2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
Bryant tailback Jerell Smith (Brooklyn, NY) rushed for 143 yards on 31 carries and the Bulldog defense turned in one of its finest games of the season as the Bulldogs knocked off Wagner College 24-14 Saturday.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
The win is Bryant's first over a Division I opponent in six tries and the first this season over a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (Bryant defeated DII Merrimack and Southern Connecticut earlier this year).


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
"We did a good job on defense today and got a couple of big plays right when we needed it," said Bryant coach Marty Fine following the game. "The defense really made some things happen and we were able to stay to our game plan and come out with a great win today."


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
Jay Graber completed 8 of 17 passes including a clutch 20 yard while Lindsey Gamble added 44 yards rushing in the victory.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
But the story of the day was the play of the Bulldog defense that held Wagner to just 219 yards of offense - including 100 yards through three quarters - before 2,467 on a wet and dreary day at Wagner College Stadium.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
Bryant overcame a pair of fumbles on punt returns in the game, but made the plays when they had to. It didn't hurt much in that Wagner's offense struggled against the Bryant defense all afternoon.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
Wagner did strike first as quarterback Adam Farnsworth hit tight end Peter Zagorski with a short pass but the senior was able to break a few tackles and rumbled down the home side line for an 80-yard score. But the play was the only highlight on the day for the Seahawks who were penalized seven times in the game - including several unnecessary roughness penalties.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
But the Bulldog defense, coming into the game shorthanded with several starters out of the game, stormed right back to take command of the game.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
An Andre Whyte block of a Kyle Muir punt attempt was recovered by Anthony Castelli who returned it 4 yards to tie the game at 7-7.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
Later in the first, free safety Bryce Martins helped set up the go-ahead score intercepting Adam Farnsworth inside the Wagner 20-yard line and returning it to the 15. One play later, Lindsey Gamble scored from four yards out to make it 14-7.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
The wet conditions caused more special teams trouble for Wagner as Muir couldn't handle another snap on a punt attempt and the Bulldogs took over near midfield.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
Bryant was able to drive down to the Wagner 3-yard line, aided by a beautiful pass from Graber to tight end Jarrett Solimando across the middle. But the Bulldogs couldn't get into the end zone but did come away with three points on a Chris Bird 20-yard field goal to make it 17-7.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
The Bulldogs opened the second half with an efficient 8 play, 46-yard drive capped by a Graber 7-yard touchdown pass to Staten Island, N.Y. native Anthony DiNaso to make it 24-7.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
Another defensive surge helped put the game away in the waning minutes. With the Seahawks driving late in the fourth, a Samad Wagstaff blitz from the blind side forced an errant pass by backup quarterback Matt Abbey as John Suarez picked off Abbey and returned the ball deep into Wagner territory.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
Martins led the way with six tackles while Paul Polomski (Franklin, MA) had five tackles. Defensive end Don Smith (Attleboro, MA) had a huge day, finishing with five tackles plus two big sacks.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Wagner (Sept. 27th)
"It was a special day for him (Smith) today and for the entire team," added Fine.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Marist (Oct. 11th)
Quarterback Chris Debowski completed 15 of 28 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns to lead host Marist College to a 34-7 win over Bryant Saturday evening at Tenney Stadium snapping a three-game losing skid for the Red Foxes.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Marist (Oct. 11th)
After Bryant's opening drive stalled, Marist (2-5) wasted little time to get off and running as Debowski connected with speedy receiver James LaMacchia for an 80-yard touchdown pass on the Red Foxes' very first play of the game. It would be the first of two deep touchdown passes to LaMacchia who finished with four receptions for 154 yards.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Marist (Oct. 11th)
Bryant (3-3) moved the ball well in the first half, picking up eight first downs but the Bulldogs were unable to get on the scoreboard as Marist ended Bryant's best scoring chance of the half by intercepting a Jay Graber pass at the goal line.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Marist (Oct. 11th)
Two Kevin Pauly field goals of 38 and 25 yards rounded out the first half scoring as Marist led 13-0 at the half.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Marist (Oct. 11th)
The Bulldogs were poised to get on the scoreboard on their first possession to start the second half thanks to the hard running of tailback Lindsey Gamble. The junior energized Bryant's opening drive with several dazzling runs to get the ball inside the Marist 20-yard line, but once again Bryant came up empty as Chris Bird's 25-yard field goal attempt sailed wide.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Marist (Oct. 11th)
On the ensuing possession, Marist again used another big play to break the game wide open as Debowski hooked up once again with LaMacchia down the right sideline for a 56-yard score to make it 20-0. Debowski would add another 15-yard touchdown pass to R.J. Roe to make it 27-0 before Gamble got Bryant on the board with a 7-yard run up the middle to make it 27-7 with 10:52 left in the game.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Marist (Oct. 11th)
Gamble finished with 100 yards on 20 carries in the game while Jerell Smith added 94-yard rushing. It was Gambles third 100-yard rushing game of his career. Graber completed 11 of 15 passes for 119 yards. Paul Polomski (Franklin, MA) had eight tackles while Jason Riffe and Don Smith (Attleboro, MA) had seven and six respectively.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
Jerell Smith (Brooklyn, NY) rushed for 104 yards on 16 carries while Anthony DiNaso (Staten Island, NY) caught a pair of touchdown passes to lead Bryant University to a 20-7 win over visiting Robert Morris University before a standing-room only crowd of 5,630 at Bulldog Stadium Saturday afternoon.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
Scored on its first possession of the game and let the defense handle the rest as Bryant held the Colonials to minus-20 yards rushing on the ground and sacked quarterback Erik Cwalinski eight times, tying a school record.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
Bryant (4-3) used a good balance attack in starting quickly as the Bulldogs opened with a 66-yard drive on its first possession to take a quick 7-0 lead. Lindsey Gamble (Roxbury, MA) helped keep the drive moving with a nice 19-yard pickup to move the ball down inside the Colonial 20-yard line.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
Three players later, quarterback Jay Graber hit DiNaso for the first of his two touchdowns on the day as the senior quarterback connected with the sophomore receiver across the middle for with a third-down pass across the middle for a 13-yard touchdown with 12:16 left in the first quarter.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
It would be the only scoring of the first half, but the Bulldogs would take advantage of a crucial turnover by Robert Morris, the first of only two in the game. After forcing the Bulldogs to punt on their first possession, Robert Morris (2-5) took over with good field position near midfield. But on the ensuing possession, RMU running back Myles Russ fumbled the hand-off and Don Smith (Attleboro, MA) was there to recover.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
Bryant would take full advantage of the momentum swing as Smith found a seam in the defensive line on the very next play and raced down the right sideline for a 37-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
Graber and DiNaso would hook up again in the fourth, this time on a 19-yard pass play in the corner of the end zone to make it 20-0. Cwalinski would help RMU avoid the shutout as the senior scored from 11 yards out to round out the scoring on the day.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
DiNaso finished with three catches for 54 yards while teammate Ross Giffune (Foxboro, MA) also had three receptions for 58 yards. Russ, who came into the game averaging 145 yards rushing per game, was held to just 37 on the day. Cwalinski completed 11 of 25 passes for 161 yards for Robert Morris.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris (Oct. 18th)
But the story of the day was the Bryant defense that held a Colonial team averaging 340 yards of offense to only 141 Saturday. Pat Gauthier (Woonsocket, RI) had 7 tackles plus accounted for three of Bryant's eight sacks. Andre Whyte (Bennington, VT) and Andrew Regan (West Newbury, MA) each had five tackles. Freshman Mike McGowan (Attleboro, MA / Bishop Feehan) had a big day in his first start at cornerback. McGowan had a pair of tackles and led the team with three pass breakups.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
UMass Amherst quarterback Liam Coen completed 11 of 18 passes for 389 yards and five touchdowns to lead the No. 17 Minutemen to a 42-7 win over visiting Bryant University Saturday afternoon.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
UMass (5-3), looking to bounce back strong from last week's loss to Richmond, did just that Saturday as the Minutemen scored on their first three possessions before the Bulldogs finally got on the board mid-way through the first quarter.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
Trailing 21-0, the Bulldogs (4-4) put together a solid scoring drive despite the loss of starting quarterback Jay Graber (Clarksburg, NJ). Graber, who left with 4:50 left in the opening quarter with an injury and did not return, was replaced by backup Kurt Spear (Greene, NY). The junior, seeing action for the first time this season, stepped right in and guided the Bulldogs down field with a solid scoring drive. Spear completed 3 of 4 passes including a 16-yarder to Mike Canfora for 16 yards on his first pass attempt.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
A 15-yard pass to Ross Giffune (Foxboro, MA) moved the ball down to the UMass 22-yard line. Behind steady blocking by the offensive line up front, junior tailback Lindsey Gamble (Roxbury, MA) moved the ball down to 6 and one play later found a seam into the end zone to make it 21-7 just before the end of the opening quarter.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
The 16-play drive covered 6 minutes, 41 seconds - the longest scoring drive of the season for the Bulldogs.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
UMass would answer as Tony Nelson scored from 3 yards out and Jeremy Horne was on the receiving end of a 21-yard pass from Coen to make it 35-7 at the half and the hosts cruised from there. Horne finished with 182 yards and three touchdowns while Korrey Davis rushed for 54 yards on 12 carries.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
UMass finished the day with 593 yards of total offense including 448 yards through the air. Bryant had 217 yards of offense in the game. Spear finished the day completing 7 of 17 passes for 70 yards with Giffune hauling in three catches for 27 yards. Mike Canfora had two catches for 25 yards. Jerell Smith (Brooklyn, NY) rushed for 56 of Bryant's 126 yards on the ground while Gamble finished with 52 yards on 17 carries.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
Sophomore Addison Lynch (Braintree, MA) recorded a career-best 12 tackles to lead Bryant defensively. Junior linebacker Paul Polomski (Franklin, MA) added 10 tackles as the Bulldog defense recovered three UMass fumbles, all in the second half.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Massachusetts-Amherst (Oct. 25th)
Punter Brian Donnelly (East Dennis, MA) punted a school-record 12 times for 441 yards.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Duquesne (Nov. 1st)
Bryant University running back Jerell Smith rushed for 129 yards on 14 carries while the defense used two fourth quarter interceptions to put the game away as the host Bulldogs pulled away for a 24-10 win over Duquesne here Saturday afternoon.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Duquesne (Nov. 1st)
Duquesne quarterback Connor Dixon engineered a solid 10-play scoring drive to open the game as the Dukes jumped out in front first. A Dixon 20-yard pass to Brian Layhue on the Dukes' second-play moved the ball to midfield. Dixon would later hook up with running back Cleo Williams for an 11-yard pass play to move the ball down to the Bryant 25-yard line. With the ball on the Bryant 7-yard line, the Bulldog defense would hold Duquesne to a 24-yard field goal from Mark Troyan.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Duquesne (Nov. 1st)
Bryant's (5-4) offense would finally get on the board just before halftime. After a 21-yard punt by Duquesne's Josh Brisk gave the Bulldogs good field position at the Duquesne 44-yard line, quarterback Jay Graber (Clarksburg, NJ) hit Ross Giffune (Foxboro, MA) for a 20-yard gain down to the Duquesne 15-yard line. Two plays later, Mike Canfora (Verona, NJ) took a lateral from Graber and rumbled into the end zone for a 15-yard score. The extra point attempt was wide and the Bulldogs took a 6-3 lead into the locker room at the half.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Duquesne (Nov. 1st)
Duquesne (2-6) regained the lead once again late in the third as Dixon connected with Alex Roberson for a 54-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-9.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Duquesne (Nov. 1st)
But in the fourth, Lindsey Gamble put the Bulldogs back in front for good, scoring on a 29-yard run down the middle to make it 15-10. On their next possession, the Dukes moved the ball down to the Bryant 40, but junior defensive end Don Smith (Attleboro, MA) blitzed Dixon forcing the sophomore to throw an ill-advised pass that was picked off by linebacker Paul Polomski (Franklin, MA).


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Duquesne (Nov. 1st)
The Bulldogs came into the game tied for first nationally with a 25 turnovers gained this season. The Duquesne miscue led to a Brian Donnelly (East Dennis, MA) 25-yard field goal to give Bryant an 18-10 lead with just over five minutes left.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Duquesne (Nov. 1st)
Needing to go the length of the field to score and possibly force overtime, Duquesne would never get the opportunity as Bryant linebacker Cheyenne Ray (Bellport, NY) picked off Dixon's very first pass attempt at the 29-yard line and returned it the distance for the touchdown, sealing the victory for the Bulldogs.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Duquesne (Nov. 1st)
Bryant finished with 445 yards of total offense in the game. The Bulldogs were 7 for 15 on third-down conversions. Gamble finished with 94 yards rushing while Graber completed 18 of 26 passes for 213 yards. Williams finished with 76 yards rushing for Duquesne while Dixon was 16 for 28 passing for 193 yards.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
Lindsey Gamble (Roxbury, MA) rushed for a season-high 163 yards on 15 carries to lead the Bryant University football team to a 23-7 win over Iona College Saturday at a wet and rainy Mazzella Field. The win clinches a winning record for the Bulldogs in their first season of Division I football as Bryant will take a 6-4 record into next Saturday's season finale at Saint Francis (PA).


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
Coming off a bye week, the Bulldogs were slow out of the gate and Iona (3-8) took advantage, scoring the only points of the first half late in the first quarter. Gael freshman quarterback Warren Smith engineered an 11-play drive ending with a 33-yard touchdown pass to the speedy Tim Mastrino for a 7-0 lead.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
Held scoreless for only the second time this season, Bryant managed just 55 yards rushing in the first half against an Iona defense that came into the game allowing 300 yards rushing.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
But it was a different story in the second half as quarterback Jay Graber (Clarksburg, NJ) led Bryant on a 10-play scoring drive to open the third quarter. The senior connected with senior tight end Jarrett Solimando (Demarest, NJ) on an 18-yard pass play down to the one-yard line. One play later, junior tailback Jerrell Smith (Brooklyn, NY) dove into the end-zone to finally put Bryant on the scoreboard. Iona would maintain the lead however, as the point after attempt was wide, keeping Gaels in front 7-6.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
But the scoring drive was just what the team needed. Chris Bird's (Monument Beach, MA) 30-yard field goal atoned for the missed extra point try and the Bulldogs had their first lead of the game, 9-7 with 4:24 left in the third.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
Still within striking distance, the Gaels continued to move the ball well led by the arm of Warren Smith and the play of Mastrino. But the key play of the game came early in the fourth with the Gaels driving deep into Bryant territory. With the ball on the Bryant 25, and Iona facing a fourth-and-three, Attleboro's Don Smith pressured Warren Smith to scramble out of the pocket and throw an incomplete pass with Andre Whyte (Bennington, Vt.) covering.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
Taking over on downs, Gamble broke through the line on Bryant's very first play from scrimmage and raced 75 yards for a touchdown to make it 16-7. With the momentum clearly back in Bryant's favor, Jerrell Smith would later add a 50-yard touchdown run of his own and the Bulldogs never looked back.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
With his 163 yards on the day, Gamble moved into fourth all-time in school history with 1,704 rushing yards. Jerrell Smith, who surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season on Bryant's first play of game, finished with 105 yards on the ground, moving him into third-place all-time in school history with 1,723 yards.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
Anthony DiNaso (Staten Island, NY) had four catches for 64 yards while Bryce Martins (Uncasville, CT) led the defense with 11 tackles. Patrick Gauthier (Woonsocket, RI) and Smith each had seven.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, Iona (Nov. 15th)
Iona's quarterback Smith completed 31 of 53 passes for 272 yards. Mastrino finished an amazing day for the Gaels, catching a school record 18 passes for 167 yards.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (PA) (Nov. 22nd)
It may have been the longest road trip in the history Bryant football program, but it will certainly be memorable as Jerell Smith rushed for 150 and quarterback Jay Graber threw three touchdown passes as the Bulldogs rolled to a 23-0 win over Saint Francis (PA) on a snowy afternoon at DeGol Field. The win concludes Bryant's first Division I season with a 7-4 record.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (PA) (Nov. 22nd)
The Bulldogs out-gained the Red Flash 382 to 58 in total yards as Graber completed 14 of 19 passes for 160 yards on the day. Ross Giffune hauled in four catches for 59 yards and it was his first touchdown reception of the season that got the Bulldogs on the board first.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (PA) (Nov. 22nd)
Bryant put together a nice looking drive right away on its first possession. Hard running from Lindsey Gamble helped move the ball down to the Red Flash eight-yard line, setting up an 8-yard, Graber to Giffune touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to make it 7-0.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (PA) (Nov. 22nd)
Two fumbles halted a pair of other Bryant drives in the second quarter but the Bulldogs were able add on a 32-yard field goal by Chris Bird just before the end of the half to take a 10-0 lead into the locker room at the break. The field goal was the 15th in the career for Bird, tying Pete DiMartino's school record.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (PA) (Nov. 22nd)
The Bulldog defense enjoyed an outstanding first half, holding Saint Francis to just 12 yards of offense and only one pass completion.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (PA) (Nov. 22nd)
In the second half, the Bulldogs stretched the lead to 17-0 as Graber connected with wide receiver Vinton South for a 33-yard score with 1:19 left in the third. The scoring drive covered 10 plays and took off more than five minutes on the clock.


2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (PA) (Nov. 22nd)
Graber and the Bulldogs would put the game away midway through the fourth as the senior signal caller threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this time to Tyler DiGiovanni. The point after was wide but the point didn't matter as the Bulldogs managed to end the season with a win for the first time since the 2000 season and just the second time in the 10-year history of the program.


2008 Bucharest summit
The 2008 Bucharest Summit or the 20th NATO Summit was a NATO summit organized in the Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest, Romania on 2 – 4 April 2008. Among other business, Croatia and Albania were invited to join the alliance. Macedonia was not invited due to its ongoing naming dispute with Greece. Georgia and Ukraine had hoped to join the NATO Membership Action Plan, but the NATO members decided to review their request in December 2008.


2008 Bucharest summit
The fear that NATO is evolving into a worldwide coalition of the willing, as such increasing polarisation and militarization in international affairs, sparked protests at NATO's HQ in Brussels two weeks before the summit, and in Bucharest. Protesters targeted the renewed determination of NATO to use nuclear weapons and NATO's backing of the US anti-missile shield.


2008 Bucharest summit, Summit agenda
As said by Craig Kennedy in an introduction to the NATO Bucharest summit and from the NATO summit program.


2008 Bucharest summit, Host
Romania competed for the organization of this summit with Portugal, which initially was scheduled to host the summit in 2006, but eventually conceded in favor of Latvia, which held the 2006 Riga Summit. Romania received support from the United States, and U.S. Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns said in December 2006 that Romania deserved the honor to hold this event due to its contribution to the Alliance's common effort in the War in Afghanistan and for stability in the Iraq War. Romania has been a member of NATO since 14 March 2004.


2008 Bucharest summit, Non-invitation
An invitation to join the Alliance was not extended to Macedonia. Greece had threatened on several occasions to veto the country's NATO bid due to the longstanding naming dispute over the latter's name. The last UN proposal before the summit was the name "Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)", which was rejected by Greece. Athens argues that use of the name "Macedonia" implies territorial claims on its own region of Macedonia. Skopje denies this, citing constitutional amendments that specifically exclude "territorial pretensions". NATO officials said the country could begin talks on joining the alliance as soon as it had resolved its dispute with Greece.


2008 Bucharest summit, Non-invitation
While under the terms of the Interim Accord, signed between the two parties in 1995, Athens agreed not to block "membership in international, multilateral and regional organizations and institutions" under the FYROM acronym, Greece expected that the country would immediately request recognition by its constitutional name once it gained entry into the organization. According to politicians in Skopje, Athens has directly breached the Interim Accord.


2008 Bucharest summit, Non-invitation
The governments that supported its membership bid argued that the country had completed the necessary reforms for membership, and that regional stability would be challenged if it did not join NATO. Conversely, Athens contends that although Skopje rejects territorial claims officially, in practice there have been numerous irredentist provocations by high government officials, schoolbooks, and other governmental publications. Senior officials in Skopje asserted that the country had fulfilled NATO requirements to join and was being "punished" for its identity.


2008 Bucharest summit, Non-invitation
After an application for ruling submitted after this Summit by Macedonia against Greece on this matter before the International Court of Justice, on 5 December 2011 the Court ruled that Greece had indeed breached the accords and was wrong to do so.


2008 Bucharest summit, NATO–Russia meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to the summit, and he arrived on the second day (3 April) to participate in bilateral NATO–Russia talks. He opposed the US plans to deploy missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic, which was discussed at the summit. Russia also opposed Georgia and Ukraine's NATO membership bids.


2008 Bucknell Bison football team
The 2008 Bucknell Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bucknell University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Bucknell finished fifth in the Patriot League.


2008 Bucknell Bison football team
In their sixth season under head coach Tim Landis, the  Bison compiled a 5–6 record. Greg Jones, A.J. Kizekai, Kevin Mullen and Casey Williams were the team captains.


2008 Bucknell Bison football team
The Bison were outscored 339 to 269. Their 2–4 conference record placed fifth in the seven-team Patriot League standings.


2008 Bucknell Bison football team
Bucknell played its home games at Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.


2008 Budapest Grand Prix
The 2008 Budapest Grand Prix was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 14th edition of the Budapest Grand Prix, and was part of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place in Budapest, Hungary, from 7 July until 13 July 2008. Second-seeded Alizé Cornet won the singles title and earned $28,000 first-prize money.


2008 Budapest Grand Prix, Finals, Doubles
Alizé Cornet /  Janette Husárová defeated  Vanessa Henke /  Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6–7(5–7), 6–1, [10–6]


2008 Budapest Grand Prix – Doubles
Ágnes Szávay and Vladimíra Uhlířová were the defending champions, but chose not to participate.


2008 Budapest Grand Prix – Doubles
Alizé Cornet and Janette Husárová won the tournament, defeating Vanessa Henke and Raluca Olaru in the final, 6–7(5–7), 6–1, [10–6].


2008 Budapest Grand Prix – Singles
Gisela Dulko was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Budapest Grand Prix – Singles
Second-seeded Alizé Cornet won in the final 7–6(7–5), 6–3, against Andreja Klepač.


2008 Budapest Grand Prix – Singles, Seeds
The top two seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2008 Budweiser Shootout
The 2008 Budweiser Shootout was the first official, non-points paying event of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The race was run on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida and was restricted to those who were the fastest qualifiers in the 2007 season as well as past winners of the event. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the event, his second shootout, and his first win with Hendrick Motorsports. Fox televised the race starting at 8 PM US EST.


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Eligible drivers
There were two ways to become eligible for the Budweiser Shootout: win a pole or win the Budweiser Shootout. For 2008, there were 23 eligible drivers: nine drivers being past winners with lifetime exemptions into the race as long as they remain active in the series, and 15 who were fastest in qualifying for NEXTEL Cup races in 2007.


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Starting lineup
The Budweiser Shootout lineup was determined by a draw of positions on Thursday, February 7, 2008 and aired live on Speed Channel.


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Starting lineup
1. (2) Kurt Busch°3. (55) Michael Waltrip5. (38) David Gilliland°7. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr.9. (1) Martin Truex Jr.11. (96) J.J Yeley13. (49) Ken Schrader15. (44) Dale Jarrett°17. (16) Greg Biffle19. (22) Dave Blaney21. (07) Clint Bowyer23. (12) Ryan Newman°


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Starting lineup
2. (8) Mark Martin4. (26) Jamie McMurray6. (41) Reed Sorenson8. (9) Kasey Kahne10. (20) Tony Stewart12. (11) Denny Hamlin14. (21) Bill Elliott°16. (5) Casey Mears°18. (48) Jimmie Johnson°20. (99) Carl Edwards22. (24) Jeff Gordon°


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Starting lineup
° — Because of the wrecks in Happy Hour, or other reasons, these drivers went to the rear of the field.


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Practice
The final practice session, commonly known as "Happy Hour" was anything but for many drivers as two separate incidents turned into a wreckfest thanks to the restrictor plate style of racing. The first, known as in the restrictor plate races as "The Big One", involved among others, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, David Gilliland and Jimmie Johnson, forcing them to backup rides. The second incident was more notable, with tensions boiling over from an incident during the Autism Speaks 400 the previous June at Dover, Tony Stewart accidentally brushed Kurt Busch, then slammed into the wall.


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Practice
The driver of the #2 Dodge retaliated en route to the garage area by bumping Stewart's #20 Toyota three times preventing en route to pit road getting to the garage area. Busch was forced into a backup car and forfeited his pole position, and both drivers were ordered to visit the NASCAR Sprint Cup trailer to discuss the incident, and ordered to stay away from one another before the race. It had been reported that Stewart punched out Busch after he was called as "fat" in the trailer. On February 12, 2008, both were placed on probation for six races.


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Race
The race was broken down into two segments: The first segment, which was 20 laps, followed by a ten-minute intermission, followed by a 50-lap segment, during which teams are required to make a green flag pit stop to change a minimum of two tires. Unlike points-paying races, all restarts are double-file with lead lap cars in the front, and work can be done during red flag periods. When all was said and done, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. led an event record 46 of the 70 laps to win his first race with Hendrick Motorsports.


2008 Budweiser Shootout, Race
In a post-race inspection, Casey Mears' #5 Chevrolet was deemed to be too low.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km
The 2008 200 km of Buenos Aires was the second edition of this race on the TC2000 season. The race was held in the Autódromo Juan y Óscar Gálvez in Buenos Aires.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
With more than 70.000 spectators attending the event, Argentina's José María López and Scotland's Anthony Reid won the 5th edition of the Buenos Aires 200 km, after a great initial stint by the local driver and a similarly impressive second one by the Scot. They used their huge talent, exploited other drivers' errors and also the performance of the New Civic of the Honda Petrobras team. The team's happiness was even greater because another of its cars placed second, in the hands of Juan Manuel Silva/Leonel Ugalde. Alain Menu/Christian Ledesma (Chevrolet Elaion) completed the podium.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
Buenos Aires, August 10, 2008.- With more than 70.000 spectators attending the event, Argentina's José María López and Scotland's Anthony Reid won the 5th edition of the Buenos Aires 200 km, after a great initial stint by the local driver and a similarly impressive second one by the Scot. They used their huge talent, exploited other drivers' errors and also the performance of the New Civic of the Honda Petrobras team. The team's happiness was even greater because another of its cars placed second, in the hands of Juan Manuel Silva/Leonel Ugalde. Alain Menú/Christian Ledesma (Chevrolet Elaion) completed the podium.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
This is a dream come true. It is the happiest day of my life. Tears came to my eyes because of all the work we did to achieve this result. It is Honda's victory. It is the team's victory. I suffered very much when I was not at the wheel of the car, it is very different. There were times in which I wanted him to go faster, to take it easier, but I did not want to influence what Anthony was doing at the wheel of the car. We formed a great driver pairing, sincerely", said López, full of emotion.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
Pechito has become a specialist in the so-called special events this season, as he recently won on the Santa Fe street circuit and now he has won the Buenos Aires 200 km, the two most outstanding events so far this year. Not forgetting to mention the great performance of the Honda Petrobras team during the entire weekend, having been ahead of its rivals right from the onset.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
This was also Anthony Reid's first victory in the division, and he has competed in all five editions which so far have taken place. He was second in last year's event, co-driving with Brazil's Carlos Bueno. "I've spent five years trying to win this race. Last year we were second. We've raced with Víctor Rosso in Japan, I know him very well and to be here is terrific. I also want to thank López for the great job he did today ... he should be in Formula 1." said the Scot.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
López and Reid claimed victory thanks in part to the great job of the driver from Córdoba in what refers to the initial stint. After the driver change, when the Silva/Ugalde car grabbed the lead ahead of López/Reid, the Briton cautiously tried to find a way past Ugalde.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
The latter found a good rhythm, but on lap 52 he overdid things while descending the Tobogan esses and lost the lead to Reid, who from then on controlled the race and headed towards victory, followed by Ugalde who kept Felipe Maluhy's Renault Mégane at bay. Maluhy was co-driving with standings leader Guillermo Ortelli.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
It was Maluhy, who had finished 5th in the 2006 edition and 4th in 2007, who appeared to heading for the final podium placing until being nerfed by his countryman Cacá Bueno in the Ombú Curve and being demoted to fifth, as he was overtaken by Bueno and also by Alain Menú, who was co-driving a Chevrolet Astra with Christian Ledesma.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
Once the race had ended, the Stewards handed out a 30-second penalty to Bueno and this relegated him to 10th, so the third step of the podium finally corresponded to Ledesma/Menú, while Ortelli/Maluhy ended up fourth, ahead of Matías Rossi/Thiago Camilo.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
In this way, Switzerland's Alain Menú once again claimed a podium placing in the event, as he had done in his three previous outings in the Buenos Aires 200 km. He and Ledesma were the best-placed Chevrolet drivers. Teammates Bugliotti/Huff were sixth and Risatti/Orsi seventh.


2008 Buenos Aires 200km, Report
It was not a good day for the works Ford YPF outfit, as Martín Basso retired early on in the race while in fourth, which meant that Omar Martinez did not get to race the Focus, The Gabriel Ponce de León/Walter Hernández pairing ended up 12th after engine trouble delayed them.


2008 Buenos Aires Grand Prix Race 2
Results from the 2008 Buenos Aires Grand Prix held at Buenos Aires on August 10, 2008, in the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. The race was the second race for the 2008 Buenos Aires Grand Prix of Formula Three Sudamericana.


2008 Buffalo Bandits season
The Buffalo Bandits are a lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2008 season was the franchise's 17th season.


2008 Buffalo Bandits season
The Bandits tied with Minnesota, New York, and Philadelphia with a 10-6 record but thanks to tiebreakers, clinched first place overall and home floor advantage throughout the playoffs. They beat the Philadelphia Wings 14-12 in the opening round of the playoffs, then made quick work of the New York Titans 19-12, before they beat the Portland LumberJax 14-13 to win their first championship since 1996.


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


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


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


2008 Buffalo Bills season
The 2008 Buffalo Bills season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and their 49th season overall. The team finished with a record of 7–9 for the third consecutive year. It started the season 5–1 before a 2–8 stretch to finish the season.


2008 Buffalo Bills season
After a 5–1 beginning to the season, starting quarterback Trent Edwards suffered a concussion in week 5 at Arizona after an Adrian Wilson hit. Edwards had started the year throwing 4 touchdowns and two interceptions through the first five games. After the injury, he threw 7 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, before missing two of the final four games of the season with a groin injury. After their 4–0 start, the Bills won only three of their final 12 games of the year.


2008 Buffalo Bills season
Despite strong years from second-year running back Marshawn Lynch (1,036 rushing yards, 1,336 yards from scrimmage) and wide receiver Lee Evans (1,017 receiving yards), the team was eliminated from playoff contention in week 15, which secured their ninth straight year without a playoff appearance.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Off-season, Acquisitions
The Bills signed Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Spencer Johnson, New York Jets fullback Darian Barnes and New York Giants linebacker Kawika Mitchell in free agency.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Off-season, Acquisitions
Also, the Bills traded for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Marcus Stroud.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Off-season, NFL Draft
Buffalo found some impact players in the 2008 NFL Draft. Leodis McKelvin was named to the Sporting News All-NFL team in his rookie year; he became a dynamic kick- and punt-return specialist. Demetress Bell eventually won a starting job at offensive tackle in Buffalo, a position he held for four seasons. Stevie Johnson had a breakout year in 2010; he is the only receiver in Bills history to gain 1,000 receiving yards in consecutive seasons.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Schedule
One regular season home game per year will be played at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario as part of a five-year deal. For 2008, December 7's matchup with the Miami Dolphins was staged in Toronto.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Bills began their 2008 campaign at home against the Seattle Seahawks. In the first quarter, Buffalo drew first blood as running back Marshawn Lynch got a 21-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, the Bills increased their lead with wide receiver/punt returner Roscoe Parrish returning a punt 63 yards for a touchdown. The Seahawks responded with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck completing a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nate Burleson. Buffalo closed out the half with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 35-yard and a 38-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks
In the third quarter, Seattle responded with kicker Olindo Mare nailing a 45-yard field goal. Afterwards, Buffalo dug into their bag of tricks. Appearing to attempt a 32-yard field goal, holder Brian Moorman completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to defensive end Ryan Denney. The Bills pulled away with quarterback Trent Edwards completing a 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robert Royal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks
With this win, the Bills started their season with a 1–0 record.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 2: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Coming off an impressive home win over the Seahawks, the Bills flew to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for a Week 2 duel with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the first quarter, Buffalo drew first blood as RB Marshawn Lynch got an 11-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Jaguars responded with kicker Josh Scobee getting a 28-yard field goal. The Bills closed the half with kicker Rian Lindell's a 21-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Jacksonville took the lead with RB Maurice Jones-Drew getting a 2-yard TD run and Scobee getting a 50-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Jaguars increased their lead with Scobee nailing a 39-yard field goal. Buffalo rallied as QB Trent Edwards completed a 7-yard TD pass to rookie WR James Hardy, along with Lindell's yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 2: at Jacksonville Jaguars
With yet another win, the Bills improved to their first 2–0 start since 2003.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders
Coming off their road win over the Jaguars, the Bills went home, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 3 duel with the Oakland Raiders. In the first quarter, Buffalo trailed early as Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski got a 23-yard and a 35-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Bills got on the board with RB Marshawn Lynch's 14-yard TD run. Oakland responded with Janikowski's 32-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders
In the third quarter, the Raiders increased their lead with QB JaMarcus Russell getting a 1-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, Buffalo began to rally as Lynch got a 3-yard TD run. Oakland immediately responded with Russell completing an 84-yard TD pass to WR Johnnie Lee Higgins. Afterwards, the Bills completed its rally with QB Trent Edwards completing a 14-yard TD pass to WR Roscoe Parrish. Then, Buffalo sealed the win with kicker Rian Lindell nailing the game-winning 38-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders
With the win, the Bills improved to 3–0 for the first time since 1992. With the Patriots' loss to the Dolphins, the Bills are now in first place in the AFC East after 3 weeks.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders
Also, during halftime, former Bills DE Bruce Smith (the NFL's All-Time Sack Leader) was added to the Bills Wall of Fame.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 4: at St. Louis Rams
Coming off their last-second home win over the Raiders, the Bills flew to the Edward Jones Dome for a Week 4 interconference duel with the winless St. Louis Rams. In the first quarter, Buffalo drew first blood as kicker Rian Lindell got a 45-yard field goal. The Rams responded with WR Donnie Avery getting a 37-yard TD run. The Bills answered with Lindell's 35-yard field goal. In the second quarter, St. Louis increased its lead with RB Steven Jackson getting a 29-yard TD run.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 4: at St. Louis Rams
In the third quarter, Buffalo began to rally as RB Fred Jackson got a 22-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Bills completed their comeback with CB Jabari Greer returning an interception 33 yards for a touchdown, QB Trent Edwards completing a 39-yard TD pass to WR Lee Evans, and Lindell nailing a 45-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 4: at St. Louis Rams
With the win, Buffalo got its first 4–0 start since 1992.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals
Coming off their road win over the Rams, the Bills flew to the University of Phoenix Stadium for a Week 5 interconference game with the Arizona Cardinals. In the first quarter, Buffalo trailed early as Cardinals QB Kurt Warner completed a 2-yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald. In the second quarter, Arizona increased its lead as RB Tim Hightower got a 17-yard TD run. The Bills responded as QB J.P. Losman completing an 87-yard TD pass to WR Lee Evans, yet the Cardinals replied with RB Edgerrin James getting a 1-yard TD run. Buffalo answered with Losman's 1-yard TD run, yet Arizona closed out the half with kicker Neil Rackers getting a 47-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals
In the third quarter, the Bills tried to catch up as kicker Rian Lindell got a 48-yard field goal, but the Cardinals answered with Warner completing a 2-yard TD pass to Fitzgerald. In the fourth quarter, Arizona pulled away as Rackers nailed a 38-yard field goal, along with Hightower getting a 2-yard TD run,


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals
With the loss, Buffalo went into their bye week at 4–1.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals
QB Trent Edwards (3/3 for 18 yards), who originally started, was knocked out the game on the Bills' third offensive play by Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson with a concussion.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers
Coming off their bye week, the Bills played a Week 7 duel with the San Diego Chargers. In the first quarter, Buffalo drew first blood as kicker Rian Lindell got a 38-yard field goal. The Chargers responded with QB Philip Rivers completing a 14-yard TD pass to WR Malcom Floyd. In the second quarter, the Bills regained the lead with QB Trent Edwards (fully recovered from his concussion) completing a 2-yard TD pass to WR Lee Evans, along with Lindell getting a 27-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers
In the third quarter, San Diego regained the lead with Rivers completing a 12-yard TD pass to WR Vincent Jackson. Buffalo answered with RB Marshawn Lynch getting a 9-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Bills pulled away with Lindell nailing a 44-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers
With the win, not only did Buffalo improve to 5–1, they also got their first 3–0 home start since 1995.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers
A power outage at Ralph Wilson Stadium, caused by three helium balloons coming in contact with a transformer, led to portions of the game not being televised. For a short time during the first and second quarters, the game was played with no public address announcers, no scoreboard, and the time being kept by the officials on the field.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 8: at Miami Dolphins
Coming off their win over the Chargers, the Bills flew to Dolphin Stadium for a Week 8 AFC East duel with the Miami Dolphins. In the first quarter, Buffalo trailed early as Dolphins QB Chad Pennington completed a 2-yard TD pass to TE Anthony Fasano. The Bills responded with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 19-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Buffalo took the lead as Lindell got a 43-yard and a 47-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 8: at Miami Dolphins
In the third quarter, the Bills increased their lead as RB Marshawn Lynch got an 8-yard TD run. However, Miami began to respond as kicker Dan Carpenter got a 43-yard field goal, while RB Ricky Williams got a 3-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins sealed Buffalo's fate as Carpenter made a 45-yard field goal, LB Joey Porter causing QB Trent Edwards to fumble the ball in his own endzone (leading to a safety), and Carpenter nailing a 35-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 9: vs. New York Jets
The Bills went home for a Week 9 AFC East duel with the New York Jets. In the first quarter, Buffalo trailed early as Jets kicker Jay Feely got a 37-yard field goal. Buffalo responded as QB Trent Edwards completed a 9-yard TD pass to rookie TE Derek Fine. However, New York responded as Feely got a 26-yard field goal, along with safety Abram Elam returning an interception 92 yards for a touchdown. After a scoreless second quarter, the Bills' deficit increased in the third quarter as Feely got a 20-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 9: vs. New York Jets
Buffalo responded with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 53-yard field goal, but the Jets replied with RB Thomas Jones getting a 7-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Bills tried to rally as CB Jabari Greer returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown. However, New York pulled away with Feely making a 31-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 10: at New England Patriots
Trying to snap their two-game losing streak, the Bills wrapped up their three-straight divisional games in Gillette Stadium with a Week 10 AFC East duel with the New England Patriots. In the first quarter, Buffalo trailed early as Patriots QB Matt Cassel got a 13-yard TD run. In the second quarter, New England increased their lead as kicker Stephen Gostkowski got a 32-yard field goal. The Bills closed out the half with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 25-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 10: at New England Patriots
In the third quarter, the Patriots answered with Gostkowski nailing a 37-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, New England pulled away with RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis getting a 1-yard TD run. Buffalo ended the game with QB Trent Edwards completing a 14-yard TD pass to rookie WR James Hardy.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 11: vs. Cleveland Browns
Trying to snap a three-game losing streak, the Bills went home for a Week 11 MNF duel with the Cleveland Browns. In the first quarter, Buffalo struggled early as early interceptions from QB Trent Edwards helped Browns kicker Phil Dawson get a 40-yard and a 33-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Cleveland increased their lead as WR/KR Joshua Cribbs got a 2-yard TD run. The Bills answered as Edwards completed an 18-yard TD pass to RB Marshawn Lynch, along with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 26-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 11: vs. Cleveland Browns
In the third quarter, the Browns answered with Dawson getting a 43-yard field. Buffalo replied with Lindell getting a 31-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Cleveland greatly answered as RB Jerome Harrison got a 72-yard TD run. The Bills immediately replied as rookie CB Leodis McKelvin returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The Browns responded as Dawson got a 22-yard field goal. Buffalo took the lead as Edwards got a 1-yard TD run. Cleveland regained the lead as Dawson nailed a 56-yard field goal. The Bills' Lindell missed a 47-yard field goal wide right.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs
Hoping to snap a four-game losing streak, the Bills flew to Arrowhead Stadium for a Week 12 duel with the Kansas City Chiefs. In the first quarter, Buffalo trailed early as Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen completed a 36-yard TD pass to RB Jamaal Charles. The Bills responded with RB Marshawn Lynch getting a 1-yard TD run. In the second quarter, Buffalo took the lead as kicker Rian Lindell made a 21-yard field goal. Kansas City answered with Thigpen completing a 2-yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs
Buffalo regained the lead as Lindell got a 39-yard field goal, while rookie CB Leodis McKelvin returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs struck back with kicker Connor Barth getting a 45-yard field goal, yet the Bills continued their offensive explosion as Lindell got a 34-yard field goal, along with QB Trent Edwards getting a 15-yard TD run.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs
In the third quarter, Buffalo continued its poundings with Edwards getting a 5-yard TD run, while Lindell got himself a 38-yard field goal. Kansas City tried to rally as Thigpen completed a 45-yard TD pass to WR Mark Bradley, yet the Bills replied with Edwards completing an 8-yard TD pass to WR Josh Reed. In the fourth quarter, Buffalo pulled away as Edwards completed a 17-yard TD pass to TE Derek Schouman. The Chiefs tried to come back as QB Quinn Gray completed a 3-yard TD pass to WR Dwayne Bowe, yet the Bills' lead was too much for Kansas City to overcome.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs
This marked the first time the Bills scored 50+ points on an opponent since Sept. 1991 against the Pittsburgh Steelers (52–34).


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Coming off a road win over the Chiefs, the Bills went home for a Week 13 interconference duel against the San Francisco 49ers. In the first quarter, Buffalo trailed early as 49ers QB Shaun Hill completed a 12-yard TD pass to WR Isaac Bruce. In the second quarter, the Bills continued to trail as kicker Joe Nedney made a 50-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Buffalo tried to rally as kicker Rian Lindell nailed a 22-yard field goal, but the team struggled offensively for the rest of the game.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
QB Trent Edwards (10/21 for 112 yards) didn't play the second half, due to a groin injury.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 14: vs. Miami Dolphins
Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the 49ers, the Bills flew to the Rogers Centre for their first game of their Canadian International series, with an AFC East rematch against the Miami Dolphins. In the first quarter, Buffalo trailed early as Dolphins QB Chad Pennington completed a 20-yard TD pass to TE Anthony Fasano. The Bills answered with kicker Rian Lindell. After that, Miami pulled away as kicker Dan Carpenter made three field goals (50, 35, and 27 yards).


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 15: at New York Jets
Hoping to snap a two-game losing streak, the Bills flew to The Meadowlands for a Week 15 AFC East rematch with the New York Jets. With Trent Edwards still recovering from a groin injury, J.P. Losman was given the start.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 15: at New York Jets
Early on in the first quarter, Buffalo trailed as Jets running back Thomas Jones got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Bills responded with a 34-yard field goal from kicker Rian Lindell, but New York answered with quarterback Brett Favre completing an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery. In the second quarter, Buffalo took the lead as Losman got an 8-yard touchdown run and completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Stevie Johnson. However, the Jets got the halftime lead with a 47-yard touchdown run from running back Leon Washington.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 15: at New York Jets
In the third quarter, the Bills kept pace as Lindell made a 48-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, New York responded with kicker Jay Feely's 31-yard field goal. Buffalo regained the lead as running back Fred Jackson powered his way for an 11-yard touchdown run. However, the Jets prevailed as safety Abram Elam forced a fumble, allowing DE Shaun Ellis to return the ball 11 yards for a touchdown.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 15: at New York Jets
With the loss, not only did the Bills fall to 6–8, but they were eliminated from the playoff race.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 16: at Denver Broncos
Hoping to snap a three-game losing streak, the Bills flew to Invesco Field at Mile High for a Week 16 duel with the Denver Broncos. Buffalo trailed early in the first quarter as Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler got a 2-yard touchdown run, followed by kicker Matt Prater getting a 23-yard field goal. Denver increased its lead in the second quarter with Prater's 30-yard field goal. The Bills responded with a 37-yard field goal from kicker Rian Lindell, followed by running back Marshawn Lynch's 2-yard touchdown run.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 16: at Denver Broncos
In the third quarter, Buffalo took the lead with Lindell's 49-yard and 28-yard field goal, but the Broncos answered with Cutler's 6-yard touchdown run. The Bills struck right back in the fourth quarter as quarterback Trent Edwards completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Stevie Johnson. Denver tied the game with Prater nailing a 43-yard field goal. Buffalo rallied with running back Fred Jackson getting an 8-yard touchdown run, followed the defense surviving the Broncos' late-game drive.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 17: vs. New England Patriots
Coming off their road win over the Broncos, the Bills closed out their season at home with a Week 17 AFC East rematch with the New England Patriots. Buffalo trailed early in the first quarter as Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski got a 33-yard field goal. After a scoreless second quarter, the Bills' deficit increased in the third quarter as running back LaMont Jordan got a 2-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, New England added to their lead as Gostkowski nailed a 23-yard field goal.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Week 17: vs. New England Patriots
With the loss, the Bills closed out their season at 7–9 for the third-straight season.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, NFL Draft
Going into the 2008 NFL Draft the team's biggest needs are at wide receiver, cornerback, and tight end. Specifically, the team's top three wide receivers were all under 5'11" in height, and a large wide receiver was a high priority for the team. The Bills had a large number of selections in the 2008 draft and addressed these needs by selecting Leodis McKelvin, considered by many to be the top cornerback in the draft, in round 1, and James Hardy, a 6'5" playmaking receiver also considered to be among the best in the class, in round 2. Tight end, however, was not addressed until Round 4, with the selection of Derek Fine. Depth picks filled out the rest of the draft order.


2008 Buffalo Bills season, NFL Draft, Draft Results
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. gave the Buffalo Bills a C+ grade for their 2008 NFL Draft, praising the selections of McKelvin and Hardy but criticizing the selections of Corner and Fine as reaches in the 4th round.


2008 Buffalo Bulls football team
The 2008 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. 2008 was a season of firsts for the Bulls. With a 40–34 double overtime win over Bowling Green on November 21, the Bulls won the MAC East division and gained a berth to the MAC Championship for the first time. The Bulls won their first conference championship by beating #12 ranked and previously undefeated Ball State, 42–24 on December 5.


2008 Buffalo Bulls football team
The win was also Buffalo's first against a ranked opponent and ensured a winning season for the first time since Buffalo returned to the top-level of college football in 1999. They earned an invitation to the International Bowl at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, their first trip to a bowl game in their history, exactly fifty years after the Bulls turned down their only previous bowl bid, to the Tangerine Bowl, when they were told by the bowl's organizers that their two black players would not be allowed to play.


2008 Buffalo Bulls football team
The Bulls also received their first votes in the USA Today Coaches' Poll after winning the MAC Championship when UTEP coach Mike Price voted the Bulls #23 on his ballot. On December 16, Buffalo announced head coach Turner Gill agreed to a contract extension and a raise. Gill's contract now runs through 2013 and makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the MAC.


2008 Buffalo Bulls football team
The ending of the season was bittersweet as the Bulls lost to the Connecticut Huskies 38-20 in the International Bowl, but the Bulls were able to give about two dozen members of the 1958 Bulls team the bowl experience they missed by inviting them to be honorary captains for the game.


2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide
The 2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide was a landslide that occurred on 6 December 2008, in Bukit Antarabangsa, Ulu Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. The landslide, which is believed to have buried 14 bungalows in Taman Bukit Mewah and Taman Bukit Utama, occurred at about 4 a.m. MST, causing 15 injuries and 4 deaths. The landslide tragedy occurred about 1.5 kilometres away from the Highland Towers landslide site which happened on 11 December 1993.


2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, Investigation report
On 25 November 2009, Ampang Jaya City Council drafted a letter requesting information leading to the landslide to not to be classified under the Official Secrets Act 1972. The application was made by the city council after the Malaysian Public Works Department handed over a technical report pertaining to the landslide to the local council, which led to the public announcement of the report's outcome.


2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, Investigation report
On 5 December 2009. Bukit Antarabangsa Landslide Investigation Report were finally released to the general public. Malaysian Public Works Department's Minister, Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor granted permission to reveal the report which was prior classified as classified. The government decision of granting permission was not because it was widely available on the internet, but it was merely following established protocols.


2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, Post landslide, Suit for three families
On September 8, 2010, three families filed a suit in the Kuala Lumpur High Court against the developer company, Superview Development Sdn Bhd, and the Selangor Water Supply Company (SYABAS) for negligence in connection with the landslide tragedy at Bukit Antarabangsa in 2008.


2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, Post landslide, Suit for three families
Datuk Amanullah Mohamed Yusoof, Harveen Kaur Balbhir Singh and K Thanarajah filed the suit separately. They are seeking compensation of between RM 1.5 million and RM 2.2 million.


2008 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, Related events
The landslide occurred just five days ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Highland Towers collapse, which located approximately 1.5 km away.


2008 Bulgarian Cup Final
The 2008 Bulgarian Cup Final was the 68th final of the Bulgarian Cup, and was contested between Cherno More Varna and Litex Lovech on 14 May 2008 at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. Litex won the final 1–0, through a Stanislav Manolev goal in the 58th minute, claiming their third Bulgarian Cup title.


2008 Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships was held in Sofia between January 12 and 13, 2008. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles and ladies' singles on the senior level.


2008 Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships
The results were used to choose the teams to the 2008 World Championships and the 2008 European Championships.


2008 Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships
Guests competitors from the Czech Republic and Serbia also participated.


2008 Bulgarian Supercup
The 2008 Bulgarian Supercup was the sixth Bulgarian Supercup match, a football match which was contested between the A Group champion, CSKA Sofia, and the winner of Bulgarian Cup, Litex Lovech. The match was held on 3 August 2008 at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria. CSKA beat Litex 1–0 to win their third Bulgarian Supercup.


2008 Bulgarian energy crisis
The 2008 Bulgarian Energy Crisis was a crisis in Bulgaria. The crisis affected more than a million households, mainly in the capital Sofia but also in Burgas, Pleven, and Vratsa. As of late September 2008, the issue was not resolved.


2008 Bulgarian energy crisis, Background
Bulgaria imports natural gas from Russia. It is used in combined heating plants in most Bulgarian cities in order to produce electricity during the summer months and heat during winter. In 2001, the Russian Gazprom signed an agreement with former Bulgarian Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov which stated that Bulgaria would receive Russian gas at lower cost as a way to compensate for allowing the transfer of Russian gas through Bulgarian pipelines to other parts of Europe. Gas remained relatively cheap in Bulgaria until 2008 when Gazprom changed the terms of the contract.


2008 Bulgarian energy crisis, Background
By then the price of gas had skyrocketed and Gazprom refused to sell cheap gas to Bulgaria. Meanwhile, a large embezzlement scandal raged in Sofia. The managing director of the central heating plant in Sofia Valentin Dimitrov was charged with fraud and stealing more than one million lev from the company. The trial is ongoing. A new board of directors was appointed. The citizens of Sofia were unable to pay the higher bills, some outright refused. In 2008 this led to huge losses of the Toplofikacia company and it ran into debt with the Bulgarian energy provider Bulgargas. Less than 50% of Sofia residents paid their bills regularly. Bulgargas started reducing the amount of gas to the company saying payment was long overdue.


2008 Bulgarian energy crisis, Vicious circle
With more than 50% of all consumers in Sofia refusing to pay their bills, Toplofikacia ran into debt with the Bulgarian energy provider Bulgargas. Bulgargas in turn said it was no longer able to pay to the Russian giant Gazprom. Gas supply has been restricted and even shut down in some cities. On September 25 Toplofikacia Sofia issued a statement saying it will not be able to provide enough heat to all residents of Sofia and that winter was fast approaching. As of late September the issue is unresolved.


2008 Bulgarian energy crisis, Shutting down pipes
Bulgargas shut down pipes providing gas to heating plants in Vratsa, Burgas and Pleven. Hospitals and kindergarten took emergency measures and installed boilers. Toplofikacia Sofia shut down the hot water of more than 100 buildings in Sofia where 90 to 100 percent of residents refused to pay.


2008 Bulgarian energy crisis, Political reaction
The Bulgarian energy minister Peter Dimitrov said customers were to blame as they refused to pay their bills. He said the municipality should help the company. The mayor of Sofia, Boyko Borisov said the state should interfere. As of late September 2008 the issue is unresolved and Gazprom will shut down supply of gas to all companies who were in debt, including the four plants in Sofia.


2008 Bulgarian energy crisis, Fears of grid failure
The combined heating plant in Sofia produces heat and electricity from natural gas. With supplies rapidly diminishing and winter fast approaching, more and more residents are switching on electrical heating devices and also boilers for hot water which usually Toplofikacia supplies. The National Electricity Company NEK EAD said grid failure was imminent if all households start using electricity for heating in the cold winter months.


2008 Bulgarian energy crisis, Outraged residents
The media have picked up the story and are broadcasting daily reports on the current crisis showing angry residents complaining that water was too cold, bills were exceptionally high or that their home will remain cold in winter because their neighbours have refused to pay their bills and Toplofikacia shuts down supply to all customers in the building. Around 80% of all Sofia residents live in apartment buildings eight stories or higher. If several families in the building refuse to pay, Toplofikacia shuts down supply to the whole building. This has caused huge outrage among the population, with reports of bickering among neighbours in the media. As of September 2008 the issue is unresolved and more and more buildings in Sofia are left with no hot water and no central heating.


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season
The 2008 Bulldogs RLFC season was the 74th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership, finishing in last place.


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season, Season summary
High-profile player departures and political infighting during the 2007-2008 off-season had led to predictions that the Bulldogs would have a difficult 2008, predictions which were borne out across the season. The club languished towards the bottom of the ladder throughout the year, suffering heavy losses against many teams, the most notable being a 46-0 loss to the Melbourne Storm, a 58-18 loss to the Canberra Raiders and a 56-4 loss against the Wests Tigers, breaking records.


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season, Season summary
The key problems for the Bulldogs were poor defence and continuing injury problems, with usually 10 first grade players injured at a time, including season ending injuries to key players Luke Patten and Willie Tonga. After the club's 58-18 thrashing at the hands of the Raiders in Round 15, coach Steve Folkes admitted that the Bulldogs were "at the bottom of a fairly big hole with no way out of it in the short term".


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season, Season summary
Folkes' men would only win one more game in the entire season, and finished 2008 with the wooden spoon in what was Folkes' final year with the club. It was the Bulldogs' first wooden spoon since 1964, discounting 2002 when it breached the salary cap and were stripped of all competition points.


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season, Season summary
On the field the Bulldogs suffered a season of unrelenting disappointment, leading to just five wins for the entire season. Other than the record-breaking losses already mentioned above, the Bulldogs suffered its first loss against St. George Illawarra since 2003, and lost twice against the Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels (in the first meeting the Bulldogs had a 20-0 halftime lead but somehow lost 28-20), Penrith Panthers and Canberra Raiders throughout the course of the season.


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season, Season summary
The loss to the Roosters in particular was made bitter notably because Willie Mason and Mark O'Meley were playing against the Bulldogs for the first time. The Bulldogs however did win two of their opening three matches against the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers, raising optimism amongst fans. The other three wins were against those that would make the finals: the Dragons in round six, the Sharks in round 11 and the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in round 18. No more wins would follow for the season.


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season, Season summary
The Bulldogs' highest score for the season in a single match was 34 when it lost for the second time to Canberra, 52-34. Their highest in a winning match was 32, when it defeated the Wests Tigers in round 3, by 32-12. Further souring the Bulldogs' season of shame, Sonny Bill Williams left the club without warning late in July to pursue a career in rugby union (read more below).


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season, Season summary
The team also faced off-field turbulence. Throughout May and June, there was heavy media coverage of star player Sonny Bill Williams' discontent with Bulldogs management and with his contract arrangements, and of his rumoured desire to leave the club to play rugby union or in the Super League. After confirming that he would play out the remaining 4 years of his contract, Williams left the country without warning in late July to join French rugby union club RC Toulon, in what many rugby league fans regarded as an enormous betrayal. The Bulldogs commenced legal action against Williams for breach of contract, and eventually received substantial compensation for the walkout.


2008 Bulldogs RLFC season, Match results
ANZ Stadium is a home ground of five NRL teams (the Bulldogs as well as South Sydney Rabbitohs, Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra Dragons and Parramatta Eels), and therefore the Bulldogs are not officially classified as the home team at every match they play there. ANZ Stadium matches at which the Bulldogs are classified as the home team are highlighted in bold.


2008 Burkina Faso bus crash
The 2008 Burkina Faso bus crash was a bus accident on 5:30 am, November 15, 2008, that claimed the lives of more than 60 persons near the town of Boromo in Burkina Faso. A heavily-loaded truck carrying 80 people collided with an overloaded bus carrying 95 people on National Highway 1, about six kilometres from Boromo. The bus, was on its way to Côte d'Ivoire. The run had started from Imasgho, and additional riders were picked up at Koudougou. The truck was traveling from Banfora.


2008 Burkina Faso bus crash
Following the collision, the bus caught fire and 54 persons were burned to death inside the bus. Eleven others who escaped died of their injuries. The victims were transported to the hospital at Souro Bobo. The truck driver reportedly survived the collision. Police investigators speculated that the truck driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, based on a lack of skid marks. The Burkina Faso Minister of Transport, Gilbert Noël Ouédraogo, commented that "We lament 96 victims, of whom 66 have died". It was considered the worst traffic accident in Burkina Faso since May 4, 2004, when 35 people died in the fiery collision of a bus and a gasoline truck at Niangoloko. On March 7, 1976, 23 UNESCO workers were killed after their bus fell into a ravine.


2008 Burkina Faso bus crash
On December 7, a joint religious service was held at the national cathedral for the victims, who had been Christians and Muslims. The mass was presided over by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Jean-Marie Compaore, and Protestant and Muslim clerics presided as well.


2008 Burnley Borough Council election
Elections to Burnley Borough Council in Lancashire, England were held on 1 May 2008. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrat party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.


2008 Burnley Borough Council election
Police launched an investigation on the day of the election into a fake Liberal Democrat leaflet which was distributed in Rosegrove and Gannow wards. Following the election the Labour group leader Andy Tatchell was replaced by Julie Cooper.


2008 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to Bury Council were held on 1 May 2008. One third of the council was up for election. The Conservative Party gained overall control of the council, from previous No Overall Control of any party.


2008 CAA Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 CAA Men's Basketball Tournament was an NCAA Division 1 College Basketball Conference tournament that was held at the Richmond Coliseum on March 7–10, 2008, to decide the Colonial Athletic Association conference champion. The winner advances to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament, a 64-team tournament to decide a national champion of college basketball.


2008 CAF Beach Soccer Championship
The 2008 CAF Beach Soccer Championship also known as the 2008 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualifiers for (CAF) was the third beach soccer championship for Africa, held in March 2008, in Durban, South Africa. Senegal won the championship, with Cameroon finishing second. The two teams moved on to play in the 2008 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Marseille, France from July 17- July 28.


2008 CAF Champions League
The 2008 CAF Champions League was the 44th edition of the CAF Champions League, the Africa's premier club football tournament prize organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Al Ahly of Egypt defeated Coton Sport of Cameroon in the final to win their sixth title.


2008 CAF Champions League, Qualifying rounds, Preliminary round
The preliminary round first legs were played on 15–17 February, and the second legs were played on 29 February-2 March 2008.4


2008 CAF Champions League, Qualifying rounds, Preliminary round
Byes: ASEC Mimosas, Etoile du Sahel, JS Kabylie, Al Ittihad, Al Ahly, and Al Hilal.


2008 CAF Champions League, Qualifying rounds, Preliminary round
1 Invincible Eleven withdrew. 2 The CAF ordered that the tie was to be played over one leg in Kinshasa due to the civil war in Chad, but Renaissance FC objected to the ruling; they were ejected from the competition, fined $4000 and banned from CAF competitions for three years. 3 Tusker FC were ejected from the competition and fined $5000 after Kenyan immigration officials refused the appointed match officials for the first leg entry into the country. 4 Wallidan FC and FC Civics withdrew before the draw was made. Note: Clubs from the Central African Republic, Kenya, Liberia and Sierra Leone were disqualified for failure to fulfil their financial obligations, and clubs from Somalia, Djibouti, São Tomé and Príncipe and Malawi were disqualified three months earlier.


2008 CAF Champions League, Qualifying rounds, First round
The 1/16 Finals first leg matches were played on 21–23 March and the second legs were played on 4–6 April 2008.


2008 CAF Champions League, Qualifying rounds, First round
1Al Tahrir of Eritrea withdrew because of an internal club problem.


2008 CAF Champions League, Qualifying rounds, Second round
The 1/8 Finals first legs were played on 25–27 April and the second legs were played on 9–11 May 2008.


2008 CAF Champions League, Knockout stage, Semifinals
The first legs were played on 5 October and the second legs on 17–19 October.


2008 CAF Champions League, Top goalscorers
The top scorers from the 2008 CAF Champions League are as follows:


2008 CAF Champions League Final
The 2008 CAF Champions League Final was a football tie held over two legs in December 2008 between Al-Ahly, and Coton Sport FC de Garoua.


2008 CAF Champions League Final, Qualified teams
In the following table, finals until 1996 were in the African Cup of Champions Club era, since 1997 were in the CAF Champions League era.


2008 CAF Champions League Final, Venues, Cairo International Stadium
Cairo International Stadium, formerly known as Nasser Stadium, is an Olympic-standard, multi-use stadium with an all-seated capacity of 75,000. The architect of the stadium is the German Werner March, who had built from 1934 to 1936 the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Before becoming an all seater stadium, it had the ability to hold over 100,000 spectators, reaching a record of 120,000. It is the foremost Olympic-standard facility befitting the role of Cairo, Egypt as the center of events in the region. It is also the 69th largest stadium in the world.


2008 CAF Champions League Final, Venues, Cairo International Stadium
Located in Nasr City; a suburb north east of Cairo, it was completed in 1960, and was inaugurated by President Gamal Abd El Nasser on 23 July that year, the eighth anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Zamalek SC currently use the Petro Sport Stadium for most of their home games and Al Ahly use Al Salam Stadium for most of their home games.


2008 CAF Champions League Final, Venues, Roumdé Adjia Stadium
Stade Roumdé Adjia is a multi-purpose stadium in Garoua, Cameroon. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as a home ground of Cotonsport Garoua. The stadium holds 30,000 people and was built in 1978. The capacity is 22,000 people. This stadium is set to be one of the stadiums used in the African Cup of Nations in 2021. It'will be renovated by Mota-Engil.


2008 CAF Champions League Final, Road to final
1Al Tahrir of Eritrea withdrew because of an internal club problem.


2008 CAF Champions League Final, Format
The final was decided over two legs, with aggregate goals used to determine the winner. If the sides were level on aggregate after the second leg, the away goals rule would have been applied, and if still level, the tie would have proceeded directly to a penalty shootout (no extra time is played).


2008 CAF Champions League Final, Matches, Second leg
Coton Sport's captain, Ahmadou Ngomna was suspended for the second leg.


2008 CAF Champions League group stage
The group stage of the 2008 CAF Champions League was played from 18 July to 21 September 2008. A total of eight teams competed in the group stage, the group winners and runners-up advance to the Knockout stage playing semifinal rounds before the final.


2008 CAF Champions League group stage, Format
In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and the runners-up of each group advanced to the Knockout stage.


2008 CAF Champions League knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2008 CAF Champions League was played from 5 October to 16 November 2008.


2008 CAF Champions League knockout stage, Semi finals
The first legs were played on 5 October and the second legs on 17–19 October.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup
The 2008 CAF Confederation Cup was the fifth edition of the CAF Confederation Cup. Its schedule began with the preliminary round (home and away ties) in mid-February. The competition concluded on 22 November with CS Sfaxien winning the title.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup, Qualifying rounds, Preliminary round
1st legs played on 15–17 February 2008 and 2nd legs played on 29 February–2 March 2008.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup, Qualifying rounds, Preliminary round
1 Clubs from the  Central African Republic,  Chad,  Kenya,  Rwanda and  Sierra Leone were disqualified for failure to fulfill their financial obligations.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup, Qualifying rounds, First round
1st legs played on 21–23 March 2008 and 2nd legs played on 4–6 April 2008.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup, Qualifying rounds, Second round
1st legs played on 25–27 April 2008 and 2nd legs played on 9–11 May 2008.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup, Qualifying rounds, Second round
1 The match was abandoned at halftime with Asante Kotoko winning 1-0 due a storm that flooded the pitch. The match was replayed next day.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup, Qualifying rounds, Play-off round
The 8 winners of the round of 16 play the losers of the round of 16 of the Champions League for 8 places in the group stage. First leg played 11/12/13 July and second leg played 25/26/27 July


2008 CAF Confederation Cup, Group stage
The group phase starts on the weekend of 15–17 August and concludes on the weekend of 17–19 October. There are no semi-finals; the group winners meet in a two-legged final.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup, Knockout stage, Final
The  final 2 legs will be played on 8 and 22 November.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup group stage
The group stage of the 2008 CAF Confederation Cup was played from 16 August to 19 October 2008. A total of eight teams competed in the group stage.


2008 CAF Confederation Cup group stage, Format
In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners of each group advanced directly to the final.


2008 CAF Super Cup
The 2008 CAF Super Cup was the 16th CAF Super Cup, an annual football match in Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), between the winners of the previous season's two CAF club competitions, the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. The match was contested by 2007 CAF Champions League winners, ES Sahel, and 2007 CAF Confederation Cup winners, CS Sfaxien at the Stade 14 January in Radès on 23 February 2008.


2008 CAF Super Cup
This was only the third time that the African Super Cup was contested by teams from the same country (after all-Egyptian Super Cups in 1994 and 1997), and the first ever involving two Tunisian clubs.


2008 CAR Development Trophy
The 2008 CAR Development Trophy, also known as the 2008 Africa Junior Trophy, was the fifth edition of second level rugby union tournament in Africa. The competition involved thirteen teams that are divided into three zones (North, center and South). In the north there were two pools of three teams. In the 2008 edition Botswana, Swaziland and Nigeria did not participate, due to involvement in the World Cup qualifiers.


2008 CARIFTA Games
The 37th CARIFTA Games was held in the Bird Rock Athletic Stadium in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, on March 21–24, 2008. IAAF president Lamine Diack was visiting the games emphasizing the event's importance and high value. Detailedreports on the results were given.


2008 CARIFTA Games, Participation (unofficial)
Detailed result lists can be found on the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur AthleticAssociation website, and on the "World Junior Athletics History"website. An unofficial count yields the number of about 488athletes (278 junior (under-20) and 210 youth (under-17)) from about 22countries:Anguilla (11), Antigua and Barbuda (10), Aruba (4), Bahamas (55), Barbados(39), Bermuda (24), British Virgin Islands (10), Cayman Islands (12), Dominica(4), Grenada (19), Guadeloupe (28), Guyana (3), Jamaica (68), Martinique (40),Netherlands Antilles (6), Saint Kitts and Nevis (55), Saint Lucia (11), SaintVincent and the Grenadines (6), Suriname (1), Trinidad and Tobago (63), Turksand Caicos Islands (9), US Virgin Islands (10).


2008 CARIFTA Games, Records
In the boys' U-20 category, Jamaican long distance runner Kemoy Campbellset the new 5000m record to 14:46.51, while his compatriotK'don Samuels improved the 21-year-old mark of 4.26m in pole vault to 4.60m.


2008 CARIFTA Games, Records
In the girls' U-20 category, four new games records were set: for 800 metres,by Natoya Goule of Jamaica to 2:05.90, for 100 metreshurdles record by Kierre Beckles of Barbados to 13.43s (0.4 m/s), for the Pentathlon by Salcia Slack of Jamaica to 3935 points, and by the 4 x 100 metres relay team from the Bahamas to 44.36s.


2008 CARIFTA Games, Records
Finally, there were three more games records in the boys' U-17 category: byBahamians Aaron Wilmore who finished the 100 m hurdles in 12.88s (0.6 m/s), and compatriot Nejmi Burnside with 52.81s in the400 m hurdles. Dillon Simon of Dominica reached awidth of 16.63m to establish a new U-17 shot put record.


2008 CARIFTA Games, Austin Sealy Award
The Austin Sealy Trophy for themost outstanding athlete of the games was awarded to Kierre Beckles ofBarbados. She won the gold medals in the 100m hurdlescompetition in thejunior (U-20) category setting the new games record to 13.43s,and a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay.


2008 CARIFTA Games, Medal summary
Complete results can be found on the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur AthleticAssociation website, and on the "World Junior Athletics History"website.


2008 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2008 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 37th CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. It was played between March 6 and March 22, 2008. Opening round and quarterfinal games were played at campus sites, while the semifinals, third place, and championship games were played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. By winning the tournament, Michigan received the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.


2008 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Conference Standings
Note: GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against


2008 CD Universidad San Martín season
The 2008 season was the 5th season of competitive football by Universidad San Martín de Porres.


2008 CECAFA Cup
The 2008 CECAFA Cup was the 32nd edition of the football tournament that involves teams from East and Central Africa.


2008 CECAFA Cup
All matches were played from 31 December 2008 to 13 January 2009 at the National Stadium, Kampala, Uganda.


2008 CEMAC Cup
The 2008 CEMAC Cup was the fifth edition of the CEMAC Cup, the football championship of Central African nations.


2008 CEMAC Cup
The tournament was held from 14 June to 26 June in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The tournament was played by 6 teams composed just by players based on local clubs. The first team players active in the 2010 World Cup qualification at the same time were not involved.


2008 CERH Women's European Cup
The 2008 CERH Women's European Cup was the 2nd edition of the CERH European League organized by CERH. Its Final Eight was held in May 2008 at Mealhada, Portugal.


2008 CERH Women's European Cup, Preliminary round
Gijón, Herringen and Voltregà received a bye for the final stage.


2008 CERH Women's European Cup, Final Eight
The Final Eight was played by eight teams in Mealhada, Portugal. Teams were divided into two groups, where the two first qualified teams would join the semifinals.


2008 CERH Women's European Cup, Final Eight, Group stage
In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a home-and-away round-robin format.


2008 CFL Draft
The 2008 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, live at 12:00 PM ET on TSN.ca. A total of 48 players were chosen from among 752 eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the 48 draft selections, 33 players were drafted from Canadian Interuniversity Sport institutions.


2008 CFL Draft
The first two rounds were broadcast on TSN.ca with host Rod Black. CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon was in the studio to announce each selection. The CFL on TSN panel included Duane Forde, Greg Marshall, Brian Towriss,  Farhan Lalji, Jock Climie, Matt Dunigan, and Chris Schultz who analyzed the teams' needs and picks.


2008 CFL Draft
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, with the league-worst 3–15 record in the 2007 CFL season had several offers for their first-overall selection but kept their pick and chose Saskatchewan Huskies safety Dylan Barker. Barker, a native of  Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is a two-time Canadian Interuniversity Sport first-team all-Canadian. He led the Huskies with 53 tackles, three interceptions, and four breakups last season. It is expected that he will be able to help the Tiger-Cats in the 2008 CFL season.


2008 CFL season
The 2008 Canadian Football League season was the 55th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 51st season for the league. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL was no longer aired on broadcast television in Canada. As of 2008, TSN was available in approximately 8.8 million of Canada's 13 million households. Montreal hosted the 96th Grey Cup at Olympic Stadium on November 23, when the championship was won by the Calgary Stampeders.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Schedule
On February 21, 2008, the CFL announced the game schedule for the 2008 season. It was a 19-week schedule that included 18 regular-season games and one bye week for each team. Bye weeks were taken consecutively by each division, beginning with the West in Week 8, thus creating two weeks of divisional rivalry games.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Schedule
The regular-season schedule began on Thursday, June 26, with an East-West double-header. For the first time since 1977, the season opener took place at Hamilton's Ivor Wynne Stadium, with the host Tiger-Cats losing to the Montreal Alouettes 33–10. The second game of the double-header saw the Calgary Stampeders at home, where they prevailed 28–18 over the BC Lions. The Toronto Argonauts opened by beating the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23–16 the following night, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos, in Regina, by a score of 34–13 on June 28.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Schedule
The regular season concluded with a double-header on Saturday, November 1, with divisional playoffs the following weekend. The 2008 season officially ended with the playing of the 96th Grey Cup Championship on Sunday, November 23, in Montreal.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Television
2008 marked the first year in which the entire CFL schedule, including the playoffs and the Grey Cup game, was televised by TSN. CBC Television did not broadcast any games for the first time since CFL games began being televised in 1952, as the CFL and TSN began an exclusive five-year deal. This led some to criticize TSN, because the Grey Cup aired on a cable channel (TSN) while CTV—TSN's majority owner—broadcast regular-season NFL games.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Television
Because of obligations to other sporting events, concerns intensified after TSN began relegating some CFL games to its new digital channel TSN2 (which was not available to analog cable subscribers), while other sports, including the NFL, were broadcast. In addition, TSN severely curtailed high-definition coverage for the final three weeks of the regular season, with only five of the twelve games being made available in HD.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Television
Montreal games, as well as the entire playoffs and the Grey Cup game, were televised in French by RDS.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Television
In the United States, a last-minute deal was reached between the league and its longtime American syndicator America One, which carried two games each week. Internet broadcasts were also aired in the United States on ESPN360.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, CFL in Ottawa
On March 25, 2008, the CFL granted a conditional franchise—slated to begin play in 2010—to an Ottawa-based group led by Jeff Hunt, owner of the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67's, under the condition that the group could secure a lease agreement with the City of Ottawa to allow the team to play at Frank Clair Stadium. The franchise was based on the remnants of the Ottawa Renegades, but was to be a separate team. In November, it was announced that the 2014 Grey Cup would be granted to Ottawa, again based on the condition that use of Frank Clair Stadium could be secured.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Competition with the NFL
2008 was the first year in which the National Football League played a regular season game in Toronto, as part of an agreement reached between the owners of the Rogers Centre and that league and the Buffalo Bills. The NFL accommodated the CFL by playing the regular season game on December 7, after the end of the CFL season, so that the leagues did not directly compete.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Competition with the NFL
A preseason game was also played in Toronto, on August 14, between the Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, one day before the Toronto Argonauts played in the Rogers Centre, and concurrently with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' game in Winnipeg. The Bills' preseason game did not sell out, amid reports of exorbitant ticket prices and thousands of tickets being given away.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Marketing and heritage revisited
In an effort to expand the CFL merchandise line, it was announced that RBK would release vintage jerseys for each team, beginning with the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The launch for the new apparel began August 29, 2008, with releases in Toronto and Winnipeg retail stores attended by Argonaut players Kerry Joseph and Arland Bruce III and Blue Bombers Kevin Glenn and Milt Stegall respectively.


2008 CFL season, CFL news in 2008, Attendance
Attendance in the CFL remained strong in 2008, averaging 28,914 per game and exceeded two million fans for the seventh straight season.


2008 CFL season, Regular season
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points


2008 CFL season, Grey Cup playoffs
The Calgary Stampeders were the 2008 Grey Cup champions, defeating the Montreal Alouettes 22–14 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. It was the first Grey Cup for the Stampeders since the 2001 Championship (a game also held in Montreal). Stampeder quarterback Henry Burris was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player, and kicker Sandro DeAngelis was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian.


2008 CFU Youth Cup
The 2008 Caribbean Football Union Youth Cup was played from July 31 - August 10 in Trinidad & Tobago. It was part of the 2009 CONCACAF U-17 Championship qualification. Cuba beat Trinidad and Tobago in the final, thus both qualified for the 2009 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.


2008 CFU Youth Cup, Groups, Playoff
Bermuda won the play-off after penalties and advanced to the knockout-round.


2008 CHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2008 CHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was played between March 14 and March 16, 2008 at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, New York. By winning the tournament, Niagara received College Hockey America's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.