Sportsbook.com Post Sportsman Award Odds Sportsbook.com has posted odds on who will be declared the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 2005. Considered one of the most prestigious awards that an athlete can have bestowed upon them, the title seems destined to go to one of three athletes who have dominated their respective sports in 2005 - Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. "There are a lot of worthy candidates as this has been a wonderful year in sports", said Alex Czajkowski, Marketing Director, Sportsbook.com. "But these three really stand above the rest both in their sports and beyond. Lance won his seventh straight Tour de France, Tiger regained his form and dominance with another Masters and British Open title and Federer had possibly one of the greatest seasons ever on the ATP Tour, losing only three matches and winning his third straight Wimbledon." Federer is listed as the favorite with 11-2 odds, closely followed by Woods (a winner in 1996 and 2000) and Armstrong (winner in 2002) at 6-1. Also in the mix however are several female athletes who made a big difference in the sports landscape in 2005. Top among them are Danica Patrick and Michelle Wie, who both broke with convention and created controversy and attention for their sports by competing with men. Patrick brought life back to the IRL circuit and Wie showed that women and men playing together on the links may soon be a common occurrence. Both women stand at 10-1 to win the SI award, along with Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots. The last time the award was given to a female was in 1999 when the US women's soccer team took the honor. Other candidates worthy of consideration include standout quarterback at USC, Matt Leinart (8-1) and the US Congress (15-1) for its role in trying to clean up sports and force major leagues to ramp up their anti-drug efforts. The Chicago White Sox (12-1) and New England Patriots (50-1) once again showed that team play at the expense of individual accolades and egos are the keys to success. "Everybody bets on sports at Sportsbook.com, and we think our fans are going to have a great time wagering on who they feel is the most deserving figure in the world of sports," added Czajkowski. The 2005 SI Sportsman of the Year will be announced on Friday, December 9th at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on HBO. | 
