For some of us, 2008 was a year of pain — and it had nothing to do with political campaign ads.

The Sonics slumping badly, then cutting town for the Midwest … the Mariners floundering after a hopeful off-season … the Seahawks looking like the walking dead … Washington State football winning just two games, one them against Portland State, the other against (ugh) … and then the Huskies, the poor, poor Huskies. The Purple and gold never looked so bad.

Like a lot of other sports geeks, I’m a numbers guy. I figured there might have been some other season that sports fans might consider worse than 2008 — so I checked. I looked back at every sports season since 1977, the first year the Mariners were on the scene. I looked at the aforementioned five major sports programs in the state (Supersonics, Mariners, Seahawks, UW football and WSU football).

A few notes about this totally non-scientific and likely flawed method:

For each season, I took when each team played the bulk of their games. For the Mariners, that’s a no-brainer. I kept the Huskies and Cougars in the year they played, not in the year they by chance played on New Year’s Day (Rose Bowls); for the Seahawks, the same. And for the Sonics, I considered the year they finished the season, so the championship team of 1978-79 was counted with the 1979 Mariners, Seahawks, etc.

Secondly, I know a good season for a UW fan isn’t always good for a WSU fan. Yeah, yeah, I get it. If I’m watching WSU and they’re playing anyone other than UW, I’m rooting for the Cougs. In fact, when I watch the Apple Cup, I honestly don’t care who wins. I’m just fascinated by the lack of talent on the field … and gratuitous amount of beer in the stands.

Third, yes, there are a lot of other sports I haven’t touched. Yes, I think UW’s volleyball national championship was worth rooting for and WWU’s crew teams are outstanding. I’ll save that for another list.

Finally, I simply averaged the winning percentages for the score. That system is flawed, but I think it’s fair to say one football game to the average fan means more than one baseball game, so winning percentages aren’t a bad way to go. I did not weigh postseason success, although I did make mention of each in the notes below. I do believe a championship should count for more — I’ve noted those rarities (19798-79 Sonics, 1991 UW football) in bold — but I’m not sure how much to weigh them.

In my research, a couple of things stood out: the Mariners figured prominently in the two best seasons (2001, 1997). The Sonics showed postseason success in nine of the top 11 seasons. The Huskies, perhaps the most consistent of any of the teams, have strong showings in four of the top five seasons.

What really struck me is the ebb and flow of Washington state sports in the 31 years since the M’s came on the scene. The late 90s/early 2000s were a good time to be a fan in Washington state, but that was true in the mid-1980s when the Seahawks, Huskies and Sonics were strong.

The best season? According to this, it’s 2001. The Mariners won more games (116) than any other in the history of the game, the Huskies went 8-4 and played in the Holiday Bowl, the Cougars went 10-2 and played in the Sun Bowl, and both college programs finished in the top 20 in the Associated Press polls. Even the Sonics (.537) and Seahawks (.563), even with missing the playoffs, finished with better than .500 marks, the only time in those 31 years of the Big Five.

And then, the mid-2000s came along. Five of the worst seven seasons in our fair state’s history have come since 2004. Brutal. I thought we had hit rock bottom in 2004 when only the 9-7 Seahawks managed to squeak into the playoffs in a truly bad NFC West division.

But 2008, as you can see at the very bottom of the list, was the worst by far — almost (statistically) twice as bad than 2004. With a combined winning percentage of .205, state sports took a nosedive last year. The best winning percentage belonged to a shabby Mariners squad (.377). And not a single team out of the five — the first time in our beloved state’s history, by the way — managed to make a postseason peep.

Could it possibly get worse? Let’s hope not. Whatever New Year’s resolutions our coaches and players are making, let’s hope they aim for something bearable. Personally, I’m rooting for Jim Mora, Don Wakamatsu, Steve Sarkisian and Paul Wulff to lead their teams to on-the-field success and something to root for.

Oh, and Siegfried "Sigi" Schmid. He’s the coach of the Seattle Sounders, the team I’m nominating to replace the Sonics on the list. The Sonics/Thunder, by the way, have a franchise-low .154 winning percentage. If that helps at all.

Here’s the breakdown, best season to worst. Bowl appearances by the college teams are listed with a “B” while other teams have more descriptive acronyms (ALCS = American League Championship Series, WC = wild card game, FR = First Round, etc.). Championships or co-championships are in bold.

Season       Pct.      Sonics    Seahawks    Mariners    Huskies    Cougars
2001        .6632                                        ALCS          B               B
1997        .6502      CSF                           ALDS          B               B
1984        .6362      FR            DC                                B
2003        .5912                       WC                                                 B
1996        .5902      Finals                                             B
1994        .5760      FR                                                                   B
2002        .5736      FR                                                  B               B
1983        .5642      FR            CC                                 B    
1988        .5634      FR            DC                                                  B
1991        .5628      FR                                                  B
2000        .5534      FR                              ALCS          B
1981        .5470                                                             B               B
1982        .5396      CSF                                                B    
1989        .5348      CSF                                                B
1990        .5288                                                             B
1993        .5286      CF
1995        .5276      FR                               ALCS         B
1979        .5268      Finals                                             B
1992        .5186      CSF                                                                   B
1987        .5000      CF             WC                               B        
1998        .4978      CSF                                                B
1977        .4904                                                             B
1986        .4886                                                             B
1985        .4886                                                             B
1978        .4880      Finals
2005        .4838      CSF           SB
1980        .4822      CF                                                  B
2006        .4776                        DC
1999        .4768                        WC                               B
2007        .4542                        DC
2004        .3898                        WC
2008        .2050