It's time to pick the top sports stories of 1998. The Associated Press each year asks its international media subscribers sports editors and broadcasters to vote for their choices. In a separate poll AP's international media subscribers are asked to pick the year's top news stories. Results are announced in stories transmitted toward the end of December. AP World Service media subscribers should submit their choices one ballot per publication or broadcast outlet by Tuesday Dec. 15. Ballots should be faxed to European Sports Editor Steve Wilson at AP London 44-171 353-3671. Subscribers may also submit ballots to their local AP bureau for relay to the pollster. Votes are needed from all regions to ensure a representative survey. Each ballot should give the subscriber's top 10 choices in order of importance with 1 being the most important and 10 the last choice. The ballot should include the name and location of the publication or broadcaster. The list of suggested stories below is in random order. Subscribers may give other choices if they wish. Reminder: Dec. 15 is the deadline for submitting ballots. Ballot for AP's poll of Top 10 international sports stories of 1998. Name of publication/broadcast subscriber: Location of subscriber: Stories in order of importance: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Suggested stories others may be submitted: France wins World Cup Brazil flops in WCup final mystery over Ronaldo English German fans riot at World Cup Arsenal wins English league-cup double Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB offers dlrs 1 billion for Manchester United European soccer in turmoil over proposed Super League Real Madrid wins 7th European Champions Cup Inter Milan wins UEFA Cup; Chelsea takes Cup Winners Cup Vasco da Gama wins first Copa Libertadores Uncertainty surrounds Confederations Cup schedule Egypt wins fourth African Cup title TV money creates Copa Merconorte Copa Mercosur D.C. United scores victory for U.S. soccer winning CONCACAF Champions Cup Juventus wins 25th Serie A title Foreign influx in English Premier League Sepp Blatter elected FIFA president Doping controversies in Italian soccer Mike Tyson gets back boxing license; set for ring return Evander Holyfield Lennox Lewis move toward unification Oscar de la Hoya shines Florence Griffith-Joyner dies; doping rumors resurface Marion Jones dominates women's athletics Haile Gebrselassie Hicham el Guerrouj set distance world records Ronaldo da Costa sets world marathon record Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner Kersee retire Mark O'Meara wins two golf majors Tiger Woods fails to win big major but still No. 1 Colin Montgomerie wins Euro money title for 6th straight year Pete Sampras wins Wimbledon but battles with Rios and Rafter for No. 1. Jana Novotna wins Wimbledon at last. Lindsay Davenport becomes women's No. 1; teen-agers make waves Sweden Italy reach Davis Cup final Doping scandal wrecks Tour de France sets off new anti-doping initiatives Marco Pantani wins tarnished Tour de France also claims Giro d'Italia Irish swimmer Michelle Smith banned for 4 years for manipulating uring sample Commonwealth Games in Malaysia - Susan O'Neill's record medal haul Ato Boldon's 9.88 South Africa upsets Australia in first cricket final six more sports but few fans. Mika Hakkinen wins Formula One title in neck-and-neck race with Michael Schumacher South Africa sets rugby union records France wins rugby union Grand Slam and Five Nations Weak England rugby union team thrashed by Aussies Kiwis New Zeland All Blacks lose record five straight tests Players revolt delays West Indies cricket tour of SAfrica Bribery allegations in Pakistani cricket England rallies to win Test series against South Africa Mark Taylor equals Don Bradman's cricket run-scoring record declares Shane Warne breaks spin bowling record then injured 1998/99 NBA season threatened by lockout Michael Jordan leads Chicago Bulls to another NBA title contemplates retirement Yugoslavia wins World Basketball Championship Mark McGwire hits record 70 home runs Controversy over McGwire's use of androstenedione New York Yankees win record 125 games and World Series Detroit Red Wings win second straight Stanley Cup Sweden wins World Ice Hockey Championship Denver Broncos win Super Bowl ending NFC domination Nagano Olympics success despite weather problems U.S. ice hockey players trash Nagano rooms Tara Lipinski beats Michelle Kwan for Olympic gold medal Canadian snowboarder stripped of Nagano gold medal for positive marijuana test then reinstated Hermann Maier dominates men's skiing with Olympic gold and World Cup overall title Bjorn Dahlie sets Olympic record for gold medals Alberto Tomba retires Katja Seizinger wins women's Alpine overall World Cup title Awesome Again wins Breeders Cup Classic Real Quiet takes Kentucky Derby Peslier wins third Arc in a row Three horses die as Earth Summit wins Grand National APW19981201.1185.txt.body.html APW19981201.1011.txt.body.html