2003 FAR BETTER THAN WORSE.(SPORTS)

Byline: STEVE WILSTEIN Associated Press

Deliciously scandalous, terribly tragic, and occasionally comic, the sports world in 2003 boiled over with stories of murder, rape, drugs, cheating, gambling, boozing and buffoonery.

Sports beats merged with police beats in strange places:

A rock quarry near Waco, Texas, where the body of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy was found;

A courthouse in Eagle, Colo., where Kobe Bryant faced a charge of sexual assault;

A laboratory and grand jury room in San Francisco, where Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and dozens of other pro and Olympic athletes were linked to a probe involving steroids; …