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Most-watched Sports Minutes of 2014

From a riveting national championship game between Auburn and Florida State that closed out the BCS era to the San Francisco Giants winning their third World Series in five seasons, this year had a little bit of everything for sports fans. The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi captivated the world while the FIFA World Cup in Brazil put the spotlight firmly on "the beautiful game." The Seattle Seahawks dominated Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl and the San Antonio Spurs ended LeBron James' stay on South Beach in unceremonious fashion. The Los Angeles Kings earned a second Stanley Cup in three years and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was scrutinized for how he handled the Ray Rice situation. And while all those stories made headlines, the five biggest clickers for the Yahoo Sports Minute involved flying armbars, flying bats and balancing goats. So without further ado, we present the five most-watched episodes of 2014:

5. Katarina Sreckovic nearly fired for being too attractive — November 7

The 25-year-old reporter for the Red Star Belgrade soccer team was nearly fired by the club for being too attractive.

"I admit it was a problem at the start, but I think they've got used to me now. It was tough, though, because for a while it seemed as if they might not be able to work with me at all," Sreckovic told CEN. "I was also asked to go away a couple of times because I was a distraction on the pitch and players complained that they couldn't concentrate." Following this clip going live, Sreckovic's Instagram following exploded.

But the host, who has studied Chinese and literature, was determined to keep what she described as her "dream job" and eventually was allowed to stay on. Red Star won the European Cup in 1991 but has fallen on hard times recently. The club is currently banned from the Champions League and is $70 million in debt. But at least it still has its sideline reporter.

4. 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall has had quite the basketball journey — December 16

Our own Eric Adelson brought you the story of 19-year-old Senegal native Tacko Fall. The 7-foot-6 (and growing) University of Central Florida basketball recruit has taken a truly unique path to potential stardom on the hardwood.

3. Will the Rose Namajunas flying armbar be the next signature move in UFC? — September 5

The funny thing about Ronda Rousey's armbar is that even though her opponents know it's coming, they can't stop it. But it was Rose Namajunas, not Rousey, that earned 2013 Submission of the Year honors from MMA Weekly. The 22-year-old, who appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned and ultimately lost to Carla Esparza for the the UFC's inaugural strawweight belt, used a flying armbar to defeat Kathina Catron at Invicta FC 5 last year in 12 seconds. And if Namajunas is able to continue to pull off the crazy maneuver with any consistency, it may turn out to be the next big thing in the sport. But the tactic is about more than just physical domination for the contender. There's a mental aspect too.

"I have a creative mindset when it comes to fighting," the Milwaukee native told Yahoo Sports. "I don't put anthing out of the question on if it will work or not. I always try it. I really just visualized it in my head and could picture it and it worked out."

2. Fan catches bat one-handed, protects baby in the process — May 27

The catch itself was unique. After all, bats don't fly into the stands with the frequency foul balls do at baseball games. But what made Eileen Depesa's one-handed snag of Tyler Flowers' errant lumber during a Cleveland Indians-Chicago White Sox game truly special was who she protected in the process.

The Pale Hose catcher lost his grip on the bat during his second inning at-bat against Tribe starter Josh Timlin. The piece of equipment went helicoptering down the third-base line and bounced on top of the Sox dugout. That's when Depesa, who was seated in the first row, reacted quickly. She reached up with her right hand and stopped the bat from going any further. The U.S. Cellular Field crowd gave her a loud ovation for the grab — but all Depesa cared about was the little girl in close proximity to her. "I was more concerned with protecting the baby seated behind me," the heroine told MLB's Cut4. And Chicago fans left the game happy too as the home team won 6-2.

1. These balancing goats made millions of people’s weeks — February 18

For those of you who haven't seen the mesmerizing video of the goats in France balancing on a wave of steel, it is truly an experience to behold before your weekend is over. The video — "Chèvres en équilibre" — was posted by the goats' proud owner Max Murs, with a brief French description that translated roughly to "Sorry there's no sound!" Despite being ostensibly a silent film, the incredible balance that this family of goats demonstrated garnered over a million hits in its first 24 hours online. Goat fever was quick to spread, making the rounds on Yahoo, Reddit, SB Nation, Nat Geo WILD, Animal Planet and Today.com, not mention Twitter feeds everywhere.