Sports Personality of the Year?

[Stat Brother]

Like a GOOD Kelly Sotherton?

Is Sotherton's record of Commonwealth GOLD, Olympic Bronze, World Championship Silver [and bronze], and European Silver [twice], not 'good' then?

In true baiting of BoF stylee.
That record shows signs of improvement needed, from a heavily funded, professional, elite, athlete.

 

[Stat Brother]

Oh and Horton, any chance of you putting Cav's finish in the Milan - San Remo up.
That was just outstanding.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

In true baiting of BoF stylee.
That record shows signs of improvement needed, from a heavily funded, professional, elite, athlete.

Ennis is superb, and FIT, but the ONLY reason she has a gold to Sotherton's many Silvers, is because Carolina Kluft wasn't there this summer.

 

[Exmouth Seagull]

Cavendish by miles. Incredible results through 2009, the TDF was sensational. He's a superstar worldwide, sadly not that well known in the UK.

If Button wins it it's a joke;

Personality -fair enough, yes.

Driving skills - mediocre, was lucky to be in the right car at the right time. Next year Hamilton will demonstrate who's the best British driver.

 

[Gwylan]

I see Wiggins is set to sign for Team Sky and there's more talk of signing up Cav. A British team with Wiggins and Cavendish would be a serious contender in the TDF (if they could dope Contador).

 

[luke17]

Phil Taylor for me... what that bloke has done this year will never be matched by no one in the sporting world

 

[Bob!]

Jessica

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Phil Taylor for me... what that bloke has done this year will never be matched by no one in the sporting world

That is because sports personalities/athletes generally do not tend to waste time playing pub games.

 

[Stevie Boy]

Button deserves it, no contest.

And for those think he was just handed a great car to drive I think he might have had some say in the development of that car. He also stuck with Brawn during the dark days and deserves some credit.

Personally, I also find the father-son dynamic there quite touching, he seems a lot warmer than Hamilton, albeit not as good a driver.

Brawn didnt have any dark days, he did when it was Honda, but all the brains and success is down to Ross Brawn, how are Ferrari doing since he left? i hope he doesnt win, would like Ennis or Tweedle to win

 

[Stat Brother]

I see Wiggins is set to sign for Team Sky and there's more talk of signing up Cav. A British team with Wiggins and Cavendish would be a serious contender in the TDF (if they could dope Contador).

He's gone.
I for one am a little surprised about that. Not that it actually happened as there's a huge paternal pull between BW and the Team GB set up, he was always going to go, one day.
But for next season he would have been much better set for Le Tour with Garmin than he will be with Sky, in that respect he's taken a step back.

Cav no chance, or at least if it does happen it's the chequebook talking, as with Sky he will be isolated in the last km instead of surrounded by team mates. There's no way Cav could do it alone, a la Milan-San Remo (the best finish of last year) 23 times, to match his wins of this season.

 

[Gwylan]

He's gone.
I for one am a little surprised about that. Not that it actually happened as there's a huge paternal pull between BW and the Team GB set up, he was always going to go, one day.
But for next season he would have been much better set for Le Tour with Garmin than he will be with Sky, in that respect he's taken a step back.

Cav no chance, or at least if it does happen it's the chequebook talking, as with Sky he will be isolated in the last km instead of surrounded by team mates. There's no way Cav could do it alone, a la Milan-San Remo (the best finish of last year) 23 times, to match his wins of this season.

... and there's the gamble that Sky won't get an invite to le Tour (although that looks unlikely now). BW is in a strong squad though and while it's probably a step back for next year, I reckon he's in a stronger position for the future.

The Guardian yesterday was talking big money being available to sign Cav - although we're going to be talking really big money. Like you, I can't see it - although he's still young and I wouldn't rule out Sky in a couple of years: Brailsford's got a lot of pull.

 

[Stat Brother]

... and there's the gamble that Sky won't get an invite to le Tour (although that looks unlikely now). BW is in a strong squad though and while it's probably a step back for next year, I reckon he's in a stronger position for the future.

The Guardian yesterday was talking big money being available to sign Cav - although we're going to be talking really big money. Like you, I can't see it - although he's still young and I wouldn't rule out Sky in a couple of years: Brailsford's got a lot of pull.

That's the bit I don't get about BW.
Garmin has 3 or 4 strong General Classification riders who dragged BW round France this year, and would have done next. He's contracted for 2010 with Garmin having the option for 2011.
Surely another strong tour with a reasonable GC squad would be better than a new team, built for the classics.

BW was the last signing not the first, that honour goes to Edvard Bossan Hagan, the team has been built around him, and is a very strong Spring Classics squad.
It looks to me like Sky will be going all out to win one of those, which would mark the season as a success. Make all the right noises in the 3 grand tours, before closing the season with a win. BW just looks a little like a square peg in the Sky set up.
Although not as square as Cav would look, he'd be as out of place as Messi would have looked last night, at Withdean.

Brailsford definately has the pull for BW, (there must be a degree of father/son relationship) but I'm not so sure the same applies to Cav. Columbia is his team and built for him, a la Lewis Hamilton, could you see him driving for Red Bull?

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Oh and Horton, any chance of you putting Cav's finish in the Milan - San Remo up.
That was just outstanding.

[yt]yAg-BJQiuBw[/yt]

My pleasure, although there are not many good clips (this has comedy Belguim voice over), as the eurosport-italian coverage is not up to TDF standard. I am bloody excited about Sky's capture of Wiggo it offsets the IOC's ruling out the individual pursuits for 2012 and depriving us and more importantly Geraint Thomas and Rebecca Romero Golds.

Anyhow Cav is amazing and I am really looking forward to next years cycling starting straight away in the tour down under, I will add this last note from his mum says it all:

Adele Towns

Mother of the cyclist who won six stages in the Tour de France


Mark has always displayed a talent to win. No matter what he did he always had that energy. Second was never an option. His father and I bought his first bike [when he was] about nine so he could go down to the NSC [National Sports Centre in Douglas] and race with all the other children. He was always very keen on his cycling, from when he was a very tiny child. He has had one crazy, fantastic year. Mark is a winner of the Milan-San Remo, he has had stage wins of the Giro d'Italia – some of them wearing the pink jersey – and not to mention the six stage wins of the Tour de France, ending on the Champs Elysées. That was absolutely phenomenal. I was [there to watch]; I was such a proud mother. It was so wonderful that I just burst into tears. All my emotions came out at once. Mark is stubborn but he works very hard for what he does. I don't think a lot of people realise what dedication and determination he has got. He works things out. At the end of it, it is the hard work that he puts into the cycling that has got him where he is. Since he was a young boy his dream has been to be a professional cyclist, not to mention to win a stage of the Tour de France. And the icing on the cake, the Champs Elysées. As a mother you do have to support them, but I have to admit that Mark has always done it on his own. Whatever he has done, he has done it through himself, and I take my hat off to that

VOTE Cav

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

1954 Sir Chris Chataway
1955 Gordon Pirie
1956 Jim Laker
1957 Dai Rees
1958 Ian Black
1959 John Surtees
1960 David Broome
1961 Sir Stirling Moss
1962 Anita Lonsbrough
1963 Dorothy Hyman
1964 Mary Rand
1965 Tommy Simpson
1966 Bobby Moore
1967 Sir Henry Cooper
1968 David Hemery
1969 Ann Jones
1970 Sir Henry Cooper
1971 HRH Princess Anne
1972 Dame Mary Peters
1973 Sir Jackie Stewart
1974 Brendan Foster
1975 David Steele
1976 John Curry
1977 Virginia Wade
1978 Steve Ovett
1979 Lord Sebastian Coe
1980 Robin Cousins
1981 Sir Ian Botham
1982 Daley Thompson
1983 Steve Cram
1984 Torvill and Dean
1985 Barry McGuigan
1986 Nigel Mansell
1987 Fatima Whitbread
1988 Steve Davis
1989 Nick Faldo
1990 Paul Gascoigne
1991 Liz McColgan
1992 Nigel Mansell
1993 Linford Christie
1994 Damon Hill
1995 Jonathan Edwards
1996 Damon Hill
1997 Greg Rusedski
1998 Michael Owen
1999 Lennox Lewis
2000 Sir Steve Redgrave
2001 David Beckham
2002 Paula Radcliffe
2003 Jonny Wilkinson
2004 Dame Kelly Holmes
2005 Andrew Flintoff
2006 Zara Phillips
2007 Joe Calzaghe
2008 Chris Hoy
2009 Mark Cavendish

I see racing drivers have done quite well over the years, A cycllist has done it before in 1965 the late great Tommy Simpson.

You can only vote by phone between 7-8:30 tonight if you are a UK resident. May spend a few 15p's on Cav.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Peter Ward.

His book signing tour was awesome.

 

[Frutos]

I shall be casting my votes for The Hayemaker.

 

[brightonlass2009]

Very weak list this year, easily Button.

 

[Goring Gull]

In terms of sports achievement Cavendish should win it but he won't. No time for Jenson Button - the second half ogf the season he went right off teh boil to be honest it was an anti climax when he won the title.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Button doesn't deserve it.
If Hamilton was in that car, he'd have won it, and we all know that.
Button's a likeable chap and whatnot, much more so than Hamilton, but having the best team behind you is more often than not the main factor in winning the drivers championship.
It simply has to be David Haye.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Oh and Ryan Giggs!?
For what!?
Absolute joke that he got Player of the Year when he played about 20 games scoring 1 goal last season.
He's an old man out of his depth. Maybe he deserves some kind of lifetime achievement award or something, but he was nowhere near being player of the year last season and he is certainly not Sports Personality of the year.