Every year since the magazine’s inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated has awarded a ceramic urn depicting Greek athletes to “the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement.” (Source: Wikipedia) The 2010 award will be announced today (at 12:00 midnight according to my Facebook events UPDATE: SI just posted on their Facebook page that they’ll announce the Sportsman of the Year at approximately 8:30 AM EST tomorrow).

Who’s it going to be? Perhaps, Edison Peña, the freed Chilean miner who ran the NYC marathon in a shade over 5 1/2 hours? (Nominated by SI writer Richard Deitsch)

Whoever it is that get to follow up Jeter’s 2009 award, SI.com is going to have them available to video chat live tomorrow via Ustream and their Facebook page, tomorrow, at 11:00 AM EST.

My heart thinks it should go to Ed Pena, but I also wouldn’t hate getting to chat with Ron Artest.

Visit and like SI’s Facebook page to get the details.

(photo via SI.com)

Mostly posting this to remind everyone that Andy Gray is killin’ it with the SI Vault Twitter. If you’re not following, you’re missing out on an epic stream of classic sports content from the Sports Illustrated photo, er…vault.

Thought the above photo of a 17-year old Sarah Palin (#22) hooping it up for Wasilla High merited a create-a-caption contest – bonus points if you can identify the model/brand of sneakers on her feet (are those the original Nike Dunks?)

I posted it here and on Facebook, leave your captions in the comments and I’ll post the best submissions to round out the week tomorrow.

That’s Scott Smith. He looks like your average white nerd, especially posing with Muhammad Ali. He’s also the Lil Wayne of sports memorabilia collecting, because I can’t tell if he’s a genius or certifiably insane.

Found on Ebay: 10,000+ signed Sports Illustrated Magazines. Starting bid: $1,999,999.

According to his website, SIkingcollection.com, In 1973, Smith’s grandmother gave him his first subscription to SI, and he’s saved every week’s issue since. In 1982, he staked out a hotel and Wayne Gretzky to sign several copies of SI. Shortly thereafter, he found himself traveling seven days a week to track down coaches, athletes and swimsuit models to sign copies of the mag. And away we go…

Scott started buying complete runs of the magazine dating back to their first issue in 1954. By his count, he’s gotten 2434 SI covers signed – 94.2% of the history of the magazine. The crew he assembled to make this happen include characters like Ace Marchant, his main magazine supplier of 20 years, who barters magazines for autographs (no money has ever exchanged hands between the two). Or Michelle X, his secret weapon…

Smith brings her along when he’s “crashing a banquet” to procure a Hancock.

Just look at her. Need I say more? When I can’t get Lance Armstrong, she gets 2. When Roger Clemens saw her, he crumbled like a little girl and signed 5 in a row. Patrick Ewing didn’t stand a chance. Michelle’s lined up to do the Heisman, Baseball Assistance Team, Boys Club, College Football HOF, Mets & Yankees Welcome Home Dinners. I’ll be more than happy to lend her out to any collector that ponies up the money! She ain’t cheap and neither is my lender fee! Her services as an aggressive collector are well worth it.

Question is now, does the high roller out there exist who’s willing to help Scott hit paydirt and take this monstrosity off his hands?

Find out more at SIkingcollection.com.

In a Baltimore Sun article published today where he awkwardly calls former-MLB characters like Bobby Bonilla and David Wells – Mister, Baltimore Oriole Hall-of-Famer Brady Anderson expressed his discontent with Sports Illustrated naming Orioles owner Peter Angelos as The Worst Owner in Baseball.

I find it laughable that someone who has achieved the type of success that enables one to purchase a Major League Baseball team can be casually dismissed by many as a “meddler.” I have never understood this complaint of meddling; he owns the team. Indeed, this idea runs counter to the way that just about every other business in the world is run. I am certain many people would find it odd if their bosses sat by passively and idly as they ran the business anyway they chose (Viewpoint: Angelos doesn’t deserve the bad rap).

Besides meddling, SI most scathingly cites Angelos firing of Davey Johnson (who Anderson says resigned) and the Orioles lack of a post-season appearance the last 11 years as reasons for appointing Angelos as the heaviest head that wears the crown.

Giving the player prospective, Anderson calls Angelos “a compassionate, loyal man who truly cares about the Orioles, the fans, and the people of Baltimore.” He talks about how Angelos would visit his ex-teammate Eric Davis in the hospital and watch Oriole away games with him while he was getting treated for colon cancer. He also hopes that someday the list will be rewritten and will name the best owners in baseball (which it actually does, those five owners have combined for 35 playoff appearance and 9 World Series titles) and we’ll find Angelos at the top of that list (err, .486 winning percentage? Slow down, Mr. 30 Stolen Base Man).


If it’ll make him feel better, blame Zach Greinke for Angelos’ dubious distinction. If not for the first half run by Kansas City this season, there is no doubt, no doubt that David Glass takes the title of Worst Owner. The stats from his tenure are truly offensive (.432 winning percentage, zero post season appearances, four 100 game losing seasons). Of course, the newly rejuvenated K.C. fans took issue with S.I. even having Glass on the short list – wow, you Royal fans have short memories.

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As much as I love hearing about Terrelle Pryor, it’s kind of lost its luster.

Pick a school, and go back to your not hard life.

Stuff like this keeps me coming back to SI.com’s High School sports page though…

Brad Henefer, a New Jersey teenager who has down syndrome, spent four years as a legit member of his high school basketball team.

And obviously, he’s also a golfer.

Check out his highlight reel from TAKKLE.com. Inspiring is that word you’re looking for.

Marisa Miller. HERRRREAHAARARAH (is that how you spell that sound?). She’s 29; strangely (obviously) I’m still into it.

Moderately Cerebral Bias plays paparazzi on the J. William Leitch esq. book tour. According to MC Bias, the goober riding shotgun in most of the photos is a Deadspin commenteur named Rascalnikov (sp.) or something like that.

Working on my six-word memoir (via Dan Shanoff)

100% Injury Rate, blogger in residence at FanIQ, gives you Horsesurfing. Absurb. Absurb. Absurb.

More aquatic equestrian shenanigans: