Shaun Powell

Everybody’s coming up with a decade list. All-this decade, all-that decade. The best this, the best that, worst this, worst that. It’s enough to make you come up with your own list of Lists You’re Tired Of Seeing.

Well, just read this last list and then call it quits.

This list will explain, using 20 examples, why we saw what we saw in sports. The 2000s had a fair share of people who shaped the landscape. They were forces that did more than gobble up championships and awards. They earned your respect for their power and influence. And they made it necessary to compile a list, to place them neatly in order.

So here’s a list of the 20 most dominant forces of the decade, and why 19 didn’t finish No. 1:

20. Lisa Leslie. She won three Olympic gold medals and also some MVP awards in the WNBA, I think. Did it with class and dignity and beauty. Also did something no male athlete ever did: Had a baby. And came back to play again. But: Our society has shown it loves women and basketball, just not women’s basketball.

19. Bonds. Won four of his seven MVPs this decade and also had single seasons where he batted .362 and hit 71 home runs. Frightened pitchers so much they threw the ball to Oakland while trying to pitch around him. Passed the Hammer on the career home run list. But: Um, I think you know.

18. LT. Stole his nickname from the real LT and backed it up with stunning numbers through the mid 2000s, when he was briefly the best player in football. Rushed for 28 touchdowns one season and over 12,000 yards for the decade. Future was so bright he had to wear a helmet shade. Somehow survived the many epic collapses of the Chargers. But: Lost steam and energy and turned into BLT (Bushed LaDainian Tomlinson) as the decade ended.

17. Annika Sorenstam. Was the Tiger of the women’s tour. Actually made us realize there was a women’s tour. Won seven of 10 majors this decade, raising an obvious question: Why exactly did Michelle Wie get all the hype again? But: Our society has shown it loves women and golf, just not women’s golf.

16. LeBron. The anti-Wie. Was the rare athlete to live up to early hype. Tickets to his high school games were scalped. Had virtually no learning curve when he entered the NBA. Took the Cavs to the NBA Finals by himself. Made Cleveland a destination city, no easy feat. But: Didn’t win anything.

Slideshow   Teams of the decade Take a look at the teams who stood above the rest from 2000 - 2009. more photos

15. Bolt. No athlete outside the pool was faster in the Beijing Games. Besides world records in the 100 and 200 dashes, also erased a famous Jamaica speed record, held previously by the bobsled team. Then he doubled again at the 2009 Worlds. Had the catchiest last name of the decade, maybe all-time in sports. It would be the equivalent of a football player named Tackle. Or a boxer named Punch. Or if Wolfgang Puck worked magic on the ice instead of in the kitchen. But: Bolt owned only two years of the decade; in track terms, he only ran part of the race.

14. Pujols. Amazing consistency throughout the decade, where he batted .334, copped three MVPs and a World Series title. Also survived the Steroids Decade without attracting any stench, at least none legitimate. But: One home run title?

13. Martin Brodeur. A pillar between the pipes, with four Vezina trophies, three Stanley Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal. Spent his entire career playing and living in New Jersey and actually liked it. But: Saved half of his best work for the 90s.

12. Michael Schumacher. Five of his seven Formula One world championships came this decade. Finished every race on the podium in 2002, winning 11 times. But: Danica Patrick sold more posters.

11. Peyton. Three MVPs, eight Pro Bowls and a gazillion yards this decade put him among the top quarterbacks in history. Did all this without being surrounded by Hall of Fame help (Marvin Harrison excluded). Drove the Colts further than Irsay did the night they left Baltimore. But: Won as many Super Bowls as Trent Dilfer.

10. Shaq. Four NBA championships, three MVPs of the NBA Finals, one league MVP, nine All-Star appearances this decade. Was fortunate “Kazaam” hit theaters in the 90s, or else he’d fall a few notches on this list. Nonetheless, was a sports and entertainment force in the decade, a combination second to none. But: Gorged on too much Kobe beef. The rift cost him perhaps two more titles and a better golden sunset than he’s having now.

The Decade in Review Timeline: Top 10 stories of decade   Slideshow: Top athletes, teams of decade   Slideshow: Embarrassing moments of decade   Slideshow: Sports deaths in 2009   2009 in sports cartoons   Video: Oddities of 2009   Video: Soundbites of 2009

9. A-Rod. Best all-around baseball force this decade, which punched his ticket for Cooperstown. Finally owns more career home runs than mirrors in his house. Won three MVPs in the 2000s, was an All-Star nine times, once hit 57 homers in a season as a shortstop after hitting 52 the year before. The huge pile of money he made from one contract with the Texas Rangers and another with the Yankees could fit inside his ego (barely). Finally grabbed that long elusive world championship by showing up in September, for once. His talent and profile gave him instant icon status among the hyphenated stars, moving him past J-Lo. But: He lied to Katie Couric.