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-bdbd
11-14-2010, 09:52 PM
Stumbled upon this nice piece by Alex Wolff in Sports Illustrated putting forward Coach K as the "Sportsman of the Year" in 2010. Kinda hard to argue with him -- this year alone the guy won a NCAA championship with a less-than-overwhelmingly-talented team, and a World Gold with a brand new (and some would say "B-team") group of pro players.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/magazine/sportsman/11/03/wolff.krzyzewski/index.html

A few weeks short of his passing el Deano on the all-time wins list, and in a season when he could even pass Knight - yes, everything would have to break right for that to happen - it is nice to see K getting this sort of attention. I suspect there'll be a lot more of it as the 900-win plateau approaches.


- BD "Hard to imagine a 'B-team' with Durant, Curry, et al on it" BD :cool:

theAlaskanBear
11-14-2010, 10:09 PM
Stumbled upon this nice piece by Alex Wolff in Sports Illustrated putting forward Coach K as the "Sportsman of the Year" in 2010. Kinda hard to argue with him -- this year alone the guy won a NCAA championship with a less-than-overwhelmingly-talented team, and a World Gold with a brand new (and some would say "B-team") group of pro players.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/magazine/sportsman/11/03/wolff.krzyzewski/index.html

A few weeks short of his passing el Deano on the all-time wins list, and in a season when he could even pass Knight - yes, everything would have to break right for that to happen - it is nice to see K getting this sort of attention. I suspect there'll be a lot more of it as the 900-win plateau approaches.


- BD "Hard to imagine a 'B-team' with Durant, Curry, et al on it" BD :cool:

Watching the NBA this season, its pretty amazing how much credit Coach K and the USA team is getting. When Kevin Love was interviewed on NBAtv the day after his 30-30 game, he gave a ton of credit to the USA coaches and players. I have heard Rose and Westbrook talk about how the experience also has helped them elevate their games.

It's pretty cool to watch a renaissance in the NBA with a "changing of the guard" so to speak, and realize that K has played a role in that.

JasonEvans
11-14-2010, 10:43 PM
Nice article, for sure, but just so everyone knows this is the exact article that the DBR linked in its daily headlines (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=36477)4 days ago.

--Jason "I actually think the fact that SI published this nomination means they will not be picking K for the award -- it makes him one of the runner-ups" Evans

Newton_14
11-14-2010, 10:47 PM
Nice article, for sure, but just so everyone knows this is the exact article that the DBR linked in its daily headlines (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=36477)4 days ago.

--Jason "I actually think the fact that SI published this nomination means they will not be picking K for the award -- it makes him one of the runner-ups" Evans

A thread was started on it by Lord Ash as well.

-bdbd
11-15-2010, 12:36 AM
A thread was started on it by Lord Ash as well.

Mods - OK to meld this thread into the Lord Ash one... Sorry, I did not find it on my search. I did, however, hope that this would generate some renewed discussion about the Coach K wins-total climb. It would be awesome if he broke the record this year - in part b/c that would mean that we had a tremendous year! - but I don't realistically expect it. I will, however, revel in the early-December breaking of the #2 leader in career wins, some guy who coached at an unimportant state college somewhere.

Anybody else expecteing the NC media to bury it when that story happens? Regardless, it'll totally frost the buns of several of my Kerlina friends...


:rolleyes: :eek: :o :p

SoCalDukeFan
11-16-2010, 11:26 PM
Here are the nominees at least so far and my comments:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/magazine/sportsman/11/03/wolff.krzyzewski/index.html?eref=sihp

CHEN: Lions DT Ndamukong Suh No Way
KING: UConn Women's Coach Geno Auriemma Possible but would make me gag
KING: Cardinals QB Kurt Warner No Way
WOLFF: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski Possible
MAHR: Figure skater Evan Lysacek No Way
WERTHEIM: Tennis star Rafael Nadal Possible (so is Federer)
JENKINS: Thunder F Kevin Durant No Way
McCALLUM: Philiies P Roy Halladay Doubtful but deserving
ANDERSON: Butler Bulldogs Basketball Doubtful - Picking a team that lost?
HACK: Golfer Lorena Ochoa Doubful but deserving
FARBER: Capitals LW Brooks Laich I don't follow hockey and have never heard of him
ANDERSON: Alabama QB Greg McElroy No Way

Not on the list is the probable winner - Drew Brees and/or the NO Saints.

From the list the only contenders to me are Krzyzewski or one of the tennis players - Nadal or Federer. To pick Geno over K would be criminal and to pick them both would be asinine. Halladay had a great year, has had a great career, and is a great story as he could have made more money but wanted to be with the Phillies. Ochoa was the best women golfer in the world and is a great person(I happen to know her personally a little and she is the real deal.)

My guess is something to do with the Saints. But I think it really should be K.

SoCal

NashvilleDevil
11-16-2010, 11:29 PM
Here are the nominees at least so far and my comments:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/magazine/sportsman/11/03/wolff.krzyzewski/index.html?eref=sihp

CHEN: Lions DT Ndamukong Suh No Way
KING: UConn Women's Coach Geno Auriemma Possible but would make me gag
KING: Cardinals QB Kurt Warner No Way
WOLFF: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski Possible
MAHR: Figure skater Evan Lysacek No Way
WERTHEIM: Tennis star Rafael Nadal Possible (so is Federer)
JENKINS: Thunder F Kevin Durant No Way
McCALLUM: Philiies P Roy Halladay Doubtful but deserving
ANDERSON: Butler Bulldogs Basketball Doubtful - Picking a team that lost?
HACK: Golfer Lorena Ochoa Doubful but deserving
FARBER: Capitals LW Brooks Laich I don't follow hockey and have never heard of him
ANDERSON: Alabama QB Greg McElroy No Way

Not on the list is the probable winner - Drew Brees and/or the NO Saints.

From the list the only contenders to me are Krzyzewski or one of the tennis players - Nadal or Federer. To pick Geno over K would be criminal and to pick them both would be asinine. Halladay had a great year, has had a great career, and is a great story as he could have made more money but wanted to be with the Phillies. Ochoa was the best women golfer in the world and is a great person(I happen to know her personally a little and she is the real deal.)

My guess is something to do with the Saints. But I think it really should be K.

SoCal

No way Federer would be up for it this year. Nadal won the French, Wimbledon and the US Open this year and has supplanted Federer as the best player in the world.

That said I think you are right that it goes to Brees and the Saints and if they have Geno and Coach K share it I am never picking up an SI again just to flip through it.

flyingdutchdevil
11-17-2010, 06:48 AM
I love the US-centric view of SI...no one decided to discuss players and / teams from the most popular global sport, or the most popular event, in 2010? Really?

No Xavi? No Iniesta? No Sneijder? No Mourinho? No Spanish national team? Come on SI - you can do better than that!

PumpkinFunk
11-17-2010, 09:02 AM
I love the US-centric view of SI...no one decided to discuss players and / teams from the most popular global sport, or the most popular event, in 2010? Really?

No Xavi? No Iniesta? No Sneijder? No Mourinho? No Spanish national team? Come on SI - you can do better than that!

I agree with you, but it's just a hard sell. They are adding more nominations as it goes on, so don't get too angry about it yet. That being said, I'm not sure who on that team I would've chosen.

My thoughts on reasonable winners:

-Durant - The contrast between him and LeBron is huge. Durant is really an NBA fee-good story.
-Coach K - Did a lot despite being doubted in a huge way in both, but isn't well-liked. Hard to say. Then again, Dean Smith did win it back in the 90s, so who knows?
-Lysacek - It's a feel-good story of how he won. I didn't know all of that back then, but it's an amazing story.
-Halladay - Duh. He's just so good and was so dominant. So amazing.
-Butler - Cinderella. Feel-good to most of the USA, even as the losers.

That's really it. I can't see any of the rest of them being reasonable winners, even if the stories are good. I would argue that Landon Donovan could and should also go on that list (and, I would argue, may deserve to win given how World Cup mania swept the country), given the US-centricity of SI. A Spain player/coach might be harder to pick to put on it, though.

SuperTurkey
11-17-2010, 09:58 AM
To pick Geno over K would be criminal and to pick them both would be asinine.

I'm not sure I agree with this line of reasoning, though I wish I did. Playing devil's advocate, what has K accomplished this year that Geno hasn't? They both coached their teams to the exact same championships, and Geno did it with an undefeated team. Especially if a less loaded UConn this season exceeds UCLA's win streak, I'm not sure how you could give this award to K over Geno.

SuperTurkey
11-17-2010, 10:01 AM
I love the US-centric view of SI...no one decided to discuss players and / teams from the most popular global sport, or the most popular event, in 2010? Really?

No Xavi? No Iniesta? No Sneijder? No Mourinho? No Spanish national team? Come on SI - you can do better than that!

It's just economics. It's a US publication reflecting the interests of its readership (to wit, I assume that everyone you listed in your post has something to do with soccer, but I have no idea who they are).

-jk
11-17-2010, 10:04 AM
I love the US-centric view of SI...no one decided to discuss players and / teams from the most popular global sport, or the most popular event, in 2010? Really?

No Xavi? No Iniesta? No Sneijder? No Mourinho? No Spanish national team? Come on SI - you can do better than that!

It's not just the US-centric "view" of SI. It's their US-centric subscribers and advertisers. It is a US-centric sports magazine. They don't try to be an international magazine, and their decisions - business and editorial - are premised on that.

SI's sportsman of the year has almost always gone to an American, or an athlete with a lot of exposure in America. If Wikipedia's summary is accurate, the nine non-Americans chosen include Roger Bannister; NHL players Bobby Orr, Bob Bourne, and Wayne Gretzky; Sammy Sosa; and Jackie Stewart. The balance were two Olympians and a heavyweight boxer (back when people cared about boxing).

It's just not a global magazine.

-jk

SoCalDukeFan
11-17-2010, 10:50 AM
I'm not sure I agree with this line of reasoning, though I wish I did. Playing devil's advocate, what has K accomplished this year that Geno hasn't? They both coached their teams to the exact same championships, and Geno did it with an undefeated team. Especially if a less loaded UConn this season exceeds UCLA's win streak, I'm not sure how you could give this award to K over Geno.

Let me start by saying that K coached the team that won the world championship.

K has also succeeded in what is probably the most competitive arena of national college sports.


SoCal

phaedrus
11-17-2010, 10:51 AM
Team USA hockey. A rag-tag group of overachievers conquers the overwhelming favorites* and brings home the go- er, silver.

*(In the qualifying round)

JasonEvans
11-17-2010, 10:55 AM
I'm not sure I agree with this line of reasoning, though I wish I did. Playing devil's advocate, what has K accomplished this year that Geno hasn't? They both coached their teams to the exact same championships, and Geno did it with an undefeated team. Especially if a less loaded UConn this season exceeds UCLA's win streak, I'm not sure how you could give this award to K over Geno.

Were you not paying any attention at all to what K did during the off-season and to what he has been doing during the off-season for the past several years?

Not to put down what Geno has accomplished, because it is quite impressive and worthy of praise, but there is a world of difference in success in the men's game and the women's game at this level. Look at the variance in national champions over the past decade and the success rate of high seeds in each tournament. You will see that it is just easier for a successful women's team to have a deep run in the tournament.

Also, there is a magazine sales aspect to this. Just like SI won't pick an international winner because it won't sell magazines to the US audience, I doubt they would pick a women's basketball winner for the same reason. The only way they could pick Geno/UConn would be in tandem with Coach K or some male basketball figure/team.

As for the winner-- if the Saints were having another great regular season they would be a no-brainer to win it. I still see them as the front-runner. But, they are currently considered no better than about the 4th or 5th best team in the NFC (Giants, Falcons, Eagles, Packers) and I think that could hurt their cause enough to allow someone else to get the SI award.

We'll see. My bet is that SI will need to pick the winner in the next week or so to allow it to begin working on the articles that will fill the magazine.

--Jason "What about Josh Hamilton and the Rangers - is there no one on the Giants who could be considered?" Evans

Duvall
11-17-2010, 10:56 AM
Let me start by saying that K coached the team that won the world championship.

Well, let's be fair (http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/national/10_wwc_game_09.html).

sagegrouse
11-17-2010, 10:59 AM
I love the US-centric view of SI...no one decided to discuss players and / teams from the most popular global sport, or the most popular event, in 2010? Really?

No Xavi? No Iniesta? No Sneijder? No Mourinho? No Spanish national team? Come on SI - you can do better than that!

Just piling on. I expect that SI wants its pick to resonate with the average reader. What is the global footprint of SI? I don't believe it does much overseas, unlike ESPN Desportes.

I am afraid US-centric picks are what we will get, which is not all bad to me, since I don't follow futbol or soccer except during the World Cup. On second thought, I do think the Spanish World Cup team will get some love from Time Warner, Inc., in that a team of purists (relatively speaking) beat several teams of thugs to win the quadrennial world championship.

And a third thought: Since the NBA has a world presence and basketball is second only to futbol, K will have global credentials as the coach of team USA, consisting entirely of NBA players.

sagegrouse

Starter
11-17-2010, 11:19 AM
Make no mistake, selling magazines is the main issue here. They want to create buzz and get people to buy the newsstand copy. Derek Jeter won last year and probably shouldn't have; it should have been someone like Federer, Manny Pacquiao or Kobe Bryant. Within his own sport, Mauer and Pujols had better seasons for perennial playoff teams. Even on Jeter's own team, Mariano Rivera was more integral to not just last year's championship, but all of their titles. But Jeter is the most marketable player in baseball, so he won. (Then he hit .270 this year and played worse defense than I would have)

I think Krzyzewski has a shot to win. He's probably the most well-known coach in any sport short of Phil Jackson and Bill Belichick, and might honestly have exceeded them with his accomplishments this season. I also think Durant is plausible as not just celebrating his accomplishments this year, but a nod to what he will continue to do, although that hasn't been their style in the past. I think Brees happened too far back -- why rehash it at this point in time? -- and like someone said, the Saints are good but not great right now. If they were undefeated at this juncture like last year, he'd have a real shot (as I thought he did last year). It's not out of the question that they give it to a true polarizer like LeBron or the Big Three, sort of like Time occasionally does with their Man of the Year.

All that said, I'd say Kobe Bryant has the best chance, given the Lakers' back-to-back titles, and the popularity/polarizing nature of their team and Bryant himself, not to mention the fact that he's never won.

flyingdutchdevil
11-17-2010, 11:30 AM
Just piling on. I expect that SI wants its pick to resonate with the average reader. What is the global footprint of SI? I don't believe it does much overseas, unlike ESPN Desportes.

I am afraid US-centric picks are what we will get, which is not all bad to me, since I don't follow futbol or soccer except during the World Cup. On second thought, I do think the Spanish World Cup team will get some love from Time Warner, Inc., in that a team of purists (relatively speaking) beat several teams of thugs to win the quadrennial world championship.

And a third thought: Since the NBA has a world presence and basketball is second only to futbol, K will have global credentials as the coach of team USA, consisting entirely of NBA players.

sagegrouse

I agree with what SI is trying to do - attract the US readership. But check these stats out: 24.3 mill watched the finals. 112 million US viewers watched the World Cup. That's a hell of a population. Soccer is not yet an American sport, but the US will inevitably embrace it. Having SI at least reference soccer in their Sportsman of the Year would have been a sensible thing to do.

And secondly, please don't refer to the Dutch as a "team of thugs," as I assume that is what you were referring to. If you haven't noticed the name, that's my team and I place the Dutch national team and my Blue Devils on equal footing. I will say that de Jong and van Bommel were overly aggressive in the final game and de Jong certainly deserved a red card for his accidental kick (yes - it was accidental) which he even admitted to being surprised that he got away with only a yellow, but calling them "thugish" is not only incorrect, it's also ignorant. If I were a random fan watching the NCAA FF in 1992, I would easily call Laettner a "thug" for his infamous stomp.

killerleft
11-17-2010, 11:32 AM
Let's see: putting the ball in the net, dribbling, managing elite players... all Jose Mourinho need figure out is taking charges is legal and nobody throws up a flag for a little back-door cut. It's settled - he's not only a possible Sportsman of the Year, but a top candidate to replace Coach K in 2020!:cool::p

SuperTurkey
11-17-2010, 11:37 AM
Were you not paying any attention at all to what K did during the off-season and to what he has been doing during the off-season for the past several years?


Of course I was, and I don't diminish that. But Geno coached a world championship winner this summer as well, hence my point that they won the same championships in 2010.


Not to put down what Geno has accomplished, because it is quite impressive and worthy of praise, but there is a world of difference in success in the men's game and the women's game at this level. Look at the variance in national champions over the past decade and the success rate of high seeds in each tournament. You will see that it is just easier for a successful women's team to have a deep run in the tournament.

This, I think, is the key point. The women's game right now, from the perspective of talent depth, is probably more similar to the men's game in the 60s and 70s, when it was possible for teams to go undefeated and win multiple championships back to back. Because the men's game is now so much more competitive at both the intercollegiate and international levels, K's achievements are more impressive than Geno's, IMHO.

With that said, the 80 game winning streak is nothing to sniff at, and I still disagree with SoCal's characterization that it would be a 'criminal' to pick Geno over K. While I personally would be happy if they picked K, there's room for reasonable minds to disagree.

nocilla
11-17-2010, 11:40 AM
Make no mistake, selling magazines is the main issue here. They want to create buzz and get people to buy the newsstand copy. Derek Jeter won last year and probably shouldn't have; it should have been someone like Federer, Manny Pacquiao or Kobe Bryant. Within his own sport, Mauer and Pujols had better seasons for perennial playoff teams. Even on Jeter's own team, Mariano Rivera was more integral to not just last year's championship, but all of their titles. But Jeter is the most marketable player in baseball, so he won. (Then he hit .270 this year and played worse defense than I would have).

I think they do factor in sort of lifetime acheivements in the yearly award. Jeter became the all time hits leader in Yankee history, became a five-time WS Champion, and has been the clubhouse leader of that team for a long time. It was certainly not that he had his best single year. I think this was the case with Dean Smith, Cal Ripken, Don Shula, etc. Those guys didn't win a championship or have their best years when they won it but reached career milestones. As for K this year, I think he has a good case. Not only did he have a great year, but he became a four-time Champion passing Rupp and is approaching the most wins. But then again, maybe they wait until next year to give it to him after he does become the all-time leader in wins.

sagegrouse
11-17-2010, 11:50 AM
And secondly, please don't refer to the Dutch as a "team of thugs," as I assume that is what you were referring to. If you haven't noticed the name, that's my team and I place the Dutch national team and my Blue Devils on equal footing. .

Sorry. I often criticize folks for emphasizing the negative not the positive, and I fell into the same trap. I was really thinking not of the Dutch but of the physical play that seems to typify everyone BUT Spain, but you are the expert not me.

sagegrouse

Acymetric
11-17-2010, 12:42 PM
I'm not sure I agree with this line of reasoning, though I wish I did. Playing devil's advocate, what has K accomplished this year that Geno hasn't?

Won in a league with a lot more parity? There's a reason nobody is stringing together 80 game win streaks in men's basketball, and it isn't because nobody can coach as well as Gene.

That said, he is a great coach and his achievement is amazing (same goes for the girls playing for him). He should definitely deserves to be in this discussion, but I think K is just a touch ahead of him.

SuperTurkey
11-17-2010, 01:25 PM
Won in a league with a lot more parity? There's a reason nobody is stringing together 80 game win streaks in men's basketball, and it isn't because nobody can coach as well as Gene.

That said, he is a great coach and his achievement is amazing (same goes for the girls playing for him). He should definitely deserves to be in this discussion, but I think K is just a touch ahead of him.

Yep, absolutely fair on both points. I hope most will feel the same, but I still think that UConn potentially equaling UCLA's streak at the end of the year might effect the decision as it's being made. There will continue to be a ton of hype around UConn over the next month unless they flame out.

Of course, in all likelihood, the decision probably won't be between K and Geno.

JasonEvans
11-17-2010, 01:38 PM
But check these stats out: 24.3 mill watched the finals. 112 million US viewers watched the World Cup.

More than 48 million people watched a portion of the Duke-Butler game in April. In terms of national awareness and interest (especially among the nation's English-speaking population -- which is SI's primary audience), College Basketball dwarfs soccer... even the World Cup.

--Jason "I am a huge World Cup fan, but SI will not be picking any soccer player to be Sportsman of the Year this year" Evans

MChambers
11-17-2010, 01:41 PM
More than 48 million people watched a portion of the Duke-Butler game in April. In terms of national awareness and interest (especially among the nation's English-speaking population -- which is SI's primary audience), College Basketball dwarfs soccer... even the World Cup.

--Jason "I am a huge World Cup fan, but SI will not be picking any soccer player to be Sportsman of the Year this year" Evans
If SI doesn't pick Coach K (and I think it should, thru my blue tinted glasses, I'm rooting for Brooks Laich, who seems to be a wonderful person. Nice story about him here:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/04/brooks_laich_changes_a_tire_af.html)

(Of course, he's only an average NHL player, so he won't win.)

Starter
11-17-2010, 02:17 PM
I think they do factor in sort of lifetime acheivements in the yearly award. Jeter became the all time hits leader in Yankee history, became a five-time WS Champion, and has been the clubhouse leader of that team for a long time.

The all-time hit leader thing is definitely a good point -- he also broke the shortstop hit mark if I recall -- as is the lifetime achievement comment. But he got it because they won the World Series, and I still think considering that, a career achievement award should have gone to Mariano, who's quite possibly the greatest postseason pitcher of all time. (0.72 ERA in 139 2/3 innings) He pitched in 12 of their 15 playoff games last year and saved five of them. (He didn't save the clincher, but that's only because it was a four-run game; he did close it out.)

Meanwhile, in 2009, Federer completed the sixth-ever career grand slam and finished ranked No. 1, Kobe Bryant won his fourth title (his first without Shaquille), and Pacquiao won a World Title at a record seventh different weight class and ran for Congress to help poor people in the Philippines.

Regardless, my vote for this year would go to Krzyzewski, who simply had the best year. (Or Bryant, who could definitely have won last year)

rasputin
11-17-2010, 02:29 PM
I agree with what SI is trying to do - attract the US readership. But check these stats out: 24.3 mill watched the finals. 112 million US viewers watched the World Cup.

Comparing the viewership of one sport's final against the viewership of the other sport's entire event (taking place over a long period)=apples to oranges.

flyingdutchdevil
11-17-2010, 02:31 PM
--Jason "I am a huge World Cup fan, but SI will not be picking any soccer player to be Sportsman of the Year this year" Evans

Give it time. Give it time. Guarantee that had the US beaten Ghana and then Uruguay, Donovan (had he played fairly well) would certainly be heavily considered.

sagegrouse
11-17-2010, 05:08 PM
Here are the nominees at least so far and my comments:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/magazine/sportsman/11/03/wolff.krzyzewski/index.html?eref=sihp


CHEN: Lions DT Ndamukong Suh No Way
Too soon


KING: UConn Women's Coach Geno Auriemma Possible but would make me gag Not the stature of a Pat Summitt, and the award title does say "Sportsman."


KING: Cardinals QB Kurt Warner No Way
Admirable, but not topical.


WOLFF: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski Possible See below.


MAHR: Figure skater Evan Lysacek No Way
Uh, a guy figure skater with SI's reader base? Don't think so.


WERTHEIM: Tennis star Rafael Nadal Possible (so is Federer) Deserving but maybe later in his career.


JENKINS: Thunder F Kevin Durant No Way Too soon


McCALLUM: Philiies P Roy Halladay Doubtful but deserving
With a World Series win, maybe, but w/o one, I would prefer Lincecum for his Everyman physique. A 170-pound baseball player? And really probably only 155.


ANDERSON: Butler Bulldogs Basketball Doubtful - Picking a team that lost? Only if the award is given to the Mid-Majors collectively.


HACK: Golfer Lorena Ochoa Doubful but deserving Has announced her retirement. Did Anneke ever win?


FARBER: Capitals LW Brooks Laich I don't follow hockey and have never heard of him Ditto


ANDERSON: Alabama QB Greg McElroy No Way

Not on the list is the probable winner - Drew Brees and/or the NO Saints.

From the list the only contenders to me are Krzyzewski or one of the tennis players - Nadal or Federer. To pick Geno over K would be criminal and to pick them both would be asinine. Halladay had a great year, has had a great career, and is a great story as he could have made more money but wanted to be with the Phillies. Ochoa was the best women golfer in the world and is a great person(I happen to know her personally a little and she is the real deal.)

My guess is something to do with the Saints. But I think it really should be K.

SoCal

Let me offer some Winter Sports candidates:

Lindsey Vonn, perhaps paired with the ever-controversial Bode Miller, as a couple of real veterans who won Gold in Vancouver.

Otherwise, it could be K. Dean Smith won when he broke the total wins record. K is certain to break the record barring health issues. Moreover, he has just won the NCAA's and the World championships.

I would consider the Spanish World Cup team, which plays a beautiful brand of graceful and artistic futbol and was clearly the best team in South Africa.

I would also add Tim Lincecum, who has two Cy Young awards and now has a World Series, for the Everyman reason detailed above. And BTW, when are we gonna recognize Albert Pujols, who won 2/3 of a Triple Crown?

sagegrouse
'Wow! Tiger Woods won twice'

OldPhiKap
11-18-2010, 08:23 AM
When talking about K, folks often overlook the things he does behind the scenes on behalf of college basketball, student athletics, and our armed forces. To many folks, K embodies college basketball. I for one am glad to see that this association is viewed more postively around the country than it was just a few years ago.

K's satellite radio show can't hurt, either. He has gone on a real press offensive the last few years and it -- along with last year's wonderful team -- has paid dividends.

flyingdutchdevil
11-18-2010, 09:46 AM
For the American fan base, Drew Brees and Coach K are the two that really stick out.

Brees stole America's heart during the months of January and February. Coach K - you know the story.

I couldn't see Vonn and Bode getting the award - they did fairly well in the Olympics, but they were overshadowed by much better talent.

Starter
11-18-2010, 10:43 AM
I would also add Tim Lincecum, who has two Cy Young awards and now has a World Series, for the Everyman reason detailed above. And BTW, when are we gonna recognize Albert Pujols, who won 2/3 of a Triple Crown?



I agree on most of your points in general, especially in terms of Pujols. Pujols really should have won in 2006 instead of Dwyane Wade by virtue of leading an 83-win Cardinals team through the playoffs to a World Series championship. (If they really wanted to honor Wade, it should have been Wade and his team -- and by that I mean the referees, who allowed him to shoot 46 free throws (!) in Games 6 and 7.) And that wasn't one of the three years Pujols won MVP! They gave it to Ryan Howard that year because of his 58 home runs, despite that he had an inferior season to Pujols in virtually every way. Pujols didn't have a fantastic postseason that year, but his presence itself has value. And there's an excellent chance he wins his fourth MVP this season.

I actually have two Lincecum jerseys, I love the guy, but I wouldn't put him up this year simply because it was his worst year in the Majors, and because the Giants' title was really more of a team effort. As good as Lincecum is -- I think he's unequivocally one of the top five pitchers in baseball, perhaps second only to Roy Halladay -- Matt Cain didn't give up an earned run in the playoffs, and Cody Ross somehow channeled Reggie Jackson. If this had been one of Lincecum's Cy Young years and they won it all, by all means.

But as it stands -- here's how I justify hijacking this thread with a baseball discussion -- Coach K is certainly a far more appealing choice than either.

Frybay
11-18-2010, 10:47 AM
If Tiger doesn't win it has got to be K

77devil
11-30-2010, 08:38 AM
Unless he will be on Morning Joe this morning. Hosts are referring to the winning athlete being on the show. Looks to be Drew Brees. Too bad. Coach K is a really compelling candidate but I'm not the most objective person in this instance. :)

diablesseblu
11-30-2010, 08:44 AM
Unless he will be on Morning Joe this morning. Hosts are referring to the winning athlete being on the show. Looks to be Drew Brees. Too bad. Coach K is a really compelling candidate but I'm not the most objective person in this instance. :)

I, of course, would have preferred K. but certainly can understand Brees.

roywhite
11-30-2010, 09:45 AM
I, of course, would have preferred K. but certainly can understand Brees.

yep, that's what Dan Patrick said...it's Brees.

Not a bad choice (post-Katrina New Orleans played a role here, I think), but IMO Coach K was the right choice.

Well, Coach....you'll just have to win another national championship (or two) and another Olympic title to get your due recognition from SI.

johnb
11-30-2010, 09:59 AM
In the last 15 years, SI's SOY includes Woods (twice), McGwire and Sosa, Lance Armstrong, Dwayne Wade, Curt Schilling, and Brett Favre. Several have been (or are perpetually on the verge of being) publicly humiliated for unsportsmanlike behavior (cheating with drugs or on their wife), one was apparently loathed by teammates, and one has been tarnished with the LeBron brush.

The only coaches who've won it are Dean after he became the winningest bb college coach, Shula after he became the winningest pro fb coach, Wooden towards the tail end of his championships, and Paterno after he won his 2nd national championship (almost 25 years ago!). I'm unenthused by the Brees choice, but I'd lay even money on K for next year. And if we win the NC in April, I'd bet the farm on it.

NYC Duke Fan
11-30-2010, 11:23 AM
I, of course, would have preferred K. but certainly can understand Brees.

I would have also preferred Coach K on a personal level, but on a non-personal level think that Brees is the more appropriate choice considering also what he and his wife have put back into New Orleans post Katrina.

If I were voting, I would voted for Brees number 1 and Coach K number 2.