After hearing it twice in the first 5 minutes of the Chick fil-A Bowl, I was going to devote today's entire column to how stupid the so-called word “;trickeration”; sounds.

But I remembered it was the last day of 2008. Then I couldn't decide whether to review the old year or preview the new one. So here's both.

And my resolution will be an easy one to keep: Never utter or write trickeration.

Happy New Year!

January

Looking back: Warrior Nation salty after the Sugar Bowl. ... June Jones left for SMU. ... Herman Frazier forced to resign. ... Colt Brennan—who may go down in history as UH's most significant athlete—done, and Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins left early. ... Greg McMackin stopped the emotional bleeding by agreeing to replace Jones—at a whopping $1.1 million per year. ... BJ Penn beat lightweight Joe Stevenson to become the second man to ever win two UFC titles in different weight classes. ... K.J. Choi did in the Sony Open what Georgia did to Hawaii—dominated.

Looking ahead: Penn's in his biggest MMA fight ever, on Super Bowl weekend against Georges St.-Pierre. There will be two kinds of local sports fans under age 40—those who are in Vegas for it and those who wish they were. ... Now, at the first tee at the Sony Open, 'Iolani freshman Lorens Chan, age 14. ... No Hula Bowl. ... Can Bob Nash and Roderick Flemings lead UH into the upper echelon of the WAC basketball standings?

February

Looking back: Redskins wore No. 21 at the Pro Bowl to honor slain Sean Taylor. ... Adrian Peterson won the MVP award as the NFC won. ... David Beckham, Brian Ching got their kicks at Aloha Stadium. ... College girl Michelle Wie returned to action at the Fields Open, Paula Creamer won it. ... Kuehu era ended with another Punahou girls hoops title and the boys won, too. ... Under Armour underwrote UH football.

Looking ahead: McMackin must seal key recruiting deals, especially with some field-ready JC talent, if the Warriors are to improve on the 7-7 record of 2008. ... The last Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium for at least one year after a great 30-year run.

March

Looking back: Jim Donovan named AD at UH. ... March Badness for Hawaii hoops teams. ... Coach Dave Porter had a grand time at BYUH with 1,000 tennis wins. ... Wahine diver Emma Friesen won an NCAA championship.

Looking ahead: Bob Nash joins Jim Bolla on the hot seat if the Rainbows don't at least make the NIT. But can UH afford to buy out any coach? ... Baseball coach Mike Trapasso hopes Kolten Wong and some new pitchers can revive the Rainbows.

April

Looking back: Spring football game returned after 10 years. ... Donovan lowered ticket prices. ... Egan Inoue announced an MMA comeback. ... Teenager Tadd Fujikawa won the Mid-Pac Open. ... Brennan was the only Warrior to feel a draft.

Looking ahead: Will McMackin “;reorganize”; his coaching staff before spring practice? Does Brent Rausch get an extended look and opportunity to regain the No. 1 QB spot he held briefly in August, 2008? ... Oh, snap! Jake Ingram could be the only UH player drafted this year, but David Veikune, Solomon Elimimian, Adam Leonard and Ryan Mouton have a chance, too.

May

Looking back: Penn beat Sean Sherk to retain his lightweight crown. ... NCAA hit UH with scholarship sanctions again. ... UH softball made it to a regional again. ... Sports Illustrated said Punahou's best in the nation. ... UH signed a new TV deal, finally released the Sugar Bowl travel list.

Looking ahead: Someone will have to fill a very big void left by star pitcher and slugger Kate Robinson if the Wahine are to continue dazzling on the diamond.

June

Looking back: Kimberly Kim helped the U.S. win the Curtis Cup. ... The state ethics panel asked for more Sugar Bowl travel info. ... MLB drafted 11 with Hawaii ties. ... Wahine long jumpers scored at NCAA meet. ... Alex Ching won the Manoa Cup.

Looking ahead: Hopefully it won't take a year for the ethics commission to complete its investigation.

July

Looking back: The pay-per-view prices were set for UH sports. (That Buffalo-Colorado State basketball game Tuesday must've been a hot number.) ... Lanikai won the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association title for a third straight year, setting up an even bigger win when knocking off seven-time defending champion Hawaiian for the state championship.

Looking ahead: I'm betting either Shane Victorino or Kurt Suzuki makes it to the All-Star game. Any takers?

August

Looking back: Parker McLachlin got his first PGA Tour win. ... Waipio won the Little League World Series. ... Bryan Clay dominated the decathlon for Oly gold. ... Volleyball players with Hawaii ties and Natasha Kai starred in Beijing, too. ... Warriors swamped in opener at Florida.

Looking ahead: There will still be plenty of work left to do in fall camp with 35 seniors to replace.

September

Looking back: Warriors ended the month 1-3 with four different starting quarterbacks named since camp.

Looking ahead: UH football starts at home with Central Arkansas, then hits the road against Washington State and UNLV. ... Wahine volleyball will need big years from Amber Kaufman and Kanani Danielson.

October

Looking back: Victorino victorious with Phillies. ... UH football team bounced back with three wins, including at Fresno State. ... Wahine volleyball team rolled through the WAC.

Looking ahead: If Leilehua's Andrew Manley can rebound from a disappointing loss in the 2008 state championship, the recruiters will be all over this prototype big quarterback.

November

Looking back: Warriors lost at Utah State, but managed to qualify for bowl game. ... Solomon Elimimian broke UH record for career tackles.

Looking ahead: The WAC football schedule favors Hawaii in '09, since it will play Boise State and Fresno State at home. But the Warriors are at Nevada, and if it's this late in the season it will be a very tough game. ... Navy and Ken Niumatalolo at Aloha Stadium, Nov. 21.

December

Looking back: Punahou finally won it all in football, Te'o the man. ... New marathon king Patrick Ivuti crowned. ... Winter baseball back into hibernation. ... Warriors melted down in final minutes against Cincinnati. ... Notre Dame said haha to ha'a. ... It's sad when the best thing you can say about the Rainbow Classic winner is that it might make the NIT. ... Pro Bowl exodus = political football?

Looking ahead: The new Diamond Head Classic won't have marquee teams yet, but it's got some money behind it in ESPN. ... Even though it's another massive rebuilding year, UH's football schedule is weak enough that it still has a good shot at the Hawaii Bowl. Might want to have it wrapped up before hosting Wisconsin in the Dec. 5 regular-season finale, though. ... Some lame bowl game announcer will say trickeration.