The first annual Steve and the Tank person of the year for 2007 is Barry Bonds. (Yes Barry Bonds.) The person of the year is the person who, better or worse, defines the sporting year. We at Steve and the Tank could not think of anyone else more deserving of this distinction.
2007 was a very turbulent year.
2007 saw Barry Bonds break Hank Arron's home record, Tom Brady's record 50 TD passes, Randy Moss' record TD receptions, and the Patriots cheating in their first game on the way to a perfect record breaking 16-0 season. 2007 saw milestones like Tom Glavine's 300th win and Roger Federer steamroll his way to several records. We also saw one of the greatest collapses in sport history when the Mets lost the NL East in the final week of the season.
And yet this year was filled with too much scandal and sadness. The year opened with news of Denver Broncos Darrent Williams' murder in a drive by shooting and ends with Jim Leyritz charged with DUI and manslaughter. In between is Sean Taylor's murder, Michael Vick convicted of dogfighting and Barry Bonds indicted for lying. Not to mention the NBA refs cheating and almost the entire elite riders in the 2007 Tour de France dropping out for doping.
And then of course the Mitchell Report. While Yankees fans still think the Irish Catholic who brought peace to Northern Ireland somehow was loyal to the Boston Red Sox, the Mitchell Report, despite all of its flaws, cast a very dark shadow over the nation's pastime.
2007 was a year of records and scandal. Like it or not, Barry Bonds is the face of 2007 as he is the epitome of records and scandal.
Posted by Steve in New York waiting for a better sports year in 2008.