2008 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
The teams wore vintage jerseys for the event, with the Penguins wearing powder blue jerseys for the first time since 1973. The Sabres wore their old white jerseys, which they wore from 1978 to 1996. The game was part of the regular 2007–08 NHL season schedule, replacing a game that would have been held at HSBC Arena, the Sabres' regular home. In addition, the goaltenders also dressed in vintage style, with Ty Conklin and Ryan Miller both wearing retro-painted masks. Ryan Miller also wore a hockey sock on top of his mask, which he changed during each intermission so he could auction all three of them off for charity along with his mask. Penguins backup Dany Sabourin wore a set of vintage-styled pads but did not play.


2008 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
Weather for the game was appropriate to the winter setting it was intended to evoke, with game-time temperatures around the freezing mark and snow falling for much of the time, especially during the third period. The weather conditions made play somewhat more difficult for players but were well received by fans.


2008 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
The Penguins registered 25 shots on goal, and the Sabres had 37, dominating the second and overtime periods, leading those 14–2 and 7–0, respectively. Each goalie allowed one goal in playing time not including the shootout, giving Conklin 36 saves for the Penguins, and Miller 24 for the Sabres.


2008 NHL Winter Classic, Future games
Due to the success of the Winter Classic and its predecessor, outdoor games have been held during subsequent seasons, and the Winter Classic has become an annual NHL tradition. The next Winter Classic was held on January 1, 2009, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, matching the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks. Winter Classics have been held in every year since, except for 2013, which was interrupted by the 2012–2013 NHL lockout. Three Heritage Classics, one in 2011, one in 2014, and one in 2016 have been held since. The league expanded its offerings of outdoor games with the introduction of the NHL Stadium Series in 2014. Since the inaugural Winter Classic, the NHL has held 13 additional outdoor games.


2008 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season
The 2008 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series consisted of 24 national events held at tracks across the U.S. The first 18 events made up the regular season, with the final events making up the "Countdown to 1". This season marked the introduction of 1000' drag racing for the nitro competitors after the death of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta in Englishtown, N.J. John Force returned to competition after his near fatal crash in Dallas toward the end of the 2007 Season.


2008 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season
John's daughter Ashley became the first female funny car winner beating her father John in the finals at Atlanta. This season also marked the most dominant season by a professional driver in history, as Tony Schumacher won 15 races and became the only driver in the countdown era to clinch the championship before the season finale.


2008 NLL season
The 2008 National Lacrosse League season, the 22nd in the history of the NLL, began on December 29, 2007, and concluded with the Buffalo Bandits winning the championship game over the Portland LumberJax on May 17, 2008.


2008 NLL season
In an odd coincidence, all four eastern division teams that made the playoffs finished with identical 10–6 records. Due to tiebreakers, the Buffalo Bandits clinched first place overall, followed by the Minnesota Swarm, New York Titans in their playoff debut, and the Philadelphia Wings in their return to the playoffs after a five-year absence.


2008 NLL season
There was also a tie atop the west division standings, as the San Jose Stealth and Colorado Mammoth both finished with 9–7 records. The Stealth won that tiebreaker and clinched their first western division title. The Calgary Roughnecks and Portland LumberJax finished out the playoff teams in the west despite having losing records.


2008 NLL season
History was made in 2008 as neither the Rochester Knighthawks nor the Toronto Rock made the playoffs, for the first time in the history of either team (though the Toronto franchise, then the Ontario Raiders, missed the playoffs in their inaugural season in 1998). The Knighthawks broke a 13-year streak of making the playoffs, the Rock streak was stopped at 9 years.


2008 NLL season
Philadelphia Wings second-year stars Athan Iannucci and Geoff Snider set a number of new league records in 2008. Iannucci eclipsed Gary Gait's record of 61 goals by scoring 71, and Snider set or tied marks in loose balls (244), face offs won (318, tied with Peter Jacobs in 2005), and penalty minutes (103).


2008 NLL season
The 2008 season almost never happened. On October 16, 2007, the league released a statement officially cancelling the season, after no agreement could be reached on a new collective bargaining agreement. However, negotiations continued, and on October 25, the league announced that a new CBA has been agreed on, and that the season would proceed. The new revised schedule was released on November 2, 2007, but only included 12 of the expected 14 teams.


2008 NLL season
The expansion Boston Blazers and 2007 Western division champion Arizona Sting had decided for "a number of business reasons" to opt out of the 2008 season and return in 2009. Due to the short time frame between the agreement on a new CBA and the start of the season, the New York Titans were unable to secure 8 home dates for the revised schedule, and thus both the Toronto Rock and Buffalo Bandits hosted a Titans home game in their own arena.


2008 NLL season, Team movement
An expansion franchise for Boston, Massachusetts was announced on May 9, 2007. It was expected that the team would play at the TD Banknorth Garden, which is also home to the NBA's Boston Celtics and the NHL's Boston Bruins. On October 3, 2007, the Boston franchise was officially named the Boston Blazers.


2008 NLL season, Team movement
When the revised schedule was released on November 2, 2007, it was announced that both the Arizona Sting and Boston Blazers were suspending operations for the 2008 season, returning in 2009.


2008 NLL season, Team movement, Work stoppage
In the off-season between the 2007 and 2008 seasons the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the National Lacrosse League and the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association expired. The owners announced that if there no deal was in place before midnight, October 15, 2007 the 2008 season would be cancelled. On the morning of October 16, the league announced that no agreement had been reached, and that the season was cancelled. The next day, commissioner Jim Jennings even said that the league would not change its mind about the cancellation, saying:


2008 NLL season, Team movement, Work stoppage
There's no hope due to the fact that we've released our dates. It's very difficult to get dates in places like (New York's) Madison Square Garden and (Toronto's) ACC Centre and places like that. To try to restart this thing up on a moment's notice is an impossibility.


2008 NLL season, Team movement, Work stoppage
However, the negotiations continued, and on October 25, the league announced that a new seven-year agreement had been reached, and that the season would be played.


2008 NLL season, Team movement, Work stoppage
Before the initial cancellation of the season, the Versus network announced that it would not carry a game of the week, as they had in 2007, even if an agreement was reached before the deadline.


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


2008 NLL season, Milestones and events, Glenn Clark suspension
On January 11, the Minnesota Swarm defeated the Toronto Rock 17–16 in overtime, in a game which saw three Swarm players and one Rock player given game misconducts. After the game, Rock head coach Glenn Clark was involved in an altercation with Minnesota forward Sean Pollock outside the Rock dressing room. Clark was later charged with assault by Toronto Police and suspended indefinitely by the NLL. The Rock announced that assistant coach Terry Bullen would serve as the interim head coach and Bullen led the Rock to a 2–2 record.


2008 NLL season, Milestones and events, Glenn Clark suspension
On February 6, the charges against Clark were dropped by Toronto Police, and the NLL lifted the suspension on February 13.


2008 NLL season, All-Star game
The 2008 All-Star Game was held at Rexall Place in Edmonton on March 16, 2008. The East division All-Stars defeated the West division 17–16 in overtime, as Shawn Williams scored the winner 31 seconds into OT. Philadelphia Wings' transition player Geoff Snider was named MVP.


2008 NLL season, Awards, Weekly awards
The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best transition player, best defensive player, and best rookie.


2008 NLL season, Awards, Monthly awards
Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.


2008 NLL season, Statistics leaders
Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.


2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit (El Salvador)
The 2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at El Salvador was held April 23–28, 2008 in San Salvador, El Salvador. It was the third leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008.


2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit (Guadalajara)
The 2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at Guadalajara was held May 7–12, 2008 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It was the fifth leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008.


2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit (Guatemala)
The 2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at Guatemala was held April 16–21, 2008 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It was the second leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008.


2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit (Manzanillo)
The 2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at Manzanillo was held April 30 - May 5, 2008 in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. It was the fourth leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008.


2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit (Puerto Rico)
The 2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at Carolina was held May 21–26, 2008 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It was the sixth leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008.


2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit (Santo Domingo)
The 2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at Boca Chica was held March 19–24, 2008 in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. It was the first leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008.


2008 NPF Draft
The 2008 NPF Senior Draft is the fifth annual NPF Draft. It was held February 18, 2008 via conference call for the 2008 season. The first selection was Arizona State's Katie Burkhart, picked by the Philadelphia Force. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.


2008 NPF Draft, 2008 NPF Draft
Following are the 24 selections from the 2008 NPF Senior Draft:Position key: C = Catcher; UT = Utility infielder; INF = Infielder; 1B = First base; 2B =Second base SS = Shortstop; 3B = Third base; OF = Outfielder; RF = Right field; CF = Center field; LF = Left field;  P = Pitcher; RHP = right-handed Pitcher; LHP = left-handed Pitcher; DP =Designated playerPositions are listed as combined for those who can play multiple positions.


2008 NPSL season
The 2008 National Premier Soccer League season was the 6th season of the NPSL. The season started in May, 2008, and ended with the NPSL Championship Game on August 3, 2008.


2008 NPSL season
Pennsylvania Stoners finished the season as national champions, beating St. Paul Twin Stars in the NPSL Championship game in Uniondale, New York on 3 August 2008.


2008 NPSL season
Pennsylvania Stoners forward Tom Ehrlich was named the National Premier Soccer League's Player of the Year. Tom Ehrlich was also the league's top scorer, with 11 goals.


2008 NPSL season, Playoffs, Divisional Rounds
Sonoma County Sol 3-1 San Diego UnitedMinnesota TwinStars beat Atlanta FC


2008 NPSL season, Playoffs, Semi finals
Pennsylvania Stoners beat Sonoma County SolMinnesota TwinStars 1-1 Long Island Academy (Minnesota TwinStars win 4-2 on penalties)


2008 NRJ Music Awards
The 9th NRJ Music Awards took place in Cannes, France on January 26, 2008.


2008 NRL Grand Final
The 2008 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2008 NRL season. It was played between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm on Sunday, 5 October at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.


2008 NRL Grand Final
The 2008 Grand Final was the first Grand Final played in daylight since the introduction of the night Grand Final in 2001. The two teams had previously played in the 2007 NRL Grand Final, with Melbourne winning 34-8. Manly reversed this result in 2008, winning 40-0; the largest Grand Final winning margin in the history of the game, and the first Grand Final since 1978 where the losing team did not score a point.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Lead-up
Melbourne and Manly were also the teams which contested the 2007 NRL Grand Final, with Melbourne winning the game 34-8. During the 2008 regular season, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm met twice: Round 5 and Round 22. The Round 5 result in Melbourne went the Storm's way with a 26–4 victory. The Round 22 game was a closer contest, with Melbourne winning again, 16–10 at Manly's Brookvale Oval. Manly went into the 2008 grand final not having beaten the Storm since Round 11, 2007.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Lead-up, Melbourne Storm
During the regular season, the Melbourne Storm won 17 of their 24 games, winning their third consecutive minor premiership on points differential from Manly and Cronulla. This was later stripped due to salary cap cheating.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Lead-up, Melbourne Storm
In the qualifying final, Melbourne played the New Zealand Warriors. Melbourne lost this game 18-15 after a Warriors try from Michael Witt two minutes from full-time; becoming the first minor premier side since the introduction of the McIntyre finals structure in 1999 to lose to the eighth-placed team.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Lead-up, Melbourne Storm
The loss against New Zealand saw Melbourne matched up against the Brisbane Broncos in the semi-final; the team the Storm lost against in the 2006 grand final. They narrowly won the game 16-14 after scoring a try 45 seconds before full-time, after a Broncos' handling mistake.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Lead-up, Melbourne Storm
Melbourne captain Cameron Smith was controversially suspended for a grapple tackle during the Broncos game; the two-week suspension causing him to miss the rest of the finals season. Despite this suspension, Melbourne defeated the Cronulla Sharks 28-0 in the preliminary final, and entered their third consecutive grand final.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Lead-up, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly also won 17 of their 24 games but lost the minor premiership to Melbourne on points differential, Melbourne having a 302 points difference compared to Manly's 290. Halfback Matt Orford was presented with the Dally M Award for his performance during the regular season, while fullback Brett Stewart was the league's top tryscorer with 19 tries.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Lead-up, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
In the first finals round, Manly defeated the St. George Illawarra Dragons 38-6. Manly then faced New Zealand in the preliminary final, beating them 32-6 to advance to their second grand final in a row, and their 17th overall (excluding the 1978 grand final replay).


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details
After the Australian National Anthem was performed by Anthony Warlow Melbourne kicked off.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, First half
The grand final's first quarter was played end to end with each side able to hold the other's attacking opportunities out. In the twenty-fourth minute the Sea Eagles' hooker Matt Ballin  at close-range ran from dummy-half and crashed over the try-line. After the video referee ruled the grounding successful, Matt Orford's conversion attempt hit the upright and missed so the score remained 4 - 0 with fifteen minutes of the first half remaining.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, First half
Nine minutes later, the Sea Eagles were again on the attack and from ten metres out, moved the ball through the hands to the left wing where Michael Robertson dived over in the corner. The video referee was again called upon to examine the try, which was ruled to have been successfully scored just as Robertson's feet were being dragged onto the sideline by a defender. Orford's difficult kick went wide, so the Sea Eagles' lead remained at 8-0 with under five minutes of the half remaining which were played out with no further points scored.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
In the forty-seventh minute, The Sea Eagles were within twenty metres of the Storm's try-line when Matt Orford at first receiver put a grubber kick into the left corner which bounced up perfectly for Michael Robertson racing through on the wing to grab and dive over for his second try. Kicking duty was handed to Steve Matai who coolly converted Robertson's try from next to the sideline, bringing his side's lead to 14 - 0.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
Three minutes later, and from a similar attacking position, the Sea Eagles kept the ball alive, a pass from Brett Stewart fifteen metres out arriving at the feet of Steve Matai who, with only one defender before him, picked it up and passed to Michael Robertson to dive over again in the same corner. Matai's second sideline conversion attempt missed, so the Sea Eagles were leading 18 - 0.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
In the fifty-seventh minute the Sea Eagles were again down in the Storm's half and on the last tackle decided to run the ball, which was kept alive and passed through seven sets of hands before going to a charging Brent Kite who stretched out of the tackle and slammed the ball down under the posts. Matai kicked the easy conversion and it was sea Eagles 24, Storm 0.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
Ten minutes later the Sea Eagles got another try when, from within the Storm's ten-metre line, they moved the ball out to David Williams on the right wing to dive over in the corner. The conversion attempt by Matai went wide so the Sea Eagles were leading 28-0. In the seventy-second minute the Sea Eagles ran the ball down toward the left corner with Robertson passing back in to Steve Menzies, who was playing in his 349th and final NRL match to crash over for a try, his 180th.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
Jamie Lyon took over the goal kicking and converted Menzies' try to give Manly a 34 - 0 lead. However, the finale was to come at the seventy-five-minute mark when from their forty-metre line, Sea Eagles second rower Glenn Hall burst into open space, passing back inside for Brett Stewart who was running through in support. Stewart was chased down just short of the try-line by Storm halfback Cooper Cronk, but he managed to flick the ball back without looking into the arms of Steven Bell to also get a try in his last game at the club. Jamie Lyon's simple conversion put the final score at 40 -0.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
It was at the time the fourth-biggest loss in the Storm's history.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles defeated the Melbourne Storm 40-0, scoring eight tries, four of which were converted. This is the highest Rugby League Grand Final margin in Australian history, eclipsing the 1975 NSWRFL season's Grand Final where Eastern Suburbs defeated St George, 38–0 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It is also the first time that a team has been kept scoreless in a Grand Final since the 1978 NSWRL Grand Final Replay, where Cronulla lost to Manly 16–0. Sea Eagles forward Brent Kite was named man-of-the-match and received the Clive Churchill Medal.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
The 2008 Grand Final was the last match for Super League-bound Steve Menzies of Manly. Playing in this match brought his career games played to 349, equalling the current record from Terry Lamb.


2008 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Statistics, Timeline
23rd Minute: Manly 4–0 (Ballin try)33rd Minute: Manly 8–0 (Robertson try)47th Minute: Manly 14–0 (Robertson try; Matai goal)51st Minute: Manly 18–0 (Robertson try)58th Minute: Manly 24–0 (Kite try; Matai goal)67th Minute: Manly 28–0 (Williams try)72nd Minute: Manly 34–0 (Menzies try; Lyon goal)75th Minute: Manly 40–0 (Bell try; Lyon goal)


2008 NRL Under-20s season
The 2008 NRL Under-20s season was the first season of the National Rugby League's youth competition, known as the Toyota Cup due to sponsorship from Toyota. The draw and structure of the competition mirrors that of its senior counterpart, the 2008 Telstra Premiership.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Ladder, Ladder Progression
Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Grand final
A Spectacular try to second-rower Jarrad Kennedy seven minutes into golden-point extra time gave Canberra a thrilling 28-24 victory over Brisbane in the U20 rugby league grand final at ANZ Stadium.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Grand final
Kennedy was mobbed by jubilant Raiders teammates after collapsing over the line in exhaustion after willing himself to back up centre Jarrod Croker, who had collected a cross-field kick from halfback Matt Smith as the clock wound down.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Grand final
Canberra won the hard way, though, recovering from 20-12 down early in the second half and then needing a missed conversion attempt from Broncos halfback Ben Hunt to force extra time.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Grand final
Gunning for their eighth straight victory, Brisbane made a worrying start, conceding a soft try to five-eighth Michael Picker, which fullback Josh Dugan converted for a 6-0 lead after 10 minutes.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Grand final
The Broncos steadied and went to the interval with a 16-12 buffer after tries to Hunt, interchange forward Michael Spence and winger Jharal Yow Yeh.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Grand final
The Broncos looked set to go on with the job when centre Brendon Gibb crossed out wide in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Raiders refused to lie down.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Grand final
A second try to Michael Picker and a goose-stepping four-pointer to winger Drury Low, plus Dugan's heroics, eventually set the scene for Kennedy's match-winning play.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Awards, Toyota Cup Player of the Year
The winner of the award is decided by the most votes during the year as decided by the referee of each game on a 3-2-1 basis for each game played throughout the regular season.


2008 NRL Under-20s season, Awards, Toyota Cup Team of the Year
The Toyota Cup Team of the Year is voted on by the 16 Toyota Cup coaches, with the players with the highest votes in each position selected.


2008 NRL Under-20s season results
This article details scores and results from the 2008 NRL Under-20s season.


2008 NRL season
The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 5 October. The premiership was won by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles who set the record for the highest Grand Final victory in Australia's rugby league history.


2008 NRL season
2008 also marked the launch of the National Youth Competition, an under 20 competition running parallel to the senior competition under the sponsorship name, the Toyota Cup.


2008 NRL season, Centenary of rugby league
Rugby league was first introduced into Australia in 1907, with a meeting in Sydney on 8 August 1908 effectively forming a new breakaway league from the New South Wales Rugby Union. The new body was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League, and became the first professional sporting code in Australia. In the following months, eight Sydney-based teams were formed and signed up to play in the New South Wales Rugby Football League's premiership, with another club joining a week into competition.


2008 NRL season, Centenary of rugby league
The New South Wales Rugby League continued to run the competition up until and including 1994 when it passed on responsibility to the Australian Rugby League, the national authority for rugby league in Australia. In 1997 a rival Super League competition run by News Limited was started and signed up several existing teams from the Australian Rugby League. After both bodies lost a lot of money that year, a truce was signed and a new competition was formed for the 1998 season, under the brand name "National Rugby League."


2008 NRL season, Centenary of rugby league
Regarded as the spiritual home of rugby league in Australia, Birchgrove Oval hosted the official launch of the NRL's 2008 Centenary rugby league season. During the season, the NRL staged a number of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the sport in Australia. The opening match of the 2008 season was held between the remaining two "foundation clubs" from 1908, the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A 'Heritage round' was introduced to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first round of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League, whereby teams faced opponents that entered the competition in similar time frames.


2008 NRL season, Centenary of rugby league
Several events took place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of landmark moments in rugby league in Australia. These events began in August 2007 with a re-enactment of the meeting which led to the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League, essentially the beginning of rugby league in Australia. In January and February 2008, several of the foundation clubs, the Newtown Jets, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Balmain Tigers, Sydney Roosters, North Sydney Bears and Western Suburbs Magpies, hosted special functions at the places they were officially formed.


2008 NRL season, Season summary, Schedule
The 2008 season was one week longer than the 2007 competition, allowing an extra bye on top of the existing one allocated to each club. In addition, the scheduling of the earlier representative fixtures was changed, including the removal of Monday Night Football on weekends prior to the City vs Country match and the ANZAC Test. The City vs Country fixture was pushed back to Friday night where it had been prior to 2007. Many of these initiatives were announced midway through the 2007 season by the chief executive officer of the National Rugby League, David Gallop, in an attempt to help reduce player fatigue after several complaints of player injuries caused by the short turnaround between some matches.


2008 NRL season, Season summary, Schedule
2008 also saw a change in how the draw is devised, with teams nominating their preferred home opponents in order of preference. The NRL consulted these requests when structuring the season's fixtures. This change is intended to maximise attendances by allowing local derbies and other high-interest matches to be played twice a year. It is a departure from previous methods, which focused on trying to produce an equally difficult playing schedule for each club. The draw was released on 19 October 2007.


2008 NRL season, Season summary, Schedule
On the back of increasing public pressure, the National Rugby League decided to move the Grand Final back from the later timeslot of 7:00pm to 5:00pm. The Grand Final had traditionally been held on a Sunday afternoon up until 2000, after which it was relocated to the evening in order to accommodate the Channel 9's programming desires.


2008 NRL season, Season summary, Schedule
Whilst the late night scheduling was not considered as much an issue for New South Wales audiences because of the Labour Day public holiday the following day, it was argued by many Queenslanders that such a time was unsuitable for families on the eve of a weekday. Many individuals in the general public and the media pushed for a full return to a 3:00pm kickoff time where it had been for many decades, whilst Channel 9 continued to insist on 7:00pm. As a compromise, the National Rugby League decided on a "twilight" match starting at 5:00pm. It was the first time since the 2000 season that the Grand Final was played in daylight, largely due to a change in commencement of Daylight Saving Time in New South Wales, ACT and Victoria in 2008.


2008 NRL season, Season summary, Teams
The number of teams in the NRL remained unchanged since the previous season, with sixteen participating in the regular season: ten from New South Wales, three from Queensland and one from each of Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. Of the ten from New South Wales, eight (St. George Illawarra are both from Sydney and Wollongong) are from Sydney's metropolitan area, with (St. George Illawarra being a Sydney and Wollongong joint venture. Just two foundation clubs from New South Wales Rugby League season 1908 played in this competition: the Sydney Roosters (formerly known as Eastern Suburbs) and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Melbourne Storm were the defending premiers.


2008 NRL season, Season summary, Teams
For the first time since the 1988 introduction of teams outside of New South Wales, an under-20 competition ran incorporating sides fielded by each of the sixteen premiership clubs. The National Youth Competition, known as the Toyota Cup for sponsorship purposes was solely for under-20 players.


2008 NRL season, Marketing, Sponsorship
For the eighth straight season the National Rugby League's maintained its naming rights sponsor Telstra with the competition again known as the Telstra Premiership. In addition to the Telstra Premiership logo appearing over the right upper chest on each team's playing jersey, the "Centenary of Rugby league in Australia" logo was displayed just above to commemorate the competition's centenary.


2008 NRL season, Marketing, Sponsorship
Following their successful sponsorship of "Friday Night Football" in 2007, the Foster's Group decided to change the specific brand sponsorship from their Carlton Draught product to now represent Victoria Bitter. Harvey Norman continued its sponsorship of the State of Origin series while AAMI also continued its association with the annual City vs Country Origin clash. Additionally, Bundaberg Rum maintained naming rights to both the ANZAC Test and Monday Night Football.


2008 NRL season, Marketing, Sponsorship
Throughout the season, various charities and other non-profit organisations received exposure on Sunday Football through Rugby League's One Community Program.


2008 NRL season, Marketing, Advertising
In celebration of the code's 100th anniversary the NRL and its ad agency MJW created for 2008 a Centenary Tribute ad which used historical footage of games and stars of yesteryear, blending in with action sequences of the modern day. Original epic orchestral music was used as the soundtrack. The ad opened with still imagery from 1908 to the modern day juxtaposed and rolling as though an ensemble of players are entering the Sydney Cricket Ground from the dressing rooms in the Members Stand.


2008 NRL season, Marketing, Advertising
The morphed film segments included a 1930s Australia v England Test with modern Australian players in the backline; Wayne Pearce in the 1980s on the sideline at the Sydney Cricket Ground next to a mud covered 1960s player and a sequence where Darren Lockyer circa 2000 takes a pass from Clive Churchill circa 1950. Clever touches include Dragons Mark Gasnier backing up his uncle Reg Gasnier some 40 years apart; Sharks stars of different generations, Steve Rogers and Andrew Ettingshausen running together and Souths' Craig Wing in 2008 putting Ron Coote through a gap in 1968.


2008 NRL season, Marketing, Advertising
The final shot shows the 2008 version of Norm Provan and Arthur Summons covered head to toe in mud & recreating the "Gladiators" image from the 1963 Grand Final acknowledged by the 2007 Grand Finalists Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis in front of iconic images of Grand Finals gone by including John Sattler being chaired from the field in 1971 while Brad Fittler celebrates his 2002 win and Bradley Clyde his 1994 premiership.


2008 NRL season, Ladder
For the first time since the 1999 season, the team finishing in 8th spot won more games than it had lost. It should be also noted that on that occasion, 17 teams were in the competition.


2008 NRL season, Finals series
The National Rugby League employs the McIntyre Final Eight System and, for the second year running, preliminary finals were allowed to be played outside of Sydney.


2008 NRL season, Player records
In 2008 New Zealand's Ruben Wiki was the oldest player in the NRL at 35 years and 250 days. Sam Perrett ran 3,720 metres with the ball in 2008, more than any other player in the competition.


2008 NRL season results
The 2008 National Rugby League season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, starting on 14 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs, culminating in a Grand Final on 5 October.


2008 NRL season results, Regular season
Times for Rounds 1–3 are Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time. Times for Round 4 and the remainder of the season are Australian Eastern Standard Time.


2008 NRL season results, Regular season, Round 6: Heritage round
This premiership round was set down to celebrate the anniversary of the first round of the 1908 premiership. Teams wore jerseys reflecting their club or region's first season in the competition.


2008 NRMA Motoring & Services Grand Finale
The 2008 NRMA Motoring + Services Grand Finale was the fourteenth and final round of the 2008 V8 Supercar season. It was held on the weekend of the 4 to 7 December at the Oran Park Raceway in New South Wales.


2008 NRMA Motoring & Services Grand Finale, Support categories
The 2008 NRMA Motoring + Services Grand Finale had seven support categories.


2008 NRW Trophy
The 2008 NRW Trophy was held in two parts, with ice dancers competing separately from the singles disciplines and pair skating. Both competitions were held at the Eissportzentrum Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. The ice dancing competition was held between October 31 and November 2, 2008, and the other disciplines were held between December 4 and December 7, 2008. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing across the levels of senior, junior, and novice. In addition, the ice dancing competition included a pre-novice division.


2008 NSW Premier League season
The 2008 TeleChoice Premier League season was the eighth season of the revamped NSW Premier League. This season also marked the promotion of two new teams, in the West Sydney Berries and the Macarthur Rams from the Super League (one division lower). This increased the teams competing in the competition from 10 to 12 teams and the number of rounds from 18 to 22 in the regular season.


2008 NSW Premier League season
The 2008 season officially began on 22 February and concluded with the Grand Final between Wollongong FC and the Sutherland Sharks on 7 September.


2008 NSW Premier League season
Before the start of the season, all the 2008 teams competed in the Johnny Warren Cup, the official pre-season tournament. On 16 February, Sydney Olympic defeated the Sutherland Sharks 2 goals to 1 at Seymour Shaw Park to win the Johnny Warren Cup.


2008 NSW Premier League season
Throughout the season many Premier League, Super League, Division One and Division Two teams competed in an FA Cup-style knockout competition in which the Bankstown City Lions and Sydney Olympic contested the Grand Final with Bankstown prevailing 3-1 winners.


2008 NSW Premier League season, Changes from Previous Season
The number of teams competing increased from 10 to 12, with the inclusion of the West Sydney Berries and the Macarthur Rams. The regular season remained a home-away round-robin format, thus increasing the number of rounds from 18 to 22. The final series was therefore also adapted. The number of teams competing in the finals series increased from 4 to 5. The finals series used a 5-team McIntyre System to determine the champions.


2008 NSW Premier League season, Clubs
Teams promoted from Super League:(After the end of the 2007 season.)


2008 NSW Premier League season, Clubs
Teams relegated to Super League:(After the end of the 2007 season.)


2008 NSW Premier League season, Gold Medal Dinner
At the end of the season, Football NSW hosted the Gold Medal Dinner, where players, coaches and referees were awarded for their work throughout the Premier League season.


2008 NSW Premier League season, Gold Medal Dinner, All-Stars Team
Based on a points system in which all match reporters took part in during the course of the 22 rounds, eleven players were selected in various positions highlighting their performances for season 2008.


2008 NSW Premier League season, Gold Medal Dinner, All-Stars Team
Defence: Emmanuel Zunino (Sydney Olympic), Pedj Bojić (Sutherland Sharks), Danial Cummins (Wollongong FC), Shane Webb (Bankstown City Lions)


2008 NSW Premier League season, Gold Medal Dinner, All-Stars Team
Midfield: Nahuel Arrarte (Marconi Stallions), Robbie Cattanach (Manly United), Brendan Gan (Sutherland Sharks), Christopher Boyle (Sydney United)


2008 NSW Premier League season, Gold Medal Dinner, All-Stars Team
Attack: Robert Younis (A.P.I.A. Leichhardt Tigers), Brad Boardman (Sutherland Sharks)


2008 NZIHL season, 2008 NZIHL Standings, Grand Final
Botany Swarm 3 - 2 Canterbury Red Devils (sudden death extra time)


2008 NZIHL season, 2008 NZIHL Standings, Round robin
W = Main Round Win = 3 pointsL = Main Round LossT = Main Round Tie = 2 pointsBP = Bonus Point = 1 point


2008 Naciria bombing
The 2008 Naciria bombing occurred on January 2, 2008 when a bomb detonated into the headquarters of the Algerian police in the town of Naciria, Boumerdès Province, Algeria killing 4 and injuring 20. The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb is suspected as being responsible.


2008 Nadeshiko League
Statistics of Nadeshiko.League in the 2008 season. Nippon TV Beleza won the championship.


2008 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly were held in February 2008 to elect members of the 60 constituencies in Nagaland, India. The Indian National Congress won the most votes, while the Nagaland Peoples Front won the most seats and Neiphiu Rio was appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland. The number of constituencies was set as 60 by the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission of India.


2008 Nagoya Grampus season
The 2008 Nagoya Grampus season was Nagoya Grampus' 16th season in the J. League Division 1 and 27th overall in the Japanese top flight. They also participated in the 2008 J. League Cup, being knocked out at the Semifinal stage by Oita Trinita, and the 2008 Emperor's Cup getting knocked out at the Quarterfinal stage by Gamba Osaka.


2008 Nagoya Grampus season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede
The 2008 Naina Devi temple stampede occurred on 3 August 2008 in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. 146 people died and 150 were injured when they were crushed, trampled, or forced over the side of a ravine by the movement of a large panicking crowd. Witness accounts suggest that events were initiated after a rain shelter collapsed, which worshipers mistakenly took to be a landslide. There were as many as 3000 devotees at the temple because it was a sacred place (called a "Shakti Peeth") in the holy month of Shraavana of the Hindu Calendar. According to Daljit Singh Manhas, a senior police officer from the area, at least 40 of the victims were children.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede
The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Prem Kumar Dhumal, announced a government compensation of Rs. 100,000 (approximately US$2500) for those who died and Rs. 50,000 (approximately US$1250) for the seriously injured. 50,000 people had been expected to attend Naina Devi during the day of the stampede, as part of a nine-day festival which had just started. The pilgrimage resumed on the next day, 4 August 2008.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede
Gaurav Singh Saini, a 13-year-old boy from Tohana (a town located near Haryana-Punjab border) Haryana, saved 50-60 people during the stampede, and received the Bharat Award, the highest award at the 2009 National Bravery Awards.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede, Stampede
Devotees standing in a queue initially saw the collapse of a rain shelter. This triggered a false cry of "landslide!" as it was raining on the day of the stampede. People reportedly tried to move outside the railings put up by the police for crowd control, but the police refused to allow any more movements. The railings later collapsed and people fell on each other, starting the stampede.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede, Reaction
Rajnath Singh, the current leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India, responded to the stampede by releasing a statement in the hours after the disaster. "I am deeply saddened to learn about the tragic death of over 100 pilgrims. I convey my deep felt condolences to the family members of all those who have lost their lives or have been injured in the incident," he said.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede, Reaction
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal responded by announcing an inquiry into the incident.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede, Reaction
The Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari, and the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee, conveyed condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the incident.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede, Reaction
The Tribune criticized the poor infrastructure and ill-maintained roads at the shrine, reporting that a team of doctors and paramedics were unable to reach the site of the accident until hours after the stampede. The Times of India observed that there had been no improvement in crowd management even though a similar stampede took place in the shrine in 1978 after rumors of a landslide spread, killing 65 people. As is often the case during disasters, the mobile telephone network around Naina Devi had insufficient capacity to serve the large number of phone calls by worried relatives.


2008 Naina Devi temple stampede, Post-mortem report of victims
Post-mortem examinations conducted on victims of the Naina Devi temple stampede confirmed that the deaths were caused by asphyxiation. Post-mortem reports of 101 bodies out of a total of 141 victims taken to the civil hospital at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, 18 km from the site, have indicated compression of the chest causing asphyxiation and death, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) P C Akela said. Akela, who remained stationed at Anandpur Sahib after the  incident, said post-mortems were not carried out on 40 of the dead at the request of their relatives.


2008 Naisten Liiga
The 2008 Naisten Liiga, part of the 2008 Finnish football season, was the second season of the 2006 established Naisten Liiga. FC Honka were the defending champions, having won the 2007 season. SC Raisio withdrew from the league and was replaced by TPS Turku.


2008 Namdaemun fire
On February 10, 2008, an arsonist set fire to the historic Namdaemun gate (officially "Sungnyemun") in Seoul, South Korea, causing severe damage to the 550-year-old structure. The monument was subsequently restored and reopened to the public in 2013.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Fire
The fire reportedly broke out at approximately 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2008. Firefighters soon arrived on the scene and started dousing the blaze with water in an attempt to extinguish the fire. Initially, the effort seemed successful: by late Sunday night, firefighters said they believed that they had contained the fire, with only minimal damage done to the wooden structure topping the otherwise stone structure. According to reports, they had been instructed by authorities not to be aggressive in fighting the fire out of fear that the structure would be damaged by the high-pressure water.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Fire
After midnight, however, the dying fire suddenly reignited, quickly getting out of control. Despite the efforts of the more than 360 firefighters who were at the scene, the fire soon ended up destroying the entire wooden structure and causing substantial damage to the stone walls. The fire did not result in any injuries.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Arsonist
Originally, the fire had been suspected to be accidental. However, many witnesses reported seeing someone enter the gate shortly before the fire, and two disposable lighters were found where the fire was believed to have started.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Arsonist
Later investigations revealed that the fire was indeed an act of arson. A 69-year-old man, identified as Chae Jong-gi (Korean: 채종기; Hanja: 蔡宗基), was taken into police custody on February 12, on the suspicion that it was he who started the fire. Chae confessed to the crime 30 minutes after his arrest. According to police reports, Chae arrived at Namdaemun around 8:35 p.m. carrying an aluminum ladder, three 1.5-liter bottles of paint thinner, and two cigarette lighters. With the ladder, he climbed the western wall of the gate, entered the gate, and walked up to the second floor.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Arsonist
There, he started the fire by sprinkling the floor with paint thinner and lighting it. Chae stated that he had started the fire because he was upset about not having been paid in full for land he had sold to developers. Chae had also been charged with setting fire to the Changgyeong Palace complex in Seoul in 2006.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Arsonist
The reason he targeted Namdaemun was because it was easily accessible and was only secured by motion sensors. He also considered attacking trains or buses, but decided against it due to the high number of casualties this would cause.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Aftermath
South Korean newspapers blamed the government for failing to provide more security.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Aftermath
The Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea stated that it would take three years and $21 million to rebuild and restore the historic gate. In 2006, 182 pages of blueprints of the gate had been made as a contingency measure against possible damages, making reconstruction possible.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Aftermath
President Lee Myung-bak proposed starting a private donation campaign to finance the restoration of the gate. Many people felt that the government should pay for the restoration because it had failed to adequately protect the structure. Lee's transitional committee clarified the president-elect's comments by stating that the government would pay for the majority of the restoration.


2008 Namdaemun fire, Aftermath
The restored gate reopened to the public on May 5, 2013, having been rebuilt using traditional tools and techniques. The project cost 25 billion won to complete and includes new fire suppression systems and closed-circuit television cameras.


2008 Namibia floods
The 2008 Namibia floods took place in early February 2008, a rapid onset of heavy rains triggered floods in northern Namibia, leading to one of its worst floods in 50 years. The floods had killed 42 people by early March and an estimated 65,000 people were affected, primarily in the regions of Omusati, Oshikoto, Oshana, Ohangwena and Caprivi. 40,000 people were assisted by the Namibian Red Cross with 4,600 in relocation camps. Over-crowding and insanitary conditions caused health concerns in relocation camps and an outbreak of cholera was announced in March.


2008 Namibia floods
On 14 March, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs triggered the International Charter for "Space and Major Disasters". Staple crops were devastated and 52,000 people from flood-affected areas were considered in need of immediate of assistance to cover their basic food needs. Deputy Prime Minister Libertine Amathila declared that the government would spend 65 million Namibian dollars to assist the displaced. Long-term impacts included damage to farmland, housing, schools, roads and infrastructure across the region. The floods reduced the resilience of the population who were left vulnerable to further flooding which occurred in 2009.


2008 Namibia floods, Background
The floods hit the northern Namibian regions of Omusati, Oshikoto, Oshana, Ohangwena, and Caprivi. These regions are the most densely populated in the nation with an estimated 859,975 people, almost half of the total population. Northern Namibia has a semi-arid climate with high temperatures. The rain patterns are unpredictable, with varying amounts and timing, although the rainy season tends to fall from November to April. The majority of the people living in the rural areas of northern Namibia rely on subsistence farming, but the poor soil, largely composed of clay and sand mixture, is not ideal for crop production.


2008 Namibia floods, Background
This results in high levels of chronic food insecurity in these regions. These threats are exacerbated by poor health outcomes, as large swaths of the population do not have access to adequate medical services. HIV/AIDS is especially prevalent in the area, with an estimated 23% of Namibians aged 15 to 49 testing HIV-positive.


2008 Namibia floods, Immediate Impacts, Health & Well-being
An estimated 65,000 people were affected by the floods. 71 casualties were reported by March 2008 of which there were 42 deaths. Deaths were predominantly children and the elderly who drowned crossing oshonas (flood plains) at night. Wounds resulting from walking in water were a problem in Caprivi. Outreach clinics in rural areas were cut off by the flooding.


2008 Namibia floods, Immediate Impacts, Health & Well-being
Relocation camps were set up in the Engela District and Oshana Region and housed over 4,600 of the displaced. Camps had limited or no access to latrines, waste disposal and clean tap water, and some camps were overcrowded. An outbreak of cholera at Engela in the Ohangwena Region was announced in March. An assessment undertaken 19–20 March by the World Health Organization (WHO) identified that the case fatality rate (CFR) for cholera may be under recorded and reported common acute diseases in the under fives to include malaria, diarrhea and respiratory infections. Cholera cases were also reported at Odibo and Okatope.


2008 Namibia floods, Immediate Impacts, Health & Well-being
By the 16th of April, 958 cases of cholera, including four deaths, had been reported. Engela Hospital, which was inaccessible by road, opened a cholera treatment centre. WHO figures for cholera in Namibia for 2008 were 3,496 with 38 deaths (1.09% CFR) compared to 14 cases in 2007 with 0 deaths (0% CFR).


2008 Namibia floods, Immediate Impacts, Food Security
The floods significantly reduced yields of mahangu, the staple cereal food for the majority of the population in the Northern Central regions. The household stocks of mahangu were not expected to last beyond next the harvest, forcing the household to use savings to purchase food. As low-income households could not easily compensate by lowering already minimal non-food expenditure, they were likely to shift food consumption towards lower calorie and less nutritious foods or simply reduce their food intake.


2008 Namibia floods, Immediate Impacts, Food Security
The European Food Safety Authority mission estimated that compared to the previous agricultural season, there was an average 59% drop in production in the North Central Regions and 46% in affected areas of Caprivi. As a result, 16.4% of the flood affected households in the Northern Central regions were food insecure rising to 32.5% in Caprivi, an area with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. These households were unable to meet their daily nutritional requirements. The population affected by the floods went from chronically food insecure to acutely food insecure. An estimated 52,000 people were in immediate need of assistance to cover their basic food needs in flood-affected areas.


2008 Namibia floods, Response
The Namibian government declared a state of emergency on 5 March 2008 and appealed to international community for assistance. Working jointly with humanitarian agencies including UN, the government assessed damage extent and established critical needs in the affected areas. The government of Namibia provided food supplies worth N$221,000 and non-food commodities worth N$5.3 million and pledged N$65 million to assist the displaced. The Emergency Management Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister delivered necessary food items to the affected regions using helicopters following roads damage. Flood victims were evacuated to relocation centres in the Engela District and Oshana Region.


2008 Namibia floods, Response
The Namibian Red Cross supported over 40,000 people, who were moved back to their homes by end of August 2008. The Red Cross distributed blankets, hygiene kits, water makers, mosquito nets, bar soaps in North-western regions. In partnership with the Swedish Red Cross the Red Cross also provided agricultural items such as millet, sorghum, goats and chicken to improve food security among the most vulnerable in Ohangwena region.


2008 Namibia floods, Response
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs triggered the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" to help the country battle against floods and the subsequent cholera outbreak that ravaged the country. UNICEF trained community health activists, produced radio messages on cholera prevention and distributed water purification tablets in the affected areas.


2008 Namibia floods, Aftermath
Since 2008, when the first serious Namibia floods disaster occurred, they have become a devastating, almost annual event that finds most households hardly recovered from the previous flood. The communities in the rural areas of  were most affected by the floods. Their livelihoods are dependent on subsistence farming and the floods increased livestock and household vulnerability of the farmers.


2008 Namibia floods, Aftermath
Water logging and retention due to the floods was associated with the loss of land productivity and soil degradation. The declining quality of soil affected the farming of major staple crops, sorghum and mahangu, which escalated food prices in the region furthering household food insecurity.


2008 Namibia floods, Aftermath
Livelihoods were affected after livestock died from drowning in large numbers, whilst the poor prevailing conditions made those remaining susceptible to diseases and parasites such as Lumpy skin disease and the African swine fever. Other impacts were on public infrastructure like roads, bridges, sewerage system, health facilities, market places and schools which were damaged extensively. Rehabilitation work in flooded areas went beyond repairs to include the elevation of roads and improvements to the drainage system. The cost of this was 5.5 times the value of replacing damaged structures. Unfortunately, the area and the population had not yet recovered and were still vulnerable when flooding occurred in 2009.


2008 NatFilm Festival
The 2008 NatFilm Festival ran from March 28, 2008 to April 6, 2008. NatFilm Festival is now merged with CIFF into one single event, CPH PIX, launched on April 16–26, 2009.


2008 NatFilm Festival, Programme, Special Tribute
The 2008 Special Tribute retrospective exhibited the work of Trine Dyrholm. The film 'Dansen' was shown as part of the 'Dansk Film 2008' section of the programme.


2008 NatFilm Festival, Programme, Retrospectives
The director's entire oeuvre of eight films was shown in memoriam, comprising A Brighter Summer Day, A Confucian Confusion, In Our Time, Mahjong, Taipei Story, That Day on the Beach, Terrorizers, and Yi Yi.


2008 NatFilm Festival, Programme, Retrospectives
Sange fra anden sal (Songs from the Second Floor), Giliap, En kærlighedshistorie (A Swedish Love Story), his 2007 release Du Levande (You, the Living), and a series of the director's short films were shown.


2008 NatFilm Festival, Programme, Retrospectives
Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding, and a series of four shorts ("When It Rains", "The Horse", "Several Friends" and "Quiet As Kept") were shown.


2008 NatFilm Festival, Programme, Retrospectives
Fantômas, Le Petit Baigneur, and La Grande Vadrouille were shown.


2008 NatFilm Festival, Programme, Retrospectives
My Winnipeg, Brand Upon the Brain, and The Saddest Music in the World were shown.


2008 NatFilm Festival, Programme, CPH:DOX
Features shared with the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival (CPH:DOX) were A Jihad for Love by Parvez Sharma and In Prison My Whole Life by Marc Evans.


2008 NatWest Pro40
The 2008 NatWest Pro40 was a league system 40 over competition. Sussex Sharks won Division One, while Essex Eagles finished top of Division Two, gaining promotion; Yorkshire Carnegie were also promoted, but Glamorgan Dragons lost their playoff match and remained in Division Two. Somerset Sabres' Marcus Trescothick was the leading run-scorer in the competition with 556 runs, while Jade Dernbach of Surrey Brown Caps claimed the most wickets, with 24.


2008 National Camogie League
The 2008 National Camogie League, the second most important elite level inter-county competition in the women's’ team field sport of camogie was won by Kilkenny, who defeated Galway in the final, played at Nowlan Park, Kilkenny.


2008 National Camogie League, Arrangements
Kilkenny were attempting to win to the League title for the first time since 1993, and on home soil, there was pressure on them to achieve that feat. Kilkenny had defeated then All-Ireland champions Wexford, 2-11 to 1-11, before travelling to Cork to overcome the rebels 0-8 to 1-4 on a wind- swept blustery day to qualify for a league final.


2008 National Camogie League, Final
In the league final, Galway led 0-11 to 1-5 at the interval, with an Aoife Neary goal late in the first-half giving Kilkenny hope. Further second-half from Michelle Quilty and substitute Edwina Keane gave Kilkenny victory with Sinead Millea member of the 1993 National league winning campaign top scorer with 0-5 all from frees.


2008 National Camogie League, Division 2
The Division 2 final, known until 2005 as the National Junior League, was won by Clare who defeated Derry in the final. The Division 3 final was won by Antrim who defeated Offaly in the final.


2008 National Cheerleading Championship
The 3rd season of the National Cheerleading Championships was held at PhilSports Arena, Pasig, Philippines on March 9, 2008.


2008 National Football Challenge Cup
The 2008 National Football Challenge Cup was the 18th season of National Football Challenge Cup, the main cup tournament in Pakistani football.


2008 National Football Challenge Cup
Pakistan Telecommunication were the defending champions, winning the 2005 edition, although their team was dissolved in the end of 2005 season. Thus there was no defending champions.


2008 National Football Challenge Cup
All the matches were played in CDGK Stadium and Peoples Football Stadium in Karachi.


2008 National Football League (Ireland)
The 2008 National Football League was the Gaelic football league contested by 33 GAA counties' football teams, 32 from Ireland and one (London) from England.


2008 National Football League (Ireland), Format
The 2008 format of the National Football League is a new system consisting of four separate divisions. There are eight teams in the top three divisions and nine in Division Four. Placings are decided by:


2008 National Football League (Ireland), Format
The top two in each division play a final match to decide the division champions. The top two in divisions 2, 3 and 4 are promoted, whilst the bottom two in 1, 2 and 3 are relegated.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on January 27, 2008 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Thrashers. It was the only time the All-Star Game was held in Atlanta, as the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011 as the new Winnipeg Jets.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game
Atlanta had originally been scheduled to host what would have been the 55th NHL All-Star Game in 2005, however that game was canceled due to the NHL Lockout of 2004–05.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game
Players in this game, like the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game, wore Rbk EDGE jerseys. The jersey logos had been redesigned, showing a simple logo that displays East and West on the respective conference jerseys, captain and alternate captain patches on the right side (instead of left), and the player's number below the logo.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Diversity honored
As Atlanta is a place of significance to the Civil Rights Movement (among the hockey-related achievements is John Paris Jr. becoming the first black person to coach a pro hockey team, the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League), and 2008 is the 50th anniversary of Willie O'Ree breaking hockey's color barrier with the Boston Bruins, the NHL chose the All-Star weekend to honour the diversity of the league.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Changes in the All-Star program
The previous year's YoungStars game and skills competition, which lead up to the main game, were criticized for the lack of excitement: the YoungStars game saw a lack of effort by the players overall, while the shootout portion of the skills competition was criticized for being too boring - in the previous year, at three different points in the skills competition, each goaltender would take on four opposing players in regular penalty shots - which in itself is not too different from what was seen in regular-season play.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Changes in the All-Star program
For this year, to raise interest in all-star festivities, no YoungStars goaltenders were named - instead, the YoungStars played in a three-on-three game (of two running six-minute periods) halfway through the skills competition, with the regular all-star goaltenders in net. There was only one faceoff at the start of each half - if the puck goes out of play, another puck was thrown onto the ice. If a goal was scored, the three players retreated to their own side of centre ice before being able to attack again. For either side to win the YoungStars game, the team must score greater goals in both halves. Brandon Dubinsky of the New York Rangers was named the Youngstars MVP for scoring 2 goals and an assist.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Changes in the All-Star program
Furthermore, the skills competition itself was changed dramatically - the Fastest Skater competition is now a sprint instead of a lap around the arena (a final showdown portion has also been added), while the traditional Puck Control Relay was changed to the Obstacle Course event, where stick handling, saucer passes, one-timers, and goaltenders attempting to score by shooting pucks the length of the ice into an empty net (itself a former All-Star Skills event called Goalie Goals) is featured. Both changes were made to further reflect game conditions.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Changes in the All-Star program
The traditional Shooting Accuracy remains, though a final showdown stage (consisting of having to shoot four targets in nine seconds with only four pucks, and if still tied, one shot in three seconds at one target) is held to determine an individual winner. Hardest Shot is the only event unchanged from previous years.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Changes in the All-Star program
But by far the greatest change is in the shootout portion: two events are based on the shootout: in the Elimination Shootout, skaters shoot against the all-star goaltenders, with a skater being eliminated if they fail to score. The second shootout-based event, the Breakaway Challenge, incorporates elements from the National Basketball Association's All-Star Slam Dunk Contest: three players from each team (as selected by the all-star team captains) will be judged on their style and creativity by a panel of four judges as they attempt to score on a non-NHL goaltender.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Changes in the All-Star program
The judges may award up to nine points, and a bonus point is added should the skater score. The judging panel this year consists of Dominique Wilkins, a former two-time Slam Dunk Champion with the Atlanta Hawks, former Thrashers captain Scott Mellanby, Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch, and broadcaster Bill Clement. The two skaters (one from each team) with the highest scores face off in a final showdown to determine the winner of the event.


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
39 – G Rick DiPietro (New York Islanders) 33 – D Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins) 79 – D Andrei Markov (Montreal Canadiens)  4 – F Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning) - (C) 11 – F Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators) 17 – F Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers)


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
30 – G Chris Osgood (Detroit Red Wings)  3 – D Dion Phaneuf (Calgary Flames)  5 – D Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) 12 – F Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames) - (C) 13 – F Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings) 61 – F Rick Nash (Columbus Blue Jackets)


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
29 – G Tomas Vokoun (Florida Panthers) 30 – G Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins) 15 – D Tomas Kaberle (Toronto Maple Leafs) 44 – D Kimmo Timonen (Philadelphia Flyers) 51 – D Brian Campbell (Buffalo Sabres) 55 – D Sergei Gonchar (Pittsburgh Penguins)  8 – F Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)  9 – F Jason Spezza (Ottawa Senators) 10 – F Mike Richards (Philadelphia Flyers) 12 – F Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes) 18 – F Marian Hossa (Atlanta Thrashers) 19 – F Scott Gomez (New York Rangers) 26 – F Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning) 71 – F Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) 91 – F Marc Savard (Boston Bruins)


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
20 – G Evgeni Nabokov (San Jose Sharks) 34 – G Manny Legace (St. Louis Blues)  2 – D Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks) 25 – D Chris Pronger (Anaheim Ducks) 27 – D Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks) 55 – D Ed Jovanovski (Phoenix Coyotes)  9 – F Marian Gaborik (Minnesota Wild) 10 – F Shawn Horcoff (Edmonton Oilers) 11 – F Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings) 15 – F Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks) 18 – F Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks) 19 – F Jason Arnott (Nashville Predators) 33 – F Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks) 63 – F Mike Ribeiro (Dallas Stars) 97 – F Joe Thornton (San Jose Sharks)


2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Summary
W - Tim ThomasL - Manny LegaceTV: Versus, CBC, RDS


2008 National Hurling League
The 2008 National Hurling League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Hurling League, was the 77th edition of the National Hurling League (NHL), an annual hurling competition for the GAA county teams. Tipperary won the league, beating Galway in the final. The tournament saw the first appearance of Fingal and South Down as "county" teams in the NHL.


2008 National Hurling League, Format
The 2008 format of the National Hurling League was a new system consisting of four divisions. There are thirty-four teams competing: Divisions One and Two have twelve teams in each, and there are five teams in Divisions Three and Four.


2008 National Hurling League, Format, Division One
Division One is made up of two groups of six teams. Each team plays all the others in their group once. The two group winners receive a semi-final spot; second and third in each group play in the quarter-finals. The winners of the final are the 2008 NHL champions.


2008 National Hurling League, Format, Division Two
Division Two is made up of two groups of six teams. Each team plays all the others in their group once. The top two in each group enter the semi-finals.


2008 National Hurling League, Format, Division Three
Five teams play in Division Three. Each team plays all the others once. The top two teams contest the Division Three final.


2008 National Hurling League, Format, Division Four
Five teams play in Division Four. Each team plays all the others once. The top two teams contest the Division Four final.


2008 National Hurling League, Division 1A
Waterford came into the season as defending champions of the 2007 season. Laois entered Division 1 as the promoted team.


2008 National Hurling League, Division 1A
On 20 April 2008, Tipperary won the title after a 3-18 to 3-16 win over Galway. It was their first league title since 2001 and their 19th National League title overall.


2008 National Hurling League, Division 1A
Wexford, Antrim, Laois and Offaly were the bottom-placed teams of their respective groups and were relegated to a newly-structured Division 2 for the 2009 league.


2008 National Hurling League, Division 1A
Galway's Ger Farragher was the Division 1 top scorer with 4-53. Tipperary's Brendan Cummins and Galway's James Skehill were the top goalkeepers having kept 3 clean sheets.


2008 National Hurling League, Division 1A, Structure
A total of 12 teams contested the top division of the league, including 11 sides from the 2006 season and one promoted from the 2006 National League Division 2. On 29 April 2007, Laois earned promotion from the 2007 National League Division 2 after a one-year absence from the top flight. They were crowned Division 2 champions after beating Wicklow. They replaced Down who were relegated to Division 2 at the end of the previous season.


2008 National Hurling League, Division 1A, Structure
The 12 teams in Division 1 were divided into two groups of six team - 1A and 1B. Each team played all the others in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The first-placed teams in 1A and 1B advanced to the league semi-finals. The second and third-placed teams in 1A and 1B advanced to the league quarter-finals.


2008 National Invitation Tournament
The 2008 National Invitation Tournament (known through sponsorship as the MasterCard NIT) was a single-elimination tournament of 32 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams that did not participate in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The 71st annual tournament began on March 18 on campus sites and ended on April 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Each regular season conference champion that did not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament received an automatic bid to this tournament. The remaining slots were filled by the NIT Selection Committee. The first, second, and third rounds were played on the higher seeded team's home court, with the semi-finals and finals played at Madison Square Garden.


2008 National Invitation Tournament, Selection Committee
The 2008 NIT Selection Committee consists of the following former college basketball coaches and administrators:


2008 National Invitation Tournament, Bracket, Semifinals and Final
Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 1 and 3


2008 National League Championship Series
The 2008 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the second round of the 2008 National League playoffs, was a best-of-seven baseball game series. The series matched the NL West Champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies, who had home field advantage for this series due to their better regular-season record. The teams split their season series, with the home team sweeping their two four-game series in August.


2008 National League Championship Series
The series opened on Thursday, October 9, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, with the series being telecast on Fox.


2008 National League Championship Series
This series marked the first postseason meeting for the Phillies and Dodgers since the 1983 NLCS, which Philadelphia won 3–1 en route to a loss to Baltimore in the World Series. It also marked the first NLCS for both teams since the Division Series was instituted in 1995. Overall, this was the fourth time these two teams had met in the postseason. Prior to the 1983 NLCS, the Dodgers had defeated the Phillies 3–1 in the NLCS during both the 1977 and 1978 post-seasons.


2008 National League Championship Series
The Phillies would go on to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series in five games.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Thursday, October 9, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Derek Lowe and Cole Hamels faced each other at Citizens Bank Park for Game 1. In the first inning, Manny Ramírez missed a home run by mere feet to center field and settled for an RBI double to give LA a 1–0 lead, and later in the fourth, Matt Kemp scored on a sacrifice fly by Blake DeWitt.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
However, in the sixth inning, as Lowe was rolling, a throwing error by Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal put Shane Victorino on second base, apparently breaking the momentum for Lowe, who on the next pitch surrendered a home run to Chase Utley that tied the score. After a Ryan Howard groundout, Pat Burrell homered to left and put the Phillies out front 3–2, and that would prove to be the final score. Brad Lidge tossed a perfect ninth for the save.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Friday, October 10, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Philadelphia starting pitcher Brett Myers surprisingly batted 3-for-3 with three RBIs as the Phillies opened up an 8–2 lead on the Dodgers, chasing Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley in the third inning. Billingsley was also criticized for not retaliating for inside pitching by Myers, a response that would have to wait until Game 3 by Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda. The Phillies batted through their whole lineup in both the second and third innings, scoring four runs in each.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Manny Ramírez made things closer with a three-run home run off Myers in the fourth, but in the seventh Casey Blake was robbed of a potential bases clearing hit in deep left center by a leaping Shane Victorino. Four Phillies relievers pitched scoreless baseball in four innings of work with Brad Lidge remaining perfect in save opportunities in the regular season and postseason. Before the game Charlie Manuel learned that his mother died, and Shane Victorino learned that his grandmother died the same day after the game.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Sunday, October 12, 2008 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
The first game at Dodger Stadium in the series, Game 3 saw a dramatic benches-clearing incident in the third inning, after Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda threw a fastball over the head of the Phillies' Shane Victorino. This came in apparent retaliation for Phillies starter Jamie Moyer hitting Dodgers catcher Russell Martin in the knee in the first inning and reliever Clay Condrey nearly hitting Martin again in the second, which came after Brett Myers nearly hit Martin and threw behind Manny Ramírez in Game 2.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In a wild first inning, five Dodgers scored, mostly in part due to a three-run triple by Blake DeWitt, and Rafael Furcal homered in the second, his first home run since May 5, forcing Moyer to leave the game after just 1 1⁄3 innings. In the third inning confrontation, only words were exchanged and nobody was ejected, and Kuroda pitched a solid six innings to lead LA to a 7–2 victory over the Phillies, cutting their lead to 2–1. The attendance was 56,800, an all-time Dodger Stadium record.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Monday, October 13, 2008 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Game 4 was a seesaw battle between the two teams. The Phillies struck first; in the top of the first they collected three hits and two runs off Derek Lowe, who started on three days' rest. In the bottom of the inning, James Loney hit a ball off the center field wall to score Rafael Furcal and cut the lead to 2–1. Starter Joe Blanton began strong, but in the fifth inning gave up two runs and forced Charlie Manuel to go to his bullpen.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
In the sixth, the Dodgers' bullpen faltered first, when Clayton Kershaw gave up a walk and a hit, and Chan Ho Park threw a wild pitch to tie the game. In the bottom of the sixth, Casey Blake homered to left, and with two on, a throwing error by Ryan Howard allowed Juan Pierre to score. The inning ended when Chase Utley made a diving catch and stumbled to second base for the double play.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Things looked great for the Dodgers until Cory Wade relieved in the eighth and Shane Victorino hit a two-run home run that landed in the visitor's bullpen to tie the score. Jonathan Broxton came in after Carlos Ruiz singled off Wade and promptly gave up another two-run homer to pinch-hitter Matt Stairs, the veteran's first career postseason homer. Brad Lidge then came in and pitched his first save of 2008 that consisted of more than three outs, his 49th consecutive save.


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California


2008 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Dodgers fans were psyched for a possible comeback in Game 5, but Jimmy Rollins spoiled the party early with a leadoff homer off Chad Billingsley, who in his second bad outing of the series was knocked out of the game in the third inning after giving up three runs. The Phillies added two more runs when Rafael Furcal committed three errors (two on the same play) in the fifth inning. Manny Ramírez, in another strong performance, did manage to bring the Dodger Stadium crowd to life with a home run in the sixth inning. However, the Dodgers never threatened after that, and the Phillies won the series in five games and their first pennant since 1993. Winning pitcher Cole Hamels was named the series MVP after winning both of his starts with a 1.93 ERA.


2008 National League Division Series
The 2008 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2008 National League playoffs, began on Wednesday, October 1 and ended on Sunday, October 5, with the champions of the three NL divisions and one wild card team participating in two best-of-five series. They were:


2008 National League Division Series
The underdog Dodgers swept the Cubs to advance to the NLCS, while the Phillies defeated the Brewers three games to one. The series marked the first postseason series victory for the Dodgers since winning the 1988 World Series, and the first such victory for the Phillies since the 1993 NLCS.


2008 National League Division Series
The Phillies defeated the Dodgers for the National League championship, and went on to win the 2008 World Series, defeating the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays in five games.


2008 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. Los Angeles, Game 1
The Dodgers swiped Game 1 from the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mark DeRosa gave the Cubs an early lead in the second inning with an opposite-field two-run home run, but Derek Lowe settled in afterward by going six innings while three relievers held the Cubs scoreless over the last three innings. Ryan Dempster pitched four shutout innings, allowing two hits and four walks, but in the fifth, allowed three walks to load the bases for the Dodgers before James Loney's grand slam put them ahead 4–2. Manny Ramírez's home run in the seventh off Sean Marshall made it 5–2 Dodgers. Next inning, Blake DeWitt hit a leadoff double off Jeff Samardzija and scored on Casey Blake's single. In the ninth, Russell Martin's lead off home run off Jason Marquis made it 7–2 Dodgers. Greg Maddux pitched a scoreless bottom half as the Dodgers took a 1–0 series lead.


2008 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. Los Angeles, Game 2
The Dodgers struck first with a five-run second off Carlos Zambrano. After leadoff singles by Andre Ethier and James Loney, two one-out errors allowed one run to score and load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, Rafael Furcal's RBI single made it 2–0 Dodgers, then Russell Martin cleared the bases with a double. All five runs scored were unearned. Manny Ramírez' second home run in the series in the fifth, his record-stretching 26th postseason dinger, extended the Dodgers' lead to 6–0. In the seventh, Ramirez walked off Zambrano, who was relieved by Neal Cotts.


2008 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. Los Angeles, Game 2
After a walk and forceout, Matt Kemp's RBI double made it 7–0 Dodgers. Chad Billingsley pitched 6+2⁄3 innings, allowing one run in the seventh on back-to-back two-out doubles by Mark DeRosa and Jim Edmonds. In the eighth, RBI singles by Furcal and Ramirez off Carlos Marmol made it 9–1 Dodgers. Next inning, Juan Pierre reached second on a two-out error off Kerry Wood, the Cubs' fourth of the game and one by each starting infielder, before Casey Blake's RBI single made it 10–1 Dodgers. In the bottom of the inning, Takashi Saito allowed a leadoff double and single before DeRosa's two-run double made it 10–3 Dodgers. Jonathan Broxton in relief walked Felix Pie before retiring the next three batters to end the game and give the Dodgers a 2–0 series lead.


2008 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. Los Angeles, Game 3
Before a sellout crowd in Dodger Stadium, Russell Martin doubled, then took third on a base hit by Manny Ramírez in the bottom of the first despite a risky baserunning move that almost killed the momentum. Replays showed Martin was out, but the third base umpire ruled it safe. James Loney then stroked a double to right field off Rich Harden to score them both. Martin's RBI double after a walk in the fifth extended the Dodgers' lead to 3–0.


2008 National League Division Series, Chicago vs. Los Angeles, Game 3
It proved to be all the offense the Dodgers needed, as Hiroki Kuroda was locked in, hurling shutout ball into the sixth; the first 11 outs he recorded were all ground ball outs before he struck out Rich Harden to end the fourth. Cory Wade gave up a run on a pinch-hit Daryle Ward single in the top of the eighth after a leadoff double by Derrek Lee, but Jonathan Broxton took over and earned his first career postseason save by striking out Alfonso Soriano to complete the sweep. The Cubs suffered their ninth consecutive post-season loss and second consecutive sweep.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 1
Phillies ace Cole Hamels pitched eight shutout innings of two-hit ball while striking out nine to give the Phillies their first playoff victory since Game 5 of the 1993 World Series. Yovani Gallardo gave up three runs, none earned, while walking five. All three runs came in the third on Chase Utley's two-run double after a single and error by Rickie Weeks, then three consecutive walks forced in another run. Brad Lidge got his first save of the postseason, allowing one run (on Ryan Braun's double after a Ray Durham single) and runners to advance to second and third with one out, before striking out Prince Fielder and Corey Hart to end the game.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 2
A crowd of 46,208, the largest in the five-year history of Citizens Bank Park, came out to watch Brett Myers pitch seven innings giving up two hits and two runs while striking out four and walking three to lead the Phillies to victory, giving them their first 2–0 playoff series lead since the 1980 World Series against the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers in the first loaded the bases with one out on a double and two walks. A walk to J.J. Hardy forced in a run, but Corey Hart hit into an inning-ending double play.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 2
CC Sabathia pitched 3+2⁄3 innings on three days' rest giving up all five runs in the second inning. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz tied the game. Myers had the key AB for the Phillies as he stretched the AB from a 1–2 count into a walk. It unnerved Sabathia and, after another walk loaded the bases, Shane Victorino's grand slam gave the Phillies the lead. It was the first postseason grand slam in Phillies history.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 2
The Brewers scored one more run in the seventh when Hardy hit a leadoff double, moved to third on a fly out and scored on Craig Counsell's groundout. Ryan Braun's eighth inning single off Ryan Madson was the Brewers' only other hit of the game. Brad Lidge retired the side in order in the ninth inning for his second save in as many games in the playoffs.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 3
With their backs against the proverbial wall, the Brewers sent out Dave Bush to quiet the Phillies in the first ever postseason game at Miller Park. His offense picked him up early, however, taking some pressure off with two runs in the bottom of the first when two walks and a wild pitch by Jamie Moyer put runners on second and third with one out, then a sacrifice fly by Prince Fielder, scoring Mike Cameron, and J.J. Hardy's RBI single made it 2–0 Brewers.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 3
Their struggling bullpen held the door closed after Bush's departure, giving up no runs in 3+2⁄3 innings. The Brewers added to their lead in the fifth when Cameron was hit by a pitch by Clay Condrey, moved to third on a single and scored on Ryan Braun's sacrifice fly. The Phillies scored their only run of the game when Jayson Werth hit a leadoff triple off Dave Bush and scored on Ryan Howard's groundout off Mitch Stetter.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 3
After failing to score with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, the Brewers tacked onto their lead on Jason Kendall's RBI single in the seventh off Scott Eyre with two on. Salomón Torres was in a jam in the ninth, with the bases loaded and nobody out, but a double play that should've scored a run didn't because Shane Victorino did not slide into second base, and interference was called. Torres pitched out of the jam, and the Brew Crew won their first post-season game since Game 5 of the 1982 World Series.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 4
Brewers fans got thundersticks as they entered Miller Park for Game 4, but the real thunder was supplied by the Phillies' bats, winning their first post-season series since the 1993 NLCS  with Jimmy Rollins leading off the game on the sixth pitch off Jeff Suppan with a solo home run, then in the third inning with Pat Burrell (three-run) and Jayson Werth (solo) hitting back-to-back home runs. Joe Blanton struck out seven in six innings of one-run, five hit ball, the only run coming in the seventh on Prince Fielder's home run.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 4
Burrell hit his second home run of the game in the eighth off Guillermo Mota. The Brewers got a run in the bottom half when Mike Cameron singled with one out off Ryan Madson, moved to second on defensive indifference and scored on Ryan Braun's single, but Brad Lidge again pitched the final inning to close the game, although it was not a save situation as the Phillies advanced to the NLCS with a 6–2 win.


2008 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, Game 4
Burrell became only the second Phillies hitter in their history to hit two home runs in a playoff game, the other being Lenny Dykstra. He is also only the fifth National League player to hit two home runs in a series clinching game, joining Steve Garvey (1974 NLCS), Johnny Bench (1976 World Series), Fred McGriff (1995 NLDS), and Carlos Beltrán (2004 NLDS).


2008 National League One
This article contains information on rugby league played in the UK at semi-professional level in 2008. For general information on the National Leagues, see Rugby League Championships. For other leagues in 2008, see Rugby league in 2008.


2008 National League One, National League One, Playoffs
Salford City Reds win promotion to the Super League 2009.


2008 National League Two
2008 National League Two was a semi-professional rugby league football competition played in the United Kingdom, the third tier of the sport in the country. The winner of this league was promoted to renamed Championship (formerly National League 1). There is no relegation from this league as it is the lowest tier of professional rugby league in the UK.


2008 National People's Congress
The 1st Session of the 11th National People's Congress held its annual meeting from March 5 to March 18, 2008 in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in conjunction with the 2008 CPPCC.


2008 National People's Congress
The 10-day plenum elected China's new government leaders. Up for confirmation for a second term were President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. The State Council went through important personnel and structural changes following the 17th Party Congress. Zeng Qinghong's Vice-Presidency came to an end and the position was taken by Xi Jinping. Three new Vice-Premiers were confirmed and took office, with rising star Li Keqiang ranking first in this group.


2008 National People's Congress, Government Report
Premier Wen Jiabao delivered the government report on March 5, 2008, reviewing the work from the past five years. The main points that come out of the report were


2008 National People's Congress, State Council Reform
A massive reform took place in China's cabinet, the State Council of the People's Republic of China. Several ministries were consolidated to form super ministries. The several "superministries"


2008 National People's Congress, State Council Reform
The state council will also create the National Energy Commission which will oversee national energy strategy, security and development. While the National Development and Reform Commission will continue to control the administration and regulation of the energy sector.


2008 National People's Congress, State Council Reform
The State Food and Drug Administration will be incorporated and come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health. Therefore, the Health ministry will take over the responsibility for food and drug safety.


2008 National People's Congress, State Council Reform
The People's Bank of China will increase its coordination role between all the financial executive agencies, namely the National Development and Reform Commission and the Finance ministry.


2008 National People's Congress, Premier's Press Conference
Premier Wen Jiabao held a press conference on March 18, 2008. He introduced the new Vice-Premiers, Li Keqiang, Hui Liangyu, Zhang Dejiang and Wang Qishan. Wen addressed the direction of the government in the next five years. He also addressed the ongoing Tibetan protests. Wen asserted that the Dalai Lama was "masterminding" the protests in Tibet. Wen said that 2008 could be a very difficult year for the Chinese economy because of both international and domestic reasons.


2008 National People's Congress election in Hong Kong
The election for the Hong Kong deputies to the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) was held on 25 January 2008. 36 Hong Kong deputies were elected by an electoral college composed of 1,231 members.


2008 National People's Congress election in Hong Kong, Background
Chinese citizens who are residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be entitled to participate in the management of state affairs according to law. In accordance with the assigned number of seats and the selection method specified by the National People's Congress, the Chinese citizens among the residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall locally elect deputies of the Region to the National People's Congress to participate in the work of the highest organ of state power.


2008 National People's Congress election in Hong Kong, Overview
The election took place at the second plenary meeting of the 11th National People's Congress election meeting on 25 January. It was attended by National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) vice-chairman Sheng Huaren and presided by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen as executive chairman of the 19-member presidium.


2008 National People's Congress election in Hong Kong, Overview
9 incumbent delegates decided to step down including Allen Lee Peng-fei, Tsang Tak-sing, Sik Chi-wai and Tsang Hin-chi and member of the NPCSC Ng Hong-mun. It attracted new faces such as Executive Councillors Laura Cha Shih May-lung and Bernard Charnwut Chan, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Ian Fok Chun-wan, former chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Michael Tien Puk-sun and former Secretary for Education and Manpower Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun. There were also three pan-democrats, James To Kun-sun and Mak Hoi-wah of the Democratic Party and Frederick Fung Kin-kee of the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood.


2008 National People's Congress election in Hong Kong, Overview
1,169 of the 1,231 electoral college members cast their votes. Each elector had to choose 36 candidates. The top 36 candidates in the ballot, as long as they receive more than 50 per cent support, would be elected. 36 of the 52 candidates were elected while 7 candidates were elected as supplementary deputies. 2 incumbents, Philip Wong Yu-hong and David Chu Yu-lin failed to retain their seats in surprise.


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season
The 2008 National Pro Fastpitch season was the fifth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for  the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events
The Chicago Bandits started their first season in Elgin, Illinois at Judson University. The original plans were for the Bandits to play at Judson temporarily while a potential $5 million softball stadium was built nearby. Those plans did not come to fruition, and the Bandits eventually moved to a new ballpark in Rosemont, Illinois for 2011.


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events, Team NPF and Bound-4-Beijing Tour
As part of the USA Softball Team Bound 4 Beijing Tour in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, two games were scheduled between the US Olympic softball team and a team of NPF All-Stars. The announced roster for Team NPF was:


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events, Team NPF and Bound-4-Beijing Tour
NPF veterans  Monica Abbott, Cat Osterman, Kelly Kretschman, Vicky Galindo and Jennie Finch were on the Olympic team roster. Team NPF was coached by Oklahoma head softball coach Patty Gasso and private instructor Cindy Bristow. Bristow was head coach and assistant general manager of the Georgia Pride, which later became the Florida Wahoos, a team in the WPSL.


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events, Team NPF and Bound-4-Beijing Tour
The Olympic team beat Team NPF in both games, on June 6 by a score of 10-8 and on June 14 by a score of 6-0.


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events, Team NPF and Bound-4-Beijing Tour
On the same tour, the US Olympic team beat the Washington Glory 2-0 on May 10, and beat the Akron Racers 6-2 on July 22.


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season, Player acquisition, College draft
The 2008 NPF Senior Draft was held February 18, 2008 via conference call. First-Team All-American pitcher Katie Burkhart of Arizona State was selected first by the Philadelphia Force.


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season, League standings
In each NPF team's 48-game schedule were games against international teams, which counted in the standings. Chinese Taipei, Venezuela, Canada and the Netherlands each played at least two series against NPF teams.


2008 National Pro Fastpitch season, NPF Championship
The 2008 NPF Championship Series was held at Sunset Point Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin August 21-4. The top four teams qualified and were seeded based on the final standings. The series matched the teams up in a double-elimination bracket.


2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The 43rd National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 3 January 2009, honored the best in film for 2008.


2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Director
1. Mike Leigh – Happy-Go-Lucky2. Gus Van Sant – Milk and Paranoid Park3. Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire


2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actor
1. Sean Penn – Milk2. Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler3. Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino


2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actress
1. Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky2. Melissa Leo – Frozen River3. Michelle Williams – Wendy and Lucy


2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actor
1. Eddie Marsan – Happy-Go-Lucky2. Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight3. Josh Brolin – Milk


2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actress
1. Hanna Schygulla – The Edge of Heaven (Auf der anderen Seite)2. Viola Davis – Doubt3. Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona