It feels like just yesterday that 2006 began, so it is hard to believe it is almost gone and 2007 is about to begin. With the end of the year now upon us though, there's one more thing to do -- it's time to hand out this year's Cappy's, the awards for the best, and not-so-best, in sports for 2006. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

The Good Guys Do Finish First Award…
Bill Cowher. It took 14 years of dedication, hard work and perseverance, but Head Coach Bill Cowher and his Pittsburgh Steelers finally won that elusive Super Bowl title they have been chasing all these years. And, they did it with a decisive 21-10 defeat of the Seattle Seahawks. The win gave the Steelers their fifth Super Bowl title.

Honorable Mention: Jerome Bettis, the Steelers running back who has been chasing his own Super Bowl dreams for as long as Cowher. To finally win it, and to win it in his hometown of Detroit with his family and friends in attendance, was a great moment to watch. It was even more fitting that "The Bus" retired on the spot to put a grand ending on his great career.

The Idiot of the Year Award #1…
Terrell Owens. You would think he might have learned a lesson somewhere along the road of his career. After becoming unwelcome in San Francisco, and then, pretty much getting thrown out of Philadelphia, it was on to Dallas for the troubled man-child. Once there, the saga of T.O. continued almost from the start with the Cowboys – pulling a muscle in training camp, never participating in any preseason activities, dropping balls all over the place during the season, the did-he-or-did-he-not try to commit suicide saga before the season.  His mouth never stopped, and the stupidity of his words was endless. No one could shut him up. No one except a young quarterback named Tony Romo, who came in for struggling quarterback Drew Bledsoe and spoke with his actions, leading the Cowboys on a string of victories that not even T.O. could complain about. Such a wasted talent T.O. has become. Here's an athlete who might have one day challenged Jerry Rice's NFL receiving records if he'd chosen to concentrate on football. Instead, his career will end soon. Not because of age or injury, but because no team will want him to play on their team.

The Savior of the Year Award...
Tony Romo. As previously mentioned, this young kid came in for a struggling Bledsoe and a struggling Cowboys team and pretty much shutdown the 24-7 all-T.O. media network. In the process, he also resurrected an entire franchise. From owner Jerry Jones, to Head Coach Bill Parcells, to all of his teammates, including Owens, Romo took the team on a magical ride over a four-week stretch and brought hope to an entire city. While they are struggling a little near the end of the regular season, and suffered a horrible loss to the Eagles on Christmas day, Romo and the Cowboys now seem to have something they haven't had in a while – hope for their future.

The Idiot of the Year Award #2...
Allen Iverson. It took a while, but he finally, basically, ended his welcome in Philadelphia when the Sixers traded him to Denver this past month. Oh, everyone tried to put a good spin on it – the Sixers wanted to move forward in a new direction and got some great draft picks out of the deal, and Iverson, who is undeniably, one of the hardest working players in the League come game time, needed a chance to finally win a title. But, if you read between the lines, and look back at the history of his actions, both sides would probably agree, it was time for him to go. Now Philly can rebuild and have a chance to win. As for Denver, good luck!

The Idiot of the Year Award #3...
Zinedine Zidane. It was near the end of the championship game at the World Cup, a very close game between Zidane's French team and the Italians. Suddenly, with what appeared to be no provocation whatsoever, Zidane turned and head butted one of his opponents, Marco Materazzi, in the chest, sending him to the ground. Zidane got a red card and was tossed from the game. The result, without their sharpshooting player, France went on to lose to the Italians in a shootout, 5-3. Shortly after, Zidane retired from the sport, leaving a lasting memory of that head butt as his legacy. It was later learned that the Italian player had made some derogatory comments about Zidane's mother, which prompted the incident. While it is nice that he stood up for his mother, still, they were just words. Why he didn't just ignore them, play out the game and then go pummel the guy into the ground off the field is a question the French will be asking for years. Instead, he chose to defend his mother' s honor, making one woman very happy while crushing the hopes and dreams of an entire nation.

The Vindication of the Year Award #1...
Pat Riley. After eight years since his last championship in 1998, and with many people questioning his motives about dumping Stan Van Gundy and taking over the coaching duties in Miami early in the season himself, Riley went on to squash all of the naysayers up by leading the Heat to its first NBA Championship. Of course, having Shaquille O'Neal, Dwayne Wade, Alonzo Mourning, and a host of other talented players on the team helped some too. However, it was still nice to see him have his day in the South Florida sun.

Honorable Mention: Shaq winning a title before his former L.A. Laker teammate Kobe Bryant did. While Kobe might still win more championships than Shaq, it was nice to see the big guy beat him to the punch.

The Vindication of the Year Award #2...
Tony La Russa. His last World Series title came in 1989 when his Oakland A's swept the San Francisco Giants in the "earthquake" series. Since then people wondered if he'd ever win again. He's had some strong teams and gifted athletes play for him, but he never seemed to get it done. Then, last year, with a St. Louis Cardinals team that didn't seem like it could win it all, they did just that, beating a very tough Detroit Tigers team in five games to win the title.

The Vindication of the Year Award #3...
Vince Young. After leading Texas to the NCAA Championship last year over heavily favored USC, Vince Young's stock was so high, he decided to forego his senior year and enter the draft. Never has one player's stock dropped so quickly after that. Questions about his throwing mechanics, his "Wunderlick" scores, and a host of other things began eroding away how great a player he was. Finally, after being drafted by Tennessee, he quietly learned and waited for his chance to play. When he finally got his chance, he made the most of it and, simply put, the NFL now has a new star player for fans to enjoy watching.

The Vindication of the Year Award #4...
Maria Sharapova. Two years ago, Maria Sharapova shocked the world when she won Wimbledon. Everyone thought – ok, she just another pretty face and got lucky. Well, while she does have a very pretty face, one that has made millions in off the court advertising and modeling deals, she is also becoming a great tennis player as well. Something she is determined to prove to everyone. And, she took a big step towards that goal by adding a second Grand Slam title to her resume this past fall, when she defeated Justin Henin-Hardenne to win the U.S. Open Title. A solid win by a solid tennis professional.

The Talk About Domination Award #1...
Kevin Harvick. Without question, Kevin Harvick owned NASCAR's Busch Series in 2006. With nine wins and 32 Top 10 finishes in the 35 races, Harvick locked up the Busch Series title in October and built a record 824 point lead over his closest rival. It was one of the best racing seasons a driver has ever had, and he'll be hard pressed to do it again next season. But, it sure will be fun to watch him try.

The Talk About Domination Award #2...
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. By the numbers, courtesy of the AVP.com web site, May-Treanor and Walsh became the winningest team in domestic women's history, taking home a single-season most 13 of 16 titles, while finishing out the year with 39 career titles together in U.S. tournaments. The duo ended the season with 35 straight victories,  compiled an astounding 82-3 match record, have played in the finals 44 of 45 AVP events together, and will take a seven-tournament winning streak into the 2007 season. Oh, yeah, they are also the defending Olympic Gold Medalists, and begin their quest to defend their title in 2008 in Beijing, China, starting next season.

The Oh! What a Show Award...
NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships in Omaha, Nebraska. The HuskerNation turned out in record numbers this December, as they converged on the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska to watch the Nebraska women's volleyball team, led by AVCA Player of the Year Sarah Pavan, win their third title wins over UCLA and Stanford. Both matches also set new attendance records for the sport, as 17, 013 watched the Husker's defeat the Bruins and then 17, 209 came back on Saturday to watch them defeat the Cardinal for the title. It was a great week of volleyball thanks to the city of Omaha and the fans of the Huskers.

Sports Media Awards

Best Sports Talk Show
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, ESPN’s "Pardon the Interruption."
Honorable Mention: Mike & Mike in the Morning, which can also be seen on ESPN2.

Best NFL Pre-Game Show
None this year… They have all taken the decibel level way to high and have made the shows unenjoyable with their screaming and talking over one another. These shows used to be fun, now they are just boring.

Best NFL Broadcast Team
Still a Tie: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, FOX Sports, and Al Michaels and John Madden, now on NBC Sunday Night Football.

Honorable Mention: Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Joe Theisman, Monday Night Football, ESPN.

Best SideLine Reporter
Suzy Kolber, Monday Night Football, ESPN

Those Who Will Be Missed…
Red Auerbach, Trevor Berbick, Susan Butcher, Johnny Callison, Paul Dana, Maggie Dixon, Pat Dobson, Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Curt Gowdy, Steve Howe, Billy Hitchcock, Lamar Hunt, Charlie Leigh, Cory Lidle, Bob Mathias, Byron Nelson, Buck O'Neil, Floyd Patterson, Jimmy Peters, Kirby Puckett, John Sandusky, Bo Schembechler, Ernie Steele, Andre Water, Earl Woods, and any and all others that I have missed.

A special mention about my dad, Felix "Cappy" Capone, who these awards are named after... Dad passed away on October 8, 2006, after a six-month battle against lung cancer.

The Best of 2006 Awards
Finally, the top athletes and the sport's moment of the year… and it is a sweep by the sport of tennis this year.

Male Athlete of the Year: Roger Federer
In 2006, Federer won three out of four Grand Slam tournaments, Australian, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In addition, he won 12 of the 17 tournaments he entered. All told, he has now won nine Grand Slam titles, with only the French Open eluding him, and is on his way to Pete Sampras's record of 14. He is, arguably, on the way to becoming the greatest male tennis player of all time. He is a joy to watch and, for his opponents, a nightmare to play against. What will he do in 2007? Is a Grand Slam in his future? We'll all just have to watch to find out.

Female Athlete of the Year: Maria Sharapova
With her win, Sharapova now has a second Grand Slam title to her name and is slowly proving to the sport's world that she takes her sport very seriously. Many doubted that after seeing all of the outside things she has going on in her life – modeling, TV commercials, etc – but, she is slowly quieting all that talk down with her racket. She has definitely proved she is an athlete first and foremost, and it has been fun to watch.

Sports Moment of the Year: Jason McElwain.
It was shown on all of the news channels. It was shown over and over on ESPN, and no matter how many times it was shown, it still brought a tear to your eye. He even won an ESPY! Jason McElwain, an autistic 17-year-old high school student athlete from Greece Athena High School in Greece, New York, always wanted to play basketball. Because of his size though, he didn't make the team, but he became their dedicated team manager. On the evening of his team's final home game this past season, his last in high school, and with the team ahead by a comfortable margin late in the game, the coach, Jim Johnson, decided to let Jason in to play. Well, Jason, J-MAC to his friends, made the most of it. After missing his first couple of shots, he finally hit one. Then he hit another, and another. Before it was all said and done, he scored 20 points – one 2-pointer and six-3 pointers – in a four-minute time frame. He had the home crowd going nuts and was carried off the court on the shoulders of his teammates. It was one of those heartwarming, inspirational stories that make sports worth watching, because you just never know what will happen on a field or on a court on any given day.

For more on the story, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_McElwain, and
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2343490 .

Well, that's it for this year. Hope you enjoyed the 2006 Cappy's.

Best Wishes for a very Happy New Year in 2007 and, hopefully, we'll do it again next year.

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Editor’s Note:

A quick history of the Cappy's: The Cappy's came about in 1998 when I was looking for a fun way to end my first year at eSports and decided to do what a lot of my favorite sportswriters do, write a column giving out some year-end sports awards. But, what to call them?

After thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized the answer was easy. My dad is the person who introduced me to sports when I was a kid. He is without a doubt, one of the great armchair sports fans of all time. So in honor of my dad, Cappy is his nickname, I've named these awards after him.

Hope you enjoyed this latest edition.

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In Memoriam:
Felix "Cappy" Capone, January 22,1923 - October 8, 2006