The year had us captivated from the jump. Ohio State kept the CFP trophy in the Big Ten, the Pacers made the Thunder scratch and claw for their city's first NBA title, and the Blue Jays all but prevented the Dodgers from repeating in the World Series. Perhaps things were even more intense off the field. Gambling, arrests, firings and hirings, contract wrangling, and head-scratching affairs made for, in the words of podcaster Pable Torre, a “strange but very energizing year.”