Athlete of the Year?

It’s been a bad year for awards. Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize without doing anything to deserve it. Ditto for Time naming Fed chief Ben Bernanke as Person of the Year.

And now a race-car driver has been named Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.

Say it ain’t so, somebody.

Granted, Jimmie Johnson is a great race-car driver. He runs circles around the competition.

OK, I guess all NASCAR drivers run circles, but you know what I mean.

The problem with calling him an athlete is that he sits down while he’s doing his job.

Call me a traditionalist, but an athlete is someone who runs, jumps or does something with a ball.

A guy who does what a taxicab driver does is not an athlete – even if he does it really well.

Heck, I think golf and bowling barely qualify as truly athletic events, but I’ll let ’em in.

The real athlete of the year was Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who set amazing records that may never be equaled – and demolished the previous record times while doing so.

Bolt’s runs were something that happens once in a generation in his sport.

J.J. is the first race-car driver to win this award in its 78-year history.

Let’s hope he’s the last.