CITY'S CHAMPIONSHIP SPIRIT, COMPETITIVE DRIVE OVERFLOWED.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

There will be no shortage of questions for future generations of Southern California sports fans. They will ask about the Rally Monkey, the ThunderStix, the $1,800 ``Three-Peat'' leather jackets, the Jell-O jiggling and the Heisman Trophy.

But how will we ever explain what 2002 was like to the teams, athletes and fans so graced over the past 12 months in this city?

It was one of the most remarkable years on record in the sports history of Los Angeles, possibly the greatest since the 1984 Summer Olympics with Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton. Yet 2002, even for the diehards who celebrated their way through it, almost defied description.

``We used to have the motto, `You live with the Angels, you die with the Angels ... but mostly you just die with them,' '' said Rob Holman, a dental office administrator from Chino and president of the 400-member Angels Booster Club. ``That all changed this season.''

Nearly two months after it happened, Holman still couldn't believe what he witnessed from the right-field seats at Edison Field at the end of October. First, the Angels rallied from five runs down in the waning innings to steal Game 6 from the Giants. Then they rode the arm of a 24-year-old rookie pitcher to win Game 7 and the World Series.

``This has just been the miracles of miracles,'' said Holman, an Angels fan for 35 of their 42 mostly futile years in existence. ``It was total improbability.''

Those words could just as easily describe the sentiment that swept over fans from Sylmar to Santa Ana. With the Lakers' NBA Finals victory over New Jersey and the Angels' triumph, Los Angeles was home to a pair of championship teams from the four major professional sports leagues for the first time since 1988.

But there was so much more to 2002. With the Galaxy and Sparks also winning titles, USC routing both UCLA and Notre Dame on its way to the Orange Bowl and a prime-time Rose Bowl deciding the national championship, the center of the sports world indeed was focused on Los Angeles.

The historians will note that it was a year of fun and games beginning in the shadow of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and ending with the country facing a possible war in Iraq. The economists will marvel that during a national recession, sports helped pump an estimated $2 billion into the area, according to a Los Angeles Sports Council study.

At its best, however, 2002 simply was a year that made residents proud to call this city home. It also was about moments, one more unbelievable than the next.

``It was just an incredible year,'' said Los Angeles Sports Council president David Simon, whose group compiles an annual list of the 10 greatest sporting moments. ``We had so many great things to pick from this winter.''

The first came three days after New Year's, when an estimated 60,000 Cornhuskers fans colored the Rose Bowl stands red, turning Pasadena for one day into Nebraska's third-largest city. They left disappointed, however, as Ken Dorsey and Miami crushed Nebraska 37-14. And the Hurricanes haven't lost since.

Then there was the sight of some 19,000 mourners lined up outside Staples Center on an August afternoon, waiting to pay tribute at a vacant broadcast booth to Chick Hearn. It was an honor usually reserved for heads of state but given to the Lakers' legendary play-by-play announcer - one of the few voices that could unite this city.

``He's a man who will be remembered long after,'' Magic Johnson said of Hearn upon learning of his death. ``Some people grow bigger than their sport, bigger than their job.''

Hearn's death, coming at age 85 and after he called a record 3,338 consecutive games for the team (the equivalent of nearly a full year of 24-hour-a-day broadcasting) almost overshadowed the Lakers' third title in a row, which gave coach Phil Jackson a record nine in his career.

Only two months after Hearn's death, a far more personal tribute was offered to another of Los Angeles' greats. It came with the Angels one inning away from winning the World Series as outfielder Tim Salmon raced into his team's clubhouse and retrieved one of Gene Autry's old Stetson hats.

And Salmon didn't hesitate in bringing it on field for the celebration that ensued. Autry never lived to see the final out made by the franchise he founded, but thanks to Salmon, his presence certainly was felt that night. Commissioner Bud Selig even noted it as he presented the championship trophy to Autry's widow, Jackie.

``Somewhere, Gene Autry is smiling,'' Selig said as the crowd roared back in approval.

There was more to come, however, as Carson Palmer's Heisman Trophy campaign started almost as soon as the Angels' season ended. And no one will forget the gasps, then cheers, from USC's sideline when Palmer flipped over UCLA's Ricky Manning as he barreled toward the end zone in the Trojans' 52-21 triumph over the Bruins.

Three weeks later, Palmer left New York with the Heisman as the nation's most outstanding player. Palmer was the fifth Heisman winner in USC's history - joining O.J. Simpson and Marcus Allen, among others - and the first won by a quarterback at the university known as ``Tailback U.''

``Everyone is just so excited about the team, about Carson, about everything,'' said Herb Goodman, a 1958 USC alum and president of the San Fernando Valley chapter of the Trojan Club. ``We're just fantastically happy about the whole thing.''

The Sparks and Galaxy, meanwhile, each won their championships in dramatic fashion. Rookie point guard Nikki Teasley made a last-second 3-pointer as the Sparks won their second consecutive WNBA crown. And Carlos Ruiz scored in overtime to give the Galaxy their first MLS Cup in four attempts.

Even away from home, Los Angeles-area athletes tasted success. San Bernardino's Derek Parra became the country's first Hispanic Winter Olympics gold medalist, winning the 1,500 meters in speedskating at the Salt Lake City Games in world-record time. Parra also won a silver medal.

In addition, Tiger Woods and Serena Williams combined to win five of their sports' eight major titles. About the only tournament Williams - who won the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open - couldn't win was the one played in her backyard. She was upset by Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the final of the WTA Championships at Staples Center in November.

In September, a showdown between two of this city's favorite sons ended when East L.A.'s Oscar De La Hoya silenced Camarillo's Fernando Vargas with an 11th-round knockout in their junior middleweight fight in front of a sold-out crowd in Las Vegas.

The list of 2002 events only continues. The NHL All-Star game, Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships - won by Michelle Kwan on the ladies' side and Todd Eldredge on the men's - all took place at Staples Center, which featured nearly 225 events this year.

Three local teams played in the NCAA basketball tournament, highlighted by UCLA's upset of Cincinnati and trip to the Sweet 16. In addition, the USC men's tennis and women's volleyball teams, along with the UCLA men's soccer team, all won national championships.

In baseball, the Dodgers' Shawn Green hit a record-tying four home runs in one game, setting a major-league record for total bases in one of the sport's single greatest days. And Eric Gagne broke the club record for saves in a season with 52, though the Dodgers couldn't sneak past the Giants and Diamondbacks and into the playoffs.

Last but not least, two of Los Angeles' all-time legends were recognized as Magic Johnson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame - presented by none other than Larry Bird - and Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 was retired by the Kings at their home opener. Gretzky also directed Canada to an Olympic gold medal.

In the end, 2002 was a year that will live on well into the future for sports fans everywhere. There will be reminders every time a young child finds a stuffed Rally Monkey forgotten somewhere at home or catches a glimpse of a championship DVD. But the only way to close the curtain on the year is with the words of the legend himself.

``You can put this one in the refrigerator,'' Hearn would have said with midnight nearing Dec. 31. ``The door's closed, the light's out. The eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard and the Jell-O's jiggling.''

A slam dunk of a year indeed.

CAPTION(S):

14 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) The Angels' joy in their World Series victory celebration (center) was felt throughout L.A. but the tragic passing of legendary announcer Chick Hearn (left) tempered the good times. The Galaxy joined the fun with an MLS title.

(4 -- 5 -- color) At left, boxing figured into the city's great year when East L.A.'s Oscar De La Hoya (right) beat Camarillo's Fernando Vargas. Also, The Lakers are all smiles after winning their third consecutive NBA championship.

(6 -- 8 -- color) Above, USC quarterback Carson Palmer brought the Heisman Trophy back to L.A. At left, former L.A. Kings great Wayne Gretzky had his jersey number retired in October. And the Williams sisters' domination of tennis reached new heights.

Photos by Associated Press

(9) KWAN

(10) PARRA

(11) GREEN

(12) SPARKS

(13) JOHNSON

(14) USC-UCLA

Box:

L.A. STORIES - 2002