My Nominees for Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year

When you tune in to any form of sports media, you hear a lot of bad things. Whether it is about steroids, spygate, or dogfighting, it surely has to give you a negative response towards sports.

One reason why I have always loved Sports Illustrated is because of their articles. They glorify athletes, rather than destroying their reputations. They focus on what we love about the game, rather than what makes us cringe when we think about it.

Their ultimate honor for glorifying athletes, coaches, and teams is the "Sportsman of the Year" award. This is an award that embodies sportsmanship and achievement. People have not only won this award because of talent, but have also received it, due to humanitarian reasons and teamwork.

We have almost forgotten what a great year it has been, due to all the negativity surrounding the sports media. We witnessed one of the greatest Super Bowls ever (okay, I'll admit that makes me cringe a little). We have seen heroic individuals like Tiger Woods in the US Open, and have seen turnarounds from the Celtics and Rays, that we may never be able to witness again. 

Please keep in mind however, that the only sports I follow closely happen to be baseball, basketball, and football. So please bear with me on the other sports.

Here are my nominees for SI "Sportsman of the Year:"

Jimmie Johnson:

Firstly, let me just say that I hate NASCAR and know nothing about it. I don't even consider Johnson's game a sport. However, I respect him tremendously for his achievement. Coming off three Nextel Cup championships, Johnson has won more consecutive championships in sports than any other team I know at the moment.

Josh Hamilton:

People fail to realize that Hamilton was amazing last year. If healthy, he would have had nearly identical numbers in 07 and 08. However, Hamilton proved that he wasn't a fluke last year, and established himself as one of the five most talented players in the game for this year. Playing like a machine in the Home Run Derby, Hamilton has created a story that is more climactic than most movies.

The Big Three:

Without Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics would be in the same position they were in two years ago. Danny Ainge did what no team had done before, taking a 22 win team to a championship in one year. The big three changed the attitude of their teammates, and made everyone around them better by bringing glory back to the Celtics.

Tim Tebow:

Tebow won the Heisman last year, and has done everything you'd want the face of college football to do. Tebow spent his summer circumcising children in the Philippines. These are the kinds of things that the media likes to ignore. Not only because you usually don't want to hear "circumcision" on TV, but because the news focuses on the negative. Tebow has done everything he could to be a role model.

Albert Haynesworth:

Haynesworth has been the MVP of the Titans so far, by leading their overwhelming defense. Being known for dirty play most of his career, Haynesworth has turned around his reputation; knowing he has to be a leader on and off the field. If the Titans come close to undefeated, Haynesworth will be the Titans' Tom Brady, being significantly worse without him in an undefeated run.

Tiger Woods:

His victory at the US Open was a classic. Woods is not only on this list because of his achievements, but because he has truly shown care for his work. Playing injured in the tournament, you could see he was in pain struggling to swing a club. Woods would persevere to the championship though, having season-ending surgery following the US Open.

The Giants Defensive Line:

You thought the Patriots' offensive line was good? Compare that to the overpowering pass rush of Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, and Justin Tuck. The Patriots were going to be named one of the three greatest teams in NFL history, but Brady had no time to get any passes off in the Super Bowl. It was the first time the Pats scored less than 20 points that year and it was good enough for the Giants, as they were victorious against the impeccable Patriots.

Please say if there's anyone I forgot. I'm sure there was. And please, no one suggest Francisco Rodriguez.