Peyton Manning. Really? Explain This To Me.

I need this explained to me.

Sports Illustrated picked Peyton Manning last Sunday as their "Sportsman of the Year" for the year 2013.

Peyton Manning. Really?

So, what did Manning do in this calendar year that makes him worthy of that award? It started out badly for him, as his favored Denver Broncos blew a second round playoff game at home to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

Yeah, he's having another great year for the Broncos, and is probably on his way to his 5th NFL MVP award, a new record. But the Broncos haven't won a Super Bowl with him at the helm yet.

I thought David Ortiz would be a slam dunk choice. He literally put the Red Sox on his back and led them to a very unlikely World Series title, after a brutal 2012. His grand slam in Game 2 of the ALCS literally turned the Red Sox fortunes around, and his speech in the dugout during Game 4 of the World Series again seemed to turn the Red Sox fortunes around, as the won the last three games to secure their 3rd title in 10 years.

His speech on April 20th at Fenway, five days after the terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon, was inspiring to say the least. "This is our f****n' city" seemed to say it all.

Papi did it with his bat, and his leadership.

And he won more titles in the calendar year of 2013 than Manning did.

I could even see picking Mariano Rivera as the winner as well. He bounced back from a devastating knee injury to finish his Hall of Fame career in style.

Sorry, I just don't see Manning as a better choice than Papi or Rivera.

I won't lose any sleep over this. At least Papi won the hardware that counts for more.