It's getting to be that time of year -- the February dead zone. It's the least favorite month of the year for most sports fans. College football is over, the Super Bowl is done and even the "second season" of recruiting has passed us by. That leaves the sports fan to satisfy himself with pre-March Madness basketball, spring training reports and even the odd boxing match -- or flip the channel from sports programming to entertainment. In that realm, at least, champions are in the process of being crowned. Monday night's Grammy awards have passed, so I take my cue from the next big entertainment awards show, the Academy Awards, to give out the Chippers to the best of the best recent performances in the world of sports.
Best actor in a leading role: Despite strong pushes from Reece Gaines and Tracy McGrady, this award can go to only one man -- one who fittingly made a foray into the entertainment world with a laughable rap single: Kobe Bryant. The man has averaged 40 points for nine straight games and carried his team in the absence of Shaquille O'Neal. And his highlight-reel dunks against the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets were the kind of plays that you tell your grandkids about.
Best actress in a leading role: Despite the lack of women's sports in the news -- college basketball is really the only team game in town -- women still have found a way to make a splash in recent weeks, led by Annika Sorenstam's decision to play in the men's Colonial tournament in May. Unfortunately, Sorenstam's debut on the male stage comes in too late for the Chippers, so my award goes to Alana Beard, who led the Duke basketball team to its third consecutive ACC regular season basketball championship. To gauge her importance to her team, one needs to look no further than the Blue Devils' victory over Virginia last month, in which Beard scored 41 of her team's 60 points. With a good showing at the Colonial, Sorenstam can put in a good case for next year's award, but for now it's got to be Beard.
Best actor in a supporting role: Garth Snow of the New York Islanders may not technically qualify as a supporting actor -- this season, he's been more of an understudy to starting goalie Chris Osgood. But with Osgood sidelined with an ankle injury, Snow has been outstanding, keeping the Islanders in the playoff hunt. Snow has gone undefeated in his past five games and has given the Isles plenty of confidence heading into the stretch run of the NHL season.
Best actress in a supporting role: Not many people have heard of Svetlana Kuznetsova, including yours truly until today. But Kuznetsova played a role in adding to one of the gaudiest careers in tennis, teaming with the legendary Martina Navratilova to capture the doubles title at the Dubai Open, marking the 168th doubles title in Navratilova's career. At the age of 46, Navratilova still is adding to her impressive resume with the help of lesser-known players such as Kuznetsova.
Best director: He may have been a bust as a professional coach, but everything Rick Pitino has touched in the state of Kentucky has turned to gold. He won a national championship at Kentucky in 1996, and now he has turned a Louisville team few picked for the top-25 into one of the nation's best teams. The Cardinals may not have what it takes to reach the Final Four, but Pitino's coaching job in his first season in red has been nothing short of remarkable. Kentucky fans still may be angry at him for deserting, but few can argue -- with apologies to Duke and Wake Forest in the Tar Heel State -- that the best college basketball in the land is being played in the Bluegrass State.
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