(Image: Newsy Staff)   BY CHARLIE MCKEAGUE   ANCHOR JAMAL ANDRESS   Hi I’m Jamal Andress for Newsy and today in honor of the year 2012 - we’re bringing you the top 12 sports stories of 2012. From triumph to tragedy -- these are the moments and the stories the media loved to love and the fans couldn’t get enough of.   We start you in the Big Apple with the young man out of Harvard who brought Linsanity to New York.   12.   Linsanity Hits New York  “Jeremy Lin ahead to Ahman Shumpert. Here comes Lin. And one. Career high 28 points in his first career start. Trending on Twitter. They love the kid from Harvard!"  ( ESPN )   Like Lin -- Tim Tebow was a major media magnet in 2012 - and he proved all of his critics wrong time and time again. From starting as a NFL QB to being successful as a NFL QB to his grand finale, beating the Steelers in the NFL Playoffs.   11. Tebow Sparks Broncos in Dramatic Playoff Win “They are gonna run it right? NO! It’s Demariyus Thomas and he could go all the way! One play from scrimmage, 80 yards! Touchdown Broncos!” (ESPN)   At number 10 we have a champion. Over the summer the L.A. Kings made history bringing the ice cold Stanley Cup to the sunny shores of Los Angeles.   10. LA Kings Win First Stanley Cup in Franchise History “The Los Angeles Kings are on top of the hockey world, winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise’s 45-year history.” (Newsy)   And in 2012, it wasn’t Tiger’s first time winning, but it was his first time winning in a long, long time.  And he did it in typical dramatic fashion.   9. Tiger Woods Ties Jack Nicklaus for PGA Tour Wins “Straight up. Look at this Peter. Look at this shot. This might go in. This might go in! It is in!” (CBS Sports)   At number 8 is another big winner of 2012. He’s a man who just keeps striking gold. Usain Bolt was crowned again the fastest man on the planet while in London. Bolt seems to always win when it matters most.   8. Usain Bolt Does it Again "He's done it again, Jamaica's Usain Bolt snags another gold in the 200 meters." (Newsy)  “...becoming the first man ever to successfully defend both the 100 and 200 metre titles.” (Sky News)   At number 7, another World Champion. They say he may not be Elite, but when there’s a Super Bowl at stake Eli Manning is clutch. We’ll call this Super Bowl winning play -- The Catch #2.   7. Eli Manning Wins Second Super Bowl “Look where Eli put the football. This is the way you win the Super Bowl.” “If that doesn’t give you that feeling up the spine, you don’t play the sport.” (ESPN)   At number 6 we have the youngest player on the list.  Just 19 years old, Johnny “Football” took college football by storm and brought home its most coveted individual award.   6. Johnny Manizel Wins Heisman Trophy “He went from Johnny Football to Johnny Heisman, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel becoming the first freshman ever to win the award.” (Fox News)   At number 5, the first disheartening story. Once one of the world’s most respected athletes, Lance Armstrong fell from grace and his titles came with him.   5. Lance Armstrong Stripped of Tour De France Titles “UCI will ban Lance Armstrong from cycling, and UCI will strip him of his seven Tour De France titles. Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.” (Bloomberg)   At number 4. A gold miner of sorts -- Michael Phelps. Phelps now has more gold medals than I do pairs of socks.   4. Michael Phelps Becomes Most Decorated Olympian of All Time “On day four of the London Olympics, Michael Phelps won his twentieth Olympic medal and became the most decorated Olympian of all time.” (BBC)   At number three, talk about madness -- that was the NFL when it employed replacement referees. The beginning of the NFL season was marked by intense scrutiny and one defining moment.   3. Replacement Refs Blown Call Sparks Furor Across NFL Rodgers: “It was awful, just look at the replay.” McCarthy: “I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years in football” (ESPN)   At number two, the King finally found his crown. After 7 years in the league, one ridiculous television decision, and 2 superstars later - Lebron James’ dream came true.   2. LeBron James Leads Heat to NBA Championship Lebron James: “I dreamed about opportunity and this moment a long including last night and including today. You know and my dream has become a reality now. Its the best I’ve ever had.” (NBA Entertainment/Fox Sports)   And at number one, the saddest story of them all. The Penn State scandal was front page news for weeks. The man who was Penn State - Joe Paterno dies at 85.  And not long after, his statue went down as well.   1. Penn State Takes Down Joe Paterno Statue “That is the Joe Paterno statue being removed from outside Beaver Stadium. Taken away on a forklift under blankets and shrink wrap. It took a long time to jackhammer that out of there."  ( ESPN)   Thanks for watching our top 12 sports stories of 2012. If you want to watch stories like this - keep coming back, we’ll be updating our sites and apps daily with more. For Newsy I’m Jamal Andress.