Vilma and Vitt were central in Bountygate; Cabrera celebrates an AL title ... and a Triple Crown. (US Presswire)

The top 10 stories of 2012, voted upon by the staff at CBSSports.com.

No. 10 -- Linsanity: CBSSports.com NBA Insider Ken Berger chronicles the meteoric rise and semi-fizzling of the out-of-nowhere sensation. Read More >>

No. 9 -- NFL concussions/suicides: Concussions are as much of the NFL discussion as playoffs -- and more important when considering the life-altering ramifications. Josh Katzowitz spells out the discourse, further fueled by Junior Seau's suicide. Read More >>

Happy Phelps. (US Presswire)

No. 8 -- Olympics: From the bubbly Gabby Douglas, to the medal-pacing Americans, to incredible feats by Jamaica's Usain Bolt, Matt Norlander breaks down a few weeks of fun in London. Read More >>

No. 7 -- Cabrera wins Triple Crown: Not since Yaz in 1967. Yaz as in Carl Yastrzemski winning a Triple Crown. Matt Snyder lays it out, along with the MVP debate that paralleled Miguel Cabrera's feat. Read More >>

No. 6 -- NFL replacement referees: Every week -- till that fateful night to end Week 3 in Seattle -- the locked-out NFL officials were missed. Mike Freeman recalls the NFL fans' nightmare that was the NFL referees lockout. Read More >>

No. 5 -- Saints' bounty case: Or "Bountygate," as it came to be known. Were the Saints really being paid extra to take out opposing players? That's sure what NFL commissioner Roger Goodell charged -- and seemed to make stick, for a long time. Mike Freeman breaks down the case and where -- in the end -- Goodell's case broke down. Read More >> 

No. 4 -- College football playoff: For years, the game's power brokers said a playoff would ruin the best regular season in all of sports. Bruce Feldman tells how that all changed, and we will have playoff, starting in 2014. Read More >> 

LBJ revels. (US Presswire)

No. 3 -- LeBron gets his title: He had done it all -- NBA MVP, Olympic gold medalist, considered the best player on the planet. But one thing was missing, a Larry O'Brien Trophy. Ken Berger details LeBron's deliverance. Read More >>

No. 2 -- Lance Armstrong's fall: One of the most idolized athletes on the planet, Lance Armstrong had constantly claimed innocence when accused of doping while winning seven Tour de France titles. He did that after beating cancer. Matt Hinton chronicles Armstrong's demise after the cycling legend could no longer outrun charges of cheating. Read More >>

No. 1 -- Penn State scandal: Longtime Penn State football assistant Jerry Sandusky's conviction on child molestation charges. Legendary head coach Joe Paterno and the school trying to cover it up. The NCAA stepping in with unprecendented penalties. Gregg Doyel sums up what was without question the story of the year. Read More >>