Year's Best (mostly) - Part One

Best Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean.
Best Old-Fashioned Movie: Master and Commander
Best Journalism: John Burns (of the NYT) from Iraq.
Worst Journalistic News: The Death of Michael Kelly.
Best Columnist: George Will.
Best Non-Fiction Book: Moneyball, by Michael Lewis.
Best Far Away Restaurant: Gigi, in Rhinebeck, NY.
Best Burger: Louie's Lunch in New Haven, CT.
Best Coffee: Dean and DeLuca House Blend.
Best City: Dallas, TX.
Best Coffee Shop: That Cuban place at the Miami Airport.
Best Diner: Bella's of Tarrytown, NY.
Best Golf Course: Shinnecock, site of the 2004 US Open, South Hampton, NY
Best New Golf Innovation: Taylor's "rescue" 16-degree club.
Next Best Golf Course: Baltusrol.
Best Baseball Player: Alex Rodriguez.
Best Pitcher: Jamie Moyer.
Best Manager: Joe Torre.
Best Hockey Team: New Jersey Devils/Colorado Avalanche (tie).
Best Political Organization: Howard Dean's.
Best Campaign (to date): Howard Dean's.
Best Athlete (female): Annika Sorenstam.
Best Athlete (male): Michael Vick.
Best New Handheld Device: Treo.
Best Chief Executive: Jeff Immelt (GE).
Best Chief Executive of a "dotcom": Reed Hastings, Netflix.
Deal of the Year: GE's acquisition of Universal. Maybe the deal of the decade.
Shorts for the New Year: Amazon, Netflix, Yahoo.
Best New Name for Time Warner: Time Warner Kinney Parking.
Best Aviation Story: Adam Air. (disclaimer: GH Venture works with Adam Air).
Second Best Aviation Story: Jet Blue service to California, Colorado and Utah.
Best Blogger: Mickey Kaus.
Best Car Company: Toyota.
Best Mortgage Bank: Washington Mutual
Best Administration Figure: Andrew Card.
Best Senior Official: Paul Wolfowitz.
Best Story: The Liberation of Iraq.
Second Best Story: Saddam Captured.
Biggest Scandal: The Mutual Fund Industry's pillage of its customers.
Second Biggest Scandal: Network Television programming.
Biggest Ego: Howell Raines, former editor of the NYT.
Best TV: "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Best New Gadget: Scott McNulty's memory stick with an operating system to boot.
Best Travel Site: Expedia.com
Best Travel Destination(s): Montana, Ireland, Italy, Texas.
Best Hope: Genomics.
Darkest Fear: Genomics.
Best Team: US Special Forces.
Best Performance Under Pressure: US forces in Iraq.
Best Terrorism Experts: Rohan Gunaratna and Bruce Hoffman.
Woman of The Year: Capt. Amy Redditt, USN fighter pilot.
Man of the Year: President George W. Bush.
Best Guy: Colonel Russell Howard.

Part Two to Follow.