Tiger Woods, Saints, LeBron James Lead AP's Top 10 Sports Stories Of The Year

The Associated Press has released their top 10 sports stories of the year and, no, there aren't any Kansas City ties but there are still some great stories on here. Some are good -- Saints win the Super Bowl -- and some are bad -- Tiger Woods -- but they're all memorable.

There were 176 ballots submitted with voters ranking their top 10 stories. First place got 10 points, second place got nine points, and so on.

Here are the top 10 sports stories of the year:

1. TIGER WOODS: Oh, did you hear Tiger Woods got into a little mess this year? Yeah, the car accident, the women -- all the women -- and the fallout from all of that. This is your AP story of the year.

2. SAINTS WIN: I actually attended this game and, yes, it was a hell of a story. I followed the Saints around all week and really got to understand what football means to that community. Seeing Drew Brees and Sean Payton speaking after the Super Bowl was incredible. If you ever get as lucky as I was, going to a Super Bowl is a must. That it was New Orleans made it all the more special.

3. FREE AGENCY FRENZY: A/K/A 'The Decision' LeBron James made a mockery of the free agency period and embarrassed Cleveland as much as possible along the way, particularly 'The Decision' which was aired live on ESPN as he announced he was leaving Cleveland and "taking my talents to South Beach."

4. WORLD CUP: This was really the first time in my life that I paid this much attention to soccer. Being from the United States, soccer isn't my No. 1 priority but the World Cup this year changed that for me. What a cool event to watch.

5. GIANTS WIN: Being from Kansas City, it's hard to get into October baseball because, well, baseball ends at the end of September around here -- at least the last 20-plus years it has. The Giants World Series was their first since 1954.

6. NFL CONCUSSIONS: This has been one of the stories in the NFL this year -- protecting players against concussions. The issue was moved to the forefront this year and the NFL responded by raising the discipline for illegal hits in the NFL and some of those that resulted in concussions.

7. JIMMIE JOHNSON: Here's what the AP says: The NASCAR driver extended his record with his fifth straight Sprint Cup title. Perhaps most impressively, he did it despite not being in top form all season. Johnson became the first driver in the Chase's seven-year history to overcome a points deficit in the finale.

8. BRETT FAVRE: This was disappointing as a fan of football. I was kind of hoping Favre's comeback would be a major event -- like it was in 2009 -- but it was nothing but a disappointment. The Vikings weren't any good, Favre wasn't any good and he was accused of sending, ahem, inappropriate photos to a former Jets employee. Coming back ended up being a terrible decision for Favre.

9. UCONN WINS: Here's what the AP says: The Huskies' women's basketball team extended their record winning streak to 78 games with a second straight national championship in April, becoming the first team to post consecutive unbeaten seasons. And Connecticut is a powerhouse again this season.

10. WOODEN DIES: I followed SB Nation's Bruins Nation following Wooden's death and they turned their site black and white in honor of him. It was really a cool sight to see.