Sportacular, on the other hand, has taken a few steps backward in the past year. I still love its compact interface and its drop-down menu for jumping from sport to sport. But in the past year, the developer has added a number of social networking features. One such feature allows you to pick the winners of games, with Sportacular monitoring your handicapping skills. Pick the right games and you win... bragging rights? Personal glory? A hearty handshake and a laurel? I really don't see the point of it. Game screens in Sportacular now feature a Chat tab that, via Facebook Connect, lets you post comments about the game. These comments are largely of the "My team rules; your team drools" variety, and, thus, not worthy of the attention of any self-respecting adult.

Sportacular is still my app of choice when it comes to finding out the score of a ballgame. But SportsTap is gaining on it--and with a few tweaks to the way it presents information, ESPN ScoreCenter could make some headway, too. Sportacular's developer should pay heed to the lesson learned over the past decade--bells and whistles are nice, but in the end, when it comes to sports, the score's the thing.

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