Tiger Woods won the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award in this silly season of end-of-the-year honors. Now, this award only ranks slightly above that spelling bee trophy you took in first grade. Hence, the lag time in even feeling the need to talk about it.

But it’s still a complete farce.

I have nothing against Tiger Woods. He’s clearly the greatest golfer of all time. Heck, I predicted he’d win all four majors, the real Grand Slam, back in February.

But he didn’t. And athlete of the year deserves to go to the star who almost did, the most dominant athlete in any sport. That without question is tennis’ Roger Federer.

Federer won three of the four tennis tournaments that matter, came very close to the fourth and that Grand Slam. He went 92-5 in 2006. Ninety two and five! Mull that ridiculous record over for a moment.

Even Tiger knows Federer was robbed by U.S. Sports Editors who wouldn’t recognize Federer if he sat on their desk.

“What he’s done in tennis, I think, is far greater than what I’ve done in golf,” Woods said of his Nike buddy. “He’s lost what, five matches in three years? That’s pretty good.”

That’s the stuff of ultimate greatness, a season that makes even Tiger’s look human by comparison.

Going with Woods isn’t as egregious as Sports Illustrated selecting Dwayne Wade as its Sportsman of the Year. But at least everyone knows SI goes with what subject will make the best feature story - and sell magazines - not the real athlete of the year.

What’s the AP Sports Editors’ excuse? Did the guy in Des Moines think Tiger would play better in corn country?

Tiger Woods winning AP Male Athlete of the Year only proves how embarrassingly provincial Americans can be. Too bad there aren’t enough U.S. sports fans like Tiger and me who can see the entire sports world.

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