Tribune sports staffers, being glass-half-empty types, voted the Cubs' postseason failure No. 1, magnified as it was by a National League-best 97 victories in the regular season. The staff ranked the White Sox's remarkable finish No. 5, just behind the first-time-in-102-years phenomenon of the Cubs and Sox reaching the postseason in the same year, which didn't make the readers' top five.

The order differed, but readers and staffers were in accord on the other top local stories: The readers' top five: White Sox finish, Cubs collapse, the Blackhawks' revival and a tie between Derrick Rose coming to the Bulls with the No. 1 overall draft pick and Carlos Zambrano's September no-hitter against the Houston Astros in Milwaukee.

The staff picked Zambrano's no-hitter No. 6, behind the Cubs' collapse, Rose to the Bulls, the Blackhawks, Cubs and Sox in the playoffs and the Sox's finish.

There was agreement at No. 1 and No. 2, but more disparity in the voting for the top national/international stories. Michael Phelps' record eight-gold-medal performance in the Beijing Olympics was a landslide winner with both groups, followed by the New York Giants' Super Bowl upset of the previously unbeaten New England Patriots.

The readers liked Kansas' overtime victory over Rose and Memphis in the NCAA title game as No. 3, but that story barely cracked the Tribune top 10. Tribune staffers went for Tiger Woods' season-ending victory on a damaged knee in the U.S. Open as No. 3, followed by Usain Bolt's record-breaking 100/200 double in Beijing and Brett Favre's soap-opera transfer from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets.

Readers picked Bolt No. 4, followed by a fifth-place tie between Woods and the Tampa Bay Rays' worst-to-first run to the World Series.

Tampa Bay was the staff's sixth choice, in a tie with the Celtics' victory over the Lakers for the NBA title.

Thanks for your input. There was much to choose from in an interesting year.

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Readers' choices

Here are the results of our online polls for top local and national/international stories of the year, cast at chicagotribune.com/sports:

LOCAL / PCT.

1. White Sox's incredible 3-day finish to make the playoffs / 22.0

2. Cubs lead NL in wins, get swept in playoffs / 21.6

3. Blackhawks' revival -- on the ice and at the gate / 15.4

T4. Bulls get No. 1 pick, take Derrick Rose / 10.6

T4. Carlos Zambrano's no-hitt er in Milwaukee / 10.6

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL / PCT.

1. Michael Phelps wins record 8 gold medals in Beijing / 54.1

2. Giants upset Patriots in Super Bowl / 12.9

3. Kansas beats Memphis in NCAA basketball title game / 7.1

4. Usain Bolt sets 3 world records in winning 3 gold medals / 5.9

T5. Tiger Woods wins U.S. Open on bad leg / 4.7

T5. Tampa Bay Rays go from worst to first / 4.7

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THE REST OF THE TOP 10: LOCAL

2. Bulls get lucky: Despite only a 1.7 percent chance for the Bulls to win the NBA lottery, the Ping-Pong balls bounced their way, allowing them to draft Memphis point guard and hometown hero Derrick Rose.

3. Blackhawks are back: Home games went on local TV, season-ticket sales went up 300 percent and the team is a legitimate playoff contender.

4. Baseball fever in the city: It hadn't happened in 102 years, but the buzz over the Cubs and White Sox both making the playoffs in the same year didn't last long -- it was over in six days.

5. Fantastic finish: The White Sox prevailed in three must-win games over the last three days of the season, including a heart-stopping 1-0 victory over the Twins, to win the AL Central.

6. Bears' QB shuffle: Kyle Orton beat out Rex Grossman for the starting job and led the Bears to a 9-6 record entering Sunday's game.

7. Zambrano's no-no: Pitching a "home game" in Milwaukee on 11 days' rest, Carlos Zambrano baffled the Astros for the Cubs' first no-hitter since 1972.

8. Weis watch: Notre Dame's mediocre season put Charlie Weis' future in doubt, but he gained a reprieve.

9. Oly, Oly, Oly: Chicago is named a finalist to play host to the 2016 Olympics.

10. So long, Savvy: When the Blackhawks stumbled out of the gate, Denis Savard was fired and replaced by Joel Quenneville.

THE REST OF THE TOP 10: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

2. Giant upset: All the talk before the Super Bowl was whether the 18-0 Patriots would be labeled the greatest team of all time. The Giants, 12-point underdogs, won 17-14 on a last-minute touchdown.

3. Tiger's tale: Defying doctors' orders and stabbing knee pain, Tiger Woods gritted his way through a 19-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate to win the U.S. Open.

4. Lightning Bolt: Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt set a world record in every final he ran in Beijing, including breaking Michael Johnson's supposedly untouchable record in the 200.

5. The Favre saga: Brett Favre retired and shed tears over it on national TV. Then he unretired. But the Packers didn't want him back. Eventually he was traded to the Jets, sparking their revival.

6. Boston three party: With Kevin Garnett joining Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, the Celtics pulled off the NBA's biggest one-season turnaround and beat the Lakers in the Finals.

7. Rays of sunshine: The perennial doormats from Tampa Bay go from worst to first and wind up in the World Series.

8. Roger, over and out: Roger Clemens swore to tell Congress the truth about steroids. Uh, it didn't go so well.

9. Changing of the guard: Rafael Nadal dethroned Roger Federer in a thrilling five-set Wimbledon final.

10. Rock Chalk, Jayhawk: Kansas nipped Memphis in a classic NCAA basketball final.