AP Poll, NCAA tournament seeds shown in parenthesis

The 2008���09 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the Jayhawks' 111th basketball season. The Head Coach was Bill Self, serving his 6th year. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, and were the defending National Champions.

The 2008���09 season was the 117th season of competitive football played by Liverpool. It began on 1 July 2008 and concluded on 20 June 2009, with competitive matches played between August and May. Liverpool finished the previous season in fourth place behind Manchester United and Chelsea and Arsenal . The club ended the campaign in second place, four points behind Manchester United, with a record of 25 wins, 11 draws and 2 losses.

The Liga Nacional de Ascenso de Honduras 2008���09 Apertura is the first part of the 2008-09 season in the Honduran second division of football. The champion of this tournament will face the winner of the Clausura tournament to decide who will be promoted to the first division.

The 2008���09 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team represented Kent State University in the 2008���09 college basketball season. The team was coached by Geno Ford and played their home games in the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. They are members of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 19���15, 10���6 in MAC play.

Kansas State 2008 Basketball Commitments

The 2008���09 Los Angeles Lakers season was the franchise's 63rd season, 61st in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 49th in Los Angeles. The Lakers won their division for the 31st time and appeared in the Western Conference Finals for the 39th time. With 65 wins they recorded the third most wins in franchise history, the most since 1999���2000, and improved on their 2007���08 record by eight wins. The Lakers sold out all 41 home games for the season, led the NBA in money earned from overall ticket sales, and had the 5th highest increase in gate receipts from the previous season.On May 29, the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets to advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year and 30th time in franchise history, extending their NBA record for most Finals appearances. On June 14, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 4���1 in the best of seven series to become the 2009 NBA Champions, the 15th Championship for the franchise. Kobe Bryant was awarded the 2009 NBA Finals MVP.On July 15, 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 ESPY Awards for Best Team and Best Coach/Manager for Phil Jackson.

The 2008���09 Logan Cup was a first-class cricket competition held in Zimbabwe from 26 March 2009 ��� 8 May 2009. It was won by Easterns, who remained unbeaten in the competition, and topped the table with 93 points, winning five of their six matches.

The 2008���09 Mestis season was the ninth season of the Mestis, the second level of ice hockey in Finland. 12 teams participated in the league, and Sport won the championship.

The 2008-09 Hyundai A-League season was Melbourne Victory's fourth season. They finished top of the table at the end of the regular season and defeated Adelaide United in the Grand Final to take their second A-League title.

The 2008���09 Memphis Grizzlies season will be the 14th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Memphis Grizzlies finished 2 games ahead of their 2007-08 output, and finished 12th in the Western Conference as opposed to 14th.

* Tracy Webster
* Glynn Cyprien
* Jeremy Cox

The 2nd Kuwaiti Federation Cup started on September 7, 2008.The Second Federation Cup is one of four competitions in the Kuwaiti 2008/2009 season. 14 clubs are taking part in the tournament.They were divided into two groups of seven, and the winner and runner-up of each group will advance to the semi-finals.The cup is used as a curtain raiser to the Kuwaiti Premier League season.

The 2008���09 Leinster Rugby season was Leinster's eight competing in the Celtic League alongside which they competed in the 2008���09 Heineken Cup. Though Leinster were ultimately to lose their Celtic League crown to rivals Munster, they were to cap a great year for Irish rugby with their victory over the Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup Final at Murrayfield.

The 2008���09 Libyan Third Division sees the clubs in the Northern, Eastern and Southern sections play for places in the Libyan Second Division for the 2009-2010 season.

The 2008���09 Liga Artzit season started on 5 September 2008 and ended on 29 May 2009.Two teams from Liga Alef were promoted at the end of the previous season: Hapoel Umm al-Fahm and Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam along with two teams relegated from Liga Leumit: Hapoel Nazareth Illit and Hapoel Rishon LeZion.The two teams relegated to Liga Alef were Hapoel Kfar Shalem and Maccabi HaShikma/Ramat Hen.It was scheduled to be the last season before the league closing, as the top two divisions are both expanded to 16 clubs.

The 2008���09 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2008���09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 95th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his eighth season. The team played its home games at Freedom Hall.The Cardinals finished the season 31���6, 16���2 and were regular season Big East Champions (their 1st). They defeated Syracuse 76���66 to win the 2009 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament (their 1st). They received an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning the overall #1 seed and were placed in the Midwest Region. They were upset by #2 seed Michigan State in the Midwest Regional final, 64���52.

The 2008���09 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University in the 2008���09 college basketball season. The team was led by second-year head coach Frank Martin. The team played their home games at Bramlage Coliseum, which the team has done since 1988.

The 2008���09 season was the 117th season of competitive football played by Liverpool. It began on 1 July 2008 and concluded on 20 June 2009, with competitive matches played between August and May. Liverpool finished the previous season in fourth place behind Manchester United and Chelsea and Arsenal . The club ended the campaign in second place, four points behind Manchester United, with a record of 25 wins, 11 draws and 2 losses. Liverpool fared below par in the cups, eliminated in the fourth round of the FA Cup and Football League Cup by Everton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. They exited the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-finals to Chelsea.Liverpool purchased a few players in the transfer market early in the season, with Philipp Degen, Andrea Dossena and Diego Cavalieri arriving in early July. Those arrivals were supplemented with the addition of striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham and midfielder Albert Riera later in the transfer window. Goalkeeper Scott Carson and striker Peter Crouch were sold in the summer transfer window, while six months after arriving Keane was sold back to Tottenham in the winter transfer window.Liverpool began the season in good form; they won eight of their first ten matches before suffering a loss against Tottenham. They picked up their form after the loss and a 5���1 victory over Newcastle United at the end of 2008, ensured they would be top going into the new year. Three successive draws at the turn of the year meant Manchester United caught Liverpool and a 2���0 loss at the end of February to Midlesbrough dented their hopes of winning the league. After the loss, Liverpool won ten of their final eleven matches, which included a 4���1 victory over Manchester United. The run was not enough to overhaul United and they finished four points behind in second place.Twenty-six different players represented the club in four competitions, and there were 16 different goalscorers. Liverpool's top goalscorer was Steven Gerrard, who scored 24 goals in 44 matches. Defender Jamie Carragher made the most appearances during the season with 54.

The 2008���09 Liga Alef season was the last season of Liga Alef as the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system.

The 2008-2009 MOL Liga Season was the first season played, of this international ice hockey. Six teams from Hungary and two from Romania participated.

The 2008-09 season was the 11th season for the Black Bears. The Black Bears had an overall record of 5 wins, 23 losses and 5 ties. Their Hockey East conference record was 4 wins, 15 losses and 2 ties. Jennie Gallo led the team in goals for the second consecutive year. Myriam Croussette led all freshman in scoring and Jenna Ouellette led the team with five power play goals

Liechtenstein Cup 2008���09 was the sixty-fourth season of Liechtenstein's annual cup competition. Seven clubs competed with a total of eighteen teams for one spot in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. Defending champions were FC Vaduz, who have won the cup continuously since 1998.

The 2008���09 Libyan Premier League season was the forty-first edition of the competition since its establishment in 1963. Al Ittihad were the defending champions, having won their fourteenth Libyan Premier League title with just one round of matches to spare in the previous season. The campaign began on Friday October 17, 2008, delayed due to Libya's World Cup qualifiers, and, depending on the Libyan Cup, is scheduled to finish on June 26, 2009.

The 2008���09 Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team represented Mercyhurst College in the 2008���09 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season. The Lakers were coached by Michael Sisti and had a 16-0 record in their conference. Assisting Sisti were Paul Colontino and Louis Goulet. Mike Folga was the Head Equipment Manager. The Lakers qualified for the Frozen Four and were finalists in the 2009 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The Lakers went 16-0 in conference play last season en route to their seventh-straight CHA Title. From 2002 to 2009, the Lakers were 74-3-5 in the regular season against CHA competition and 14-0 in the postseason.

The 2008���09 Ligat Nashim was the 10th season of women's league football under the Israeli Football Association.The league was won by Maccabi Holon, its sixth consecutive title. By winning, Maccabi Holon qualified to 2009���10 UEFA Women's Champions League.

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 vs Michigan State

Thaksin Shinawatra (until the sale of club on 1 Sep. 2008)

The Maltese Premier League 2008���09 was the 94th season of the Maltese Premier League, the top-tier football in Malta. It began on 23 August 2008 with a scoreless draw between Floriana !Floriana and Hamrun Spartans !Hamrun Spartans and ended on 24 May 2009. The first goal in the season was scored by Ivan, who plays for Qormi. Hibernians were crowned champions on the 23 May 2009, winning their 10th title, surpassing rivals Valletta by two points.

The 2008���09 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represents the University of Kentucky in the college basketball season of 2008���2009. The team's head coach was Billy Gillispie, who was in his second and final year as coach. The Wildcats play their home games at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The team's season started with a controversial early Midnight Madness event on October 10, 2008 which is not the traditional date for celebration that coincides with the first day of NCAA-sanctioned regular practice sessions that occurred on October 17, 2008.On March 15, 2009, the Wildcats accepted a bid to the 2009 National Invitation Tournament, ending a streak of 17 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship dating back to 1992.

The 2008-09 Lithuanian Hockey League season was the 18th season of the Lithuanian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Lithuania. Four teams participated in Group A of the league, and SC Energija won the championship. Group B, which consisted of six teams, was won by LRK Kedainiai.

The Liga ABF 2008���09 was the 53rd season of women's handball top flight in Spain since its establishment, running from 13 September 2008. to 23 May 2009. SD Itxako won the championship for the first time with a seven points advantage over Balonmano Sagunto. CBF Elda, Bera Bera, Mar Alicante and CB Elche followed in European positions, while CB Zuazo and CBF Mon��var were relegated.

The 2008���09 Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team represented Mercyhurst College in the 2008���09 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season. The Lakers were coached by Michael Sisti and had a 16-0 record in their conference. Assisting Sisti were Paul Colontino and Louis Goulet. Mike Folga was the Head Equipment Manager. The Lakers qualified for the Frozen Four and were finalists in the 2009 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship.

The Maltese Cup 2008���09 is the 71st season since its establishment. It features 20 teams from Maltese Premier League and First Division. The competition started on October 25, 2008 and will end on May 30, 2009 with the Final. The defending champions are Birkirkara.

The 2008���09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione season is the thirty-first since its establishment in 1978, and the first edition since the renaming from Serie C to Lega Pro. It will be divided into two phases: the regular season, played from September 2008 to May 2009, and the playoff phase from May to June 2009.The league will be composed of 36 teams divided into two divisions of 18 teams each, whose teams will be divided mainly according to geographical principles.

The 2008���09 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team represented Longwood University during the 2008���09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Mike Gillian, and played their home games at Willett Hall as a Division I independent school.

The Ligue 2 season 2008/2009 was the sixty-seventh edition since its establishment, and began on August 1, 2008 and ended on May 29, 2009. The fixtures were announced on May 23, 2008.

The 2008-09 Lebanese Second Division was the 75th season of the second-highest level of Soccer in Lebanon. This season once again featured 14 Clubs just like the season before.

NCAA Div. I Tournament South Subregional

The 2008-09 Meistriliiga season was the 19th season of the Meistriliiga, the top level of ice hockey in Estonia. Five teams participated in the league, and HK Stars Tallinn won the championship.

The 2008���09 La Liga season (known as the Liga BBVA for sponsorship reasons) was the 78th since its establishment. Real Madrid were the defending champions, having won their 31st La Liga title in the previous season. The campaign began on 30 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2007���08 season, and three of which were promoted from the Segunda Divisi��n. In addition, a new match ball ��� the Nike T90 Omni ��� served as the official ball for all matches.On 16 May 2009, after Villarreal's 3���2 victory over Real Madrid, Barcelona were declared champions, their 19th La Liga title, with three matches to play. Lionel Messi received the inaugural LFP Award for Best Player from the Liga de F��tbol Profesional.

The 2008���09 Los Angeles Kings season was the 42nd season (41st season of play) for the National Hockey League franchise. The Kings showed improvement while fielding the youngest team in the league (in terms of average age per player), but came up short of breaking a playoff drought that stretches back to the 2001���02 season.Despite a tough schedule that saw them play 17 of their final 24 games away from the Staples Center, the Kings managed to stay in the playoff hunt for much of the year.

The 2008���09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2008���09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Tom Izzo who was in his 14th year. The team played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were member of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished the season with a record of 31���7, 15���3 to win the Big Ten regular season championship. The Spartans received their 12th straight NCAA Tournament bid as a No. 2 seed. They advanced to the Final Four for the fourth time under Izzo and lost in the National Championship game to North Carolina.

The 2008���09 Liga Femenina de Baloncesto was the 46th edition of the Spanish premier championship for women's basketball teams. Ros Casares Valencia defeated Perfumer��as Avenida in the final to win its third title in a row, an overall sixth. Rivas Ec��polis also qualified for the FIBA Euroleague along with Ros Casares and Avenida, while Feve San Jos��, Espanyol Olesa and EBE Puig d'en Valls qualified for the FIBA Eurocup.

The 2008���09 Kuwaiti Premier League season was the 47th since its establishment. The first matches of the season started on Saturday 4 October 2008. The league has also been extended so that clubs will play each other three times this season.

The 2008-09 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team represents Marquette University. The Head Coach is Buzz Williams, serving his first season as head coach, and second with Marquette. The team plays its home games at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Key contributors include seniors Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Matthews, and juniors Lazar Hayward, Maurice Acker and Jimmy Butler.

The McGill Martlets represented McGill University in the 2008-09 Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's hockey season. The Martlets posted an unblemished 33-0 record against CIS opponents to go undefeated for the second straight season en route to capturing another CIS banner. Catherine Ward, Chantal Gauvin and goaltender Kalie Townsend were the only graduating players from the Martlets.

Melbourne Victory FC W-LeagueThe 2008���09 season is the Melbourne Victory's first season of football (soccer) in Australia's new women's league, the W-League.

The 2008���09 season marked the first year the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) used the crossover format for the playoffs, in this format the top 8 teams make it to the playoffs regardless of the division.

The LEN Euroleague 2008-09 is the 46th edition of Europe's premier club water polo competition.

The 2008���09 Lebanese Premier League is the 61st season of Lebanon's premier football league. The league kicked-off on October 11, 2008, Safa SC defeated Salam Zgharta at the opener. In that game, Mohammad Kassas scored the first goal of the season for Safa.Al Ahed is the defending champion. Salam Zgharta and Shahab Al-Ghazieh promoted from the second division.Prior to the start, Tripoli SC announced its withdrawal due to several problems. Lebanese Football Federation confirmed the withdrawal on October 9, the league is going to resume with 11 teams.Due to the restructuring of Asian competitions, Lebanese teams were entered into the AFC Cup. The Arab Champions League on the other hand would not be played.

The 2008���09 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2008���09 college basketball season, the 88th season of Tiger basketball. The Tigers were coached by ninth-year head coach John Calipari, and they played their home games at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.

The 2008���09 Las Vegas Wranglers season is the Las Vegas Wranglers sixth season in the ECHL. The regular season began on October 17, 2008 against the Alaska Aces and will conclude on April 4, 2009 against the Stockton Thunder. The Wranglers will look to improve on their success from their 2007���08 season in which they won their second straight Pacific Division and National Conference regular season championships and their first appearance in the Kelly Cup Finals.

ESPN ��� Michigan State Spartans Basketball Recruiting 2008

The 2008���09 Macedonian Football Cup was the 17th season of Macedonia's football knockout competition. FK Rabotni��ki defended their title, having won their second title.

The First Division Knock-Out 2008-09 is a group and knock-out competition for teams from the Maltese First Division. This year's format differs from the previous 2 years in that the simple knock-out has been replaced by two groups, the top two from each qualifying for the semi-finals. The competition started on 13 September 2008 and finished on 10 May 2009, with the final.The final was contested between First Division champions Dingli and St. Patrick. St. Patrick won 2-0.

The Korisliiga is the premier basketball league in Finland. The 2008-09 season was the 69th Finnish club basketball season. It began on October 3, 2008 and ended on May 16, 2009. Namika Lahti won the Final series by 3-0 against Joensuun Kataja. Antti Nikkil�� won the MVP Award and Vesa M��k��l��inen won the Finals MVP Award.

The 2008���09 Miami Heat season was the 21st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The 2008���09 LEB season is the 13th season of the Liga Espa��ola de Baloncesto. The 612-game regular season (34 games for each of the 18 teams) began on Thursday, September 18, 2008, and will end on Friday, May 15, 2009. The champion of the regular season will be promoted to ACB. The teams between 2nd and 9th position will play a best of 3 games play off to see who plays the Final Four. Two bottom teams will be relegated to LEB Plata.

The Lithuanian Football Cup 2008���09 was the 20th season of the Lithuanian annual football tournament. The competition started on May 7, 2008 with the First Round games and ended on May 16, 2009 with the Final. The defending champions were Kaunas.

The 2008���09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, also known as 2008���09 Liga Esia owing to a sponsorship deal, was the 14th season of the Liga Indonesia Premier Division. It was the first season for the Liga Indonesia Premier Division as the second tier of the Indonesian football pyramid, following the creation of the Indonesia Super League as the first tier.

The LEN Cup 2008-09 was the 17th edition of this water polo competition, and was won by Szeged Beton VSE. It was the first time a Hungarian club won the competition since ��jpesti TE's 3rd title in 1999.

The Maltese Third Division 2008���09 (known as the BOV 3rd Division 2008���09 due to sponsorship reasons) is the 9th season of the Maltese Third Division. It started on September 2008 and ended in late May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals. This division is divided into two sections: Section A, with ten teams and Section B, with nine.

The 2008���09 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 39th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This season marks the team's 25th season in the city of Los Angeles.

The 2008-09 Latvian Hockey League season was the 18th season of the Latvian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Latvia. Eight teams participated in the league, and HK Liep��jas Metalurgs won the championship.

The 2008���09 season was the 123rd season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. The team's 24th-place finish in League One in 2007���08 meant the club competed in League Two. The club was docked 30 points at the start of the season; 10 by The Football Association for irregular matters involving player transfers, and 20 by the Football League for breaking rules on exiting administration. As a result, the club finished bottom of the league and was relegated to the Conference Premier. The season was not, however, without success ��� Luton beat Scunthorpe United 3���2 at Wembley to win the Football League Trophy for the first time.This article covers the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

The 2008���09 Liga I was the ninety-first season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. Season began on 26 July 2008 and ended on 10 June 2009. CFR Cluj were the defending champions.

The 2008���09 Macedonian Second Football League was the seventeenth season since its establishment. It began on 2 August 2008 and ended on 30 May 2009.

The 2008���09 Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo season was the 35th season of the Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo, the top level of ice hockey in Spain. Seven teams participated in the league, and FC Barcelona won the championship.

The 2008���09 Kazakhstan Hockey Championship was the 17th season of the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, the top level of ice hockey in Kazakhstan. Eight teams participated in the league, and Barys Astana won the championship.

The 2008���09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2008���09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Tom Izzo who was in his 14th year. The team played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were member of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished the season with a record of 31���7, 15���3 to win the Big Ten regular season championship.

The 2009 version of the Lebanese FA Cup is the 37th edition to be played. It is the premier knockout tournament for football teams in Lebanon.Al-Mabarrah went into this edition as the holders. Al Ansar holds the most wins with 11 titles.The cup winner were guaranteed a place in the 2010 AFC Cup.

The 2008���09 LNB Pro A season was the 87th season of the French Basketball Championship and the 22nd season since inception of the Ligue Nationale de Basketball (LNB). The regular season started on October 3, 2008 and ended on May 11, 2009. The play-offs were held from May 22, 2009 until June 20, 2009.ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, after finishing at the top seed of the regular season, won the French Pro A League by defeating Orl��ans in playoffs final (55-41).

The 2008���09 season was Manchester City Football Club's seventh consecutive season playing in the Premier League, the top division of English football, and its twelfth season since the Premier League was first created with Manchester City as one of the its original 22 founding member clubs. Overall, it was the team's 117th season playing in a division of English football, most of which have been spent in the top flight.

* John Robic
* Orlando Antigua
* Josh Pastner

Season 2008-09 saw Livingston compete in the First Division. They also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.

The 2008���09 Liga Gimel season saw 83 clubs competing in 6 regional divisions for promotion to Liga Bet. This was the last season that Liga Gimel was the sixth tier in the Israeli football league system, a position it held since 1998���99.At the end of the season, due to the league system restructuring, two clubs from each division were promoted to Liga Bet.

The Liga Nacional de Ascenso de Honduras 2008���09 Clausura is the second part of the 2008-09 season in the Honduran second division of football. The champion of this tournament will face the Atletico Gualala, winner of the Apertura tournament, to decide who will be promoted to the first division.

The 2008���09 LEB Plata season was the 9th season of the LEB Plata, second league of the Liga Espa��ola de Baloncesto and third division in Spain. It is also named Adecco Plata for sponsorship reasons.

The Maltese Third Division 2008���09 (known as the BOV 3rd Division 2008���09 due to sponsorship reasons) is the 9th season of the Maltese Third Division. It started on September 2008 and ended in late May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals. This division is divided into two sections: Section A, with ten teams and Section B, with nine. The winners from both sections will face each other in a play-off where the winner is crowned as champion of this division, but both teams will still be given promotion to the Second Division.Gharghur were the winners of Section A, while Gzira United were the winners of Section B. Gzira United finished the season as overall champions after they beat Gharghur 3-0.Zurrieq were also promoted after winning the promotion play-offs, beating Santa Lucia on penalties in the final.Santa Lucia beat Naxxar Lions in the semi-final.

The 2008���09 Liga de Honra season is the nineteenth since its establishment. Trofense are the defending champions.

The 2008/2009 edition of the Libyan Second Division began on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. 45 clubs (shown below in their respective groups) will attempt to win promotion to the Libyan Premier League for the 2009-10 season.

The 2008���09 LNAH season was the 13th season of the Ligue Nord-Am��ricaine de Hockey (before 2004 the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League), a minor professional league in the Canadian province of Quebec. Nine teams participated in the regular season, and Lois Jeans de Pont-Rouge won the league title.

The 2008���09 Liga Artzit season started on 5 September 2008 and ended on 29 May 2009.Two teams from Liga Alef were promoted at the end of the previous season: Hapoel Umm al-Fahm and Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam along with two teams relegated from Liga Leumit: Hapoel Nazareth Illit and Hapoel Rishon LeZion.The two teams relegated to Liga Alef were Hapoel Kfar Shalem and Maccabi HaShikma/Ramat Hen.It was scheduled to be the last season before the league closing, as the top two divisions are both expanded to 16 clubs. As a result of the restructuring, the top seven clubs were promoted to Liga Leumit, whilst the eight-placed club played in a play-off against the 11th-placed club in Liga Leumit for a place in that division. The losers of that match and the bottom four clubs in Liga Artzit were relegated to Liga Alef, which has regain its status as the third tier of Israeli football.

The 2008���09 Macedonian First League was the 17th season of the Macedonian First Football League, the highest football league of Macedonia. It began on 3 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009. FK Rabotni��ki were the defending champions, having won their third title the previous year. FK Ba��kimi withdrew from the championship due to financial reasons.

The 2008���09 Liga III season was the 53rd season of Liga III, the third tier of the Romanian football league system.The winners of each division got promoted to the 2009���10 Liga II season. There were also two playoff tournaments held at neutral venues involving the second placed teams, one with those from series 1, 2 and 3, the other with those from series 4, 5, and 6. The winners of the playoffs also got promoted to the 2009���10 Liga II season. The bottom three from each division were relegated at the end of the season to the Liga IV. From the 15th placed teams, another three were relegated. To determine these teams, separate standings were computed, using only the games played against clubs ranked 1st through 14th.

The 2008���09 Malian Premi��re Division was the 44th season of the Highest-Level of Professional Soccer in Mali.

Results of the 2008-09 Manchester Phoenix Season:

* Mark Montgomery
* Dwayne Stephens
* Mike Garland

Luxembourg Cup 2008���09 is the eighty-fourth season of Luxembourg's annual cup competition. It began on September 3, 2008 with Round 1 and will end on May 30, 2009 with the Final held at a neutral venue. The winners of the competition will qualify for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League 2009���10. CS Grevenmacher are the defending champions.

The 2008���09 season was Leeds United F.C.'s second consecutive season in the third tier of English football and for the second year running saw them finish in the play-offs in League One. Gary McAllister started the season as manager, but after a poor run of games in late 2008, his contact was terminated and he was replaced by Simon Grayson. After a nervy first few games, Grayson lifted the side from 8th to 4th, resulting in a place in the play-offs. During this time, the club recorded an incredible 11 consecutive home wins. Although to the heartbreak of Leeds fans, the club failed in the play-offs again, being defeated by Millwall in the semi-finals. During the season, Jermaine Beckford scored 34 goals in all competitions - the highest in the country. Once again, the club received the highest attendance outside the Premier League on three occasions; the largest in the play-off semi final, recording a crowd of over 37,000. Off the pitch, the club made a profit for the first time in years.

The Luxembourg National Division 2008���09 (also known as BGL Ligue due to sponsorship reasons) was the 95th season of top-tier football in Luxembourg. It started on 2 August 2008 and ended on 24 May 2009.F91 Dudelange successfully defended their title and qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Runners-up FC Differdange 03 and third-placed CS Grevenmacher, as well as domestic cup winners UN K��erjeng 97, will participate in the UEFA Europa League.

The MTN Domestic Championship is the premier one-day cricket championship in South Africa. It is a one-day game; each team plays each other twice in a home and away leg. It is based on the same principle as a one-day international. The top four teams progress to the semi-finals, with the winners of the semi-finals going through to the final.The series starts on 14 October 2008 and plays through until the final on 17 January 2009.

The Maltese First Division 2008-09 season (known as BOV First Division 2008-09 for sponsorship reasons) started in October 2008 and ended in May 2009. Pieta Hotspurs and Mqabba were relegated from the Premier League. The promoted teams were San Gwann and Rabat Ajax. Dingli Swallows and Vittoriosa Stars finished the league as joint first with the same number of points. Both were promoted but a decider had to be played to decide who the champions would be.

The 2008���09 season was Manchester United's 17th season in the Premier League, and their 34th consecutive season in the top division of English football. After winning a third consecutive Premier League title for the second time to equal Liverpool's record of 18 league titles, the team aimed to become the first team to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990. However, they were beaten 2���0 by Barcelona in the final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May 2009.United started their season in August 2008 by winning the Community Shield. In December 2008, the club became the first English side to win the FIFA Club World Cup when they beat LDU Quito 1���0 in the final. Two months later, on 1 March 2009, the club added the 2008���09 League Cup to their trophy cabinet with a 4���1 penalty shootout win over Tottenham Hotspur after a goalless 120 minutes in the final.United secured a third consecutive Premier League with a goalless draw at home to Arsenal on 16 May 2009. This made them the first team ever to win three consecutive English top flight titles on two separate occasions, having previously done so between 1999 and 2001.

The 2008���09 Lebanese Premier League is the 61st season of Lebanon's premier football league. The league kicked-off on October 11, 2008, Safa SC defeated Salam Zgharta at the opener. In that game, Mohammad Kassas scored the first goal of the season for Safa.Al Ahed is the defending champion. Salam Zgharta and Shahab Al-Ghazieh promoted from the second division.Prior to the start, Tripoli SC announced its withdrawal due to several problems.

The Men's CEV Cup 2008���09 is the 37th edition of the European CEV Cup volleyball club tournament, the former Top Teams Cup.

The 2008���09 Los Angeles Lakers season was the franchise's 63rd season, 61st in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 49th in Los Angeles. The Lakers won their division for the 31st time and appeared in the Western Conference Finals for the 39th time. With 65 wins they recorded the third most wins in franchise history, the most since 1999���2000, and improved on their 2007���08 record by eight wins.

The 2008���09 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2008���09 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Spartans were coached by Suzy Merchant and played their home games at the Breslin Center.

The 2008���09 season was Maccabi Haifa's 51st season in Israeli Premier League, and their 27th consecutive season in the top division of Israeli football.The season was a great success for the club winning the league and coming extremely close to winning the State Cup to go with it.

The Maltese First Division 2008-09 season (known as BOV First Division 2008-09 for sponsorship reasons) started in October 2008 and ended in May 2009. Pieta Hotspurs and Mqabba were relegated from the Premier League. The promoted teams were San Gwann and Rabat Ajax. Dingli Swallows and Vittoriosa Stars finished the league as joint first with the same number of points. Both were promoted but a decider had to be played to decide who the champions would be. The decider was won by Dingli by the score of 2-1. At the other end Rabat Ajax and Senglea Athletics were relegated to the Second Division.

The 2008���09 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville in the 2008���09 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Cardinals were coached by Jeff Walz, and the Cardinals played their home games at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The Lady Cardinals are a member of the Big East Conference and advanced to the NCAA championship match.

The 2008���09 season was Manchester United's 17th season in the Premier League, and their 34th consecutive season in the top division of English football. After winning a third consecutive Premier League title for the second time to equal Liverpool's record of 18 league titles, the team aimed to become the first team to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990.

The Maltese Second Division 2008���09 season (known as BOV 2nd Division 2008-09 due to sponsorship reason) started on 27 September 2008 and ended on 10 May 2009.Mellieha and Marsa were relegated from the First Division.The promoted teams were Gozo FC and Zebbug Rangers.Zebbug had to start the season with a five point deduction due to incidents which occurred the previous season.The Maltese Second Division 2008���09 was won by Balzan Youths.The runners-up were Melita,who finished 2 points off Lija Athletic.

The 2008���09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season will be the thirty-first football (soccer) league season of Italian Lega Pro Seconda Divisione since its establishment in 1978, and the first since the renaming from Serie C2 to Lega Pro.It will be divided into two phases: the regular season, played from September 2008 to May 2009, and the playoff phase from May to June 2009.The will be composed of 54 teams divided into three divisions of 18 teams each, whose teams will be divided geographically. Teams will play only other teams in their own division, once at home and once away for a total of 34 matches each.Teams finishing first in the regular season, plus one team winning the playoff round from each division will be promoted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione; teams finishing last in the regular season, plus two relegation playoff losers from each division will be relegated to Serie D. In all, six teams will be promoted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione, and nine teams will be relegated to Serie D.

The 2008-2009 Season of Mansfield Town F.C. was its first in the Conference National, following their relegation from the Football League at the end of the previous season. The club also competed in the FA Cup and the FA Trophy. The club played its home games at Field Mill. Many changes had been made in the off-season following relegation, with Paul Holland removed as manager and replaced by former Mansfield midfielder Billy McEwan. The biggest change was the ownership of the club, which was sold for ��1 by Keith Haslam to a consortium led by Andrew Perry and featuring local businessmen Andrew Saunders and Steve Middleton.

The 2008���09 Liga Alef season was the last season of Liga Alef as the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system. Third tier, Liga Artzit, was scrapped, while the Premier League and Liga Leumit were expanded to 16 clubs each, making Liga Alef the third tier, as well as expanding the two regional divisions to 16 clubs.The season saw Ahva Arraba (champions of the North Division) and Maccabi Be'er Sheva (champions of the South Division) winning the title and promotion to Liga Leumit.At the bottom, the bottom clubs in each division, Maccabi Ironi Shlomi/Nahariya, Beitar Ihud Mashhad (from North division), Ironi Ramla and Hapoel Masos/Segev Shalom (from South division) were all automatically relegated to Liga Bet, whilst the two clubs which were ranked in 12th place in each division, Maccabi Kafr Qara and Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda entered a promotion/relegation play-offs, and both remained in Liga Alef after winning the play-offs.

The 2008���09 Ligue Magnus season was the 88th season of the Ligue Magnus, the top level of ice hockey in France. 14 teams participated in the league, and Br��leurs de Loups de Grenoble won their sixth league title.

The 2008���09 season was Leicester City F.C.'s 104th season in the English football league system and their first and, to date, only season in the third tier of English football, after being relegated to League One the previous season.Under the stewardship of new manager Nigel Pearson (who managed to become the first Leicester manager in five years to last an entire season), Leicester comfortably took the League One title to earn instant promotion back to the Championship, which included a club record run of 23 games league unbeaten between 1 November and 7 March. Leicester also broke club records for the most points ever gained in a season (96), the most league wins ever gained in a season (27) and the fewest league defeats in a season (4), the latter record especially impressive considering the amount of league seasons Leicester have had to play fewer than 46 games.Matty Fryatt also became the first Leicester player to score over 30 goals in one season since legendary striker Arthur Rowley, 52 years previously.

The 2008���09 Los Angeles Kings season was the 42nd season (41st season of play) for the National Hockey League franchise. The Kings showed improvement while fielding the youngest team in the league (in terms of average age per player), but came up short of breaking a playoff drought that stretches back to the 2001���02 season.Despite a tough schedule that saw them play 17 of their final 24 games away from the Staples Center, the Kings managed to stay in the playoff hunt for much of the year. They played in 43 games decided by one goal, and their record in these games was 20���12���11.Alexander Frolov led the team in goals with 32, his fifth-consecutive season with at least 20 or more goals. The last King to post five consecutive season with over 20 goals was Luc Robitaille in the 1993���94 season. Moreover, defenseman Sean O'Donnell reached a milestone by playing in his 1,000th career NHL game on March 14.

Following the global financial crisis of 2007���08, there was a worldwide resurgence of interest in Keynesian economics among prominent economists and policy makers. This included discussions and implementation of economic policies in accordance with the recommendations made by John Maynard Keynes in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s���most especially fiscal stimulus and expansionary monetary policy.From the end of the Great Depression until the early 1970s, Keynesian economics provided the main inspiration for economic policy makers in Western industrialized countries. The influence of Keynes's theories waned in the 1970s, due to stagflation and critiques from Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Robert Lucas, Jr. and other economists, who were less optimistic about the ability of interventionist government policy to positively regulate the economy or otherwise opposed to Keynesian policies. From the early 1980s to 2008, the normative consensus among economists was that attempts at fiscal stimulus would be ineffective even in a recession, and such policies were only occasionally employed by the governments of developed countries.In 2008, after the global financial crisis, a shift in opinion took place among some policy-makers and economists in favour of stimulus-based Keynesian economic models developed by Keynes and others during the 1930s. These models contrasted with modern macroeconomics (roughly, post-mid-1960's), which showed the ineffectiveness of fiscal policy. From October 2008 onward, policy makers began announcing major stimulus packages, in hopes of heading off the possibility of a global depression. By early 2009, there was widespread acceptance among the world's economic policy makers about the need for fiscal stimulus, but the consensus began to break down shortly after amidst persistently high unemployment and stagnant economic growth. In 2010, with a depression averted but unemployment in many countries still high, no further fiscal stimulus was introduced in any country. Some macroeconomists criticized the resurgence as simply a means of advocating government spending increases in the economy for political, rather than economic, reasons.

Mersin ��dmanyurdu (also Mersin ��dman Yurdu, Mersin ��Y, or M��Y) Sports Club; located in Mersin, east Mediterranean coast of Turkey in 2008���09. The team participated in TFF Second League for 4th time in the league's 7th season. Mersin ��dmanyurdu has finished 2007���08 TFF Second League Promotion Group at 2nd place and directly promoted to 2009���10 TFF First League season.H��seyin ��al����kan was club president at the start of the season. On 24 September 2008, Ali Kahramanl�� was elected president.

Hungarian Cup 2008���09 was the sixty-ninth season of Hungary's annual knock-out cup competition. It started with the first games of Round 1 on 2 August 2008 and ended with the Final held on 26 May 2009. The winners earned a place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. Debreceni VSC were the defending champions.

The 2008���09 season was Leicester City F.C.'s 104th season in the English football league system and their first and, to date, only season in the third tier of English football, after being relegated to League One the previous season.Under the stewardship of new manager Nigel Pearson (who managed to become the first Leicester manager in five years to last an entire season), Leicester comfortably took the League One title to earn instant promotion back to the Championship, which included a club record run of 23 games league unbeaten between 1 November and 7 March.

NCAA Div. I Tournament Midwest Subregional

The 2008���09 Liga II was the 69th season of Liga II, the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on August 16, 2008 and finished on June 13, 2009.The top two teams from each series were promoted at the end of the season to the Liga I, while the bottom four were relegated to the Liga III.

The Luxembourg National Division 2008���09 (also known as BGL Ligue due to sponsorship reasons) was the 95th season of top-tier football in Luxembourg. It started on 2 August 2008 and ended on 24 May 2009.F91 Dudelange successfully defended their title and qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Runners-up FC Differdange 03 and third-placed CS Grevenmacher, as well as domestic cup winners UN K��erjeng 97, will participate in the UEFA Europa League. SC Steinfort and Avenir Beggen were directly relegated while US Rumelange retained their National Division status via relegation play-off.

The 2008���09 Libyan Premier League season was the forty-first edition of the competition since its establishment in 1963. Al Ittihad were the defending champions, having won their fourteenth Libyan Premier League title with just one round of matches to spare in the previous season. The campaign began on Friday October 17, 2008, delayed due to Libya's World Cup qualifiers, and, depending on the Libyan Cup, is scheduled to finish on June 26, 2009. A total of 16 teams contested the league, including 13 who competed the previous season and three promoted from the Libyan Second Division. (see Libyan Second Division 2007-08)The first goal of the season was scored by newly promoted Wefaq Sabratha's Stefan de Paul against 2003-04 champions Al Olomby in the thirty-second minute of the game on the opening day of the season on October 17. Atef Hussein of Al Olomby scored the first hat-trick of the season against Al Sweahly on December 16, netting two in the final six minutes to help his side to a 3���3 draw.The season paused for its usual mid-season break. However, this season's break was extended due to the national team's participation in the 2009 African Championship of Nations, and participation (at club level) in Africa's continental competitions. The season continued on March 13.Wahda Tripoli were the first club to be relegated following a 4���1 defeat to Ahly Benghazi on May 28, 2009.Wefaq Sabratha's relegation was also confirmed on June 18, 2009 despite defeating Jazeera 4���1, as other results went against them. Jazeera's defeat also meant that they would not be remaining in the division for next season.Aman al Aam were relegated on the final day of the season. Although they defeated Khaleej Sirte 2���0, they needed Hilal Benghazi to lose to Sweahly to stay up on head-to-head record. Hilal secured a 0���0 draw, ensuring their survival by one point.Ittihad Tripoli won the title on June 19, 2009 after defeating Sweahly 2���1 to gain an unassailable lead over second-placed Ahly Benghazi.This was Ittihad's 5th league title in succession, and their 15th overall.

The league season of the Liga Nacional de F��tbol de Guatemala is divided into two tournaments, the Apertura, which is played from August to December, and the Clausura which is played from January to May. The first six clubs in the standings at the end of each competition participate in the playoffs (a two-leg knock-out phase) to determine the champion: the first and second place teams qualify directly to the semi-finals, while the other two have to play in the quarter-finals. The winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments participate in the 2009���10 CONCACAF Champions League.

The Serie A FIP 2008-09 was the 87th edition of the top-level Italian basketball championship.The 16 participating teams played each other team in home and away matches. At the end of the regular season, the first eight classified teams advanced to a championship play-off, while the last two were relegated in LegADue. The original number of teams was 18, but on September 20, 2008 the Federal Council of the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) discovered administrative irregularities committed by Basket Napoli and UPEA Capo d'Orlando and decided to deny them professional licenses. The council also chose not to substitute them with any teams from LegADue, and at the same time decided to permanently reduce the number of teams in the top flight to 16.Montepaschi Siena swept virtually all before them domestically, winning the SuperCoppa Italiana before the season and the Coppa Italia at midseason, losing in the league only once (at Fortitudo Bologna), and going unbeaten through the playoffs to claim their third straight title.

Fiesta Bowl Classic & Big 12/Pac-10 Challenge

The 2008���09 Liga Femenina de Baloncesto was the 46th edition of the Spanish premier championship for women's basketball teams. Ros Casares Valencia defeated Perfumer��as Avenida in the final to win its third title in a row, an overall sixth. Rivas Ec��polis also qualified for the FIBA Euroleague along with Ros Casares and Avenida, while Feve San Jos��, Espanyol Olesa and EBE Puig d'en Valls qualified for the FIBA Eurocup. On the other hand Mann Filter Zaragoza and Extrugasa Cortegada were relegated as the two bottom teams. However, Feve San Jos�� was disbanded following the end of the season and Espanyol Olesa renounced to its Eurocup place for financial reasons, so Mann Filter Zaragoza was spared from relegation and invited to the Eurocup along with CB Islas Canarias.

The 2008���09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione season is the thirty-first since its establishment in 1978, and the first edition since the renaming from Serie C to Lega Pro. It will be divided into two phases: the regular season, played from September 2008 to May 2009, and the playoff phase from May to June 2009.The league will be composed of 36 teams divided into two divisions of 18 teams each, whose teams will be divided mainly according to geographical principles. Teams will play only other teams in their own division, once at home and once away for a total of 34 matches.Teams finishing first in the regular season, plus one team winning the playoff round from each division will be promoted to Serie B; teams finishing last in the regular season, plus two relegation playoff losers from each division will be relegated to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. In all, four teams will be promoted to Serie B, and six teams will be relegated to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.

The 2008���09 Liga Leumit season began on 29 August 2008, and ended on 29 May 2009.Two teams from Liga Artzit were promoted at the end of the previous season: Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata along with two teams relegated from Israeli Premier League: Maccabi Herzliya and Hapoel Kfar Saba.The two teams relegated to Liga Artzit were Hapoel Nazareth Illit and Hapoel Rishon LeZion.Due to an expected league expansion, at the end of the season five clubs were automatically promoted to the Israeli Premier League, whilst the sixth-placed club in Liga Leumit played in a play-off match against the 11th-placed team in the Premier League. Only one team relegated automatically, and one team played in a play-off match against a team from Liga Artzit (which ceased to exist, with the regionalised Liga Alef becoming the third tier).

The 2008���09 Liga Bet season was the last season of Liga Bet as the fifth tier of the Israeli football league system.

The 2008-09 Libyan Cup is the 19th edition of the competition since its inception in 1976.

Welcoming The Lakers To The White House Barack Obama.ogv

The 2008���09 Ligue 1 season was the 71st since its establishment. Bordeaux became champions for the sixth time on the last weekend of the season. The fixtures were announced on 23 May 2008. The season began on 9 August 2008 and ended on 30 May 2009.

The 2008���2009 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Terrapins qualified for the NCAA tournament for just the second time since the 2003���04 season. Maryland advanced to the second round before being eliminated by second-seeded Memphis.

The 2008���09 Luge World Cup is a multi race tournament over a season for luge. The season started on 29 November 2008 and ended on 21 February 2009. The World Cup is organised by the FIL and sponsored by Viessmann. These cups served as qualifiers for the 2010 Winter Olympics luge events in Vancouver.

The 2008���09 season was the 123rd season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. The team's 24th-place finish in League One in 2007���08 meant the club competed in League Two. The club was docked 30 points at the start of the season; 10 by The Football Association for irregular matters involving player transfers, and 20 by the Football League for breaking rules on exiting administration. As a result, the club finished bottom of the league and was relegated to the Conference Premier.

The 2008���09 Liga III season was the 53rd season of Liga III, the third tier of the Romanian football league system.The winners of each division got promoted to the 2009���10 Liga II season. There were also two playoff tournaments held at neutral venues involving the second placed teams, one with those from series 1, 2 and 3, the other with those from series 4, 5, and 6. The winners of the playoffs also got promoted to the 2009���10 Liga II season.

The Serie A FIP 2008-09 was the 87th edition of the top-level Italian basketball championship.The 16 participating teams played each other team in home and away matches. At the end of the regular season, the first eight classified teams advanced to a championship play-off, while the last two were relegated in LegADue.

The 2008���09 season was Leeds United F.C.'s second consecutive season in the third tier of English football and for the second year running saw them finish in the play-offs in League One. Gary McAllister started the season as manager, but after a poor run of games in late 2008, his contact was terminated and he was replaced by Simon Grayson. After a nervy first few games, Grayson lifted the side from 8th to 4th, resulting in a place in the play-offs.

The 2008���09 Liga Bet season was the last season of Liga Bet as the fifth tier of the Israeli football league system. The third tier, Liga Artzit was scrapped at the end of the season, making Liga Bet the fourth tier.The season saw Maccabi Ironi Jatt (champions of the North A division), Maccabi Umm al-Fahm (champions of the North B division), Shimshon Bnei Tayibe (champions of the South A division) and Hapoel Tzafririm Holon (champions of the South B division) winning the title and promotion to Liga Alef.The runners-up in each division entered a promotion/relegation play-offs, which saw a change of format, as this time, the North runners-up faced each other, as well as the South runners-up, with the winner of each match faced the clubs ranked 12th in Liga Alef North and South divisions respectively, for a decisive matches. Hapoel Daliyat al-Karmel lost to Maccabi Kafr Qara of Liga Alef North and Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva lost to Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda of Liga Alef South. However, Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva was eventually promoted to Liga Alef after a vacancy was created in the South division, since Hapoel Umm al-Fahm folded during the summer break.At the bottom, Bnei Abu Snan, Beitar Kafr Kanna (from North A division), Hapoel Deir el-Asad, Maccabi Sha'ab (from North B division), Hapoel Hod HaSharon, Maccabi Or Yehuda (from South A division), Hapoel F.C. Hevel Modi'in and Hapoel Jaljulia (from South B division) were all automatically relegated to Liga Gimel

Season 2008���09 First Team Squad
Season 2008���09 Squad Numbers
All match Reports in Competitive games section above

The league season of the Liga Nacional de F��tbol de Guatemala is divided into two tournaments, the Apertura, which is played from August to December, and the Clausura which is played from January to May. The first six clubs in the standings at the end of each competition participate in the playoffs (a two-leg knock-out phase) to determine the champion: the first and second place teams qualify directly to the semi-finals, while the other two have to play in the quarter-finals.

The Maltese Second Division 2008���09 season (known as BOV 2nd Division 2008-09 due to sponsorship reason) started on 27 September 2008 and ended on 10 May 2009.Mellieha and Marsa were relegated from the First Division.The promoted teams were Gozo FC and Zebbug Rangers.Zebbug had to start the season with a five point deduction due to incidents which occurred the previous season.The Maltese Second Division 2008���09 was won by Balzan Youths.The runners-up were Melita,who finished 2 points off Lija Athletic. Mgarr United and Marsa were relegated to the Third Division. This was the third straight relegation for Marsa,who 3 years previously were competing in the Premier League and now have to compete in the Third Division.Naxxar Lions were also relegated as they lost in the promotion-relegation play-offs to Santa Lucia.The play-offs were won by Zurrieq.

Mersin ��dmanyurdu (also Mersin ��dman Yurdu, Mersin ��Y, or M��Y) Sports Club; located in Mersin, east Mediterranean coast of Turkey in 2008���09. The team participated in TFF Second League for 4th time in the league's 7th season. Mersin ��dmanyurdu has finished 2007���08 TFF Second League Promotion Group at 2nd place and directly promoted to 2009���10 TFF First League season.H��seyin ��al����kan was club president at the start of the season. On 24 September 2008, Ali Kahramanl�� was elected president. Ercan Albay managed the team during the season. Erdal Sezek and Sami ��zcican were most appeared (36) players, while Zafer Biryol was the top goalscorer with 16 goals.

The 2008���09 La Liga season (known as the Liga BBVA for sponsorship reasons) was the 78th since its establishment. Real Madrid were the defending champions, having won their 31st La Liga title in the previous season. The campaign began on 30 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2007���08 season, and three of which were promoted from the Segunda Divisi��n.

Following the global financial crisis of 2007���08, there was a worldwide resurgence of interest in Keynesian economics among prominent economists and policy makers.

The 2008���2009 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Terrapins qualified for the NCAA tournament for just the second time since the 2003���04 season. Maryland advanced to the second round before being eliminated by second-seeded Memphis. This exceeded expectations for the team, which had been described as a team that was small in stature without any highly touted athletes.

The 2008���09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season will be the thirty-first football (soccer) league season of Italian Lega Pro Seconda Divisione since its establishment in 1978, and the first since the renaming from Serie C2 to Lega Pro.It will be divided into two phases: the regular season, played from September 2008 to May 2009, and the playoff phase from May to June 2009.The will be composed of 54 teams divided into three divisions of 18 teams each, whose teams will be divided geographically.

The 2008���09 Liga Leumit season began on 29 August 2008, and ended on 29 May 2009.Two teams from Liga Artzit were promoted at the end of the previous season: Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata along with two teams relegated from Israeli Premier League: Maccabi Herzliya and Hapoel Kfar Saba.The two teams relegated to Liga Artzit were Hapoel Nazareth Illit and Hapoel Rishon LeZion.Due to an expected league expansion, at the end of the season five clubs were automatically promoted to the Israeli Premier League, whilst the sixth-placed club in Liga Leumit played in a play-off match against the 11th-placed team in the Premier League.

The 2008���09 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represents the University of Kentucky in the college basketball season of 2008���2009. The team's head coach was Billy Gillispie, who was in his second and final year as coach. The Wildcats play their home games at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

The 2008���09 Ligue 1 season was the 71st since its establishment. Bordeaux became champions for the sixth time on the last weekend of the season. The fixtures were announced on 23 May 2008. The season began on 9 August 2008 and ended on 30 May 2009. A total of 20 teams contested the league, consisting of 17 who competed the previous season and three that were promoted from France's second division Ligue 2.Bordeaux consecutively won their last 11 league games of the season and clinched the title on 30 May 2009 after the 1���0 victory against Caen. This was Bordeaux's sixth title and their first since the 1998���99 season. Bordeaux's title victory ended a historic run for Lyon, who had won seven consecutive titles beginning with the 2001���02 season. Le Havre, Nantes and Caen were relegated to Ligue 2. Both Le Havre and Nantes were promoted from Ligue 2 last season. Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Lille all secured European football for the 2009���10 season through their league position.

The 2008-2009 Season of Mansfield Town F.C. was its first in the Conference National, following their relegation from the Football League at the end of the previous season. The club also competed in the FA Cup and the FA Trophy. The club played its home games at Field Mill. Many changes had been made in the off-season following relegation, with Paul Holland removed as manager and replaced by former Mansfield midfielder Billy McEwan.

The 2008���09 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2008���09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 95th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his eighth season. The team played its home games at Freedom Hall.The Cardinals finished the season 31���6, 16���2 and were regular season Big East Champions (their 1st).