What are the 10 best college football teams over the last 10 years? The Florida Gators probably make that list.
The 10 best pro football video songs of all time? The 1985 Chicago Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle” would be right up there.
How about the greatest expeditions?
o In 1532 Francisco Pizarro searched for the Inca empire.
o In 1804 Lewis and Clark began their quest to the West.
o In 1976 The News-Press launched its hunt for the elusive Skunk Ape.
Lists.
We love ‘em. And, this Sunday, The Columbian will list what we believe were the top stories of 2009.
Listing the best stories of the year is a rich tradition, not only for The Columbian but for all media. It’s been going on forever.
Why is that? What is it about lists?
I recently read a story about magazine covers and the obsession to use lists to get people to read stories. You know:
o 10 simple things to do to become a better lover.
o 25 tricks to lose 25 pounds.
o 12 gimmicks to snag the man of your dreams and 12 more gimmicks to dump him when the time is right.
There’s probably a list of reasons why we love lists so much but, hey, I’ve got my own ideas:
o We’re busy. Lists are often short and sweet and we like that.
o They’re focused. Lists allow us to pull a bunch of stuff together and bring order to an otherwise disorderly world.
o They’re a reminder. Forget about what happened last year, I mostly forget what happened yesterday. Lists are a friendly reminder of what took place over a dedicated period of time.
o They’re important. Well maybe, depending on the list. But they can be.
o They’re controversial. Hey, if I said newborn babies are sweet, someone would pick a fight with me. We only agree on one thing: We love to disagree!
La mia bontà!
So, when we pick the top 10 stories we brace ourselves for the sure-to-come battle. As it should be.
Sneak peek
OK, for those of you kind enough to read my column, I’m going to give you a peek at the top five stories we’ve chosen. But not necessarily in the order that they were ranked.
So it will be your job to place them in the order you felt we placed them and to place them in the order you would have placed them. Here they are, in no particular order:
o Vancouver mayoral race. Lots of money spent, lots of accusations thrown around. And the incumbent — in a bit of a surprise — got whupped.
o Unemployment. What more needs to be said here? It’s bad.
o U.S. Rep. Brian Baird. This guy stepped in more dung than a cow farmer this year and later opted not to run again.
o Bank of Clark County. What patties Baird may have missed this bank managed to find as it abruptly shut down.
o The new I-5 bridge. Greatest idea since that Lewis and Clark expedition? Or the biggest boondoggle since bloggers were invented? Everyone appears to have an opinion on this one.
OK, there ya have ’em. You’re welcome to use the comments sections under my column at www.columbian.com to get the discussion going.
Again, how do you think we ranked them and how would you rank them?
Happy New Year
Let me be one of the first to say Happy New Year! It’s been a difficult year for many of us, so here’s hoping the new one coming up is much better! Heck, it might make a top 10 list of best years ever!
Lou Brancaccio is The Columbian’s editor. Reach him at 360-735-4505 or lou.brancaccio@columbian.com.
