash
The 2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash occurred on Saturday, 12 January 2008, when a Mil Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Macedonian military, crashed 50–100 metres from the village of Blace, situated in the region of Katlanovo, approximately 10–15 kilometres south-east of Skopje, Macedonia due to low visibility caused by heavy fog. All 11 individuals aboard the helicopter, including 8 passengers and 3 crew members, were killed in the crash.


2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash, Incident
The incident took place at approximately 11:00 a.m. (GMT). The helicopter was returning from a EUFOR peace keeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and started to experience foggy conditions whilst preparing to land at their destination — The Skopje Airport. The crash was reported by two local fishermen who claimed they saw the helicopter flying unusually low. A witness stated that "The engine of the helicopter did not sound like it worked well..." Witnesses also reported seeing a "fireball" as the helicopter became engulfed in flames following impact. This was subsequently followed by a series of explosions, possibly triggered by a supply of kerosene or ammunition.


2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash, Incident
Based on a Reuters photographer's eye-witness account, the helicopter was incinerated and debris was found up to 100 metres from the crash site.


2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash, Reactions
Upon arriving the at the scene of the event, the Macedonian prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, said; "This is a terrible accident, a great tragedy and a great loss. I express my deepest and sincerest condolences to the families of the victims. An investigation is starting that will identify the cause of the accident."


2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash, Reactions
The Macedonian president, Branko Crvenkovski, also expressed his sympathy for the lives lost, stating: "We have not seen such a tragic lost [sic] of Macedonian soldiers in the country's recent history..." The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia confirmed that the incident is the deadliest aviation accident to occur within the country's air force.


2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash, Reactions
Along with the president and prime minister, the Interior Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Gordana Jankulovska, also visited the crash site immediately following the incident.


2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash, Aftermath
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, only seven soldiers were fully identified. After the identification of all victims involved in the crash, it was reported that a total of eleven military personnel between the ages of 26 and 40 had been killed in the crash.


2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash, Aftermath
Following the incident, the Macedonian government created a special body to lead the investigation into the cause of the crash.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election
Early parliamentary elections were held in Macedonia on 1 June 2008, after the Assembly voted to dissolve itself on 12 April 2008. The result was a victory for the VMRO-DPMNE-led alliance, which won 63 of the 120 seats in the Assembly.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Background
The early elections were proposed by the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) after Greece vetoed Macedonia's bid to join NATO at the 2008 Bucharest summit over the Macedonia naming dispute. The DUI's request was supported by the ruling coalition of VMRO–DPMNE and the Democratic Party of Albanians. Although the opposition Social Democratic Union and Liberal Democratic Party boycotted the vote, 70 of the 120 MPs voted in favour of the motion, with all others absent from the vote.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Background
Elections had not been due until 2010, and these were the first early elections since independence in 1991.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Campaign
The two major parties formed coalitions before the elections. VMRO-DPMNE formed a coalition called "For a Better Macedonia", whilst the SDSM  formed the eight-party "Sun – Coalition for Europe" alliance.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Campaign, For a Better Macedonia
The For a Better Macedonia coalition included VMRO-DPMNE, the Socialist Party of Macedonia, the Democratic Union, Democratic Renewal of Macedonia, the Democratic Party of Turks, the Democratic Party of Serbs, the Union of Roma in Macedonia, VMRO-Macedonia, the United Party for Emancipation, the Party of Justice, the Party of Democratic Action of Macedonia, the Party of Vlachs of Macedonia, the Party for Roma Integration, the People's Movement of Macedonia, the Democratic Party of the Bosniaks, the Party of the Greens, the Democratic Union of the Roma, the Workers' Agricultural Party of the Republic of Macedonia, and the Party for the Full Emancipation of the Roma of Macedonia.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Campaign, Sun – Coalition for Europe
Sun – Coalition for Europe included the SDSM, the New Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party of Macedonia, the New Alternative, the Green Party of Macedonia, the Party of Pensioners of the Republic of Macedonia and the Democratic Union of Vlachs in Macedonia.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Opinion polls
According to a poll of 1,108 citizens taken between 11 April and 15 April 2008, VMRO-DPMNE had a 29% rating, followed by SDSM with 11% and DUI with 10%. A poll from 24 April and 25 April 2008 gave VMRO-DPMNE 26%, SDSM 12%, DUI 11% and DPA 7%.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Opinion polls
Other polls saw For a Better Macedonia lead with 37% to Sun's 18%, followed by DUI with 11% and DPA with 6%.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Conduct
The tense elections involved episodes of violence, mostly between rival ethnic Albanian parties, the DUI and DPA. Shootings were reported in the Albanian-populated North-West of the country. A gunman opened fire on a Macedonian police unit patrolling the village of Aračinovo, north of the capital Skopje. One person was killed and several were wounded.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Conduct
The situation appeared to have calmed down by the time polls closed at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT).


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Conduct
There were also reports of ballot stuffing and allegations of fraud in villages around Skopje during the early hours of voting.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Conduct
Due to violence on the polling day, polling had to be repeated in parts of three election districts (193 polling stations out of 2,976) on 15 June 2008; about 170,000 voters were eligible to vote in the rerun, and the results determined which of the two main Albanian parties will join VMRO–DPMNE in government.


2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, Aftermath
The Party for Democratic Prosperity announced after the election on 3 June 2008 that it would merge with the DPA, effectively making the DPA the larger of the two main Albanian parties and increasing its chances in the repeated elections.


2008 Mackay Cutters season
The 2008 Mackay Cutters season was the first in the club's history. Captain-coached by Shane Muspratt, they competed in the QRL's Wizard Cup. The club finished ninth in their inaugural season, winning seven games, losing 12 and drawing once.


2008 Mackay Cutters season, Season summary
The Cutters played their first Queensland Cup game local rivals, the Northern Pride, who were also playing their first game, losing 16–44. Proserpine junior Sam Faust, who was contracted to the North Queensland Cowboys at the time, scored the club's first try. Two more losses followed before the club recorded their first win, a 24–22 victory over the Redcliffe Dolphins at Dolphin Oval. Their first home win came three weeks later when they defeated the Souths Logan Magpies 22–12 at the Mackay Junior Rugby League grounds. They won just four of their last 13 games and finished the season in ninth place.


2008 Mackay Cutters season, Squad List, 2008 squad
The following players contracted to the North Queensland Cowboys played for the Cutters in 2008: Daniel Abraham, Daniel Backo, Travis Burns, Ben Farrar, Sione Faumuina, Sam Faust, John Frith, George Gatis, Keiron Lander, Anthony Perkins, Matthew Scott, Shane Tronc, Anthony Watts and Dayne Weston.


2008 Mackay Cutters season, Squad movement, Gains
The Cutters recruited a number of players from the local Mackay & District Rugby League competition, they included: Aaron Barba, Sam Granville, David Nixon, Matt Parnis (Mackay Brothers), Dean Tass (Northern Suburbs Devils), Daniel Flynn, Scott Leigh, Royston Lightning, Jared Owens (Sarina Crocs), Anthony Caulton, Michael Comerford, Michael Pearce, Todd Seymour, Luke Srama, Kerrod Toby (Souths Sharks), James Bryant and Chris Giumelli (Wests Tigers).


2008 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
The 2008 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election was declared by the Election Commission of India on 14 October 2008. Elections for 230 seats took place on 27 November 2008, and counting started on 8 December.


2008 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Parties
The election was mainly contested between two national parties, Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian National Congress. Other parties included Bahujan Samaj Party, Bharatiya Jan Shakti Party, and Samajwadi Party


2008 Magny-Cours GP2 Series round
2008 Magny-Cours GP2 Series round was a GP2 Series motor race held on June 21 and June 22, 2008 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours, France. It was the fourth race of the 2008 GP2 Series season. The race was used to support the 2008 French Grand Prix.


2008 Magny-Cours Superbike World Championship round
The 2008 Magny-Cours Superbike World Championship round was the thirteenth round of the 2008 Superbike World Championship. It took place on the weekend of October 3-5, 2008, at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.


2008 Magyar Kupa (men's water polo)
The 2008 Magyar Kupa, is the 82nd edition of the tournament.


2008 Magyar Kupa (men's water polo), Quarter-finals
Quarter-final matches were played on 27 and 28 September 2008.


2008 Magyar Kupa (men's water polo), Final four
The final four will be held on 29 and 30 November 2008 at the Bitskey Aladár Uszoda in Eger.


2008 Mahoran legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Mayotte on 9 and 16 March 2008 as part of the 2008 French municipal elections. The Union for a Popular Movement emerged as the largest party, winning eight of the nineteen seats.


2008 Maidstone Borough Council election
The 2008 Maidstone Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Maidstone Borough Council in Kent, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.


2008 Maidstone Borough Council election, Background
Before the election the Conservatives were the largest party on the council with 27 seats, but did not have a majority. The council however was run by a coalition of the other groups, with the Liberal Democrats leading an alliance with Labour and the independents. Between them these groups had 28 seats, until the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Hooper, after he was arrested in relation to a computer-related crime, left them with the same number of seats as the Conservatives.


2008 Maidstone Borough Council election, Background
19 seats were being contested in the election, with the Conservatives defending 8 and the Liberal Democrats 7.


2008 Maidstone Borough Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives gain a majority of the council after making a net gain of 2 seats, in what was the first time any party had a majority on the council for 25 years. The Conservatives went up to 29 seats, while the Liberal Democrats dropped one seat to 20. The Labour group leader Morel D'Souza was defeated in Fant ward and his party was reduced to just 1 seat. Meanwhile, the independents went up by 1 seat to have 5 seats on the council. Overall turnout in the election was 35.58%.


2008 Maine Black Bears football team
The 2008 Maine Black Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of Maine as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. In their 16th season under head coach Jack Cosgrove, the Black Bears compiled an 8–5 record (5–3 against conference opponents), finished second in the CAA's North Division, and lost to Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA FCS playoffs. Jovan Belcher and Jhamal Fluellen were the team captains.


2008 Maine Democratic presidential caucuses
The 2008 Maine Democratic presidential caucuses took place on February 10, 2008, and had 24 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Maine's two congressional districts received all of that district's total delegates, which totaled 16. Another eight delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Barack Obama, at the Maine Democratic Party Statewide Convention on May 31, 2008. These 24 delegates represented Maine at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Another 10 unpledged delegates, known as superdelegates, also attended the convention and cast their votes as well.


2008 Maine Democratic presidential caucuses
Although Maine technically sent 24 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention, John Knutson, the superdelegate Chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, had pledged to support whoever won the majority of the vote, making the total number of pledged delegates effectively 25.


2008 Maine Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
The Maine Democratic Caucus was a closed caucus open to all Democratic voters. New voters and nonpartisan voters could register as Democrats at the door, while members of other parties must have changed their party registration by January 26, 2008. In addition, absentee ballots were permitted for the disabled and those in the military who could not personally attend.


2008 Maine Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
At the caucus, participants gathered in groups among presidential preference. Unlike most other caucuses, there was no 15-percent minimum threshold, as long as a candidate had enough votes to elect a whole delegate after rounding. Re -caucusing after the first preference groups was divided was permitted among all participants. After dividing presidential delegates, voters were elected to be delegates to the Maine Democratic Party State Convention on May 31, 2008, pledged but not bound to their candidate. Only state delegates are reported by the party. At the state level, delegates were selected for the Democratic National Convention; these delegates were bound.


2008 Maine Democratic presidential caucuses, Results, State Convention Results
Caucus Date: May 31, 2008National Pledged Delegates Determined: 24 (of 24)


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses
The 2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses were held on February 1, February 2, and February 3 at various locations throughout the state of Maine. The results were used to apportion 21 delegates for the state. The Maine Republican caucuses were the first caucuses in the 2008 election season in which Rudy Giuliani was out of the race.


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses, Process
The Maine Republican caucus is a modified closed caucus. New voters and voters who have not declared a party may register as Republicans 30 minutes before the caucus begins. Otherwise, a voter must have been registered Republican 15 days before the caucus. In addition, those who turn 18 by the general election are eligible to register at the caucus site. The delegates chosen at the caucuses are actually non-binding; this means that they will not be bound to any specific candidate.


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses, Process
Like most Republican Party caucuses, there are two components to the Maine caucuses. First, delegates are elected from the attendees. These delegates later represent the caucusgoers at the state convention in May. Candidates generally provide slates of delegates to voters who are interested in supporting them, and voters can ask prospective delegates whom they support for president. A total of 3,867 delegates were selected statewide in 2008. Then, a straw poll, called a presidential preference ballot, is taken of the individuals in the room.


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses, Process
The results of this secret ballot are transmitted to the media, who use it as a "snapshot" of the opinions of Maine Republicans. Although the media report the results of the ballot, and assign delegates appropriately, it is the state convention which determines who actually goes to the Republican National Convention. Even after the state convention, all delegates remain unbound to any candidate.


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses, Process
In 2008, although some caucuses were held on February 3, this was the day of Super Bowl XLII and county parties were discouraged from holding caucuses for fear of low turnout. Only three caucuses were scheduled for that day. Thus, the party released results statewide for the media on the evening of February 2.


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses, Campaign
Since Maine is adjacent to New Hampshire, Mainers have the benefit of traveling to New Hampshire to look at the candidates, and spillover coverage from the New Hampshire primary, traditionally the first primary election of the nominating process. Some candidates traveled to Maine during the 2008 campaign on visits to New Hampshire. Rudy Giuliani visited the state in September, 2007. Many candidates mobilized supporters. Further visits to the state were expected to be few, given that the Maine caucuses were sandwiched between the prominent Florida primary and Super Tuesday. However, Ron Paul visited the state in the end of January, five days before the caucuses.


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses, Campaign
By the time of the caucus, Ron Paul was the only presidential candidate still in the race who had visited Maine to campaign, but Mitt Romney's oldest son, Tagg, campaigned for him there.


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses, Campaign
Some residents have criticized the caucus system, complaining that it disenfranchises the elderly and military service-members and discourages turnout.


2008 Maine Republican presidential caucuses, Results
* Candidate dropped out of the race before the caucuses


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 79th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City, home of the New York Yankees, on July 15, 2008, and began at 8:47 p.m. ET. The game ended at 1:38 a.m. ET the following morning. The home American League won 4–3 in 15 innings, giving home field advantage in the 2008 World Series to the AL champion, which eventually came to be the Tampa Bay Rays.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
By length of time, this was the longest MLB All-Star Game in history (4 hours and 50 minutes), and it also tied the mark for the longest game by innings played at 15 with the 1967 All-Star Game. Second baseman Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins committed three errors, an All-Star Game record, none of which resulted in a run. J. D. Drew of the Boston Red Sox was named Most Valuable Player due to his two-run game-tying home run in the seventh inning. Drew won a Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid and the Ted Williams Trophy. It was the second All-Star Game in which the winning run was batted in by the Texas Rangers' Michael Young.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Background
As with each All-Star Game since 1970, the eight starting position players of each league, as well as the American League's designated hitter, were elected by fan balloting. The remaining players were selected by a players' vote, each league's team manager, and a second fan balloting to add one more player to each roster. In all, 32 players were selected to each league's team, not including players who decline to play due to injuries or personal reasons.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Background
The game was the sixth straight All-Star Game to decide home-field advantage in the World Series, the AL having clinched each of the first five opportunities. The AL entered the game on an 11-game unbeaten streak (10–0–1) as the NL continued to look for their first win since the 1996 game in Philadelphia, still holding a 40–37–2 lead in the series.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Background, Venue selection
The announcement of Yankee Stadium as the site of the game was made by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on January 31, 2007, at New York's City Hall. Though it was the fourth game hosted at the Stadium and the eighth held in New York City, it was the first time since 1977 that the game had been played in the city (the last time also at Yankee Stadium).


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Background, Venue selection
It had been speculated for months that the game would be held in Yankee Stadium, accelerated by the announcement that the 2008 season would be the 84th and final one for the stadium before the team moved into the new Yankee Stadium in 2009. Thus, it was seen as a fitting tribute to the old stadium that it host an All-Star Game in its final season.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Background, Venue selection
It was the first All-Star Game to be played in a venue scheduled to close after that season.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Fan balloting, Starters
Balloting for the 2008 All-Star Game starters (excluding pitchers) began on April 29. Because the game was in an American League ballpark, fans were asked to select their favorite AL designated hitter in addition to all the position players. The top vote-getters at each position, and top three among outfielders, were named to start the game.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Fan balloting, Starters
Votes were cast online and at the 30 MLB ballparks. Monster was the sponsor of the online portion of balloting. There was a limit of 25 votes per e-mail address, but no limit to the number of ballots cast at the stadium. The deadline to cast votes was July 2. Rosters were announced on July 6. Alex Rodriguez led all players in votes for the second consecutive year with 3,934,518 votes, while Chase Utley led all National League players with 3,889,602 votes.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Fan balloting, Final roster spot
After the rosters were revealed, a second ballot of five players per league was created for the Monster All-Star Final Vote to determine the 32nd and final player of each roster. Ballots were cast online between July 6 and 10 with the player in each league receiving the most votes added to the team rosters. The winners were Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers and Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. A record 47.8 million votes were cast in the balloting, shattering the record set the previous year of 23.2 million. Longoria's nine million votes more than doubled the individual record of 4.4 million set by San Diego Padres pitcher Chris Young in 2007.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Rosters
Players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Rosters, American League
Selected to start but unable to play due to injury. Milton Bradley took his place in the starting lineup. Selected to start but unable to play due to injury. Matt Holliday took his place in the starting lineup. David Wright took his place on the roster. Won the Monster All-Star Final Vote. Unable to play due to injury. Carlos Mármol took his place on the roster. Lincecum was not available to the National League due to flu-like symptoms he suffered earlier in the day.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Ceremonies
To commemorate the last all-star game at Yankee Stadium, every living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame was invited to the game. Forty-nine players, coaches, and administrators accepted the invitation. Many of them participated in a pre-game parade that went up Sixth Avenue from Bryant Park to Central Park. During the pre-game ceremonies, the Hall of Famers were introduced and assumed their playing position on the field. Instead of announcing the league lineups separately and in batting order, as is usually done, both teams' starters were introduced simultaneously by position, and the players stood in position next to the Hall of Fame members on the field.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Ceremonies
The colors were presented by the West Point Cadet Color Guard. A recording of O Canada was played, and "The Star-Spangled Banner" was sung by Sheryl Crow, during which a B-2 stealth bomber flew over. Four Yankees, all members of the Baseball Hall of Fame – Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson and Rich Gossage – threw the ceremonial first pitch, with balls delivered to them by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Ceremonies
During the seventh-inning stretch, Josh Groban sang "God Bless America".


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Umpires
The six umpires working the 79th All-Star game were announced on June 25. The crew was led by Derryl Cousins, a thirty-year MLB veteran working his third All-Star game and his first behind the plate.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Coaches
Tigers manager Jim Leyland and Yankees manager Joe Girardi were selected as coaches by manager Terry Francona. The staff also included Brad Mills (bench coach), John Farrell (pitching coach), Dave Magadan (hitting coach), Luis Alicea (first base coach), DeMarlo Hale, (third base coach), and Gary Tuck (bullpen coach). Girardi also caught in the bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings for some of the American League relievers.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Coaches
New York Mets manager Willie Randolph and San Diego Padres manager Bud Black were selected as coaches by manager Clint Hurdle. Randolph was later replaced by Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella after Randolph was fired by the Mets on June 16.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Game summary
The game-time temperature was 82 °F (28 °C), with the wind blowing out to center field at eight miles per hour. Cliff Lee threw the first pitch at 8:47 EDT. Starting pitchers Lee and Ben Sheets set the tone for the game by each throwing two scoreless innings. The game stayed scoreless until the fifth inning when Matt Holliday led off the inning with a home run off Ervin Santana to give the National League a 1–0 lead. The NL added a run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Lance Berkman to score Hanley Ramírez. The American League finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-out, two-run home run by J. D. Drew off Edinson Vólquez, tying the game at two.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Game summary
In the eighth inning, Miguel Tejada singled, and with one out attempted to steal second base. Catcher Dioner Navarro made a poor throw to get Tejada, and the ball ended up in center field, allowing Tejada to advance to third base on the error. Tejada scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrián González, and the NL retook the lead. In the bottom half of the inning, after Brian Wilson retired the first two batters, Billy Wagner gave up a single to Grady Sizemore.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Game summary
Sizemore proceeded to steal second base (one of a record six stolen bases by both sides), and pinch-hitter Evan Longoria hit a ground rule double to left field to tie the game once again. With Mariano Rivera in to pitch with one out in the ninth inning for the American League, Rivera struck out Ryan Ludwick and Navarro threw out Cristian Guzmán as he attempted to steal second, thus ending the inning. Ryan Dempster struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to force the game into extra innings.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Game summary
In the tenth inning for the American League, Michael Young and Carlos Quentin reached base on consecutive errors by Dan Uggla. Carlos Guillén was intentionally walked to load the bases with none out. With the infield and outfield drawn in, NL pitcher Aaron Cook induced ground balls from Sizemore and Longoria and the potential winning runs in both at bats were forced out at home. Cook successfully escaped the jam by getting Justin Morneau to ground out to Tejada to end the inning.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Game summary
The AL had another chance to win in the eleventh when Young singled with one out in the eleventh and Drew and Navarro on first and second. Navarro tried scoring from second on the hit, but was thrown out at home by Nate McLouth. Cook got Quentin to ground out to third and keep the game going.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Game summary
The NL then had their chance to score in the twelfth off Joakim Soria, with the bases loaded and one out. Soria struck out Dan Uggla, and was relieved by George Sherrill, who struck out Adrián González to end the threat. In the bottom of the inning, Carlos Guillén hit a long fly ball that bounced off the left field wall for a double. After advancing to third base after a Grady Sizemore groundout, Cook, pitching his third inning of relief, struck out Longoria. Morneau was intentionally walked, and advanced to second base on defensive indifference. Cook got Ian Kinsler to ground out to end the inning.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Game summary
Sherrill pitched scoreless innings in the 13th and 14th, while Carlos Mármol and Brandon Webb did the same for the NL, and the game moved into the 15th inning, tying the record set in 1967 for the longest All-Star Game in terms of innings played. At this point, each team was down to their final pitchers, raising concerns of the game finishing in a tie due to lack of pitchers. In the bottom of the 15th, Morneau led off with a single off Brad Lidge. A diving play by Ludwick robbed Kinsler of a base hit for the first out.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Game, Game summary
Navarro then singled to move Morneau to second base, and Drew walked to once again load the bases. This time, the AL would capitalize; Michael Young flew out to right field, and Morneau was able to tag and just beat the throw from Corey Hart to score the winning run for a final score of 4–3. The American League's unbeaten streak in the All-Star Game was extended to 12 in a row. Young was credited a walk-off sacrifice fly.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Home Run Derby
The State Farm Home Run Derby took place on July 14. Josh Hamilton set a Home Run Derby record for most home runs in one round with 28. Justin Morneau won the derby.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Home Run Derby
Notes: New single round record. Voluntarily ended round with four outs 10 Home Runs were hit while the Gold Ball (special balls used when the batters have nine outs) was in play, earning $170,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Broadcasters
The All-Star Game was shown live in the United States on Fox Sports, with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the booth and sportswriter Ken Rosenthal as a field reporter. Yogi Berra visited the booth in the third inning.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Broadcasters
For telecasts in other countries, the game was produced by Major League Baseball Properties under the name MLB International, with Gary Thorne and Rick Sutcliffe as the English-language announcers. In the U.S., the feed was simulcast by Fox Sports en Español with Spanish-language commentary.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Broadcasters
The British rights-holder for this game, five (now known as Channel 5) ended its coverage at 6 a.m. BST with the game still in the 12th inning. The network explained that it had a commitment to carry the children's cartoon show The Wiggles that it could not break. The situation is similar to the infamous Heidi Game on the U.S. network NBC in 1968.


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Broadcasters
The radio rights in the U.S. were held by ESPN Radio; the announcers were Dan Shulman and Dave Campbell.


2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby
The 2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby (known through sponsorship as the State Farm Home Run Derby) was a home run hitting contest in Major League Baseball (MLB) between four batters each from the American League and National League. The derby was held on July 14, 2008, at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City, the host location of the 2008 MLB All-Star Game. ESPN televised the event live at 8:00 PM EDT, with ESPN Radio and XM Satellite Radio handling radio broadcasting duties.


2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby
Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins defeated Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, 5–3, in the final. In the first round, Hamilton set an MLB record for most home runs in one round of a Derby with 28, hitting 13 of them with eight outs.


2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby
The eight participants were Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros, Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins, Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians, Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Justin Morneau  of the Minnesota Twins.


2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby
Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was originally going to participate to defend his 2007 title, but he ultimately declined the invitation in order to spend time with his family. Morneau became the first Canadian player to win the derby since its introduction in the 1985 MLB season.


2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, Pre-game entertainment
American rock band 3 Doors Down performed at the beginning of the Derby.


2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, Results
Notes: New single round record. Voluntarily ended round with four outs. 10 Home Runs were hit while the Gold Ball (special balls used when the batters have nine outs) was in play, earning $170,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.


2008 Major League Baseball draft
The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.


2008 Major League Baseball draft, Notes
On September 9, 2008, Conor Gillaspie, the 37th pick in the 2008 draft, made his Major League debut, becoming the first from his draft class to do so. Buster Posey was the first 2008 draftee to play in post-season and eventually won the 2010 World Series, the 2012 World Series, and the 2014 World Series with the San Francisco Giants. Posey was also named 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, and he won 2012 National League Most Valuable Player award and the 2012, 2014 & 2015 Silver Slugger awards.


2008 Major League Baseball draft, Notes
2011 Rookie of the Year Craig Kimbrel was drafted 96th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round.


2008 Major League Baseball draft, Notes
Ryan Westmoreland, who the Boston Red Sox drafted in the fifth round, became one of the best prospects in baseball before having brain surgery twice to repair a cavernous malformation.


2008 Major League Baseball draft, Notes
Brothers Caleb and Corban Joseph were both chosen in the 2008 draft. The New York Yankees selected Corban in the fourth round, with the 140th overall selection, out of Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee, while the Baltimore Orioles drafted Caleb in the seventh round, with the 206th overall selection, out of Lipscomb University.


2008 Major League Baseball draft, Notes
West Virginia quarterback Pat White was drafted in the 49th round by the Cincinnati Reds, even though he had not played baseball since his senior year of high school in 2004, when he was drafted by the Anaheim Angels.


2008 Major League Baseball draft, Negro Leagues Special Draft
Prior to the start of the draft, the League held a special round consisting of the surviving Negro leagues players to acknowledge and rectify their exclusion from the major leagues on the basis of race in the past. The idea of the special draft was conceived by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. Each major league team drafted one player from the Negro leagues. Notable in the draft were Emilio Navarro (who, at 101 years of age at the time of the draft, was believed to be the oldest living professional ballplayer) and Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, the first woman ever drafted.


2008 Major League Baseball season
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008, in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 (in 10 innings) in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to win the AL Central division. The Civil Rights Game, an exhibition, in Memphis, Tennessee, took place March 29 when the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox, 3–2.


2008 Major League Baseball season
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays shortened their name to Tampa Bay Rays.


2008 Major League Baseball season
The All-Star Game was played on July 15 at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City, with the AL winning 4 to 3 in 15 innings. The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series 4 games to 1 over the Tampa Bay Rays. This was Philadelphia's second championship, and also the first World Series appearance for the Rays.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Postseason, Bracket
Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Spring training, Openings and closings
The 2008 Spring training session was marked by the final at-bats for three stadiums that had been mainstays in the Grapefruit League, as the spring training sites in Florida are called.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Spring training, Openings and closings
The first to end its run was Holman Stadium, longtime home to the Los Angeles Dodgers. On March 17, the Dodgers played their last game in Vero Beach; they lost to the Houston Astros, 12–10. It has been rumored that the Baltimore Orioles might move into the facility.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Spring training, Openings and closings
The next stadium to close its doors was Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, home of the Cleveland Indians. On March 27, they lost their final game in the stadium to the Tampa Bay Rays, 9–7 in 10 innings. Both the Dodgers and the Indians left their longtime Florida homes for new stadiums in the Cactus League in Arizona.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Spring training, Openings and closings
The oldest of them all, Progress Energy Park, home of Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, was retired on March 28 with the Tampa Bay Rays losing to the Cincinnati Reds 6–3. The Rays, unlike the other teams to close stadiums before them, are staying in Florida; they are relocating their spring training home to the Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, where they spent $20 million to rebuild its main stadium. The site of Progress Energy Park was connected to plans to build a new retractable roof stadium for the Rays to replace the fixed-dome Tropicana Field, but was eventually withdrawn from consideration by team ownership in favor of a more thorough study.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Spring training, Exhibitions
On March 15 and 16, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played a 2-game exhibition series at Wukesong Stadium in Beijing, China, which would later be the baseball venue for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The series marked MLB's first games played in China. The first game ended in a 3–3 tie, and the second ended in a 6–3 win for the Dodgers.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Spring training, Exhibitions
On March 29, as part of the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers' relocation from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, the Dodgers hosted an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Dodgers' home stadium from 1958 to 1961. Proceeds from the game were donated to the Dodgers' official charity, ThinkCure. The game saw a sellout crowd of 115,300, which broke the Guinness World Record for the largest crowd to ever attend a baseball game. The previous record was an estimated 114,000 for a baseball demonstration during the 1956 Summer Olympics at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Openings and closings
The Washington Nationals began the domestic portion of the 2008 season in their new US$611 million home, Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. with a nationally telecast ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game (in a rare one-game series) against the Atlanta Braves on March 30 in the first official baseball game stateside. President Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch while being booed by some of the crowd that night, and joined Jon Miller and Joe Morgan in the broadcast booth for the third and part of the fourth inning of the game telecast.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Openings and closings
Fittingly, Ryan Zimmerman hit a walk-off home run to give the Nats a 3–2 win. Nationals Park replaced their temporary home, RFK Stadium. Unlike RFK, Nationals Park has been considered to be fair to both hitters and pitchers. Additionally, there was an exhibition game March 29 against their beltway rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, in which season ticket holders were admitted free. The first game, however, was on March 22, when local university George Washington played a home Atlantic 10 college contest against Saint Joseph's at Nationals Park. The Colonials sent their fans home happy by defeating the Hawks 9–5.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Openings and closings
This season also marked the last season in New York City for two historic stadiums where the Mets and Yankees reside. Shea Stadium closed in Flushing Meadows, Queens on a down note September 28 with the Mets being eliminated from postseason play for the second consecutive season by the Marlins, 4–2, while Yankee Stadium closed after 83 seasons (the Yankees played at Shea Stadium in 1974 and 1975 while Yankee Stadium was refurbished), with the final home game played on September 21 as the Bronx Bombers defeated the Orioles, 7–3.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Openings and closings
The teams will move into new ballparks near their current homes – Citi Field for the Mets and New Yankee Stadium for the Yankees – in time for their 2009 home openers on April 13 against the San Diego Padres (Citi Field) and 16th against Cleveland Indians (New Yankee Stadium) respectively.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Openings and closings
With the closing of these ballparks, Dodger Stadium becomes the largest seating capacity park (56,000) and third oldest baseball stadium (after Fenway Park and Wrigley Field) starting in 2009, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim (built in 1966) and Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (first baseball game in 1968; stadium was built in 1966) become the fourth and fifth oldest baseball stadiums, respectively.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Naming rights
Starting with the 2008 season, the Cleveland Indians' home field was renamed Progressive Field – after the insurance company based in suburban Mayfield Heights – in a deal valued at US$57.6 million over the next sixteen seasons. The new name replaces Jacobs Field, named for former team owner Richard Jacobs.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Naming rights
Another naming rights agreement concerned a stadium still under construction. The Minnesota Twins and Minneapolis-based retail giant Target Corporation announced on September 15 that the Twins' new stadium set to open in 2010 will be named Target Field. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Target Field is located not far from another facility of which the discount retailer owns naming rights: Target Center the home of the NBA's Timberwolves.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Naming rights
On September 19, the naming rights contract owned by McAfee for Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum lapsed; McAfee declined a new contract offer. The Coliseum, home to the Oakland Athletics since their 1968 relocation from Kansas City, reverted to its old name after 10 years, during which it was originally known as Network Associates Coliseum, then McAfee Coliseum when the company changed its name in 2004. The A's played their last home series after the stadium reverted its name.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Other
As a consequence of Hurricane Ike damaging the Houston area, two games between the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs were relocated to Miller Park in Milwaukee. Although Milwaukee was picked as a "neutral" site whose retractable roof would ensure the game would be played in the event of inclement weather, Miller Park's location 90 miles (140 km) from Chicago – and well over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Houston – resulted in a decidedly pro-Cubs crowd in a series where Houston was officially designated as the home team.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Stadiums, Regular season, Other
Adding to the controversy from the Houston perspective was the fact that Turner Field in Atlanta had been suggested by the players' union as a potential neutral site. This would mark the second time in as many years that a series was moved to neutral Miller Park due to weather, as a series between the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians was relocated there one year earlier as a consequence of snow storms in northern Ohio.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
During last season, especially the ALCS, several plays were deemed to be considered controversial on whether or not balls were ruled home runs. During a game in the annual interleague Subway Series between the Mets and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, a home run was taken away and ruled a ground rule double. This led to discussions about introducing instant replay to Baseball games, especially on balls that are ruled fair or foul and home runs.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
In August, all 30 parks have been wired to send feeds similar to a video goal judge in the NHL, where all video feeds are sent to a central control room at Major League Baseball Advanced Media's home office in New York City to be reviewed, and correct any errors.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
On August 20, MLB and the World Umpires Association, the umpires union, agreed to start reviews based only on whether or not a ball that is ruled a home run was fair or foul, or whether or not balls that clear walls are home runs according to each team's ground rules. This practice started August 28.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
The first official use of the Instant Replay system occurred on Wednesday, September 3 in a game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, when Alex Rodriguez hit a home run in the top of the ninth inning with two outs remaining. Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro and manager Joe Maddon initially protested in order to reverse the call as it appeared to be foul.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
Television replays showed the ball hit Tropicana Field's D-Ring catwalk on the foul side of the attached yellow post; however, the ball was still in fair territory when it left the playing field (passing over the foul pole) and was therefore a home run. Umpire crew chief Charlie Reliford agreed to the review and after a delay of 2 minutes and 15 seconds, the ruling on the field was upheld and remained a home run.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
Replay made its National League debut on September 9 at Minute Maid Park in a game between the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates. Houston right fielder Hunter Pence hit a fly ball to right field that bounced off the top of the fence and back onto the field of play. The umpires on the field ruled a live ball, and Pence was credited with a double. Houston manager Cecil Cooper argued the ball bounced beyond the fence before bouncing back onto the field and was therefore a home run. After a discussion among the umpires, crew chief Tim Welke allowed the review and reviewed the play with his brother Bill Welke, the home plate umpire. After the review the call was upheld as a double.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
The first call to be reversed by instant replay occurred on September 19, and again involved the Tampa Bay Rays in a game against the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field. A fly ball hit by Rays' first baseman Carlos Peña, the umpires ruled, was interfered with by a fan sitting in the front row of the stands, when the ball hit the hands of the fan and fell back onto the field of play. The umpires originally ruled that the fan reached over the wall to touch the ball.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
After Rays manager Joe Maddon requested the umpires hold a conference to discuss the play, the umpires, headed by Gerry Davis, decided to look at instant replay. Replays showed that the fan did not reach over the wall; the ball was over the wall when he tried to catch the ball, and the ball bounced back onto the field. Just over four minutes later, Davis returned to the field and signaled that the ball was a home run.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
The use of replay created a statistical anomaly September 26, in which San Francisco Giants catcher Bengie Molina hit what was ruled a single off the high wall in right field at AT&T Park in San Francisco, in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Once he reached base, Molina was replaced by pinch runner Emmanuel Burriss, while Umpires conferred on whether the ball had actually hit the roof and bounced back, which would make it a home run. After a replay review, the umpires reversed their call, awarding Molina the home run.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Instant Replay
Giants manager Bruce Bochy then attempted to retract Burriss from the game, and put back Molina, under the logic that he wouldn't have pulled Molina had the correct call of home run been made in the first place. After a 15-minute delay, the umpires denied Bochy, citing the replacement rule. Burriss was told to complete the home run circuit, making it a two-run home run in which Molina, who had hit it, didn't score.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Media coverage, United States
For the 2008 season, TBS switched from doing Atlanta Braves games (who telecast 45 contests on WPCH-TV a/k/a "Peachtree TV" locally in Atlanta) to a national Sunday afternoon Game of the Week format (though some games have involved the Braves). In addition, the Time Warner-owned cable channel also carried the one-game AL Central playoff between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox on September 30 as well as the entire League Division Series and the American League Championship Series this season, with TNT possibly carrying some games when there are time conflicts.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Media coverage, United States
Disney-owned ESPN continued to televise games on Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, and (through the first week in August) Monday nights, switching to Friday nights for the remainder of the season, plus multiple afternoon and prime-time games on the traditional Opening Day (March 31) and the annual State Farm Home Run Derby on July 14. Certain games aired on ESPN2 due to scheduling conflicts with the parent network.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Media coverage, United States
FOX Sports continued with a weekly regional Saturday Game of the Week, the All-Star Game, the National League Championship Series, and the World Series. The Game of the Week was expanded in 2007, as for the first time FOX was allowed to air Saturday games for all 26 weeks of the season, marking the first time since 1989, when NBC ended their iconic run of televising America's Pastime on a weekly basis, that a network covered games on a week to week basis for the entire season. Also, all games on FOX were televised in high definition; in previous years, only the primary (or "A") game was in HD.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Media coverage, United States
The limits for telecasts per season (starting in 2008) that any team can make are as follows:


2008 Major League Baseball season, Media coverage, United States
ESPN Radio continued as the national radio carrier for Major League Baseball, airing Sunday night games throughout the regular season as well as Saturday afternoon games after the All-Star break, the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, along with selected Opening Day and holiday games, and the entire postseason.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Media coverage, United States
The biggest change in local rights came as the San Francisco Giants switched their terrestrial telecast rights from longtime home KTVU (Cox Communications-owned Fox affiliate) to NBC Universal-owned KNTV after fifty years, one of the longest in televised sports history. KTVU will continue to air some Giants games as part of the Fox Sports' Saturday afternoon Game of the Week package if the team is competitive.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Media coverage, Canada
Baseball games – mostly involving the Toronto Blue Jays – were televised on Rogers Sportsnet, TSN, and CBC. RSN airs Fox and ESPN/ESPN 2 feeds if they do not conflict with the Toronto Blue Jays games, as well as the All-Star Game and the entire post-season.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Apparel, Military tributes
Several teams wore special uniforms to honor military serving overseas:


2008 Major League Baseball season, Weather
Through the 2008 All-Star break, there had not been an official game called that was not suspendable. As of the break, every win and loss in the standings for every team represented a game played to its legitimate nine-inning (or more) completion. The streak ended on August 4 in Chicago, however, when the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros were unable to complete their game due to a rainstorm.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Weather
The Astros were leading the game 2–0 in the 8th inning, and since that was the score when the inning started, the game was not resumeable to the next day and the Astros were awarded the "win". This was the only game to be rain shortened until September 26, when the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Baltimore Orioles in a game curtailed to seven innings, 2–0. The next day, the Jays lost another rain-shortened game against the O's, 2–1 after 6 innings.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Weather
Both the Astros and the Cubs were also involved in a rare "rain-in" due to Hurricane Ike postponing the first two games of their three-game series on September 12 and 13; the city of Houston had been evacuated so they were not able to play at the retractable-roof Minute Maid Park. The last rain-in was on June 15, 1976, when the Astros' game at the Astrodome against the Pittsburgh Pirates was called due to heavy flooding in the Houston area.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Weather
Two of the games were played at Miller Park in Milwaukee on September 14 and 15, the remaining game was canceled outright, one of three games that would be outright canceled, the first being the Oakland Athletics scheduled to play the Orioles on September 7; however, the game was switched due to a conflict with the Baltimore Ravens' NFL season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. This game was moved to September 6 as part of a day/night doubleheader. However, the remnants of Hurricane Hanna called off the afternoon game, and because both teams were not in the pennant races, the game was not made up, in spite of the fact that both teams still had two common off days.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Weather
In another weather-related note involving a team playing in an indoor venue, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Tampa Bay Rays had either postponed or canceled a home game on a Sunday in September of a presidential election year three consecutive times due to hurricanes. The streak started on September 17, 2000, and continued on September 5 and 26, 2004. The streak ended when the Rays played their game against the Minnesota Twins as scheduled on September 21, 2008. They played at home on the final day of the 2000 season, but that game was on October 1, not September.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Weather
The 2008 season also marked the first time Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies and Busch Stadium, home to the St. Louis Cardinals made it through an entire season without a game either being canceled or shortened. The Washington Nationals came close, but their home finale at Nationals Park was canceled on September 25.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Weather
On September 29, one day after the scheduled final day of the season, the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox made up a game postponed from two weeks earlier, the first such game since 1981, as in 1908 and 1973. The game needed to be played because the White Sox trailed the Minnesota Twins by a half-game in the AL Central standings following play on September 28, and even then, rain was a problem as the contest was delayed for three hours and four minutes.


2008 Major League Baseball season, Weather
On October 27, Game 5 of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies was suspended in the bottom of the 6th with the score tied 2–2 and the Phillies leading 3–1 in games. This marked the first time in World Series history that a game was suspended. The game finished with the Phillies winning 4–3, at home on October 29. However, the official records will indicate that the game was played on October 27, the game's original date.


2008 Major League Lacrosse season
The 2008 Major League Lacrosse season was the eighth season of the league. The season began on May 17, 2008, and concluded with the championship game on August 24, 2008.


2008 Major League Lacrosse season, Standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals For, 2ptGF = 2 point Goals For, GA = Goals Against, 2ptGA = 2 point Goals Against


2008 Major League Lacrosse season, Standings
Los Angeles finished ahead of Philadelphia based on head-to-head record of 1–0. Philadelphia finished ahead of Boston based on head-to-head record of 2–0.


2008 Major League Lacrosse season, All Star Game
The 2008 MLL All-Star Game was played on July 17 at INVESCO Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. The Western Conference team won 31-15. Ryan Powell of Denver was named the game Most Valuable Player.


2008 Major League Lacrosse season, Playoffs
The 2008 NB Zip Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend took place on August 23 and 24 at Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. The semifinals took place on August 23 and the final was on August 24.


2008 Major League Lacrosse season, Awards, Weekly awards
The MLL gives out awards weekly for the best offensive player, best defensive player, best goalkeeper, and best rookie.


2008 Major League Soccer season
The 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in the history of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Competition format, Tiebreakers
NOTE: If more than two clubs are tied, once a club advances through any step, the process reverts to Tiebreaker 1 among the remaining tied clubs.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Standings
For an explanation of the playoff qualifications, see Competition format.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Standings, Overall standings
(SS) = Supporters Shield winner; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference champion


2008 Major League Soccer season, 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs
1 The New York Red Bulls earned the eighth and final playoff berth, despite finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. They represent the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket, as only three teams in the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2008
The Houston Dynamo and D.C. United earned berths in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup by virtue of their MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield wins, respectively. Houston and D.C. were both victorious in their quarterfinal ties and advanced to the semifinals. For the second straight year, however, both lost their respective semifinals, and were eliminated.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, SuperLiga 2008
D.C. United, Chivas USA, the New England Revolution, and the Houston Dynamo were MLS's entrants into SuperLiga 2008, based on their top-four finish in the 2007 regular season.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, SuperLiga 2008
Following the Group Stage, which took place from July 12 to July 20, Houston and New England each won their respective groups to advance to the Semifinals, where they faced 2007 champion Pachuca on July 29 and Atlante on July 30, respectively. D.C. United finished last and Chivas USA finished third in their respective groups and failed to advance.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, SuperLiga 2008
Both MLS teams were victorious in the Semifinals, setting up a rematch of the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cups in the Final on August 5 at Gillette Stadium.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, SuperLiga 2008
The teams played to a 2–2 draw after extra time. New England eventually defeated Houston 6–5 on penalty kicks.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09
The Houston Dynamo (MLS Cup winner), D.C. United (Supporters' Shield Winner), the New England Revolution (U.S. Open Cup winner and MLS Cup runner-up), and Chivas USA (Supporters' Shield runner-up) were the representatives in the rebranded successor to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09
New England and Chivas USA entered at the Preliminary Round, and were eliminated over two legs by Joe Public of Trinidad and Tobago and Tauro of Panama, respectively.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09
D.C. and Houston were seeded into the Group Stage as the top seeds in Groups A and B, respectively.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09
D.C. was eliminated from Group A with two games remaining in group play, while Houston qualified for the Championship Round with a 1–0 win in their last match against Luis Ángel Firpo on November 26, which was postponed from Matchday 1 due to Hurricane Ike.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions, CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09
Houston was eliminated in the Quarterfinals over two legs by Atlante.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, National competitions, 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
MLS awarded the top three finishers in each conference last season automatic berths into the 2008 U.S. Open Cup's Third Round. D.C. United, the New England Revolution, and the New York Red Bulls qualified from the Eastern Conference while Chivas USA, the Houston Dynamo, and FC Dallas qualified from the Western Conference. The rest of MLS's U.S.-based teams would have to compete for the final two berths into the Third Round via a seven-team playoff. Eventually Chicago Fire and the Kansas City Wizards qualified by beating the Columbus Crew and the Colorado Rapids respectively.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, National competitions, 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Each of the qualified MLS teams was matched up against the winner of a Second Round game, all of whom came from either one of the USL's three divisions or the USASA, in the Third Round on July 1. Three MLS teams were eliminated by these lower division clubs. Chivas USA was eliminated by USL-1's Seattle Sounders, the New York Red Bulls were upset by Crystal Palace Baltimore of USL-2, and the Houston Dynamo lost a penalty shootout to the USL-1's Charleston Battery.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, National competitions, 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
In the Quarterfinals on July 8, FC Dallas and the Kansas City Wizards were eliminated by the Charleston Battery and the Seattle Sounders, respectively. This meant an MLS team, either D.C. United or the New England Revolution would face a USL-1 team in the final.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, National competitions, 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
In the Semifinals on August 12, D.C. United upset the Open Cup holding Revolution by a score of 3 to 1. This earned United a berth in the final against the USL-1's Charleston Battery on September 3 at RFK Stadium.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, National competitions, 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
In the Final on September 3, D.C. United won their second U.S. Open Cup in a 2–1 win over the Charleston Battery.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, National competitions, 2008 Canadian Championship
Due to the fact that none of the Canadian teams playing in the American soccer pyramid can qualify for Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League through their leagues or the U.S. Open Cup, the Canadian Soccer Association was forced to develop a tournament to determine the country's representative in the Champions League. The country's top three teams, MLS's Toronto FC and the USL-1's Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC were entered into the inaugural Canadian Championship. The tournament was played as a double round robin group from May 27 to July 22. The Montreal Impact finished first, claiming the Canadian berth in the Champions League.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, All-Star game
The 2008 MLS All-Star Game was held at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, home of Toronto FC, on July 24. The opponent was West Ham United, of England's Premier League. It was the first time that the game was played outside the United States.


2008 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, All-Star game
The game was won by the MLS All-Stars by a score of 3–2. Cuauhtémoc Blanco was named MVP of the game after assisting the All-Stars' first goal and scoring their second.


2008 Malaysia FA Cup
The 2008 Malaysia FA Cup was the 19th season of the Malaysia FA Cup. The competition began on 19 February 2008, and ended with the final on 21 June 2008. Shah Alam Stadium hosted the final match.


2008 Malaysia FA Cup
The tournament was won by title holders Kedah FA, who beat Selangor FA 3–2 in the final.


2008 Malaysia FA Cup
The cup winner were guaranteed a place in the 2009 AFC Cup.


2008 Malaysia FA Cup, First round
The first legs were played on 19 February 2008. The second legs were played on 4 March 2008.


2008 Malaysia FA Cup, Second round
The first legs were played on 21 March 2008. First leg match for Penang FA and Kuala Muda Naza FC were played on 23 March 2008. The second legs were played on 4 March 2008.


2008 Malaysia FA Cup, Quarter-finals
The first legs were played on 8 April 2008. The second legs were played on 22 April 2008.


2008 Malaysia FA Cup, Semi-finals
The first legs were played on 14 June 2008. The second legs were played on 17 June 2008.


2008 Malaysia FAM League
2008 FAM League is the 57th edition season of current third-tier league competition in Malaysia. The league is called TM Malaysia FAM League for sponsorship reason.


2008 Malaysia FAM League, Teams
The following teams participated in the Malaysia FAM Cup 2008. In order by the number given by FAM:-


2008 Malaysia Super Series
The 2008 Malaysia Super Series is the inaugural tournament of the 2008 BWF Super Series in badminton. It was held in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, from 15 to 20 January 2008.


2008 Malaysia Super Series, Absence
Several top players were absence from the tournament. Among them, Lin Dan of China and Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand. Peter Gade of Denmark will not defend his men's singles crown after stay at home for his ill family. While for Xie Xingfang, the Chinese women's singles player, she has to quit after reported to have falling down in the hotel bathroom.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix (formally the 2008 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 23 March 2008 at the Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Malaysia. It was the 2nd race of the 2008 Formula One season. The 56-lap race was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from second position. Robert Kubica finished second in a BMW Sauber car, with Heikki Kovalainen third in a McLaren.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix
It was an all-Ferrari front row, as Felipe Massa started from pole position, with Räikkönen alongside. The McLarens of Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton had been expected to line up behind the Ferraris on the second row, but both drivers were given five-place grid penalties post-qualifying for holding up Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso respectively, dropping them to eighth and ninth on the grid. Massa cut across his Ferrari teammate at the start, to stop him overtaking on the run to turn one.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix
The top four of Massa, Räikkönen, Kubica and Mark Webber held station until the first round of pit stops. Räikkönen took the lead after these stops and after Massa retired following a spin into the gravel, the Finn cruised to a victory of nearly twenty seconds. Championship leader Hamilton could only finish in fifth position, after a tardy first stop on lap 19, with his McLaren team encountering a problem on his front right tyre and lost ground while trying to pass Webber.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix
Despite his fifth position, Hamilton kept the Drivers' Championship lead with 14 points, closely followed by Räikkönen and Heidfeld on 11. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren also kept their lead, with their five-point lead from Australia staying intact. BMW Sauber moved into second place on 19, with Ferrari in third on 11.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
The Grand Prix was contested by 22 drivers, in 11 teams of two. The teams, also known as "constructors", were Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes, Renault, Honda, Force India, BMW Sauber, Toyota, Red Bull Racing, Williams, Toro Rosso and Super Aguri.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
Prior to the race, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship with 10 points, and BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld was second with 8 points. Behind them in the Drivers' Championship, Nico Rosberg was third with 6 points in a Williams, and Fernando Alonso was fourth with 5 points in a Renault. Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen was fifth with 4 points. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren–Mercedes were leading with 14 points, five points ahead of Williams, and BMW Sauber were third with 8 points.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
"This morning I lost time because of a communication problem within the team, but we made up for it in the second session. The car seems to be going well and I am pleased with the work we have done. I worked mainly on the harder tyres, but I think that even with the softs, from what we have seen, we can be competitive. It is always difficult to say where we are compared to our rivals, but I think we can face the rest of the weekend with confidence."


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
Kimi Räikkönen, reflecting on his mishap in the first Friday session, and recovering to third in the second session.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
Three practice sessions were held before the race; the first was held on Friday morning and the second on Friday afternoon. Both sessions lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes with weather conditions dry throughout. The third session was held on Saturday morning and lasted an hour.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
In the first session, Massa was fastest on a lap of 1:35.392, which was over a second faster than any of his rivals. Räikkönen ended up second, despite running out of fuel during the session, and Kovalainen ended up third, just under a tenth of a second slower than his fellow Finn.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
Also during the session, the Red Bull Racing machine of David Coulthard suffered a track rod failure on the curb of turn 12, and forced the team to show the FIA clarification that their car design was safe for the Grand Prix, under Article 2.3 of the 2008 Formula One Technical Regulations. Coulthard sat out the second practice session, which saw Hamilton top the timesheets with a lap of 1:35.055, beating Massa by 0.151 seconds, with Räikkönen a further two tenths back in third.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
In preparation for the qualifying session, many teams put their cars on soft tyres for the third practice session. The soft tyre gives better performance than the harder type of tyre but is less durable than the harder compound. Just like in Australia, the BMW of Heidfeld was fastest, setting a lap of 1:35.019, edging out the Ferraris of Räikkönen and Massa with Jarno Trulli's Toyota fourth, ending up just one-thousandth of a second behind Massa's time.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
"The first corners of my last lap went smoothly, but then there were several cars driving very slowly on their in-laps. Apparently they had no information that the qualifying was still going on. Before Turn Four I lost a lot of time because both McLarens were cruising on the racing line. I think this has cost me about two tenths of a second, which would have meant being third instead of seventh. I just couldn't drive on the line I wanted and, even more importantly, could not brake were I wanted."


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
In qualifying, Massa earned his tenth career pole position, after recording a lap of 1:35.748 during the third and final session. He was joined on the front row by teammate Räikkönen, although the Finn's fastest time was more than half a second slower than that of Massa.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying
Third and fourth had originally gone to the McLarens of Kovalainen and Hamilton, however post-qualifying, both drivers were demoted five places on the grid for dangerous driving; having completed their flying laps, the McLaren pair and other drivers slowed to conserve fuel on their in-laps, and impeded Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber and Fernando Alonso of Renault whilst they were both on flying laps. This led to a new rule being introduced for Bahrain giving drivers a set time to complete in-laps in. McLaren's misfortune was to the gain of the Toyota of Trulli, both victims of the impeding (Heidfeld and Alonso), Heidfeld's teammate Kubica and Webber's Red Bull machine. Timo Glock rounded out the top ten in his Toyota.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
At the start Massa came across the track to prevent Räikkönen from overtaking him. Further back, Hamilton was able to move up to fifth and Webber up to fourth. Also on the first lap, Sébastien Bourdais spun out of the race. A crash between the Williams of Nico Rosberg and Glock's Toyota happened a few corners later, in which Rosberg destroyed the front wing of his Williams FW30 and forced Glock to retire from the race. On lap four, Alonso and Heidfeld overtook the Red Bull of David Coulthard for ninth and eighth respectively. Adrian Sutil was forced to retire two laps later when he ran off the track and onto the grass, with hydraulic problems.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
By lap nine Hamilton was within two seconds of Webber and the Ferraris of Massa and Räikkönen had opened up a lead on the rest of the field. Both set new fastest lap times over the next four laps. Webber pitted on lap 16, Massa on lap 17 and Räikkönen on lap 18, coming out ahead of Massa. Hamilton pitted on lap 19 and the team had a problem getting his front right tyre off, forcing him to stop for almost twenty seconds, and in the process he lost around twelve seconds to the Ferraris, meaning he came out behind Webber in 11th.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Räikkönen took the lead for the first time when Kubica pitted on lap 21. He would open up a lead of almost four seconds in the next six laps. Hamilton was up to seventh by lap 26 but was still unable to overtake Webber. Hamilton was within half a second of him by lap 29 but this forced him to brake harder and lose time to the rest of the field. Massa spun out of the race on lap 31 getting trapped in the gravel. This gave Räikkönen a lead of over 20 seconds from the next driver Kubica.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Hamilton finally overtook Webber on lap 40 when he pitted. Vettel's engine failed one lap later and he was forced to retire. Hamilton would stay ahead of Webber after his second pit stop on lap 44. He was now six seconds behind Trulli in fourth and  began to close that margin in the closing laps.


2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Alonso in eighth now began closing in on Webber. Hamilton was within two seconds of Trulli with two laps to go but was unable to pass him before the end of the race. Räikkönen won the race by nearly twenty seconds from Kubica who had his best ever finish in second; Kovalainen came third. Nick Heidfeld and BMW Sauber earned their first fastest lap, giving  Heidfeld a record in "most races before first fastest lap" with 134,  surpassing the former record of 114 held by Thierry Boutsen.


2008 Malaysian general election
A general election was held on Saturday, 8 March 2008 for members of the 12th Parliament of Malaysia. Voting took place in all 222 parliamentary constituencies of Malaysia, each electing one Member of Parliament to the Dewan Rakyat, the dominant house of Parliament. State elections also took place in 505 state constituencies in 12 out of 13 states (excluding Sarawak) on the same day.


2008 Malaysian general election
The 11th Parliament was dissolved on 13 February 2008, and the following day, the Election Commission announced nominations would be held on 24 February, with general polling set for 8 March. State assemblies of all states except Sarawak (due to election in 2006) also dissolved and their elections took place at the same time.


2008 Malaysian general election
Political parties were reported to have begun preparations for the polls as early as January 2008. As in 2004, the incumbent National Front coalition, the ruling political alliance since independence, as well as opposition parties represented primarily by Democratic Action Party (DAP), the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), and People's Justice Party (PKR) contested the election.


2008 Malaysian general election
As with all preceding general elections following independence, the parliamentary election was won by BN, but this election also yielded the worst results in the coalition's history until election ten years later. Opposition parties won 82 seats in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat and 47.79% of the vote, while BN only managing to secure the remaining 140 seats and 51.39% of the vote.