Call Sports Illustrated! Zidane is Sportsman of the Year!

I just would like to say…

Anyone in the know at Sports Illustrated? Great. Tell ‘em that Zinadine Zidane is the athlete of the year.

It’s over.

Now.

Yes, it’s only July, but Zizou is turning in another highlight reel to go with his compendium. He’s looking like good old Air 23 did in 1999, the old guy willing his team on to victory after victory while dominating the games.

Of course, SI will never go for it. Check out this list. Basically, with the exception of Johann Olav Koss, it’s “american athlete of the year,” folks. Which is unfortunate: a magazine with an American readership this size might be useful in opening American eyes to certain sports they are generally amazingly red, white and ignorant about…

I haven’t been this gung ho about the SI nod since i was vigorously backing Michael Schumacher (Or alternatively, Renaldo) in 2002. They didn’t go for that, either.

Zizou will apparently have to “settle” for another La Republique title.

And if he makes an ill-advised comeback, we’ll take the award away…