Congratulations

At the end of each year, Sports Illustrated awards an athlete for its excellence in its sport. The Sportsman of the Year award, created in 1954 after Roger Banister's revolutionary sub-4 minute mile, has become the most prestigious individual sports award of our time. This'll come to no surprise to any of you, I'm sure, but I am a big fan of the Sportsman of the Year award, because I believe SI does its absolute best to pick the best athlete, both on and off the field.

This year is no different. Actually, it's one of the smartest picks SI has ever made. This year's Sportsman of the Year is Mr. November, the face of the New York Yankees, Derek Jeter.



Since his rookie season in 1996, Jeter has been the captain of the Yankees, leading them to four titles in his first five seasons. It took another nine years for his fifth, but this season's World Series ring could be his greatest yet. Not only did Jeter lead his team with great hitting and solid defense at shortstop, but he also rallied the Yanks together at the start of the season amid the potentially devastating reports of Alex Rodriguez using steroids, which is practically a death sentence in today's baseball world.
SIDE NOTE: A-Rod used to be one of my favorite players when he played alongside Ken Griffey, Jr in Seattle. I had an incredibly hard time watching A-Rod admit he knowingly used steroids while playing for Texas. I did, however, gain respect for him with how he handled the situation and it was refreshing to see him overcome what is usually a ticket to early retirement and help the Yanks win the World Series.

After A-Rod's infamous interview with ESPN, Jeter was there for his teammate with open arms. They were able to get past this scandal and find a way to win it all.

Jeter's leadership has been the biggest intangible for the Yankees since Joe DiMaggio in the 50's. And to top off one of his best seasons, Jeter passed the immortal Lou Gehrig for the most hits in Yankee history (his hit total currently stands at 2,747). I don't think any athlete deserved this award more than Mr. November. Congratulations, Derek Jeter!