2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, July
The Rays went into the All-Star break with a 7-game losing streak. They had won 7 straight before then. The losing streak caused the Rays to fall to 2nd place in the AL East, but by only half a game behind the Boston Red Sox. Even though the Rays lost the division lead, they still led the Wild Card spot by 2+1⁄2 games.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, July
Barely managing a winning record for the month of July at 13–12, the Rays nonetheless went into August with the AL East division lead having an overall record of 63–44.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, July
Despite many rumors and reports that the Rays would make a deal before the July 31 trade deadline, the Rays made no trades. Andrew Friedman, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Rays, commented on the lack of trade activity saying, "At the end of the day we didn't find something that lined up for us. We're in first place on July 31 and we control our own destiny. I feel we have the talent on hand to continue to do what we did the first two-thirds of the season."


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
The Rays acquired relief pitcher Chad Bradford on August 8 from the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later. To make room for Bradford on the roster, relief pitcher Al Reyes, who was the Rays' closer from the 2007 season and had 26 saves in that role, was designated for assignment.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
On August 9, against the Seattle Mariners, the Rays equaled their franchise record, set in 2004, of 70 wins in a season. The following day, the Rays won again meaning at the season's conclusion, the Rays will have won more games in one season than in any other season in franchise history.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
The injury bug bit the Rays a few times in August. On August 3, Shortstop Jason Bartlett was hit by a pitch on his right index finger, the result of a failed bunt attempt. Bartlett was not placed on the Disabled List but missed several days before returning to the lineup as the designated hitter. He did not return to his position in the field until August 15. Left fielder Carl Crawford was placed on the disabled lst on August 10, with a hand injury.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
Crawford's injury was called by the Rays as a "tendon subluxation" in the middle finger of his right hand, simply meaning that the tendon is not in its normal position. Crawford opted to have surgery, deciding not to place a splint on his hand instead. An initial report stated that there was a possibility that Crawford could miss the rest of the season, but after it was announced that he would undergo surgery, he was reported to "likely, though not absolutely" miss the rest of the regular season.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
One day after placing Crawford on the Disabled List, the Rays place third baseman Evan Longoria on it as well, retroactive to August 8. The injury to Longoria's right hand, suffered from being hit by a pitch, was at first thought to be just a bruise, but turned out to be a fracture. Executive Vice President, Andrew Friedman, stated that Longoria was expected to be out for three weeks. Closer Troy Percival was removed from another game on August 14, because of a right knee sprain which he suffered from fielding a bunt and tagging the runner out.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
After further evaluation, it was reported that there was "cartilage involvement" in Percival's injury, but it was not a tear. The following day, Percival was once again placed on the Disabled List. When the announcement was made that he would not have surgery, Percival revealed that he may return sooner than expected.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
Because of Crawford's injury, Rocco Baldelli was finally activated to take his place on the roster. On August 10, Baldelli started the day's game in right field, his first major league game since May 15, 2007.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
On August 29, the Rays recorded their 82nd win of the season, needing just 133 games to reach the milestone, and thus clinching the first winning season in franchise history.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
By the end of the month, the Rays' entire starting rotation, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine, and James Shields, had recorded at least 10 wins.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
On the last day in August, shortstop Jason Bartlett hit his first home run as a member of the Rays, and his first home run overall since August 27, 2007, spanning 471 at-bats.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, August
Despite the injuries to Longoria, Crawford, and Percival, the Rays had the best single month in franchise history, going 21–7 for the month of August. With an 84–51 overall record, the Rays went into September with the best record in baseball, with a 5+1⁄2-game lead in the division, and eyeing their first playoff appearance in franchise history. As Jason Bartlett stated, the Rays were "pumped" for the final month of the season, "no one wants to play us, especially at home," and the team was determined to prove that they were a legitimate post-season contender.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
Troy Percival was activated from the disabled list on September 2. In Toronto for his second outing since his return, he allowed a walk-off grand slam with two outs when the Rays were ahead by a single run and in position to win the game in extra innings. Against Boston during another extra inning game, Percival came in to close with a three-run lead and allowed the first three batters to reach base.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
He was removed from the game in favor of Jason Hammel, who had never recorded a save at the MLB level, and was the only remaining reliever available for the Rays in the game due to its length. Hammel converted the save opportunity, but many questioned if Percival should remain as the team's closer. The reason for Percival's removal from the game against Boston was a stiff back, and not for the game's situation, or for any sort of leg injury that had plagued him throughout the year.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
Percival stated that because of warming up multiple times throughout the game, only to not come in until the Rays took a lead, was what pained his back. Percival acknowledged that he knew he didn't feel well, and that he should have called for his own removal, but decided that with the lead the Rays had, he was able to get the job done. As a result of the game, the Rays decided to not use Percival too often on consecutive nights, and using him in a tie game if the situation of the game changes while he is warming up. He still was listed as the team's closer.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
Instant Replay made its debut in Major League Baseball at Tropicana Field on September 3 after Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees hit a ball near the left-field foul pole that was initially ruled a home run by third base umpire Brian Runge. Rays manager Joe Maddon argued that the ball was foul and asked for a review. After a conversation among the umpires, though all agreed the play was ruled correctly, crew chief Charlie Reliford allowed the replay to take place and after review, upheld the home run call.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
On September 19 at Tropicana Field, instant replay overturned a call on the field for the first time ever in Major League Baseball. A fly ball hit by Rays' first baseman Carlos Peña, the umpires ruled, was interfered with by a fan sitting in the front row of the stands, when the ball hit the hands of the fan and fell back onto the field of play. After Joe Maddon requested the umpires hold a conference to discuss the play, the umpires, headed by Gerry Davis, decided to look at instant replay. Just over four minutes later, Davis returned to the field and signaled that the ball was a home run.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
David Price, the Rays' first overall pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, was called up from Triple-A class Durham on September 12. Price made his way up through the ranks, accumulating a 12–1 record, and a 2.30 ERA in 19 starts. He made his first career start against the Baltimore Orioles on September 22, pitching 5+1⁄3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs (one earned), while striking out three, but did not pick up a decision in the Rays 4–2 win that night.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
Third baseman Evan Longoria made his return to the Rays as a starter on September 13 in the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees, more than a month after being hit by a pitch in his hand, causing a fracture.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
On September 18, it was reported that left fielder Carl Crawford would miss the rest of the regular season due to a finger injury suffered in the previous month. Joe Maddon stated that the concern was over Crawford's inability to swing a bat, and that if he were to be used at all before being completely healed, it would be for defense and baserunning. Crawford said that if the Rays were to make the ALCS or the World Series, he had a chance to come back.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
On September 20, the Rays clinched their first playoff berth in franchise history, after a 7–2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. On September 24, St. Petersburg mayor Rick Baker declared 2008 the "Year of the Rays" in the city. On September 26, despite losing that day, the Rays clinched their first ever AL East Division Championship when the Boston Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
Going 13–14 for the month, the Rays suffered their only losing month of the season.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, September
The Rays finished the regular season 2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the division championship with a 97–65 record, the third best record in the league, and 31 games better than their finish in the 2007 season. They also surpassed the record for most wins by a team in a single season having finished with the worst record in the previous year, set by the Atlanta Braves in 1991 who went 94–68 after finishing 65–97 in 1990.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
The Rays began their first playoff run in franchise history against the AL Central division champion Chicago White Sox, who finished the regular season 89–74 and advanced to the playoffs after defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to decide the winner of their division. In the regular season, the Rays were 5–2 against the White Sox. The Rays had home-field advantage for the series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
On September 30, it was announced that Carl Crawford would start for the Rays in his regular left field position, his first start in nearly two months after injuring his right hand and undergoing surgery thereafter.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
In Game 1, Rays first baseman Carlos Peña started the game, but left after his first at-bat after reportedly having blurry vision because of an eye injury suffered at his home the previous night. Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit a solo home run in the 2nd inning on the first pitch of his first career post-season at-bat, giving the Rays the early one-run lead. White Sox left fielder DeWayne Wise hit a 3-run home run in the next inning to put Chicago ahead 3–1.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
The Rays came back in the bottom half of the 3rd inning with three runs of their own, including another home run by Longoria, putting the Rays back on top 4–3. Two more RBI singles in the 5th inning gave the Rays a 6–3 cushion. In the 7th inning, Rays relief pitcher Grant Balfour appeared to get into an argument with White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera. After Balfour's first pitch to Cabrera, which was a ball to Cabrera's far side, Cabrera kicked some dirt in Balfour's direction.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
Balfour, who is known to get fired up by shouting to himself, may have yelled something that Cabrera took offense too. After words were exchanged between the two, play continued and Balfour finished the at-bat by striking out Cabrera. Cabrera later stated that he was unaware of Balfour's tendency to pump himself up, and that "it was just heat of the moment." Dan Wheeler came in to close for the Rays in the 9th inning. After giving up a leadoff home run, he retired the next three batters, capping off a 6–4 win for the Rays in their first playoff game in franchise history, giving them a one-game lead in the 5-game series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
Peña was expected to start Game 2, but was scratched before the first pitch. Still, the Rays continued to shine. After starter Scott Kazmir allowed the bases to become loaded in the 1st inning, and gave up two runs to put the Rays in an early hole, the pitching staff did not allow another run as the Rays' offense came through strong for the second consecutive night. In the 2nd inning, Dioner Navarro cut the deficit to 2–1 on an RBI single. Akinori Iwamura hit a 2-run home run in the 5th inning to put the Rays ahead 3–2.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
Adding some insurance runs in the 8th inning from three RBI singles by Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, and Navarro, the Rays had a comfortable 6–2 lead going into the final inning. Chad Bradford came in to finish the game off, and did so by striking out Jim Thome of the White Sox to give the Rays a commanding two games to none lead in the best-of-five series, with a chance to win their first ever playoff series, and a trip to the ALCS in Game 3 as the series moved to Chicago.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
The Rays looked to be in shape to win the series early in Game 3, after Akinori Iwamura hit an infield single to bring in the game's first run, but starter Matt Garza allowed the White Sox to tie the game in the 3rd inning, and then take a 4–1 lead in the 4th inning. Juan Uribe of the White Sox added an RBI single in the 6th inning to increase the lead for Chicago.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
B.J. Upton hit a 2-run home run for the Rays in the 7th inning to make the game a bit closer, but the Rays could not get their bats going enough. The White Sox took Game 3 by a final score of 5–3, living to play another day only down two games to one in the series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
In Game 4, B.J. Upton hit two solo home runs in his first two at-bats which gave the Rays an early 2–0 lead. Cliff Floyd added an RBI double, followed by a Dioner Navarro RBI single in the 4th inning put the Rays ahead by 4 runs. Paul Konerko put the White Sox on the board with a solo home run in the 4th inning, but was answered in the 5th inning by a Carlos Peña single that scored one run, giving the Rays a 5–1 lead.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox
Jermaine Dye had a solo home run in the 6th inning, but once again the Rays answered back with another RBI single by Peña in the 7th inning. Grant Balfour came in to close the game and struck out Ken Griffey, Jr. to end the game, and in their first playoff series in franchise history, the Rays took the series three games to one, and advanced to the American League Championship Series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
The Rays' next round opponent was their division rivals, the Boston Red Sox. Boston won the American League wild card, and advanced to the ALCS by defeating the team who had finished the regular season with the best record in baseball, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, three games to one in their ALDS series. The Rays won the season series against the Red Sox 10–8. In those 18 games, the visiting team won only three times.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
In Game 1 neither team scored until the 5th inning when Jed Lowrie of the Red Sox hit a sacrifice fly that scored a run from third base. Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka held a no-hitter through six innings until a hit by Carl Crawford leading off the 7th inning. Following Crawford's base hit, Cliff Floyd singled, advancing Crawford to a scoring position. However, the Rays could not capitalize as the next three batters were retired to end the inning.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
In the 8th inning, Kevin Youkilis hit a fly ball to left field for the Red Sox, which went off the end of Carl Crawford's glove, scoring Dustin Pedroia from first base and giving the Red Sox a 2–0 lead. The 8th inning for the Rays saw the first two batter reach base to send Carlos Peña to the plate with none out. With three balls and no strikes, Rays manager Joe Maddon gave Pena the green light to swing away, a move which backfired as Peña flew out to right field. Evan Longoria then grounded into an inning ending double play. The Red Sox held on to their lead and shut out the Rays by a score of 2–0, taking the first game of the series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
While the first game of the series was a pitchers' duel, Game 2 was the exact opposite. The scoring opened up quickly, as the Red Sox put on a 2-out rally against Rays starter Scott Kazmir in the 1st inning from a Jason Bay double that scored Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz to put the Red Sox up 2–0. The Rays answered in their half of the 1st inning off Red Sox starter Josh Beckett, with a 2-out home run by Evan Longoria which also brought in Carlos Peña, evening the game at 2–2.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia hit a solo home run to left field in the 3rd inning, which was again answered by the Rays with B.J. Upton hitting a solo home run of his own to left field to tie the game back up at 3–3. Carl Crawford hit a single to score Evan Longoria, and the Rays took their first lead of the night at 4–3. Cliff Floyd went deep to center field in the 4th inning to give the Rays a 5–3 lead.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox hit three solo home runs in the 5th inning, including Dustin Pedroia for his second long ball of the night, Kevin Youkilis, and Jason Bay, respectively, putting the Red Sox back on top at 6–5. The Rays also scored three separate times in the 5th inning, off of a single from Carlos Peña, a double by Evan Longoria, and a single by Carl Crawford, retaking the lead at 8–6. The Red Sox did not go away quietly as Jason Bay hit a bases-loaded single to center field and cut the Rays' lead to 8–7.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
With Dan Wheeler in to pitch for the Rays in the 8th, a wild pitch scored Dustin Pedroia from third base to again tie the game at 8–8. The game went extra innings, where in the 11th inning, and Dan Wheeler still pitching for the Rays, walked a batter with one out, and rookie David Price came in for the Rays. Price walked the first batter he faced but stuck out Mark Kotsay, and was able to get Coco Crisp to ground into a force out at second base.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
For the Rays in the 11th inning, Dioner Navarro walked to lead off, and Fernando Perez came in to pinch run. Ben Zobrist then walked, and a ground out by Jason Bartlett advanced the runners. The Red Sox intentionally walked Akinori Iwamura to set up a double play chance, but B.J. Upton hit a fly ball to right field deep enough to score Fernando Perez from third base on a sacrifice fly, ending the game in the Rays' favor 9–8, knotting the series at one game each as the series shifted to Fenway Park for the next three games. The time that the game took to complete was 5 hours and 27 minutes.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Game 3 did play out very well for the Rays. Red Sox starter Jon Lester threw four pitches in the 1st inning, but gave up one run in the 2nd inning to put his team in an early hole. In the 3rd inning, the Rays distanced themselves from their opponents. B.J. Upton hit a 3-run home run, and two batters later, Evan Longoria added a solo home run to put the Rays up 5–0 in Boston.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Rays starter Matt Garza held the Red Sox scoreless until a sacrifice fly scored a run in the 7th inning, the Rays still having a 5–1 advantage. Rocco Baldelli and Carlos Peña put the final nails in the Red Sox' coffin as far as Game 3 was concerned, Baldelli with a 3-run home run, and Peña with a solo shot in the 8th and 9th innings, respectively. The Rays won 9–1, taking a two games to one lead in the series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
It was more of the same for Tampa Bay in Game 4, jumping out to a 3–0 lead in the 1st inning on Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield with a 2-run home run by Carlos Peña, immediately followed by a solo home run by Evan Longoria. Willy Aybar added a 2-run home run of his own in the 3rd inning to make it 5–0. Kevin Cash put the Red Sox on the board in the bottom half of the 3rd inning with a solo home run.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
The Rays however, were not finished with their offensive explosion, putting together a lead of 11–1 through six innings. The Red Sox scored a run in the 8th inning, causing Rays manager Joe Maddon to pull starter Andy Sonnanstine. Both teams scored two runs in the 8th inning, but the Rays' lead proved to be insurmountable for the Red Sox, and they won by a final score of 13–4.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Game 5, for the longest time, looked as if it was going to be the clinching win for the Rays. B.J. Upton hit a two-run home run in the 1st inning to make it 2–0. Carlos Peña hit one of his own in the 3rd inning, immediately followed by a home run by Evan Longoria, giving the Rays a 5–0 lead. Upton double in the 7th inning, scoring two more runs, increasing the lead to 7–0.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
In the bottom half of the 7th inning, with Rays starter Scott Kazmir having been removed from the game by manager Joe Maddon, the Red Sox began to rally. Boston scored four runs in that inning via a Dustin Pedroia RBI single, and a 3-run home run by David Ortiz which cut the Rays' lead to 7–4. With the Rays' bats quiet in the 8th inning, J. D. Drew hit a 2-run home run to bring the Red Sox within one run, and Coco Crisp singled home the tying run to make the score even at 7–7.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
In the 9th inning, with the score still tied and two out, Kevin Youkilis hit a ground ball to Rays third baseman Evan Longoria who made an errant throw which allowed Youkilis to advance to second base.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
After an intentional walk issued by the Rays, J. D. Drew came up big for Boston once again, sailing a fly ball over the head of right fielder Gabe Gross which fell to the ground and then bounced over the right field wall, scoring Youkilis on the ground rule double and capping off the largest comeback by a team facing elimination in postseason history. The Rays series lead was now down to only one game heading into Game 6, but returned home as the series shifted back to Tropicana Field.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Game 6 began well for the Rays, with B.J. Upton continuing his postseason emergence with a solo home run in the 1st inning and giving the Rays the first lead of the night. The Red Sox returned that with a solo home run by Kevin Youkilis, leveling the score at 1–1. Youkilis gave the Red Sox the lead in the 3rd inning by grounding out, but scoring Dustin Pedroia from third base. In the 5th inning, Jason Bartlett hit his second home run of the entire season, another solo shot which tied the game at 2–2.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Again, Boston quickly answered back, with a solo home run by captain Jason Varitek, his first base hit of the ALCS, Boston now having a 3–2 lead. Later in the inning, Coco Crisp singled, and in the next at-bat, Jason Bartlett committed a throwing error to First Base, allowing Crisp to advance to third base. David Ortiz then hit a single to give the Red Sox a 4–2 cushion, having scored Crisp. The Rays were unable to make a comeback, and lost the game by that score, their series lead now erased as a Game 7 had to be played to decide the series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
The starting pitchers of Game 7 were Jon Lester of the Red Sox, and Matt Garza of the Rays, a rematch of Game 3. Lester, who was the losing pitcher in Game 3, had never lost consecutive outings in his career. Dustin Pedroia wasted no time, homering off of Garza in the 1st inning for the early 1–0 lead in favor of Boston. After that, Garza was almost unhittable until his departure. Lester was also great early, retiring the first nine batters he faced before allowing a single in the 4th inning.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Later in the inning, Evan Longoria dropped a double into right field, and scored Carlos Peña all the way from 1st Base to tie the game at 1–1. Rocco Baldelli knocked a single into left field in the 5th inning, scoring Willy Aybar from second base and putting the Rays ahead for the first time in the game, 2–1.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
With one out the 6th inning for the Red Sox, with Dustin Pedroia on first base and David Ortiz at the plate, Matt Garza was able to get "Big Papi" to swing and miss for the strikeout, and Dioner Navarro gunned down Pedroia at second base, who was attempting to steal on the pitch, ending that half of the inning. Willy Aybar belt a solo home run for the Rays in the 7th inning to give them a slightly more comfortable lead at 3–1.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Garza was removed with one out in the 8th inning, having allowed only two hits and striking out nine batters, and receiving a standing ovation from Rays fans at the game as he left the field. The defending world champion Red Sox did not go away though, loading the bases in that inning. Joe Maddon elected to go with rookie David Price in hopes of ending the threat. Price did just that by striking out J. D. Drew on a check swing.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, American League Championship Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
Price returned to close out the game in the 9th inning, and after two strikeouts and a walk, Jed Lowrie hit a ground ball to Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura, who stepped on second base to make the final out and send the Tampa Bay Rays to their first World Series in franchise history, defeating the Boston Red Sox four games to three. Garza, who had won two games in the series, was named ALCS MVP.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Rays now stood only four wins from their first world championship, with only the Phillies in their way. Philadelphia won the NL East division title, disposed of the Milwaukee Brewers in their division series in four games, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS in five games. The Rays had home field advantage because of the American League's win in the 2008 All-Star Game.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
In Game 1, Rays starting pitcher Scott Kazmir did not get off to a good start to the Rays' first ever World Series game, giving up a 2-run home run to the Phillies' Chase Utley in the 1st inning. The Rays had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the 3rd inning with the bases loaded and one out, but did not score as B.J. Upton hit into a double play. The Phillies added another run in the 4th inning on an RBI groundout, jumping out to a 3–0 lead.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Carl Crawford the longest tenured Ray on the team's roster, gave the Rays their first run in World Series history, by hitting a solo home run off of Phillies' starter Cole Hamels in the 4th inning, cutting the deficit of 3–1. In the 5th inning, Akinori Iwamura hit an RBI double to bring the Rays within one. The Rays were not able to put up any more offense, with the Phillies relief pitchers retiring the Rays' last six batters and winning the game 3–2, taking the first game of the series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Game 2, saw an impressive performance by the Rays' "Big Game James" Shields. In this game, it was the Rays taking a 2–0 lead in the 1st inning, on two consecutive RBI groundouts, each scoring a runner from third base. In the 3rd inning, B.J. Upton singled home Dioner Navarro, with Rocco Baldelli being thrown out at home plate after the score, giving the Rays a 3–0 lead. Shields was taken out of the game in the 6th inning after getting into a jam, but he did not give up any runs to the Phillies in the game.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
David Price eventually came into the game for the Rays in the 7th inning, and allowed the Phillies to get on the scoreboard from a solo home run by pinch-hitter Eric Bruntlett to make the score 4–1 with the Rays still ahead. Price finished the game, with the Phillies making it interesting by scoring a runner from second base because of an error by Rays' third baseman Evan Longoria, who deflected the ball into shallow left field. Already with one out, Price then struck out Chase Utley, and retired Ryan Howard on a groundout to end the game and give the Rays the 4–2 win. The series moved to Philadelphia and Citizens Bank Park, tied at one game for each team.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
With the start of Game 3 delayed by rain for an hour and 31 minutes, the series finally resumed in Philadelphia just after 10 pm EST. Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher to start a World Series game, facing off against ALCS MVP Matt Garza. Philadelphia was on the board early, as Chase Utley was put out on a ground ball that scored a runner from third. The Rays evened the game at one run each in the 2nd inning as Gabe Gross flew out on a sacrifice fly.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies took back the back in the 2nd inning after a solo home run by Carlos Ruiz. The Phillies made it 4–1 in the 6th inning from back-to-back home runs by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Gabe Gross scored Carl Crawford by grounding out, and Jason Bartlett did the same to score Dioner Navarro during the next at-bat to make the score 4–3 Philadelphia. In the 8th inning for the Rays, B.J. Upton singled to reach base. During Evan Longoria's at-bat, Upton stole second base, and later steal third base in the same at-bat.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Trying to throw out Upton at third base, Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz made a throwing error which allowed Upton to score and tie the game at 4–4. The 9th inning went sour for the Rays defensively, as Phillies batter Eric Bruntlett was hit by a pitch. When Bruntlett attempted to steal second base, Rays catcher Dioner Navarro made a throwing error which allowed Bruntlett to advance to third base. The Rays intentionally walked the next two batters, which loaded the bases with no outs.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Carlos Ruiz hit a soft ground ball down the third base line, which was fielded cleanly by Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, but trying to toss to Navarro at home to make a forceout, sailed the throw over the catcher's head, and the winning run was scored by the Phillies to win the game 5–4, and take a two games to one series lead. Because of the game's late start, it was not completed until 1:47 am EST.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies scored in the 1st inning of Game 4 on a bases-loaded walk, and never looked back. Pedro Feliz drove in a run in the 3rd inning to make it a 2–0 Phillies lead. In the 4th inning, Carl Crawford hit a solo home run to cut the deficit in half to just one run for the Rays, but in the bottom half of the inning, Ryan Howard knocked a 3-run home run to make it a 5–1 game.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Eric Hinske hit a solo home run to make it 5–2, but Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton hit a solo home run of his own to make it 6–2. In the 8th inning for the Phillies, Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard each hit 2-run home runs, finishing off the Rays in the most one-sided game the series had seen by a score of 10–2. The Phillies now had the Rays on the ropes, needing just one more win to become World Champions.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Game 5 was perhaps the most interesting game of the series. The Phillies scored in the 1st inning again, on a bases-loaded single by Shane Victorino to make it 2–0. Evan Longoria scored Carlos Peña to make it a 2–1 game.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
At one point, it began to rain, and the weather conditions got worse as the game continued. There was much speculation, including that from Fox baseball commentators Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, that the game may be called early because of the weather. Major League Baseball rules state that the game could have been called after the 5th inning, ending the game and resulting in the Phillies winning the World Series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
MLB commissioner Bud Selig had made it clear to both teams prior to the game anyway, that the game was not going to be called early under any circumstance, as he would not allow such an important game like this to be ended before the 9th inning. However, such a controversy was prevented from happening because of the events on the field, when in the 6th inning, Carlos Peña scored B.J. Upton to tie the game at 2–2.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Following the completion of the top of the 6th inning, the tarps were pulled over the infield, and the game was delayed until 11:10 pm EST, when it was officially announced that the game was suspended, making it the first time ever for a World Series game. It was not resumed the next day, as it continued to rain in Philadelphia, but the day following that, the game resumed.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies had scored in the 1st inning in each game of the World Series in Philadelphia, and essentially did the same again as Jayson Werth singled on a pop up that scored a run in the bottom of the 6th inning to give the Phillies a 3–2 lead. Rocco Baldelli kept the Rays in it with a solo home run in the 7th inning to tie the game again.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summary, Postseason, World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Pedro Feliz answered that home run with an RBI single that ended up being the game winner, as Phillies closer Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske in the 9th inning to end the game. The Philadelphia Phillies had defeated the Rays four games to one to win their second World Series title, and first since 1980, and the first championship for the city of Philadelphia since the 76ers swept the 1983 NBA Finals. Cole Hamels was named MVP of the series.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Walk-off wins
A key component of the success of the Rays in 2008 was its ability to hang on late in games. The team took eleven walk-off victories in the 2008 regular season, and one in the postseason, four of which were home runs:


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Summer Concert Series
In March 2008, the Rays announced Tropicana Field would host seven Saturday night postgame concerts featuring various artists. One concert was added to the schedule later in the season. The Rays did not lose any of the eight games in which a concert followed.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays season, Player stats, Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts


2008 Tampa Bay Storm season
The 2008 Tampa Bay Storm season is the 22nd season for the American Arena Football League franchise, their 18th season in Tampa, Florida. The Storm were able to finish the season with an 8–8 record, but missed the playoffs due to losing a tiebreaker with the New Orleans VooDoo and New York Dragons, both teams finishing with the same record as the Storm. This was only the second time ever that the franchise had failed to make the playoffs, the first time being in 2006.


2008 Tamworth Borough Council election
The 2008 Tamworth Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Tamworth District Council in Staffordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2008 Tamworth Borough Council election, Background
Before the election the Conservatives held 23 seats, Labour had 6 and there was 1 independent councillor. 10 seats were being contested, with the Conservatives defending 8 and Labour 2. Among the councillors defending seats were the former Conservative council leader Ron Cook in Spittal ward and the Mayoress Mary Oates in Wilnecote. Labour would have needed to gain every Conservative seat that was being contested in order to deprive the Conservatives of a majority.


2008 Tamworth Borough Council election, Election result
The results in Tamworth were one of the first local election results to be declared and saw just one seat change hands. The Conservative party gained Galscote ward from the Labour to hold 24 seats, compared to 5 for Labour. Galscote was taken by Conservative, Nicola Annandale, who was the fiancee of the leader of the council Jeremy  Oates. Overall turnout was 29.97%.


2008 Tamworth Borough Council election, Election result
The Conservative leader of the council Jeremy Oates said that voters were "fed up of party politics and have voted on the delivery of services". However the Labour Member of Parliament for Tamworth, Brian Jenkins said that people had wanted "to give the Government a kicking" and that the election had been "all about national issues".


2008 Tanana Valley flood
The 2008 Tanana Valley flood or the 2008 Fairbanks flood was a flood in late July and early August 2008 that affected several rivers in the central portion of the American state of Alaska. The city of Fairbanks, Alaska saw high water levels, while the towns of Nenana, Salcha, and Old Minto received heavy damage. The Salcha River and Tanana River reached their second-highest levels since record-keeping began (the highest was during the 1967 Tanana Valley Flood), while the Chena River, which bisects Fairbanks, was kept below flood stage by the use of the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project.


2008 Tanana Valley flood
Several hundred homes were inundated by the flood in Fairbanks, Salcha, unincorporated Fairbanks North Star Borough, Nenana, and smaller villages, but due to early warnings from the National Weather Service, volunteer fire departments, and the borough's emergency contact system, no one was injured. The area affected by the flood was declared a state disaster area, making residents whose homes were flooded eligible for state aid. The long-term effects of the flood, including its effect on the salmon spawning season, are as yet unknown.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Background
The summer of 2008 was an unusually wet one for central Alaska. In June, the National Weather Service recorded 2.1 inches (53 mm) of precipitation at the Fairbanks International Airport—the most in that month since June 1994, and 0.68 inches (17 mm) above average. By July 27, 1.47 inches of rain had fallen in July. This was slightly below the average for the month at that time (1.49 inches), but the year-to-date rainfall total was still one and two-thirds inches above normal.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Background
The next day, July 28, 1.14 inches of rain fell in Fairbanks, setting a single-day Fairbanks rainfall total for that date, with heavier amounts measured east of the town. Scattered locations between Salcha and Delta Junction received up to four inches of precipitation. On the 29th, another 0.77 inches of rain fell in Fairbanks—another record for the date—and again, locations outside of the town received greater amounts. Just 0.14 inches of rain fell on the 30th, but on the 31st, 0.6 inches fell.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Background
This amount was not a record for the date, but it brought the overall rainfall total in Fairbanks for the month of July to 4.12 inches—more than double the normal average of 1.73 inches (44 mm) of rain. At Eielson Air Force Base, which lies to the southwest of Fairbanks, 7.30 inches of rain were recorded as having fallen in July, making it the rainiest July ever recorded and the second-rainiest month ever recorded at the base. Though more rain fell on August 1 and afterward, the Tanana, Salcha, and Chena rivers had already crested.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Salcha
By the evening of July 28, the record-breaking rainfall that had fallen to that point caused the National Weather Service to issue a flood warning for the tributaries of the Tanana River east of Fairbanks. On the 29th, the continued rain forced the expansion of the flood warning to cover the entire Tanana and Salcha River basins between Salcha and Nenana, a stretch of land 320 miles (510 km) long.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Salcha
The rising Salcha River forced home evacuations on the 29th and caused the Old Richardson Highway to be closed in several locations as the Salcha overflowed its banks and covered the road near the town of Salcha. An emergency shelter was set up to handle refugees from the Salcha River's flooding, and forecasters predicted the river would continue to rise.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Salcha
On the 30th, the Salcha River crested at 16.8 feet—almost three feet above flood stage—where it crosses the Richardson Highway. This was the sixth-highest crest since measurements began in the first half of the 20th century. The last time the river reached that height was October 15, 2000, when the river crested at 16.91 feet (5.15 m). More than 100 homes were at least partially underwater, and nearly two dozen Salcha town residents took advantage of the emergency shelter that had been set up at Salcha Elementary School the day before.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Salcha
High water remained in Salcha through the 31st, though the crest of the flooding had passed. Water continued to cover roads in and around Salcha, and water-borne debris accumulated under several local bridges, causing impromptu dams. By August 1, the Salcha River had begun to recede to a noticeable extent. Though some roads remained underwater and falling trees knocked out power to areas of the town, residents began to pump out basements and begin recovery efforts. By early afternoon on the first, the Old Richardson Highway had been cleared of water and the National Weather Service canceled its flood warning for the Salcha area.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Fairbanks
The first effects of the flood began to be felt in Fairbanks late on the 29th, as the Tanana River overflowed its banks and covered low-lying areas of South Fairbanks. Thought was given on that date to closing the floodgates of the Moose Creek Dam, located on the Chena River as part of the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project, but the Chena's rise was not as rapid as that of the Tanana, which lies to the south of the town, and no action was taken on the 29th. Engineers also considered lowering the gates on the 30th, but the flow of the Chena River had not reached a level where computer models mandated the closing of the gates to protect Fairbanks.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Fairbanks
The Tanana River, which is not controlled by the flood project, meanwhile reached a crest of 26.60 feet at Fairbanks on the 30th. This amount was more than two feet above flood stage and was the highest level seen since August 1967, when the river crested at 27.80 feet (8.47 m) during the great 1967 Fairbanks flood. The height of the water caused flooding in the Rosie Creek and Chena Pump neighborhoods west of Fairbanks, and caused some residents to evacuate.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Fairbanks
Residents who remained were placed under a boil-water order for fear that floodwater had contaminated the public drinking water system. In response to the continuing spread of the flood, Fairbanks and Fairbanks North Star Borough authorities opened an emergency operations center to handle the response to the flood and answer residents' questions. Residents of the Rosie Creek neighborhood were awakened in the early morning hours of the 31st by borough warnings and volunteer firefighters, who instructed them to evacuate. High water had surrounded the residents' homes, causing many to flee to a shelter set up at a nearby elementary school.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Fairbanks
No residents were injured in the evacuation, something many of them credited to prompt and efficient warnings. The continued high water of the Tanana River caused overflow to flood into the nearby Chena, normally a tributary of the Tanana. Despite that unusual flow, engineers at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project decided not to close the project's floodgates, forecasting that the Chena would not rise above flood stage, even with the increased flow.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Fairbanks
By the morning of August 1, the Tanana River had begun to fall in Fairbanks, just as the Salcha River had begun to recede in Salcha. Though isolated roads continued to wash out from heavy water flow and residents were not allowed to return to their homes, the water level of the river continued to fall. Due to this fact, the opening of Fairbanks' Tanana Valley Fair—scheduled for August 1—was not delayed. Despite the falling water level in the Tanana, the Chena River continued to rise due to the differing water levels in the two rivers. This fact caused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the floodgates of the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project at 3:30 a.m. on August 1. They remained closed throughout the day before being reopened at 5:30 a.m. on August 2.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Nenana
Though Nenana also received heavy rain from the storm system that began the flood, its position further downstream on the Tanana River meant that it did not receive the first effects of the flood until the 30th, when Alaska Railroad officials suspended operations south of Nenana due to track damage caused by rising water.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Nenana
On July 31, the Tanana River began to overflow its banks in Nenana. Water flooded the rails of the Alaska Railroad in town, caused an evacuation of the town's clinic, and flooded low-lying areas throughout the town. By August 1, the entire town was at least partially flooded, with most basements and other low-lying areas being completely filled by floodwater. The flooding of the Alaska Railroad track in town forced a halt to all passenger and freight operations between Anchorage and Fairbanks, effectively cutting off Fairbanks from rail traffic.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Nenana
On August 2, the Tanana River at Nenana crested at 14.64 feet. This total was more than four feet above flood stage and was the third-highest water level ever recorded, falling short of a 15.9-foot mark in 1948 and the record 18.9-foot mark recorded during the flood of 1967. The town shipyard was submerged under three feet of water, and the town's clinic was moved from its interim location in the fire station to the town airport after floodwater threatened the station. Town leaders encouraged residents to evacuate to higher ground until the flood receded.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Flood, Nenana
Nenana High School was saved from flooding by just eight inches of elevation. Water lapped around the school's base, but did not enter the school itself due to that small margin. High water lingered in the town until August 3, when a National Weather Service forecaster felt confident enough to say, "The worst is over."


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Aftermath
On the morning of August 1, the mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Jim Whitaker, issued a disaster declaration for the drainage area of the Tanana River. In the declaration, he appealed for help from state and federal governments in the recovery process, saying, "substantial damage is occurring due to high water and river current on the Tanana River, the Salcha River and the Chena River, resulting in damage to over 500 private residences with an estimated 1,000 inhabitants and to the road networks" maintained by the borough and the state.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Aftermath
The next day, the Alaska commissioner of military and veterans affairs and the state director of homeland security and emergency management toured the flooded areas by helicopter. On August 4, Alaska governor Sarah Palin visited Fairbanks to officially sign the disaster declaration and tour the flooded area. By the middle of August, the total damage from the flooding was estimated to be more than $10 million. In late September, President Bush approved a federal disaster declaration for the affected area, allowing federal aid to be spent on reconstruction efforts for damaged homes and buildings.


2008 Tanana Valley flood, Aftermath
Some Alaska subsistence fishermen feared the floods could exacerbate an already poor salmon fishing season by disrupting the spawning season for king salmon.


2008 Tandridge District Council election
The 2008 Tandridge District Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Tandridge District Council in Surrey, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2008 Tandridge District Council election, Campaign
Before the election the Conservatives controlled the council with 31 seats, while the Liberal Democrats were the main opposition with 9 councillors. This was after Liberal Democrat councillor Sakina Bradbury of Whyteleafe ward defected to the Conservatives in February 2008. 14 of the 42 seats on the council were being contested by a total of 45 candidates, with 3 of the sitting councillors not defending seats. The Conservatives contested all 14 seats, compared to 13 Liberal Democrat candidates, 9 Labour Party, 6 UK Independence Party and 1 for the Green Party.


2008 Tandridge District Council election, Campaign
Issues at the election included housing, with Labour calling for more affordable housing, while both the UK Independence Party and Green Party had concerns over the number of houses being built. Other issues included recycling, with the Conservatives pointing to the weekly refuse collection that the council ran, council tax and leisure facilities.


2008 Tandridge District Council election, Election result
The Conservative party retained control of the council and made a net gain of 2 seats to have 42 councillors. The Conservatives gained Queens Park and Warlingham East, Chelsham and Farleigh from the Liberal Democrats and Valley from independent Peter Longhurst. The leader of the council, Conservative Gordon Keymer, said that it had been "a good night for us". However the Conservatives did lose Westway to the Liberal Democrats by 88 votes, which left the Liberal Democrats with 8 seats and there was 1 independent councillor. Overall turnout at the election was 42.3%.


2008 Tandridge District Council election, By-elections between 2008 and 2010, Whyteleafe
A by-election was held in Whyteleafe on 2 February 2010 after Liberal Democrat councillor Jeffrey Gray resigned from the council when he moved away from Tandridge. The seat was held for the Liberal Democrats by David Lee with 57% of the vote.


2008 Targa Tasmania
The 2008 Targa Tasmania was the seventeenth running of the five-day Tarmac Rally event. It was held between 15 April 2008 and 20 April 2008 on 38 competitive closed road stages in the state of Tasmania, Australia. It was contested by over 300 competitors breaking the previous record field for the five-day format of 291 in 2002 and 2004.


2008 Targa Tasmania, Controversy, Targa racers just 'hoons and bandits'
Angry Hobart aldermen branded Targa Tasmania as "organised hooning" and its competitors "environmental bandits". Eva Ruzicka and Bill Harvey came out firing in their decision not to approve a proposed Targa stage on the Domain in April. Targa boss Mark Perry said if the Domain stage did not go ahead, there would be no plans for a 2009 stage. The council refused to agree on a night stage in 2007 and the Domain stage was axed.


2008 Targa Tasmania, Controversy, Skelta robbed of Targa podium
Vandersee/Kelley were penalised for stopping to offer assistance to the crew of a crashed car near lunchtime on day four. This penalty ultimately cost the Skelta team its first podium in the Targa Tasmania tarmac event. The seven second penalty ultimately pushed the hard charging team to a four-second deficit behind the Subaru crew of Dean Herridge and Glenn McNeal.


2008 Tarija autonomy referendum
An autonomy referendum was held in Tarija Department in Bolivia on 22 June 2008, following the autonomy referendum held in Santa Cruz Department on 4 May 2008 and the autonomy referendums held in Beni Department and Pando Department on 1 June 2008. The referendum was approved with over 80% in favour, though most supporters of President Morales did not vote.


2008 Tashkent Challenger
The 2008 Tashkent Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2008 ATP Challenger Series. It took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan between 13 and 19 October 2008.


2008 Tashkent Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2008 Tashkent Challenger, Champions, Doubles
Flavio Cipolla /  Pavel Šnobel def. Michail Elgin /  Alexandre Kudryavtsev, 6–3, 6–4


2008 Tashkent Open
The 2008 Tashkent Open was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 10th edition of the Tashkent Open, and was part of the Tier IV Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Tashkent Tennis Center in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from September 29 through October 5, 2008. Third-seeded Sorana Cîrstea won the singles title.


2008 Tashkent Open, Finals, Doubles
Ioana Raluca Olaru /  Olga Savchuk defeated  Nina Bratchikova /  Kathrin Wörle, 5–7, 7–5, [10–7]


2008 Tashkent Open – Doubles
Ekaterina Dzehalevich and Anastasiya Yakimova were the defending champions. They are both present but do not compete together. Dzehalevich partnered with Yaroslava Shvedova, but were forced to withdraw before their quarterfinals match against Alexandra Panova and Magdaléna Rybáriková due to an illness for Shvedova. Yakimova partnered with Vesna Manasieva, but lost in the first round to Ekaterina Dzehalevich and Yaroslava Shvedova.


2008 Tashkent Open – Doubles
Ioana Raluca Olaru and Olga Savchuk won in the final 5–7, 7–5, 10–7, against Nina Bratchikova and Kathrin Wörle.


2008 Tashkent Open – Singles
Pauline Parmentier was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Tashkent Open – Singles
Sorana Cîrstea won her first WTA Tour singles title, defeating Sabine Lisicki in the final, 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4).


2008 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election
Periodic elections for the Tasmanian Legislative Council were held on 3 May 2008. The two seats up for election were Huon, held by independent MLC Paul Harriss, and Rosevears, held by independent MLC Kerry Finch. These seats were last contested in 2002.


2008 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election, Huon
Independent MLC Paul Harriss had held Huon since 1996. A former Liberal Party member, there was speculation about his endorsement as a federal Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Franklin in the 2007 federal election, but this did not eventuate. His only opponent was Huon Valley councillor Mark Rickards, an endorsed candidate of the Tasmanian Greens, who focused his campaign on Harriss's support for the Gunns pulp mill.


2008 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election, Rosevears
Independent MLC Kerry Finch first won Rosevears in 2002, when it was a new seat. He was not opposed by the Tasmanian Greens, which was attributed to his opposition to the Gunns pulp mill and his generally socially liberal views. Like Harriss, he attracted only one challenger, in this case independent Colin O'Brien. O'Brien gave qualified support to the pulp mill.


2008 Taça da Liga Final
The 2008 Taça da Liga Final was the final match of the 2007–08 Taça da Liga, the 1st season of the Taça da Liga, a knockout cup competition organized by the Portuguese League for Professional Football (LPFP). The match was played on the 22 March 2008 at the Estádio do Algarve in Faro, and opposed two Primeira Liga sides Sporting CP and Vitória de Setúbal.


2008 Taça da Liga Final
In Portugal, the final was televised live on RTP and Sport TV. Vitória de Setúbal defeated Sporting CP 3–2 on penalties, after both sides were unable to break the deadlock in normal time. As a result of Vitória de Setúbal winning the Taça da Liga, the Sadinos claimed over €500,000 in prize money.


2008 Taça da Liga Final, Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


2008 Taça de Portugal Final
The 2008 Taça de Portugal Final was the final match of the 2007–08 Taça de Portugal, the 68th season of the Taça de Portugal, the premier Portuguese football cup competition organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). The match was played on 18 May 2008 at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and opposed two Primeira Liga sides: Porto and Sporting CP. Sporting CP defeated Porto 2–0, thanks to two extra-time goals from Brazilian striker Rodrigo Tiuí which would give Sporting CP their fifteenth Taça de Portugal.


2008 Taça de Portugal Final
In Portugal, the final was televised live in HD on SIC and Sport TV. As Sporting CP claimed their fifteenth Taça de Portugal, they qualified for the 2008 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, where they took on the winners of the 2007–08 Primeira Liga, Porto at the Estádio Algarve.


2008 Team Flexpoint season
The 2008 women's road cycling season was the fourth season for the 2008 UCI Women's Cycling Team Team Flexpoint (UCI code: FLX), which began as Buitenpoort-Flexpoint Team in 2005.


2008 Team Flexpoint season, Other achievements, Dutch national records, team pursuit
The women's 3000 m team pursuit track cycling discipline was introduced at the 2007–08 track cycling season. Elise van Hage was once part of the team when they broke the Dutch national record. This is not the current record anymore.


2008 Team Flexpoint season, UCI World Ranking
The team finished 19th in the UCI ranking for teams.


2008 Team Ice Racing World Championship
The 2008 Team Ice Racing World Championship was the 30th edition of the Team World Championship. The final was held on ?, 2008, in Krasnogorsk, in Russia. Russia won their 14th title.


2008 Team Long Track World Championship
The 2008 Team Long Track World Championship was the second annual FIM Team Long Track World Championship. The final took place on 24 August 2008 in Werlte, Germany. The championship was won by host team and the defending champion Germany who beat Netherlands in a final heat. Great Britain finished third.


2008 Team Long Track World Championship, Heat details
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship
The 2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship was the 1st UEM Team Speedway Junior European Championship season. The Final took place on May 22 2008 in Florian Kapała Stadium in Rawicz, Poland. First edition Europeam Championship was won by Sweden team.


2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship, Results
It was the first Champion title for Linus Eklöf (11 points in Final), Ludvig Lindgren (10 pts), Simon Gustafsson (9 pts), Linus Sundström (6 pts) and Niklas Larsson (0 heats).


2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship, Results
In Semi Final 1 in Güstrow, Germany won Germany team (45 points). Second was Denmark (38 pts) and they were qualified also. Third was Croatia (28 pts) with Jurica Pavlic (the then Individual European Champion) who was the best rider in this meeting (18 points in 6 heats). Last was France (9 pts).


2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship, Results
In Semi Final 2 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria won Sweden team (37 points). Second was Russia (31 pts) but they did not qualify because the 2nd team in SF1 Denmark had more points. Third Latvia (28 pts) and fourth Czech Republic (24 pts) did not-qualified also. The best rider in SF2 was Artem Laguta from Russia (15 points in 6 heats).


2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship, Results
In the Final, Sweden team (36 points) beat Germany (29 pts), Denmark (28 pts) and Poland (26 pts). Champion title was won after 19th heat, when Lindgren beat German Erik Pudel. Silver medal for Germany was won after last heat, when Frank Facher was last, but Danish Patrick Hougaard took only one point. Poland lost chance for a bronze medal after the 19th heat: Dawid Lampart won, but Danish Simon Nielsen took one point. The best rider in Final was Maciej Janowski from Poland (15 points in 6 heats). Janowski won 2nd heat the best time (62.16 sek. ).


2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship, Heat details, Semi-Final 1
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship, Heat details, Semi-Final 2
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2008 Team Speedway Junior European Championship, Heat details, The Final
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2008 Team Speedway Junior Polish Championship
The 2008 Team Speedway Junior Polish Championship (Polish: Młodzieżowe Drużynowe Mistrzostwa Polski, MDMP) is the 2008 version of Team Speedway Junior Polish Championship organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM). The Final took place on 4 September 2008 in Alfred Smoczyk Stadium in Leszno. Championship was won by Unia Leszno. They beat defending champions RKM Rybnik and Złomrex Włókniarz Częstochowa.


2008 Team Speedway Junior Polish Championship, Final
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2008 Team Speedway Junior World Championship
The 2008 Team Speedway Junior World Championship was the fourth FIM World Team Junior Championship. The final took place on 21 September 2008, in Holsted, Denmark. The championship was won by the Polish junior team who were the defending champions from 2007. Denmark finished in second place and Sweden were third.


2008 Team Speedway Junior World Championship, Qualification, Semifinal 1
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2008 Team Speedway Junior World Championship, Qualification, Semifinal 2
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2008 Team Speedway Junior World Championship, Final
M - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


2008 Team Speedway Polish Championship
The 2008 Team Speedway Polish Championship (Polish: Drużynowe Mistrzostwa Polski, DMP) is the 2008 version of the Team Speedway Polish Championship organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM) and Speedway Ekstraliga LLC (Ekstraliga Żużlowa Sp. z o.o.). In 2008 there are three leagues: Ekstraliga, First and Second League. The Ekstraliga and First League have eight teams competing; the Second League has seven teams.


2008 Team Speedway Polish Championship
The winner of the top division (the Ekstraliga) will be the 2008 Team Polish Champion (Drużynowy Mistrz Polski). The Finals took place on September 28 and October 19. The defending Polish Champions are Unia Leszno who won in 2007 after defeating Unibax Toruń in the play-off final.


2008 Teen Choice Awards
The 2008 Teen Choice Awards ceremony was held on August 4, 2008, at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California. The event was hosted by Miley Cyrus, who also performed.


2008 Telkom Knockout
The Telkom Knockout is a football (soccer) knockout competition which comprises the 16 teams in the South African Premier Soccer League.


2008 Telkom Knockout
In all matches there has to be a winner on the day, this will be decided if there is a winner after full-time (90 minutes). If teams are tied at full-time then extra time will be played, penalties will decide the winner if the scores are still even (there is no golden goal rule).


2008 Telkom Knockout, Teams
The 16 teams that competed in the Telkom Knockout competition are: (listed in alphabetical order).


2008 Telus Cup
The 2008 Telus Cup was Canada's 30th annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, played April 21–27, 2008 at Arnprior, Ontario. The Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves defeated the Winnipeg Thrashers 6-4 in the gold medal game to win their first national title. The Blizzard de Sèminiaire Saint-François from Quebec picked up their second consecutive bronze medal. Current Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone, playing for the Thrashers, was the tournament's top scorer.


2008 Temple Festival
The 2008 Temple Festival was a multi-disciplinary festival celebrating the 400th anniversary of James I of England granting the Honourable Societies of the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple the freehold of the Temple lands, by letters patent.


2008 Temple Festival, History
The 1608 charter imposed a number of conditions on Inner and Middle Temple in order that they retain the freehold in perpetuity: the accommodation and legal training of students, the maintenance of the Temple Church as a place of worship and the provision of lodging for its Master.


2008 Temple Festival, History
It also marks the beginning of the modern Bar, founded on the relationship between the two learned societies, their property in the Inns and the barristers who lived and worked there. The Inner and Middle Temple are two of the four Inns of Court to which English barristers must belong before they can be called to the English bar. Over the years, there have also been many barristers called to the English bar by the two Inns who have subsequently gone to practice in other parts of the world; some have become statesmen. Mahatma Gandhi is perhaps the best known of all.


2008 Temple Festival, Events
This significant anniversary in the history of the Inns was marked by a year of celebration and rededication to their fundamental  aims of:


2008 Temple Owls football team
The 2008 Temple Owls football team represented Temple University in the college 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Temple competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The team was coached by Al Golden and played their home game in Lincoln Financial Field.


2008 Tennessee Democratic presidential primary
The 2008 Tennessee Democratic presidential primary took place on February 5, 2008, also known as Super Tuesday.


2008 Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team
The 2008 Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team was an American softball team, representing the University of Tennessee for the 2008 NCAA softball season. The team played their home games at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The team's season was cut short by Angela Tincher and the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Knoxville Regional, failing to qualify for the Women's College World Series for the first time since 2004.


2008 Tennessee Republican presidential primary
The 2008 Tennessee Republican presidential primary took place on February 5, 2008 (Super Tuesday), with 52 national delegates. Mike Huckabee narrowly defeated John McCain to win the largest share of Tennessee's delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Both McCain and the third-place candidate Mitt Romney received delegates along with Huckabee.


2008 Tennessee Republican presidential primary
At of 10:15 PM ET on February 5, the Associated Press reported that with 44% of precincts reporting Huckabee and McCain were tied with about one-third of the vote each. Earlier, with 31% of precincts in, McCain had 34% support, Huckabee 31%, Romney 23% and Paul 6% support.


2008 Tennessee Republican presidential primary
The City Paper reported that voter turnout could beat the state's record of 830,000 in 1988 when Al Gore was on the presidential ballot for the first time.


2008 Tennessee Republican presidential primary
AP exit polls showed that Huckabee did well with born-again Christians and conservatives.


2008 Tennessee Republican presidential primary, Results
* Candidate dropped out of the race before the primary


2008 Tennessee Titans season
The 2008 Tennessee Titans season was the team's 49th season and 39th in the National Football League, their 12th in Tennessee, and their tenth as the Titans.


2008 Tennessee Titans season
Despite making the playoffs in the 2007 season with a record of 10–6, the Titans were expected by most sportswriters to finish third or even fourth in the AFC South. They compiled a 13–3 regular season record—the best in the NFL—and won home-field advantage for the duration of the playoffs after clinching AFC South on December 7 after a win over the Cleveland Browns and a 10–0 start. However, the Titans lost two of their last three regular season games, and were eliminated by the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round.


2008 Tennessee Titans season
This was the last season the Tennessee Titans qualified for the playoffs until 2017.


2008 Tennessee Titans season
This was also the last season the Tennessee Titans won the AFC South until 2020, in which they also lost to the Ravens in their first playoff game.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Titans pulled off an important divisional win behind the strong running of rookie RB Chris Johnson, who rushed for 93 yards in his NFL debut, and the arm of backup quarterback Kerry Collins, who replaced starter Vince Young when he went down late in the 4th quarter. Young had been inconsistent, throwing 1 TD pass to Johnson and 2 INTs. However, Collins moved the ball down field effectively and that drive led to the eventual game-winning touchdown run by LenDale White.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville trailed for much of the game and couldn't run the ball against a locked in Titans defense, who sacked Jaguars quarterback David Garrard 7 times. Both teams' defenses played well but the Titans held on. This game was also significant because the Jaguars, Texans, and Colts (in their debut at Lucas Oil Stadium) lost, so the Titans grabbed first place in the AFC South for the first week of the season, ending a 56-week streak of holding 1st place in the division by the Colts as the team started the season 1–0.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals
The Titans stayed in 1st place thanks to the extremely strong wind from the remnants of Hurricane Ike (which interfered with an important field goal attempt by Shayne Graham) and a sloppy Cincinnati offense in a 24–7 rout. Chris Johnson ran for over 100 yards for the first time in his career and Kerry Collins had a good day filling in for the injured Vince Young. The Titans first scored on a 1-yd TD run by LenDale White after a scoreless 1st quarter and then Cincinnati scored its only touchdown with a Chris Perry 13-yd TD run on 4th down.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals
The Titans, with a little over a minute left, drove the ball downfield and took a 14–7 lead at the half thanks to an 11-yd touchdown reception by Justin Gage. The knockout punch was delivered early in the 4th quarter with the Titans leading 17–7. Keith Bulluck recovered a blocked punt in the endzone to finish off the Bengals and keep the Titans perfect.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals
The win also gave the Titans their first 2–0 start for the first time since 1999.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 3: vs. Houston Texans
Coming off their road win over the Bengals, the Titans went home for a Week 3 duel with the Houston Texans. In the first quarter, Tennessee trailed early as Houston Texans kicker Kris Brown got a 44-yard field goal. The Titans responded with RB LenDale White getting a 2-yard TD run. Houston drew close as Brown kicked a 24-yard field goal, yet Tennessee answered with QB Kerry Collins completing a 9-yard TD pass to TE Bo Scaife.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 3: vs. Houston Texans
The Texans replied with RB Steve Slaton getting a 6-yard TD run (with a failed PAT), while the Titans closed out the half with White's 1-yard TD run. In the third quarter, Tennessee increased its lead with kicker Rob Bironas nailing a 44-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Titans closed out the game with CB Cortland Finnegan returning an interception 99 yards for a touchdown.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 3: vs. Houston Texans
With the win, Tennessee acquired its first 3–0 start since their Super Bowl run of 1999.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 4: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Coming off their home win over the Texans, the Titans stayed at home for a Week 4 interconference duel with the Minnesota Vikings. In the first quarter, Tennessee drew first blood as kicker Rob Bironas got a 20-yard field goal, along with rookie RB Chris Johnson getting a 1-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Vikings responded with RB Adrian Peterson getting a 28-yard TD run. Afterwards, the Titans answered with Bironas kicking a 32-yard field goal, along with RB LenDale White getting a 1-yard TD run. Minnesota closed out the half with kicker Ryan Longwell getting a 42-yard field goal.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 4: vs. Minnesota Vikings
In the third quarter, Tennessee increased its lead with Bironas nailing a 49-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings tried to rally as Peterson got a 3-yard TD run, yet the Titans pulled away with Johnson getting a 6-yard TD run. The end of the game came with a bad call by the coach, as he elected to punt on 4th down, despite being after the two minute warning, down by two scores and out of time outs. After the Vikings caught a fair catch, they proceeded to take three kneel downs to run out the game clock.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 4: vs. Minnesota Vikings
With the win, Tennessee acquired its first 4–0 start in franchise history.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 5: at Baltimore Ravens
Coming off their home win over the Vikings, the Titans flew to M&T Bank Stadium for a Week 5 defensive duel with the Baltimore Ravens. In the first quarter, Tennessee trailed early as Ravens kicker Matt Stover got a 38-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Titans tied the game with kicker Rob Bironas getting a 35-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Baltimore took the lead as RB Le'Ron McClain got a 1-yard TD run. Fortunately, in the fourth quarter, Tennessee rallied with Bironas nailing a 26-yard field goal, along with QB Kerry Collins completing an 11-yard TD pass to TE Alge Crumpler.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 5: at Baltimore Ravens
With the win, the Titans kept their perfect season alive as they entered their bye week at 5–0. During the bye week, the Titans became the only undefeated team in the NFL with the Giants' loss to the Browns in Week 6.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
Coming off their bye week, the Titans flew to Arrowhead Stadium for a Week 7 duel with the Kansas City Chiefs. In the first quarter, Tennessee drew first blood as kicker Rob Bironas got a 49-yard field goal, along with RB LenDale White getting a 6-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Titans increased their lead as White got a 2-yard TD run. In the third quarter, Tennessee continued its victory march as Bironas got a 46-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Titans ripped it up as White got an 80-yard TD run. The Chiefs would get on the board as kicker Nick Novak nailed a 26-yard field goal, yet Tennessee replied with rookie RB Chris Johnson getting a 66-yard TD run. Kansas City ended the game's scoring with QB Tyler Thigpen getting a 14-yard TD run.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
In the game, Tennessee's overall ground game reached a franchise-best 332 yards.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 8: vs. Indianapolis Colts
On Monday Night Football, the Titans responded to the doubters and defeated the Colts for only the fourth time since formation of the AFC South; the final score was 31–21 and came after Indianapolis had been heavily favored to win. Rob Bironas got it started with a field goal but then Peyton Manning found Dallas Clark for a touchdown on the next drive. Bironas pulled the Titans to within one with another field goal, but missed one before the half to keep the Titans behind going into halftime.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 8: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Manning found Clark once again the 3rd quarter for a 14–6 lead but that would be the last time they would lead as LenDale White scored and Ahmard Hall caught a two-point conversion from Kerry Collins. Bironas hit another field goal to give the Titans the lead for good. Two key interceptions by the Titans put the Colts away as White scored again and rookie Chris Johnson added his fourth rushing touchdown late. Manning would score a rushing touchdown in the final minute but it was too little too late. With the win, the Titans picked up their first 7–0 start in the franchise's overall history.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 8: vs. Indianapolis Colts
During halftime, former Titans Steve McNair, Eddie George, and Frank Wycheck were honored.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Titans kept their record perfect by edging the Packers 19–16 in OT.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers
Rob Bironas and Mason Crosby each traded field goals early in the first half and the Titans had a 6–3 edge until Aaron Rodgers hooked up with Donald Driver for a touchdown. Then LenDale White helped drive the ball downfield with 50-yard run that set up Chris Johnson's TD run to make it 13–10.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers
In the second half, the Packers were able to tie the game with two more Crosby field goals and force it into overtime when Bironas missed a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers
In overtime, Kerry Collins and Johnson helped move the ball down the field for a game-winning 47-yard field goal by Bironas, who made up for his mistake at the end of the 4th.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers
With the win, the Titans ran their regular season winning streak to 11 games, continued their hottest start in franchise history, and remained the only unbeaten team in the league as they improved to 8–0.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 10: at Chicago Bears
Coming off their home win over the Packers, the Titans flew to Soldier Field for a Week 10 interconference duel with the Chicago Bears.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 10: at Chicago Bears
In the first quarter, Tennessee trailed early as Bears QB Rex Grossman completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to RB Matt Forte. In the second quarter, the Titans answered with QB Kerry Collins completing a 10-yard TD pass to TE Bo Scaife.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 10: at Chicago Bears
In the third quarter, Tennessee took the lead as Collins completed a 12-yard TD pass to WR Justin Gage (a former Bear). In the fourth quarter, the Titans increased their lead as RB LenDale White got a 2-yard touchdown run. Chicago tried to rally as Grossman got a 1-yard touchdown run, yet Tennessee's defense stiffened for the win.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 10: at Chicago Bears
With the win, the Titans kept their perfect season alive at 9–0.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Coming off two wins in a row over NFC North Division teams, the Titans continued their road tour to Florida for a Week 11 AFC South rematch with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the first quarter, Tennessee drew first blood as kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 32-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Jaguars took the lead as RB Maurice Jones-Drew got a 2-yard and a 1-yard TD run. In the third quarter, the Titans regained the lead as QB Kerry Collins completed a 13-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Jones and a 56-yard TD pass to WR Justin Gage. In the fourth quarter, Tennessee closed out the game as Collins hooked up with Gage again on a 38-yard TD pass.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguars
With the win, the Titans kept their dream season alive, improving to a perfect record of 10–0. And sweeping the Jaguars for the 1st time since 2003.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 12: vs. New York Jets
Coming off their season-sweeping road win over the Jaguars, the Titans went home for a Week 12 duel with the New York Jets. In the first quarter, Tennessee trailed early as Jets QB Brett Favre completed a 10-yard TD pass to RB Thomas Jones. In the second quarter, New York increased its lead with kicker Jay Feely getting a 20-yard field goal. The Titans closed out the half with kicker Rob Bironas getting a 43-yard field goal.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 12: vs. New York Jets
In the third quarter, the Jets responded as Feely kicked a 30-yard field goal, while Favre completed a 2-yard TD pass to WR Laveranues Coles. In the fourth quarter, Tennessee tried to rally as Rob Bironas nailed a 49-yard field goal, but New York replied with RB Leon Washington getting a 61-yard TD run. The Titans had one last attempt to keep their perfect season alive as QB Kerry Collins completed a 6-yard TD pass to FB Ahmard Hall. However, Tennessee's perfect season went down the tubes as Washington helped seal things for the Jets on a 4-yard TD run.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 13: at Detroit Lions
Hoping to rebound from their first loss of the season, the Titans flew to Ford Field for a Week 13 Thanksgiving game against the winless Detroit Lions. In the first quarter, Tennessee drew first blood as rookie RB Chris Johnson got a 6-yard TD run. The Lions would respond with kicker Jason Hanson getting a 53-yard field goal. The Titans would answer with Johnson getting a 58-yard TD run, along with DE Dave Ball returning an interception 15 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Tennessee increased their lead with RB LenDale White getting a 6-yard and a 2-yard TD run. Detroit would reply with QB Daunte Culpepper completing a 2-yard TD pass to TE Michael Gaines.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 13: at Detroit Lions
In the third quarter, kicker Rob Bironas would kick field goals of 41 and 49 yards to put the Titans up by 31, and in the fourth quarter, he would nail field goals of 45 and 43 yards to put the Titans up for good.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 13: at Detroit Lions
With the win, Tennessee not only improved to 11–1 on the season, but the Titans were the only AFC South team to defeat all four NFC North teams in interconference play.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 13: at Detroit Lions
Center Kevin Mawae, DT Albert Haynesworth, and Running Backs Johnson & White were given CBS's All-Iron Award for their performance.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 14: vs. Cleveland Browns
Coming off their Thanksgiving win over the Lions, the Titans came home to face the Cleveland Browns in a Week 14 duel. In the first quarter, Cleveland would jump on top early as Phil Dawson made 47 and 41-yard field goals. Tennessee, however, would answer with a 28-yard pass from Kerry Collins to Ahmard Hall. Then, later in the 2nd quarter, LenDale White found the end zone from 3 yards out to give them a 14–6 lead.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 14: vs. Cleveland Browns
In the 3rd quarter, Kerry Collins found Justin Gage for a 9-yard touchdown and the Titans found themselves in control, leading 21–9 heading into the 4th quarter. Cleveland attempted to make a comeback with Phil Dawson making a 39-yard field goal, but could not finish as Chris Johnson scored from 25 yards out and put the game away for the Titans.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 14: vs. Cleveland Browns
With the win, not only did Tennessee improve to 12–1, but they also clinched their first AFC South title since 2002.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 15: at Houston Texans
With the loss, the Titans fell to 12–2 and their winning streak against the Texans came to an end.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Texans, the Titans went home for a crucial Week 16 battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the AFC's top seed on the line.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
After a scoreless first quarter, the Titans got the second quarter lead as kicker Rob Bironas got a 42-yard field goal, along with quarterback Kerry Collins completing a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Gage. The Steelers would respond with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes. In the third quarter, Pittsburgh took the lead as Roethlisberger completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward, yet Tennessee struck back with rookie running back Chris Johnson getting a 21-yard touchdown run.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Titans would then pull away in the fourth quarter with running back LenDale White's 1-yard touchdown run and safety Michael Griffin's 83-yard interception return for a touchdown. This was the first game of the year where the league-leading Steelers defense allowed more than 300 yards of total offense (allowing 332 yards).


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
With the win, not only did Tennessee improve to 13–2, but they also locked up the AFC's #1 seed. This would be the Titans last win until Week 8 of the 2009 season.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
This would also be the last time a team swept both the AFC and NFC North in the same season until the Dallas Cowboys did it during the 2016 season.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Indianapolis Colts
With the AFC's #1 seed under their belt, the Titans flew to Lucas Oil Stadium to close out their regular season in a Week 17 AFC South rematch with the Indianapolis Colts. The Titans rested several of their starters for the game including Chris Johnson and benched Kerry Collins early. Tennessee trailed early in the first quarter as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed a 55-yard touchdown pass to running back Joseph Addai followed by kicker Adam Vinatieri's 28-yard field goal. The Titans' deficit would increase in the second quarter as Vinatieri nailed a 21-yard and a 38-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, Indianapolis closed out the game in the fourth quarter as center Jamey Richard recovered a fumble within Tennessee's endzone for a touchdown.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Indianapolis Colts
With the loss, the Titans ended the regular season at 13–3. This would be the beginning of an 8-game losing streak for the Titans.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Playoffs, AFC Divisional Round: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Entering the postseason as the AFC's top seed, the Titans began their postseason run at home in the AFC Divisional round against the #6 Baltimore Ravens, in a rematch of their Week 5 contest.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Playoffs, AFC Divisional Round: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Matt Stover kicked a 43-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining to send the Ravens into the AFC Championship Game at the expense of the Titans, as quarterback Joe Flacco became the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games in a single postseason. Tennessee turned the ball over three times, which proved to be the difference between the two teams, as Baltimore never gave the ball away.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Playoffs, AFC Divisional Round: vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Titans took the lead on their second drive of the game with Kerry Collins completing a 28-yard pass to rookie running back Chris Johnson and a 20-yarder to Justin Gage before Johnson finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. But the Ravens answered back with a 48-yard touchdown Flacco pass to former Titan Derrick Mason.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Playoffs, AFC Divisional Round: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Early in the second quarter, Tennessee drove to the Ravens 25-yard line, only to turn the ball over on downs due to a fumbled snap on a fourth down conversion attempt. Then after forcing a punt, their drive to the Ravens 32-yard line also ended with no points when a pass from Collins was picked off by former Titan Samari Rolle. Following another punt, the Titans moved the ball into scoring range for the third time in a row, this time driving to the Baltimore 22. But once again they came up empty after LenDale White's fumble was recovered by Ravens safety Jim Leonhard with 25 seconds left in the half.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Playoffs, AFC Divisional Round: vs. Baltimore Ravens
In the second half, a 29-yard punt return by Leonard and a 37-yard reception by Mark Clayton set up a Stover field goal to take a 10–7 lead. Meanwhile, the Titans failed to score again, as Rob Bironas missed a 51-yard field goal and after Stover's field goal, and Ravens cornerback Fabian Washington forced and recovered a fumble from tight end Alge Crumpler on Baltimore's 1-yard line.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Playoffs, AFC Divisional Round: vs. Baltimore Ravens
However, the Ravens were unable to gain any yards with their ensuing drive and Tennessee got the ball back with great field position at the Ravens 42-yard line. This time, they managed to drive to the 10-yard line and score with a Bironas field goal to tie the game at 10.


2008 Tennessee Titans season, Playoffs, AFC Divisional Round: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Baltimore faced 3rd down and 2. On the next play, the play clock appeared to expire before the snap, but no penalty flag was thrown and Flacco ended up completing a 23-yard pass to Todd Heap. Five plays later, Stover's 43-yard field goal gave the Ravens a 13–10 lead with 53 seconds left. Baltimore's defense then sealed the victory by forcing Tennessee to turn the ball over on downs on their own 40-yard line.


2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by head football coach Phillip Fulmer in his 16th and final season as head coach. The Vols played their home games in Neyland Stadium and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The 2008 campaign followed a 10–4 2007 season, which saw the Vols win the Eastern Division of the conference and the Outback Bowl. This season marked the ten year anniversary of Tennessee's 1998 BCS National Championship. On November 3, Fulmer announced that, after winning some 150 games over his career, he would step down from coaching his alma mater at the end of the season.


2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Before the season, Recruiting
The Vols followed the previous year of a top 5 class, with an effort that found the team ranked outside of the top 25 by both major recruiting websites, Rivals.com and Scout.com. The top players of the class were considered to be tight end Aaron Douglas out of Maryville, Tennessee and wide receiver/linebacker E.J. Abrams-Ward out of Thomasville, North Carolina.


2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Before the season, Recruiting
Douglas played at Tennessee as a redshirt freshman 2009, transferred to Arizona Western College in the 2010 season and winter of 2010 signed with Alabama, where he participated in spring drills. Douglas was recruited to Tennessee as a tight end, and was moved to tackle by then first year coach Lane Kiffin. When Kiffin left Tennessee for USC, Douglas failed to report for spring drills under new coach Derek Dooley (American football)  and eventually transferred to Arizona Western.


2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Before the season, Recruiting
Douglas redshirted his first season at Tennessee under then coach Phillip Fulmer, and a year later developed into an elite offensive lineman under Kiffin and line coach James Cregg. Douglas told the News Sentinel in May 2010 that a third coach in three years flipped the plan he had mapped out for himself “upside down.”


2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Before the season, Recruiting
On Thursday, May 12, 2011 Police received a call at 8:13 a.m. Thursday and, upon investigation, they found Douglas' body on the second-floor balcony of a Fernandina Beach, Florida residence. Douglas was pronounced dead at the scene. Of what was characterized as an accidental drug overdose.


2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Before the season, Recruiting
Abrams-Ward, a receiver redshirted for the 2008 season, selecting UT over North Carolina in a heated recruiting battle. On January 22, 2009 UT announced that E.J. Abrams-Ward and Ramone Johnson where no longer members of Tennessee's football team. UT said that the two were dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons.


2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Before the season, Coaching changes
Tennessee lost 4 members of their offensive staff. Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe accepted the head coaching position at Duke. Cutcliffe took along OL/TE coach Matt Luke, and RB coach Kurt Roper. Roper joined the Blue Devils' staff as Offensive Coordinator. WR coach Trooper Taylor also left the Vols for a coordinator position, accepting a job as Co-Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma State.


2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Before the season, Coaching changes
Cutcliffe was replaced by Dave Clawson, who comes to Tennessee from the University of Richmond, where he was the head coach. Joining Clawson from Richmond is Latrell Scott, who replaced Taylor as the wide receivers coach. Stan Drayton, formerly the running backs coach at Florida, was hired to replace Roper as the running backs coach. Jason Michael, formerly on the staff for the New York Jets, was hired to coach the tight ends, replacing Matt Luke.