2 JAN 05: THE BURKARD AWARDS

We're handing out some year-end awards today. So while you get your bow tie or pumps and bring them to the computer, let's review some notes from the holiday weekend:

+ The January 1 high temperature in Columbus was 71 degrees F.! So why don't we set up our own bowl game? The weather would beat Boise, Idaho - and Troy University couldn't help but attract a bigger crowd.

+ Georgia edged Wisconsin 24-21 in Tampa's Outback Bowl. I didn't see this game - so did they really play this like an Outback Steakhouse? You know, "no rules...."

+ Georgia Tech's basketball team blew a big lead, and lost to my beloved KANSAS Jayhawks in overtime! It was nice redemption for last season's playoffs - and I have a whole week to figure out how I'll rub it in to the Tech grad in my church congregation.

+ For a change, neighbors shooting fireworks did NOT wake me up at midnight on New Year's. Instead, I heard a few people firing them as I went to bed around 10:15 p.m. They were doing trial runs, I suppose....

+ WRBL showed commercials for fireworks stands during its Saturday night newscasts - well after New Year's Eve. This seemed strange, until I took an evening jog on the Riverwalk and found people firing them near Synovus.

+ Someone fired a shotgun at 11:30 p.m. Friday night in the Bear Creek subdivision -- and a round went through a wall, shooting a woman in the back. If you're going to mark the start of a "new race" for 2005, please do it like NASCAR and wave a green flag.

+ The man accused of striking and killing a Columbus jogger last September appeared in Recorder's Court. How about Recorder's Court being in session on January 1 - and on a SATURDAY, no less?! Now this city's feeling more like New York or Philadelphia.

+ Instant Message to the Columbus Riverdragons: That's a great winning streak you kept alive Saturday night! But why do your beers on "Thirsty Thursday" cost $2.25? The Columbus Catfish do this promotion with one-dollar beers - and I think their roster of players is bigger.

AND NOW.... For the second year in a row, we present awards for 2004's most and least noteworthy things in our area. And the winners are....

+ Trendiest part of town: The Columbus Park Crossing area - but how many café-style bread stores does this shopping center need?

+ Part of town which most used to be trendy, but isn't anymore: Bradley Park Drive. It had only one barbecue restaurant. It shut down. Enough said.

+ Most clever winner of the year: District Attorney Gray Conger. He changed parties to save his job, proving even prosecuting attorneys can act like chameleons.

+ Sore loser of the year: Superior Court Judge Roxann Daniel. Has she moved to Atlanta to room with Danae Roberts yet?

+ Biggest loser of the year: William Howell. The leader of Rainbow/PUSH tried to recall Sheriff Ralph Johnson -- but most people can't even recall seeing any petitions.

+ Man whose election most made Columbus traditionalists shiver: Joseph Roberson. Once he joins the Muscogee County School Board, other members had better have thick skins.

+ Man who most needs to be appointed to a state position: Russell County Probate Judge Al Howard - before he completely runs out of friends at the courthouse.

+ Politician most likely to challenge Mayor Bob Poydasheff for reelection: Councilor Julius Hunter. He actually spoke in public a few times in 2004, to get the hang of it....

+ Lawyer with the coldest heart: Richard Hagler - for implying anyone on the streets of Columbus after 8:30 p.m. deserves to be pulled over by law officers and shot.

+ Biggest change no one dares talk about in public: The new AFLAC logo. Our poll showed most of you don't like it - but we can't afford to risk losing more jobs to Asia.

+ Church which most "jumped the shark": Oasis Church in Phenix City, formerly known as Love Life Ministries. When Wayne Babb's telecast is replaced at 5:00 a.m. by infomercials, that's not a good sign.

+ Church most likely to "jump the shark" next: Cascade Hills. When Pastor Bill Purvis can stand on stage with $100,000 sports cars, yet never make a public comment on the Kenneth Walker case, what sort of message is he sending?

+ Most potentially controversial new restaurant: Moe's Southwest Grill at Columbus Park Crossing. With "buck-naked burritos" on the menu, I imagine Fort Benning is watching this place closely.

+ Best new arrival in broadcasting, male: Columbus Catfish announcer Nathan Raynert. He used words such as "ruefully" during games, and probably increased many listeners' vocabularies.

+ Best new arrival in broadcasting, female: Amanda Hart of WEAM. She'd better not have a ring on her finger (ahem)....

+ Biggest loss in broadcasting: Ritmo Latino Radio. I'm still in so much mourning, my salsa tapes haven't come out of the drawer.

+ Best hair on Columbus TV: Candace Cook! Once and for all -- Candace Cook!! I'm not getting people upset about that topic again....

+ Best-written article of the year: Richard Hyatt's commentary in the Ledger-Enquirer on the anniversary of the Kenneth Walker shooting. So why did he get on page one, while Kaffie Sledge never does?

+ Georgia Championship Wrestling bout we'd most like to see: Roy Bourgeois vs. Miriam Tidwell - lumberjack rules, please.

+ Coach of the year: From March to June it was Columbus High School baseball coach Bobby Howard. In December it was Riverdragons coach Jeff Malone. Can we divide this into fiscal years?

+ Hardest-working woman in Columbus: Reggie Richards. She co-hosts "Wake Up Columbus" on WLTZ, she teaches at Shaw High School AND she's an evening announcer on "The River" FM-92! How big must her mortgage payment be?

+ Blog Joke of the Year, as selected by YOU the reader: "Jesse Jackson might deny his boycott is about race - but let's face it, the AFLAC duck isn't brown...." [22 Dec 04]

COMING THIS WEEK: A grand opening in Columbus, Auburn's big showdown, and a "halftime report...."

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