Year In Review: August

The year is almost over. All the magazines are doing year-in-review type stuff, so we figured, why should we be any different? Therefore, for the next 12 days, we will be looking back on each month on the calendar, pointing out the weird/important/amusing stuffs that happened that month. Deadspin wasn't around until September, though, so if you have suggestions as for stories you want to make sure we don't miss, let us know at [email protected].

AUGUST HIGHLIGHTS • August 1: With as much fanfare befitting a man with his years of television journalism expertise, "Quite Frankly With Stephen A. Smith" debuts on ESPN2. Smith receives a four-year contract for the show. Yep. • August 1: Rafael Palmeiro tests positive for steroids. And look: We didn't even make a mustache joke. • August 15: Rush Limbaugh announces he'd like to help settle the rift between Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb. Hey, he couldn't have made matters worse. • August 28: Matt Leinart admits he's taking one class: ballroom dancing. We'd make fun of him, but if he learns the tango, he'll have learned one more thing than we did in college. • August 29: Confessed steroid user Jason Giambi hits a home run off confessed steroid user Ryan Franklin. Everyone is way too confused to figure out whom they're supposed to be mad at.

(Special thanks, by the way, to The Sporting Fool, who has been of much assistance in tracking the timeline on these things.)