It's been quite a topsy-turvy year for Texas sports. There have been the incredible highs and the horrible lows.

Baseball:

It was a great year to be an Astros fan. After years of "Houston Lastros" and playoff futility, the Houston Astros finally made it to a World Series, where they lost one of the toughest series to end in a sweep in quite some time. Although they lost the Series, their pitching remains strong this coming year with Andy Pettite, Roy Oswalt, and Brandon Backe all returning. I wouldn't be surprised to see Clemens back as well, but that may be a long shot at this point. The 2005 Houston Astros were also the team that restored my faith in sports; not because they won, but more because they proved this sports grinch wrong.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the University of Texas victory in the College World Series. People in Tejas love them some baseball.

Football:

Football was all over the map this past year. My hometown Houston Texans started the year with all kinds of promise, but now find themselves playing for last place. I hope they lose every single one of their remaining games. The prospect of seeing Reggie Bush in a Houston uniform is almost too much glee for me to have. If the hype is true, Reggie Bush could be one of the all time greats. How great would it be to see this Heisman winner in a Texans uniform?

The Dallas Cowboys are essentially out of the playoffs now. After Sunday's debacle, it would take a miracle for them to get back into it. That's a shame because they really showed me some great moments this year. But they were far too inconsistent to be serious about doing anything in the playoffs. I say they go for TO in the offseason. I think he'd be fantastic as a Cowboy. Whatever they decide to do, they are currently a couple pieces shy of where they need to be. I hope they make some pretty substantial offseason moves.

The UNT Eagles were one of the youngest teams in College Football and played as such. Here's to hoping that they can turn it all around in the coming years.

The UT Longhorns stand one game away from their first National Championship in quite some time. UT and USC stack up really well together, so here's to hoping that UT gives USC a better game than OU gave them last year.

My High School, Westfield, went undefeated this year and came a game from playing for the State Championship. If not for a key injury in their final game, they might have won the whole darned thing. Oh well, better luck next year.

Basketball:

The Houston Rockets are all over the map. After being predicted to be one of the top teams in the West, they have had to deal with key injuries to both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. When their team was all together, they were dangerously good. But with their key members having a lot of injury time, they've had to settle for a losing record. It's still early and I think they have a good chance at turning it all around.

The San Antonio Spurs continue to play well, even after wrapping up their third championship in seven years. The scary thing about the Spurs is that they have one of the best records in the entire NBA, despite having key injuries to both Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan. And when you factor in that they've added to key members to their team, once they get their mojo together, they're going to be a truly scary team. Once their chemistry issues are settled, and once the roster is basically set, they're going to have the potential to go far once again in the playoffs.

Other:

Texan Lance Armstrong won his seventh consecutive Tour De France. That's a monumental feat that speaks for itself. The man is a legend down here in Austin.