SI Sportsman of the Year 2014 - discuss

The Game Room
1

It’s that time of year again…

Who’s the choice for Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year?

In my opinion, nobody really stood out - until the World Series. Here’s a quote from the 2013 thread:

I think it goes to Bud Selig and Madison Bumgarner - the latter since I think he’s the “face” of the “comeback Giants”. With three World Series in five years, you have to take the team seriously.

Another possibility: the new NBA commissioner, Adam Silver (possibly sharing it with David Stern), in light of the new NBA TV contract.

The only other sports person who I think “stood out” this year was Rory McIlroy, but (a) winning two straight majors isn’t “that” big of a deal, even if he was on the winning Ryder cup team as well, and (b) he’s a non-American and in something other than one of the big four team sports. Maybe the USA Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey team could have been in contention, if only Kelli Stack’s empty-net shot hadn’t hit the post…

There’s one “perennial” name they can always go to if they are otherwise out of ideas - Serena Williams. However, I have a feeling that if they wanted to give it to her, they would have done it in 2011 (instead of Mike Krzyzewski and Pat Summitt), if not 2003 after winning her fourth major in a row (although David Robinson and Tim Duncan would have been hard to overlook). Maybe if there was a male player who had done something remarkable as well - say, had Federer won a major for the first time since 2010 - they could have shared it, but I don’t see Serena winning it by herself (or with Venus, who hasn’t really done anything in the past few years either).

2

Does Klitschko have a shot if he successfully defends his title in a week or so?

3

Madison Bumgarner sure looks like the frontrunner to me.

But I could easily picture liberal editors at SI picking Michael Sam, for his political and sociological importance.

4

As great a World Series as he had it’d be weird to pick a guy just for being the World Series MVP. Bumgarner didn’t have an incredible, historic year. He’s not going to win his own league’s Cy Young Award. Nobody thought Paul Molitor was the 1993 Sportsman of the Year.

5

Yeah, I change my vote to just Bumgarner. I doesn’t make sense to have Bumgarner and Selig at the same time, it’s too much of a hedge. Though a fun fact about Selig - during his tenure, every single team made the playoffs.

6

It won’t be Michael Sam, they could have gone with Jason Collins last year but didn’t.

If they want to make a statement , they could go with Devon Still, the Bengals practice squad player. Sort of a counter against Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.

But, it’ll probably be Bumgarner. If the Heat would have won, then maybe Lebron,although he might not have gone back to the Cavs.

7

Sportsmen ought to be athletes, not millionaires who own athletes. No Selig.

8

Since SI has given it to commissioners (Rozelle '63), coaches (Wooden '72, Paterno '86, Shula '93, Dean Smith '97, Krzyzewski(sp) '11, Summit '11), entire teams ('80 US Hockey Team, '98 US Women’s Soccer Team, '04 Red Sox), groups based on bullshit metrics (“Athletes Who Care” '87), cheaters (McGwire/Sosa '98, Lance Armstrong '02)… being an athlete who puts in a superior, honest performance is obviously not a criteria.

So my pick this year goes to Adam Silver, mostly for how he handled the Sterling issue.

I’d be surprised if it was Bumgarner. SI only picks athletes with a single superior year* if they’re Olympians… otherwise, you have to have a sustained run of excellence.

OTOH, Johnny Podres won in the second year for being the WS MVP, so who knows? But my money is on Silver.

*At least in the public eye. It takes a lot of practice and winning to get to the Olympics, but most US sports fandom does not really follow track, gymnastics, etc except for 1 in every four years.

List: Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year - Wikipedia

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Well, there’s someone they COULD pick both for his accomplishments in 2014 AND as a lifetime achievement honor: Greg Poppovich. The Spurs have been a quiet mini-dynasty, and he deserves some kind of recognition for that.

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That’s a good one, Astorian and as a resident of San Antonio, I’m kind of embarrassed I didn’t think of Pop myself.

11

A valid point. Bumgarner had a very good season, but not nearly as good as Clayton Kershaw, who might have been the winner if the Dodgers had reached the World Series.

Still, I think Don Larsen would’ve been a very worthy selection in 1955, even though he didn’t do much in the regular season.

Bumgarner would be a TERRIBLE choice for NL Cy Young or for MVP, where the standards are (or should be) more objective. But “Sportsman of the Year” is a much more subjective award, and Bumgarner strikes me as a perfectly fine choice for THAT title. To me “Sportsman of the Year” is closer to Time magazine’s Man of the Year than to the MVP award. It’s given as often to the most interesting story/figure in sports as to the best athlete.

12

Oh my god people, have you already forgotten that Derek Jeter played baseball in 2014?!?!?!

13

Not soon enough, Zipper.

But you bring up a good point - it would not be surprising for SI to give it to Jeter. If they structured it as a “THANK GOD WE DON’T HAVE TO HEAR ABOUT DEREK JETER ANYMORE!!!” piece, I might actually agree. :smiley:

14

I’m a Yankees fan, I like Jeter, and yes, I’ve TRIED to forget him!

BUT THEY WON’T** LET **ME!!!

15

:fists-bumps: Astorian.

16

If Jeter gets it, it’d be a Lifetime Achievement Award type of thing.

17

Yes Clayton Kershaw was unstoppable in the regular season. He is clearly the NL Cy Young, maybe even MVP. Madison Bumgarner will get some Cy Young votes, but Kershaw is the clear winner. But in the playoffs, not only did Kershaw look merely human, he was strictly High School League. Not even AA. And not just this year either. It’s becoming a trend for him. Compare their postseason performances, and it’s not even close.
Consider Madison Bumgarner for Sportsman of the Year:

► For the entire 2014 postseason, Madison Bumgarner tossed 52.2 innings with a miniscule 1.01 ERA, the lowest in a single postseason in MLB history with at least 40 innings pitched.

► In the 2014 postseason Madison Bumgarner averaged nearly eight innings in his six starts, and then he pitched five masterful innings out of the bullpen on two days rest in the final game after throwing 117 high-stress pitches in Game 5.

► In the 2010 World Series as a 21-year old rookie in Game 4 Madison Bumgarner was cruising, with 106 pitches through 8 innings. He should have gone the complete game, he well deserved it, but Bochy brought in his closer, Brian Wilson.

► You want sustained World Series greatness? In five career World Series appearances, spanning 2010, 2012 and 2014, Madison Bumgarner has a microscopic 0.25 ERA, which is the lowest of any pitcher in history with at least 25 World Series innings pitched.

► 2010 Game 4: 4-0 shutout win. 8 innings, 106 pitches, 3 hits.

► 2012 Game 2: 2-0 shutout win. 7 innings, 86 pitches, 2 hits.

► 2014 Game 1: 7-1 win. 7 innings, 106 pitches, 3 hits.

► 2014 Game 5: 5-0 shutout win. Complete game, 117 pitches, 4 hits.

► 2014 Game 7: 5 shutout innings in relief in a 3-2 win. 68 pitches, 2 hits.
Madison Bumgarner is the all-time greatest World Series pitcher (modern era).

18

Bob Gibson was the World Series MVP twice. He pitched in the World Series three times, starting three games in each, and completing eight of them. I’m not sure Bumgarner is quite there yet.

19

Jeter got the award in 2009. They tend not to give it twice; even Michael Jordan only won once.
I would have given Michael Sam a chance if he had made the Rams roster.

Here’s a couple of out-of-the-box suggestions:

Tim Howard (US soccer goalkeeper)
Jonathan Quick (LA Kings goalie)

20

Looking at the list, the only name I see twice is Tiger Woods.